Estes Park Brewery

The service we received on our visit made this a 4* review. Remember, these aren’t Michellin stars, and sometimes you give stars to places that are, frankly, Michellin skidmarks… But I would recommend anyone travelling through town to stop in. The beers we had were pretty tasty and we split a few elk burgers. Our server, and I am sorry I did not catch his name, was GREAT. He helped to hostess clean the (gross) dirty table. Then he talked up the options and was generally attentive to our needs.
Hints: Start downstairs for free samples. I believe I got four. Then you can buy more samples upstairs. Then we decided on individual glasses.
The burgers were okay; veggies were fresh and the bread was really good. Patties needed a little salt. Be forewarned the burgers have no sauces on them from the kitchen. Food was fast to arrive and nice and hot.
I was bummed to see so many 1* and 2* reviews but I get it: It’s not upscale and looks like it could be a little… rough… But when we visited on Saturday afternoon it was a great little trip for us.

We have been to this brewery several times over the past 10 years when we visit. The downstairs is still awesome can sample up to 4 beers per person — they have some great choices. The upstairs was a disaster. We were seated then never helped (we are very patient on vacation time) — when we finally did go ask at the bar the waitress was then very rude. The food was slow & then cold. My husband played a game they have at the table to win a free shirt/​hat — he actually won it. This game must not be won much as we had to ask 3 people before the manager (I think) had to come verify the quarter in the slot. We will never go back! I had read the reviews before going but since we had been before thought it was just a few that had bad service — but we are now added to the list!

In my experience you can not go wrong eating at a Brewery… until now. Food was tasteless. My husband and I both got the elk burger special. They were bland and dry. Beer was good, just don’t go for the food.

Bar food. Nothing special. What you see on the outside is exactly what you get inside. Probably much better if you are drinking heavily and eating later.
Had a great seat out on the deck, with a great view… of the cooks smoking cigarettes by the dumpster. Yeah.

Really, this was a legit 4 pours of beer for free. Bill the bartender was awesome… friendly! We ended up not eating there only because we were meeting family elsewhere but the menu seemed good for a standard burger place. We’d definitely come back again!

Its worth checking out for the free beer samples. That is somewhat unheard of, 4 free large pours per person, for free! $ 0.50 after that. The beer is OK and the place is somewhat uninviting, as you stand at a small «window bar» in the gift shop to sample beer. We didn’t venture upstairs. Worth a trip if you venturing to RMNP or the Stanley Hotel

Stopped in for some beers and they were all great! I highly recommend the IPA. You can have 4 free samples downstairs as well. Great spot!

Great beer! We had Longs Peak Raspberry Wheat, Blueberry Wheat, Redrum Ale and a barely wine. The food was ok. The nachos looked and tasted like the are microwaved. The club sandwich was ok. Sweet Potato fries were pretty decent. We would definitely come back for the beer!

I’m not sure why this place only has 2.5 stars, we had an amazing time. They give 4 free brew tastes, the bartender was amazing, we had onion rings and they were great as well. Very laid back atmosphere, kind service and well worth your time. Loved the Stinger brew. Highly recommend this brewery !!!

Zero stars if I could. This place is terrible. They use terms like «homemade» and «made to order» — you’ve got to be kidding me… Everything is frozen and disgusting.

This place is terrible. Bad beer, awful food and loud brats running around. Go down the street to Rock Cut Brewery. They have waaaaay better beer and atmosphere.

Do not eat here. Sunday afternoon, place less than 30% full. I ordered a buffalo burger, medium-​rare, my husband ordered a ruben and my daughter had the kid’s mac & cheese. It took almost 40 minutes for our food to come to the table. My burger was cold and I sent it back. It came back out hot and VERY well done. My daughter’s mac and cheese had a big hard lump in the middle, and my husband’s ruben was 85% kraut with small pieces of some shaved meat that was clearly not corned beef and no dressing.
Repeat — do not eat here.

So I went for the beers– Very average, The Shinning and the IPA were worth trying, everything else was meh, outdated and lacking flavor.
I read reviews before going… needless to say, I avoided the food. But I wouldn’t say they are over priced, just on a few things. Most things seemed reasonable, if they were tasty, which I didn’t bother to confirm.
This place is clearly a landmark and been there for quite some time. It’s got some charm that way, but mostly it gives you that «in the middle of nowhere, tourist shop off a highway from the 70’s» feel. I didn’t regret going, but I will check it off my list and move on.

Came in to try some beers since that’s what I do every place I go (love visiting breweries). The downstairs tasting room had an interesting atmosphere but it’s nice that you get four samples for free.
We went upstairs and played a couple rounds of pool. It was pretty empty which was nice on a Monday afternoon so we had no problems getting service or one of the two pool tables.
Overall the beer was just fair– pretty standard.

I worry that I couldn’t write this review sooner. We ate here at the beginning of Labor Day weekend, and it pains me that this placed was packed full of unsuspecting tourists all weekend. But IF I COULD SAVE JUST ONE MORE PERSON from eating here, well, then it would be worth it.
CONS:
The Food
The Beer
The Price
PROS:
Location???
Coming from California, I’m used to high prices. But I expect freshness and quality for those prices. Within minutes of ordering, our food was ready. «Great!» we thought… Spoke too soon.
The TWELVE DOLLAR buffalo burger was a thawed hockey puck on a dry white bread bun. There was lettuce underneath somewhere. «Can I get some mayo?» «Sure» [Returns with a squeeze packet from the Safeway deli counter, plops it on the table]
The frozen/​deep fried french fries were SEVEN DOLLARS
Do they have avocado? No, but you can have guacamole for $ 2.50. [Returns with a green swirl in a cup, charges us $ 3]
It’s a brewery, so maybe the poor food can be forgiven for the stellar beer, right? Wrong. The Stout was a flat brown liquid. The Raspberry Wheat was a delivery device for the raspberries (also known as The Flavor) floating in the glass.
Our bill came to SEVENTY ONE DOLLARS.
AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID at all costs!
I just hope this review gets to you in time!

Great local beers with solid food. I was very impressed with the staff being able to pair the beers with the American style menu. The man who helped my wife and I sounded like he came from Eastern Europe and he was great. Very clean place that has plenty of parking.
Left impressed and left with more beer to take home.

Why the lack of love? It’s a cute brewery in a bit of a tourist town with great beer. What else do people want? Only had a beer but that’s all I needed. Friendly staff and quick service. I just may find my way back…

2^nd time here, first was to try the beer, this time to wait for our kids at the ropes course next door. Seated rather quickly, and sat, and sat, finally went in to the bar to order our beers, and had to wait for clean glasses (hey, I’ll wait for clean!)
Waitress continues to run by our table and avert her eyes from acknowledging us. Watched her do the same to another table.
Food the last time we were here (only ordered appetizers) was mediocre at best. Locals warned me beer was good, food was terrible. So far I’m finding that to be true. Could be a great place with a trained staff and an upgrade in food, or just make a tap room.

Good food here, especially the pizza. Great selection of beer of course. You can get free samples of all the micro brews down stairs. Service is standard. Lots of great souvenirs in the gift shop.

Everything was just «okay». Went on a Sunday at approximately 1:30pm. I was immediately irritated after walking upstairs that the hostess stand is sitting almost at the edge of the stairs. This means people waiting to be seated have to stand on the stairs — this has to be some type of fire hazard. There was plenty of space to move the stand back and make room, or maybe I am the only one brilliant enough since this place opened to have noticed. Yeah, I laughed at that too.
Plenty of open tables and booths. Music wasn’t too loud and had a nice variety. I ordered the Estes Park Porter and Club Sandwich. I wanted to order something unusual, but based off the other reviews, I stuck with something no one could possibly screw-​up. Sandwich wasn’t bad, was served with a small portion of fries, and a pickle. The beer was boring. I love a good Porter and this was not even close to a good Porter. It lacked depth and a multitude of underlying flavors.
The place wasn’t exactly dirty, but wasn’t exactly clean. Like most other reviewers, I was left unimpressed and suggest others skip this brewery. There are plenty of other places in which to eat.

War heute dort. Personal ok, essen naja… Hatte einen Medium gebratenen Burger bestellt– der war eher well done, das Brot war total trocken. Mc Donalds kann das sogar besser. Der «Biergarten» war ziemlich runtergekommen und schmutzig. Das Bier war ok — ich war schon in vielen Micro breweries, bin nur ein mal enttäuscht worden — hier geh ich sicher nicht mehr hin