Barrington Brewery and Restaurant

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — What's better than chocolate cake?

For you, it might be a really good beer or a great sandwich, even a really fresh salad but for me, it's chocolate cake. So you should know, even if the rest of the menu at Barrington Brewery was just OK, I'd still go there for the cake.

Situated on Route 7, on the fringe of Great Barrington, the Barrington Brewery prides itself on serving "solar powered" beer brewed on the premises. For $4.95 you can try five of them served in three-ounce glasses set in a wooden tray. It was fun to try the beer but the real appeal of the Great Barrington Brewery for me was the food.

We arrived at 6 on a Friday night. The place was pleasantly busy with beer lovers enjoying happy hour in the pub while couples and families had dinner in the rustic dining room.

The decor is typical for a Berkshire pub, rustic and low key with a whiff of "Ye Olde English" about it, but unpretentiously so. Rough-hewn wooden tables and benches are surrounded by walls decorated with quaint farm and brewery memorabilia. It's comfortable and makes for a congenial setting for a relaxed Friday night supper.

Barrington Brewery offers specials for every weeknight. On Friday, the special is a New England Fish Fry. Served with salad, it includes scallops, cod, shrimp, cole slaw and fries. The Fish Fry is a big meal, so if you also want to try their soup or share an appetizer, you might want to share one plate between two. That's especially true if you plan on dessert.

We started with cheddar ale soup. I have never understood the appeal of soups that are basically melted cheese and beer heated together but this soup was excellent, sharp, tasty, rich and satisfying. Topped with crunchy croutons and served with a good loaf of bread, it was a great start to the meal. A cup was ample.

The salad that comes with the nightly specials is a good-sized side salad. It's balanced and fresh. It's a real salad that you'd pay extra for in many restaurants, which made it a pleasant surprise. It arrives at the table before the entree. The contrast of the fresh, crisp salad with the rich mellow soup made me feel a little less guilty about eating an entire plate full of fried food.

Our fish fry was good, hot and fresh. The batter was crisp and tasty and the plate was not overwhelmed with french fries. The fish fry is served with cole slaw, tartar sauce and cocktail sauce — with the ketchup on the table and vinegar available on request, I don't think you could ask for much more.

My partner found the scallops a little small but I think, for $14.95 for a good-sized serving of three kinds of fresh seafood, that's quibbling.

We talked, we laughed we ate and when we were done, my thoughts returned to the dessert display and that great, big cake. We asked for a dessert menu.

If you don't want cake, you can choose from three different pies, a lemon tart, choclate tart, brownie sundae, cheesecake or a fruit crisp. All of them looked good, but for me there was no question. We ordered a piece of the chocolate stout cake to share and I will be back for another to keep to myself on a night when I eat a much lighter dinner.

Because there is nothing light about this chocolate cake. Wrapped in fudgy dark chocolate icing, it is three layers high. Rich and heavy, moist and soft — deeply chocolatey with a mellow undertone that could only come from the addition of house-made stout. This cake calls out for an ice cold glass of milk, if you can manage it. But with or without milk, it's a classic.

And it's huge. Honestly, between three of us I wasn't sure we would finish it.

I was wrong.

So, do yourself a favor, any night you're in South County and don't feel like cooking, head down to the Barrington Brewery. The prices are modest, (three of us ate well for around $70) the service friendly, and most important of all, beer or no beer, they're cooking what you want to eat.

Berkshire Eagle, September 2012
Berkshires After Dark: Barrington Brewery invites a revisit

By doing so, and by also offering hearty food, such a venue becomes a point of local pride; a place to bring your out-of-town guests when you want to prove that the Berkshires are just as interesting as [insert major city here].

I’d never been to Barrington Brewery and Restaurant before, but I’m already planning to take my next carful of visiting friends to this lovely venue that offers better-than-expected food and delicious solar-beer.

To quote the placemat that sat on my table, decorated with diagrams explaining the brewing process, it is "the first brewery on the East Coast to use a solar-energy hot-water system to brew our beers."

This may sound like a humorous, hipster-bashing line from a Portlandia sketch or a brutally on-point episode of Louie. But it’s real and it’s delicious and it’s situated right on Route 7.

I only tried one -- the Ice Glen IPA -- but if the other 19 solar brews are as well-balanced, light, and fresh tasting, then a party of 10 could drink two rounds and discuss nothing but the unique characteristics of their pints. This alone guarantees my return.

But this isn’t alone. It’s accompanied by a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere as well as above-par, generously portioned food at Recession-proof prices. This restaurant truly impressed me, and here’s precisely why.

I went on a Tuesday night, hardly primetime. But the many seating areas were largely occupied. It was immediately apparent that some of the people were regulars. I could tell from their familiar banter with the servers, from the fact that they didn’t bother to look at the menu, and from many overheard statements such as "You’ve gotta try the chicken pot pie" and "The stout is my favorite."

There are plenty of places to sit. The main dining room is divided into several private-feeling nooks by well-placed partitions. There’s an outdoor patio, too.

The bar is a whole other scene, barely visible from the dining room. And, I’m told, the second floor contains a pool table, jukebox, and view of the brewing equipment.

There are no closed doors. Every area opens into others. But the placement of walls and doorways creates many private, calm sections.

Dim lighting adds to this atmosphere.

The food evokes similar comfort. I ordered the dinner combo of a chicken quesadilla and brisket. It came with a salad, cole slaw and a choice of fries. I opted for the shallot-herb house dressing, which was better than expected, overflowing with flavor. It topped a plate of noticeably fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and chickpeas. The crunchy freshness was impressive.

The main course was even better. I’m so glad I got the brisket. Its texture was ideal; tender like county-fair pulled pork, glistening with fat. The sauce that topped it was explosive. Sour and sweet, it completed the dish.

The chicken quesadilla was also quite good. I think I detected cumin, and there was certainly a spice to it. It was the kind of spice that warms the mouth without overpowering the food’s flavors or lingering on too long. The entrée was large and I only finished half of it.

I wish I’d discovered the Brewery sooner, but am glad that I have the entire menu to try. I can’t imagine anyone who likes beer and hearty pub food leaving dissatisfied. The price is right, too.

And this business about solar-power-brewed beer is too forward-thinking and cool to not mention for a second time.

If my description sounds appealing to you, then don’t hesitate to give it a shot. If you’re on the fence, then I urge you to check out the website. It’s got plenty of menus, photos and information about their unique brewing system.AA brewpub is a special thing, and there aren’t many of them around these parts. By virtue of serving their own beer, usually brewed on the premises, they offer a unique product and ensure that it’s fresher than any other pint you can find.

A brewpub is a special thing, and there aren’t many of them around these parts. By virtue of serving their own beer, usually brewed on the premises, they offer a unique product and ensure that it’s fresher than any other pint you can find.

By doing so, and by also offering hearty food, such a venue becomes a point of local pride; a place to bring your out-of-town guests when you want to prove that the Berkshires are just as interesting as [insert major city here].

I’d never been to Barrington Brewery and Restaurant before, but I’m already planning to take my next carful of visiting friends to this lovely venue that offers better-than-expected food and delicious solar-beer.

To quote the placemat that sat on my table, decorated with diagrams explaining the brewing process, it is "the first brewery on the East Coast to use a solar-energy hot-water system to brew our beers."

This may sound like a humorous, hipster-bashing line from a Portlandia sketch or a brutally on-point episode of Louie. But it’s real and it’s delicious and it’s situated right on Route 7.

I only tried one -- the Ice Glen IPA -- but if the other 19 solar brews are as well-balanced, light, and fresh tasting, then a party of 10 could drink two rounds and discuss nothing but the unique characteristics of their pints. This alone guarantees my return.

But this isn’t alone. It’s accompanied by a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere as well as above-par, generously portioned food at Recession-proof prices. This restaurant truly impressed me, and here’s precisely why.

I went on a Tuesday night, hardly primetime. But the many seating areas were largely occupied. It was immediately apparent that some of the people were regulars. I could tell from their familiar banter with the servers, from the fact that they didn’t bother to look at the menu, and from many overheard statements such as "You’ve gotta try the chicken pot pie" and "The stout is my favorite."

There are plenty of places to sit. The main dining room is divided into several private-feeling nooks by well-placed partitions. There’s an outdoor patio, too.

The bar is a whole other scene, barely visible from the dining room. And, I’m told, the second floor contains a pool table, jukebox, and view of the brewing equipment.

There are no closed doors. Every area opens into others. But the placement of walls and doorways creates many private, calm sections. Dim lighting adds to this atmosphere.

The food evokes similar comfort. I ordered the dinner combo of a chicken quesadilla and brisket. It came with a salad, cole slaw and a choice of fries. I opted for the shallot-herb house dressing, which was better than expected, overflowing with flavor. It topped a plate of noticeably fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and chickpeas. The crunchy freshness was impressive.

The main course was even better. I’m so glad I got the brisket. Its texture was ideal; tender like county-fair pulled pork, glistening with fat. The sauce that topped it was explosive. Sour and sweet, it completed the dish.

The chicken quesadilla was also quite good. I think I detected cumin, and there was certainly a spice to it. It was the kind of spice that warms the mouth without overpowering the food’s flavors or lingering on too long. The entrée was large and I only finished half of it.

I wish I’d discovered the Brewery sooner, but am glad that I have the entire menu to try. I can’t imagine anyone who likes beer and hearty pub food leaving dissatisfied. The price is right, too.

And this business about solar-power-brewed beer is too forward-thinking and cool to not mention for a second time.

If my description sounds appealing to you, then don’t hesitate to give it a shot. If you’re on the fence, then I urge you to check out the website. It’s got plenty of menus, photos and information about their unique brewing system.

Waterbury Republican, January 2010

A winter escape: When the snow and blustery wind chills you to the core, stepping inside a warm, hospitable tavern is just about the greatest feeling in the world. Such is the case with the Barrington Brewery & Restaurant, a microbrewery and brew pub in Great Barring...

Berkshire Living, October 2009

Hop to it!: High-alcohol seasonal ales are also a hit at Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where the limited-edition, 9 to 12 percent ABV Yule Fuel is available the day after Thanksgiving and gone by New Year’s Eve, even with a similar limit at the bar.

Bon Appetit, 2002

Chocolate Stout Cake
The dark beer known as stout gives this cake an intense, not-too-sweet flavor.