Mad River Brewery - Blue Lake

This lovely brewery is located alongside Low Slow BBQ. We only sampled one beer (the EPA), but it was quite enjoyable. The interior is pleasant, the service is friendly, and there’s a spacious patio at the back. It’s definitely a must-visit for tourists exploring the area, especially if you're fishing in the Mad River across the street and need a break. (Or, as we did, if you’re making a quick trip to the hatchery up the street and want to grab a beer and some BBQ on your way back.)

During our recent trip to California, we had the opportunity to visit Mad River Brewery. Although it's not located in Eureka, where we were staying, the drive to Blue Lake was short and easy to manage. I found their beer to be both enjoyable and satisfying. I chose a barleywine called John Barleycorn, a style I don't often try. It had delightful flavor notes of caramel, brown sugar, a hint of breadiness, and a pleasant boozy quality. I really liked it! While their other beers also looked promising and many of their flagship options were available on tap, I decided to go with the barleywine since it seemed a bit more unique.

I waited over an hour and fifteen minutes for three sandwiches, only to receive them incorrectly. I hope this was just a one-time mistake.

Went earlier this afternoon for a quick weekend lunch. My partner and I ordered the Smash Burger, Fried Green Tomatoes (special item), a side of Smokey Mac n' Cheese, and Watermelon (special item) from the food place inside. We got two drinks from Mad River Brewery, a Huckleberry Seltzer and Tangerine Sour. Our total for everything was around $50, excluding tips. We waited about 20 minutes for food which was perfect since we had our drinks. Everything tasted great and were good portion sizes. I left off a star just because the overall experience was just OK. There were between 5-10 flies that wouldn't leave us alone and we were swatting them away the whole time we ate, but I know this isn't really controllable on the restaurant's end. The other slightly bothersome thing was that the buzzers they give you after you order make a loud, incessant beeping noise when your food is ready. It wouldn't have been too bad if it were just ours, but there were about 6 other parties there and we had to hear the loud beeping numerous times which cut into our conversation a bit. But, all things considered, I can deal with flies and beeping if it means good food, good drinks, and supporting local and Indigenous folks. I'm sure we'll be back!

This is a stop for us every time we come up to this part of the coast. In years past they always made a pretty good burger but their salads left something to be desired. But now they 've raised the bar on their salads... so that 'upgrade ' with their already great beers makes this my favorite brewery in the Humboldt Bay Area. Whenever I stop here I drink their UnionTown Porter (and I buy some to take home . What 's great about Mad River is they always have a pretty good selection of porters and stouts to choose from. I am not a huge fan of IPA 's and most breweries today to my profound disappointment lard up their selections with this style of beer. (And yes I meant to use the word 'lard ' in lieu of 'load ' On this particular visit they had a Coffee Porter that was great. I drank one there and have a Crowler in the RV fridge for taking home. Also ordered a barbecue salad: This was excellent and you pick any meat from the smoker for the topper. I ended up with a huge portion of tri-tip. It was tender and served over fresh greens, pickled onions, fresh cucumbers and I 'm not sure what else because I was also drinking beer. Mad River did all the stuff a brewery should do: they served me great food and beer in a friendly setting with both some indoor and extensive outdoor seating. Beer, food, kids, dogs... these are good things. I 'm happy!