Friday 8th of May 2015 04:27:47 PM

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Located quite a decent distance from campus and the downtown area, in a shopping center. Very large sports bar type of feel.

They have a huge menu of food. The fried pickles were excellent. I also had chicken tacos which were also very good. The overall menu was a little better than a normal bar menu, but prices were good.

The beer menu was a little disappointing when I was there, they were out of 3-4 beers. I tried the Bitter Professor IPA and a season Russian Stout. The stout was definitely the better of the 2, but neither were particularly memorable in my opinion.

Based on the reviews of this place, I will assume my beer experience was maybe a little off and I'd like to try it again someday.

Monday 3rd of June 2013 02:07:55 PM

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This one is located near a more spread-out part of town and obviously appeals more to the student crowd. The building is quite large and I bet it gets crowded in the evenings. Lots of TVs for watching games. The brewhouse itself is actually up above the bar, and with my fear of heights this does not appeal to me! I introduced myself to Bucky Buckingham, the friendly and bearded head brewer. He was a great guy and gave me more information on some of the beers.

The beers themselves were pretty good, with some interesting stand-outs. The Peppercorn Saison tasted spicy and was very refreshing. Apparently each year Free State, 23rd Street and Blind Tiger all do a collaboration beer and this year's was an oak smoked Gratzer. Free State's was very light with minimal smoke to it, while 23rd Street's unfiltered version bristled with smokiness in aroma and flavor. Interesting to try both within the space of an hour, and to hear the story behind them. The Full Kimono was last year's collaboration, an Imperial Red that now tastes like strong Old Ale!

Friday 14th of January 2011 11:20:43 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

A nice big building; site of a few prior restaurants/breweries. Plenty of parking and tasteful college-town decor. Decent pub-style food and, at least to start, awesome fresh pub chips. The beers, however, are mediocre at best, hardly to style, and definitely not adventurous in flavor. The tap lines have also been inexcusably dirty on occasion. Definitely a pub for the students in the nearby apartments more than for people who actually take pride in what they brew and drink.

Monday 11th of October 2010 09:01:11 PM

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We went here early afternoon on a Saturday. The buildinga and interior is done really nicely. It is relatively new facility custom built in a shopping area. Plenty of parking.

Our server was very knowlegeable and helpful with the beer selections. Unfortunately, the brewer obviously liked to make highly hopped beer using cascade hops. Every beer they had the bitter/sour taste of cascade hops except for the wheat beer. I had to drink wheat beer since I have an extreme aversion to these hops and my wife chocked down most of a so called German Alt (again hopped heavily with Cascade hops).

Oh well the food was good.

Thursday 29th of April 2010 01:24:23 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

I went to the 23rd Street Brewery on a Monday afternoon. Of course I was able to go straight up to the bar. The barmaid was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the beers. In fact she shared the certification program anyone working behind the bar needs to go through. Very thorough process in which they need to identify the various beers and be able to explain the differences. Extremely valuable in this type of business. While a sample plate could be ordered with all beers on in, she offered me a "tasts" of any beer I was interested in. I also ordered an order of nachos which was outstanding as well. Great beer, great food, and great staff. Sounds like a homerun to me!!

Tuesday 30th of June 2009 08:56:56 PM

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At the 23rd Street Brewery we ordered the sampler. This came with the Lighten Up Rice Ale, Wave the Wheat Ale, Raspberry Wheat, Bitter Professor IPA, Locals Only IPA, Uber Spalt Sticke Alt, Crimson Phog, and the Bartertown Brown. I’m a hophead so when I tasted the 80 IBUs Bitter Professor IPA I thought it was great; then I tasted the 100-plus Locals Only IPA. Wow, can’t beat that. We had a couple appetizers and a pizza that were all excellent. Service was great. The only detractor was the temperature in the place; they didn’t seem to have adequate air conditioning for the facility.

Tuesday 2nd of September 2008 03:18:20 PM

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Huge, newer, wonderful place. It's a bit of a weird location, in a suburban shopping center, but it's very worth the drive. Large, circular building with high ceilings that made it seem larger. A large bar with a variety of tables and booths for seating. Lots of TVs on, which were mostly all on sports that day.
The crowd almost all seemed to be regulars. The staff was great and the bartender that night was one of the best I've encountered anywhere for service, pouring, knowledge of beers and the bar, speed, and being able to interface well with people while doing it all. What a guy!
The beers were on the lighter side, but I was told that they do darker stuff in the winters. I got samples of everything: an IPA, an ESB, a red ("Crimson Phog"), a wheat, a raspberry wheat, a light beer and at least one other lighter variety that I can't recall. I liked the IPA the best, but I have to really tout the Crimson Phog as well. It was strong but sweet and has a surprisingly high ABV. I think that just about anyone, no matter their tastes, as long as they like beer, would enjoy it.
Then the food came: a reuben with the homemade pub chips. The reuben was wonderful. If they don't make the rye bread themselves, then they get it from somewhere locally. It was soft and toasted perfectly. The corned beef was stacked four high and the kraut was ample but not overwhelming. But the chips were the real treat as they were basically just fried potato slices. However, they were not greasy in the least and were served with a big side of ranch (I didn't even have to ask for it).
If I'm ever back in Lawrence, this will be my first stop. I'd strongly recommend the place to anyone traveling through.

Sunday 9th of December 2007 10:01:28 AM

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This is our local favorite. Open dining area, good menu, "mug club" and a terrific waitstaff. This is a top quartile brewpub; if you are in Lawrence, KS, you won't be sorry if you seek out the Two-Three.

Annoyances: the place closes "on occasion" after 8 or 9pm for "private parties". So, we will show up for a beer and a meal only to find a note on the door about an early close. Second, can't get a keg less than full barrel!