Saturday 5th of January 2013 10:04:37 PM

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This is a microbrewery that's operating in an old Firehouse in downtown Rapid City, SD. As other reviewers have said, the beer here is nothing to write home about. Each beer is a mostly mediocre example of its style. It was a nice place to visit because it's the only show in town, but that's about it.

They do have several floors. I asked to purchase a pint glass and they unlocked the 3rd floor for me, which is a large gift shop that seems like it almost never gets used. I'm not sure exactly what that was about.

Wednesday 23rd of September 2009 09:09:21 AM

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On the beer side, extemely disappointing, however the food was very good. They advertised 10 beers on the menu but only had 3 on tap when I was there. They had a wheat, red and stout, none had much taste at all and all seemed very watery. Not one I would recommend. They brew their own birch beer, just like the beer, just not a very strong flavor there either.

The food however was quite good, we had the nachos appetizer and I had souvlaki, both of which I would go back there for.

The brewery is located in downtown Rapid City, on street parking is available. Also has outside seating and is family friendly.

Tuesday 25th of November 2008 10:22:13 PM

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Maybe the worst beer I've ever drank at a "micro" brewery. Three words sum this place up... PLASTIC PINT GLASSES!!! Look, it's better than drinking schwaggy domestic beer, but honestly this stuff is not worth your time. Forget that they WAY overcharge for a pint. If they wanted $2 a pint I'd still feel like I was being cheated. The beer is flat and lacks body, which is not surprising considering most of them weight in at 3.5-5% ABV. Honestly, there are beers in there at 3.5%... ridiculous! Somehow this place manages to stay quite busy. I've heard a lot of folks mention that they liked the food, but I'd call it standard for the American "pub" dining experience. Maybe I was just bitter about the beer sucking so bad.

Anyway, I had to sound cynical... I usually avoid the negative reviews entirely. If you don't have anything good to say...

But my goal here is to hope that the point gets made to Firehouse that the quality of their product is slipping. If heard that "back in the day" they made OK beer. This is no longer the case.

On a brighter note, I've been thinking about homebrewing for quite some time. Based on the complete lack of good brewpubs in the Black Hills (OK, Crow Peak is coming along nicely) and the fact that South Dakota taxes the hell out of craft beer coming in from other states, I've taken the plunge and couldn't be happier. In fact, there's 5 gallons of super hoppy IPA on the stove right now... suck it Firehouse!

Wednesday 11th of July 2007 04:09:03 PM

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several visits june and july 07:

Atmosphere: On each visit i have sat in their outdoor area which has ~20 tables and is nicely shaded. A terrific spot during the warmer months. The location also has a stage, and the one night there was a band i did actually return inside, mostly because the band was atrocious but the sound level was insane as well.

Beer: I travel here on business so i am some what limited in my ability to travel looking for beer. For that reason and that alone i keep returning. There are some brew pubs which simply are packed because they lack competition and this is one of them. The beer of each style i have tried is best described as thin. They are weak examples of the styles they try and represent. It feels to me like profit is the motive not quality of beer. Perhaps the brew master would argue this point but to him i would say if you love beer you would NEVER pour it into PLASTIC pint glases that taste like dish soap. Enough said.