Dohertys East Ave. Irish Pub offers flights of beer from their 42 draft brews. They are served in five ounce glasses anchored by paddles handcrafted by co-owner Jim Sullivan. Corresponding “flight tickets” make it easy to identify each beer so one can tell a Newport Storm Amber from a Clipper City IPA.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

PAWTUCKET If beer is the new wine, then Doherty’s East Ave. Irish Pub is our promised brew land.

Here within the smallish confines of neighborhood bar there are 155 beers offered, 42 of them on draft. And they change each month to offer seasonal selections and new options.

If you love a freshly poured draft, and who doesn’t, you can feast on beer flights, a combination of four or six brews to sample in 5-ounce glasses. If you don’t want to think, co-owner Jack Doherty has designed several. There’s a flight of IPAs for those who like their beers with lots of hops; pale ales for those who prefer maltier flavor profiles; or fruity specialty beers for the health conscious who crave antioxidants like blueberries added to their drinks.

The menu goes well beyond fruit with meaty Buffalo wings, lightly battered fried fish, and spicy Buffalo crinkle fries of which no one can eat just one. Each menu item pairs well with all the ice cold beer you can’t help but enjoy.

Expand your beer palate

Yes, Doherty’s, which sits close to the Modern Diner, is pretty much a perfect spot to expand your beer palate and embrace your inner beer snob as you are served by bartenders nicknamed Sam and Coach of Cheers notoriety. Thank goodness it’s open seven days a week for lunch and dinner and offers a late night menu until midnight and weekend brunch, because we can’t all descend on this place at the same time.

We learned this on a second visit last Friday night. It was jammed and loud and people were lined up around the walls of the dining room waiting for a table. But we still enjoyed it just as much as on the first visit, which was a week earlier on a quiet Saturday afternoon.

Rebecca, our server both times, is a professional, juggling orders and beer flight tickets with ease and speed.

With seven television sets, I admit openly that I could watch both the Red Sox game and the Masters highlights at the same time. My husband, meanwhile, was busy reading the two-page Doherty’s Brew News, which includes all the beer selections, tips on how to taste a beer, seasonal lists (welcome summer brews) and last chance lists (so long winter beers). Bottled beer includes several high end Belgian blond ales (in the $14 range per bottle) as well as the trendy La Chouffe, another Belgian blond ale on draft.

If there were to be one complaint here it would be that American beers would be designated by state just for the sake of general interest. But Rebecca did provide us with answers to all our beer questions, such as where does the fine Hook and Ladder Pale Wheat Ale come from? Answer: Silver Spring, Md.

All about pairings

On my first visit I opted for a flight of four wheat beers ($6) while my companion, T, picked six based on the best names ($9). It made as much sense as anything else.

We both had some we loved (Left Hand Sawtooth Ale, an ESB — an English-style Extra Special Bitter) and some we didn’t (Hoegaarden Witbier with so much coriander as to be medicinal). What we both quickly discovered was how each beer paired with our food and enhanced the flavors. With the excellent fish and chips ($10.49), which were lightly battered, not greasy, and made with a fresh product, T’s beers only enhanced the flavor profile. With my large entrée of pulled pork ($11.99) drenched in sweet, smoky barbecue sauce, the Left Hand Sawtooth Ale went to the head of the class with its balancing bitter notes.

Doherty adds beer-pairing suggestions right there on the menu, even the takeout version. He suggests the fish and chips pair with Narragansett Lager, at $2.75, the bargain of the drafts.

On the second visit, we opted for appetizers of Buffalo wings ($7.99) and Buffalo fries ($4.49), which were crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside. The wings were hot and spicy and very meaty. They were cooked perfectly to retain their juiciness. The well-seasoned fries were a wonderful pairing with the ice cold beers.

Solid pub fare

A burger ($7.99) and the signature sirloin tips were both solid choices. The burger was simple but perfectly cooked, and the tips were marinated in the same smoky, sweet sauce that was on the pulled pork. They were tender and plentiful.

All our food choices revealed solid pub fare. Doherty, who bought the place in 2006, is usually the man in the kitchen. He’s on top of everything, whipping up a new batch of barbecue sauce or tasting new beers in consideration of the next month’s Brew News list of choices.

He understands the importance of food specials, too. There are 20-cent wings on Monday night after 7 and two sandwiches (grilled chicken or burger selections) for $10 on Tuesday after 6 p.m.

But there is no doubt the beer is the star here. And it shines. Bill of fare

A dinner for two at Doherty’s might look like this:

Beer flight of four…$6

Clipper City Loose Cannon IPA…$4.75

Buffalo wings…$7.99

Fish and chips…$10.49

Pulled pork…$11.99

Total food and drink…$41.22

Tax…$3.30

Tip…$8.25

Total bill…$52.77

Doherty’s East Ave. Irish Pub, 342 East Ave. Pawtucket, www.myspace.com/dohertyseastave, (401) 725-1800. Very casual. Free parking lot. No reservations. Serves lunch, dinner and late night menu until midnight daily; breakfast Saturday and Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. AE, MC, V. Appetizers $3.49 to $12.99; burgers and sandwiches $7.99-$8.79; entrees $10.99-$19.99. Beers $2.75 to $15.

More, please! This restaurant’s menu, and recent reviews and menus: projo.com/food