Cerebral Brewing - Congress Park — Restaurant in Denver

Yet another tale of "I really wanted to like this place".

I've lived in the general area nearby for several years, and have continuously yearned for a brewery, within walking distance, that I love and can become a sort of regular at. Is this alcoholic of me? Eh... no? Whatever, I love beer, love good beer, and am not one who finds it appropriate to drink a few beers and then drive. Hence, the walk.

I've been in 3 or 4 times now. I just... I don't know what is really is in the end, I am just not the biggest fan.

Maybe it is their $6 beers. I get it, you pay a premium for craft beer, and I have paid this numerous times over the years. I am fine doing that to an extent. But EVERY beer starts at $6. And EVERY beer I have ever ordered, comes to me filled 90% of the way or less. That sucks. That doesn't even include the head, which takes away even more.

Maybe it is their usual lack of options. Came in once, and it was pale ale, pale ale, IPA, pale ale, pale ale. I know people love their hoppy beers, and I am close friends with some of these people, but I do not care for IPAs and pale ales. If your brewery was ONLY IPAS or such, I'd understand. But the heavy-emphasis towards hoppy beer isn't my jam. Or darkdarkdark. Which again, is fine for some, but one would think there would be a larger variety.

Maybe it is a combination of the two. I must admit, I have had a couple nice beers here. But getting 13oz of beer in a 16oz glass for $6 isn't my cup of...beer. And it isn't a one-off, it is every...

I had to delete my original review and create a new one because my old one does not come close to describing the love i have for this brewery and the amazing people that work there.

My wife and I had our first date here 4.5 years ago. Since then we have been pretty frequent. The beers are always solid, food trucks are good, and the atmosphere is welcoming and fun. That’s 5/5 stars right there.

Cerebral was also my dog’s FAVORITE spot in the world. She NEVER pulled on her leash unless it was because we were walking by and she wanted to go in. During her last few years she was pretty lazy, except when we asked her “Do you want to get a beer?!” She would literally squeal in excitement every time, even her last day on this earth.

Cassie developed terminal bladder cancer and i reached out a few weeks prior to see if i could reserve some spots for a going away party for her, after all, I am positive there was no other place she rather be on her last day. Cerebral was extremely accommodating and thoughtful. I cannot express how much it means to me. I will forever support you all and buy beers when I don’t need to be drinking, buy t-shirts when I already own 3, and rip up any damn petition someone tries to get me to sign to take away your patio.

Cerebral has set the bar so high, that it’s not even fair to put any other brewery in their league.

Much love for all of you.

Original review:

Always an amazing spot - good humans good beer. Also another 5/5 for my dog. It’s her...

This is by far my favorite brewery to come to, I love the IPAs, lagers and sours. This place always has great stuff and constantly releasing new beers. I've become somewhat of a regular here for the past several months, it's a great place to end the week!

Unfortunately, I feel like the level of service has dropped a bit over these past few months. I've always loved the atmosphere and environment here, but recently it seems as though some of the staff are more stressed or upset during work. I'd never single any one out, I've just had several interactions with multiple different people that left me feeling like I did something wrong. On multiple occasions, it's felt as if I was inconveiniencing the bartender by asking for something. I'm sure work has been pretty stressful with the new location opening up and with the labor shortage, so I can understand their frustrations. It's just kind of a bummer because I've come to really enjoy not only the beer, but the environment and atmosphere as well. It can just be a bit disappointing to leave interactions feeling like I'm not welcome or I'm doing something wrong.

As I mentioned, I really love this place, I often leave with 4-packs and merch. I think the stuff they make is incredible, they have some awesome events and amazing patrons. I just hope the bartenders are enjoying their time as well and understand the impact they have on...