Gettysbrew Restaurant & Brewery

Brewery, Eatery

248 Hunterstown Rd.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 17325
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
0
Beers:
0
Ratings:
0
PLACE STATS
Average:
2.07
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
11
pDev:
21.26%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
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Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

1.95/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 1 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 3
I'll admit it was years ago when last I was here, but the experience was so bad I'm not likely to ever forget it.

I had just recently moved to the Baltimore area (the first time; I'm now doing a second term here in Charm City) and was driving up to the Gettyburg area to see the battlefield... when we came across this place. It was around lunch time so we decided to stop. The place was kind of stark and sterile as I recall, and we were the only one's in there at the time, other then the owner and staff. It was bit early so I didn't really think anything of that at the time. As I recall the food was nothing special, but it wasn't horrible... decidedly average. We tried the beer sampler selection and.... to this day it's hard to describe my reaction. The beers were beyond just bad; it was as if they were spoiled or infected. I think the pale ale was almost drinkable, but the other beers were so bad I was embarrased for the owner (who seemed friendly enough; he came up and asked us what we thought of his beers - we tried to be non-committal about our responses, and the impression I had was that he figured we were macro beer drinkers and weren't used to so much flavor).

The situation was so embarrassing that we quickly finished with our food and got ready to leave. My friend stopped off at the bathroom before leaving, so I was left to talk to the owner a bit. At that point he let on that they'd had a power outage the previous evening, and that the power had just come back on that morning, in time for him to refrigerate his beer for customers at lunch. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but of course at that point I completely understood why the beer tasted so off. This was in August if memory serves, and the weather that time of year was its typical hot and steamy self.

That the owner could be so out of it that he didn't know allowing his beer to warm up like that would spoil it was nothing short of amazing.

One of the worst experiences I can ever recall at a brewpub and, one that I have to say tainted (quite unfairly) my perception of the Pa. microbrew scene for some time to come.
Jul 12, 2007
Photo of MikeFromMarsPA
Reviewed by MikeFromMarsPA from Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 2
I drove by this place yesterday (12-26-06) and it was dark and shuttered. There was a big sign on the window which said "Closed for the Season/For Sale/Looking for Buyer or Business Partner". So, I have no idea if or when it will reopen, but considering what everyone else has to say about this place, it doesn't really sound like a real loss to the Brewpub Universe. I gave it a 2.0 rating for the hell of it. If you want to try this place, make sure you call ahead and see if you should even bother.
Dec 28, 2006
Photo of beerchick
Reviewed by beerchick from Maryland

2/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 2
I haven't been back since I stopped in for a sampler three years ago, and couldn't take more than a sip of each beer. {How I longed for hairspray to rinse the stench off of my tongue.I have had nothing worse, even cidery homebrew) Plus, I was told I just didn't appreciate good beer. The building is interesting, which is the only reason to go back. Happily, that building has been sold, and there is supposedly a new brewer. (For the love of God, clean your equipment and don't use extracts.). And work on the food. When we were there, it didn't look safe. (Warm mayonaise-based salads and strangely colored meat)
Jul 01, 2006
Photo of BruceBeerman
Reviewed by BruceBeerman from Pennsylvania

1.05/5  rDev -49.3%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1 | food: 1
This place seemed promising by all the pamplets and the story behind this place. It was once a farm and taken over as a confederate field hospital during the Gettyburg battle. This story is as good as it gets. The outside of building was really run down but inside seemed nice until you taste the beer.

AWFUL, TERRIBLE, LOUSEY. A friend and I mine saw the selection of 6 beers and we decided to try the samplier. They returned 6 different beers in 6 ounce glasses. Looked good, until you tasted. I tried the american blonde (light lager) and it was real watered down and no tatse what so ever. I figured this may be a real light american lager and moved on to the pale ale. Same watered down taste, next 4 were the same, with little to no carbonation.

The food was terrible with limited and small portions. They had NO ketchup for the fries and no water on the side other than $3 bottled beer. I ended up not drinking all my beer and ended up with a huge bill.

They should be ashamed of themselves. This is a true TOURIST TRAP....STAY AWAY!!!! You have been warned. I was snared and I don't wish anyone else get's caught.

Please do yourself a favor and go over to the other side of Gettysburg to the Appalation Brewing. They had GREAT beer at decent prices.
Aug 09, 2004
Photo of rdrummer
Reviewed by rdrummer from New Jersey

2.03/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 2 | service: 1.5 | selection: 2 | food: 1
It takes a lot of driving out of the way to get to this place. Don't bother unless you just want to see the old Pennsylvania Dutch Barn that it is located in. It is a great building and should be housing something better than this so-called brewpub. The beer is not good. It ranges from tasteless to tasting awful. Our server didn't have a clue about the beer or the food, and she was slow and disorganized. There were only four or five types of beer on tap, and they were all bad. I couldn't believe it but the food was worse. I had a "baked" steak. Now, I normally wouldn't have ordered this, because it sounded bad, but the waitress told me it was their specialty. It came out looking gray with a big bubble in the middle. I ate about two bites and quit. Never again.
Mar 23, 2004
Photo of Flashy
Reviewed by Flashy from Vermont

1.95/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 1 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 2
I once heard this place described as a vomitorium. A real waste since it's located in one of the best buildings I've ever seen used to house a brewpub. Talked to the owner/brewer a while back and he told how he wanted to bring the beer he tasted from around the world to this place. Did he ever try is own beer though? It really tastes like his tanks are infected and this is the only place I ever worried about getting sick from. A real shame that this place can continue on the way it does- giving Joe Sixpack a bad impression of micros...but The Gettysburg BC goes out of business (though that is a different story) and this place stays. Is there no god?
Nov 08, 2003
Photo of balosss
Reviewed by balosss from New Jersey

1.86/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 1 | service: 2 | selection: 2
After a long day at a craft fair and Boyd's Bear Country, with my wife, what an even longer ride home (3 hrs.), after walking out on 5 1/4 drunk 8oz samples. In all my years of drinking beer, I have never had anything so awful.

The brewery is of the beaten path, and should probably stay there.
The setting is an old farmhouse, and I think the owners put too much into it, and not enough into the making of the beer.

Showed up at 4:30 on a Sat., and the place was empty. Now I know why. I figured I'd try the sampler, and pick my favorite for dinner. Well, when the beer was brought to the table, I was told that the beer was different, " It has 20% less carbonation". That's fine by me, I thought. Took a sip of the first one, SOUR. Took a sip of the second one, AWFUL. Can you see where I am going. I looked at my wife in disbelief. If she wasn't with me, I would have said something to the owner. After the fifth one, we got up and left. All glasses were 3/4 full. What a disappointment.

My only regret is not reading the previous reviews. I surely wouldn't have gone there, if I had read them first. Wow, one review was over a year ago. That's a shame, and a waste of brewing supplies.
Aug 21, 2003
Photo of WesWes
Reviewed by WesWes from New York

2.41/5  rDev +16.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 1 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2.5
This brewpub is located off the beaten path out in the middle of nowhere somewhere near Gettysburg. The place is a renovated old farmhouse. It has a certain nostalgia about it. This is a definite tourist stop. There is plenty of seating available indoors and out. The bar seemed homey; a real down home old fashioned saloon. The selection of beers wasn't that great. The usual listings along with a few special brews, but not many. I chose their "best brew" supposedly. The owner told me to try it, so I bought a growler and was on my way. To my surprise, this beer really sucked. There seemed to be a decent taste here. It was too bad I had to dump the whole growler because it was completely flat. It took me a long time to find this place. Like I said, it was way ou there. How pissed was I when I discovered I bought flat beer. This was the worst brewpub I have ever seen.
Jul 29, 2003
Photo of ecoboy
Reviewed by ecoboy from Rhode Island

2.21/5  rDev +6.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5
The bar stools in this barn seemed inviting. Then we sat down and our necks were at bar level.

Drove all the way from Baltimore, and felt like we'd wasted much of the day. Nice building, the worst take on microbrews I have ever tasted. My partner and I were horrified. Maybe it's just me. The beer I had was more like hop tea with no recognizeable characteristics of beer/ale.

The place has stayed open for many years, so there must be some people who are looking for this experience, but wow, this is the Plan 9 from Outer Space of brewpubs for me.
Jun 13, 2003
Photo of Fabric8r
Reviewed by Fabric8r from Montana

3/5  rDev +44.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 2.5
Hmmm, interesting place, hard to find at night. In a barn, which is a neat idea, but really smelled bad. The food, at least the stew I ate was good, but the beer was not. Where we ate had a table with a TV on it and piles of someone's papers like it was a messy person' office desk. The wait people were sure nice, but for somebody to travel far, and spend money on food and beer, I was disapointed. Hopefully they can improve on their brewing.
Apr 04, 2003
Photo of pubscout
Reviewed by pubscout from North Carolina

2.08/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 2 | service: 1.5 | selection: 2 | food: 1.5
I actually went to this place with high hopes, having heard from my motelier that the beers they served were "different."

Bad was more like it. Every beer had a medicinal taste to it, perhaps a holdover from the building's Civil War use as a hospital.

Bottom line: if you're a fan of Dutch Barns, go there. The building is architecturally interesting.

If you're a fan of good beer, Gettysbrew is not the place for you.
Oct 28, 2002
Gettysbrew Restaurant & Brewery in Gettysburg, PA
Place rating: 0 out of 5 with 11 ratings