Allentown Brew Works

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

My wife, son and I came here after picking up a case of hopslam in Emmaus. This is a nice place to pick up lunch. Right in the middle of town on hamilton street. After walking through the two sets of double glass doors. We were greeted by cases of hop explosion. Damn shame I didn't have enough money for a case. Anyway a stairwell is kind of hidden to the left of the hosstess desk with a nice dining area to the left and awesome looking bar to the right. Our seats back were we came in in front of the window to the city of Allentown.

Our server was a bit unpleasant but besides being grumpy he was very quick to ask if we needed anything.

Beers were a bit pricey as well as the samples at $10 for six. Brew works is some of the cheapest cases I have seen and for good quality but at the brewpub the seem to charge a bit more.

I will say the is the cleanest brewpub and restaraunt I have ever been in. Very pleased to go to the bathroom and smell potpouri and not stand in a puddle of urine.

The family and I were very happy to come here.

01-26-2012 22:43:27 | More by TheFightfan1

bigflatsbeerman

New York

4.79/5  rDev +23.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75 | $$

Went here with my wife and daughter who was checking out a college in the area. We all thought the food was very good, the service was excellent and my IPA and my wife's Wit beer were great. I would definitely recommend this place. It seemed like a very vibrant part of the community.

Editorial: I have been seeking out brew pubs when I'm out of town for the last 10-12 years. We have never been to one that did not have good food (I hope I don't jinx it).

02-03-2013 03:12:16 | More by bigflatsbeerman

Odysseyalien

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I had lunch with my family here yesterday. Food was much better than expected. My wife liked what she had (fish tacos) very much. I had the turkey burger and it was impressive. My son had the "grass fed" burger and pretty much demolished it. Fries were excellent as was the cole slaw. The food is of a high quality for this kind of establishment.

The waiter was very much above average and gave me a mini-tour of the brewing facility. Service was excellent.

I didn't have beer with lunch though I bought some to bring home. I don't drink at all when I have to drive a car. They do sell beer in bottles that you can bring home as well as growlers. (I'm sipping a Fegley's Hop Explosion that I bought yesterday as I type this and it's quite good. I'd rate it an "A" if this were a beer review.)

All in all, I hope to make my way to Allentown again and feast at this establishment. Hopefully I'll not have to drive next time and can enjoy the beer on tap as well as the food.

12-12-2011 23:52:37 | More by Odysseyalien

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

The Allentown brew works is a pretty nice place in an area that's seen better days. The brewpub itself is very nice. Very spacious and well lit. The vibe is pretty relaxed and casual. The service hasn't been bad since I started going there. The food has been really good every time I've had any. The beer selection is also pretty top notch, they've got plenty to choose from.

Each year they put on a beerfest with breweries that come from all over to give samples out. They have it all setup on the upper levels of the place. The festivals have been great the last 2 years I've gone. Overall it's a nice place in my opinion and they make good stuff. Worth checking out for sure.

06-17-2011 04:09:15 | More by Knapp85

Hoops4life511

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Took a trip to Allentown Brew Works for dinner and some drinks with 3 friends. Neighborhood isn't the greatest, but I'll try not to let that detract too much from the establishment. Parking was available in a deck nearby for a few dollars, not terrible. Upon entering the aesthetic was pretty cool. Dark and industrial looking with uncovered bricks, high ceilings and exposed duct work, but very clean. The place was a little crowded, but I'd expect that on a Saturday night. Got seated at a tiny table across from the bar. Seating wasn't ideal, but given the time I'll have to deal with it. Service was prompt initially and got our drink orders. The sampler was a great value and the flagship beers which I might have turned down otherwise were as good as or better than the specialty beers. Took a little while to get our food order in, and a little bit longer to get the food, but when it arrived it was very tasty. Pasta with a porter reduction was a brilliant use or beer in food. The value was on par with most other places of this nature, a little bit pricier than a chain restaurant but leaps and bounds higher in quality. All in all I plan on visiting many more times in my travels through Allentown.

06-08-2011 16:26:35 | More by Hoops4life511

pvequalsnrt

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

stopped in after i picked up my case of hopslam at shangy's...

randomly showed up at a perfect time! saturdays from 12-1, they run a free tour/tasting. the tour was a typical tour and they gave out 6 free tastes. you can't choose, but they give you at least one of the higher gravity beers.

tasted the amber lager, pale ale, wheat, porter, ipa, scottish, imperial stout. ordered a glass of the hop'solutely.

amber lager was pretty solid, actually. good malty backbone, nice sweet finish. pale ale was decent... i liked it better than the IPA (a west coast offering) which was kinda thin, with a big hop presence, with not quite enough malt backbone. the porter smelled AMAZING... the smell betrayed the taste. it was a solid porter... nothing knocking your socks off here, just a solid offering. i won't really mention the wheat beer because i'm not huge on that style. the insidious (impy stout) is a solid, affordable stout. again, not ground breaking but a very good example of the style. even had a good hop finish. it was MUCH better when i let the sample warm. the scottish ale was malty and sweet with not a huge hop mouthfeel, but tasty nonetheless. walked out with a bomber.

last was the glass of hop'solutely i had with my lunch. this is the beer joe sixpack equated to pliny the younger. while a younger clone it is not, it is still a tasty beer, and COMPLETELY affordable ($10/4 pack... i took one home!). it has a nice hop nose and good malty mouthfeel. a little on the sweeter side because of the alcohol (11.5%!!), but you can't taste it at all. only feel its effects.

my lunch was very good.. my buddy had the bratwurst and fries and said it was pretty good. i had a spicy chicken wrap which was awesome. the service was excellent, although there was not very many people there; so maybe not a representative sample. the allentown location is HUGE. 4 floors. only the bottom floor was open when i was there. so i'm not sure how busy it gets at night.

all in all, a good day. good beers and i arrived home with a hop'solutely 4 pack and a case of hopslam from shangy's. bam.

01-23-2011 02:05:34 | More by pvequalsnrt

acurtis

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +14.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Allentown Brew Works is great. It is a solid 45 min drive for me and ...
Food: ...the pretzels are worth it alone. They are amazing and I don't even really like pretzels. The cheese steak is also the best I've had and I've had many, including the top rated ones in Philly. Burgers are also excellent, I like the Melter.
Beer: The beer is very good with about 8 - 12 brews on tap from serving tanks. Growlers to go and there are also a few 750ml bottles for take home (usually these beers are only on tap once a year for a short time when bottled.) There is also a large selection of other imports and local bottles. I refill my growler just about every visit.
Service: I have sat the bar 3 times and had 2 different tenders, they were both very good. I've sat at tables inside and outside, each time the wait staff was different but always good. This has become one of my favorite destinations and I've been visiting at least twice a month. I have never had a hard time finding a parking spot in front but there are not many spots. I always go for lunch so it may be more difficult to park in the evening. They also offer free tours with tastings each Saturday around noon.

10-21-2010 16:16:33 | More by acurtis

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Came here last night for a beer competition on the 3rd floor. The place looked nice. Nice & clean facilities. Staff was friendly & helpful. The two beers I had tasted good. Later had dinner downstairs on the 1st floor. Dimly lit, but nice modern decor. Got a burger which hit the spot and shared some spinach dip which was tasty. Service was good - no problems here. Being from Philly, it was a bit of a drive to get to. Parked in a lot around the corner a short walk away. Cost maybe $5 which was not a problem. However, if I was back in the area again I'd definitely stop by to sample more beers & try more food.

09-12-2010 21:32:36 | More by jwhancher

cooch69

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Allentown Brew Works is a great brew pub situated in the heart of downtown Allentown. It has a few different beers than it's sister in Bethlehem, but they are all top notch .
The food is mostly the same as the other location. This means great cuisines.
Even though they may have a few more drafts on it seems like this one is a bit more cramed. The dining area is actually on a second floor. Plus this is in the middle of the downtown area in allentown. I prefer the setting of the other location, with the historical buildings and the shopping areas.

08-27-2010 06:37:23 | More by cooch69

Seanibus

California

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

This is an odd little place - the beers are perfectly OK, but the experience was just a shade off. Hard to say why - kind of like everything was about half a second out of phase with reality.

Start with the location. The downtown area is, to put it charitably, a little sketchy. And parking is a nuisance. Not to say there isn't plenty, because there is - acres of parking. But it is strictly metered for blocks and blocks in every direction. Bring quarters.

The restaurant is severely modern - wood and steel, with a high ceiling and a gigantic bar area. It's not bad looking, but the effect is rather austere and cold, and the net effect is to amplify the noise from the bar to an uncomfortable degree.

The menu is huge - page after page of food options. Too big, in fact. The dishes get lost in a sea of options.

And the execution is a little odd. Caramelized onions on a gyro? Seriously? It's not that the food is bad, it is just strangely conceived and not a wow - lacking in salt, featuring odd accents.

The beer, however, is good. They have a generous sampling tray that comes in a nifty little holder designed like an industrial gear, the symbol of the restaurant. The Hop Explosion IPA and the Copper Kettle Pale Ale stand out.

Service was competent, but I found a little remote. The staff was friendly without actually being warm or welcoming, though I must say they were reasonably crisp in their timing.

Not a bad place, but not one I will be dreaming of returning to.

05-24-2010 10:56:57 | More by Seanibus