QUEENS — A new Forest Hills beer hall that opened last week has a dizzying array of craft beers on tap, including a host of local brews and even a gluten free variety.
Forest Hills Station House, at 106-11 71st Ave., currently offers 16 beers on tap and 22 bottled suds. “They are all microbrews, most of them from local brewers,” said Steve Elkins, 43, one of the owners.
“We have beers ranging from strong ales, pale ales and ambers to stouts, IPAs, double IPAs, sours and lambics."
The beer menu includes numerous beers from New York State, like Flower Power, an IPA from Ithaca Beer Company, and Liquid Gold, a Belgian Pale Ale from Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. in upstate Elmsford.
Also being offered are Jan Olympic White Lagrrr and Dark Lyric Lagrrr from Astoria’s SingleCut Beersmiths and a variety of beers from Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn such as an imperial pilsner Killer Crisp, Blind Bengali Tiger, an IPA, and Sweet Action, a cream ale.
Most beers cost between $6 and $9 a bottle.
More adventurous patrons can also try Alesmith Speedway Stout from San Diego which has 12 percent alcohol (the strongest being sold in the pub), costing $18 a bottle, Rodenbach Grand Cru, a sour beer from Belgium for $25 a bottle and Evil Twin Soft DK, a stout from Brooklyn which costs $26 a bottle.
The assortment also includes Bitburger Drive, a non-alcoholic pilsner from Germany, and Greens Discovery, a gluten free ale from Belgium.
"We added a gluten free beer so this way somebody who has gluten allergy will have something to drink," Elkins said.
He said the biggest hit since the pub opened last Thursday has been a cask beer called Raging Bitch, a Belgian style IPA by Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland. “It ran out in two days,” he said.
Elkins said that draft beers will be constantly changing “to keep things interesting to our customers.”
Patrons can expect a lot of seasonal suds as well, he said.
The pub also offers a variety of bourbons, ryes, corn whiskeys and single malts in addition to a number of wines and whiskey cocktails.
Station House offers a menu that goes well with beer and whiskey, Elkins said. “I like to call it comfort food with and an eclectic twist,” he said.
Patrons will find fried pickles and brisket for $8, poutine topped with brown gravy and cheese curd for $9 and beer battered meatballs for $8. Smoked meat tacos are $9, truffle pecorino fries cost $7 and rocket beet salad with truffled Rodenbach vinaigrette is $9. The pub may soon add some gluten free items to its menu, Elkins said.
In the future, Station House is planning beer events and beer-food pairings.
The pub’s décor mimics the local LIRR station with screens featuring rotating names of beers which resemble train station arrival-departure boards. On the monitors, patrons can look up prices, alcohol level, style and origins of each beer.
“We wanted to utilize the elements of the area. We even tried to match the brick that’s around the station (with the pub’s façade),” said Elkins who has lived in Forest Hills for about 14 years. “We are a neighborhood place. I think Forest Hills needed a place like this.”
Another gastropub, Banter, opened in Forest Hills in March, and The Flying Pig on Austin Street is slated to open later this month.
