Traveling is great, but sometimes we just don’t have the time to get out of town. After reviewing a great taproom a couple of weeks ago (Tribes Alehouse), I think it’s time I share one that is closer to home.
Dayton and the surrounding areas are known for a few things, such as The Wright Brothers, NCR, Mike Schmidt (former MLB player), Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Erma Bombeck, Edwin C. Moses, Nancy Cartwright (The voice of Bart Simpson), code breakers of World War II, Wright Patterson Air Force Museum, Jim and John Paxson (NBA players) and Matt Light (NFL player). Ok, so Dayton has quite a few things it’s known for.
However, Dayton is not known for professionally brewing craft beer successfully. With a homebrew club, plenty of homebrewers and the #17 ranked Best Beer Store on RateBeer.com, Belmont Party Supply there is plenty of interest in craft beer. In addition, there used to be some breweries, but they are here no longer and I am hoping that void is filled. So, if anyone out there has interest, I am begging you to go for it. Take the leap of faith. Do it. Just do It ™.
I have seen some plans for development of a brewery in downtown Dayton near the minor league baseball field; however, there hasn’t been any major announcement. So, for now we will continue to bask in the glory of other breweries around the U.S. and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Ok, enough of the Dayton propaganda, South Park Tavern is a great tap house near downtown and the University of Dayton. Located on the edge of the historical area known as South Park, this tap house is really a house. It’s also a little tricky to spot, but if you look for the melon colored home there shouldn’t be a problem. The real problem will be finding a parking spot. They open at 4 p.m. during the week and by 5 p.m., there are plenty of cars in the parking lot.
Once you have tried their food, you will understand the excitement. It has pizza that is reminiscent of Piece in Chicago and 18 taps with plenty of rotation. My personal favorite is the Reuben pizza with wheat crust, but there are plenty more choices on the menu. According to their website, they are getting ready to revamp the menu and start using locally grown, organic ingredients. That’s another check mark on my list of must-haves. (If you’re counting, that makes two check marks. One for locally grown and the other for beer.)
The front door opens out to the patio, so when you walk in you get a chance to see if the patio is for you. For most people, it is the place to be. If you don’t want to hang on the patio, there are plenty of options inside. There are a few flat panel televisions, a Dig Dug machine and table hockey. You cannot go wrong with a Dig Dug machine. (Maybe a Tron machine, but not a Dig Dug.) One of their best ideas was putting a beer menu board inside and outside, so you can plan for your second pint with ease no matter where you sit. I was able to purvey a New Holland Oak Aged Mad Hatter IPA and then I followed it up with a New Holland Black Hatter. Two delicious beers, one enjoyable time. (BTW, there is no checkmark for classic arcade games. That’s just a bonus.)
Now, South Park is just as proud of their beer and pizza as they are the music they play there. They have live music four nights a week, sometimes five. I have not personally been there when the band plays, but I can only imagine that with such a small venue it becomes an intimate event. Here is their upcoming event listing. Upcoming Event Listing. (That’s all I have to say about that. Spoken in the voice of Forrest Gump, if you would like.)
Well, there is my local plug. I can honestly say that this is by far my favorite craft beer location in Dayton. As I always say, if you are near this place, you should stop in. It’s worth its weight in beer.
