Review ofPumphouse Brewery and Restaurant

If you're looking for a great brew pub, in Longmont. Colorado, Pumphouse Brewery is the place to "hang" with family and friends, as the restaurant is a favorite of the locals, as it features craft beer, great pub-style food, and a fun atmosphere. It's a favorite "hang-out" of Longmont locals...

Photo: Way back "in the day," Pumphouse Brewery was a fire station, but now, it's a lively brewery and restaurant, and one of the best places to enjoy an evening in Longmont, Colorado. It's early Friday evening, September 09, 2005, and we're ready to enjoy a wonderful evening at Pumphouse Brewery.

Pumphouse Brewery is located at 540 Main Street in Longmont, Colorado. It's housed in a somewhat unpretentious brick building, that at one time used to be a fire station. After the building ceased to be a fire station, Pumphouse moved in, started brewing beer in their micro-brewery, and Longmont was forever changed, I would say, for the better. The place is easy to find, as it is located at the fringes of downtown Longmont, at the corner of Main and 6th streets. You really can't miss the place, as it's the only red brick building in the area and the facade features a huge white-lettered "Pumphouse" sign on the front of the building.

If you're looking for a fun place to go, yet offers family-friendly atmosphere, Pumphouse Brewery is the place to go. They feature a full-service bar, naturally specializing in the in-house, micro-brewed beer, but you can order almost any cocktail imaginable, plus they have an extensive wine list. After you've ordered your favorite micro beer, their food menu begins with delicious appetizers, and includes delicious categories such as sandwiches, burgers, including buffalo burgers, soup, salad, pasta dishes and entrees and sides. There is a special menu for kids, that consists of kid's version of adult entrees, but the portions are reduced and the prices are scaled-down as well. Truly, Pumphouse has something for everyone.

Photo: As soon as you step inside the Pumphouse, you'll notice the full-service bar and the pretty girls. The patio dining is amazing, as we get a peek of the patio to the left of the photo.

Photo: Rick and Kathy chat with friends at Pumphouse's full-service bar. Our cousins are Pumphouse Brewery regulars. In downtown Longmont, this restaurant has a "Cheers-like" atmosphere, as most people are locals, regulars, and everybody knows everybody.

Pumphouse believes in multi-tasking, as they blend into one entity a sports bar, known as the "Red Zone," a micro-brewery, a full-service bar and a very family-friendly restaurant. As far as seating, you have your choice of relaxed, quiet outdoor dining on their covered patio, inside the main dining room, near the bar, or in the loud, informal "Red Zone" sports bar in the back. Wherever you choose to dine, you won't be far from the action as the attentive staff are always on hand, and there are TVs everywhere, featuring ESPN, football games, basketball games and whatever game is being played at the moment. The crowd is fun-loving, generally 20's to 40's, noisy, informal and very-friendly. If you're a photographer, this is a very photography-friendly place to pop your flash; as I took photos, nobody seemed to care.

Photo: What more can I say, as the sign above the bar displays the beer and ale menu?

We chose to sit in the inside main dining area at a table, not far from the bar, as Rick and Kathy seemed to know almost everybody, and our table was located at a "crossroads" so they could visit with many friends as they made their way from their table to the bar. The tables in the dining room are high, and you sit on tall barstools, so to belly up to your table, you have to climb "barstool mountain," which only makes things more fun. Looking over in the direction of the bar, you can't help but notice the subdued lighting, the multitude of TV monitors that feature LOTS of sports and, perhaps most important, the chalkboard above the bar where the menu for the micro-brew beers and ales are featured. The place is loud, friendly and very informal, but when you step into the place, you can feel the energy, savor the smell of fine food, and surround yourself with fun, friendly people.

Photo: Dan Friend - that is his name - is a family friend, and he is able to recommend the best beer of the moment, and predicts that the Denver Broncos will win the Superbowl. He chats with Kathy and shares his knowledge of beer and football.

Photo: I love the scenery at Pumphouse Brewery. On this early Friday evening, the scenery is spectacular.

After we chose our table, I asked my cousin Rick for his recommendation for a hard-hitting, in-your-face ale. Without hesitation, he recommended "The Kiltlifter," a scotch ale that's rather strong, with an alcohol content of 7.2%. Since I didn't have to drive, that seemed like a good choice to me, and Rick shared my sentiments, as he ordered one for himself. Sharlene ordered a glass of burgundy wine, and Kathy order a somewhat less-powerful lager, I think a "Hendenburg Light," although after the many times my kilt was lifted, it's hard to remember. But if you like ales, particularly scotch ales, the "Kiltlifter" will lift your kilt and leave you with a big smile on your face. It's good, very ... very, good, ale that you can sip, savor, enjoy or chug-a-lug. Any way you want it, it's plain good.

Since Rick and Kathy are regulars at the place, they greeted many people, it seems like they knew just about everybody at the place. Rick introduced me to Amy, one of the bartenders, who he explained to me that Amy is an "ultimate" fan of the New England Patriots football team, as she grew up in the Boston area. So naturally, I had to go over to the bar, order another "kiltlifter" and strike up a conversation with her about the Patriots. Since in early September, football is only in the season's "trial" stages, we couldn't talk about much, except about the fact that the Patriots had won the '05 Superbowl, and the fact that they had great prospects to return in 2006. So, I made an instant friend and put a smile to her pretty face. Rick was right, as he told me if you want to win a woman's heart, just compliment her on her choice of a football team!

Photo: My friendly bartendress Amy, the ultimate fan of the New England Patriots football team. When I ordered another beer and made football small-talk with her, she gushed over the Patriots. Honey, you're in the Denver area, haven't you ever heard of the Broncos? As a NorCal boy, I'm just as bad, as I'm a fan of the Oakland Raiders. Like the experienced guy I am, I kept my mouth shut.

Photo: Pumphouse features fine outdoor dining under the covered patio. On this warm Colorado evening in mid-September, the patio is a fine place to enjoy good beer, good food and good company.

After a few rounds, the four of us got down to checking out the menu, each of us decided that a burger sounded good. However, another round of drinks seemed like a good thing to do, so another round was ordered, and along with it, surprise, surprise, a large plate of buffalo wings, everybody's favorite appetizer! Well, not exactly buffalo wings, as at Pumphouse, they're known as "Hot Wings." Maybe they've been listening to the song sung by Rod Stewart, entitled, "Hot Legs?" Just kidding, but you know what I mean...

Photo: Our friendly hostess makes sure our delicious hot wings are positioned "just-so" as Rick and Kathy look on.

We ordered two large plates of hot wings for the four of us, and that made out to be our meal; after consuming all of the delicious wings, there was no room for burgers. We wanted it all, so we crafted a multiple order sampler of some of their delicious buffalo wings, presented on two plates. Our order was presented on two plates, one plate containing the Regular Wings and BBQ wings, and the other plate featured the Jamaican Jerk and the Sweet and Spicy Thai wings. With the wings came celery and carrot sticks, and or favorite Ranch Dressing, which provided the perfect dip for the veggie sticks or the wings. Pumphouse's wings are not only delicious, but they're filling, and after another round of drinks, and finishing off the plates of wings, our burger plans were put on the shelf.

Photo: Thanks, darling, for your great service. Why didn't I get her name? ... We left a great tip for the fun and friendly service we enjoyed.

Photo: Honey wings along with barbecue wings, veggies, and dipping sauce. Such a delicious dinner! Oh yes, the beer was good...

Photo: Kathy, Sharlene and Rick enjoy wings. We ordered a tablefull of wings, and enjoyed every one of them.

Pumphouse Brewery is a family-friendly, micro-brewery, grill, and plainly is a fun place to spend an afternoon drinking beer, socializing with the friendly crowd while watching football, or a fun place to spend an evening on the town with friends. The beer and ale are delicious and good, the place features a full-service bar, the patrons and staff are friendly, the food is delicious and the place is, well, fun. Check out Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont, Colorado, for superb beer, food and, most of all... a lot of fun.

Pumphouse Brewery
540 Main Street
Longmont, CO 80501
303 702-0881
www.pumphousebrewery.com