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This past Tuesday evening around 8:30pm, I decided to stop in again for a beer on my way home. I had parked up the street. The streetlights were not on, which left a very eerie atmosphere. While approaching the entrance to the brewery, a homeless person was across the street on the corner yelling something at me, which I could not understand. I just shrugged it off and went inside the Brewing Co. This may not be the best location to visit if you are unescorted.

Once inside I saw where there wasn't anyone sitting at the dining tables and there were 5 people sitting at the bar. Adrienne was the bartender that evening. She had a friendly greeting and was very helpful in selecting from the six beers (soon to be seven) on tap. She suggested the malt red beer after I told her that I was allergic to hops. She then suggested a brand new whiskey that they just started carrying, so I tried this too.

The other patrons at the bar were four men and a woman who seemed to be acquaintances of the bartender Adrienne. Another gentlemen came into the bar to join them and they all began discussing all of the various types of drugs he had experienced. I was not interested in hearing this conversation so I decided to leave.

My bar tab was $26 which I felt was a little pricey for the number of drinks I purchased, so I started to leave a 15% tip, which I felt was reasonable. Adrienne stopped me and insisted I leave her a 20% tip of $5.00. I told her that I felt the customer determined what level of tip to leave – otherwise, what is the point of a tip, just add a cover or sur-charge. After this exchange the atmosphere quickly changed and she rudely told me to “just leave”. Then her “friend” at the bar said that I had better leave too, which I felt was some attempt at a threat. I decided that it would be better to do just that, leave and I will probably never return there again. I will also relay my experience to my wife, her co-workers and our other friends, to forewarn them of the tipping expectations and advise them that they may want to rethink having any activities there in the future.

Service is great at this place, if you are prepared to be told to leave a 20% tip. Heaven forbid if you don't!

River Market Brewing Co

Popular but not crowded, with enough staff to keep waits reasonable

The Beers. Blond Bomber Not my usual style, but for those stepping up from boring mass-market domestics, it has more depth of flavor, smooth very drinkable, especially outdoors in the summer.

Sodbuster Pale Ale. I really like big, assertive pale ales (Victory, Weyerbacher, Old Dominion, Summit Station) so while I was somewhat disappointed based on my tastes, was still a nice beer, especially for non-microbrew settings.

The red was clearly the best red I’ve ever had – lots of complex flavor, hops but balanced. VERY drinkable. I’ll return for this and the Porter.

The Porter was one of the best two I’ve had. Weight, but again a lot of complex flavor for the weight. And like the red, clearly showed the skill of the brewer. Also very drinkable.

8-ball Cream Stout. Very dark, very smooth & creamy, very long-lasting head, very weighty. While nice, did not have enough flavors to balance the weight, for my palate. For a beer this heavy, I head for beers such as Weybachers Triple Boch, Victory St. Boisterous or Old Horizontal, Sierra Nevada Big Foot, Dogfish’s Importal (all mid-atlantic microbrews).

The Food. Had the blackened catfish – very well done. Large, flavorful, moist, on whole-grain bread. Several interesting choices. Had the .19 cent wing special on my other visit – well done, with some celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

The staff. Sharise was outstanding the 1st night. Good descriptions, brought samples, was enthusiastic about the beers, and as it turned out, the two beers that she thought I’d like best were indeed the two I repeated. I asked about adding sautéed vegetables to the order (the catfish came with coleslaw, a few hushpuppies and home fries.) Sharise asked if I’d like the vegetables instead of the fries, and I said sure, as I did not need all that food. Ended up costing just .50 more – thanks! My waitress the return trip was also very pleasant (sorry, can’t find her name), attentive, took time to answer questions, and when she could not answer my question about the bus route as well as she thought she should, she checked with the bartender, who was also very helpful and pleasant. As a whole, the staff was a very good reflection on the brewpub.

Summary. Rated the bears as great overall, food would be good overall, but for a pub, I’d have to rate as great as well. Did not rate the beers as awesome, as my frame of reference is some incredible brew-pubs in the mid-atlantic. But I liked them better than the Boulevards I had on my last trip, which a lot of folks in the area apparently think highly about. One thing for sure, all the beers were very distinct, and reflected a commitment to make quality beers with individual character. I imagine I’ll be back in the future.

3 beers on tap- Filtered wheat-not bad for a summer brew. Pale ale-very good but they were having trouble with tap and couldn't get it working when I wanted another. "Red"-didn't try this one.

Don't go out of your way for this place.

I'll call before I go next time to ensure that the beer selection is actually that-a selection. I don't want to rate this brewery because of an issue they can't control.