Place Reviews: Most Recent

Sat outside on a warm Saturday afternoon. Plenty of available seating.

Nice modern space. Great service. Good food. Wish they had more of their offerings available, but that's my own personal preference. They recommend making a reservation, so I did. I learned the hard way when I was turned away at the Alchemist without a reservation. This sums up today's craft beer scene.

Great history on exhibit here and room inside and out for a couple hundred people and pets (outside only). The Lodge sits just across the river from, and in sight of, the brewery.
Food trucks and outside food only.

Available beers are not as experimental as most breweries. The only offering I saw available that I couldn't get at any liquor store/gas station was a Cherry Gose. Although easy drinking, it didn't have a salt component I was expecting. Just an non attenuated, barely tart, Berliner.

Service is great, though. Everyone wants you to enjoy yourself.

Bourbon, bourbon everywhere! This is another must-stop on the Bardstown leg of the Bourbon Trail. The beer selection is slightly above average, with a variety of quality craft brands and imports offered. Good selection of wines and spirits of all types as well, but this store prides itself on its bourbon stock which includes many rarities. Staff are friendly and willing to help. Make it a point to stop in and look around if you're in the area.

This new store on a spacious corner lot has the vibe of a Binny's, only cozier. Clean, well-lighted, and pleasant, with a variety of craft beers including many local and regional brews. Most, if not all, of the beer stock, is refrigerated. Excellent selection of wines and spirits, including an impressive assortment of rare bourbons. Well worth a stop if you're traveling along the Bourbon Trail.

Let's get this out of the way right now: if you're making a pilgrimage to Toddy's, it probably isn't for the beer. Sure, the sign says "COLD BEER WHISKEY WINE", and I did notice several locals buying beer while I was there. Toddy's offers, in addition to the usual macro suspects, a modest selection of craft beers that you can find most anywhere in the area. The wine selection is not bad at all. But you know you're probably going there for the whiskey, specifically the world-class selection of rare bourbons. The vibe here is off the hook. The store itself is a little dusty and crammed full of stuff, but from where I'm sitting that's gold. Staff are very friendly and helpful, and will invite you to browse as much as you want. This is a must-stop on the Bourbon Trail, and you might even find a beer or two.

This gastropub is attached to Chan's Wine World store. They share the same storefront and as a matter of fact they have an interior door between them. They are located in a shopping center on Highway 98, the main road that runs parallel to the beach in Destin, FL, and are across from a major modern outdoor mall called Destin Commons that is very popular in the area.

The interior is a decent size and has quite a few tables and booths, along with a large, shaded outdoor patio. The decor is modern and uncluttered with earth tones and light wood paneling. It has several large TVs playing sports, but the sound is down and they are not intrusive if that's not why you're there. There are happy hour specials and other deals throughout the week. I have been to the twin pub located a few miles away in Fort Walton Beach. The two are very similar, but this location definitely has larger dining areas indoors and out. I did not have any food at this location, but the menu is very similar to the one in Fort Walton Beach, except this location had significantly more options available. I would expect the food here to be equally excellent, but I can't say from personal experience.

The beer list consisted of 30 craft taps and a few bottles. These included many Florida and Southeastern breweries along with some national and a few international craft brands. The beer selection was pretty wide-ranging, including several sours and barrel-aged beers. The styles included Imperial porters and stouts and even a Belgian Pale Ale. The beers are served in appropriate glassware. Unfortunately, I had what I think was a quality problem when I ordered the BPA. The beer had an odd sweet note with a slight funk that I interpreted as either an overly aged/mishandled keg or the effects of poor tap hose sanitation. Either way, it seemed like a quality miss, so I marked down that category score a bit compared to the other location.

The servers were pleasant and attentive and they seemed to care about the beer selection.

Overall, this is a decent place to hang out and have very good food and some craft beer. There aren't many such options locally, so I'm glad to have this one. I do hope they look at the tap maintenance and keg handling to prevent other problems, but it is possible the keg was mishandled during transit from Belgium and it was not their fault.

Chicken joint with a large tap and bottle list in a freestanding building in a large shopping plaza on the south side of town. L-shaped bar to the right of the entrance seats about a dozen plenty of tables and booths about the bar room and the dining room and a small patio on the sidewalk. 20 plus beers on tap (all 5%er) and about as many in bottle and cans, many with higher abvs. Chicken was tasty.

Small freestanding building on the north side of town. Fairly limited selection of mostly regional beers, but they do sell singles of everything. Friendly service.

The unusual suspects rolled into town this morning. Hit a few places and then the ballpark. When we bailed on the Royals game, they were down by 3; when we arrived here and they were up by 2. That’s how it goes. Tuesday night at 10pm in Kansas City. We are the only guests…

Corner joint entered in and through to the bar at the rear; ‘L’ shaped wood panel topped, panel base, & a brass foot rail. The far end of the bar is lost to service from the outdoor space, when the roll up door is up, which it is not, right now. Seating for 4 on one end and 5 on the other end on leather swivel chairs; the center lost to ‘get your beer, then stand clear’ (it may just be Covid life). Horizontal plank barback wall with 6 flats showing game and game and game, and a slight shelf up there displaying glassware, too. On center below sits a looooooong row of 54 taps on stainless, and 4 cooler doors to each side holding bottles & cans.

Tall glass windows to the front and 2 roll up panel doors to the far side. The inner walls are a mix of brick with beer logos (Paulaner, Delirium, Boulevard, KC Bier, Cinder Block, Stockyards, 4 Hands, Torn Label, and others) painted on it over black boothings below, and then there’s a ‘the beer garden of earthly delights’ mural play further along. Brewery posters and pics on the far inner wall. Concrete floors, and rafter ceilings on plank with ducts, track spots, & spinny fans. Upright phat pillars with flats all around and an exposed I-beam with stickers pasted.

3 long beerhall raised tables, 4 squared hightops off the bar, 2 booths off the door, and a pair of shortys & cushy set up up front. Small short wall side room corner with 3 hightops & cushy couch action. 5 tables outside in an in between space married up to that side room. And then 7 more tables outside around the bend, penned.

Slatboard blackboard tapboard on the far wall lists selections in 4 rows in alt colored chalkings. 54 taps (beer, brewery, ABV), and cocktails. You know, looking at the list, less than a half dozen of ‘em are actually ‘International’ (Guinness, Lindemans Framboise, Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, Stiegl Radler, St Bernardus 12), everything else is craft local Kansas City (Boulevard, Stockyards, KC Bier, Big Rip, Brewery Emperial), Missouri not local (Log Boat, Perennial, 4 Hands, Civil Life, Torn Label, Melvin), regional (Toppling Goliath, Free State, Maplewood, Odell, Left Hand, Crooked Stave, Prost Dunkel, Bells), and beyond (Sweetwater, Unita, Deschutes, Golden Road, Sierra Nevada, Kona), plus a handful of ciders (Austin East, Brick River, Cinder Block) and a single hard seltzer (Quirk). All in all, a bit more than 2/5 of the list are Missouri offerings.

Kyletender doled out the talk & tasters. Tried a bunch of things but settled on the Free State Okto, as it was excellent. And then we split a Unibroue La Fun Du Monde, which I haven’t seen on draft in like a thousand years and it did not suck. Solid tap list and some damned fine offerings in them co-co-coolers. We could have done more time here had last call not shut us down.

Vista Brewing's satellite location in San Antonio. It's more of a tasting room with a small outdoor patio space, close to the heart of downtown. Pretty chill.

This is a satellite location in Denver’s trendy RiNo district. Yet for the most part it somehow manages to avoid the club/party-like atmosphere feeling so prevalent elsewhere in the area. Fantastic service, with a great mix of ‘90s hip hop—KRS-One, Wu-Tang, Talib Kweli. Don’t miss out on the arepa truck out front, either.

Of all the places I had initially planned to visit in Denver, this was among the top of my list. However, even after reading up on it I was not prepared in the least for the raucous, party like, carnivalesque atmosphere on the weekend night of my visit. Think large crowds, loud music—there was a band playing inside—and just an overwhelming assault on all senses. A playground for adults, perhaps, if that’s your thing.

Servers were fantastic, and to their credit took it all in stride. (I’m sure they’ve seen everything.) Plenty of I outdoor seating made for an enjoyable conversation. The beer is impeccable. I’d love to visit again.

Station 26 occupies a former firehouse, and they carry that theme across their beers and branding. Service was friendly, if brisk, and the beers I tried there were all solid.

I’m not sure what, exactly, I should have prepared for, given what appears to be TRVE’s reputation—is it the heavy metal theme that scares folks away?

Regardless of the case, I had no problems here and (perhaps music aside) found it a far more relaxing and even contemplative space than appearances would otherwise indicate. It helps that the servers were all super friendly and inviting, and extremely patient with my beer geekery, and their selection was just fantastic. Worth the trip, worth the trek.

I visited Cerebral on Monroe towards the end of their evening on a Friday night in March. So the party-atmosphere as things neared last call might not be the most indicative of the overall vibe. Busy and bustling, but I still had an opportunity to talk shop and work my way through a range of their offerings.

Stopped in today to try their beers, but it turns out they don't brew their own. Everything (all 20) on the chalk board was a "guest beer". In spite of that, inside the place was rustic, with a lot of modern beer signs and games - darts, foosball, board games. Located in a bit of an industrial section of town which dropped the vibe a bit. Food is really good - Thai and sushi. Prices are reasonable.

A little gem of a pizza spot, with a great tap selection. Just across the street from the Golden Gate Park. This place is dark and cozy, with an impressive tap list and some delicious pies.

Comrade brewing quickly became one of my top brewery experiences in recently memory. Part of it was just the excellence of their WCIPA-focused selection. But the larger part was the overwhelming friendliness of everyone I encountered—from the beertenders to the regulars and everyone in-between. I won’t be forgetting my visit anytime soon.

This was the first of two memorable brewery experiences I had on the same night.

I arrived, expecting to try a few tasters and make a selection, and instead opted (wisely, I would add) to go for a couple short pours, on the advice of the beertender. The board is split almost evenly between cask and draft selections. I stuck with the hand pumps and had an opportunity to try some incredible brews done to perfection.

Latinx-owned brewery, with a pride and orgullo that comes across in the spacious design and overall vibe. This place is built for community, which means plenty of shared tables but no bar seating. Beers were all enjoyable. The pupusa truck is worth a stop if you’re hungry.

Cool atmospheric pub with fullers beers on tap and pub food. It’s a bit of a tourist trap so close to Big Ben, but nevertheless enjoyable.

Strange had the feel of a dorm room slash man cave turned brewery, but in a good way. Real laid back feel, tucked away in an area that felt off the beaten path. Beers were excellent across the board, and made the stop memorable.

Tucked away on the campus of Metro State, this might be hard to find unless—like me—you just happen to pass by it. A brewery on campus--how cool is that? Beautiful interior space with an active production brewery.

Vibe is a bit like a dive bar slightly up-scaled. It wouldn't seem out of place to come across a swath of Harley Davidsons parked out front. Service (and spelling) are consistent with that feel: nothing's bad, but it's not a high end posh place.

This is not a craft beer Mecca; you're unlikely to find anything particularly rare or hyped, although they do get some surprising offerings from time to time. Handles include some of the obvious Big Beer, some better options in Guinness and Yuengling, and both local and nationally distributed craft.

Food is where this place really shines: they have literally two dozen crafted burgers of all kinds of variety. You want a regular patty with cheese and bacon? Sure, and it's pretty darn good. But what about fried mac n cheese on your burger? Fried banana with peanut butter, bacon, and cheddar? Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, and spicy mustard - no, not as a meal, but on your burger? They've got tons of creative options, and despite the strangeness of many of them, they are far more often a hit than they are a miss.

This isn't the best place to take your beer nerd friend to show him or her the best beer that Southeast Connecticut has to offer, but it is a unique spot in the area where you can get together with friends, try some crazy (and gut-busting) food, and likely find at least something on the beer menu you can enjoy.

Kills strength are pils,very drinkable and well executed. Drinkable other styles. Ny area patrons are louder than ever,so that subtracts from vibe. Most cans past dated because of impending move I was told, still able to get a pils as longer shelf life.

Visited here on 5-24-23 for a packaged take-out purchase for myself and @BMBCLT.

Vibe was very good. A small bar that maybe can seat 5-6 greets you. A large inventory of high gravity beers sits behind the bar. Not sure how many beers were on tap. Outdoor seating with umbrellas was available as well. A swag room was off the main taproom with shirts, etc. as well as cold take out beer.

Quality of the beer is excellent. Anyone who has had Jackie beers knows they brew awesome beers, not only the high-gravity stuff but lagers, ipa's, and Saisons are of high quality.

Service was excellent as well given we came in midafternoon mid-week. I handed over a hand procured list of about 20 beers to the server and our order was filled in about 5 minutes, before i was able to finish shirt shopping!

Selection was awesome, pretty much mirrors Jackie O's online store.

I wish we had time to have a beer there, but we had a 3.5-hour trip back to our timeshare in West Virginia and we wanted to get food at the JO Public House so we passed on the beers but could see it would be a good place to hang out!

Visited the Public House after a beer run to the Production Taproom on 5-24-23. It was a Wednesday mid-afternoon when we arrived so other than two other tables being occupied, we had the place to ourselves.

Vibe was very nice, decorated in a party atmosphere with lights and decorations adorning the ceiling. Large bar seating area was available and there were numerous tables in the main serving room. Guessing capacity would be 150-175.

Quality of the beers is top notch. I am mainly interested in the high gravity beers but had a Saison with lunch and found it very good as i did when sharing a bottle earlier this year with a friend. Their lagers are top notch as well per Da Boss plus my previous experience. Also had a serving of the 2023 Oil of Aphrodite which was excellent!

Service was top notch as our server was very friendly, offering me a taste of the two saisons on tap. She was very quick and served the appetizers and our meal and a very nice pace.

Selection of beers was top notch with four bourbon barrel stouts on tap and a nice cross section of other styles.

The Ruben Roll appetizer was very good but we were disappointed in our Ruben Sandwich and Baja Fish Tacos as both were on the dry side. Good Kettle chips and Tortilla Chips though.

Overall definitely a destination place but highly recommend it if in the region.

This is located right across the Beverly commuter rail station. You won't miss it.
The space is pretty open with large tables. Outdoor seating are available too.
About 10 or so beers to choose from with good variety of styles, the main draw is their traditional British style cask conditioned ales. They usually have about 4 available. Both cask ales I tasted were properly poured, high quality with authentic profile.
Well made cask ales aren't easy to find. It is worth a visit.

First time visiting the Salem location. It's facing the water near Salem harbor in a busy area but relatively secluded.
Nice place to seat outside to enjoy a beer or two with a view, filled mostly by locals.
Sessionable styles are their focus with excellent quality. The Czech style lagers poured from LUKR are must-try.
Not a huge list of beers, but well curated and changed frequently.
Staffs are polite and helpful. They seem cheerful and glad to be working there.
Besides the witches in Salem, Notch is a true attraction for beer geeks.

Trader Joe's is always worth a visit, if only for the variety of stuff they have that you can't get anywhere else. I enjoy the shopping experience there, the hipster vibe or whatever you'd call it. That said, it's not a beer store. They have a modest selection of good-quality craft beers, with quite a few local brews. They also offer a few house brands of wines, beers, and spirits. Check it out anyway - you can always find something good at TJ!

Typical Total Wine superstore, which is not a bad thing. Clean, pleasant, and well organized, with an outstanding selection of just about everything. My only knock on this place is that a lot of the beer selection is not refrigerated, and some of it is pretty old. That aside, they probably have just about everything you're looking for.

I like the vibe of this place. Not having one close to where I live, it's a rare pleasure when I get a chance to visit one. Sure, it's not a beer store, but they have a good selection of quality items. This location offers quite a few locals, plus a decent smattering of imports and the usual macro suspects. They also offer a modest selection of individually priced singles. All in all, you could do a lot worse.

This is a self-contained beer, wine, and spirits shop that is attached to a Hy-Vee supermarket. Clean, well lighted, and a pleasant vibe, as is typical of the Hy-Vee wine & spirits shops. This one has a particularly good selection of craft beers, refrigerated and prominently displayed. Several Iowa breweries are represented, as well as many of the more widely-distributed craft brands. Staff were helpful and friendly, which also seems to be a Hallmark of the Hy-Vee W&S shops. Leave yourself plenty of time to browse, because they have an excellent selection of wines and spirits as well as beer.

Small corner gas and convenience store with the usual vibe: cigs, vapes, snacks, pop, energy drinks, common wines, and the like. Beer selection is about average, with the usual macros plus a few craft brands including Iowa-made brews. Where this place excels is the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, plus an outstanding selection of bourbons. They had a few scarce ones on the shelf at retail, including some allocated items from Buffalo Trace (e.g. Blanton's, Eagle Rare). Worth a stop, 'cause you never know what you'll find.

I found the place to be mediocre. I went for lunch around 1:30 on a weekday and was the only person in the place. The vibe/atmosphere was a little run down, imho. I got a flight of four beers that were average, but nothing special I wanted to buy to take home. They do have a nice selection of beers, but several of them I couldn’t get because the taps had problems. My food was ok, veggie shepherd’s pie. It was a bit on the salty side and looked like it contained canned vegetables. My server was friendly and attentive, but again, I was the only person there. You will have to pay for parking to eat here and they add a 3% charge on every bill for “a living wage” assessment for the staff who don’t get tips. Just raise your prices, that’s dumb and annoying.

Large complex. Order in advance makes sense for them although limits consumer flexibility. Curbside pickup makes even more sense. Right near highway so a must stop. Fresh beers I had tasted as good as draft.

Cohesion operates out of a spacious, well-lit warehouse-industrial park location, making this feel more of a destination than it needs to be. Beer flows from the Lukr taps, representing a range of “traditional” Czech lager styles—and only lagers.
Snyt and milko pours too, for those looking to scratch that itch.

This place is like no other. Think of an incredibly well-curated vintage shop, with an eye for the ‘70s, combined with a backroom speakeasy, and that’s a start.
There is a bar tucked in the back with a full board of Texas craft (bottles & cans), and two stories of browsing fun--just room after room of ephemera, loosely following a theme. Worth a visit just for the experience.

Rerate. A very good neighborhood bar. All the taps are good. Several gems in cans and bottles. Extraordinary service. A nice vibe even though most prople mind their own.

Not a cheap place to get your snack on, but they had one of the first Russian River Brewing accounts in Orange County, and they have a steady presence in their draft list of RRBC product.

Today, as an example, they had both Beatification and Propitiation in rotation with Pliny.

Come here for the beer and the food, stay for the ambiance. I love this place as a hangout but also a memorial to the mom & pop kind of business which has a heart and a soul, unlike many corporate stores. And, Russian River, almost always.

Medium sized taproom more of a to-go brewery. Average brews. Somewhat more interesting craft beers nearby unless you are here a few days to try them all.

Best selection of beers intown.

Fun, sort 2000s emo vibe. Good beers and a decent selection. Service was satisfactory. Have to order food separately from drinks, which kinda sucks. Seems like it would be a fun place to hang out if you lived in the area.

Classic brewpub type place from 20-30 years ago. Felt like the type of place that offends no one but appeals to few. Beers a food were good but nothing special. Good selection of beers, however, and the service was friendly and attentive.

I’ve been on driveabout (walkabout on wheels) for 4 days now but the unusual suspects just rolled in this morning. In Kansas City now. No, not that one, the other one. Looking to pregame the Royals and in no rush whatsoever. We’ve got a place in mind, a little way out and off the corner near a frozen custard sugar shack, as some of the best places are…

Large lime green monster standalone, park, up, & enter in. Long open room with high ceilings. Wood plank topped lightning bolt shaped bar with a horizontal plank base on the inner wall. Seating for 14 on dark wood chairs. 12 logo tap handled tower on stainless on the barback counter, and glassware to both sides & shelved below. ‘Biers on tap’ slat board on the wall above (beer, ABV, & IBU) displaying draft options in 2 rows alt colored chalked, and a logo bottlecap piece atop. Smaller boards list new beers up or food things happening. A large flat to one side and peek-a-boos to the brew room forward. And a red curvy overhead piece with cylinder spots tracing over the back end of the bar, with merch central housed back there where it widens under track spots.

Concrete floors, and a white panel ceiling with sound dampers, ductwork, ship wheel mix & match filament bulb chandeliers. Wine enthusiast, Beer Connoisseur, and Beer & Brewing scoring banners hanging in rows from the ceiling above. Walls in white & pale green over horizontal plank wood lowers. Panel roll up door to the biergarten on the near end, and alongside, a large topographical map of Germany with the locations of the origins of different beer styles tagged (that’s pretty badass). Far wall holds a row of medals dangling over a logo piece. A trio of square blackboards on the rear wall with music, events, and whatever that ‘Ein Prosit’ verbiage is about, mounted lamps & and some flaggings above. 3 bar counter tables about the room, and 6 picnics on the back wall; we’re sitting at one of them.

Slight side deck holds a dozen red metal stools on bar counter ledge space overlooking the aforementioned biergarten corralled below and around the bend. Gravel space with 2 dozenish picnics umbrella’d up or under awning, plus a few trees boxed offering stand around ledge space. Strung lighting back & forth, and hop vines climbing the side of the building. I could hang here and drink a lot of Lager, please, and thank you.

11 taps, 10 beers (Dunkel, Munich Style Brown Lager, 5.1%; Helles, Munich Style Golden Lager, 5.1%; Hefeweizen, Bavarian Style Wheat Ale, 5.2%; Pure Pils, North German Style Pilsner, 4.8%; Mandarina IPL, DDH India Pale Lager, 5.8%; Winterbock, Dark Doppelbock Lager, 8.25%; Festbier, Something style Lager, 5.5%; Dampfbier, German Ale, 5.3%; Edleweiss, Bavarian style Amber Wheat, 5.8%; Weizenbock, Pale Doppelbock Wheat Ale, 7.5%), and a single cider (Birne Cider, Pear Cider, 5.5%), plus the blends (Russ’n, Shandy, 2.5%; Radler, 2.5%). Beers are generally served in a 1L and a smaller pour (.27L, .35L, or .5L) but sometimes it’s just the smaller pour option where the beer is big. And they can and/or growl for the to-go.

I started with the Pure Pils (crisp, clean, nicely bitter, lovely) and then the Weizenbock (the place where Hefe meets deep plumminess), and then jumped to a sampler of 4 (Dunkel, chocolate, caramel, toasty fantastic; Helles, clean, crisp, biscuit love; Edelweisse, banana, clove, bready; Winterbock, a big boozy dark chocolate thing). I’m thinking Pure Pils, Dunkel, & Helles for the Wins, but there were no slouches to be found here.

I’m trying not to get all German beer schnookered but it ain’t easy. Really wanted the apple strudel but it wasn’t to be, as I have the wurst friends. Chill scene Tuesday. An excellent outing. I could do some time here.

This is a small place on the southern end of the Kazimierz district of Krakow. There are 18 beers on tap and dozens more in bottles -- you will find something to your liking.

The vibe is casual with only locals when I was there. As far as I could tell there wasn't any food offered. But there's plenty of very good restaurants in the area. The bartender was friendly and spoke English with me. Glasses come is 0.2 and 0.5 liter glasses (0.5 l is slightly more than a pint). All of the on-tap offerings were from Poland. The small glasses cost $2.50 on average while the larger ones were $4-7 dollars (in 2023).

Krakow is a great visit and this place should delight any beer geek.

Sleek modern freestanding building one block off the main drag on the north side of town. L-shaped bar on the right seat about 15 with dining room on the left. About a dozen beers on tap (Utah 5% max) and higher abv in can, available. Friendly service. Shrimp and grits were very nice.

Satellite brewpub next door to Copper Club with open seating area up front and service bar on the left in the back. 16 beers on tap. Long line at service bar, I guess a good and a bad sign. Large outdoor grass area along right hand side of the building with tables and corn hole. Hoppin' joint.

Lots of very good local taps, notably lesser distributed Hill Farmstead. Humid inside,deck fully taken.half pours served. The Capital Town downtown is lovely.