Old Bakery Beer

This place was, as far as breweries go, a little underwhelming. The walk to the dining area was cool, as you are able to peek in on the brewing area and they have some neat artwork and some Alton zoning maps.
I came with my family, it is ok to bring the kids in, and so we had a pretty big spread. Pretzels with beer cheese was ok, but I felt like the cheese was a bit bland and there wasn’t enough. Chicken nachos had the same cheese on them, but the chicken was seasoned nicely (these were the highlight). Billy goat chips were pretty standard, even the spicy variety.
We got some meals as well. My dad had a pork tenderloin sandwich he described as «coleslaw on a bun,» Some mediocre grilled cheese, and I had an ok meatball sub, nothing really special.
Drinks! It was a little early in the day, so I didn’t really get to try too many of their brews. The ones I did try were alright. We got a beer flight but none of them really stood out. They also have a kind of «hipster» feel only using locally bottled sodas, which was kind of coll.
Final verdict is that this place has some good ideas, they just don’t quite execute on them. I could definitely see this place taking off if they improve on what they have in place. I’d like to give them another shot sometime and really try out some of their other beers, this rating could definitely improve.

Stopped in last night for a drink & my husband had a flight of beers which he really enjoyed. I don’t drink beer and they only offer one brand of wine, William Black, I believe. It tasted like $ 2 Buck Chuck, but cost $ 7. It wasn’t even drinkable. Our waitress was really sweet & talked to the manager/​owner about it, but in the end offered nothing more than her apology. How hard is it to carry a decent wine? Lots of people are like me & only drink wine. We won’t be going back.

This place is awesome! Delicious, large beer selection. Food was great –get the pretzels & the Cuban. Kids menu good too. Service was awesome, let us taste a lot of beers. So roomy that the kid could run around without bothering people. Definitely coming back.

My Mom and I often go to lunch here and we are never disappointed. Have yet to try an OBB beer I don’t like and they’re constantly adding and updating their beer list. Today I had the BLT which IMHO is the best around because they don’t spoil it with Texas toast. Plus, the bacon is rif*ckingdiculously good. The flavors in the sandwich are perfect. Mom had the grilled cheese and bisque, and while hers was delicious too she envied my BLT all afternoon. She ordered the English Breakfast Beer and I tried the Observer. Both paired perfectly with our lunch. Most of the beers hover around 5% with a great variety of styles. The space is unique and suits the overall vibe of the place. Every staff member is super knowledgable and friendly. My recommendations are a sample beer flight and the BLT! You won’t regret it.

Beer is good. I feel like a lot of the brews they are producing are just not my type. Service is okay. If you need a drink, go to the bar and get it, it’s faster.

I don’t exactly have a review of the beer or the food since we entered the establishment and seated ourselves and watched 2 other tables receive drinks and service while we waited to receive a menu. We then waited about 15 more minutes, very patiently I might add, while we listened to some great music from some SIUE music students. Our kiddos were starving so we started to get up to leave and a server grabbed us and said he would be right back in just a minute to get our order, so we decided to wait since we really wanted to try their beer, but the next time we looked up the server was on the other side of the room again. I understand that servers get busy and maybe they were understaffed this afternoon, but there were 2 tables right next to us that were seated after us and served immediately. Not sure what the issue was but we were super disappointed.

I grew up in Alton and have fond memories of being downtown and smelling the fresh baked bread at the Colonial Bakery. Now the bakery is long gone and as an adult, I enjoy the smell of freshly brewed craft beer.
They offer so many different brews to choose from. My personal favorite is Gentle Giant, which is named after, Robert Pershing Wadlow who was, «The Gentle Giant» from Alton. Others that have pleased my beer palate are; Citrus Wheat, Yellow Beer and Magnum Pale Ale. I’ve even enjoyed a non-​beer beverage from their fully stocked bar. They may not serve a Moscow Mule in a copper mug, but it is still a very refreshing cocktail.
As you drink your craft beers and or cocktails, you’ve got to munch on something and Old Bakery Beer has a variety of choices. If you love spicy, I highly recommend the Jalapeños stuffed with Cream Cheese. Or if you want something salty, go with the large plate of Tortilla Chips and Spicy Queso. You should also enjoy the Soft Pretzels with Mustard Dipping Sauce.
If you’re really hungry and need a sandwich, their Cuban is one of the best.
I’ve been here to drink and for two different parties and the service has been outstanding each time. Old Bakery Beer is a shining star for the downtown Alton area and should not be missed the next time you are across the river.

New local brewery is a great addition to Alton! My brother, my brother’s wife and I stopped by here twice during our trip to the St. Louis/​Alton, IL area! The first trip was just for the beer, and the second trip we went for lunch and beers.
Old Bakery Brewery has a great rustic feel to it and is a great big space! We really liked all the wooden tables, very unique. There are many places to sit and hang out, and also have darts! We loved sitting at the bar and taking a look at all they had to offer! There are so many beers to choose from that we ordered flights so we could try a bit of everything. The bartenders were also very nice and let us have a couple other small samples of drinks. Including a very intriguing Peach Jalapeño Sangria… A few beer stand outs were Yellow Beer, English Pale Ale, Gentle Giant, and Midwest Red Ale.
The food was delicious and had a great variety of veggie options! Everything was fresh and filling! I had a Caprese salad and tomato soup! The salad had a bit too much dressing for me but that’s not the worst thing ever, I’ll just ask for it on the side next time. My brother had the beer bratwurst which was delicious, he loved the butter buns and the kicker chips! My sister in law loved her chicken wrap and pickles!
Overall, we loved our two visits here and will definitely be back next time we are in town visiting our parents. We are very happy to have a new local brewery in Alton that also has great food! We look forward to coming back! Yay!!!

As a former local and now infrequent visitor, I am grateful for this establishment for myself and the community. Food is fresh and there are veggie options. Every beer I’ve tried tastes of fine craftsmanship and small batch nuances. Please try their fun pretzel. Staff is friendly, and some most charming. Décor is clean and trendy. Definitely worth your time to find & turnaround if u miss it!

We visited on a Tuesday evening for a Unilocal event and had dinner after in the beer hall. My guy was really impressed with the Gentle Giant beer. We were both impressed with the flavors and portion sizes of our sandwiches. He got the Cuban, I got the BLT. We swapped halves so we could try them both. The Cuban was good and well made. The BLT was really good. The bacon was some of the best I’ve had and instead of sliced tomatoes they use a tasty tomato jam and garnish with a garlic mayo. The tomato soup was a bit thicker than we prefer and I’d love to try it as a marinara with garlic cheese bread.
They source they’re ingredients locally and are striving to be certified organic and local for both the brewery and the food menu.
The owners are super nice and knowledgeable so definitely talk beer with them. Looking forward to seeing their beer and food develop as they’ve only been open since December 2014.
Conveniently located on the river road across from the amphitheater. If their parking lot is full, circle around on to Broadway and park on George Street.

What a cool former bakery-​turned-​brewery in a old-​meets-​modern industrial space. It’s really cool to see a brewery start from the ground up — Old Bakery Beer is in its very early stages of production, brewing about 2 – 3000 barrels per year, if I remember correctly. In contrast, Schlafly, which has been around since 1991, brewed 56,000 barrels in 2013. Seeing this microbrewery build itself up will be a super cool thing to witness over the next couple of years.
Currently, OBB is working on building up distribution and purchasing more kegs. They have plans to eventually do canning/​bottling but probably not for the next year or two, according to their master brewer, James. I think it’s really quite interesting to be able to enjoy the fruits of labor of a very new microbrewery! If you’re an IPA fan you’ll enjoy their Rye Pale Ale. It’s lightly fruity/​floral and not overly hoppy — an IPA skeptic would likely find this one quite palatable. The Yellow Ale is probably their lightest brew and is a good solid crowd favorite.
I had the reuben sandwich from the regular menu and I thought it was very tasty — good melty cheese, sauerkraut, and a generous helping of corned beef — but the sandwich was quite small. It came on some marbled rye which was excellent, but the sandwich could not have been bigger than the size of my open hand. Think oblong regular sandwich bread. Which I suppose is great for portion control but I WANT MOAR MEAT FOR MY MONAYS! (The sandwich was $ 9).
The pickled veggies are quite good too — not too salty for pickles! Comes with some pickled carrots, red peppers and asparagus.
I came on a Monday night so it was a bit empty, but it looks like a great place to catch the game — there are a couple of flat screens over the long bar, and they have live music on weekends and other days of the week — check the website for their event schedule.
Worth a trip for a cold brew and a sandwich if you find yourself out in Alton!

While traveling through Alton for business, I was lucky to find Old Bakery Beer on my first day. This place is awesome, from their brews to their bartenders.
In a nutshell: terrific beer selection, knowledgeable and friendly staff, and a classy, laid-​back atmosphere.
I was thrilled to find vegetarian options beyond just salad. The tofu banh mi sandwich was pretty good. The house salad had fresh ingredients — although it was pretty heavy on dressing, so you may want to get it on the side. The menu is set to change every couple months, but they assured me that there will always be vegetarian/​vegan options on the menu.
Chatting with the people who work at the OBB was a real treat. Looking forward to seeing them again next time I’m in town.

Old Bakery Beer is the newest brewery I’ve visited and already my favorite. When I went to visit I was expecting something smaller but was blown away by the size of the facility as well as how established it already feels.
When you enter you have a pretty long walk to the restaurant/​bar area. This hallway already feels like Old Bakery Beer has a historic presence in Alton, IL! The bar area is amazing. It’s beautifully designed and has a rustic/​industrial feel. There are plenty of tabled areas as well.
I tried their «citrus honey wheat» beer and of course, a hot pretzel and cheese. The beer was delicious. Easily one of my new «local» favorites. I haven’t been blown away by any local breweries wheat beers as it’s not in fashion right now but this was truly amazing. The pretzel was made to order and was everything I hoped for and more. Golden brown, fresh, buttery, and hot. It came with some cheese dip that was perfect for this hot treat.
I highly recommend making a trip to Alton to visit this new brewery. It’s worth the mileage!

Very interesting space, tried this out on their grand opening party & was a bit disappointed to have to buy tickets before buying beer and the limited food selections. Was impressed however with the knowledge of the bar tenders. Will try it again when they’ve been open longer.

Love this place. Always a supporter of local beer done right. Food is great, beer is great. I had the Cuban sandwich and Maevas Blend Coffee Brown. Highly recommend both. Sammi will take care of you behind the bar. Great dude with more brewing knowledge than most people I know. Cheers!

Old Bakery Beer is pretty damn awesome! Beer and Food is great. More specifically, had the Cuban sandwich and it was delicious and tried their Porter (several times) and that too was delicious.
The space is awesome and it’s great for Alton! Can’t wait to go back! If you haven’t been, GO!

We celebrated Donna’s birthday lunch here very good. Had a Caesar salad, cup of beer cheese soup and a Cuban sandwich. Good service and good food, the soup is Rich with spicy chips which are hot. Good place to eat and drink.

I wanted to go some place different for lunch and this place fit the bill. They only opened a few weeks ago, but expect to see great things happening at The Old Bakery. They did there best to maintain the integrity of the old Continental Bakery, plus adding their industrial touches with the beer making process. It is a little bit of a maze to get into the food/​slash drinking area. We were greeted by a very knowledgeable server. I order 4 beers for my flight, one was a coffee beer (I am a sucker for coffee, in any form). I like to go for the lighter beers. My lunch companion picked a mixture of light and dark. I was more excited about the food. They have 4 appetizers and 2 different types of soup. The server informed us that they were still in a soft opening and to expect more food options on our next visit. My companion had the beer cheese soup, I got to have a taste… very smooth and not to heavy. I had the grilled cheese with onions. My sandwich was served on sourdough bread, with smoked gouda and mozzarella and caramelized onions. Each sandwich comes with Billy Goat chips and a pickle… My friend had the BLT. He was as pleased as I was.
Prices were nice under $ 20 for flight and lunch… They plan on adding an event room. Fast Eddies is in for some competition. Nice off street parking and VERY clean industrial rest rooms…

Love Old Bakery Beer Co.
Environment, beer, food, staff and ethics (locally sourced, organic) are all in place.
Favorite Sandwiches: Roast Beef, Cuban, Tofu Banh Mi
Favorite Salads: Tunip, Kale
Favorite Beer: India Brown Ale
Other Favorites: Beer Cheese Soup
Super great space with a ton of character! Obviously a passion project by the talented owners. :)

I got invited to try it out before they opened to the public. The beers where great. They had great flavors like beer should have not watered down junk people are use to drinking. Roast beef sandwich was great with the kicker chips. The caramelized onions are a nice touch to the sandwich. They also sale and refill growlers to take home. This is what Alton needs a good brewery.