The Kirkland Tap and Trotter is the brand new restaurant from Tony Maws (Craigie on Main) that recently opened in the Union Square neighborhood in Somerville. The theme of the restaurant is a rotating menu of fresh dishes, focusing on local, fresh and seasonal ingredients, with many making use of their hardwood grill. The price points for the dishes are reasonable, with a focus on plates that are good for sharing, in the hope of establishing the restaurant as a local “eat here any day” staple. The restaurant also features an extensive wine menu, a full bar with a selection of craft cocktails, and most importantly (for this blog), a solid beer list.
The Kirkland Tap and Trotter has 8 beers on draft as well as a solid selection of bottled beers. The beer menu focuses on local brews and nationally distributed craft staples. There are a number of beers that go well with food, particularly Belgian styles. Many of the beers are seasonal, including Harpoon’s current 100 barrel offer (Saison Various, which I just reviewed), and Jacks Abby’s Octoberfest seasonal Copper Legend (by the bottle). It will be interesting to see if the taps rotate in new seasonals as the weather changes. They also feature a Flemish sour beer on draft (Monk’s Café), which is not a common offering even at beer-centric bars. One small issue with the beer selection, it would have been nice to see a highly hopped IPA selection, they have Harpoon IPA, which is a solid English style IPA, but the addition of an American style hop-bomb like Pretty Things Meadowlark or Jack’s Abby Hoponius Union (an IPL, but it would work), would be welcome.
Also, this isn’t a food blog, and the restaurant reviews will be focused on beer, but the food at this place is awesome. Every plate that came to our table was delicious, perfectly seasoned, good portions, and nicely balanced. Definitely go for the food and enjoy the local beer.
Hoppy Boston 
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