Lost Duck Brewing Company

Lost Duck Brewing CompanyLost Duck Brewing Company
Lost Duck Brewing CompanyLost Duck Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

723 Avenue H
Fort Madison, Iowa, 52627-2935
United States

(319) 372-8255 | map
duckbrewing.com

Wednesday-Saturday
Open @ 3:00 PM
Kitchen Open 4-9 PM
BEER STATS
Average:
3.15
Beers:
6
Ratings:
7
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.14
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
7
pDev:
21.97%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of tjdemon
Reviewed by tjdemon from Illinois

2/5  rDev -36.3%
vibe: 2 | quality: 1 | service: 3 | selection: 2 | food: 2.5
Stopped in here while visiting the in-laws over Thanksgiving. There were four of us eating and drinking and the food was ok to decent. The pork tenderloin sandwich was the highlight. The beer was simply terrible. We tried four different beers (hefeweizen, two different light lagers, and the porter) and they all had chemical-like off flavors. It seems like they have some major sanitation/contamination issues. One of the light lagers also had a faint raspberry taste to it, which leads me to believe they previously had a raspberry wheat on the same line and never clean them. The waiter was very nice, but when I asked him for a beer recommendation he said, "Oh, I don't drink beer." Ok then. If that's the only craft beer he's been exposed to I don't blame him.
Nov 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 08, 2014
Photo of MilwaukeeCrusher
Reviewed by MilwaukeeCrusher from Wisconsin

2.81/5  rDev -10.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 4.5 | selection: 2
The place seemed to have a nice brew pub feel and the staff was very helpful. I also enjoyed a few stories with the locals, although sadly to say I was not impressed with the beer. As with other small breweries I visited, the beers were watery and one would have to consume much to get a decent hint at a flavor profile. I was told they had changed their brewer, so maybe they're playing it safe and trying to build back up a clientele. Their selection was merely ok and I was saddened to not be able to buy some of their IPA as well (for joke purposes for a friend, although I had hoped for a good IPA as well). I did not try any food. Maybe they don't have their ducks in a row yet, or maybe this isn't a mecca for beer enthusiasts. I'll give it a pass and go somewhere else next time.
Jan 16, 2012
Photo of DarkerTheBetter
Reviewed by DarkerTheBetter from Minnesota

3.94/5  rDev +25.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
I stopped by here with a friend who grew up in Fort Madison. It's located on "The" river directly across the street from the reconstructed historic Fort Madison. This makes for a good view, especially from the second floor. The interior of this building in general was rather open and bland. I'm not complaining, but I was looking for a little attitude. It is mostly light wood and a bit of brick. The first floor has an eating area to the left and a bar to the right with a few additional tables. Upstairs is more room for whatever you're in the mood for with more tables and a little ledge next to the stairs to chill at when the place is packed. The big open windows on the end of the building let in a lot of lights and lend a very warm brightness. I'm not sure how this works in the evening.

The beers were pretty good. They were far from world class contenders, but out of the 7 beers in the sampler I got, none were groaners. I'll say they were pleasantly mediocre. However, the originality of a few really caught my attention. The hoppy rye ale had a finish much like rye whiskey, and the bock tasted almost like a rauch. They also had a ginger beer on that was well done. The bottom line here is that the beer scene of Fort Madison sucks and this is heads and shoulders above anything within an hour and a half drive. Unless you're willing to drive to Davenport or Iowa City, you're going to have to get used to the Lost Duck's beer, which is no task at all.

Service was spot on. The woman behind the bar knew most everyone by name and was quick in bringing us our order even though she had to change a keg in the middle of it.

I would like to have spent more time here taking closer notes on the beers. I hope some day I'll come back,
May 18, 2008
Photo of jlh8643
Reviewed by jlh8643 from Indiana

2.9/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2 | food: 3.5
Placed in a somewhat historic building. The brewery is actually on the 2nd floor. The bar/restuarant area is on the main floor. Very clear looking but nothing really striking. Their beers were very plain. I had 4 of their beers that were on tap (pale, red, porter and O'fest). Out of those 4, the red was closest to style. I got there for their special which was $1.00 for a 10oz glass. The one thing that I was impressed with was the fact that they didn't even offer B/M/C of anykind. Their jambalya was good. I guess they have live bands on the weekends. Overall just middle of the road but not bad.
Oct 12, 2007
Photo of gljenso
Reviewed by gljenso from Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2
This is a very nice looking place with a good view of the Mississippi from about 1/2 block away. You expect the place to have a full menu given the decor and the fact that there are no TV's or games in the bar area. But the menu was mostly bar food. They recently added fish and chips and told us this was popular. I think adding a few more dinner type entrees would be a good idea. The beers could stand some improvement also. The porter and oatmeal stout were fine and true to style. But the Pale Ale was lacking in any hop flavor. It was more along the lines of Amberbock or Shiner bock. A brewpub should not make a beer like that and call it a Pale Ale. It occurred to me that some of their customers might order a Pale Ale at some other brewpub and be astonished that it doesn't taste like Shiner Bock. I did enjoy myself at this brewpub though and I hope they can improve the menu and add more hops to their Pale Ale.
Mar 28, 2007
Photo of Hawkeye
Reviewed by Hawkeye from Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +35.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I was at Lost Duck this past weekend and was impressed. In the non-urban areas of America, it is usually quite difficult to find a place that has anything more than Miller Lite on tap.

I gave the atmosphere a 4.0, mostly because the bar does allow smoking in half of the establishment. There was a blues band playing on Friday night which added to the atmosphere, almost bringing the Lost Duck to the level of a brew pub in Omaha or Minneapolis.

The quality of the beers was rated a 4.0 because while the Pale Ale was quite good and the Stout and Porter were in a close tie for second place, the rest of the beers (cider excluded) were fairly plain. The Pils, in fact, tasted almost like a domestic draft. While the Blonde Lager was a winner, it did not seem like a state-wide winner to me. The Cherry Wheat had considerably more flavor than the plain Wheat, even though it was made with a splash of Cherry Cider, rather than being a true Cherry Wheat. The Cherry Cider was quite good and added a change of pace to those who are not fans of beer.

The service was excellent and the wait staff was attentive and friendly. They were especially willing to correct minor errors made in the food orders.

The selection of beers was quite good for a small establishment, with seven kinds of beers and one cider. The available sampler is very helpful to someone who is there for the first time. The ability to purchase a 16 oz pint or a 10 oz glass is nice if you are just in for a quick one or waiting to have a growler poured. The availability of growlers and sample glasses are also good to take some beer to a party or sample several new brews.

The food was good and local, especially the elk, bison and the bratwurst. While the pub fries are ok, the home fried potato chips are a very tasty side to the meal.

It was a good value and I would readily recommend the Lost Duck to anyone in the Fort Madison area looking for a good beer out of the tap that is not brewed in 1000 gallon quantities in Milwaukee or St. Louis.
Dec 25, 2006
Lost Duck Brewing Company in Fort Madison, IA
Brewery rating: 3.15 out of 5 with 7 ratings