January 19, 2012
I was happy to be in Brattleboro and get to stop by McNeill’s. Strange decor but that to be expected. I was in there in the middle of a week day so there wasn’t really anyone there other than a few people and a couple of employees. Bartender was a nice guy. Great beers. Board games and darts. Spacious. Food is lacking. Great beer.

August 25, 2011
My wife and I did a little weekend trip to Brattleboro, Hill Farmstead, and Montreal. After checking into our hotel we went over to Keene NH to go to Elm City for dinner since it had looked from reviews like there was no food to be had here. Came back for a couple beers after the trip to Elm City. Definitely a local place, does have a bit of a dive bar feel to it, but I think it’s more that it has a hippy college town feel to it. It was a Friday night in chunk of time between college letting out for the year and summer starting and it was just a smattering of locals at the bar that night besides us. Very laid back feel with everyone being on a first name basis with each other, bringing in homemade baked goods to share with the bartender and such. The beers were pretty solid and as they hadn’t gone through bottling and distribution and were super fresh, the quality was great (have had a few infected bottles of theirs). An interesting place and a reasonable stop if you’re passing through.

August 4, 2011
July 28, 2011. After reading previous reviews, I was mentally ready to go there, WTF?! A dive, YES, but more then thas this place is like low income families living room and dining room. OK, I can get used to it and I know their beers are good, but the service is nonchalant. I go into the pub, no greeting just people who look at me. I sit at a table, but the bartender who was not really busy, except talking about everything and nothing, did not not even bothered to see me. So I go see him and ask him a beer and a food menu, no food except peanuts, I guess it’s not everyday they have other things to eat then peanuts. But here where it get’s crapy, the bartender suggested that I should good to the pub next door to eat! What? No "you can bring some food here" or "we got take out menus for you"? So I ate, about 25 miles north of Brattleboro. It will take alot to make me go back there!

July 13, 2011
Small, dark Vermont brewpub. Definitely a quirky, real vermont place. Lots of locals. It’s got character but it’s also kind of dirty with spotty service. Not much food. The beers are generally good, but the stars are always the cask-conditioned beers--McNeill’s does a great job with the casks.

May 13, 2010
Visited on a Wednesday night after last call. But bartender/staff really cool and gave me two rounds with no rush whatsoever. Beers itself pretty good. Look and feel of the place a bit worn, granted, but didn’t make a big impression either way. Also have a very cool ring game where you have to loop it around a hook on the wall. Good times.

October 25, 2009
dirty dingy small. good beer, good people. very local. when i was there a couple of weeks ago they didn’t have a very wide selection and i was told it had been a bad year. the bottled porter is very good

May 2, 2009
I’ve read other peoples reviews and I have to wonder, did I go to the same McNeills, are there more than one? This place sucked ass. It was a total dive. In fact, it could only aspire to be a dive. I realized going in that the place would be a little rough around the edges, but it’s a shit hole. They only had a few beers on tap. Some of the beers they listed as available, weren’t. Other reviewers have mentioned food. I saw no evidence that they serve food at all. The one beer I had was good, I’ll give them that. Others mentioned good service. The bartender on duty could have cared less that I was there. She was to busy chatting up someone who was, no doubt, a regular. I have read that this place can be up or down. Unfortunately, it must have been down when I was there. If, and its a big if, I ever darken their door again, I hope to see the McNeill’s others speak of.

March 17, 2009
We live here in Brattleboro and McNeill’s is one of the reasons why. First, you need to know that Brattleboro is a unique town with vastly different people all living together in harmony, a true melting pot. McNeill’s is the pub you will find every type of Brattleboro "character" from our smelly hippies to our business men in suites. McNeil’s is designed to be a social pub, with long tables, friendly staff and friendly patrons...there is always a good conversation to be had at McNeill’s. With that said lets talk about the beer. It is true some days there are lots of beers with freshly cleaned beer lines and other days that there are only two or three beers and the lines are dirty. It is also true that the beer is inconsistent, I like to forget the beers have names and enjoy them for what they are that day. Truth be told Ray McNeill is a great brewer. We enjoy the element of surprise and creativity at McNeill’s, we are hooked!

January 26, 2009 [ Updated February 15, 2011 ]
This is a charming little place to plunk down and try a handful of excellent, fresh beers. Service is excellent: fast and knowledgable. They will not let you go thirsty waiting for a bartender. There is nothing pretentious here: no flashy skiiers laughing too loudly. Full of locals and sometimes a dog or two. Wooden chairs arranged along long tables. Chips and dips. Music is usually pretty good: tending towards "indie" rock when I’ve been there. You can feel comfortable haging out here alone with a book. Strangely they no longer fill growlers.

November 27, 2008
I have a tortured relationship with McNeil’s. On a given day, it can be charmingly rustic, with some great people at the bar, dats that work, items advertised on the menu actually available, and fresh, clean beer. Of course, reviewing McNeill’s under these hypothetical conditions is like judging communism from its implementation in the USSR. Tried to make a reference that would resonate with Brattleboro patrons and likely failed miserably. That said, on some nights it’s great -- the beer is plentiful, and fresh. On others, they’re sold out, and the lines clearly haven’t been cleaned. Fortunately or unfortunately, it’s the same price regardless. I’m not sure if it helps, but the cask ales tend to be better most nights, which is great since their ESB is a standout. Food can be, surprisingly given the minimal prep space, tasty and distinct. The black bean dip and hummus have been great on occasion. Despite this review, I’ll probably continue to go