Herkimer Pub & Brewery

Brewery, Bar, Eatery

2922 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55408
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.57
Beers:
58
Ratings:
179
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.63
Reviews:
37
Ratings:
59
pDev:
15.15%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by KarlHungus:
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Reviewed by KarlHungus from Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +15.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
My girlfriend and I stopped by Herkimer at about noonish after visiting the Walker Art Center. Parking was easy to spot, but hard to get to on behalf of road construction. Once inside the place is fairly inviting. I liked how all the brewing equipment is very visable, and I liked the tiled pillars. I also liked the tinned roof that only covered a small section directly over the bar, which was odd but interesting. The servicer was excellent (I think his name was Eric): very attentive, very friendly, and knowledgeable about the beers. The food was pretty good, but standard pub fare. I was a little disappointed to find out that the lunch menu is a lot smaller than the dinner menu which is on their website. The citrus chicken club I had was good, and paired very well with the Berliner Weisse I was drinking with it. My girlfriend insisted that her burger was the best she had had in a long time, and was way better than my meal. I was very impressed with the beer. I have read a lot of mixed reviews on this site about the beer at Herkimer, but I really enjoyed the two beers I tried. They only do German style beers, which I like and dislike. I lived in Germany for over three years, and learned to love beer there. I was also frustrated with the lack of creativity in the German brewing scene. While I do think that they are handcuffing themselves from a creative standpoint, I do like how they are at least venturing into some obscure styles of German beer. The first beer I had was there Sky Pilot Kellerbier, which one them a gold medal at the 2006 GABF. It was incredible, enough noble hops to create a meriad of flavor and enough malt to keep me from calling it hoppy. The second beer I ordered was their Berliner Weisse. To my astonishment, when the server brought it out he brought two 10oz goblits, with two shot glasses (one for woodruff syrup, and one for raspberry). I had had Beliner Weisse before, but with out the syrup. Herkimer's Berliner tasted great on its own with a wonderful sour, tart, lactic taste to it. I liked it even more with the woodruff syrup which added some sweetness, but still let the sournees/tartness to come through. I thought the raspberry syrup made the beer a little too sweet, but it was still enjoyable. I ordered a growler of the Berliner Weisse and the server through in a couple plactic containers of the woodruff syrup for free. Overall, I was very impressed with Herkimer, and will certianly visit again as there were a lot more beer on the menu that I would like to try.
Jul 26, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by DissentFatsquirrel from Minnesota

Jul 10, 2018
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Rated by Ginger_notgingerbeer from Minnesota

2.1/5  rDev -42.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1.5 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 3.5
All their beer tastes like earwax a little.
Jan 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.81 by Rilesmiles from Wisconsin

Dec 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4.33 by JeffSK from Wisconsin

Sep 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.59 by TrePackDog from Minnesota

Sep 02, 2016
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Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

3.81/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
Herkimer has been around for awhile now, they have had a renaissance and have been re-born, the vibe is the best thing here now, beautiful people have filled uptown and its apartments, this place is in the center , the brew has become better or is the crowd is better? Either way this is a go to place when in Uptown , Lynlake and its rooftop is steps away, Go here for the vibe and maybe enjoy the beer.
Sep 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by jakemn91 from New Mexico

Feb 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Ilafan from Minnesota

Feb 27, 2016
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Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +22%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
The vibe was good....nice bar with plenty of surrounding seating as well as outdoor street side seating. There were some TVs present to catch the latest sports contest. The quality of the beer was decent....the quality of the food was awesome! The service was great, attentive and made great suggestions. There is plenty to choose from both on the beer and food menu. The food was PHENOMENAL!
Oct 07, 2015
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Reviewed by AJNIDEK from North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +22%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
First visit in two years and I was very impressed. Back then the food was decent and the beer less than. Excellent food and a wonderful red ale in Nitro. Bartender was top notch.
Jul 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.55 by iRun2Beer from Minnesota

Jul 09, 2015
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Reviewed by hjmayniac from Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +18.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
In a neighborhood loaded with great places to eat and drink, Herkimer holds it's own.
I've always received great service. As soon as I sit down, I have a menu and a glass of ice water. Food and drinks appear shortly after being ordered.
While there's nothing particularly special about the food, it's always good and prepared the way I order it. I do like the sweet potato fries because they limit the seasoning to salt, and I'm sure they'd leave that off if requested.
There are always at least 6 beers on tap, with a variety of styles.
Apr 13, 2015
 
Rated: 2.89 by XmnwildX12 from Minnesota

Feb 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.65 by LambicLion from Minnesota

Jan 17, 2015
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Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

3.28/5  rDev -9.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3.25
This is in my neighborhood and I want to like it. the vibe is very good especially in the summer when you can sit outside. Their beer is meh. their food is OK.
Jan 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by Bunuelian from Minnesota

Dec 06, 2014
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Reviewed by PlatonicOtterLuv from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%
I've been twice and both times had multiple styles of beer - each had the same metallic taste (particularly iron - so blood). Food was okay and service was friendly.
Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by R1nzl3r from Minnesota

Sep 06, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by jvf28 from Minnesota

Jul 12, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by mothman from Minnesota

Jun 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.31 by Z_Anderson_0406 from Minnesota

Jun 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Dave11899 from Minnesota

Jun 19, 2014
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Reviewed by Jackofallbrews from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
Inside, this is a fairly dark pub (even in the daytime) with a large island bar in the center of the main room. Tasteful logo signs decorate the walls here and there without making the place feel cluttered. A large chalk board at the rear of the building presents the current tap line up including info about ABV and IBUs. Tile mosaic lined support pillars sprout from the floor in a few places. When I was here, there were a few people drinking at the end of the bar, but otherwise I had the place mostly to myself.

My server was very knowledgeable about the beers and the styles they represented--something one does not always find in a brewpub or craft beer bar. Luckily they have started doing a beer sampler since the old days, getting 5-6 oz of four beers of your choice.

My favorite beer was their Maibock. It had a sweet and slightly sulfury lager nose. The beer was a deep copper color with a fine white persistent head. Flavor was sweet initially with a hint of alcohol tingle on the tongue. The taste faded to an aggressive bitterness and dry finish, striking me as more like an Alt beer, but very nice overall.

The Alt had a light hop aroma and graininess. This one had a creamy mouthfeel and sweet tart flavor at first. After a couple of sips I got more caramel and grain with a mildly bitter finish and some citrus and earthy hop flavor lingering after. Not a bad beer, but I would have liked a bit more assertive hop bitterness like the Maibock had.

The Rye Pale ale was unusual. In the aroma I got sweet honey, passion fruit and not much of what I'd typically expect as classic hop aroma. The flavor was very strange with a Skittles flavor at first, that smoothed out after a couple sips to more of a real fruit blackberry or currant flavor. This was brewed with Junga hops, which I had never heard of prior to this. Looking them up, it appears that they are known for a blackcurrant flavor, so perhaps this is not an off-flavor in the beer, but simply a weird hop character. After learning this, I like the beer more! There is certainly something about expectations that color one's understanding and enjoyment of a beer.

The last of my beers was a Baltic Porter, a stronger alcohol dark beer with a deep mahogany color and ruby highlights. Flavor was malt forward with a hint of toffee and raisins. A bit of alcohol warming and a spritzy to almost creamy mouthfeel. Ends very dry and drinkable. This one could be a bit more complex, but a very nice example of the style.

Overall I was heartily impressed by the improvement in the beer quality and range in styles since my last visit. I was also lucky enough to speak briefly to Rachel Grey, the assistant brewer, who was in that day. Rachel is one of only about four female brewers in the state, and I noticed her at first because of her characteristic pink welly boots! She has been brewing at the Herkimer for the past year and has learned a lot in the process. I was impressed by her obvious passion for the job and interest in feed back. I appreciate her time in talking to me, and can honestly say that the beer quality at the Herkimer has greatly improved.

I had a wonderful chicken and waffle for lunch that really hit the spot!

Thanks to wonderful service, excellent food and a good mix of beers I had a very pleasant experience here for lunch. This really exceeded my expectations and I will likely return here
May 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by NordeastFan26 from Minnesota

Mar 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Feb 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Pug from Minnesota

Jan 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by miniappletonbrewer2205 from Minnesota

Jan 09, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by mmulebarn from Minnesota

Nov 12, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by TubbyDullard from Minnesota

Nov 12, 2013
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Reviewed by bluto25 from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Had the opportunity to visit Herkimer's last week after purchasing a $20 coupon for $10 through Google Offers. Herkimer's is, as they say on their website, a German-inspired brewpub located at Lyndale and Lake Street in the uptown area in Minneapolis. It makes a long list of German-type lagers including Kolsch, Dortmunder, Maibock, Dunkel Weiss, Alt Bier, Oktoberfest, Bock and Doppelbock. For food 17 serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a happy hour menu. Its menus contain standard fare items along with a fair share of unique recipes including Peurco pulled pork, Fish and Chips, Sausage and Mash
Herkimer's decor is a modern 50's style with numerous posters on the walls. It is a casual seat yourself brewpub. The atmosphere was warm, casual and relaxed.
In our group we enjoyed the variety of beers and selected for drinking the Kolsch, Dunkel and Alt Bier. We had soft pretzels as an appetitizer. For our dinner he chose the Peurco pulled pork and the fish and chips.
Our overall experience with Herkimer's was very good. The variety of beers and food make for very enjoyable experience. We recommend you try this out.
Jun 06, 2012
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Reviewed by jsprain1 from Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5
A- A fairly nice bar. A couple tvs. Extra benefit because they have shuffleboard. Fairly small.
Q- Everything is fresh. Clean. All around enjoyable.
Ser- Service wasn't the friendliest but they were quick.
Sel- They only have about 7 beers on tap, but they're all decent to good and very fresh.
F- The food is subpar. Sandwiches are decent. French fries are disappointing. Bars like this that are about sports and shuffleboard should have good french fries.
It's worth going for a beer if you're in the area, but not necessarily that good from a food point of view.
Nov 20, 2011
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Reviewed by KC8LTL from Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -16.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5
I was in the Twin Cities area for October and visited on a Monday evening, during Monday Night Football. There were certainly people there, but hardly busy. Decor was basic - it seemed to be going for a bit of a simple classic vibe to me, but I wasn't there for the vibe, but rather to enjoy a few beers, so I took a seat at the bar.

When I got someone's attention, they showed me a beer list. The good news is that the beers are different from the standard american microbrews. They were generally German styles and mostly Lagers, although Alt is an ale. The printed descriptions were a bit helpful. Unfortunately the help didn't seem that interested in beer.

The beers themselves were decent. Not spectacular, but good. They also were not styles I have that much. Because they are a change of pace, I rate them a bit above average for selection.

I'm glad I went, but never felt like going back.
Nov 14, 2011
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Reviewed by jera1350 from Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 4
This place will not be remembered for its atmosphere by me. The inside is basically a large bar with very little decor. It's really a no frills place. The outside patio is fine, but their really isn't much to look at in terms of plants or surroundings. They do have two beanbag courts which give people something to do. They had five available beers. All german styles, but the darkest beer available was an alt. Would have been nice to have one bigger beer option. Service was average. A bit slow really, but not terrible. The beers I did try seemed to be on par for the styles. Some of the styles are pretty unique and were first for me. Tried some sweet potato fries which were phenomenal. Not a bad place, but it just wasn't a fit for me and I can't see myself going back.
Sep 12, 2010
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Reviewed by Seahorse from Michigan

2.99/5  rDev -17.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5
Abit disappointing, as I really was not sure what I was expecting. But then it was my first excursion into the Uptown area. Okay selection of beers with 6 on tap, all German style lagers. Food looked good, especially the burgers. Service was mediocre, as the servers seemed to be focused on each other and not with service. Redeeming factor was the 2 for 1, which compensated for the lack of service. I'd go back but wouldn't make this a regular hangout. Schwartz beer was my favorite. Crowd was a mix of regular folk and the eclectic. Be interesting to see what the clientle is comprised of later in the evening.
Dec 17, 2009
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Reviewed by Mistofminn from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Went for a late lunch during happy hour.

Atmosphere was a nice mix of hipsters, business men and women, college kids and old timers. There was something for everyone here.

Quality was also pretty good. The beer was very high quality, and I enjoyed it much. The environment itself is a reason to visit this place.

Service is the only low point I can think of. Our server seemed to hate life, and didn't smile once. It also took him a good ten minutes to get me the beer I ordered. I left him a good tip in an attempt to cheer him up, however.

The selection of beer isn't the largest, but the quality is nice. I personally have tried the Gose, Oktoberfest and Sky Pilot (at the time of this review) and enjoyed them all, especially the Gose.

Food was good, we ordered three appetizers (less than $4 each!). We got Nachos with Guac, Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummas with Flatbread, and Pub Pretzels. My only knock is that the Pub Preztels claimed to come with Jalepeno Honey Mustard, however is was quite clearly Horseradish Mustard. I don't know if they actually know the difference, or if they were out of the real stuff.

The price was very reasonable, but then again everything was discounted as it was happy hour.

I will definitely be returning again, and again and again.
Oct 06, 2009
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Reviewed by kbaker91 from Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
I have been to the Herkimer several times in the past, most recently this last weekend. It is located in trendy Uptown, so expect to be surrounded by a diverse crowd. Everyone from hipsters to older neighborhood residents and families can be found there during the afternoon.

Herkimer is a lager-intensive German brewpub, so it helps knowing beforehand that you are not going to get a DIPA hop-bomb when visiting the place. They do not offer guest beers either. The beers are good, but not great. My favorite is the Alt, but also have enjoyed the Marzen and the Kolsch as well. Bonus points for the 2-for-1 happy hour 7 days a week from 3-6PM; very nice on the budget. Decent service; not entirely that knowledgable about the beers, but pleasant and timely.

The food is mostly standard bar fare. Incredible homemade soft pretzels are worth a trip to this place by themselves.

Overall, a decent place to grab some beers. Not a lot bad to say about the place, but nothing that blows you away, either.
Apr 08, 2009
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Reviewed by BLACKOUT0213 from Minnesota

2.35/5  rDev -35.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 1 | selection: 3
this place is good but i cant recommend it to any one who expects service. this along with other hippie/ yuppie bars in uptown have some of the worst servers on the planet. they stick in a corner or on the side of the bar talking amongst staff and other close friends/patrons?. i think you can get better service if you ask more aggressively but i don't like to have to hound a bar tender to do their job. the beer was good once, i had the alt beer and the bock, thought they were excellent. but the most recent trip to Herkimer was more disappointing yet. after troubling the bartender for an alt beer i take my first taste and discover that the lines were filthy or something because it just tasted like sugary syrup and was disgusting. since i don't live by it any more i don't think i will ever go back. p.s. if you do live by it and you can choke down grungy beer from the uptown staff they do have a good happy hour, not sure about food though since it was never offered to me and i didn't want to bother the kitchen staff at the end of the bar.
Mar 15, 2009
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Reviewed by Greggy from Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
We walked into the Herk for lunch and the place wasn't to busy. It's a nice setup with a bar in the middle of the room that seats patrons all around. To the left of the bar (from the door), are big glass windows displaying the brew equipment. Our Bartender, I don't remember her name, was very polite, attentive, and took good care of us. I ordered the Mac and cheese with ham which was very good and also had their Alt and the Kellerbier, both of which were pretty good. It looks as if they have 5 beers on at a time. I would have liked to see something a little different on tap, but this was pretty good, anyway. Lastly, the music at the Herk is pretty enjoyable.
Jan 11, 2009
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Reviewed by CHSLBrew from Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Walking in, this place looks like (surprise!) a brewpub: large glass walls partition off and highlight the fermenters, large rectangular bar in the middle, and seating along the sides. Furnishings were largely modern, with retro-style decorations featuring their beer offerings.

Speaking of beer offerings, what I like about this place is the list of brews consists of all German lagers. Pretty different than your standard ale-centric brewpub. So, I was pleased to take down a couple tasty brews (and share/sample my friends' choices) with dinner. Beers were of an above-average quality. There were 5 brews on tap at the time, with a total beer list as shown on this site.

Everyone's food was good. The menu was pretty typical nice bar food of burgers, salads, sandwiches, and a couple entree selections. I knocked down the food score because I thought there should be more German food on the menu!

The service was helpful, and our waiter had a surface-level knowledge of the beers (that is, color and a few descriptors). At times, service was a bit slow, but we didn't mind.

I look forward to continuing to visit this brewpub more frequently and doing a few ratings of their tasty brews.
Jan 09, 2009
Herkimer Pub & Brewery in Minneapolis, MN
Brewery rating: 3.57 out of 5 with 179 ratings