Stickmen Brewing Company

Went to this location about 10 years ago after church one Saturday evening in the Fall. The place was cozy with a wood cabin interior. As I remember food was good as was the beer. It wasn't overly busy for a Saturday evening, and we stayed almost until closing, talking and sipping beer. This was the first place I had a really strong beer, over 10% ABV. One Ton Trolley. Bought a bottle to go and kept in fridge for about 2 years. Have Also been to the Tualatin location a couple of times.

Place looks more like an old fashion country inn than a brewpub, in the heart of downtown, on the lake front. Did not explore the interior much, but small bar is in the back, adjacent to the patio on the lake and seats 6 or 7. There are tables about the room, and other rooms... Full bar, 16 or so beers on tap. Very personable bartender. I did not try the food.

After stopping by the brewpub for the first time this afternoon, I confess I'm a bit surprised by the previous glowing review of this place.

Located on busy hiway 43 in downtown Lake Oswego, from the outside you definitely don't get a proper impression of the size of this place. The interior consists of three modest size dining areas (the front dining area was closed, this being a "slow" Wednesday), but with a pretty sizeable outside back patio area that is right on the lake. The interior is nothing to write home about, but the back patio area is pretty impressive (to say the least). No doubt about it, the location is very, very impressive. But then there's everything else... Sigh...

On this particular day there were 15 or 16 beers on tap (broken down into core beers, seasonals and experimental, limited release batches), and quality was all over the map. Having never been here before, I ordered the sampler tray, consisting of 5 four ounce sample size glasses for $9. Of the beers I tried, I quite enjoyed the gaijan lager and the pillow fight session IPA, and the "quitbitchin" DIPA grew on me as it warmed up a bit and opened up. The blueberry wit was so-so at best (the blue berry seemed to mask the underlying wit flavors and didn't add much to the flavor profile otherwise), and the experimental b3 brett infused belgian golden was a complete mess and an unqualified failure (IMHO). It was light and watery, and the sour brett component didn't blend in together at all.

In terms of food, I got the nachos with the pulled pork ($13 or $14 for a medium size plate). It was fine I guess, albeit a bit on the salty side. Uninspired is probably the best description for the order. If I were to come here again, I'd likely order something different next time.

Then we come to the service. Granted, it was a nice day in Lake Oswego, so there was a nice size crowd on a Wednesday afternoon. Still, the place wasn't full, yet for whatever reason, service was very, very slow. One of the problems I think, is that the majority of the patrons were out on the patio, and most beer and food orders had to be brought from inside the building. There was a separate bar area out on the patio, but the beer selection seemed to be more limited, and focus at the back bar appeared to be on mixed drinks (Stickmen seems to be very popular with the "drinks after work" crowd in downtown Lake Oswego). Anyway, my initial sampler tray and food order came pretty quickly (the staff was also very quick about removing empty glasses and food plates), after which I asked for the beer menu to see if there was something else I might want to order (the coffee porter caught my eye). And so I waited, waited and waited. After roughly 20 minutes or so, I decided that perhaps I didn't need another beer after all, and so after waving down a waiter, I asked for my check (giving him my credit card immediately to try to speed things along). After another 15 minute wait (roughly), I received my receipt. Aside from the slow service, it really seemed like a lot of the staff were a bit annoyed by the size of the crowd, and some of the "demands" made on them. It just led to something of an unpleasant vibe, which only compounded my annoyance at the long wait for a beer.

I would add that I believe you can order bottled beers to go here, and they also fill growlers and have a crowler machine.

Shrug. Nothing was awful at Stickmen, but nothing really stood out either. The brewpub has a great location, and had a good crowd on a Wednesday night (saw a lot of families stopping in for a bite when I left the brewpub a bit before 7:00). My overall impression is that the folks running Stickmen's don't feel as if they have to make much of an effort to provide a particularly good dining and drinking experience, as given their location on the lake (and lack of other nearby options), patrons are going to come here anyway. In fact, if I did live nearby, I could absolutely see myself coming here again. As I don't, however, I'm pretty sure I probably won't.

 

A newer restaurant that's been in place for several years now, Stickman's has a prime location on the thoroughfare through, and right on the waterfront of upscale Lake Oswego, Oregon. Although the interior is spacious and well-appointed, the highlight of this place is the outdoor patio overlooking the scenic suburban lake lined with residences and dotted with boats, across from the overlook of the Millenium Park Plaza. While enjoying your hearty grilled steak sub sandwhich thickly packed with tender roast meat and sauteed onions, you can watch the sunlight glinting off the water, and listen to live music being performed outside. In addition to the physical attractiveness of this location, the brewery also offers a sophisticated selection of uncommon ales which pushes the envelope and puts its local rival McMenamin's brewery to shame. Even the names of their wits are witty... We sampled "Beesknees" strong ale with honey, "Sourpuss Sour" and "All Ryem No Reason" rye IPA and found all delicious and unique. This is an exceptional place in the local area, and not unreasonably priced. http://www.stickmenbeer.com/#!beers/cqnr