Candlewyck Beef & Ale

PopeDX

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5

The Candlewyck is right at the confluence of routes 202, 263 and 413, making it pretty convenient to get to. It's also just a couple of minutes from the Porterhouse.

It's really a hole in the wall...not a place I'd take Mom. Not even a place I'd take YOUR mom. But they have a few nice selections on tap (i.e. a Stoudt's, a Victory, a Flying Fish and two Magic Hats), and a really nice bottle selection. The bottles were very reasonably priced as well. Service was fast and friendly.

The takeout area next door is really the reason to go here, however. A nice round selection of local micros, not-so-local micros (including harder to find stuff like FFF) and Belgians, Germans and Brits. Again, prices are very reasonable for Pennsylvania take-out. Easily the best takeout selection I've seen in the Bux-Mont area, especially considering the prices.

02-15-2005 19:21:42 | More by PopeDX

TheBigBoy

Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.25 | $$

My go to local spot for good selection of take-out standard & craft beer. New beers in every week and good selection. $10/$12 mixed singles and lots of other sixes and single bottle/bomber options. Monthly tastings worth stopping by if you have the time. Decent bar food in the kitchen of take-out side. Popular full service bar/restaurant adjoined for bar & better food.

05-09-2013 03:11:33 | More by TheBigBoy

Nutz4Beer

Pennsylvania

4.69/5  rDev +27.1%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

The Beer Store is awesome! They remodeled and expanded the entire place! It's double the size it was before and has clean organized feel to it. They have almost as many beers as the Beer Store in Southampton but the prices are WAY lower! The manager Ryan was super helpful with recommending beers I haven't tried based on my favorite styles and other beers I like! This is my new favorite spot!

04-02-2013 22:31:31 | More by Nutz4Beer

NateTheW

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

The bar section of the Candlewyck has an older/dive kind of feel but has excellent choices. Always great beer selection on tap and they run a lot of promos and special nights for more local breweries. I have been to a few of the promo nights and they are always worth going. Lots of free samples, giveaways and great beer. The food is great too and the food specials are nice, 25 cent wing night is my favorite.

Now the beer store on the other hand is awesome. They recently expanded the store and now it holds a huge selection. I have easily spent far too much time in there perusing for something new and exotic. They carry plenty of well known beers along with great selections from more local breweries. I especially appreciate their selection of craft micro brews. With all the extra space I constantly find new beers in there when I go back.

Overall I definitely recommend shopping here if you are beer person. Great selection along with a friendly and very helpful staff.

02-27-2013 02:57:46 | More by NateTheW

jeremyL407

4.5/5  rDev +22%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75 | $$

Its a country home feel inside (nothing crazy modern, just modest place). Really large bar on one side with big tvs for the games and then tables and booths on the other side. The guys behind the bar know good beer and they always have awesome promos with the brewer rep there giving out free samples and teaching you about their beers, its a lot of fun! The food is better than you'd think and its a fair price, waitresses have great personalities and know what they are doing, very attentive. That is important to me!

Through the bar you can get to the beer store. They just bought out the store next to them and made their large selection of craft/foreign beers even larger! They have all the staples you usually get and then things you have never heard of and cant get anywhere else! I always ask the guy who works there whats new (cause they strive to bring in good stuff) and take his recommendations. Hasn't steered me wrong yet. I bought my grooms men a few large corked bottles of foreign beer as a gift, they LOVED IT.

This place is overall a must visit if your into something new, or a great place to go for a good meal and good buzz.

02-26-2013 21:53:03 | More by jeremyL407

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

I've seen this place for years...have heard a lot about it, nothing great...just good, here and there(obviously referring to the beer selection). I finally stopped in one Sunday night while driving past.
A: pretty average. Nothing out of the ordinary or that stands out. Pretty low-key with a country/family atmosphere; although one area is a large oval bar.
Q: again, good but nothing that wow's you. the food menu is well put together, but there is no beer menu, and you'd never know what hidden gem's are available by bottle in the take-out store attached. Those beers are available through the restaraunt, but unless you go next door to look, or just get lucky asking and hitting it on the head...you'd never know.
S: the service was good. The waitress was very nice and did everything she could to make us all happy. She brought everything...drinks and food out pretty quick.
S: there's about 75 bottled beers available and about 8 on draught.
F: food was pretty good, not typical bar food! Portians were pretty big and steaks were cooked right.
V: everything is pretty reasonable. Only downfall, it seemed it costs more for a beer to have it through the restarant. I may be wrong, but I thought the beer I got was cheaper through the take out store. O well, thats business I guess.
Overall, a decent restarant, if you're local and looking for a place to eat that's reasonable and has a decent beer selection...worth a try.

12-07-2009 03:27:54 | More by ShadesOfGray

bwd110

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -22%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | $

Stopped in on a whim after driving by (didn't feel like heading into Doylestown to go to Stephanie's).

The place is a real dive. Just a old, run-down feel to it. Avoided the deli altogether and the row of BMC fridges by the cash register. The lower level of fridges is where the imports and micros reside.

At first, I thought I was gonna be real disappointed. The Belgian fridge which you come to first was very sparsely populated. Looked like a decent selection, but the fridge was nowhere near capacity. Wasn't in the market for Belgians so I'm not sure of the specific offerings.

Moved on to the domestic micros. Decent, but definitely not overwhelming selection. Some oddities that are not everywhere, however. Stone and Rogue seemed to have the best representation. Was surprised to see some nice Voodoo offerings.

Prices were cheap. Left with a Stone Sublimely Self Righteous, Port 3rd Anniversary Ale and Voodoo Love Child.

I'd stop in again if I was driving by, but I doubt I'd make a specific trip back.

06-18-2009 14:15:42 | More by bwd110

jmalex

Pennsylvania

3.04/5  rDev -17.6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | $

For PA beer drinkers, the Candewyck is a great stop for picking up some inexpensive singles. Located between lovely Doylestown and New Hope, if I ever feel like going out for a drive, it's usually to here.

ATMOSPHERE: Not great, but also not necessary if you're just shopping (as most here would be). As you go in the door, bust an immediate right and head past the cashier down into the fridge area. A row of fridges is along each wall - Belgian singles in the front, German and English singles in the back, local micro singles and sixers on the left, and U.S. micro bombers and macro cases on the right.

QUALITY: As stated above, the organization is a nice surprise here. Some beers look like they've been sitting around for awhile, but after multiple visits, I've never pulled a bad one yet. Another cool perk is being able to sift through the 4 and 6 pack holders and choose one to take home with you. I've built up a nice collection this way.

SERVICE: The cashiers know nothing about the beer, and it even seems like some of them have a little comtempt for anyone who can afford craft beer prices. On one occasion, the cashier, after ringing up a $5.50 bomber, asked me doubtedly, "Is it really worth it?" to which I responded that it was, at least for me. Otherwise, the people seem to be cheery for the most part, as long as you're not talking about the beer.

SELECTION: Ok, now here's why you go here. I've never gone in to the Candlewyck without finding something I've never heard of. You'll rarely find anything earth-shatteringly rare (though I saw Rogue 10,000), but they bring in a really nice mix. The Belgian fridge usually comes through the most, though when I'm there, I try and choose one from each row of fridges. Rogue, Dogfish Head, Unibroue, Victory, Weyerbacher, and Stone are usually well represented.

Though it's score may not reflect it, the Candlewyck is a great place to find good beer. Every once in awhile, you'll come home with a real find. A $4 bottle anyplace else could be marked as low as $2.35 here. It's plain dumb luck when you find these, but seeking them out is a lot of the fun of going here. You never know what you'll come home with.

04-12-2007 19:58:03 | More by jmalex

leftmindedrighty

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

This is my favorite local stop, local meaning less than an hour away.

They have multiple coolers filled with a decent selection of micros and belgians. In regards to micros, they favor the locals, Victory, DFH, Lancaster, Weyerbacher. But you can grab the others like Sierra, Rogue, Anchor, etc.

If you have the time, go here, I have found a few beers here that for some reason, I never saw anywhere else. Also remember PA beer geeks, they sell in individual bottles and six packs, that is what this review is based on.

Make sure you check your bottle dates, they aren't too good at pulling the old bottles, just check the neck and you should be fine.

12-11-2006 01:24:37 | More by leftmindedrighty

penut

Pennsylvania

3.21/5  rDev -13%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

If you're near the New Hope/Doylestown area and you're looking for a place to buy single bottles of beer rather than 24 pack cases (stupid PA laws) this is a good bet out here in the suburbs. Prices aren't ridiculous but they're definitely more than you'd pay if you bought a case and drank all 24. This place is great for trying out new beers but that's about it. I've never ate here or sat down at the bar, only the deli area. The only other place I know of that you can buy bottles is down in Philly at the Foodery so jump on this place for the good selection of Belgians/Germans/Micros/Domestics.

09-14-2006 23:31:25 | More by penut