Rich Cooley/Daily
Dale Massey, co-owner of Piccadilly Brew Pub and Restaurant, holds a glass of one of the pub's micro-brewed beers, which are brewed on site in six 150-gallon stainless steel tanks.

Noisiest corner in Winchester is home to its newest pub

By Garren Shipley
(Daily Staff Writer)

WINCHESTER - All things old are new again. Especially in downtown Winchester.

Riding the wave of a mini-renaissance, Piccadilly's Brew Pub and Restaurant has created a unique dining experience in an unassuming white building, not far from what was once one of the city's tougher neighborhoods.

Co-owners Dale Massey and Gary Rutherford, the latter of whom also owns the Hotel Strasburg, said the change in the neighborhood's character is evident.

"I'll tell you one thing, we bought the noisiest damn corner in Winchester," Massey laughed, as a flight of Winchester police cars sped by with lights and sirens.

The law enforcement center right across the street has been a big contributor to the turnaround. With police on hand, corporate and private investment dollars have started to flow back into the area.

Located in an early 1900s warehouse across from the old train depot, the pub and restaurant makes full use of its historic setting. The hand-built timbers and braces are in full view, as is the original brick interior, painstakingly stripped of decades of whitewash.

"It's great. The train will come by, and kids will be in the dining room and their parents will take them out on the porch and watch the train go by," he said. "It's pretty neat."

Cool, dark colors with lots of interesting sources of light give both restaurant and bar a very intimate feel. Everything about Piccadilly's says "laid back" -- by design, said Massey.

Laid back also describes the way owners decided to open the enterprise. They shunned publicity and advertising until recently, and for a very good reason.

The full menu was phased in, giving the pub's 64 employees time to react and learn their jobs without sacrificing customer service.

"When we opened up, we didn't serve any entrees in the bar," he said. "We were just trying to keep control of the kitchen. We actually had two separate menus. A couple of weeks later we added some entrees."

Massey said he and his partners have gone to great pains to keep as much historical character as possible in both halves of the establishment, while adding the modern and high-tech unobtrusively.

Flat-screen televisions hide along the ceiling of the bar, never far from view, but also easy to ignore for patrons more interested in the conversation.

Also due to technology, there's no tepid native beer to be had here.

The establishment has a cooling system built into the lines that run from tap to tank -- ensuring the brew is a frosty when it reaches any of the three bars.

Another sign of the times is, oddly enough, the heating and air-conditioning system. Kitchen, bar, and dining areas are kept on separate circulations, so that the smells of one never mix with another.

With a smoke-free dining room, people with allergies and others averse to tobacco can dine in peace, while smokers have a bar they can call their own with no hassle.

Times are changing, even for bars, Massey said.

Most smokers now don't mind going over to the bar if they want to have a cigarette, he said.

The entertainment selections, which Massey says will be part of a recurring series of acts, will be keyed to an older crowd more likely to appreciate entertainment that doesn't come off the Billboard Top 40 pop chart.

First up on the entertainment calendar is The Grascals, Dolly Parton's former backup band. The bluegrass act's self titled-CD was nominated for a Grammy in 2005.

Future acts, still in the works, include country songwriters, comedy and Sinatra-esque lounge acts.

But, the heart of any brew pub is the beer. And beer they have. Five different varieties with two blends, the beer has proven popular enough to warrant an early expansion of the brewing facilities.

"We ran out of [site-brewed] beer twice," said Massey, with a smile. New tanks -- separate from the working fermenters in the bar -- are being installed soon to keep such a catastrophe from ever happening again.

Massey said most patrons ask for a glass of Patsy's Pilsner, a lighter-colored brew with hops from Washington state and England.

While the bitter hops flavor is present in abundance, it doesn't overpower the senses.

Another brew to try is the Warehouse Dark Wheat, a five-grain stout that comes out of the tap with a color one would expect to find more often in an English pub than American bar.

For the slightly more adventurous, the Hometown Hefeweizen is a must try. Brewed with malted barley and white wheat, the beer is hopped with Liberty and Crystal aroma hops. The very pale beer's flavor is anything but pale, particularly when the barkeep adds his own twist -- a slice of orange.

All seven local brews sell for $3.50 a glass.

Piccadilly's Brew Pub and Restaurant is located at the corner of Kent and Piccadilly streets. The dining room is open 5 to 9 p.m. daily and 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Bar hours are 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Nonmetered parking is available after 4 p.m. and on weekends. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or larger and are available by calling 535-1899.