I tried the Swim Advisory IPA and it was pretty good. I got a growler of it to take home. They only had one person working so the wait time was a bit longer than expected but the man working was handling it like a pro. I will definitely return. There is and massive amount of space and it is very comfortable even with the crowd that was there to see the singer that was performing.
Howard F.
A pleasant brewery in Lake Anna (with a great name and theme, and associated T-shirts). We had a flight to try a few. I particularly liked the traditional Hefeweizen, while my wife gravitated to the tart cherry Hefeweizen. She also liked the Ipatopia, a sharp IPA, but neither of us were keen on the Penny's Tavern Red.No food here, other than a few packaged snacks, just beer and wine.
Tim O'Keefe
Good beerFriendly staffGreat indoor and outdoor venueSolid food truckLocal live music
Brenden V.
Hidden gem! Both beers I had were awesome. The outdoor space is nice too. We were the only people there which worries me. The employee we talked to was very nice and helpful.
CJ T.
I was drawn to Cooling Pond Brewery by a story in the "Central Virginian" about a Jazz festival happening on Saturday. After arriving, I wandered into the main building, tap room. Cooling pond has plenty of seating inside and outside on the covered patio. The beer maid turned out to be one of the proprietors. Lori informed me that the bands were cancelled due to a storm warning. As it happened, it did not rain, but it was a nice day to be out and discovering new places. There is a nice stage with a grassy knoll for lounging and listening to the music. If you wander just past the stage area, there are some vines growing in the back. Beer seems to be the main focus, but it appears they also have wine. I looked down the extensive selection and settled on an Irish Stout. It was creamy and delicious. It is nice place to cool off and grab a micro brew. You can get various sizes of pours and they may have a sampler set. The Pond does have other events that are listed on their website. On their site is also a list of their beers and tasing notes. coolingpondbrewery.comThe people are knowledgeable and friendly. The beer is good and the grounds are lovely to walk around or just sit and sip a brew. If you are around the lake on a hot day, it is worth a drop in.
Ross Sandberg
They were rude to my friend because she tried to pay with a Capital One card, because I guess they have some petty dispute with that bank. What a foolish hill to die on. The beer was mediocre anyway. Never going back.
Anthony Couillard
Great little Brewery near Lake Anna nestled down a little stone driveway. Staying for the week with some friends, we decided to check CPB out. Cute place with seating all around. There is a cover deck out back and front. They have a stage where I'm sure they have live music. The group got a number of flights and really enjoyed them all.
Cindy Robertson Chandler
Great place! Now they have wine!
John Stephansky
I don’t like to hit small businesses hard, but this is a place that I have been to a couple of times and I’m not sure that I’m going to go back to. Hear me out- The place is gorgeous. Awesome building, inviting, and the server that helped us last time was amazing. However, a few things. The second to last time we went there, the one lady who we’ve seen there before (and I assume is part owner) doesn’t greet us, seems perpetually annoyed, and just doesn’t exactly make us feel welcome. Now, to be clear, my wife and I are about as easy to please as they come and super understanding 99.9% of the time. But it keeps happening to where it’s always someone else who has to greet us after a delay and despite the lady standing there, or we have to wait until she gets around to finally wanting to greet us and help. She seemed pretty friendly to the couple of folks who seem to be regulars. It’s just a weird feeling we get every time we go.Next, the beer isn’t bad. Not the best I have had, but far from the worst. We go to a LOT of breweries, and we know that flavor is subjective. However, we really haven’t had a beer there that has blown us away. I won’t chalk that up as good or bad, just neutral for us, really.Finally, I noticed a 3.5% surcharge added to every card used after I was in the process of paying the tab. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me, personally. You can find from my other reviews that I do not go places that add on fees for the privilege of using their services. This place is not cheap- not be a long shot. The fact of the matter is that the beer industry holds about 400% margins in their products. Yet, you want to squeeze another 3.5% out of me? I get that running a brewery is expensive, but the fact that you’re grabbing another 1.25% (off of the 2.25% surcharge from the credit card company) tells me a lot about your business practices.Bonus- we went to sit on the couches that we have sat on before to enjoy our beer. But they cordoned off the area for their “club members.” So being only two out of the 8 or so patrons in the place, we didn’t even feel welcome to relax as we have before and had to sit on wooden chairs instead of comfy couches. We didn’t want to be awkward about it, so we drank our beers, returned our glasses to the bar, thanked the staff, and quietly departed.Upside- nice place, super nice support staff. Beer isn’t bad, and certainly worth a try if you haven’t had it. Something for everyone.Downside- Owner doesn’t seem friendly towards us during the times we’ve been there, they upcharge non-cash, and you have to sit in the wooden chairs unless you’re in the “club.”We’ve gone there our last time, I think.
Rebecca Davis
Beautiful! A warm, family-friendly atmosphere that embodies the flavor of Lake Anna! They also boast the "Closest Thang" to my fav brew on tap ? Cheers! ? Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas ??✨️ and Best Wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023! ??Rebecca ?, OwnerLakescapes LLC
I love the atmosphere at the Cooling Pond, and the beer is fantastic! Such a relaxing and friendly place to hang out, with plenty of seating indoors and out. Always a bonus when they have live music on the weekends or a big event. family and dog friendly. And as an extra extra bonus they also serve wine and cider.
Joy B.
My son is the beer connoisseur in the family and he wanted to check out this brewery. The people running the brewery were very nice and hospitable. The have a huge tasting room with lots of seats. There is also outdoor seating and have live music on occasion. An extra plus, was the lovely local artwork that was displayed in the brewery. I tasted my sons beer and it was full bodied and refreshing. I think they need to put some work into the outdoor design. I liked the beer and thought the service was excellent.
Susan Casey Kingsbury
Great beer, great friend We love their variety of food trucks and events
sherry monroe
Only one bathroom sucks. And the woman selling the beer has NO PERSONALITY.... almost rude.....great outside area..
Phillip F.
It was a great first time. Only thing upsetting was we had planned on visiting a couple days prior, based on website stated opening days/hrs, and when arriving found a chained gate. A sign or notice on the Facebook page of the unplanned closure would have been helpful of a wasted trip. This aside, the beers had when we did go were very good and varied. It's common for microbrews to have very similar flavored beers. The staff were extremely friendly. We went on a Friday and got to enjoy some local live music, too!
I tried the Swim Advisory IPA and it was pretty good. I got a growler of it to take home. They only had one person working so the wait time was a bit longer than expected but the man working was handling it like a pro. I will definitely return. There is and massive amount of space and it is very comfortable even with the crowd that was there to see the singer that was performing.
A pleasant brewery in Lake Anna (with a great name and theme, and associated T-shirts). We had a flight to try a few. I particularly liked the traditional Hefeweizen, while my wife gravitated to the tart cherry Hefeweizen. She also liked the Ipatopia, a sharp IPA, but neither of us were keen on the Penny's Tavern Red.No food here, other than a few packaged snacks, just beer and wine.
Good beerFriendly staffGreat indoor and outdoor venueSolid food truckLocal live music
Hidden gem! Both beers I had were awesome. The outdoor space is nice too. We were the only people there which worries me. The employee we talked to was very nice and helpful.
I was drawn to Cooling Pond Brewery by a story in the "Central Virginian" about a Jazz festival happening on Saturday. After arriving, I wandered into the main building, tap room. Cooling pond has plenty of seating inside and outside on the covered patio. The beer maid turned out to be one of the proprietors. Lori informed me that the bands were cancelled due to a storm warning. As it happened, it did not rain, but it was a nice day to be out and discovering new places. There is a nice stage with a grassy knoll for lounging and listening to the music. If you wander just past the stage area, there are some vines growing in the back. Beer seems to be the main focus, but it appears they also have wine. I looked down the extensive selection and settled on an Irish Stout. It was creamy and delicious. It is nice place to cool off and grab a micro brew. You can get various sizes of pours and they may have a sampler set. The Pond does have other events that are listed on their website. On their site is also a list of their beers and tasing notes. coolingpondbrewery.comThe people are knowledgeable and friendly. The beer is good and the grounds are lovely to walk around or just sit and sip a brew. If you are around the lake on a hot day, it is worth a drop in.
They were rude to my friend because she tried to pay with a Capital One card, because I guess they have some petty dispute with that bank. What a foolish hill to die on. The beer was mediocre anyway. Never going back.
Great little Brewery near Lake Anna nestled down a little stone driveway. Staying for the week with some friends, we decided to check CPB out. Cute place with seating all around. There is a cover deck out back and front. They have a stage where I'm sure they have live music. The group got a number of flights and really enjoyed them all.
Great place! Now they have wine!
I don’t like to hit small businesses hard, but this is a place that I have been to a couple of times and I’m not sure that I’m going to go back to. Hear me out- The place is gorgeous. Awesome building, inviting, and the server that helped us last time was amazing. However, a few things. The second to last time we went there, the one lady who we’ve seen there before (and I assume is part owner) doesn’t greet us, seems perpetually annoyed, and just doesn’t exactly make us feel welcome. Now, to be clear, my wife and I are about as easy to please as they come and super understanding 99.9% of the time. But it keeps happening to where it’s always someone else who has to greet us after a delay and despite the lady standing there, or we have to wait until she gets around to finally wanting to greet us and help. She seemed pretty friendly to the couple of folks who seem to be regulars. It’s just a weird feeling we get every time we go.Next, the beer isn’t bad. Not the best I have had, but far from the worst. We go to a LOT of breweries, and we know that flavor is subjective. However, we really haven’t had a beer there that has blown us away. I won’t chalk that up as good or bad, just neutral for us, really.Finally, I noticed a 3.5% surcharge added to every card used after I was in the process of paying the tab. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me, personally. You can find from my other reviews that I do not go places that add on fees for the privilege of using their services. This place is not cheap- not be a long shot. The fact of the matter is that the beer industry holds about 400% margins in their products. Yet, you want to squeeze another 3.5% out of me? I get that running a brewery is expensive, but the fact that you’re grabbing another 1.25% (off of the 2.25% surcharge from the credit card company) tells me a lot about your business practices.Bonus- we went to sit on the couches that we have sat on before to enjoy our beer. But they cordoned off the area for their “club members.” So being only two out of the 8 or so patrons in the place, we didn’t even feel welcome to relax as we have before and had to sit on wooden chairs instead of comfy couches. We didn’t want to be awkward about it, so we drank our beers, returned our glasses to the bar, thanked the staff, and quietly departed.Upside- nice place, super nice support staff. Beer isn’t bad, and certainly worth a try if you haven’t had it. Something for everyone.Downside- Owner doesn’t seem friendly towards us during the times we’ve been there, they upcharge non-cash, and you have to sit in the wooden chairs unless you’re in the “club.”We’ve gone there our last time, I think.
Beautiful! A warm, family-friendly atmosphere that embodies the flavor of Lake Anna! They also boast the "Closest Thang" to my fav brew on tap ? Cheers! ? Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas ??✨️ and Best Wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023! ??Rebecca ?, OwnerLakescapes LLC
Restaurantji Recommends
I love the atmosphere at the Cooling Pond, and the beer is fantastic! Such a relaxing and friendly place to hang out, with plenty of seating indoors and out. Always a bonus when they have live music on the weekends or a big event. family and dog friendly. And as an extra extra bonus they also serve wine and cider.
My son is the beer connoisseur in the family and he wanted to check out this brewery. The people running the brewery were very nice and hospitable. The have a huge tasting room with lots of seats. There is also outdoor seating and have live music on occasion. An extra plus, was the lovely local artwork that was displayed in the brewery. I tasted my sons beer and it was full bodied and refreshing. I think they need to put some work into the outdoor design. I liked the beer and thought the service was excellent.
Great beer, great friend We love their variety of food trucks and events
Only one bathroom sucks. And the woman selling the beer has NO PERSONALITY.... almost rude.....great outside area..
It was a great first time. Only thing upsetting was we had planned on visiting a couple days prior, based on website stated opening days/hrs, and when arriving found a chained gate. A sign or notice on the Facebook page of the unplanned closure would have been helpful of a wasted trip. This aside, the beers had when we did go were very good and varied. It's common for microbrews to have very similar flavored beers. The staff were extremely friendly. We went on a Friday and got to enjoy some local live music, too!