Latest reviews from Ames
| 62 /100 504 BURNETT AVENUE “Sitting just outside the strip in Ames, this is a solid little brewery and taproom. Small outside seating area and fairly large interior. Nice selection of their own brews. Visited on my way back from the Rumsey pig roast in 2021.“ |
| 80 /100 Mucky Duck Pub (Bar) 3100 S DUFF AVENUE “Always crowded British themed pub. Nice people. Great food and a good selection of beers. Excellent Moscow mules.“ |
| 92 /100 3715 WEST 190TH STREET “On the same grounds as the Prairie Moon winery this little gem is just off the beaten path on a rural road north of Ames, far enough out to have beautiful country views, but not so far out that it’s hard to get to.
As far as ambiance and design this place is tops, beautiful architecture, great patio, nice wide open grounds for dogs & kids to run around on when the weather is nice & lots of patio space. The inside reminds me of a really spacious living room, lots of plants & books, really cozy.
The beer is among the best in the state & the staff is always kind, welcoming, & excited/knowledgeable about the beers.“ |
| 58 /100 Hy Vee Wine & Spirits - Ames (Beer Store) 640 LINCOLN WAY “A very decent grocery store selection of beer. Mixer sixers, a nice collection of bombers and within walking distance of another good liquor store (Cyclone). Stopped by with Jess in 2016.“ |
| 80 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “A pretty good bottle shop. They have a nice selection of bottles, some of which can be mixer sixers. Somewhat confusing organization, but the beer is a nice collection of local, regional, and very nice international beers,“ |
| 54 /100 316 MAIN STREET “An old brewpub that hasn’t aged particularly well. We sat in the pub area which is a warn bar with a a few TVs. Service was not good as we had to track our server down a few times and they completely forgot our appetizer. 7 beers were on tap with no seasonals. Flights are available. beer was not great. Food was actually pretty good which was the highligth of the visit. Prices were good not great. I was left quite disappointed with my experience.“ |
| 78 /100 504 BURNETT AVENUE “A pretty cool spot in downtown Ames. A large space with dark wood and a long bar. A few TVs but they do not overwhelm. Service was good thought it was quite slow. Bartender knew a bit about the beer. They had 8 of their own on plus a root beer and local cider. Samplers are available. No food available though it can be brought in. Price seemed in line with the area. A nice little brewery with some solid beers.“ |
| 92 /100 Dublin Bay Pub (Bar) 320 S 16TH ST “if your looking for good craft beer on tap stop in its worth it. best selection craft in town. manager is well versed in craft staff is friendly food is average“ |
| 76 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “Stopped on my way from Wisco to Des Moines and glad I did. Friendly helpful people. Great selection of stuff like Stone, Prairie, ATG, Boulevard etc... that we don’t get.“ |
| 72 /100 316 MAIN STREET “stopped here while touring the college with our daughter not many people in the place guess since kids gone on break service was quick and friendly selection was above decent value was ok if kid goes to school here i will comeback“ |
| 46 /100 316 MAIN STREET “Stopped in with some co-workers after dinner for $1 pint night (so value has to be a 10). Decent place, was relatively crowded guessing due to pint night. Okay beers and did not try the food. Service was good, but nothing that really stuck out as exceptional.“ |
| 76 /100 316 MAIN STREET “The brewer at Olde Main was nice enough to come in on a Saturday at 11am to give a private tour to our group of 10 people. The food was your typical brewpub fare. There were a couple good beers and the rest were average.“ |
| 54 /100 Hy Vee Wine & Spirits - Ames (Beer Store) 640 LINCOLN WAY “Right next to Cyclone, so I walked over to check it out. I was expecting much worse from a grocery liquor store in Ames, but it was decent. Build your own 6 pack was nice and price was $9 so reasonable. I was not overly impressed with Cyclone so this is a nice supplement for those in search of craft beer.“ |
| 78 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “Stopped in yesterday before heading home. In a strip mall toward the back off Lincoln and nothing special from an ambiance perspective. Seemed like a large number of people working in the store for not really that big of a place and not one offered to help. One guy was kind of a douche and another was helpful after I initiated a conversation. Selection was decent and they had some glassware that was around $6 or $7. Prices seemed good and they had some stuff on sale, which was cool. Probably not going to find anything better in Ames, but overall this place is slightly above average. My 100th place rating!“ |
| 60 /100 Dublin Bay Pub (Bar) 320 S 16TH ST “An Irish bar so had to check it out. Great ambiance and decor, just not many people there which was fine. Service was friendly, but not very knowledgeable on beer. The selection was decent, but not spectacular. Boulevard, New Belgium, Lucky Bucket, GI, Anchor, Peach Tree, etc., plus your usual Irish bar favorites. Food came out really quick, but it was bar food so temper expectations. Pints were $4.50 which isn’t bad, but wait a minute this is Ames so maybe not such a great deal, hahaha.“ |
| 58 /100 Old Chicago - Ames (Restaurant) 1620 S KELLOGG AVE “Same vibe as any other Old Chicago. Beer list is vast, but nothing too exciting. Rocked the pizza and a salad. Pizza was decent, but salad was poor and too many croutons. Friendly service and no clue on value as I didn’t pay, but guessing comparable to other OC locations.“ |
| 56 /100 316 MAIN STREET “Decent brewpub vibe but nothing spectacular. Food was okay - had a sandwich. Beers were okay at best.“ |
| 72 /100 316 MAIN STREET “Based on very rushed acquaintance, I’m giving Olde Main a pretty good score because (for a brewpub in a college town) it is doing so many things right. Good range of beers, decent if not stunning flavors/savors, enjoyable menu, hot food, good service. The OM crew has done a seriously GOOD job of set-up, marketing and merchandizing. The best of the three craft brews I tasted was the Off KILT Scotch Ale...wish I could have spent more time sampling. There’s always another trip...“ |
| 80 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “Solid selection that was better than anything I have seen in Des Moines. The prices were reasonable. I like the shelf tags from both RB and even BA. The little room in the back had mostly imports with a few special edition brews. I like that there was a bright clean area in the main store for all of the six packs. The guy I talked to when I was there was knowledgeable. I will visit again when I get a chance.“ |
| 96 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “Great customer service!!! Extremely friendly staff. The selection is great for midwest Iowa. The prices were also very good. As I live in Ames, I come here weekly!!“ |
| 40 /100 316 MAIN STREET “I would never recommend this place to anyone. The majority of the beer here is way below average with their stout being decent, their pale lager being average and their chocolate porter being fantastic. The rest of their beers are awful and not worth trying. The waiter said the sampler was the best six dollars we could spend, he was very wrong. The food was pitiful. We ordered two appetizers, jalapeno cheese bread and cheese fries, which were $8 each. The cheese bread was four slices of bread with pickled jalapenos and a square slice of cheese (like you use for a grilled cheese) melted over it that doesn’t fit the entire surface of the bread. The cheese fries were soggy Ortega fries with nacho cheese and bacon bits. The waiter was not attentative either and most of the patrons were dressed as if they were at a special restaurant. On a positive note, the root beer was good. I will never go here again and I would not recommend anyone else go either.“ |
| 44 /100 316 MAIN STREET “This joint is a pretty standard brew-pub. Friends have kept me from ordering food every time I’ve been in explaining that it’s good enough, but maybe not worth the price. I left the Food as n/a and the Value score is just for the beer. One thing about Olde Main is that while their bottles are admittedly quite poor, and their standard tap selections range from acceptable to absolutely undrinkable. The brewpub is something else entirely. In spite this breweries problems stemming from what seems to be the product of hurried sloppy production of their main line of beers, the specialties at the brewpub are at very least creative and interesting. At best the brewpub only beers are very good, I have had a handful of beers I genuinely enjoyed that are only available at this location, so I find that if I’ve got a few minutes to spare as I’m driving through a pint here is generally worth my time. The happy hour specials are unbeatable.“ |
| 56 /100 Wheatsfield Co-op (Grocery Store) 413 NORTHWESTERN AVE “A local food co-op. Small selection of local, foreign, and domestic beer, as well as wine. You’ll find brews from New Belgium, Boulevard, Millstream, and other midwestern breweries, as well as other domestic craft brews. There are also some more well known macro brews. Not a large selection, but a large variety. There is always something to suit everyone!“ |
| 68 /100 Old Chicago - Ames (Restaurant) 1620 S KELLOGG AVE “This is just like any other Old Chicago I have been too. They do have a fairly wide selection of beers. However the few times I have gone the food was not very good and the ambiance was poor.“ |
| 48 /100 Hy Vee Wine & Spirits - Ames (Beer Store) 640 LINCOLN WAY “I have been to this establishment once. It is the attached store to a grocery store. The employees did not help me when i had some questions and the selection was not nearly as good as other stores in Ames, especially when Cyclone Liquors is 500 feet away.“ |
| 76 /100 DG’s Tap House (Bar) 125 MAIN STREET “My local watering hole. It’s been open since around early ’08. Ames is a college town, but this bar is on Main Street, on the other side of town from Iowa State University, so the bar isn’t overrun with college kids. (Don’t be surprised if you run into a few, though)
The bar is located above the Corner Pocket, downtown Ames’ pool hall. The door to DG’s is easy to miss, but if you go into the Corner Pocket, you can walk up to DG’s through a stairway in the back.
Every beer on tap at DG’s is a domestic beer, with a large portion of them being from breweries located around the midwest, from small Iowa breweries to staples such as Goose Island and New Belgium. There are 56 taps and even more than that in bottles here, so you’ll have a hard time finding something you don’t like.
The bar holds around 200 or so people, and it can get pretty packed on weekends, when there is usually a band playing. Wednesday nights can get busy, with $1 pints of Olde Main beers, which is down the road 2 blocks.“ |
| 74 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “This is a fun little stop for me since I live in Des Moines. It is only half an hour away to get a decent beer selection. They focus more on their liquor and wine but you can tell the try with the beers that they do have. When I am in the mood for something that has to be traded through the state this is where I’ll go as it is only a hop skip and a jump away. The staff is very friendly.“ |
| 78 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “This place is a breath of fresh air for this area! Plenty of helpful, and very freindly staff, plenty of good beer. I love how the good beer is in a little room in the back. You can tell the staff cares about the beer, and for Iowa it is a remarkable selection!“ |
| 54 /100 316 MAIN STREET “Visited again recently. The place still stinks like stale beer, more than anywhere I have ever visited. The couple of beers I had newly were decent. Still good prices. Old rating follows. The place smelled like urine when I was there. I assume it was old stale beer. I had a few brews on tap and brought a few bottles home. The beers I tried were decent with no major flaws, but as much as anything, they were boring. Good prices, but maybe I hit happy hour.“ |
| 66 /100 316 MAIN STREET “Stopped by after a visit to my first alma mater on our way out to Utah during the Summer of Beer 08. Interesting ambiance, I can’t tell if it’s trying to be rustic or ritzy, but it works for me, exposed beams and wooden chairs with a really neat bridge crossing over the main dining floor. Oldies music played at lunchtime. The service was prompt and friendly, but she was also the main trainer so I would have expected that. The selection seemed good: six pulls, and a sampler. The beers themselves lacked much hoppiness but all in all they were not as disappointing as many of these guys make them out to be. The food was good. There was some kind of strange Iowa state tax on the beers. Overall, I had a pretty decent time. I have no idea what it would be like at night but it was a great place to stop for lunch before hitting the road again.“ |
| 34 /100 316 MAIN STREET “Olde Main is not the best place to get a beer in Ames. The food is not very good. They have recently began selling their beer in stores . Their beer is not the best.“ |
| 98 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “I always enjoy shopping at Cyclone. As a former college student at ISU and now family man living in Ames, I always knew where to find good beer. They have a huge selection for an Iowa store, great service and staff. The place is always clean and organized also.“ |
| 86 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “As an amateur beer enthusiast still in college, it’s tough to find something besides Keystone Light anywhere in Ames. Cyclone Liquors really fits the bill for people looking to try some real beer for a decent price. The service is friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. Also, what college town sells a $2000 bottle of cognac!? Only Cyclone Liquors.“ |
| 98 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “I love traveling to Ames to drool over the beer selection at Cyclone Liquors. It is a great store with a huge variety of different beer. Great imports and singles. A good selection of micros as well.“ |
| 96 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “I am from Ankeny Iowa and travel to this store to purchase beer as there are no quality stores in Ankeny. Cyclone is a very clean and organized store. They have a massive selection of beers domestic micros, imports and singles. The staff is always friendly and helpful as well.“ |
| 18 /100 Chester’s Coins and Gifts (Homebrew Shop) 221 MAIN ST “All they had was beer supplies. No beer. The supplies are nothing special either.“ |
| 84 /100 Chester’s Coins and Gifts (Homebrew Shop) 221 MAIN ST “This place looks just like it’s a coin shop, but they have brewing/wine making supplies. I just bought some supplies and they have good prices and barley and some hops left for $3/oz until they run out....they can’t order any more for the rest of the year. Great place to check out for your brewing supplies.
3-5-08, Just realized today I had some coins and took them there and they bought them giving me a better price on my new carboy“ |
| 80 /100 The London Underground (Bar) 212 MAIN STREET “This place has got about 25 differenct bottles of craft/import and 4 or 5 taps of the same with only one tap devoted to something else, Miller Lite. The place has 3 or 4 tall booths and a few tables when you first go in and then in the back there are some 2 or 3 regular size booths and a 2 or 3 tables even further back then that with two electronic dart games. These guys are a London themed bar and if you get there on a great night you can hear music from the UK. I gave some music from the Dubliners to one bartender and they usually don’t have bad music for the most part. They have Franziskaner on tap along with Franziskaner glassware. They also had Fullers London Porter on tap last time I was there. Service isn’t bad for college kids, they might even know a thing or two about beer. My local bar, I think it’s a great place to hang out and have a beer.“ |
| 48 /100 316 MAIN STREET “I tried this place when I first moved to Ames hoping to have a place where brewing and people who love brewing would hang out. As it turns out it’s just another place for the college kids to get drunk at a good price. The beers are different each time you drink there, even a few days apart. The service doesn’t like me because I don’t know what I want even though it’s the same selection most of the time and I don’t order fast enough unless I hit the booth right away. Their glassware selection was going downhill fast last I was there, no more nonics available. I don’t eat the food, it is expensive. Overall I don’t visit very often anymore due to being so let down all of the time. I wish the owner would care about the beer as much as the restaurant part, he just opened a 56 tap bar above another college kid bar.“ |
| 76 /100 Cyclone Liquors (Beer Store) 626 LINCOLN WAY “For Iowa this place is not a bad one to visit if you’re near by. The manager was not at all helpful with anything but a young lady who also worked there was more than helpful. In single bottles the mostly had Belgians and a few other European beers but very few craft brews. The had a lot of craft brews in cases. They also had some cheaply priced glassware.“ |
