My husband and I stopped into Tommy Knockers while on our honeymoon last year. We were taking pictures of the brew master doing his thing up on the cat walk working on a pumpkin beer batch. He came down later to the bar and started chatting us up after having seen me taking pictures. We was super nice! We told him it was our honeymoon and that we are big fans of the beer and he gave us a tour of the whole place, behind the scenes and all. It was a great experience and a memorable one. We came back a month later when the pumpkin beer was being bottled so we could buy a batch fresh! Delicious!
Review Source:There are some haters out there. You're hating too hard. Stop it.
Maybe it's the higher altitude, but I like their beers, consistently. Their Maple Nut Brown is a guilty pleasure to me. It's a sweet beer, but it's sweet done right, and isn't overpowering or throat-puckering. And truly a satisfying beginning or end or both to a trip to Mount Evans.
The service here is pretty good! I can remember a time or two where our table has been left for a while, but we're usually happily sipping away on beer and don't mind waiting to order. The food here is a notch or two up from decent, and is downright enjoyable. But I also don't normally come here for the food. That comes as an afterthought.
I want to give TK Â 3.5 stars and rounded up because my girlfriend claimed that she was served "the best BLT I've ever had." Â Believe me, this chick has eaten A LOT of BLTs and not afraid to order one at a 5 star restaurant.
My buffalo burger (med) was outstanding. Â It's worth pulling off the 70 just to get one and some of their cole slaw. Â So it's safe to say they've got it together in the food department.
Unfortunately, our waitress was a little distracting. Â She wasn't bad or rude, she just kind of messed up our groove. Â She started by dumping about 25% of our beer sampler all over our table and just walking away with a quick 'sorry'. Â She finished by telling us twice that her shift was over and we were being handed over to the new server. Â We understand that you are trying to get your tip before you leave but you can't expect people still eating their food to start rooting around with cash and coin, it's kind of disgusting.
The beer was average with the star being their Pick Axe IPA. Â They are using quality ingredients but they seem to still be in the experimental stage. Â I admit to being a beer-snob.
After an exhilarating zip-line experience (Colorado Adventure Center), we received coupons for free beers at Tommyknocker. Â The beers, as always, were very tasty - always a wide variety to choose from. Â Even if you are not an avid beer drinker, I would say there's something for everyone. Â The highlight for me was the appetizers we had. Â Bacon-wrapped jalepenos stuffed with cream cheese, warm queso with fresh corn tortilla chips, and a huge plate of nachos. Â Service was not stellar, but we were in no hurry, so it was nice to not feel rushed.
Review Source:We stop by Tommyknocker every time we are in Idaho Springs. My friends love their Maple Nut Brown Ale. The brewery is to the left as you walk in alongside the bar offering more than 16 craft beers and their own Tommyknocker Root Beer. We've tried many items on their menu but have our favorites -  Bacon Poppers, Motherload Nachos and Garlic Parmesan Fries. The half pound Burgers are good, but my favorite  is their Pork Belly Burger - nice crunch and flavor. The kitchen was slammed when we got there at 1:30 pm on a Thursday (I guess they are especially busy on weekend lunch hours) so we had a long wait (good thing we ordered starters), but service is always good.
Review Source:I drove out this way to meet a buddy from Denver, and I very much enjoyed the small-town feel and town center location. Unfortunately, the interior experience matched the cold weather on our recent visit. We waited 30 minutes to first get beers and another 30 to get a second round.
Additionally, I found the beers somewhat underwhelming. The nut brown and the stout both lacked carbonation, and I do realize maltier beverages do not need to yield heavy hops and CO2, but they just fell flat.
Every little village en route to Denver and back boasts a brewery or two, so I would bypass Tommyknocker. I won't come a knockin at Tommy's door any longer.
We've been wanting to check out Tommyknockers for some time. Â I thought the beer was fantastic! Â We sampled the Saison, Black IPA and Rye Porter - all were excellent and I would come back for the beer. Â My son had the draft root beer and it was dynamite as well!
The service was good. Â Waiter was attentive and happy to answer questions.
However, the food was just ok. Â My wife loved the artichoke soup - but aside from that everything was just ok. Â Not bad, but not great. Â I hope they improve on the food as its a pretty cool place to stop off on the way back from the mountains.
Always try to stop here on the way skiing. Â We really like the wings and beer. Â The wings are as large as any I have ever had. Â They are priced a little high but for the size and what you get are a relative bargain [especially when compared to places closer to the ski resorts]. Â Beer is great too. Â I always get an IPA either the Pickax or when they have a new one on special. Â I have NEVER had bad beer, food or service here. Â If I had one complaint it would be the blue cheese dressing is runny and tasteless. Â Overall however it is almost a mandatory stop on the way up the hill.
Review Source:I had to update because my past couple of experiences here have been so bad (mostly food related). Â
The food has been mediocre, even the wings which we used to love have been soggy and less flavorful. Â We planned a party up there for my dad's birthday a few months ago, there were about 10 adults and a few kids so nothing big. Â The woman I was in touch with was very responsive and we had an overall good experience, had a room to ourselves so the kids could run around a little and they put our football game on the TV. Â Again, the food was all just ok. Â I ordered the mac and cheese but it was cold in the middle, noodles undercooked, cheese tasted bad (like it had expired) and basically inedible. Â I asked for a salad to replace it and the greens were soggy. Â
More recently, hubby and I stopped in for lunch on our way down the mountain a few weeks ago and ordered some wings. Â They were not crispy and didn't taste good. Â When the waitress asked how everything was, I told her. Â She seemed disinterested and did not comment on that, and left them on the check. Â She was friendly otherwise. Â
I would go back for a beer if I were in town looking for a beer, but I'm not going out of my way to come here anymore, and never plan on eating here again.
I've been here a handful of times over several years on my way back to Denver after spending time playing in the mountains and every time I come here I hope I have a better experience than any of my previous ones. Â But I'm always reminded of how disappointed I am about the beer they serve here when I leave Tommyknocker.
The beers just lack body or are really one noted in terms of flavor.... No complexity. Â The best I can say about this place is they have several televisions and absolutely fantastic french fries.
Tommy Knocker is a great spot for a bite after a day of skiing, sledding, or riding. It's a border-line tourist trap (It gets really busy weekends, evenings), but being in a former mining town (Idaho Springs was the location of the first substantial gold discovery and subsequent gold rush if I understand the history accurately) and staffed by locals for as long as I've been coming out to CO (I now call CO home) makes it legitimate. The beer here, IMO, is hit-or-miss. Sometimes is it's pretty good. Sometimes I'm unimpressed. But this is CO. So the line is long for 'outstanding' micro-brew. The food is the real star at Tommy's. Some would argue the opposite, but I have to disagree. I've eaten her at least two dozen times and I've never been disappointed. The chicken pot pie, build-your-own mac and cheese, buffalo burrito, award-winning chili, chicken fried steak, buffalo burger... I could keep going... it's all delicious. The fried mushrooms are gigantic. The fries are awesome. This is exactly what you want to eat after burning 3000 calories shredding gnar all day. Wash it down with an IPA or Porter, and your day is complete.
Review Source:My brother, TP & I were driving out of town to get a closer look at the over 3,000 mile long marvel, "The Rocky Mountains." (The Rockies run from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States.) It was my last full day in Colorado & didn't want my only view/experience of The Rockies be from the car, traveling @ 65mph on the I-70. That would be like flying to Hawaii and go swimming in a heated pool.. Yeh, lame.
TP had heard about the Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub and wanted to check it out...
Beer, food, & local flavor?!... 'But of course!
Annie, our waitress was personable, helpful & full of information. ('And even when she was unsure about something, Annie made the effort to ask one of her fellow workers... Yeh, she was pretty cool.) 'And most of the people there, patrons & workers were equally "guh'roovie" as well. The clientele was a general mix of early twenty-somethings to cats in their sixties, maybe even seventies... The crowd there @ the time were mostly 40's - 60's. 'Everyone was having a good time - good beer, good fun, good crowd. The all around, groove-factor was "chill w/a inebriated-front moving in from the north."
We both weren't too hungry, but as I always say -
Q: DJ, you hungry?...
A: (Shrugs) Eh, I can eat. 8)
So, we ended up splitting the Chicken & Waffle Sandwich(deep fried chicken breast glazed with a maple bourbon reduction, between two Belgian waffles), w/a side of mashed potatoes & gravy. The mashed potatoes were good but the gravy was awesome.
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tommyknocker-brewery-and-pub-idaho-springs?select=wmQY-ie8sMwO3oDhkjGi0A#wmQY-ie8sMwO3oDhkjGi0A">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Overall, the food was okay... 'Not "out of this world," nor horrible either.
'But the beer was very tasty!
TP had their Signature, Homemade Root Beer Soda...
'Nice blend of flavors, sweet & not overly carbonated.
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tommyknocker-brewery-and-pub-idaho-springs?select=wmQY-ie8sMwO3oDhkjGi0A#6b8ZqQ6eHpndYpqkp_XXQw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
'And since it was after four o'clock, in which Annie was gracious enough to point out - "Happy Hour!" So, I opted for a $3 pint of a local favorite, Brown Nut Maple Ale. Tasty!
Maple Nut Brown Ale - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tommyknocker-brewery-and-pub-idaho-springs?select=mvp-PlzhTSRm4MZSSCjosw#pKLb_6uiSYcSmnx1k3jDCg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
'As the sun was getting lower and knowing we had to get up & back down the mountain before dark, I wanted get in one more of their own mircobrewed beverages... Hmmm, what to order?...
The Cocoa Porter Seasonal Ale - "A uncommonly smooth traditional dark brown ale with a multitude of complex light chocolate and coffee flavors. Â A light addition of domestic Perle and Willimette hops balances the complexity of this beer. The addition of pure cocoa powder and Colorado honey enhances the roasted malt used in this special winter ale." 'Sounds good!
Crap. Sold out. 8/ 'Missed it by that much ('Holding up my empty pint)
So, I went with their Tundrabeary Summer Ale - A light ale, consisting of raspberries, blueberries and other natural fruits.
Slightly sweet & fruity. You can definitely taste the berries! 'Pretty good as well.
Grand Total (w/tip): $26
If time permitted, I would have REALLY liked to try their $15, "Beer Sampler!"
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tommyknocker-brewery-and-pub-idaho-springs?select=mvp-PlzhTSRm4MZSSCjosw#GcZGB7cXqMxTmzUtkUMUHg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
('Not my photo but DAMN! Who cares?!!) That's sexy!!
I guess I'll just have to try it some other time... 'Another great reason to get my @ss back out to Colorado! A local was sitting @ the table next to us, w/a sleeping baby in a carrier & visiting w/his father... We started a conversation & he directed us to "Oh My God Road!" So, naturally we went! ('Especially w/a name like that!) Much thanks to the local, baby-toting, beer drinker!
We stopped at the highest bend on Virginia Canyon Rd., (aka "Oh My God Rd!") to snap a few photos... 'Beautiful.
The Rockies (Photo 1) - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tommyknocker-brewery-and-pub-idaho-springs?select=GcZGB7cXqMxTmzUtkUMUHg#gVXoPXftS8BsXhpht1JtLg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
The Rockies (Photo 2) - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tommyknocker-brewery-and-pub-idaho-springs?select=GcZGB7cXqMxTmzUtkUMUHg#Vp0U2EGYd6E5tLDkV_RuUQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
The Rockies (Photo 3) - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tommyknocker-brewery-and-pub-idaho-springs?select=GcZGB7cXqMxTmzUtkUMUHg#6PW42P32xO5Sx3f-lvok9Q">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
- Big Aloha
Food ('And beer): 3 (4)
Ambiance: 4
Service: 5
Value: 4
Stopped here on the way back from a great day of skiing. Â It's been years since my last visit.
Had a beer and a buffalo burger. Â Buffalo burger was cooked to order. Â Beer was great. Â Fries were average.
Service was attentive and appropriate. Â No complaints at all.
Only drawback was the price. Â $12 for a naked buffalo burger? Â $14 for a buffalo burger with cheese? Â Yes they are big burgers - but that's still a bit steep.
Otherwise - great place to stop after sitting in I-70 traffic.
If Tommyknocker can get I-70 widened, I'll give them 25 stars. :)
We'd drive there just for dinner, and live 40 minutes away with a lot of other brewery/bar/restaurant options. Our family had kids meals (corn dogs and mac and cheese), nachos and burgers, but we wanted to order everything on the menu. Beer? Great! Service? Great! Ambience? Casual and - you guessed it - also great!
Review Source:I originally really enjoyed Tommyknockers, but things have not been as good the last few visits. The beer is still pretty good, but the food has gone down hill. At one time I would have given them 5 stars for their hot wings alone, but those too are not what they once were. When the waitress asked how our food was, my wife gave her an honest opinion to which the waitress shrugged and walked away. Other than that, the service was good, and we really enjoyed their seasonal beer.
Go back to your old ways Tommyknockers!!
One of my favorite Colorado Craft Breweries. The food is above average bar fair. I love how they have the production floor open so you can smell the brewing of the beer. I don't like the "behind the glass" look so many craft breweries do. It isn't authentic and stinks of corporate crap. If a customer doesn't like the smell of malt being roasted they should not be in a craft brewery, there is an Applebee's or Chili's somewhere out there for them.
My favorite beer here, the Maple Nut Brown. I'm normally a hop head, but this beer is just damn good. If you are going to have lunch and a beer expect to drop at least $15. But its worth it.
Do not go here if you are gluten intolerant or Celiac. When asked if they have gluten free options, the rude man-server said, "I think all of salads are gluten free?" So, I hesitated because I thought maybe he would at least go ask to make sure that the salads were gluten free. Instead, he said, "Go to Beau Jo's; they have a whole menu." So we did and we had a fine time. You don't have to have options, but you do need to be nice about it.
Review Source:Tommyknocker's gets 2 stars for food and service and 4 stars for beer.
First, the food: Â The pork green chili was amazing. Â It was spiced very well and had a good amount of heat. Â The problem was that while it had the perfect heat in terms of spice, it had a decidedly imperfect amount of heat in terms of temperature. Â It was cold. Â Warm on top and around the edges of the bowl, but stir it up, and hey! it's cold.
We both got bacon burgers, hers made with beef and mine made with bison. Â The burgers were pretty decent, but the bacon was rotten. Â I'm not going to be a huge snob in terms of wanting only the freshest food on earth, but I don't think it's too much to ask to be served food that isn't rotten.
The service was a little subpar for my expectations. Â Not very quick, not very friendly, and no one came to ask how our food was after we received our burgers, so we couldn't even tell them about the bacon.
Next, the beer: Â I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of Tommyknocker beer from what I tasted in variety packs and at friend's houses. Â However both of the seasonals that we tried were very good. Â The pumpkin comes with a cinnamon sugar spice coated rim. Â And the cocoa porter had just the right amount of cocoa. Â I know these aren't along for all that long, but if you're in the area you should definitely give them a try.
I was in the area, and I was happy to give them a try, but I don't think anything about my experience is going to lead to a concerted effort to be back in the area soon.
LOVE THE BEER, GREAT FOOD. California club is the best! Id say don't get the burritos their just a bunch of meat. But that's all I can complaine about. The food is Awsome the service is wonderfull, and the hostess really gets you to wanna bye beer, so if u don't wanna buy beer don't make eye contact haha. Â But everyone's got a good happy vibe and lots of smiles. Just a bonus they have new restrooms which don't have a sign showing where there at but they are very clean and amazing hand dryer. Lol its a good place. I recommend the wheat beer!!!
Review Source:My husband and I took an afternoon trip up here since the last time we tried to go 70 was so backed up we couldn't get off! This Brewery is awesome! It was nice of them to do a little brewery tour for just the two of us. It's not like Coors where they heard a group of people around, this one was much more personal! After our tour we decided to sit down for a bite to eat. We sat in just the regular dinning area. The food was delicious and of course the beer and soda was delicious as well. I love that they make their own soda too...I'm not a beer drinker, my hubby is! The only reason they do not get 5 stars is because our service was lacking. Our poor waitress has like 6 tables and then they gave her a party of 9. Needless to say we never really saw her and when we finally did I made sure to ask for the check.
One thing I noticed a lot of people complain about was the smell of the pub...the pub is inside the brewery...it does not stink...that is just the smell of beer brewing. I, personally love the smell of brewing beer!
Honestly, I had a fantastic time here. I'm pretty shocked it isn't at least a four star.
Now see, I come from the Midwest, Cincinnati to be exact, so maybe my standards for a joint like this are a little skewed. But really, I have no knocks about this. After I drove up Mt. Evans I was looking for somewhere to eat up and down Main St. in Idaho Springs. I started at TommyKnockers and felt that it was a little too touristy from the outside, so I walked past. Nothing really stood out to me so I started at the beginning again. This time I read their menu....
I went inside and ordered what I saw from outside; the Jalapeno Popper burger. The cool thing is that the title is totally misleading; the burger has fresh jalapenos, and then cream cheese smeared on it, but then it's finished with a raspberry chipotle sauce. I have had a lot of burgers in my time, but this one was one of the most unique, and and most delicious, that I have ever had.
Oh, and it doesn't stop there. They have around 12 beers on tap, that they brew right there! Yeah, all of 'em.... Right there behind you (if you're sitting at the bar). And they have some excellent sounding ones too. I only had two, and I can't remember the first, but the second was their green chile seasonal... Don't knock it before you try it. It blew me away. Tasted like a more bitter, yet better, Corona and lime.
So if you're a Coloradoan and have different standards, maybe this review isn't for you. But if you're from out-of-town, enjoy a few good beers and a nice burger selection, well you should stop here.
After several unsatisfactory trips to Beau Jo's pizza down the street, we decided our next "on our way out of the mountains stop in Idaho Springs" would be at Tommyknocker's. My dad has always liked their beer and I tend to enjoy a good pint myself, so I thought this would be fantastic.
Wa wa waaaaa. Not so much.
We were seated in the bar area, which I thought was SO cool because we were seated right next to all the brewing tanks. I ordered a very refreshing Tundrabeary Summer Ale that did not disappoint. However, that was about the only good part of the experience.
We were seated in a corner, and I'm pretty sure the waitress forgot about us every time she walked away. It took about 15 minutes for us to get soup and salad, and when we asked another waiter what was taking so long he claimed that they made the soup fresh for every person........ Seriously dude? I'm not dumb. What kind of efficient restaurant would work that way? Anyway.... when soups and salads finally came, they were decent.
Entrees took an equally annoying amount of time. One of the people in our group asked for BBQ sauce to go with his burger... twice... and it never came. Drinks were never refilled and the food was completely underwhelming. After bringing up the terrible service to a manager, he did dock $20 off the bill, which was appreciated. However, I will never be back and will not recommend this place to anyone.
Stick to what you know, Tommyknockers! Beer!
The Maple Nut Brown Ale goes down as smoothly as water - and five times as delicious. Â I had to actually stop myself when I realized that I drank about 2/3 of the glass in under 10 minutes. Â It's wonderful. Â It's rich and tasty. Â It's got a nice, deep color - I usually only drink light colored beers, so I was doubly pleased to realize how wonderful this one was.
We couldn't decide on buffalo fries are garlic parmesan, so got both. Â I was a little wary of french fries with buffalo sauce and blue cheese, but it wasn't bad. Â The garlic fries were amazing, and when we combined the two, that also worked well (except, it was a ridiculous amount of french fries. Â I wouldn't recommend that unless you have about 8 people).
The garlic parmesan wings were also very satisfying. Â I like that they have buffalo burgers, because few places offer them in my area. Â I got a western bacon buffalo burger, and it was perfectly prepared. Â I don't really remember the side salad, but I was a little disappointed that the vinaigrette was raspberry. Â I don't like fruity salad dressings, but I didn't want blue cheese or ranch, either. Â
Overall, I enjoyed the meal, and I absolutely loved the beer.
Popped in here after a good workout white water rafting on clear creek.
Loved the beer here. Their maple brown is surprisingly not overly maple-y and super refreshing.
The waitress was on the ball and very sweet - Kelsey, perhaps?
Had probably one of the better grilled cheeses I've ever had in my life. So gooey and melty, but not with any fancy schmancy type of truffle cheese or anything. Just a good, classic, throwback to the sandwiches I had as a kid.
Will go back in a heartbeat next time I am in Idaho Springs.
Note: if you take a rafting trip with Colorado Rafting which is right down the street, you get a free pint with an entree purchase. Yay; free beer!
Some friends and I had a random encounter with this place - we were searching for eats after an evening at the nearby hot springs. Â The beers were all pretty tasty, the root beer delicious. Â In a fit of gluttony, I ordered the Chicken and Waffle Sandwich, the stats of which can be found below:
CHICKEN AND WAFFLE SANDWICH:
Abilities: Wafting Ensnarement, Destroy Willpower
Redeeming Qualities: Zero
Deliciousness Rating: Â OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAND!!!
I mean, come on - it's fried chicken in a Belgian waffle sandwich. Â What's not to like?
Service was efficient and friendly and was a very good sport for putting up with us wandering in late-ish not long before closing.
I'm a fan!
Less than mediocre. Â
Worst of all, it smells in here. Â My boyfriend likes beer and so maybe the brewery-odor is more acceptable to him, but it was overpowering to me. The bathrooms reek with it, and even he mentioned the grossness of that.
Speaking of the boyfriend, the waitress seemed to like him way more than me; I think his drink was refilled approx 17 times whereas mine was refilled ... never. Â Well, when HE asked, she did refill it. Â Other than that she was good, though, and you can't hate a lady for noticing a fine man. ;)
As for the food, we had the nachos and they were odd. Â I'm not a fan of cheese sauce, like ever --- I like real cheese and nothing but real cheese. But these nachos had a runny sauce plus too-tough chips. His mother had the fish and chips and the fries were chewy and bad and her fish so-so. All in, we were all sufficiently underwhelmed so as to not return again probably ever.
Sorry, but not recommended.
Decent food in Idaho Springs - much better than any chain restaurant! We experienced good service, decent food and tasty beers.
We got chicken nachos, jalepenos poppers and wings (buffalo and raspberry). Jalepeno poppers and raspberry wings were delicious - chicken nachos were pretty standard.
Service was good and food was okay - nothing special. We really enjoyed the chocolate stout and maple nut brown beers.
I love stopping here with out of town guests on the way to the mountains!! Â I love their beer and the service has always been great.
I ended up splitting the beef chili and nachos. Â The chili was FABULOUS!!! Â The nachos were okay, I'd probably order them again but I've definitely had better. Â
We were seated right away and had great service. Â It's an all wood, old style brewery with tons of booths and tables and a huge menu. Â If you've never been here, you MUST give it a try next time you drive through Idaho Springs. Â It's right off the exit!!
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