October 4, 2009
Yet another place I visited many times and havent rated yet. Last visit was October 3rd 2009, during the Kingston Chili Fest...our usual hangout to digest the said chili(s). I really like the decor, with tons of British and antique beer paraphenelia. The food is typically good and plentifull. The beer selection is a bit static though (maybe I’m not going at the right time). Given that this is one of the oldest brewpubs in Canada, and the first in Ontario, it is worth the visit.

September 7, 2009
Some nice history to this place. Great location right down by the water. Has a front patio by the street, a nice gardeny patio in the back, and a pretty typical pub style inside. The few times I’ve gone, its primarily been for a meal, so I don’t have much of a read for the service in terms of beer savvy, though they serve food alright. Solid selection of their own beers, some Canadian micros, and international favourites. Good food and not expensive at all. Other than the Grad Club, this is the place to be for beer fans in Kingston.

September 25, 2008
A rather pretty building with obvious English inspirations (both the atmosphere and beers), but completely overloaded with breweriana, to the point that the place feels small and it’s not. I was not particularly fond of my meatball sandwich which was served with a soup that lacked a bit in vegetables. Very minimalist plates and not particularly cheap. Both beers tried were rather weak, very watery and totally devoid of any adventurous side.

April 24, 2008
Old and cozy feel to this establishment with the outside of the building looking quite historic. Service here was good and attentive. My waitress handled a complaint I had about a beer quite well, and also deducted a pint from my bill to apologize for the inconvenience....though I was completely willing to pay for it. I have to say the staff really aren’t that knowledgeable about beer over all, but my waitress knew about the beers that were being served. Selection was pretty good, and I noticed a few other taps other than the ones for the beers brewed here. I had a burger and fries, and the portions were good, and well priced. The only downfall is that some of the beers brewed here are bad news, but it is nice to see the experimentation. I’ll go again.

December 13, 2006 [ Updated January 15, 2007 ]
Admittedly the first brewpub I’ve been to, I had a great ambiance to it, and the food’s great too. Unfortunately, the staff don’t seem to know much about the beer or scotch they offer or anything about food pairing. It’s got the best beer on tap that I know of in Ontario, and I’d probably rank it in my top 3 places to eat, including my grandmother’s house. The beers aren’t phenomenal, and aside from the in-house beers, they’ve limited the selection to primarily dry, bitter beers such as Guinness and St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. They tend to be either overbearing (after-dinner beer) or underwhelming (light snack/aperitif beer); I haven’t had one of their beers with a meal and been truly satisfied with the pairing, but I haven’t tried all of their beers. Highly recommended to anyone who is passing through Kingston. Try the Decriminalized Steak Pot Pie--marinated in beer, with beer gravy. To die for!

August 3, 2006
I was there on vacation in July, the food was pub style and good.The beer selection was good, but nothing exceptional. The ambiance had a local feel to it.

July 15, 2006
Visité entre le 10 et le 13 juillet 2006, donc une fois pour souper. C’est plus un resto qu’un pub, le menu de bouffe est très varier. Il ya avait environ 6 ou 7 de leur propre bières (j’en ai bu 5) et le même nombre des autres brasseurs.

June 6, 2006
This place has been around for 20 plus years and benefits from an excellent location between Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Syracuse, and New York. It is right near the water in an ivy league college town and the people by nature are very friendly. The bar itself is small, however there is a very large deck and large tables and lots of regulars. This place is open to 2 a.m. daily regardless. You know you can come here and get a drink and its not dark and you can talk to someone. It is very relaxing. Average age is about 4, with a large percentage of mid-20s. Lots of staff, always busy but you never wait for a drink. Staff did not know much about the beers. The beer is fine for the lager/blondes the people want. Not a high ABV brewpub. People were here for hours. Beer is very reasonable, and there are 2 casks and 12 taps, most of them guest taps. Truly meritous of being one of the best places to drink beer in the country.

May 23, 2006
Établissement visité le 20 mai un peu avant l’heure du souper lors d’un séjour au Charleston Lake Provincial Park. Ambiance: Décoration de style pub britannique. Plein d’affiche, de cabaret, de tapis de bar et plein d’autre truc relié à la bière. Service: J’ai été un peu déçu, la serveuse ne semblait pas trop savoir les bières disponibles et aucun menu indiquait les bières disponible. La serveuse était tout de même sympathique. Sélection: J’ai fini par savoir qu’il avait 6 bières maisons au menu ainsi que 2 cidres. On trouve aussi des bières d’autres brasseries. Je n’ai gouté que la Rampant Rooster (je condusais) et mon amie à pris les 2 cidres. Nourriture: La description du menu était humoristique. Comme nous avions pas faim nous avons rien pris. (13e rating d’établissement)

January 5, 2006 [ Updated February 13, 2008 ]
I finally stopped by this fantastic little brewpub over the Christmas Holidays. Great cozy interior with a lot of old vintage beer towels, posters and tap handles on the walls, as well as other Canadiana and band posters and such. Nice little snugs in the general seating area and a cool back yard patio sort of thing too it looked like. Bar area was open and inviting. Food was excellent and good value, service solid and the beers were better than the ratings suggest. Other Ontario and Quebec micros were available on tap as well. We had a great time and I would recommend this as one of the best Ontario pubs without a doubt.