Yankee Brew News Archive

Pub Review: Coolidge Corner Clubhouse

Originally Published: 07/95

By: Bob DiCesare

Pub Review: Coolidge Corner Clubhouse

By Bob DiCesare

The Bruins and Celtics made early playoff exits this spring, but that hasn't stopped Jim Langille from trying to hit a home run with Red Sox fans over a long, hot summer.

Langille, manager of the Coolidge Corner Clubhouse in Brookline, Massachusetts., is showcasing his establishment as the only "sports beer bar" around, and it's easy to see why. The CCC now offers 35 craft-brew and import beers on draft, all served in 16 oz. pints.

The food remains predominantly pub-style, with enough sandwiches named after athletes to fill out plenty of lineup cards, but Langille sees a greater trend. And the emphasis is on beer.

When the CCC opened six and a half years ago, beer was not a major part of the game plan. It featured 10 standard, domestic beers on tap, plus Bass Ale, Guinness Stout and Samuel Adams. Langille, 30, eventually talked things over with owner Andy Pomper and convinced him to more than double the number of taps from 10 to 25 in the fall of 1993.

"I thought it was something we should do," said Langille. "I saw changes in the drinking establishment. People were getting away from hard liquor and turning to microbrews. Beer was becoming more upscale. When we added more beers, I made a personal guarantee to Andy that I would get our customers to try these beers. "If I can't get someone to like at least 4-5 of our microbrews, then they don't appreciate good beer. People weren't willing before, but they're a lot more willing to try them now. We're trying to educate the customer."

"We sell mostly Pete's Wicked Ale and Samuel Adams because of the marketing behind them," Langille observed. "But I'm seeing more progression. They're on their way. They're tending to drink more microbrew." Langille has seen a steady growth in craft brews at CCC with 35-40 percent more beer being consumed than three years ago. With that in mind, Langille added another 10 taps at CCC for a total of 35 craft brews, with 3-5 of them on a rotation basis.

Among the newer additions are Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Anchor Liberty, Rogue Ales, Tucher Hefe-Weizen and Oberdorfer Dunkel-Weizen. Other favorites include: New Amsterdam Black & Tan, Fullers ESB, Stoudt, John Courage Amber, Wild Goose Porter, Oregon Raspberry Wheat and Warsteiner Pilsner. New England entries are Post Road Pale Ale, Shipyard Export Ale, Goat Island Light and Geary's Pale Ale.

"There's really not that much I like in New England which is readily available," said Langille. "However, because of what we have available, we're now attracting what we call the 'beer freak.' There are three to four different groups who regularly come in and ask what's fresh that day and what we have that's different. A New England beer doesn't necessarily mean it is the freshest. I'm a 100 percent hands-on person when it comes to the receiving end here, and I'm more interested in flavor value for our customers. I look for highly-hopped, highly-malted, and the freshest product available."

The increased emphasis on beer has added an extra 15 hours to Langille's already-hectic schedule, but it's still something he enjoys. "I know it's fresh all the time," Langille added. "In a way, I consider myself a beer snob. I like flavors, maltiness, and more quality as the key factors. Some people still have that theory that they'd like to drink as much budget beer as they can for their money."

Langille observes his operation two different ways. Personally, he sees the CCC as a 'beer bar' with 35 taps. Professionally, however, he sees a sports bar, complete with 17 television screens and an ample menu featuring 10-oz. burgers, chicken, ribs, steak, fajitas, salads and deli sandwiches to satisfy the hungry sports fan. "The food sells itself," said Langille. "We like to double someone's pleasure with the beer selection."

A friend and I started with a pretzel basket appetizer, which consisted of four jumbo, New York-style salted pretzels with a choice of yellow, dijon or honey mustard. All draft beers are served in pints, ranging in price from $2.50 to $3.75, and are served through the Perlick Tap system. However, we opened with the 'Four-for-Four' sampler, which includes four, 4 oz. drafts of your choice for $4. We selected Post Road Ale, New Amsterdam Black & Tan, Tucher Hefe-Weizen and Oberdorfer Dunkel-Weizen.

My friend was hot on the trail of something Cajun style, so he chose the 'Reggie Lewis' sandwich, which is grilled Cajun chicken breast, served on a bulkie roll with lettuce, tomato and Cajun mayonnaise. I had the 'Ted Williams' burger, which is captioned as 'Simply the best!' It included bacon, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and was garnished with curly-Q French fries.

Among the more elaborate items on the menu is the 'Jose Canseco Grand Slam,' which consists of a half-rack of barbecue baby back ribs, a half-pound of barbecue steak tips, a grilled barbecue chicken breast and barbecue grilled shrimp. Also, the 'Eddie Andelman' sandwich, which is a four-decker of corned beef, turkey, pastrami, roast beef, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on rye, which the CCC boasts that even Andelman cannot finish.

The Coolidge Corner Clubhouse is located at 307A-309 Harvard Street, within two blocks of the Beacon Street Green Line station, and is a popular locale for both area professionals as well as the local college crowd. The CCC ((617) 566-4948) is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., and includes a full menu during the late-night hours. There is an all-you-can-eat luncheon buffet Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and there are daily blackboard specials as well as a daily sports trivia question for a free dessert. Sunday brunch is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can test your gray matter against trivia whiz Morgan White on Monday nights beginning at 8:30. Credit cards are accepted (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover). The CCC also welcomes you to join its Beer Club and Free Lunch Club.

Bob DiCesare writes for The Patriot Ledger, a Quincy, Massachusetts-based daily newspaper. He is believed to be descended from mighty Viking stock.