Restoration Brew Worx, Delaware OH
10 May 2024
This is the third new (to me) place on this trip and it won’t be the last. Delaware is a small town north of Columbus that sports three breweries, Restoration, Old Dog, and Staas. I was at Old Dog a few years ago and today made it to Restoration. It’s a small place right on the “main drag” but this isn’t a sleepy downtown by any means! There’s a lot going on (in spite of there being no other people visible in the street photo) and Restoration was close to half full with the Friday lunch crowd.
They have eleven of their own beers on tap plus a rotating cider from Mad Moon. My first flight consisted of (described right-to-left):
Goodbye, Man – Ohio Hopped Blonde Ale, 5.5% – At first sip, this was an immediate favorite. It didn’t fall too far from grace as I had more of it and the others, but there was a very slightly odd aftertaste that I wasn’t sure about. With food though, it was a real winner — very pleasant without trying to steal the spotlight for itself.
Eclipse Black Lager – Schwarzbier, 5% – Oh yes, this was a good one. If I lived near RBW, I’d probably be drinking more than my fair share of this throughout the year. It tasted “clean” in the way some of this style don’t, which perhaps doesn’t actually make sense, but I did love it.
Sulky – Pilsner, 5.4% – I try very hard not to like Pilsners too much, and then one like this comes along and I rethink my priorities. OK, I wouldn’t drink it all day, but it’s very refreshing and it has a subtle interest to it that makes it stand out from most of the others.
No Disassemble – New Zealand IPA, 6.9% – I’ve never heard of a New Zealand IPA before but after having this one, I need to find more of them if they’re all going to be this good! Wow, this was definitely a contender for the top spot today out of the [SPOILER] eight beers I had.
The food menu was a bit unusual and I almost went for a salad because it sounded so tasty, but opted for the Sloppy Joe instead. This is made with chorizo, so it tasted a lot like the tacos I had at Bluestone two days ago, and it was SO HUGE that it, like yesterday’s Reuben, became a knife-and-fork sandwich right out of the gate. (If I’d taken a photo right after I’d put the top of the pretzel bun on it and pressed down, you’d say the same. The two guys sitting to my right did a double-take and laughed when they saw it!) For the side, I decided on the chips with French Onion Dip and I’m glad I did — that dip was so good!
I was debating at this point what to do next and was considering getting a couple of 8oz pours (always loving that option when it’s available). But it was too tough to choose, so I did another flight, also described right-to-left:
Stewart Red – Irish Red Ale, 5.9% – As you know if you’ve followed this blog, I don’t always like red ales a huge amount, but I did really like this one. Some are too malty for my taste; this was really tasty and I’d have it again.
Quasi Evil – German Porter, 5.4% – With a name like that, it’s surprising I didn’t include it in the first flight! The beer lived up to the name and it was a very, very good porter, not in the least evil. This is another I’d like to have more of, even in the summer.
Egress – American IPA, 7.3% – There was a whole lot of flavor packed into this little glass! Even when it was gone, I wasn’t sure that much flavor was a good thing or not … I’d probably have a pint of it, but I probably wouldn’t take home cans or a growler.
Azaccaho Judgement = American IPA, 7.5% – I wish I knew the origins of this name. For me, though, the name carried the interest here, not the beer.
By the time I got the second flight, the lunch crowd had mostly thinned out and I was able to better see the interior of the building. The one thing of note was the wall of superhero art for sale:
I believe Restoration Brew Worx will get added to the ever-growing list of places I’d like to revisit on a future trip. Like the ever-growing lists of books I want to read and music I want to learn, this “return visit” brewpub list should keep me going for a good number of years!