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First, the beer quality. I concur with comments that they don't take a lot of risks with daring styles or super-bold creations. But let's take a realistic look at the business climate they operate in and keep in mind that these folks need to make money. Is Manhattan KS really ready for, say, a bourbon-barrel imperial brown or a 12% ABV thick-as-syrup barleywine? Granted, this is no excuse to make bland watery beer, and in my estimation Little Apple does not. I found that each beer had at least a basic degree of quality required of a hand-crafted beer, and many were even better.

I suppose regular locals are in a better position to comment on the ups-and-downs in consistency and quality control, but I can only comment on my own, one-time expereince. When I went in November 2006 I did not experience many of the quality problems mentioned in the previous and some other reviews. I found that each beer had at least the requisite level of quality of an honest, non-poseur brewpub. I did not find rampant diacetyl in my samples. I did detect some in the oatmeal stout, but in a complex stout a modest amount of diacetyl is permissible and can even add to the flavor complexity. My only quality complaints were that the oatmeal stout and the IPA were not adequately nitrogenated/carbonated, respectively, and that led to a disappointing mouthfeel in both cases. That's highly unfortunate because I found both of these beers to have an intense and exceptional flavor profile. The stout was intensely chocolately with coffee, vanilla, crunchy oatmeal and a hint of maple, and these attributes were well-layered. The Prairie Pale Ale with its big orange-citrus & bitter noble hop flavor and rich, upstanding malt backbone is one of the best-tasting British-style IPAs (as opposed to the American/Pacific Northwest-style) that I've ever had from an American brewery. I thought it good enough that I hauled a growler of it all the way back to Chicago with me. In all I gave the beer quality rating a “good” because of the flat palate of the stout and IPA, and because the complaints of the “play-it-safe” tap lineup are valid even if justified by the realities of the business climate. I wish I could there was a “Really Good” to pick from between “Good” and “Great” ratings, because I would have applied it to the beer quality here.

Next, ambiance. This is a strip mall, and a pretty small one at that. There's only so much you can do with a mini-strip-mall space. And they make the best of it. I rather enjoyed the Flint Hills-oriented cattle house/steakhouse décor and thought it was well-done, even if a touch corny. There was a bar room separated from the dining area with a chest-high wooden divider that then had etched glass from the top of the divider all the way to the ceiling held in place by brass-rail framing. I'd guess the bar was about 800sqft, and seemed like a decent place to put down a pint or two of suds.

Next, food. My wife's steak was very good, as one would expect from a steakhouse in the heart of cattle country. Our appetizer onion rings were bready, huge and delicious, and came with a zingy taco-dip-type sauce. Nice touch. My nacho platter had yummy spicy beef and an excellent zingy salsa. I'd definitely eat here again.

Service: I don't know if my waitress knew the first thing about the beer she was serving. And I don't really care since the supplied written descriptions were informative enough that I didn't need to ask her about them. She was quite friendly and personable, and as a dine-in waitress, she didn't miss a beat.

Overall I was much more impressed with this place than I thought I'd be. If (God forbid) I were sentenced to live in the cultural purgatory that is Manhattan, I'd spend a lot of time at this place and I'd be proud to call it my local brewpub.