Slyfox Brewey

Sly Fox makes excellent beer. No doubt about that. Visiting the brewery, however, doesn't add much to their product. I do like the extensive tap list they offer, with some special brews that are rarely or never seen in the city.

Other than that, this place is miss-able. Tucked in a strip mall and with the charm of a Denny's, Slyfox fails to impress on several levels. Food is pretty average, although some specials, like $1 tacos on Sunday, are pretty good.

Bottom Line: Good beer, everything else needs improvement. If you plan ahead you can get a standard, but good brewery tour. It's hardly worth the trip outside of Philadelphia to visit Slyfox in person.
That is a good looking Black and Tan.

Allentown Brew Works

I hit up Allentown brew works on a Saturday night with a crew of hungry and thirsty dudes. There was a small wait for our table, so we made our way to the bar. The whole place was pretty packed, but service was still pretty good. The decor is new and modern, but not memorable. The weirdest thing was the club and hip-hop tunes that were loudly pumping all night. Not enough to annoy me, but certainly out of place.

For beer, the brewpub features ten of their own on tap. Four are their flagships, which represent the bar well. The knuckleball is a great session ale with subtle flavor; a good summer beer and a light 4.2 ABV. The wit was also a nice summer beer, very similar to Hoegaarden. Fegley’s Amber Lager went down easy, but didn't have a ton of flavor. Similar to Troegs Hopback. Last of the flagships was the Pawn Shop Porter. It was a bit thin, but had a good flavor and went down more quickly than porters usually do.

My favorite beer of the night was the bourbon aged Insidious. It was a strong, flavorful, well aged beer. The Bushy's Pale ale was a standout as well, a good representation of a West Coast pale ale that is actually balanced instead of crazily overhopped. Brew works offers a beer flight of six 5.5 oz pours for $10. This is an great deal and offers a good sampling of all of the beer available.

We were so hungry that we ordered the appetizer platter to get a good sampling of the food offered. Chicken fingers, wings, and pierogies were all okay.

The app sampler also came with a small order of the bavarian pretzels. They were incredible. Really. The perfect combination of a breadstick and a pretzel covered in a butter garlic sauce. They were so good, in fact, that we immediately ordered a second helping.

For my dinner, I ordered a flatbread: bleu cheese, pear, walnuts, and prosciutto. The combination of these flavor was perfect, and I really loved this dish. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food as well.

Bottom Line: The pretzels alone are reason to come here. For real. The beer is good too. They have some good happy hour specials as well. Dinner won't disappoint. I'm not in Allentown much, but I still have no doubt that this is one of their best offerings.

Victory Brewpub

Victory is a great brewery. I'm glad to have it in the area. Still, I wish the brew pub was a bit closer. It's about a 45 minute drive from Philadelphia, but is completely worthwhile. Upon walking in, I was surprised. The brew pub, which is tucked away in a forgotten corner of a suburban housing development, is huge. Despite the size, and I'd guess it seats around 200, the place was packed. I was visiting with my good friends Allie and John and we had to wait almost an hour for a table.

Waiting here isn't really an issue. You can make your way to the bar and order drinks. Everything comes in two different sizes, and the prices on beer are reasonable. Victory boasts an impressive beer list, 22 Victory taps, four of which are hand-pump. While you're ordering at the bar, marvel at the growler filler that seems to have come from the future. Victory has their standard rotation, as well as one offs, rare, and out-of-season beers. I had the delicious Zeltbier, an Octoberfest style lager that is so new that I couldn't find a shred of information about it online. Growlers are on sale on site ($15) and cost between 7 and 11 dollars to fill. It's a great deal on some brewery fresh beer.

You can also visit the on-site store while waiting. They have interesting merchandise for sale, although I'm always confused as to why I can't buy koozies at breweries. The atmosphere overall is a bit weird, it's large and crowded like a beer hall, but filled with families, yuppies, and suburbanites. The service was a bit lacking too. Once we were seated, it wasn't bad, but we saw tables sit dormant for upwards for 20 minutes while parties crowded the door waiting for seats.

The menu here has a lot of interesting options, and I love that they suggest a beer pairing for every menu item. It's divided into two parts, a standard menu that consistently offers traditional bar and pub fare, as well as a large rotating menu that offers seasonal and special dishes.

I opted for the spicy pork loin topped with blue cheese and pear on a bed of sweet potatoes. There was a lot going on with this dish, and the chef perfectly blended the flavors. I was quite happy with my choice, especially considering this is the kind of place where I'll usually ordered a cheeseburger and not expect too much. Allie ordered the same dish I did and was also satisfied with it. John ordered a jerk chicken grinder that was a great rendition on a fairly standard sandwich. As a side we ordered fries, and were served with a bowl of steak and sweet potato fries topped with leeks. The fries, like all the other dishes we had, have an extra touch that put them above what you'd normally expect.

Bottom Line: I like victory's beer, and I like this place. It's way too far out of town for me to become a regular, but the option for limited edition beer and the cheap growler fills are definitely a draw. Everyone should visit at least once.

Essentials:

420 Acorn Lane, Downingtown, PA 19335

610-873-0881

Hours: M-Sat 11:30-12, Sun: 11:30-10

Avg Ent: 10-17

Cash Only: No

Reservation: Not taken