Brewhouse Grille

grego

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +11.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

We stopped in after a trip to Westy's and Troegs. This is a smallish U shaped bar with probably 15 beers on tap. Most notably for me was Bell's Hopslam, Russian River's Pliny the Elder, Stone IPA, Blue Point IPA. They had some BMC and yuengling as well. And the usual Harp, Guiness, also some Corsendonk Abbey I think it was. A few others I don't remember. They also had a very good selection of unusual bottles - probably over 100 as a guess. The service was excellent, we never waited for anything. We each had an excellent burger and talked with some of the locals. The price for 4 pints of hopslam and two burgers was $32 so I think a good value. I will definitely be back here everytime I head to Harrisburg. This is a must visit if you're in the area and want some unusual quality draft beers. There is also a restaurant section but I didn't really see that.

12-29-2006 13:37:59 | More by grego

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $

Atmosphere: The Brewhouse has both a dining area and a bar. The two are reasonably segregated to prevent the smoky bar from permeating the establishment. It also looks like there is a patio in the back for warmer weather.

Quality: Service was fast and efficient and the establishment appeared clean. There was also a smattering of video games in the bar area that complimented the 6 or so big screen TVs.

Service: Bar service was attentive, providing additional pints of Pliny the Elder as requested (the whole purpose of my visit was for the Elder). They replaced a glass, kept my section of the bar clean and were friendly. No complaints here.

Selection: Selection was impressive. Draught offerings including Pliny the Elder, Bell's HopSlam, Corsendonk Noel, Stone IPA, a Lindeman's varietal (missed exactly which one) and Troegs, along with the standard BMC taps. There appeared to be a good bottle selection in the refrigerator as well.

Food: Food ran the gamut from pub grub (wings, etc) to steak and other upscale offerings.

Overall, the place was very reasonable. My two pints of Pliny (plus tip) ran $7 total. Certainly a steal by any guideline.

12-22-2006 15:10:52 | More by akorsak

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

Decided to stop in at Brewhouse Grille for lunch with two co-workers since it is in such close proximity to our office. Upon entering, I immediately noticed the oddly shaped bar and multitude of taps… twenty in all! It was quite busy, so we found three vacant seats at the bar in front of the beer coolers and made ourselves at home.

There were two coolers with five shelves each packed to the gills with nothing but micros. The majority were US micros, including DFH, Blue Point, Flying Dog, Sierra Nevada, Sea Dog, Rogue, Stone, etc. with plenty of PA breweries represented, including Legacy, Troegs, Weyerbacher, Lancaster, ABC, Victory, and Stoudts. Their imports included Fullers, Chimay and some other Belgians, Boddingtons, etc.

I was quite impressed (and surprised) by their tap selection, which boasted twenty different beers, all of which were micros and imports save three reserved for Coors Lite, Miller Lite and Yuengling Lager. The micros on tap were as follows: Stone IPA, Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, Blue Point Hoptical Illusion, Troegs Mad Elf, Rogue Dead Guy, DFH 60-min., Sierra Nevada Celebration and perhaps a few others. Their import offering included Frambroise Lambic, Smithwicks, Guinness, Harp, Stella, Franzi and Molson.

For lunch, I got a bacon cheddar burger with seasoned fries. The burger was average, but the fries were great. Our service was very good, and the bartender was quite knowledgeable about the various beers. However, it took forever to get our food, so they lose some points for that. One of the guys I was with got soup and a salad, and he got his salad after we were all served. I took at least 45 minutes to get our food. To drink, I had a Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale and a Chimay Blue. Both were very good, though I preferred the Bell’s (just a personal preference to hoppy ales over Belgians).

Overall, I was very impressed with their tap selection and the service was very good. The food was decent but it took way too long to get our food. It was quite crowded, smoky and noisy during our visit, but that’s understandable because it was during lunchtime. With all that said, I would still return for a few beers given the great selection of micros on tap and in bottles.

12-12-2006 14:44:26 | More by ffejherb

JohnnyM2002

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Do not use the directions provided by Google...

From 19th St. (in Camp Hill) - take 19th over the bridge (you'll make a right) and hang a right after the bridge. It will be on your right.

From route 15 - make a right after the Camp Hill Mall towards Gettysburg Road...it becomes Hummel Ave/State Rd. It's on your left across from an Exxon station.


Onto the review:

Arrived around 1:15 on a Saturday and sat at the half-empty bar. My wife and I took my favorite seats - the ones right across from the micro fridge...I look for that seat everywhere I go. There are approximately 16-20 selections on tap and I counted 105 different bottles. I had a Pliny the Elder and my wife enjoyed a Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat. Tap selections included Rogue Mocha & Dead Guy, Stone IPA, Pliny, DFH 90 & Punkin, & Troegs.

Food took a long time to come out (I ordered a Reuben and she had a Turkey Bacon Grinder) but it was very good. Bartender was nice about it and joked about the slow service after apologizing.

Along with out food, I made a custom 6-pack, and the total for both was $45, so it's a little pricy for the area, but I can't complain about the quality of food and the beverages.

Stop by if in the Harrisburg area - it'll be worth it.

11-11-2006 20:40:52 | More by JohnnyM2002

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Visited the establishment on a Saturday afternoon at 5PM. The dining was virtually empty and we were promptly seated. The waitress soon arrived and took our drink orders, which were served promptly. They had a separate beer menu which was truly extensive. The tap selection was good, but the bottle selection was excellent. The bootles were a nice mixture of east coast micros, other American micros, and European micros. The food was a little slow in arriving (considering the few patrons in the dining area) but when it arrived we were all extremely pleased. The portion sizes were large, especially for the salads. All the food was served at the correct temperature, and was delicious. It is also child fruiendly with a special menu. They are currently constructing a new deck in the back which has taken away part of the parking lot. This can make the lot a bit difficult to exit, especially when you have had a few. Be Careful.

10-12-2006 21:25:07 | More by tgbljb

Phatz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

BrewHouse Grille:

These are exceptionally nice people! This place, however, was not easy for me to find. Certainly not with google direction coming from Westy’s Beer Distributor. Do not take 19th street to State or if you do be sure to go over the bridge and turn right when 19th runs into state. I got so lost… Fortunately when I called they were able to help me find my way. I am not sure it was worth getting lost for it but it was a nice place with nice people and a decent selection. If your in the area stop by but I wouldn’t pilgrimage across the state for it. The beer selection is far above avereage for the area. But I have come to expect I higher standard than I used to. Especially after going to Zeno's in State college. Certainly this is thre right place to take your date and get to drink Omegang, Andrson Valley, DFH Fransiskaner and the like.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

08-18-2006 06:17:25 | More by Phatz

sudzweasel

Rhode Island

4.85/5  rDev +21.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I just came back from a vacation in PA and we stayed near this place. I had heard good things about it from George at Westy's Distributor down the street. the place is a regular looking establishment with a bar on the right as you enter in the front and the dining area on the left. There are plans for a big outdoor deck in the works that you can see as you enter the back parking lot. The place is full no matter what time of day or what day you go. Here is what did it for me- they had Two-hearted Ale on draft. I could sit there all day and drink it. The rest of the beer selection is great as well. the staff that I encountered knew their beer very well. The food was excellent and served in larger portions than many other places that I have visited. I tried to stick to the local beers that were available other than the Two-hearted as I would not be able to get them again so I had some Troegs, Legacy... all in all an excellent time. A big thanks to the staff who went out of their way to ensure that we had a great time.

07-08-2006 20:47:30 | More by sudzweasel

DuqTroops

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

This used to be my favorite place to go to on the west shore, when it was known as the Iron Kettle. I came back home for the weekend and made the trip over to check this place out. Note: I was expecting the Iron Kettle. What I didn't expect was to really enjoy this establishment.

There are 2 doors to go in the front of the building. Not much parking room available, so make it there soon.

Bar is U-Shaped. Great for chatting with the chums or eating and watching sports.

Food is excellent, very unique and the chef had some unusual dishes available. Also, very affordable.

Beer list in impecable for central PA. Lots of beer available from PA, but also from most of the US. Rogue, Anderson Valley, Ommegang, Dogfish Head, Sea Dog, and more. Their beer list was on an entire sheet of paper and must've had over 100 breweries.

Excellent place to try.

06-25-2006 21:43:12 | More by DuqTroops

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -9.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Well, after reading Dead Guy's review of this place, i figured I'd try it out after a week or so and give it time to settle in.

Glad I did!

My finace and I walked in through 1 of the 2 entrances (one entrance by tables and another entrance by the bar). The bar is U-shaped with about 20 bar stools/chairs around it. Around the bar are 5-8 pub tables. The bar area, which we sat appeared remodeled and nice. The actual dining section looked about bit trashy and not remodeled. However, I was there to check out the brew menu, so I didn't really care about the seating area.

Well lit, the bar area was nice. A few Megatouch machines sit on the bar, there's an internet jukebox in the corner, which pumped Dave Matthews, Rusted Root, and some other decent bands from, and a Golden Tee Live machine which is ALWAYS bonus in my book!

I had 3 brews while I was here. I had one brew (Smithwick's Ale) from 1 of the 7 taps they have set up with all but 2 microbreweries, which is nice. I then also had a Three Floyd's Alpha King and finally a Weyerbacher Decadence for "desert".

My finace had a Boddingtons and then a Franizkaner Weiss from tap. I happened to know the bartender from childhood, but her lack of beer knowledge ranging from what good beer was to knowing what kind of glass to serve Weiss in (my finace's was served in a pint instead of a Weiss glass), and all of my brews were served in a pint glass or a 7 oz. mug, which kinda pissed me off to say the least, but since I knew the bartender and I knew she didn't really know, I helped educate the poor girl in bartender beer info. She was appreciative of that.

Food: My fiance had a pasta dish (Brewroom Pasta) involving chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, and bacon, with a smoked alfredo sauce...very good! Along with that, she was served a small garden salad to start, which was more than just lettuce. I had the 12 oz. Pork Chop with a Carribean Mango glaze sauce on it, served with a house salad and mashed potatoes, which were great. A little pricey on the food, but the food was good enough that it didn't bother me.

The beer menu is probably 40 beers "weak". However, I found the Alpha King and the Decadence by looking in the front coolers for myself, to which I found there to be a more wide variety of beers than the basics...be sure to take a look for yourself. The bartender informed me that they will be "upping" their selection to over 120 different brews within time...hopefully the next time I go!

Overall, it seems to be a decent place with some promise, but it just needs some tender loving care and some BA's to keep it honest!

08-07-2005 20:16:28 | More by Fish113d

Edwin

Pennsylvania

2.56/5  rDev -36%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.5 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | $$

Ahhhh...a new beer bar in the 'burbs of the HBG! After reading an article on this place that claimed "it's all about the beer", I got very excited and rushed over right after work to bask in its beer-fueled glory...in the immortal words, 'not so fast, my friend'.

Atmosphere - OK, I used to live 1/2 mile from this place when it was still the Iron Kettle. A dank, locals place with crap beer and surprisingly good food. So, my perception of the atmosphere is a bit skewed out of sheer disbelief that this is the same building. Overall, it was OK. Still some of the yokels drinking MGD bottles, etc, but more of an upper-scale crowd mixed in. People having a good time and overall enjoying themselves. Not bad, although there was something missing to it.

Quality - You can tell this is their first week. Between cooks hustling food in and out of the kitchen like lines in a hockey game and the Appetizers being in the BACK of the menu, it's fairly obvious they need to work out some kinks. My Magic Hat was served in a frosted pint glass, and I watched in horror as they served up a Delerium Tremens bottle with a frosted pint glass as well. I am going to rate it as a 2.5 because it's unfair to completely kill them for their early-game jitters, but I sincerely HOPE they get some better organization in here, or it won't be long before the place is gone.

Service - For ONCE I get to write a bad service review. I am easily pleased, and it doesn't take much for me to say 'you know, it was a bit slow, but they were busy' or something to that effect. I always sympathize with the help. Not this time, Jack. I walked in and sat at the stools behind the bar and watched the Dukes of Hazzard movie special on MTV. Two seats opened up at the bar, so I bellied up and took one. My beer was done about 20 minutes later, and apparently, so was my drinking in general. The bartender (who obviously knew as much about beer as my 2-year old nephew) passed me by for a good 25 minutes before even acknowledging me. When she finally did, I asked for a Hops Infusion. I might as well asked where Hoffa's body was. So instead of getting my beer, she made a few Martinis and then searched for my bottle. She almost didn't give me a new glass, so I kindly asked for a new, unfrosted pint and a menu. Surprisingly, I got both. I decided what I wanted, and was ready to order it to-go. I sat the menu down on the edge of the bar and waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing. My beer empty, my anger rising. Finally (25 minutes later) she came back to me with my receipt...
Her: "I have to tab you out for the next shift of bartenders".
Me: "Can I add some food and another beer?"
Her: "No, you have to ask the new bartenders."
Me: "HA! Really?" "Awesome"
I paid my $8.50 and was far less than interested in ordering anything more at this point, so I jetted. They really went out of their way to hire the cute, bubbly girls in this place, and it shows. They have no idea what they are doing.

Selection - Hey, not bad. Only 7 taps, but an admirable bottle selection. They hope to have up to 150 different beers someday. I pray that the wait staff and bartenders get to know the difference between Dogfish Pale Ale and 60 Minute IPA. The menu was very diverse and had something for everyone.

Food - N/A, but not for a lack of effort. See above.

Value - $8.50 for a Magic Hat pint and a Weyerbacher Hops Infusion bottle. You can do better in the HBG area, but this isn't all that bad.

Overall - Like the top of the NBA draft, this bar has "tremendous upside potential". Hopefully it will become Kevin Garnett, and not Darko Milicic. Hell, I'd settle for Sam Bowie or Chris Washburn at this point. The owner was bragging about having up to 150 different beers someday, but he's gotta get things in order first. I am going to sick Jaysus on them soon...I am just too laid back to say anything. Go if you dare, and let them know what you think.

07-29-2005 13:05:30 | More by Edwin