Latest reviews from Kitchener

“2023-08-20. A nano brewery in a residential garage it's a pretty good set up with a service window. I tried samples of the three they had available today and they were all pretty solid, and got growlers of two of them. Service was friendly. Another customer in line claimed they had tried every beer and they were all good. $10 for a small growler fill if you BYO. Worth a visit.“

jercraigs 247 days ago

“2021-09-24. Stopped in on a cool but sunny Friday afternoon. They were kind enough to set up the table on the parking lot patio for us. There is a small indoor seating area but we are not really ready for indoor spaces yet with COVID. They had four beers available on tap and to go today. We tried a flight and some snacks from Little Mushroom Catering (it seems like maybe they rotate the food provider?) We had a decent Mac and cheese, which was deliciously enhanced by crumbled Doritos which I have never seen before but enjoyed. Cheese filled meat balls were great. The beers were all interesting and decent, but mostly not entirely to my own taste other than the bock which I liked. They were could enough that I'd come back to see if it was just the particular hop/yeast profiles that I didn't love. Friendly server. Apparently they pay a living wage which is great. Worth a visit if you are in the area.“

jercraigs 941 days ago

“A very decent stopover when in the area. Good coffee place, good outdoor patio, great service. Decent beers and store to take home beer and other products. Roomy.“

Sammy 1746 days ago

“Small micro brewery with bottled product and growler fills, tucked away in small mall off the main drag into Kitchener...home brewers that went commercial decent brews but limited variety....well made brews mostly ales...eclectic and Belgian influenced...limited seating most usiness is walk-in to fill growlers and taste new offerings....fast turn-over in offerings“

pootzboy 1746 days ago

“worthwhile stop.if nearby. making more difficult beers according to style. small number of better styles.sunday open helped.“

Sammy 1746 days ago

“This is primarily a home brew supply business who put in a 10 barrel system and run a few worthy home brew recipes off ....they now have have a small tap room and bottle shop which is open 3 days a week (Thurs. Fri. Sat. afternoons to 8pm)...No food....good place to visit when they release a new brew....very small batch high quality unfiltered home brew styled beers...tasty and unique. usually only 3 to 5 offering available...right now they are pouring a Gose that really kills it. Check their web site to see what's on before you search them out (in an older industrial area, not too far from TWB brewery) https://shortfingerbrewing.com/“

pootzboy 1760 days ago

“Small brewery in a great old neighborhood location....out of the way in a quiet tree lined street...but accessible by Bus, LRT and car.....15 hecto brewery with a small cozy tasting room and 8 taps....all house made brews with usually one guest tap or collaboration brew. Great fresh well made/conditioned brews....off sales (cans/bottles/growlers) Growlers filled. Homey, neighborhood pub atmosphere, seating for maybe 20, but no food, but you can bring some in if you want...most regulars walk in have a beer or 2 while they have growlers refilled...polite friendly knowledgeable staff (Co--op share holders) they rent out the brewery for local or private events...very warm neighborhood Mom & Pop pub ambiance...they have a folk singer act in on Thurs and occasional local art events/promos....my new watering hole.“

pootzboy 1760 days ago

“I'm in here about twice a week, but usually just to get a growler filled or buy a couple cans of brew for the home patio. Spoke with the brewers and these guys have their collective sheet together, they're brewing the most approachable well conditioned, well attenuated lagers and Ales in K-W...the venue is massive...huge...lots of seating....a long bar...a dozen or more house-made craft beers on tap. ..,,,what it lacks is a homey, local tavern type ambiance...it's septic and industrial...staff are not too well acquainted with the product they are selling (beer) or the customers, (I'm in here regularly and they still don't know me).... there is no friendly banter across the bar as one would expect with a local brew pub or a friendly neighborhood watering hole...kinda impersonal and septic like the ambiance...Food is pricey for pub grub( Pasta, salads,burgers and Pizza) but decent enough, ....Beer is first rate, and reasonably priced ... well worth the trip forthe beer alone...but it's hard to tell what the business plan is here, does it want to be a pop night spot with bands (Plenty of unused space for that), or a sports bar with in-house brew or a semi-pretentious hipster bistro Or a neighborhood brew pub... or a Mom and Pop family restaurant with a craft beer menu???...hard to tell...so for now I just drop in regularly to fill my growlers with the great offerings on tap and let the venue's identity crisis sort itself out.“

pootzboy 1765 days ago

“Nice place downtown Kitchener with okay beers and decent foods. Cool location in old tannery building.“

northropfrye 1773 days ago

“High price point and little selection means you stop here if you are here in the area.“

Sammy 2050 days ago

“2018-09-15. Crazy busy around dinner time on a Saturday night. The smart table menus are pretty cool but feel less efficient than regular menus and the menus are not always intuitive until you get the hang of it. Cutesy menu item names are similarly fun but also make it harder to scan through the menu. Friendly server. Fairly loud but I might just be tired and cranky after a long. ;) JJ Poulet sandwich is excellent. The gnocchi is amazing! If their beer was as good as the gnocchi it would be the best brewery in Canada. So rich and cheesey. Hopefully the decent beer catches up to the food. (And hopefully the food is this good on a return visit!)“

jercraigs 2055 days ago

“2018-09-15. Pretty much just bare bones retail with growlers and bottles to go at this point. Bottles not in the fridge which seems unusual. Two bottles and three growler fills available today. Will have to come back when I'm I can get more stuff to go I guess. “

jercraigs 2060 days ago

“i came at a prime time. decent relaxed place. wierd set up. good pricing. all beers fresh and.most cleanly executed.“

Sammy 2194 days ago

“toronto style bar at probably most expensive real estate in k-w. nice on a sunday aft. a good selection. clean and modern.“

Sammy 2194 days ago

“2017-12-30. Brewery is located a bit out of the way. Nice bottle shop with some swag and fridges full of beer. Most/many seem to be available as singles if you are looking to tick or just try something new. Staff are friendly enough. Decent little brewery shop, beer range is relatively mainstream with a few standouts.“

jercraigs 2241 days ago

“2017-12-29. Smallish space, pretty cozy with bar stool seating for the most part and some high top tables. 8 taps of their own beers in a range of styles. Friendly bartenders. Most other customers today are here for growler fills. Beers ranged from pretty decent to just okay today. Location is a bit out of the way. Better than I expected if I am being honest, and the beer quality was arguably better overall than our other Kitchener stops at Abe Erb and Descendants.“

jercraigs 2313 days ago

“2017-12-29. Nice place, pretty posh/slick interior. It's pretty loud late on a Friday night. I like the giant menu board. Our high-top table would have benefited from a seat-back on the barstool (#oldman :) ) Looks like it probably a decent patio when it's not -10C outside. Balcony second floor. 18 taps on today, in a good range of styles, mostly Ontario micros with some nice imports as well. The option for 5/12/16 oz pours is nice. Bottle list is pretty good but pretty pricey, especially in comparison to the draft prices which are pretty good in comparison to Toronto prices. They may need to rinse their glasses better I got notes of detergent in a couple of our beers. Overall we quite enjoyed our visit despite focusing on the negatives a bit in my notes. Will definitely be back when we are next in town.“

jercraigs 2320 days ago

“2017-12-29. Nice space, exposed brick. Interesting layout with tables along one wall with some communal tables in the middle. Brewery equipment is out and visible along the far wall. Tables along the wall are a little closer together than I would prefer, not sure why they didn't spread people out a bit more today. More screaming babies in attendance than is ideal on a Friday afternoon. They had a good selection of their own beers on tap today plus a few solid guest taps in a good range of styles. Good range of stuff on the food menu as well. The chicken club sandwich was excellent, the mac and cheese has lovely rich cheese sauce and starts great only to be significantly diminished by the presence of onions (WTF? Apparently onions in Mac & Cheese is a thing people do...) and too much pepper for my tastes. Pricing for food is just a touch higher than expected, not sure we tried enough of the menu to say if it is worth it. Friendly servers, we had pretty good service despite being a bit slow to bring our cheque. The table beside us was less fortunate and not very happy. Overall we enjoyed our visit and would probably come back, but the beer quality disappointed a bit on the whole.“

jercraigs 2320 days ago

“A perfect little neighborhood pub. Small and cozy where everyone knows each other. Service is great, with lots of time to chat and lots of material explaining the beers. 8 taps and bottles with ridiculously cheap flights. A great stop and nice little local.“

Ferris 2323 days ago

“Nice looking bar in a neat tech building. Service was OK, but mistakes were made and they just didn't seem interested. Selection was pretty good with a lot of different beers and some guest taps. Food was good but everything is pricey. Not a bad stop, beer can be good and the venue is nice.“

Ferris 2323 days ago

“18 taps of fresh regional and import crafted beer with a weekly rotation. Large bottle selection of hard-to-gets, special editions and rare imports...Trappist ales. Food is eclectic up scale snacks and pub fair some a bit pricey but good. Located on a beautiful shaded boulevard village, nice shade trees to park a bike under...seating is a bit spartan but this is a world class craft beer bar for craft beer lovers - make it a destination or a watering hole,“

pootzboy 2510 days ago

“Best brew pub in the region hands down - lots of tap rotation and the house brews are first class (Alt, dunkel, Schwartz, Oat IPA) - guest taps are good as well (Bellwood’s , Forked river, Barn Cat etc.) -- food is a step above pub grub but reasonable- THEY FILL GROWLERS“

pootzboy 2513 days ago

“yeah, so. I’d hate to admit I was a bit apprehensive about this place. I have not had good luck with ye olde beer place in strip mall routine prior to this one. Small cozy place with a decent sized bar and patio to enjoy for the two months of Canadian summer. Large beer menu with Ontario beers, one from California, and Rodenbach grandcru. I had some Ontario IPAs, a fucking delicious grilled cheese and a bowl of soup. My nerves were eased. This place gave me a minor erection.“

UDBeernut 2904 days ago

“Small friendly place with a good selection (6, when I was in) of beers. Growlers (1L and 2L) only, in addition to glasses at their bar. A little pricey. Will be back here to try some more beers.“

kevinsenn 3000 days ago

“Located in the middle of the main shopping and eating strret in the city, this place is a restaurant wit nearly twenty taps featuring both local micros and some more common beer, like Guinnes. Friendly staff and fairly popular orices. Did not try the food. Might be back if ever in town again.“

Bamsen78 3225 days ago

“When I visited: Mid-October 2014. What I had: Pint of Beau’s Nightmarzen Oktoberfest Lager, Daily Market Soup, BBQ Pulled Pork Plate, glass of Creekside Estate Sauvignon Blanc and Chicken Tacos for my fiance, dessert to split. What I liked: Attractive interior, lots of seating options, well laid out beer menu, affable service, delicious food. What I disliked: Tap list is just okay, with Nightmarzen and Smash Bomb being the most interesting drafts on our visit, was disappointed to see Sleeman, Sapporo, and Creemore in the mix, prices are on the high side ($18 burger, $13 dip, $8 soup, etc) but the quality is there, given the restaurant focus and "safe" beer lineup I wouldn’t come here just for drinks. Would I go back? For a nice dinner with my partner, yes. Overall Rating: 70“

cratez 3465 days ago

“When I visited: Mid-October 2014. What I had: Muskoka Harvest Ale, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, and Rogue Brutal IPA on tap, samples of Black Swan Porter and Wellington Carved Out Pumpkin, Vegetable Curry over Rice for me, Southwest Chicken Wrap with Mixed Green Salad and a few glasses of white wine for my better half. What I liked: Comfy pub ambience, no trouble finding a table, large draft list with good style variation, tasty and affordable food, our server was a lot of fun, I won a Hacker Pschorr mug as part of an Oktoberfest quiz that the bar was doing. What I disliked: Not as many rarities as I anticipated (whether on tap or in bottle), both the Black Swan and Wellington beers failed to impress. Would I go back? Yes. While my samples fell flat, the pints and food were stellar, and overall The Elbow is a great beer bar that I would happily frequent again. Overall Rating: 82“

cratez 3466 days ago

“Tapas restaurant in Kitchener. Pretty fancy place, and not one you’d necessarily expect to find very god beer in. But they have Bellwoods beer (two different bottles, when I was there). That’s enough to bring me back!“

kevinsenn 3476 days ago

“Always a rare sought after brew or hard to get one-off on Tap. 32 Craft brews on tap and a cask - decent import bottle selection, the only cask engine in the twiri cities region and good food at a good price. THE place to drink in KW if you are a craft beer lover“

pootzboy 3945 days ago

“My go-to spot for excellent food and a great selection of beers. I always love trying whatever they have on cask. The service is fantastic. All of the servers are very friendly and knowledgeable about the beers they have available.“

delparnel 4018 days ago

“A not-so-great location, and a pretty small place. A huge number of (rotating) taps. The selection is the best in K-W-Cambridge for sure. Maybe technically not as large a selection as BeerTown, but definitely a BETTER selection. And also large. Rotating Rogue tap ("Mogul Madness" when I was there), as well as other rotating taps. Menus can’t keep up with their constantly changing selection. Rotating cask. Food was good. The "snacks" part of the menu had some very interesting and good-looking items. Prices for beer are good. The beer is clearly enough to keep me coming back here. 5oz sample glasses of anything on tap available, which is nice.“

kevinsenn 4070 days ago

“great place that just opened up on king st in kitchener. really well thought out tap list, very good bottle selection. without a dought the new best beer bar in the KW area. ill frequent this place.“

barncatmatt 4097 days ago

“The large LCBO near my house. In an area of town not known for those who appreciate much more than Coors Light. However, the beer guy at this location is quite passionate about beer, and thus the store receives a lot of special and seasonal things before other, more major stores in KW. The lay-out is ok, standard LCBO divisions of different kinds of alcohol. The beer section is quite large, taking up most of the back. The staff range from surprisingly friendly to downright awful, and the place gets a bit too busy a lot of the time. If you’re under the age of 40, expect a certain level of undeserving suspicion from the generally disgruntled employees. I’ve been asked for ID by employees who saw me a day earlier and didn’t ask for it then (multiple instances). Clientele can be off-putting if you’re not from the area, but this store is still worth getting to for the gems which can often be found.“

JesseM 4207 days ago

“Very solid LCBO store, somewhat close to my house but the area of town is defined by residential streets that get highway-like volume most of the day. So it’s a bit of a pain to get here, and the parking lot is pretty stupidly designed. But the beer selection is fantastic for an LCBO, and they often get new things or seasonals before any other store in the region. Worth going to if you take the bus, or don’t mind hideous traffic.“

JesseM 4225 days ago

“best LCBO in Kitchener for selection, still not as good as the 2 King St stores in Waterloo. this store gets all the seasonals and has a solid everyday lineup for an LCBO.“

barncatmatt 4225 days ago

“just another LCBO store, the second best one in kitchener, getssome seasonals and has a solid regular lineup, but if your in KW there are 3 better LCBO to shop at (the 2 on King St in Waterloo and Highland road in Kichener)“

barncatmatt 4225 days ago

“nice restaurant, actually 3 in one building, with some craft beer. good food, but not a craft beer place, its more of a place you can go out for a good meal that also happens to have craft beer.“

barncatmatt 4225 days ago

“Originally had an overall had a good impression of this place as an up scale place that tried to focus on the occasional local brewery (Mill St.). But it is extremely pricy given the selection and very conservative. Asked around and heard some very negative experiences people have had, where they felt very judged. A new bartender was also fired when they found out she was a lesbian. All in all there are better places to find local breweries, although I’m not sure of any more upscale that also does local. Please post if you know of any.“

Stoutgirl86 4364 days ago

“Decent selection, but better stores exist in KW. Beer section seems disorganized at times.“

kevinsenn 4556 days ago

“This used to be one of the best LCBO’s in town. They used to get most seasonals, as well as carry some products that other stores didn’t. They were one of 2 or 3 stores that always got new products first. And then about 2 years ago they must have got a new beer guy, or manager, or just gave up on beer in general. It’s such a wasteland now compared to how it used to be. Service is kind of meh, standard LCBO apathy with that vague sense of faux-moral superiority. Atmosphere is cramped as it’s not a particularly well designed location. I have not bothered with this place as it’s incredibly inconvenient to get to, in a boring part of town, and after this experience will never bother with again unless things substantially improve. What a waste of time and space.“

JesseM 4686 days ago

“amazing place and certainly the best option in kitchener since the castle closed. very nice selection of rotating taps with minimal macro influence. i havnt had the food yet but that will change in the near future. top KW spot!“

barncatmatt 4799 days ago

“What an incredible space! Half of the restaurant is in a 120 year old school house that has been beautifully restored. The harvest lounge bar is spectacular! The backdrop is the old school house yellow brick wall that must be over 20 feet high, the school house dining room has 3 majestic windows that look down on the bar. They have a wine cellar room that is unreal, outfitted with a huge flat screen TV and leather furnishing, you can book this room for reasonable minimum spends. On tap they have 20 Ontario brews (with the exception of Moosehead) they carry Mill Street, Flying Monkey, Wellington, F&M as well as two rotating taps which were both from Grand River on my visit but they rotate regularly. They offer local food that is served with a smile and is hot, fresh and a good value, with only a few menu items over $20. The wine list is mostly VQA and is well put together offering some different offerings and again the list is priced well. Located at Sportsworld crossing this spot should do very well!! “

quixotic78 4817 days ago