The Usual

The Usual Pub has been on my list of local beer bars to visit since I heard about it last year, but I never got around to visiting (drove past it a few times) until last Saturday. I stopped by late in the afternoon after having lunch at the Petrol station. It was basically empty except for a band doing a sound check on stage. The bartender was friendly and she told me that The Usual Pub had been open for about a year and before that the building had been a "massage parlour". Don't know if that's true or not, but it makes for an interesting story. Its pretty small and dark inside, but has a large patio outside. Its also far enough off the popular Washington Ave strip that parking is easy to find. They have about 10 rotating taps of craft beer and quite a large and broad range of styles in the bottle. Regardless of what you're in the mood for, it certainly shouldn't be hard to find a few good selections here. I had a pint of Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout and then a Full Sail Session Dark Lager in the bottle. I don't know if it would become my "usual", but I'd certainly visit it more often if I lived nearby.