The vibes were cool. The payment was efficient! The prices were pretty standard, definitely should expect higher prices when at a brewery. Lots of floors, a bear. Quite the adventure. Worth it for the environment. I don't remember falling in love with the food ordered or the drinks we tried. Some were good but none made me go wowowow. Definitely cool to see a wild rice pizza on the menu. read more

Overpriced. Food was ok but not worth the price. $16 for three tiny meatballs and pizza bread as "garlic bread". Salad was bland. Pizza was just ok. Pour your own tap beer was pricey. $9+ for a 12 ounce pour. Nice atmosphere but the rest didn't match up. read more

So this place has great potential but needs some tweaks. Clean, fresh, modern. This southern girl really expected more service. Order food via the QR code only and if you need more dressing or see the pepperoni pizza is super greasy don't expect anyone to check let alone offer parmasean or peppers. Oh and it "takes longer to make the salad" so your pizza may come first but since no one checks you better be okay with that. Boring salad with limp croutons that were later described as garlic bread and not really croutons. (?) $18 for tiny pizza. Plus? Sauce excellent. Will give another chance but won't be soon. Self serve hipster blah read more

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First time to Bear Cave yesterday - beautiful warm Spring day, a great kind of day to visit Bear Cave. The place is huge! It sprawls over 4 levels and has a main floor patio and a top level deck. It has 3 tap walls and 30 + varieties of drinks. Beer, seltzer, a margarita, an old fashioned, and wine are all on tap served through a self serve system. There was a beverage wizard helping out at the main floor tap wall to answer questions. Nice guy who was super helpful. We got a couple of flights to start and headed upstairs to the top deck. Unfortunately none of the beers I tried were anything special. They were all fine but nothing I wanted more of. The margarita seemed to be the favorite of our group. They have a full liquor license so the margarita and old fashioned are both made with real booze. We had a few pizzas that were good and served very quickly along with a bowl of chips and dip that was perfect for a warm night on the deck. I enjoyed going to Bear Cave and will likely be back for the ambience and food, along with a margarita or two. Hoping that over time they will focus a little more on quality than quantity with their beers. read more

Bear Cave Brewing - Top level deck at Bear Cave showing off two beverage flights. - Brewpubs Near Me - Hopkins, Minnesota

An easy five out of five! Tons of space, great serve yourself beer and wine, super friendly staff and great food. Hopkins really needed this!!! read more

Solid beer. Very good stone fired pizza. The you pour system is not my favorite but it is nice for sampling lots of beer. Staff is helpful if they see you struggling. Tons of seating and lots of space outside when the weather is nice (although there isn't enough shade if you are trying to avoid the sun.) read more

This place is amazing! Love the outside patio, all the seating, and the huge variety of beer, wine and seltzer options! The staff is amazing. We had 4+ different staff come check on us while we here for a short amount of time. The manager introduced himself and was extremely nice and informative about the beers, brewing processes, and other cool facts! Can't wait to come back and see how it is with the night life, as well as try the amazing food that I have heard good things about! read more

Bear Cave Brewing - Brewpubs Near Me - Hopkins, Minnesota

This is the only place in Hopkins with a rooftop! Best days are summer days at Bear Cave Brewing. The beer, the service, and the PIZZA is AMAZING!! read more

Great beer and fun atmosphere! We brought our 2 year old and didn't feel awkward or out of place -we sat outside that way she could walk around. Also we loved the pepperoni pizza - a classic that was done right! You do have to go get your own beer -it's a card swipe system. Nice staff and there were also alot of dogs so it's a relaxed place! read more

This brewery might just be my favorite in TC! Very different from others. I love the self-serve taps, multi-level seating areas, and outdoor patios (two levels). Food was two thumbs up as well, and the ordering system over your phone worked very very well. Place is clean and welcoming. I will be a regular. read more

Good location, Good beer, good food, good atmosphere, good service all around great experience!

This is definitely a cool place with an interesting concept and unique atmosphere. First of all the place is HUGE! There's 3 levels inside as well as a patio, a rooftop, and an event space. The pour your own drink concept was cool until I tried to pour my own beer and it was half foam. I will also say that I didn't find any of their beers that great. It is a cool place to bring a group but you're not getting the highest quality beer. We didn't try any food- it looks a little pricey, but the wood fired pizzas looked good. The staff was friendly and eager to help. read more

Bad beer and food served 45 minutes late. Nice view, but this place thinks it's cooler than it is. read more

The service is non existent. From ordering to help with getting a drink you are on your own. Want to check out? Good luck figuring out how to get your tab or what you actually owe. Since they have people employed here , let the staff wait on the tables for gods sake. The ambience on the upstairs patio is very nice but taken away from the lack of service - they want you to pour your own . Too bad the beers I chose were either out or the head on the beer was more than half the glass which I had to pay for . No! Food was okay. The crust on the pizza was not crisp enough - ask for a crispy crust. Go to a regular brewery instead. read more

Tasty pizza and so many fun drink options. The service is great as well the staff is very kind helpful and knowledgeable! Loved the vibe of the space as well plenty of room and love the outdoor seating as well as the indoor options! read more

My friends and I were meeting for happy hour and someone suggested Bear Cave. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised. So as you may have gathered by now, this is a place with one of those systems where you pour your own beer straight from the taps in the wall. When you arrive, you're carded by the hostess and given a wristband. When you want more beer, you swipe your band and then pour. It was OK. But the beer options were just kind of meh. It was kind of like cover your bases... a light wheat beer, a stout, etc. Just like one of each kind of beer one might want. I drank the honey wheat. It was fine. We sat on the patio and had a lovely evening (this was when the weather was nicer, catching up on reviews). We had a pizza which was better than most bar pizza and I also specifically remember the burrata salad. Granted, a burrata salad is definitely high on my list on any menu but I loved it. read more

This place is pretty neat. Massive building with two patios, 4 levels, and delicious beers. Great place for a quick drink or to hang out for a while. Told that eventually all floors will have different beers, but as they have just opened up, all floors are the same (expect for 2 beers I believe). Love it and will be back. read more

This was my second time going to this brewery with my boyfriend. Both times have been great experiences. The staff explains how to get your own beer very well. It is such a fun experience being able to poor your own beer at any time you want. They have wonderful heated winter tents up outside that are decorated. We will definitely be going back to enjoy again. read more

Bear Cave Brewing - Winter heated tent - Brewpubs Near Me - Hopkins, Minnesota

Overcharge on beer, rude service. Need to pay to reserve tables and then the other paying customers get treated poorly. Venue is great but not worth the price and rude service. read more

Went early on a Saturday evening. Had the RIS and a "West Coast" IPA. Seating was fine at a table as there were 4 of us. The beers were very good except for being way over carbonated. Trying to get a full glass was a challenge. If you pour off the foam and fill more it counts against your pour allotment. For the IPA, a staff member overrode the system and got me a full beer, twice. That was great of them. My wife had a pizza which was good. I had the meatballs and chips and dip. For $16 you get 3 meatballs that were crying for seasoning. Bland and a bit dry. The marinara was meh, watery and the garlic bread was pizza crust. The chips and dip were $9. You get basically a bag of kettle chips and about a third of a cup of dip. Was supposed to be caramelized onion but tasted more of garlic then anything. Would be great if they didn't let anyone under 21 to be there. It's a brew pub after all and having to listen to a 6 month old cry in addition to the 4 kids from about 5 to 9 running through the place, was really not what a bar should have as " ambience". Go for the beer and hope that they have their carbonation under control. Expect to pay too much for food that should be better. We plan to go again but, we now have our expectations set. read more

Pretty disappointing experience. Marginal to non-existing "table service". When I have to order food myself on my phone I will find another place that actually understand "customer service". Tipping is reflected in service and I am happy to pay for that service. Thank goodness there are place like "Thirty Bales" (right down the street) that get it! read more

Good food Too loud for an older crowd If you want a drinking atmosphere, then it's great. Not for me read more

We tried Bear Cave Brewing in Hopkins for the first time recently - it was a weekday, late afternoon. The place was not busy at the time. The ambiance is nice and there is a nice outdoor patio upstairs. The staff was very helpful to explain how their system works (you pour your own, wearing a wrist band that tracks the number of ounces you pour - that's how you are charged, is by the ounce). Pouring here takes some practice or you get a significant amount of foam in your glass. I wasn't impressed with the selection of beers We ordered a sausage pizza that was served burnt with very little sausage. The whole bottom of the pizza was black. When we got the tab, the bill just listed line items with an amount for each line item and the grand total. There was no information that stated how many ounces we were being charged for or what the cost per ounce was. I thought that was kind of odd. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with the beer or the food. read more

My friends and I were excited to try somewhere new in the Hopkins area with outdoor seating. We chose this restaurant. The decor is clean and modern, but there is a total disconnect between that and the uniforms staff have to wear. The staff are dressed as though they are in a German beer hall. The two do not go together at all. My friends and I had a variety of appetizers and pizza. You will find no salt and pepper shakers on the tables. The food is bland and unseasoned. It was a fun place to try, but I don't see us returning. read more

Fun spot to hang with friends, family, & significant others. Great variety of beer and food. Awesome patio seating and friendly staff.

A really fun new concept for the beer lover! It is a self service tap room. You check in and start a tab, then you go to the taps, choose the size of your pour and then tap your own beer. There were many styles to choose from, our favorites were the Black Bear Schwarzbier, and the California Wheat, but there were lots to try. The food is well done with some creative flair, mostly wood fired pizzas, but also some gourmet apps and a salad. Set up to be shareable. The food was ordered through an app, but the staff did visit and was friendly and helpful. The space is brand new and clean as a whistle. Lots of pride going to this place, highly recommend that you give it a try for a drink with friends or some casual eats with the family. read more

This is a great place! Food is wonderful. Nice options for people that don't drink beer, such as wine and Margaritas! Fun activities too. Trivia and occasional comedy nights are fun! read more

My husband and I swung in here on a whim and loved it! My husband doesn't even drink beer but I do and I wanted one that day. The pizza was so good we're going back for more today! I thought the tap wall was super fun. Excited to try more food!! read more

Biked out to Hopkins and rode by this place on my way home. Decided to stop for a beer. Amazing space. Huge patio areas upstairs and down. Only thing I would change is the bottleneck that happens for people coming in and getting their wristband. I can only assume the extended wait turned quite a few potential customers away for a space that had plenty of room for more patrons. Was worth the wait tho. read more

Beautiful new brewery in downtown Hopkins! Two large outside spaces, comfortable and big inside seating areas as well. If beer isn't your thing, they also have some wine and hard seltzers on tap. The food menu is larger than most with a wood fire pizza oven. Dog friendly! Must give this place a try! read more

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Updating review based on unapologetically terrible service today. Arrived with a small group of coworkers (6 people). Checked in and got our wristbands. Got our beers and headed to the rooftop. A larger table that was freshly cleaned was available so we sat there. No QR code was on the table for food menus but we figured a server would check on us eventfully. Half hour later no less than 3 servers walked by our table multiple times. The guy I presume is a manager also walked by. No one stopped to check on us so we just kept busing our own glasses when we got new beers. Eventually we just ordered food using the link to the Toast app on their website. Waited 45 mins to pick up the food downstairs. It was packed up as a to-go order which was fine but when we explained we were dine-in and needed silverware the manager was initially rude and dismissive - saying food was only served to tables. When we explained the situation he didn't apologize and just gave us the bags of food. Then said he would bring the plates and silverware to the table after which the service didn't get any better. No check ins. No discount on the bill. Still waiting for that apology and acknowledgment of their service miss - which would have solved for all of this to begin with. read more

Very cool modern brewery. Outdoor patio and rooftop seating. Stone fire pizzas. Self pour beers. read more

Bear Cave Brewing - Brewpubs Near Me - Hopkins, Minnesota

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This place was pretty awesome and exceeded my expectations. I loved how the beer was self pour. The menu was kind of fancy with the pizzas and appetizers offered. The wait was a little bit long being that it was so new. And the food was better than OK. But the place is just beautiful and the beer is so good that I can't wait to go back. read more

I highly recommend bear cave. From the staff, very helpful and friendly, to the beer to the food. The place is large and clean and, well, I'm going back and you should go also. Yum!!. read more

the upstairs patio was very nice and they have a good selection of beers! their pizza is very delicious and there was always a server or someone available to help out. family friendly and not super busy on a sunday afternoon read more

Bear Cave Brewing - VERY large and sweet lemonade - should split between kids for sure - Brewpubs Near Me - Hopkins, Minnesota

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arrived at 5pm on a Monday and wanted to sit on front patio. all the tables in the shade were "reserved" but we sat there anyway and got kicked out saying the reservations would be there shortly. at 8pm still no "reservations" showed. why lie and block off all the shaded tables to have all guests crowded around eachother on a hot summer day? didn't make any sense? watch me get COVID bc everyone was crowded in the hot sun and the shared spaced out tables sat reserved all night. why not reserve the hot tables in the sun if you are trying to make some cryptic statement? read more

Delicious pepperoni pizza. Nice dog friendly street level patio. Friendly staff especially Sydney. Sydney answered our questions and explained the other spaces in the building. Sydney was attentive - asked if we enjoyed our food and if there was anything else we needed. She made our first visit, an awesome one. read more

You pour your own beer and have to order food online, so no service yet you have to ask them to remove the automatic 20% for not getting served. Otherwise, looked nice and the beer was okay, but not a business model which I enjoy. read more

The good: they do have some decent outdoor seating. The bad: pour you own beer because hardly anyone works here. Beer was meh, and very sudsy. You buy an armband and pay for your beer by the ounce - while the tap pours out ounce after ounce after ounce of froth, your tab keeps growing. No samples! You pay for it all, and as far as I could tell its 130% of anywhere else. We ordered pizza (have to go online and order it because literally no one works here). Pizza came burnt on the edge and raw in the middle. I flagged down -the- waitress, stayed my case and she said "thanks for the feedback!". Inside seating is very reminiscent of a hospital cafeteria. Very expensive, very mediocre. Nothing to see here folks, move on. read more

First time stopping in. Interesting concept of a bracelet and self pour. I was concerned about the cost with my wife and I trying different beers and then a pint (stout was excellent). The cost was actually a lot lower than expected and seemed lower than other breweries. All the beers we tasted were very good. Then there is the pizza - excellent- on a different tab that you qr code order from your table. Great interior and a very spacious patio (dogs welcome). Can't wait for the flower pots to be filled read more