WHO’S IN CHARGE Ipswich Ale Brewery’s owner, Rob Martin, always planned to have a restaurant along with the distillery, said general manager Myles Eason. The timing was never right until the brewery relocated to its current location in a historic mill building that once manufactured heels for a shoe company.

Ipswich Ale Brewer’s Table’s Jan. 2 debut was well-timed. This year, the brewery, one of the oldest in New England, marks its 25th anniversary.

THE LOCALE Beer lovers will love the restaurant’s gritty setting. To find Brewer’s Table, which is attached to the brewery, you must drive through a working industrial site. But inside, I predict everyone will get hopped up on the decor.

The interior design is stunning — chic industrial — worth examining in detail, pint in hand, before or after your meal. Oversized industrial windows in the mill’s original brick walls overlook the brewery, where both beer and soda pop are crafted. Gorgeous, wide wooden tabletops, made in-house, lay horizontal across cast-iron sewing machine legs. A custom-made Edison light chandelier hangs like artwork from a skylight on the roof.

ON THE MENU We started with beer, of course, from a choice of 15 tap lines, including four Ipswich Ales available only on-site. We tried two: The dry hops S.I.P.A. had a grapefruit taste and the Ipswich ­iBelge — one of the “pub only’’ brews — is a seasonal, light-bodied, Belgian-inspired ale. Both paired well with our choices from the menu, which range from pub classics to New American cuisine.

The cheddar ale kielbasa soup, ($8 bowl) resembles a bisque or chowder, except it tastes much lighter thanks to the 50/50 combo of chicken stock and Ipswich Original Ale and only a touch of cream, plus sharp cheddar, shallots, and chunks of salty grilled kielbasa. A touch of tang from the decorative, thin slices of green Granny apple punctuate the creamy, salty soup.

The four-piece pastrami smoked salmon “maki’’ appetizer ($7) seemed to stare at us. Here, the Japanese dish (typically, raw fish and raw vegetables, wrapped in seaweed) is recreated with dueling meat/fish flavors of pastrami-flavored salmon rolled up tight on top of triangular slices of rye, lightly smeared with wasabi. A fish “eye’’ — a tiny dot of black roe on a bigger dot of sour cream — tops each bite. Even our non-sushi/maki lover liked this appetizer.

Quail ($21) was a delicious, upscale surprise on the menu. Two tiny game birds were roasted till the skin was crisp, yet the meat moist, and were stuffed with spicy, traditional Louisiana cajun-style rice mixed with carrots, bell peppers, celery, and onion. There was the necessary kick of spices, yet not too hot for the spice-adverse.

Brewer’s Table put a new spin on a favorite pub classic with a shepherd’s pie trio ($19). Three colorful combinations are served on one plate, each ground meat-mashed potatoes combo in its individual ramekin. We couldn’t help but hold a taste test for the best mash-up. Was it the rich-tasting lamb with purple potatoes, beef with buttery Yukon gold, or moist turkey with orange sweet potatoes? All three came out winners.

We finished with the dark chocolate pudding ($8). A divine hot mess, this version rips up big doughy pretzels, handmade on site, into bits, adds chunks of dark chocolate, then generously layers fresh whipped cream on top. Yummy.

Ipswich Ale Brewer’s Table, 2 Brewery Place, Ipswich. 978-356-3182

Kathy Shiels Tully can be reached at kathy@kathyshielstully.com.