Von Jakob Winery & Brewery

VERY nice staff. Sadly, if you're looking for good German food, it's not here. The spatzele was really salty. Same with the fries. The flammkuchen was just okay. The beer was good though.

Dan was amazing, great customer service and conversation. Really good wine tasting, and the 8 year bourbon was delish. Enjoyed our Flammkuchen and they have best deep fried mushrooms ever! And the cheesecake gelato was SO good!

Stayed there over the weekend! Rooms were inviting and clean and beds were comfy we enjoyed our stay! We experienced a little of everything wine was delicious and they had great knowledge being I’m new to drinking wine! The beer was great and the food was delicious! The Reuben sandwich was my favorite. Definitely will be back

We really enjoy stopping here every time we are in the area. It is right smack dab in our favorite stomping grounds so the location is really convenient. There food and drinks have always been exceptional. Every time we go they seem to have something new going on. I really enjoy their ciders and someday I will get to try their peanut butter stout when they don't run out! This trip I had their BLT and house chips and my husband had his go-to sausage pizza. We got to try a piece of the homemade black forest cake, made with their own moonshine. ALL YUM!! Beautiful scenic view off of their back patio. Highly recommend!!

Food and beer were delicious. This isn’t your run of the mill bland food. The BLT had thick crispy bacon and they added light spicy sauce. All on marble rye. The beer was a Munich Dunkel with a sweet aftertaste. I’d get it again! Overall highly recommend.

I visited for the eclipse on 4/8. We had a great experience and loved the views from the back patio. We had several of the beers and were quite impressed by the beers and the spirits. We did not try the wine during this trip. The staff was very hard working and the owners were very friendly. I will be back to pick up their rum in a couple of weeks once it's available for sale. I would definitely recommend stopping here.

Visited Von Jakob for the eclipse and the beer and couldn’t have been happier. The staff was friendly and efficient in spite of the larger than normal crowd (although we never felt it was overcrowded). We are not wine drinkers, but the beer and food were excellent. The fabulous weather topped the wonderful day. They far exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend visiting when you’re in the area.

These folks went out of their way to provide an awsome experience for the eclipse 2024! The staff did a great job keeping up with the volume of guests and provided a fun, courteous atmosphere for everyone here today. Thank you so much Von Jakob! Also, their Sangria slushy and black cherry hard cider were so good, and all the guys in our group⁰ enjoyed their craft beers as well!

Von Jakob winery and brewery in Alto Pass is a must stop on the Shawnee Hills wine trail. Walking into this non descript one story widely spread out building leaves much to be explored. We were invited into this large bar space with ample seating and easy access to another attached large space that had even more seating which led to even another large seating space outside with a view of the valley. Von Jakob offers, wine, beer, and limited bourbon which we were told was really a one time offering, and once the bourbon is gone, that's it. We were only there for a tasting and did pick up a few bottles. I never felt rushed and the host was knowledgeable and offered information on all that was available as the tasting list was extensive. There was no live music while we were there but I would not hesitate to come back for that. A solid experience.

The wife and I stopped here for a drink and snack on a road trip to Shawnee National forest. The beer here is good and so was the pretzel (came with some cheese that I liked). The salad was okay. This place has a nice patio with a view of some fields, which is nice. A wedding singer type guy was playing covers and we drank our beers there. The Pilsner was the best beer I tried. However, Oktoberfest was also good. The black cherry cider was way too sugary. A little too much like cough syrup. I'm hoping for next time that there is a lower sugar cider.

Extremely under whelming. The staff was nice but the food and wine were bland. Not sure if it is the location or the "new" owners.

Friendly staff. Good food. Awesome entertainment. Great relaxed atmosphere. Great scenery

Solid 3 stars. We arrived in the afternoon and planned on ordering a late lunch. While they seem to have a system as to what tables have ordered, it didn't work in our favor. A server came by but we had just been sat so we weren't ready to order at that time. We asked for a few minutes and she walked away. Fast forward to about 30 minutes later, we had to flag down someone to get an order placed. This was after multiple staff walked past our table and didn't stop for our order. So they have a system of numbers and where they are on your table but it doesn't always work. Onto the good - the wine, view and food made up for the lack of service. They have a great patio that overlooks the vineyard. There is a beer selection as well but we stuck to wine. We each got a glass to go with our lunch. I ordered the giant pretzel for the table and then chicken strips for my entree. The pretzel was probably my favorite thing. Definitely big enough to share. The chicken strips were ok. Just a bit of the greasy side but not bad. I did enjoy how crispy they were. There was a band playing that was ok. Overall, a good place to stop for lunch but have some extra time built in for this stop.

I was a great place to stop and have some beer and wine samples. We had some schnitzel and schnitzel whole sampling of their wine beer and liquor. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

We stayed here because my son is graduating college. If you are in the area and looking for a awesome winery/brewery please check this place out ! The staff went above and beyond to make our weekend awesome. Great wine great beer , great set up . Winery brewery B and B all in one . Cozy comfortable clean and all around wonderful. We will be back ( on the HARLEY ) Support a local small business!! Thanks to the staff at Avon Jakob you guys rock !

As with many places they are taking COVID precautions. Guests are required upon entering to wear masks and employees are wearing masks. There is currently no indoor seating and the outdoor tables are spaced, with signs not to move. When seated the hostess puts a bottle and number under it to signal the waiter/waitresses to take your order. The waiterss stopped by as soon as we sat to ask our orders, but we hadn't gotten to look at the menu. The waiteress did not return to our table. I had to flag down the hostess and she took our order. The tasting were $1 and came is labeled plastic cups. I really enjoyed the Ridge Red and Johnny Apple. One of the things I liked about the menu was they gave wine and beer suggestions with each item. The pretzel was really good (salty, soft, and well cooked on the outside). You can get cheese and honey mustard. I also got the fish tacos with sauce and they were also good. The fish was fried. The German potatoes were also really good. The view while eating was beautiful. They do have live music.

We stopped as part of a girls on the wine trail. The view was beautiful and a great deck to eat and relax. We felt service could use a little refining. When asking to make us just a random flight their were no recommendations. The chicken tenders and pork missed the mark. The BBQ and German beef were both very good. Several great wines!

Super relaxing atmosphere over looking the vineyards and serving up extremely tasty chicken tenders and fish, the roasted potatoes and red cabbage slaw were extra delicious. They have a good menu selection and just all around nice venue that is dog friendly. They have ciders and an assortment of wines.

We travel from Central Iowa to visit the wine trail a few times a year! Definitely worth the 9 hour drive! Von Jakob is always our first stop coming in. We eat a early afternoon lunch and enjoy a glass of the hard cider. The fish is one of our favorites and the Cider and Wines are very good! Best hard cider and fish we've had! Staff has always been friendly! The view from the outside patio is beautiful! Some time I would like to stay in one of their cottages! I wish they had more of a selection of t-shirts and sweatshirts. Can't wait for our next trip!

The property is very beautiful. I did some wine tasting and beer tastings. The dry white wines were good, keep on mind the amount of wine you get for the $1 is very small to the point that it almost should be free (just enough to get a couple drops on your tongue). I wish they offered flights for a certain price where you get a bit more, maybe 4 for $10 or something? Now, the beer. Dear lord. I don't know if I went on an off day, but the beer was VILE. I tried tastings of the pilsner, IPA, amber ale and somethong else. The taste was way off. There was a strong strong taste of something like sour dish detergent in all the beers. I love beer and I couldn't take more than a sip of any of them. The Amber ale was particularly horrific. Someone needs to do quality control. I would be embarrassed to serve such a product. Please fix the beer and I'll come back. What the heck?

Very rude workers!!! I would recommend you pass this winery up if you are on the wine trail. Wine samples are $1 but they told us they were too busy for us to sample the wine. So how so we buy a bottle of wine if we have no clue what it taste like? We walked out and a group behind us also walked out.

Had a wonderful impromptu late afternoon at Von Jakob w&b. Husband & I done a beer sampling & daughter done a wine tasting. We sat outside & listened to some music by Cody Grinner & the chicken dinner sinners. Where I had a glass of So Ill IPA, husband had the Dark Bock & daughter a couple glasses of sangria. We were having such a nice time that we decided to stay for dinner & so glad we did because everyone enjoyed what they had. My catfish strips were so light & delicate but very tasty! Daughter raved about her BLT & husband loved the smoked sausage. We are from Cape but decided this would be our come to place when we are on this side of the river. The beer, wine, food, music & atmosphere is spot on!!!

Nice lunch spot with good beer and wine. Liked the patio. Live music.

Von Jacob is a really cool spot. They have a winery and brewery to fit everyone's taste pallet. I would recommend the Chambourcin wine. The grapes used are unique to this area, they are only grown in southern Illinois. The Drinks in the pictures are the Hefeweizen, which is very good and brewed at Von Jakob and Bell's Amber Ale, which is a local brew in southern Illinois. They have several of their own craft drafts and two rotating. In addition to the great drinks, on the weekends they always have great local music. In the summer Von Jakob has a Blues Brews and BBQ event. I would recommend going to check out Von Jakob when in Southern Illinois.

We come from MN to visit the Shawnee Forest and this was one of the Vineyards we wanted to visit. My wife ordered a tasting and right in the middle of it, the server just walked away to help some guy that rudely interrupted her. The decor was old and plain, the service was.... SubPar. I ordered a flight of beer too and would have been better off ordering just one. They must have just cleaned the lines and didn't rinse the lines afterwards.

I stayed at the bed and breakfast with friends here and also hung out at the winery. This place just had a weird vibe to me. Let's start with the B&B, I've never stayed in one before but it was kind of my understanding the concept of a B&B was to have both under one roof, well not here. You order breakfast the night before and get served in a massive ballroom when your group of 6 is the only one there. (Awkward) Also, there is no living room in the B&B, just 3 master suites, a kitchen and dining room. And a "broken" hot tub outside. (We all saw stem coming from it but were told it didn't work so we just think they didn't want to clean it after we left). So where do you hang out in the house? I guess just sit in an uncomfortable wooden dining room chair. The entry way I guess you would call it has a gas fireplace which really just goes to waste because there is no seating in that "room", just weird. Now the winery itself. I know we were there in the off season so we didn't get to see it looking its best but the wine and beer were the main reason for the trip anyway. The beer is basic at best and the wine just isn't good. It was almost all sweet or super sweet and they were out of quite a few of them at the tasting counter too. If it hadn't been for 2 graduation parties this place would have been a ghost town. They had a band, but again in a giant ballroom it wasn't the right place. Just felt like they were playing to an empty room, no one dancing, clapping or anything. Just very weird again.

Came here as I was passing through the wine trail right after Pomona winery. As I walked in, I noticed the overall space seemed large but was not really being utilized for the general public. We went to the counter to order and service was polite and pretty quick. I am a big craft beer drinker so I asked for a flight of all their beers. It was a $1 per sample glass which is a good deal. They had a dark bock, IPA, pale ale, Apple cider, hefeweizen, seasonal (which they did not have I guess), chocolate stout, and pilsner. Bock- least favorite but I generally am not a bock fan. IPA- lacked complexity compared to all other IPAs I have had. Not as strong either. Pale ale- also lacked character. Tasted weak as well. Apple cider- Fair. It was light and crisp and not as sweet as I expected. Hefeweizen and pilsner- Both decent, but nothing stood out. Stout- tasted like chocolate pudding All pretty weak with no hints of flavor and no real complexity. Almost watered down feeling. Friend had a wine flight which was $2 to select 5. Had the... Kroshenfeler - Better than the other wines. Sweet, but not overbearing. Chambourcin - Dry. Did not get any notes or tannins of its description. More complexity than the other wines, but still missing a lot. Honey blackberry- tasted like medicine to me, but I am also not a fan of wild blue from Anheuser Busch. Similar taste She's a peach- strong scent of sugar and peach. Very sweet as you would expect from a port, however something was off putting about it. Almost artificial compared to Pomona winery's dessert wine. Johnny apple cider- Not as sweet which is good. Does not compare to Pomona winery though and yes I know they are 2 different things :) Wines also felt bland to me. Food was cheap and decent, but the portions are slightly smaller. Fries tasted like cafeteria fries. Would give it a 2 star, but staff was nice and it was priced well for what it is. Would not come here with high expectations for uniqueness or flavor in beer or wine.

Well, one star is for the food and the other for the outside patio overlooking the fields. The main reason I give it such a low rating is that the staff seemed completely unaware that they had customers. They didn't acknowledge us and just let us stand there at the counter while they continued on with their wine blah blah spiel to another group. They did have warm pretzels with a fun mustard dip, so they have that going for them. Also the counters were dirty with sticky wine all over them. I felt like I was in an old frat house.

This was our first stop on our tour of the Shawnee Wine Trail. Having never been to this area, we took the suggestions of friends to plan our stops. This winery is the first on the western side of the trail and we worked our way from the west to the east. There wasn't anyone here when we first arrive on this particular Friday. The wine/brew host was super nice and walked us through our tasting. It cost to do a tasting but it gave us an idea of what we were looking for. We are huge fans of fruity type wines and they didn't disappoint. I settled for a wine slushie while my husband did one of their homemade brews. They do offer a food menu but we had eaten before so skipped that. We went out on their back porch and settled in for a bit, enjoying the scenery and the quiet. People started trickling in during our visit and they were just as friendly to have general conversation with as well. Such a great start to our amazing wine trip!

We loved Von Jakob while we were there until the bartender tried to pull a fast one on us. It was a male with slicked back hair that tried to give us water that has gone through old coffee grounds instead of serving us the bourbon samples that we had requested. We called him out on it and he was a complete coward eventually taking the shots off the tab. This is clearly something they do if they feel someone is over served but that was not the case for us. He is honestly lucky that we are respectable people.

Considering the times we are in and you have chosen to stay open, you think you would be prepared to accommodate customers. You can't sit inside and yet fail to have propane to operate the outdoor heaters. The vibe we got was they were forgetting customer service and could care less if they got our business. This speaks volumes. Not repeating this place even after Covid times. So sad.

We've been to Von Jakob several times. I've not been impressed the times we have come, but this time sparked a need for me to write a review. The positive: Delicious wine Great view The negative: We were given dirty, wilted vegetables on our cheese and vegetable tray. Please look through the photos I posted, they speak for themselves. The description also promised 2 kinds of cheeses and only one was given to us. It hasn't been updated in many years. The service was unprofessional I think when a kitchen sees it fit to serve a tray like this, it speaks volumes for the quality of service expected for the winery as a whole.

We came here on a Saturday afternoon and could not have been more pleased. We have been by in the past and not stopped due to the reviews. There were four in our party, 2 had pizzas, which were delicious. I had the catfish tacos, and the other had the shrimp. We sat on the patio. We had great service and our food was delivered hot and prompt. We did a beer and wine tasting- all were great. We were so happy we stopped! We have been to almost all of the wineries on the trail and would definitely come here again! In regards to COVID, all workers wore masks.

We came out for lunch and had excellent service. The staff quickly took our food order, and provided a great tasting for my wife. The weather was nice so we were able to eat out on their patio. I had the BBQ pork sandwich which was excellent. The bartender, Erik (he was the shift manager), paired a dark beer to the pork and it was a match made in heaven.

The most amazing views! Great service and great beer selections. Our food was amazing! The pizza has the best crust, Crisp and light. Will definitely come back!

Came in for lunch and a tasting on a Saturday. The food was mediocre. I had the pulled pork sandwich and was not very impressed. The grounds here are gorgeous. The venue could also be beautiful with some work. The patio needs to be tended to. The wines tasted good. Nothing remarkable. The Hefeweizen was solid. The guy behind the bar was not particularly knowledgeable.

This was my favorite vineyard in Southern Illinois. I was very sad to hear that Kristofer's (a restaurant inside of the vineyard) had closed due to the loss of the chef. The chef was in a word, excellent. It was open on Friday and Saturday. During the week there is a lunch menu. I haven't been in what must have been a good long while because of all the changes. Needless to say I was saddened. I will say that the staff was super nice. I don't recall her name, but she was super nice. On to my food and wine review.... I ordered the German beef, which was always wonderful. Now the german beef comes on a hamburger bun. It use to come on a roll, but it does still come with a side of au jus. The super delicious salad with the port wine dressing, that normally came with it was now replaced with an average german coleslaw. It was ok, but not what my palate had planned on. The german potatoes were also replaced with fries. Many of my favorite wines that I like to take home were also unavailable and there isn't a specific date of if/when they will return. This vineyard has excellent ports. I love the red oak port, unavailable. The late harvest vidal, which is yummy, not sure if it will return. Im so very sad. I bought she's a peach, which is a port. This wine I always taste before I buy. The taste changes every year and is not good every year. I really miss my favorites. For the person that enjoys beer as well you can also buy several flavors and types of craft beers. If you have never been to this vineyard prior to last year, you won't miss what you never had when it comes to food. Well , I guess wines too.

The only person working when I went in was an inattentive pregnant woman who stole a tip from me. I told her she gave me the wrong change and she said I was wrong. All I got was a 32oz crowler to go.

5 stars is not enough!!! Do not go by the old reviews, the new owners obviously brought new life into this place! Everything about this place is amazing! The food, wine, employees, the bed and breakfast ALL of it phenomenal! The manager, Dalice, went above and beyond to make our stay perfect! She took the time to answer any questions we have and went out of her way to make sure I had decaf coffee! The entire staff made us feel welcome and like family! The breakfast is huge, burgers and pizza were delicious, everything was just perfect! We are already planning our next stay and hopefully bringing friends! Thank you Von Jacobs family for making our first vaca together amazing!

"Meh" would pretty much sum it up. I went there with family on the day of the eclipse. The place itself is pretty nice; great views of the surrounding countryside, lovely outdoor patio, nice tasting room, etc but falls short on many levels. They did have a band playing, but unfortunately it was too hot that day to sit outside. Luckily, they have a nice air-conditioned dining area with big windows to take in the scenery. This place uses a German sounding name to market itself as a Teutonic establishment. I have been to Germany many times and I can tell you that the only thing European about this place is that they charge for water. When ordering, I asked the girl taking the order a couple of questions about the menu. I asked, "what makes the "German beef sandwich" German. Is it like some sort of sauerbraten?" Their website is a little more descriptive so I would have been better off on my iPhone than asking her. She replied with "I dunno...it's just German, I guess." I made the mistake of also asking the difference between the bratwurst and the "German sausage". Me; "what is it, thüringer, knackwurst, etc....?" I got the same reply, not surprisingly. I ordered my "German sausage" and it wasn't bad, really. No one at the table seemed to be that impressed with what they had, though. It was all "extra medium". It wasn't too expensive so that was a plus. It was OK but that's about it. While waiting for my "German sausage", my sister and I went to sample the beers. At least the bartender there there was very sweet and accommodating , unlike "Miss I Dunno". I love a nice German Pils, but Von Jacob's was undrinkable. Even the bartender admitted that most people weren't going for it. I settled on the weissbier. It tasted nice at first but had a bit of a chemical-like aftertaste. It wasn't as pronounced as it was with the pilsner, though. I'm not sure if it was from the water or residue from cleaning solutions but it was noticeable. I am not a wine drinker so can not comment on their wines.

I love this place. The wine is good. some of my favorite Southern Illinois wine.. but the winery itself is really nice too. The tastings will set you back a buck.. but its worth it. The outdoor patio in the back is great. Its wide open with a beautiful view of the part of the actual vinyard. On a nice sunny day.. this is one of the most perfect places in Southern Illinois. Go here when you are looking for a relaxing day.

Von Jakob Vineyard tasting room has moved from it's original location in Pomona to Route 127 in Alto Pass. The directional signs on the road are very confusing as they still point to the vineyard that is closed to the public. The web-site needs to be updated since it claims to have two locations and shows visuals of the quaint vineyard. Trust me, the current location for tastings is not represented well on the website. Aside from the land, the Winery and Brewery is not quaint, or "winery-like" in any way. It is a one story warehouse with dated banquet rooms and bar. They do have a shop that we did not get to see because of a wedding. The view off of the back deck is pretty, but, the facility itself is lackluster. At the very least, they need to add some skylights so it isn't so dark inside and they should seriously consider hiring a decorator. The winery offers beer or wine tastings of 5 samples for $2. If you purchase a bottle, you can get a bucket of ice for $1 and you will need to pay a $2 deposit for small, generic, non-souvenir wine glasses.They offer food, but the menu looked pretty casual compared to what they show on the website video. Perhaps the wedding affected the menu or the upscale food is only offered at certain times/days? They allow you to bring your own food, as well. Sitting in a dark banquet room on a sunny day isn't my idea of a nice day at the wineries, but they did have live music when we were there, which helps ease the pain. While we were on the back deck we asked the waitress for a bucket of ice for the 3 bottles of wine that we purchased and she instructed us to go and get them ourselves for $1 each. I don't intend to include this stop on any future stops along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. I can go anywhere and sit in a dark hall and drink.

It took 45 minutes to get our food and when it came out it was cold. Not luke warm cold. So disappointing! The hard cider was good but the foam filled more of the glass than the cider. Not impressed with the service or the food.

One star is far too generous. We were staying in the area and stopped in. The live music drew us in from the parking lot. Corey Everett was good and fun to listen too. But please look up Corey's schedule and go some where else to listen to him. We went into the "pub" at 6 for dinner. The fact that only a table of 2 sat there should have tipped us off. No staff was there so we added a few tables together to make room for our party of 13. Then a bartender spoke loud enough to let us know we'd need to order food at the bar. We got up and found our own menus. Then a waitress showed up after all. We were ordering on 3 different tickets but after the first family ordered the waitress left to put their ticket in and our other 2 families sat and waited 10 min for her return. 3 of us ordered off their "specials" menu- the BBQ chicken pizza. Everybody else had a sandwich with their German potato salad. The Philly cheese steak sandwiches came out after 30 min. That's a long time to make a sandwich. The sandwich did have roast beef but the onion and peppers were raw and even refrigerator cold. Not that it was hot food but we encouraged those that got their meals to go ahead and eat. Then the bbq chicken sandwiches came out- none of us ordered bbq chicken sandwiches. Even our waitress said to the server I wrote bbq pizza. The server who appeared to be more like a manager as we saw her in every location and position around the restaurant asked if we really wanted pizza. UH, yeah. She said she'd get that into the kitchen right away. At this points it's 6:45 and 6 of our 13 have finished their meals. At 7 we checked in at the bar in the tasting room as we still didn't have our meals and our waitress was no where to be seen. At 7:15, the server/ manager delivered out 3 BBQ pizzas and the remaining sandwiches. The BBQ pizza, the special for the night, wasn't even BBQ it was Buffalo spice flavored. Then followed the rib-eye sandwiches, a dry hoagie bun with 2 oz of rib-eye flopped on top. It lacked meat, there were no onions caramelized or raw, and no horseradish aioli described on the menu (see pic). In their favor, they comped most of the meals which was great because it certainly wasn't what we ordered or expected. There are plenty of wineries and/or breweries to visit in S IL. Please do so.

I had been to this winery tasting room a few years ago and enjoyed their wines. So when I passed back through recently I decided to go again. Something must have changed here. The amount of wine you get for each tasting was extremely little. You know how you turn your glass upside down to get the last drop? That's close to the amount of wine I got per tasting. How exactly is that a tasting? I have visited plenty of other wineries while in Southern Illinois, and definitely was given bigger amounts than this. When I first started tasting, there was only a couple other people inside. I ordered some food and asked if I could take my tasting outside to the patio since I remember enjoying the view. At one point when I came back in to get my next tasting, I was very curtly told by a lady that I wasn't supposed to go out back while I was tasting. I mentioned that another person had told me I could. She said it was hard to know who had a tasting and I had to stay in. She came off very rude. Many of the California wineries I'm used to going to are perfectly fine with you exploring their grounds while you taste that are much bigger than this. Locally, other So IL wineries allowed it. I had actually went to another one earlier that same day that didn't care. Many of the wineries I visit all over the US will even offer you an extra tasting if there is a specific wine you were interested in buying. I doubt this is even a possibility here based upon the attitude I received. Isn't the point to sell more of your wine? The atmosphere certainly has changed here. The place comes off more like a bar these days. By the time I left, it was extremely loud in there and very busy. That's probably why they need people to stay inside. If you are looking for the quiet relaxing wine tasting experience, stay away from here. If you are looking for a pub, here you go. Both are good for the right circumstances, I just wasn't expecting that. Crowded means their business is doing well, so are they just penny pinching their tastings because they can? And are they just being rude because there is plenty of other customers? It is their business and they can choose how to run it. That's fine. I as a customer also have the choice to not come here any more or recommend it to any of my visiting friends. Good luck with the wine, too bad your customer service gets a 1 star.

Thanks, Josh, for not addressing the main gripe of my comment (you know, the one I prefaced with "But this is what made me give Von Jakob one star"). In debate, I believe we call this a deflection. Oh well. Congrats on your accolades. Curious how many ciders were in that category, given that the terroir of So. Ill is more conducive to growing sweet apples (i.e., those not typically used in ciders). Your ciders might work for those accustomed to those that are heavy on sugar and light on nuance (and credit to Apple Knocker for at least attempting dry ciders, given the inherent difficulties with the fruit in achieving that particular goal), but in comparison to anything produced in the Methode Champenoise (Basque, French, Upstate NY, Pacific NW, and even some Michigan cideries)--anyone who has experience with cider would join me using the adjective "syrupy." But again, why not address the outright lie I was given by your employee? Guess it wasn't important. Cheers.

Initial view, from road, was less than positive. Building "face" looked sort of "roadside", not too inviting. Inside, facility appeared better. Large room for events (I suppose) off the tasting room area. Compared to other wine venues on the Shawnee Wine Trail, this was at the lower scale. Yet, I enjoyed the "Hillside Red" and brought a bottle home! Who knows!!!

Visit is off season but I enjoyed my beer my waive her wine. Live music a little loud but not were we couldn't talk. Full crowd it would have been fine. Cold weather and the doors all closed didn't help Place is clean and servers were quick to help But they had maybe 50 customers I have been here when it was full it can get little crazy.

Came for an even by far the worst service I have ever had in my 30 years. We waited 43 mins for a drink once she asked for our order we told her and she turned and walked over to wait on someone she knew who had just walked up. I will NEVER come back for any reason and would never recommend this place to anyone please stay away.

The winery is good, the bed and breakfast not so much. We didn't even stay the time we paid for. They need to update décor - farmhouse maybe? (1980's want their décor back), fix an outside sitting area , flowers and just clean up in general. Nice sheets, bedding and towels would be a plus as well along with no spiders in the bathtub. "welcome basket" was pretty weak (string cheese and Hershey's kisses in a dollar store basket). This place makes me want to open a B&B cause I could do so much better. I can't even pick 1 star.

We stumbled across Von Jakob after doing a few wineries along the trail. We were excited because this place also was a brewery too! WE WISH WE WENT HERE FIRST BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE STATED ALL DAY!! Angie and Eric were absolutely amazing. The place was so clean. They had an amazing sitting room where the wine and beer counters were. The large banquet hall was so nice and the outside area will be so cool when the weather gets better. Of the 4 stops we made, this place had my favorite wines AND the fresh brewed beer was great. This is a great place for people who want a variety, beer and wine. They are prepping to expand and we can't wait to go back and stay at the bed and breakfast! THIS STOP IS A MUST ON THE WINE TRAIL!!

Diana, who checked us in, was FABULOUS!!! This is our 2nd stay with Von Jakob in the last 5 years. Diana made our weekend extra special!! We learned of places to visit, including hiking trails and live music. Our breakfast was incredible & included bacon that they cured in-house. Best bacon in the country!!! The portions of breakfast were huge. The atmosphere was happy! We had a lovely time and can't wait to come back!!!

We visited all 11 wineries today on a Wine Paring Tour. This was our favorite! Clean, fabulous food, wonderful wine. Personnel were cheerful and helpful. The place was busy and running smoothly.

I would give this a 7 out of 7, as I enjoyed all 7 samples I tried of cider, slush and wine. I liked that their wines were exactly as I would expect and as described-very accurate. All of their wines I tried were in the true German style which I also liked!

The Von Jacob Bed and Breakfast has the most luxurious bathrooms I've used. Rooms are nicely decorated. Enjoyed being outside in the hot tub looking at the green view. The bathroom is so luxurious with the marble and big whirlpool with dual shower heads. Very romantic. We got to choose a free bottle of wine and that came with snacks; add the free breakfast, and that's worth about half the price of the weekday room. For breakfast you choose what you want when you check in. If, for example, you are vegan, you can easily order oatmeal and toast. Stay at Von Jacob. Guests may want to unplug the room refrigerator, because it will come on several times in the night and the noise may wake you.

This place was meant to be the German style Beer Garten/ brewery/restaurant. The band played very loud. They were actually good! People had a blast. It took a long time to get the bartenders attention. My server was great tho, juggling multiple tasks wtih some amazing efficiency. The menus were filthy from the liquor being spilled all over them, yes: my bartender wiped it out for me) Wines were ok. i hear good things of their beer. Order of pizza took forever (yes, they were busy.) By the time I finished, I really had to run, so I could not wait for my $3 for the glass. I dont care for the glass, I left it either way. I just don't think this was such a great idea. Nice deck, nice view. Also: the deck provides a nice alternative for the loud interior. I personally did not like it. But I would not discourage others from trying out this place.

I will absolutely never understand the hype about this place. I've been going on the wine trails for about 12 years now. We tried Von Jakob the first year and decided to skip it for the next 9 years! Tried it again when the new location opened. Still hated it. We tried the beer samples and I nearly gagged. We couldn't even finish our drinks. Guess we'll try it again in another 9 years.