Earth Bread + Brewery

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5 | $$

My wife and I made a day trip to Mt. Airy and specifically wanted to come here. This is a very clean friendly place. As you walk in a stairwell is to your left leading to another dining area. The bar is right in front of you with the tanks just beyond that and downstair's but is in plain view when you walk over there or to use the bathroom. Additional seating downstair's that let's you get a good look at the igloo shaped brick oven. I must say the wooded floor caught my attention immediatley very nice looking and then I heard it was a wall that came from some other beer joint as well as everything in there.

Friendly people, Friendly atmosphere, ok selection of there own beers which do match-up perfectly to their food's. I must say this place has restored my faith in pizza once again. My wife and I ordered the seed pizza with a little bit of sauce and it was amazing.After reading some reviews I did not find that this tasted like crackerboard at all. Very well done.

Like I said before all of the beers really compliment the cooking. A little on the lighter side of ABV's but they very are sessionable especially with the pizza's. The only thing I was a little peturbed about was the fact you couldn't get a sampler when I asked the bartender he said "We don't do sampler's. Well I can give you a sample to try." I thought to myself well couldn't you just give me all 4 of your beer's to try? I found that to be odd. From where I've been to so far I haven't been turned down for a sampling of their beer's. Anyway. There were a few other Philadelphia beer's on tap but mainly the usuals not really hard to find if you live in the area. The only reason I rate the selection average is because they have four beers and for a brewpub that is decent I am not looking at what is on guest tap that I could get somewhere else.

I have found a new place to come to and this is definitely towards the top as one of my favorite brewpub's.

08-30-2009 15:43:26 | More by TheFightfan1

barnuba

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Atmosphere: Sustainable, earthy and artsy café vibe with a focus on the local region. Main level seating is around the bar and overlooks the wood fired bread oven. There is an upstairs area also, which I did not view.

Quality: Very clean and upbeat vibe. Nice use of recycled furniture and fixtures in throughout.

Service: This was the only pitfall we experienced at the brewery. We visited on a Saturday for lunch. The waitress was knowledgeable about the beer that was on tap. However, the service was spotty especially for the amount of people that were in there. Our food came out separately and we waited for a long time before our server checked back with us - the owner actually stopped at our table to see if we needed anything...

Selection: The beer selection was solid. There were 4 house beers on tap along with several guest beers. The Non-Profit Porter was phenomenal and a portion of the proceeds from each draft are donated to 1 of 3 local charities which fits the philosophy of the brewery.

Food: We had 2 flat breads which were outstanding. The bread was crusty on the outside and filled with chewy deliciousness on the inside. The combination of toppings was also very complementary to the bread.

Overall this is a great place to visit in the suburbs of Philly - tasty beer, tasty food and an enjoyable atmosphere.

We will go back for sure!

05-27-2009 16:23:46 | More by barnuba

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.83/5  rDev +16.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $

I've driven up from the DC area 4 times in the past 6 months to eat here. The ambiance here is great, with 3 different dining areas, airy rooms, interesting artwork on the walls and a feel that's neither polished nor gritty while managing to stay interesting. The quality and selection? 3+ EBB beers on tap, 5+ guest taps that are always interesting (I've had the Victory Braumeister Pils, Nodding Head Berliner Weiss, Elder, Blind Pig etc.). The EBB beers are always interesting, great in concept though sometimes, the execution can be lacking (the mild yesterday was too dry). Service is great, the wait staff are attentive, I've never had to ask for a refill of my glass of water even when they're packed.

The food is simply fantastic. The flatbreads really take what a flatbread can be to the next level. The crust is the best crust I've ever had and no matter where I am, I always find myself comparing the crust of the pizza I'm eating to EBB's. Exceptional for it's texture, moisture and flavor. The specials are always interesting and exceptionally executed. Simply said, this place is a class apart, and I can't see myself not going back often, despite the 5 hour drive round trip

04-06-2009 14:13:32 | More by DefenCorps

jwc215

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -12.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

I visited on a Friday evening. It was pretty busy (though not "packed"). This place is quite "different" than your typical brewpub/beerbar...Very contemporary, almost a European cafe flair to it. Bright and clean with a thin area with a long bar and a large oven in the back area. A flight of stairs leads to an upstairs that has a small, quaint feel. There is another small bar upstairs. A list of beers are on chalkboards both upstairs and downstairs. The artwork is unusual (almost a bit "disturbing". Very contemporary - I'm no art critic, so I suppose I just didn't "get it". There is a trendy feel (for lack of a better term). Didn't quite feel comfortable there. The staff (and even the general feel of the guests) wasn't friendly or unfriendly - formal, you could say.

Service was efficient enough. The glasses were not chilled, and beer served at appropriate temperature. There were four house beers - a "mild", a saison, an imperial pils and a stout. The mild was ok..."run-of-the-mill" blonde ale for the less venturous (a bit too yeasty for me). The beers were "decent" - nothing special, IMO. There were some local beers available as well (including from Yards, Philadelpia and Victory).

The food focused on the flatbread pizzas. My friends and I shared the pesto one - It was minimalistic. More like a "snack"... $14 for the large (and it was quite large - a good thing, as there wasn't much to it). It tasted fine - but, again, nothing special.

Unique.

03-22-2009 13:24:26 | More by jwc215

Seanibus

California

3.55/5  rDev -14.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

I was underwhelmed, particularly after all the good buzz this place has seen. Our bartender was extremely unfriendly, to the point of being hostile. We were there with a couple who had been before and they said he never has been particularly nice. That was a big strike against right there.

But I found the food unremarkable - the Pizza was mostly crust. Good bread, of course, but it is almost as if the ingredients were an afterthought. And the ingredients themselves did not taste of being terribly high quality.

The house beer was merely ok - they had the stout, the Mild Life, and the Saison on and they were all perfectly ok, but nothing worth getting excited about (Saison was the best by far). I switched to the Yards fairly quickly.

The atmosphere is funky, but I didn't find it terribly warm. In fact, I didn't find the staff particularly warm (though everyone was better than Mr Happy behind the bar).

Seems like a nice enough place for a neighborhood joint, but I am not driving anywhere out of my way for it again.

Update: I went again 9 months later and found the food to be somewhat better and I saw no sign of Mr. Happy behind the bar. Seemed like they had reformulated the pizzas, which was good. The beer list was a little more rich and varied, but overall I still didn't find the food memorable or the service especially overwhelming. The dining room was cold and drafty, however, and the noise level was uncomfortable. all in all, I'll stick with my B rating, although I am somewhat more favorably disposed than during my first trip, which was a major disappointment. Still not going out of my way for it, though.

03-21-2009 18:46:08 | More by Seanibus

sierranevadabill

California

4.7/5  rDev +13%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

What a great place this is... A restaurant and brewery with a conscience...that makes damn fine food and beer.

We had three of the house made beers two flatbreads a nice cesar salad and some edmame... Everything we tasted was top notch.

I was particularly fond of the Weak (a mild ale, not shy in the flavor department)and the Seed flatbread (roasted garlic, mozzerella and toasted seeds)

The restaurant looks great, has interesting art, great service and the nicest owners in the beer business.

Next time in town, I'm there...100%

03-17-2009 16:43:43 | More by sierranevadabill

Gavage

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Located in the busy section of Mt Airy where parking is a bit tough, and there are plenty of stores around. The building is somewhat non-descript from the outside and I actually drove by it before I realized I passed it.

Upon entering it has a cozy coffee house vibe to it. Two hightops are just of a bar that seats 10. Nice dark would sticks out from the softer green colors of the walls. Some interesting maps hang above the bar. The brick oven and flatbread operation is on a lower level from the bar. I did not venture upstairs.

There were three house beers on draft, and about 7 guest taps from locals like Dock Street, Sly Fox, and Victory. The house beers were very good and the guest taps were fresh. The beers are listed on a giant blackboard just to the left of the bar.

I had a pesto flatbread which was very good and reasonably priced. The food other than the flatbreads is somewhat limited, but I was here for the beer and flatbreads.

Bartender was friendly and prompt with service. The wait staff seemed to work as a team and communicated well unlike many other resturants. This is a place I will defintely return to when I am in the area.

02-28-2009 20:26:08 | More by Gavage

BeerBishop

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +15.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

First checked it out 1.17.09 (Saturday) with my girlfriend to sample the wares before heading into Philly for dinner. Hoped for a flatbread with our brews, but learned from the very attentive barkeep/manager behind the bar that they weren't serving lunch until 1.31.09 (this Saturday). Of course, we stayed. And of course, I'm going back this weekend.

The beer was excellent. Four (4) in-housers on tap: Black Gruit, Sahti, Brown Ale and Baltic Porter. Four samples, four winners, four terrific beers all in their own rights. Followed through with small pint of the Black and one of the Brown. GF nabbed small pints of the Sahti.

While the stars weren't cosmically aligned that afternoon for lunch, the attentive barkeep did ply us with a heaping basket of their homemade bread (the very stuff from which they make their flatbread, aka pizza, crust). For the love of everything holy, the bread was straight up fo' shizzle nizzle some of the best ever. Perfect slight crunch to the crust with the inside warm, fluffy and chewy. Ripples of cinnamon and raisans throughout made this mouth-watering offering an excellent addition to the mellifluously flowing beers. GF and I housed the basket.

The place? She called it cute. I've got to say, it pretty much is, but with lots of character. It felt comfortable. It's a corner place with a real neighborhood feel. There's lots of levels and angles to observe while hanging at the bar. The barkeep befriended us as soon as our butts hit stools, as we were two of only four or five people there, and we chatted him up the whole time. Got more of the history of the former Heavyweight owner, Tom, and how he's purposefully making his in-house brews quite sessionable. When you travel for excellent beers, the downside is having to travel home after. Many of EB+B's allow you to dig in and drink your full (nearly) without fear of stumbling out on your hands and knees wondering where you parked and who your Daddy is.

Can't wait to go back this weekend. In addition to drinking EB+B's creations, I'm going to dive into the most impressive "guest drafts" list. And bring on the flatbreads.

If you're in and around Mt. Airy, EB+B is not to be missed. Add it to the list. You won't be sorry you did.

01-28-2009 21:39:15 | More by BeerBishop

roan22

New Jersey

4.55/5  rDev +9.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Finally visited Earth Bread+Brewery!

Atmosphere is phenominal especially upstairs..the space is gorgeous..authentic historic architecture...the high ceilings, the walls..the weird window which looks like its suspended in thin air...great light colors, and local art on the walls gives it a grand, boho, arty feel. Nice looking bar and bathrooms upstairs. I think EB+B would be the best place in the city to host a big time private party. Well if I ever have one of these events, this is where I would want to have it.

Service from our waiter was great..he was mid-30s, fast, rattled off the in house beer descriptions like a pro. He also was nice and laid back. He let us talk which was great [he didn't make an excessive amount of stops at our table, and thank you for that!]. Stellar service.

Beer selection is kick ass for a brewpub..the best I have seen besides Victory [local to Philly area]. A small yet excellent guest tap list pleases me. Pliny the Elder and Hop Rod Rye on tap! Personally as a beer geek, I am glad to see that EB+B has branched out from their 'as local as possible' mindset...and offer California brewed beers.

Anyway what also makes EB+B beer selection so great, is that Tom Baker's in house brewed beers are low in alcohol, and do not stick to style guidelines. He is doing his own thing and more power to him. I haven't been formally introduced to Tom or Peggy Baker but I recognized them working, on the floor, at the bar, very animated which says alot about their confidence. I had The Bradley Effect..this new fangled gruit style beer..its so different...and honestly it blows my mind that a beer could be THIS flavorful without any hops in it. I was sort of personally disappointed that the Sedgewick Pale Ale was not available..I guess I missed it.

Flatbread..I had the traditional...loved it especially the arugula. The arugula made this satisfying. My only [small] complaint about it, was that it had hidden long strips of onions within the cheese...I hate onions and if I would have read the menu more thouroughly it probably stated that it comes with onions, so my bad..next time I'll just order it sans onions.

01-23-2009 10:46:39 | More by roan22

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -12.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visited Earth Bread + Brewery twice now, so I figured I would throw up a Beerfly review since this place is pretty new.

EB+B is situated in a cool Philly area neighborhood with lots of other dining options and plenty of unique shops. The interior of the brewpub is pretty spacious, with multiple levels of seating and an upstairs bar. A variety of local artwork decorates the walls of the establishment, a nod to its eclectic nature I suppose, and is a testament to the wide variety of people I've noticed on both of my visits.

Their beer selection features a pretty nice variety of house taps (there were four during each of my visits) and several guest taps, all of which were craft brewers. I've seen West Coasters like Rogue and Lagunitas as well as PA selections from Philly, Troegs and Victory. they even had Founders Centennial IPA on tap! While their house brew roster is pretty eclectic (they had a gruit ale, ESB, Baltic Porter and dark mild), I found my selections to be only average or mediocre in the grand scheme of things... certainly not of the quality of its Philly-area contemporaries.

Their "flatbreads" (ie. pizzas) are pretty tasty, but don't have anything on Dock Street's amazing pizzas, IMO. We sampled the traditional and Roasted Vegetable flatbreads, and both were enjoyable. Service was overall very pleasant during both visits, so nothing to really shake a stick at there.

While it hasn't become one of my favorite Philly spots yet (that would be reserved for Dock St. and Nodding Head), I will be sure to stop in from time to time and try some of their brews.

01-08-2009 18:13:02 | More by ffejherb