Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

VITAMIN SEA BREWING – PLYMOUTH

United States Brewpubs,

PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSTETTS

Across the street from Plymouth Bay on Water Street, VITAMIN SEA BREWING opened this second location May 2024 (with its original taproom in close by Weymouth). Inside a mod brown-shingled professional building, Plymouth’s Vitamin Sea offers beautiful bayside splendor from its umbrella-laden patio.

Inside the high-ceilinged Plymouth pub, the aluminum-fronted cement top bar with roped Edison lights features twenty draughts. The left side wood-metal furnishings, nautical anchor and wrap-roped columns add a rustic harbor feel. A backroom with barroom tables and several tap handles fills out the interior.

Crafting over 200 different beer recipes since Weymouth’s inaugural February ’19 debut, Vitamin Sea’s diverse offerings boast both unique character and complexity.

My wife and I arrived on a Monday at noon, October ’26, downing five IPA’s, a farmhouse ale, dark mild and Cali Common while taking home another dozen (reviewed in Beer Index).

One of Vitamin Sea’s finest one-offs, nitro California Common, Low Tide, recalled a creamier, fluffier Extra Special Bitter with its rye-spiced pumpernickel crustiness, mossy dewiness and wispy fennel herbage gaining an ‘uncommon’ wood chip sear as tiny bubbles rise to the brown-bodied surface.

Dewy dark mild, Mildly Amused, sunk crusty pumpernickel and rye breading into caramelized chocolate malts, gaining ESB-like smoky peat sneak.

‘Rustic saison,’ Croix De Canard, a collab with Croix De Chavaux, utilized leathery French Elixir hops to reinforce lemon rot souring, barnyard oats mustiness and dried floral musk over doughy French breading.

Sessionable West Coast IPA, Little Dreamer, allowed wood-dried lemon rind, grapefruit peel and orange pith bittering to reach musky herbage over dainty pale malts.

Juicy New England IPA, Elusive, a popular Citra-Simcoe-Mosaic-hopped moderation, let bittersweet grapefruit and orange peel zest sidle salty crayon waxed green mango, guava and pineapple tropicalia as well as gin-perfumed honeysuckle spritz, picking up dank floral-daubed pine resin in a creamy oated wheat setting.

Dry orange marbled hazy NEIPA, House Money, blended briny Rakau-hopped guava, gooseberry, green mango and white grapefruit tropicalia with Amarillo-hopped dank pine resin atop yogurt-milked oats creaming.

Yet another NEIPA, silken Pacific Vibrations, let lemony grapefruit and orange zest softly settle alongside peachy mango tang and dry lime twist as slight piney residue contrasts caramel malt sweetness.

As a finale, Boston Bruins’ Bobby Orr tribute, #4, a hazy golden experimental-hopped NEIPA, stayed soft-toned as lemon-limed pineapple, guava, papaya and yuzu tropicalia picked up floral sweetness to contrast musty black peppered juniper bittering above fluffy oated Golden Promise malts.

SECOND WIND BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS

During December 2025, SECOND WIND BREWING CO. opened its second location in the historic colonial village of Plymouth. Designated as Main Street Taphouse & Kitchen and located one-half mile from the original Howland Street Taproom & Patio (operating as the primary brewery since April 2018), the gray ground floor pub serves fine handheld apps, flatbread pizza, burgers and sweets alongside a bevy of stylishly diverse suds.

Inside Second Wind’s Main taphouse, the yellow-walled interior features a twelve-seat main bar space with twenty draughts, two blackboard beer menus and left side dining. Nostalgic electric tubed chandeliers hang across the room and a snazzy couched lounge area fills out the space.

My wife and I take a few seats to down three easygoing Second Wind brews at noon early October ’26, taking home another eight (reviewed in Beer Index).

Mild cologne-perfumed orange peel sweetness and light coriander salting gathered for Belgian witbier, Howland At The Moon, a cracked wheat-backed moderation.

Fizzy lemon prickled Italian pilsner, Cent’Anni, leaving musty hay, floral musk and dried hay upon the crisp barleycorn base.

Well integrated Margarita-inspired sour ale, Rocks & Salt, sprinkled briny rock salt on brisk lime and agave as its splendid blood orange onrush brings tart edge to acidulated white wheat bottom.

CONSHOHOCKEN BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

CONSHOHOCKEN, PENNSYLVANIA

In 2014, CONSHOHOCKEN BREWING COMPANY (a.k.a. Conshy) opened its original location along the Schuylkill River Trail in the one-square mile borough of Conshohocken. By 2026, Conshy expanded to include a second tap room in King of Prussia plus a kitchen/taproom in nearby Bridgeport and a Rec Room in Phoenixville. Despite serving a well-established lineup of stylishly standard year-round fare (taking few chances), Conshy’s one-offs oft-times experiment freely.

A barebones brick-based beerhall, its clean Industrial appeal features classic wood furnishings, hanging tin lamps, bark wood back wall, side walled bicyclist insignia and garaged overhead doors. The eight-seat wood top bar includes twelve draught handles. A separate cement-floored sports bar (with dual TV’s) leads to the sprawling back deck patios.

On my mid-afternoon September ’26 journey, I sank a few popular proprietary suds as a slide guitar-led combo provided live music.

Sedate orange-peeeld coriander spicing and lemon meringue tartness occupied Belgian witbier, Backpack, picking up herbal fungi musk.

Dewy peat secured mossy Pub Ale, Puddlers Row, leaving cellared fungi upon brown tea spot and earthen wood bottom.

Mellow brown sugared pumpkin spicing swayed autumnal Nightmare On East Elm Street, gaining starchy pumpkin pureed earthiness.

Session IPA, Life Coach, an easygoing tropical fruited moderation with sticky pine glued to mild lime-salted yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering atop lightly creamed oats.

Dry West Coast IPA, Type A, let lemony orange-peeled grapefruit zesting and peachy mango sideswipes receive musky pine bittering over sugary pale malts for an ‘aggressively hopped’ (Citra-Mosiac-Simcoe) flagship.

WISSAHICKON BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

WISSAHICKON, PENNSYLVANIA

Just past the heart of town in the rolling hills of Northwest Philly’s East End neighborhood, WISSAHICKON BREWING COMPANY opened 2017 (before starting up an Olde Kensington site with full kitchen in 2025 and a third location in Maple Glen soon after). Family owned and operated, the tan brick facility stationing the 100-seat brewhouse features top-to-bottom windows looking out at the makeshift beer garden across the aluminum grain silo.

Inside the spacious warehouse main space, an aluminum-fronted wood bar with silver-tiled draught board services scattered wood and aluminum tables from the backspace brew tanks.

In the middle of a September ’26 Sunday afternoon, my wife and I helped ourselves to seven Wissahickon brews.

Dry light-bodied Kolsch brought fizzy lemon rot to grassy hop spot and mineral grained breading.

Dry-hopped New Zealand-styled pilsner, Schooner Nectaron, soaked musky orange oiling into toasted white breading, picking up subtle nectarine-tangerine-grapefruit sway and dank pine snip.

Zestful golden lager, High Hopes, a mild IPA-like alternative, merged tart Huell Melon hops with earthen herbed Saaz hops, leaving lemony pineapple juicing and wispy guava licks on the dry finish.

Another IPA-hopped lager, Philly United, let citric-pined Cascade-Motueka hops seep into dried maize musk as fizzy lemon misting moistened lightly toasted mineral graining.

Next up, hazy Citra-Mosaic-hopped pale ale, Wigwam, gathered dry lemon pith and orange rind bittering alongside mild pine resin.

Glowing yellow Imperial IPA, Devil’s Fool, stayed vibrant as sunny grapefruit and orange peel zesting reached light vanilla oats creaming.

Sharp pineapple-juiced wheat ale, Dog Daze, also had a hazy IPA resolve as lemon-candied guava and mango tropicalia prickled upside down pineapple cake sweetness ascending above honeyed wheat base.

VON C BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

Owner and operated by Rick, Eric and Jay Von Czoernig, heirs to the historic Schmidt’s brewing recipes, VON C BREWING CO. opened in Norristown during the winter of 2020, adding a beer garden soon after. Von C’s enormous 20-barrel setup takes up most of the white brick cement floor factory where a 2,500 square-foot pub got carved out for a 22-draught bar.

The rustic overhead doored warehouse includes an aluminum top L-shape bar, several benches and round tables, bark-carved beer menu, exposed pipes, old wood ceiling and large overhead fans. Large rear brew tanks service the pub.

Steadfast in crafting great mainstream fare, oft-times German-styled, Von C combines old recipes and new to skew in the general public’s favor. My wife and I visited Von C’s Saturday at noon, early September ’26.

Polished light-bodied German pils, Fraulein, utilized white crackered Weyermann malt minerality to anchor its herbal Saaz hop dryness and floral-bound Perle hop lemon spritz.

Dry West Coast pilsner, Boundless, let fizzy grapefruit and mandarin orange spritz receive mild pine resin atop lightly creamed oated wheat.

Using an old family recipe, OG Pils Legendary Philly Lager, swept mild maize-flaked barley roast thru musty sorghum, husked corn and sourdough bread.

Classic Vienna Style Lager retained honey-glazed brown breading given slight rye waver, light leafy foliage and distant floral spicing for simple Euro-derived moderation.

Soft-toned beer engine-poured cask conditioned ESB spread honeyed Maris Otter malt toasting across dewy moss, musty florality and brown leaf astringency in traditional British style.

Classic hefeweizen, Why You Hefe To Be Mad, subdued its stylish banana-clove sweetness as white-peppered herbage came aboard the pale wheated pilsner malting.

Lemony orange-peeled coriander and slight black peppering prickled Uncle Jerry’s Wit, picking up mild banana-clove swerve over pilsner-malted white wheating.

Zesty lemon, candied orange and sugared grapefruit gained mild pining for NEIPA, Boundless Love, blending two proprietary hops with Simcoe/ Mosaic-hopped tropical sunshine.

Mild beechwood smoke added proper astringency to lingering coffee-burnt dark chocolate for dry schwarzbier, Midnight In The Priory, an autumnal dark ale.

LA CABRA BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

BERWYN, PENNSYLVANIA

Inside a historic two-story mauve stone cornershop in the Chester County town of Berwyn across from the train station, LA CABRA BREWING opened summer of 2016 (with second location, La Cabra Brewing & Smokehouse, in nearby Bryn Mawr since 2019). A casual gastropub with Latin-inspired pub fare and consistent beers hand crafted by Vermont University grad Chris Young (as of 2026), La Cabra matches its pristine elegance with Old World charm.

Inside the pub, its engineered wood floor, art deco black ceiling, exposed brick walls, slate-topped bar, eight metal-legged wood bar stools, lacquered wood tables and left side dining area scream mod Industrial.

Inspired by legendary Vermont brewer, Greg Noonan, as well as Magic Hat #9 and Long Trail Blackberry Wheat, Young’s wide array of spirited elixirs included a nitro ESB-like mild ale, Norwegian yeasted blonde ale and an exquisite barleywine on my sunny noon time Friday afternoon early September ’26 jaunt.

But first, the flagship year-rounders were tried.

Polite rice lager, Grain Delay, let salted lemon fizz sparkle compost-wafted, rice-flaked, Weyermann pilsner malting.

Soft-toned Wit Happens let stylish orange-peeled coriander sweetness gain tart candied glaze as white peppered herbage, grassy hop astringency and citric cilantro snips wavered.

Traditional dry kolsch, One More, retained crispness as spritzy lemon absorbed grassy hops and mild herbage.

Easygoing clear-yellowed blonde ale, The Suds, utilized clean-watered Norwegian ale yeast to smoothly coat its briny lemon-wedged mandarin orange zesting.

Nitrogenated English-styled mild ale, Cadence, left peat-charred burnt coffee and Bakers chocolate mustiness upon heavily barley roasted malts.

Brown chocolate spicing and caramelized dried fruiting consumed lusty barleywine, Old Formula, bringing raisin, prune, dried cherry, burgundy and bourbon illusions to the silken mocha surface.

ATTIC BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

GERMANTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

Operating out of former Blaisdell pencil factory, ATTIC BREWING COMPANY became historic Germantown’s first neighborhood brewery, January 2020. With an “antique roadshow” feel, Attic owner Laura Lacy’s compact classic beer stylings rum the gamut.

A patio-benched beer garden leads to the red brick garage entry. The rustic cement-floored, wood-benched, black aluminum-ceilinged pub features a lacquered wood top bar, elegant blue-walled barback mural and twelve bronze-piped draught handles. Several wood and barrel tables (with red plastic stools) also regale the overhead doored interior while brew tanks are stationed in the rear.

Lacy spent some time with my wife and I early September ’26 while we downed five friendly brews, taking home nine more (reviewed in Beer Index) on my North Philly two-hour stopover.

Firstly, light-bodied German pils, G-Town Strutter, retained mild lemon spicing, cucumber-watered crisping and dry herbage atop rye-daubed toasted breading.

Standard mainstream commemoration, USA 250th Anniversary American Lager, placed corn-flaked barley in a salty lemon-fizzed hop setting, picking up buttery diacetyl phenols.

Maize flaked pilsner malts saddled dry Mexican lager, La Libertad, leaving musty Tequila, orange-oiled agave, musky brown tea and mild Scotch illusions in its wake.

Traditional pale ale, Universal Melody, utilized citric-spiced Mosaic hops to juice up vodka-nipped yellow grapefruit, mango and peach tropicalia as sharp pine tones contrasted creamy oats sugaring.

Dry kettle-soured herbal gose, Sage Against The Machine, let locally grown sage minting pervade sea-salted lemon peel tartness and cologned lime wisp.

Brisk Strat-hopped New England IPA, Stratacat, slipped dank pine resin inside tropical grapefruit, orange and pineapple zesting as well as peach-fuzzed strawberry, guava and grape perk over lightly creamed oated wheat.

Equally tropical fruited hazy IPA, Leading Ladies, gathered polite lemony grapefruit-salted bittering, Pina Colada-like coconut-pineapple zesting, pink guava tartness and white grape esters over creamy vanilla oats.

WELL CRAFTED AMBLER BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

AMBLER, PENNSYLVANIA

A few garage-bound homebrewers began crafting beer in 2007, then reassembled in 2018 to open their first Well Crafted Beer Company location in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. After a few years of success, the eager zymurgists expanded its seven-barrel operation with a warehoused 10-barrel setup designed as WELL CRAFTED AMBLER BREWERY & BEER GARDEN (with a third location in Skippard by 2024).

Described best as an “Industrial chic hangout,” the white-bricked Well Crafted Ambler features a random patio decked beergarden, pale green-walled pub (with marble top bar, twelve draught taps and two TV’s) and a few overhead doors. Several tables, chairs and benches fill out the concrete-floored interior. Windowed brew tanks were behind the bar and a to-go refrigerator at the right side. Mocktails, ciders, wine and light pub fare were available.

During warm Friday evening, early September ’26, following Don Bosco football game victory at Roman Catholic (of Philly), ventured in to try nine Well Crafted suds, bringing home several more (reviewed in Beer Index).

Easygoing cream ale, Philly Yo!, put mild lemony orange zesting inside grassy hop astringency and corn sugared pilsner malts.

Soft-toned kolsch, Mother Of Perle, stayed dry as lemon misting, minty lemongrass herbage and lemondrop tartness merged over white breading.

Marvelous fruited kolsch, Grapefruit Mama, relinquished juicy yellow grapefruit powdering and lemony white grapefruit souring above crisp white cracker base.

Fruited Berliner Weiss, Mango Peach, let sweet mango and peach puree guide milk-sugared yogurt souring and salty guava-gooseberry tartness thru withered white wheat base.

Zestful Margarita-skewed key lime gose, How’s It Gose, plied briny key lime souring to stylish salted coriander peppering as green mango, guava and white grapefruit tropicalia added depth.

Mocha-driven dried fruiting propelled Baltic Porter, Solen, spreading blackberry, black cherry and fig sweetness all over molasses-candied Belgian chocolate spicing.

Nitro coffee-enriched blonde stout, Pumpkin Spice Latte, regaled creamy pumpkin latte sweetness reinforced by mild cinnamon-nutmeg spicing contrasting milder lemon wedged pumpkin puree earthiness.

Dark chocolate draped soft-toned milk stout, Mystic Cow, a lightly creamed milk-sugared dessert treat with mild Bakers chocolate, Milk Dud, vanilla latte and cappuccino illusions.

Perhaps less lustrous but just as flavorful as a stronger barleywine, Page Turner, scattered dried cherry, glazed date and candied fig alongside spirited sherry-brandy wining atop toasted Maris Otter malting.

BRIX BREWHOUSE

United States Brewpubs,

BRODHEADSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA

Inside a restored red brick firehouse, BRIX BREWHOUSE came to life May 16, 2026, in Brodheadsville at the west end of Monroe County. Owner joe Elias and head brewer Chris Pohorenco operate the multifaceted pub, a veritable sportsbar and events space.

Brix features a main barroom with black ceiling, exposed pipes and lacquer wood bar (with embossed fire company patches) plus a dining area with four tables adorned by decorative fire hoses and mezzanine banquet hall. Bay area brewtanks push out fine small-batch fare. Shuffleboard and billiards games are available.

My wife and I grab a few seats at the metal-furnished back deck, mid-August ’26 on a sunny Sunday afternoon, to down nine stylishly familiar goodies.

“Smooth and light” pilsner-malted Light Pilsner Lager, stayed soft and fuzzy as dry mineral graining and herbal hops united.

Another soft light body, Blonde Ale, let mild lemon zest absorb astringent hops contrasting pale malt sugaring.

Dewy American Pale Ale recalled a British ESB with its cellar funk, musky fungi and rye spicing relieved by slight grapefruit-seeded bittering.

Mild Cream Ale let dry raw honeyed pale malting and vegetal earthiness reach grassy hop astrningency.

Traditional American Wheat had a lively lemon-candied spritz riding atop pillowy wheat graining.

Crayon-waxed tropical fruiting anchored hazy IPA, Hold My Hose, leaving mild lemon-wedged orange peel and grapefruit rind bittering upon piney cannabis.

Creamily brown-buttered Brown Ale merged burnt caramel sweetness with dry nuttiness.

Soft-toned Black & Tan left nutty coffee-roasted dark chocolate upon tertiary espresso, latte and cocoa illusions.

Medium-roast coffee saddled nutty Nitro Stout, a sedate nightcap.

VARITAGE BREW WORKS

United States Brewpubs,

BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY

Tucked into Washington Street off Bloomfield’s main drag, VARITAGE BREW WORKS is Jersey’s first definitive soccer brew pub. Starting in 2023, Varitage retains a smalltown watering hole vibe with its Industrial chic feel.

Soccer flags hang from the pipe-filled rafters as the crowd gets settled in to watch the Everton game at 11 AM. A central TV shows the game while eleven rotating draughts at the black-white-tiled backbar serve the eight-seat, L-shaped, laminate bark-topped serving station and a few wood tables.

Varitage’s slogan ‘Born On The Bines Of Tradition’ guards the backwall and brew tanks are to the rear.

Tried ten approachable Varitage brews (though no dark ales) on late August ’26 visit, though I look forward to returning for Banana Split Stout and S’mores Stout.

Bohemian Czech-styled pale lager, Varitage Premium, retained a soft cumulous-headed vanilla creamed froth for salty lemon rooted Saaz hop herbage and wispy orange spicing, finishing bolder, headier and more refined than lesser lagers.

Crisp amber lager, Red Corteo, connected dewy tea-leafed herbage to desiccated fig, rotted orange and mild compost dampness atop mineral grained bread crusting.

“Delicate” kolsch, Torcida 96, spread maize-dried herbage, orange blossom honey, sour orange rot, mild lemon balm and twiggy foliage above cardboardy pilsner malting in a crisp celery watered setting.

Fluffy white-headed, aluminum-yellowed cream ale, United Gold, scattered dry lemon-limed grapefruit and orange riffs across grassy-hopped fennel and soapy limestone.

Year-round West Coast IPA, Locks and Planes, stuck sticky pine resin inside lemon rind and grapefruit pith bittering as well as herb-spiced juniper bittering.

There were three more stylishly diverse India Pale Ales on tap.

Dry moderate-bodied session IPA, Top Bins, let sharp Cascade-Centennial-Chinook-hopped grapefruit, pineapple and orange pith bittering softly float by cologne-perfumed pine needling.

Equally soft on the tongue, Nelson Sauvin-hopped New England IPA, Elastico, placed delicate pine tones next to mild lemony grapefruit bittering, salted guava-gooseberry tartness and tannic white grape must as well as herbal white peppering.

Hazy Imperial IPA, Terrace, retained ultra-dry tropical fruiting as salted lemony yellow grapefruit spunk, sour green grape esters, tart gooseberry-passionfruit-guava sway and white apricot tang merged above white cracker breading.

Saluting co-founder Mark Costa’s Azorean Portuguese Ironbound Newark heritage, Selecao Portuguese Lager retained light-bodied texture as dewy peat mossing, musky fungi herbage and earthen truffle crisping coalesced in a fashion not unlike a classic Extra Special Bitter.

Meanwhile, similar English-styled pub ale, Off The Woodwork, a sessionable bitter, gave its dewy earthiness a lightly spiced orange twist before lying in a caramelized biscuit bed.

LOG TAVERN BREWING COMPANY – TAFTON

United States Brewpubs,

TAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA

Just north of the Poconos in Pike County, unincorporated Tafton houses the second LOG TAVERN BREWING COMPANY (23 miles due west). On a nine-acre estate, the wood shed ‘tavern’ with green shingled roof features dual cubby pavilions, fenced-in wood benched patio and agrarian splendor.

The rustic timber-framed taproom includes a ten-seat pine top bar, top-to-bottom stone hearth, high aluminum ceiling, four-stooled wood tables, block wood community tables and lounge chairs. Open for biz since March 9, 2024, Log Tavern’s cool Yeti draught handles contain a fine cornucopia of proprietary brews.

I’d already tried at least eighteen different LT brews before downing another seven with wife on the way to Lake Harmony mid-July ’26.

Mild Mexican lager, Dios De Luz, let limey lemon zest gain teasing Tequila twist over glazed edaster breading.

Sweet-tart apricot puree scurried by lemony orange-fizzed moderation, Apricot Wheat, leaving mild peach ring, dried fig and tangerine specs.

Straightforward Campfire Kolsch stayed brisk as lemon-wedged herbage and celery-watered crisping received French breaded sourdough yeasting.

Soft-toned New England IPA, Last Echo, placed vanilla fluff atop orange-tangerine sweetness, caramelized pineapple pizzazz and creamy coconut caress contrasting mils spruce-tipped pine tones.

Session IPA, Olivia Mae, maintained zesty tropical fruiting as mango-guava salting, lemony grapefruit bittering and juicy orange peel tanginess merged over creamy oats.

Conditioned on cold-brewed coffee and cocoa nibs, PCBS (Pike County Breakfast Stout) gathered creamy cappuccino sweetness to counter nutty espresso bittering and hop-charred wood sear for true mocha decadence.

Sharp ginger spiked spicy nightcap, Winter Warmer, spreading orange blossom honey all over powder-sugared cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom before Graham Cracker sweetness caps the yuletide-spirited finish.

BARLEY CREEK TAPROOM – TANNERSVILLE

United States Brewpubs,

Located at the Poconos Premium Outlets in Tannersville, BARLEY CREEK TAPROOM is an extension of the original pub a few miles south. A spacious mall-bound taproom (sans brew tanks) opened in 2019 to better captivate the flow of traffic on nearby Route 80, its five draught boards feature 20-plus tapped beers and seltzers emanating from BC’s nearby brewery.

A 20-seat laminated wood top bar with glass-encased Edison lights services a bunch of black stooled tables. Rear wood tables, a shuffleboard table and cornhole area fill out the elongated wood-floored barroom. There are TV’s all around, providing an obvious sportsbar atmosphere. Also, Barley Creek now has proprietary distilled beverages alongside many other shelved spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails.

Stopped by late July ’26 to down a fine English style bitter while re-tasting Angler Black Lager (priced at $3 for happy hour).

Brit-styled pale ale, Apiarius, with its lightly creamed vanilla froth, dealt raw-honeyed butteriness to dewy peat mossing as fizzy lemony orange spritz prickles glutinous pale malt setting.