May be a good place for brews, but the food sucks. Â I've been there three times and each time the food was bad and overpriced. Â Yesterday I had nachos. Â The cheese tasted like it was out of a can from AM/PM, which is fine if you're paying $3-5 bucks. Â But for $15.00 it was bad. Â I couldn't even get my kids to eat it and they eat all things nacho. Â This place takes advantage of the fact it is one of the few places available on the Mountain.
Review Source:Epic Fail.
I've frequented this place for years. It's terribly overpriced, but then again there aren't many options in Government Camp. The food is okay, as are the taps. Â The service has always been abysmal.
Then about two years ago I came in on a Sunday afternoon with a large group of people coming down from Mt. Hood in a celebratory mood. And they refused to serve us. They were understaffed and not expecting a big group (maybe 40 of us), and the cook freaked out, as did the waitress. And rather than out-ant-out refuse us, they told us we could only have one check paid for with one credit card, and that there would likely be up to an hour wait for food. And as we tried to negotiate further they made it more and more clear that they didn't want to serve us. So we all got up--a good 40 of us--and drove to Skyway in ZigZag.
I wonder if the owners know they drove away 40 customers?
Anyway, I bring large groups to Skyway all the time now. It's an awesome place. They have good taps, amazing barbecue, and sublime mac and cheese. And the venue is cozy with an open fire. And the staff are friendly. I'd put their barbecue up against any barbecue in Oregon. And the prices are much more reasonable than Ice Axe--for better food!
So yeah. I always go there now, and Ice Axe has lost a customer for life.
So some advice: if you've had a long day skiing, hiking, or climbing on Mt. Hood and you are hankering for a beer and some good food? Skip Govy and drive to ZigZag and pop into Skyway instead. You'll be glad you did.
The wife and I decided to head up to government camp for lunch. We recently moved from PDX to the .mt hood area, and we decided to have lunch out after a long DMV visit and some shopping at the Freddy,s in Sandy. Â Neither of us had been up There for quite sometime and we were curious. Â All the reports of a great snowstorm made it even more attractive. Â As we motored into the village I remembered that there was a brew pub there and coming in off HWY 26, there it was. We clambered over the snow bank in our go town shoes wondering what we would find as our visits to here in the past did bring up any great culinary delights. Â The place is not large and the decor is a cross between ski bum and fishing lodge wannabe. Â The barkeep greeted us warmly and we pulled chairs near the bar at a table that allowed us to peer over the snow towards the completely inundated trees across the way. Glasses of water and menus were preferred and I inquired about the beers that were listed. Â Upon hearing that the Hogsback Oatmeal Stout was available Ina cask conditioned form I immediately ordered a pint. Â My wife went for the Cascadia pale ale as she is not a beer fan. Â The place was occupied by skiers and boarders, all looking happy and content, including a young family of four next table over. Â The beer came and oh my, it meet expectations and was even beyond them! Â Tasty and smooth, full-bodied and delicious, Â I quaffed deliriously and ordered another. It arrived with our food. Â The dishes were full. My wife got a rogue blue cheese bacon burger and I the salmon sandwich. Hers came with French fries while mine was covered in sweet potato fries. We were almost too busy scarfing down the fries to eat our sandwiches. She really thought hers was very tasty. I would have preferred a bit more flavor in the sauce. Maybe some spiciest, but it was good. But the beer was over the top great and I purchased a growler of the casket Hogsback to bring home. Â I am very happy to have found such a tasty brew near to home and I will be going back for more.
Review Source:I am not sure why the reviews are not that great for this place. Â I've always stopped by this place after climbing, hiking, and skiing for the last 2.5 years. Â There is nothing like a cold pint of microbrew after a long day of fun at Mt. Hood. Â I stopped by today again and realized that I have not written a review for this place, yet.
We had a pretty good service and the food was great. Â We tried the hot wings, NW steelhead chowder, and pizza. Â Red onion and cilantro over crispy hot wings really made a difference. Â The pizza is bit small for the price, but just fine. Â They charge $3 for a pint during the happy hour after 4 PM. Â It's normally $5. Â Their beer is actually pretty good. Â I've tried the IPA, amber, and stout so far. Â The amber ale is my favorite kind there.
Shut down for remodeling 10/15/12 til ??? - sign on the door sez for three weeks-- probably somebody ought to have mentioned this on their website  to save people the trouble of traveling there during the duration.
Also, don't use Google maps to navigate there... the actual location is about 1.5 miles west of where G-maps shows it. The building is at the western end of Government Camp Loop where it rejoins Hwy 26.
First of all, it's in God damned Government Camp. Should I hold that it against it? Maybe not. But still, Government Camp. Fsck.
But related to that, there's some Disneyland pricing up in here. Gourmet type hot pricing action for bar food. Â I had a small pizza, pepperoni with asiago on top. It was pretty good. The beers were okay, the service was fine.
Government Camp. Nothing good happens there.
Like most breweries, this place is overpriced and underwhelming. Â Why breweries always have terrible food is something I don't understand. Â
My smoked brisket sandwich was overcooked, dry and pretty bland (and there were only 2 thin slices of meat) for over $14. Â The coleslaw that came with it was mayonaise and cabbage soup. Â The burgers were overcooked and dry. Â The fries were probably Ore-Ida, the Caeser Salad was way overdressed and soupy, the sweet potato fries had maple syrup drizzle and were served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Â Maple syrup and Sweet Chili sauce? Â Ummm, ok.
Really yucky processed food. Â But of course the beer is good.
Service was friendly enough. Â We had a group of 8 and 'special ordered' everything (no mayo on this, no blue cheese on that, etc.) and everything came out correctly (but it was a bit of a wait) so no real issue with the place aside from the less than decent food.
This review is for a carry out pizza dinner order.
On the night of our arrival, we had gotten in a little after the typical dinner hours, and decided to place a carry out order at Ice Axe Grill. Â We ordered 2 "Doc Spratly" pizzas, and was told that they would be ready in 15 minutes - that's right, 15 minutes!
The pizza was moderately priced, and quite delicious even though they did not use basil (used a basil paste instead).
Awesome location right off the mountain...Amazing tasting beer!..Wish I could leave it at that. Got there at about 2:50 in the afternoon, was looking over the menu and drinking water for a few minutes before we ordered. Ordered two beers and at about 2:58 as the waitress brought out our beers she said "just so you know these beers are 5 dollars, but in about 2 minutes is our happy hour and your next beers will be 3.50."...Looking everywhere in the bar and on the menu I couldn't find anywhere where the happy hour was advertised. Although the beer was awesome. Needless to say that service will not be bringing me back again
Review Source:$13.50 for a Burger?! Â Seriously! Â And $5 per pint?! Â Maybe I'm spoiled by Portland, but you can get a hella burger in town for less than $10, and I cannot count how many micros for under $4/pint. Â As far as taste, the food is par. Â Service was a little slow, but there was a large party in front of us (other than that the place wasn't very busy). Â In short two beers and a burger, with tip was just under $30 - that seems a little steep!
Review Source:We stopped by here for lunch on way to Timberline Lodge.  We always like visiting local breweries.  We sat down and waited,...I finally got up and grabbed two menus so that we could start deciding and be ready to order when the waitress decided she would come to our table.  There were at least three waitresses, and the place was not busy.  Service was slow, food was slow and just ok (very  very overpriced) We had a "taster tray" for the beer,.. the amber was ok,..the rest was" sorta ok". Bottomline: Poor service,....Food: sorta ok, overpriced, Beer:nothing to write home about.   Sorry
Review Source:If you want a beer, then, as noted by several other reviewers, you're all set. If you need food I'd head back towards Welches on 26 and try one of their grills. This was drek.
Service was fine as the place was half empty. I ordered the turkey and bacon sandwich on sourdough bread. I expected bakery bread but instead this was the thinly sliced white bread you ate as a kid that sticks to the roof of your mouth so you can't chew. Disgusting!! I was finally reduced to removing all the bread and eating the turkey by itself.
The fries were good and crispy but a plate of fries for lunch is not a real lunch.
Finally, WAY too expensive for food that is mediocre.
This place offers pretty much the same thing as every other grill within 10 miles of Timberline. Â Burgers, sandwiches and beer. Â
The food is serviceable, but nothing to write home about. Â Given that it is just meh, its a bit overpriced. Â nothing is fresh.. they even managed to find mass produced crinkle cut sweet potato fries.
The service is indifferent; one check back and then they pretty much ignore you until you flag them down for the bill.
The beer is just okay too; pretty much indiscernable from the multitude of craft beers you can find in Oregon.
Would I go back? Â Nah. Â There are too many other places in the area offering the same thing. Â Maybe one of them will offer something a bit more memorable.
On a ride around Mt. Hood this fourth of July I stopped in for a cold beer. Â The beer was cold and good. Â The service was slooowww! Â I was the only person at the bar and sat there for over ten minutes before being talked to or served. Â Good thing ESPN was on the TV above the bar so I could catch up on the scores while I was ignored.
I can't comment on the quality of the food since I didn't order any but it looked a bit pricey for what I was seeing on the tables around me. Â The Club Sandwich listed for $17 and the burgers averaged $14.
The building was nice and the decor was what you expect on the mountain - you know... log cabiny. Â There was outdoor seating which was a nice option for the sunny day we had. Â There's a gift shop with available merchandise displaying their name and logo if that's your thing.
In regard to the beer... I had the Ice Axe IPA and enjoyed it. Â It was $5 for the pint. Â I'd stop by again to order another of their brews if I was in the area but would not make it a destination spot.
Three stars for good beer and a good location. Â Cut the prices a bit on the food and bump the service level to "I see you and will be right with you" and maybe you'll earn the other two stars.
After a long hike on Mount  Hood, a person like myself is drawn to the comfort of a tall, cold pint glass full of sudsy carbohydrates. I was very happy to see that Government Camp, on the South side of Mount  Hood, has its very own microbrewery with attached pub.
A welcome sight after an alpine trek!
Mount  Hood Brewing Co. may not be the coolest brewery in style-points (the building is neat, but the decor is fake log-cabiny) or even prompt service and cheap deals, but it wins in the quality of its brews and food.
And to think we almost walked out when a perplexed server tried to explain in an exasperated way that we couldn't get seated because the kitchen staff was overwhelmed by several large parties. "Uhh... can't we just sit at the bar and get a beer?" we asked, looking around at all the empty chairs in the building.
For some reason the confused girl had to ask the bartender if he could seat us... Um, what the hell is up with that? A tip to confused server girl: If your restaurant's kitchen is being hammered by a busy weekend dinner service, there is a tactful way of telling your customers that they may wait a bit for their food.
After the averted seating debacle we were given "permission" to sit at the bar where, thank goodness, Cory the bartender seemed to better understand the concept of customer service. We told him we would like to go ahead and order our food and didn't mind a little extra wait time as long as we had some good beers in front of us.
He was happy to oblige and we didn't really have to wait that long for our food anyway. Once it arrived, it was all fantastic. We ordered 3-bean chili, artichoke dip, sweet potato fries and bbq pork sliders. The sweet potato fries were especially orgasmic.
I also very much enjoyed the two IPA's I tried. The first was their standard Ice Axe IPA, and the second was an extra-fermented XXX IPA. I tried some tastes of the other beers as well and they were all really great for their respective styles.
Were I to hit up this brew-pub again, which I undoubtedly will when hiking or skiing on that side of the mountain, I will go straight to the bar.
After reading some of the reviews of this place I will say I was a bit skeptical and I will admit that we were greeted by less than enthusiastic service. Â However, as the meal progressed I grew to really enjoy this place.
I ate here with a group of six which allowed us to see a variety of items on the menu. Â The burger and fries were excellent as was the pizza. Â I also loved the artichoke dip. Â But the item that stole the show was the grilled cheese sandwich, it was truly mind blowing. Â Along with the food they had a good selection of self brewed beers which were excellent. I felt that the price was a bit high but overall we had a great experience.
Good food, bad service. It's pricey for bar food, but bar food isn't what you get. The food was excellent...everywhere from the communal spinach artichoke dip, the wings, grilled cheese, burgers, fries and all.
On the downside, I wasn't warned that the tea was flavored so my Arnold Palmer tasted funky and when I asked for a glass of water the waitress (Kathy) snapped at me. I was told the beer was great but i would really hope so since it is a brewery establishment. If you have the opportunity to stop in, I'd recommend it.
I recently went to this place after hiking. Â I got a burger and a beer. Â I like to dip my fries in mayo. Â I should have known not to after I got their mayo. Â I remember it being a bit gloopy. Â I got horrible food poisoning as a result. Â When I called the next day to inform them that they may not be storing their mayo properly, they actually stated that, "the label states that we don't have to refrigerate it." Â I can't believe that, and even if it does state that, it probably refers to the bottle when it is unopened. Â Very, Very, Very bad
Review Source:We stopped by the Ice Axe Grill on our way to Bend, OR from Seattle. We all had the burgers which were very tasty but their beer was what I really enjoyed about our stop here. They had quite the selection of beers on tap and the service was right on par with what I expected.
This place is definitely worth a stop for the beers!
This place gets 5 stars based on their beer alone. Â If you can't find a beer you like here then you just don't like beer, period.
I love to come here after a long day boarding on the mountain. Â They've got good pub food in a comfortable environment served by locals. Â What more do you want?
I've never had their pizza because I always get either the ribs or a burger.
The beer is pretty good, with a rotating selection of a couple brews available cask-conditioned and nitro. Had the porter (very good) and pale ale (good). The chili (vegetarian) was delicious and packed with flavor, making for an obvious choice on a cold day. Meat-eaters would not be disappointed. The Buehler (house-made lentil burger) was complimented well by the fresh veggies, hearty bun, and stone-ground mustard, but it was seriously bland. It has a reputation for being mushy, so I requested it "crispy," which they delivered on. As a result, the texture seemed spot-on, but the flavor just wasn't there.. at all.
Otherwise, the staff was attentive, friendly, and accommodating. The seating was comfortable, though the bar area is a bit small, and it was nice and warm.
Driving down the mountain after an exhilarating day in the snow, being stuck in traffic stinks. My friend brilliantly suggested stopping for a beer instead of inching down the road.
It's a warm, family-friendly establishment. We bellied up to the bar and had very attentive and easy-going service from our bartender, Brent. We both thoroughly enjoyed our seasonal Nut Brown Ales. Super tasty.
The menu has the range of bar food with wings, burgers, and pizzas, etc. Didn't try any this trip, but it would satisfy a ski-fueled hunger.
After some good conversation over our beer, the roads were clear and we happily moseyed home.
The name 'Ice Axe' might be grounded in the coldness of the staff.
As we entered we walked past the "seat yourself " sign towards a group of tables in a quiet corner: "Guys! That section's closed!!" shouted two staff members who had previously ignored our arrival.
We looked around, the place is small - and there was no sign indicating the area was closed...we ended up sitting at a table too big for two in the dark heart of the small space.
The intention apparently was to keep all the patrons in one central space, the easier to ignore them as a whole.
From the exterior you get a sense this is a grand lodge, perfect for getting warmed up out of the cold. In fact it's more a re-modeled garage with fake fireplace and mismatched furnishings; bathrooms are down long sterile hallways deep in the basement of the building.
The food was fine, for what it's worth. But when you have to go through such efforts to order it and pay for it, the likelihood you'll leave feeling good about the experience is minimal at best.
This is our "go-to" stop whenever we head over the mountain. We first stopped because, well, let's be honest, they serve beer! Now we come back for the food. We especially enjoy sitting on the deck when the weather permits.
The food is good, better than I would expect from a place that mostly serves starving snowboarders. I recommend the crab sliders. The spinach salad is also excellent. We have tried the pizza, but that left a little to be desired. If you like ribs with A LOT of sauce, this is your place. The burgers, fish tacos, and fish and chips are also recommended.
This is definitely worth a stop as you head over Mt Hood. Â At the beginning of your weekend, it will get you in to that relaxed mode. Â At the end of a weekend away, it will help prolong that relaxed feeling as long as possible before you head back to your regular life!
This will be a quick review. Â The Ice Axe Grill is a mandatory stop for me after every day on the slopes.
The mug club is a fun little extra ( $25 to join, includes a 24 or 26 oz glass mug engraved with whatever you like... (ask for mine "Big Daddy" ) and filled for the same price as a pint. Â They also throw a free beer or food coupon in the mug a few times each year, which is a nice surprise.
Great Service, although they get a bit stretched at times... good basic bar food. Not too veggie or vegan friendly.. but what the heck... they can eat lettuce can't they?
All in all... it's a great place to sit and tell snowboarding/climbing stories after a great day enjoying Mt Hood.
After two days of snowshoeing, stomping around in crampons, glissading, self-arresting with an ice axe, and hiking in some ungodly strong winds, my group descended to Government Camp in search of large quantities of decent beer. The Ice Axe has been a fairly regular spot for many mountaineering groups (an ice axe is even in the name!) due to its proximity to skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking areas.
In my experience, tourist stops mean a total lack of vegan options. But not so! They had their requisite veggie burger, but lo and behold - it was a lentil burger! A decently tasty lentil burger at that! Topped with arugula, tomatoes, and cucumbers! With hot peppers on the side! That, combined with hot, salty fries, several large pitchers of beer, and my unfathomable hunger made for an excellent meal. Oh, and being regaled with stories of headlamps going out while hiking in the middle of the night and close calls with falling boulders.
Overall, the place had a nice vibe. Small fire in the fireplace, friendly servers, freely flowing beer, and the appearance of beer floats on the menu! Written next to it? "Yes, it's beer and ice cream."
Not a place I'd normally go to, but they made an effort to reach out to the vegans. There was even a beet salad which could have easily been veganized. I may have a little hope for Government Camp yet!
The food was just fine. Service, can't complain. But at a brewery what is more important than the beer? I ordered the tasters tray and it was the FIRST TIME I could not bring myself to finish every sample. Their lighter beers were fine...not memorable but drinkable. Wait, no, I do remember their Blonde was pretty enjoyable.
There were problems with their dark beers though. There was something on nitro that was just...awful. I'm surprised they even served it. My friend and I were just confused. We'll also never willingly drink their stout ever again.
I've come to expect the worst from restaurants that live and die by tourist trade. Since the repeat business tends to be low, such businesses often fall far short of making a positive impression.
With my standards set thusly low, I was delighted by the IAG&MHBC. Very good nachos and an excellent salad, shared between me and a friend. Totally scratched my itch after a long, hard afternoon snowshoeing. I'll definitely visit there again.
After an exhausting day of skiing in 2 feet of fresh snow, I stumbled upon this quaint place....well, actually it was right next door to my hotel, so it was easy.
I ordered the veggie chili bowl and a special order of fingerling potatoes which were both super yummy. Â The chili was especially great and had me SO FULL quick. Â Almost too full to order the special hot chocolate...almost. Â I asked her to make it to go and it was PERFECT. Â I love me some hot chocolate and this did the trick. Â
The waitress was the only one working and she was busy with several tables but had it down to a science. Â I loved her!
Two words: Beer Float.
I discovered this weekend that vanilla ice cream provides a perfect foil to the dark malty flavor of a stout beer. Stout yet sweet, the subtle bitter finish in the back of the throat might become a new guilty pleasure of mine. Â
Not only does Ice Axe Grill have many tasty hand crafted beer on tap to choose from, it's truly a pleasure to be able to drink cask conditioned beer up in the mountains after snowboarding all day. Â As for the food, we devoured the Cloud Cap fondue and beer battered onion rings with in 5 minuets of being served.
There is no doubt about it, we will be coming back for more. Love riding Mt Hood so hopefully that is sooner than later.
A good place to stop after hiking, biking, shoe shoeing, or skiing on Mt. Hood. Â
They have a decent menu offering local/regional options when possible (Oregon Rockfish, pizzas, etc.). Â They also have a decent beer selection consisting of the typical styles such: an APA, IPA, Stout, Porter, etc. can be found but they also have a few seasonal brews on tap. Â They also had a few brews that fell outside of the typical style guidelines whether by choice or accident (e.g. a "pale" bock, an Am. Amber on Nitro)
This is my favorite place to grab a bite to eat after a great day of hiking in the Mt. Hood area. Usually we just stop in for fries and beer. The fries are incredibly scrumptious! They're battered in something yummy and they have just the right amount of crispness. I usually get the Cloud Cap Amber Ale, which is pretty good.
The meals I've had here are also good. I once had the fresh salmon with gnocchi and it was really yummy! The pizza is tasty, although it does take awhile for it arrive at the table.
It's cozy inside during winter, although you'll have to put up with the football on the big screen TV. The best time, of course, is summer. You can sit outside on the patio and enjoy the long lingering evening, maybe even catch a good sunset. Love it!
Government Camp is about the size of my little finger.
Well, maybe my ring finger--I have thin, delicate fingers. Which is odd, considering how much workout they get as a bass player. You'd think they'd be big, meaty, muscley protrusions, but no. They're slim and twisty and my nails look like I 'do them.' At one point they earned me about $50 as a hand model for about a half second on the TV show Hard Copy. Yeah, baby! Twiddle those money makers!
So on the map of my ring finger that is Government Camp, the Ice Axe Grill and Mt Hood Brewing Co sits at about my finger nail. Easy turn-off and stop from the 26. I'm a bit dismayed at the reviews others have given this place, as my experience was totally different.
There is an outside deck, which for July skiing up at Timberline means you can sit out in the sun and smell the fresh air and pine trees after skiing through some sludge. We, however, opted to sit inside. Nice looking place, stone and wood. Bartender and waitress were both very pleasant. They have a lot of beer choices if you're not from the NW; they have an average amount of beer choices if you are. My dad, from Los Angeles, was a bit flustered at the cask style, nitro style, and regular style options of ales, pilsners, porters and browns.
See, down in Los Angeles you have the choice of awful beer or REALLY awful beer:
"Yes, give me the piss water. No wait, let me spend an extra $5 for your exotic specialty beer, Stella Artois! Which is a fancy foreign way of saying, 'Piss water with extra hops.'"
I had him get the Ice Axe's ale, Nitro style. I got their porter. Both were tasty, he liked his better than mine, and vice versa.
We ordered food, which showed up. All was REALLY GOOD. I had a steak cibatta. Yum. My dad and his S.O. shared a salmon gnocci, which they raved over. The other folks in our party had a turkey wrap and... not sure what the last fellow had. Anyway, everyone cleared their plates, the food was good.
Service was friendly, but slow. Our server forgot a few things-- the sampler sized beer for my buddy, a plate of pita bread ordered by another member of the table. We reminded her, and she brought it out.
However, when I asked for ketchup and mustard, she whipped them bottles out of her apron like a gun-slinger, right on the spot. I thought I was going to get shot with mustard in the eye. It left me wondering what else she was carrying around in those mystical pockets.
This place sucks beyond belief!
One other person in the place (it was an employee eating) and it took 10 min to get a beer sampler platter and another 15 min to get a basket of fries. Thank god we didn't get the pizza or we'd still be there waiting.
The fries were OK nothing to write home about - but the beer holy moly is was foul!!!!
The basic golden ale was passable (almost a lucky lager style), the amber was nothing to write home about but it would work, the porter and the stout tasted almost moldy, but the most unexpected was the seasonal.
Both seasonal made me throw up a little in my mouth and I am not kidding! What they call a barley wine has got to be a mixture of horse urine and a squeeze from an old sponge.
And another kicker to all this our total for this visit (a sampler tray & thing of fries) $14.00
* Oh and the crazy dank, disorienting, serial killer waiting around the corner rest rooms were defiantly the highlight of the pit stop.
In summation avoid at all costs you're taste buds deserve better
Stopped by here for lunch on the way up to Mount Hood. Their beer was all right and the food was a little up and down. My vegetarian chili was awesome and filling. The burgers that others at my table ate were blah. The atmosphere is cozy and the fireside sitting area is a nice touch, although the decor is definitely 2000's-trying-to-look-authentically-old. The server was friendly and attentive. Our berry cobbler dessert was piping hot with cold ice cream melting into the dish and a great way to finish the lunch.
Review Source:My only beef with skiing Hood is the traffic. Two hours to go 20 miles!? WTF!? The answer to keeping your sanity is a pit stop and MHB Co is perfect for this. Â They brew good beer, have decent food, TVs to catch the bowl games and a comfy couch area around the fire. But beware, there could be a wait and for some reason there's the 'permanently reserved' table that they refuse to seat people at. There's also a deck now so if you find yourself on 26 in the summer it might be a worthwhile stop.
Review Source: