August 9, 2009
Good selection and not bad value, however many drunk customers and rude staff hurt their rating in my mind.

December 31, 2008
The drunken d-bag factor is VERY high here, even for Des Moines. That said, this place has really bumped up the bottle selection in the last few months, Leipziger Gose, Uergie Alt, Celebrator, to name a few. plenty of other interesting stuff. The beer sells fast, particularly the lagers & pilsners, which is good news because this means you can auctually get a fresh german pilsner on tap. The staff is usually pretty awesome and most of them know the beers very well.

June 14, 2007
Good atmosphere, good food, and most importantly good German beer. Service was friendly and somewhat knowledgeable. Food was very good--try the kraut--and reasonably priced! My only gripe is their draught selection, which seemed to be mostly weizens.

May 2, 2007
The few times I have been there, the crowd (as told to me by regulars) was way larger than usual. The place is total Bavarian biergarten kitsch, but fun if you’ve got a couple friends and just want to chill with the polka band. Again, though, this place seems to always be filled with barflies rather than beer folks, and it detracts from the atmosphere. You get the feeling that if happy hour were cheaper somewhere else, they and their night-on-the-town clothes would be gone. Selection is decent but tends towards the weizens, dorts, and pils. I’d really like to see them pouring Aventinus or Celebrator.

March 8, 2007
This is a fine place to visit if you enjoy German Lagers vom fass. Beer served in half liters, maß, and boot. Fairly large place with good food as well. Great crowd when a live polka band is playing. Everyone sings along. The website usually lists what they are pouring. One block away from Court Avenue Brewing. Only bad thing is that they allow smoking. Bring your respirator with you.