Bright Ideas Brewing — Restaurant in North Adams

Walk through the glass doors of Bright Ideas Brewing and find yourself in a clean, bright, friendly space. There's good music and friendly folks who love, and love to talk about, beer. The sampler comes with 4 big pours (big!) -- split it with a friend (or get two and split them with two friends!).

My sampler consisted of...

Saison -- 3.75 out of 5. True to the style. Has a great candy/butterscotchy/toffee aroma. THE BEER IS NOT FLAWED WITH DIACETYL -- just the aroma. Light, crisp and not overwhelmingly sour.

IPA -- 2 out of 5. They'll tell you what you'll find for yourself. This iteration is one of several on the journey to establishing their IPA. I'll come back to this later in my review. For me: not hoppy or complex enough. I love IPAs and I love hops.

Chocolate Porter -- 3 out of 5. Light aroma, roasty, good flavor, light and crisp. Packed more of a punch than I was expecting: a very pleasant surprise.

3x IPA -- 4.25 out of 5. Killer beer! This will definitely be my go to once I'm done sampling everything. Hoppy and delicious.

Kris had the ESB and really liked it.

The thing I love most about Bright Ideas is that they are hyper self-aware. They get that the IPA is a work in progress. We had a great conversation about it and no one got sensitive or defensive. It's interesting to talk about the process and styles. And I can't wait to try the next iteration. Also, it's not BAD... it's not just IPA enough yet.

Bright Ideas has food from Hot Tomatoes. Pizza, salads, a cheese plate and a few options for breadsticks. They have common varieties of salads as well as a make your own option. I made my own (kale, bacon, feta, kalamata olives... because apparently I was craving salt) and Kris got one of the standard ones. Both were super crisp and fresh.

Definitely check this place out if you haven't been yet -- you're sure to have a great time and find a beer you love. Or...

I am not one to write reviews that bash establishments--especially when they are local, and especially when they are craft breweries. However, my wife and I had a bad first experience here. We were in North Adams and decided to check out Bright Ideas for the first time and I had been excited to do so for a while. It wasn't super busy and we were out shopping and just had some Jack's Hotdogs, we arrived late afternoon. The bartender was not very friendly and after looking at the tap menu I politely asked for one of the 32oz canned growlers that they seal and can to go. He immediately looked like that was something that was too much for him to do and said he had like 4 other people waiting before me to get a canned growler. I asked him how long he thought it would be and he told me at least 30 minutes that we would have to wait just to get one can to go. It was very apparent he was not in the mood to serve; maybe he was just having a bad day? Unfortunately I never got to actually try the beer, so in all due respect this rating is not commenting on beer quality, it is solely focusing on the bad service I received. I like craft beer, local establishments, and a good time with friends and family; however, this establishment dropped the ball on customer service and there is plenty of craft beer to try elsewhere, both in store and at other breweries.

Update 1/21/17- Hello Eric, thank you for the response. I didn't think a 30 minute wait seemed reasonable either, but it was what we were told by your bartender. I sent an email to your company email with more details. Hope it helps you figure out what occurred better....

I’ve long enjoyed periodically visiting this brewery for its very good beer and nice atmosphere in this old industrial complex. The brewing team clearly knows their craft, making it a place I genuinely look forward to visiting. Most reviews reflect that. Unfortunately, a recent interaction with a staff member at the counter completely spoiled the experience.

When ordering, I asked a simple, clarifying question about one of the brews. Instead of a helpful or even neutral response, I was met with an immediate air of defensiveness and disregard. Not only did the server dismiss the basic understanding I offered about the beer style, but the answer she provided in return was demonstrably incorrect regarding the brewing process.

This interaction raises a serious question about customer-facing roles in the service industry: What is the purpose of working at a company whose primary goal is hospitality if you spoil the customer's enjoyment? When a staff member not only lacks the fundamental product knowledge required to answer a basic question but then reacts unprofessionally to a guest, it undermines all the quality work done by the rest of the team.

While the beer here is excellent, the experience was very disappointing. Management should invest in comprehensive product training and coaching on positive guest interaction, as a bad attitude and poor knowledge at the counter are enough to make me hesitate before returning. I give this one star because the only reason to visit the place is the atmosphere. Else I can buy a can of craft beer for much less in a shop and drink it with friends and...