Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.

slander

New York

4/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Bar.
Buh.
Cue.
Something, 15, I think.

Started behind schedule and slipped further in with each stop along the way. In all fairness, I did come in from the coast way up and around the bend, and I did a pretty good job at not lunching hard at that last place, just a bowl of the strangest soup I've ever had and a sampler and out. Maine's only like 5 inches across east to west on the map, so I didn't think it was going to take this kind of time to get out to New Hampshire, and I'm just dropping in over the line. And it being Friday and 5 and all...

Big old Victorian house on a poorly numbered stretch of an outlet town beneath white capped mountains, made easily identifiable by the ski lift out front ala The Diamond. Restaurant up front and bar area to the rear, approached just as the work day's done, the barkers arriving, their colored balloons. Strangely configged, it's a double sided, laminated concrete topped bar with a base of old doors, seating nearly a dozen on my side and 8 across the way, but you have to go all the way around the all the way around to get to the other side.

Rows of undoubtably personally decorated ceramic mug club mugs hooked on cables in rows over the bar, done up with paint pens, markers, stickers, anything and everything to ID yours. Colored rim martini and margarita glasses line the perimeter and tiered booze on the end. Track disc spots strung above the bar seating and on the far wall, and flat screens here and there. Panel wood wall, beige painted with white trim and plank wood floors. Behind me, a sunken glass front brew room with bar counter seating for a dozen running an "L" along it; a single glass top raised table in the far corner, and 4 notched rounded hightops on the far wall around the other side.

Wandered through to see what I can see up front. Think of an old house with a center staircase and rooms running a ring all around it, and that's this. First the mural room, 10 tables on a bend wrapping around, wrapping around, a fireplace, lantern lit, bright, colorful. Forward from there is the fish room up front, much smaller, a handful of tables here, with fish pieces on the walls and in the windows, continue on around the front across the other side to the purple room, 10 tables running back to the fireplace/wood stove, potted plants, nice décor, and behind that, what they call the garage, vintage placards of all sorts and a ½ dozen tables. And then a dozen tables in a side room running pretty much the length of the place. Nicely done up all in all, I'm just wondering about the beer and a bite, so back to the bar for me.

Towers of 6 on both ends and a handpump on my side, was a Lager but it's kicked now. 6 full time beers that are the sampler (Hoffman Weiss, nice bananaee flavor & good cloviness, a solid Hefe; Iron Mike Pale Ale, some good hoppiness, but bitter, too, seems more IPAlike; Wheat Bock, fruity, deep & sweet, a good Weizenbock; Bear Peak Brown, chocolatey pleasant brownness; Rauchbier, not really rauchy, nope, no smoke nothin'; Square Tail Stout, lactic notniceness, sweet, sickly Satan), and 2 seasonals not on the sampler dealt supplemental (Imperial Stout, tasty, not inky, not licoricey, not alcohollly, a solid brew; Belgian Triple, saw it's murkiness and was scared for the gout toe. I'm talking murky like a stirred yeasty mess. It tastes like a sugar daddy, in a sickly sweet not good way, I'll try it again, maybe it's, no, it was just like I said). The Hoffman Weiss, Wheat Bock, Bear Peak Brown & Imperial Stout were the best of the lot. Also, Allagash White, Guinness & Coors Light on tap, and a dozen + bottles (Smutty Old Brown Dog, Tuckermans Pale Ale, macros, maltos, an N/A and a cider).

Really wanted the salmon, but I saw "BBQ" and lost my mind. Went with the combo (the beer sampler of BBQ); a ½ rack of ribs (fall off the bone, very good), ¼ chicken (gummy, making me think I'm soooo glad I didn't also opt for wings as an app), and a mountain of pulled pork (tasty, real tasty, clumps & chunks and a whole lot of it, mostly coming home with me). Food was good for the most part, but everything was swimming in BBQ sauce (what are you trying to hide?), should have done the sauce on the side and giving me the mustard option would have been nice too. The accompanying slaw was well vinegary, had celery and green & red pepper strips, and was that which we call "great damn slaw". Also, some flat iron pepper cornbread I kept trying not to 'et, but was good, so I did.

Bar patrons of the not a bother earlier on morphing into less cool as I departed, but still not a bad scene. Service was pleasant and attentive enough, and didn't break my shoes about samples of the non-sampler varieties. And the beer and food were mostly good, but what wasn't, wasn't; isn't that how it goes. Well, I got my 'cue on anyway, wasn't that the point. And now back from wherest I came, Maine, is there something yet to see?

06-10-2009 02:40:19 | More by slander

morebeergood

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Went to NH for a long weekend, and my wife and I ate here on Friday night. It was packed when we walked in, and were told it would be a 30 min wait for a table. We waited for about 20 mins and then we were seated. There's screened in outdoor seating here, a large bar, and lots of rooms with dining tables. The brewhouse is visible through glass when you first walk in. After we were seated, we were greeted and served promptly. Our waitress was nice and quick. There were 6 house beers on tap, plus a few guest beers. I started with a pint of barleywine ($5.50) and a cup of brisket & sausage chili. Awesome. Next I had the St. Louis BBQ ribs and a pint of stout ($4.00). Excellent also. My wife liked her pulled pork a lot too. I wanted to get a bomber of the tripel or the barleywine to go, but they were $12 each. Kinda steep. Cans (24oz) of the pale ale were $5. But we had a great couple of beers and a nice meal. It had been about 8 years since I've been here, and this place has not missed a beat.

07-25-2011 23:31:13 | More by morebeergood

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited on a Wednesday around Noon, so there wasn't much of a crowd. Enter through a side door, and to the right is a long island bar. The brew kettles on the lower floor are visible nearby, and simple folding chairs and tables are set up around the bar as well. Nice view out to the mountains. A large adjacent dining area has nicer decor. Sat at the bar, which is made of a long slab of granite (or similar...). They had 8 home-brewed biers on tap, with 4 guest biers (Magic Hat, Bass, Guinness...) and about 10 bottle offerings. I started with a sampler of all 8 biers for $8.00. Regular pints are $3.25 for 16oz, or you can get 20oz for $4.00. The biers were all decent, though nothing blew me away. The bartender was friendly and attentive, and chatted me up a bit when he saw me taking notes. Had a Blue Cheeseburger, which was tasty and enormous, with a huge side of Cajun fries. It made for quite an enjoyable lunch. I will definitely return, especially to try some BBQ and more biers! Prosit!!

overall: 4.3
atmosphere: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

59

07-03-2003 07:22:24 | More by Bierman9

Hibernator

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This was one destination that I was determined to check out during a recent trip up to North Conway, NH. Moat Mountain Brewing is located very close to where we were staying and was easy to find on RT 16.

The atmosphere is very cozy and inviting. The parking lot offers a beautiful backdrop of the White Mountains. There is plenty of seating with different arrangements and brewery tanks can be seen when you first enter to your right.

There is also a fireplace and a good sized bar. Some of the tables in the dining area looked like they had been converted from old sewing machines.

I went with a large group of friends for lunch. The menu is impressive offering a wide variety of pub food with some serious BBQ choices.

Appetizers were 'on-point' with nachos, crab cakes, and chicken tenders as some of the options. Most of the food is creative 'pub food'. For instance, I had a crab & curry soup that was really delicious. Main courses offered are anything from burgers, wraps, chicken sandwiches, salads and BBQ sampler platters.

Beer options are solid and every beer I sampled was tasty. Freshness is not an issue as every beer is brewed on site. I think there was 7 or so Moat Mountain beers on tap. Some of those beers were a stout, porter, weiss, brown ale and IPA. They also have some "guest" beers too on tap and in the bottle. The Smuttynose IPA on tap is worth mentioning as a great option.

The service was average. It's worth taking into account that it was a busy day and there were a few large groups, but we had some serious waiting to do in between courses. Our waitress forgot some of our drinks completely or needed reminders. It looked like they would have benefitted from having another waiter on that day.

Overall, this place is certainly worth checking out when in North Conway. Our group was satisfied when we left. I would like to go back again when I am up north in New Hampshire.

01-03-2005 16:15:02 | More by Hibernator

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -14.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

Finding a hotel in a brewpub is too good to resist, so we didn't. Took a while (a lot of phone call tag), but eventually reserved a room in the upstairs above the bar. When the reservation was made, we were told to talk to the bartender when we arrived. Paid the bartender like a tab, and we had a room, which was cozy, clean, nice and a great location.

After settling in, we headed to the bar for the night. Started really strong. Hoffman Weiss was good and my wife liked it right away, and the appetizers were fantastic. Vegetarian chili with Thai peanut sauce--unusual, but really fun. And the NE Hushpuppies with maple syrup were the best of the entire trip. Very cool.

And then we ordered more. Sampler of the remaining beers were all good but nothing really stood out, even the barleywine. Not many places will have a barleywine this time of year, so we were excited at first. It seemed under attenuated or something similar. Just a bit off. Decided to try a local brewery Tuckerman's Headwall Alt and couldn't finish the beer because it was so bad--switch to Smuttynose IPA to finish the night. Not sure if the Tuckerman's was the beer itself, or if the line had gone bad--not good at all even though the beer has slightly better reviews online. Nachos looked really good from a far, but were only mediocre up close and personal.

So, overall, a good stop but very mixed. In part, the start seemed very strong and above expectations that the tail off was disappointing. Not a place I would go out of my way to repeat coming from Minnesota, but if your heading up to the White Mountains from a NE locale, it's a reasonable room in a good place. Also, since we're vegetarians, we might not have taken advantage of the "smoke house" enough to rate the food. Staff was friendly was friendly and gave a great recom for the Peaches restaurant down the street for breakfast.

07-08-2011 16:00:36 | More by FightingEntropy

ecoboy

Rhode Island

4.3/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5

I remember when Vicky left her place behind the bar at the Great Lost Bear in Portland. The place made commemorative T-shirts for her, she was that linked to it. She and her husband were opening a restaurant and brewery in North Conway...

Cut to a couple of years later, and I'm a believer. Delicious barbecue fare plus ideas like spicy peanut chili and barbecue nachos (yes, it does work, even with sausage.) The best wheat beer for the fan of banana-clove flavors in their wheat. A few guest taps, showing that everyone in the brewing world up there can co-exist (Yay, Tuckerman Pale.) Good track lighting, plenty of seating options (bar, restaurant, screen porch) and a massive parking lot.

A must stop for the brewpub fan who wants an original take on the form.

04-15-2003 11:42:45 | More by ecoboy

lordofthewiens

Maine

4.13/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

My wife wanted to go leaf peeping, so we made a loop from North Conway west to Franconia Notch, then back to North Conway on the Kancamagus Hwy. We were a week or so late for the best color, but that's another story. We hit North Conway about noon, and found Moat Mountain on Rt 16 between North Conway and Intervale. I'm glad we stopped. There's a bar side and a restaurant side. We chose the bar side because it was Saturday and there was football on TV. The bar is neat: poured concrete, horseshoe-shaped. Some tables also. The place was clean, well-lit, very pleasant. The bartender was right on us, even though the bar was fairly busy. Draft selections were Hoffman Weiss, Belgian Saison, Violet B's Blueberry, Czech Pilsner, Cathedral Ledge Lager, Iron Mike Pale Ale, Opa's Octoberfest, and Bear Peak Brown. Pennichuk Red was on a guest tap, as well as Bass, Guinness, and Coors Light. The sampler of 8 beers for $8 was enticing, but I had a pilsner and my wife had the blueberry. Both good. I had the Octoberfest with lunch, and that was also good.

Food was plentiful and inexpensive. The BBQ Reuben was quite nice. The sweet potato fries were wonderful; I'd go back just for them. The service was excellent.

So, we had lunch in a friendly place, with good beer, good food, and good service. A pretty good combination.

10-15-2006 14:03:36 | More by lordofthewiens

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev -12.6%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Located on rt 16, heading out of North Conway near Intervale, on the left.
Moat Mountain has rooms for rent in addition to being a brewpub.
The interior is sparsely decorated with the most prominant decor being the mugs hanging above the bar.
One side is the bar with the other being seating for the restaurant.
Both sides have the same menu, with the dining area being much more comfortable and quiet.
The seats in the bar area are somewhat rediculous,- fold up type metal chairs with narrow wooden slatting. Pretty uncomfortable.
The bar has a poured concrete top with a poly coating, and is wrapped with old doors below.
The brewhouse is visible down below, although I have never seen it in action.
Usually there are six on tap, with the Weiss always a safe pick, as well as the Stout (if they have it), and the Porter.
In addition to the house beers they have several guest taps.
There is usually a rotating seasonal flowing as well, although for the last several months it has remained the "Fall Bock" (as of March 19th).
Beers range from mediocre to very good, get a sampler or be selective.
Food is on the spicey side, with smoked food being thier specialty.
I highly recommend the BBQ Rueben, a brisket sandwich second only to Redbones.
They offer yam fries or cajun fries, which are very good, as well as homemade pickles, which are great.
Lots of other choosings also.
Service can be spotty, so be warned and take time to chill.
The Moat is now 100% smoke free.

Edit 6/3/06

Will Gilson now has an Imperial Stout on tap, which is quite delicious, but no growler fills are available.
Moat has added some new tables and chairs in the bar area, and somehow has managed to find more small, uncomfortable chairs.
A fresh coat of paint livens up the decor, but service is still spotty.
Last visit included a bartender/ waitress that allows you to set your own table as well as never comes back .
The food was solid as always, but fending for yourself for refills during the meal is rather inconvenient.
She also never came back to see if the food was ok, and our request for the check was forgotten about as she was on the phone.
The check was eventually slapped down on the table as she passed by without an acknowledgement or thank you.
Rudeness and lack of service are inexcusable when the area is less than half full of patrons.
I recommend more than ever to eat on the dining side.

03-20-2006 12:07:12 | More by brewandbbq

far333

Connecticut

3.45/5  rDev -13.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in on a Friday night on the way to a NH ski weekend. Big roomy place in an old converted house. Service mishaps began with a crowded waiting area and no hostess in sight for over 15 minutes. We were able to get two seats in the bar and got a few beers quickly.

Tried quite a few styles, good selection available - brown ale, pale ale, porter, stout, red, export lager - but I must say that none of the beers were anything special. None had much aroma or body, and flavors were muted. The pale ale was billed as hoppy by the server but it was nearly an extra pale. The red was billed as robust and aggressive, but it was timid at best. I couldn't tell if the stout was dry or imperial. The porter was tasty but could have used more roasty flavor. A request for a taster glass was met with a confused look and a finger point to the 8-glass sampler plank hanging on the wall. A taste of the export lager indicated that it might be a tasty selection, so we ordered it, but the server brought the red instead. We chose to drink it and remain silent about the mistake rather than waste a fresh beer.

The saving grace was the food, which was very good. The chili nachos were huge and loaded with chunks of delicious smoked pork. The meatloaf dinner was better than homemade, and the steak frites arrived perfectly cooked and dressed.

Had to wait a while to pay and leave since the server disappeared for ten minutes and then had to be signalled with a flare gun to come back to our area. Consider it a good place to stop for a tasty bite with some fresh local beer as an accompaniment, but not a beer destination.

03-14-2010 17:07:20 | More by far333

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5 | $$

Moat Mountain is a a very big restaurant in an inn. It has a very homey and relaxed feel to it. I went this past weekend and it seemed filled with tourists like myself. They had seven home made brews on tap--standards like browns, pales, and stouts...as well as a double bock and hefe. The beer was hit and miss. The hefe was really good, but the porter left a bit to be desired. The service was excellent. We went a couple of times and the wait staff knew the beer and food. Their descriptions generally matched what was served. The best part about Moat Mountain was the food. I had a baked chicken dish which was amazing. Their squash was superbly cooked. They have brisket nachos which were very satisfying after a long day of snowshoeing. Overall, stop for the food and atmosphere. Order a specialty beer and if it is good, it will add to the experience. Just do not be surprised if it does not.

01-04-2011 16:03:47 | More by tigg924