I stopped by the now open Boylan Bridge Brewpub last week. The brewery had opened on Febraury 27th. It had much of the chaos one expects at a new restaurant with waitresses figuring out how to complete certain tasks and bartenders learning to change over the computer system. But other than some minor glitches things seem to be starting well.

Mark Fesche's beer reflects his years of experience with them all being quaffable from the start. The taster flights are quite popular with all six beers available at once.

The beer list as follows
Gateway Golden Ale - The beer opens with a bit of a citrus floral aroma with slight notes of pine. The hop character really shines, with just a bit of malt sweetness. There is a bit of an amber hue to it's color, but I have already tasted the next batch. Mark is already adjusting the recipe to have a lighter hue and less pronounced hop character in the future. I have heard comments that people didn't enjoy this beer because it wasn't what they expect to a Golden, rest assured the future version has a light pineapple hop character to the background and more of a bright golden color. I do hope they keep this current incarnation around as the Pale Ale or a future seasonal offering.

Rail Pale Ale - This beer has more of an Amber character than the Golden, almost a coppery shade. A bit of hop character was apparent in the finish, but a mellow East Coast version of the American classic.

Bruno Bitter - The aroma of this struck me as a bit forward for an English Bitter. I would have liked to seen a bit more carmel character to the beer but others enjoyed it fine.

Polar Bear Winter Beer - The red ale had definite notes of carmel and cocoa to it, though I never quite detected the coffee they described it. It was one of my favorite of the current offerings. It will be replaced with a Scottish ale as the next seasonal beer as soon as it's gone.

Pullman Porter - I am not much of a Porter fan and thought this beer was decent but not memorable. I am, however, hearing from a number of locals that this is one of their favorite beers so if you like Porters give it a try.

Southbound Stout - This also was a favorite of mine. It's a sweet stout with a nice roasted character. It had that creamy smoothness that reminded me of lactose being added to the ale, but Mark said it didn't contain.

As I sampled the beers I got a bit of a carbonic bite, I wondered if they might need to dial back the carbonation just a bit in the future.

I haven't eaten a full meal but I have had the chili-cheese fries and quiche on seperate visits and they were both well prepared. The quiche had a flaky crust that went well with the spinach and cheese. The chili on the fries had a strong sweet tomato character with a pleasant heat that built over time.

As for the lack of music inside when the place is crowd it's hardly noticeable, but when the brewpub is quiet something is definitely missing. It gives an ambiance of a bar at last call, when the music is turned off and all the lights at turned up so you can finish your beer and get out. Not welcoming at all, the only aspect I would hope to be changed.

Being a new restaurant the place is regularly packed from what I have seen and heard from others. I didn't hang out on the patio but friends have mentioned they loved the view. I am sure the patio will do a brisk business well into next Fall. In closing a solid opening for Raleigh's newest brewery, check out the sampler to find which of their beers best appeals to you.

Photos of the Boylan Bridge Brewpub