Kinsmen Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friendly bartenders. Friendly staff. Friendly is a big deal to me as there are lots of places to try beer nowadays. All of their in-house IPA’s have been tasty and unique. The “crowler” canned growlers are cool.

 

As I went in just to fill 2 growlers, never having been there, it's like a huge beer hall. I guess they serve pizzas from the far end of the table area. I saw a huge line at the first bar, went to the rear area, but they were serving from there and cleaning tables, bringing things back there. No growler ordering area like Firefly Hollow, and someone sitting at every stool at the bar. Inconvenient for my quick growler fills. The beers I grabbed, Yup/Nope and Bowl Cut were very enjoyable.
As the drinking area is huge, this would be a great place to bring a group. The place is seriously loud. Too much Vibe for me. (This was about a year ago...)

This place is massive. It’s oretty cool that they have a huge fireplace with couches in the back. Plenty of places to sit if you wanted to bring the kids. I went on a holiday Monday at open so it was mostly empty. People started showing up about when I left. They had a really nice draft selection. Nothing to go except crowlers of drafts. They said their fridge for cans has been broken for months and they won’t be able to sell cans for a couple more months. That seems crazy to me? It was a bummer to hear. Unfortunately missed out on a stout that is supposed to be a fan favorite. I tried six different beers and they were all very good. One of the IPAs was just Ok.

Recently visited Kinsmen Brewing Company and came away with two different thoughts. First, the beer was excellent. Cookie Duster was a delicious Imperial Milk Stout, ringing in at 9.2% ABV and containing chocolate chunks that bordered on decadent. I then tried Zen Brain, a NEIPA at 7.1% ABV, which was incredibly fresh and refreshing. highlighted by locally grown hops. Unfortunately, the service was uneven. The bar was crowded, but the four bartenders -- rather than be spread out across the the length of the impressive space -- all stayed in the middle, meaning that if you were at the ends, your wait to be served was extremely long. Although we had seats at the bar, we waited nearly 25 minutes to place an order. Out of nowhere, like beer angels, two additional bartenders appeared -- each commanding their positions to a high professional standard -- and everything was good again...much to the relief to those of us at the left end of the bar. We'll be back...definitely worth the ride.

 

 

 

 

 

Could use better signage outside. Once inside, the tap room is very nice.

I liked all the beers I tried, although the flavor profiles didn't necessarily match my expectations based on the descriptions.

Even though it wasn't busy, it took a couple minutes to order a beer when I first got there - the staff seemed to be engaged in personal conversations and not paying attention. Once I was being served, they were very friendly and helpful.

I was happy with the options, but my wife was looking for a pilsner, kolsch, blond, Vienna lager, etc. option, which didn't exist (at least that day). Ultimately she got a glass of wine, which sort of defeats the purpose of going to a brewery.

It was a nice experience and we'll definitely go back. Being right on the bike trail is a big plus.

The best beers here are Yup/Nope also w/blood orange, Roast ,Caribbean Queen and Bowl Cut in that order from what I have tasted. Those + 21.3, deckside and quick bunny
I go about 1-2 times a month and Yup/Nope and Roast are worth the trip.

 

Great location right on a long bike trail. I've had 4 of their brews: two were very good, and the other two were good. That's a pretty good rating for a new brewery that is learning their equipment. Very comfortable, relaxed inside. A couple miles north is a rib place (Smokin with Chris) and another brewery (Witchdoctor), so make some visits on a cycle trip or hike.

 

Long hallway opens up to a massive taproom in a rehabbed industrial facility - construction not complete i.e., port-a-pot outside. They have only been (soft) open a few weeks. Brew house is cordoned-off as you enter the main room, with a 30' long bar partitioning off the remainder of the room. Taproom area is at least 60' X 80' and there were over 100 people there when we visited... On the far end of the room there was a huge stone fireplace and a karaoke machine. Friendly jovial atmosphere. They had 5 beers on tap; the 2 I had were solid. Looking forward to seeing how these guys grow into this place.