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My parents own a lake home in St Germaine, and at least four times a year my friends and I will visit. Every time we come up we stop at the Minocqua Brewing Company, we even make a vacation out of Beer Fest they host annually in January. I have read all of the reviews and I am really disappointed in some people. This is a great restaurant with a great staff, great beer and good food. The atmosphere is wonderful and the staff is a lot of fun, they crack jokes, they join your conversations and they really make you feel at home. Since I grew up in WI and only moved to IL four years ago, I can understand why such bad reviews came from the residents in IL. IL people are just plain rude and they want to you cater to their every need, if they don’t have their piss-beer with their meal then they think that its not good beer, well I have news for you, the Minocqua Brewing Co. has really good beer and its a great place to hang out with friends. If you're a family, looking for good family dining and a kid-friendly wait staff, why would you take your screaming brats to a brewery...think about it! The wait staff shouldn’t have to deal with screaming kids and neither should the other people in the restaurant. If you don’t like to hear swear words then don’t sit near our table, it’s a brewery not Bakers Square. We don’t go there to make sure that stuck-up people are having a good time; we go there because we know that WE will have a good time. Anyway, we will be up again this January for beer fest!
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Kelly Linder,
Franklin Park, IL
(08/05/2003) |
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Like the review before this one I also have found MBC to be spotty at best,and like many of the reviews, I have found the beer to be just poorly made!Why do some brewpubs just jump ahead and start making beer before they learn to brew? As for the "brewmaster" I had a chance to talk to him.He had NO brewing background and very little knowledge of the craft! Get him out of the brewhouse before he ruins another beer!And just a note to the wise...the red ale was so stale 5/30/03 that it should not have been on tap!
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Jens Kline,
New York, NY
(06/13/2003) |
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This is the best example of a hit or miss place I have ever seen. As a frequent visitor to Minocqua, I have been to this place 10-15 times and every time I have been there, I have had a different experience running I honestly think that I could have written every one of these reviews myself. This is the most erratic restaurant I have ever been to.
First off, the beer. Most of the time they have good beer. In the early days under old ownership the beer was pretty poor, but nowadays there are some gems. The Rye Porter and the Pale Ale are great. The others are pretty average, no standouts but no crap either. I really enjoy their Award Winning Wild Rice Lager too; however you usually cannot buy it at the brewery (you can get it anytime at Trig’s, a local supermarket). The last 3-4 times I have gone in there, I have asked for a Wild Rice Lager and they usually say that they don’t have it at the restaurant. WHAT?? You have your award winning, delicious, unique beer and you don’t actually carry it at the brewpub? That is the stupidest thing I have ever herd of. At least have some bottles of the stuff on hand. It is extremely frustrating to go into a place where they display and tout their award for this beer and then find out that they don’t have it on tap or in bottles. There are also times when the beer is obviously stale and I had the same experience as one reviewer. I told them that it tastes skunky and I was told “that is how it is supposed to taste.” What a joke. I know what good beer is supposed to taste like and it is not supposed to taste like a 2 week old bar rag.
The service I have received there is mixed. Sometimes the bartenders and waitresses are great, pointing out beers that they enjoy or new offerings, other times they flat out suck. I asked a bartender what a certain type of beer was like she answered, “I don’t know, I hate this kind of beer. I drink Miller Lite.” Another big problem I have is their hours. Sometimes I will try and go in there at 9:30 and they will give you attitude because they want to close. It is like you are putting them off by coming in after 9. The other thing I don’t quite understand is that they have this huge bar area upstairs and I haven’t seen that area open in 3 years.
I guess I could sum this place up pretty easily: Talented brewmaster, horrible management and marketing, crappy employees.
I will say something about the employees; this attitude is not exclusive to MBC. You will find the same attitude throughout Minocqua in the summertime. There are tons of spoiled college kids working up there for the summer who only care about making enough money to water ski, get drunk, and hook up.
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Milwaukee, WI
(06/08/2003) |
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Ouch!I guess that Iam not the only one that had a bad time at this brewpub!It seemed that during my visit,everything was off,the beers seemed old and flat.The service was not only slow but our waitress did not even know about the beer that were on tap!And for the first time in a brewpub I ended up ordering a Miller because the pubs own beers were so bad!
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Mark Holland,
Chicago, IL
(01/21/2003) |
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Looks like "The Enemy" may want to take a chill pill. This site is about people posting their comments. Find another place to rant and rave. Maybe someone offended you. Tough beans! Use your mean spirit crap somewhere else. I like this site too much to see it "bummed out". Merry Christmas
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James Platek,
Spring Grove, IL
(12/24/2002) |
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"How sad that a employee that was fired can continue to have bad reviews placed here" Look, dillknob. The place sucks. I don't work here, never have, never will. I don't need to invent personalities to say that this place sucks. I'm pretty outspoken on this website and I can't be bothered to shield myself from criticism. The people who have come before and after me who say the place sucks elephant balls do so of their own volition. As I've stated before, my original review was far more gentle than many that came before and after.
As for the MBC defenders who are too incredulous to believe the place sucks, you're a bunch of gaylords. If you like it, give it your return business. Those of us who don't will continue to warn the rest of the beer-drinking public that this place is a toxic waste dump worthy of nomination for Superfund appropriation.
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The Enemy,
Chicago, IL
(12/24/2002) |
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Heading to the U.P. for some sking we almost missed Minocqua Brewing,its very hard to see from north bound Rt.51.but I can smell hops&malt.It was a Thursday afternoon and business was very slow my wife and I our kids and maybe 3 other couples,We had some apps.that were good but not great,we had a pale ale,and what they call there red ale.The P.A. was ok but the red had an old stale sherry flavorI don't think thats what they want.Of the many fine brewpubs in Wisconsin this one would be low on my stop again list.
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Ale Fan,
St Paul, MN
(12/13/2002) |
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Minocqua the town , is the Wisconsin Dells without the Dells(hohum).And Minocqua Brewing is a brewpub without a clue.Like one of the other reviews said the place was cold(not just the server)but the temp.whats the deal with not turning up the heat it really takes away from ones meal if you have to eat with your coat on.The food was ok,nothing to write home about,but the beer was very poor,we talked to the brewer and could tell from his lack of brewing knowledge why the beer was so off.I guess to wrap this all up I have to say that all in all Minocqua Brewing just does not make it,I only wish there was a bypass around the whole town,so I could get to the Boulder Beer Bar faster.
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Jerry West,
Ingelside, IL
(12/11/2002) |
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How sad that a employee that was fired can continue to have bad reviews placed here
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Bill,
Wausau, WI
(11/05/2002) |
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This place really does suck!And who told the bartender to talk like a truck driver.This is supposed to be a family place! All through our meal we had to hear her swear in a very loud voice,it made everyone in our group feel very uncomfortable.As for the food it was poor run of the mill fried stuff,and the beers were just sad(ICK).I guess I don't have to say this, but we wont be back!
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Tom Kealson,
White Bear Lake, MN
(11/01/2002) |
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Lousy
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WOW!! Looks like I have been missing the fun,but maybe my insight will add something to the fire(LoL).I duck hunt in the Minocqua area each year and have stopped at MBC many times.I can say this.....The beer quality has really gone down in the last year,so much that we now spend our money at other bars around town.Service was NEVER good,but you can over look somethings if others are ok.The only positive change that I have seen ,they cleaned the floors,which were sick in the past.My advise....spend your money someplace else!
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Hugh Gillis,
Carol Stream, IL
(10/14/2002) |
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Well Harry, if I ever stop by this place, I'll let Pubcrawler readers know what I think of it. And unlike some thin-skinned folks around here, I won't give a damn if you think I'm an ass or not. Fair enough?
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Paul D.,
Houghton, MI
(10/11/2002) |
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Sure Pual, where's the review?
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Hop Head Harry,
Stillwater, MN
(10/10/2002) |
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All right people, knock it off. This is supposed to be a beer review site, not a flame war. The Enemy: If you can't handle getting flamed now and then, maybe you shouldn't post on the internet. It's part of the deal. Just shrug and move on or else you get petty little bickerfests like this one. Hop Head Harry: If you can't handle other peoples' opinions, maybe you shouldn't be reading a website devoted to collecting and displaying peoples' opinions. Now, can we knock this crap off and move on to beer reviews?
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Paul D.,
Houghton, MI
(10/10/2002) |
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I guess if a man can write 50+ reviews it makes him a beer expert. He's still an ass
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Hop Head Harry,
Stillwater, MN
(10/10/2002) |
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Furthermore, 2 other people gave this place the same overall rank as I did, and six gave it a worse overall ranking. So what the hell are you people bitching at me for? With such a high percentage of people giving it unfavorable marks, maybe I'm on to something. And as long as you're attempting to divine my taste in beer, why don't you try reading some of the other 50+ reviews I have posted on this site. That'll make the task somewhat easier.
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The Enemy,
Chicago, IL
(10/09/2002) |
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"Maybe the enemy works For Budweiser and is afraid he is going to lose his job because there is a much better beer out there.......or maybe he's just an ass." Or maybe there's just a few cocknozzles out there who are too narrow to recognize that one's motive for writing a bad review is nothing more than having been served bad beer and given bad service. Maybe they're too dumb to realize that peoples' tastes and experiences differ. Is one not allowed to give a bad review around here without being accused of being an ass, or immature, or possessing some other malign intention? Sure there's better beer than Budweiser out there. Too bad it won't be found at this place.
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The Enemy,
Chicago, IL
(10/09/2002) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Maybe the enemy works For Budweiser and is afraid he is going to lose his job because there is a much better beer out there.......or maybe he's just an ass.
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Hop Head Harry,
Stillwater, MN
(10/09/2002) |
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"The enemy must be the guy they fired . HMM how immature." Or maybe I'm just a guy who has never lived anywhere near Minocqua, much less been employed there, who had a shitty experience at a shitty brewpub. Moron.
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The Enemy,
Chicago, IL
(10/08/2002) |
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Outstanding beer. The Brewer there is definatly doing something right. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The Pale Ale is the cream of the crop. Keep it up.
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Hop Head Harry,
Stillwater, MN
(10/08/2002) |
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Lousy
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I used to own a brewpub,so I guess you can say that I know alittle about how the whole thing works.At Minocqua brewing the food is OK,but the menu is so mixed up that it shows that they just don't have any direction.As for the beers they just don't make it.A brewpub should be a fun place with great beer,if you lack one or the other you miss the mark and Iam afraid you have missed both.Learn to smile ,and learn to brew,its just that easy!
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Janes Manning,
River Falls, WI
(10/07/2002) |
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Awesome!
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Great food great service . The enemy must be the guy they fired . HMM how immature.
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Carl Bernard,
Boise, ID
(09/29/2002) |
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I went to this place last Memorial Day. Don't ask me why I waited so long to write a review. I remember the beers being marginal; one stood out as being pretty good... some sort of red ale, I believe. What really cheesed me was the fact that it was 55 degrees that weekend and they refused to turn the heat on. "It's almost June, what do you need the heat for?" How about because it's barely above 60 goddamn degrees in here? Does the heat have a seasonal switch on it that prohibits it from being turned on after May 15th or something? Idiots. Not only did the waitress keep screwing up our orders, but on top of that she had a f*&king attitude so bad I practically had to beg my wife not to smack her. We stiffed her when it was tip time -- only the second time in my life that I've stiffed a server. If I could have demanded she pay us for enduring her crappy service and sassy mouth, I would have. When we walked out we were accosted by punk wannabes (almost nothing is funnier than punked-out little Northwoods mopes with green mohawks) who insisted to everyone within earshot that "Minocqua sucks." Thanks for the tip you little shmoes. At least the food was good.
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The Enemy,
Chicago, IL
(09/07/2002) |
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I have to say I liked the food at M.B.C.They had the best french fries I have ever had,but like many of the other reviews,the service was very poor.Idon't know much about beer but It did seem flat,and the price was too high.
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Rose Anderson,
Lakeville, FL
(09/07/2002) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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I'm not sure why this great brewery is getting such bad reviews. But it is very possibly the work of a past employee that was fired.
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John,
Wausau, WI
(09/03/2002) |
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