The Moan And Dove

alovesupreme

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Attended last night so as to attend before departing back to Boston.

Excellent atmosphere, candlelit with glassware for display.With tap selection on a blackboard

Everything their was top notch beer, no Bud, Coors or Miller.

Excellent bartender very knowledgeable and friendly.

5 of the 6 trappists in bottles, I was pleased to find Stone IRS on draft, I had planed on getting whichever RIS they had and could not have been happier.They also had Hoptimus Prime on Cask.

A little expensive,but a very nice place, I will be back as soon as I can be

09-05-2008 13:00:56 | More by alovesupreme

orsulacp

Pennsylvania

4.74/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

I had to try this place after the fine ratings. It is right up there with the best in the country, the lack of food is fine, it is a beer bar. The staff was awesome, one person in our party doesn't drink alcohol and the bartender recommended the best NA beer they had, he actually knew things about the NA beer available, very impressive. They had a wide variety of beer on tap, they had a special section for IPA's, a weissbier, and a bunch of other stuff. The standout for me was the Monk's Sour Brown Ale. The draft beers were a little on the pricey side, but not too much, the Stone RIS was 7. The bottle list was exceptional, broken up by style with a wide variety and reasonable prices. The only other downside is that it is a bit outside of Amherst proper so you will have to drive, or have someone drive you here. This place is pretty much exceptional on all things needed in a beer bar, if you are within 50 miles it is a must stop.

09-04-2008 02:46:04 | More by orsulacp

CudOfCow

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

The Moan and Dove is the best bar in the entire valley, if not the state, if not the country. I will forever hold this hole in the wall dear to my heart.

If you are a fan of real beer, that is all you will find. If you ask for anything else, you should probably just find another place to drink.

If you want beer, you will find oh so much. Whether on tap, in cask or in a bottle, there is an endless supply of some of the most unique beers around. The bar men and women are fantastic sources of knowledge and always have a good recomendation if you cant make up your mind. I also have to compliment their selection of music and it is not uncommon to see beer mug graduates standing up to say a poem or sing a song.

The only complaint is that the prices have risen quite a bit since i first started going here, i suppose not nearly as much as the price of gas at the Hess station next door... cest la vie.

08-20-2008 21:12:43 | More by CudOfCow

chuckd123

Connecticut

4.34/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Have now been to the Moan twice, and it is near the top of my list of beer bars. Only real downside is the lack of food, but I suppose you could bring your own. Beer rules at this place, and the bartender who's been there both times is exceptionally nice and genuinely interested in talking beer & making suggestions. We asked what the story is with the shelf over the bar holding countless bottles of the same beer. He proceeded to tell us the story of meeting the brewers on a trip to Belgium (De La Senne) and falling for this particular "hoppy ale" called "Taras Boulba", which apparently is the favorite of the bar staff. We tried a bottle, and it was very good, though I am currently in a "no such thing as too much hops" mood that doesn't seem to want to end, so I prefer a full on IPA (or Double), but it was a very drinkable beer. The atmosphere at this place is excellent -- a very dark and fairly small place, the emphasis is on beer and nothing else. Excellent selection of taps, and more than enough bottles. It's a good hour drive for me, but I'll be back many times. Absolutely worth a visit (or many) if you're anywhere near Amherst.

07-25-2008 19:40:16 | More by chuckd123

NEBeerWench

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I'll bite - I might be a bit biased in reviewing the Dove because I've been going there since five days after I turned 21 (I realize that that makes me sound like Old Lady River; trust me, I'm not; that was three years ago). All that being said, this bar has become my basis of comparison for every beer bar that I've ever visited. The staff is all extremely competent; this note applies both to the bar-back and doorman staff, and to the bartenders themselves, who are veritable beer encyclopedias. They are all friendly, funny, and helpful: the latter being especially helpful when I'm in the mood for something different, or I'm having trouble being decisive (which, of course, never happens). I have learned an incredible amount about beer and how best to appreciate it, over the past few years.

On that note, the Moan & Dove's beer selection and atmosphere create an environment that is conducive to learning about and appreciating beer to its fullest extent. The amount of beers is enough to keep regulars and/or beer snobs from ever being bored, and yet is not overwhelming to newcomers (it's now up to 183). Coupled with this is the beer list, in which participants try to drink every beer that the M&D offers, within a year. Instead of encouraging this to be a trophy, the staff treats the list like a rite of passage, emphasizing that the point is to learn and appreciate all types of beers, rather than rushing through the list simply to say that one has done it.

Even though the Dove doesn't offer food beyond the ever-present barrel of peanuts, there are about 10 places within 5-10 minutes of driving time that deliver. Also, people may complain that the Dove is out of the way, hard to find, and is not overly easily accessible by public transportation. Although it is true that the bar is not on one of the main bus routes in and around Amherst, it has a bus stop right out front. The fact that it is not right in the middle of things is also fantastic to those of us who enjoy not being inundated by undergraduates who drink Narragansett like it's going out of style.

In short... I love the Moan & Dove. There simply is no place (that I've found, anyway) that quite measures up. Although I've been to my fair share of great bars and beer bars, I've never found any bar that could quite replace this one.

06-16-2008 02:54:15 | More by NEBeerWench

Loki

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Well worth the 45 minute drive from Hartford on my business trip. Very surprised at how rural the location was. I wish that any town in NC had a bar like this.

I think they have 14-20 beers on draft ranging from Stone VE to DFH 90 to De Ranke XX Bitter to other fantastic craft beers. Huge bottle selection with some rare and aged stuff. Tons of Belgians and craft beers from all over the country.

They were doing a launch party for Mayflower and had a cask of the IPA that was fantastic. Good enough that with the selection they had I ordered two!

The third beer I ordered was a De Ranke XX Bitter b/c I love the beer and I've never had it on draft. Packed place, no empty seat in the house and the Bartender came by after about 5 minutes and said "I was supposed to bring you something and I forgot." He then immediately poured my beer and said it was on him. I was waiting but not long enough during a night that busy that I would expect anything other than a "sorry that took so long". I will be back here next time I'm within an hours drive.

I would have loved to have more beers but it was 9:15 with a 45 minute drive back, early work the next day, and I didn't have a DD so three was enough after dinner.

Fantastic Place!

I rated the value at $$ b/c it's in MA and beer is just expensive there. Or at least that is what I've observed. Plus most of their offerings are low production to rare beers. Now if they charged that in NC I would probably have to rate it at $$$, but it wouldn't stop me from going again and again.

05-08-2008 22:13:59 | More by Loki

cheers55

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This place rocks. My wife and I finally made it here on a busy Saturday night and it was great. After reading reviews talking about snobby bartenders I was surprised with how personable the bartender was who took our order for first round.
Draft list is small but well chosen (Maudite for instance) and bottle line up is spectacular. Had Fantome La Dalmatienne to start and it was great. Later in the evening announcement was made that as a way of saying thanks everyones next beer was on the house! There were 100 or so very happy beer drinkers. M&D has customer service and great beer down to a science.

05-05-2008 00:55:16 | More by cheers55

belhav0322

New York

4.64/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

After coveting a visit to this place for a few years now, I was finally able to make it here last week.

We came here on a sleepy Wednesday night and the place was very quiet. A couple of tables were occupied and the bar was lined with empty stools. We were more than happy to occupy three of them.

Did you ever walk into a bar and think to yourself "Gee, this place is spotless and seems so well maintained". Well, that is what I thought to myself. You could smell the cleanliness (in a non-chemical sort of way).

I enjoyed a High and Mighty stout and a Mayflower IPA (YUM!). Both were nice and fresh and served in appropriate glass ware.

Our bartender was kind enough to share a bottle of Affligem Double with us that was opened up for a staff tasting. Very nice. Aside from that our bartender also proved to very attentive and pretty knowledgeable.

The draft selection was not huge, but it was well rounded and well thought out. Many locals were highlighted. My only complaint was that they do not carry anything by BBC (I was told this was by choice on managements part). I found this odd given the neck of the woods we were in. It was also disappointing given that I look forward to getting it whenever visiting my home state. Oh well, to each their own.

The bottle list was very comprehensive (nice lambic selection, something you do not see too often).

All in all, this place was amazing and worthy of the many accolades it receives.

I hope to be back soon.

04-14-2008 21:53:45 | More by belhav0322

currysage1

Maine

4.45/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

I've been in many times, every time it's on a week night and it is so goddamn loud you can't think. I'm 25 years old. That's F-ing sad. It's a small place so maybe it would be better with an expansion or a smaller volume knob.

Other than that this place is in my top three places to go for real beer. Their selection, tap and bottle, is second to none, and if it is they pass all the others in the bartenders knowledge (can be a little snobby though).

I have to say that it is worth the money to go here and really ENJOY your beer.

02-08-2008 04:12:05 | More by currysage1

ImperialGuy

Maine

3.33/5  rDev -27.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5 | food: 1.5 | $$

I must have stepped into some alternate universe. I've been to this place twice, based on reviews I've read here and in beer publications. Both times I found the selection good, and interesting, but not fantastic, the number of taps not being high. Neither time was there anything on cask.

Both times the service barely existed. Young (I'm over 50) slacker guys. The first time, he's chatting with an attractive young woman, obviously a higher priority than a couple of thirsty geezers, but c'mon, the place is supposed to be legendary! The second time, the bartender did not bother to walk over, or even shout over to the booth my friend and I were in. Both times, we had to get up and ask for service.

I'll stick with the Amherst Brewing Company when I'm in the area.

12-28-2007 22:53:52 | More by ImperialGuy