There is a point in time when a young person realizes that they are no longer as invincible as they once were. For Kait, Melissa and I, day 3 of Philly was that day. As I laid in bed trying to piece together last night by revisiting our excellent time at Eulogy, a strong desire to vomit uncontrollably was the only thing that had come to mind.
But we’re still youngish and we held that sh*t in like champs.
Our shower game was weak and slow, our breakfast game was practically non-existent and our fridge leftovers sadly didn’t make it back into the car before we left our hotel in a hazy state of mind as headed to the first brewery of the day. Yeah, we’re not done Philly. Round 3 – Fight.
Dock Street Brewing Company
Now we’ve hit breweries in the ghetto before and during this trip, but this place might actually win an award for “Deepest Penetration of Gentrification” by the Society of Hipsters. It was so bad that we circled several blocks seeking parking no more than 1,000 feet away while and hiding every valuable from plain sight in my BMW. Now, my love for the BMW X3 is bitter/sweet, so I always am secretly hoping for her abduction; but this was a rare occasion where I actually thought it would be the last time I laid my eyes on her.
Walking quickly to the brewery entrance, the voice of Pastor Ronald L Green of the Hickman Temple Church boomed through the atmosphere at deafening decibels. Keep in mind, this church was a few blocks away. The “Power of Christ” compelled us to “Rise up and face the devil.” We believe that was church talk for order 2 pizzas and 1 flight to split to nurse our hangover outside on a such a sunshiny, warm day.
Dock Street makes excellent pizza in a wide range of varieties guaranteed to sooth the soul of any God fearing, hung-over adult any time of the day. Now I realize we were there for the beer, but we were still on the struggle bus at this point and had to nurse our baby flight of 5 between the three of us.
In a weird and unusual coincidence; three of the beers scored a 3.25 (slightly above average) score on Untappd. They were the West of Center Pale Ale, Festbier, and the Royal Bohemian Pilsner. Beer number four, Golden IPA scored a 3.75. Unfortunately, we had to double up on one of our picks as they only had four offerings that day so we grabbed another easy drinking Festbier. Now even though we were still a little hungover, our palates were pretty refreshed by this point and we have to point out that this stop isn’t worth the schlep for the beer alone. Like most craft beer we have now a days, it was good for what it was, but not worth a repeat stop unless we were locals.
Dock Street is located in one of the more blight ridden areas, but don’t let that deter you from enjoying a pint and a pie. Just park as close as possible to the brewery and you will probably make it out of there just fine. While we can’t wholeheartedly recommend stopping here strictly for beer, the pizza was delicious and the service was quick. The sermon amped through the community was just a bonus experience. Dock Street Brewing Company receives a 3.25 HALLELUJAHS! out of 5.
Tired Hands
Arguably one of the most well-known breweries in the Northeast; Tired Hands needs no introduction to the beer community. Their sophisticated, carbonated creations speak for themselves and the growler label can be spotted up to 10 yards away; or so we’re told.
Due to the limited amount of time we had left, we made a strategic decision to only hit the Fermentaria over on 35 Cricket Terrace in Ardmore, and not the actual brewpub on 16 Ardmore ave. And by strategic, I mean Kait and Melissa love sour beers so lets check out all the funky stuff they had in their massive, gorgeous fermentaria.
This place was beautifully designed to the reflect the ever popular industrial chic atmosphere. The back ¼ of the room contained several fermenters including one unusual concrete egg shaped one that was brand new; the brewers didn’t really know how it was going to impact the beer. The bartender was pretty sure it was a gimmick.
Aesthetics aside, we had some great fresh pours and would have stayed all afternoon if we were locals. There was a crazy amount of IPAs on draft, so I’m disappointed we couldn’t stay longer. But the life of a beerventurer means we always have very limited time. So we decided to go with four brews we’ve never had: Fuzzier Yellow double IPA, Science Experiment IPA, Fog Phantom saison and Lil’ Lady saison.
Fuzzier Yellow, did a good job at hiding the 8.3% but was supposed to taste of peaches; it did not. Had the description not referenced peach flavor, I may have liked it a bit more than I gave it credit. Science Experiment IPA was more palatable experience overall; and it wasn’t hopped to death like some citras attempt. It was a citra, so Melissa did enjoy it for what it was but it was an average citra that did its job without bringing anything new to the table.
Fog Phantom Saison was the beer from the egg. It was a mild sour and a bit tangy. I tasted a slight metallic flavor, but Melissa and Kait didn’t notice it. Maybe it was just my taste buds? Overall it was an excellent beer, but was nothing in comparison to our last sample; Lil’ Lady. Lil’ Lady is a tea and honey flavored saison that was fermented in a wine barrel. Needless to say, it earned our highest rating out of the four. This beer was essentially perfect, and the only thing that I personally didn’t like was that it was more tart than I could appreciate.
Tired Hands Fermentaria (and the regular brew house) make excellent beer. We may not have picked out the strongest flight from them, but they certainly had enough offerings to please just about everyone. Tired Hands Fermentaria earns a 4.25 concrete eggs out of 5.
Iron Hill Brewery
Iron Hill is a chain of 12 brewpubs in 3 states (DE, PA, NJ) that makes your average and well rounded craft beer to cater to the masses over lunch and dinner. I’ve hit Iron Hill brewery in Delaware, so I had a decent understanding of what to expect both beer and food wise at Iron Hill in Ardmore PA.
We skipped the food here since we were anticipating great pizza at Earth Bread a few stops later. So we went straight to the beer. Their lineup is rather lengthy, but time is still not on our side so we just grabbed three small samples and quickly departed.
YIPPEE-KI-P-A, Pumpkin Ale, and the Munich Dunkel. The YIPPEE-KI-P-A is a very well rounded cascade IPA. Not overly piney and not overly hopped. Its a great lunch beer to be had with a burger. Pumpkin Ale from Iron Hill is the classic allspice and no pumpkin take on this style of beer. Something which I loath, but basic white girls be all about. Needless to say, Kait and Melissa enjoyed this beer. Lastly, was the Dunkel. While it’s not a rare style of beer, it’s one that seldom makes a tap lineup. Dunkels are typically dark amber lagers that are more malty than a classic red would be. They’re also usually very sweet, refreshing and not so hoppy. So, it was a very enjoyable brew.
Iron Hill makes slightly above average beer that won’t cater to people who expect more from their beer. There was nothing super enjoyable here, so we’re not going to dwell further. Iron Hill is excellent for what it is, a chain brewpub that serves some excellent food and brews that are better than common macro swill. Iron Hill receives an average 2.5 YIPPEE-KI-YEAHS out of 5.
Manayunk Brewing Company
We never realized how big Philadelphia was until hitting all these breweries. It’s so big in fact that Manayunk brewing is still technically in Philly; despite being roughly eight miles from downtown and the area clearly no longer looking like Philly proper. This neighborhood was more reminiscent of a random backwoods PA town than Philly. All the roads were packed with cars and we may have parked illegally but it was all in the name of beer.
Manayunk Brewing Company is a huge establishment complete with a sushi bar, tiki bar and excellent view of the river if you sit outside. Since it was a nice day, and we were starting to get cabin fever from all the travel, we sat down at the outdoor tiki bar and ordered one flight; which was super cheap and had all 9 of their drafts.
As usual, from worst to best Light Bohemian Blonde, Pink Peppercorn Wingman, Lock 70 Stout, Hoppa Smurf IPA, Passion Fruit Brotherly Love cider, Ficus Carica Sour Ale, Big Hoppa 2x IPA, Down Gose Frazier, and Crunch peanut butter porter. Obviously this was a lot of beer so lets just cut to the good stuff.
Andrews – Big Hoppa imperial IPA is a 9% brew that is double dry-hopped with heavy amounts of citra. If this was a lower abv, it would fall in the realm of juice bombs, but the higher the abv the more it falls into the screw-driver category. It was delicious. Crunch is their chocolate peanut butter porter that was smooth and creamy. If we had a scoop of ice cream in a float glass, this would make a delicious dessert. If I had to get a full pour I’d take Big Hoppa for lunch and Crunch for dinner.
Kait and Melissa – Obviously these two picked a few alternatives. They really enjoyed the Pink Peppercorn Saison (I was all saisoned out by this point), the Frazier Gose; and of course Crunch was the best. The Pink Peppercorn was exactly as advertised. Saison base and a peppercorn finish; not sure if the pink peppercorn made a difference in the taste. The Frazier Gose was, according to the girls, “ohh, pretty.” This beer was sweet, very sour and absolutely bombed with cherries. If it had a higher abv, it probably would be an after dinner cordial; that’s how cherry it is.
Manayunk seems like the go to spot for town. It was barely lunch and this place was packed to the brim Sunday afternoon. I wish we had more time at Manayunk, and in this burrow in general as it seemed like a very hipster area. Manayunk of Hipster-country-side-Philadelphia earned 4.25 free popcorn basket refills out of 5. And good luck finding parking.
Earth Bread + Brewery
Its finally pizza time; or in this case a good old-fashioned, eco-minded, family friendly brewpub served flatbread. This of course is the well known Earth Bread + Brewery. Most breweries we visit tend to blend in with their surroundings, or in some cases are just plain unmarked and we haven’t the slightest idea where the thing is. Earth Bread on the other hand has this giant, hard to miss mural which was much appreciated.
Upon entering the two story brewery, we ascended the stairs to the small bar for a quick flight and some flatbread pies. Normally we’re not a fan of the flatbread, but we were pretty famished and there was a pizza named the Hunter. This is the rare occasion where I will eat a flatbread; three different animals, two different cheeses and one spicy marinara crafted perfectly on a carb-loaded, elongated piece of bread.
Ok, I deviated, but the food was mouth watering good. The beer on the other hand… Not so special. They had three of their own offerings, and a few others from local breweries. From least to most favorite we had XRay lager, Drumpf Pale Ale, and Gonna Lay Down my Burden Biere de Garde.
XRay and Drumpf were very average style beers, so there really wasn’t much to say about either. Gonna Lay Down my Burden was slightly better but not much else was going on inside the beer. A Biere de Garde sounds fancy, but it’s more or less an amber beer with more earthy flavors. I wish we had more to say about the beer, but there isn’t really any story to tell.
We had high hopes for Earth Bread + Brewery as it came highly recommended. We did enjoy the quaint atmosphere and solid food, but the beer wasn’t really anything special or worth the detour if you’re in the Philly area. Earth Bread + Brewery earned a meager 2.5 out of 5.
Forest & Main
When you think brewery you think industrial park, or you think downtown, or you think middle-of-nowhere-why-did-we-drive-out-here-for-four-samples-one-bottle-and-a-t-shirt. Then every once in awhile you stumble into a brewery that’s in a residential neighborhood in an old house. Forest & Main Brewing Company, on the corner of Forest and Main in Ambler, PA is one of those rare occasions.
It was a “cute old house” according to Melissa’s notes, and a very quaint feel (more so than Earth Bread). The bar area is on the left when you walk in and had space for only a handful of guests at the bar, but the rest of the house seemed open to walk around if you’re so inclined. But we were on a time crunch, so straight to the beer.
They didn’t do flights, so we each picked a beer from the menu and ended up with some stellar saisons. Charm Quark, Ash & Alder, and Therianthrope. The Ash & Alder saison was my pick since it appeared to be the most dry-hopped (Mosaic) of the bunch. Melissa went in for the Charm Quark; a orange creamsicle/ mango concoction. It certainly hit all the notes described and Melissa wasn’t to happy to share it.
Lastly, Kait needed something a little more dark and cherry in her life; Therianthrope. A dark saison that was fermented on oak chips, cherries and pears. We thought the cherry and oak flavors certainly shined through but we missed the pear bit. Don’t let that discourage you from grabbing a tulip of this draft though; it was our top pick from Forest & Main.
We’ve heard great things about this brewery, and it certainly lived up to the hype, perhaps even more so than Tired Hands (gasp, heretic!). Forest & Main should be a primary stop on anyone’s trip in or out of Philly. Even though we didn’t hit varying styles, we’re confident that the complexities offered in their saisons also extend to their IPAs, porters and ales. Forest & Main earns a coveted spot in our modest beerventuring map as a must hit 5 out of 5. Oh, and we didn’t even mention they’re also a brewpub. So take more than an hour to visit if you can!
Prism Brewing Company
Prism Brewing Company was the second to last stop on our Philly excursion, and unlike Forest & Main, was a pain the a** to find. It was “that” brewery of the trip that made us drive around scratching our heads saying “alright, we give up, where the hell are you.” Luckily it wasn’t a terrible deviation from our planned route home, so it didn’t earn the “middle-of-nowhere” badge.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Lets skip this one, it’s a pain to find. Well you will be happy to know that since we visited, they’ve moved into a more spacious and easier to find location.
So Prism Brewing Company had 5 of their beers on draft: Bison Brown, Misdemeanor Session IPA, Felony IPA, ParTea Pale Ale and Bitto Honey IPA. These beers, like most craft brews we encounter were very well rounded, but nothing stand out. The Bitto Honey was certainly hoppy, but any sort of honey flavor they were hoping to have did not make it into the finished product. The rest of our tasting notes were didn’t really note much…
Prism Brewing Company of North Wales, PA was by no means a bad brewery. The space we visited was fun, had games, and a great bartender. After stalking their facebook page, we noticed that their new place is even more kick-ass and packed to the brim with patrons. If you’re a more avid beerventurer, you may want to skip this place if you have to. Everyone else should swing by if it’s between destinations or if you’re around the area. Prism Brewing Company earns an average 2.75 bowling pins out of 5. Trust me, it makes sense.
Round Guys Brewing Company
So we’ve finally made it to the last stop on our three day Philly excursion; Round Guys Brewing Company of Lansdale, PA. This brewpub claims to be a no monkey business facility and home to “just well-rounded beers” (we noticed some people too 😉
So we were still pretty full from carbo loading all weekend, and the numerous piles of leftovers building up in the back seat so we skipped their excellent pub food menu and went straight for the beer. Oompa Not Polka Marzen, Don’t Sweat the Technique IPA, Cyrano Saison Ale, and their award winning Berliner.
Oompa not Polka Marzen is your classic take on an Oktoberfest. If you’re a fan of Okoberfests, this marzen you will certainly enjoy. The rest of us beerventurerers are pretty board of the red pilsner, so this was not really our favorite item on the menu. It wasn’t a bad beer, but nothing to get all excited about. Don’t Sweat the Technique IPA is a soured (brett) IPA that gets style points. Hopped up front, brett in the back, there isn’t a whole lot not to like about this beer.
Cyrano Saison Ale is a 7.1 abv take on the classic farmhouse with more fruit flavor than expected. Our pallets all picked up a slightly different flavor; my notes said more cherry, while Melissa and Kait got more mango/grapefruit. Either way this was a fruity beer, and a little too sweet for my taste but you must get at least a sample pour if you visit. Lastly, The Berliner. This award winning (literally, PA award winning) Berliner is described as the ultimate session beer. Ultimate might be a bit of a stretch, but when combined with a splash of woodruff syrup (classic German requirement for Berliner style beer) it does make for a top-notch brew that will satisfy any pallet. Also it was a great beer to end on.
Round Guys was, like most of our day, a quick stop and we didn’t get to appreciate the impressive list of in house drafts. Do we recommend the beer? Absolutely. Should you deviate from your trip to stop here? Absolutely. Do we wish that we could have stayed for food? Yes, because it looked and smelled delicious. In our humble opinion, Round guys makes better than just well-rounded beers and earns 3.75 bananas out of 5.
And that ends our Philly trip. Instead of rambling on more I just want to highlight some of this trips take aways:
- Carbs are friends, and also food. Everyone seems to make a half-decent pie in and around Philly, so stop to eat at every brewpub you can so you don’t get too drunk during the trip.
- Share flights and limit the quantities of alcohol per stop. Unless that stop is amazing, then please sample more here but limit the next stop. This is a given to many seasoned beerventurers.
- Cheese steaks are over rated according to the locals. Hit the Reading Terminal Market for some real food that isn’t the average cheese steak. Oh, and that donut line? Yeah, its worth it. The jerky counter? Amazing. You will understand when you get there.
- The best beer that Philly proper has to offer can be done in 1 day via Uber. Yeah it might get a little expensive, but it is hassle free.
- Speaking of hassle free, stay in Cherry Hill, NJ. Short uber trip back, fraction of the hotel cost, and easy in / easy out of the Philly area.
- Don’t skip Yards because its too “macro.” It really was one of our favorite stops this trip.
- Do other things in the AM. Philly has a lot of other activates (historic and other) to offer other than food and beer. We didn’t partake in everything we wanted to do, a regret we will have to live with until our next adventure.
- Venturing with other couples is fun, however, 3rd wheels are underrated beerventurers . If you have a Kait, bring your Kait. If you know our Kait, well you already know she’s the best 3rd wheel for any trip. They also help you consume beer that you don’t particularly like.
I hope you enjoyed our blog. We’re about 3 beerventures behind so stay tuned for additional updates in the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading!
Andrew + Melissa
