March 17, 2008 [ Updated August 8, 2008 ]
Big open restaurant/brewpub just off the Beltline to the North. This place must have been some sort of chain restaurant in its past life as it is located next to a trip mall. It has a bit of a karma/personality problem as a result. I visited at lunchtime and the place was nearly deserted. They had nine house beers on tap and they offer a sampler tray. The food was lackluster at best. The beer was mostly mediocre with a few exceptions. The service was good, though.

February 5, 2008
Came here on a Friday night, very, very crowded. Atmostphere was actually pretty minimalistic. Waited for a long time to get a spot at the bar, and a longer time to get a table. Bar service was prompt, friendly and very knowledgable, even with the upsurge in clientelle. The beers were fair to good. The food was very good. I’d go back, but I’m not going out of my way.

January 8, 2008
This place was promising on first glance, but didn’t do anything for me afterward.. the restaurant was large and rather open, with kind of a dark, ugly feel to it. The service was fairly solid, as was the food. The beer was the real dissapointment.. they had a whole lot of ’em on tap, but nothing was that good (looking back at my ratings, I think they were inflated b/c I went here after taking part of the CPA exam!). Go here if you want to try a bunch of mediocre beers.

July 31, 2007
Didn’t get anything to eat, but enjoyed a sampler of about 14 beers. The Rauchbier and Barleywine were quite nice, but everything else was pretty blah. Nonetheless, it’s worth a stop if you’re around.

July 13, 2007
Dosent seem like they are trying very hard with ambiance, the bar is good, but this place doesnt even feel like brewpub. Service is usually below average, it normally takes at least 15 minutes to get 2 growlers filled and the bartenders are busy talking to eachother rather than serving. They always seem to have a very wide selection of brews though. The food is above average pub fare but nothing special. A pretty average place with average beer, nothing great, but could be a lot better.

June 29, 2007
"Nice place in Madison. The food was pretty good. I had the Smokehouse Brewery Bacon Burger, and it was great. The beers were all pretty good, with the exception of a Popcorn beer that I don’t think they make anymore. Service was okay. Place was nice. I’d definitely go back if I was in Madison.

October 9, 2006
Visited on July 11, 2006. Went here with friends to watch the MLB All Star Game. Beer sampler was orered and all of the beers were subpar to say the least. Service well half way though the game the big screen tv I was watching was unpluged and some story telling has been band started to set up and they were not that good. Skip this place unless your try to compile rating numbers

June 4, 2006
Went last night, a Saturday night. There was a live band. The place was dead. Yet, on multiple occasions flagging down our waiter was a challenge. The large rectangular bar is nice enough, but the place just has an outdated feel to it. It was too bright and everything is a light shade of oak. The bar stools, although comfortable, are ugly. Had a couple of different appetizers, the scotch egg and the soft pretzels. Probably not a good representation of their cook’s abilities, but the scotch egg was decidedly less flavorful than the one I had last summer at the Minnesota State fair. The beer is maybe slightly above average. I had the sampler, and perhaps missed what might have been some of their better beers, like the barley wine, etc. There was one standout, the Pre-prohibition Style Ale, but the rest were forgettable, as is this place. Doubt I’ll be back.

January 29, 2006
Nothing special in terms of ambience, food, or beer. Been there many times and usually leave disappointed. The beer is the biggest disappointment. A definite house flavor that tends to dull. Never had a great beer, had several really bad ones. Most are middle of the road. A good place to take a kid, but not a beer lover. The place seems fun though, with a lively bar crowd.

January 17, 2006
I was here on a fairly slow Monday night. It looked a little upscale, but the clientel seemed normal. The staff was friendly and the music was quiet. Apparently it is a no smoking facility, I had forgotten that about Madison. This makes for a nice atmosphere to taste beer. The food was decent.