Bryan H.
Yelp
As a long-time, devoted Scofflaw Brewing fan who's been going to their original location on MacArthur Boulevard since it opened four years ago, I've been looking forward to the opening of Dr. Scofflaw's Laboratory and Beer Garden for many months. After my first visit last night, however, I'm pretty disappointed.
We arrived around 4:30, not too long after they had opened, and three-fourths of the entire facility - including all of the outdoor seating - had been rented out for some corporate event. Regular patrons were relegated to a single room with a dozen or so tables and a sad little merchandise booth (seriously, guys, it looks just terrible to have all of those shelving cubbies with one single shirt in them to try and space things out). I assumed the event had started much earlier and would be ending soon, but no, it was a packed event for two hours we were there and beyond. The venue itself is huge and could be interesting, but the dumpy corner we were stuck in the entire time kinda sucked.
Not only did that event take up most of the physical venue, it took up most of the staff, too. In our little "open to the public" room, we had a grand total of two bartenders, leading to lines and delays at the bar. Not particularly friendly bartenders, either...
The second major bummer was the beer selection itself:
· A smaller selection then the original brewery.
· Not one single porter or stout.
· Items listed on the digital menu board that were not in stock. What's even the point of having a hi-tech, digital screen menu if it's not regularly updated?
· No option for flights; only full-pours and half-pours.
· No retail beer to go (unless it was in the area we weren't allowed in).
And not to be petty, but I have to comment on a little issue when it came time to settle up. On the credit card payment screen, the default gratuity options for your bill are 20%, 25%, and 30%. Maybe Scofflaw is counting on drunk patrons not paying attention? Because anyone who pays a 25% or 30% tip at an understaffed, counter-service-only beer joint with no food (where you have to seat yourself and clear your own table) must be drunk or high. C'mon, Scofflaw, not cool.
In an overall sense, the space really doesn't fit the Scofflaw brand. Scofflaw is a renegade, outlaw brand, but the new Dr. Scofflaw's feels like the same cookie-cutter, faux-industrial tasting rooms that are springing up all over in gentrified mixed-use developments. The vibe was terribly inauthentic. If I didn't know and love the beer itself so much already, I may not even have stuck around to try it.
In short, Dr. Scofflaw's Laboratory and Beer Garden was a big letdown. It certainly doesn't feel like a laboratory, we weren't allowed in the garden, and the entire venture is trying too hard to be hip and trendy while missing out on what makes the brand interesting and different.