Novare Res

They have something like 400 beers. Their beer list is basically a novel! The food is also apparently awesome (can’t say first hand) but I did have a great sour beer and my friend had an AWESOME lavender lemonade mead. Such a good place for the beer lover or the beer amateur looking to try a bunch of things to see what they like.

My favorite place for beer and hanging out on a weeknight! Not too crowded, relaxed atmosphere, great service, and the best beer menu I’ve ever seen.

Awesome awesome beer selections. I was raised in a high end beer and wine store. I hate saying I was a snob to them but I really am. The outdoor seating in the summer is just fantastic. Go there with a group or just with friend you always meet new people that bring conversation to the table. When my best friend comes to visit from Virginia dinner and then here. She always retries something new and fun. Seeing the knowledge of the staff and the passion they have for the products and patrons is refreshing. You don’t see that much in today’s text only world. They ask questions to find what you will like based on foods and taste.
The interior of the building I love. Stone walls and long bar with the personal touches of the staff. Only thing and with being in Maine the summers are just so hot I wish there was Ac but the beers do keep you cooled down.
You like beer or not you will love it when you enter this establishment

I came here one day after putting a new coat of paint on the back porch, this time I went with eggshell. I just wanted a Bud but they only have these fancy boy beers. Where can a man just get a regular beer in this town? I ended up getting talked into some sort of German thing, but it was actually good! I might have to take my wife here some night after cribbage! She likes new places. William B.

This is a must visit establishment when you are in Portland. Great hang out spot for out-​of-​towners or locals. You will be hard-​pressed to find a more comprehensive beer list. A lot of very approachable selections, as well as incredibly exotic ones. All of the wait and bar staff are incredibly knowledgeable and could tell you perfect recommendations depending on the taste and flavor profiles you prefer. There is a small food menu, to tide over your appetites drinking for a long time. It’s easy to let the time pass and lose track of it when you are in some good company and conversation. It can get pretty loud inside, so not exactly the best place to meet for an intimate gathering. Prices are reasonable for what you are getting in exotic craft beers

I’m visiting from Chicago where the craft beer scene as as big as the Maine lobster hype.
I have no complaints. Very extensive beer selection (although no credible ones from Chicago :(- i.e., Half Acre Beer Company, Begyle). The menu also gives you a rundown on how the beer makes it a certain type of beer.
I’m a big fan on American Pale Ales/​Pale Ales and Main Beer Company has one called «MO» on draft here that is fantastic. A little more hoppy than my Chicago favorite, «Daisy Cutter».
I’ll be back one more time before I head home.

An extensive and impressive beer list to satisfy any true beer aficionado (like my husband). My husband did comment that he was surprised that there were no VT beers available, but it was more just a point of interest, not a complaint. A really fun, pub atmosphere — low lighting, shared-​table seating, cool music and friendly, accommodating staff. This was not an overtly hipster beer-​bar, so it was nice to see a wide-​variety of clientele, which typically makes for a much better experience overall (and it did!).
The menu options were good too — lots of small plates options, and a delicious selection of local meats and cheeses to complement the beer. We had the house made kettle chips and French onion dip which was a terrific little nosh.
Side note: my husband wanted to buy some t-​shirts and stickers, and when they realized they were out of t-​shirts (because of the Christmas rush), they gave my him a bunch of stickers for free!

Beer, for the beer lover.
My biggest tip, don’t go if you don’t like good beer. Don’t be that person to go in and ask about bud or coors. Don’t order an allagash white although its more allowable than other things. Go and get GOOD BEER.
The best part of it is there is SO MUCH GOOD BEER. I do wish there were more taps but thats just because I want to try more. There are plenty of bottles to choose from, thats for certain! I wonder how many different types of beer they have had at one point or another?! Well, there is a wall of bottles to at least start guessing!
Oh and the food is actually quite good too!

Like beer? Novare Res has a wide selection and was by far one of the best beer bars I’ve been to. On tap, in bottles, they got it all. The waitstaff is friendly and happy to help guide you with suggestions. The prices aint bad (relatively speaking). Honestly, I don’t even care if you don’t like beer, check it out. Its worth it.
All that being said, what sets Novare Res apart from other established and delicious beer places is the ambiance and décor. Nice low lighting, an almost European beer hall vibe. I think I saw some couches in the other room. I’ve heard the patio is pretty dope during the warm months too.
Most beer places in Boston are bright, lit by hundreds of TVs playing the red sox or patriots. This takes a step away from the sportsbrobeerhalls of Boston and says hey, were gonna do it better. And I’ll drink to that.

I am upgrading my review based on some good recent service and attention during Portland Beer Week ’15. I was happy to enjoy a most flavorful steak sandwich with my Brasserie Dieu du Ciel beers.
I still wish Novare would blow me out of the water with keeping their menu current! Every trip at least one beer we order from the menu is not actually in stock.
We are slowly learning that the bar is kind of low for taprooms in Portland. Novare is one of the better ones in terms of selection and food.

This is a beer lovers heaven that has all styles of beer including sours, lambics and ciders. The staff were very helpful and extremely knowledge about everything in their selection. They have a huge menu with some on tap and rare ones in bottles. They have a nice patio, a large bar and a room with deep leather couches. Just be sure the check the prices before ordering, some are up to $ 40.
The zombie head beer was awesome, slightly sweet with fruity flavor. The blush cider was fizzy and delightful. The strawberry lambic was wonderful sour with a fruity after taste. They have lots of local fares as well. This is a gear beer destination.

My beer connoisseur friends highly recommended this place back when I first turned 21 and it has become my frequent suggestion to friends and new comers alike.
During the summer you can hang out on the patio. My buddies and I often spend most of our time there playing corn hole.
AND! They have Banh Mi sandwiches, a Vietnamese sandwich made with French bread, cold cuts, a notable hint of cilantro, and other assorted ingredients.

So most people will say to me, you have been in Portland, Maine for years and this is the first time that you have been to Novare Res? I would say that there is a reason.
About 5 – 6 years ago, we came down to Portland and wanted to try out this little draft house for a friend’s birthday party and our experience was completely less than ideal with rude service and in a place where there are multiple taps, the knowledge of the folks was not very high to satisfy beer enthusiasts … so we stayed clear of this place after we moved down here.
We decided to try it out (after some of those same friends hemming and hawing over it) and sit on the deck on a Saturday afternoon and it was a much better and ideal experience. The deck was super crowded but the tables were opening up left and right even with a wedding party booking half of the deck.
The waitress that we had was honest and super knoweldgable to help us navigate the many selections that were on the menu along with being extremely attentive even with the larger crowds taking the time with each party to add value to the conversations. The beers that I dove into were a mix of frothy darks to light and refreshing wheats. The waitress also had some good wit to deal with a sarcastic friend in the bunch and was able to dish some witty humor back to them.
It will be very interesting as we progress to the colder months for all of these deck style beer houses and all of the crowds dissipate to see how the experience will be when it forced to go indoors in the darkened space. The key is that we will be going back sometime soon because our opinions have been changed and we are ready to partake in some Novare again.

Wide beer selection in really cool glasses. I’m not a beer person but my husband and our friend really enjoyed everything they tried – which was a bunch of different beers. We went here on a night they were having a «Wet Hot American Summer» theme night. The event was really cool – and the staff got really into it, which made it even more awesome.
The staff were really cool – even though we were there for hours. Food is limited but there kitchen didn’t close at 10 PM despite every other kitchen in Portland doing so.
This is definitely a place I’d hang out in on a regular basis.

Oh Novare Res, what a great place to be on a summer night! We came last night for drinks and a cheese plate to share and took it out to the biergarten. I like the idea of enjoying light fare and drinks while cooling off with a summer breeze… that happened last night :)
My boyfriend and I shared a one ounce cheese plate for $ 4.50 and it was big enough to share if you’ve had dinner already. Get your own cheese plate if you come hangry. Honestly, if it wasn’t for that pizza from Whole Foods, I would have eaten the entire plate myself. We got the Artequesto Manchego cheese plate and I was impressed by the beautiful plating. The raisins were sprinkled over the bread and cheese and there were drops of honey that went along one side of the plate… cute! Manchego cheese is always a delight because the of the combination of the salty and nutty flavors.
For a beer, I went out of my comfort zone and ordered the Milk Stout by Left Hand Brewing Company and LOVED IT. I have never had a stout before and I was worried that I wouldn’t like it because of the taste and color, but I was wrong. I tasted chocolate and coffee notes and the stout was so creamy. I can’t wait to pick up a case!

First things first, this place possesses a mind-​blowing selection of aged vintage beers. Very impressive.
The waiters know their beers and have authentic opinions about them, which I always appreciate. The food was great too. Honestly, I think the lobster roll that A had here was just as good as the one at the Unilocal-​approved lobster shack several miles up the road. I’m sure there is variation and all, but it’s lobster, some sort of creamy dressing and a toasted bun. How different can they all be?
The atmosphere is very neat. When it started to cool down, we went inside and found a room with several awesome leather man-​chairs and sofas that kind of make you feel like you are in an old movie.
We were underwhelmed by just about everything else in Portland, so we stuck around here for quite a while. A great place to hang.

I am thrilled to say that I finally made it to Novare Res. I’ve been wanting to go forever and I had a great excuse when a friend who is a serious beer lover visited a few weeks ago.
I had a rough idea of the location and after a wrong turn down Exchange St., we found our way. It was a warm, breezy night and the outside deck was perfect for socializing and swilling. The deck reminds me of an authentic German biergarten lined with umbrella’d picnic tables, a lovely outdoor bar and corn hole of course (because Maine). My only small criticism — it’s dark out there! Little votives or lanterns every few feet wouldn’t hurt.
Our server was excellent (dude) and the beer list was impressive. I almost went with an old favorite, Dogfish Head Festive Peche, but I had a change of heart and decided to try a Belgian white brewed with a hint of Sumac. I can’t remember what my friend had — a red of some sort — and he loved it just as much as I loved mine.
We peeked inside and found a much more expansive space than I was expecting. Seating was a little sparse and there wasn’t a great flow to the space itself but it was still really inviting and fun.
So happy I finally made it to Novare Res. This is a great place to hang out and if you have a beer lover in your life, bring them here now!

One of the best beer bars in New England. Massive selection of Belgian, German, British, and American beers. 20 or so on tap, with page after page of bottled beer, including some very hard to find styles and brands.
Mostly a younger crowd, and a distinct lack of children of any age when I arrived at 6pm. Parents may want to look around the place before settling in. No kids menu to speak of, and limited menu period. Indeed, it’s all about the beer.

There are so many reviews about this place that I feel my opinion is almost irrelevant. ALMOST except that I CANNOT drink beer. I try and try again, but I. Cant. Do. It.
I still LOVE Novare Res. As much as this is a «beer bar» and there are plentiful selections, there is also a small-​printed, full menu page for those of us that do not like or cannot have beer. They have a lot of cider, but also mead and other random bottled concoctions that are not beer or wheat based. Instead of the one or two obligatory options, there are A TON of choices.
What I really love about Novare Res is the knowledge base of the servers. How many times have you gone to a bar with really nice selections and had the server or bartender answer your query with «uhhhhhh, let me check the bottle». While I totally get that servers have a lot on their plate and not everyone is an adult beverage connoisseur, I LOVE that the servers have a solid idea of most of the drinks and that they have their own personal recommendations.
I am obliged to mention that they have food here and honestly, that’s probably why they only get four stars. The food isn’t gross, however it isn’t great. I get that the city requires bars to serve food. I have definitely ordered food here before and probably will again, mostly when desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m just suggesting that you eat somewhere else and then roll in here after OR start here and finish up at a local diner.
Moral of the story: come here. drink up. go get tater tots at blue roosters and take an über home. :)

They have beer.
What else is there to say? They have A LOT of beer?
There have been many times that I’ve walked into Novare, in the light of day, stone-​cold sober… and then stumbled out into the night, my belly full of banh mi and beer and my bank account a lot more empty. It’s easy to drop a hefty chunk of change here, and even easier to get a buzz.
What is not so easy is choosing from their book (literally a book) of international beers. I usually narrow my options by checking out the ever changing draught list. There’s something for everybody. I’ve even managed to find non-​beer drinkers something to sip on.
In the warmer months, it’s nice to sit out on the deck, tucked in behind the buildings of busy Exchange Street, and challenge your friends (or perfect strangers) to a little cornhole or relax at one of the many large picnic tables. Be warned, if it’s busy, the staff can easily become out numbered. At times like these, I highly recommend ordering your second beverage when your about 25% finished with the first one. Also, bring your own water. I’ve ordered water many times and never gotten it. Everyone knows hydration is key to preventing a future hangover headache.
Also, I’m a fan of the bathroom. Not for its cleanliness– not to say it’s filthy– but there is so much craziness written all over the stall walls. It’s hard to concentrate on peeing while surrounded by the scribblings of drunk ladies to distract you from the mission at hand. I’ve heard the writing on the mens’ walls are even more entertaining! I find that hard to believe.