Thirsty Thursday with The BOB at Mahoney’s Public House
If 2020 has any silver lining for me, it’s the fact that I’ve been able to visit breweries and tap houses that I haven’t been to in a long time, or at all. One of those places I’ve always wanted to visit is this week’s Thirsty Thursday Spotlight, Mahoney’s Public House.
The owner, Tom, and I have known each other for damn near 6 years, back when he owned another Tap House on the east side of the Couve. He’s always been a great guy to me and my family every time we visited. He even embraced my emotional roller coaster and crazy outbreaks during the Cubs and Indians infamous 2016 World Series Game 7.
I’m so glad to say that same embrace was welcomed when the dude’s and I visited there this past week.
I contacted Tom to let him know that we’d be stopping by and he immediately responded with a, “Hell Yeah!” and let me know what time he’d be free to make sure we would have time sit down for a pint and catch up.
As soon as I arrived, I was welcomed to Mahoney’s by the man behind the bar, Rod. I was immediately struck by how warm and welcoming the décor made me feel and the nicely sized tap list screens. Trust me, size matter when it comes to tap list screens, especially if you wear glasses and suffer from “Mask Fog.”
The first beer I ordered was absolutely amazing. Vision of Love from Ex Novo is just like the, Mariah Carey song of the same name; smooth with a perfect balance of pitch and strength.
I made my way outside and grabbed a seat next to Tom under the heated outdoor covering. I was so impressed on how the outdoor patio looked and felt. He really makes the transition from inside to outside flow, and the heaters really felt great on that particular chilly night.
Both Jonathan and Knopp joined shortly after, and we all began with our BOB talk. We chatted about all sorts of stuff, but the focus was how we’ve all had to pivot in order to make it through this year. We also talked about why it’s important to accept the things that may not be in our control, while staying strong and never surrendering to the fear.
After about 25 minutes it was time for another beer, and I chose the pFreim Hazy IPA. Which, if you haven’t had before, is 100% what a Hazy IPA should taste like. But pFreim is solid and I shouldn’t have expected anything less. Knopp grabbed a Bavik – Super Pils, while Kaylor blessed himself with the Vision of Love.
The end of the night was near, so we decided to order some grub. Kaylor ordered the Al Pastor Quesadilla, and I had the Grown Up Grill Cheese. The Grilled Cheese hit the spot and the fully contained Al Pastor was delicious and perfectly easy to eat with cold hands. It didn’t last too long.
Finally it was just about time to go, so Kaylor and I decided to grab some beers to take with us. I had every intention to just buy a four pack, but with the variety of the beer they have in their cooler, it turned out to be a sixer. Kaylor also got a sixer, and his infatuation with Vision of Love was so great he grabbed a Crowler of that as well. We then said our “goodbyes” and headed out for the night.
On my trip home from Felida, I felt so much better after talking with Tom and the dudes. I realized that embracing the change that I can’t control is pivotal for success, and how avoiding the change I can control, is so detrimental to it.
If you find yourself in the Felida area please do yourself a favor and visit my friends, Tom and Rod, at Mahoney’s Public House, you won’t be disappointed. And as always, tell them The BOB sent you.