Growlers, in the Historic Belt Building in Old Gaithersburg - Brewpub with Growlers To Go

[jayandstacey]

Surprised this didn't show up in a search - maybe my litte secret.

As expected in a brewpub, the food at Growlers is casual and 'manly' - basic meats, pizzas, burgers and such. I'm thowing it up for consideration as they really do put in an effort in the kitchen.

The personal pizzas are a very thin, house made crust with fresh toppings. The Athenian was awesome, with sharp feta and onions. My wife had the basic pizza and it was also good.

The bugers are also good - they aren't dense like some and the buns are light and fresh - a complement, not a detriment. We've tried the choriburger (nice, but frankly the chorizo flavor was lost in the rest of the burger), the Portobella burger (solid, didn't seem like a huge sacrifice to go veggie) and the 2 Greeks which was really interesting.

The menu has featured sausage dishes and irish-inspired fare in the past.

I'm not a beer aficianado but the few glasses I've tried have been nice accompaniments to my meals.

The building is historic and cozy - a perfect space for a neighborhood brew-pub. There's been a long history of efforts to make a good business there and maybe Growler's has finally found the formula - it seems to have a better than expected crowd for that night of the week each time we've gone.

This isn't 'fine cuisine' but it has been reliably exceeding my expectations and is now in our regular rotation. I wouldn't drive extensively out of my way for it. There are a fair number of decent ethnic choices around but if you just want a decent burger and a relaxing time, I'd 'hit it'.

Full disclosure: there was no evidence of any actual growlers being sold. So I suppose this might be added to the list of such potentially misleading places as Black Hog BBQ, Good Stuff Eatery, Panda Express and Applebees (for which I checked with my sister who is a regular there. Still no bees and very few apples).

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

I work right near here and used to go all the time. Unfortunately, over the last year it seems like they'd been pulling some of our favorite items off the menu, so we're finding less and less reason to go. No more Currywurst, such a shame. Fortunately, the Mac & Cheese Bites still seem to be around, so thank god for that.

I do really enjoy their bread pudding and S'Mores desserts, probably my favorite thing to eat here.

As I am somewhat of a beer aficionado, I can say that the beer here is generally pretty good. Better quality than Dogfish overall, if a bit less reliable (they are constantly rotating out what they have in). They've also made one of the few sours I've enjoyed, as I'm generally not a big fan of the style. It's also almost never crowded here, unlike Dogfish, which is a huge bonus in my mind.

Also, last time I checked you could still get growlers, they're even still listed on the website for what that's worth. I know a few times when I've been in there, they've been out of them. So that could be an issue here and there.

[jayandstacey]

Unfortunately, over the last year it seems like they'd been pulling some of our favorite items off the menu, so we're finding less and less reason to go. No more Currywurst, such a shame.

Yes - they also had kielbasa and pierogies if I remember. That's too bad, but I bet it could swing around over time. They seem willing to try. I just hope they don't trend toward less unique fare, even if it isn't ordered often - they did the dishes justice and made me want to go.

Also, last time I checked you could still get growlers, they're even still listed on the website for what that's worth. I know a few times when I've been in there, they've been out of them. So that could be an issue here and there.

Good to know - I missed em somehow.

[porcupine]

I'm thowing it up for consideration as they really do put in an effort in the kitchen.

Freudian slip?