June 21, 2009
The Chaos Dry Stoudt and the Rough Rider Red Lager alone, are worth stopping for. Kind of pricey on the food menu. I had the baby Spinach and the chili. Both were very good. The staff are friendly and attentive. The location is very convenient on US Rout 9, less than 100 Yards from the FDR home and Library. All 4 of us in my party enjoyed their food. The portions are large.

January 12, 2009
one of the best local brewpubs in the Hudson Valley. The beers are incomprable for what they offer. The Barrel 9 changes every two weeks which is good for selection

October 11, 2008
The quality seems to have dropped off a little bit since the place opened, and I think they may have changed ownership along the way, which could explain that. The dinner menu way back when used to change a bit, and was (as best I recall) done by CIA folks. It’s been moving towards more of the typical brewpub offerings, though there are still some interesting menu items. The bar fare is rather standard, though they do make a nice pretzel. I’m rather fond of the pizza and a pitcher thing on Tuesdays, which is quite a good value. Crowds seem very erratic there, as if there is some secret schedule I’m not aware of, as I’ll go at the same time and day different weeks, and one day it’s packed, others, dead as a Huck Finn’s cat. Bar service is often hit or miss, and very dependent on who your bartender happens to be. Sometimes you get someone very attentive, others you’re waiting and waiting for whomever it is to get off their bar stool and stop eating their dinner, and get back behind the bar.

February 4, 2008
It lopoks like my kind of bar when you first enter. The wait staff is usally friendly but the bartenders don’t always know the beer well that they are serving. Most of the beer themselves are not my favorites but I leave that for the beer reviews. The food has been pretty good when I have eaten there. The sandwiches, brats, burgers, and chili are all really good bar dishes and go well with the beer they serve. I usually go when it is quiet but I knwo they do have specials and stuff like open mic or trivia nights. Descent.

January 13, 2008
Ate here on the return from Half- Time (This time accompanied by the wife for economic responsibility reasons) Even for a Saturday lunchtime crowd this place felt like a tomb. Three tables incuding ours and a few regulars settled in at the very nice and spacious bar. Brewpub is encased in glass walls around the eating areas. Cobweb ridden banquet hall. Saw the winkle lager on the menu and inqurired if it was the same stuff from the skytop steakhouse in Kingston, NY. Answer: Yes, both establishments are owned by the same folks. It seems that this one was opened first. At least this place has better lighting and you can see your food.

January 2, 2008
plan looking brewpub, clean, nothing to point out except some cool smaller TVs in the bar area. came in on an empty Friday evening, regular bartender, could have been more attentive on an empty night. Got only on thing to eat but it was really good, mini burgers, who knows about the rest, menu was standard brewpub. Now the beer, pretty crappy, most everything had some diacetyl, pale lager was turning sour and in late October they still had an Octoberfest as the seasonal. 16 bucks for a growler of below average beers. I probably will not be returning.

November 22, 2007
Beer was tasty, food was ok.No t-shirts or stickers. I got one of three pint glasses they had left. The beer made up for it though, not bad for lagers and basic beers

March 11, 2007
food is better than the beer. Not horrible, not great. pretty run of the mill.

November 24, 2005
Pretty generic atmosphere with breweriana and old time bric a brac from the area strewn about the place. There was a terrible aroma of stale wet carpet and cat fur that was off putting to say the least. Service was perfunctory. While the beers were not awful, there was really nothing special here. The food was not very good and lead to heartburn after the fact. Very greasy and not exceptionally tasty. As Rasta says, either we hit a particularly bad day or the place is going downhill because this doesn’t seem like the place that doc and maibock describe at all...

September 9, 2005
Generic selection with mostly low-gravity, husky lagers. Awful food, I took the BBQ pizza and it was served with canned corn on it.. can you imagine what the beer tasted like after? Either a bad day or the palce is getting worse. Dull rural restaurant atmosphere with old furniture odors laying in the air. Poor.