Let it be known that I have been trying for a while to get this location to invite me in for a Pub and Grub but they don’t seem interested in free advertising– I have been told that the service I provide would cost to $1200 since it is an 800 word article. Hey, what can you do but offer something for free. I guess they figure they are not hurting and don’t need the pub. Unfortunately, I have heard that the service is bad (not just at this location but with the chain in general) and the beer is adequate. Once that gets around, they might change their minds.

My service was not poor at this location and it was Christmas Eve so that was a bit surprising. The beers were actually a little better than what I remember. However, it is important to note that this location doesn’t brew any of the beers. In addition, many of the beers are outsourced to other breweries to be brewed. Therefore, it is possible that some of the beers are being made by great brewers that prefer to remain anonymous.

I started with the Lighthouse Lager which was not very good. It was a clone of Budweiser with a slightly maltier flavor.  I guess this would be a good beer for someone who didn’t know or like craft beer but it wouldn’t work for most beer lovers.

The Brewhouse Blonde was another beer that was not that good. It lacked any herbal flavors usually found in blondes and was very plain. It was not as malty as the lager so it even lacked this taste.

Harvest Hefeweizen didn’t have much banana or clove on the nose but the taste was there. It actually had a good balance of banana and clove. I would drink this one.

Piranha Pale Ale had a nice nose with a hint of hops. It was actually a well balanced pale ale with good amount of hops and bit of sweetness at the end.

Hopstorm IPA didn’t have any more nose than the pale ale but did have a much hoppier flavor– also a decent beer.

Jeremiah Red reminded me of Killians– nothing else to say about that one.

BJs Oasis Amber had a hint of malt on the nose but was not strong. It had a slightly burnt malt flavor but had a hint of a metallic aftertaste. This was not a good beer.

Nutty Brewnette had a slight hint of nut on the nose from the malt. It had a good nutty aftertaste and reminded me of Newcastle Nut Brown Ale.

BJs PM Porter was a good solid porter with a nose of slightly burnt malt with a hint of coffee flavor at the end.

Tonka Stout was described by my husband as a “subtle stout”.  It didn’t have much nose but had a good mouthfeel. It wasn’t heavy with coffee flavors. As the beer warmed, it had more smoke flavors that came out. I would actually prefer this beer at closer to room temperature.

Since BJs is about 4 miles from my house, I guess I will be going back again at some point. I will probably wait until season is over and the crowds die down to something manageable. The place was pretty packed even on Christmas Eve. At that point, I hope that they too have a different beer selection. If they do, I will report back.