Barley Brown's Beer (Production Brewery/Taproom)

Last stop before home (from 2017). Big, open taproom. Taps run the gamut of styles. Cheap flights, $10 for six nice size pours . Good beer all around. No food here, go across the street to the brewpub.

neat how they have two spots right adjacent to each other with a little side street separating them. we popped into the original pub and brewery, where i dont think they have made any beer in some time, but ended up choosing to hang at the taproom, a little lower key and more beers on tap. its just an industrial brewery behind a somewhat scantily clad taproom, a big welcoming bar and a lot of windows but not much decor except for some medals they have hauled in over the years. cool to see the tanks though, we forget just how big these guys are in terms of capacity, partially because this is a sleepy little town. good service here, even came to our table out on the sidewalk to get our order even though they were busy. good selection of beers here but maybe a few less than expected and a few less new to me, was most impressed by the wfo ipa, but you will not have a bad beer in here, especially if you keep it hoppy, its what they do best in spite of some attempts to broaden out. outside they need some plants or some kind of awning, we just baked out here, the dog got too hot to stay, and our visit was cut short because of it, but the place is cool and i like the no frills vibe it has, very much a working brewery and i like that, a legacy establishment and sneakily one of the best in the region. you can order food walked over from next door but the menu was thin and we did not partake. i will carve out more time next time to have drinks and food at both, but no matter how quick your visit, this place is worth a stop, either one. felt like a pilgrimage to finally get to drink here after they were closed so long for covid.

I'm an occasional visitor to Baker City, and have been to Barley Brown's a few times, both the brewpub and the taproom. I'm entering a text review for both spots, to help folks understand the differences.

The taproom had 22 taps on my most recent visit, all but one with Barley Brown beers. The room is pleasant and the vibe is friendly. On three visits to the taproom, it's never been crowded. The service has been consistently excellent.

In contrast, the brewpub has just 8 taps. The taproom list is much more interesting and varied. The brewpub has the standard Barley Brown brews (Pallet Jack), but not much that's unusual.

So if you're a BA beer geek visiting Baker City, go to the taproom, not the brewpub. The taproom has no food, however.

The brewpub was crowded tonight, and the service was miserable. More on that in the other review.