Urbana Brewing Company. This is just weird, coming back in town and finding a brewery here, I guess it's a sign of the times, for sure.
To begin - they have a back entrance attached to the parking lot next to Coppertop/Brackens. It was an oddly windy/chilly day, which made it easy to come straight in (and next to the restrooms) and bring in our Crabill's (that's part of a weekend Saturday Urbana trip - Crabill's Hamburgers every time).
It's ROOMY. Large, open air space, next to the brewing equipment, and a nice little bar front to order from. Arcade cabinet in by the front door, plenty of seating for our (10-14?) people that came in at varying times.
We took over the upstairs - remember how I said it was windy and chilly?
They have two igloos - HEATED. And a fence around it (with a couple glass panels overlooking the square - bad me, I didn't take many photos this day). We stayed warm and comfortable, and the wind (and rain) didn't even affect us. A bar is ALSO upstairs (but not open on this afternoon).
The food: Yes, I brought crabill's. Yes, the bartenders were jealous. But some of our friends in the area are spoiled, so they bought several items on the menu. Quesadillas. Chicken tenders. Pizza. The food was all definitely solid (and I've only heard their brunch is just as good). Get the hot honey with your pizza. Bring the kids. It's all good and not complicated or annoying - just tasty.
The beer: It's a brewery, right? Their beer is good. It's not AMAZING. It's not going to blow you away, but for a town brewery? It IS amazing. Their food is incredibly tasty, the beers are decent (personally, I really enjoyed the blonde, blueberry wheat, coffee stout, and vanilla imperial porter).
It's basically a great location to meet my local friends, knowing we have good food there (or a short walk away if we are feeling something different). I hear they're expanding - and it deserves the love. Looking forward to see what new beers they come up with. read more