Just a short train ride away from home and right down the street from my old haunts at Night Shift, is the site of Bone Up Brewing Company‘s taproom. I’ve been meaning to check out this place ever since it opened up back in August 2016, but for a variety of reasons I never got around to it. Luckily for me that finally changed this past weekend.
Bone Up is located in a modestly sized industrial building it shares with a CrossFit gym and a small restaurant. The taproom is pretty cozy, especially in comparison to some of the others in the area, but they make good use of the space and have given it quite a lot of character. Staring into the room, there is a bar counter to the right, a line of seven or so tables with chalkboard tops down the center of the room, and a small patio out front with a few extra seats. The wall on the left side of the room is pure nostalgic gold. There’s Metallica pinball, a Ms. PacMan/Galaga arcade machine, and a couple of bookshelves packed full of old board games and irreverent 90s comics; a Farside collection and Tick graphic novel were two things in particular that caught my eye. As an added bonus, the bartenders were all super friendly and their playlists offered up a steady supply of classic metal that perfectly matched the decor.
As for the beer they had maybe a dozen or so brews on tap, so I decided early on to resign myself to not being able to try them all. With that in mind, I started my day off with a 4.8% Kentucky Common named Mr. Buttons in memory of a dog owned by one of the folks over at Valley Malt. It wound up being an excellent brew to start my day off with after an extremely hot walk over from the train. It drank nice and easy with a sweet malt base and lingering hints of rye and very lightly toasted malt. I paid a couple of extra dollars for the glass, because, well, I liked it and the proceeds from the sale went to benefit local shelter dogs.
Beer number two was another full pour and also my strongest offering of the day, a 7.4% double IPA named 4 Star Smoothie that was hopped with a “newish” variety called CrysCade. It poured a glowing yellow/amber body and had a nice creamy orange taste upfront and a mild, hazy grapefruit bitterness lurking in the background with some light malt. The finish was smooth with slight peppery notes and a lingering fruity aftertaste. A very nice take on the style.
Finally, in an effort to make the most of my time at the brewery, I decided to end my visit with a flight. In an effort to be somewhat responsible about that decision, I filled said flight with some of the lightest offerings available. Their flights are served up in muffin trays, cost $9, and come with four samples of whatever is on draft plus a complimentary snack from the dollar wall (I chose Cheez-Its). I began with Wasted Life, a 6.4% IPA. A nice blend of dank hops atop a fruity, bubblegum sweet base I’d definitely go back for a full pour of this. Brew number two was Azacca, a blonde ale checking in at 4.4% and featuring a sweet honey malt base and refreshing blend of fruits. Next I went with Key Lime, which was very aptly named and awesomely refreshing. Nice and light at only 4.7%, this was another great beer for a hot day. I gave this one a write-up when it first came out so you can check out my full notes here. Closing out my day was Hillcrest, a 4.8% session brown ale with smooth grainy notes.
All in all, I had an excellent visit to the Bone Up Brewing Company taproom. I really enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere and had a great time having some drinks while playing a few classic arcade in the process. Make sure you give this place a visit if you are in the area!
Beer Name: Uni-Dog
Beer Rants and Books 