Old Schoolhouse Brewery

The Renegade IPA and the Epiphany Pale are two awesome beers here. Highly recommend them although their signature Ruud Awaking was also good. Although it was pretty busy for being so early in the evening (we arrives around 6) the staff was communicative about wait times. We ended up snagging an open seat at the bar and my boyfriend got the pulled pork which he liked and I got the veggie burger which I loved! It’s super hard to find a veggie burger that isn’t a hockey puck but this one seemed to be freshly made. Although it was super messy to eat it was soooo good and so were their house fries which were perfect and crispy. It was a bit noisy because it such a small space but worth it because the beer and food was so good. We’ll definitely be back here on future trips to Winthrop.

The brewery has some good beer according to my husband. We left with a few bottles. We dined on some hot dogs and fries here while enjoying the view from the back patio. There were quite a few bees out but other than that, it was a relaxing atmosphere. Service was quick and the food was typical brew pub food.

«We’re all about the beer.» Good slogan, good beer, but… We drive over to Winthrop 2 – 3 times per year, and the Old Schoolhouse Brewery is always central to the journey. Kinda disappointing this weekend, however.
I can find good beer in Seattle (and a lot of other places). For my wife and me, what really sets the OSB apart is its great location. How could you beat their patio right there on the banks of the Chewuch on a lovely autumn evening? Answer: close the darned thing.
We were there last night (10/​17/​2015), around six o’clock, 64 comfortable degrees – beautiful evening. But the patio was closed. «We close it in winter. People get chilled.»
Come on! This is the Pacific Northwest. Winter starts in December. We’re barely into fall! (Don’t I remember propane heaters from previous visits?) Use all your assets. When you herd us all into the tiny little schoolhouse (and then amp up the live music), you’re just another overcrowded, can’t-have-a-conversation-with-your-friends tavern. It’s about more than the beer!

The beer here is great. It’s been getting consistently better over the last few years.
The food prices and quality are okay. We have had consistently good food and the price isn’t too high…
Where it all goes wrong is the service. I think it might kill their bar staff to serve anyone without attitude and in a timely fashion.
I walk up to the bar, and have to ask to be helped. I ask, «I see the menu just says seasonal so, what are the seasonal selections?» Girl bartender says they are on the board and continues her conversation with her co worker.
I walk over there… Read the selections… Come back… Have to ask again to be served. I select their session ale (which was good) and another beer for my boyfriend. He comes up to pay for the beers and she gives us attitude for wanting to pay with card. I understand it costs businesses money to pay with card, but $ 1 charge seems a bit steep. We didn’t say anything to her about this but she approached us like we were being aggressive toward her about this.
The entire experience rubbed me the wrong way and made me not want to tip (I still did, I’m not an animal!)
Eventually, we got to sit down by the river on the lower deck and our server there was nice.
It’s just unfortunate that consistent bad service from one employee can sour an experience so thoroughly. If there was another brewery in town, I wouldn’t come here.

The Old Schoolhouse Brewery is the kind of spot I hope to find whenever I’m traveling in a new place. It isn’t perfect, but it is quirky and unique with a touch of local color. A spot where locals hang out and tourists cycle through. A good bar that offers an appealing place to while away a couple hours and relax. It’s appearance is deceptive as well, with a small footprint on the street hiding a much larger venue that extends out to a deck and down to a patio near the river.
As a restaurant the place is average. A typical bar menu of appetizers, burgers and salads that is good enough, but unremarkable with service that’s typically small town (friendly, unhurried, and highly variable). As a bar, it’s another story. They brew their own beer, which is quite good, and have a selection of local ciders and wine. You can sit inside, on a covered deck, or a patio on the river where they host live local music. While most of the place is first come first serve, the riverside patio unsually requires a wait.
If your looking for a great meal, I suggest you dine somewhere else. But for drinks and entertainment, this brewery is a great choice.

Let me qualify this entry by saying that we ordered nachos which may not be a real indicator of their other menu ‘food’.
We chose to sit on the patio out back because it was a beautiful day. There was a wait for that, as you can expect. First negative experience — once we were seated, it took about 10 minutes for our server to come and take our order. She seemed flustered as she was serving other customers, and we were literally about to walk out when she finally stopped at our table.
Second negative experience — we ordered nachos with chicken as well as a pretzel with beer cheese. The nachos were very underwhelming and didn’t even come with guacamole. I know the restaurant next door serves guacamole with their dishes… And one of the reasons we even came here was because they beer cheese to serve with the pretzel, but that was also underwhelming.
You’d think that they’d get the bar-​type food right since this establishment caters to the beer-​drinking crowd. Or maybe I didn’t drink enough beer in the first place?
On a positive note, they have a good variety of beers and the one I tried (stout) was really good.

The Ruud Awakening IPA is one of the best IPAs in the state in my opinion.
Set in a funky narrow wedge-​shaped building, the interior is warm, cozy and inviting. Unfortunately their adorable patio was closed for the season and it was pretty crowded inside. We were squeezed in at a community table and got to know our neighbors quickly. They had live music that night and it was a perfect way to spend the evening. (Note**It helps if you go with the flow here– bringing a first date or expecting to have romantic space to yourselves here is probably not an option on a weekend night.)
I ordered the chicken delight sandwich which was delicious. I also asked to add on a small side salad and found I was charged $ 7 (usually it’s only $ 1 – 2 to upgrade to salad so that was a bit surprising on the bill). Food was average pub food kicked up a slight notch. We also purchased some IPA bombers to take home, and the waiter told us after the fact that there were other $ 3.50 bombers for sale that had slight defects to them (weren’t filled all the way, weird label, etc) so we grabbed another of those… although I wish I had known before purchasing/​paying more for the other ones. Oh well.
Overall it’s a great place. I see it is for sale and really hope the new owners keep the vibe and vision going here– it is not a placed to be missed!