Old Forge Brewing Company

slander

New York

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

Over the goddamn mountain in the dimming of the day, I'm up 1-0 in "Escape the Amish", and now in Danville a short while later, I've got a bald fat cop looking at me at the light I'm stopped at ("No, I've not visited your brewpub yet. I'm heading there just now"). Left, and then the first right onto Mill Street, most calm on this Friday night, all 9-11 somber. In a strip of buildings & storefronts on the block easily parked; this one not conspicuously marked but, oh, it must be the place with the mash tun & fermenter in the front window...

A single deep narrow room, with creamish walls and an olive trim, in this light anyway, and some exposed duct work blended in ceilingwise. A single row of track spots down the center does them well lit for just that, and some non-spinny fans too. A small bowling lane slat wood topped "L" shaped bar with some mad twisted guard rail looking thing as a footrest sits to the left. The seating of 9 surprises as it really is tight. Brick wall barback with ceramic mug club mugs on hooked slat boards over framed shelving holding glassware & growlers. A big board off to one side lists tap selections, IBU's, ABV's, OG's, and down past there, a wall rack with a giant ladle, a very long handled BBQ type fork, and a large teeth pulling apparatus over a pair of wood tables sharing common benchage. Okay, there's this cool welded wrought iron fence piece to the rear in front of the kitchenings that you really must see. It's red, with a wagon wheel atop and all sorts of scary sharp tools imbedded within, in a hell's gate kind of way. It's on my short list of bad ass, seriously. And some T shirts displayed back there for sale too. 3 candlelit hightop tables below framed mirrors behind me as I sit barside, and a staircase to somewhere over my shoulder; I may go explore but the stairs go up, so maybe not.

Do I want to, sure, I'll look at the menu and hey, can I get this chicken sandwich grilled and hold the mayo & cheese and are chips on the side, okay? As opposed to what? Really, well yeah, the soup then, screw the chips. It was a Polish wedding soup served in a mug, difficult to maneuver but it was tasty and the chicken sandwich was money. I put it down, strong!

8 tap tower on the end of the bar with wrench, pliers and other twisty shaped thing tap handles. The sampler would have been all 8 beers had the Kolsch not been kicked, so do the math, count on your toes if you need; there were just 7 (Slack Tub Stout, 4.5%, on nitro, good nose, molasses & oaty; Irish Draught, 4.7%, nitro too, an Irish amber, decently caramelly; Old Forge Alt, 5.2%, hoppy, with a good malt underbelly; Endless Summer Ale, 4.8%, a light golden ale, easy drinking, summer's almost gone; Petey's Porter, 4.5%, nice roastiness, chocolatey goodness; Celestial Blonde Ale, 6.3%, Belgian candy sugary, heavy & sweet; Underbite IPA, 6%, an English IPA, good hoppy bite and a nice finish). Thought the Slack Tub Stout, Old Forge Alt, Petey's Porter & Underbite IPA were the best of the bunch, but I'd hardly say the others were of the suck either.

Went upstairs, had to really. The bar there even smaller than this small bar, which I did not believe to be possible. Nearly a dozen tables & booths up there, and a 4 table deck to the rear for warmer weather seating. They've got a giant smoke blower thing mounted, I think it's called a bellow. I should get one of those just to have.

Did I mention the tunage? They were piping in some excellent stuff; I was singing along on the inside (Can anybody hear that? No, okay). The crowd was a decent lot except for amusing angry bandana boy at the end of the bar talking his beer muscle shit for all to hear. I suspect my note taking wasn't helping the cause as he was clearly jealous of my ability to read & write (go home, asshole). Good food, better beer, and service served its purpose. I like the place, they make good with very little space.

11-30-2009 00:57:09 | More by slander

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Transcribed from notes dated Sa, 28 Nov 2009.

This was a narrow space, well off of the beaten path in north-central PA. The doorway opened onto the brewhouse to the immediate left, which was very reminiscent of many of the early brewpubs of the late 1980's and early 1990's. The short, blonde-wood bar ran about 3/4 of the remaining length of the left-hand side of the space. Blackboards on the wall, behind the bar, detailed their available beers, in addition to a laminated list at each of the tables. It was pretty busy on a Saturday night when I visited, so we were escorted aft to a stairway on the right hand side that led up to their second floor. They had an outdoor deck up there but it was closed for the season. The second floor also housed another bar along the left side and a series of booths along the right side. It was a pleasant place to have dinner and my notes say that they celebrated their one-year anniversary on 05 December 2009.

Beers: Six (6) were available on the occasion of my visit. They included T-Rail Pale Ale; Endless Summer Ale; Bellows Brown Ale; Old Foge Alt; Slack Tub Stout and Ludwig's Anniversary Lager. They were decent, but whatever temperature they had the serving room set to, it was too cold to enjoy the beers immediately.

09-01-2010 17:50:05 | More by woodychandler

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $

On the way home (albeit a circuitous way home) from State College to Harrisburg, we visited Old Forge and were glad that we did.

Atmosphere: The brewing equipment greets you on entrance, followed by a long bar and multiple tables. Upstairs is a second dining area with another bar and 10 or so tables. The brewpub is very quaint, small and homey, a real nice place.

Quality: Service seemed to be in shakedown mode, qualified but learning on the job. They were friendly and prompt, watching over us and swoopig in at the appropriate time for refills. The restroom was a little cramped (I had a 3 year old in with me) but clean.

Service: See my comments above. We were greeted promptly on both floors but staff.

Selection: Only four beers on tap: a mild, APA, brown ale and wheat ale. For only four selections, one was world-class (the Inaugural Ale, the mild). The APA and brown ale were also good (skipped the wheat), but damn the mild was awesome.

Food: My jerk chicken sandwich was as hot as advertised. The pretzel and multiple dipping sauces was nice also. The menu is decent with offerings for most people (admittedly, I did not note if there were vegetarian/vegan offerings).

While Old Forge is new, I hope that their future is bright. If it weren't an hour and a half away, I'd be in every weekend.

12-21-2008 00:07:17 | More by akorsak

GJ40

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

I stopped in with some co-workers while in town on business.

The atmosphere downstairs is very comfortable and the crowd is very friendly. It was mostly locals and they were very outgoing and open to conversation. The bar is on the small side but that certainly gives it a more intimate feel; especially as it fills up. The exposed brick walls and handmade mugs from the mug club add to the simple but authentic feel. We didn't make it up to the second floor.

They had several beers on tap. We tried the American IPA, Black IPA, Belgian Pale and ESB. They were all good. The bartender was very helpful and outgoing.

I enjoyed the visit and would certainly return next time I'm in the area.

04-25-2012 10:38:07 | More by GJ40

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Stop #2, day #1 of our beer tour.

Old Forge Brewing is located in the heart of downtown Danville. We sat downstairs which includes a 10 or so seat bar and a couple of tables. There is a dining room upstairs that we did not see. A little bright and cold for my taste.

There were four beers on tap during our visit. A little sparse, obviously, but at six weeks in business I can cut them some slack. Of the four, the Slack Tub Stout wowed us all. Great color, rich, creamy mouthfeel, roasty flavor and 4.5% ABV. What a great package!

We only had the soup: a nice cream of potato with big chunks of new potatoes.

This place has lots of potential. Hope to check back in a few months.

HV

01-14-2009 02:25:46 | More by sholland119

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

As far as word of mouth goes, I've gotten mixed reviews of this place, but despite my sleep-deprived state when I first visited, I had an enjoyable experience. There are two floors, but I only saw the bottom floor. There's a small bar, and quite a few tables for the smaller floor space of the place, so it's pretty intimate...I'd imagine it'd be a little tight during busy hours. Vibe is plain and simple, no real "theme" going on, but it was nice and homey.

The quality of the beer here is good--nothing spectacular, but all generally good and easily drinkable. They have a good selection and variety of styles, with enough to keep the casual beer drinker happy, and enough to maintain a basic but good quality session for the geeks.

The service was a little bit shaky, but really nothing to complain about; my bartender was a bit young and green, but she held her own.

Food was very good, with basic pub grub and sandwiches, with a few unique options. I believe I had the Bleu Jerk burger, which was mighty tasty. Prices were friendly.

Overall a nice spot, and I'm glad I was able to visit. Would I go back again? Sure.

05-10-2013 23:55:48 | More by Rifugium

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

Have visited twice since opening in early December 2008. First visit was a bar session with the second being a sit down meal with four people.

Brewing equipment and a 8-10 seat bar along with a handful of tables on the enterance level. Upstairs is the "main" dining area with about a dozen tables and another small six seat bar. A narrow but quaint place with lots of wood and exposed brick.

Friendly and prompt service at the bar from tender Bekah. She was very pleasant and really made us feel welcomed. Dinner waitress was good but made a few minor errors and we did have a longer than hoped for wait for our check and change. Not a bad experience but could improve to make things go smoother.

Only four beers on tap so far. I have heard the winter is on now and a stout is soon to follow. A promise of eight taps once the full line is in rotation. For now I will give an average rating and upgrade in the future as needed.

Food was nice both times. The Philly Cheesestaek Burger is very nice if you are into big hunks of meat! Our second visit was a bowl (a bit on the small side) of spicy carrot ginger soup and a lovely vege quesedilla.

Old Forge is new and is still working out the kinks and getting their beers tuned in. I hope for bigger and better things from the tap lines in the upcoming future. I hope for mcuh success as it's addition to the Danville and upper Susquehanna Valley beer scene is a great addition!

12-31-2008 17:37:25 | More by Deuane

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.73/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped by on a quiet, sunny Wednesday afternoon.

Atmosphere: Well, there weren't a lot of people here but it was like 3:00 on a weekday. Looks like this place was newly built, the wood was still shiny and sparkly. The downstairs is pretty small (just a small bar and a few tables) but I think they also have tables upstairs, although I didn't see it. No TV here but they do play music.

Quality: The beers were pretty decent. I especially like the pilsener and porter. The mild ale was alright and I didn't care much for the stout and Belgian ale.

Service: Good service, but then again, I was one of only 4, max 5 people at the brewpub.

Selection: When I was there they had 5 beers on tap. I believe they rotate fairly often.

Food: I got a turkey sandwich and it was very tasty. Lots of their food features locally-grown cheese or bread and it's pretty healthy too.

Value: I don't remember the prices, but they were quite reasonable from my recollection.

Bottom line: An interesting new brewpub--check it out if you are passing along route 80.

Update 12/23/10: Visited again in late August 2010, this time on a Sunday evening and it was again fairly quiet. A large apparatus like a circus top was installed to hold mugs for the mug club (pretty interesting looking). This time there weren't many beers on tap (maybe 4) which were decent. It was a good place to stop at the end of a beer trip right before a long haul back to Long Island.

07-02-2009 23:14:21 | More by LilBeerDoctor

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visited on 12/26/08 shortly after their grand opening with brewslut, Deuane and SierraGS.

Since I am originally from Shamokin, I am certainly familiar with Danville and Mill Street (the main drag). This place is a little hard to find at night because the sign is small and dark. We had to drive through town twice before we found it. I guess the brewtank in the window should have been a good indication that we were at the right location!

Anyway, we parked right on Mill Street and headed inside. The lower level is pretty narrow, with a decent bar to the left and stairs leading up to the second level to the right. The decor is pretty light, with lots of blonde wood and a high ceiling. We were led upstairs to our seats, and the decor was similar to downstairs. Our booth was pretty comfy and spacious... certainly enough room for the four of us.

Moving on to the beer, I had a sampler of each of their four beers on tap during our visit - a pale ale, brown ale, wheat beer and ESB. All were above average to good, although the brown was a little lacking, as I find with most brown ales. They do have four additional taps that will be used as they increase production, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt in this department. The had a winter warmer and stout slated for release when we visited (I think both are currently on during the time of my review).

Food was pretty good as well. I had a vegetarian wrap that was fresh and tasty. Nothing out of this world, but certainly tasty. Can't really complain about service, although our server made a few minor mistakes, such as bringing a 10oz. instead of a full pint. Nothing to really shake a stick at, though. Everyone was very friendly during our visit.

With that said, I definitely think this place has a lot of potential. The location is great, and Danville is the kind of town I always thought would be perfect for a brewpub. Their beers were pretty solid for their first try, so I will definitely keep this place on my radar, especially since it is so close to my hometown. I see frequent visits in the future!

01-07-2009 17:01:06 | More by ffejherb

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Made a special trip up here for my dad's 60th.

This was a Saturday evening, about 7:00, & I was kind of surprised by how light the crowd seemed. Filled up a bit later, but was still not near capacity.

The decor's pretty cool, the kind of artisanal vibe you see from a lot of brewpubs but specific to the place. Exposed brick wall with a cool metal sculpture of tools at one end. The mug club is kept on a huge rotating hanger, & each mug has the member's name fired onto it. Pretty cool! Upstairs has its own bar, & one wall had a huge bellows hanging on it. There was some outdoor seating, but didn't open for another week. Looks like it would be a great open-air environment in the summer months.

Service was pretty on, but there also wasn't much competition for the waitress' attention. Still, she was patient & friendly when we changed our orders.

The beer list was not as exciting as I would've liked. At the time, the offerings available were the stout, a Belgian blonde, a summer wheat, Irish ale, English mild, & their house lager. Nothing wrong with these, but I would've liked to have seen something hoppy & maybe more than one dark beer. The brews were decent enough, with the stand-out being the lager. This was good stuff, a Czech-style lager with a nice citrus & pepper balance. The others didn't make much of an impression. I could see that they also make a porter, IPA, & alt, any of which I would've loved to try had they been available.

Food was decent enough, too: got the dirty mussels, which were tasty, followed by the jerk turkey sandwich. Would like to see the menu expand, but I can't complain about what we got.

Prices weren't too bad, either. Three meals with appetizer & multiple beers for $60 is pretty reasonable, I'd say. Overall I'm glad I checked it out, but don't foresee making a regular trip up to Danville for it. I'd love to see them expand & get a little more adventurous with their brews, offer a large selection at one time, & expand their menu.

04-05-2010 19:58:55 | More by OneDropSoup