January 6, 2010
Unless you live in Lawrence you have to drive a long way to get there but the drive is worth it. They are serious about their food and their beer and the decor is very pleasant. Not at all sure why so many people rating it have neglected to judge value as NA (a complete mystery to me) but it is at least 8 out of 10.

December 4, 2009
I’ve been here a handful of times now and love this place. There is nothing special about the building, but it always seems completely "chill" and relaxed. I’ve been here when its busy and when its dead, but the relaxed atmosphere remains the same. Two floors with a nice view into the brewing/conditioning area. The service is solid and everyone seems to know their beer. I even overheard a waitress explaining to someone OG and Plato. The menu is pretty large and I really enjoyed their Baja Fish Tacos. The beer is always changing with new seasonals and one-off’s, plus I freakin’ love the Old Backus Barelywine. Overall, if I went to college with a brewpub like this, I would be here all the time. This place is awesome.

October 11, 2009
Located in downtown Lawrence Freestate has been brewing for over 20 years. Hands down the best brewpub in all of Kansas, unfortunately this is not a bold statement. Wonderful seasonal brews which change every time I visit. The food is excellent, lots of vegetarian dishes on the menu. Great atmosphere, the bartenders always greet me when I come in. Plenty of Kansas history on the walls. I look forward to visiting every time I head through Lawrence! They Sell their own Kegs!!

September 21, 2009
Visited the place with beastiefan2k. Close to the Riverwalk in Downtown Lawrence, on Mass. Parking was a little difficult to figure out. (Parking meters! And the Parking Ticket is about $3?) It is a really old building, lots of History in this place. The floors are ceilings are all the originals. Locals were telling me all of the history of the building and Kansas in general. All of the beer was very good. I ordered their house pretzels which were very tasty with the cheese sauce. I could go for one right now! Everything is very reasonable priced. The service was great. Very knowledgeable and friendly, even to the locals that didn’t know what they were ordering. The Manager saw me taking notes and asked if I have every had a Small Beer and if I’d like to try it. More beer just kept on coming after that. 12 sept 09
My 100th Place Rating.

August 11, 2009
Very nice setting in an older building on Mass St. Downtown Lawrence. I have always been served by the same bartender for the last several years and he loves his job and is excellent at it. The times I have eaten in the dining area I was well served and the food was very good with a wide selection. The beer is very good with some of the seasonals being some of the best anywhere.

August 9, 2009
Hands down, the best brew pub in Lawrence. They have a ton of seasonals and most are very good, the few others are still drinkable. If you plan on going anywhere near peak dinner hours you better call ahead and still be prepared to wait. This place also tends to be quite loud.

March 15, 2009
Pretty basic bar...lots of families and college people there. Good line up of beers and decent food.

August 3, 2008
Been here numerous times, and I always have a good time, except for walking through the cigarette smoke on the patio to get into the door. Its been busy everytime and you pretty much have to fight for a seat or to get said seat back if you get up to go to the bathroom. House beers are just average, very cold and pretty good seasonals. Not much as far as ambiance, cheap chairs and tables and some bar stools in bad need of repair. Just looks old and tired.

June 4, 2008 [ Updated July 22, 2009 ]
This is an update from my previous experiences summarized below: The place was much quieter, albeit just as busy as before which is fine. Sat at the bar and my glass never emptied without a bartender asking me if I wanted another...I like that. The Ad Astra tasted fresh as did the Oatmeal Stout, and Copperhead. Bought two growlers and headed west. Things do change for the better sometimes. Old review: I have visited several times. It seems that each time my experience worsens. Place is loud and in disarray much of the time with a busy, busy, busy, climate which stressed me out. Service was not good and food complemented the service. Tried several ales and all seemed a bit flat.

January 29, 2008
Visited this place on a busy Friday evening to meet some RBians. It was busy and loud, watress wasn’t really friendly but on her game asking about beer every chance she could. My biggest complaint is the beer was served WAY too cold, especially for a place with such a good reputation. I had two pints (Oatmeal Stout, ESB) there and a growler (Scotch) to go. Only the growler was above average. I did not have food but it looked good. Ambiance is nothing special, cheap tables in the front, bar in the back, not separated well. Did not seem to be well organized. Very loud. I will give it the benefit of the doubt for the next visit.