Wild Donkey Brewing Co.

 

 

This place felt very small and was very dark when I went in. Compared to Ritual Brewing on the opposite corner, this place was dead. The beer wasn't bad, but none of the offerings made me want to drink more.

Small, ecletic brews. Can be hit and miss. All had a hint of "homebrew" about them.

 

 

Stopped here for the first time to taste what they had to offer. I guess they changed their name too. Not going back here. Didn't find a decent beer in the 4 tasters I ordered. I didn't even finish the tasters as they were not very good. I think they need to work on their recipes. There were several people inside which made me think it was worth a try. There is another brewery very close to here that I would recommend going to if you are out this way.

With Ritual Brewing at one corner of the intersection, Wild Donkey took a spot on the opposite side of the intersection. Their tasting rooms are very different. Wild Donkey is a small, darkly lit room with several tables, photos of guests posted on the wall, and a TV showing NFL. I was ecstatic to see that real glassware was being utilized, no plastic cups in sight. But I also saw the bartenders showing signs of apathy utilizing their smartphones in front of customers.

Back to the beer. Much of the beer has a twist to it. In other words, a traditional style may have an added spice or fruit to it. There were nine beers listed on the draftboard, though three were "punched out". Of the remaining six, I tried their Cinn-A-Brew, which is a brown ale with cinnamon. I liked it. Reasonably prices too, at $5 a pour.

Unfortunately, I cut the visit short because the pastrami I had earlier was making me ache. I'll give Wild Donkey a second look so I can dissect more of their beers.

I visited Donkey Punch Brewing right after Ritual as they are literally diagonally across the street from each other. The tasting room space is up front with the brewing area in the back through a door. The tasting room itself is pretty small and dark with a few tables scattered around. There is a small bar area where you could pull up a chair as well. The server was very friendly and talkative during my time there. The selection was good with 9 of their beers on tap at the time. They offer full pours, flights, and individual tasters. Prices were reasonable for the beers. The quality of everything was good and everything tasted fresh. I would recommend a stop in here if you are in the area.

Located in a nondescript office park which is otherwise deserted during normal drinking hours - a good thing as parking is plentiful. They've done a decent job transforming a generic office into a passable drinking spot (as long as you don't mind high tables). The selection was bountiful - I bought a sampler and didn't get to try 'em all the first go around. The barkeep offered free dry-roasted peanuts "as a palette-cleanser between tastes". We spent about an hour here which was just right. Overall this was a positive visit - I will be back for more. It is certainly a lot easier to find off the I-10 than is Hangar 24, if that matters to you.