February 6, 2012
Wine gets a lot of attention on restaurant menus, but this week 14850 Dining talks about the eateries around town that focus on beer with their meals. Most restaurants have a few beers on tap or at least in bottles, but a handful really shine with great beer selection, seasonal turnover, or even their own brews.
In Downtown Ithaca, the Ithaca Ale House thinks beer is so important, it's even in the name. There are several beers that are always on tap, like Guinness, Arrogant Bastard, and Ithaca Nut Brown. But you'll also find whatever Sam Adams seasonal is current, like their Alpine Spring, porters and stouts from near and far, wheat beers, and one or two stronger brews that are served in ten-ounce glasses instead of pints.
Northstar Public House in Ithaca's Fall Creek neighborhood has "just" ten beers on tap at any given time, but they supplement that with dozens of interesting bottled beers. You can count on finding something you've never heard of, like Kwak, a malty Belgian strong ale.
Up at the Small Mall in Ithaca's northeast, the Scale House Brewpub added fresh beer and sit-down service to Northeast Pizza. Their classic pilsner and red ale, and a dark bock you won't see in most beer lineups, are joined by several other beers to accompany their generous pizzas, wings, burgers, and sandwiches.
Rogues Harbor in Lansing has always had a good selection of beers on tap, along with their focus on local wine, but they've recently joined the ranks of the brewpub. Their Cayuga Cream Ale is smooth and perfect on a Rogues wing night, the recent 1830 Porter is a hearty cool-weather brew.
And back downtown, Bandwagon Brewpub has beer-pairing suggestions for many of their dishes, and a brew lineup that never stays the same for more than a few days. They're always experimenting, so the raspberry jalapeño is sometimes a little sweeter, sometimes a little spicier. You might find a chocolate cherry stout or an espresso stout. But everything's worth a try -- go with a flight and see what they've got to offer.
