Sunday, January 27, 2008

Bangkok Boulevard, a Fredericksburg Beer Destination

I've mentioned Bangkok Boulevard in the past, they are one of the hosts of the FABTS gatherings, and a great destination for craft beer in the area. On Saturday afternoon Colleen and I stopped in for a quick beer and a snack while we were our running errands. Bangkok Boulevard sports a beer menu of around 150 bottled beers, including large selections from Belgium, England and Germany. There are a few draft selections as well, but it's the bottle listing that draws beer lovers in. The restaurant also has a large selection of glassware and beers are served in the proper glass. It's apparent the management understands and appreciates craft beer.

As the name suggests this is a Thai restaurant. On this visit we were sticking with appetizers. We ordered the Lamb Ping which is grilled lamb on skewers served with a spicy country style hot sauce, and the Kanom Jeeb, steamed pork and crabmeat dumplings with sweet Thai soy sauce. Sitting at the bar one can view the shelves of bottles on display which is easier than scanning the printed menu in my opinion. Colleen paired the food with a Morland Old Speckled Hen. I had decided on Belhaven Scottish Ale, but our server had pulled out a Monkman's Slaughter Ale while going through the beer cooler and I was intrigued by the name, so I opted for that instead.

Monkman's Slaughter Ale is an Extra Special/Strong Bitter. I've started to be intrigued by English Ales after reading a few Michael Jackson books. The beer pours a copper brown with a thin head. The aroma is sweet malt with some apple fruitiness in the background. The taste is bitter hops over a sweet malt backbone. There’s a distinct tartness to this as well. It was mildly shocking at first but after a few sips I rather liked it. I was curious about the tartness, but after reading the reviews on BeerAdvocate, it seems to be par for this ale. The mouthfeel is thin with slight carbonation. My pint went down easily and quickly.

The appetizers were delicious. In fact we spent some time debating whether to have more, or to go ahead and order more beer and stay for dinner. We've had dinner here in the past and the food is excellent. We didn't stay this time, but we'll be back. If you're looking for good food and an impressive beer selection in Fredericksburg, Bangkok Boulevard is the place to go.

Update: Bangkok Boulevard closed in March 2008.

3 comments:

  1. Do they keep Old Speckled Hen and the Bellhaven in a beer cooler ?
    What sort of temperature do they serve it at ?
    Too low I'll be bound.

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  2. Yes, the beers are kept slightly chilled. We enjoyed them as they were served. If one happens to like their beer warmer, that happens naturally in a few minutes.

    There's no place else in Fredericksburg that offers anything close to what's at Bangkok Blvd. We appreciate having someplace local to enjoy this variety.

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  3. I've been raving about this place ever since I tried it a few months ago. Oddly enough, Monkman's Slaughter was the first selection I made and was rather pleased with it.

    As for the serving temperature, I agree that it's easy just to let it warm up a bit if the beer's too cold. And for the variety up there, you can't beat this place.

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