Revelation Brewing opens

Jen Noonan was riding along with her girls when she tragically got a flat tire. Like most breweries, Revelation is kid-friendly, so they popped in and the kids had a snack an Jen grabbed a Browler, which is a growler that fits in a bicycle water-bottle holder. A good Samaritan took care of running out to refill her tire and by the time she had a sip from one of the tiny bar tasters (just enough to whet her whistle) her bike was back and she was on the road again, peddling home all the faster with great beer in tow.

This was the super-soft opening. Everyone in attendance (with the exception of my wife) was on a first-name basis with one of the brewers or partners. But that is the secret to what makes new breweries so awesome. There’s an electricity as people get to sit and tell stories about how they have watched and waited as a brewery comes to fruition. It heightens the community feel until it becomes infectious. Over the remainder of the summer, anyone who stops by Revelation is in for nothing but a treat. There’s an energy in new breweries that is better experienced than described. Now, let’s talk about the beer.

I ordered the Downtown Donut Brown, a thick, super-rich Imperial Brown Ale. The first few sips were spectacular, then my wife tasted it and liberated it from me handing over her Smoked Oyster Stout, which was also fantastic. She said she just liked the Brown better; my guess is the Oyster Stout was a little too pointy for her, but it was just the right amount of pointy for me, like a spade with a thick wet blanket that had been dried over a campfire. ***Someone’s trying out new beer description words — Ed.

While I was busy working my wife also had the “Mother In Law” IPA brewed with the cascade hops Patrick gave his mother-in-law to grow. My wife is from the school of beer drinkers who enjoy the bitter flavor but not the floral nose when it comes to IPAs. Since she declined to save any for me to try, we’re going to go ahead and say that it is way more flavor than one might expect from a low-nose beer.

This is grand opening weekend. Some fun facts are: If you come in with your bike, you can leave with a Browler. You pay for any of the beer you want in the Browler, but the vessel itself is on them. While we’re talking price, the beers are inexpensive enough to count as unfairly priced in your favor, especially for quality beer.

Crowlers for the mainlines are around $7, Growlers are around $14. I think the Brown is a little bit more, but there is a lot of freaking malt in that wonderful beer. Also, they’re serving free appetizers 5-7 p.m. on Friday, July 1st and Saturday, July 2nd. If you go, have the Vienna Lager; it wasn’t tapped Thursday night in anticipation of making a big splash this weekend. Tell them all hello from me, and (if you’re of the mind) check in there on our new App and get yourself a teeshirt.