Northwoods Brewpub and Grill

Northwoods Brewpub and GrillNorthwoods Brewpub and Grill
Northwoods Brewpub and GrillNorthwoods Brewpub and Grill
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

50819 West St
Osseo, Wisconsin, 54758
United States

(715) 597-1828 | map
northwoodsbrewpub.com

New location in Osseo as of 2016.
BEER STATS
Average:
2.75
Beers:
20
Ratings:
239
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.42
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
24
pDev:
21.05%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Fluffmeister:
Photo of Fluffmeister
Rated by Fluffmeister from Wisconsin

1/5  rDev -70.8%

Oct 28, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by U2Chaser from North Dakota

Oct 15, 2018
 
Rated: 3.56 by Zenboy99 from Wisconsin

Mar 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.06 by SSGCujo from Wisconsin

Sep 08, 2016
Photo of TominGermany
Reviewed by TominGermany from Germany

3.89/5  rDev +13.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
For a Friday night the place was pretty quiet. However, the food was good, the beer (Oktoberfest) was excellent and the service was quick and friendly. You can purchase their beer to go if you are not able to try them all while you are there.
Aug 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.96 by JeffSK from Wisconsin

Aug 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.35 by Jefferylund from Wisconsin

Jan 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.29 by italianstallion from Wisconsin

Dec 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.3 by justinrphillips from Wisconsin

Aug 31, 2014
Photo of stouts4me
Rated by stouts4me from Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -5%
Meh. Nuff said.sorry, but that is the facts.
Aug 24, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by gmtisme99 from Wisconsin

Jun 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by majorbase2 from Wisconsin

Apr 28, 2014
Photo of heytomcat
Reviewed by heytomcat from Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +19.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I went by here on a recent road trip thru Wisconsin. I loved the whole log cabin type atmosphere of this place. I like how you can see the brewery right when you walk in and they have lots of fun merchandise to buy. A huge selection of house beers. 16 or 17 available at the time. I ordered the sampler which included 8 small glasses of their beer. They were all easy drinkin' beers but for me the Pils, Pale and IPA could have used a little more hop bite. Huge food selection too. I had the Marble Rye Reuben which was fantastic and the service was great. I'm part Norwegian so I was surprised to see lefse on the menu. I had to take some home with me. Definitely worth a stop.
Aug 13, 2013
Photo of WoodBrew
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

3.96/5  rDev +15.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
Stopped by the Northwoods Brewpub and Grill with the family on the way to Mall of AMERCIA! The brewery is positioned on a service road parallel to a highway. The building itself is quite nice and rustic....unfortunately the ambiance inside was a bit stale....there was no background music or anything. The beer and food were outstanding....the deserts are amazing. The service was very attentive and certainly carred. There was plenty to choose from off the menu and satisfied even the pickiest of six year olds. I thought the overall value was inexpensive and would recommend a quick stop. I also liked the fact that they sold six packs that you can mix....as well as six packs of cans which are easier to travel with.
Aug 13, 2013
Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5
Stopped in here on a recent road trip. The place has a nice rustic log cabin feel and decor. Lots of large wooden chairs and tables. A nice fireplace with seating area. Medium sized bar. We took a couple stools at the bar and ordered.

The bartender was pleasant but a bit distracted. The bar was half full with his buddies. They were all talking and re hashing the night before and how much they drank. I assume they all went to Eau Claire together. This got super annoying.

We ordered the beers sampler and an appetizer sampler. Both were less than impressive. All the beers were forgettable and seemed to taste similar. The food was super greasy and not very tasty.

Overall nothing special here. I won't make any return trips anytime soon.
Apr 15, 2011
Photo of ChimRichels
Reviewed by ChimRichels from Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -14.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3.5
I have always admired the large tank adorning the exterior of Northwoods BrewPub, and I finally had a chance to see what it was all about. My only prior experience was with a can of "Floppin' Crappie" given to me by a friend. I wasn't a fan, but I thought maybe I would find some better offerings within.

We started by ordering our food. Lots of traditional foods you would expect from a "Northwoods" themed restaurant, as well as some Nordic influenced dishes. There were lots of unique Lefse creations that I opted not to try.

While waiting for our food, we ordered a sampler of the beers on tap (I believe there were 8). The beers were not much more impressive than the Floppin' Crappie I had tried before. The beers ranged from a traditional light-lager to a stout, and were arranged according to color. I thought the APA and stout were the best of the bunch, although not a spectacular offering. It seemed that the brewers followed the lead of Leine's in making beers that were bland, easily accessible, and unoffensive that project the image of a quality craft brew. My dinner companions (non-craft drinkers) arrived to the general consensus that the beers were "pretty good". One thing worth mentioning is that almost every single beer I tasted had a very prominent diacetyl flavor.

Shortly after the beer, we received our food. The food was pretty decent, about on par with what I had expected. Nothing mind-blowing, but I certainly wasn't disappointed by any means. It was a step up from the beer. Portions were large, and I think nobody between four of us came near finishing our meal.

Overall, the service was good, prices were reasonable, food was good, and the beer was below average. I could see myself coming back here again with friends, but I wasn't crazy about it.
Dec 21, 2010
Photo of arboristfish
Reviewed by arboristfish from Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +26.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
This is a fun place to go out to eat, although it is a bit on the pricey side. They do brew their own beer here, some of which have won awards at the Great American Beer Fest. The selection of food is interesting. They have an elk steak, and a buffalo burger that are very good! Also their fish fry is another great choice. They also have an interesting selection of pies, which from the ones I have had are all excellent! Like I said its a fun place to go and try out some beers, watch them brew if they are brewing, and have some great food!
Nov 12, 2010
Photo of Redrover
Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +9.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
The Northwoods is located just off highway 53 and is across the street from a major mall.

This bar/restaurant has a north woods of WI meets Norway look. There are lots of wood tables and booths, exposed wood beam ceilings, some log cabin type siding, you get the idea. The tanks are on display behind glass & they have a separate bar room. There is also a large stone fireplace in the dinning room. The place is airy and light and thankfully non-smoking.

They do have a nice patio on the north side for the days when weather cooperates.

They offer 12 regular beers on tap with rotating seasonals and specials. A dunkel weizen was on special while I was there. Added bonus for me was that they were brewing while I was there and the smell was great. Both beers I had were solid workman like renditions. I did not try the higher gravity/alcohol offerings as I was driving. The offer bottles, party pigs, growlers and kegs to go. Beers tyles included golden ales (2 types), ambers (2 types), APA, IPA, Kolsch, Stout, Porter, a light lager and a couple I can't recall. Well priced at $2.75 for an imperial pint!

They have a large menu that includes a few nice twists on Norwegian favorites. You should have no problem finding something to order. They are open for breakfast lunch and dinner and were pretty crowded the day I was there.

Friendly staff was helpful and was very into the house beers.

I think this place is worth a stop and I hope to return so I can sample a few more of their beers.
Feb 16, 2010
Photo of Wisconsinality
Reviewed by Wisconsinality from Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +16.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
I went to college in the area and my fiance loved the pie there so when I still lived there, we usually went on Sunday's(all you can eat wings+beer+good time). Was in the area again so we decided to stop by. The staff is nice and the food arrives pretty quickly. The waitresses usually know the beers but there is always someone you can talk to to get the insight. The food is really good and they are pretty good sized portions. The beer on the other hand is not bad but there is nothing that is remarkable. Although I admit it is nice to see beers made that are pretty traditional and not the big beer craze. I think it is due to an older crowd frequenting the place. A nice varied selection and they had even added an old western Wisconsin staple in Walter's Beer. Good food and a decent selection of traditional beers make this place a good stop.
Dec 23, 2009
Photo of objectivemonkey
Reviewed by objectivemonkey from Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Stopped by on my way home, just after the Coffee Grounds stop. Was in a good mood and ready for some good beer. Oops. They had something like 14-16 beers one tap, most of them looking like the same beer from the description. Lots of 'honey' beers.. hmmm... So, I went the darkest they went, their stout, and that wasn't too bad, but nothing special. For lunch I tried one of a pageful of lefse creations. This, I've never seen. Lefse with steak? salmon? omlette? Goodness. So, I tried the steak one, with lettuce, cheese and onions. It was good, to be sure, but hella awkward to eat. Lefse is simply not meant to be a wrap, or to cut into pieces with knife and fork. So, you'd end up shovelling it up, but its still pretty good. Anywho, decent place, ok beer, kind of eh... it beats Applebee's.
Dec 29, 2006
Photo of mnwags
Reviewed by mnwags from Iowa

3.78/5  rDev +10.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Was in town for the weekend visiting family, doing some geocaching and drinking some local beers. Stopped here for a couple of drinks before going to dinner. Just had a couple of brews and was not disappointed. I picked up a six pack which you could split into multiple flavors and when I found out that you saved $2 when you return the case for your next six pack I decided I would stop back on my way out of town. So the next day I came back and had a great breakfast. That is right, this brewpub serves breakfast. Not quite you Keg-n-Eggs but still had a great meal to set me off on my way. Recommend stopping by just to check it out and of course to continue to support brewpubs.
Dec 01, 2006
Photo of SMark
Reviewed by SMark from Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
Had to try because they had a Kelly's Stout and were located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin near Leinenkugel's. Not exactly on the main road and difficult to find, at least for me, when not familiar with the area. Not disappointed by the decor but suspect quality of most beers from research as they apparently appeal to the masses. Sadly the only beer I had while there was the Stout, I was driving, and was satisfied. Food was OK along with service. Bought a six of the Stout and waitress was very nice explaining the return policy on the carton which was an incentive to keep you coming back for more. I would go there again as I do not feel I was ripped off.
Nov 11, 2006
Photo of ZAP
Reviewed by ZAP from Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -15.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2 | food: 3.5
A good looking place but their beers are too bland and basic...10 damn taps and I had a hard time finding something worth a shit...they listed them light-to-dark and their first six were no better than a basic run-of-the mill maco...the best of the lot was their stout but it was nothing to get all jazzed up about...the appetizer platter we had was good...the service was fine...their beers were not bad just too bland...I can't recommend this place and won't go back...I could get better beer down the road at Applebees or something..
Jun 15, 2004
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Reviewed by DrunkMcDermott from Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
My second "log" themed brewpub in a month. This one seems more popular with the locals, judging from the advertised draft specials for anyone coming in wearing their camo or orange blaze. And of course specials during Packer games. But anyway, they had a good sized selection of their beers, and I ran through eight of them. Mostly they were good and fresh, but kinda brewed to non-beer-geek taste, favoring megabrew experience over style. And all the beers were carbonated to the same pressure, which was not good for a dark stout or porter. But they also served salty popcorn, one of the perfect bar snacks. An interesting stop. I took some home bottled, but the first one I tried had too much diacetyl.
Nov 12, 2003
Northwoods Brewpub and Grill in Osseo, WI
Brewery rating: 2.75 out of 5 with 239 ratings