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Sometimes when you’re in the mood for a craft beer – or two – you want a meal to go with that. Dublin’s Inc 82 Brewing was created two years ago with those people in mind. And in case you wondered, its name gives a nod to the year of Dublin’s incorporation as a city, Inc. 82.
This casual restaurant and brewery serves 12 house-brewed beers with one Fieldwork guest beer on tap, alongside a menu that includes appetizers, burgers, pasta and sandwiches — we sampled three tasty ones. There’s a kids menu, too. And dogs are welcome on the small patio in front.
Stepping inside Inc 82, the place feels more like a restaurant than a brewery. There is a small bar in the back of the long, rectangular space, but the vast majority of the seating consists of four-person booths and two-tops. The brewery is only visible by walking down a long corridor, past the kitchen and restrooms, and peering through a window at the far end of the building.
The housemade beers tilt heavily in hop-centric directions, with a lineup that includes an American pale, three IPAs, a double IPA and three New England IPAs. For those who prefer less hoppy libations, Inc 82 also offers a hefeweizen, an American light lager, a blonde ale, and an Irish dry stout. Sample your way down the line with 5-ounce tasters ($2.50 each) or pints for $5 to $7, depending on the beer.
Few of the beers were real standouts, but they were all solid examples of their styles, and they covered nearly all the IPA sub-styles from piney to floral, tropical, juicy and dank. It always amazes me how many flavors can be created from the explosion of hop varieties over the past 10 years.
Don’t miss: The Hella Juiced IPA, a New England IPA that is 6.5 percent alcohol by volume, was my favorite Inc 82 brew. It was appropriately cloudy with a juicy hop flavor, and not too much bitterness – exactly what you should expect from this trendy style.
Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and until 9 p.m. on Sundays at 7370 San Ramon Road in Dublin, www.inc82.com.
