A well-known Cambridge jazz lounge has been flipped into a beer hall
The former Beat Brasserie has been revamped into an entirely new concept.
The Cambridge jazz lounge Beat Brasserie, known for eclectic brunch, live music, and craft cocktails, has transformed into Beat Brew Hall.
As of this past Thursday, the Brattle Street restaurant has become a modern European beer hall with big, wooden tables meant for sharing, live music that ranges from indie to country to oompah music during Oktoberfest, and plenty of bar games.
“We’re not an elitist place,” said Jack Bardy, who co-owns Beat Brew Hall with Bill Keravuori and Jennifer Epstein.
Bardy said he had dreamed about this concept for years and just needed the right space for it when it dawned on him: The site of his current business Beat Brasserie would be perfect.
“The neighborhood here really wants this casual, loose atmosphere,” he said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm for beer and beer halls, but what makes us unique is that we’re not bound by any regions. We’re sourcing from around the world.”
The beer is curated from breweries in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, and also includes international selections from the Czech Republic, Germany, and Japan. The menu is dotted with picks like Hitachino Nest White Ale, Two Roads Brewing Workers Comp Saison, and Weihenstephaner Fest.
Casey Furtaw, Beat Brew Hall’s resident beer enthusiast, helped curate the beer list, even managing to secure an elusive brew.
“We have the only keg in Cambridge of the collaboration that Night Shift Brewing did with Mast Landing,” he said, referring to the New England IPA “Stop Looking at Me Swan!”
“It’s a very limited run,” Furtaw said.
Non-beer drinkers tagging along will find boozy slushies, punch bowls, craft cocktails, and wine. And because James Lyons — chef at sister restaurant The Beehive in the South End and an alum of Chicago’s beer-driven restaurant The Publican — designed the menu, patrons will have plenty to eat in between beer pints: slow-roast pork shoulder with white grits, smoked brisket served with potato salad and slaw, and barbecue St. Louis ribs. (Vegetarians can opt for tofu banh mi and barbecue carrots.)
Visitors can expect more to come with a separate backroom bar and lounge area opening at a later date. For the moment, though, the taps at Beat Brew Hall are flowing.
Beat Brew Hall, 13 Brattle St., Cambridge; Mondays–Wednesdays from 4 p.m.–midnight, Thursdays from 4 p.m.–1 a.m., Fridays–Saturdays from 4 p.m.–2 a.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m.–midnight; beatbrewhall.com
