Man Cave Brewing Company, a brewery located in Kosciusko County on state road 13 just south of Syracuse, had been on my radar for a while, due to the multiple positive reports I had received about it. Plus, my newfound love for a good beer had grown considerably so when we found ourselves in the area, we chose to forego our previously anointed plans of pizza on the lake and instead decided to explore Man Cave Brewing Company. In a word or four, I’m glad we did.
Setting
Man Cave Brewing is housed in the same building as Mug Shots, a local coffee shop. Don’t let this confuse you. You’ll see a sign for both on the front of the building but no worries, you’re in the right spot. When you walk in the front door, Mug Shots will be on the right. To the left will be seating. This is the family dining area. Mug Shots utilizes it during the day and at 4 pm, it becomes the family dining area for Man Cave. If you have minors with you, grab a seat. Wait staff will bring you a food and drink menu (this differs from other breweries where you have to order at the bar). If you want to hang out with the big kids, keep on walking to the back portion of the building. That’s where you’ll find the main bar area.
The main bar area at Man Cave Brewing is big with plenty of space to move around. TVs are mounted on the wall for your viewing pleasure and if you feel like bellying up to a bar, they have one of those as well. If this is what man caves are supposed to look like, I’ll take one, please.
Service
The service was quick and the staff polite. We arrived a little earlier than the busy dinner time but I have no doubt the service would have been top notch then as well. The different beer options were explained and our waitress patiently responded to our questions about the food dishes.
Food
Tower of onion rings – that’s all you need to know when it comes to food at Man Cave Brewing. Who doesn’t order that when they see it on the menu and then looks around and sees every other table with the same tower? We didn’t mind fitting in with the crowd and gladly scarfed all of them down, not even bothering to share any with our kids. Hey, it’s a parent’s right and when they’re that tasty, the children under our care will just have to take our word for it.
We ended up splitting the Man Cave Cristo. Yes, it’s basically a Monte Cristo except in this case, it’s served between two glorious waffles. Everyone should do this. The result would probably be world peace.
If you aren’t into towers of onion rings and Monte Cristos (shame on you), the food menu is diverse enough at Man Cave to offer plenty of other options. In fact, it’s one of the most diverse options I’ve seen at a restaurant and by far the most diverse I’ve seen at a brewery.
Drinks
If you’re not into ales but want to try one, go for the Brewberry. It’s a blueberry cream ale and it’s yummy. I’m not into ales and often wonder aloud why people drink them. However, when my wife let me sample the Brewberry, I was more than happy to sneak more sips as she wandered off to the bathroom multiple times. It was good and worth the possible tongue lashing for “stealing” her beer.
Beer flights are available and for those of you not into beer, Man Cave has a full bar so you can order up a cocktail to help wash down that tower of onion rings.
Conclusion
Order the tower of onion rings, Monte Cristos wrapped in waffles are da bomb, ales aren’t bad when they’re drenched in blueberries and Man Cave has really figured out this whole restaurant thing. If you’re in the area, give them a try. They’re locally-owned, care about the environment and it’s the ultimate man cave. What’s not to love?
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Tags: beer, brewery, indiana, kosciusko, man cave brewing company, restuarant, syracuse