Wednesday 1st of July 2009 10:53:28 PM

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The concrete building extends from the street all the way back to a gorgeous deck with outdoor seating. In the front is the bar area with assorted tables and tall seats along the bar. In the middle are the restrooms on one side and on the other, a fairly open kitchen with a great tile-covered wood-fired pizza oven. In the back is a large dining area on two different levels and of course, the deck. The ceiling is tall and the walls are mustard yellow to about half way up and concrete above that.

The mash tun and brew kettle are in the front (separated from the hallway and bar area only by a difference in height and a chain) and the rest of the brewery is located in the metal-floored mezzanine above the bar and restrooms. From our table in the back, we could see the typical brown paper sacks of grain and some of the fermentation tanks above.

There are a lot of tourists present since this place is in Ashland and Ashland is the home of the Shakespeare Festival, but it still has an open friendly vibe and is a great place to visit. The beer is excellent, there’s a good selection of styles, and the food is good too (especially the wood-fired pizzas!). After you sit down, a nice plate of tasty bread arrives (made from spent grain?) accompanied by garlic mayonnaise and, oddly, ketchup, for dipping.

The beers that were available on our latest visit were: Honey Cream Ale, Hefeweizen, Amber Ale, IPA, Double IPA, Nitro Oatmeal Stout, Saison, and a special bourbon-barrel-aged Double IPA.

Thursday 11th of June 2009 10:39:09 AM

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I have been to this brewery seven times over the past two years, usually when we are passing through town. The beer is always very good, and this past weekend was no exception. The double IPA is sublime, and the Amber is a standout. The restaurant's atmospher feels cozy until you look up at the brewtanks overhead, and all of a sudden the whole place opens up. It feels like you're having lunch at the employees inside bar, like it's a secret place. Overall a very good experience that I will happily repeat again and again!

Friday 5th of June 2009 06:19:03 PM

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Upscale with reasonable food prices. Wood fired Pizza but only one type of Calzone. Daily soup, burger, entre and dessert specials. They have garlic fries and they are good. Honey cream ale is good. Marionberry wheat is nice and light. Taster glasses are tall shot glasses. The beer coaster is a cool beer facts label, very unique. Almond Nut Brown Ale has 6 different malts and ground Almond flour, Nottingham yeast and lite English Hops and 25 cents from each pint goes to Dogs for Deaf program. House salad has roasted walnut and chunks of Blue Cheese. Clam chowder has a hint of cheese and maybe ale. They have a good amber and IPA but it is more like an ESB. Double IPA more like an IPA. The Stout was unimpressive. Creamy garlic mashed potatoes were a hit. The staff was very friendly and the decor excellent. Worth the trip.

Tuesday 7th of April 2009 03:40:50 PM

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Fairly standard beer options, the Double IPA was nice, hoppy and smooth, the Nitro Stout was good too.

The food was over-priced and disappointing.
My wife had the broiled scallop salad, $13 and it consisted of four medium-size scallops a big pile of spinich and sugar pea-pods pulled right out of a plastic bag and tossed on the salad, mold and all (the waitress was made aware of this and no solution was offered, not good), the vinigrette dressing was 90% oil, bla.
I had the garden salad and a bowl of crimini mushroom soup, this duo cost about $10 and the salad was good, blue-cheese and walnuts on top were a nice touch, and the blue-cheese dressing was good, the soup was flavored with some type of pumpkin pie spice, which was not offensive, but the soup was very light on mushrooms and it looked like the Exxon Valdez ran a-ground on the side of the bowl and left a thick toxic oil slick across the entire surface, again, bla.

This establishment was once a great place to hit when visiting family in Ashland. The bottom line for me is; I'll go back for a beer but I'll spend my food dollars elsewhere.

Friday 17th of August 2007 02:12:16 AM

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This brewpub is within easy walking distance from the Shakespeare Theater District. There is a nice bar with additional table seating right next to the brewing area. In addition, at the rear of the building, there is another dining area and a great shaded deck that has views of the surrounding hills/mountains. About 8 house brews were on tap and I particularly enjoyed the Double IPA. The menu includes many nice salads, burgers and sandwiches. After 5pm, more upscale entrees are available. Parking is mostly on the street or in lots near the theaters but strolling past the shops and theater area is usually pleasant.