Selin's Grove Brewing Company

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $

Selin's Grove is a quaint little place in the middle of the town of Selinsgrove, on the bottom floor of an old mansion. Slightly confusing to get to, but we got there in the end. 7 beers on tap and 2 on cask. I had the framboise (a little too sweet), IPA on cask (not balanced well and SUPER sweet), and the porter (fantastic). My buddies each split up the other 6 beers, including a wee heavy (way too boozy), oatmeal stout (fantastic), dubbel (not my favorite style), brown ale (alright, nothing special), dunkelweizen (alright), and a cream ale (loaded with corn). The vibe of the place was really nice, very laid back...no college kids, which was a blessing giving that Selinsgrove is a college town. Didn't try the food. My only knock on the place was that it was HOT. Not sure if that's just how they roll with how small it is, or if they had the heat turned up, but it could be a sauna come July. The beers were also really cheap. A dollar for a 4 oz pour of the standard beers? Giddy up! Will definitely be back again.

EDIT: a second visit this October, and I tried the food this time. My chipotle chicken wrap was on another level, and something I'll be eating every time I come here. Fantastic

01-29-2011 14:51:49 | More by bigfnjoe

eagles22

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Selins Grove brewery is my favorite watering hole. They always have fresh beer on tap and the service is always wonderful. Me and my girlfriend go here often and we are always pleased with the beer and service..the framboise is exceptional as one of there winter offering and so is all there other fruit beers and can't forget there IPA and cream ale.

The food is mostly sandwhiches which are fantastic and also they have great soups esp potato and leek! They also offer 4oz pours of there brews which is nice because they usually have around 8to10 beers on tap.

This place is top notch one of the best kept secrets of PA!!

Thank you SGB!!

01-23-2011 21:38:10 | More by eagles22

Bmoyer0301

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This is a no brainier must visit place if you are anywhere in the area because its like taking a step back into history. Upon coming in the basement double doors I feel like I am going to belly up to the bar with some colonial soldiers and have a pint of bitter. The atmosphere is dim lit and has stone walls and large wood plank beams holding up the ceiling. All the tables remind me of something you would see at a persons house not the typical "restaurant" styled tables. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable and love talking beer. Every time I visit there is at least 6 or more drafts on and they all blow me out of the water especially the Kriek and Oatmeal porter. All their food seems to be rather healthy and non traditional pub fare which makes the experience ever better, great wraps, and hummus. This place is a must see and you will be glad you stopped by for good beers and reasonable food prices , and a great time.

01-04-2011 14:52:24 | More by Bmoyer0301

drabmuh

Maryland

4.06/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Popped in this place during my tour of central Penn with Thorpe429. This looks like (and I imagine probably is) an old colonial house converted into a bar. We sat at a table as the bar was full.

Our waiter bussed a table and took our order for a pint very prompty and returned immediately with our beers. He filled our growlers as well very promptly and gave us our check so we could be on our way...very promptly.

The costs of the beers were reasonable, they offered about 10 different beers in a variety of forms, nitrogen, draft, cask, and overall it was a nice location. I would definitely head up there again in the future. I enjoyed it.

12-13-2010 19:52:27 | More by drabmuh

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I've been really looking forward to taking a trip out to selins grove for a long time-and finally made it out there in September!

This is located in the basement/lower floor of a very old establishment in Downtown Selinsgrove. There is a nice porch/garden seating area outside.

The place is rather small on the inside-and very colonial. Think of a pub in revolutionary war times and this is what you get. Old brick, laterns, etc. The bar is immediately inside the enterance and a small dining area is located in the room behind the bar.

It was a crowded friday night when I visited and although our server was helpful and attentive-it was very busy. The menu is a lot larger than the website lets on. Our food was deleicious.

The beer here is top notch-which is why this place has a good rep. There wasn't anything super-special on tap the day I was there as the place was going to be closed in two days. I had the IPA and the Hefeweizen-both were wonderful. I was looking forward to the tripel-but missed it by a beer.

This is definately a must stop place in PA!

10-04-2010 23:28:23 | More by PittBeerGirl

JunkYardJake

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$$

First time visiting this place. I went in with pretty high expectations after reading reviews. I would say overall I wasn't disappointed but I wasn't extremely impressed either. The place was alot smaller than expected but had a cozy local-watering hole feel to it. However, it was more expensive than most small town brew pubs, especially for central PA. The food here is clearly an afterthought. The menu is small and unappealing with no real pub food to be found. I get the feeling that if it weren't for PA laws, they wouldn't even serve food. The soft pretzel and mustard was pretty good though and the local cheese plate was decent, but pricey. Selection was pretty good for the size of the place. After having the sampler, I decided on a growler fill of the IPA and the Baltic Porter. Only after getting my bill did I realize the porter was a staggering $20 for a 2L takeout. It was good but I would've picked something else at a more reasonable price if I had checked the price sheet. The IPA, the Baltic and the Saison de Peche, which had great flavor, were top notch. However, I thought their other brews were rather pedestrian and overpriced. Especially the organic pilsner, which was my least favorite. That said, alot of their highly regarded brews like Framboise, Wee Heavy and Kriek were not available while I was there, so I'll visit again to get the whole experience. Despite it's shortcomings in a few areas, I can recomend this place because the IPA is reason enough to stop in.

09-27-2010 18:31:38 | More by JunkYardJake

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited the pub about a month ago. Just getting around to writing my review now.

Vibe/Atmosphere: A little hard to find from the main street. Actually drove right by it the first time. Wish I would have found out about the parking lot in the back the first time. I will be using that on future treks up there. Set in an old building is this gem of a brewery. Going down a set of steps leads you into the garden and the lower level/basement of the building revealing the actual bar area. The bar is small with seating for 10-12 and a few side tables. There are a few tables outside in the garden area as well.

Quality: The food was made with quality ingredients, most of which are from the local area. The beer is top notch as well. Not really sure what more quality you would need.

Service: Service was good. They only had one server on when we went up so she was a little busy. Every time my glass was empty I was asked if I would like another. It took a little while to order the food but that was mostly my fault because I didn't know what I wanted, being my first visit and all.

Selection: A very good selection of 8-10 beers upon my visit. I started with the Phoenix Kriek, which in my opinion is the best beer they make. It was sublime. I got two growlers to go. Went with an IPA for the meal, in my opinion their second best beer, and it was not as good as the first time I had it but still good. Finished the trip off with a Barrel Aged Wee Heavy from the hand pump. What a way to finish, almost like liquid caramel. One of the best BA wee heavy's I have ever come across.

Food: Food was good. I got a spicy pretzel sandwich. Wish I could remember the name of it, oh well. It tasted great and I will definitely get it again in the future. I also got to try some of the soft pretzel, since it is huge, and it was awesome as well.

Value: Prices were a little high but not too bad. The food was a tad expensive but the beer prices were pretty spot on for what you get. I have seen a lot worse.

Overall a great brewpub that deserves all the hype it gets. I will be going back up as much as I can.

08-29-2010 16:39:38 | More by orangesol

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -14.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Vibe/Atmosphere: The place was hard to pick out from the street, with only a small sign that blended in rather well with the surroundings. A narrow pathway leads down to the lower level/basement of the building revealing a darken and cramp setup more akin to someones basement bar. The bar area was small with seating for 10-12 and a few side tables. Seating in the so-called restaurant was limited as well and very cramp, about the size of your average living room. Tables and chairs are squashed together, tables are bare and wooden and the overall appeal was one of a rustic unkept cabin set out in the woods. More of a dark college hangout if that's your thing, was mine 10-15 years ago, but offered little flair and not really a family place or one I would go to eat lunch at, even though I did with my family. Things are noisy inside, even for a Saturday lunch crowd. If your going to grab a few beers with your buddies then this is suitable, but not so much for those looking for family or lunch as their menu is extremely limited and unappealing.

Quality: Had a chance to sample 2 beers and took one to go growler. Their Saison de peche and stealth triple were absolutely fantastic, wish I could say the same about the growler of ipa I was stuck with. Their oatmeal stout sounded tasty and most of the other offerings got good reviews as well. Overall a nice supply of quality beer, not so much quality experience.

Service: Here is where I beg to differ from most. The place was packed for a Saturday lunch, by that I mean all 6 tables inside and 4 tables outside. We were outside. Two waitress seemed to be on hand and were unable to tend much attention and had to seek them out several times. Service was slow, sat about 15minutes after first seating before she even came around to take a drink order. Usually not to concerned about service and generally lax, but just think I was stuck with a uncaring waitress as compared to others who gleam about the service. A cold sandwich ordered took 25 minutes to arrive and was certainly nothing to rave about. Their kitchen is most likely not more stocked then mine. The waitress didn't take the time to even ask how things were and if you wanted something had to stop her on the way in the door. A quick reply and set down of your request was about all you could hope for. Again she just looked disinterested in even being there and maybe just got a bad server on a bad day, others seemed to have no problem.

Selection: A very good selection 8-10 different styles on hand, tripel, ipa, saison, and stout. Wide variety gets good regards here.

Food: Mixed feelings here. Very limited menu but was warned of this going in. I just didn't know how limited, didn't see any typical bar food like hamburgers , fries, but rather just an assortment of cold sandwiches with a simple side dish that was pricey (about $8 for a turkey bacon) but have to say the quality of the meat was very good as was the mustard and crunchy bacon. The food was pricey for what it was worthy so don't expect to much here. However the pretzels at 3 for $6 got you a big serving with again a nice mustard sauce.

Value: Prices for the food were pricey, a bit of a reach. The price for the beers were a bit pricey as well ($6.50 for the peche & $6 for the tripel) with a eye opening $29 refill for the saison de peche (but very tempting after you have it). The triple was $17 and the ipa was $14 a bit more reasonable, until you tried it at least. For comparison I live in NJ and these prices are common in my area, expected a bit less here, but it is a college town so soak mommie and daddies money for all its worth I guess. Also I purchased a growler at One Guy (Berwick brewing) the week before for $8. The saison I would of gladly paid for, the ipa was disappointing, and most likely my fault for not sampling beforehand. All in all paid $60 for 2 drinks, 1 growler of ipa, salad, 3 pretzels and a turkey bacon sandwich, take it for what its worth.

End Musings: Great quality beer, well worth the trip and a decent hang out place for the college crowd but you will pay the price. Go on a sunny day if you want to eat, nice being outdoors and chances of getting a table in limited seating area is slim to none. Can't imagine this place packed on a Friday night when the small crowd here was more then enough. Wouldn't recommend this as a family place (Bullfrog was much nicer with a much better menu and atmosphere for that) so I would venture up the road a bit. But if your young, like the dark, cramp seedy bar scene but with top quality beer then this works for you.

08-23-2010 23:12:12 | More by beerthulhu

SamuelJackson45

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

A- It was hard to find at first it's in a basement of a building and the entrance is in the back of the property.But the landscape is beautiful and the inside is nice as well.

Q- Very rustic looking with all the brick work and old church pues for bench seating. I thought that was clever.

S- Wonderful service very helpful.

S- They had a good selection of beers only try 3 on my first visit.

F- The food was awesome very tasty.From the soup to the sandwich wrap very yummy.

V- The price was reasonable.Worth another trip again.

08-21-2010 23:58:42 | More by SamuelJackson45

koopa

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$$

10/08/10 REVIEW (3rd Visit) a4.0, q4.5, s4.0, s4.0, f3.5, $$$

Stopped into Selin's Grove today with grassblue on our Northern-Central PA road trip. We arrived around 1:15pm on a Friday and found the place to be painfully empty. Our server (didn't catch her name but it might have been Kim) was very nice, polite, attentive, and showed some beer knowledge. Upon request, she also recommended that we check out Berwick Brewing on our way home and she hit the nail on the head with that recommendation. Tap selection was good as ever at Selin's Grove considering every line available had something on. Also, there was little to know redundancy in style on the lines. Some brews offered at this time include: Hop Nouveau, Saison Peche, Fest, Cream Ale, Hefeweizen, Baltic Porter, IPA, Pilsner, etc.

07/16/10 REVIEW (2nd Visit) a4.0, q4.5, s3.5, s4.0, f3.5, $$$

Second visit went a lot smoother than the first visit. I made sure to ask many more questions of Heather this time before deciding to take the trek over with beerloco. I had her confirm that they not only had Phoenix Kriek on tap, but that they had more kegs available for tapping in case that one kicked.

When we arrived we sat in the dining room this time instead of at the bar. Our server Lynn was pretty fun and laid back. She was a touch forgetful but good spirited about it.

The brews I tried were really enjoyable...especially the Wit, the Kriek, and the Barrel Aged Wee Heavy. Besides those gems, I also sampled the cream ale, the organic baltic porter, the Goldings Special Bitter, the Pilsner, etc.

The food menu is extremely limited...mainly a few appetizer platters, some sandwiches, and maybe 3-6 entree choices. I had a sandwich that was good but also felt like something I could make at home and I'm no chef.

07/09/10 REVIEW (1st Visit) a4, q4.5, s2, s3.5, fn/a, $$$

After calling to confirm that Phoenix Kriek was available today and that it wasn't a bad idea to drive 3 hours each way to get some growlers, I took the drive out and the Kriek kicked after depositing 20oz's in my first of three growlers. The lady looked in the back, came out and said oops, then announced to the bar that it was the only Phoenix Kriek keg they had available for the moment.

This disappointment comes fresh off the heals of last weekends disappointment with this place. Last weekend I had a room at the inn across the street reserved. I called the bar the night before and they confirmed having 5 brews on tap. The next morning I drive to Bullfrog for the El Diablo Deluxe release and somebody at the release tells me that Selinsgrove's brewer is off for 2 weeks and they only have 2 beers on tap! WTF is up with this place? Decent beer but they don't seem to know how to manage a business. The brewer and the staff do not communicate enough (probably because he is married to one of them LOL!) and forget about anticipating a customers needs. This place can't even have the brewer go on vacation for 2 weeks and keep 5 beers on tap on Fourth of July Weekend, let alone double check the stock room to make sure that the beer you just advised wouldn't run out tonight won't run out tonight. Even despite the website which says in big bold red letters "Please call first before making a special trip for a special beer" well I did call first and you were lazy about checking. 6 hours of my life, $40 worth of gas, and a terrible 2nd impression (after a bad first impression the week before) is what your nonchalant attitude cost me ladies. Nor did I enjoy your lack of knowledge about beer.

Even when calling on the phone for information, the two women who screened the calls (and were behind the bar when I arrived) were quite aloof and wishy washy about answering questions. I was going to chalk what I've seen from them in the past week up to inexperience and growing pains, but in doing some research I found that this establishment was opened in 1996. This surprises me because it seems to be run like an establishment that is in its fledgling stages of development.

Bellyaching aside, the place itself was pretty cosy and both the Kriek and the IPA were enjoyable. I'd like to also note that they were served at the proper temperature which is a huge plus in my book. One of my pet peeves is a place that has enough attention to detail to arrange an amazing tap list/brew highly nuanced craft beers, but has the beer pour way too cold. The bar seats about 10, plenty of indoor tables to go around, and a few outdoor tables too.

07-09-2010 05:31:24 | More by koopa