Growlers Pourhouse

snowdogmatt

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I missed this place for too long since it doesn't show up on the Beerfly main directory. Great vibe in NoDa, and two cask beer engines!

Selection is not huge compared to places popping up these days, but I'd rather see a solid rotation rather than 100+ beers.

This place is all about the beer, good food pairings (cheese, brats, etc). The only thing missing is:

1) Wait staff was solid...I wish they were more beer experts
2) Greater Belgian selection

I rate this among the top beer bars in Charlotte.

10-07-2011 12:33:32 | More by snowdogmatt

CBlack85

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I have been meaning to try this place out for a while, glad I finally got around to it.

Growlers is situated in the hipster-ish-y area of NoDa. It stands out from the rest of the local shops with a big 200 year old refurbished wooden door with steel hardware, I am told it is from an old Chinese compound. The atmosphere is rustic, with the exception of the TVs that line the walls.

When we went in it was pretty busy, but the service didn't seem to suffer for it. The server was with us quickly and our beers were served promptly. The server seemed to have a good grasp on the beer menu, and was able to offer up some suggestions. Quick, friendly, knowledgeable service.

The menu is great pub, beer food. They make their own sausage and brats in house. The food was really good (Try the Reuben). They have about 15 beers on tap and an old hand pump cask engine (from 1936 I think). Their beer menu rotates fairly quickly, and always has several different styles represented; unlike some places that will fill their tap list with all IPA's and Imperial Stouts...

All in all, I really liked this place. Reasonably price, good food and good beer. What more could you ask for?

03-07-2011 16:30:42 | More by CBlack85

Bung

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev -6.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Next to the Crapes place in NoDa, it appears to be owned by the same folks. Cozy decor, wood and modern at the same time. I could see many locals coming in and out, interacting with the staff. Similar to all the establishments in this artsy area.

I think they had about 12 things on draft, plus one on the beer engine. Micros, NC and PBR. Looks like they will do a nice job of always having a variation of styles on tap. Nice bottle selection as well.
Not a large selection, but quality. You will come here for the atmosphere and food, which is unique, not just the beer.

Homemade sausage and beer cheese are probably the biggest draw. Sweet Italian I had was excellent, the beer cheese was above average. Oysters and a concerted effort to have other items, sandwhiches that pair with beer well.

Service was good and eager to please. She commented on how she has been trying the different things on tap.

I thought it was not cheap, really 2.5$, for the area it was quite normal as well. Still, 2 lunches, a soda and a Java Stout ran up to $30 somehow.

Now this place is no Duckworths, Vintner, Grapevine or even Saucer. But it would give Common Market a run, with a slightly less Ann Arbor hippie vibe.

11-05-2010 01:19:56 | More by Bung

barronkr

South Carolina

4.78/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $

Location: situated in an evolving hipster area of "NoDa," outside of downtown Charlotte, it is across the street from the obligate taco shop and next to its sister restaurant that markets crepes. Inside bare brick walls with tables refurbished from an old mill I think. The first bar that came to mind when I walked in was Toronado in SF.

Service: Knowledgeable, friendly and down-to-earth staff. A great asset. Excellent.

Beer: About 15 revolving taps devoted to many of the major beer styles; 1 cask offering that changes frequently. I tried the cask Coronado Mermaid's Red, Bell's Java Stout, and Boulder Brown. Great selection for the number of taps. Well thought-out.

Food: The highlight, really. In Charlotte so many other places offer beer selections that dwarf Growlers PH's offerings, so the food is what makes it stand out. Homemade sausages, beer chips, and creative sides are all excellent. Again, I thought of Toronado eating excellent sausages and drinking cask ale. The dessert was phenomenal; the banana pudding with Irish shortbread may well be the best I have ever had. A must for any beer nerd who is also a foody.

In sum: A great stop, I hope they remain open so I can visit again.

10-23-2010 19:08:15 | More by barronkr

jtonidandel

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $

The experience starts off by walking through amazing solid wood Chinese compound doors from the 1800's and gets better from there. Once inside, guests are greeted right away by a 1935 beer engine that sits prominently on the corner of the bar. The cask ales are hand pumped and authentically kept at cellar temperatures.

The 14 other taps carry a fantastic variety of all craft beer and hit on almost every major style of peer from a crisp pilsner to a dark, high-gravity, porter. The food is all made in house and was designed to pair with the beer selections. The menu consists of a beer and cheese pairing, moves along to some of the cities best raw oysters and finishes with homemade sausages, brats and hot dogs. You heard it! Homemade hot dogs--they even comes with an agave moi ploy relish which has a great balance of flavors.

This is a great addition to NoDa and fits the neighborhood really well.

09-23-2010 14:24:53 | More by jtonidandel