Northwoods Brewpub and Grill, Eau Claire

January 22, 2008
Original rating from 2003: Stopped by and tried a sampler of everything they had on tap, which was okay, I guess. All the beers were force carbonated to the same pressure, and there was too much emphasis on light lagers and ales. Hey, I guess it’s what sells in this area. You know you’re in the woods when they offer drink specials for anyone wearing their hunting gear. Just one big caveat: I took home some of their bottled beers, and found them all to be very badly contaminated. I would hope this was a temporary problem that they should have fixed by this time.

December 17, 2007
This place rocks. Adding the Norske Nook was a great addition It has definetly improved. It now not only has a northwoods feel but now with a norsk twist. The beer has definiatly improved. THey have a Dunkel Wisen that is really true to style and the flavor is fantastic, whidh is alot for me who does not normally like wheat beers . The food has gotten excellent and the pie is to die for, just like moms. But the beer is what matters here and the brown ale, little bandit brown the GABF metal winner just keeps getting better. Another one that is great is the flopping crappie, Its kind of a cross of several styles being a brown beer with a light golden taste.

June 3, 2007
Attached to a Norske nook with a woodsy motif going on. Plenty of their own watery beer on tap.

January 23, 2007
A nice looking place (well packaged) that falls a little short of expectation. I was really hoping to find a great beer here but everything I tried seemed about average. Not bad, just not great. The food was good, the service was ok.

November 26, 2006
Recently merged with the Norski Nook presumably to provide some legitimacy to the place, but it seems to have gotten progressively worse over the years. Several years ago the food was better, but the beers were just OK...now the food is bad to go with the beer. With the Norski Nook attahed you can at least get some good pie. Pie does not go well with beer. I’d say this place will go under soon. IMO.

July 15, 2006
I grew up in this area and have been to this place plenty of times. The beer is nothing special for beer geeks like ourselves, reason being that by my estimates 90% of the local populace wants nothing to do with strongly flavored micros. Northern WI is a haven for cheap swill beer drinkers, and the brews at this pub trend toward the macro palate. That being said, the beer is good for what it is, but not amazing. The thing I like about this place is the food. It is solid pub fare, with burgers, wings, steaks, and fried food being popular. The service for the most part is exceptional, the staff is laid back and polite. And those WI accents always crack me up. If you are in town looking for a decent meal and a beer, check it out.

December 1, 2005
Always stop here on the way to my annual fishing trip. The beers are good but not great.The food is above average with the normal brew pub staples (wings and burgers) and an ever changing menu. Stop here if you are in the mood for a beer but don’t go out of your way to come here.

August 19, 2005
Generic "look at us, we’re trying to look Northern" brewpub next to a mall of a major highway. Was there in mid-afternoon, so no real clientale for competition, but I saw the bartender when I ordered, once very briefly in the middle of an eight-glass sampler, and when I was done. Not really blown away. Did not eat, but, if it was on par with the beer, I’m really, really glad. Other than one or two decent offerings, the beer ranges from unimpressive to actively bad. One of the two or three least impressive beer offerings I’ve ever had at a brewpub. Stop here to be a ratings whore. Do not feel it necessary to stop here for the beer.

June 30, 2005
Rustic cabin in the northwoods. It can be a bit smoky in the bar even with only one or two smokers. Large selection of brews, but there were many that were very similar. Got in too late to have dinner or an appetizer, but the menu looked inviting for a typical pub/northwoods restaurant. It beats going to the local bar and drinking a micro.

April 23, 2005
They pulled off the Northwoods look without getting too campy, although the Miller banners all over should give you a warning... Didn’t have any food. The staff are a happy bunch. The beer suffers from too much water and not enough flavor. One stop to check it out is about all you’d need.