Clouds Brewing

This was an awesome place! They had a self serve beer buffet, great selections, great service, and good food. A great introduction to Raleigh, and a must visit!

I went to clouds brewing for the first time with a couple of friends on a whim and I’m very glad we did. The atmosphere is really cool. They rotate their drafts frequently so there is always something new to try. The bartenders were pretty nice and the do-​it-​yourself taps were easy to use. The time we were there, there was hardly anyone else in there. I’m not sure what it is normally like but on this one occasion there were only two other people there. I’m not sure if that it is something good or bad but it was something to note.
My favorite part is that it is pay by the ounce so you can sample as much as you want for pretty cheap. I would definitely go back again.

I have been to Clouds Brewing a few times now, on this most recent visit I made a reservation for our group of 10 to watch the UNC v State game (Go Heels!).
I was not impressed with the current beer selection on the downpour wall but wanted to experience it since it was not completed during my previous visits. I ended up doing 2 small pours until I decided to go with a Shotgun Betty. I definitely think the concept is neat but it is a bit more expensive compared to ordering a draft beer.
To start we split an order of the Buffalo Chicken Dip which was okay, I liked the huge chips that it was served with. Next Boyfriend and I split the Baked Stuffed French Toast. The cream cheese, apples and cinnamon were not really stuffed in the french toast, it was layered between 3 pieces of toast. We both thought it was good plus it was served with bacon! A few people in our party ordered the nachos which looked delicious, I think I would want to definitely try those next time.
In my previous experiences here service has always been an issue but our waitress this time, Kayla (I think that was her name), was good. She was funny and attentive.
I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a dining option with a larger party!

This place is so awesome! Our waiter tonight was CJ. He was so kind, energetic, knowledgeable, friendly, and just great! He told us in detail how the beer wall works. It’s such a cool concept because you can select how much beer you’d like… perfect for me because I can only drink about a pint and a half so this allowed me to try more.
As far as food goes, it all looked amazing! We had the beer cheese with brats and pretzels and it was well above average. We can’t wait to come back for a dinner some time soon! I can’t say enough good things about this place. Our first experience here was 10 stars!

Really great beer! Extremely accommodating staff… like unbelievably accommodating. I was with a large group last night (12 – 15 people) and we didn’t have a reservation and the bar area was full. The manager and staff went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of. The food here is also amazing. The Atlantic Salmon paired perfectly with my Mother Earth seasonal ipa. We will definitely be back.

I am still confused as to why Cloud’s Brewing doesn’t have their own beer yet??? Every time I had been, I had asked a staff member and they would say they should have it within the next few months. Over a year later. I stopped asking.
With that being said, I love everything else about Clouds. From the self-​serve beer wall to the excellent food! I always order the Bavarian grilled cheese with the house made pork skins (just try them, seriously.).
When they start brewing their own beer, if that ever happens, they will get 5 stars. It shouldn’t be called Clouds Brewing without your own beer.

Ok, we love this place. The self serve wide selection of beers is awesome and unique. On top of that, we always have great service here, both for dinner/​appetizers/​brunch. We made a reservation and added a note for the game we were there to watch, and wala the perfect table under the TV was waiting for us. It’s hard to find bars with good beer/​alcohol and food that is just as top notch… this is one of them. Try out their brunch if you haven’t– they have chicken and waffles!

I’m torn writing this review, as it was a strange experience. First of all, as of right now Clouds Brewing does not produce brews of its own! When I looked at their fairly extensive beer menu I was quite surprised to see that none were their own. So I asked our waiter about it, thinking that their «beer wall» (an innovative approach where you pour your own and pay per ounce, as measured by a high tech bracelet thing) must be where their beers resided, and he broke the news that none yet exist.
Food-​wise, I truly enjoyed what we shared. We opted to split the fried pickles and the bbq burger, which was accompanied by fries. I truly thought all of the food was well above average to very, very good. So why the two stars? Well, our waiter was nice enough and quite attentive at first, but ultimately left us to rot. We discovered he was serving a large group on the other side of the rather large establishment. Being that we had to head to Durham in time for a show, my gal inquired with the hostesses, but that produced no results. Needing to skedaddle, I took the extreme measure of figuring the bill in my head and making sure that the cash I left behind should cover it.
So, had the service been better — even adequate — this would likely be a 4-​star review. The food was quite good, and the prices fair. But alas, I just cannot forgive such an oversight of service, including a lack of teamwork on the part of our waiter’s fellow staff.

This is a loud obnoxious place with food a la’ Denny’s. Not great for a date but great if you’re a str8 boy looking for the P-​Zone. A few singles scattered about at the bar. Great beer selection for Bro’s sans Hoes. The sandwiches were standard greasy things with crusty factory French fries. The noise level was beyond but still a cool place for single beavers and raccoons on the prowl. The hostess was super sweet

I had a great time at this establishment. They had servers who were very knowledgeable about their variety of brews. I loved the crab balls (not in that way), and my dinner was great as well. They had trivia going for a large group and they seemed to enjoy it. It’s in a neat part of town as well.
When I got home, I let a variety of farts.

Excellent concept with self poor beer area. The device was excellent and and excellent environment the staff was fantastic and well trained. They had a great knowledge of the beers as well as a good quality selection which wasn’t overwhelming but not was it small. The food was good, the exception being a BLT wrap which wasn’t as good as the rest of the food. The appetizers where wonderful especially the stuffed mushrooms and pretzels which were excellent. Some beers were a bit overpriced for instance the rare beer Cold Mountain was at $ 8 a bottle which isn’t at all reasonable considering its low price being sold for. Very good overall and I will visit again!

I stopped in for late night drinks and snacks with a large group not too long ago and really enjoyed Clouds. I think the concept of self-​service beer is so neat, and I believe this was the first place in the Triangle that had this (no one freak out if I’m wrong).
Good selection of beer; I had a Big Boss Harvest Time, which is a pumpkin ale. I also had the pimiento cheese with soft pretzels appetizer, and I’d highly recommend! I’m picky about my pimiento cheese (curse of being a good Southerner), and theirs was pretty good. Our two waiters were friendly, although they probably could have stopped by a few more times (there were a lot of us, and you know that means someone is always needy).
Overall, great space inside and they have outside seating if you happen to stop by when the weather is cooperating. Right next door to the Powerhouse parking deck, so that’s convenient too. I’ll definitely stop back by for an after-​work beer!

We came in from out of town and wanted to find some chill places next to our hotel in Glenwood South. FYI, to people not from Raleigh, Glenwood South is NOT the downtown main-​drag everyone goes out in. We found that out the hard way. Apparently the main drag is on Fayetteville Street and THAT’S where all the cool bars and clubs are. Moving on…
Clouds is a little in the middle of nowhere in the Warehouse District, but it was a welcome site. Soon as we walked in, it was very lively and bustling. Good classic rock music playing. Amazing, selection of craft beers, sorted by types and styles of brewing. The bartender helped me out with a nice, espresso-​flavored stout that I really enjoyed and my bf’s beer (the Nitro) was just as smooth and strong. They have a few bar bites as well, including a nice Bavarian pretzel served with a spicy mustard. Mmmmm. If we weren’t headed to dinner, we would have carbed out.
Overall, we really enjoyed the lively, hip atmosphere here, the cool décor and the selective beers on tap. My bf made a note about the service being a little… aloof, if that’s the word we want to use. But I think it’s just that hipster air. Great bar/​micro-​brewery in Raleigh!

LOVED IT!!!
OK so I have never started out a review with all caps before so that must mean something. This place is a man paradise of beer and high quality bar food with ample TV’s showing ESPN and everything else you could be interested in. I did the Downpour wall thing where you give them your credit card and they give you a wrist band that you use on a wall of taps of their own house brews. You pick any style of glass you want from pint to pilsner and then pour the amount of beer you want. Great way to taste the various types and see what you like. I loved the pale ale they had on tap. Super smooth and drinkable. Also had an order of generous jumbo chicken wings that were very reasonably priced and very well done with no breading as they should be. I travel to Raleigh a few times per year and will make this a regular stop from now on. Need to go back and try more menu items and more beer.

This moved up a notch since my last visit.
Even though there was trivia, we sat outside and still had a pleasant experience. Not many people seemed to be participating in the Tuesday night trivia (certainly not us). Usually it’s too loud, too crowded, and just annoying, but we found it to be pleasant outside.
My companion said «Honey, look! They have Southern Tier Pumpking!» It made me chuckle, because I said «I know. We looked it up. That’s why we came here. Remember?» (We had been lying around, trying to figure out what we were in the mood for. Originally looking for another beer by the same brewery called «Warlock», we finally found a bar we could walk to that served the next best thing.)
Had some pork rinds and some stuffed jalapenos and a beer. Sat outside. Enjoyed the nice night with the mild and comfortable temperature. We sat in a corner and talked and laughed and enjoyed the evening.

This is the third time I’ve checked this place out. And they are technically about 2.5 stars IMO but of course, no half stars.
Service has been just okay both times. Nothing to write home about.
Food is not good. I’ve tried it twice and not been a fan and one of the chicks I was with last night had to send her food back as it was not cooked well.
We had 12 people for trivia night (2 teams) and it was packed. I think 17 teams attended but from where we were sitting we could barely hear the trivia guy so unless we can make sure we sit closer to him next time, we won’t be back.
Also, seriously… the wine prices are ludicrous here. $ 8-​$ 11 a glass for mediocre wine? I went with rum and diet ($ 5.50 a glass) but they were pretty skimpy with the rum.

Stopped here for the first time on a Thursday night around 9pm, plenty of seating available, no wait! I love the interior of this place, the décor is really nice and modern, decent sized patio out back as well!
For me this place is really more of a 3.5 — good beer selection but just average food.
Of course, they have the famous beer wall or the «Downpour» which features 10 different taps that you pour yourself, paying by the oz. Glass cabinets below feature a wide variety of glasses for you to pick from for your beer pouring. No rinsing area for your glass but you can just get a new one.
Decent draft selection featuring mostly local brews and a large selection of canned/​bottled beer as well. They actually carry cans/​bottles of several hard to find beers for this area which is pretty cool, for example the Westbrook Gose.
Now on to the food! I’m really more a food than a beer person so I was a bit disappointed. The «beer cheese» app is actually really good, warm fluffy pretzel bread and creamy cheese dip with sausauge/​sauerkraut served in perfect sharing portions!
I was more impressed by the app than my entrée. I got the pork belly platter which featured 3 pork belly slices, dipping sauce, pork rinds, and an apple slaw. The best part of my dish was the apple slaw which cuts the saltiness of the entrée with some sweet acidity. The pork belly is just OK, a little lacking in flavor/​tenderness.
The service was a bit slow. At the end our waiter took our food away and left us sitting there without any food and didn’t ask us if we wanted any dessert. So he knowingly just left us to sit there for a while without any service. It was a bit off-​putting, we felt like we had suddenly been forgotten.
This is definitely a good place to gather with friends and socialize over drinks and food though! Especially if you’re beer people.

Love the beer selection here, and the food is good: from the to-​die-​for German potato salad through the Monday night Mexican (especially the steak chilaquiles), everything I’ve had here has been absolutely delicious.
Bone to pick: if I don’t have meat on my plate, they ALWAYS snatch my plate up before I’m done. Sometimes I’ll be mid-​bite and they do this. This has happened for a few months now, at all times of day and with all of their servers… and it’s really, really annoying. I’ve tried to protest but between my mouth being full and the servers moving away rapidly, I stood no chance. So, guard your delicious food and drink before it gets taken away!

I came from LA and stumbled home. This place rocks if you are a beer lover. We had wristbands to pour our own drinks. Love the concept me love the high tech draft pours. The IPA’s are Wylie good and the bar grub is pretty decent. Perfect place for big groups and for happy hour!

Clouds is an awesome place. They have delicious food, a great beer selection, a selection of other beverages as well, and the atmosphere is so fun.
We came in Friday night around 7 with a couple of friends. The guys did the I pour it (the self service beer wall — charge per ounce, who cares though… it’s fun and at your own pace) and the girls stuck to ordering beer from the menu.
The food: we had the beer cheese appetizer. Definitely can be shared between 4 people. It was good and all of us loved it! It came with pretzel bread, sausage, sauerkraut, and of course beer cheese. For dinner I had the grilled cheese which was amazing. Cheese, stone ground mustard, sausage and kraut piled onto a pretzel bun. My side was German potato salad and it was delicious! My husband had the BBQ burger which he loved with a side of sweet potato fries. Our friends had the clouds burger (good) and salmon (also good!).
The beer: good selection. I had thrilla vanilla and Sofie. I am a fan of both. The beer wall was fun and is kind of done buffet style. You get a new glass each time then pour however much of whatever beer you want.
The ambiance: the vibe is fun and it was packed by the time we left around 10pm.
The service: this is the reason for the missing star. The service was excellent. Our server was attentive but also knew when to back off when we were just sitting there chatting. At the end when we were ready to go, another server came up and kept apologizing to us. For what you ask? Who knows. We kept saying everything was great and our server was excellent and he just kept saying he was sorry. Kind of missed the social cues that none of us complained about anything and even after saying it, he kept making it weird. Will that stop us from going back? No. And I hope that was an isolated situation, because really, this is a fun spot with great food and great service.