I have to give this craft brewery tucked away in the basement of an old industrial building four…read morestars just on the combination of great beer, friendly staff, and all my favorite board games from my childhood.
I had to take away one star for the odd billing experience.
The Mad Knight brewery is more of a speakeasy harkening back to the times where you park your car, walk around the building, go to the basement, and enter an unassuming door. This may be the best kept secret in the historic Saint Elmo district of Chattanooga.
Stop in and say hello to Greg, who is the owner, Brewer, bartender, and all around I do everything for my small business guy. If you want to talk beer details with the master, you will love this place!
Greg mentioned he was working on Stout #6 and hadn't gotten the recipe quite right, so he had not named the beer. I told him that I was driving so I couldn't have a beer, but that I would love a small taste of the porter. He delivered us a little bit of Porter in a pint glass. My companion had a saison. I checked in on yelp and cried excitedly, "Yay! You have a 20% discount on the first beer." Greg did not know anything about the discount, but he said he would honor it. We hung around for a while and I took lots of photos and let him know that I was going to put a good review on Yelp.
My friend tried a taste of another beer, but did not order it.
Even on a cold Spring night, the heat from the industrial heater blasting from the high ceiling will keep you warm on the outside while the beer keeps you warm on the inside.
Bring a group of your friends, grab a seat on the couches or a highboy table and break out one of your favorite games from your childhood. Enjoy a fantastic craft beer while you have cutthroat games Yatzy, battleship, scrabble, premium, and all your old favorites.
Hanging out here is like bringing a bunch of your friends into your rec room which happens to have a craft beer bar in it!
If you are in historic Saint Elmo, which is very close to Ruby Falls, at Rock city, and other attractions, it is worth your while to seek out the Mad Knight brewery.
The only experience that could have been better is when we paid our bill. Greg said, "that was a beer and a half so about $10.50?" We were both a little shocked that he was going to charge us for a couple of sips to taste to other beers. We felt like we are paying $10.50 for a single beer. That seemed awfully steep. The other disappointment was that the sign on the front said beer and small plates, but they had no food. They just have a food truck on certain days, and this is not one of those days although it was a Friday night. Greg himself said he doesn't really do any advertising at all.
As a customer, I'd like to know if there is food and I would like to be told if I'm going to be charged for a taste of beer. It is common practice in all bars and restaurants that I've ever been to that I may taste a beer or a wine before ordering it.
If you go, go for a good craft beer and the fun. Just be clear about what you're being charged for otherwise you might get a surprise at the end of the night. I love supporting small businesses and I hope this place does well. Hopefully this review will inspire people to visit and for the pricing and menu offerings to be clear we advertised.
