Old Town Pour House, an Chicago Beer Hall Expands Outside The Midwest To Gaithersburg

[pras]

Old Town Pour House opened in Crown a month or two ago.  I have had the chance to check it out twice.  The Caps won on the first visit, and lost (in overtime) on the second.  The space is very well done with a very high ceiling.  There is an outside seating area which looks pretty comfortable.  Inside, there are big windows to match the high ceilings, some of which open to the outside.  There is a small separated "non bar" space with table, but the majority of the space is the "bar" with ample tables and booths and a huge bar.  Tons of big TVs, and during the games I have been at, they have a DJ that plays music/funny videos during commercial breaks.  On the design side, the one drawback for me is that it is very loud.

They have a ton of drafts, both beer and wine (I think about 100) this is unheard of in Montgomery County.  Prices are decent (not the best, not the worst, but fair) and they have a really good selection, including some things which I would classify as hard to come by (especially in Montgomery County).  They have a rating system on their website and if a beer is highly rated it stays.

The food was above average bar food.  I had the fried cheese curds both on the first and second visit, they were battered and fried to perfection with a side of a smoked tomato sauce which was a good complement.  Also had the nachos, which were an interpretation with fried wontons as the chips, duck confit, some white beans ,a cheese sauce, sliced fresh jalapenos, and other stuff which escapes me.  They were good, but I think I prefer a traditional style.  I also had the burger, which was really good, cooked to temperature, with tomato, lettuce, cheddar, and onion rings--very tasty.  It came with a side of fries that were really good.  My friend had the burnt end brisket sandwich--it looked really good and he enjoyed it.

It gets pretty busy and they do take reservations (even for a table in the bar area), so call ahead and reserve something if you know you will be there when a game is on, or when you expect it would be busy.

Will definitely be back.