Thank You! I've brought this up numerous times with family/friends ... it's not just Big River, but all the 'chain' brew pubs. They suck people in with the cool 'We brew on site'. Guess what? Just because it's brewed on site doesn't mean it's going to be good. It doesn't have to be a crazy imperial stout or belgian ale, but if you're going to do a standard lager or pale ale, it should stand out make you want to visit the brewpub. If Brooklyn Lager or New Belgium Fat Tire are great gateway brews for starters, why can't a brewpub offer some good gateway beers for the masses. Why am I going to order a wheat from Big River if can walk over to the german pavillion at Epcot and grab a Fraziskaner? Oh, because Brig River brews on site
I'd even take a Kona Fire Rock Pale over the Pale Ale served at Big River.
When you have a chain brewpub with a captive customer base, there is just no need to up the quality. I'll probably still drop in if I'm hungry for a burger or snacks, but the beer will not be the main reason for my visit. They do have a pretty decent burger in my opinion