Neptune's Brewery

 

 

incredibly unique spot in this small little town. its got a cool almost antique nautical and aquatic theme, blue inside with maritime decor, a small and humble little space, it even has an aquarium behind the bar with all kinds of fish in it. never really seen anything like this, and it was totally unexpected. very small really, couldnt have more than maybe 20 or 25 people inside, and even than would seem like a lot. they had a pretty good selection, but mostly basic styles when i was in. i had a nice light golden ale and a less impressive ipa, neither great, both on the flat side in terms of texture, but the ambiance makes up for the average beer. lots to look at in here, very cool vibe and aesthetic. service was solid too, friendly and helpful. a neat locals spot overall, so refreshing to not be in just another taproom, so many breweries are creating the same sort of spaces these days, and this one is decidedly unique. the beer wasnt bad, and it was a nice way to break up the drive between billings and bozeman. recommended for sure, never been to a brewery quite like it. they do food here too sometimes, but it wasnt happening when i was in for whatever reason. ill stop through again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we visited this place while on a brewery tour of Montana - sure we went to Yellowstone but that was just to legitimize the brewery tour. It had a B ranking so seemed like a safe bet. . . wrong.
Situated just into a neighborhood it had a welcoming deck and neon blue Neptune sign. All looks good, when we walked into the place we were hit with the used fryer oil smell I remember so well from working the deep fryer in high school. Smelled like old fish’n’chips, when you looked through the small bar area to the window in the back of the brewery there was a haze of fryer smoke. Never a good sign. The aquarium was neat, nautical theme a bit over done but that seems to be the point so ok, no big deal. Then we started tasting the beers . . . . there is a reason I’m the only person to rate a beer from here – most folk are too nice. We worked our way through 9 beers only two scored above a 2.5 (the Scottish and the Chocolate Cream Porter). The rest suffered from incomplete fermentations and other flaws and all were at such a low carbonation level they did not form a head when poured . . .not even the light lager. Surprisingly, while they offer a samples, there is no tray or pre-labeled sheet. The bartender had to handwrite the each beer style of scraps of paper stuck to the bottom of the glass.
Unfortunately we’d already ordered the fish’n’chips prior to tasting our beers our we would have left. Not that the food was awful, it was passable, but the fan in the fryer hood must be broken. We had to sit in the stench inside, or cigarette smoke outside. Too bad, the bartender was nice and the locals were friendly. So for a 2011 update, avoid this place enjoy good beers elsewhere.

As ODRIP stated, the address listed above is wrong, Neptune's moved to a new location, yet there is currently a large sign at the old location directing you to the new one. Located in the north end of town, this is a local favorite. You will recogize the place by a white light-up sign that says "Z-Bar" in large letters followed by a smaller "Neptune's Brewpub". You won't find many tourists here compared to the bars in the center of town. Lots of nautical objects and ephemera hanging from the walls. It all goes with the "Neptune" theme. The place is a bit smaller than it looks from the outside, with some tables and chairs to sit at as well as a decent sized bar. No official food is served here but they do offer popcorn and pretzels. Definitely a quieter alternative to the cowboy bars like Murray's, you can actually hear what the person next to you is saying here. Super friendly bartenders and they were serving up an IPA, Belgian Wit, Cream Ale, Lager, and a Doppelbock. All were very tasty and hit the spot after a long day fly-fishing DePuy Spring Creek!

the address listed here is wrong...it is actually
119 N L St in Livingston.

I was a huge fan of this place. I dropped by while vacationing in Bozeman. The bartender was a real character and took us through the brewery to show us their setup. He also offered generous samples. We all thought the atmosphere was great...a quirky brewpub in livingston, MT...basically out in the middle of nowhere on the way to Yellowstone park. They have a kickass saltwater fishtank built into the wall behind the bar in keeping with their "neptune" theme. Other nautical memorabilia is scattered throughout.
I tried a few samples of their beers and thought they were pretty good. My favorite was the IPA, which I thought was outstanding.... I had several. It was a hoppy, very drinkable beer, with a really nice color to it. you can't drink just one.
Overall I would recommend this place for the experience, and the atmosphere, and the IPA. Don't listen to the other negative review..this place was COOL.

I really wish I could give this brewery my upmost praise and say how great their beer is because their brewer is such a nice guy. However, I feel that I should be honest also. I have been to Neptunes three times now. Every time I've been there I leave saying "wow, that was really bad beer". Yet I keep going back thinking things might possibly be sorted out?? Hasn't happened yet. I had a porter the last time I was there that tasted like plastic, I seriously couldn't choke it down it was that bad. Everything else I've had there tastes like water with a little food coloring and possibly some carbonation. I don't like to be mean or anything but there are some serious problems with the brewing process at this place. Do yourself a favor and visit one of the other excellent breweries in the Billings/Bozeman area and skip this one.