Few things in life satisfy like a beer bar and thanks to the craft beer revolution, craft beer bars are popping up with regularity across the United States. Many are already familiar with names like World of Beer, but there are other, lesser known beer- centric bar/restaurants that are slowly making a name for themselves. One of them happens to be Growler USA: America’s Microbrew Pub.
Want Beer?
Growler USA was founded in Eugene, Oregon and was founded on the idea that growler refill stations should also serve as an actual pub where people can meet for a glass of beer, with or without a growler fill- up. In a short time, Growler USA was born and it quickly began rapid expansion across the nation.
Beer is the primary focus at Growler USA and each location contains an impressive number of taps. My local Growler USA in Katy, Texas houses 100 taps of beer, along with other beverages such as cider and even draft wine. The taps are arranged in a single, horizontal row against the wall, making for an impressive and unforgettable appearance. Guests can get growler fills, of course, but they can also order single servings of beers or flight samplers if they cannot decide what they want or would rather sample several beers rather than a single brew.
Food Matters
Every good beer bar knows that food service is essential. It enhances the beer experience and with so many different styles and taste sensations present in craft beer, it’s often enjoyable to find the perfect food to match.
Growler USA serves a small menu of food items and, not surprisingly, most of the foods seem like they were selected to match with beer. The menu includes appetizers, salads, wraps, desserts, and a few other assorted goodies. I like to start with an appetizer, like the quesadillas, pretzels, or hummus before moving on to the main course. The main dishes number about ten, so there isn’t an excessive quantity of choices. I like the Growler Mac & Cheese and the Buffalo Chicken Wrap best, but there are other good food options as well. Depending on where you live, there could be additional/different food choices, as each location is granted some flexibility in what it serves.
Going Places
Growler USA is a welcome addition to my local area of Katy, Texas. With 100 taps of beer flowing freely and rotating tap options, Growler USA is one of the best places in the Houston area for draft beer. The Katy area is a fast growing region of the Houston metropolitan area and with so many craft beer converts, we have needed an establishment like this to quench our thirst for hand crafted brew in ways that the typical restaurant/pub cannot.
Any visitor to Growler USA will be most impressed by the beer selection. This is, of course, the main reason to visit Growler USA and the tap wall is an awesome site, indeed. The interior of my local Growler USA is on the small side and is geared toward sports, even though it doesn’t have the look and appearance of a full- fledged sports bar. It’s more like a beer bar with added sports and food. It’s small, but with so many beers from which to choose, I’m able to overlook this issue.
Food is an important part of the Growler USA experience and I like that they keep the menu limited. I’m not fond of restaurants that feature 10 page menus- it makes it too difficult to choose what to eat when you should be focused on what matters most, like choosing your next beer. The selections here are kept to a minimum so it doesn’t take long to place your order and get on with your visit.
Growler USA features an electronic board, displaying the beer options, and a printed beer menu for your convenience. If you’re an Untappd user like me, you will want to make sure your cell phone is charged and ready to go, because there will be countless photo ops and Untappd update opportunities. At my location in Katy, TX, they even show the latest Untappd entries from guests on the electronic boards. It’s cool to see your own name show up on the screens as you log each of your beers into Untappd’s vast database and it encourages guests to continue to look for and try new beer- an easy task, for obvious reasons.
Growler USA is a franchise concept that is going places. You know a franchise is growing quickly when you check the web site and discover there are more franchises in the works and on the verge of opening than there are existing locations. The people at Growler USA are clearly doing something right and that something is an exceptional variety of delicious craft beer. Check them out if a location exists in your area and tell them Great Beer Now sent you.
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