April 25, 2009
Visited on a quiet Monday afternoon back in November, this has a fun rockin’ music feel going on for a local student bar. Reminds me of typical English bars with it’s central hub of a bar and perimeter tables on wooden floors. Service is friendly but slow and forgetful. Didn’t try the food. Beer selection was out of date but had a few interesting bottles available. I’d like to see it on a busy Saturday night packed with students, but at the same time not. Could be a fun local.

September 27, 2008
First thing I noticed was the unsightly signs adorning the sides of what is obviously a character building. WTF? Big, laid back wooden place with lots of tables and a pretty raucous vibe. They really play bad music here! A few of the draughts were tasting off. I got the sense immediately that in spite of a pretty long list, this is not a true beer bar. More of a watering hole that happens to have a decent selection.

January 25, 2008
They were out of most of their better beers and the Propeller IPA they served up was way past it’s freshness. The food was okay, and the service wasn’t bad, but you could tell the staff didn’t really want to be there. There are much better places near by to be spending any more time here.

November 11, 2007 [ Updated February 12, 2008 ]
Now, reading all the reviews and what I have heard from word of mouth. I wasn’t looking forward to the Plum. Only went for the beer. However my experience wasn’t to bad at all. The bar is a bit grim, not very inviting from the outside and has a grunge feel to it. The bar has a decent selection of local and Canadian beers to try. Someone like me who is looking to try these beers, it was a good place to go. The staff, all girls looked like they had enough attitude to give the spice girls a good run for there money. Mine served me pretty quick, was friendly enough and I had no problems at all. Ill be back to sample a few more, buts that the only reason why I go to this bar. Seem to run out of a few beers.

September 26, 2007
The last place I’d revisit in Halifax ... there are too many nice bars to waste your time here.

July 10, 2007
Yep. Free peanuts are good, beer is too cool, glassware sucks, service is poor: I have left thirsty due to being blatantly ignored by bartenders. Food is mediocre to not bad. The place has potential with new management. I do have to commend the staff for putting up with me and my drunken friends after our regular Propeller Brewery tours

June 5, 2007
Disappointing. Much as I love Canada and Halifax in particular, sixty taps in Canada just doesn’t mean much, as it’s all Canadian-brewed and with little in the way of microbrewed or craft beers. So I really didn’t find much variety at The Maxwell’s Plum at all. The place was loud, and the food menu was as generic as they come, as was the fish & chips. It’s possible to do worse, but easy to do better.

May 22, 2007
May 2007. Echoing some other comments....kind of an interesting-looking place, with the triple-split-level and all, but not terribly inviting....beers served too cold, and nothing that you can’t get elsewhere in the city even if the total numbers here are high....mostly filled with loud, very drunk college kids when we visited (a Tuesday!)....service was very poor, we were ignored seemingly because we weren’t local and actually were ASKED TO MOVE by the bartender so a couple of hot chicks could sit closer to her, I shit you not! If this place were in my backyard I would write to the owner and/or urge a boycott. Amongst the worst service-experiences I’ve ever had; I shan’t be back even if I’m back in the city for a week someday unless I’ve heard marked changes for the better.

May 18, 2007
Not really a great place for beer geeks despite the large number (60) of beers on tap. Beers are all served in heavy ice-cold mugs - yeesh. Despite number of beers available the list is not impressive. Service was irritatingly slow on a Sunday night with very few customers. Ambience/decor is lacking - kind of dingy (peanut shells are OK, but on a carpeted floor?!). Big screen TV showing fake wrestling/fighting or something. Food sucked.

February 13, 2007
Known for their huge selection, it’s not as impressive as they’d like to believe. Leans heavily on macros and imported Inbev selections. Selection of micros is good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a small fraction of their total stock. Also, turnover is such that you sometimes get less-then-fresh kegs. Frosted mugs are common, and staff tends to be harried. Peanuts on the floor and big-screen TVs showing sports clashes dreadfully with the dark wood and carpeting. Still, you can get a good pint with your pub grub, which id more than I can say for many other places in Halifax.