|
Brewery Name |
Section |
Status |
Comments |
| Abbey
Wright BC -- NEW |
Upstate |
OPEN |
7/15/06: Visited the Valley Inn
today. Details to come; for now? Good beer, worth a stop.
Bart's an experienced homebrewer and ready-to-rock jack of all
trades, working on the old system out of Red Bell's fabled
Manayunk brewpub. I tried all four beers and a porter from the
tank; all were plenty drinkable, the Irish red was pretty damned
good.
6/20/06: Got an e-mail from a
faithful reader today (thanks, Scott!) that led me to call the Valley
Inn in Duboistown (just across the river from Williamsport),
and sure enough, they started brewing in April, served
their first beer on May 3rd, and currently have an IPA, a
saison, and the second batch of Mosquito Wheat on tap;
a porter and red ale will be on soon (they also have
multiple taps of other beers). The owners are Jim and Ellen
Wright, the brewer is Bart Rieppel -- I know nothing
about him yet -- brewing system is an unknown as well. I hope to
find out more soon: they're at 204 Valley St. (570/326-3383)
if you want to swing by yourself. PA continues to pop! |
|
Appalachian BC |
Capital/Central |
OPEN |
5/3/05: New head
brewer: Steve Sloan, who has brewed for the Route 66 and
St. Louis/Schlafly breweries in St. Louis, and some
place in Colorado called Coors... Best of luck!
2/05 update: Appalachian has ripped the sports bar out of the
second floor and replaced it with a Belgian-type bistro with taps
and bottles of Belgian imports. Guess they saw Bethlehem's
Steelgaarden and realized they probably had better margins than a
sports bar. (Thanks to good old Jack
Curtin for this tip.) |
| Appalachian BC
Camp Hill |
Capital/Central |
OPEN |
8/30/06: Camp Hill is open.
7/06 update: Appalachian expects
to open a third brewpub in Camp Hill (3721 Market St.)
in August, by latest reports. Their website confirms that like the
Gettysburg pub, most of the beer will be brewed at the mothership
in Harrisburg, with small-batch specialties being brewed at Camp
Hill. |
|
Appalachian BC
Gettysburg |
Capital/Central |
OPEN |
1/05 update: Appalachian
is finally brewing this month at Gettysburg; expect beer shortly!
Appalachian slipped into Gettysburg
(much like Lee wished he could have) and flash-opened a pub at 401
Buford Ave., on Seminary Ridge. Serving food and kegged ABC beer
for now, the brewhouse is being assembled. Go ABC! |
Appalachian
BC
West Hempfield |
PA Dutch |
PLANNED |
7/20/06: Appalachian Brewing jefe
Artie Tafoya confirmed in the Lancaster papers yesterday that
Appalachian "hopes" to open a fourth brewpub in
West Hempfield Township in Lancaster County, just off the
Mountville exit of U.S. 30. According to the Intelligencer
Journal, "The plan will go before supervisors for approval
on Aug. 1. Tafoya said he hopes to break ground shortly
following that meeting, with an opening anticipated in February."
This will be Appalachian's first purpose-built brewpub (they
already have the brewing system in storage). |
|
Barley Creek BC |
Upstate |
OPEN |
|
|
Bethlehem Brew Works |
PA Dutch |
OPEN |
Rich Fegley tells me they are very close to completing a deal for
a new BBW in Allentown at 8th and Hamilton. Big place, with room
for a bottling line. |
|
Black Rock BC --
CLOSED |
Upstate |
CLOSED |
380 Coal St., Wilkes-Barre 570/270_ROCK (7625)
This place opened and closed before I got a chance to include them
in an edition. Terry Hawbaker (now at Bullfrog) brewed some
excellent beers here, but there were a number of weird problems.
FINAL
UPDATE: Black Rock's brewhouse is going in the new Iron Hill
Phoenixville, and the place has become the excellent new Arena Bar
& Grille, so I reckon that pretty much writes the end of this
story. Pity. |
|
brew moon |
Philly Suburbs |
NAME CHANGE |
Now a Rock Bottom brewpub (see
below); brew moon chain
was bought. |
| Brewerie at Union Station -- NEW |
Upstate |
OPEN |
1/12/07: From Chris Sirianni: "Yes,
it's true, we are FINALLY brewing! Thus far we've made an
Amber Ale, an IPA, a Porter, a Blonde Ale, and a Nut Brown Ale. We
currently have a Hefe Weizen fermenting and just finished brewing
a Chocolate Cherry Stout yesterday."
10/12/06: The Brewerie is open, with
two beers brewed for them at Erie Brewing, and Gary and Chris hope
to be brewing by the end of the year.
7/06: Opening date has slipped a bit,
but owner Chris Sirianni and brewer Gary Burleigh told me that
they're ready for a soft opening, as soon as they get paperwork
approved...which could happen any time between now and
September 1. The brewery has arrived.
4/06: a new brewpub is finally
planned for Union Station in Erie, home to the former Hopper's,
which became Erie Brewing after moving out. Opening date is set
for July 1. Former Erie Brewing brewer Gary "As A
Matter Of Fact, I Am A Biker" Burleigh will be
making the beer; they are currently looking for a brewing system. |
|
Brick House |
Capital/Central |
CLOSED |
Closed in fall of 2002, business
failed. |
|
Bube’s Brewery |
PA Dutch |
OPEN |
|
|
Buckingham Mountain BC |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN, NEW OWNERS |
Now Porterhouse Pub. |
|
Bullfrog BC |
Upstate |
OPEN |
|
|
Church Brew Works |
Pittsburgh area |
OPEN |
11/9/06: The Mass is over: Bryan
Pearson has left the Church. Bryan, a massively talented
brewer, has taken a job in Colorado with a new yeast company. His
assistant brewer, Brant Dubovick, moves up to the head
brewer position, assisted by Matt Moninger, Donald Caldwell, and
Steven O'Neil. Best of luck to Bryan, Brant, and the Church brew
crew! |
| "Conestoga BC" --
PLANNED |
PA Dutch |
PLANNED |
See "Spring House BC." |
|
Crabby Larry’s |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
8/17/06: New brewer -- John Stecker
from Keystone Homebrew
in Montgomeryville is now brewing at Crabby Larry's. Cross
your fingers and hope for the best; I'll try to drop in sometimes
soon. |
| Destiny
BC -- CLOSED |
Philly Suburbs |
CLOSED |
4/27/06: More thanks to old Jack
Curtin: he's reporting
that Destiny appears to be closed. Too bad; nice place just
waiting to be visited.
Emerson and Patti Haines are gathering
investors to open this brewpub in Phoenixville, which will make
three brewpubs in this relatively small suburban town. 119 S. Main
St., Phoenixville. (Thanks to Jack
Curtin for the tip-off.) 2/5/05: Get the latest in this interview
with Emerson Haines. |
|
Dock Street Brewpub |
Philadelphia |
CLOSED |
Sold in 2001, new owners ran it into the ground
within 6 months. Pathetic end to 12 years of PA brewpub history. |
| Dock Street Brewpub II |
Philadelphia |
OPEN SOON |
6/6/07: Talked to some people
over the weekend: Dock Street has a brewhouse -- the beautiful
10 bbl. JVNW out of Sunnybrook. Dock Street has a brewer...not
quite ready to say who that is, I've been asked not to. But I
can tell you that the brewer has the glycol lines plumbed, and
"I should be brewing within two and a half
weeks." Folks, I know you're going to be pleased
when you find out who this is.
3/10/07: I went to a "start of
construction" celebration recently: see that here.
12/4/06: The Philadelphia Zoning
Board of Adjustment has approved Dock Street's license, despite
protests from a local church; supporters of the brewpub outnumbered
protestors by better than 3:1. (This from a very
even-handed piece
in The Philadelphia Tribune, Philly's African-American
community newspaper.)
10/8/06: Dock Street to rise from
the ashes? Rosemarie Certo, wife of former Dock Street owner
Jeff Ware, regained control of the Dock Street brand in
2002. Now a new Dock Street brewpub (doesn't that just make
you tingle?) is planned in a former firehouse at 50th
& Baltimore, near the UPenn campus. Certo has the building,
has a brewhouse, has a plan for a wood-fired pizza
menu...but has no brewer yet. It's just a matter of time.
Philly: get ready to get your Dock Street groove back.
|
| East
End BC -- NEW |
Pittsburgh |
OPEN |
3/10/07: Scott's been very
busy. East End has new tanks, "exploding" growler
sales (stop by and check: 5-6 beers on tap, and the most popular
is Scott's Session Ale Series, a changing parade of sub-5%
ales, God bless him), draft sales in across the Pittsburgh
area. Biggest seller is still Big Hop IPA, "which I
find interesting when comparing it to Growler [sales]," Scott
said.
A new brewery in Pittsburgh, a
one-man operation: Scott Smith is brewing a Wit, an IPA,
and a Stout. The beer will be launched at Kelly's
Bar & Lounge on Dec. 13th. 6923 Susquehanna Street,
Pittsburgh, (412) 537-2337. Check out this
Ale Street News piece I wrote on East End. |
| Elk Creek Brewing -- PLANNED |
Upstate |
PLANNED |
10/8/06: More news from Tim
Bowser: the 10 hectoliter brewing system has been delivered
(from Brewsters Brewing in Calgary)
with the help of Matt "Everywhere Man" Allyn.
Tim's still looking for "an experienced brewer,
ready to hit the ground hard with great ale." Millheim is real upstate,
but it's a neat little town in a gorgeous setting and only
1/2 hour from State College, an hour from Williamsport, and under
four hours from Philly or New York. Contact
me if you're interested.
4/27/06: News of another rural
brewpub in PA: sustainable
agriculture supporter and coffeeshop proprietor Tim Bowser is
looking for a brewhouse to add to a coffeeshop in Millheim,
PA. This sounds like my dream brewpub project:
rural, locally-grown menu, coffee, small. News as I get it,
I suspect an opening is at least 9 months off. |
|
Erie BC |
Upstate |
OPEN |
9/05 update: Erie has declared
Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the capital firm they've been working
with has taken over management. This is not necessarily a bad
thing: see the good things it did for Lancaster Brewing. Two
things Erie was always short of was capital and full-time
management. Maybe now they've got it. |
Fancy Pants BC
(see Neversink) |
PA Dutch |
CLOSED |
Neversink sank, but rose again as Fancy
Pants. 9/22/03: The Pants Fall Down: Fancy Pants was
unable to recover from the loss of their brewer, and went under.
Bill McShane has leased the brewery to a fourth brewery: Legacy. |
|
Foundry Ale House |
Pittsburgh area |
CLOSED |
The Foundry as we know it is dead, no
longer brewing. |
| Four Sons Brewery Restaurant
-- MAY RE-OPEN |
Upstate |
CLOSED, MAY RE-OPEN SOON |
3/9/07: Talked to Matt
Allyn today: there was apparently a sheriff's sale on the
property and the Titusville Redevelopment Authority bought the
place. Matt has a buyer lined up and is working on some
kind of management agreement: the Matt Allyn Upstate Brewing
Empire? The brewpub could re-open within a few months.
A new name is in the works; Matt joked that one possibility was
"The Big White Elephant Beer Company," taken from an
irate letter to the local paper...
12/31/06: Today was Four Sons' last
day. There apparently is an interested buyer (I've gotten
e-mail from a couple myself), but things didn't move quickly
enough.
7/15/06: Matt's replacement, Doug
Caldwell, has brewed up some fine beers, including a very
tasty kölsch. Still a very cool-looking place, bar service was
very good.
11/18/05: Matt Allyn is training his
replacement, and will leave Four Sons next month. |
| Foxburg
Inn on the Allegheny |
Upstate |
OPEN, NOT CURRENTLY BREWING |
5/24/07: Reader Bill Brandon
passed this along: "We went to
Foxburg
yesterday for lunch and were informed that they have suspended
brewing due to equipment problems. They could not give us a
date as to when they would be up and running again." Thanks,
Bill! |
|
Freedom BC |
Capital/Central |
CLOSED |
Only open about four months. Bad planning, so-so beer. |
| G.G. Brewing -- NEW |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
10/30/06: If you heard GG was
closed...well, they were. I missed that, sorry. But it's okay,
because they're open again. Best of luck second time 'round,
Gerry!
4/15/06: GG is open. I paid a visit,
just in for a pint and out, and left with mixed feelings. The
place is wonderfully small -- I love small brewpubs -- and
quirky-looking, nice beer decor. Service was just fine.
Prices were reasonable. The beer, on the other hand: I had a
porter, which was muddled -- a little roasty, a little
chocolatey, a little bitter, but all jumbled together, not
well-rounded. Still, it's early. I'll be back, and I want
to meet the brewer.
1/6/06: Gerry Martin is about to
open a VERY small brewpub across the street from the Keswick
Theater in Glenside. I hope to visit this afternoon; more then
(not much to report: the place is small, and definitely not open.
It remains not open today, 1/25). 282 North Keswick Ave.,
Glenside, 215/887-0809. |
|
General Lafayette Inn |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
|
|
Gettysbrew Pub |
Capital/Central |
CLOSED |
2/6/07: Is Gettysbrew sold? Is
there a new brewer? It remains to be seen, but it is definitely closed.
I have talked to some people who were thinking about buying it,
but nothing definite has happened (they planned on putting in a
proper kitchen and cleaning up the brewing). Keep your ears open.
8/17/06: Gettysbrew has changed
hands. The brewer is now the elusive John Sladky (and I
only say 'elusive' because I've only ever talked to him once) who
used to brew on a similar system at Brick House in York.
What this means...remains to be seen. Truthfully, it could not be
much worse than it was.
8/21/04: Stopped in to sample,
and while the beers were more ambitious than they have been in the
past, they were, for the most part, sour. I talked to Paul Lemley
about this (he wasn't in that day), and he has asked me to come
back and try them again, and I intend to; more to come on this.
June '05: Gettysbrew was advertised for sale in the paper.
|
|
Gettysburg BC |
Capital/Central |
CLOSED |
Dave Baker has closed up shop. GBC just
never got the local support it deserved, which is a shame: Dave's
place was almost unique in it's determined smallness. I wish the
Baker family well in whatever they do: they're good people. |
| Hanover BC -- PLANNED |
Capital/Central |
PLANNED |
2/6/06: Talked to Jim over the
weekend. He hit a hurdle in the financials, but found another way
around it. He's currently raising money to meet requirements for a
USDA Rural Development loan; no timeline for now.
9/11/05: I got an e-mail from a
guy named Jim Markle today. He's raising money to
start Hanover Brewing Co. (Folks...can't we do something a
bit more imaginative than "XYZ Brewing Company"? Work
on this) in Hanover, PA. He's got a beauty of a big old
brick building, and a honey of a plan. Markle's more than
just a homebrewer with a gleam in his eye; he's planning on
a BrauKon brewhouse making lagers with a pro brewer
in a brewpub. Sounds frighteningly similar to Franconia's plan (absent
the brewpub part), and there's the York Brewing Curse, but
I think this guy's got it all lined up. More when I get it. |
| Hereford
& Hops -- NEW |
Pittsburgh |
OPEN |
7/15/06: Stopped in, sampled
all taps: all very clean, well-made, Kulmbacher was
outstanding. No big beers, no over-the-top beers, no
problem. Brewer Jim Lieb is quiet, self-assured,
clearly knows what he's doing.
3/6/06: Hereford & Hops is open,
as of Feb. 28. No word yet on how it is, but I'm thinking
about heading out soon, with two other places set to open soon in
western PA.
2/6/06: News from Kevin
Eichelberger: "The fermenters are close to full, and we
are looking
to open around the end of this month!" There is a
"Now Hiring" sign out front; local geeks (once they get
over the wonderful thrill of the Steelers winning Super Bowl XL)
are starting to flock to Cranberry Township.
10/20/05: Opening is now planned for "around February or
March."
4/22/05: Brewhouse has been purchased, and installation is
proceeding.
1/31/05 -- If you're familiar
with the small Hereford & Hops chain of brewpubs, you're probably
as confused as I am -- they're in Michigan and Wisconsin. But
brewer Kevin Eichelberger contacted me and let me know that
Hereford & Hops is putting one of their
"grill-you-own" steakhouse brewpubs in Cranberry
Township. Construction is about to start at 1740 Rte. 228,
Cranberry Township, PA, 16066, 724-742-2337 they're hoping for a Fall 2005
opening. |
| Hofbräuhaus -- PLANNED |
Pittsburgh |
PLANNED |
6/6/07: Don't hold your breath:
construction has not yet started, the site is still being
prepared. This is going to be great...but not this year.
Again.
1/25/06: Hey, I forgot: when I was in Germany last
month, I spoke to Dr. Michael Möller, managing director of
the Staatliches Hofbrähaus München
, and asked him, "When is the Hofbräuhaus in Pittsburgh going
to open?" His response: "Roughly, 12 to 14 months.
It is all new construction." So, Spring 2007,
not 2006. He went on to say that it will seat 800 inside
and have an outdoor biergarten. Yowza!
3/7/05: Plans have been
announced for a third U.S. outpost of the Hofbräuhaus, complete
with brewery, at the Southside Works complex, to open in
Spring 2006. Let's
see...there's already a very successful lager brewpub on the North
Side, and an apparently successful Rock Bottom just up the river.
Someone's got some refreshing confidence in Pittsburgh's
thirst for real beer!
|
|
Independence BC |
Philadelphia |
CLOSED |
Never could figure out how to sell
their good beer. |
| Independence
Brewpub |
Philadelphia |
OPEN |
|
|
Iron Hill West Chester |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
|
| Iron
Hill Lancaster -- PLANNED |
PA Dutch |
PLANNED |
6/7/07: Construction is on schedule! Look for Iron Hill Lanco to open around
September, in
time for Homecoming at the College.
12/5/06: It's (semi-)official: The
Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal reported today that Iron
Hill is the first tenant for College Row, a large
development project that also includes student housing for
Franklin & Marshall College...my alma mater. College Row
is located in the 800 block of Harrisburg Avenue, near the college
football field. Construction will begin in the spring. |
|
Iron Hill Media |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
|
|
Iron Hill
North Wales |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
|
| Iron
Hill Phoenixville -- OPEN |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
10/30/06: Stopped in: beer --
excellent. Service -- excellent. Food -- excellent. What the
heck did you expect? It's Iron Hill.
10/3/06: Iron Hill Phoenixville is
OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
7/20/06: opening has been set for
September 18, brewer will be Tim Stumpf, former assistant brewer
at IH WC.
1/25/06: Well, they obviously missed that late '05
opening. Heard from Jack
Curtin last night that the opening will be more like early
summer.
12/5/04: An uncharacteristically
small Iron Hill is being built in Phoenixville, built around the
small brewhouse out of the now-closed Black Rock brewpub. Iron
Hill hopes to open in late '05. 130-138 Bridge St., Phoenixville. |
|
Jack’s Mountain
-- CLOSED |
Upstate |
CLOSED |
9/2/06: FOR
SALE. On eBay. Wow, you can buy a brewpub on eBay!
3/6/06 update: Jack's Mountain is closed,
but there may or may not be a buyer looking to re-open it. The
brewing equipment is still on-site for now.
8/6/04 update: No brewing going on, and it
doesn't really sound like it's going to any time soon. Appalachian
beers on tap. |
|
John Harvard's Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh area |
OPEN |
2/22/07: I just learned that Andrew
Maxwell is leaving JHBH Pittsburgh. A sad loss for the
brewpub's regulars; no news on where he's headed. (News has
arrived: see Rivertowne Pourhouse.) |
|
John Harvard's Springfield
-- CLOSED |
Philly Suburbs |
CLOSED |
10/16/06: Just got a note from a
reader: John Harvard's Springfield closed a week or two ago. They
were facing increasing local competition for diners, and John
Harvard's is apparently closing any marginal
locations. |
|
John Harvard's Radnor |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
5/2/07: Sean Hallisey leaves this
week for Johnstown Brewing, his replacement is Pete Heneks,
who brewed briefly at JHBH Springfield after working as Brian
McConnell's assistant. See Johnstown, below, for more on the PA
Brewer Trifecta...
9/20/06: Sean Hallisey, former
ass't brewer at JHBH Pittsburgh, starts today as John Rehm's
replacement. I'm sure any guy who brewed under Andrew
Maxwell's tutelage is ready to handle anything this job can throw
his way.
9/5/06: John Rehm heads to Yards,
replacement to be determined. Best of luck, and thanks to Jack
Curtin for the info.
10/4/05 update: John
Rehm's been brewing here for about a year and a half --
his first brewing job -- and just won a gold medal at the GABF! |
| Johnstown BC |
Upstate |
OPEN |
5/2/07: Barrett Goddard is leaving,
to be replaced by Sean Hallisey (see directly above).
Goddard will be brewing with Andrew Maxwell at Rivertowne
Pourhouse. |
|
Jones BC |
Old Guard |
CLOSED |
Teetering for years, Jones finally crashed beyond
repair after long strife between labor and management. Beer’s being contract-brewed at
Pittsburgh BC (as is Penn Pilsner, formerly c-b’d at Jones). |
|
Kutztown Tavern - Golden Avalanche |
PA Dutch |
OPEN |
|
|
Lancaster
BC |
PA Dutch |
OPEN, RENAMED |
8/7/05 update:
Brewer Joe McMonagle moves on to take up residence at Johansson's
in Westminster, MD, and is replaced by a very
experienced, very familiar old brewing hand: Bill Moore is
the new brewer at Lancaster. Bill has won GABF medals
at three breweries in the past: Stoudt's, Independence, and
Ortlieb's; good call, Lancaster. |
|
Latrobe Brewing |
Old Guard |
RE-OPENING |
2007: It looks like City Brewing of
LaCrosse, Wis., has successfully negotiated the purchase of
Latrobe. They'll mostly be making hard lemonade and such, but at
least the jobs (and the brewery infrastructure...hard lemonade
today don't necessarily mean hard lemonade in five years...) have
been saved. Congratulations, City of Latrobe!
The Latrobe brewery will be closing
by the end of July '06. The brands were bought by A-B and will
be produced in Newark, NJ. InBev is looking to sell the brewery. About
250 jobs will be lost in this small town. Things are not
going to be the same as they ever were.
|
| Legacy
Brewing |
PA Dutch |
OPEN |
Legacy is planning a large beer
garden in Reading, with city support, and is blowing the doors
off in 2006: sales to date are better than total sales last year.
Go boys! |
|
Lion Brewery |
Old Guard |
OPEN |
2/9/06: The Lion has released their
Stegmaier Brewhouse Bock, first of a new line of seasonal beers
with real gusto to them. More soon in The Latest.
5/1/05: Happy 100th
Birthday!
1/1/05: Brandon Greenwood has joined the brewing staff
a The Lion as brewmaster. 9/27/05: Brandon Greenwood has now left
The Lion. Bob Kleintob, former ass't brewer, is his
replacement. |
|
Manayunk BC |
Philadelphia |
OPEN |
8/17/05 update: Chris reportedly scooped up
the brewhouse from Valley Forge, planning to do some
contract brewing and canning! Get the whole story from the Beer
Yard website.
|
|
Market Cross Brewing |
Capital/Central |
OPEN |
|
| Marzoni's Brick Oven &
Brewery |
Upstate |
OPEN |
Hoss's will be converting their Alison
Park, PA restaurant into a Marzoni's, but the beer will be
shipped from Duncansville. Still, nice menu, good (often great)
beer: what's not to like? |
|
McKenzie Brewhouse |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
|
| McKenzie Brewhouse Malvern -- NEW |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
4/6/06: the new McKenzie Brewhouse
opens today. 240 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern, PA, 610-296-2222. I
visited shortly after: looks and feels a lot like the first one,
beer's excellent.
10/10/05: Construction has begun
again on the second McKenzie Brewhouse in Frazer, PA; the
brewhouse will come from the defunct Brü in Rochester, NY.
Tentative opening date of February 1. |
|
Mount Nittany BC |
Upstate |
CLOSED |
Phone's been disconnected, no word in
almost two years. Bummer. |
| Murdering Town BC -- PLANNED |
Pittsburgh |
PLANNED |
5/21/07: The Harmony Inn, a beer
bar in historic Harmony, PA, tried to add a brewpub back in
2004, but got washed out by Hurricane Ivan. They're back on
track, and just secured approval from the historical board.
Now they need money, and a bit more time. The name, Murdering
Town Brewing, commemorates a Delaware Indian village near the
site of Harmony. Brewing may begin "perhaps as early as
fall," but don't hold your breath. |
|
Mystic Brew Pub |
PA Dutch |
CLOSED |
Very sad loss; just not enough
restaurant business. |
|
Neversink Brewing |
PA Dutch |
RENAMED |
Now in its fourth incarnation as
Legacy Brewing. |
|
New Road BC |
Philly Suburbs |
CLOSED |
New Road got blind-stupid and fired the astonishingly
talented, hard-working Brian O’Reilly and went to
Yuengling Lager and Coors Light. They couldn't run a brewpub, they
couldn't run a bar; their closing was a foregone conclusion. |
| Nodding
Head |
Philadelphia |
OPEN |
1/1/05: Brandon Greenwood has left
the building.
Brandon's now at High Falls, in Rochester, NY,, leaving the brewery in the capable
hands of Gordon Grubb. |
| North
Country Brewing Co. |
Upstate |
OPEN |
2/22/05: Been there, drank that.
North Country is ready to roll on 2/23: beer's good, food's good,
place is just fantastic. |
|
Old Lehigh BC |
PA Dutch |
CLOSED |
Just couldn’t make it work as a part-time
brewery. |
| One Guy Brewing Co. -- Planned |
Upstate |
PLANNED |
5/2/07: Guy's getting close.
The brewery's in, and I'm going up to help paint sometime in the
next two weeks. It's really a matter of paperwork at this point,
and as Guy says, that's got two speeds: slow, and glacial.
Guy Hagner (see Pennsylvania
Breweries, 2nd ed., under "Franconia Brewing") is
planning a brewpub/small production brewery at 328 W. Front St.,
in Berwick. There will be a small pub with minimal food, growlers,
22 oz. bottles, and a two-tiered beer menu: fairly light stuff for
the local crowd to get used to the idea, and "anything I
want" for Guy and the geeks off the Interstate. Opening is at
least three months off.
|
| Otto's
Pub & Brewery |
Upstate |
OPEN |
|
|
Pabst BC |
Old Guard |
OPEN, RENAMED |
No longer Pabst (as nothing is: Pabst is all
contract-brewed now), this big plant was bought by an arm of
Guinness to brew malternatives like Smirnoff Ice. It won’t be in
the 3rd edition, either. |
|
Pennsylvania BC |
Pittsburgh area |
OPEN |
|
|
Pittsburgh BC |
Old Guard |
OPEN |
|
|
Poor Henry's |
Philadelphia |
CLOSED |
Rumor has it that Poor Henry’s was $6 million in
debt when the bank locked the doors. The big brewing system went
to Dogfish Head BC for their new brewery; the little system was
resold by Dogfish to Four Sons (see above). |
| Porterhouse BC |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
8/17/06: Major change at
Porterhouse. Dean "Mr. Clean" Browne of Yards Brewing
has taken over brewing duties at Porterhouse. Let the big
bald guy tell you himself: "To start with I have brewed a dark
lager, a Kolsch style ale, an amber ale with Belgian yeast, and a
Baltic Porter (with assistance from Mr. Tom "Formerly
Heavyweight" Baker). We will be cutting over to the new
house brews and Yards kegs on August 30." There
will be four Yards taps as well. This is a great way for
Yards to get brewpub experience; can't wait to have Dean brewing
in my backyard, either! |
|
Primo Barone’s |
Upstate |
Not Brewing |
Eve quit brewing for personal reasons, and Primo
has been unable to find a part-time replacement. He’d like to
keep making beer, but is serving only some micros for now. |
|
Red Bell BC
-- CLOSED |
Philadelphia |
DONE |
8/17/06:Got an e-mail today: the last Red Bell
brewery (at the Wachovia Center) is no longer brewing
and the brewing equipment ( a 10 bbl. Newlands system) is up for
sale. Wow. End of the line for Red Bell. |
|
Red Star Brewery & Grill |
Pittsburgh area |
OPEN |
|
| Rivertowne Pourhouse
-- NEW |
Pittsburgh area |
OPEN |
6/11/07: The Pourhouse opens today.
Congratulations!
3/10/07: Andrew Maxwell (out of
John Harvard's) and the folks from the Rivertowne Inn (Verona
and North Huntington) are getting together to open a brewpub in
Monroeville, just off the Turnpike interchange (312 Center Rd.).
He's got a 15 bbl. JVNW brewhouse ("Gas-fired," Andrew
said, "It’s the nicest system I’ve ever touched.")
and tanks already in Pittsburgh, and there's a sales agreement on
the building (paperwork should be final in two weeks or so). Get
this: "Our goal is to carry between 13 and 18 beers at any
one time," Andrew says. "I’ve never been given the
opportunity to do something like this." Those of you lucky
enough to know him from JHBH Monroeville should be excited; and so
should the rest of you. This is going to be a very easy
stop off the PA TP...and a must-stop.
Thanks to a reader who clued me in on this one! |
Rock Bottom: King of Prussia
(see brew moon) |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
Brewer change: Brian McConnell is
now the brewer here. GOOD brewer, formerly at John Harvard's
Wilmington (now closed). 3/2/07: Finally got in and tried
Brian's beers. No surprise: excellent. Be sure to try Prussia's
Pride, one of the biggest hop noses I've ever smelled on a
beer, without tongue-curling bitterness. |
| Rock Bottom: Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh area |
OPEN |
1/1/07: Colin Peterman (formerly
at the Rock Bottom in Arlington, VA) will be taking over the
brewing duties. (His replacement in VA is Chris Rafferty,
who you may know from his time at Kutztown Tavern and John
Harvard's Radnor.) |
|
Selin's Grove BC |
Upstate |
OPEN |
UPDATE, 10/6/05: No expansion into the first floor as
originally planned. That's been cancelled, and I'm not sure that's
all bad. Steve didn't like the idea, it made him nervous, and I'd
have hated to have the place lose a step on atmosphere. |
|
Sly Fox/Chester County BC |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
|
| Sly Fox
Brewery & Pub |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
1/1/07: Well, yeah...the cans and
the big bottles arrived.
10/6/05: Expect 750 ml bottles of
Belgian specialties soon, followed by cans! (Thanks to Jack
Curtin for the info.) |
| Sprague Farm & Brew Works
(formerly listed as "French Creek" -- NEW |
Upstate |
OPEN |
3/10/07: Four regular beers now: Ale
Mary Wheat, Hellbender Porter, Rustbelt Amber, and the new Scotchtober
Fest Ale. Brian expects to brew another batch of Kick Bock
soon as well. They have draft accounts scattered across northwest
PA (including Oscar's, Marketplace Grille, and BrewErie in Erie),
and are working on cracking western NY and Pittsburgh. Sounds like
things are going well in Venango.
7/15/06: I made the opening. The
place is phenomenal, the beer has definite promise. The Ale
Mary Wheat, a wit-like offering with coriander, orange peel,
peppercorns and juniper, is pretty damned good now. But don't
hold your breath on "farmhouse-style" ales in the classic
sense: they've had a rush of sense and realized that they'll
have to sell to their local market first. Porter is going to be
exotic for a while.
6/3/06: Beer is in kegs: Sprague's
first beer, Hellbender Porter, has been kegged. Hellbender and
the next beer, Rustbelt Amber, will be available at the
brewery beginning June 17. A low-key opening is planned on July
14 (Brian's birthday and Bastille Day). Details here.
The brewery is located at 22019 US Highway 6, Venango, PA;
phone is 814/398-2885.
4/28/06: Brian e-mailed this
morning. Brewery name: Sprague Farm & Brew Works, not
French Creek ("the reasons we did not use this name are peculiar,
at best" he said). Matt Allyn is helping with the
first few brews, and they hope to have beer in June.
Definitely not a brewpub, but it sounds visit-friendly.
Brian's a chainsaw carver of some note, and will have wood
sculptures on display and do occasional live demos.
"We plan to ease into the farmhouse ale idea,"
Brian said, "as we
must create a beer that will be accepted in the immediate area.
Believe me, it will have flavor and character."
3/14/05: Just talked to Brian
Sprague, who bought Weyerbacher's old brewhouse. His
plans, which are still in the very early stages, are to open a farmhouse
brewery in a barn on a working farm outside Venango.
The working name is "French Creek;" that may or
may not be the eventual name. I like it, myself. He's talking about a production brewery, not a pub, but he
figures to sell growlers and draft. If I were him...I'd
think seriously about big bottles, too. |
| Spring House BC -- PLANNED |
PA Dutch |
PLANNED |
11/29/06: E-mail from Matthew: "We
have decided to go self-brewed, just less complicated... I am
guessing early spring for our first product.
10/30/06: Matthew sent pix: he
has a brewing system, a 12 bbl. JVNW system and four fermenters. I
hope to talk to him soon, and to find out what's up.
6/30/06: Contract brewing will
be done at The Lion, not Yards, a single label at a time
(either one year-round or one seasonal every three months or so), starting
in late September, on-site brewing to start once brewhouse is
in place...which will be later. Much more here,
where I talk to partner/brewer Matthew Keasey.
6/27/06: An article in the local
paper announced plans for a small brewery at 2519 Main St. in Conestoga, PA,
with bottled beer being brewed at Yards. Startup is planned
for November, 2006. No name is set at this point, and
finances are still under negotiation. More when I get it. |
|
Stoudt's BC |
PA Dutch |
OPEN |
9/15/05 update: As
mentioned in my 'exit interview' with Marc
Worona, Brett Kintzer and
John Matson are stepping up to share brewmaster duties. The
new assistant brewer and cellarmaster will be Joey McMonagle,
who is leaving his position at Johansson's. |
|
Straub Brewery |
Old Guard |
OPEN |
Chugging along. 4/4/05 update:
Got an e-mail from Chris Staub today (son of brewmaster Tom
Straub): Straub is now converted to Sankey kegs, one of the last
non-microbrewers to do so. Modern times in St. Marys. |
|
Summy House Prussian Street BC, see Swashbuckler |
PA Dutch |
Not Brewing |
|
Sunnybrook --
CLOSED |
PA Dutch |
CLOSED |
7/20/04: Henry Ortlieb died on July
4th, while on vacation in Costa Rica. My sympathies to his
wife and son. Henry tried hard to breathe life into his family's
old brewery, and when it failed, he took another swing and
re-opened the grand old Sunnybrook. He was born a brewer, he died
a brewer. Bill Moore told me today that the brewery will close
until mid-September; the future is uncertain. 8/24 update: Jack
Curtin has posted news at the Beer
Yard website that Ortlieb's is definitively closed. |
| Swashbuckler
Pub and Eaterie --new |
PA Dutch |
OPEN |
|
| Tavern on the Village Square --
CLOSED FOR NOW... |
Upstate |
CLOSED |
5/17/07: Unfortunately...the
latest attempt at a ballot initiative, this past Tuesday, also
failed. Not sure where these guys go from here.
8/17/06: Boy, I missed this one.
Tavern on the Village Square (as reported by Bob Batz in
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) opened in the farming town of
New Wilmington...the dry farming town. The dry law was
supposed to change and they added a brewery...and gave the beer
away for six months. Wow. The law didn't change, and
they closed in July (they're still doing catering). They're hoping
a ballot initiative will take the town wet in November, at which
time they intend to re-open.
|
| Triumph
-- New Hope |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
Opened in early May, 2003. Union Square
Center in New Hope (about time decent beer came to New Hope!),
looks a lot like the original Princeton, NJ, location. 8/25/04
update: stopped in to meet the new brewer here, Patrick
Jones (out of Gordon-Biersch Miami). Good man, excellent
beers. He and Jay Misson are planning to lager-ize Triumph New
Hope, including a Keller pils, O-fest, and the Vernon
Valley-recipe Blonde Doublebock. They're also aging some
Snakebite (an apple-heavy braggot) in a Laird's Applejack
barrel, and it's mind-blowing. Good stuff! |
| Triumph -- Philly OPEN |
Philadelphia |
OPEN |
4/17/07: Triumph
is open!
3/8/07: Missed that one, too. Talked
to Jay Misson myself today. Opening will be around the end of
March. Grand opening April 30. More details here.
11/16/06: Jack
Curtin's reporting on the Beer Yard site that Triumph is aimed
at a January '07 opening that seems pretty firm; tanks
are going in today. Triumph New Hope brewer Patrick Jones will
move into Philly, replaced by Brendan Anderson. 15 bbl.
brewhouse, six fermenters. Yes sir. (117-21 Chestnut St.,
Philadelphia)
4/28/06 update: Latest on Triumph is
that opening has been pushed back to September '06, at the
earliest. No surprise, really; opening a brewpub on
schedule is iffy at best, and opening a brewpub in Old
City? Come on!
Just saw on the Beer
Yard site that Triumph is planning to open a "large"
brewpub on Chestnut St. in Philadelphia (rumored to be in the Old
City area) next year. It's about time someone did this!
|
|
Tröegs Brewing |
Capital/Central |
OPEN |
'05 update: Tröegs
undertook a major expansion early this year, overhauling
their brewhouse to add capacity, automation, and what John
Trogner feels is a softer way to brew beer. The beer
tastes great...but then, it always has. |
| Turnpike Brewing -- Moved to
Brewerie at Union Station |
Upstate |
MOVED |
4/27/06: see Brewerie at Union Station;
the same people who were
looking at Turnpike...this building has been abandoned.
11/18/05: Just heard from a
reader that the building was hit and badly damaged by a truck;
insurance wrangling has ensued. They are still planning on
opening, but not until late summer 2006. Hang in there,
Erie.
Turnpike Brewing is a planned brewpub
at 1402 Turnpike Rd. in Erie (14th St. between Peach and State
Sts.). Hoping to be open by the end of 2004 with former Erie
brewer Gary "Yes, I am a biker" Burleigh. |
| Union Barrel Works -- OPENING SOON |
PA Dutch |
OPEN SOON |
3/8/07: Final inspections are taking
place. Tom has six beers to open, and should be open by
the end of the month. Could be earlier. 6 N. Reamstown Rd.,
Reamstown, 717-336-SUDS.
1/12/07: Reports are that Tom has
beer in the tanks.
It's lager (of course), so look for an opening in February.
8/30/06: Tom Rupp may be behind
this opening in Reamstown, PA. "Advertised" November
opening; more when I get it. |
|
Valhalla |
Pittsburgh area |
CLOSED |
The NYC-based restaurant concern that
owned Valhalla just decided to close it. Things had slipped in a
post-9/11 Pittsburgh, and while the place was still making money,
it wasn't the easy money they'd made in earlier years. So they
closed. The site's been sold to the owners of the Mad Mex chain,
who have unfortunately decided to take the brewhouse out...a
baffling decision coming from these beer-savvy guys. |
|
Valley Forge Blue Bell |
Philly Suburbs |
CLOSED |
Screwed by road construction and contractors, this
place never got a real chance. Too bad, it was a nice place. The
brewhouse will be featured at Iron Hill Phoenixville. |
|
Valley Forge BC
-- CLOSED |
Philly Suburbs |
CLOSED |
FINAL UPDATE? 5/31/05: Valley
Forge has apparently closed as of 5/26. Jack
Curtin just called and told me the news, which he got from a former
VFBC brewer. What will become of this big, kind of
ugly space? The brewery is gone, sold to Chris Firey.. |
|
Victory BC |
Philly Suburbs |
OPEN |
|
| Voodoo Brewery -- opening
soon |
Upstate |
OPEN SOON |
6/6/07: Voodoo's license has been
approved and issued, and Matt says beer should be in distribution
by mid-June. Congratulations!
3/10/07: Nothing ever goes as
quickly as planned...Matt's brewing, but still waiting on
ATTTB paperwork approval...long story. But he's got -- oh, let him
tell it: "I’ve got two batches of Black Magick (bourbon
imperial stout) in the bourbon barrels, Wynona’s Big Brown
Ale, the Spring release of the Four Seasons IPA (each
season we'll have a different style of IPA), and a batch of
Pilzilla (big kellerbier). We’ll brew more Pilzilla and
the witbier (White Magick of the Sun) next week. The
witbier’s going to be similar to Sprague’s, 12 different kinds
of peppercorns, but different. Big Black Voodoo Daddy (imperial
stout) should go in the tanks soon." Don't look for
draft, except in the brewery, he's doing bigger bottles,
either 22s or 750s. So...when? "I hope we’re about a
month out. Hoping." Me too.
7/19/06: Matt's loan was approved
the day after I visited; expect much faster progress now, possible
opening in October. Congratulations, Matt!
7/15/06: Delays...no real
surprise. That's common with small breweries. The building
renovation is about to begin, just waiting on loan approval.
Brewhouse and tanks are in, Matt's got great plans, and the space
has great promise.
5/2/06: I saw on the website
today that Matt intends to have the brewery up by "early
summer." Long list of big beers: get ready, western,
PA!
11/18/05: Matt Allyn and Jeremy
Potocki will start renovating a furniture store (217 Arch St.,
814/440-2594)
in Meadville next month to turn it into Voodoo Brewery. The
plan is to open as a production brewery, and add a pub
(tentatively named the Zipper City Brewery & Grill) in late 2006.
An article in today's Erie Times-News described the planned
production as "artisan-style, aged beers." Should be
interesting; the western PA beat goes on.
|
|
W.T. Hackett's |
Upstate |
CLOSED |
Closed in August 2001. Apparently had no idea what
they were doing. A shame. Brewer Terry Hawbaker wound up at Black
Rock, where he kicked butt before decamping for Bullfrog. |
|
Weyerbacher BC |
PA Dutch |
OPEN |
|
|
Whitetail Brewing |
Capital/Central |
CLOSED |
Wade Keech finally called it quits. He’s still passionate about
beer, though, and stays in touch with the PA brewing scene. I
wouldn’t be surprised to see him back some day. Re-opened as
Market Cross, see above. |
|
Yards BC |
Philadelphia |
OPEN |
9/5/06: Joe Beddia's moved on (getting
restaurant experience preparatory to trying to open his own
brewpub, reportedly), John Harvard's brewer John Rehm moves in. |
|
Yuengli |
