Newport Hofbrauhaus

5/1/2008 11:48:11 PM, thursday, may 01, 2008
By the time we got here I think I was tired of looking at beer let alone trying it, no wait, what am I saying. I love beer. Beer is good, and stuff. Food was great traditional german fare. Service was good, but selection was below poor. I think there were three to choose from and the place was empty. This place would probably be great when packed out or for Oktoberfest.

4/6/2008 7:38:01 PM, sunday, april 06, 2008
Went on a Saturday night, after a Reds game, and the place was packed. We had about an hour wait, but what do you expect right after a ball game lets out? Very cool authentic layout to the place. It felt just like walking into a beer hall in Munich. Loud music, a ton of loaded people. They had a nice beer garden on the back side of the building for those wishing to eat(drink) outside. The food was tremendous, very quick service despite the huge crowds. The beer is German, and all lager based. It was nice drinking German style beers knowing that they did not get shipped across the ocean, so the few I tried had a very fresh clean taste. Not much on total selections, 3-4 beers in their regular rotation, with a seasonal on that changes each month.

3/11/2008 6:02:14 PM, tuesday, march 11, 2008
Beer was good ... food much better. We were there on a Friday evening, and table serice was good. Difficult to have a conversation. Very, VERY loud!

3/3/2008 1:08:47 PM, monday, march 03, 2008
Went on a Friday night. We left before the band started, but it was still a blast. I have had the pleasure of spending a Saturday evening at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich and while this is not as good, it is still a fun place to hang out. Food was very authentic German and the beer was spot on.

2/29/2008 7:03:20 PM, friday, february 29, 2008
This place was so much fun. Huge place with ridiculously high ceilings. We had a few liters and shared some soft pretzels and cheese. Live music and the waitresses were dressed the part. Brew tanks were in plain site behind the bar. Very authentic and fun. Beer was also actually pretty good. Touristy but fun.

1/17/2008 6:41:33 PM, thursday, january 17, 2008
Damn, what’s all the angst? I am a beer nerd boys, but I still like this joint. No, the beer isn’t the greatest, but hell, it’s German...... If you drank 3-4 liters of most other decent brews, you’d be dead. You know what you get when you come here a loud, rowdy crowd, decent food and a decent wheat beer. You can’t judge this place for the beer, you come here after a Reds game to throw back a couple of liters and enjoy the German music....hokey or not.

9/3/2007 6:06:00 PM, monday, september 03, 2007 [ Updated monday, september 03, 2007 ]
Great hangout place... very festive atmosphere with live music over the weekends... Limited selection on tap but decent service..

8/11/2007 12:16:05 AM, saturday, august 11, 2007
A bit hokey, but sometimes hokey is fun. This place lives 9 lives. Depending on whether its a gameday, a happy hour, or a weekend night...it has different crowds. Older happy hour crowd. Service is good at the bar, not so good at tables. They now have outdoor kitchen...seems to help.

8/7/2007 2:16:21 PM, tuesday, august 07, 2007
Now I can say I have been there, there is no need to go back. I can get this locally at the Minster Oktoberfest and more authentic--this cheep imitation is nothing but trend. I was disappointed at the lack of selection. I was weary of the food though it was good, it was barely German. And the people were the masses that drink masses anywhere: these folks are interchangelable with a nascar crowd. Crafty 07 would call me a beer nerd and a social misfit and I like it.

7/12/2007 5:16:11 PM, thursday, july 12, 2007
I have been to this place several times and have finally concluded that it just isn’t worth it. The place is jammed packed on most Fridays and Saturdays, so forget about prompt service on those nights The food is good and the ambiance and service are all right when the place isn’t packed like a sardine can with the "par-tay, maaaan!" crowd. But for me the bottom line is the beer. Before the place even opened, one of TPTB said that the beer recipes would be adjusted for Americans, who prefer "lighter" beers. Some of the seasonals are good, but the regular offerings are just too watery to constitute good German beer. Why bring a Hofbrauhaus here if you don’t have the good beer that makes such a place unique? Why not just call it the Anheuser-Busch House and serve A-B swill? The Par-tay crowd doesn’t know the difference and doesn’t care. The only way I’ll ever set foot in the place again is if my wife, who enjoys the food, insists on goig there for a special occasion. I don’t want to be negative about this place--I had high hopes when it was first announced the place would be coming to Newport--but I have to be honest. For me, the Newport Hofbrauhaus just doesn’t cut it.