Throwback Brewery

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

2.67/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 2.75 | quality: 2.5 | service: 1.75 | selection: 3.75 | $$

This brewery is basically housed in a storage facility / warehouse, and their brewing processes and equipment are pretty much in plain view. It's not really a bar, but more of a tasting room. Walking in, you'll find an area to order your beer, and to the side are a few tables were you can sit and imbibe.

As far as quality goes, the few beers I sampled were pretty mediocre, and they seem to perhaps be biting off more than they can chew with some of the things they're making. On the plus side, they did have quite a few options on tap with a decent variety of styles. Unfortunately you do have to take the whole "quality vs. quantity" thing into consideration.

There was no food here. Merch was available. Prices seemed reasonable.

The service was pretty atrocious. To be fair, I think that on the particular day I visited, there was a much higher volume than they are used to...the place was packed. But still, you know, you have to be prepared to accommodate your clientele, and they simply weren't. There wasn't even a line, just a huddled mass of people, with some trying to get samples, some trying to fill growlers, and others trying to pay their tab, and the whole time, no one knew who was doing what behind the bar, and the woman at the counter was trying in vain to figure out how to check people out using her tablet. To be honest, I couldn't wait to get the hell out of the place.

It's a small operation, and this brewery is relatively new, but it seems to me they're far past the point where they should have their act together.

03-08-2013 07:45:44 | More by Rifugium