Tin Man Brewing Company

BigBRookie

2.55/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.25 | service: 3 | selection: 2 | food: 3.25 | $$

Tin Man Brewery could be a great thing for the city of Evansville. But right now I don’t think Evansville is ready for what they are putting out. They did a fantastic job with all the advertising with billboards saying “ordinary beer don’t compute” and “you will become one of us”. The advertising was excellent, the building is amazing and the inside is perfect. The building made is a renovated industrial building down Franklin street in Evansville and they’ve done a great job with a paint job and renovating the inside to give it a classic brewery and old style setup with long tables, and a large gathering room on the second floor.
When Tin Man First opened up I was totally excited about that place I bragged about it to my friends , I retweeted everything they tweeted about, I was sold. I tried all of their beer the first day they opened I got a sampler and even tried a brisket from Gunslinger BBQ which was fantastic. The beer on the other hand was great at first. I tried it several times after that and when I realized they came out with a black ale which was a mistake to begin with it was a batch gone wrong. That batch gone wrong was in my opinion the best beer that they have put out and it was in limited quantities. The Red ale which most of my friends like was flat and not carbonated enough and the same could be said about the rest of their beers as well. The IPA had no hop character whatsoever; the stout had no roast or coffee flavor and was way to watery none of them put off the aroma you would expect from a stout or an IPA.

02-02-2013 05:50:58 | More by BigBRookie

pilzen1

Indiana

2.08/5  rDev -24.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 1.25 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 3 | $$

I gave them a 2nd chance, 4 months after the first visit, hoping for better luck. Slight improvements in that they had some beer with a little flavor (the bourbon barrel'd one had some flavor and hop aroma, but still weak); but the other beers were all weak. None of the beers had head; have they not figured out their carbonation system yet? I only drank one full beer (didn't feel like paying for a 2nd low quality beer, probably the first time in my life I've only ordered one beer at a microbrewery), but between the two beers my wife ordered (sent the pils back for being too fruity) and samples, tried 4 beers. The black lager had some color to it, but no body or hop flavor. The IPA had little hop aroma or flavor. Food was mixed, my wife had a really good soup, my Cuban sandwich had a dry bun and the bbq was dry.

04-14-2013 17:40:17 | More by pilzen1

tdeshaw

Indiana

1.5/5  rDev -45.7%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 1.25 | service: 1 | selection: 1.5 | food: 2.5 | $$

The atmosphere was alright. The beer was not very good relative to other Indiana breweries. The food was alright, it was decent bbq. The selection was ehh, not very many beers on tap. The service was not good, perhaps some of the worst I've had at any brewery. The redeeming quality is the fact that it is a new place and has potential to get better. If the brewery opened in a town with an established beer culture, they may or may not have already been run out of town haha.

04-12-2013 16:56:38 | More by tdeshaw

Hefty_Boss

Indiana

1.79/5  rDev -35.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 1 | service: 2.5 | selection: 1 | $$

Standard beer prices, but the beer was absolutely awful. Our waiter said that he didn't drink beer and preferred wine, but I now wonder if he was subtly urging us not to order drinks.

We ordered one of each beer. The Red Ale was drinkable but really nothing special, the black ale, pilsner, IPA, and porter were watery and tasteless.

03-28-2013 02:29:24 | More by Hefty_Boss

sairvin

Indiana

3.98/5  rDev +44.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3 | $$

Just changed their food menu and haven't tried it but its an overall great place. They are sticking with session beers right now which is smart for a town with limited beer knowledge. Maybe we will see a hop bomb or a milk stout soon. I'm glad they are here in Evansville. Let's see more breweries.

03-16-2013 13:58:41 | More by sairvin

steinhammer

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev +17.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.25 | $$

For months I waited patiently for this place to open, following the progress of their construction and preperation.
Then the day came, they were open! I expected great things. I had to worked the first few days of opening, opting to wait a few days anyway to clear out the initial crowd and allow for first day bugs to get worked out.
Upon entering I was impressed with the remodel of the old building, it was modern and spacious. Then things fell apart. I noticed they were out of the porter already and several menu items. I was a little disappointed by the order at the counter method and even more disappointed by the staff who knew nothing about the beer when asked. The order-taker went so far as to say, "I don't really know anything about the beer. I just work for the food part." This was a proble
I was not so upset about the beer though. I thought the Rivet Red and the Alllow were both good beers, not the waterey mess other reviewers make them out to be. I even went back a few weeks later to try them again and sample the Black Ale, which has been my favorite so far. The beers are not the intense slap you in the face craft brews some would prefer, but I don't think they need to be either.
I thought the menu had a suffiecient amount to choose from. The food was good and the service was very prompt. I would go there again. I just wish that the staff knew somethng about the beer they served and the company as a whole would be a little more prepared . They have yet to distribute their product to local retailers. Apparently they are months behind schedule after talking to employees at the WInetree and Liquor Locker.

02-07-2013 05:06:28 | More by steinhammer

Shatrat

3.95/5  rDev +43.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I think this brewery is off to a strong start. Their initial offering was aimed at inoffensive beers that wouldn't scare off the general populace, and they are starting to add in stronger and more flavorful beers as they go. The Bourbon Barrel Rye Porter is as good as anything I've tasted. The BBQ on the premises is also really impressive.

02-02-2013 23:23:59 | More by Shatrat

Gooddays2

4.62/5  rDev +67.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I wouldn't drink a Coors light if it were the last beer on earth, but do consider Blue moon to be a very drinkable , readily available beer, so classify me as you wish.
Did I love all of Tin man's beer offerings? No, but I don't love everything Bells puts out either.
The Alloy is a very drinkable IPA-Period! If you want a hops explosion in your mouth like a SN Torpedo or a hop slam this is not the IPA for you. If you want a smooth, slightly hoppy beer with a pleasant finish that doesn't give you heart burn for 3 days, this beer is right up your alley- this beer strikes me as a perfect "dinner" beer, an excellent compliment to the meal, but not overpowering.
The pilsner is also very drinkable with a slightly sweet finish- very refreshing, a beer I look forward to enjoying on a balmy summer's afternoon after working in the yard all day. The key is the drinkability- a very smooth finish.
The stout was a bit much for my taste but I'm not much of a Guinness fan either-just not what I prefer. Same for the porter, I'll let others discuss.
Bottom line, Tin man has a wonderful selection of beer offerings that will satisfy most paletes. I look forward to to trying the seasonal offerings that I hear are coming soon.
I'm ecstatic that Tin man is here in Evansville and look forward to sharing in their growth and expansion as they evolve going forward.
Cheers!

01-25-2013 16:59:21 | More by Gooddays2

DreadPirateRoberts

Indiana

2.35/5  rDev -14.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 1 | service: 3 | selection: 2 | food: 3.5 | $$$

First, I must say I love what they have done with the building. It looks amazing inside and out.

I am left wondering what they are thinking with the beer. Overall, the beers were thin, had no aroma and were very under carbonated. The pilsner had no head, was flat and had a strange fruity taste. Almost like a really weird wine (comment from my wife). The red ale was drinkable, but I would compare it to something like Killian's. The lack of aroma with the IPA was the most shocking and any bitterness was gone before the glass hit the table. The stout was closer to tasting like nothing than tasting like any beer I have every tried. There was little to no body or roast character. The black ale was probably the most enjoyable, but needs correct carbonation and saying it is the most enjoyable is not high praise considering how poorly every other beer was executed. I certainly won't return to just get an undercarbed mediocre black ale.

The BBQ was pretty good, but a little overpriced. It is once again not enough for me to return. I can't really speak to their service model as I did not care to order any more beer. The waitress did remove out plates quickly. Wow, I'm really stretching to say something positive.

I am thrown back by their attempt at "education" of Evansville. They use the term session beers to describe their offerings. I suggest they read http://beeradvocate.com/articles/653 Nowhere does the definition of session beer mean tasteless and watery. Like mentioned in other reviews, I also really dislike their employees carpeting Untappd with undeserved positive reviews, although I guess this is how social media advertising works.

Even though I had previously sampled their beers at local events and my expectations were low when I visited, I was still bummed when I left. I was really hoping that they would improve before opening.

I really want them to succeed and contribute to the Evansville craft brew scene, but unfortunately it is going to take more than a cool building, nicely designed logos and okay BBQ.

I'll try again in 6 months or so and see if changes were made. I really hope they listen to the folks that will keep them in business and work on their offerings. If not, those customers will head to Turoni's or the other brewery that is opening soon when they wish to support local beer.

01-10-2013 19:30:31 | More by DreadPirateRoberts

Chaney

District of Columbia

2.43/5  rDev -12%
vibe: 4 | quality: 1 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

PREFACE: IF THINGS CHANGE HERE WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO, I WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER CHANGING MY REVIEW.

In early 2012, I heard about this place through research and word of mouth from family, friends, and Facebook. How exciting to have a craft brewery in my own childhood hometown! I followed them feverishly, and drove by the place every day when I came to the area to visit back in August of 2012. So cool!

Fast forward to the present. Sure, I had heard some blurbs about "beer snobs" being unhappy with the quality of the beer, but I certainly know lots of "snobs" in my hobby and just dismissed the claims as mere arrogant rantings of a couple of craft beer spoilers.

Atmosphere: My wife and I arrived at a beautiful, modern, highly innovative environment on an icy cold weekday afternoon. We were both in awe of the cool robot in the foyer, the cleanliness of every inch of the building, and the table layout. Did I mention the cool swag?

Service: Our bartender waited on us very attentively, seemed to be proud of the place, and to be a part of such a noble venture. Also, our food came out in a timely manner and the attitude by the server(s) seemed great.

Food: My wife had some qualms with the amount of gristle on her pulled pork, but she's not a big BBQ fan to begin with, so I took that with a grain of salt. As for me, I enjoyed my pulled pork sandwich with slaw. Sufficient and reasonably priced.

Selection: When we were there, they had a pilsener, IPA, Black Ale, and Irish Stout. Additionally, they had nitro pours of a couple of these. They were out of the porter and Irish red. I've heard stories on both of these, especially the porter.

Beer: Seriously, I honestly couldn't believe it... some of the most gnarly, flavorless, sorry excuse for beer I've ever tasted. The IPA had no hop character whatsoever, the stout had no roast or coffee flavor, and was watery to the 10th power. Also, my wife keep referring to the pilsener as a "mead." After going through the sampler platter, we both decided to give the full glass thing a try. She ordered the pilsener and I got the IPA. Neither of us finished, we settled up, then drove to Turoni's.

I honestly couldn't get my experience off my mind all day, so I took advantage of my confused state during my beer shopping stint (I love bringing Indiana goodies back to Washington DC with me, especially FFF, Upland, and New Albanian!) Every store I went into (Frontier, Winetree, University, Turoni's, and many others) I asked about "Tin Man." The responses ranged from, "They're working the bugs out" to "Not sure what they're thinking." Needless to say, I've learned a lot about "Tin Man" in the past couple of days.

One thing I've learn is that they have a lot of disdain for us craft beer celebrators. So much so that they (the head brewer[s]) actually go out of their way to address us as "snobs."

What the public needs to know is that they're not actually serving craft beer. A couple of peeps I spoke with in the past couple of days told me that the test batches of their beers were very good. Why not start there? Supposedly, their philosophy is to dial everything way down and serve them a version of the macro muck that they have already tried before. That's not the way you do it. People who hate IPAs will always hate them. People who hate hefeweizens will always hate them. Why not just give show your A-game and let the chips fall where they may? Many more people than you think know craft beer. Don't play dumb with them.

I so want this place to succeed. It's awesome on so many levels. The only thing lacking is its major commodity... beer. Kinda important, huh? However, I am 100% certain that if the brewer continues to poo-poo the craft beer community while serving his imaginary base, this business will fail.

NOTE: I found it odd that the bartender here was also our bartender during our evening meal at Gerst Haus.
NOTE 2: Worst beer I've sample all year, and I've sampled A LOT!

12-28-2012 07:08:29 | More by Chaney