Boylan Bridge Brewpub Gives In, Adds Music

We can only assume that after a handful of complaints, Boylan Bridge has given in to the soothing sounds of music. A email sent last week to New Raleigh from the pub manager of Boylan Bridge Brewpub simply states (with smiley face emoticon included):

That’s right, there’s music at Boylan Bridge Brewpub

Maybe the second location will actually have live bands!

The brewpub currently has all beers flowing on tap, another complaint from locals (running out of beer).

We Support Public Transportation by Rail Pale Ale - $4
Bruno Bitter - $4
The Gaston Golden - $4
Pullman Porter - $4
Scottish Ale - $5
Southbound Stout - $4

gd06/03 09:40 AM

You know my complaint? A very boring menu thats not that good and only 1 good beer.

If they didn’t have the view that BBPB has, I wouldn’t ever frequent it.

Wild Rice06/03 09:50 AM

I agree somewhat with the above comments, but I do think they have more than 1 good beer. The food was tolerable, but not spectacular, and some of the beer kinda pricey.

slaterric06/03 10:03 AM

I have been in the pub a few times. I have had a chance to sample the Scotish ale,
the Bruno Bitter and the Southbound stout. I liked all of them, especially
the stout. I have tried the food, good bar food. I have only been indoors so far.
I am looking forward to spending a long evening outside on the patio….

joebee06/03 10:05 AM

i noticed early articles mentioned that this place would not have music and thought that was a mistake. having no music can be one of the biggest party killers ever.

kg06/03 10:21 AM

still can’t understand the idea behind “no music”. glad they saw the errors of their ways.

howboutafresca06/03 10:34 AM

i have eaten there a few times and love the fish and chips. beers are decent and likely to get better. awesome vibe though, can’t dispute that…

gd06/03 11:03 AM

I dunno, maybe my 6 or so experiences have not been a fair representation. I took a friend of mine who is a chef there and he was pretty disgusted by the menu because theres no creativity nor originality. We both ordered flights and neither of us were real estatic about any of the beers- The onion rings are good, but I’ll pass on everything else food wise.

tww06/03 11:08 AM

i think the place works nicely. the beer is reasonably priced, as most places will have $4 pints if it is actually decent brew. if you get a pitcher its about $3 a pint.

the food is mediocre, agreed, but the primary focus of this place is beer, not food, so that is to be expected.

i got a good laugh at the person who said they dislike the beer and food yet frequent the place regardless.

GD06/03 11:19 AM

TWW: There is 1 beer I will drink there. As I said earlier, if it wasn’t for the view, I wouldn’t but I do enjoy the view.

Maybe I should laugh at you for not being able to comprehend that?

Dwight06/03 11:34 AM

I love this place! Rail pale ale is awesome. While they could improve their menu, the food I have tried thus far has been great. Awesome onion rings, and surprisingly a really good salad.

John06/03 11:36 AM

We’ve been there 4 times now since they opened and my biggest complaint is that none of the servers act like they give a $hit about their jobs or the customers. They just move about slowly, relax inside instead of tending to customers and are very nonchalant about speedy service. Totally the opposite of servers at The Flying Saucer, Raleigh Times etc. Besides that, I think the food is bland and overpriced for what is served. Finally, the beer is okay but is also overpriced. Reduce everything on the menu (food and beer) by $1 and institute some customer service skills into the servers and this place would be far better.

thirsty06/03 11:46 AM

the view is awesome along with the atmosphere of the place. i liked the “no music/tv” policy. i guess some people would rather have distractions and avoid conversation. i agree the food needs to be improved. i personally don’t like all the beer they offer but i think that’s what is great about having such a good variety. they have plenty of options for me. i’ve noticed a couple waitresses that could use a dose of personality but the rest have been just fine. i’ve been many times and always look forward to my next visit. sure…it’s not perfect but show me a bar (or any establishment for that matter) that is…

suzie 7406/03 12:17 PM

There are only 2 good things about this place.
1) the view
2) it will be out of business soon (knock on wood) and something cool will take it’s place. What a waste of a great location. Bad food, flat beer, slow service.

Easy dZ06/03 12:19 PM

I was a bit disappointed upon hearing music piped in last night because I enjoyed the fact that 3BP’s was a meant to be a place to converse and meet as a community, neighbors and friends, without any of the generic distractions that accompany the large majority of evening establishment throughout town. They took a bold jump with a bit of edge by going music/television -less and although I’m disappointed with the decision to add tunes to the mix, it still holds sway in my book for best bar in Raleigh. I’ve run into Mayor Meeker during my past two visits.

Jim06/03 12:33 PM

I’ve enjoyed the beer, but the grub really needs to improve. It has all the appeal of airport terminal food.

gd06/03 12:36 PM

Easy: the best bar in Raleigh would have to go to Foundation IMO. Thats the most creative bar around here.

Matt W06/03 01:14 PM

This place is going to be in huge trouble once late fall comes around. The beer is OK, but they don’t have a single “light” brew available. Cool with me, but for my fiancee and a lot of her friends, it is frustrating. Beer is pricey as well, which is fine but I don’t want to stick around and drink there all night.

The menu and food are just completely uninspired—I realize that it is primarily a bar, but if you are going to offer food, you should do it right. There are plenty of great examples of this in Raleigh (the Times, Lynnwood Grill, etc). They’d be better off not offering it.

I hope they make enough money this summer to survive what is going to be a really long winter. Is there anyone that would go out of their way to get drinks here if the weather is poor?

tc06/03 01:26 PM

The service can be slow, and I haven’t bothered with the food, but it’s a great patio for a late afternoon beer on a sunny day. The beer is pretty tasty, in my opinion, especially the bitter. I need to go try the Scottish Ale. I expect the beer to get better over time.

I liked no music, liked just relaxing with a good view and good conversation.

tc06/03 01:30 PM

They should do a 2.50 pint night or something, that’s one suggestion I’d make.

platitudes06/03 01:33 PM

“the view” is your primary reason for going?really? have you ever been on boylan before?!?

Matt W06/03 01:35 PM

Dear platitudes,

The point is to turn around and look at the city. Sorry you missed it.

wg06/03 01:40 PM

suzie 74 and John—WORD!

joebee06/03 01:43 PM

tv is distracting. music is not distracting from conversation. i agree with no tvs. for once you can go somewhere without everyone staring at the NBA finals that have been going on for the past 101 months.

tc06/03 02:02 PM

“music is not distracting from conversation”

That really depends on the volume&type;of music and the acoustics of the space. Ofcourse, being an outdoor patio, should help for that.

TheWaveLife06/03 02:21 PM

joebee: 101 months… hehehehehhee.

platitudes06/03 02:44 PM

matt - i’ll skip the sarcasm and try to explain. where i work, i am the only one that lives downtown so to have these north raleigh/cary rubes NOT SHUT UP about something you can see for free every day strikes me as odd.
it’s disappointing to watch a place that took years to even get going immediately go to shit.

if it were however able to become horniblow’s centro i’d never leave.

gd06/03 03:04 PM

Plat: I live downtown too, but i dont have that view as my backyard. Thanks for assuming things.

BobbyAnalogue06/03 03:22 PM

I agree with every single criticism being leveled at the place here, and it is a shame.

And Katie shouldn’t you be working. I see you’re everywhere today.

BobbyAnalogue06/03 03:30 PM

And man I love the idea of a Horniblow’s Centro. I think I just peed myself a bit.

TheWaveLife06/03 03:31 PM

So guilty…

Maxine06/03 06:38 PM

@John and Suzie74 again, WORD!
The beer is disappointing to say the least, what is with that super-hoppy “golden”? Yuck. Get a new brewmaster. On my 2nd trip there, we sat for 45 minutes with empty glasses while the servers breezed by us without so much as a glance. Get it together people, you have a great location, now make some decent beer with decent service or these bad reviews will just keep coming.

North_Raleigh_Guy06/03 09:23 PM

I haven’t been there in a while but the three times I drank/ate there I was very happy with the place. What kind of fodd do people want to see on the menu? My meals there have always been good. I like this place.

smitty06/03 10:41 PM

Ok, show of hands, when you saw “Boylan Bridge Brewpub Gives In”, your first thought was they went out of business and you were not surprised.

billy06/03 10:46 PM

Good thinking. The music should make the headache from the “hammer to my head stale ale” that much more intense. Seriously, if we hadn’t waited years for this place to open, with all the hype, only to experience old-pipe sludge that produced (at least for myself and my friend) a virtual instant headache and metallic aftertaste, combined with a nice, long wait for table service, maybe I wouldn’t feel so critical.

Micah06/03 11:53 PM

We said we wouldn’t go again after we had our third bad experience there (we waited for outside table service for 15 minutes when there were over 5 servers and only 5 tables…We left for the Borough). We went once more last week just because it is a 5 minute walk from our house and we wanted a beer. We eventually got a server, who had the attitude of a stale doughnut. My friend asked her which beer she would choose between two choices and she responded, “I dunno, I don’t even drink beer” and then she immediately said, “You guys obviously need more time” and she walked away. So did we.

keeter06/04 03:17 AM

funny funny. I said from the beginning that they would have music within 6 months. I also said it would be up for sale within 12. With the comments about service and food, STAY TUNED.

Jen06/04 06:09 AM

We’ve been exactly 3 times. The service was terrible. The patio is where the wait staff really needs some work. Problems are in both waiting for a server to ask if we want another drink, and then waiting on it to be delivered. Ask when we are half-way through the first beer! We usually say yes! My husband refuses to go back. I haven’t decided, however, I am happy about the music thing…

Murple06/04 06:43 AM

The view from the patio rocks. However, the food is terrible, even for bar food. In addition, I was there a few weeks ago and was served a pitcher of completely flat beer. I looked around and saw that everyone else’s pale ale pitchers were flat as well. When I asked the waitress about it, she informed me that yes, the keg was flat because they tapped it too early, but that the beer was still “good.”

Really? I expect a LOT more from a place that charges that much for a beer.

kg06/04 08:06 AM

me thinks things aren’t looking up for bbb. you can’t have this many complaints and stick around for too long.

my acid test is whether or not i suggest a place to friends who are in from out of town and i can’t say i would with this place. too many solid options to choose from in dt raleigh.

Ken Metzger06/04 08:30 AM

So many haters. Yet it seems that everyone has been multiple times. As long as gigantic buildings are not built in front of it (unlikely with the tracks there), this place will stay busy. They also own the building so they have time to figure everything out. They were so busy the first couple of weeks that they ran out of beer. That caused some of the headaches of them trying to keep up with the demand. By the way, the flat beer was only temporary as it was still being carbonated and our server did tell us this. There is a valid complaint here if one wasn’t told ahead of time.

The slow service is usually not the servers fault; it is due to tap logistics. They only have one service station, so there is a wait to get the beers out. Hopefully this is something they can fix. It is a good idea, for now, to order your second round early. I find it hard to believe that someone actually thought Flying Saucer had good service. For what it is worth, the Raleigh Times (as great as it is) has had some of the worst service for years.

I haven’t tried the food, but it cannot be any worse that the Ale Houses or the Draft Houses. It is the same type of menu and food, and guess what? Those places do great business with less atmosphere, mediocre service, and no view. The beer is pretty good, but nothing stellar. They have time to refine and start creating some unique beers (like the Winter Brew which was unique and complex). I think the problem is that the beers are not true to style so some people are taken back by what they get (like the bitter Golden and relatively malty Pale Ale).

I’ll keep going for beers, because I go out for an atmosphere. So yes I am there for good weather and an excellent view. If I am really particular about my drinks I will go to the Foundation. For those who don’t see the view (atmosphere) as important then you can always drink at home because it is cheap and you can never complain about the service.

John06/04 08:40 AM

Hey Ken M, to each their own. BB’s food IS worse than the Ale House or Draft House chains and even blander. On every occasion we have been to BB, servers usually pass us by a half dozen times or more before even offering a menu or a drink order (this is when I have been with my just my wife, and with groups of 4 and 6). I have been going to the Saucer for 10 years and the RT for 3 and I can ensure you the service is much better at either. If I have to wait long at either, at least it is worth the wait as the food is good and the beer is cold and carbonated unlike our friends at BB. Honestly, its all immaterial at this point because Tyler’s Taproom and Natty Greene’s are supposed to be opening by year end, followed by an Ale House rooftop location downtown. Once people taste Natty Greene’s brews, its over for BB.

Matt W06/04 08:58 AM

Tyler’s Taproom is pretty amazing too—I was at the Cary location for a meeting a few weeks ago and was really impressed. Great atmosphere for a place tucked away in a mega-strip mall.

Ken, I’m glad that you showed up to defend BB; I was wondering if anyone really liked the place. That said, a bar isn’t that hard to get right. If this many people have the same complaints about BB, they are probably doing something wrong. Where there is smoke, there is fire, right?

I have been to BB on a couple of occasions when the weather is grim, and the business was very slow. I don’t think this bodes well for the future of the establishment.

matt06/04 10:40 AM

Stooping to criticizing Raleigh Times’ service? Ridiculous. I have never been abandoned or ignored there, no matter where I sit. Never. Flying Saucer - ah, it comes and goes. But Raleigh Times? The Borough? Whatever else you can say about those places, the service is all over you!

Ken Metzger06/04 10:47 AM

I am not saying that Boylan does not have its problems. Yeah, the service can be slow, the beer has room to improve, and I have heard the food is mediocre. I am just saying that it seems that 75% of the people hated this place before it ever opened. They didn’t open quick enough so a lot of people want it to fail, just so they can say, “I told you so”. The reason people are there is because there is not many good places to be outside in Raleigh and Boylan has, by far, the best outdoor area and enough room to accommodate people, just maybe not enough taps. As long as they improve service and quality before there are a lot more outdoor options, then they will be fine.

Ken Metzger06/04 11:20 AM

matt, come to think of it, the Times service is better than it used to be. It used to be terrible when one would sit outside on a weekend. I guess the memory of bad service sticks in my mind. that is something that Boylan will have to overcome, as well.

BobbyAnalogue06/04 11:30 AM

Legitimate criticism does not equate to people eagerly awaiting the day the doors close. The constant postponement of the opening day did give the impression of disorganization, so it might be a good idea to be on the ball when those doors do open. They haven’t been - mediocre beer, sub-par food and downright bad service. So what are we left with? A view? That’s just not good enough.

Beg to differ06/04 12:19 PM

I personally love the brewpub- I am sorry for those who haven’t gotten good service there. I have been there 5x and only once when it was really busy did I have to wait and when thats the case you can just go inside and get a drink. The beers aren’t super fantastic but they are pretty good and once this place gets its ‘sea legs’ maybe their brewmaster will improve. As for the food, the onion rings and burgers are excellent. The parmesan chicken fingers not so great. But overall it is what is to be expected of bar food. I will continue to patronize this establishment and enjoy the view/location/atmosphere. In fact my worst criticism would be the lack of music so I am glad that is changing and the Brewpub will continue to get my business.

tjoad06/04 12:45 PM

I’ve been here once, nothing would make me go back—not even the view. The beer is subpar as well as the food, and the service is exactly what other people have said.

tc06/04 12:50 PM

“The constant postponement of the opening day did give the impression of disorganization”

Not 100% sure, but I believe that BBB publicly announced one opening date, and they opened on that date. Blog speculated opening dates are another story, and the management of the pub can’t be blamed for that. All that meant, was the blog was wrong.

I agree with Ken, I think this place has some positives, and will build off and improve what they’ve started.

jim06/04 01:02 PM

i like the brewpub. maybe i’m biased because i’m a local, but i have a great experience every time. you guys should try the bitter.

BobbyAnalogue06/04 01:34 PM

TC - if that is the case then I stand corrected. It certainly seemed that way based on the info here, but I also stand by my criticism. As I stated earlier it is a shame, because I want to like the place.

neal2zod06/04 05:40 PM

not to beat a dead horse, but is there ANY other restaurant/bar in Raleigh with such universal pans? Especially when it comes to service? Do you guys think the owner knows about these criticisms or is he still under the impression his servers are actually friendly or competent?

Joel Haas06/04 06:22 PM

I have not been yet. I HAVE written about and interviewed owners of brew pubs in other parts of the US. Universally, for brew pubs to succeed financially, they, ironically, don’t need good beer. They do need good food with a family friendly menu and a light, almost tasteless beer or two and some fancy non alcoholic drinks. Live music is a big draw, TV is not. Like any pub, they need good service.

The reason for this is the simple and lamentable fact there are not enough beer gnurds in most populations to support a brew pub strictly on the basis of the quality of their beer. Most girlfriends and visiting relatives are actively not interested in a pricey beer that, to them, “tastes funny or too strong.” The beer gnurd’s date needs to have an option. Long term, the beer gnurd’s family needs options, too. Basically, successful brew pubs have to be able to be successful restaurants that serve their own beer. It’s the successful restaurant part that closes most brew pubs down, not the quality of their beer.
The Ale House/ Draft House chain in Raleigh works because Daddy can have his fancy beer, while Mommy has a Miller Light and Junior and Missy have Cokes with a kids’ menu and Mom and Dad have a steak or seafood salad at the end of a hassle filled week day.
Many very successful brew pubs do not ever try to take the considerable financial leap to bottling, shipping and distributing their beer. Bottling equipment takes up a huge amount of space, nearly as much as warehouse and brewing space, and once you’ve made ten times or a hundred times as much beer, then you have to be able to sell it and deliver it.

APM06/04 07:34 PM

Let me start by saying that I was THE biggest critic on this site before BBB opened. However, once they opened I changed my tune. Yes, the food isn’t the best in Raleigh, but it’s decent and the beer is OK. I wish they had a lighter beer for summer or the Golden wasn’t so hoppy. I feel like the management/owner has been responsive to suggestions made on this site—umbrellas on the patio, veggie burger, etc. In order to make it more family friendly I hope they have high chairs and serve milk for the kiddies.

BuckyK06/05 03:00 PM

AHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH! ROTFL!

“north raleigh/cary rubes NOT SHUT UP about something you can see for free every day strikes me as odd.”

Platitudes, glad to see Downtown Raleigh has given such heightened street smarts. You are so urban and metropolitan!

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!

putbeerinmyhole06/06 10:21 AM

We have some great bars in town. Horniblows, Landmark, The Times, Foundation and to name just a few. Just one of those above serve food. To say that a brew pub has to be a successful restaurant first is garbage. The thing is for a place to be great is has to do what it does well and a manager/owner who understands that. Landmark is a great watering hole with cool people working there who you get to know. Horniblows is a fantastic brew pub with good beer and there is no view whatsoever, hell the place looks pieced together and still yet feels good, oh and they are busy. The Times has gobs of personality, great beer, food is just about as good as anywhere and the service these days is downright as friendly and fun as you can find. Best outdoor spot to people watch i think. Foundation is your quirky betty with no view at all however the place has very good drinks and the people are nice to hang with. Each one of these places deliver what they do at top notch form.
BBB does nothing well. Food is mediocre. Service is bad. Beer has no love in it. The music thing was just stupid. I mean waiting rooms have music, even elevators. This place is a classic example of someone wanting the glory of owning a bar without any idea of how hard it can be to get right. Does this guy ever go to bars? If music bothers him, and drunk people he finds annoying maybe he needs to realize he doesn’t like bars! People make places, the workers and the people who go there. You put a bunch of lame ducks in one place it just gets lamer. At this point there is no doubt. BBB is a fail and I don’t care if it makes it or not. Either the guy will finally throw up his hands and hire someone who knows what they are doing and shut up or they will continue to piss people off. I bet the ego here will win. But hey now they have music right? How long did that take to sink in?
See ya at Slims.

WiseOne06/06 12:25 PM

Hey you, putbeerinmyhole, don’t blame Andy Leager personally for an idea. He’s trained as a designer (NCSU SOD) and is in the business of contriving…good and bad ideas. The pressures of reality did and will bend him, you know market forces. Even (in your words) this egotistical designer will know their limits. Anyways, it is the sign of the times…lawyers, architects, bankers all are opening up bar/restaurants to diversify their interests, and yeah some of them have no idea what they are doing. Who cares, it’s someone else’s money, enjoy it while you can. It’s an unique era in Raleigh’s nightlife explosion, creating a broad spectrum of venues. And many will get chewed up spit out of the biz to leave a shell for someone who is more apt to please i-could-make-a-better-bar-than-you-people. Maybe someone will start up a bar that has nothing in it, so there will be nothing to complain about.

Chico06/07 04:38 PM

Music and beer have been excellent bedfellows for at least 5000 years. Good to see the brewpub abandon it’s attempt at reinventing the wheel. And for the person that claims music is a distraction I suggest they put down the Lady Ga Ga, and pick up Miles Davis’ “Kind Of Blue”.

Anton06/08 04:44 PM

At 01:30 PM 06/03, tc wrote:
“They should do a 2.50 pint night or something, that’s one suggestion I’d make.”

The last time I was there on a Tuesday, it was local’s night with $1 off pints and the pitchers were at a discount as well. See BBB’s website for more details.

As a former Brewmaster, I feel I should give my take on the Golden:

What do you do when you want to offer a beer that is made on-sight, superior taste but similar in style to that of a domestic which most people are familiar with (gold colour and bitterness) but you don’t want to invest the time to make lagers (most brewpubs brew ales because they don’t take as long to get from the kettle to your glass)?

You make a golden coloured, bitter ale. You may choose to call it your “Golden”.

This can lead to some confusion about how it should taste, although I would suspect this is because of the Belgian Golden Ale style of beer, which is typically high gravity and very sweet.

Another example that I have tried was brewed by Terminal Gravity in Enterprise, Oregon, their TG Golden Ale, which was golden and on the bitter side, similar to BBB’s take on the style. It should be pointed out that TG’s most popular style is their IPA, very hoppy/bitter (available in bottles and draft). Oregon has a love of super hoppy beers, but I am wondering if these types of beers haven’t really caught on here yet. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen folks at the Saucer drinking these types of beers, but it is probably not representative of the city as a whole.

For the time being, maybe the servers should be upfront with customers and explain that the Golden is on the bitter side and/or the menu should explain this so customers are not surprised. Brewpubs should play a role in educating customers about beer.

Anton06/08 06:46 PM

With the following description of the Golden (found at/taken from boylanbridge.com), I am wondering where all the confusion is coming from about the bitterness of the beer (they even liken it to a pilsner with a “bright hop flavor”):

Gateway Golden - 4.00
The gateway to craft beer production with a bright hop flavor and a pale golden color. The golden has an appearance similar to that of a Pilsener. Malt character is subtle and issues a hint of citrus.

It should be obvious to folks ordering this beer that it will be on the bitter side.

pablo06/09 12:26 PM

I enjoy the Golden and the Pale Ale whenever I have the opportunity stop in. As for the naysayers - THIS IS A BREW PUB - We’re not there for the TV, Music, or even the Food. It’s about drinking decent beer with quality ingredients WITH friends. Go to S. Glenwood if you want a different experience. We won’t miss you. And I’m sorry to hear they started piping in music. God forbid it becomes anything like the Flying Saucer where you can’t hear what people are even saying inside.

15007/17 01:12 PM

As some may remember, I was very skeptical of BBB for several reasons (the years of waiting to have it open, the lack of advertising, the silliness of their website, etc..). I’ve still never gone (would have if it had opened a few years back, and when I can, I choose to go to the Saucer instead), but I’ve been watching it with curiosity. After a few months, my comments are…

1. I know of at least one neighbor who likes BBB.
2. Interesting, unfortunate, but not shocking, that the majority of comments here are not positive.
3. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how crowded BBB often seems to be. I’m happy to admit that I was wrong here.

With that in mind, it seems like BBB has something to build on, and hopefully they can fix what’s wrong and stay successful. Good luck.

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Jedidiah Wednesday, June 03, 2009