Yep, there's a new pub in town. My wife and I have long been fans of Palate in Oakhurst village (Decatur) which was a combination of wine bar, restaurant, and art gallery. The food was always great as was the service, and we loved dining on the patio when the weather cooperated.
The art gallery has been gone for a while now and we'd been told that a beer bar was coming to take its place. Well, It's here. McGowan's Oakhurst Pub opened this past Thursday and we were there on Saturday night to check it out.
McGowan's is in the same beautiful old house as Palate, just across the hall, so to speak. They have twenty very well-chosen beers on tap and an extensive list of bottled beers. According to Jill Alikonis, the owner/manager of Palate and McGowan's the beer list will be a dynamic thing with taps rotating in and out according to the season and what's new and exciting in the beer world. This is the draft beer list from my visit:
1. Victory Prima Pils
2. Highland Oatmeal Porter
3. Founder’s Red Rye P.A.
4. 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA
5. Duck Rabbit Amber
6. Allagash White
7. Original Sin Apple Cider
8. Oskar Blues Gordon IPA
9. Left Hand Milk Stout
10. Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale
11. Stone Pale Ale
12. Great Divide Titan IPA
13. St. Bernardus Abt 12
14. Schmaltz Coney Island Lager
15. Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale
16. Rogue Dead Guy Ale
17. Sweetwater IPA
18. Ommegang Henepin Farmhouse Saison
19. Terrapin Hopsecutioner
20. Guinness Stout
Note the Original Sin apple cider. It's not every pub that has a draft cider, especially one this good (and I don't normally care for cider).
Aaron and Sara, the bartenders, were great about offering samples and opinions on the different taps and bottles. I was able to try several short samples before settling on the Duck Rabbit Amber, followed by the 21st Amendment PA.
They also have a good-looking pub menu (definitely try the Aztec Corn Chowder) and a friendly, neighborhood bar atmosphere. The medium-sized horseshoe-shaped bar was busy and everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were. Besides the bar, there are tables along the windows facing onto the intersection of Hill Street, Oak Hill Road and East Lake Drive - the heart of the Oakhurst scene. Right now they are open for dinner. After Labor Day they'll be opening for lunch at 11:30.
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