Library Sports Grille & Brewery

neat old spot in the center of town, bustling on a friday afternoon just past lunch time when i was in, definitely a sports bar type vibe, televisions everywhere, jerseys on the wall, that sort of thing, i sat in the bar area where the little brew house is tucked into a corner, its a roomy spot, with lots of seating in the bar, a patio area, a big dining room, and maybe even some upstairs space, i saw a staircase but didnt wander up. the decor in the dining room was neat, bookshelves all over the place, must have been an old library, is that where the name comes from? no frills overall though, older school, but some modern beers on. they had a couple of bartenders working so the service was prompt even though they were busy, and a good amount of beers on tap for such a modest operation. maybe ten or a dozen, i had time for two, a honey amber that was a little whack on the ferment but tasty still and not way off, and a currant sour that was gorgeous in color but lighter in flavor, and they had a nice selection beyond these, some basic styles and some more ambitious stuff too, good to see. looked like a greasy spoon kind of pub fare spot, but i didnt eat. looks like a college hangout really, but the beer was better than average and i was welcomed warmly both here and to town in general, good folks around here. neat that this little town can support a handful of breweries now, they all kind of do their own thing. worth checking out if you are there for any amount of time.

 

 

 

I enjoyed the atmosphere, they had a decent selection of brews but again light on the dark beer. The food and service were excellent, it's a place I will return to when in Laramie again.

 

 

 

 

 

The bar is usually crowded and loud. It is across the street from the dorms on campus. The pizza on the bar menu is good as well as the food in the dining room. I have had a few of their beers and they are nothing I have to get, but also nothing i would turn down.

Bug the bartenders enough and you can get your name in the marquee.

My wife, three children and I stopped in for dinner at the Library Brewery tonight. We were very glad that we did.

We had set out for Altitude since the ratings were higher, but it was closed on Sunday. We didn't know what to expect and had controlled our expectations. . . we ending up being very impressed. We had a sampler of the seven beers that were available on tap tonight. The kids split a pizza that was terrific. My wife and I ordered a house salad and a sandwich called the "Mountie" that was one of the most unique and delicious offerings we have had in a brewpub in some time. It was a sausage patty (a hearty one) on a ciabatta roll soaked a little with maple syrup, canadian bacon on the sausage and two fried eggs topped with cheese on top of that. Probably not great for your arteries, but man was it tasty. The salad was okay. The beers were all decent. Only the Rye PA was passed on by my wife for me to finish. I was pleased to see that they used local honey from Sundance, Wyoming in the Devils Tower Honey Ale.

The service was good, but I think our server may have been new or used to dealing with college students as she seemed a bit tentative.

I thought that the atmosphere in the place was great. My wife remarked that she loved how bright and open it was. The dining area is a large circle with overhead skylights. I would guess that any detractors on the atmosphere were in the establishment when there was a high concentration of students from the University of Wyoming, but those there today were just like anybody else. I guess you have to search me as I can find no problem with the atmosphere of the place on the inside. The exterior could use a little polish and shine.

They offer "meal plan" options for the University students. I wish I had an option like that when I was in college.

In any event, this place is very good. Not much else to choose from in Laramie and I didn't go to Alitude, but I like Library.

I originally reviewed the Library in 2004 when it was under different ownership, management, and, most importantly, the brewer was different. During that time, the atmosphere & service were what you'd expect for a college bar located across the street from the dorms: a young crowd looking to get pissed & service that was mediocre. The beer, too, was mediocre, at best, & the quality of their brews varied from visit to visit. Overall, the place was a good college bar, but not a place where you'd go to get a quality pint of craft brew w/an atmosphere to enjoy it in.

Fast forward to 2009... The Library is now under different ownership and management, and, most importantly, a guy named Mitch is contract brewing for the establishment. The place is now 180 degrees from what it was previously. It's still a college bar w/the expected crowd & atmosphere - rightfully so. However, one can now count on a quality pint of one of Mitch's craft brews that is comparable to what you might get at Wyoming's best-known microbrewery in Jackson, Snake River. Plus, the bartenders are quite amiable & quick to serve you. My glass has yet to go empty before I'm asked if I'd like another.

There are normally 8 taps of Mitch's brews avaiable at any time, i.e., 6 house beers & two seasonals. Both current seasonals, Bastard Strong Ale & Helles Bock, are excellent, as are most of the house selections - Keller Kolsch, Rattlesnake RyePA, Big Nose Bitter, Pryopysm Porter, Nitro Oatmeal Stout, & one I can't recall (which may have something to do w/the fact that all of their beers are around 7% ABV or higher).

Bottom line: The Library is the place to go in Laramie for the best craft-brewed beer. Should you need additional justification, the food is quality pub grub, the service is fast & friendly, and the atmosphere is fun. If you're in town & like beer, make your first (& possibly only) stop The Library - and don't forget to take a growler with you when you go.

My excursion with Mentor continued and as we entered, the door opened onto a low brick wall which also served as the maitre d' station. The high, tented roof sat above a sea of restaurant tables and chairs, but no bar. The bar was off to the extreme right, through a door marked "21 and over Only!" That would have been us. Once on the bar side, we transited past two pool tables, a foosball table, and arrived at the laminated blonde wood bar off to the left. The back bar was also blonde wood and it had a comfortable, pleasant feeling to the place. The one drawback were the Captain's chairs at the bar - they were too low and I felt like I needed either a booster seat or a phone book to sit on. They had both a friendly staff and clientèle and we engaged in conversation with both. Our servers were Trevor and Emily. The motto here was: "Don't lie to your mom, tell her you're at The Library." Ha! Like that would work. Once, as an undergrad at Pitt, I was photographed at one of the Oakland campus watering holes for a now-defunct free weekly paper. When I sent my mom a copy, she wrote a note to the effect that it was no surprise that I was photographed in a bar, but asked when she would get some pics of me at the library. I sent her a copy of my Dean's List certificate in reply, one of five that I got in six semesters. Put that in your peace pipe and smoke it!

Five standard beers - Over Due Brew (O. D.) Wheat; Red Eye Amber Ale; Sigmund's Nut Brown; Dubliners Stout; and Bantam IPA. I found them all to be quite good, but I liked the IPA best.

If I were passing through town, this would be my first stop.

The Library is a place of many good memories for me, but not a fine dining or drinking establishment to say the least. The microbrews here are cheap, and rightfully so as everything is watered down, and terribly inconsistent. The atmosphere is good though, for a college aged guy anyways. Not a bad place to go watch a game on a big screen, but other than that, nothing too impresive. The selection of beers is nice as one can usually get a pint of Guinness, Harp, or Smithwicks, sometimes Newcastle Brown as well, which is alright for a Wyoming town. The homebrews are subpar, but cheap, if anything I recommend the Bantam IPA, which is usually consistent, the stout, nut brown, amber, and wheat are terribly inconsistent, they've tasted different everytime I've been there, which is frustrating. The food, well, is nothing to brag about when sober, but after a session or football game, not too terribly bad. It isn't exactly quality by any means. The prices are fair, and the service is inconsistent.

It's been some years since this place was reviewed, so I was hopeful it might have improved. Sigh. No such luck. I checked out the sports bar side of the library and had no complaints with the number of TV's there to watch sports. That pretty much ends the positive things there are to say about this place. The library advertises that it now has guinness on tap, and I strongly recommend that anyone unfortunate enough to visit the library stick with that. I tried only the IPA (Branden) while there, which the waiter assurred me was hoppy and very good. It was neither and I ended up leaving half a glass on the table. Same with my food, which was pretty dreadful. As others have noted this place caters to the college crowd, and it's pretty clear that's the clientele the Library is aiming at. Anyone with even a half way discriminating palate needs to stay away. Bleachhhh...

If you're young, or young at heart, and around southeastern Wyoming, come on in to the Library. I was born and raised in Wyoming, and something about this vast, wide open land brings out the life in people. Particularly in a university town like Laramie. I was in the Library once after the U. of Wyoming football team beat Colorado State and, I swear, the goal post from the stadium was marched down Grand Ave. by the students and damn near came through the plate glass window in the front of the establishment!

Otherwise great bar, decent service, good selection, great fun-loving people. Good beer. Bottom line: the best you'll find within 100 miles in any direction!