Decent People Taproom in Suffolk
I’ve admitted it before. I’m really bad when it comes to venturing out to all of the seven cities. That’s starting to change now that I have a friend that lives in Portsmouth. One day, we decided to explore the area. After a quick Yelp search, we made our way to Decent People Taproom in the Harbour View area of Suffolk.
Decent People is an innovative, self-serve taproom and restaurant. Owned by two veterans, Decent People opened in late-February 2018. The spacious taproom provides the perfect, casual atmosphere to socialize, snack and imbibe on an assortment of craft beer.
How It Works
A friendly greeting from a staff member at the hostess stand leads to an explanation on how exactly a self-serve taproom works. Obviously, there is no bartender, but you need to know a bit more than that just “pick and pour.”
You are given a card to use at each of the tap stations. There are two taps per screen and when you click on the screen, you are given a description of each beer. Insert your card into the slot then pour your desired amount. You are limited to a certain amount before a staff member has to reauthorize your card to pour more. This is to keep with ABC compliance.
What’s important to remember is to take your card after you pour. I know it sounds simple, but it can be easy to forget when you’re eager to sit and drink your beer. After hearing the staff member stress the importance of remembering the card, I immediately left mine in the holder. Luckily, a kind stranger pointed that out to me, instead of keeping my card for herself.
You only pay for what you pour so you can have anything from flights to full glasses.
What’s on Tap?
Everything. Not actually everything, but an outstanding variety of craft beer from local, regional and national brewers. There is a selection of 40 beers and ciders, as wells as four wines. I’m really getting into the craft beer scene, after spending four years in college drinking warm Bud Light. Decent People provides the perfect opportunity to create flights with everything from ciders and fruit beers to IPAs, pale ales and stouts.
My personal favorites were: Kindred Spirit’s Strawberry Milkshake, Schilling Cider’s Grapefruit and Chill, and a pineapple one that I hate myself for not writing down.
Decent People changes out their taps and brings in new offerings, so if you find one you like, WRITE IT DOWN. They even have paper and pencils at the tables for you to do so.
The Food
Decent People offers a generous menu of snacks, entrees, sandwiches and more for you to nosh on. Each item on their menu, even the salads, have a beer pairing to match.
The night before my visit to Decent People, I had my lips fixed on a pretzel from The Bier Garden in Portsmouth. Since the servers decided that my friend and I were not worthy of service (or whatever the reason was), we left and I never got my pretzel. I felt vindicated when I ordered Decent People’s pretzel to snack on with my beer.
One pretzel ended up being enough for me. The warm, soft pretzel was salted well and served with a side of house beer cheese and creamy ground mustard sauce. While I liked the tangy mustard, I couldn’t stop drenching my pieces of pretzel in the beer cheese. It was light, flavorful and made me contemplate ordering another pretzel just so I could have more.
Decent People Taproom lives up to its name. The welcoming setting is complemented by the friendly staff. Beer aficionados will love the wide selection of brews, while rookies, like myself, will find an easy-going spot to get into the craft beer game. I can't wait to return, especially during fall to see what pumpkin beer they'll have on top.