Tired Hands Brewing Company (Ardmore, PA)

I strive to be as objective as possible and let the reader decide whether the brewery or pub described is someplace they’d enjoy or plan to visit. In this case, my bias is sure to show through, so I’ll go ahead and preempt my overview of Tired Hands by saying it truly is a place of unique character, and embodies more so than any other brewpub I’ve visited so far what craft beer is all about.

Ardmore, PA is much like any other ‘historical’ district you might encounter on the East Coast, with various craft and knick knack stores, ripe for window shopping. The town has a laid-back vibe and being within reasonable driving distance of Philadelphia, embodies the type of genuine sensibilities often associated with this area of the country. Tired Hands is at the end of one of the main streets in Ardmore, but feels tucked away due to its nonchalant and cozy features.

The menu, for the most part, consists of locally-sourced (all within 100 miles) charcuterie, including house made bread. On this occasion I wanted plenty of room for the varied menu of beers and ordered a simple platter of bread and butter. Rather than acting as a means of cleansing the palate, the nearly whole loaf of bread I received enhanced each and every beer I ordered. Accompanying the just-hard-enough crunchy exterior and fluffy, slightly sour interior bread, was a super creamy, dark yellow butter and dash of sea salt and very pungent fennel.  I had to not just pace my drinking, but my eating of this amazing bread so as not to fill up too quickly.

To say that Tired Hands does not brew to style would be an understatement.  It becomes clearly evident with each subsequent tasting of the nine taps that the brewer had a distinct vision for each creation and chose ingredients to both enhance and dazzle the taste buds.

The beers themselves offer a complex array of flavors so extensive, that I would be doing them a disservice by trying to describe them in simple objective terms, plus their website attempts to provide detailed descriptions already. I will say, that for the ‘wild beer’ drinker, you will assuredly find Tired Hands a mecca for these types of beer. They are not shy about using Brett (ie. brettanomyces, a yeast strain heartier than your typical ale strain, with additional complex tastes and aromas ranging from tropical fruit to barnyard), as I noticed in at least three beers including a saison, a hoppy pale and a grisette (made with wheat, honey and tea).

Whether you are just dropping in few a quick bite of some local bread and cheese, or plan on making Tired Hands a destination in itself, I would find it extremely difficult not to endorse either. Regardless, I assure anyone that you will likely find that time has quickly fleeted by when you leave this amazing brewery.

Lancaster Brewing Company (Lancaster, PA)

Just over an hour west of Philadelphia, amid a plethora of Dutch and Amish farms, stores, and yes, a Wonderland (no joke, check it out), you’ll find Lancaster Brewing Company, the first brewery in Lancaster in over 40 years. Lancaster has a pretty surprisingly rich history of brewing tradition, and as the menu at Lancaster Brewing says, it was once even referred to as “little Munich”. The brewpub isn’t hard to spot, as it resides within a converted tobacco barn, and has kept a majority of the original exterior for a truly unique look. Plenty of seating is available both inside the restaurant, at the sprawling bar, and outside on nice days. Much like many other small-town bars, Lancaster definitely cultivates its share of loyal locals, as I soon found out that most of my bar companions were from the area and very much versed in the offerings.

I find that in order to test the meddle of a craft brewery, it’s often best to sample the most basic of their creations to see how they are able to showcase the subtleties of classic styles, such as an English Mild or Bitter or German Pilsner. So, on this occasion I paired my soft shell crab sandwich with Lancaster’s Country Cream Ale. Smoooooooth…. no noticeable bitterness, lots of creamy mouthfeel, no astringent aftertaste, but a touch of hops to balance it out. This ale still carried a 5.5% abv, so I’m guessing this combined with its easy drinking quality has led to many a long summer days followed by even longer next mornings. I also sampled the Boss Hog Double IPA and would’ve gladly ordered a full pint of this bitter and hoppy punch in the mouth had I not still had several more hours of driving ahead of me.

Sly Fox Brewing Company (Phoenixville, PA)

A few weeks ago I was having a rough week at work and ended up taking a three day trip up to Philly since I’d never been, and had heard all about their great beer culture. You always start out on a great high when you begin a trip (especially when it revolves around trying new beers), but mine started out a bit differently than usual. 

 I was about an hour and a half into my drive, psyched up, and just outside of my first destination, Sly Fox Brewing Company, when I heard over the radio that a bomb had just gone off at the Boston Marathon. I knew several people running that weekend, and one very close friend, so I flipped through every channel until I found the latest news. My friend should have finished a few hours before, so I immediately called her to see how she was… she did not answer, and hearing her voice over voice mail only made my panic that much greater.

 About that same time I arrived at Sly Fox’s Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville, PA (they also have a production brewery and tasting room in Pottstown, PA). Luckily, when I sat at the bar the TVs were on several news channels, however images of large smoke clouds and people on stretchers kept being flashed on the screens. There were a couple other folks at the bar for a late lunch, and although we had never met, we all immediately began conversing about the race and potential terrorist attack. Thankfully, I received an email pretty soon thereafter from my friend, saying she was OK.

 About this time I also got my sampler of multiple pale ales, a bitter, a saison, and their 2008 GABF gold medal winning smoked Rauch Bier. Now, I don’t want to dismiss the horrific actions that I had recently found out about, but I also don’t want to have anyone associate an awful moment in our country’s history with a new brewery they have never heard of. So, why have I mentioned them together? Because despite my reservations about this post, I did experience both together, and they will inexplicably be tied together in my mind for the rest of my life. 

 For me though, outside of being around friends and family after something traumatic, just being around other people sharing a common passion is very comforting. Enjoying something you love also helps take your mind off the worries of the day, and Sly Fox has some extremely enjoyable craft beers that did just that. They make some really excellent standard styles and then take them to the next level. No beer is more under appreciated in my opinion than a bitter. Sly Fox’s Chester County Bitter was one of my favorites on this visit. Despite its sessionability, there is lots of nice malty flavor balanced with subtle hoppiness. Not only does it adhere to the standards of a great bitter, they also only serve it the proper way a true bitter should be: cask conditioned. The cask conditioning gives the Chester County Bitter the smoothness it deserves and is a brew you could enjoy all day.

 In addition to some perfectly executed standard styles, the Sly Fox team offers some inventive brews, my favorite being their Hop Project series. On this particular day they had three single-hopped IPA hybrids that all utilized experimental hops that still don’t even have names associated with them, just numbers (01210, 03129, and 06300). The flavors in these brews ranged from your standard earthy and woody flavors, to coconut and mint. I immediately googled their availability to homebrewers the minute I got home two days later.

 I hate to associate such an awesome brewery with a terrible event, but the warmness of the locals I met while there, along with the comforting and delicious beers could not have been a better accompaniment to a troubled soul. And honestly, that’s part of why we have hobbies we’re so passionate about, to escape the ordinary, as well as the things we’d rather not think about.

Spring House Brewing Company (Lancaster, PA)

Spring House Brewing Company was another stop on my recent Eastern PA brew trip. Much like Prism Brewing in North Wales, Spring House definitely delivers for those looking to try some inventive beers. Their brewhouse is located in Conestoga, PA, but a full bar and restaurant is down the road in Lancaster (also very close to Intercourse, PA, where, as I observed, that is the probably the last thing on the geriatrics who I saw roaming the area’s minds). 

They have a pretty ridiculous sampler where you can taste every beer on tap, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe I had ten 4oz pours, with an additional “guest beer” thrown in for good measure. Definitely the go-to brew is the Big Gruesome, a chocolate peanut butter stout. Although this, along with other similarly off-the-wall beers, definitely drew my attention to this brewery during my research, I was a bit hesitant and thought that perhaps this was merely a gimmick to draw in non-beer drinkers…   I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although very noticeable, the peanut butter flavor is not overpowering, but rather it adds not only an additional flavor to this hearty (8.5% abv) stout, but provides some smoothness to an already creamy beer. It’s definitely filling, but the rich texture makes it go down easy and could be pretty dangerous after a couple pints.

Spring House also serves up a similar Lil’ Gruesome (8.3% abv, so not that little), that’s a peanut butter stout fermented with raspberries. It’s definitely sweeter, but is balanced nicely with rich chocolate flavors and some roastiness.

Despite having other equally bizarre brews (a mango IPA; oyster stout; and pineapple IPA), brewer Matt Keasey has plenty of standards to round out his portfolio. The Asylum triple IPA will satisfy the most lupulin obsessed of hop heads, and the Goofy Foot summer wheat is great as a thirst quencher and those interested in sweeter, but non-cloying brew.

The food menu is equally creative and delicious. I had crab mac and cheese bites with tomato bacon jam, and am officially stealing the idea for my next house party. I don’t want to start a trend of giving opinions on prices and whether items are reasonable or not as I want to focus on the beer and brewers, but being a resident of habitually overpriced DC I was very impressed with the quality of food and drink I got for well under $20. This is definitely a place that thrives on its local community base, and it’s not surprising the locals keep coming back for more.

Prism Brewing Co. (North Wales, PA)

Prism Brewing Company is located in North Wales, PA, about 45 minutes north of Philadelphia. I came across this funky brewery/brewpub a few weeks back while on a brew tour of Eastern, PA through the use of the always handy ‘Good Beer Maps’ provided by the good folks at Brewing News. What initially caught my attention was their unique variety of beers, but what made me fill a growler was the charasmatic staff and amazing flavor combinations the brewers not only pulled off, but enhanced their beers with. 

The first beer I tried was their Love is evoL, a brown ale loaded with 100lbs of strawberries and 10lbs of jalapenos. I’ve seen and tasted chili beers in the past, but mostly in darker brews like stouts and porters, so it was nice to try one where the heat is definitely up front and not afraid to hide. The strawberries add a hint of sweetness to balance the whole thing out.

The growler I left with was filled with Shady Blond, a wheat beer hopped with Summit and Cascade, and fermented with juiced blood oranges. Most recipes call for orange rinds to get that citrus flavor, but I’m glad the guys at Prism didn’t heed that advice, as the fresh citrus notes make this an extremely refreshing beer, without being overly sweet. This is definitely a great substitution for that orange wedge garnished Blue Moon offered as “craft beer” at your local sports bar.

I wish I’d had more time to stick around and try out their other concoctions like their ParTea Pale Ale (made with whole leaf China black tea leaves) or “Big Black Wheat” ChemoSabe (with hints of wasabi, and whose partial profits go to help families fighting cancer). Shout out also to my bartender who shared half of her Philly Cheesesteak egg roll (yes, it was goddman delicious) with me…  well, I say “shared”, but after asking me if I’ve ever had one and replying no, she pretty much force fed it down my throat claiming it was “fucking amazing”. From the locals and staff I spoke to, they share the same exuberant and irreverant passion about their beer as they do for strange takes on Philly’s most iconic food export. If you’re in the area (or can find their beers, from what I can gather are mainly distributed in Eastern PA and New Jersey) definitely drop in for a pint with the local crowd.