Aiken Brewing Company

What I know about beer would fit in a bottle cap, so I am hoping that a hops-and-malt connoisseur will come along and fill out the important information about Aiken’s main-street brew pub. What I can tell you is that the food is good, certainly good enough to be a worthy supporting player to the half-dozen house-brewed beers that are this establishment’s claim to fame.

Hamburgers look distressingly uniform, but even if the half-pound patties are machine-made, the meat is good quality and, more important, it is seasoned to a fare-thee-well, making each bite quite exciting. Variations are available with different cheese, bacon, etc., the top of the line being what’s called a 4 Patty Big Daddy. That’s a quartet of burgers (yes, 2 pounds) with cheese and bacon.

On the side of burgers, French fries are good; onion rings are excellent. True to their setting, the O-rings are vigorously beer-battered, each hoop a series of unctuous, satisfying mouthfuls that would horrify nutrition nannies. Side dishes to go with entrees include good roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. The only main dish I’ve eaten other than burgers is ribs. In a land with so many excellent ribs, these don’t measure up. The meat is dense to the point of seeming rubbery. Spicy-sweet mustard sauce is yummy (it is one of several sauces available), but I found myself using it as a dip for bread and onion rings and forgetting to eat the ribs.