I managed to get in to the Reg on Friday after work. Although I liked the bar area itself, I was a bit disappointed after all the hype of it being promoted as a craft beer bar.
On first impressions the craft beer is not evident, there are 11-12 beer taps and the last 3 taps at the end are 8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian and Metalmans Pale Ale and Moonbeam. I sat in the middle of the bar and had a look around, straight in front of me very well displayed and impressively lit was a grand selection of whiskeys. To my far right opposite the hatchway and dimly lit, there were three shelves, six bottles wide of beer that I could not read the labels and would not have known what they were if I didn't recognise them.
Bay, O Haras, 8 Degrees, Trouble, Franciscan Well, Tom Creans, Hooker, Blacks and Stonewell cider only easily readable from about 2 seats at the side of the bar, it sounds impressive but only a bottle or two of each beer is on the shelf. After about an hour I realised that there was a fridge in an alcove at the end of the bar, it is a deep alcove, the fridge is only visible from 3 seats at the very end and it contained the same beers as the shelf with the addition of 2 bottles of Copper Coast.
The staff have no noticeable training in serving craft beer, indeed everything I ordered (Moonbeam, Stormy Port and Metalman PA) came in a Guinness glass, although I did see some Metalman glasses with two other drinkers who ordered the Pale Ale just after I came in, it seems to me they gave me a guinness glass because I ordered Moonbeam. I heard a barperson describing Moonbeam as a stout and all stout goes in guinness glasses, right? For the time I was there only a handful of people were drinking craft and there was no attempt to push the craft beers.
I like the bar it is cozy and has dark wood, although it got a bit noisy due to the low ceiling when it filled up a bit. I will go back again because I liked the place, but I don't think there is any real commitment to craft beer and that is whats so disappointing.
