M. T. Barrels Restaurant & Brewery

Nice place, like a smaller Emmett's West Dundee, which is located one block west.

Service was pleasant but could have been better. Nobody mentioned that there was seating outside, which we would definitely have partaken of on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. There were only 3 house beers on tap, along with Anchor Steam and Fat Tire.

Their stout was good. Had some good roasty and hoppy notes and really decent body which were easily detectible despite the too-cold serving temperature.

I'll give this place another chance, I'd like to try their amber and kolsch to see what they did with those styles. It looks like they usually have an IPA and a hefe.

M.T. Barrels probably has one of the best atmospheres of any brewpub I've ever been into. It's a 3 story building with a bar, the brewing equipment behind a giant glassed off area (which really adds to the feel) and some booths and tables on the first floor. The second floor (which I have only briefly seen) is, to my knowledge, all an eating area with a pretty spacious balcony overlooking the Fox River. The top level was kick-ass until "The Man" imposed an effing smoking ban. The third level had a bar, flat screen tvs, couches, chairs, a walk-in humidor, and everything a guy would want in a Cigar Lounge. Sadly it's not even open. Everything is a nice, rich, dark wood with dark upholstery that's very classy feeling.
I cannot comment on the food, but the quality of the beer is pretty good. I really need to have more of their beers, but from what I've had, its made well.
The service was average. The bartender did what he needed to do and didn't exceed expectations.
The selection was very poor from what I saw. They had 3 of their own beers on tap; an IPA, Porter, and Dopplebock. Other than that I saw on-tap, 90 Min IPA, Alpha King, and something else good that I can't remember, but that was it for beers. I'd have to speculate but I'm sure they have the Miller, Coors, Bud in a fridge there but in the end, less than half the taps were being utilized which to me is sad.
$1 per 5oz. sample isn't terrible but if you're right in the area, go to Emmett's. SO much better.

M.T. Barrels is by far one of my favorite Microbreweries in the area. With the economy forcing a lot of breweries to shut their doors, this is one that I try and support on a regular basis due to their exceptional quality of beer and very friendly and informative staff.

The atmosphere is one of a simple prohibition era. I believe the story was that the building used to have a brewing area in the basement back in the day and they decided to roll with the theme. The overall decor is very simple and they stick to dark wood and sleek design.

One this I love about this place is that before you commit yourself to a full pint, you can try out any one you want before you take the plunge. Their beer is highly flavorful, full bodied and definately packs a punch.

One of my favorites is the Amber due to it's hoppy flavor and aroma and the IPA is definately an outstanding pick as well... although it does seem to fly off the shelves pretty fast!

The bartenders are always friendly and willing to hang around and start a conversation with you, we even got the brewer, Frank talking to us about the brewing industry, what he does to make his brews so special and definately impressed us with all of his brewing knowledge.

This place is definately worth checking out... and I would highly recommend going here before going to Emmett's brewery since it is not a chain restaurant and offers more unique food and drink.

Stopped by here on 12/3 around noon. Wasn't sure it was open because it was practically empty. Nice dark wood bar and throughout. New construction, trying to look old world. I wanted to try the APA, but they were out. Disappointing, because the brewer had been producing an excellent APA at Prairie Rock in Schaumberg. Tried the ESB instead. Barkeep wasn't too knowledgeable about the offerings but filled a growler for me before I left. She said they'd been open since August, so I'm hoping it improves and they get some seasonals before the next time I'm in the western suburbs.

Went on a Saturday night around 7pm. Nice atmosphere. Beautiful dark oak woodwork and tasteful decorations. Someone spent some money here. A nice cozy feel, better in fact than Emmett's located a block a way. The only cons to the atmosphere are the smokiness (not an issue after 1/1/08 yay!) and the fact that the dining rooms are on multiple levels and seem a bit disjointed. One other thing: they need to do some cleaning. The windows were very dirty and a noticeable layer of dust was present on the decorative martini glasses behind the bar. The brewing vessels also looked like they had not been cleaned in some time.
Beers were a mixed bag. Selection is small with only 6 on tap. The Porter was excellent. Scored on the BJCP rating system this is a 40-45 point porter. The ESB was decent, as was the Amber ale, but nothing special. The Hefeweizen though was disappointing. Crystal clear instead of cloudy and somewhat oxidized. Probably not enough turn-over for this style there and it was starting to stale. I'd also check the fermentation temps... Also, no statistical info on the beers was posted, or available. It'd be nice to at least know the ABV...
Food is good, but not great. Burger was tasty, but certainly not 10 oz. as advertised, and a bit pricey when every extra (cheese, mushrooms, etc) are a $1 extra.
All in all, a decent, but not spectacular new brewpub. Worth a try and I'll give it another go once the smoking ban kicks in.