Beer: it's what's for dinner

Fenway Park is known for its many unique features and traditions _ but good beer is not one of them. Those interested in beer, however, should not despair. A post (or mid-game) trip to Boston Beer Works on Brookline Street will help erase memories of another erratic Tim Wakefield pitching performance.

Though great homemade beer is what defines this venue, beer alone cannot make a brewpub. Fortunately for Boston Beer Works, it also offers atmosphere and food that rises above pub fare.

The brewpub is dimly lit but not to erotic levels. Unlike many despised Davis Square bars (okay, really just Orleans), Beer Works does not try to create an image for itself. It is straightforward, from the window into the brewery when you walk in the door to the simple furniture to the walls lined with growlers and beer bottles.

Upfront is the non-committal bar, for those pre-gaming or testing out the singles scene _ wait, Boston has one of those? The rear dining area is flanked by the larger beer-lovers bar, the epicenter of trendy townie minglers escaping the suburbs for an evening. On a busy weekend night, the atmosphere was chill _ no flashy lights, no bad techno music, just people hanging out and enjoying the tasty beer. Leave the black Capri pants and sparkly halter tops at home.

And then God said, let there be beer. We drank a little too much to count how many they had on tap, but believe us, it was a lot. The selection ran the gamut from light to dark, ambers, alts, stouts, and seasonal favorites, like Haymarket Hefeweizen and Watermelon Ale.

For those with unconventional (read: bizarre) taste, the Pumpkinhead ale had a nice cinnamon flavor and an aftertaste of pumpkin. It was kind of like Thanksgiving in a glass but without the stuffing and annoying relatives.

The Centennial Alt and Nine Alarm Amber were nice medium-bodied beers, though we were disappointed that Beer Works was out of the classic fall seasonal, Oktoberfest. The Back Bay IPA has a nice hoppy tint to it, though the Curly's Irish Stout was a little too bitter and not creamy enough.

If you're a little more adventurous, try the Bluebeery Ale, which is served with a handful of blueberries in it. After you've had a few, it's quite entertaining to watch the carbonation make them bob up and down.

Beer Works loses points for a waitstaff that was not quite sure of the difference between a lager and an ale. In a restaurant serving homemade beer, it is essential that the servers be able to offer accurate descriptions of the taste and bodies of the brews.

The menu at Beer Works can be described as "fries with a flare." The menu is centered around meat with sauces (hey, it works with a brewski) but it adds interesting spices and styles of preparation.

Sandwiches are your best bet if you're looking for a cheap bite, and the menu has creative offerings like the Dreaded Green Monster (pesto chicken and mozzarella) and the Napa Valley Chicken Salad Sandwich.

Also excellent were the seafood and pasta dishes, probably the most unique items on the menu. The Rajun Cajun, a dish consisting of shrimp, ham, and chicken with vegetables over jasmine rice, had a distinct flavor but was not too spicy. The Southwestern Sweet Potato Ravioli is not your typical pub fare, and seafood dishes with side dishes like banana-sweet mashed potatoes made the menu distinctive. Prices were a bit high, but they were nothing compared to the $4 we had just paid for a Coke at Fenway.

Though the food and beer were excellent, the waitstaff seemed to be sampling a few too many beers in that secret lounge near the bathrooms. The hostess was content to let guests hang out at the front and examine the brewing paraphernalia.

Our waitress had little knowledge about the beer or the restaurant itself and seemed like she would rather be out clubbing on Lansdowne Street. We tried to ask what the special college night was, and we got the impression that it had to do with free appetizers on Wednesday nights, but it also might have had something to do with the Cosmo cover article on "85 hot things to do with your man."

Though Beer Works has two other locations (Canal Street near the Fleet Center and Salem), it did not feel like a chain. The beer names are based on local people, places, and events, like the Curse of the Bambino Pale Ale. Boston Beer Works rises above your typical dimly-lit brewpub by combining gourmet beer, a varied menu, and a lively but chill atmosphere. The Red Sox may have choked this season, but the beer goes down smoothly across the street at Boston Beer Works.