What a great addition to the local brews scene! I went by Ivy League Brew with some friends for their soft opening this weekend, and I was very impressed! Housed in an historic post office, this brewery offers a great selection of meads and hand crafted soda. As this is the soft opening, the building and the street around it are still partially in the construction phase, but the spacious tasting form was open for business. Mead, unlike beer or wine, is brewed from honey. Ivy League offered a bunch of flavors so we got a flight of 6 to share. We tried Freedom-probably our favorite, with the flavors of blueberry, raspberry, and vanilla. We also tried Lime Time, Merry Cherry, Fine Apple (pineapple), Blood Moon (blood orange) and Zycotic (tastes similar to a sweet red wine.) everything was delicious! They were out of Immortal, which is their signature brew, but my friends said it was excellent). They also offer Nitro Infused Crafted Sodas- root beer and orange cream, and make mixed drinks combining different brews. Because the mead is made with honey, everything is sweet, so if you're not a fan of sweet there's that. But I've had mead in the past that was almost syrupy, but these brews were great- sweet and refreshing without being cloying. They also pack a punch, the ABV on the meads ranges from 8.5-13%!
The space itself is really pretty- brick, bright wood, and metal beams lend it an industrial feel, but large windows, chandeliers, and their large gilt logo on the window give the space an understated elegance. In addition to the tasting room, I glimpsed a large space they are turning into an entertainment room, and there's a lovely back lawn with lights strung to the trees.
The owners mentioned booking food trucks after the street construction is complete and have plans to bring in entertainment like trivia and live music. They will also host private events in the future. I'd say they are off to a great start, and can't wait to see where they take their business! read more