COVID UPDATE: Beer is still good, food is still good. Outdoor space is delightful. Process of ordering is different for the sake of protecting employees and other patrons. All in all still a great place to go for a drink
I was very excited to finally get here, only to be disappointed by slow and rude service. As a person in the service industry, I understand when a server is busy however waiting 18 minutes to be greeted is unacceptable in any circumstance. We plan to spend our evening here and instead had a beer and left.
I'll be blunt. This was probably the most boring beer tours I've ever been on. First of all we couldn't hear the guide. She talked at room volume despite loud noises from all the equipment and nearby noises going on. Also from what we did hear her Surly story was much less exciting than just reading the company history from Wikipedia. I got the feeling she hasn't worked there very long yet is tasked with giving tours and reciting company history. We didn't see anyone working or nothing of substance happening in the actual manufacturing areas. The souvenir shop was sold out of most of the anniversary posters EVERYONE wanted. All the clothes were S or M. Again it was like the place was on autopilot and they were just selling you a name brand hoping that alone would be worth the price of admission. Since I'm here I should mention the guy taking tickets out front was dropping F bombs and cussing like a sailor. He was very smug and arrogant. Do yourself a favor and skip this tour if your considering it. Their beer on the other hand is good stuff!
I visited Surly Brewing Co tonight and it was the absolute worst experience I've ever had. Not only did my boyfriend and I spend $90 on food and 2 beers each in the span of 3 hours, but after we paid out with our server we went up to the bar in hopes to get a drink and go sit outside by the fire they had going. Unfortunately, when we got to the bar the bartender told us we were "cut off" which was completely ridiculous because we each only had two and a half drinks while sitting down at our table for dinner. It was EXTREMELY embarrassing and ruined our entire experience at Surly. We had no reason to be cut off and the bartender did not even check our ID's OR inform us WHY we were cut off or who told the bartender that we were cut off. It was absolutely ridiculous and we feel as if maybe the bartender got us confused with another couple, but either way it was humiliating and I will never return to this establishment. I work at a 5 star restaurant in the metro area and people often ask me where to go in the Minneapolis area and I used to always recommend Surly Brewing Co. but after tonight I will never recommend your establishment to anyone. I will tell them it is a horrible place to visit and if they want more than two beers it is definitely not the place to go because they might get cut off for no reason at all. I hope that no one ever has to have the same experience that we had. Working at a restaurant myself, it is mind boggling that they treat their customers in this way. This is not how you run a business especially a local business. If you are looking into a brewery I would recommend the excelsior brewery or anywhere else before this place.
surlybrewing.com