Goat Hill Tavern

alexgash

Connecticut

4.34/5  rDev +9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

Stopped in here after handing all my money over to Hi-Times. Once I found this joint and walked in, I was pleasantly surprised to find sawdust on the floor. Low-ceilinged with dim lighting that suits the dark wood abundantly used in the fixtures. There was a decent amount of bar-clutter junk on the walls and on the support beams. Many of these items were plastic newspaper delivery boxes from various cities across the country. Cool. I mozied up to the medium-length bar and took a comfortable seat. I looked up and saw tap heaven. There must have been 125 tap handles in front of me! This was a bit overwhelming, especially since I have been living in Utah for the last 2 years. Scanning the tap handles made me giddy, but it was difficult to see all the handles as some were hidden behind others, etc. Luckily, I noticed a large wipeboard above the bar that had all their tap selections listed by style. Excellent. They also had the prices, which I thought were very reasonable (4 bucks a pint) considering I was in California. Very good selection, with most styles represented. A few macros, but lots of California micros, several Belgians, and some other good imports. I noticed there were some tap handles in front of me that were not listed on the board, one of them being Stone Imperial Stout. I dutifully ordered that and the barkeep handed me a frosty plastic mug filled with the dark nectar. I would have preferred a non-plastic snifter at room temp., but this isn't the type of place that does that I guess. A little disappointing, but the free peanuts and the fact that you can toss the shells on the floor made up for it (almost!). Bartender was friendly, and the whole place seemed down to earth. Good vibes; good beer.

11-30-2004 20:22:34 | More by alexgash

Amdy

California

4.4/5  rDev +10.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

This is one of those places where you go drink with your buddies in the morning right when they open. No one is there, you can enjoy a good conversation, a good beer(or 6 pitchers) play some pool, smoke indoors, blah blah blah. Oh and the beef jerky from celestinos, a local place right down the street! I hate coming here at night when all the frat boys and bro hoes take over. It seems that when i go i always see at least one of the following, a fight inside, a fight outside, chicks throwing up. Yet, it still does not stop me from coming back to this place over and over again.

03-02-2011 10:21:29 | More by Amdy

Hampants

California

4.45/5  rDev +11.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 2

This is a great place to drink beer. They have a ton of different beers on tap and they are reasonably priced. The atmosphere is very relaxed and casual and there are a variety games including shuffleboard, pooltables, Golden Tee, and pinball.

The food choices are nonexistant besides the peanuts, but if you are hungry ask the bartender and you can get a pizza delivered.

03-12-2003 14:24:53 | More by Hampants

DrinkinSurfer

California

4.58/5  rDev +15.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

You got to love the Goat. More beers on tap than you will know what to do with. The prices are reasonable, especially during happy hour. The baskets of peanuts are super cheap and you can throw the shells on the ground. The shuffle board table is in pretty good shape and it is free to play. There are also pool tables, a bunch of tv's, and some random other stuff. You have to admire the huge amount of tap handles hanging from the ceiling. The Goat Hill Tavern is on of my favorite places to hangout. I don't smoke, but it is smoker friendly on the covered patio.

05-05-2009 23:53:38 | More by DrinkinSurfer

PhiloPsych

California

4.6/5  rDev +15.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

Goat Hill is a blue-collar, wood-chips-and-peanut-shells-on-the-floor dive bar. The beer selection, though, is very different from typical watering holes. They have 140+ beers on tap, many of which are top-quality. They always have several seasonal craft brews. I found Stone IRS and Emperial IPA on tap months after they had disappeared from everywhere else. They have several stouts, including Old Rasputin, which is terrific on draft. They also have a number of Belgians (including Chimay), though these seem to be rather over-priced. Many nights the place is completely packed with people, but in the afternoon and early evening it's pretty quiet. They don't serve food other than peanuts.

12-23-2010 01:27:40 | More by PhiloPsych

bradford

California

4.61/5  rDev +15.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I stopped by after visiting Hi-Times wine cellar a couple blocks away with my brother on the way back from our cousin's wedding.
Atmosphere was cool, lots of taps everywhere, shit all over the walls, sawduct on the floor, plastic(unbreakable) mugs, chained down bar stools, Raiders on tv, holes in the ceiling to facilitate cigarette smoke.
Quality was good. A shit ton of taps with some pretty good stuff on. I had a Weihenstaphaner Hefe, Anchor Old Foghorn, and a Stone Oaked Bastard at 11 in the morning.
The one bartender working was earning tips. The kid was cleaning, bussing, pulling pints, being friendly, and was extremely fast and friendly
Selection was gret. With 141 taps, you're bound to find something worthwhile, and the Goat has a lot.
I didnt see any food, except peanuts, and the prices were fair. 4.25-4.75 per pint of hard to find goodies and 16 per pitccher for craft beer, Highly, highly recommended

10-02-2007 16:36:44 | More by bradford

jcalabre

California

4.8/5  rDev +20.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5

Ambience: Sawdust and Peanut shells on the floor, vintage tap handles hanging from the ceiling, pool tables...
Cuisine: Peanuts, Hot Dogs, Pickled Eggs
Clientele: Bikers, Businessmen, yuppies, beach bimbos, quite an eclectic mix
Beer Selections: 140 on Tap!! Most of these are west coast micros
Parking: behind the building

If you're in Orange County this is a ***must*** for any beer lover. I was there a few days ago. I had on Draught: Stone 6th Anniversary, Stone IPA & Rogue Dead Guy. How many places can top that?

06-28-2003 12:41:00 | More by jcalabre