Latest reviews from Chilton

“Located in charming downtown Chilton, this place is like a time capsule. Opened in the 1990s, the place hasn’t progressed much and still has relics of even earlier times. In all its comfortable. Completely dead on a Saturday early evening. 10 beers on tap. The infamous Dark was on and was excellent. The other beers ranged from quite poor to quite good. Excellent service. Cash only. Good prices, pint, flight and glass were #16. Barrel count is currently 9068. 700th place rating!“

Drake 2851 days ago

“An old brewpub in small town Wisconsin that has a 1950-60s town bar feel to the place. Lots of old memorabilia plastering the walls and the rest of the place looked like it hasn’t been updated as well. Service was decent if not particularly oriented. A number of beers seemed off, but 8 were available as were flights. A few frozen pizzas available and place was dirt cheap. Seems time may have passed this place by...“

deyholla 3164 days ago

“This is a really unique place, quirky and anachronistic. If this doesn’t interest you, stop reading here. For the intrepid seekers of one-of-a-kind experiences, read on... We made a detour here from Green Bay, en route to Door county, despite the protests of a few locals based on the overall quality of the beers (more on that later). The building itself appeared to be well over 100 years old, with a cool mural of the Calumet Brewery logo. The front door was a unique copper plated design, heavy and rustic. Brewing equipment was visible though the windows. Inside it was dark and a little divey, high ceilings and a tv above the bar playing dr. phil. If you’re a breweriana fan, the collection here is worth the visit alone. Plenty of old trays and piles of crates high above on the walls, many from the old Calumet Brewery (closed 1937) and from collection of the bar owner/brewer’s mother. She was tending the bar, and had plenty of great stories to tell, a real salt of the earth lady who cared about the place, the beer, and it’s history. About the beer itself... let’s get the quality issues out of the way. They brew with a house yeast, and there was diacetyl in a few of the beer samples, so some of the less interesting beers tended to all run together. Don’t know if this is a tap line sanitation issue or what. However, there were a few that were solid, the Calumet Dark, Mortimer’s Ale, and "Kirby" a test batch brewed with Kirby Nelson (formerly of Capital). The root beer wasn’t bad either. There’s something to be said for upholding local brewing history, reviving a lost brewery, and maintaining it for over 20 years in this tiny, quiet town. It’s worth a visit, especially if quirky, off-the-beaten-path places are your cup of tea.“

emerge077 3923 days ago

“Was interesting to see a brew operation in a Wisconsin small-town local tavern. Brewing equipment right in the front when you walk in. Not a fancy place but very authentic Wisconsin old time bar. Beers were so-so. A little hard to find, I had to circle around the block, too. They sponsor a big beer festival every year in the local park.“

MPalecek 4418 days ago

“The building is an old fire hall from the 1800s that was turned into a bar in the early 20th century. Found out that they are only on the 3rd owners since this became a bar! Kind of a dive bar, but it has style. 1 pool table, 1 dart machine, 1 high def TV. Food is limited to frozen pizza. Server/owner seemed very matter of fact - nothing flashy, here’s your beer. 8 beer sampler for $6, great value. Decent root beer as well.“

BVery 4664 days ago

“Finally made it to Rowland’s in middle of nowhere Chilton. They had 11 house beers on tap on this visit. Service was good, I’m pretty sure it was one of the owners. Nice wall décor with articles about brewing and old tap handles and other assorted brewania abound. The beer was fairly disappointing. I see lots of high reviews on here but tried many flawed samples. Food was limited so I went around the corner to eat.“

esjaygee 4776 days ago

“"Moe, you ain’t thinking about getting rid of the dank, are you? Oh but Moe! The dank!" This quote from Carl Carlson pretty much sums up this bar. It’s on a main street in the center of town, small, smaller inside. There’s a pool table, a couple TVs, half a dozen high tables, and a 20-seat bar. A couple locals drowning their sorrows on the Sunday afternoon I stopped in. And yes, the music did abruptly stop when we out-of-towners stepped in the door. The bartender was friendly enough, but said "I don’t believe in those things" when I tried to pay with a credit card. CASH ONLY, FYI. 11 beers in the sampler, plus their root beer. If I lived in Chilton, I’d be a regular. Beers were generally good, really nothing about the place to actually complain about. It’s worth the scenic route around Lake Winnebago if you have the chance.“

Scubatrip 5033 days ago

“This is a great little place in a small town. Too bad the beers are a shadow of what they once were, full of diacytel.“

kmeves 5430 days ago

“I’ve only been there once, but it’s a cool stop if you’re in the right place in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin! They have a really cool bar area, great beers, and will talk your ear off about ’em if you’ll let ’em. I haven’t been back since Bob passed away, but I wouldn’t hesitate to stop in if I was anywhere close.“

Ughsmash 5998 days ago

“I wish this was my neighborhood bar. I live about 30 miles away and paid my first visit to Rowland’s on a beautiful winter Saturday in Jan 06. Tried the Irish Red, Amber and Rye and was not disappointed! Walked into the place and big Bob was behind the bar. A biker and his babe (both hippie burnouts) were shooting pool. Didn’t know what to expect. Soon we were talking about the great pyramids of Egypt, who discovered the concept of Pi, and most importantly, beer festivals. Give this place a visit if you can. Quaint old Wisconsin town, no traffic, no crowds, not much hops, but some excellent lagers!“

Jabswitch 6712 days ago

“Ambiance-wise, this is what a brewpub should be, especially one in a small town in upper Wisconsin. Basically a Northwoods small-town tavern with the ambiance to match, though more tidy than your average backwoods cheesehead watering hole. The difference is this tavern also happens to brew and serve only its own beers. I wasn’t as overwhelmed by the beers as most other reviewers, but with the exception of a painfully salty glass of liquid diacetyl described as a bock, I didn’t get a bad beer either. (How the hell did the bock get so highly rated here anyway? Was mine just from a bad batch??) The server, however, was rude and had no qualms about insulting someone who had just driven some 250 miles for the express purpose of trying their beer. Some would write it off as the non-PC attitude of the place/owner/staff, or their bewilderment at beer geeks, or whatever. Maybe others who read the reviews here before visiting will be better prepared for the attitude than I was. In hindsight I suppose it was all in good fun, but at the time I wasn’t expecting it and was simply taken aback. I’m glad other reviewers here were able to get samplers. When I asked for one, they refused. (Maybe it wasn’t all in good fun after all??) I might stop in again if I’m in the area on other business but I won’t make any special trips back.“

TheEnemy 6818 days ago

“Nothing new to add just another positive experience!“

DavidP 6880 days ago

“If you want an experience along with incredible beer, this is the place to go. Arrived on the hottest of July days early on a Friday afternoon. Only regular locals at the bar (one in house slippers). Bob ruled the day, telling us ribald jokes by the score, watched some golf and tried about every beer he had. The beers are unique to Bob’s crooked view of the world. Spicy. diacetyl -heavy and very unique beers. Not for everyone - but right up my alley. This place screams WISCONSIN!“

jewedekind 6894 days ago

“In the middle of nowhere sits a brewpub. We even drove right past it and then had to circle back. Went on a Saturday afternoon and were nearly the only people in the place until a wedding party in between events showed up. Like Jason, I did the sampler, and it came with 12 beers (I think.) Overall, very tasty. Nothing was particularly mind blowing, but it’s good to have done the experience. If you’re even in the area (how many times do you pass through Chilton?), I’d say hit this place. Classic.“

StewardofGondor 6923 days ago

“This is a great hidden brewpub. There really aren’t any big beers here, but there also aren’t any bad beers. And today I got a 12-beer sampler (~2oz each) for $6.50. I was amazed! Bob Rowland, the co-owner and brewer, is a cool guy.... a little non-PC as he puts it, but also very down to earth about owning such a successful business. And, regarding Hezron’s comments about a "biker bar", this place must be on a list of bars to stop at if you are a biker. On a sunny weekend afternoon, I’m guessing this place routinely gets bombarded by bikers for an hour or two. You can see the owners go to battle stations at the first sound of the thunder, early-pouring pilseners and lagers to meet the demand. Fun stuff :)“

JCapriotti 6960 days ago

“I felt out of place here in a tshirt and shorts and only driving a Honda. We pull up behind like 25 Harley’s. My friends were wondering why in the world I was bringing them to a biker bar. It took a while to get service, poor lady was busy. Once things settled down a bit we joked with her about feeling out of place and she agreed with us. Then she pointed out a road cyclist at the other end of the bar and said he must really feel out of place. Interesting place. Brewing stuff was laying around in the corners, behind the pool table, etc.. Old buckets holding blowoff tubes from the fermenters. Fun place.“

hezron 7001 days ago

“I’ve made the drive from Milwaukee to Chilton a few times now and I’ve always been pleased. The beer is fresh and enjoyable, the service excellent, and the selection better than most brewpubs. The prices are also amazing, cheaper than you pay for most macros at a bar. I also had a frozen pizza that they made in a toaster oven there that wasn’t half bad. A definite place to check out if you’re anywhere near the area.“

CaptainCougar 7334 days ago

“absolutely awesome. Bob and Bonita are great, and yes, they laugh heartily at the beer geeks. Bob's mission is to brew beer that makes you have to take another sip shortly after the last. Ask Bob for some quality jokes, and he'll have you laughing heartily as well. Just a super cool little place. yes, the total eclipse is the best, but I havent had the bock yet“

GermanBrews76 7394 days ago

“visited this place spring 2003-very much a midwest bar with a brewery. I thought that the dark was over-rated, but still a strong brew. all their brews were consistant and very good. Yes, do ask about the "idiot from NY" and you will get a great story“

Terminus 7419 days ago

“I agree with Muzzlehatch. Fun little local bar, with great beer. Bonita is great. Ask her about "the idiot from New York" that they shipped the growlers to.“

Pjones6738 7427 days ago

“This place is certainly a must-stop if you're in Central-Eastern Wisconsin, somewhere around Lake Winnebago and/or Green Bay. It's a classic small-town Wisconsin bar, but instead of Miller products, you get Bob's great classic German-style lagers. The celebrated Dark is actually second in my book to the schwartzbier, Total Eclipse, but everything's pretty decent. Bob and Bonita will talk your ear off and they'll appreciate that you've heard of them from Ratebeer, even if they don't quite understand why you would care. An essential experience!“

muzzlehatch 7428 days ago