In case you missed the headline, Dog Pub is located in Suburban Columbia, just a few doors down from the great Frisco Grille. It's a little hard to locate the first time, but is right in a beer corridor with Victoria Gastro Pub just up the way on Snowden River Parkway (near the 100) and The Perfect Pour in a shopping center just off 175.The original Dog Pub is in Federal Hill in downtown Baltimore. I haven't been there, but I did overhear a customer in the Columbia location tonight say "this is much bigger than downtown" as she entered.
The layout is pretty unique. There's not much to see from the outside except the wooden double doors that give no hint at what's inside (which is maybe why I've been so hesitant to come here in the first place?). Once inside it's not like anything I'd expect. There's a sharp turn and then you make a choice: left or right. To the left is a dining area, tables and high-backed booths. To the right is a lonely fireplace and the bar area.
I went to the bar area.
The bar itself is looooooooooooooooooong, running the length of the establishment. There's a huge gap between the bar and the outside wall of the place that is rimmed with a few small bar tables and some kind of shuffleboard game. Just outside is a patio area that welcomes dogs, so bring your pooch if that's your thing. The layout looked more than a little odd and took some getting used to.
As far as food, the menu is straightforward with just a few small appetizers and salads giving way to an extensive list of 10" personal sized thin crust pizzas. They won't exactly be world famous, but I enjoyed the variety of pizza options and what I ate.
More importantly, let's talk beer. They make their own beers, which are listed in sort of a diagonal panel panel above the bar. It's unusual and fun and negates the need to pull out a menu to see what's available. They had one seasonal (an Oktoberfest beer that I had a small sample of ... eh) and then the usual offerings on tap in dog themed names:
IPA (Hoppy Dog), the fruit beers (Peach Dog, Blueberry Dog, Raspberry Dog), an Amber (Amber Dog), a red (Irish Red), a brown (Brown Dog), a stout (Black Dog) a blond (Blond Dog) and an English style beer (Thirsty Ale).
You can also mix various beers in what they call "Mixed Breeds". I passed, but there's several suggested offerings such as a "Reservoir Dog" made of Black Dog and Hoppy Dog. You get the picture.
I tried the Hoppy Dog and the Blond Dog. The Blond was meh, but the Hoppy Dog was surprisingly good. It was refreshing and had a crisp hop bite in the West Coast style.
What's unique here is that they serve the beer in small 8 oz mugs, two at a time. I don't get it, but that's their thing and I'm not one to rock the boat.
They also sell their beers in take-home 750ml bottles with those weird Grolsch-style swing caps. I was half-tempted to grab one of the IPA's -- maybe next time. And that's the thing, there will be a next time. This isn't a great "beer" place and outside of the seasonal their selection won't vary, but there's at least one good beer and several traditional styles to go with a unique bar setup and "hangout" type vibe. Pizza and *good* beer is a classic pairing, one not exercised enough in Baltimore, at least where I've been so far.
If you're 100% agro about perfect beers this isn't your place (I usually am that way), but if you can settle for something different and relaxed that doesn't take itself too seriously with decent food and a few decent beers, this might be something to check out. At worst it's a quick walk to Frisco Grille if Dog Pub doesn't satisfy.
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Google Map
Howard County Beer Map (created by Baltimore Beer Guy)
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