Saturday, December 4, 2010

Trappeze: The Beer Drinker's Beer Bar


by Bo Moore

Nestled in the heart of a bustling, rowdy, $2 PBR college town, Trappeze Pub is one of the Southeast's finest beer bars. But you won't find any sorority girls sneaking in on fake I.D.'s here; Trappeze is not just a beer bar, but a beer-drinker's beer bar.

At Trappeze, the motto is “good beer matters.” Located on the edge of downtown Athens and down the street from the popular 40 Watt Club, Trappeze certainly lives up to its standards. With around 30 taps rotating high-quality beers from around the country, a menu featuring beer-infused and beer-inspired dishes, and a staff knowledgeable enough to pair the two together, Trappeze takes the traditional gastropub to the next level.

I entered late on a Wednesday night, as the pub was transitioning between daytime restaurant and late-night bar. The guys sitting at and behind the bar obviously know their beer, but Trappeze never crosses the threshold to beer snobbery. The staff—and fellow patrons—are quick to offer suggestions to both beer veterans and newbies alike. My date and I seated ourselves at a booth near the bar, and were quickly approached by a waitress to take our order. Though we waved her off a few times while taking a while to decide on our meal, she didn't disappear when we were finally ready.

Trappeze's beer list, which is extensive to say the least, has only one flaw; it's usually out of date. My server suggested I instead refer to the large board opposite the bar for an up-to-date list, as Trappeze rotates their beer selection fairly regularly. At the declaration of my intended order, a bartender quickly offered a few recommendations to go with my beer cheddar soup. I decided on a half-pour of 2XIPA, a decisively bitter double India pale ale by Southern Tier Brewing Company. Trappeze's half-pours are a welcome addition for the beer drinker who doesn't want to fully commit to the high-gravity—or high price—of a full pour of craft brew.

Our food arrived quickly, maybe 10 or 15 minutes after ordering. My beer cheddar soup, made with cheddar cheese, onions and Victory Prima Pils, a German pilsner from Victory Brewing Company, was served with toast. The beer taste is definitely evident in the soup, poking through the cheddar with a faint bitterness. I usually dislike onions, but in this soup I didn't mind. The soft onions and creamy cheddar tasted best with the accompanying toast, adding a slight buttery crunch to the mix. My recommended 2XIPA gave a nice clean finish to the dish, lifting the cheddar from my mouth with a blast of hoppy bitterness.

Our burgers, too, were beer inspired, topped with a creamy beer cheese. Almost more a spread than a cheese, it added a slight hint of hoppy spice to the otherwise average beef patty; a delicious twist on the standard cheeseburger. Even the sauces sometimes feature a beer addition. When I asked for some honey mustard to dip the thick-cut, perfectly salted french fries, I was presented with a strangely not-yellow liquidy substance. It tasted like honey mustard—sweet and spicy with a slight tang—but my server explained it was made with honey, stone-ground mustard seeds and, sure enough, beer. Unique, innovative, delicious.

While Athens, known more for its football games and music scene, may not seem the place to find a top-quality gastropub, Trappeze is definitely worth a visit for fans of good food and good beer alike. Finding the perfect balance between the carousing frat boys down the street and the craft-brew connoisseurs sitting at the bar, Trappeze lives up to its slogan, proving that “good beer matters.”

1 comment:

  1. I agree with Bo here; somehow the restaurant balances perfectly between high-class taste and skeezy gastropub, so that it maintains an atmosphere that is laid-back and gratifying at the same time. It's pretty much my favorite restaurant in Athens.

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