BDB Rating 84
We enjoyed our time at Swiftwater and wish we had come here for lunch. The menu wasn't extensive but nothing screamed "bar food". On the contrary the dishes seemed a bit upscale and well thought out. Next time we'll bring our appetite along with our thirst. The layout of Swiftwater is great! Very open and well maintained. We loved the kayaks in the wall to build upon the Swiftwater theme. There is plenty of room at the bar, as well as numerous tables if want more privacy. Some Breweries sit you right along side the brewing equipment, while others hide the fact that you are in a brewery. Swiftwater has the perfect mix. It is great to see the crew "brewing" without having to worry about stepping over a hose. This was really well designed for one big room with the perfect and subtle division between the brewing and service areas.
As for the beer, it is solid. Kudos for offering very reasonably priced flights of 4. We had the chance to try most of their offerings and the DIPA - Brah was the crowd favorite. So much that we bought more to go. The Porter was ok, Kolsch was crisp and clean. Gotta Get Up To Get Downstate looked very popular among other patrons. It is a collab with Mikkeller. Part of our group whom never had a milkshake IPA loved it, while others enjoyed it, especially the guava, but thought it fell short compared to others in the same style. Yet we all agree the uniqueness of this beer is something everyone needs to try on their own.
The staff was nice but even with a large number of employees on-hand, we didn't have a lot of dialog. Perhaps they didn't care to get involved in our "What are we going to do about our Power Play?" conversations.
Small tidbit: cloth napkins...very nice touch.
