Latest reviews from New Brighton
| 68 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Visited with jackl. Much smaller than I expected, a homey place, small bar and small dining room. Friendly staff. Did not try the food. Relatively small tap selection. Beers were all solid. Generally pretty drinkable with an English bent for sure. We were there for a new beer release and it was dead, but the rare beer they released was quite good. Solid prices.“ |
| 66 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “An old school brewpub located along a commercial strip north of Minneapolis. This place has clearly been through the wars and it feels long overdue for a face lift. The small, drab space is dominated by a dining area. The bar itself literally had space for four seats, so my friend and I were relegated to a spot in the dining room even though it wasn’t busy at all. While the ambiance leaves a lot to be desired, I have to commend this place on their beer. It’s good, well made stuff that isn’t flashy or pretentious. The old world styles in particular were tasty. Prices for the food and beer were reasonable. Overall, visiting this place sort of feels like stepping back in time to the 90s-era brewpub scene. It was fun to check this place out, but I’m not sure that I’ll visit here often.“ |
| 82 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Visited for lunch on a Friday. Tiny place with 5 bar spots, maybe 8 tables and more seating on the bigger patio. Tap list featured 3 year round beers, 6 seasonals and 4 guest taps. Super friendly service, very much felt like a locals place that immediately welcomes newcomers. Food menu is typical brewpub. I had a great chat with the new brewer, who is very nice and doing great things at the brew pub. I have had Barley John’s beers in the past, and never was able to visit. I am glad I finally made the time, this is well worth the visit. 82 = ★★★½ (Solid place, near the top of the list for locals and visitors) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Another place I wish I got to more often. Beers are really good as well as the food. It’s a really small place but I’ve never had a problem getting a table or a bar seat.“ |
| 80 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Very nice place located just north of Minneapolis; it is a little small but has a small bar area and a dining area; the food is very good, most of the beer on tap is their own but they have a few guest taps as well; beer is brewed on site; service was fast and friendly; definitely worth stopping in if you are close.“ |
| 68 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “A cozy brewpub outside of Minneapolis. The interior is quite small, just a few tables. There is a tiny bar (perhaps 6 seats) that no one was sitting at. There is more outdoor seating (not sure if this is enclosed during the winter months...I’d think so, given that the interior can probably only seat 20 people tops). Definitely a sit-down kind of place. The beers, however, were disappointing. There were 8-9 on tap (4 regulars, the rest seasonals). I tried the TarLactose, Wild Brunette, and OPP. The OPP was decent, but the others were difficult to drink. The food was tasty - I had a curry coconut squash soup and chicken skewers with peanut sauce and rice. Overall, I was disappointed with the beer. I might come back, just to see if they do other styles well, but it was my least favorite of the Minneapolis stops.“ |
| 82 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “This place is as local as it gets. The food was OK, and I enjoyed my beer selection. There were other beers I would have liked to have tried, but we weren’t there for a session. They have nice single malt scotch. This is a nice place to have as your local.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Visited on a Saturday night. Nice brewpub that had around 12 beers on tap and had a full food menu. Was a neat brewpub, but I wasn’t thoroughly impressed with the beer.“ |
| 70 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it’s very cozy and intimate inside. They have 9 of their own on tap as well as 6 guest taps. The beers I sampled were solid but they didn’t blow me away which kind of sums my experience. There wasn’t anything off about the place. It just wasn’t reeking of awesomeness.“ |
| 80 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Visited November, 2011.
The first thing I noticed was that there people sitting outside in the cold wind around a fire pit while the rest of the happy drunks were inside. More power to them, but I wasn’t about to join. Inside was warmer and more comfortable. The table had a bunch of small holes drilled in it. I learned how to play cribbage, or at least I think I did. Lots of beers to pick from and they do flights in 6oz glasses. Some were good, some were alright. Service was friendly and the place is enjoyable. Looking forward to stopping in again for RBSG in a month.“ |
| 82 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Super cute little place! Very homey and local feel for sure. 10 of their own beers on tap plus 6 guest taps - the 2 of their own beers have been very good so far. Menu is some entrees, pizza which is very good and burgers, homemade hummus app was very good too. Service is good, prices are good. Definitely a place I will be back to!“ |
| 78 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Great beer. Good food. Small place with some atmosphere. Will stop back for dark knight“ |
| 74 /100 Liquor Barrel New Brighton (Beer Store) 2130 SILVER LAKE RD “A great store, great prices, they always have surly furious for 7.99, which is a steal. Great service also. They have a huge selection, they have 3 huge coolers of bombers and 12 coolers of 6 and 4 packs.“ |
| 92 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Checked this place out last fall when Dark Knight Returns was around. I was tempted, but didn’t go for the roughly $80 growler fill. Sampled a bunch. Good food. Tiny space - but lots of character.“ |
| 80 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “17 beers on tap, most are their own. Food is good, reasonably priced. Small and fairly crowded for 230pm on a Saturday but overall pretty solid place.“ |
| 88 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “I love this place - easily one of the best brewpubs I’ve been to. The atmosphere is an odd mix of nerdy/alternative and Minnesota lumberjack. I’ve caught the servers playing Magic the Gathering when it isn’t very busy, yet the majority of customers fall into the flannel wearing, bearded demographic. Cool vibe, and very Minnesotan, in my opinion. They make great beer (Obviously Rosie’s and Dark Knight, but the Brunette is amazing too) and recently expanded their tap list. Food is great and really tastes like home cooking (with an edge). Recommend the pizzas, hummus, spicy peanut chicken salad, and the waffle fries (among the best I’ve ever had). If it wasn’t such a long drive from St. Paul I would be here every day.“ |
| 74 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Very simple, humble brewpub. But they serve up great beer. Lots of interesting spin offs. I got to try rosie’s unaged old ale, which is very limited according to our server. Knowledgeable helpful staff. Ambitious brewer. Glad I got to visit and try some of their excellent brews.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Stopped in to try some brews on a visit to the Twin cities. A small dinner like place with a bit of a rugged interior. They tend to range between 8 and 12 beers available on tap with samplers available. No complaints about the service as our bartender was quite pleasant. Wife and I both really enjoy the food. A solid brewpub for the area.“ |
| 70 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “A bit of a dive, but in a cool kind of way. Food (pizza) was quite good and they had reasonably priced samplers of their current taps. Missed Dark Knight Returns by two days :(. The beers I did try were quite mediocre, unfortunately.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Small quant place just off the highway about 20 minutes away from twin cities.. 5 seats at the bar with 2 tables next to them but a huge patio, servers were on point and friendly. Flights are served on metal discs to let you know whats in the glass, food was good I had the barley brat with kraut it was tasty and their waffle fries were great. the best part of Barley Johns was the price.. for 9 samples, and a brat my total was 20 bucks. Amazing deal. All their beers were solid though the locals didnt seem to be crazy about the cask (Brunette with bay leaf)“ |
| 86 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Have large sample platters of their beers. Most of their beers are all really well made, pizza is decent. They have a really nice patio and very helpful waiters, great hang out!“ |
| 58 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Visited the last night of my Minneapolis trip, and left frankly disappointed. Seating is VERY limited, service was okay at best, beers were fine, but nothing terribly special, and the food was the worst I had at a beer bar in Minneapolis. I realize that Barley John’s is beloved around here, but I really left unimpressed. I fully intend to come back to Minneapolis, but Barley John’s won’t be on my list of stops. Disappointed.“ |
| 84 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “It was kind of an inconvenient location if you’re in downtown Minneapolis, but it was worth the drive for the quality beers. Helpful warm service and good food. We had a good time here and really enjoyed the beers.“ |
| 70 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Stopped by after the Surly tour on November 26, 2011. Had heard good stuff about this place, but didn’t know what to expect. It was shockingly small inside and somehow at 7 PM on a Saturday night we were able to get a table immediately. Six house beers and some guest taps. They do flights which is great. All six of the beers were very good, Barley Johns is the real deal, worth the trip for the great beers! The food was okay but took a backseat to the beer.“ |
| 80 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “This brew pub is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but just off the interstate. It was dark and I didn’t even see a town nearby, and it was kind of empty when we got there around 10:00 pm on a Saturday. Nevertheless, the service was friendly and the beers are great. Sampled some of the food and it was good, too. This is a must visit brew pub in the Twin Cities area.“ |
| 86 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Small brewpub on the northern end of town recommended to us by our waiter at Town Hall. Everything was wooden with hops hanging everywhere. The seating outside was probably five times larger than the seating inside and it was packed when we arrived. They offer four samplers for $6 and the had seven beers on tap having just run out of one. The beer was solid and the bartender did a good job juggling the patrons both inside and outside. Several groups were playing games in back so we dug the cribbage board out of the car and I lost to my wife by one point. No TVs and did not have any food. I echo the statement about missing this place, I think I missed it twice before I finally pulled into the right driveway but well worth my efforts!“ |
| 82 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “This is a difficult place to find with the GPS. It has you turning behind the building. We find this wonderful place with a great salmon bisque and delicious beer. The small bar was of light pine and about 10 tables for four inside. The patio area was covered with vines. The service was excellent. What a great place to spend time with good beer and food with frinds. This a very unassuming place that is well worth the visit. I discovered that their Dark Knight is the top rated Imperial Porter.“ |
| 86 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “You will literally miss this place unless you are looking for it. In the middle of nowhere north of Minneapolis, this tiny bar has a great patio for the summer, about a 7 or 8 seat bar and 6 or 7 tables total. It gives a cozy feeling that isn’t intrusive, makes it very relaxed. Beer is delicious, no matter what you get! Didn’t get any food but I’ve heard good things.“ |
| 92 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “came here after the Surly tour to sample and try the Dark Knight. Beware that beer, it’s a doozy! Very small place you could pass and not even realize it’s there. Small inside with a bar that might seat 6 and 2 cribbage tables. Staff was very friendly and the 2 apps we had were very good and reasonably priced. Very homey feeling and excellent beers being made on that tiny setup. Very cool.“ |
| 86 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Our first night in Minne for Darkness Day and we headed here for dinner. Super small inside with a big outside patio. As you walk in you get a total feeling of a small town place, way more small town than Minneapolis, think 700 miles from a major city West Texas. Inside is quaint but weird. Plain brown walls with painted on hop plants dancing around the ceiling. A selection of 4 regulars and 2 seasonals. The taps were all pretty good, with some super unique tastings. You should order a sampler because it comes with the coolest sampler holder ever. Overall, a very cool experience that you must visit. However, I was SUPER disappointed that did not have dark night or ba rosie. Come on guys, its Darkness weekend people from all over he country are coming and you can’t have your heavy hitters on, weak!!!“ |
| 74 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “This place is cool. The beer is great but the selection is slim (which is to be explected by such a small brewpub). The food is decent, but the beer is definitly the raw here. It’s worth going during the summer so you can sit under the canapy with a great beer surrounded by hop plants.Otherwise the indoor room is cramped. And it’s always worth getting your growler filled while you are intown.“ |
| 84 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Stopped in on 10/16/10. Tiny place with only five seats at the bar and a few tables. Everyone here knew each other except my friend and I, but they were all so welcoming and friendly. Having only had three of their beers previously (and those three being the Dark Knight Returns, Coconut Porter and Rosie’s Ale), my expectations were a bit unrealistic. The beers were solid and the Old Eight Porter was outstanding. As our sample was being poured, the keg kicked. Only got a few ounces, but I was so thankful we didn’t arrive any later. Very cool place and worth a stop.“ |
| 70 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Barley Johns is a small cozy bar. Probably about 12 tables max inside with more out on the patio. Not a huge choice of beers, but every one that I had was very good. Menu is not gourmet food, but the portions were generous and paired well with the beers. Only complaint is the small size. I can only hope they are able to open another location or expand the size of the brew pub.“ |
| 82 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Really enjoy the small, cozy atmosphere here. The one down side to the size is that sometimes you will have to wait for a table, or you can sit outside (which i did last night). I have always enjoyed the food here, especially the pizza i had last night. Beer is solid with great beer like Dark Knight and the Wild Brunette, and also some other solid offerings like their bitter and porter. Price is very reasonable for a dinner for two. Overall i really enjoy this place.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Fairly good beer and food, the atmosphere is homey and warm. The seasonal hefeweizen was outstanding.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Nice, quiant little brewpub tucked into a street corner. Awesome beers, when they have them, I have stopped in twice before to find they were out of most of their offerings. The Old Eight porter is pretty good along with The Dark Knight and Rosies ale. Food is pretty good as well. Nice outdoor patio. Wish they were open on Sundays too though.“ |
| 66 /100 Liquor Barrel New Brighton (Beer Store) 2130 SILVER LAKE RD “This is a store that every time I’ve gone to it, the beer selection has continued to increase. Recently they added a new wall of bombers, and have multiple coolers of craft beer as well. The value here is unmatched compared to other stores in the metro area, where the "latest and greatest" releases are always priced significantly lower than other stores. They also have recently created a make your own six pack that rings up at $10.95 no matter what singles you choose from their cooler. Although the singles cooler is small, all of the beers in it are priced at $1.83, which means you can get a great deal on beers that would be marked-up twice as high in other stores that have singles so the value is again unmatched. The import selection is weak, but it doesn’t really matter as the selection of domestic craft beers matches that of the better stores in the metro. Certainly a must-stop if you’re near the area and are price-conscious.“ |
| 82 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Quite small with limited seating though it has a great, cozy atmosphere. Beer is very good and they have some good guest beers as well. Proper glassware is a plus. Food is very good though a little pricey and service is adequate. Easy to find with ample parking. I love this place“ |
| 72 /100 Liquor Barrel New Brighton (Beer Store) 2130 SILVER LAKE RD “Nice and quaint. Selection is limited but do have the standards;Founders,Bells,Darkhorse.... I was surprised to see some Great Divide Yeti for $6.99. I stop when I am in the area.“ |
| 74 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Small place. Just a short ber with maybe 3 tables. 8 or so table in the dining area. 6 to 8 house beers and a hand full of guest taps. Our interaction with the bartender was just enough to get a beer and pay for it. Prices are fine.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Small pub with crowded seating. Nice wood decor and pretty laid back feel overall. Bartender was friendly and attentive, food was above average pub grub. Sampler was only four of the eight house brews on tap. No Dark Knight, dammit! They did have a couple solid guest taps as well (Surly, Flat Earth, Lagunitas). I’d certainly come back, next time I’m in the area.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Small brewpub & restaurant with big beers. Our bartender was entertaining, and we had a great selection of house brews (including the Dark Knight Returns - the reason for the trip) and guest beers (Ommegang 3 Philosophers, Tripel Karmeliet). Prices are very reasonable - most beers between $3.50 - $5.50, less than we’d spend at most Twin Cities beer joints.“ |
| 72 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “I came here with my sister exclusively for The Dark Knight Returns. As we walked in we saw several people sitting with growlers at their tables. There is a small bar section and a few tables. The dining area itself is pathetically small and awkwardly spaced out. I’m assuming the building was not originally designed as a restaurant (I hope not). The interior design is non-existent. The paintings of hop leafs on the walls were cool though. It would be nice to come here in the summer because the patio section looked to be about twice the size of the interior seating. Our server was effective and knowledgeable. The menu is varied from casual food to dinner entrees and has vegetarian options as well. The prices were reasonable. The beer was great. We got a beer sampler, a huge basket of waffle fries and a 5oz glass of the famous The Dark Knight Returns (which was worth the trip). The beer is good and Barley John’s is the only brewpub in the north metro.“ |
| 68 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “This place cracks me up. The directions I got from Google were completely incorrect. I called and they were happy to help vector me in, but once I got there it was dead. The pub looks like a converted double-wide trailer or something. Its small, but they certainly make up for it in beer. Having The Dark Knight Returns on tap is reason enough to seek this place out.“ |
| 76 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “A very small bar/restaurant north of the city and Town Hall, but worth a visit and a cab fair if they have one of their top-rated seasonals on. Very friendly bartender, and Minniseota-friendly customers. I had everything, and the Bourbon barrel Dark Knight Returns is the sipper that kept us an extra hour. The Wild Brunette, as a brown ale, is a standout made with substantial brown rice. A second brewpub and bottling out-of-state is planned. The hope is for more, as so little beer can be made physically here, and the demand from word-of-mouth is just growing exponentially.
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| 88 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Stopped here on Darkness day after hitting Surly. The place is very small, yet comfortable. We sat out on the patio, since it was a nice day. The server looked like Tom Waits, so extra points for that. The atmosphere was very pleasant, and the service was very good. They only had a few beers on tap, but they all seemed good. I was still tanked from earlier, so I only ordered The Dark Knight, which was stellar. The food was good, and it arrived promptly. A nice spot to grab a good beer and a good burger.“ |
| 80 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Fun atmosphere with friendly employees and a small bar. The patio seating is pleasant. The beers I tried were solid and interesting, but there were only 3 on tap. They also have a good guest list. The tap handles are certainly worth a second look. I would certainly return next time I visit and try one of their pizzas.“ |
| 78 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “Good place, love how its set up inside. Didn’t have all their brews available at the time, but still had a good selection on tap. Food was decent and will have to stop by here next time in cities because I want to try TDK.“ |
| 82 /100 781 OLD HIGHWAY 8 SW “I read the reviews saying this was small, but wow! I could imagine what this place would be like without the patio. We pretty much all agreed the food was decent but over priced. They had a great tap selection with maybe 6 house beers and 6 guest beers. They had bigfoot, furious, southern tier, and a few others as well. Service was nice. The waitress and staff were friendly. She balked when I ordered 4 growlers to go, but it wasn’t too difficult to convince her I was serious. Overall a nice little place.“ |
