We went in during the height of Octoberfest looking for a respite from the madness. ABF is awesome! Busy as all heck but one of the bar tenders took the time to help me pick a good beer off their extensive beer menu. Ended up with the Factory Light lager, which was quite tasty and refreshing. We ordered a brat special and a one-pound pretzel. Both were very good. The two dipping sauces with the pretzel were great. We'll be back in calmer times! read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Bratwurst and chips! - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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We popped in for lunch before wandering the streets for the annual Mile of Music festival. Because of this event the restaurant only had a limited menu of food. Before we got some food a few of us ordered beers. I tried their hefeweizen which was quite tasty. For lunch I opted for the sloppy Joe which was pretty good though a small serving. I got a basket of their kettle chips which were good. My wife got the grilled cheese which had already been made - it was OK. I guess to be fair we should return for their normal menu. read more

Went during the week on a snowy night so it wasn't too busy at all. Taco trio was SO good. I got the steak, shrimp and avocado tacos. Cocktails were good. Staff great. Definitely recommend. read more

I went to Appleton Beer Factory the Satutday of Mile of Music around 5pm. I ordered the berry beer they had but were out so they asked if I wanted the peach. Which I did. About half way through the beer I started to have a reaction where I was struggling to breathe, coughing, sneezing, etc. I ended up leaving and getting some Benadryl and was fine a few hours later. I do have allergies. On Monday 8/4 I tried to call (364-9931 - number on website) and they were closed. I called 8/5 @ 7:48, no one answered so I left a vm asking for a callback. I called 8/8 1:25, no one answered so I left another vm asking for a call back. I have yet to receive a callback! I was looking to gain information on what the ingredients were in the beer I had to ensure I don't eat/drink that in the future. I won't be visiting Appleton Beer Factory again. read more

I was there for an event in a meeting room. After the presentation we had a beer tasting with the brewmaster. He explained the samples we tried really well. I will definitely be going back because of the beer and the entertainment they have scheduled. read more

1st impression was horrible, went downhill from there. Walked in to a chaotic mess of people standing around, no one saying "seat yourself", or anything, for that matter. Walked to the back to attempt to find any seats for party of 4, was spoken to quickly then by bartender "this area is reserved for people who paid for it". Only a couple of empty tables up front, most just had people's stuff sitting on. Asked someone near two tabes shoved together if they were using both, nice lady says, "take one". Quickly found that the sticky table only offered up a "help yourself at the bar" type of menu. Not in the mood to fight a crowd to order food or drink, we chose to leave and go a few doors down to a really nice German spot, with great brews, nice accommodating staff and non-sticky tables. And the NOISE, my lawd this place could use some acoustic treatment. This place is a complete pass for me, only gave 1 star because zero is not an option. read more

Sunday morning, pre-Lions/Packers game, and we were looking for a good meal. We were staying down the street from the Appleton Beer Factory, and what a find! The service was fantastic! Super helpful and friendly, explaining everything. I started with the pickled egg because I was intrigued. If you like pickled anything and a little spice, this will not disappoint. I can't even begin to explain the fantastic flavor bomb that is the pickled egg. I also ordered the breakfast tacos for my main. I love a unique spin on breakfast foods because I can never find breakfast tacos near me except in my kitchen! Each taco was full of steak, cheese, eggs, grilled peppers, and onions. Very good! The steak could have used a little more seasoning as it was just ok in flavor, but I added hot sauce, giving it the pep it needed. My family all enjoyed their meals; a LARGE Reuben sandwich - heavy on the meat, no skimping on flavor. The Reuben Skillet was a deconstructed Reuben with two over-easy eggs on top of a bed of hash browns. The beer was great (per my husband and FIL)! They didn't try too many options as it was going to be a long day of drinking! The food was fantastic! A pleasant surprise considering some brewery food can be hit or miss. The most unique of all was the old cigarette machine that doubled as an art display. All pieces inside are available for purchase and are all made by local artists. Such a fun way to repurpose these machines and support local! read more

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Our food was delicious ! I think maybe a new menu with many choices. We all ordered beer and also great selection with that. Our server was also attentive and it was busy- no problem there. The ambiance was busy and band about to play- fun. I highly recommend!! read more

Tried somewhere new...and the food and drinks were okay. Nothing special and no real reason to want to return. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - a row of beer taps - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Enjoyable brew pub. Nice selection of house made craft beers along with a full bar. Standard tasty pub fare. Pleasant and attentive service. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - customers at the bar - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Ouisconsin Poutine: Fries, fried cheese curds, more cheese, green onions & gravy. It was good, friends. Also great burgers & beer, ciders, etc. But THE POUTINE is more than enough to make me want to return. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Ouisconsin Poutine: Fries, fried cheese curds, more cheese, green onions & gravy. It was good, friends. - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Our experience was delightful with a caveat... we had time. I don't know if the day was particularly busy due to a bridal shower, Small Business Saturday and a little art fair, but service/food was slow. Fortunately our boys were in a patient mood and we just enjoyed the company and perhaps an extra beverage. And it helped that the bartender was friendly and apologetic. Youngest LOVED the beer cheese dip we ordered with the pretzel bites and he exclaimed that it was well worth the wait. Phew! SO glad I tried a prototype beer (an imperial stout) and wished I had started with that. They had three different styles! In addition to the pretzel bites, my group had carnivore flatbread, margerita flatbread, wings and adult grilled cheese with slaw in side. The full flatbread could serve 4! But my oldest almost ate a half on his own. ? And he ordered chicken fingers on the flatbread, which I thought was weird. But then the chicken wasn't breaded, so it made sense. Hubby loved the beer bbq sauce with the wings. And the chipotle ranch was good, too. Slaw was vinegar based and tasty as reported by my sis. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Carnivore flatbread (full) - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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The beer and wings were awesome, but that was about it. The service and food selection were subpar for sure.

My wife and I sat at the bar for 15 minutes (a modest estimate) as 3 staff members walked pasted me without even a "welcome, we'll be with you in a bit"... we walked out without even being served. It was hardly busy and my second time experiencing poor service so I'm not showing much mercy. There are far too many bars/breweries in the valley to put up with anything but standards of decency! I walked over to McGuinness Irish Pub who had double the patrons and had an ice cold beer in front of me within 30 seconds! Good luck Appleton Beer Factory! read more

Great food, decent variety, good service nice chill vibe. Live music in back. Great beer many of which are brewed on site.

This review is based solely on their beer selection as we had reservations for dinner elsewhere. Atmosphere: They have a great vibe going on here. Big wrap around bar when you walk in. There is a lot of natural light that comes in from outside which makes the overall establishment feel bigger. The tables are spread apart so you don't hear the conversation next to you. Service: We had a great bartender that walked us through what they had on tap and their beer flight options. Extremely friendly and the second one of our glasses were empty she was back over to take it away and ask if we wanted another. Drinks: Honestly this is some of the best beer I've had on tap in the fox valley in a longgggg time. The prices were completely reasonable. For 6 beers in the flight my fiance and I split it was only $10. Talk about f**#** reasonable. The butte des morts black was sinfully delicious. I wanted a whole pint after sampling it. We had a great time pregaming before dinner here and are looking forward to coming back-maybe to try the food even. read more

The beer was really good here and the atmosphere was great. Bartender was very friendly. We were there early afternoon so it wasn't busy, but looked like it would be busy later. Really enjoyed the beer. read more

The service is highly variable. I like the Reuben and a few beers. I have to think it thru carefully before I go there because I can get quite frustrated. Go there if you can't find anywhere better. read more

On the eve of the 2015 Fox Cities marathon in Appleton, WI, I found myself here at the Appleton Beer Factory for dinner with 4 other friends - all of which were running the 26.2 miles with me. Crazy bunch of friends! We arrived here at the Appleton Beer Factory about 6:15pm on a Saturday night and the scene was busy and popping. Parking for this place was serendipitous and I had to find parking in the nearby neighborhoods and walk about 2 blocks away. At least it was free, I thought. We sat near the door and the service was kind of slow, but they were busy that night. Not too sure if there were people here just partying it up or like me and my friends: run 13.1 or 26.2 the next morning. Either way, I had a glass of local beer and it tasted pretty good. It was Mort something or other. I ordered the burger and it tasted pretty good, along with French fries. One of my friends had ordered a flight of beers, some of which were really off and I got to sample some of them. It was fun. Appleton Beer Factory is located at 603 W College Avenue in Appleton, WI. It was a last minute thing to come here, but I'm glad we did. They accept credit cards, which is always a guaranteed plus in my book. It was an interesting evening to say the least, but we made it a good time. The food here was definitely good, as I think I chose well. The Butte Des Mort beer that I chose seemed to taste almost like a Guinness with its dark color and rich smoothness. I would like to recommend that one if you love beer. The darker local beers are always good, but a good light beer works well too. The restaurant itself was rustic, but clean and just a pretty cool place to be on a casual Saturday evening in Appleton, WI. As for me, the prime rib sandwich that I ordered was decently great and it just what I had needed. Ordered a side of fries to down with it. And they didn't card me for the beer, which was awesome. Only means that I am getting old and it kind of sucks, but what can you do really? The meal was good and having it with good friends was even better. The service was a little off, since it was just a tad busy. One of my friends joked that, since service is a little behind, could we have 10% off the bill? It was kind of funny. Still, the service here was decent, positive, and reassuring that our food was going to be out as fast as they can make it. I liked the ambiance and the Appleton Beer Factory is good for what it does. Two thumbs up, if you like liquid happiness and comfort food here in east central Wisconsin. Support local! B read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Great, hip atmosphere with friendly and hardworking staff. Always special events going on. Love it!

After consuming a couple of beers from the Appleton Beer Factory at other local establishments, I had to visit the source. Parking sucks. As a single diner and unfamiliar with the area, I felt uncomfortable parking a couple a blocks away in front of an under maintained house. Once I got inside, I fell in love with the place. The beers were solid. I had a black ale (porter) and a merlot blonde that was heavy on the merlot. The bacon mac n cheese sandwich is the way to go! I didn't feel so guilty eating mac n cheese in sandwich form for some reason... The sweet potato fries with marshmallow dipping sauce was the perfect complement to this glutinous meal. I can't wait to return to try more of the menu and to drink more beers! read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Bacon mac n cheese sandwich and sweet potato fries with marshmallow dip - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

We ordered buffalo chicken sandwich, a Rubin and fries. I think they deep fried everything including the corn beef. Everything was greasy. We both had the October fest, which was good. Try somewhere else to eat read more

This place is underrated... Definitely stop in. Food is great and beer is good. Just their tuesday reuben chowder makes this place worth visiting... It is AMAZING! read more

Excellent food, excellent beer. Really cool atmosphere. Will have to come back on a Saturday for the live music. Couldn't be happier that my wife and I tried this place tonight. read more

Really great environment here. It's a huge space so I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for somewhere to go with a large group. We were there on a Friday but it wasn't too busy - fast and very friendly service. We were 6 people. Our server was very knowledgeable about the beer, and recommended something to each person at the table based on their tastes. Everyone enjoyed the beer. I'd highly recommend the Hefeweizen. We got lots of recommendations for food from our serve - I actually didn't listen to what the server recommended and ordered pulled pork tacos with mac and cheese on the side... it wasn't exceptional. Very standard pub food but moderately priced. Everyone at the table agreed that it was good but nothing special. That's why only 4 stars. Overall if looking for a casual night out with a cool atmosphere and great beer - I'd recommend it, and go back myself! read more

Terrible ice cold sandwich. Yuck. Couldn't eat it. Grilled cheese with bratwurst. Chips overcooked and cold. Response from server it was made 10 minutes ago and it's so good cold. If your charging 10 then make it fresh. Beer was good but avoid food read more

I started my day drinking adventure at the Appleton Beer Factory on Saturday around 1PM. ABF is located in downtown Appleton where the limited parking space problem is solved in the usual manner that all cities use... parking meters. I haven't carried change around in my car in years, so I was quite frustrated by the need to feed a meter. On top of that, the 2 hour max had me periodically interrupting my leisurely stroll through the beer menu with a bone chilling dash out to the meter. At least the bartender was able to give me quarters. The interior of ABF was nice with big windows across the front and lots of light colored wood on the ceiling, the bar and the chairs. The floor was concrete, which makes a lot of sense for durability, but it can add to the noise problems that bars often have. We sat at the large U-shaped bar. The bar stools had back support to keep me happy through a long session. I hope that they add a foot rail in the future. The ladies in my party were also hoping for hooks under the bar to hang their purses. I was glad to see that there was only one TV and it wasn't even turned on. My favorite bars are the ones that are about the craft beers and not the sports. They had four ABF beers on tap when I arrived. A fifth one was added later in the day. I tried them all. While I preferred some over others due to style preference, they were all good. ABF does not yet have clever names for their beers so they simply identify them by style. Blonde - a basic easy drinking beer. Not my style, but a good gateway beer. Hefeweisen- This was a very good version of the style in my opinion. There is a hint of banana in the nose just as I like it. This cloudy and flavorful beer was my favorite of their current offerings. Brown - another easy drinking beer, but with with a dark side. It was good, but tame for my taste. Oatmeal Stout - dark and bitter like an unsweetened chocolate. Didn't have the smooth mouth feel that I usually associate with oatmeal stouts, but this was still very good. I would get it again. black ale - bold dark flavor. A little too raw for my taste, but my wife liked it. Not a bad beer, but just not for me. I like to try everything when I go to a new place, so I was disappointed that the ABV was not listed on the chalkboard that I was using to choose my beers. I like this information so that I can properly pace myself. Drinking water along with my beer helps me to pace myself as well as staying hydrated. Perhaps I am in the minority in this method of beer drinking, but we were not offered water. It was provided upon request, but refills of water were not provided unless requested again. It may seem like a waste of time to the servers, but good beer drinkers drink water too. Beer is my primary reason for going to ABF, but food is important too when you are spending many hours at the bar. Over the course of the afternoon we tried several things. pretzel bites - fun dipping sauces, but not many bites hop pickled egg - mild pickled flavor, not sure that I could really detect hop influence. The hot sauce totally obliterated the flavor, but it is optional as it sits in the bottom of the hot glass. onion tartlets - tasty... even better when dipped in the pretzel bite sauces pulled pork with sweet potato fries - good, but not much smoke flavor in the meat. This could be covered up with sauce, but there wasn't a lot of that either. reuben with potato salad - the corned beef was tender by virtue of its shredded state. The potato salad was mild with cubed potatoes and dill. I liked it. shredded chicken with regular fries - juicy and flavorful meat I was surprised that utensils were not provided by default. The food was dropped off and it took a fair amount of time to get someone's attention to request utensils. I don't know how this would have gone had we been at a table rather than the bar. There was also a small mistake on the choice of fries for one of our sandwiches, but it was cheerfully rectified once we politely brought it to our server's attention. She even admitted that it was her entry error rather than blaming it on "the kitchen". Many other reviews refer to the service so I must weigh in on that. We were primarily helped by Larry and Jessica and they were friendly and accommodating. As the afternoon progressed and the place started filling up it became a little harder to get their attention, but that is to be expected at any place. To put in a snobby Illinois comment, I have generally found Wisconsin service to be a little slower and a little less attentive than what I get back home. It is just a different way of doing things and I have come to expect it when I visit Wisconsin. Overall I would recommend Appleton Beer Factory. I look forward to an expansion of the beer lineup with some more adventurous styles. Given the newness I think ABF is on a solid footing and has plenty of time to refine the experience. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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I am writing this review while waiting over an hour for my food and over 20 for my drink. Our group has run to the bar for drinks because that is faster. First of all, Appleton beer factory needs to learn how to brew good beer. Or they need to bring in better guest taps to supplement. Birthday celebration. We are a party of 8 that had called to increase their reservation to 10 with no issues. When we arrived, the table we were seated at was set for the original count of 8 and because of restaurant week, there was no immediate fix according to the owner. No apologies. I thought we were very nice despite the fact that a quarter of our party stood for a half hour. Meanwhile, the server tried to push for a food order. Bad service. Slow service. Waited 35 minutes for our second round. No food yet. Won't be coming back. Incredible disappointing experience. Oh. And while the staff is behind and can't seem to get it together, the owner/manager is hanging out with a new hire drinking beer. Redick. Got food. Cold. Missing slaw. DO NOT COME HERE!!! And the spoon given with the dessert doesn't fit in the dessert. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Alright, so I only made it in for a beer, but I'm glad this was the pit stop of chance! Thank you for the great beer and wonderful service!! Next time through I'll definitely have to sample from the menu - that Mac smelled so delicious and the brewery pops looked incredible... Next time. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - IIPA - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Was here for my first yelp event so this is a non traditional beer/restaurant review. The place is awesome with a unique ceiling in the main bar, and a the cool stringing outdoor light in the back section (it would be cool if they did an outdoor theme with those and add some trees and that for all year outdoor themed alfresco dining). Beer was surprisingly good and enjoyed the Red and APA. Now for the food, and granted we were there for a group even, but the jalapeños poppers were small and not the beat flavor, the pretzel dip was cold, and the chicken (or maybe pork) white sauce pizza wasn't good. The margarita pizza with balsamic and cheese curds where very good though. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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I always feel bad giving a bad review to a local place BUT this place needs some serious work, particularly on their customer service. I want to love this place as the entire interior has this beautiful wooden bar feel, but it's just not worth it to be treated like crap by their employees. Their beer is ok, not amazing. It's a little pricey for what you're getting, too. It's time to get back to the fundamentals on customer service! read more

Called Sat., Feb. 24 to make a reservation. I was told that with 14 people I needed to speak with the Event Planner for reservation over 12 people. Received call from Event Planner and was told they need to make arrangements for the group. They were aware we were seeing Les Miserable at 1:00 on the 25th. Arrived at 11:00 when they opened. Person who greeted us not very pleasant, like we were a burden. Ordered beverages. Received beverages and then ordered, 11:15 or so. Two dishes came out and the rest of us waited 45 minutes or more, 12:15. We were never asked if we wanted any more drinks. When food finally came, the person told us they got slammed. Hmmm. They already knew we were coming and there were also different things going on in Downtown Appleton as well as at their establishment. People that arrived later than us were served before us! Was it really necessary to make a reservation? They knew 14 of us were coming! Food--ok. Service--poor. Being one who set it up, I felt terrible for those in the group. I made many apologies to the group. Would not recommend. read more

My wife and I used to love Appleton Beer Factory, but, for me, it's had a couple strikes against its record. It really shouldn't though. It's such a beautiful building, with interior work by Amish woodworkers. The beers are typically very good and they keep an interesting guest tap in the rotation, too. The general feel is very casual and inviting. I want to keep loving it. I really do. It was a cold, blustery day in December (I believe) that we stopped in, intending to have a beer and an appetizer before bundling up and heading over to Katsuya for some sushi. We took our seats at the bar and each started off with their signature Clockout Nitro Stout, one of our favorites and something we've enjoyed many times in the past. However, after the first couple sips, we immediately noticed something was off...It tasted a bit SOUR. We asked if they changed the recipe, and the bartender responded by explaining that each batch is a little different. While there might be slight variances, I knew it should never have come out sour. She graciously replaced our drinks with other varieties (I took the Hefeweizen), which tasted as they should. Props (and prost) to that nice gesture! (on a side note, I thoroughly enjoy their Hefeweizen and highly recommend it) Either way, we skipped the app, a bit worried. It was only a couple weeks later that we took a tour of Central Waters Brewery in Amherst and learned some fun facts about sour flavors in beer -- the most notable of which is that your regular, standard, run-of-the-mill beer SHOULDN'T BE SOUR and the effect is only achieved by allowing a bit of wild yeast or bacteria to flourish in the batch. If a brewery is making a sour beer, they have to be extremely careful and practically zealous in their cleaning habits or else a tiny speck of the culture could "infect" and grow in other batches. Some breweries get around this by having entire separate facilities for brewing sours. And then I remembered: When we got our "special" sour stout, Appleton Beer Factory was in fact brewing a special sour series at the time. So...Yeah. That was strike one. Strike two is a shorter story that involves us asking for a salad without blue cheese (remember: vegan). When said salad arrived, it appeared to be cheeseless. Hurray! However, on closer inspection, the kitchen staff first prepared the salad WITH the cheese and then, upon realizing what the order actually was, attempted to remove what might possibly be one of the MOST CRUMBLY FOOD SUBSTANCES ON EARTH. Little specks were all over. We begrudgingly ate it (report us to the vegan police, whatever). We brought it up hesitantly, and the server graciously took one of the salads off of the bill. But it remains a strike. Strike three hasn't happened yet, but we haven't visited since. I would like to, but I worry about them. I know everyone is struggling to find good help, but it's easy to see something is wrong when people are waiting for drinks and the staff is huddled together laughing at inside jokes. I LOVE the feel and look of the restaurant (and am enthusiastic about their Stout and Hefe). I just fear they are squandering the potential of a really cool and promising venue for food and fun. I hope for a comeback! read more

I had heard about this place for a couple of years. But, to be honest I am not a big beer fan. So, it was not high on my list. However, I attended a function there this week and I wish I had tried it before. STAFF - The staff was extremely pleasant, responsive, and knowledgeable. AMBIANCE - Open air with décor that makes you want to discuss it and ask questions. Like.... What is behind that track door or is it just décor? (FYI - Its not just for décor) FOOD - I had the prime rib sandwich and it was very food. A few of the cheese curds and pretzel bites also fell onto my plate and well very good as well. DRINKS - Ok.... So, I did not give into the beer. But the people I was with did and all of the varieties they tried were enjoyed. I enjoyed my wine. I will be back! read more

no one else in the place so I was a little nervous. But ordered the Ruben and a cup of loaded potato soup. The Ruben was different as it is not made with sour kraut but with red cabbage and it was a nice change and I am glad I tried it. The Loaded Potato soup was good, my wife enjoyed it. the services was excellent and very clean atmosphere. read more

Some of the best craft beer I've had. I live in Chicago and pass through this area a couple times a year heading up to Northern WI. and this has become our go to stop. In addition to their full line of beers, they also carry a number of other local brews. The food is outstanding and is a big step up from typical pub food. The "Hangover" burger is worth the stop alone. 1/3 burger, cheese, hash browns, corned beef, topped with a fried egg. Yes, fried egg! Go hungry, go thirsty!! Be prepared to leave there with a growler. read more

Appleton Beer Factory - Great bar space. - Breweries Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Fantastic place for a micro brew, food, and live music. Acoustics make for a really nice music venue. It's our go to when someone says "where should we meet" check it out! read more

The food was outstanding, I had the Salmon Salad and my guest had the Asian Salad. We ordered cheese curds as an appetizer with a Flight of Beers and water. It took forever for our Cheese curds to come. We had to go up to the bar and get our own water. There were a total of 7 tables in the whole restaurant that were being used, so not a very busy night. Service was extremely slow and well below standards! read more

We were overall unimpressed with the flavors of their Bloody Mary. The dining area was super cold, which we mentioned to the manager who was walking around but nothing was done she just avoided our table. The food was amazing and we will probably go back just for that reason alone. The burger and chicken sandwiches were juicy and good size portions. If you order the buffalo blue fries, be prepared to have more buffalo sauce than you might prefer. I will definitely be ordering the sauce on the side next time. read more

Excellent beers and great staff! They were so accommodating for our large group of people and the food was excellent and I don't think they make a bad beer! Great atmosphere. If you love beer you'll need to go here! read more