Lost Barrel Brewing — Restaurant in Marshall

Con (and reason for 3 stars): -- Plastic cups. They will not serve beer into a glass pint glass if you sit outside. This is "trashy." They must go through thousands of plastic cups a month, or even during a busy week. Why no glass outside? Who knows. Probably trying to save a little money by not having to wash glasses. Ironic thing is that in their bathrooms they only have hand dryers (and no paper towels) with a little sign adjacent claiming they are doing it to save the environment and trees--as they throw a couple thousand plastic cups away on a busy weekend. The outdoor space is 98% grass with the other 2% being a small concrete porch, loose gravel around fire pits, and one, short path of stones. There is no reason for them not to serve beer in a pint glass, which are made of thick, durable glass.

I live next to Caboose Commons Brewery in Mosaic. Their beer garden is 100% concrete. They serve EVERYTHING in glass. Wineries in the area all allow their glasses outside and wine glasses are often with stems, i.e., much more fragile than a pint glass. I lived in Bavaria for 4 years. I went to countless beer gardens and 4 Oktoberfests in Munich while I lived there and 5 more as I have traveled back. Six million people a year visit the Oktoberfest and drink only out of glassware. Not ONCE did I see a drink served in plastic. If a glass broke, it got cleaned up. Scheisse happens. Brewery owners once floated the idea of serving plastic steins at the Oktoberfest. People rioted against the plastic idea. Plastic is cheap, trashy, and good beer should not be served in it. Still "prosting" with glass.

Point being: Lost Barrel could serve their beers in glass, or at least give people the option to drink a beer outside in a glass. But it seems they are trying to save a little money by using plastic. I am not at a college keg party drinking Natty Light out of a Solo cup. I want to drink good beer, which I am paying close to $10 a pour for, out of a glass. I think LB has some very good beers. Plastic cups cheapen the experience and it is a monumental waste. There is no reason for them to be throwing tens of thousands of plastic cups in the trash every year because they want to save a little money with not buying dishwashers. But I guess they are "saving" the environment by not offering paper towels in the bathrooms. LOL

Serve everything in glass, LB!

Pros: -- Beautiful outdoor space on a sloped hillside, ending in trees and a pond. -- Indoor space is spacious and well-designed. -- Beer is good. They had a good lager when I was there and some port and stout options. I am not a fan of high-IBU, i.e., hoppy beers, such as IPAs and pale ales or sours so I cannot speak to those. -- Plenty of parking. -- Easy to get to; right off...

My family, friends and I have been to LBB several times over the last 4 yrs. I have been to several around the area and by far LBB is the best on many levels. One can go any time of the yr. Inside fire in the fireplace, outside heaters, firepit, outdoor tables to sit with your friends and family on beautiful days. Inside, I found it a "cozy" environment. Live music in evenings where you can still have conversations. Other places the music has been way to loud and acoustics have been bad. Heather, one of the owners is in the music business and sees over the live music. She stays on top of it so folks can talk and mot scream. Upstairs is another area for private events. There is the "saloon" located steps across from the brewery for private gatherings. Inside there is reasonably priced merchandise to purchase to include clothing line, purses, hats, ballcaps, bottle chillers, etc. Best part, thru QR code you can sit at your table to order drinks, food and pay your bill. Unlike other breweries LBB's menu is extensive for drinks. I cannot drink alcohol but found several drinks that I can. Most places have appetizers. LBB's menu you can have date night and actually eat a prepared meal. The staff is attentive and food is brought to you quickly. The brewery is located right on the edge of historic Middleburg. Shop beforehand and relax afterwards. Honestly, if you have not been to LBB you have been missing out. By far, the best brewery and did I mention wine. It's a must on to go and try list. This is why I...

Lovely venue, unwelcoming staff. The booking process was straight forward and easy to pay. Ordering food could have been a bit less stressful; pictures and more details needed. Each time I inquired, I felt like I was inconveniencing someone. Basic questions about services seemed to be difficult to get answers. Reference pictures, I was told via email that the menu was being changed so there were no pictures. The only change I could find was removal of “potato chips”. When I was able to talk to a planner, I was told “ you are the first person to ask for photos of the platters”. Wanting to see what you are purchasing is not unusual and receiving contradictory information from the same person is annoying.

Our event area was not booked before or after our time. I asked if I could pay an additional fee for 30 minutes more. (They don’t give you set up time. Your set up is part of the event time) The unpleasant gentleman I dealt with said $250, the cost of 1.5 hrs. That is crazy! So they made zero additional dollars instead of $100 or so dollars.

The single person we had as a server for 65 people was missing in action. I was continually going downstairs to ask for refills of beer. Guests asked for sodas- never delivered.

For $2500, our location was roomy with good food. The loft was extremely hot since the two wall unit AC’s were not sufficient. I recommend the venue for aesthetics but warn you that management is unfriendly and service was...