Des Moines seems to be a ghost town on Sunday nights, but this is open, & worth a visit. I was between seasonal beers, but was satisfied with the brown & the stout, both workmanlike if not outstanding. Hight point was dessert of bread pudding -- not only the best I’ve ever had, but a mountain of a serving. Service was good, but why do Iowans always say "No problem" instead of "You’re welcome?" I plan to stop back on my regular jaunts into the city.

May 2005: Excellent beer and food highlighted this brick-festooned brewpub in downtown. Good service, too.

It’s hard for me to give this place a fair rating, because it’s like a home away from home. I think it’s fair to say their standard lineup of beers is very strong. However, I always find myself gravitating towards the seasonals, which are usually outstanding. The Brewmaster does very well with Belgian styles, even though Iowa’s archaic laws hamper brewing these to their proper strength. The Octoberfest is always wonderful and runs out fast. Ask about brewer’s special beers as well. These are typically small batch, well-aged beers. They are somewhat more expensive but definitely worth it. The food is excellent, day in/day out. Try the jambalaya (spice it up) or the ragin cajun pizza, or whatever fish is on special. This place also really welcomes families, with a good kid’s menu and great draft rootbeer. If you happen to be around for a brewer’s dinner, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. It will be one of the best meals you ever had, and a tremendously fun time. Unfortunately, of course, you’ll probably end up drinking a lot of good beer.

Dropped by Sunday afternoon for some appetizers and the eight-beer sampler. All of the beers were good to excellent. Their Blackhawk Stout was their best beer, and I’m not even a stout fan. The place was in a cool-looking part of Des Moines that looks like was part of a downtown renovation project or something. Older-looking building, but looked new and nice on the inside. The service was excellent. Definitely worth the trip if in Des Moines or traveling through.

Stopped by on a Saturday night. Surprisingly, it was easy to find two seats at the bar, and the bartender was quick to serve us. Bartender was also very friendly, so service gets an easy 10. Nice ambiance, but it is really dark at the bar. Not that I expect it to be bright, but a little more light would be nice. Didn’t try the food, but it looked very nice. Beer prices were very reasonable, but food prices are high--expect around $10 for the cheapest starter. Selection was good, with three barrel aged beers on tap, along with their regulars and seasonals. A little more upscale than I was expecting, but overall a nice place that I definitely plan on revisiting...for beer anyways, I can’t afford the food at this point.

waitress Amanda very helpful with all my questions, crowd was mixture of old and young service was great she broke down every beer for me. Had the Reuben excellent not to pricy better than some restaurants I would recommend to anybody

Cool, old atmosphere with great service. The beers seemed to all be average or better. The best brewery to stop by if you’re in DSM.

Been here many times. Located in a beautiful old brick building in downtown Des Moines a few blocks from the river. They typically have 8-ish of their own beers on tap including a cask version of one of them and at least one seasonal. As of Spring 2008 they are smoke free! Kudos for that. They offer a sampler of all their beers. The food is respectable. Service tends to be good even when crowded. One of the better brewpubs in Iowa.

Pretty nice downtown brewpub. The beers were above average for a local brewpub. I would definitely come back if I was in town.

Good ambience and service. The food is pretty decent however highly priced. I will often frequent this place if i am in downtown des moines.