You might find me on the other side ... that's likeitis
You might find me on the other side ... that's likeitis
Member since:12.06.2002
Reviews:547
Members who trust:302
I had already read about The Republic Bier Halle on the net so, when doing a spot of Christmas shopping in Glasgow, I was thinking less about 'The first Noël' and more about 'Bush Noël' (it's a beer).
The Republic opened in October 1999, a welcome change to the usual, ubiquitous, trendy bars in central Glasgow and is going from strength to strength. Recently the owner, Colin Barr (now there's a name to suit a chosen occupation!), opened a new bar in Glasgow's south-side called The Bier Stube. He has plans to open another in Sauchiehall St., and one in Edinburgh (can't come soon enough) with more to follow.
The bar can be hard to find but it needn't be. It is situated at 9 Gordon
St., just a few metres off Buchanan St., Glasgow's main pedestrianized shopping thoroughfare. It could be easy to miss as there's only a doorway on the street - this leads down a dangerously dark flight of steps to a cavernous, basement bar.
Rather than a typical Czech Bier Halle, I was reminded more of an underground car park, especially with the stark lighting, lack of decoration and general abundance of bleak concrete everywhere. There are long, heavily chunky, wooden tables which run the entire length of both sides of the pub, and bench type seating which doesn't seem to be designed for comfort. Of course, there are hundreds of bars in Glasgow that have that 'Central Perk' decor with comfy sofas etc., if that's what you're looking for.
What makes the Republic different is the vast range of beers on offer - at the last count, over 130 bottled beers from all over the world, as well as quite a few on draught. Beers from such diverse places as Mongolia and Uganda; beers from Argentina to Vietnam; Cyprus to the Ukraine; they even have some from Scotland but strangely, none from the Czech Republic. I'm kidding, they have a dozen or so Czech beers.
All the beers are stored, and served, at their respective, correct temperatures, all come in the appropriate glass and prices vary between £2 and £4 for a 330ml bottle. Not cheap, but quality comes at a price. Of course, it's not just beers that are on offer. There are around 50 different vodkas available at around £2 a go, and more than 100 types of schnapps at £1 for a 25ml shot. They also serve a large range of spirits, liqueurs and wines from around the world.
As you can imagine, all this can be a bit daunting but luckily enough, there are menus on the tables listing everything, and as it's waitress service, you can sit back and drink your way around the globe without leaving your seat. This might be a problem later when, after sampling a few global delights, you rise to visit the toilet. You may find that the nerve highways between brain and legs seem to be disconnected. Naturally, this never happens to me as I drink responsibly.....ask if I want a beer and YES will be my response.
As for food, well they have quite an extensive selection on that front as well. Choices range from: hearty, home-made soups , goulash (meat & vegetarian), Italian panini sandwiches, ciabattas, pizzas, hot dogs and salads. There are lots of speciality sausage dishes and a wide range of finger food platters, as well as fish dishes, stews, a myriad of little nibbly bits and plenty of desserts. Prices are average at £2.50 for the soup and ranging from £4 to £7 for most of the meals. Food is served from 12-22.00, seven days a week and there are special lunch deals from Mon-Fri for £5.00.
To read more about the bar visit: http://www.republicbierhalle.com/about.htm
We had already eaten before we popped in so our visit was more for liquid sustenance than anything else. It was relatively quiet in the main bar but there is another room through the back and that seemed to be a bit lively. With all those beers on offer it can take a bit of so ul-searching before finally deciding on what to have. I was like a kid in a sweetie-shop, but at the end of the day, I'm a huge fan of Belgian beer so I opted for a Chimay Red to get me started. I followed that up with an Orval and......no, I won't tell you any more as I should be able to squeeze a review or two out of those!
Obviously 130 beers was going to take a little while to get through so I quickly abandoned my plans to test everything on offer, decided discretion was the better part of valour, and bought a few bottles to take home. No doubt you'll hear about them in due course (if you haven't already).
My verdict on the Bier Halle Republic? - VYBORNE! (excellent)
Anywhere that has so many great beers to choose from can't be bad. So my advice is.....If yer in Weedgie-land and you fancy a peeve --- nash doon the Republic fur a pivo.
great op.... pity the bar has gone downhill somewhat;
72 beers now, and the table service is a joke since they seem to only hire morons who don't actually try and serve
oh, and the backroom gets closed off when the place is jumping... nice!
herby30 10.06.2004 13:20
We go there sometimes for lunch as it's just around the corner from my work Drew, Heather :o)
LindaL 08.02.2003 00:17
See how we in Weedgie Land get all the good things first?!
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Feb 6th, 2003
(May 25th, 2004)
very helpful by (100%):
