November 21, 2009
This place must be hoppin’ at night because there are comfy sofas right when you walk in (and when we walked out-full and tipsy- there were a bunch of people waiting for tables). Speaking of tables, there’s only a few... but that’s cool. The bar was packed the whole time. It’s a family joint, so if parents are bring their kids to a beer bar, you know the food has to be good, which it was. I had the nachos (a must have) and the lobster mac & cheese (served in a trough). Staff was efficient and got us what we wanted almost right away. I ended up getting Lagunita’s Olde Gnarly Wine and Blue Point Fresh Hops on cask (which isn’t on RateBeer, WTF?) The only thing is that my barleywine was served in a typical bar glass (think mixed drinks) instead of a snifter. So proper stemware, not so much. Overall: Decent selection of beers of tap, good. Return: Yes. It’s so far my favorite place to go for beers in CT. #31 on 21112009, DG.

May 15, 2009
Funky and cavernous and covered with beery kitch, a very welcoming ambiance for a beer lover. The table staff is friendly but our server knew absolutely nothing about beer. They wouldn’t tell me what brewery made their anniversary ale either, which kinda sucked (both their not telling and the beer...). They really need to get on the ball with the glassware, too...everything just came in a standard pint sleeve, even the wheat beers. Other than that I really liked this place, It has a great outdoor patio/beer garden area. Decent pub grub, festive, fun atmosphere.

September 29, 2008 [ Updated January 6, 2009 ]
How cool it was to stumble across this excellent, quirky beer bar while passing thru town! A nice selection of taps that seems to change regularly. The beer was fresh and tasty too, no water added, thank you very much. The atmosphere is fun and offbeat, as the bar is cluttered with antique store goodies like barber’s chairs, old beer taps on the wall, etc. There are a few secluded little booths against one wall. The exterior is interesting as well. I hope to come back here again sometime - worth a trip here for those who enjoy cool, odd little beer joints.

September 3, 2008
This place is a lot of fun. They have a decent beer selection, but focused too heavily on NE local breweries. They but usually feature some special stuff as well. Last time I went in they had Oak Age Yeti, Allagash Curieux and North Coast Old Stock Ale on tap. Food is pretty good, good pub fare with a fun twist. Ambiance is quirky, perhaps even a little distracting, but hey, we are here to focus on the beer . . .

March 16, 2008 [ Updated December 11, 2009 ]
I love this place. Great beer - more good taps than I can enjoy in one night. Great food - the ribs and the sweet potato fries especially. Great eclectic atmosphere and seating - you need to see it for yourself. Usually packed with a fun and beer-loving crowd. Phil and his staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and do a pretty good job keeping the orders moving. Big patio out back. Tuesday night tastings are very well done, often with reps and swag. My favorite craft beer bar anywhere.

March 25, 2007
Great place. Good ambience and good food. It’s disappointing that the flight o’ fries has disappeared, it was delicious. Beer selection is by far the best in Middletown.

December 7, 2006 [ Updated May 7, 2007 ]
Great tap list. I’ve never even considered getting a bottle; there’s too much good stuff on tap to even think about bottle. Tuesday night tastings with free swag are also a big plus. Never gotten any food, but the menu is typical bar stuff. The ambiance is definitely busy. It’s a cool enough place that I’d still like to go there even if they didn’t have the great beer selection.

June 10, 2006
It’s a tough call as to whether this, Delaneys or Willimantic are the best beer bars in CT. This place had an impressive tap list, but overall I didn’t find it to stand out that much over the other two mentioned. Still, I had no problem fiinding impressive beers on draught that I hadn’t sampled on draught before. Definitely worth a visit if in the local area.

December 4, 2005
It’s different, it’s interesting, it’s fun and it has all kinds of beers on tap. My best bar in CT. Food is excellent (for bar food-love the fries)Go here for tastings all the time.(usally Thur. nites) Great!! Worth the drive from anywhere

October 28, 2005
Although this was a tap fest, I thought that the beers were poor. Rogue Saison, Thomas Hooker Blonde were not the best. Hoegaarden which I have many times before just didn’t taste right. The waitress was robotic and just couldn’t muster a smile. Considering that Eli’s is a beer bar filled just over the drinking age people, the food was fairly good. Especially enjoyed the Caribbean Jerk Chicken Pasta. Would not go out of my way to go there again, but if it were next door I’d stop in for a beer.