Beer list, creative menu plusses at Cary Ale House

Since opening in Cary Public House's former space on April 15, Cary Ale House has been bringing in solid dinner crowds. Now they want to put the focus more on beer, offering a huge variety on tap and looking to brew more of their own.

Motif: The space is small without being cramped, lit by wire-caged bulbs. The available drafts are written in brightly colored chalk near the bar. Four TVs are tuned to sports, and you can also play some games on the shuffleboard table and two dart boards. Pictures from the Cary Historical Society decorate the walls. The back area has smaller tables and sports-themed photos.

Food: The cheese curds are the most popular appetizer. They're not too breaded or greasy, and are served with a spicy jalapeño dip so good you'll want to save any you have left to use on the lightly salted fries that come with sandwiches. Other great options include the fig and bacon flatbread, topped with sweet fig, crunchy candied bacon, caramelized onion, gooey cheese, balsamic vinegar and frisee. We also enjoyed the tea-smoked duck sliders with tender, savory meat topped with a creamy raspberry lambic sauce and served on fluffy buns. The pub burger and barbecue chicken flatbread are also best-sellers.

Liquid consumption: Cary Ale House offers 86 different beers between its 12 taps, bottles and cans, with the draft menu changing weekly. They're currently brewing their own beer through Crystal Lake Brewing and looking to raise money to buy their own equipment to brew on site. While they don't offer any beer flights because there's not enough space behind the bar for paddles, they hope to design their own to make tastings possible. Once a month Cary Ale House hosts tap takeovers, where brewers and sales representatives offer samples and swag. If you're not a beer fan, there's also a cocktail menu including the Irish Mule, a version of the Moscow Mule made with roasted pineapple and Jameson.

Crowd: Most patrons are between 35 and 50, though the crowd occasionally gets younger later at night. The spot is busiest for dinner, bringing in a casually dressed mix of small groups, couples and families with older kids.

Service: We were quickly greeted and when I asked about a cider on draft, the server brought out a sample for me to try. She was friendly and happy to recommend her favorite dishes.

Music: Cary Ale House currently only hosts live music on occasion, though they'd like to bring in bands every Saturday and have acoustic acts play on Tuesdays.

Parking: The bar has a small, free lot.

Overall: Cary Ale House is already off to a great start and has plans to become an even more exciting place to spend a night out.

Cary Ale House

208 W. Main St., Cary, (847) 639-7244, <a href="http://caryalehousebrewing.com">caryalehousebrewing.com</a>

<b>Hours:</b> 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday through Sunday