Which brewery is the most fun to visit? Not which has the best beer, necessarily, but the best time to be had.
For me, Aslin and Veil are strong fails here, for different reasons. Ocelot is a strong contender. Port City is always jumping, though not enough tables and the ticket system is annoying (opposite of fun). New District is amusing for unintended reasons. A trip to Mustang Sally makes me belt out the song ad nauseum (fun for me, probably not for companions. Ask Donnie.) Dirt Farm has the best view by far, Jack’s Run has the friendliest owners to hang with. Etc.
Thoughts?
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Jason slams one Smirnoff and then goes full-on, stream of consciousness on us.
I’ll throw a vote to Old Bust Head. I like it there. I dig the vibe at Old Ox too.
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This is subject is severely underrated.
This past weekend a bunch of friends wanted to go to a brewery but not one “in an industrial park” and not too far out. That’s a tall order to fulfill… we opted to go to beer bars instead. I got what they were saying - they wanted something with a little more “life” to them, though I’d argue with them that a lot of them are really lively.
I’d say that contenders for “fun” would be:
- Hardywood. Their original facility and surrounding grounds is so much fun. Lots of room to walk around inside and outside. Usually good music going on. Vibe is nice. Low number of weirdos. The Gingerbread Stout release is still a mainstay for me many years, just a lot of fun.
- Final Gravity Brewing Company: Cool vibe, good beer, great staff. Fun to be able to go through all the homebrew equipment.
- Old 690. Way out there, Nice interior/exterior, calm, relaxing.
- Ocelot can be a lot of fun, but only if you can get a nice place to sit down. Donnie and I got stuck sitting outside when it was super cold a few weeks ago and it wasn’t the most fun I’ve had. I’ve been there a few times recently and got to sit down in front of the projector screen and watch the Nats play which was a lot of fun. Their Halloween party was a blast.
- Port City: Now that they have few places to drink - their lounge is cool, their benches in the brewery are a nice touch and their tasting room is always fun. I avoid the ticketing system at this point since there is usually only one or two beers that are new to try when I visit.
Honorable Mentions:
- Crooked Run : Good tacos, so it makes it easy for me to convince people to go there for a meal. Staff has always been helpful and/or nice.
- 2 Silos : this might be the next hoppin’ place. Huge, lots of area to move around, outdoor concerts are coming.
Dishonorable Mentions:
- Vanish : everything should be going for them at this place, and it would have made my top places but it’s always crowded, and I don’t just mean busy, but uncomfortably packed. Takes half an hour to get a beer, no matter if it’s one pint or a mega flight. Has awesome views and space and food, but just falls a bit short because there’s just too many people.
- Wild Run : Awesome atmosphere, one of staff built a campfire for us while we were drinking. Brewer was super nice. Upon my 4th or 5th trip there, the owner was a complete and utter dick to me when I had some keg equipment questions (after they told us on the phone they could help and we drove 90 minutes). This is the only place I will never patron ever again.
Agree with Chris on Ocelot during events and when it’s not packed on normal days. And Crooked Run Sterling with the taqueria combo
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