Abe Erb the ‘new kid on the block’

With public houses like Beertown, Lion Brewery and Brick Brewery, Waterloo has no shortage when it comes to craft beer. However, there’s a new kid on the block and his name is Abe Erb.

The casual yet classy brewing company offers a full menu, cozy seating, live music and three exclusive craft beers in addition to all your other beer favorites.

The inside is comfortably rustic with couches, comfy chairs and enough bar space to easily fit Wilfrid Laurier University’s entire varsity football team. On top of that, they have their brewing equipment hoisted above the open concept restaurant to showcase the fact that they have the freshest beer available.

Each one of their three beers is incredibly unique; the first — and freshest — is the 1857 Kolsch. This is made on site and goes straight from the mash kettle to your pint. It’s a light golden ale, with 4.8 per cent alcohol by volume, stylized like a classic German beer. It is perhaps one of the most refreshing beers available right now and would go perfect with a shareable appetizers or tapas platter.

Up next is their fruity wheat beer, Das Spritzhaus. This hefeweizen is a 4.7 per cent ABV full-bodied beer with a fresh fruit finish. It would be best compared to Kronenberg Blanc except with a much more balanced flavour on the palate. Even though there are hints of fruit throughout, it doesn’t taste like you’re drinking juice, as the fruit flavours are subtly mixed in. This one would go down nice with any cured meat dish, mainly sausage or ham.

Finally is their American style india pale ale, Buggywhip. This is their heaviest and hoppiest beer, best with any full course meal. At 6.3 per cent ABV, you can tell at first sip that this beer doesn’t mess around. It has a copper colour that finishes clean to wash down menu items like steak and frites or wild mushroom pasta. Having this beer for either after work drinks, or while scarfing down a main course, is definitely a winner.