Herkimer Pub & Brewery

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $

If Bryant-Lake Bowl was a throwback to the 1950's as described in a separate BeerFly review, then this place exists somewhere between the 1920's and 1940's. It just feels like an old neighborhood joint must have felt from that era. It doesn't hurt that the advertising tries to evoke this ame feeling, but more on that shortly.

As soon as you enter, you are faced with an oval bar that dominates the center of the room. Above it are a series of pseudo-vintage beer trays, advertising the house beers, which surround the perimeter of the bar. Off to the left are the brewhouse and fermentation tanks, along the wall and behind glass.

The really eye-catching aspect of this establishment are the posters for the house beers. The artist has managed to make homages to vintage advertising, which are totally inspired, as far as I am concerned. They are all very memorable, but none more so than the one for their Oktoberfest. The young lady who is depicted is clearly panties-free. Yow!

My friends and I indulged in a free game of shuffleboard, with the table in the rear of the pub, opposite the bar, on the left hand side. This was very cool, as was the "Hectolitre Meter", which seems to be keeping track of their annual production and reminiscent of the "Keg Counter" at The Drafting Room.

Our waitress was very friendly and kept us in beer as long as we wanted without being overly intrusive or pushy. I just wish that even one of the beers could have been a bit more adventurous ... Ah well. It's a nice, kitchy little place and I'd certainly go back, if for no other reason than to drink the Pilsner and play some shuffleboard.

12-23-2005 04:05:43 | More by woodychandler

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Since we were already on Lyndale, we decided to stop in at The Herkimer Pub & Brewery. It isn't highlighted on BA, and several of the people we talked to about beer talked about it as an afterthought. We're not big lager fans, but we decided to try it anyway.

Considering the style, it was not that bad! We started with their two GABF gold winners - Sky Pilot Keller Bier and Alt Bier - which were both pretty good. I really enjoy Kellerbier, simply because it is so unique, and C enjoyed the Alt because it did carry a nice hoppiness with it.

By the time we ordered the next beer, it was happy hour, which is 2 for 1, so even though we didn't intend to, when I ordered a High Point Dunkle, we were served up two pints.

Herkimer had free Wi-Fi, so that gave us a reason to linger and enjoy the additional pint. The Dunkle was lightly smoked and a beautiful dark color, almost like a light porter.

Herkimer really is a worthy stop if you find yourself on that edge of town. I wish they had a few more beer style selections but overall not a bad place.

04-01-2008 12:20:20 | More by Deuane

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3.64/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

The last time I was here in 2001, Herkimer was having some problems. Two beers were on tap, the food was mediocre at best, and seemed bery overpriced. The prices haven't come down much, but the beer has clearly improved and I've heard the food has as well. They are making progress.

Inside is well maintained, clean, somewhat open and sterile when empty, but has lots of room for weekend uptown crowds. The patio is in the alley behind concrete barricades, but the people I saw in it seemed to be having a good time. The two beers I had, Toolies Weiss and the Alt Bier were both good but not great. The weiss seemed a bit out of balance, but refreshing and fairly well done. The alt had a slightly astringent taste in it, but was adequate as well.

If someone invited Herkimer, I'd go without hesitation. Perfectly fine, and the menu looks like it has a couple interesting vegetarian options that weren't there before, so that would be interesting to try with a couple of new beers. But, I doubt I'll go too far out of my way to get there my self.

06-15-2007 13:08:43 | More by FightingEntropy

benito

Oregon

3.4/5  rDev -6.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

The Herkimer is one of a handful of restaurants in Lyn Lake and remains one of the few brewpubs in Minneapolis proper. Its focus on German-style beers sets it apart from the dime-in-a-dozen mold of American brewpubs, as any visitor is likely to encounter a style (gose, berliner weisse, dunkel, kellerbier) hardly ever seen at other breweries.

The atmosphere is neutral--lots of grays, blacks, and vintage-style posters advertising some of the house beers. There are large, cavernous booths along the perimeter of the bar, and the bar itself occupies the middle of the restaurant. There's a bit of sidewalk seating available as well.

They keep six beers on tap, and when I visited, only one of them was one of the 'year-round' offerings. Instead they had a dortmunder, kellerbier/zwickel, dunkel weiss, gose, alt, and munich dunkel. The gose was an interesting experiment-- somewhere between a wit and a berliner weisse according to the restaurant's description, though the salt flavors were a little overdone. I also sampled the kellerbier and the dunkel weiss; both were above average, if otherwise unmemorable.

Given the paucity of brewpub selections in Minneapolis (and only Minneapolis), the Herkimer is a must-visit stop by default. Overall, the German brews make for an interesting angle on the brewpub; I'd certainly go back for another visit.

08-19-2008 02:13:36 | More by benito

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I stopped by here to meet some friends for lunch during our limited vacation to MN in the summer of ‘06. Parking was easy as there was plenty of residential spots open a block away. As we approached the building, we passed through the outdoor seating and went inside to grab an air-conditioned booth.

The building had a strange swimming pool feel to it. The first thing that triggered this sensation was the powerful chlorine smell that over came us. I’m guessing something just got a thorough cleaning. Then, I noticed that the pillars that held the roof up were covered with aqua tiles. Déjà Vu then set in when I saw the rows of windows along the left side of the building that overlooked the stainless brewing tanks that reminded me of the parents observation room from my swimming career at the Duluth YMCA. Weird. Beside this, the booths were slightly elevated and the bar had a very open feel to it. I can imagine that this place would be an all right late night weekend stop without much of a crowd. Over all, I got a good feeling from this place.

The food here was rather original for pub fare. The girlfriend and I split appetizers of nachos and sweet potato fries, which were above and beyond the standard. Our dining companions ordered these cute mini burgers and veggie burgers along with a warm pretzel. Their miniature sandwiches looked great and they said the loved them. One more thing to add was that all of the foods came with non-traditional dipping sauce, like chipotle mayo and an atypical mustard. Sure beats the standard “American Gourmet Sauce” (Ketchup).

Our server was a little too chatty for his own good. He did his job well, but came across a little intrusive.

For the beer, I ordered the Hefe and I got two. I asked “what’s going on here” and I was told it was two for one right now, so I got to drink two beers for lunch! Their Hefe was stellar. It was one of the best Hefeweitzens I have had in America. It was just spot on for style. I’d like to try more of their offerings, but looking at other reviews, that may not be the best idea. I think I got lucky, but it was delicious none-the-less. Over all, there was about seven or so brews on tap to choose from.

I liked this place a lot. Their food was original and their Hefe was delicious. I’ll be back for sure. Some day.

07-17-2006 18:14:06 | More by DarkerTheBetter

jera1350

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -11%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

This place will not be remembered for its atmosphere by me. The inside is basically a large bar with very little decor. It's really a no frills place. The outside patio is fine, but their really isn't much to look at in terms of plants or surroundings. They do have two beanbag courts which give people something to do. They had five available beers. All german styles, but the darkest beer available was an alt. Would have been nice to have one bigger beer option. Service was average. A bit slow really, but not terrible. The beers I did try seemed to be on par for the styles. Some of the styles are pretty unique and were first for me. Tried some sweet potato fries which were phenomenal. Not a bad place, but it just wasn't a fit for me and I can't see myself going back.

09-12-2010 01:45:38 | More by jera1350

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4

Herkimer's is only a few blocks from Bryant Lake Bowl on Lyndale about a half block from Lake St. It has a center bar with spacious seating, lots of stools for the bar, some tables and booths. The brewing area behind some large windows and takes up a good chunk of space. Little to no decor, plain warehouse looking with track lighting, a jukebox in back that has great tunes to pick from and kept my toes a tappin'. Some sidewalk patio seating for nicer weather months. Very friendly service and pretty knowledgable about their beers. Atmosphere is tame but fun and relaxing. Food is OK, small menu, but everything is made fresh of a homemade quality with the emphasis on all natural ingredients - wholesome, fresh, that whole uptown thing. Who else would make blue corn, corn dogs? Beers are OK, most are lack luster but a few stick out above the rest with six beers always on-tap and two of those in a rotating cycle for the seasonals. The Daily Pils and the Toolers Weiss(hefe) were the ones that stood out for me. Not something to go out of the way for but if you happen to be in the area such as I was, and with the great friendly service I had, it made for a nice enjoyable afternoon.

08-30-2003 21:53:03 | More by tavernjef

ndolover

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

I visited Herkimer recently to see a basketball game (thank you Big Ten Network). It is located in the LynLake neighborhood. I nice spot for food and drinks if you ask me. Herkimer stands out for 3 things in my mind:
1. Packer Bar (take it for what it is worth)
2. Uptown hip flair (I see a wide assortment of folks which adds to the fun
3. Lagers...they usually have the best assortment of brewpub Lagers in the Twin Cities.

On my visit I had he Kolsch and the Alt. The Kolsch was a bit bitter for a Kolsch, but was fine. The Alt was outstanding. A true session beer. I must have had 4 of them while watching the game with my wife. It was a great time. The music selection was great, but not too loud. There were TV's, but not too many. People seem to be having a good time and playing misc. games in the background.

The food has always been hit or miss. This time was a miss. I had a normal cheeseburger and it was dry and the bun was flaky. The service was okay, as it would seem that they only had one guy worker the bar with about 15-20 people sitting down. It seemed more then he could handle.

Herkimer also seemed to be hosting a Homebrewers meeting which tends to lend street cred. that this is a good place to drink beer.

If you are in the Uptown area, and/or like lagers...and maybe even want to hang with your Wisconsin brothers...check this place out!

02-24-2008 17:35:35 | More by ndolover

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +14.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

My girlfriend and I stopped by Herkimer at about noonish after visiting the Walker Art Center. Parking was easy to spot, but hard to get to on behalf of road construction. Once inside the place is fairly inviting. I liked how all the brewing equipment is very visable, and I liked the tiled pillars. I also liked the tinned roof that only covered a small section directly over the bar, which was odd but interesting. The servicer was excellent (I think his name was Eric): very attentive, very friendly, and knowledgeable about the beers. The food was pretty good, but standard pub fare. I was a little disappointed to find out that the lunch menu is a lot smaller than the dinner menu which is on their website. The citrus chicken club I had was good, and paired very well with the Berliner Weisse I was drinking with it. My girlfriend insisted that her burger was the best she had had in a long time, and was way better than my meal. I was very impressed with the beer. I have read a lot of mixed reviews on this site about the beer at Herkimer, but I really enjoyed the two beers I tried. They only do German style beers, which I like and dislike. I lived in Germany for over three years, and learned to love beer there. I was also frustrated with the lack of creativity in the German brewing scene. While I do think that they are handcuffing themselves from a creative standpoint, I do like how they are at least venturing into some obscure styles of German beer. The first beer I had was there Sky Pilot Kellerbier, which one them a gold medal at the 2006 GABF. It was incredible, enough noble hops to create a meriad of flavor and enough malt to keep me from calling it hoppy. The second beer I ordered was their Berliner Weisse. To my astonishment, when the server brought it out he brought two 10oz goblits, with two shot glasses (one for woodruff syrup, and one for raspberry). I had had Beliner Weisse before, but with out the syrup. Herkimer's Berliner tasted great on its own with a wonderful sour, tart, lactic taste to it. I liked it even more with the woodruff syrup which added some sweetness, but still let the sournees/tartness to come through. I thought the raspberry syrup made the beer a little too sweet, but it was still enjoyable. I ordered a growler of the Berliner Weisse and the server through in a couple plactic containers of the woodruff syrup for free. Overall, I was very impressed with Herkimer, and will certianly visit again as there were a lot more beer on the menu that I would like to try.

07-26-2007 17:19:23 | More by KarlHungus

Sixpoint

New York

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5

I visited this place on a nice sunny afternoon in June. It was a great place to go... you can get a table out on the sidewalk and people watch but still have shade underneath the awning.


The brewers were very accomodating. One of them was working on a Saturday and he let me come into the brewery and have a look at their operation. The brewery was very clean and tidy.

I ordered a pint of the Pils and it was ok. Although it was well balanced, there was absolutely no head retention at all. Not even a trace.

The food was alright, although I wouldn't know entirely, because all I had was a basket of french fries.

At the time I was there, there were about half a dozen beers on tap. Overall, all of them were worth a try... they were clean and well-balanced. Definitely give it a go.

12-05-2004 05:04:41 | More by Sixpoint