Old Black Bear Brewing Company

Very good! And kid friendly on the patio. My little guy loves the plank salmon and broccoli.

We just dropped by to check the place out and have a drink and appetizer. We had to wait about 5 minutes to be seated even though they didn’t appear too busy. A couple came in after us and got seated before us. There were only 2 in our party as well. They were seated inside in the air conditioning, we were seated out on the closed in patio. Both were clean but the outside had no air movement and many flies. It was 90+ degrees, so the outside was not ideal. It was still early, around 11:20 so they were serving brunch. No appetizers offered. My husband liked his beer and my strawberry mimosa was good.

I love this place, good beer, good food, good atmosphere, what more could you ask for! Everyone was very friendly and attentive, and the food was delicious! I got the chicken and waffles and HIGHLY recommend them.

This is our go to date night venue! Love the food, environment and waiters. Sometimes theres a little wait, but its worth it!

We recently hosted an event with over 75 people on the back patio, and we had a great experience! The servers were friendly, the owner stopped in to chat, and everyone loved the drinks and food. We all shared appetizers, several ordered dinner, and many of us had beer, Moscow Mules, infused vodka drinks, etc. There was quite a variety of drinks for a brewery. The food was fantastic; I would venture to say it is one of the best «bar food» experiences I have had. I got the pimento cheese burger and highly recommend it, and I also tried my friend’s chicken and waffles and it was delicious. Great food, great beer! :)

Ate here many times since opened. Not sure why none of the servers seem to write anything down. I believe that is what causes my simple catfish plate order to be messed up almost every time food is brought from kitchen. It is usually missing the slaw or tartar sauce. On one occasion, baked potato was left off and brought at end of meal.
Today is 12 June 2016 in the sweat box patio. Can only imagine what temp and humidity will be around 1 to 2 pm. They are seating everyone in the patio with sub par air conditioning. One barely works on the north end. South end does not work. Why does management think this is acceptable? I’m sweating with shorts and t-​shirts on. Why is it so hard to close off patio or give notice of ac issue before seating people in the sweat box when there is ample seating at the cool bar? AC repair folks are available ²⁴⁄₇. Portable ac units are available and can be purchased at Lowe’s/home depot before the restaurant opens. Exhaust for these units is sent outside through a simple plastic hose and bracket provided with the portable ac unit which are adjustable to fit windows in the patio. I know I’ve ate and drank enough beer here to pay for about one third the cost of a portable air conditioner or pay for a service call.
Management does not care. It is obvious when problems are not corrected especially when known before restaurant opens. Management did not bother apologizing for the issue with patrons in the sweat box nor did servers frequenting the sweat box. This really says alot about how this place values it’s customers.
Flies in here are a nuisance. How about actually doing something about them? Are management and servers really that clueless? This is not a third world country. However, lack of air conditioning and flies would make anyone feel different.
Food was good.
When leaving patio to go outside to leave, there is little noticeable temp and humidity difference between the two.
I’m really disappointed and may not be back.

Excellent beer. The normal IPA is very good, but the «Bear’s Sweat» double IPA is Fantastic! One of the best IPAs in the country. Just be careful– it is 9% and tastes amazing. The food here is very good too. I had a chicken caesar entrée salad, and could barely finish it! Biggest salad ever. Great environment, style, and service. I will go back.

I love their Blackened Salmon. The patio seating outside is nice. Service, though, is too Slow for a lunchtime break. I thought I would get around that by placing a to-​go call-​in order, but they wouldn’t take my order that way. They say that I have to come in to place an order. Of course, that defeats the whole purpose of getting it to go to get back to work on time. I eat pretty fast, so I might as well eat there and be late instead of having the same wait by ordering there. 2 stars deducted for lack of convenience or work-​crowd options.

My mouth is watering just writing this review. Their pimiento cheeseburger and fries are literally 2 of the best things I have ever eaten. If you like pimiento cheese, and you like burgers, please go do yourself a favor. The atmosphere is great, the staff is always very friendly, and the beer is good. I can’t wait to try their brunch. I wish words could describe this burger. But they just can’t.

I liked almost everything about this place. I am not a beer drinker, but that isn’t their fault. However, their root beer is delicious! If you go for dinner, you should try the signature chicken and waffles. Very yummy and lots of food for a really great price. The atmosphere is very chill, even on a Friday night. My only complaint, and it’s small, was our waiter kind of rolled his eyes over the fact that only one of us ordered beer. One lady was pregnant and two of us don’t drink beer. That shouldn’t keep us from going to a brew pup for dinner and fun with our friends, right?
Overall, the experience was wonderful and I plan to go back with my husband sometime.

My friends and family love this place. They are so thankful that I have recommended it to them. I’ve tried several things on the menu and everything was delicious, but my all-​time favorite has to be the bacon cheeseburger.

Wonderful food, wonderful atmosphere. Moscow mule blackberry drink was fabulous !! Catfish was excellent as well as shrimp and the pretzels !! Also the kids had a handcrafted root beer that was fabulous.

I wrestled between that last star for a while… I’d really say 4.5, but honestly, for a brewery, it really is as good as gets.
They actually have food, which already sets them apart from other breweries. The food is actually quite good… like better than just bar food by far. (Those shoestring fries, y’all, mmmmm.) The menu is small but diverse enough to please any craving. The space is amazing, inside and out. I’d say it is the coolest patio in the area. They have legit coffee on the other side of the store — win! They take the small extra step to elevate their décor and food: mason jar for waters, pickled okra atop the burger, cute serving tray, etc.
The few cons: Their beer selection isn’t quite as large as other breweries and they tend to run out over the day. Our waiter made a slightly sexist comment and that turned me off. And finally, those bar stools, as cute as they are, are super uncomfortable.
See, not enough cons for a 4!

Good beer and vodka, tried the coffee stout and chocolate coffee vodka. Both are made in house and both were unique with strong coffee flavor and smooth finish. For dinner had the Tap Room burger with fries, in a word — excellent. The service was also good and the bathrooms are clean. I’m definitely going to add it to my diner rotation when I’m in town.

Limited — but decent — selection of in house brewed beer. Food is worth the price and the setting is great for large groups. Great place to hang out in Huntsville.

Came here for dinner and was very happy with the food and service, but somewhat disappointed by the beer.
I sat at the bar and was immediately hit with the realization that there were only four beers available, which was a bummer. Only about two of them sounded good to me (and I have a pretty wide beer palate), but obviously that’s just my tastes and others may disagree. In the ended, I got an Extra Pale Ale, which tasted pretty good.
Food wise, I ended up with the Tap Room Burger with fries which was fantastic. Cooked perfectly, with an unhealthy yet delicious egg on top, the burger was juicy and full of flavor.
There are plenty of good craft breweries in HSV and, beer wise, this was lower on the list, but that’s purely due to the selection when I was there. Food wise, it’s fantastic. 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up instead of down.

Been coming to Madison for years to visit my parents. It’s about time that a decent brew pub restaurant opened up.
The beers were great, and the food awesome!
My wife and I spilt the pimento burger, mmm mmm awesome. I also had an order of wings, half hot and glad BBQ with fries and a dill sauce… Yum!!! My brother got the Tap house burger and gave me a taste… OMG better than the Royal Red Robin hand down!!! His wife had the turkey sandwich, which was huge, she passed it to me for a bite… Mmm Mmm Good. I also ordered the Cave City beer cheese with pretzels, which had a great taste, but the cheese sauce was a little gritty??? How do you get gritty cheese??? But still delicious!!!
They also offer a military discount for one entrée, not the whole party.
I can tell you that I’m excited and looking forward to my next trip to visit my mom!!!

Just spent my first Sat lunchtime with these friend… The absolutely best bologna sandwich I’ve EVER had!!! And the beer was great, too! Chris was a great bartender and conversationalist! I miss BB, but am so glad OBB has reopened this location! A staple of downtown Madison. Do yourself a favor and give them a try… you will not be disappointed!!!

Love the atmosphere! Great place to watch a game or have a great meal with family! Madison’s best eatery. There is always a variety of beer.

First time at Old Black Bear. It has a wonderful atmosphere for both dining and just relaxing with friends watching a game. I tried a wheat beer and a porter, both tasted great. My family started with the beer cheese and pretzels. Probably the best I ever had. The pretzels were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and the cheese was perfect! I had the chicken n waffles and my husband had the pimento cheese burger with fries. Both were very tasty and full of flavor. Whoever gets a burger make sure to ask for extra pickled okra (you’ll thank me later). Our overall dining experience was great and our server (Tony) was excellent! I would definitely suggest this place to anyone.