Wednesday 28th of July 2010 02:26:58 PM

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I went to Old Oak Tap for lunch today and came away with a great impression. Their beer list had great variety and should offer something for everyone. I went with the Beer Flight, where you can order any 3 drafts (6 oz glass of each) for $8. I had the Ayinger Brau-Weisse, Hennepin, and Maudite Red Ale.

The menu has pretty good descriptions of each beer, including % abv, origin of beer, and price. It's pretty easy to read through and find some unique beers to try. There was also a chalk board over the bar with rotating beers. The bartender said right now they are buying a case of a new beer, seeing how it sells, and then deciding to either add the beer or let the case run out and bring in something new. If you aren't sitting at the bar be sure to ask the waitress what is rotating in because it is not listed on the menu. Right now the Breckenridge Agave was one of the options.

The location itself has a large semi-covered outdoor seating area with an indoor area and bar. The inside has a raised area with some tables and the bar and the rest of the tables inside are street level.

The bartender was really nice and even though she was covering all the tables herself was kind enough to answer a couple questions I had.

The food was fantastic. On Wednesday's they offer a Roasted Duck sliders special with fries (whole potato cut, so you can still see skin on fry). The Duck sliders were great. You could clearly taste the duck, but still taste the cherry sauce they make with it. Both tastes complimented each other and are definitely worth a try. I saw signs for brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

I had never heard of Old Oak Tap and found it just by searching through beermapping.com for somewhere new to go to lunch. I was really surprised and pleased with the location and will be back to try other food and beer items on the menu.

Monday 17th of August 2009 04:16:58 PM

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Stopped here recently with out of town friends. The place had a nice patio that was partially covered, and large doors that opened into the bar and indoor dining area. We sat outside and ordered a round of beers. I had a couple Metro Dynamos, and ordered a pork charcuterie plate (good, but small portions). The beer list was pretty solid, loaded with mass appealing easy drinkers, though they had a few quality local beers, which was good to see. Also helpful were the tasting notes, ABV, and price listed.

The interior was fairly slick and modern, with high ceilings and sparse rustic touches. The central bar was an island with a stone surface I want to say. It was pretty clean and didn't have that worn in feeling yet.

It was a nice stop, but we didn't really feel like staying for more than a couple rounds. The crowd was decidedly trendy and upscale. Probably wouldn't make this a beer destination, though you could eat and drink well with a group here.