Federal Jack's Restaurant & Brew Pub

Federal Jack's Restaurant & Brew PubFederal Jack's Restaurant & Brew Pub
Federal Jack's Restaurant & Brew PubFederal Jack's Restaurant & Brew Pub
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

8 Western Ave
Kennebunk, Maine, 04043-7756
United States

(207) 967-4322 | map
federaljacks.com

Home of Kennebunkport Brewing Company.
BEER STATS
Average:
3.36
Beers:
22
Ratings:
1,277
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.79
Reviews:
38
Ratings:
61
pDev:
12.14%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Pwbres:
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Rated by Pwbres from Maine

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

Sep 10, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Sep 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.61 by bluehende from Delaware

Apr 24, 2019
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Reviewed by brewme from Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3.25
I have been here a couple of times while vacationing in the area. Very large establishment, just off the main strip on main strip. Limited, mediocre craft beer selection.
Aug 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.14 by WheelsPSU from New Jersey

Jul 01, 2018
 
Rated: 3.64 by HurryItsJacob from Massachusetts

Jun 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.13 by costanzo_mike from Massachusetts

Mar 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.93 by Burt from Rhode Island

Oct 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.4 by SweetChicken from Massachusetts

Aug 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.63 by MaxOhle from Illinois

Aug 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by Abe_Froman from Massachusetts

Jul 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by ScottP from New Hampshire

Apr 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by aknalley from Texas

Jul 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.56 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Jun 06, 2015
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Rated by Hoppy-boy12 from Maine

4.41/5  rDev +16.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I have been there twice. Beer is excellent, food is great the service is top notch!
Dec 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Cdowd10 from Maine

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by Royal2000H from Florida

Nov 20, 2014
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Reviewed by Reds76 from Maine

4/5  rDev +5.5%
Great bar food, nice atmosphere. Not a huge fan of shipyard beer but it is decent - particularly like the Prelude beer if you are there in November/December. Overall really solid experience.
Nov 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DrStiffington from New Jersey

Nov 09, 2014
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Reviewed by CAMay from New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +5.5%
I've been here several times over the last 20 years. The location is fabulous and I have never been disappointed by the food. The beer is good, but not great.
Sep 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JGLittle from Massachusetts

Jun 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by RKing44 from Massachusetts

Jun 17, 2014
 
 
Rated: 3.5 by NJBeer265 from New Jersey

Jun 02, 2014
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Reviewed by Jodi215 from Arizona

3.4/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 2.75 | food: 3.5
We stopped for lunch while touring the Maine coast. Loved the location and view. The atmosphere is beachtown nice. Comfortable with a great view of the harbor. Quality was good but not great. Service was friendly but reserved and reasonably fast. Selection wasn't very good but the beer my husband tried he liked. It was Shipyard's Fuggles IPA. The flavor was very good but he doesn't find the piney or citrus flavors in the eastern IPA's. I had the pulled pork which was tasty but tough so I wouldn't recommend it. Hubby had the chowder which he said was great. Price on beer was reasonable but I thought the food was a little pricy for what we got. Probably wouldn't go back.
May 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by coombski from Maine

Mar 29, 2014
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Reviewed by Cavanaghty from Maine

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.75
I have been her many times before, I am just now deciding to review it. It is a small brew pub, not a lot of seating. It is located on the second floor with a nice view overlooking Kennebunk Harbor. It has the atmosphere of a typical New England seafood place. Food was very good, serving high quality items and they suggest pairings with their beers, but a limited menu. Beer selection was ok for a brew pub, they were out of a couple of the beers on tap when I was their, seems odd even in an off season for a brewery to run out of its own beers. Not a bad place if you are in the area to go check out, but be prepared to spend some money there.
Jan 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by TheRealPour from Illinois

Nov 13, 2013
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Reviewed by AJ01923 from Massachusetts

4.88/5  rDev +28.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Make it a point to stop by Federal Jacks every time I'm around the area or travel between Kittery/Portland/Freeport. Excellent menu, atmosphere and views. Great spot year round, one of my personal favorites. Nice gift shop to stop through and grab a few souvenirs and fresh growler. I just wish they offered solstice ale for a longer duration.
Mar 13, 2013
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Reviewed by morebeergood from Massachusetts

3.44/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
My wife and I had drinks here on the first night (Sat) of our long weekend in Kennebunkport. It was nighttime, but the bar is on the second floor, and I can imagine the view must be pretty nice on a clear day. Inside, it's pretty generic looking. Very plain colors, no real decorations. Televisions scattered about for sports, and pool tables off in their own room. We grabbed two seats at the bar. There were 10 beers on tap, plus a cask. We had a few rounds, and I founds the beers to be average, on par for Shipyard. I had the pale ale on cask, then the stout, and finished with the brown (on sale). My wife tried the sunfish wheat, which was oddly fruity. The pale and the stout were OK, but the brown was watery. Service was fine, as it was busy but our waiter got to us when we could. Prices were cheap, $4 pints and $3 for the brown. There was supposed to be a live band at 10pm, but we overheard the drummer at 10:30 say they could not set up until some diners moved from their tables. We took off before the music started.
May 31, 2011
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Reviewed by Chincino from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
I visited Federal Jack's Brewpub in Kennebunk, Maine in the summer which was a great time to visit because we were able to take advantage of the outdoor seating and sit outside overlooking the water of the harbor. The atmosphere was very relaxing and we had a beautiful view from our table. The inside provided a good atmosphere with extensive seating, a decent-sized bar, and lots of paraphenalia to look at while you wait for a beer.

The food was typical brewpub fare with seafood options as well. The food was moderately priced and was pretty good. The service was good despite the place being busy.

The beer selection was decent with a few shipyard beers on tap and some of the KBC's original brews as well. We split a sampler and were able to try 10 or so beer samples.

It was a nice spot to stop for lunch and enjoy beer on a summer day in Maine.
Nov 18, 2010
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Reviewed by KTCamm from New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Tucked into a nice location in Kennebunk, on the water, Federal Jack's was our lunch destination on a recent week on Maine.

Very nice atmosphere - open space, large bar, plus outdoor seating overlooking the harbor. Was a little too chilly to take advantage of the views outdoors.

Waitress had a decent enough working knowledge of the beers, no brewmaster, but also no novice either. Good service.

Extensive menu with usual pub fare, plus extra sea food options. Kids menu if you need it.
Plenty of options. The food itself was good.

About 10 beers on tap, a mixture of Shipyard brews and KBC brews. The winter was available draft on on cask. All 10 are available as part of the reasonably priced sampler. I happen to like Shipyard brews, and the ABVs are very afternoon friendly - making for an enjoyable lunch.

Package store downstairs to pick up more brews, some singles, sixers, and bombers.
Oct 23, 2010
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Reviewed by slander from New York

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
In Maine, hiding mostly. From work, and things worklike, and things like worklike. I need a breather from all the time on the road, so I'll pack up the car and get on the road, makes sense. Visiting nomadic college friends who at the 11th hour, opted not to wander farther to Alaska (and there was my hook for the barleywine festival next January). Might as well get my play on while I can...

Tucked on the end of a simple complex on the river Kennebunkebunk. And around the backside. And upstairs. And in. Seems they've got some room up here but you're ushered to one side. I'm going to say 2 dozen mismatched tables, squares, 'tangles, longies, hightops, and a few booths; much of it with crazy views over the river from the big bay windows, some of them blinded or you'd be.

Red walls over yellow slat wood lowers, and windows and trim all around. Wood floorings with faux tile area around the bar, exposed ducts and slat wood ceilings with some kind of framing, holding track spots or not, and wall mounted lamps. Drop cone lamps & quisps on the flipside center, and a few cooling spinnys. Walls done with nautical prints & paintings, including one of a guy riding a giant lobster, which technically qualifies, I guess. And a large logo piece with Federal Jack himself holding a pint with this "Yeaaah man!" expression over the wall of windows up front where they do bands and karaoke (of which I am glad to have caught neither). 4 x 8 blackboard on the far wall listing events & tap list, and flatscreens everywhere for all angles.

Slat wood topped "U" shaped bar with a slight lip in the center of the room seating 18 or so. Some booze welled below and shelved on something of a barback, and a horizontal "Home of Shipyard Ales" sign above. Oh, that explains some things. Ceramic mug club mugs run in rows from heavy chained racks overhead. Shirts & bottles displayed on the backside of the backside. A barometer mounted next to me at the bar reads between "Fair" and "Chance" on the heels of the rain I've been driving through for the last 4 hours.

2 row towers of 8 each below the bar with glassware stacked in between, and a live handpump on the end. You can do a sampler of 3, 5 or everything. You know me; I'll go with anything that's everything. Sampler is dealt loaded surrounding the menu card. 7 standards (Goat Island Light, lightly everything; Taint Town Pale Ale, made with actual taints, buttery and eeew; Brown Ale, an English Brown with a pleasant maltiness, similar to others; Blue Fin Stout, soft, silky, roasty goodness on nitro; Fuggles IPA, bitter, tastes, I don't know, meh; Old Thumper, English Bitter, decent balance, not bad; Shipyard Export Ale, malty okayness with hop something), 3 seasonals (Sirius Summer Wheat, an American Wheat, crisp & pleasant; Sunfish Wheat, on peach, which you can smell from New Hampshire, it's peach soda, it's too much, make it stop!), and a cask offering (Independence Ale, good hoppiness, the 'tender called it a Pale Ale, I don't think it is). The Brown Ale, Blue Fin Stout, Sirius Summer Wheat & Independence Ale were the best of the lot.

Started with a cup of the New England Clam Chowder. It was good, but you're in New England, so it had damn well better be. And then something something, I'm thinking the spicy stir fry done chicken. There were vegetables & rice 'cause that's how stir fry works. It was tasty but not so terribly spicy. I wanted the heat!

Had a look around. Past the bar counter space off the end of the bar lies a rear gaming room holding 4 pool tables, Big Buck Hunter, Phil's Golf Game (live), Daytona USA, a Roller Coaster Tycoon pinball machine, and a Galaga/Ms. Pac Man/Frogger unholy trinity machine. The walls adorned with Shipyard logo pieces proudly boasting their Ringwoodedness (They oughtn't). Acoustic Dave Matthews currently Crashing here. And out front, a porch of sorts for not being inside and the other side of the restaurant not open yet. But soon, oh yes, soon. And now sitting back at the bar, having some fun with Bobtender and the regular folks. It's a good crowd this rainy Monday night. Food was good and some of the beers I did quite like, but others, no. I might drink some of them again, but others, no. Comfortable place with nice views, I do dig looking down the river. As such is Maine.
Sep 22, 2010
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Reviewed by Duhast500 from Rhode Island

3.45/5  rDev -9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
This place was just waht I was looking for in the small town of Kennebunk, ME. I had been traleing through from Portland on my way home and wanted to see if there was a good placenearby to get dinner and a beer. The restruabt was upstairs with the brewery facilities and gift shop on the first floor. The menu was a good size and hada good selection of pub food as well as several entres. The beer selection was decent but was not very wide. At the time I came in, which was on a Friday night, there was no cask beer available. The staff seemed to be a bit procupied and not very knowledgable when it came to the beer. I did enjoy the beer I did have and the food ended up being good too. The prices seemed to be a good deal with beers around $4.00. Not a bad place to stop in when in the area but not worth going out of the way to get to.
Aug 11, 2010
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Reviewed by Durge from Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This is a big pub with plenty of space and television coverage throughout the bar, dining area and pool room. Great views of the harbor from this second floor pub, right there with outside deck seating available. Friendly and knowledgeable staff, quick service and fair brews on the 9 taps and one cask ale. I was offered samples and had a delicious bowl of New England clam chowder to boot. It's got lots of windows to enjoy the view of the boats and water, bright and cheerful with modest but attractive seaside decor. A very enjoyable visit with decent brews. I would agree it may be more about the views and setting here than the beer, but I will be happy to revisit some day. A suitable place for family as well as a hang out with the guys.
Apr 25, 2010
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Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

2.73/5  rDev -28%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 1.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3
Federal Jack's is a place to stop for a reasonable meal in southern Maine. The restaurant is open and airy. There are various pictures of boats along the walls, but the star of the show is the wide views of Kennebunkport harbor. When I went a few days ago, there were eight home brews being served and I cannot remember a time when there was much more than that. The beers are all fairly standard (brown ale, lager, IPA) and nothing really jumps out. That pretty much sums up the food as well. I enjoyed my shrimp and my friends all liked their meals. The service, especially on busy days is not all that great. Every time I have been there they have seemed understaffed and it showed in the service. Go for the atmosphere and have a beer to sip, but don't expect a 'Wow' experience.
Sep 07, 2009
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Reviewed by mrpunan from California

2.45/5  rDev -35.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 1.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3
As a restaurant, this is a decent tourist trap, family friendly with a great view of the harbor. But of course i went for the beer. Yuck. I had a Shipyard Fuggles IPA and the Tain Town Pale Ale. Both we almost flat (and i didn't even order the IPA from the cask, which was available), with nearly imperceptible hops and a too sweet maltiness; they both tasted almost the same. Not impressive at all, not worth returning IMO. I am a hops lover so that is key for me. There was a seasonal called Royal IPA which perhaps i should have tried, maybe it would have been better, but after two duds i just left. My artichoke dip was middle of the road touron fare. I guess if you are a BA and you must eat in Kbunk, it might still be worth a shot, but don't go expecting real brew pub quality. The beers seemed no fresher than any keg anywhere else, certainly not the way you would expect when it was brewed downstairs. Maybe it's just BS? Probably brewed in Portland at Shipyard's huge plant. Pass.
Aug 27, 2009
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Reviewed by deltatauhobbit from Maine

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Came in here today after doing a road trip with my girlfriend. Decided to go up and down the coast in Southern Maine. I knew Federal Jack's was in the Bunk, but never knew where exactly since I never go there. Found it easily enough with plenty of parking. We decided to stop by for a quick drink.

The location is very nice, right near the water where plenty of small vessels dock, on a sunny day you can't beat just looking out. Inside is very clean and organized, nice large windows for you to look out and there's a deck along the building to sit as well. Decent gift shop where you can buy Shipyard stuff and other assorted things, you can also see the brewing equipment through the windows.

The waiter was kind and quick, but for drinks on a non-busy Tuesday afternoon, I can't imagine it was too difficult.

Tap list is Shipyard centric (of course), a couple of them I wasn't aware of since they're not widely distributed in bottles or kegs.

While we didn't order any food, we did notice it was rather expensive (the beer on the other hand is fairly priced).
Jun 17, 2009
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Reviewed by Cavalier92 from New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Excellent selection of ales made in the brewery just downstairs. A fun selection of music and games in the back room. Solid food selections that range from traditional pub fare to family friendly favorites to big ol' boiled lobsters.

The mussles are very good as is the lobster roll and you can't go wrong with the haddock sandwich. You can watch the Sawx on TV or just sit back and watch the boats go by on the river.

This is one of the best brewpubs on the Maine Coast. The styles are bit more varied than Gritty's, but the quality of brew is just below the guys from further up the coast.
Feb 15, 2009
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Reviewed by cleeze from Maine

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Recentley stopped in too enjoy a smashing pumpkin (stout and pumpkin head) even then though the bartender couldnt layer it, still good. I love love the music on the weekends. Fooze ball and a few pool tables in the back make for some friendly competition. Atmosphere is real down to earth and it has a beautiful view of kennebunk port. Deffently a local favorite.

Food is pretty decent. Mussels in the brown ale is exceptional. But Their selection is good. They try to switch it up while keeping the local favorites.
Nov 24, 2008
Federal Jack's Restaurant & Brew Pub in Kennebunk, ME
Brewery rating: 3.36 out of 5 with 1277 ratings