Caldera Brewery & Restaurant

We were SO excited to visit Caldera, and we rode our Harley Davidson’s over to Ashland to sit outside on the deck overlooking the Ashland hillside and enjoy a burger after a very long day of yard work. We were seated promptly, and asked about drinks, which we ordered. I was so excited to be there I «checked-​in» on Facebook, posted pics of our Harley Davidsons, and even pics of our delicious looking burgers!
Our server brought out drinks, and took our order. Shortly a young man brought our food and asked if we need anything further and my husband asked him for mustard for our burgers and ice tea refills. He said he would bring those immediately.
We waited over 10 minutes for both … nothing … my husband finally got up and went inside and asked the hostess for the missing items … again nothing … at least 5 minutes later our waitress finally got around to bringing the mustard and ice tea out. By that time, our burgers were cold, and the ice tea did not have any ice in it, so now we had luke-​warm dirt-​water tea …
The whole experience was nasty.
I got on the Caldera Facebook page and from their own back deck I instant messaged the owner/​manager immediately about my concerns. It took the Facebook person a whole day get back to me and this is their exact response «Thank you for your input. Spencer is a special needs hire and is an awsome employee, and he is an Eagle Scout. We love Spencer and find him to be an extremely hard worker. We are sorry about the mustard arriving after your husband took his first bite of his hamburger. We will talk to the staff about ice in the ice tea. Thank you for taking the time to tell us how you feel about Caldera Brewing.» First of all my husband had not taken a bite of his burger — neither one of us had eaten anything since we were waiting for our mustard and refills on our drinks.
I wrote back immediately and told them that Spencer was nice enough but he had promised us further service and he had not followed through and I asked them how they would make it right for us. That was 2 days ago and no one has bothered to get back to me. I asked for a secondary response … and again … I got nothing. This tells me how little they care for their customers.

Take me baaaaaackkk.
My love for Caldera is hard to put into words, but I’ll try.
Where to truly even begin?
Stage 1. We’d been driving all day and needed a beer.
Stage 2. We stopped at a brewery (Portal) just north of Ashland (see that review as well). We probably would have lost ourselves there if not for
Stage 3. Our hotel was in Ashland. And thus, I’d read of a Hibiscus Ginger Beer at Caldera, and so it was that we went.
But so much more than ginger beer awaited us. We could not have imagined what lay in store.
The weather was hot, but we’re from Texas, so the outside seating (with plenty of puppies to coo at) was ideal. We weren’t seated long before we realized there were SO MANY BEERS. And they’re all theirs! There was a note at the top of the menu stating to ask the waitress what was on tap. Our hearts sank. The first page was mostly pales and IPAs – not our cup of tea– and those were the guaranteed on tap. The second page was a smörgåsbord of sours and ginger beers and porters and Browns. Our eyes lit up. We had to try them all.
Low and behold, we were delighted when our lovely waitress told us that there was only one beer they were out of (an IPA). The beer gods have shined down upon us, we thought. Then we asked if it was possible to do a flight. «Of course!» She says, and jots down our order.
She quickly returns with the fresh pretzel that we ordered (amazing. Finished the entirety of the stone ground mustard that came with it), as well as a wrapped up glass I wanted to get for my dad (who collects beer glasses from across the nation).
Then came our beers.
My friend got the vanilla wheat one, rose petal imperial golden ale, toasted coconut chocolate porter, oatmeal stout and Kihei snow. She saved the snow for last. It was good, but her favorite was most assuredly the Toasted Coconut Porter, with the vanilla wheat coming in a close second (it was just so smooth!).
I got the vanilla wheat, Berliner weiss, hibiscus ginger beer, motherpucker raspberry sour and a roasted hatch chili. I had read of the Hibiscus Ginger Beer and kinda nerd out on ginger beers (after spending time in Australia) and sours (see my review for Cascade in Portland), so I saved these two for last. Like my friend, my best for last (the ginger beer) ended up not even being my favorite! The vanilla wheat was perfection (we both loved it), and the Berliner Weiss was so sessionable I could see myself drinking a few pints of it on a hot day. Both very easy drinking, can’t go wrong beers. The hatch chili was next up. With every sip I liked it more and more, and now I find myself craving it. It’s not a strong chili flavor, and by no means spicy. It just kinda lingers on the back of your tongue after every sip. I feel like it’s still there. I wish I’d seen it bottled, I would have grabbed a 6 pack. And then came the sour. Now, the brewery I worked at in Aus had a raspberry sour but it bordered on offensive (it was almost too much raspberry), and we often mixed it with our house brown ale (surprisingly delicious mix!). The raspberry sour at Caldera was so different, I wouldn’t even put them in the same beer category. So easy drinking. Something even Sour-​haters would enjoy. It was my friends second real sour (after a Tangerine sour I’d gotten her to drink) and now she’s hooked! Next time I go through, I’m definitely getting a growler of this stuff!
So. In short. Great beer. Great staff. Great price. And I got my dad a cool beer glass, which means a German will smile for a minute (and shockwaves will be felt round the world).

I’m giving this place 5 stars because the food was delicious (I had the White Truffle Burger); the service was on point; and the ambiance was perfect after completing a 5 hour drive from Cali.

Great food, beer, service and mountainous views! Our cute waitress, Hope was sweet and helpful along with everyone else! Loved our flight of beer. #caldera #ashlandoregon #roadtrip

Caldera is a convenient spot to refresh on our frequent trips from Eugene to San Fran. From salads to large meals the food is freshly made, a wonderful atmosphere and not to mention a variety of high quality thirst quenchers.

This place plain rocks. Staff was super attentive. The beer was excellent (if you aren’t sure what to get, they will give you a sample). I had the truffle burger medium rare, and it was absolutely delicious. It is walking distance from Ashland Hills.
Side note for women traveling alone: I walked here from my hotel and got harassed by a group of locals, who were blasting loud music and fixing their cars in the parking lot of the community center. After dinner, I hitched a ride to the end of the street with some local Caldera patrons, since it was starting to get dark and the guys were still out there and I just had an uneasy feeling about it.

Nice seating inside and outside.
Wonderful selection of Caldera beers. Very pleasant and helpful staff
If you want something other than beer, I’d recommend the homemade ginger ale.

Gastro Pub: Good food, many beers to choose from …
Caldera has become a regular stop for good food and an occasional beer. The food is excellent and they sport an extensive list of beers — even a few laargers which you seldom find in the current IPA driven market. Service is excellent.
Seating ranges from tables and chairs to benched tables — with some outdoor seating too (with a beautiful view to the East).
The restaurant is decorated with beer paraphernalia — beers bottles, bottle openers, kegs in various guises as pendant lights, sconces and hand basins etc.

Amazing beer, amazing service, phenomenal food. An Ashland treasure for sure. I haven’t been here in a while, and all I can say is that the good vibes haven’t changed, and if the food and drinks have, then they’ve only gotten better!
Service: Our waiter was a wonderful and charming soul named Ian. It was his second day working at the place, but he could have written the book on quality service. Very attentive to any needs and incredibly polite. Whatta guy!
Beer: I love Caldera brews, and while you have to check with the servers about what exactly is on tap in the Seasonal beer section (before you get your heart set on anything), I haven’t really been disappointed by anything I’ve tried. I got the Ginger beer last night, and it was solid. Mild, a bit on the sweeter side, and well-​paired with most meals.
Food: DANK (which means «delicious/​good/​awesome» in Millennial-​speak). The appetizers are on-​point (we got the bruschetta and the pretzel with beer-​cheese sauce). I ordered the BBQ Sandwich with organic tofu… And HOLY GUACAMOLE (which the sandwich has on it) WAS IT DELICIOUS. It was a solid little (but d e n s e) flavor bomb that packed a gastronomic punch! The sauce was genius, especially with the cheese and grilled pineapple, and the tofu patty was incredibly flavorful, too (which is rare with a lot of tofu patties– take it from this vegetarian). The sourdough bun was everything. Spongy and tangy. Yeehaw.
It’s a loud-​and-​proud atmosphere in there, so know that.
Worth the price, folks– go check it out!
P. S. Go a bit early to try and beat the crowds. :)

Caldera as quite a large building and is tucked back down a small street, but inside, you met with the largest wall-​to-​wall collection of beer bottles from the owner’s collection (over 5,000 we were told). A cozy fireplace is in the corner, complete with cool tile work. That same style of tiling is found behind the bar displaying a nice piece of logo artwork that towers over their 40+ taps.
We ordered a sample tray and some food. The menu has a lot of your standard pub food, but Caldera does it with quality ingredients. We had a couple slices of pizza and their special for the day: a loaded sausage and sauerkraut with chips that also came with a glass of their Pilsener Bier. I really liked their pils and also enjoyed their Double Hemp Brown Ale and their Bourbon Barrel-​Aged Toasted Coconut Porter. The bartender was a laid back guy and we enjoyed chatting with him.
I was really impressed with the quality of the beer. Quantity of styles is high here, but that does not mean quantity over quality occurs. They are well-​known for being the first craft brewery on the west coast to can their beers. A must-​do when in Ashland.

This brewery/​restaurant combo, is right off of I-​5. Outside seating and indoor seating. There is a fireplace inside that is inviting. There also is about 5,000+ beer bottles on the walls inside the restaurant — a bit too much.
Menu: fantastic beer selection, and a mix of pizzas, burgers, salads and sandwiches. We ordered salad and pizza. Decent food and beer, would come back.

Attended a good friend’s retirement party here. Even though they had weeks’ notice the wait staff seemed to be short handed and a bit aloof. Prices are on the edge of unreasonable and it is very loud too. And it wasn’t the sort of sports bar where people (at least not us) expected to have alot of shouting and college-​type hype happening. I would go back, but would save some pennies up for it, and would adjust my expectation for wanting to converse with the other members of my party. Rs

The have the BEST jalapeño poppers. Seriously. they are made with fresh jalapenos and they are crunchy and juicy and spicy — but not TOO spicy. This pretty much all we ever get here to eat.
The pretzels are pretty soft and delicious too.
But most important: the beer.
They have an IMPRESSIVE selection. I don’t even know how many they are and they make all of them. I’ve had many of them and enjoyed most. Their Ginger Beer, is actually beer, and tastes like ginger. The ginger hibiscus beer is even better.
The IPAs are good. The Mosaic IPA they had recently was very nice. Crisp, citrusy, well put together.
But mostly there are so many — go try them. And come for Happy Hour. $ 1 off Beers and some of the Appetizers — like JALAPENO POPPERS — Weekdays 4pm-​6pm.

First and foremost, our server, Krishelle (one of most unusual names I’ve ever encountered), was wonderful!
We tried the beer sampler, some good, some great, some okay… Your mileage may vary, but it was a perfect way to start the meal. Chocolate coconut porter was the favorite.
Food was generally good, pretzel, gluten-​free pizza, Tap House Burger (sourdough bun was a huge plus), and the calzone. Be forewarned, however, that the fettuccine alfredo contains LEMON. Never had it that way before, but there was a split decision on whether that was a good idea. Also the kettle chips were on a par with store-​bought chips. Okay, but it would’ve been more impressive if they were served warm (assuming that they actually cook them there).
The other thing was the truffle mac. Overcooked pasta and a tasteless sauce.
The root beer got two huge thumbs-​up!
Generally good food, I adore Krishelle, and if you like root beer…

‘Amazing’ sums up our experience at Caldera!
We stumbled upon this brewery while in route home from Seattle. Not only were we impressed w the beers but the food was just flavorful.
Oh and our waitress was patient and extremely attentive; would definitely recommend this gem.

On a road trip between orange county, CA and Leavenworth, WA we stopped for dinner (and to watch the packers game). The food was amazing! I never knew I liked white truffle until I tried the macaroni and cheese. My boyfriend had the white truffle burger and fell in love. The décor was super cool and the staff was nice. So even though my packers lost, we had a fantastic evening. Keep up the awesomeness!

I stopped here with the family on a little road trip, since we were spending the night in Ashland. I AM SO GLAD WE STOPPED HERE!
I had the dinner special, which was the beer braised brisket. My wife and son split a pepperoni pizza, and my other son got the truffle macaroni. I tried everything, and it was all great. The macaroni was absolutely incredible.
I had the beer sampler, which included five beers. I chose: bourbon-​barrel-​aged coconut porter, dry hop orange, hatch chili, hopportunity knocks, and mosaic ipa. All of the beers were great, but I had to order an extra pint of the mosaic IPA.
For dessert, we split the brownie sundae with coconut porter ice cream. It was incredible. I briefly considered stabbing everyone with my fork just to get another bite.
Overall, the food was amazing, the beer was amazing, the dessert was amazing and the service was… Amazing! I highly recommend this place! :-)

Beers were okay, nothing spectacular. Service was great… Our waiter was very welcoming and helpful in recommending alternatives when some of the brews we’d come in for weren’t available. I don’t understand the hype about the pretzels, though; ours were dry, crumbly, and tasted freezer-​burnt. I’d be shocked if they were homemade… Yuck.

Where do you start!!! The numerous tap handles or the pizza or the burgers. Maybe the outdoor seating under heat lamps with a view of the mountains?
Or we could just go with the truffle mac n cheese, please add bacon for a the full experience.
Well worth the trip!

The main thing that stands out to me about my experience is that their «house» salad boasts coming with «carrot, radish, and cucumber» with the spring mix. I got the salad and there was ONE piece of each of those respective vegetables next to a giant pile of spring mix. FALSE ADVERTISING. Kind of. I wanted vegetables, okay? I’d been drinking beer in Portland for four days straight and I needed vegetables.
The Mogli balsamic dressing was key.
The beers were eh. Overall good, but eh.
My burger was huge and cooked well.
I really like the high ceilings.
Good for a road-​trip stop-​off, but nothing to write home about.
«Dear Mom,
I was coming home from Oregon and…»
Eh.

Had one of there bbq burgers it was pretty good. But of course I really went there for the brews. Had one of there stouts and porters and I absolutely love oregons local brews. We stayed in ashland and this restaurant brewery was a great start. Love the big structural setting with beers bordering the shelves. Good experience
Thanks

Greeted immediately as I walked in the door, I had my choice of sitting at a table, booth, or the bar. They wiped down the bar counter area for me and took a load off. My server/​bartender was extremely attentive and friendly, but also a bit scatter-​brained. I think he was having an off day as my entrée order ended up being incorrect. I’ll get to that later.
Anyway, I enjoyed the warm, but open atmosphere of the restaurant as I started sipping a nice & cold, vanilla wheat beer (lager style) and a side salad with passion-​fruit vinaigrette, which was very flavorful. A seamless & perfect amount of time passed when my entrée was delivered (which was supposed to be Angus Beef Mushroom Alfredo). It turned out to be Angel Hair Pasta tossed with olive oil, diced vegetables (and the beef I wanted).
Granted, my server offered to take it back with his apologies on the error, but I told him I was starving and it was no big deal. The meal was excellent and I consumed every morsel. The Angel Hair pasta was going to be my first choice anyway, so I’m happy the «mistake» was made. The Alfredo sauce might have been too much since I was on my motorcycle anyhow.
I couldn’t stop eating because the food was outstanding! So, I ordered what I will refer to as, «The Wordy Dessert,» which identified as the following: Cinnamon Crumb Cake Brown Sugar Streusel served with Cinnamon Ice Cream and a baked/​candied apple slice. I had two cups of their fresh, hot coffee with cream (from Good Bean in Jacksonville) to accompany the sweets.
The final countdown arrived for my departure. I asked for the check and the bartender comped the beer and the coffee as recompense for the entrée fiasco. I called it [fair] and parted ways. Although my first experience here was slightly off (and the prices seem a tad high as my check would have been $ 36 for a three-​course meal with two beverages), it’s still a posh joint and I do plan on returning.

The bartender was super busy but stayed attentive to us. We are out of town era and there were a few regulars in there but we didn’t feel left out.
Most important the beer is incredible. We did the flight and tried a total of 10 beers between the two of us and they were all really good especially the mogli double barrel aged stout.
The facility was clean and inviting and all the food that passed by looked and smelled great!

Caldera is good for big groups, mostly because they have the space and a large menu. The wide selection of beer is also good. The pizza is very good. However, there are a number of problems.
The service at both locations is SPOTTY and HIT OR MISS. We have had great experiences, and we have had times where the waiter screws up absolutely everything. They also randomly run out of ingredients, which I find pretty unprofessional and avoidable.
The other major problem for me personally, is the dessert menu because I love dessert. I have tried every dessert they have and they are all awful and of an obvious lower quality than the rest of their food. They either have a terrible dessert chef, or they buy them from a Cash n Carry and attempt to dress them up and then charge way too much money for them. Either way, not good. Caldera, please spend the extra money to hire a dessert expert. It probably wouldn’t cost you that much more and you would get repeat orders, instead of disappointed one timers.

Quick stop in to taste. Lots of beers to pick from, so, anyone should be able to find one… I was looking for in your face hop aroma and a good mouthfeel. but I was disappointed. My husband liked the Hopportunity knocks IPA @100 ibu which had a bitter finish to me. I tried 3 (which seemed to irritate my server) & ended up with their IPA@94 ibu. I was hoping that since citra hops were used that it would be more hoppy, but it really wasn’t by my standard. For most people, this beer I’d likeable, but not memorable.
I asked for the chocolate crème pie on the board and the waiter said he thinks they are out, oh wait, maybe one piece, no wait.none. He was cocky and irritating… NO, I don’t want the brownie. I want u to go check and come back and tell me nicely that you are out of an item posted on the board!

Caldera was our first stop for food on our road trip from CA to OR.
We grabbed dinner here on our way to Shady Cove for the night. Thank goodness Unilocal brought us to Caldera, because I’m guessing this was the best option for dinner that was perfectly along our driving route as well.
Perks: Free Wifi, taster sets galore, outdoor and indoor seating, dog-​friendly, family-​friendly, restrooms for use, and super high-ceiling’d lofty ambiance!
We were a little lost family in the middle of a random town in Oregon, and Caldera really gave us a great impression to kick off our foodie-​venture road trip. I really enjoyed their famous red ale and IPA’s. They also had a few stouts too WHOOT! I also loved the mac & cheese (truffle oil, holla) and the southwestern-​grilled tofu sandwich! Their food was American style-​pubby, but made with colorful presentation and cooked with quality. It’s definitely not like the shitty brewery chain like BJ’s or Rock Bottom.
I’d totally recommend this place as a pit stop for food, if you’re making a drive up the PNW.

Great atmosphere. Patio seating was excellent with a beautiful view and not so crowded you could hear your neighbors conversation. We had the salad, soup, and vegetarian sandwich. Then added steak to his salad for a decent price. The beer options are overwhelming! Great whiskey cokes as well. Great staff! They were all super friendly and had great; Amanda was our server– she was awesome! recommendations. Dogs are allowed on the patio as well, which was icing on the cake for us. We’ll definitely be back for more good food and try to get through the beer selection

If I wasn’t done having kids, I’d have another and name my son after the Toasted Coconut Chocolate Porter. So delicious. They were slammed on a hot July night. We put our name in and ponied up at the bar to grab a beer for the wait. The Ashland Amber is a bit hoppy for my taste but I know there are those out there that will love it.
We selected the house made pretzel appetizer. The pretzel is buttery, salty and chewy. The cheese dipping sauce is thin and savory. The house mustard is a hearty stone ground mixture.
I selected a house salad with Ranch. This is not your run of the mill iceberg, it’s leafy greens lightly bathed in a luscious carefully crafted ranch with homemade croutons.
We split the truffle burger. It’s a good, solid burger that will leave you satisfied.
I was most impressed with the service. As busy as they were, we never waited more than a few minutes for anything. We had multiple people checking in on us. Our server, Benjamin was friendly and helpful.
Amazing gem and a great welcome home to Oregon.

Liked:
1. Roasted Hatch Chili
2. Hopportunity Knocks IPA
3. IPA
Indifferent:
1. Mother Pucker Raspberry Sour
2. Rose Petal Imperial Golden Ale
Pretzel= yum
Jalapeño Poppers= yum

I’m happy Caldera opened a cavernous warehouse-​sized gastropub near I-​5, and it’s no run-​of-​the-​mill brew-​house. My bbq chicken on toasted ciabatta with creamy avocado and grilled pineapple with siracha sauce and yellow potato salad was divine. My partner’s truffle burger was understated but delicious, and the beer selections are staggering. The Vas Deferens Ale caught my eye with its vasectomy-​devil label, but I like to judge the integrity of a brew house by their commitment to cocktails, and these were stellar with fresh juices and a sure hand. The place was jam-​packed on a week night, and while an NBA game might have been a bit of a draw, the spot-​on service, creative brews, and fresh fare are the real
.

Despite the extreme frustration of both our GPS’s taking us every which way except the right one, our dinner at Caldera’s was definitely one for the books in the best possible way. As it turns out the restaurant is walking distance from our hotel, the Ashland Hills Hotel.
The first thing that I noticed was the outdoor seating area. They have picnic tables set up on their lawn, just as if you were eating at a park or the back yard of someone’s house. The exterior of the restaurant reminds me of a barn that’s made out of metal. It’s clean and has nothing screaming out to you that they’re a restaurant. It’s nice and subtle, and I love it. The inside has the biggest collection of beer bottles that I have ever viewed, lining the walls. Other beer related items they have include dining tables with different beer labels and the tables also sported plants with beer cans as vase’s
I ordered not one beer but a flight of five different four ounce pours, ranging from the deepest dark, to the lightest light. They all tasted amazing; however my favorite was the Double Bourbon Mogli. The Mogli itself was recommended to me by a current co-​worker who used to live in the Ashland area, and who told me about Caldera. This Chocolate Bourbon beer is simply fantastic. Rich cocoa flavor that is perfect for dessert, or a cold winter night. I also ordered an eight ounce glass of Vas Deferens Belgian Ale. Only after I was actually told was Van Deferens was did I order the beer because that’s just the kind of person I am. If you don’t know what the name refers too there are little hints in the description. This beer is a tasty bringing together a variety of great tasting flavors.
The food was just as amazing and the drinks. We started with the pretzel appetizer, because how often do you see that on the menu? The pretzel looks gorgeous, big and was sprinkled with a good amount of salt. They provide two dipping sauces; a spicy Dijon mustard that tastes very homemade, and a cheddar cheese sauce that really reminded me of eating macaroni and cheese. The pretzel was interesting but tasted very good.
I ordered the White Truffle Burger for dinner, with a side of potato salad. When my order came out it came with a side of their lemon Caeser salad instead of the potato salad. It was a simple yet delicious mistake that they promptly fixed. That small hint of lemon goes a long way and definitely elevated the dish greatly. My potato salad came out shortly after our food arrived. It was made fresh with chunks of celery in it which is amazing. I’m a huge potato salad fan, and I can tell you this one was made with love for it. My burger was cooked beautiful rare, as I asked for. The flavor on the burger was incredible. and I’ve had a lot of mushroom burgers before, but the flavor of the mushrooms plus the amount that was on the burger made this one unique. The blue cheese was sharp and flowed with the burger very well.
The service was great. The only small mess up they had they corrected very quickly. I would recommend this place to any one who loves burgers, beers, burgers with beers, or just anyone who enjoys amazing food in general.