Yankee Brew News Archive

Pub Review: The House of Brews: Changing the Face of the Neighborhood Bar

Originally Published: 02/97

By: Ken "Luckmeister" Spolsino

The neighborhood bar. It is the place we go to get the hell out of the house when our fridge is empty, the vacuum cleaner is broken and the place is a mess. It is where we go to meet our friends to celebrate victories, mourn losses, or because their vacuum cleaners are broken and they have an empty fridge too. The neighborhood bar is one of the few places (if not the only place) we are able to kick back, relax and hoist a few.

With the boon of the not-so-new microbrewing revolution comes the inevitable changes to the business of the neighborhood bar. Gone (thankfully) are the torn bar stools for comfort, lousy television reception passing as entertainment and the strong aroma of stale beer as ambiance. In order to compete in today's market, the neighborhood bar must have comfortable seating, satellite feeds, and (most important) a better selection of beers. We no longer have to plead with the owner/proprietor to put our favorite microbrew on a tap. Just as local package stores or beer vendors have seen the wisdom of opening space for the bottled product, the local bar owner is responding to the rising demand for these products where none could be found before.

Take for example one, now defunct, neighborhood establishment in my hometown. The first time I walked into the joint I gave it the Luckmeister's "This place sucks!" seal of disapproval. I swore never to set foot through the doorway again, but reaffirmed my contempt on an annual basis just to be sure. Thanks to the efforts of a couple of enlightened bar keepers I can say with great adulation that this is no longer the case.

The new owners, Adrian McMenamin and Denis Keohane, renovated the building with the kind of panache that leaves many of their local competitor establishments in the dust. Of course, (again) most important, is the fact that they have 36 different beers; giving it the Luckmeister's "Damn fine watering hole, "seal of approval. They opened their doors this past December, appropriately renaming it The House Of Brews.

McMenamin, a South Boston resident, immigrated from Donegal (that's in Ireland, dummy) eight years ago, which goes to show what can be accomplished with hard work and a touch of Irish luck. His background in the beer industry stems from a long stint as bartender at the Blackthorne Tavern in Easton, Massachusetts, which has been featured in this publication on a number of occasions. McMenamin and Keohane searched long and hard to find the ideal location for their establishment before finally deciding on the Roslindale section of Boston. It is a richly diverse area of mixed cultures which can appreciate a good Irish tavern.

The interior is appointed with Irish road signs and tables which stand upon actual grand piano legs. This motif is extended to an attractive bar where a piano front is elevated on a platform facing patrons and is the centerpiece of the bar with small stained glass windows on either side. It's really a visually attractive area while you wipe the beer froth from your upper lip as you consider your next beverage order, even though their best seller is not surprisingly, Guinness.

McMenamin stated that their kitchen will be complete by mid-February where he intends on serving his patrons a "full Irish breakfast." Also on the agenda, he hopes to offer traditional Irish entertainment on a regular basis, later in the year.

Yes. Neighborhood bars are really changing, and in my estimation, for the better.

The House Of Brews is located at 417-419 Hyde Park Avenue in Roslindale, Massachusetts. Their hours are 10:30 a.m.-1:00 a.m. Phone them at (617) 327-3400 for directions, just in case your neighborhood bar is slow to change.