Westfield is home to a beer lover's oasis, a place that boasts one of the region's best selections of craft beers that on Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as happy hours on workdays, sell for just $3 a pint - half of what they would at almost any other bar in the tri-state area.

But many patrons just seem upset that there is no more salad bar.

The Office Beer Bar & Grill, just west of the train station near downtown Westfield, is still known to most longtime patrons as The Jolly Trolley, the pub's name until its corporate owner changed it last year.

While most of the bar's character and characters remain the same, such as its fantastic craft beer selection, better prices, barstool regulars and a staff adored by tipplers, enough has changed that many patrons are still rankled.

"People are upset about it going corporate, people have been coming here for 20 years," said Dave Ranaldo, 39, of Chatham. "This is still the Jolly Trolley to me."

Richard Brautigan, 25, of Westfield said that while the diverse taps keep him coming back, he was one of a crowd that chanted, "Change the name!" when the Trolley switched over to The Office Beer Bar & Grill.

"I miss the salad bar," he said.

To craft beer lovers however, The Office Beer Bar and Grill is a godsend. Bob Larsen, who runs the nearby record store Sound Station and sells eclectic, interesting, under-the radar music – the sonic equivalent of craft beers – sings The Office's praises.

"It's one of the few places you can get a stunning array of beers," he said. "And $3 pints? That's really awesome."

A glance at the taps, mounted on brass, t-shaped mounts atop an antique dark, wood bar, show off a great selection of not-your-run-of-the-mill brews. The list includes Troeg's Hop Back Amber Ale, Ramstein Special Brew and Maibock, Brooklyn I.P.A., Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Dogfishhead 90 Minute I.P.A., Sixpoint Sweet Action Blonde Ale, Victory Prima Pilsner, Doc's Draft Hard Cider and, in keeping with The Office's commitment to stay local, a nut brown ale from Climax Brewing Company, based in nearby Roselle.

Dan Shea, regional manager for The Office Beer Bar & Grill, which includes seven locations in New Jersey including nearby Cranford and Summit, said that the company works to serve beers brewed within 200 miles of its restaurants.

He said that the people who founded the Jolly Trolley in 1966 sold their business to a New York City based company called Restaurant Associates in the mid 1980s. In 1987 Restaurant Associates bought The Office Beer Bar & Grill also. By the late 1990s, seeing that the Jolly Trolley's bar made more money than its restaurant, Restaurant Associates began to de-emphasize the steaks and put more focus on the brews.  They made a full change last year, including switching the menu, after seeing how difficult it was to draw people into the Jolly Trolley during promotional campaigns for The Office Beer Bar & Grill.

"It just made more sense to change the name because people got confused," Shea said, adding that The Office plans to build its bar bigger in coming months.

John Holl, an author and authority on craft beers, writes a regular column about beer for New Jersey Newsroom. He noted that while the Garden State has lagged behind others when it came to producing and embracing craft beer, things have improved in recent years.

The Office, according to Holl, has been a strong supporter of craft beer and has introduced a variety of quality suds to thirsty and curious customers.

"People can be wary of trying new things," he said. "Maybe they think they don't like darker beers, or ones with a lot of hops and they won't give new taps a try. But, with affordable prices like the Office offers, maybe they'll try a pint and, hopefully, like what they taste."

Cherish Toy (yes, that is her real name), who started as a bartender for the Jolly Trolley 13 years ago and continues to work at The Office, said that the most popular microbrews are the Victory, the Brooklyn I.P.A. and the Climax nut brown ale.

Still Toy, whose mother Joanne Dries also tends bar at The Office, wonders why the taps aren't more popular.

"I don't think a lot of people know about it, there's nowhere else like this around here," she said. "Once people do step in the door and see we carry all these special beers they're taken aback and they come back."

Jacob Muchow, 30, who recently moved to Westfield from Hoboken knew he'd found something special when he first visited The Office and sampled their selection without crippling his budget.

"I like to try beers, and it's great that the bartenders here will let you sample anything," he said tipping back a Sam Adams summer ale. "And on Wednesdays I always think about this place because of the different kinds of beers, I think it's one of the best deals around."

John Scaliti, 55, was hooked from his first visit also.

"They have a great selection and it's a pretty excellent price," he said sipping a Brooklyn I.P.A. "There's a lot of interesting beers."

Still, some patrons still long for the Trolley days when things were a little less diverse. Joel Castillo, 57, laments that there aren't more common beers on tap.

"The selection of beers is not what it used to be," he said. "There's no Stella, no Heineken, no Budweiser."

The Office has some domestic draughts, such as the common craft beer Sam Adams and its seasonal brews. It also pours pints of Coors Light and Bud Light. During the times when the craft brew pints cost $3, the domestic ones cost just $2.

(One bona-fide lament of The Trolley's passing: the craft beers used to cost just $2.66.)

Brian Walter, 30, of Fanwood, said he wished he were better educated about craft beers. He thinks that might make him enjoy more the selection at The Office more and not just lament the passing of The Jolly Trolley.

"Every time I try those beers they're all like super weird," he said pointing to a booth where he said his mom went into labor with his sister. "I miss the salad bar and I miss the prime rib. I never ordered them, but I just liked knowing they were there."