Philadelphia area breweries

Those who don’t know it will figure it out soon enough, I live in Philadelphia. Fortunately for me, Philadelphia has a number of decent breweries and brewpubs, although we’ve lost a few over the years. There are four which deserve special mention, though.

Yard’s (Philadelphia) – This is a dependable mainstay of Philadelphia area microbrewing, which is about to go through some serious transition. Yard’s started in my old neighborhood, the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, and currently occupies an historic brewery in the slightly dicey neighborhood of Kensington. Yard’s is best at basic, English style ales.

Flying Fish (Cherry Hill, NJ) – Flying Fish makes some very nice beers in a very unassuming location. This is one brewery which seems to do well dabbling across styles without going too far astray.

Victory (Downingtown, PA) – Victory is stronger in lager-style beers than many of the other microbrews I’ve tasted, although the Pils is still not quite where I’d like it to be. Then again, I like really hoppy, crisp Pils. The Hop Devil is tasty for those who like hops.

Dogfish Head (Milton, DE) – It’s a bit of a stretch to call this Philadelphia area, but it’s within striking distance and I’m not sure who else would claim it. This is an eccentric brewery which brews some really crazy beers, which I’ll be trying as the year progresses. The 60 cent IPA is an extremely nice beer, though, one of the few I’ve actually craved in recent years.

There are others, but then I’ve got a whole year of posting to go, now don’t I? If you’re looking for additional watering holes in the Philadelphia, check out realbeer.com’s guide to the city’s watering holes.