Agrarian Ales

Fantastic place to sip a delicious farmhouse ale. Agrarian grows nearly everything they use in their beers on site. grab a pint of their Saison or chile beer and take a stroll through the hop fields or chile farm. Always something new to drink ranging from Saison to Irish stout to dandelion porter. A one of a kind experience. Highly recommended!!!

 

Farmhouse-style taproom off the beaten path near Eugene. Just when you think you're lost, you're there.

Pros:
- Very kid-friendly with a playground and huge yard for the kids to run around. Separate seating areas away from kids if that's not your jam.
- Location and vibe is a great escape from the typical industrial warehouse style breweries. They grow much of what they use in their food and beers.

Cons:
- A relatively small selection of offerings that I've found to be hit-or-miss. Scoville Stout was one of my favorite new beers of 2016, but it's rarely available. Seems like they're still trying to find their footing on what works and what doesn't.
- Only open F/Sat/Sun.
- I've only been in the summer, but it's hard to imagine it's not a diminished experience in the cold, rainy Oregon winter.

11/13/2016

 

 

 

Agrarian is a relatively new brewery, located just north of town (Eugene) in a hop field. My understanding (according to the website) is that they're only open on Friday's (from 3:00 to 7:00). On the Friday I stopped by, they had nine beers on tap (looked like something had been erased from the menu, so I think the normal number is 10), running the gamut from hoppy saisons and Belgian ales, porters and an Irish stout. The set-up here is interesting; there is a fairly large warehouse, but with a number of picnic tables strewn around the area for guests. You walk up to the register to order your beer, which you then take back with you to your table. There is no table service otherwise, but folks from the brewery seemed friendly enough. I think they also sometimes have live music on Fridays as well (it appeared someone was setting up just as I left). Anyway, when the weather is nice (as it was the day I stopped by), this is a great place to hang with a beer or three.

Quality of the beer was pretty good. I tried the three beer sample tray (3 tasters for $4, or 6 beers for $7), getting three of the Belgian style beers they had on offer. Quality was pretty good, especially if you like your beers on the hoppy side. I assume the brewer is something of a hophead, as these were some of the hoppiest Belgian style beers I'd ever sampled.

I didn't try the food. They have a limited menu, consisting of burgers and salads. While I thought the beer prices were fairly reasonable ($4 for a 12 ounce snifter of the Belgians and $6 for a 20 ounce pour of the porter, stout and the like), food was on the high side. Burgers were $10 a pop, and it appeared they came a la carte (no sides).

All things considered, I had a pretty nice visit and enjoyed the three beer sampler I ordered. AA is a bit out of town (15 to 20 minutes from downtown), but that obviously didn't stop anyone from coming out the Friday I was there. I counted something like 40 cars the day I was there, with more pouring in as I drove out. Clearly, Friday afternoon tastings are VERY popular. Cheers!