I've frequently driven down Alvernon and seen Nimbus and the neat artwork on the building, but never really known how to get there. I have heard good things about it so I decided it was time to venture over. It ended up being not as tricky as I thought it would be, but my GPS did try to get me lost so I recommend you know the generally vicinity of the building so you can navigate your way.
I got there around 7PM on a Saturday and the doorman told me it was a $5 cover charge, which vaguely, kind of annoyed me. He could tell I was annoyed by it considering I was there to eat and drink, so he waived the fee for me and my husband. Once we got in we realized there was a live band and I felt like a jerk, so we ended up giving them $10 dollars. To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed the band! One of my favorite parts was when the lead guitarist wished his 84 year old mother a happy birthday and she came up and rocked out with him. Way to go mama! I know this is besides the point, but I loved the laid back and welcoming feel of the atmosphere for all ages. Definitely a place to sit back and relax.
Now on to the food and drink. Neither disappointed. I got the blonde beer and it was definitely different from any other blonde I'd ever had, but I enjoyed it. Along with that I had the turkey pesto sandwich with cole slaw and was surprised how healthy it all tasted considering it's was bar food. My husband had the monkey shine to drink and a burger and fries to go with it. He was pleased with both and we were surprised how fast they got our food out to us.
The only downside to this place is that it was really hot inside. It was a little confusing. They had ceiling fans running everywhere, but there was a big door that was left wide open, so not only did it make it hot, but also humid from the monsoon rain. We figured they had some sort of air conditioner or swamp cooler to keep the beer stills at a decent temperature, but it wasn't really doing much. We ended up leaving because my husband was too uncomfortable with the heat. Other than that it was a good experience.
Visited 5/25/13..
We were introduced to this location by friends who had been here before. Â Went for lunch while in town for the state bowling tournament.
It is a difficult location to find. Off the beaten path in a commercial area.
They have their own beer selection. Â We had both an amber and a stout. Both were very good. Â Had a spicy hamburger - forgot the name. Â But it was exceptional.
Also had some buffalo wings shared with the group. One of the better orders of bar wings I have had in some time.
If your in the area and can find this location, stop by for a burger and beer...
After visiting the Pima Air Museum on a very hot day we needed a beer to clear the dust from our throats. As we visit a lot of microbreweries this was very typical. You generally don't go to a microbrewery for ambiance so this was not even considered. This is the third microbrewery we have visited in Tucson and was tops in their beer. Â I was disappointed they didn't have anything on the cask conditioned tap but the beers we had were excellent. Â We only ordered poppers as a snack so I can't really rate on the food either. Â They were okay but the service was fast but it was far from crowded. The Old Monkey Shine was awesome. Â It is higher ABV so make sure you have a DD. Â And the DD can drink too as they also had a couple session beers to choose from. Next time we visit here we'll come back.
Review Source:Didn't like having to pay $10 for cover for my wife and I just to get in. It was a Saturday night, but even then it was early... 7:30ish. Anyway, we go to breweries for... uh... uh... wait for it... beer! Â Horray beer! Live music should be a nice surprise for patrons or beer pilgrims who traveled from Phoenix. It shouldn't be a revenue center for a brewery. The rockabilly band wasn't bad and were somewhat entertaining but it's not our kind of music.
Continuing... we could barely hear for the first 20 minutes because the band had it on 11 in the metal warehouse. Seriously, a foot from the bartender and I could barely hear her explanation of the seasonal. Oh yeah, we had to order food and drinks at the bar. There are about 20 tables, even a second level up some stairs in the warehouse. So it's a Saturday night, we paid cover, and there is no service... Really? At least there weren't that many patrons (you'll understand why by the end of this review or maybe from the other reviews you've read), so it wasn't elbows to asses trying to fight for food and drinks, and the bartender was actually very nice and knew her beers. I wanted to give 2-, maybe even 3-stars because of the service but decided against it. The owners and managers need to get it together.
The beers... They no longer make the A-1 Pilsner, which was my favorite beer. It was in my top-5... WAS my top 5 with the likes of Four Peaks Oatmeal, Rogue Dead Guy, Weihenstephaner Hefe, and PBR (yeah, I said it). Apparently the brewery licensed the recipe and no longer makes it for some reason. Shady? Well, that's one down. We wanted to taste all the beers but didn't have their brown beer available. Two down. To make up for it, the bartender doubled up on the Dirty Guerra (Jill's favorite) for our samplers. But hold up, the Dirty Guerra was much lighter and tasted completely different... and not in a good way you might expect when drinking one of your favorite beers from a pull right in the place it is made. The brown seasonal they had was good but the Monkeyshine didn't taste right either. We mentioned to the bartender and she said that they changed the recipe. I can't remember if she said it was a test run or if it was from then on. I was too busy slowly saying "WTF" in my head. That's 3 and then 4 down. WTF?!?!?
On to the food... bar food on the menu. It was not inspiring. I had the fried zucchini. Cookie got a green chili burger with some indulgent ranch fries. Ranch fries would have been awesome in a "I want to kill myself with food in a Homer Simpson kind of way" but the fries were undercooked. My zucchini was fine and so I had a couple of bites of Jill's burger. It tasted good, buuuuuuuut I woke up in the middle of the night with odd, uncomfortable sweats and not feeling so good. I didn't get poopie butt or toss my cookies (not Cookie), however Cookie had to esplode-da-bowl a couple of times. We thinks it was the burger. We only had the equivalent of 2 beers each, so it wasn't alcohol.
Well folks, our Nimbus beer-fantasy has been decimated. What was 3 awesome beers we used to savor in Phoenix are now 1 that we will be hesitant to try if it tastes like the new recipe. Dirty Guerra.... more like Pinche Guerra.
One star is too many. Terrible service. Out of most beer selections on our visit. Weird. Then only one cook and only one waitress in the whole place  Appetizer was never delivered and was told I could take it home when it was ready, but money would not be given back. Had to insist on cash being given before I left. Onwer who was on the phone made waitress pay out of her tips as for some reason card could not be credited and cash register could not be opened.  Horrible, horrible place.
Review Source:Great beer. Â I had three different beers and they all were very good. I did not try any food but a few plates I saw looked pretty good. Â This place is pretty good size with a lot of tables to sit at and also a nice size bar. Â All their beers were the same price even the beers that had a lot higher alcohol content. Â Most places charge extra for the stronger beers.
Review Source:I used to be a fan of Nimbus, the beer is okay but the food was pretty good. I am always in town for the gem show and look forward to coming here every year...until this year the experience was not so good. Service was terrible, a $5 order of onion rings should have more than 4 med and 2 small onion rings and the other portions have gone down significantly in size. Won't be back
Review Source:When you drive up it definitely looks a little sketch (read: A LOT sketch!!!), but you get past the whole "yikes-watch-out-for-rapists" feeling and get inside and the vibe is actually pretty nice. It's fun, funky, and feels very inviting. Love the casual feel of the place and their home brews are delish. Food is just "ok"- nothing to write home about, but not bad either. It's worth a trip out there, for sure!
Review Source:Well I finally made it the original Nimbus brewery. Interesting seeing is smack in the middle of an industrial ares. I've been wanting to visit the brewery for years just never really have a reason to go. Well today we finally made it the point and went inside.
First off I really liked all of the nimbus art with all of the monkeys around the walls. I love the Nimbus logo!
I'm doing this rating on no food. We just ordered a sampler which arm a about 9. Not bad seeing they were nice pours unlike at some other breweries.
I did like most of the beers, especially the red and even the old monkey shine. A few other light ones were horrible in my opinion. And I was sad to see they didn't have the rye IPA that I had a few times I'm the bistro in Scottsdale. The rye IPA is my favorite beer that Nimbus brews. I heard it was limited production but now they may be ,asking full time here soon.
Overall I did like the brewery and liked the decor but I'm sticking with 3 stars based on beer only. Maybe with rye IPA and with an appetite ill rate it higher.
My usual thing when visiting a brewery, is to have the sampler of beers. Â I did find most of the beers to be pretty good, but there was a few that were horrible; the light ones to be more specific.
The atmosphere is okay. Â Service was okay too. Â Did not have any food, so rating is mostly on service, beer and ambiance.
Monkey motif, awsome. Â
Its a solid brewery. Â I won't go outta my way for it, but maybe I would If i lived in Tuscon.
If you're looking for a fun, relaxed, and friendly place to enjoy a beer and a burger with friends, you can't do much better in Tucson than Nimbus. Last night was my first time there, and within minutes of ordering our first beers (Old Monkey Shine and oatmeal stout), my boyfriend and I were greeted by the owner, who -- and perhaps this is just because she was feeling particularly friendly last night -- gave us a free sampler of all their beers. Such an awesome introduction.
I literally enjoyed every beer that Nimbus had to offer, but the Old Monkey Shine absolutely takes the top spot. Nice caramel flavor, smooth, and with a clean finish -- very good stuff. Their burgers, which have the most satisfying char I've tasted on a burger in Tucson, are arguably just as good as their beers. I'm stopping just short of crowning these burgers the best of Tucson, but at a price of $8 for a delicious 1/2 pound burger + a generous portion of fries, they're definitely up there.
As has been stated earlier, there doesn't seem to be any AC here, but they keep their huge garage door open, and they've got industrial fans keeping the air flowing, so at night -- especially around 7-8pm -- the temperature is just fine. As Amanda B said in her review, you have to order at the bar, but afterwards you can sit anywhere you like. If the sun is starting to set, then their patio is the perfect place to sip on beer and enjoy the desert sky. The possibility of passing trains is an added bonus.
Considering how long I've been a Tucsonan, it's almost shameful how long it has taken me to pay Nimbus a visit. Its laid back attitude provides the perfect atmosphere for hanging out.
Okay, it's been a couple years (moved to MA), but all I can say is that I am still looking for a better, or even parallel, burger and Nut Brown Ale. Â Maybe they've become romanticised versions in my mind, but I remember with every sip I would wonder, 'What am I drinking?! I want to drink this every day!' (and I mostly did) and every bite of the burger would give my face goosebumps of joy (no, it wasn't an allergic reaction). Â I've even had several noted steamed cheeseburgers in CT since then. Â Close, but no Cohiba! Â
Nimbus' atmosphere was fine for me, very downplayed and industrial, but not in a pretentious hippie way. Â However, I wouldn't go there expecting a bar vibe. Â Sorry, man-sluts! Â Haha.
Step 1: Arrive in town on business and head to hotel bar for some recon.
Step 2: Bartendress recommends checking out Nimbus, The Internet concurs, I concur.
Step 3: Teach Tucsoners how we drive in Massachusetts.
Step 4: Arrive at Nimbus, order their flight, smile.
Step 4.5: Order a few pints of the standouts from said flight.
Step 5: Suddenly remember I haven't eaten in almost a day, order a burger.
Step 6: Jokingly ask for a tour of the brewery and get immediately whisked away to climb the ladders and check out the 1950's bottling line.
Step 7: Pay bill, buy pint glass, leave pleased.
Step 8: Somehow manage to successfully smuggle Nimbus pint glass back in my carry on luggage.
Step 9: Immediately proceed to shatter pint glass (and thus my hopes and dreams) in dish washer before even using it at home.
Step 10: Lament.
Just don't do what we did today. Â When we planned to meet here few days ago, we both had lunch with Nimbus beer on our mind. Â I was imagining a delish 1/2 lb burger to go w it. Â
WELL, WE DID'NT ORDER THEIR BEER NOR THEIR BURGERS. Â What we ended up with was two of their Mexican dishes. Â The Mexican food was gringoed bland salsa and familiar ingredient topped dishes. Â
So 2nd time I learned the lesson about my beloved Nimbus Brewery....JUST GO FOR THEIR BEER AND THEIR BURGERS...lesson learned!
I love it when a plan come together! My brother and I went to Nimbus to hear Amosphere, a local based band. Usually the band plays from 10pm to 1 or 2 am & that's too late for us on days we have to get up early. Saturday (1/7/12) the band started at 7 but I had a late lunch so was ready to eat when I got there. We sat there for what seems like hours as the waitresses ran orders to & from the small window. I kept trying to give them the sign but they we so busy. Plus as I found out later the waitress don't take drink orders, you've gotta go to the bar. I must have been giving the give me a beer now sign and not the give me food now sign.
It really wasn't hours it was just about 15 to 20 minutes. When a waitress came over to offer a humongous platter of chicken nachos for free cuz someone couldn't eat around the jalapenos. The nachos would have been a steal at twice the price.
Great music & great food washed down with a pint of Nimbus Old Monkeyshine Ale, an exceptional example of a true, traditional-style English Pub beer.
What can I say? It's a warehouse brewery! Cool joint but nothing outstanding about it other than the beer. It's cold inside, the food is just mediocre, the service is lacking but the beer is great! They do have live bands but the acoustics with the addition of a $5 cover take away from the excitement of live music.
I'll be back for the beer but everything else is just....well A-OK!
Know before you go: Get there 1/2 hour early to avoid $5 cover OR attempt to enter the door next to dock.
Yes! Â 44th seems like it'd be pretty far out there, but it's actually not too far from the UofA area.
Nimbus seems like it draws an interesting mix of bikers who like country music and Raytheon dudes looking for a drink after work.
I ordered their Pale Ale but I'll prob go for the A1 next time - love that beer!
This place also has a pretty cool atmosphere with the garage door. Â Next time, I think I'll schedule a tour of the brewery!
I sincerely apologize for my lame review previously giving this spot 2 stars. Who the HELL orders tacos at a brewery anyway?? That was a major party foul for sure.
Took a colleague from out of town here mid-week and he gives it 2 enthusiastic beers up.
He had some sort of ale, I had the Dirty guera (blonde) and it was truly a superb brewski for sureski.
Now I get why Nimbus was voted "Best of Tucson" in the big fat burger category - this burger was also the picture of perfection. Many of you have heard about my meat anxiety (chewy, grizzled, under-cooked or salmonella'd) and this place shot all my fears to pieces.
I ordered the "Old Pueblo" -- a 1/2 pound burger topped with pepperjack cheese, diced green chiles and a side of chipotle mayo. If you LOVE green chile as much as I do, this burger will send you straight into a euphoric episode.
Homie C ordered something that only fat kids dream of: 'The Lebowski" - Slow roasted Tri-Tip sliced to order and smothered in mozarella cheese, topped with hash browns and served on a torpedo roll. Wait, WHAT?! Anything that comes on a torpedo roll sounds like it will shoot straight to your gut anyway. But I'm sure it was well worth the 3 mil. calories!
They have a flight of all 9 beers that those of you feeling indecisive can sample them all at once -- but they only have 2 serving trays of flights so you gotta get 'em while they last!
If you don't like beer, then stay home!
This is a beer brewery in a industrial building that serves great bar food and awesome beer brewed on site. When we visit we always come here, sure it's warm inside, sure the atmosphere is not a BJ's but experience something else out of your box. Mostly a following come here like people who shop Trader Joes. Wish I could buy Nimbus in Calif. The burgers, pastrami, fries, wings are all good. If you're a snob, stuck up, Mr. Ego or looking to pick up then go to BJ's and don't crowd up this fine place, tables are hard to come by.
I don't think it's a good sign when I like a breweries' bottled beer (specifically the blond and the pale ale) more than I like the beer fresh from the source. Â But that is the case with Nimbus.
Maybe it was the sweaty, dark brew pub, but the beer here lacked the malty punch that the bottles of Nimbus have. Â Most of the beers in our sampler were flat and maybe just a little stale. Â Just funky for drinking beer at the source.
I'll stick with bottles from now on...
As we drove up to this brewery in an industrial park, we weren't sure what to expect. It was over 100 degrees outside and the perfect day to drink beer. We walked in to an open space, with a nice bar to the left, pool tables in the back and some tables to the right.
We fought through some flies to get to the bar. The A/C was not working so well either, but dang it, we were here on a beer quest!
Since we had a DD (Designated Driver) we got her a pink lemonade which was quite tasty, but I digress. Â We went with the sampler which was great. My favorite was not available on the sampler, so we bought a six pack of the oatmeal stout. Very tasty beer. Nice and flavorful with a smooth finish.
I enjoyed the place so much that I bought a hat for myself and a buddy that couldn't make the trip with us.
This place definitely has a fun, dive bar feel, but serves great beer. I'll have to try their food next time in town. Give this place a try as it's worth the drive.
I have been going to this place since it was forklifts dodging around a few couches and pool tables. It just keeps getting better. Good brews and great burgers. Warehouse atmosphere attracts a great after work crowd. I have never had anything bad from the grill and usually what comes out is near the top if what you can get in Tucson (which I think is pretty good!)
Definitely a Tucson must visit!
I found one thing in Tucson to be quite odd, which is the fact Nimbus was not on anyones taps, seemingly in any bar which I walked into. The answer I got was that the owner is a jerk who won't work with local businesses and had made quite a name for himself in the local scene.
YAY!
I thought the beer here was great, no matter how many people tell me how inconsistent it is, I still feel what I had was great. I tried the Oatmeal Stout and the Imperial Porter, enjoyed both of them. The space the bar is in is full of fun decorations, good music, friendly service, and they have a neat upstairs eating area.
Well I got promoted at work and wanted to celebrate with friends and co-workers and decided Nimbus Brewery would be the perfect venue being it was spacious, good acoustics (not noisy), and they have great beer. Â Only problem was trying to contact them to arrange the shindig. Â E-mailed them and never received a response. Â Called them, voice mail full so I couldn't leave a message. Â So I had to drive over and do it mano-a-mano which wasn't a huge hassle but was in the opposite direction from where I live. Â Â
I knew of the loft above the main area so I reserved the location (no cost). Â It has several tables with chairs and long booth segments along the wall. Â I had thirty people up there and it was ample space. Â Do note the fans don't work up and as heat rises it gets a little warm up there. Â
Beers - 5 stars, my buddy says he loves a place where he can have all blondes one can handle and take one or two home with you (as they sell beer to go - in jugs). Â The oatmeal stout and monkey shiner (higher alcohol content) are excellent.
Food - The menu is limited for large group events but they do have the 50 wing platter and nachos. Â Wish they had pizza. Â The burgers are very good.
Staff - The downside to this location is that you have to order all your food and drinks at the bar. Â Which meant we had to traverse the staircase down and up to get everything. Â Nothing like trying to carry three beers, stagger up a flight a stairs, and not spill anything. Â Do note your food orders are brought to you by the kitchen staff (they hunt you down by your number flag).
They do have an outdoor patio which is nice to light up those stogies and relax near the end of the evening. Â
They have a band playing usually Fridays and Saturdays and we got a kick out of ours because they were so young you had to imagine their mom's dropped them off for their gig. Â They were pretty good and played some classic rock songs that were around before they were born.
Enjoy everyone!
2 stars means I have had better, not that this place is so terrible.
I have been to many, many brewieres and I enjoy them very much. I can deal with the fact that not all of them have AC despite arizona 100*+ summers. I understand the menus can be limmited. I do expect something for making the trip to the brewery like a seasonal or special beer. Alas nimbus had nothing special to offer.
One thing that surprised me was the lack of services here. Food and Drink must be ordered at the bar, where there is no formal line system.
I started my trip with a stronger Monkey named beer and orders of onion rings and zucchini. The zucchini was alright but the onion rings had a good flavor. Â My beer was alright but again nothing special.
The inside was quite hot and needed more air movement t make up for the lack of AC. Â A band was setting up and blocking access to the patio. Also the dim inside lighting made it hard to see with the bright light of the patio shining in.
Also this place is not int he greatest hood' so be sure to lock your car.
Been here twice now, mostly a fan of the beer. The food ok to good depending on what you order.
Stay away from the mozzarella sticks but the fish n chips and roast beef sandwich are good.
My favorite beer is the blond, the others are too hoppy and bitter for me but from what I understand, if you like that sort of thing, than you'll love their beer. You can even buy a growler to bring home with you.
If you play pool, they have a couple pool tables and some darts.
The ambiance is fun, you can see the brewing facility from the tables, its kind of neat.
It's a fun place for a quick lunch or happy hour with some friends.
When ever I am in Tucson attending an event at our training center near the airport I come here with a convoy of friends and coworkers. Â The location will definitely have your guest wondering where you are taking them. Â A dark industrial area...
I come with growlers to fill. Â I have found my that my favorite beers here are their Brown and Red Ales, which are up to par with the popular industry favorites. Â My favorite here overall is the MonkeyShine. Â I would stay away from their Blonde (Guera) Ale...its aroma is not pleasing and the palate leaves you wishing you had ordered something different. Â As for their food...pretty standard pub fare (don't expect a gastro-pub experience). Â Its good but I generally go for a combination of the whole experience, the obscure location, good beer and good food with friends.
Checked out Nimbus because a few friends were playing there. Â The food was good, liked the atmosphere and enjoyed the wide variety of t-shirts and other cool products for sale.
My only gripe is that it's not the easiest place to find and it's in a part of town that feels unsafe even if it isn't. Â It kind of feels like you're driving "somewhere you shouldn't be" as you approach the parking lot.
Best local beers in Tucson. Monkeyshine was not on tap. I was disappointed overall because they may be a 1 or 2 hit wonder brewpub. Nothing besides the Oatmeal Stout or Monkeyshine is above average. Their seasonals were below par as well.
Food was quite good. Traditional pub fare with a few contemporary items, and a few for the vegetarian customers.
T-shirts and other cool products for sale at location.
Warehouse location is in a "sketchy" area. Service wasn' so great, and cleanliness is questionable. The bartenders had attitudes and if it's your first visit they certainly don't let you know that you'll have to go to the bar for service. Figure it out the hard way I guess. It has a "dive" feel to it, not a traditional brewpub at all.
There was an acoustical group playing on Sunday night (9/21/08). Â The rolling security door behind them was up offering a backdrop of the Catalina mountains at sunset. Â Country western standards as trains rolled by in the background. Â Beautiful! I love Nimbus on a Sunday evening. Â Of course, Nimbus isn't always like this, but when it is, it's oh-so-very-sweet.
The beer was awesome, as usual.
The service was grumpy, as usual.
The food was ok.
But the view was awesome!
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