It’s possible the far-flung town of Alpine has never had an eatery that qualifies as a “destination restaurant,” but that’s about to change with the arrival of the new Alpine Beer Company Pub (1347 Tavern Road, Alpine). After all, the business the new venue belongs to, Alpine Beer Company, has been inspiring fans of exceptional hoppy beers to pack up their friends and their growlers, and truck to the county’s unincorporated eastern territory for years. For the past four years, the majority of these beer travelers have tacked on a meal of finger-lickin’ barbecue from Alpine Beer’s much smaller, diner-like, tasting room-adjacent resto, but that venue was recently closed to be replaced by the aforementioned pub.
Much larger than its predecessor (which was almost always at capacity and far too busy for efficiency’s sake), the new pub was installed at the former site of the Alpine Bread Basket restaurant. Last year, Alpine Beer owner and brewmaster Pat McIlhenney conducted a poll of the company’s fan-base via its electronic newsletter, asking them to reply back with their feedback on the project so he could gauge if there was enough interest in the project to move forward with it. Apparently there was. And whereas this would have been a rather difficult undertaking for Alpine Beer in its smallish state a year ago, it has since been purchased by Green Flash Brewing Company, the country’s 48th largest craft brewery, providing more resources to make the Alpine Beer Company Pub a reality.
Key among those resources was Green Flash’s director of beer education, Dave Adams. A certified Cicerone with beer-centric restaurant experience, he took the lead on installation of a 25-tap bar that currently features 10 Alpine beers as well as various Green Flash offerings and rotating guest beers. Beers are available in full pours, with Alpine’s brews offered up in flights and bottles as well. Those looking for growler fills will need to venture to the tasting room at Alpine’s brewery (2351 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine).
The pub seats roughly 200 people via an open layout with several booths, high-tops, tables and a light-up bar that glows a yellowish hue. Eventually, an outdoor bar will be built, but for now there is plenty of al fresco seating. Back inside, reclaimed wood provides a modern aesthetic, while streaming music, mounted TVs and a window into the kitchen provide different forms of entertainment.
On the food front, the culinary team worked to keep the menu reminiscent of Alpine’s original restaurant while adding on some new and exciting items. Adams cites entrees of pan-seared lemon-caper salmon, and braised pork belly with bacon and a poached egg as prime examples of the latter. Appetizers punctuated by a charcuterie and cheese board, shrimp and grits, and beer fried cheese curds, assorted salads (all of which can be converted to wraps) and sandwiches, and desserts including vanilla-salted cheesecake and peanut butter-stuffed chocolate lava cake fill out the bill of fare.
Alpine Beer Company Pub (which the company refers to as “The Home of Pure Hoppiness”) is open from 11 a.m. to midnight daily and is both dog- and beer-hound-friendly. Its official grand opening will take place Friday, June 26.
