Beer Signs and More

‘He was a wise man who invented beer.” – Plato. Thus reads one of the numerous quotations stenciled on the walls at Brewmasters Bar & Grill, which opened last March in downtown Raleigh. Scattered among the beer signs and brewery promotional posters you’d expect to see at a place with such a name, the quotations are attributed to a pantheon of intellectual and cultural icons, from Confucius to Frank Sinatra.

You get the distinct feeling that beer is more than just a product at Brewmasters. It’s a revered craft. You might even say, a philosophy.

That should come as no surprise, given that the owner is local brewing guru Mark Cook. The owner of American Brewmasters, a home-brewer’s supply shop in North Raleigh, Cook has introduced scores of enthusiasts to the craft. Some of his disciples have gone on to ply their skills at commercial breweries.

Which explains the fact that roughly half of the pub’s 66 taps dispense North Carolina beers. That’s easily the broadest selection of local brews in the Triangle, to my knowledge, and always includes a number of seasonal brews and rarities such as Duck Rabbit Paul’s Bitter Holiday ESB and the potent Imperial IPA from Carolina Brewing Company.

Beer curator Les Stewart (now there’s a title that tells you how important beer is here) frequently taps a special cask-conditioned brew, too. Foothills Brewing’s Total Eclipse Stout, conditioned with Escazu chocolate nibs and cinnamon, slipped down the gullets of lucky customers in December.

Sticking with burgers

Needless to say, the bar sets a high, um, bar for the kitchen to live up to. In the year since Brewmasters opened (not counting its brief previous incarnation as Cherry Bomb Grill), the kitchen has struggled to clear that bar. But it has been getting closer since chef Brian O’Hara came on board in September and overhauled the menu.

O’Hara wisely kept the burgers that had been Brewmasters’ main nonliquid attraction. Featuring 8 ounces of ground chuck on a locally baked bun, with options ranging from the Classic (lettuce, tomato and onion, a steal at $4.99) to the Hangover (a towering stack of avocado, bacon, fried egg, pepper jack cheese and Bloody Mary aioli that has won a cultlike following), Brewmasters’ burger is indeed a keeper.

But the chef, who once worked at Enoteca Vin, and more recently brought the menu up to snuff at Tir na nOg, jettisoned much of the Brewmasters offering, including the entire entree list. In its place, he introduced sandwiches, appetizers and side dishes with a Southern accent – in part, he says, as a tribute to Joe’s Place, the restaurant that had formerly occupied the space for three decades.

Black-eyed pea hummus, served with house-baked crackers, is a welcome addition. So is a salad featuring house-pickled beets, roasted red peppers, radishes and goat cheese on mixed greens.

Shrimp ceviche is a riskier proposition. It’s made every other day, according to O’Hara, and judging by the tough shrimp and harsh acidity of the citrus marinade in the dish I sampled, I’m guessing I caught it at the end of day two.

If you’re hankering for something different, PBR-braised fried chicken wings tossed in a sauce sweetened with local scuppernong juice ought to do the trick. Or you might throw caution to the wind and order a pint of bacon (a pint glass filled with thick cut bacon strips seasoned with a house dry rub spice blend) if you dare. I didn’t.

But I did score a couple of strips of the bacon on a fried chicken sandwich that was offered as a special recently, where it was joined by house-made pimento cheese and caramelized onions on a Kaiser bun. A tasty bargain at $6.99, the deal was sweetened by including the choice of one side – in my case, a generous bowl of creamed collards.

You could put together a satisfying vegetarian meal from the sides, for that matter, with options ranging from broccoli and raisin salad to barbecue-baked black-eyed peas. There’s also an unusually broad selection of vegetarian burgers and biscuit sandwiches.

Advice on the beer

Unfortunately, the biscuits are too often dry. That’s a shame, because both the biscuit sandwiches I sampled from the carnivore’s list – fried catfish, and Duck Rabbit Milk Stout-braised beef brisket, served open-faced – were otherwise delightful. Chef O’Hara is aware of the problem, and is working to solve it.

In the meantime, the menu offers plenty of satisfying alternatives if you choose carefully. And there’s always that superlative beer selection, and bartenders sufficiently versed in the subject to discuss the relative merits of Cascade versus Centennial hops.

But don’t get the wrong idea. While Brewmasters’ reverence for its namesake artisans is evident, it’s just as clear that they don’t take themselves too seriously. For proof, you need look no further than the W.C. Fields quotation directly above the barstools: “A woman drove me to drink, and I didn’t even have the decency to thank her.” That one is best seen while tilting your head back to sip.

LONDON – Olympic organizers have some travel advice for the millions of people who work and live in London: Be patient. Have a beer. Work from home.

Rejecting suggestions of possible transport chaos during the July 27-Aug. 12 games, they unveiled a 8.8 million-pound ($13.3 million) campaign Monday to persuade city residents to change their travel patterns to ease the strain on public transport.

Even as London Mayor Boris Johnson tried to focus attention on the positive, transport officials had to bat back demands by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union for more money. Union officials say subway staff are not being offered enough to compensate them for working more hours and erratic schedules during the Summer Olympics.

The fresh union demands came just moments before London transport officials unveiled posters, signs and banners to make travelers aware of how to handle transport issues during the games. Johnson directed his remarks at what he called “Olympo-skeptics.”

“They predict that tumbleweed will be going down Shaftesbury Avenue,” Johnson said, referring to a main London thoroughfare. “They are completely wrong and mistaken and missing a huge opportunity to profit.”

London transport officials have been at pains in recent weeks to downplay concerns about whether the city’s aging transportation system can handle the extra traffic from tourists, spectators and others expected to use the network.

Officials point to a 6.5 billion-pound ($10.2 billion) investment in the transport system. They say train journeys are faster and note that many more trains will run — and that some will even have air conditioning — during the games.

If office workers do things as simple as stopping and have a beer on their way home, it will spread out the rush-hour demands, they assert. No recommendations — alcoholic or otherwise — were made for the morning commute.

Businesses have been asked to consider whether London workers could telecommute or have more flexible working hours.

The trouble is that even on regular days London struggles with constraints on the Tube, an aging system that handles 12 million trips a day. The Olympics is estimated to add 3 million trips on busy days. Keeping the system running smoothly is predicated on the notion that locals will rearrange their schedules, change travel patterns and adjust their lives to accommodate.

Even Johnson acknowledged that travelers on the Jubilee line — one of the key arteries for the games — would not be “short of company.”

London wants all of its spectators to arrive by public transport — or foot and bike. Ticket holders to Olympic events will receive day passes for the subway as part of their package. A special train known as the “Javelin” will take spectators directly from central London’s St. Pancras train station to the Olympic Park in the East London neighborhood of Stratford.

The “Get Ahead of the Games” campaign that kicked off Monday marks the biggest effort yet to directly reach the public. Featuring cartoonlike posters and directional signs in hot pink and maroon, the campaign tries to let people know about upcoming disruptions and gives suggestions on how to address them.

The campaign, funded as part of the 9.3 billion pounds ($14.6 billion) devoted to staging the Olympics, will run in national newspapers, rail stations and radio stations across the country as well as around Olympic venues.

Souring the big launch was the rail union’s announcement that subway train drivers considered a one-time payment of around 500 pounds ($784) inadequate.

“All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing,” Union chief Bob Crow said in a statement.

Crow said the union was ready for more talks. Peter Hendy, the Transport for London commissioner, called the union announcement “a tactic,” and maintained that everyone at the transit agency is proud of helping out at the games.

Hendy refused to say how much he was prepared to pay to compensate the transport workers, but the pressure comes at a time when Olympic organizers are straining to stay within budget.

The National Audit Office, Britain’s spending watchdog, has reported that only 500 million pounds ($785 million) remains unspent for dealing with future Olympics-related costs.

Hendy insisted the money to cover compensation for transport workers would be available once a deal was struck.

LONDON (AP) — Olympic organizers have some travel advice for the millions of people who work and live in London: Be patient. Have a beer. Work from home.

Rejecting suggestions of possible transport chaos during the July 27-Aug. 12 games, they unveiled a 8.8 million-pound ($13.3 million) campaign Monday to persuade city residents to change their travel patterns to ease the strain on public transport.

Even as London Mayor Boris Johnson tried to focus attention on the positive, transport officials had to bat back demands by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union for more money. Union officials say subway staff are not being offered enough to compensate them for working more hours and erratic schedules during the Summer Olympics.

The fresh union demands came just moments before London transport officials unveiled posters, signs and banners to make travelers aware of how to handle transport issues during the games. Johnson directed his remarks at what he called “Olympo-skeptics.”

“They predict that tumbleweed will be going down Shaftesbury Avenue,” Johnson said, referring to a main London thoroughfare. “They are completely wrong and mistaken and missing a huge opportunity to profit.”

London transport officials have been at pains in recent weeks to downplay concerns about whether the city’s aging transportation system can handle the extra traffic from tourists, spectators and others expected to use the network.

Officials point to a 6.5 billion-pound ($10.2 billion) investment in the transport system. They say train journeys are faster and note that many more trains will run — and that some will even have air conditioning — during the games.

If office workers do things as simple as stopping and have a beer on their way home, it will spread out the rush-hour demands, they assert. No recommendations — alcoholic or otherwise — were made for the morning commute.

Businesses have been asked to consider whether London workers could telecommute or have more flexible working hours.

The trouble is that even on regular days London struggles with constraints on the Tube, an aging system that handles 12 million trips a day. The Olympics is estimated to add 3 million trips on busy days. Keeping the system running smoothly is predicated on the notion that locals will rearrange their schedules, change travel patterns and adjust their lives to accommodate.

Even Johnson acknowledged that travelers on the Jubilee line — one of the key arteries for the games — would not be “short of company.”

London wants all of its spectators to arrive by public transport — or foot and bike. Ticket holders to Olympic events will receive day passes for the subway as part of their package. A special train known as the “Javelin” will take spectators directly from central London’s St. Pancras train station to the Olympic Park in the East London neighborhood of Stratford.

The “Get Ahead of the Games” campaign that kicked off Monday marks the biggest effort yet to directly reach the public. Featuring cartoonlike posters and directional signs in hot pink and maroon, the campaign tries to let people know about upcoming disruptions and gives suggestions on how to address them.

The campaign, funded as part of the 9.3 billion pounds ($14.6 billion) devoted to staging the Olympics, will run in national newspapers, rail stations and radio stations across the country as well as around Olympic venues.

Souring the big launch was the rail union’s announcement that subway train drivers considered a one-time payment of around 500 pounds ($784) inadequate.

“All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing,” Union chief Bob Crow said in a statement.

Crow said the union was ready for more talks. Peter Hendy, the Transport for London commissioner, called the union announcement “a tactic,” and maintained that everyone at the transit agency is proud of helping out at the games.

Hendy refused to say how much he was prepared to pay to compensate the transport workers, but the pressure comes at a time when Olympic organizers are straining to stay within budget.

The National Audit Office, Britain’s spending watchdog, has reported that only 500 million pounds ($785 million) remains unspent for dealing with future Olympics-related costs.

Hendy insisted the money to cover compensation for transport workers would be available once a deal was struck.

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www.getaheadofthegames.com or following the (at)GAOTG Twitter

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Danica Kirka can be reached at http://twitter.com/DanicaKirka