Last week Christopher and I tried a new, to us, spot for a burger and a beer, Michael Waltrip Brewing in Bristol, VA. Just a couple blocks off State Street in downtow Bristol, this brewery has a nice selection of beers and a great food menu starring shareable bar food, burgers, and sandwiches.

Christopher tried the Two Time Vamanos and I tried the Bump and Run Classic Wheat, both were good, but the Bump and Run was our favorite of the two.

Now for the burgers! I ordered the It’s Bristol Baby, Classic Burger which was really nice, and Christopher ordered the One-Five Burger, also delicious and holy smokes those onion rings were good. We shared one off of his burger and now know that next time we will be getting onion rings instead of fries no matter the upcharge because, YUM! The fries were good, but over-salted.

Everything tasted fresh and we’d eat all of it again, but I think next time we want to try the PJ1, Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger and the Sup Dog?, with onion rings of course.

You can also take a peek at their brewing operation, which is always fun. So many big tanks full of yummy beer to see.

Our server was super helpful and nice. She thought they had run out of the beer I ordered halfway through my pour so she brought it to me and said I could pick something else and the first half was on the house, but then she found another keg of the beer and I ended up with a beer and a half for the price of one, obviously it was my lucky day.

They also have swag and canned beer to go, just in case you need a little somethin’ to take home,

We told my parents about the brewery and they wanted to try it, so we went back for a second visit a couple days later.

This time I tried the Bristol Sunshine Tangerine Ale, my dad got Wheel Man Brown Ale, and my brother got the 3 Ranges Appalachian Ale. I really liked the tangerine ale, it was citrusy and bright. My brother said the 3 Ranges was a little fruitier than caramely, with a big alcohol content. All of us would get these beers again.

We started with the Shake and Bake Fries appetizer, a plate of fries covered in chili, beer cheese, bacon, diced tomatoes, and one jalapeno slice. Pretend I took a picture before we ate half of it. We all liked the fries and I think it would be a good snack for a couple people if you were just hanging out to have a beer or two and a snack.

My mom got the It’s Bristol Baby, Classic Burger (scroll to the pics of our first visit for that pic) and then pictured above (clockwise from top left) my brother had the Fancy Truffle Burger & fries, Christopher had the PJ1 Peanut Butter and Jelly Burger & a side salad, my dad had the Sup Dog & onion rings, and I had the grilled chicken sandwich with apple butter bbq sauce instead of honey mustard & onion rings.

This time the burgers and onion rings were overcooked, so that was less than ideal, but the fries weren’t over-salted, so that was good. My chicken sandwich was great and my dad really liked his chili cheese dog, so they could definitely work on consistency.

I would absolutely go back, and hopefully the kitchen inconsistencies are temporary. If you find yourself in downtown Bristol, get yourself to Michael Waltrip Brewing and give it a try.