The Bent Elbow, Kitchener, Ontario.

It's my 42'nd birthday and both myself and my buddies are looking for a place to have beers that isn't either and Irish themed pub, a poser beer themed pub, or a total dive where we have to go to the clinic afterwards to get a shot...............

Somehow I get a notification on Facebook that there is a new beer bar in Kitchener.  So I check out their photos and I can spy some bottle of Westmalle Trappist beer in the background.  That was my first indication that this may be a cool place.  I email them and reserve a spot for about 10 or 12 people.  They are happy to oblige (spellcheck just corrected my spelling of abilge, who knew?).

We get there and we get seated.  I'm instantly thinking that this isn't your usual  themed beer pub.  Not a 'Hey we sell neat beers, let's celebrate!!!' style bar.  It's not fancy.  No gigantic neon signs, not 14 big screen TV's, no 23 yr old servers who smile too much and flirt just so they can get a big tip........it's just  bar.  Laminate tables, non-fancy but comfortable chairs, and one TV.  The one striking gold medal  was that they had a pretty deadly beer menu, of which I sampled many tasty treats.

Before I get into the beer I need to touch on the manager.  I like him.  Calm , cool and present.  He seems to care about the bar, what's going on and what people are drinking.  Throughout the night I see him walking over to tables to check on the patrons.  That's a great thing to do.   He's huge.  You wouldn't want to fight him.  He's probably the owner, the bartender, and the bouncer all rolled into one.  Cameron Heights Secondary School  seems to have a way with producing tough guys.....Lennox Lewis......Slavko Ilic........etc etc....If anyone says Mark Duke I'm going to vomit.

See how his elbow is kinda bent?

I order my first beer. Westmalle Triple.  As I expected it was (and is) probably the finest of all the Trappist beers,  and therefore making it possibly the finest beer on the planet.  Occasionally it comes into a LCBO store, my advice is to buy everything they have in stock.  I have......I bought the fuck out of their stock and never looked back.  Whilst some of my pals are at home drinking swill like Steam Whistle, or LaBatts 50, I'm drinking the bathwater of Jesus Christ.  My Next few drinks are of a similar caliber.  I think I grab a Chimay blue, and a few UniBrowe beers, maybe La Fin Du Monde, Three Pistoles and Maudite.  For those reading this from overseas UniBrowe is a Canadian brewery once purchased by by the laughable Sleeman Brewery and then bought out by the slightly less laughable Sapporo brewery.  Whatever.....the French-Canadian Trappist style beer is better than some true Trappist beers.  For realsies.

When  I went to the bathroom I noticed the cleanliness of both the bathroom and the bar overall, but when I walked out of the bathroom I sort of peeked into the kitchen and , to my surprise, it looked like an emergency room.  Sparking.  You could have eaten their delicious chicken wings right there off the counter. Seriously that shit was clean!!!!  and I'm not joking, the wings were top notch.  (In Southern Ontario I know the best wing establishments, The Paladium in London, Duffs in Toronto, Wing Emporium in Etobicoke, and now The Bent Elbow in Kitchener.  Those Bent Elbows don't even boast about their 'religious experience' style wings.  Big Mistake.  I heard fromm the ladies at our table that the nachos were out of this world.  This place isn't going to get a show on the Food Netowrk , but what it does make it does well.  I give my wings a 9.5/10.

Anyways, beer selection is pretty good.  Chimay, Westmalle, Affligem, and UniBrowe beers, and a host of Ontario Craft beers (not my taste),  food was top notch, service was as good as it gets and the atmosphere was bang on.  Easily taking the title for best bar in Kitchener/ Waterloo.

I know a few buddies are going back this week.  I imagine I will meet them.  I don't even live in damn KW anymore.  But this bar has some sort of magnetic attraction.  I love it there.  You will too.