Third Street Aleworks

mastodonj

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

I stopped in here on a trip to Santa Rosa because Russian River was having their employees' Holiday Party so they were closed for the evening.

This place is pretty typical brewpub layout and atmosphere with sports bar ambiance.
There were 11(?) beers on tap and the two I tried were both very good but not outstanding.
One was a black porter that was a little unique.
The bartendress was excellent even though they were pretty busy. Very attentive and fast.

I had fish tacos that were also much better than expected.
The place is more of a restaurant/meeting place than a beer lovers' destination but you can
say that about 95% of the brewpubs out there.

Altogether, it's a very good place with a larger selection than many brewpubs.

12-20-2012 01:13:38 | More by mastodonj

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.71/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Very long bar with lots of home brews, backed by a number of other seats and tables. Place looks bigger than it is. Easy to find parking even in front of bar at 5 pm. A close walk from RR> Bartenders are busy, for a Monday this is very busy. Almost every city big enough for 2 bars has one more preferred by the drunks just to drink, this is it. Beer was fine, its not Russian River, but its a decent brewpub and you can get stouts and styles not on tap at that other place. WOrth going if you are there for more than a night.

11-11-2012 00:44:00 | More by northyorksammy

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.29/5  rDev -13.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2.5 | $$

So, probably like many people, I got tired of the 1.5+ hour wait at Russian River, knew this place was a few blocks away, decided to take a walk and get a pint while waiting, waiting, waiting. . . always like the motif of a place where you can see the brewing equipment while you're at the place. Mixture of wood and steel in the place, high ceilings (like I said, two levels) not much here made for style, but instead functionality, and its an overall winner in that department. Lots of televisions, making this a decent place to knock out dinner, a game and some beers, without some artydouche saying "unless you're watching sports ironically, turn it off."

Go inside, its a large place, and sure enough, it smells like beer is being made. Nice. There are two levels to it, and there's lots of space. The beers seemed good, I liked the oatmeal stout, it appears to have won some awards, fwiw. A few of my first choices they were out of, hate when that happens, how do you let an ipa not be on the tapline for a weekend? I thought the variety was kind of average, I didn't see anything on cask, or barrels, just the usual lineup of wheat, ipa (out), stout, lager etc. . .

A decent place to check out if Russian River is too full.

10-15-2012 17:19:13 | More by Beerandraiderfan

tjensen3618

California

2.4/5  rDev -37.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | $$

This was the last stop of my only night in Santa Rosa and admittedly, things were starting to get a bit fuzzy.

This place had the atmosphere of a crowded BJ's without the high cleanliness standards that large chains usually demand. It seemed a bit grungy to me. There were a lot of people in the bar area, but we were able to find a couple seats.

After having just eaten at Russian River, we did not get any food. I ordered the Oatmeal Stout, it came in a nonic pint glass and was pretty good. Service wasn't great but that was probably mostly because it was busy.

This was a one beer and done kind of place for me.

12-22-2011 00:35:13 | More by tjensen3618

Seanibus

California

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Not much to look at from the outside, but a pleasant, airy and tasty place on the inside. The menu is well thought out and tasty (good burger when I visited, though a trifle undercooked). The one downside is that sound carries well in the sleek, ultramodern decor, so it was quite loud even though it wasn't excessively busy at lunch. The lineup of beers is extensive and tasty too - there were a variety of pale ales and IPAs on the sampler tray and all were delicious (The "Apripeche" was an interesting twist, similar to Dogfish Head's Aprihop, but I found it more accessible and enjoyable). The stouts stood out as well, though it appears that two of the three on the sampler were special offerings, not regulars.

05-13-2011 23:54:13 | More by Seanibus

Beak01

California

4/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

If you are looking for an easy place to score some "decent" beers without the cramped/LOUD setting that you get from Russian River then 3rd St. is the way to go. I remember "back in the day" Russian River wasn't down town so 3rd St. was more or less the only real brewery in town. Over time the beer quality has slid a bit, but this is compensated by good service (and seriously....the beer isn't bad. Maybe not AS GOOD but still good). Here is the skinny...when I need food & beer I go to 3rd St. When I need the creme de la creme I go to Russian River.

11-24-2010 23:57:56 | More by Beak01

t0rin0

California

4.14/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Visited 7/11/2009
8 house taps + 2 casks

Visited on Saturday of RBSG 2009. 2 blocks from Russian River. Nice cozy atmosphere, interesting tap lineup. Bartender was helpful and sympathetic.

Beer was alright, not great, not bad. lots of beers to choose from though. They do bottle some of their stuff, or at least they used to. Didnt spend a lot of time looking around but the place seemed nice enough. I just sat at the bar with flight in front of me and had a conversation with the bartender until it was time to go back indulge in the 9L Temptation that Vinnie was opening at the brew pub, conveniently about 2 blocks away.

11-08-2010 19:43:22 | More by t0rin0

SolomonGrundy

California

2.85/5  rDev -25.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4 | selection: 2 | food: 2 | $$

When Denise was brewing here, this place could rival Russian River at times for beer quality. As it is, this place is crap. The service is excellent. Beer, though, now is crap, especially considering Flavor is a block away (Moonlight beers on tap) and Russian River is two blocks away (um, need I explain??). Denise is now at Moylan's plying her trade, and 3rd Street has suffered mightily for it. Food is hit or miss. Occasionally it is awesome, but in general it stinks. It used to be great all the time, and I even held my rehersal dinner here because of it. Now, it's a third-rate brewery at best and not worth passing up either flavor or RRB for.

07-11-2010 23:40:35 | More by SolomonGrundy

augustgarage

California

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Nice mix of indoor and outdoor seating - upstairs and downstairs, booths, tables, and bar seating. Music was kind of annoying the night I went, and there were a few obnoxious drunks of various ages at the bar.

Service was excellent (fast, friendly, fairly knowledgable), though the huge number of servers, mostly in uniform, reminds me of a chain sports bar - or even a TGI Friday's sort of establishment (it seems like the kind of place where the staff wears fake smiles and head-sets, even if they don't).

They have a good cross-section of their beers: a mix of those that are always available and a few of their seasonal or limited releases, and at least one cask offering. Guest handles were pretty boring though (cider, etc)...

Happy hour prices are very cheap and they do growler fills as well.

We had pizza and fish and chips - the former was OK but not really worth ordering again, but the fish was quite fresh with a tasty (and not too oily) thin batter - and the portions were very generous.

02-19-2010 00:59:25 | More by augustgarage

bbothen

California

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

The "other" brewery in Santa Rosa. Probably not a fair term.

Have been in here a couple times in my trips out this way. Nice atmosphere with tanks & brewing equipment in full view. Seems to attract the younger, non beer advocate types.

Had a sampler that I shared with my wife. Most beers were quality, nothing fantastic. The barleywine was mice, sweet, malty, with a moderate hoppiness. I enjoyed the IPA as well, which had plenty of citrus & pine. The coffee stout was enjoyable as well. The rest were not as memorable.

The food was right in line with any brewpub. The burger & BBQ sandwich were tasty & affordable.

Service has been fina on my visits. No issues.

All in all a good place to stop into when in town. They're in the shadow of Russian River and seem to be doing just fine from my visits.

03-03-2009 21:40:40 | More by bbothen