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The beer we tried was pretty average. They did have a guest tap of Surley' Furious Pale Ale, which was good. Food was disappointing. It was like they were trying to be a gourmet restaurant when instead of a brewpub. Overall, we did not have an experience that would make us want to go back.
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Dick Poynter,
Springfield, IL
(06/28/2008) |
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Awesome!
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Barley John's has a local cult following. A very small place, at least when you cannot sit outside, but it's usually well attended. My only suggestion is that they add some lighter meals to their menu. Food is great, just a bit fancy for my pub like menu.
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Eric Christensen,
North Branch, MN
(12/30/2007) |
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Great
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Awesome!
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N/A
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This very small venue has some very solid beers. I particularly recommend the IPA. The current seasonal, a Belgian style ale dubbed their grand reserve, was a very good example of the style. The porter was also quite good. All-in-all, worth the trip. If you are visiting the area, be aware that all the on-line mapping services think this place is about a mile and a half north of where it really is. You will actually find it at Old Highway 8 and County Road D.
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Brian Kelly,
Dunwoody, GA
(01/20/2006) |
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Stopped in for a little relaxing high quality beer on Black Friday. Fittingly, we had the Dark Knight Returns to lift our spirits. The description below is appropriate and does leave you with the feeling that it is fortified due to the alcohol warmth. Definitely can't have too many of those and drive. Finished out the evening with a growler of the Old 8 Porter which was solid but a come down from the strong flavors of the Dark Knight Returns. When in the Cities, I will return for the Dark Knight Returns.
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Paul Spyhalski,
Austin, MN
(11/27/2005) |
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I’ve only come out to Minneapolis twice now, but I’ve already been to Barley John’s three times. (It’s relatively easy to get to from my hotel and has on-site parking). The service can be a little “quirky”, but always friendly. The food is decent if limited, and they do have a few vegetarian dishes. The pizza is actually not bad for the Midwest (sorry folks, I grew up in NJ). The first week I visited the beer selection was a bit skimpy. Apparently I caught them right between brewing cycles, because this week they had eight of their own beers on tap, plus five or so guest beers (Paulaner Lager, Courage, Karmeliet Triple, a couple others). I thought their Bitter was quite well done. It’s not easy to make a 3.5% beer that is actually this tasty and balanced. I wish more brewpubs and American breweries in general would work on producing decent session beers. (Town Hall and Great Rivers also brew very nice low alcohol bitters – must be a Midwest thing?). The maibock was tasty and brewed pretty much to style. The IPA was good, malty and hoppy – not the best I’ve had but good enough that I had two in a row. The brown ale is weird. It’s brewed with wild rice and is more like a real strong porter (8.0%), is a bit grainy, but good. The Dark Knight was their porter (also strong and which I haven’t tried yet) re-fermented to around 13% and then aged in first-use bourbon barrels. This beer was very tasty, very malty, pretty fruity, but well balanced with just a hint of alcohol bite. I got a little sample of the Dark Knight Returns, which is the same beer aged in older bourbon barrels, which is a little less fruity and a little more balanced. I agree with Rob down below there. The place seemed to be populated with locals there for good beer, the bartender was enthusiastic about beer and the assistant brewmeister was brewing a batch while I was there, but kept coming out to chat about the beers. I really like this place and will be coming back.
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Rick,
Boonsboro, MD
(06/14/2005) |
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N/A
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Geo. Miller,
Plymouth, CT
(05/07/2005) |
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Awesome!
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This is the kind of brewpub I love. It has a homegrown feel to it. Everyone I talked to, employee and patron alike, knew something about beer. Not all of the beers are brewed to style, which is not a problem for me. This is a tiny little place, the bar probably seats six, and there is a small eating area. This place is most certainly worth the trip.
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rob,
romeoville, IL
(03/14/2005) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Dont know what this person is talking about. Go to ratebeer.com Very high rankings for this place.
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Eric Ask,
Kasson, MN
(02/23/2005) |
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So So
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Not really sure what the people below were drinking....but this place was a dud! The Bitter was terrible....IPA had zero hops..very malty. Porter was decent...but their biggest sellr...a brown...was terrible as well. I usualy go on the reccomendations of people on this website and for the most part are correct...but this place was terrible...will not go back. TOwn Hall is a MUCH better place...this place isn't even in the ballpark as Town Hall. Not worth the trip
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Paul Pesa,
Maple Grove, MN
(01/21/2005) |
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Great
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Stopped in for a round of samplers and an appetizer for the designated driver. Very quiet on a Saturday afternoon but pleasant not to have to yell to be heard across the table either. The Wild Brunette, Stockyard IPA and Porter were in the great category. The Little Barley Bitter was fine in its own right but didn't hold up next to the other three. Definitely worth a refill of the growler if not a pint or two or three.
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Paul Spyhalski,
Austin, MN
(12/12/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Waitstaff was very friendly and loved the beer. Will return
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Eric Ask,
Kasson, MN
(11/11/2004) |
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Out of the four beers they had available, three were outstanding. The IPA might have been, but it was hopped differently so that I wasn't crazy about it but my friend was. It's a small place, with great but kind of pricey food. I'd rate Minneapolis Town Hall a bit higher for the beer because they have more variety and I prefer their IPA, but this place is definitely worth visiting if you're in the Twin Cities area.
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Gargantua,
Madison, WI
(09/13/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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If you're serious about beer, this is the best in the Twin Cities. The food is excellent. I would go with whatever the special is - I've always been rewarded. Top marks as well for the soups.
Yes, it is small (a deck is open in the summer). It can be very cozy and even romatic.
The beer is also very strong, so be careful. A nice selection of single malt scotch is available as well.
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Pete,
Minneapolis, MN
(08/17/2004) |
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Although the beers conform to style, I simply didn't find them all that remarkable. There are definitely a number of brewpubs in the Twin Cities that are superior. I can't comment on the food, because I haven't tried enough of it. The service is So-So, and the place is roughly the size of my living room. I'd consider Barley John's a place to check out only if you are in the area.
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Jason,
Prior Lake, MN
(07/20/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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N/A
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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I'm a tough critic, and it's hard for me to fathom the ass-kissing that often goes on here, but I've got to give this place some love. I recently did a 21-day, 25+ brewpub, 200+ beer tour of the midwest/middle Atlantic and this place stands out as #1. The Dark Knight Imperial Porter would probably be among the top 20 beers out of the 2000 or so I've tried lifetime, and every other beer (except maybe the Stockyard IPA) was well above average for style. Fabulous Maibock, great Bitter, a Mild that almost gets me to liking the style, a Brown that belies the general boring nature of that style...I could go on. If you're into a good time, I'd hit Town Hall first in the Twin Cities -- no disrespect meant to that fine brewpub -- but if you are really serious about beer and want creativity and fearlessness in your drinking experiences, hit this place above the others. It's that good. And we got some free samples, to boot, despite not ordering food and it being a bit busy.
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muzzlehatch,
Burlington, VT
(07/19/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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By far the finest beers in the Twin Cities. Every beer is true to style and loaded with flavor. The pub is very small and definitely not a scene, but a beer lover will come back again and again. The food is really well executed. The menu is small, but every item is very tasty. The specials are adventurous and shine. Try the habanero hummus.
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Tom Easthouse,
St Paul, MN
(05/07/2004) |
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Great
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Great
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N/A
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Only tried the Bitter which was quite good. Worth a return trip to sample the rest.
Small restaurant with small bar area with only 5 stools. Had four of its own brews listed on the menu and Paulaner with a number of other regionals including Mantorville and Lake Superior. The Barley Bitter was quite good and worth a return trip. They were out of their IPA (Stockyard) and I didn't try the Imperial Stout but it did look quite good.
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Paul Spyhalski,
Austin, MN
(10/21/2001) |
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