We live right up the road. We watched as our beloved Duke's was dismantled. Our nostalgia was quickly replaced with excitement when we realized that a brewery was moving in. Jackpot!
Eh, not so much. The beer was okay. I'm far from a beer snob, but I've had much better from other microbreweries in the city. The decor was minimal... In a not so great way. I think this place will be much better in the summer. There were large garage-door looking panels in the back that I'm assuming/hoping open up. Until then, if the HofbrÀuhaus went with a more cafeteria motif, that's the ambiance. We couldn't get past the smell, either. It wasn't that perfume-y hoppy smell. It smelled like a frat house, like old, stale beer that had been spilled on the floor days before.
Our bartender acted like we were inconveniencing her and made remarks (that could have been jokes) about precisely how much we were doing just that, but we weren't so sure that she was joking. It was awkward and bad form. There were also extended periods of time where no one was behind the bar. We had our beers and were fine, but watched as other customers at the bar took note of their absence and were pretty annoyed.
I know that new places need time to work out the kinks. I'm sure we'll try it again. I hope to be able to update with a more positive review, especially once we get to try the food. But for now...meh.