Tin Man Brewing Company

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.5/5  rDev -9.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 3 | selection: 2 | food: 3.5 | $$

Located in an old what seems to be industrial building, the decor is pretty cool. Big ceilings with some small tables and one long large table for bigger groups. Menus were lying around and orders were placed at the bar. Separate line for food and beer which was kind of awkward. Service was good, but the ordering process seemed kind of disorganized.

We split some of the sandwiches which had good meat, but the buns were a bit too big and buttery. Nothing on their normal sides menu really seemed appealing, but the side of the day (beans with pork) were good.

The beer on the other hand is quite frankly bad. I got a sampler of 5 beers. $6.50 for 5 5 oz pours. They had their Bohemian lager, red, IPA, stout and a seasonal "black ale". All beers were watery. The only one that had any body at all was the black ale. The lager, red and IPA had little flavor at all and were indistinguishable from each other. The stout had a ton of off flavors and was way way too thin. The only pour I finished was the black ale which wasn't great, but at least drinkable.

Glad to see another new brewery popping up in Evansville. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and try again sometime after they've had some time to work the kinks out, but my first impression was a huge negative especially after just coming from Turoni's and having some beer with flavor.

12-23-2012 23:43:13 | More by jmarsh123

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

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

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