Two weeks ago I found a gem of a book in a local hospital thrift shop. This book, “The Good Beer Guide To New England” by Andy Crouch, caught my eye because my husband and I are brewery junkies. Not only do we live in New England, but also we do try to frequent all the area breweries as much as possible. Home-brewed beer is far superior to mass produced beers, and I, for one, feel that spending even a few extra dollars on locally produced beers is well worth it. This leads up to our weekend venture—Bobcat Café and Brewery in Bristol, Vermont.

Bristol is a quaint town with incredible views of the Appalachian Gap and Lincoln Gap in Addison County, about an hour southeast of Burlington. Unfortunately, I was half way to Bristol when I remembered my camera was still at home.

Bobcat Café is not a huge establishment. Upon entering the restaurant, there is a huge 100-year old bar that takes up much of the wall on the left side of this rectangular floor space. Seating is offered in the front area near a huge glass window that overlooks the street and continues back to the rear of the restaurant along the right side. The bar is gorgeous—dark wood (possibly walnut) and brass. A wooden half wall that is topped with marble separates the restaurant area, and the cozy ambiance truly makes you feel right at home.

We were with a party of eight, so I’d made reservations a week earlier. The restaurant packs up quickly, so I highly recommend calling ahead for reservations. We were seated promptly and the waitress came right over to list the nightly specials and take our drink orders. Beer drinkers will love the option of spending 75¢ for three-ounce samples of the beers they make. I ordered the shot glass of each of their current brews. For $3, you end up getting to sample all of their seasonal offerings and wind up with sample glasses that are filled to the rim. Each sampler was around four ounces, so the bartender was definitely generous.

I’m a relatively new beer drinker, only in the past few years have I come to enjoy the liquid gold. While my husband and I have been brewing our own beer for decades, I tended to stick to wines and mixed drinks. In the past three years, I find that I am much happier drinking beer and bypassing the sweeter, stronger drinks. For this reason, one must understand that hops are the one thing I am still getting used to. Hops make or break a beer. Some like strong hop flavor, but I prefer a hop that isn’t too overpowering usually.

The first shot glass contained Pocock Pilsner. The beer uses Saaz hops, clearly apparent from the first sip. I found it to be a little stronger than I’m used to, yet it was still extremely pleasant. The Mill Hill Hefeweizen, my favorite beer style, was next. Mill Hill won me over with mild hops, a nice tingle of carbonation on the tongue, and a fruity flavor that was there without being overpowering. This was the beer I opted to indulge in for a full pint. It’s not a strong beer, but really nice for those who prefer lighter beers.

Surprisingly, the Brickwall Pale Ale was my other favorite. The hops are grown right outside of the restaurant on their brick wall—hence the name. The obvious taste of fresh hops came through, I now know the difference between fresh versus dried hops. Fresh hops are fantastic! Cat Paw Kölsch was my final beer. This one is based on German Kölsch and was well rounded and fragrant, but the pale ale and hefeweizen were my favorites.

People may come to Bobcat Café and Brewery for the beer, but the food ranks right up there. The owner of Bobcat Café and Brewery happens to own two other Vermont staples—Pauline’s on Shelburne Road, South Burlington and Leunig’s on Church Street in downtown Burlington. These restaurants have been around for decades and are both exceptional. If you’ve eaten at either establishment and haven’t tried Bobcat Café, you really need to head to Bristol. With the fall foliage in full swing, it is a beautiful trip.

All tables receive baskets of homemade bread. We had baskets filled with multi-grain bread that was exceptional—a little salty and the flavor of the yeast was crisp. The oatmeal bread was sweet and had an airy texture that the children loved.

The menu at Bobcat Café and Brewery offers a nice selection of entrees for vegetarians, seafood lovers, and meat lovers alike. Some of us started with the French Onion Soup. The cheese (Vermont Cheddar) was perfectly golden and spilled over the edges of the bowl, which leads to that crispy cheese edging that I love. Others opted to indulge only in the bread.

I had to try the fish and chips—I’m the granddaughter of an English fisherman and fish and chips are one of the best ways I can think of to judge a restaurant. Four of us had fish and chips. The fish coating was crispy and light, not overly greasy. I tried the russet fries, definitely worth it, and another person had the sweet potato fries, also enjoyable. Unlike many area restaurants, Bobcat Café and Brewery had real malt vinegar on hand, and that really makes them stand out.

Other entrees ordered by our party included the Massaman Curry Stew, which I’m told was exceptional, and a fantastic LaPlatte River Angus Burger.

There is a children’s menu available. Prices range from $3.95 for penne to $5.95 for a Laplatt Burger and fries or for Grilled Chicken Breast with potatoes and vegetables. Children’s portions were very generous and both children in our party were extremely happy with the selection.While we all had no room for dessert, we were highly impressed with the quality of the food and beer. For those who do make it to dessert, the crème brulee looked really good.

All in all, if you’re heading out to dinner and want to try something new, definitely go to Bobcat Café and Brewery. It is an exceptional establishment and the eight in our party agreed that we’d be back for more!

Bobcat Café and Brewery
5 Main Street
Bristol, VT
Tel: (802) 453-3311
www.bobcatcafe.com

- Written by Tracy Farnsworth (thefarnsworthfamily@gmail.com)