Taproom (Spring House Brewing Company)

Beerquester

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

For quite some time i had wanted to tour the barn where the beer is made but I am too late as they no longer give tours, but now there is the taproom.

I visited here after JoBoy's in Manheim. I parked in the Central Market Parking Garage which was very convenient and inexpensive. The first person on the sidewalk i asked for directions to the taproom had no idea. The second person knew readily where it was because they live in one of the apartments above it and frequent the place quite a bit. They highly recommended Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout.

The pub is located right off the square in downtown Lancaster. I used to live in downtown and this is my old stomping ground. Plenty to see and do here. The front entrance is right across the street from Steinman Park, a bricked "alleyway" with a waterfall and outdoor restaurant. The Central Market can be plainly seen through wall size windows on two sides of the taproom. While i was seated at the bar, a group of tourists on segways passed by just outside the windows. A solo pianist played on the outdoor public piano near the market, filling the back alley with pleasant notes.

Inside we found about 9 beers available. Three of their "regulars" and then the seasonals. I got a sampler of 5 beers of my choosing for $6.50. My friend Fred got a sampler with some different ones. I was very pleased with the selection and the quality of the beers. I loved the "Diabolical Wit" which had a pleasingly strong presence of lavender. The mango IPA very nice too. The brewer/s do a very good job with their fruit beers. They use purees for them. The guava came out very well in the one beer. We asked for the peanut butter chocolate stout which the random street lady recommended. As a homebrewer, the very thought of brewing with peanut butter turned me off. I found out it was an extract that was used. But the taste was great! I also heard rumor that they have a peanut butter and jelly beer on tap sometimes. I was disappointed that planet bean, their coffee beer was currently unavailable.

I did not try any food here so I'll have to default to my friend Duane who's been here four times and has a similar palate. I agree with his assessment of JoBoy's that primarily they are an awesome food joint serving house beers. For the Taproom, however, it is flipflopped, it is primarily a showcase for some awesome beers, with food being a sideline.

The taproom is a large room, lots of glass, steel and concrete, so to some people it may be a colder feeling. But the people add the warmth and the life and it is a friendly place.

I wish the owners/brewers luck and I can't wait to get back here again.

07-21-2011 20:52:42 | More by Beerquester

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped in here with Deuane and thain709 for a quick beer on a recent trip to Lancaster.

Right off the bat you notice that this isn't the biggest place in the world. The walls are painted with the cartoons from their beers. They have a few tables all around the place surrounding the big bar on the right. A few TV's hanging from the ceiling and a shuffle board table offer some things to do but it is really all about the beer. I will say that the acoustics in this place are terrible. If only one person is talking loud then everyone can hear them but when everyone is talking loud it can be a bit overwhelming.

The overall quality was quite good. I had all my beers served in the correct glasses and my food was top notch. I got the pulled pork quesadilla and it tasted very good. They made it pretty quickly as well. The prices were pretty reasonable but $9 for half a quesadilla is a bit much in my book. The servers were very attentive and pretty knowledgeable. I didn't have to wait very long for my beers to get refilled.

At the time we were there they had seven beers on, all of them being different varieties. They had all of their year rounders on with a few seasonals and even some one offs. The chocolate PB stout was awesome, glad I made it down to try it before Deuane drinks it all. I only wish they would have had one of their other awesome stouts on.

Overall a great addition to downtown Lancaster. I will return many times I am sure.

06-02-2011 00:14:05 | More by orangesol

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Having been in four times now, to include the rib crushing opening evening, I guess it is time for me to script a little something about Spring House's new Taproom.

Damn Lancaster is a mess on Saturday mornings. Spring House's new taproom is pretty busy too. Glad I arrived just past 11:30AM on a Saturday.

With large windows overlooking The Central Market of Lancaster (worth going to when open) and busy King Street the interior seems larger than it really is. A large, U-shaped wooden bar dominates the space. Numerous two and four seat tables are spread around the remainder of the space offering patrons plenty of non-bar stool options. A bar-sized shuffle board game, opposite the bar and the cool, old school, Zoltar Fortune Teller machine are available for your entertainment.

Well, the beer is trucked up from the brewery barn as soon as it's ready for consumption and a small, but well thought out menu of made to order items make things about as fresh as can be.

While the opening night was crushing our service still wasn't poor, if a bit slow. To be honest though I couldn't expect anything more for the initial shakedown. The past visits have been at various times to include a lunch stop, where I greatly enjoyed the pulled pork quesadilla and most recently a swing in for the new Mango IPA and an appetizer of Edemame Curry spread with pita, crackers and vegetables. The ladies offering bar service have been friendly, attentive and swift to offer up another pint, or half-pint, which I greatly appreciate having the choice to have.

The menu, while small, is still packed with plenty of quality choices to satisfy your hunger or to offer a late night nosh. The menu is catered by Carr's Restaurant and ranges from bar pizza and stromboli to wraps and sandwiches to dips and soups. All, of what I have had has been tasty and well done.

With the ability to have 10 beers flowing this may be a challenge for Matt to reach at the present time. Lately they have had 6 or so flowing. So, keep it at six and I will be happy, start upping the ante and I will be overjoyed.

Well, Spring House finally has a legit pub to showcase their beers and I like it. Sure,parking can be a bit of an issue in downtown Lancaster but the struggle is worth it. A cool place overall. I really like the Spring House characters on the walls, they add a nice touch. To go with fun vibe are good food and quality brews, what more could you ask for?

03-23-2011 20:40:34 | More by Deuane

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Edits on 9-Apr-11

Service and selection issues have both been worked out. A visit with the akorsak pack was pleasant with prompt attention. At least 6 beers on tap, including the intense smoked bacon porter and mango IPA. Service is up to 3.5 (from 3); selection up to 4.0 (from 3).

***

Damn Lancaster is a mess on Saturday mornings. Spring House's new taproom is pretty busy too. Glad I arrived just past 11:30AM on a Saturday.

Atmosphere: The taproom is a relatively small space overlooking Lancaster's Market, King Street, and a mixed use space. Once inside, a large U-shaped wooden bar greets you. Tables are spread around the remainder of the restaurant. Spring House-related caricatures adorn the walls.

Quality: High quality Spring House beers! Food, based on the menu, is good. The restroom (men's room, at least, could use a little more water pressure at the sink). Shuffleboard too.

Service: Understaffed. One person was left to deal with a crush of people. I saw at least 6 people walk in, sit for a while, and walk out unserved. An interesting quandry because the house was packed but you never want to turn away customers. Eventually Matt and another manager joined the fray, alleviating the issues. More staff would be appreciated.

Selection: Only three beers on tap: Blacker Cracker, Gate 2 and Seven Gates. It's still shakedown so I won't go hard on 'em. The draught tower can accomodate ten taps, that'll be a welcome selection. The brewpub license allows them to carry PA wines too. I had the Gate 2 and Blacker Cracker. Keep the additional taps coming.

Food: A small menu of finger food and sandwichs. I didn't order, so I'll call it N/A.

Hopefully they'll work out the staffing and tap list issues as shake-down continues. A great location for people watching too. I'll re-review after the shakedown period because there is potential here.

02-13-2011 00:51:54 | More by akorsak

guzzle211

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Based on visits over lunch on Friday, Feb 4 and a quick pint the next day, Sat Feb 5

Atmosphere - I like all the windows, which create an open, airy vibe, but at the same time there aren't enough walls to really create a 'warmth.' There was an internet rap station playing, going through a weird mix (my ipod could do much better.) I suffered through Kriss Kross 'Jump' (daddy mack will make you ... Jump! Jump! cause inside out is wiggidy-wiggidy wack!) and other bumbling beats.
There's obviously been a lot of money invested, and I know from following them on FB that there's been blood and sweat (and I'm sure even a few tears) invested as well. Everything is crisp, clean and new.

Quality - Beers are top notch and well-crafted as always. The food is good too. But they hit a pet peave of mine: iceberg lettuce?! I know for a fact that there's more exotic lettuce than that out in Leola, not to mention Central Market being a stone's throw away. A $9 chicken sandwich with iceberg? I'm a coleslaw enthusiast, and the slaw is legit.

Service - The bartender was busy (it was only their second official day) I asked for a menu, but had to interrupt her to put my food order in. Updated beer lists including descriptions, abv, etc will be welcome.

Selection - The menu has more options than I initially anticipated - even a few things listed for the kiddies. There's about 10 appetizers, several soups, and sandwich platters to choose from. There were 4-5 beer offerings when I visited (unfortunately my first 2 choices were no longer available.) I expect that the overwhelming support they received the previous night helped drink through a lot of the initial offerings.

Food - mostly covered under Quality and Selection. Food is provided by Dishes by Diane, out of Leola, and the bonnets give the food Lancaster County 'authenticity' (and reminds me of growing up in East Pete)

I truly applaud all the effort put forth by Matt and the rest of the crew over the past few years to bring good, local craft brew to the Lancaster area (it hasn't been an easy road.) Am I going back? Hell yeah! Would I recommend the Taproom to others? Absolutely! I have no doubt that this will be a wildly successful venture, and my few minor nit-picks over lettuce and music won't hold them back.

Good job guys!

02-10-2011 16:38:22 | More by guzzle211

deetz3

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +21.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Right off the bat-- the Taproom is clearly for beer lovers.

The actual sprawling wooden bar is massive, and flanked on 3 sides by tables. Huge picture windows facing the street make up the other side of the bar, and people walking by above on the sidewalk make for great entertainment as they peer in to see what's going on. It's big, but not huge. Cozy, but still modern, and not cramped. Welcoming.

As the taproom of a local brewery, Spring House Brewing Company, SH's beers are the only ones on tap-- but you're not going to feel shortchanged. The Taproom has been open for a short time as of this review-- I went to the opening last week-- and as of now, I believe 8 or 9 beers are on tap. They also serve local wines.

I'll be the first to admit that I am a novice compared to many of the advocates on this site-- but I still know good beer when I taste (and see) it, and that is what you'll get from Spring House at the Taproom.

A wide range of beers were on tap last week, including Planet Bean (a coffee stout), Diabolical Doctor (a Belgian white ale) and of course Seven Gates, their signature pale ale... as well as Seven Gates - Gate Two, another delicious take on the beer (some different flavors, and a little less hoppy than the original).

Of course I kept coming back to Cosmic Monster, a Belgian quad, and my favorite as of late. The alcohol content is way up there-- something like 11%-- but not with that liquor-y aftertaste like you get with most other beers with similar abv's. To put it succinctly... it is extremely tasty-- a bit fruity, a bit hoppy, a bit malty-- and drinkable.

As for the service... awesome. They'll take the time to talk to you about the beer-- they WANT to talk to you about the beer. And while you wouldn't realize it unless you've been introduced or have been to SH or the Taproom a few times-- he's a modest dude-- you're likely to be served by the owner.

In summary: The Taproom is a unique addition to Lancaster, and beer lovers across the city are applauding. You should go.

02-09-2011 01:50:38 | More by deetz3