September 14, 2009
This place was not particularly beer-y but one need not expect too much beer culture in Branson Mo. The place was decorated with all sorts of antiques and oddities, including a huge plastic cow named Gaylord, and a taxidermy raccoon holding a box of cracker jacks. The place was fairly dead but we were well entertained by a lady who can kick your ass at Karaoke any day; singing some pretty good Country songs (Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Jeannie C Riley.... etc) very Branson indeed! The bar seemed a mess and the beer was not particularly good, seemed like one of those turnkey operations. What is odd about it is that usually these places push really hard the fact that they are a brew pub, but it seemed like an after thought in this place. The food was all either good, or excellent so I might actually come back for a bite and a tick if I’m in that neck of the woods again.

August 28, 2009
(Visited 10/2008): Branson’s only brewpub is located on 76 on the "Strip". There is ample parking in the private lot, and the place is pretty easy to spot thanks to a gigantic sign on the road. The interior has the same look and feel as a lot of eateries in Branson. It has a Western/rustic atmosphere, with lots of wood and brick, sporting goods, fishing poles, antiques and a giant bull. Charlie’s only had 3 beers on our visit, and while my expectations were not very high to begin with, I was still a little let down at the lack of selection and quality. None of the beers was above average. They had 2 wheat beers and a Stout and all were served ice cold and were unimpressive. Service was pretty good on a weekday evening. Our server was somewhat familiar with the beers and was helpful in getting samples when requested. Charlie’s food made up for the beer in some ways. The BBQ was above average, especially by local standards based on spending an entire week there. Overall my philosophy is "any port in a storm" when it comes to finding craft beer when traveling. However, the fact that I didn’t stop back in here again despite being stuck in Branson another 5 days after our visit says it all.

August 9, 2009
The inside of the place is cheesy Branson - lots of wood, aluminum, brick, actual schooners, rustic buckets and lots of mounted fish and wild game heads. Live entertainment, provided in table-to-table Mariachi fashion by a bleached-blond country music singer. The steak was good, but the nachos were absolutely horrible... nothing Mexican about them. Moving on to the beer: Kit beer, kit beer, kit beer! None of them were filtered (not necessarily a bad thing), but four of the six beers were the same color and totally not brewed to style. That’s normally not a big deal with me as long as the beer is good, but this beer wasn’t anything resembling good. It was all flavorless, watery and fizzy... even the stout. I don’t mind a flavorless beer with my food; in fact, I love a good pale lager with almost any fare, but this stuff - on it’s own - was just fizzy and flavorless. Don’t ask for a sampler. Although it’s free, you get about 1 oz of each beer. I offered to pay extra for larger samples, but they only offer the free sampler and beer by the pint. Pints are better for rating anyway. I hate Branson, tourist traps and country music. Apparently, I also hate Branson beer. Don’t go unless you only order the steak and/or ribs.

March 29, 2009
Stopped in as friends and I were staying very near to the restaurant. Don’t park in their lot if their is any ice as it is very steep. The inside was like any corny steakhouse with lots of stuff decorating the walls. There was also a life sized cow and other steak themes around. The beer was served form what looked like some type of modified mash tuns. The food was passable, but nothing special. The beer was barely drinkable, but at least it is local. My waitress had no idea what I asked for when I asked for a sampler of their beer. Obviously the beer is not a priority.

July 22, 2008
Very bad experience. Where to start? The waitresses didn’t even mention the house beer we had to ask about it (although service overall was pretty good). Only one was available: a wheat beer of some kind. It was badly made, a murky grayish color with tinges of paint thinner (phenols showing through). We settled for Pilsner Urquell and hoped for better food... the BBQ was decent but unfortunately the sides were very poor. I hope these folks get their act together, because it would be nice to have a decent brewpub in Branson.

June 29, 2008
Nice family resteraunt. There is little craft beer culture in Branson, MO., but Charlie’s will make a night on the Branson strip a very welcome place. The three 155 gal. brewpot/fermenting/conditioning vessels behind the bar hold the joy to that which is the soul of Charlie’s (although Gaylord th Bull might have something to do with it as well). They brew, ferment, and condition in the same tank so you get a raw and sometimes inconsistant brew that is always good. Unfortuantly they only brew three beers Lager, Light Wheat, and Stout. The light wheat was my 1st choice and favorite this year, but normally it is the stout that gets my fancy. It was at the bottom of the tank and meatllic, yet still good. The Lager was ferminting but it’s always had a I wish my macro tasted like this sort of feel to it. Being the only brewpub in Branson, Charlies is not only a must, but also enjoyable and fun.