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I feel so proud to have PBC as a local brewery. They offer a nice selection of beers and I love that I can stop by and make custom a variety case. I'm really feeling the Joe Porter right now, and am into their IPA year round. They only lose a star for lacking a great stout. (I can't find the Shackamaximum Stout at all, anywhere, and wonder if it was just an urban legend).
Their commitment to supporting local businesses in the community is admirable and I'm looking forward to trying their Harvest from the Hood, made with hops grown at Greensgrow! I heard it's on tap at El Camino right now, so I plan on getting some soon.
Also, niceness goes a long way in my book, and these dudes are really really sweet. Like, kind and polite people that I'd bring home to my mom. Instead I just brought her home a case of Walt Whit, cause she loves that stuff.
Ugh. I wanted to like PBC when they first started. Local, experienced, blah, blah...
What a disappointment! First, and this still annoys me, they tried to pass off Kenzinger as a Kölsch, which it most definitely is not and had me wondering if anyone at PBC had ever tried a Kölsch. I think they finally figured it out and have stopped calling it a Kölsch. Thank you! For this, PBC gets one star. Oh, I also forgot to mention, whatever they call it these days, Kenzinger does not taste very good and I wouldn't drink it if it was free.
The only others I've tried are the Rowhouse Red and the Joe Coffee Porter. There's nothing really good about Rowhouse Red, which I've had a few times, but nothing really terrible about it, it's just not something I want to drink and probably won't again. The Joe is by far my favorite PBC beer and the only one I've had that tastes good. For that, PBC gets another star, bringing their total to two stars.
Bottom line: do you like two star beer? If so, PBC is for you.
Free tour and free beers on Saturdays from noon until 3. Need I say more?
Probably not, but I will. The beers are great, the building is gorgeous, and a friend told me you can even bring in your own food while drinking there. The tour guide knew his stuff, and the atmosphere was nice...just a few people enjoying their Saturday while sipping on fine local brews.
Plus, they have a cat, and nice bathrooms. That pushed the PBC to full 5-star status.
can we say overrated??
disclaimers: i like PBC's involvement in the community, and i'm all for supporting local businesses. i am also not a beer snob. or maybe i am, but i try not to act like one.
i expect more from PBC, man. they have over 10 years of experience doing this. they should be awesome, but they're just ok. i'm sorry but i'll go for troegs or bells or dogfish head any day over PBC.
rowhouse red is the best option. walt wit can be nice in the summer. newbold ipa is boring and, i have no idea what people see in kenzinger. on the plus side, they do some interesting one-off's. i would have liked to try the phila-buster and am looking forward to the harvest from the hood. i'd really like to see something they can sell out of cask added to their active roster.
The free tours and tastings on Saturdays are BOSS
....I love the Walt Wit!
I'm definitely happy to say that PBC's newest addition the "Fleur de Lehigh" has redeemed my initial thoughts on them. It has enough cardamom, ginger, lemongrass, and other herbal offerings to taste like a Belgian countryside. It's definitely the closest that any local brewer has come to making a good Belgian style ale.
Also after plenty of tries I've grown quite partial to the Walt Wit and Rowhouse Red. And after Kristin convinced me to give it another try way back when, I've even started to grow a little more fond of the Kenzinger. So it looks like PBC is on their way to becoming a lot more consistent.
when I read the reviews of Philadelphia Brewing Company, and the Kenzinger especially, I was hoping… Read more »
I lived across the street from this Brewery.
I smelled the delicious wort aroma on brewing days.
I took the tour. I drank lots of free been in their tasting room.
This is a great brewery. I am glad we've so many options in this neighborhood.
Try: Kenzinger, Fleur de Lehigh, and Shackamaximum Stout.
I have been to the Philadelphia Brewing Company facilities twice, and each time I have had fun. The tour is a little on the long side if you just want a simple over view of how the beer is made, but if you're a big eer buff who enjoys not only learning how the beer is brewed, but also the history of the brewing company, that this is for you! While a little off the beaten path (but not too bad if you're going to take Septa), the building is unasuming, and in fact it feels like you're walking into a place you're not supposed to be!
The highlight of visiting the brewing company, however, is the bar/large hall that they have for visitors to taste the beer. The room is absolutely beautiful! It makes you feel as if you are in an old barn. When the weather is just right, they open the big barn sized windows and the breeze is perfect! While I'm not a big fan of all the beers, the Kenzinger, Walt Whit and the Fleur de Lehigh just hit the spot! In fact, I want to go back soon so that I can have another round (or two!) of the Lehigh before it goes out of season! I had it at McGillans the other day and it just wasn't the same...
Also, don't forget...its a BYOF! That's right, bring your own food! So grab a bunch of friends and some grub and head on down to tour and taste! It's a lot of fun and totally worth it!
I've met some of the brewers from PBC and they're all really nice. We carry their beers where I work, and I'm happy to reccomend one and sell them all the time. The Walt Wit, which is a wheat beer infused with chamomile and grapefruit, is a pretty good summer beer. For $3 a bottle at my local pub, I'd even go so far as to say I'd order it once in a while. But then again, beer in general is just usually pretty good.
ANYWAYS, I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I simply do NOT understand this city's obsession with Philadelphia Brewing Company's Kenzinger beer. Ever since I've moved to Philadelphia, all I hear and see is Kenzinger, and people seem to be sucking it down at pubs all over the city.
I'm a big fan of beers on special wherever I go. Basically, if you're going to offer me any draft for $2 a pint in the middle of Center City, I'm going to not even think twice about downing a couple. But this rule doesn't hold true for Kenzinger. It tastes stale and flat no matter what bar I try it at. I've come so far as to simply swear it off altogether (which can be tough when it's the only beer on special at Misconduct on Sunday mornings).
The Rowhouse Red is mediocre, so I have a tough time convincing people to get it, and the Fleur de Lehigh is almost TOO intense of a beer. It carries a clove-ish plant like spice flavor to it, and is a tough beer to sit down and have more than one of. Aside from the Walt Wit, which as another review put it is a "passable summer beer", PBC has some work to do before they gain my loyal following. You can find me drinking any beer that Yards puts out before coming back to PBC.
EDIT -- Have just tried their Joe Porter coffee porter beer and must say that it is pretty decent. If you're a coffee fan, I'd recommend giving it a shot.
Walt Wit: a passable summer beer.
Kenzinger: icky.
Rowhouse Red: ickier still. Just because you serve it in a goblet and charge more for it doesn't make it good. Seriously, I wanted to spit it out at first.
Hurry up and brew a stout or porter, PBC! Maybe I'll be able to upgrade my rating.
I'm a little teary eyed about the Fleur de Lehigh's absense from many pubs now that it's no longer in season. Somehow I missed it when it first appeared, and now I crave it's delishness in the steamy summer months! It seems that the Kenzinger got the hype and was/is on tap in virtually every bar in Philly.
Sorry, but personally, I'm not down with the Kenzinger. We're not homies, me and the Kenzinger. I think it makes me an angry drunk. That, and it has a funny relationship with my innards.
'Nuf said.
Update: I might have been a bit harsh on my first review. In mainstream company I wouldn't be the least bit ashamed to show up with an assorted case of PBC. They've ironed out some edges and their stuff is far tastier/fresher than -marketed, internationally acclaimed swill. Far from the most exciting brewery the area or even Philly itself has to offer, buuuuut it IS found everywhere around the city.
Nathan on tap?
Pay tres for a pull.
Open bar during Khyber's Sunday speshul.
5-21-2008
The Kenzinger is bland. A thirst quencher at best. Something to appease the underdeveloped palettes of the world.
The Newbold IPA is a step in the right direction (I must confess I am a hophead so this shouldn't strike as odd) but really doesn't have any bright attributes that a good IPA should.
The Walt Wit, while not offensive, lacks the texture and qualities that make a great white great.
The Rowhouse Red is the only brew that really stood out to me at all. Unfortunately I ordered it deep in the night of the South Philly Bar Crawl during Philly Beer Week and I'm afraid I don't exactly recall what I found special. Nevertheless the fact that it made an impression on my malt/hops/yeast/water soaked neurons makes me confident that there was something to be had here.
I'm trying to go easy on them as they'll hopefully tweak and work out the wrinkles in their recipes. That being said we sell the SHIT out of this stuff. It's cool that people are loyal to the Bartons and I'd love to support them as well, but they're going to have to step it up if they want their suds on my 'buds.
They're practically my neighbors and of course I take advantage of their weekly Saturday afternoon tasting, whenever I can.
I too had some not perfect experiences with some of the new brews except the Walt Whit, that's been great from the start.
The good news is they've definitely tweaked the Kenzinger and the rowhouse red. They're both great beers now.
Their first seasonal "fleur de lehigh" is spicy and I like it. It reminds me of the days of the Spruce ale, by Yards. It's a bit spicier though and I enjoyed a couple pints at Memphis Tap Room to give it a good try and am glad I stuck with it. After the first half of the first pint, it hit home.
I expect PBC's beers to continue to improve as they go.
I've never been to the site but their Kenzinger style beer is great. I hope they keep the price where it is. Luv the taste of a good german pils and this brew comes very close (is it!). Good by the case great on tap.
More, even, than Phila. Brew. Co.'s actual beers, I'm a fan of the brewery tour you can get up in Kensington. We went on a Saturday afternoon and found the tasting room full of people waiting to hear how beer in Philly is made. The tour guide was fantastic, with a lot of historical knowledge about the brewing tradition in Philly. He had good answers for the brewery novices in the group and also for the seasoned home brewer know-it-alls. After the tour, we went back to the tasting room and sat around sampling beers. Even though PBC's beers aren't my favorite in town, it all made for a really enjoyable afternoon. We left with a case, just for good measure. Besides, I love a company that's trying to do something good for Philly.
Once you visit the friendly folks at PBC, you can't help but just feel great about them! They brew beer, are philanthropy-minded, community-minded, have weekly beer tastings in their giant, upstairs, bare-wooden-beamed tasting room, and give kick-ass tours! (Look for the cute pig tank!) The first time I was there was after the 2008 city-wide Spring Cleanup. They hosted a bbq for the local crews cleaning up in their neighborhood, where I made some friends who I am now pretty tight with. Oh yeah, and their beers are pretty great, too! FYI, they are adding a retail section to the building. Good peeps.
I dont care who I offend. The Kenzinger taste like all of Kensington pee'd in it. Bleagh!
The annual open house was a blast for a miserable rainy Sunday. For the sum of a few donations bucks and a tip to the bar staff, we drank the finest kensington has to offer. PBC had the seasonal dark beer available for tasting, quite good and strong. Upstairs at the event there is a large bar area which was decorated for the Christmas.
At last the only way to truly form an opinion on the brew is to drink a few at your favorite… Read more »
Five stars for the Walt Wit. Oh my lord. That is a wonderful, wonderful beer. 'Nuff said.
They had a grand unveiling of four new flavors plus a brief history of Philly suds and a mini tour on site back before Easter, and of course I tried 'em all.
Kenzinger: Golden-reddish hue, kinda bitter on the tongue but a milder aftertaste. Good to warm the soul for when you're in a packed bar, standing, and engaging in long conversation.
Walt Wit: I'm a fan of Belgian beer anyway, so the fact that this one, a white ale, went down smooth was a flashback to the delicious peach wheat they used to have at Valley Forge Brewing Co. Bonus points for the tap being a huge pencil.
Newbold IPA: Although I liked a lot of the IPA's from Boston, I'm not a big believer in hoppy brews. Of all four, I took the longest to drink this sample because it clearly wasn't one I could take more than a sip of at a time.
Rowhouse Red: Looks like a rowhouse brick, tastes like a rowhouse brick. Although I can appreciate the time and effort put into the making of this beer, I can't imagine anyone doing anything other than shooting it like whiskey.
I love Walt Wit always and forever.
Neighborhood: Northern Liberties
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
Neighborhood: Cedar Park
Category: Breweries
Neighborhood: Germantown
Category: Pizza
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Seafood
