River City Brewing Co.

jpwalz

California

4.58/5  rDev +29%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $

Fifth or sixth visit here and everything gets better. Prices are insane. Their "Bigass" beers for 3-bucks are under-priced. Had their Red(very balanced - great combo of malt and hops),IPA(not a West Coast IPA but hops are there) and ESB(must have watched a dozen locals order and enjoyt) and for the region are top notch. Food menu is a meat-lovers wet dream(staring at my pie - bacon, sausage, Tataka, amongst others) and attentive staff is second-to-none. This spot is amazing, and as I mentioned, gets better every visit.Can't imagine any beer advocate not stopping by when visiting Kansas. Very nice spot.

05-27-2009 21:56:13 | More by jpwalz

Bruiser81

Kansas

4.36/5  rDev +22.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4

I Made my fist visit to the brewery a couple of weeks ago. Good people, good brew. They have their regular five on tap with a rotating seasonal. My favorite is the stout but there are several other good ones. They have the T.V thing going on so I can watch the Jayhawks clean house while I enjoy good brew. The River City Brewery will definitely become a regular.

02-23-2003 12:53:30 | More by Bruiser81

amatuerbeerguy

Oklahoma

4.08/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5 | $

Atmosphere was great nice cozy, lots of wood. Makes for a great setting for beer, ( exspecially when it started to snow just before we got there). Quality of beers was good, had a brown nice, mild flavor, good aroma recommend to try. Also had a sample of Chocolate Bock, later found out same recipe as Sam Adams Chocolate bock. With the main difference for me in that Sam Adams had better aroma, but River City had better flavor, more favor, better mouthfeel. In turn better value by long shot. Service was adequate, some what laxed but good. Selection was small for there beers only had six beers on tap. Not bad but would have liked to see at least 10. Personal preferrence. Food was great nice jalepeno chicken and rice with corn bread excellent. Recommend if in area, of Wichita or even Lawrence. Cheers

12-08-2005 02:34:09 | More by amatuerbeerguy

morimech

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +11.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped by a weekday evening. Hotter than hell outside so this was a nice oasis. Large bar and a large seating area. Sat at the bar and ordered their brown ale. I thought the brown was excellant. Also had the red but was less impressed with that. The bartender was very friendly and chatty. She gave a couple of guys crap for ordering Bud Light by saying, "You do know you are in a brewpub." I thought the food was also very good. The crowd seemed to be a mixture of local families and wayward travelers like myself.

06-27-2009 19:58:26 | More by morimech

John

New York

3.86/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5

River City Brewing is located in an interesting refurbished warehouse area of Wichita called "Old Town". The interior features much of the original construction; lots of wood, worn wooden floor and heavy one square foot timbers that support the building. The long wooden bar has ample space for belly up imbibing and the restaurant area is large as well. Some of the woodwork looks like it may have been recovered/restored materials - pretty cool. Stopped in last week and enoyed some of their tasty IPA (fall seasonal). Chatted a little bit with some locals and the brewer, Dan. Scored a sample of the new Honey Rye winter seasonal before it was officially tapped. At 10% abv this will be a fine winter warmer. The 10% was well hidden too. Selection could be improved a bit. If it weren't for the seasonal brews the normal selection would be lacking. Hey Dan, make that tasty IPA a regular in the lineup! Hopefully will have a chance to try some food next time. Overall a friendly and comfortable joint and a worthwhile stop.

10-25-2004 01:56:18 | More by John

Quaffer

Nevada

3.83/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5 | $$

The River City Brewing Co. is Wichita's only remaining brewery. It is in the Old Town district, so there are plenty of other things to do and see in the area. But, if you are a beer lover, you might as well plan on spending the evening at River City.

The atmosphere of the place is nice. The bar area is seperated from the dining tables slightly, so you don't feel like you are at a restaurant bar. Also, there is a club upstairs that draws away anyone that is just there to be loud and drink large quantities of macro beer. This leaves the bar downstairs as a nice place to relax, quaff your brew, and carry on a conversation if you want.

Any of the food that I have tried has been great and the service was the same. I have yet to run into a bad/rude bartender or server. Plus, since this is a brewery, they know their beer.

There are five regular brews on the menu: two wheats, a brown, a red, and a stout. There is also a seasonal brew that rotates throughout the year: IPA, Oktoberfest, Belgian strong ale, hefe . . . you get the idea. The regular house brews are solid, but only average. There seems to be a diacetyl issue that runs through most of the beers. Where River City really shines is with their seasonals. The special IPAs, the framboise, the bourbon-aged beers . . . they are all exceptional. River City only employs one brewer and he always seems happy to talk about either their beers or just beer in general.

Cigar smoking is allowed, both upstairs and downstairs.

02-23-2003 08:58:32 | More by Quaffer

hopstradamus

Kansas

3.7/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$

The atmosphere here is exactly what I expect from a brewery of this size. The building itself is an old brick warehouse fitted with old wood furnishings and a bar that look like they belong there. The brewery itself has recently been remodeled and renovated bringing the whole place more up to date.

Their normal everyday beers are decent with no glaring deficiencies and they are clearly brewed for the masses. They accurately represent the style without taking any chances. The better beers are brewed as seasonals and are often saved back for their annual anniversary party.

I have never been disappointed by the service here. The staff is friendly and helpful and the brewer Dan is often around to help answer questions.

The beer selection is less than stellar with their 5 regular beers and 1 seasonal normally available. I wish they would bring in a rotating guest tap and bring some beers we don't usually see to this area.

The food is very good but most everything is the usual pub fare.

08-30-2010 02:44:49 | More by hopstradamus

jbmorch

California

3.68/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $

I was surprised by some of the previous reviews. I was there in mid November, 2006, and was highly impressed by their IPA and their seasonal 9% ABV Belgian Trippel. Both were fantastic (and I'm from San Diego, so I know an IPA). I also went to and enjoyed Granite City but this was the best brewpub for beer selection and location.

A word about the location. The restaurant closes at about 10:30, after which you migrate upstairs to the nightclub (music on the weekends, maybe more often during the summer) or more likely across the parking lot to Mort's Cigar Bar where they make a great martini and have draught Guiness for those sticking to beverages that are merely fermented.

Back to the RC... On Wednesdays they run a special that makes your tab for a very delicious pizza and a coupla beers very reasonable. You can sit at the bar and watch sports, talk to the locals and drink good beer. Yes, they only have five taps, all their own stuff, but it is very good beer. Kudos to the brewer.

The wings, BTW, are authentic Buffalo style and worth a try.

11-25-2006 09:38:16 | More by jbmorch

citrusjim

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

Was here on business and stopped in for a beer while we figured out dinner. We ended up eating here. The place was busy for a weeknight due to the Billy Joel concert. We sat at the bar and were served by a very loud bartender. She seemed to always be yelling. It's kind of a loud place. Without the house brews, it seems like a BMC joint. I had the stout and it was very good. My friend had the wheat and she liked it. We sat at a table for dinner and I had a burger. It was fine. The menu is kind of chain like. Not bad though. I would not seek this place out if I were in town again. We went to a wine bar the following night where I enjoyed Saison Dupont on tap...In Wichita! There are better places for sure.

03-31-2010 12:10:34 | More by citrusjim

zeff80

Missouri

3.68/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

This is a nice brewpub in the Old Town district of Wichita. Built in an old warehouse, it has a very cool brewpub atmosphere. Tons of seating for dining and a good sized bar area. The beers are pretty good. I've never had a bad one. Service is very pleasant and quick to help. The wait staff is knowledgeable about their brews. They never have alot of different beers on tap and what they do have is rarely adventurous. I think they are catering to the clientele that is not ready for big, high gravity brews. The food is good but fairly typical for a brewpub. There's nothing on the menu that will jump out at you. I like River City. It is a good option in a part of the country that doesn't have many great beer options.

09-11-2010 18:27:23 | More by zeff80