At the front door, we were offered a choice of dining areas -
either in a traditional dining room, or a pub setting complete with fireplace and a beamed ceiling from the original building. An outside dining area is available during
the warmer weather.
We chose to be seated at a table in the pub. The natural
wood fireplace was blazing and inviting on this winter afternoon. We immediately noticed the handwritten beer
menu hung directly over the 24 tap handles displaying that number of draft
offerings being poured today.
Behind the taps there is a unique backdrop, a blue door
framed in a section of lath and plaster wall from the original
construction. The door is from room 28,
one of the original rooms in John Stone’s hotel. Very impressive!
Our waitress Maddie came by, greeted us with a friendly smile
and provided us menus, but we had already decided on our beers. We chose Miles to Go Pale Lager (6.2 ABV) by
Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, CT. This is an easy drinking unfiltered German
style lager with balanced herbal hop notes; All Day IPA (4.7 ABV) by Founders
Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI. A
flavorful session beer with a well thought out balance of malt and hop
bitterness with great IPA taste that will not overpower you; Hefe Weissbier
(5.4 ABV) all the way from Weihenstephaner Brewery in Freising, Germany who has
been brewing beer since the year 1040!
With its pleasing clove spice aroma and white foam head, it finishes
with a hint of banana; Stranger Than Fiction Porter (5.5 ABV) from Collective
Arts Brewing in Hamilton, Ontario.
Loaded with great roasted malt/chocolate flavor and thick creamy head,
it’s clean and smooth.
We asked Maddie for the most unique appetizer that Stone’s
offers and she immediately said Poutine, which is a Canadian delicacy of french
fries, melted local farmers cheese and bacon served over a healthy ladle of
beef gravy. Sounding like a perfect pairing for our beers - we said bring it
on! This appetizer was amazing and was, in fact, a perfect choice for our beer
selections.
Stone’s menus offer a wide variety of a la carte selections
with sides; sandwiches; small and large plate dinners, desserts and a
children’s menu. Brunch is served on
Saturday and Sunday. We chose Warm Corned
Beef on Rye sandwiches with hand cut fries and a salad, and the
Toasted Ham & Cheddar sandwich with Dijon mustard, tomatoes and red onion
with fries. The food was well prepared
and delicious.
As we were eating our lunch, Andrea, the bartender on duty
today, stopped by our table to ask how we were enjoying the food and our beers. We complimented her on the overall ambiance
of the restaurant, the superb poutine, great sandwiches and of course, the
excellent selection of local craft beers. When we asked how Stone’s decides
which beers are offered Andrea mentioned that they have a bar
committee. The committee is comprised of Stone’s management and all
of their bartenders who meet to decide on the products that they bring in to
offer to their guests. The drafts are offered on a rotating basis
and Stone’s works enthusiastically with local craft breweries encouraging them
to bring in samples to possibly have them offered in their
rotation. The results of their efforts are obvious. 16 of
the 24 drafts are from New England Brewers. Props to
Stone's!
In addition to beer and an extensive wine selection, there is a full liquor license with a separate menu of unique cocktails such as the Stone’s Corpse Reviver, named after its founder, whose spirit is rumored to still inhabit the restaurant!
In addition to beer and an extensive wine selection, there is a full liquor license with a separate menu of unique cocktails such as the Stone’s Corpse Reviver, named after its founder, whose spirit is rumored to still inhabit the restaurant!
While Stone’s has a substantial base of local regulars, it is
also a destination Gastopub, serving high end beer and food attracting customer
from well outside the Ashland area. With an
extremely friendly staff, live music on the weekends, great food and drink,
Stone’s has it all covered!
As a suggestion, when you visit Stone’s, be sure to reserve
an extra chair at your table in case John Stone happens to drop by to say
welcome to the Public House!
For more information, visit their website at www.stonespublichouse.com or on Facebook at Stone’s Public House.
