Downstairs bar taps Midwest sensibilities

The descending flight of stairs is reminiscent of the sitcom “Cheers,” but instead of leading to a bar in Boston in the 1980s, this new lounge is situated in modern-day downtown Glendale.

Next to the craft cocktail bar the Famous and run by the same owner, the Moose Den, located at 156 S. Brand Blvd., was made to look like a Midwest basement where friends could exchange stories while sipping some brews.

That’s the kind of “everyman” environment beverage manager Matt Wallace, an Iowa native, said he sees the bar creating for locals.

“It’s not a West Coast thing,” he said. “Back home in Iowa, everybody had a basement, and it’s your rec room, it’s your den… it’s a comfortable place where you go and hang out.”

While the Famous is more well known for its cocktails, the Moose Den is a bit more beer-centric with its 24 taps. Wallace said down the road he’d like to add more California craft brews to the selection.

As for dining, head chef Justin Garrett recommended a sandwich made with locally made sausage, but there is other gastro-pub fare, such as macaroni-and-cheese, German-style pretzels and a schnitzel sandwich.

The bar also has five dartboards hanging on one wall as well as a foosball table, shuffle board table and a selection of board games.

For its décor, Wallace said he turned to an actual Moose lodge to make the bar’s furniture.

“These are old rafters that were cut down, glued together and made into tables,” he said. “Any Midwest transplant out here who walks into the bar, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘oh my God, I’m at the Elk’s Lodge or the [Veterans of Foreign Wars post].”

Wallace added that along with other new locations such as Neat and the Glendale Tap, the city is developing a new scene.

“[Glendale] didn’t seem like a place that could be equated with bars. I think that’s what’s changing down here,” he said.

The Moose Den is open every day from 11 a.m. to midnight.