Pints is so new that the bar and grill doesn’t yet offer flights of beer.
Supposedly the concept is still in the works, but as of now, it’s a go-with-your-gut situation when ordering beer at the new bar. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
About three months after it filled the void of The Beach Club Sports Bar and Grill on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, Pints Sports Bar and Grill is so much more than the over-dressed, beer-gutted, NFL hub it replaced.
The dark blue walls bring the atmosphere down just a touch, but once the first round of beer is through, the walls become sort of calming. And when the inevitably high-priced check finally comes, being surrounded by something calming is right on the money.
High prices aside, let’s talk beer. The limited edition beer, listed on a chalkboard against the front windows, are worth trying at Pints. These selections stay on the board until the keg is gone, and sometimes that means they only last a day.
Stone Enjoy By IPA (9.4 percent), a returner to the list after a successful first run, is an intensely flavorful IPA. It’s probably something of an acquired taste for most.
The Port Brewing High Tide IPA (6.8 percent), which has been on the board close to a week so far, has a familiar hoppy taste, and not much else in its flavor. It tastes like most other IPA’s.
The third choice on the limited edition list is the Modern Times Black House Stout (5.8 percent), which is perfect in time for the holiday season with its dark color and a hint of chocolate flavor.
Another solid choice for those in the mood for something that goes with the season is the Rare Vos: Omme Gang Brewery amber ale (6.5 percent). This “cafe ale” comes in a unique bottle and is the perfect end to a meal on an overcast afternoon.
The food is pretty good, too, and what’s a few extra bucks for a decent meal when you’re three beers in and your team is winning on TV screens all around you?
Chicken, chicken, chicken. The menu has a ton of chicken! The chicken lollipops come in a handful of options from tangy red hot, to sweet thai chili. Served on a stick, these chicken lollies are poppin’. From chipotle chicken nachos to the pretzel chicken club, there are plenty of opportunities for chicken to go to the other side … of your plate!
Flatbreads are the way to go at Pints, and there are chicken options on the menu for those as well! The barbecue chicken flatbread is a safe choice, but the non-chicken, bacon pineapple flatbread has a teriyaki glaze that — combined with a touch of gouda — is hard to forget.
It’s also hard to understand why Pints hasn’t developed a more substantial college-aged crowd; The Beach Club seemed to struggle with the same thing back in its day, but the new owners of Pints might need to address this issue before its neighbor, Cal State University Long Beach, winds down for the winter.
The bar and grill is promoting a weekly Christmas movie night for the month of December, which might be helpful for maintaining a sizeable crowd through the end of the year. Every Tuesday, at 9 p.m., Pints will be screening a seasonal film.
The first of these Tuesday-movie-nights was supposed to show “Elf,” but wound up screening “Scrooged”, due to technical difficulties. On the Tuesday before Christmas, “It’s a Wonderful Life” will play.
Hopefully the owners get these Christmas flicks up on the big screen in the main bar area, rather than the back room with the run-down pool tables. There are pillows in the booths along the back of the main dining area, which would make for a cozy beer-sipping spot while watching a holiday classic.
Pints Bar and Grill rotates food specials, offers a long line-up of craft beer options and packs a mean cherry-vodka-based Pints Punch. The only thing going against the place its price-tag, which may be what keeps the college crowd at bay.