I made it to Edmonton’s latest pub entry the other day – a mere few days after its grand opening. The Mercer Tavern is in a long-neglected former warehouse on 104 Street and 103 Avenue.. This has been an area much neglected over the past couple decades, but is likely to shine in the coming years with the erection of the new Oilers arena across the street (I will steer away from the debate about that…).

I went because they boast themselves as a place committed to local sourcing and original food design, plus they have had quite the hype in recent weeks.

It is an open concept pub, with high ceilings and lots of wood accent. Old brick and aging wood beams get to be the accent of the design, due to the building’s historic origins. I was surprised at how modern it felt given its location. The only “old” element are the original support beams down the middle of the bar. Indeed, there is lots of wood completing the space- including the main bar, bar stools, the entry stairs and a number of other places. But they just don’t seem authentic. Neither do the retractable window settings, which try to double as warehouse bays.

There are five televisions, all playing sports, and the sound system had rock music too loud for a weekday afternoon. That is part of the problem. It is hard to appreciate the rustic, historic character of the place when the Blue Jays are batting in the 7th and Coldplay is blasting on the stereo. One nice feature is a clawed bath tub behind the bar (I am assuming to hold ice-chilled beer on special). The bar stools are particularly frustrating – they are so tightly arranged you have to move two out of the way to get into one.

But you are reading me to learn about the beer, not my impressions of interior decoration. They have 12 taps (although three were out when I was there). A mixture of big boy , some craft and a smattering of import. On the craft end there was Alley Kat Full Moon, Yellowhead (that was it for local), Paddock Wood 606 IPA and Howe Sound Rail Ale Nut Brown. You could toss Creemore into that list if you were so inclined. To complete the tap list: Guinness, Stella, Sapporo, Strongbow, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Erdinger Dunkel, Okanagan Springs Summer Weizen.

They have 31 bottles as well, 6 of which I would consider North American craft – Yukon Gold, Steam Whistle, Phillip’s Blue Buck, Blanche de Chambly, Anchor Porter, Mill Street Organic Lager.

As is readily apparent, the selection is best described as “safe”. Nothing particularly wrong with what they are offering, but nothing particularly challenging or eye-catching either. Nice to see Paddock Wood and Howe Sound get some space. As a place promoting itself as “local” I would have liked to see a beefed up local selection. Maybe a couple of taps for Alley Kat (the second for the seasonal). And where is Amber’s? It is not even in the bottle list.

I sat with a Full Moon and watched the crowd. Mostly downtown business types having a late meeting or early after-work beer. I think the beer list is catered for that crowd. Offer some variety, a smattering of well-known craft options, but make sure the stand-bys are available (e.g. Guinness, Stella). Bud is only available in the bottle – again reflecting a professional, downtown crowd who have shifted up a notch in beer preference. But beer is a secondary concern for the operators, I believe. The list is considered, but not prioritized. Which is fine. I merely observe.

I didn’t have anything to eat, but the food menu was along a similar line. Considered, interesting, but not particularly awe-inspiring.

Overall, not a bad place. Won’t become a must-go-to spot for me, but if I needed to meet someone in that area of town, I would feel good about having a pint or two there.