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| - Public House is a beer drinker's heaven. They have their own Cicerone (an expert on storing, brewing, and serving beer). I was able to speak with him briefly during our lunch, and he promised us things of glory in the near future such as local Joseph James and Big Dogs specialty brews in casks... My eyes lit up with wonder.
I tried the Poutine ($8), which translates to "heart attack" in the native Canadian tongue. French fries, duck, cheese curds, and a light gravy sauce. The server warned me that the dish does not have added salt, but it is still extremely salty due to the ingredients. Salty + beer = good, so I went with it. Although salty, it wasn't offensively salty until I got to the very bottom of the bowl. But by that time I was stuffed anyway. It went perfectly with my beer, and let's be honest here, it is all about the beer.
I had a beer blended by the house Cicerone (Russell Gardner), which was a Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza blended with Maui's Big Swell IPA. Both beers are two of my favorite beers by themselves. The Calabaza is a light, tart "sour" farmhouse ale. It's flavor can make you pucker depending on how old it is (the older the more tart). The Big Swell is a very citrusy, lightly bitter and refreshing IPA. I knew the two would be great together, and I was right. What a delight! Russell hits a home run on his beer blendings.
They had many amazing beers, such as Deschutes Black Butte Porter on cask, and Uinta's humongous (12% abv) and delicious imperial stout, Labyrinth on tap (good for dessert).
It is worth mentioning that I had a small bite of my friend's tuna salad sandwich, and my other friend's hamburger (the $20 one). Both were outstanding, although the tuna salad seemed like it could have been canned tuna to me.
Overall, this place is a gold mine for beer lovers. Russell even offered to sell me some stuff in their cellar. Nothing he had interested me at the time, but I will be back to see if he can score some beer for me. Yay for Public House!
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