John Harvard's (Manchester, CT)

We hit John Harvard's on Sunday after seeing Atonement. I can't remember the entire tap list, but I'll do my best:

Armadillo Amarillo IPA
Dastardly Dark Lager
Helles Lager
Pale Ale
Oatmeal Stout
Fire Drake Barleywine

Unfortunately nothing on cask until 1/21.

They seem to be getting away from the spider theme of naming their beers. Their Schwarzbier used to be called Black Widow Dark Lager so they've either renamed it or it's a slightly different beer...not sure. I had the Oatmeal Stout (served via nitro), which was smooth and tasty but not earth shattering. Low in alcohol so it would be a good choice if driving. I also had a snifter of the barleywine, which is worth making a specific trip to drink. It's always great and was no exception this time. I'm not a big barleywine guy, but I've always loved the Fire Drake, especially if lucky enough to find it on cask. The sip of Mandy's IPA told me it was decent but not as good as the Brown Recluse (I wonder if this is a new recipe necessitated by the hop shortage?).