Iron Horse Brew Pub

Iron Horse Brew PubIron Horse Brew Pub
Iron Horse Brew PubIron Horse Brew Pub
Bar, Eatery

501 N Higgins Ave
Missoula, Montana, 59802-4534
United States

(406) 728-8866 | map
ironhorsebrewpub.com

No longer a brewpub and no longer affiliated with Bayern.
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.98
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
25
pDev:
12.56%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Anaxagoris
Rated by Anaxagoris from Washington

2.66/5  rDev -33.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 1.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.25 | food: 2
Food was terrible but beer was ok
May 25, 2015
Photo of sporklift87
Rated by sporklift87 from Colorado

4.26/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
A fun casual place to hang out. Prices aren't too bad either. Good food and decent beer selection.
Mar 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by irishevans from California

Nov 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by 80x2HopHead from Vermont

Oct 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by cyrushire from Florida

Aug 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by gehlbach from Massachusetts

Aug 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by LBittman from California

Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by juicebox from Kentucky

Jul 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by sjmad23 from California

Jun 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BradTull from Montana

Jun 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by MTScotchAleLover from Montana

Mar 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Jameswoody from Montana

Mar 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BillRoth from Maryland

Oct 20, 2013
Photo of Nohair989
Reviewed by Nohair989 from Missouri

3.83/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
We found this place online looking for grub. The atmosphere was lively for 4:30pm on a Thursday. They offer a happy hour from 5:00pm-7:00pm with specials on the local brews.

The food was typical bar food with one exception: Nachos. These are not your grandfathers nachos! These are piled high with lots of cheese, tomatos, jalapenos, black beans, and sour cream. We added chicken and it was almost too much for two people to consume.

They have a solid offering of local, regional, and national beers. Bayern, Kettle House, and Big Sky are well represented. Our waitress was very knowlegable and genuinely seems to like her job. I'm still kind of curious about another waitress rolling around with a police-issued ankle bracelet though...

Happy Hunting!
Jul 26, 2013
Photo of moth
Reviewed by moth

5/5  rDev +25.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
the waitresses are totally hot!!!

the owner is totally drunk!!!

the managers' necks sadly do not exist!!!

the lighting will give you seizures!!

the music is some teeny-bopper tween-er shite!!

there are guys lurking around the pool tables in giant shiny shorts -- in which it looks like a massive dump has been taken. and you won't be shocked to learn also that those same guys have huge beer-bellys protruding from satin, colorful, sports-themed attire & are also sporting chin-strap beards.

meanwhile, the food is totally generic and mediocre!!

& the atmosphere is your worst-nightmare sports-bar.... on ALOT of meth!!!
[there are alot of baseball caps with ~very~ bent brims!]

all in all, it makes you really contemplate suicide.

i'll be going back for the Bud, bud. respekt bieers, yo.
Nov 20, 2012
Photo of Torontoblue
Reviewed by Torontoblue from Canada (AB)

3.53/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4
Large, slightly corporate feel to the place. Plenty of seating at and near the bar, but it all seems a little cramped for a big place.

Grabbed a barstool and sat at the bar. Beer selection was roughly 60/40 between local brews and The Big Boys stuff, which was disappointing to see. Ordered a Big Sky Slow Elk and a Reuben sandwich. Sandwich was huge, and very tasty; the beer was fresh and also very, very tasty.

Stayed for one more pint and then left, as the selection was underwhelming, and it was more of an eating place than somewhere to go for beers.

Still, food was good and the pricing was good too.
Oct 09, 2011
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Visited here with Da Boss on 9-2-11 on our way from Idaho Falls to Seeley Lake.

Atmosphere was OK, wide array of peeps here on a late Friday lunch hour. Everything from business people to cussin' moms with their youngins to tourists like Da Boss and I.

Quality was OK, comfortable atmosphere, ample space that was mostly filled.

Service was good, friendly but she was stressed from the territory she had to cover.

Selection of brew was good. Mainly Montana micros, menu was a bit behind what was on tap but it was nice to have local flavor available.

Food was good, we split a spinach salad and turkey sandwich, both very tasty. The potato salad was identical to Da Boss' recipe - quite nice!

Overall reasonably priced - $3.50 pints, food was fairly priced as well. Nice place to visit, downtown Missoula near the UM campus.
Sep 07, 2011
Photo of beerandcycling88
Reviewed by beerandcycling88 from Washington

4/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Made a stop here for dinner on my way to a bike race and I was not disappointed. The atmosphere is about that of the average sports bar. The beer selection was pretty good with a wide range of beers on tap mostly Montana micros but nothing spectacular. The service was pretty good considering the place was packed when we went in. However the food was amazing and by far the best part. It was mostly standard pub type fare but it was excellent with very large portions which made the prices very very reasonable.
Overall I really enjoyed eating here and would recommend to anyone I know to stop in if they are in Missoula.
Apr 18, 2011
Photo of zhanson88
Reviewed by zhanson88 from California

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Made a random trip down to Missoula while my girlfriend was up to meet a friend. We decided to eat at Iron Horse since I had seen some positive things said about it.

Atmosphere: Nice looking sports-type bar, fairly big place. It wasn't real packed or anything which was nice.

Quality: The quality of the food and beer was excellent. Can't say anything bad about it.

Service: Service was good, the waitress seemed to know a little bit about the beers that were on tap which was nice.

Selection: A great deal of Montana microbrews (especially from Missoula microbreweries) on tap, which wasn't too surprising. I had a Deschutes Jubelale and a Big Sky Powder Hound, which are both seasonals. They tasted pretty good. Would have liked to see some other beers that were a bit more challenging to get, but overall good.

Food: The food was definitely the highlight. I had a patty melt (very good) and the GF had their Tender 501 Sandwich which was absolutely amazing. We enjoyed the food immensely.

Value: Very reasonable, nothing to complain about.
Nov 27, 2010
Photo of Yetiman420
Reviewed by Yetiman420 from Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I was in town on busines visiting the University of Montana for two nights and wound up eating and having a couple of beers here each night.

The first night was with my boss and was focused a bit more on work. While this is not a brewpub, they do carry taps from the local breweries (which close their tap rooms at 8pm due to state law). The service on night one was good, our food was very good, and we each had a couple of local Montana brews (really couln't be taking beer notes with in from of my boss). They probably had 15 taps with very little macro domestic.

The second night, Thursday, I came in around 8:30 and sat at the bar. It seemed like all the bartenders were trying to avoid me so when I was finally waited on, I ordered an Arrogant Bastard. I had the "kitchen hot" wings. I told them to make them as hot as they could and they came out very hot - coming from a guy who likes spicy food.

Overall a very nice place with as complete a beer selection as you may find in Missoula.
Jun 09, 2010
Photo of gixxerman
Reviewed by gixxerman from Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
They do not brew beer here, or have any house branded beers.

With that out of the way, it is an excellent one stop spot for all of the local offerings. The have a selection of Big Sky, Bayern, Kettlehouse, and other Montana brews.

The first day I came here it was about 95 degrees and upon entering there was a big dog laying on the floor and kids were petting it. Missoula is pretty damn dog friendly!

It wasn't too busy, and outside was empty.

I stopped back a day later in the evening (about 75 degrees) and the place was packed inside and out! The crowd was very mixed, from families, to college kids, to locals, and tourist.

I ordered up the Big Sky seasonal (Summer Honey) and their 501 sandwich. The food was average pub grub, and the beer was good. There were sports on the TVs and the place had a decent atmosphere.

Nice place to stop and try a variety of local beers and enjoy the vibe.
Aug 14, 2009
Photo of AylwinForbes
Reviewed by AylwinForbes from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Dulcie and Aylwin's big beer adventure day 3 finds us in Missoula, MT. Neither of us had spent any time in Montana previously and we were pleased to find that Missoula is a nice college town (very pleasant compared with the ghastliness that is Billings or Dickinson on that long desolate 90 - 94) that sports no less than three breweries.

As a previous reviewer noted, the Iron Horse is not a brewpub and has not been connected with the Bavarian brewery for years (probably for the better) and is in a completely different location. We were unfortunately misled by the out-of-date directions on BA and made a lap of Missoula before finding the Horse about 3 blocks from our hotel.

Outdoor rooftop patio is a delight and removes one from the youth and noise of the main room (might be appealing to the young but less to an aging pair).

Beer selection decent and featured all the Missoula brews, inlcuding the excellent Blue Sky (outstanding IPA). Standard price of $3 a pint unbelievable! Service a little slow to get going but thereafter okay.

Food was quite decent and probably above average for this sort of place - quite fine to go with our beer. Four pints and a hamburger for about $20 represents outstanding value to us.
Aug 14, 2008
Photo of Knuckles
Reviewed by Knuckles from Washington

3.83/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
So when my youngest sister told me that she wanted to move to Boston from Seattle, and decided that she did, in fact, want my help doing so, one of the first stops I planned out was Missoula to hit the Iron Horse. Back in the day, the Iron Horse used to be the brewpub for Bayern Brewing, but apparently that relationship has been severed. I know that the company had originally started as a brewpub, but then their capacity outgrew the facility, so they opened a production brewery elsewhere in Missoula and then "sold" their beer to their brewpub (Montana can be really freaking whack sometimes). Apparently at somepoint between then and now, they've split off from each other completely.

Anyway, so we left Seattle far too late, had to make a few stops here and there for bathroom breaks (Ellensburg), bordello museums (Wallace, ID) and to watch the firefighting helicopters work their magic on the wildfires along the I-90 corridor in Montana. All this lead to us not pulling into Missoula until 7:00 PM MDT or so. We park the car, get out, and this biker walks over to us as he pulls out a pack of cigarettes and shakes one out as best he can, being that he's irretrievably fucked up, "Minnesota, huh?"

I look at Kerri and shrug my shoulders. "Sorry, man, we're from Seattle. This is a rental."

He mulls that over for a minute, shrugs his shoulders and says, "Good. I fucking HATE Minnesotans." He jams the still unlit cigarette in his mouth, and sticks out his hand. "I'm Shorty Smith, Hells Angel."

This was my reintroduction to the Iron Horse. The motto on their website reads, "Where you'll always find someone you know." Cool, now I know Shorty Smith.

Atmosphere: Inside it's changed a LOT since I left Montana. Originally this brewpub was in the old train depot, then they built a new location a little bit closer to the retail core of downtown. What used to be a very good brewpub inside has become more of a TGIFridays kind of atmosphere. However, they have patio seating outside that is just fantastic. It was about 90 the evening we were there, and just perfect for a couple of pints of hefeweizen and a burger.

Service: We were there during Bike Week at Sturgis, which if you've ever been in Montana before, during or after Bike Week, it gets really goddam busy pretty much everywhere. The Iron Horse was no exception, this place was packed. Yet we were able to choose our own table (which I always prefer), and had a server with us just moments after we sat. She was very attentive, and always prompt with food and/or drink.

Selection: Well, I was disappointed, simply because I'd hoped they'd have a wider range of Montana beer (particularly from Bayern). They have 18 taps, with three devoted to macros. The rest are either local craft brews, or college craft brews like Widmer and Fat Tire.

Food: Standard brewpub fare: burgers, pizzas, salads, etc. I had the organic beef burger and it kicked ass. The patty looked like I had made it (meaning it bore zero resemblance to a disc), and the beef was spectacular.

Value: This place is one of the most reasonably priced pubs I've ever been to. I think the burger and fries ran $6, and the beers were $3.00 apiece. My sister got some fish and chips, and those were cheap as hell as well.

Please note: This place is not affiliated with Bayern at all any longer, so Beer Fly is incorrect. You can visit their website at: www.ironhorsebrewpub.com. And hey, if you need any other suggestions about where to drink in Montana, give me a call.
Nov 07, 2005
Photo of ElGordo
Reviewed by ElGordo from Oregon

4.08/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Really large, family-friendly brewpub. On a Saturday evening, the place was split between college kids out enjoying beer on the patio and parents with little leaguers. Nice woodwork and valuted ceilings, but too many neon signs to make the place remarkable. Since I showed up with a party of almost 20, we got a banquet space in a loft above the main floor. Great food - the salads are amazing, and the half-order was more than enough to feed my sizeable appetite. Excellent service for our huge party, too, especially considering the servers had to climb a flight of stairs to get to us. Beer selection was pretty good - over 25 taps with brews from all over the northwest, and a couple of macro swill taps to keep the unadventurous locals happy. Overall, a great experience.
May 26, 2004
Iron Horse Brew Pub in Missoula, MT
Place rating: 3.98 out of 5 with 25 ratings