Walking up to Trolley Tap House, it's hard to believe that just two months ago this spot was CR Hooligans. The yellow and blue exterior is gone, leading way to a toned down gray exterior (though you may notice the baseball bat door handles that once belonged to Hooligans are still there).
As we stepped into the doors of the Tap House, we were welcomed into a warm and comfortable, super inviting area, filled with a collection of high and low top tables, a bar and the two signature garage doors leading to the outdoor seating. Deciding to take full advantage of such a gorgeous night last night, we opted to sit outside on the patio where our wonderful server, Joel, took care of us. Right off the bat it was tricky narrowing down what we wanted to try on our first visit to the Tap House. General Manager Patrick Jones did a fantastic job at creating a nice balance of options available on tap. It's not too heavy on one style, offering some nice options for the craft beer novice that might wander in off of Delaware Avenue.
After mulling the menu over a few (dozen!) times, I landed on the Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra and Eric went with Evolution Lot #3. Our friends Sam and Jackie sipped on two local brews, 16 Mile Soulful Ginger and Twin Lakes Route 52 Pilsner.
Once we settled in on the drinks, we needed to pick what was going to be our post-work day snack. The menu is extremely tempting, and it was pretty darn hard landing on what we went with! We ended up trying their Pub Fries, topped with Porter onions, grated sharp cheese, fresh herbs and a malt aioli. On Jackie's suggestion (who had already been to the Tap House on Tuesday night during their quiet soft opening) Sam went with the Fried Green Bean, which are served with a lemon herb aioli. Both were so, so tasty!
For round two we opted to take advantage of the smaller, 6-ounce pours that Trolley Tap House offers. This time around I went with cask-conditioned Mispillion Double Chin and Eric went with Brooklyn Blast. By this time our friend Erika joined us for a drink. She picked a big one, Sierra Nevada Narwhal!
To tell the bartenders what's on tap, the Tap House has hand written in what's pouring from each tap. We loved seeing that the glass type for each beer was written below each name as well. Such a great training tool!
As Trolley Tap House is looking at day # 3 of service, we have a feeling this spot is going to make a great impact on the craft beer scene in the state. Before the doors even opened yesterday, there were a few people waiting for them to open for the evening. Patrick mentioned the crowds on Tuesday night were exciting and they were pretty full not long after opening the doors at 6:30pm. Last night they opened at 5:00pm for dinner and it's pretty easy to say that within the hour they had another full house. The enthusiasm and excitement behind the staff is easy to see. We're looking forward to another visit to Trolley Tap House - it's so great to have another strong craft beer location to throw into the mix in Delaware!
Here are some more (beer!) shots from around Trolley Tap House!
