Elmer Sudds

slander

New York

4.6/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Inadvertantly arrived on a Friday evening just as happy hour kicked in and found the place pretty full, although we were able to snag the last open spaces at the bar. They had what?? 10?? 12?? taps running with some great american micros and I counted roughly 160 bottled beers (no swill) on the blackboards suspended from the ceiling. The blackboards broke out the beer selection by style and type so it was easy to get around. Everything from Belgians to bitters, ales to alts. They were somewhat short staffed for the crowd they had there, but our glasses were never empty too long. They were serving free pizza for happy hour, but it was to jammed in that corner for us to get to it so I can't speak for it.
There's a big Warner Brothers cartoon characters motif here, with paintings and artwork of Bugs, Daffy, E. Fudd and the gang and they've got a selection of most unusual house specialty drinks (some with Tang in them) named for different characters (I'll stick with the beers, thank you).
A stone's throw from, and the perfect compliment to, Black Rock Brewing.

03-16-2003 15:10:13 | More by slander

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Located in an old corner building in a residential section of Wilkes-Barre Elmer's has the feel of a neighborhood bar. A fairly small place on the inside gives it a cozy and welcoming feel.

Elmer's offers a good draft selection consisting of twelve taps, all but one being craft choices. A cask selection is also available. The bottle selection is also quite solid consisting mainly of top Belgians and American craft choices.

The tender on was friendly enough and would ask us for a refill whenever we got close to empty.

The menu is a bit limited mainly consisting of sandwiches, burgers, wings and pizza. I had a smoked turkey club with smoked gouda. It was quite nice. I really liked the variety of cheeses with at least seven available. I cannot recall seeing smoked gouda as a choice on a bar menu before!

Overall, Elmer Sudd's is well worth visiting if you find yourself with some time to kill in the greater WB area.

04-29-2009 13:25:57 | More by Deuane

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +9.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited the establishment early on a Sunday evening after dropping my son off at college.
There was only one other patron at the bar and my wife and I had our choice of tables. The waitress promptly brought our food and beer menus and our drink orders were taken. They were quickly served and our meal order taken, which was served in an appropriate time frame. They have about 10 quality drafts on tap, including belgians, germans, and North American microbrews. There is also one hand pump. Their bottle selection was about 60-70. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. While we were there, several other patrons came in and descrobed how the new owner had really improved the place. If you are in the area, and want some good, reasonably priced food, and some good beers to go with it, this is the perfect place. About 3 minutes off Rt 81, it is easy to get to. Well worth a stop.

03-10-2008 03:06:29 | More by tgbljb

VegasBill

Nevada

3.83/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

My first time here, so I cant speak for the previous ownership.
This is a small bar, sort of like the old corner bar, with a nice feel to it.The beer selection is limited but some very good selections, I had the Victory Storm King, which is not available in the west. They also had a cask conditioned ale.
I did try the wings and they were above average. When I was there they were quite busy and it does not take a lot of people to fill this place up so I did not have a chance to talk to the bartender or server, and ask questions.

10-18-2008 17:42:21 | More by VegasBill

number1bum

Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

I've stopped at Sudds a number of times since they reopened a couple years ago. It's a bit small, but cozy inside, and the times I've been there - Friday nights all - there has been enough room to move around. They have about 12 taps plus one hand pump and generally have a very solid selection. I understand that they will now feature all 4 of Breaker Brewing Company's beers, as well, which is cool. Only thing that worries me about that, though, is that with only 12 taps to start the selection on the other 8 may not always be quite as appealing. I guess that just means they'll have to try extra hard to keep it balanced.

Nonethless, tap selection has always been solid when I have been there, with good variety and an above average bottle selection, as well (not quite as extensive as the River St Ale House but still good).

Service is sometimes a little on the slow side; I've stood at the bar and had bartenders walk by me numerous times before noticing I existed, but they do know their beer, which is a plus. Prices are reasonable and all in all it's a very good place to enjoy a beer or three.

05-05-2009 18:39:31 | More by number1bum

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Visited Elmer Sudds on Friday 2/5/10 on the way up to the metropolis of Mehoopany, PA. I've been wanting to not only visit this place, but also to try some beers from Breaker Brewing, a PA brewery that has eluded me thus far in my travels.

Elmer Sudds is housed in small but a clean, cozy building decorated with brick walls, a tin ceiling and even some stained glass windows. It's a quaint looking place with a pub feel and a dimly-lit atmosphere, which creates a pleasant drinking vibe. The wooden, wrap-around bar is a focal point of the room, although they make great use of their limited space with smaller bar tables dispersed throughout the establishment. But there was plenty of vacancy at the bar during our visit, so we planted ourselves and ordered each of the Breaker beers on tap - Anthracite Ale and Malty McGuire. Having grown up in the relatively nearby mining town of Shamokin, the names of Breaker's beers originally caught my attention due to their aptly named coal heritage monikers. Both beers were solid, plus it was happy hour, so each beer waws $1 off, which made them taste even better! Service was very friendly (I think we were speaking to the owner, a younger guy) and we talked about the bar and Breaker beers. Their DIPA was just about to go on, but nothing kicked while we were there, so I'll have to try and make it back sooner than later. Unfortunately, we didn't try any food, as we had already eaten, but the burgers looked fantastic, and several people who were there were partaking in Elmer's food offerings. Next time we visit, we will definitely make plans to eat.

As for the beer selection, it was solid but not amazing. Still, it was nice to see a pair of taps from Breaker, plus local selections like Lancaster Shoo Fly Porter as well as excellent stuff like Founders Double Trouble. Bottle selection looked pretty solid as well, with some of the rarer DFH beers, some Belgians and what not.

Overall, I really enjoyed the vibe of this place and could see it easily becomming my go-to bar if I lived in NEPA. I definitely look forward to our next visit.

02-11-2010 14:19:53 | More by ffejherb

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This visit was on Saturday 12-02-06
Wow, it's been a while since Elmer's was last reviewed. I try to get here about once a month and every time I go, There is something new both on draft and in the bottle cooler. I counted about 75 different bottled selections and the draft lineup is always great. I started with a Victory Storm King draft, followed by SN Celebration on tap. Followed that up with a bottle of Killer Penguin which I split with my buddy. Finished the night with the latest release of Troegs Mad Elf. Spotted some Bells varieties in the cooler (I had some Expedition Stout on my last visit) and a nice selection of winter beers. My buddies girlfriend ordered a Lindemans Pomme draft and wouldn't you know it, the keg kicked before the glass was 3/4 of the way full. The bartender did not charge her for it. Food is always way above average. The burgers are very good but I can't help but order the pizza. I've been a big fan of the goat cheese pizza on my last couple visits. It's always awesome. BTW - they do have a beer engine which on this trip was pouring Bullfrog Scotch Ale.
Beer is served in the proper glassware. I've been coming here since the early 90's (different owner then), and as far as beer destinations go in NE PA, this is one of my favorite spots to try something I have not yet had as well as to revisit an old favorite craft beer. Highly recommended if you are in the area.

Cheers for now.

12-08-2006 04:16:09 | More by ClockworkOrange

coachdonovan

Rhode Island

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

simply put, i love this place. i first stopped in 2008 shortly after ownership had changed hands. i liked it then, and i liked it even more during a Feb '10 visit.

10-12 on draft, and i did see a hand pull also. when i saw the draft list, it was two Belgian, one German, plus Breckenridge and Founders. the rest were from PA, and mostly local - Lancaster, Breaker, Berwick (formerly One Guy Brewing). oh, and also Guinness and Miller Lite (so yes, you can bring your BMC friends here.)

bottle list was comprehensive, and included the full offerings from many PA breweries. a nice surprise was Pretty Things, which i hadn't previously seen outside of New England.

menu includes the safe bets of wings, nachos, etc. but also features several scallop dishes and items that went beyond regular pub food. in fact, i can't begin to tell you how great my salad was. the menu said it was organic, and everything looked/tasted fresh, even the blueberries. impressive that they pulled that off in February in NE PA.

there isn't a ton of seating, but the crowd is very friendly and just lively enough without being too loud or annoying. this is the kind of place that i wished i lived down the street from, but in the long run it's probably a good thing that i don't.

you should drink beer at elmer sudds. it will make you happy.

02-10-2010 16:44:33 | More by coachdonovan

stingo

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4

This is the local beer bar to me - and it is quite good. While not much to look at, they serve a very wide variety of brews both in bottle and on tap. The first time I was there I had La Duchesse de Bourgogne on tap and was very well pleased. The food is regular bar food, though there's just something about their pizza that makes you want more and more. Prices are a bit upscale for the area, but considering you'd have a tough time finding the brews in any shape or form here, let alone on tap, I'd say it's a good deal.

07-20-2002 06:13:34 | More by stingo

skiofpinsk

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Been going here regularly for the past couple years. Great old bar with dim lighting and a very relaxed atmosphere. Decent selection on tap, usually one or two are occupied by the local Breaker Brewing, and one by a macro. Hand pump is up and running currently. If nothing on tap excites you they have a varied bottle list, so you're almost completely guaranteed to find something!
Food is standard bar food (burgers, wings, fried food, etc.) and never disappoints. Seriously, how can you go wrong with Mac 'N Cheese bites?
Very friendly service, the people who work there are very sociable and knowledgeable about their selection. Bottom line, if your either a local who hasn't made it there yet or just visiting the area, check it out!

12-23-2010 03:41:57 | More by skiofpinsk