Root Down Brewing Company, Phoenixville PA.
Positives:
WELL ROUNDED, FLAVORFUL, AND, YES, THOUGHTFUL, BEER. I DID A FLIGHT.
Flava Remix Double IPA
60 IBU
9.0% ABV
5 oz for $4.00
Nicely hopped with a tint of sweetness that finishes nicely.
Flux Single-hopped w/Mosaic Unfiltered IPA
30 IBU
6.8% ABV
5 oz for $3.25
...and props for the correct use of the hyphen
Traditional Mosaic hops brew; nicely balanced
Bine American IPA
60 IBU
7.2% ABV
5 oz for $4.00
Hoppy, but a bit milder than its cousins above.
Phest Fest bier
34 IBU
6% ABV
5 oz for $3.50
Balanced with a nice malt flavor, and a true altbier flaovr
Decor
Hammered tin on the ceiling in the entry way, beautifully stained beams and floors. Re-purposed tables and benches, but very cheap, metallic barstools and chairs. Love the graffiti INSIDE and the brick and mortar walls. Interesting pergola-style hallway with 2, count 'em, 2 men's and women's bathrooms. Beer hall in the back with pinball games. Open kitchen where one orders. Two TVs, so it's not a sports bar, but a gathering place, and that's a good thing. Ample space, although I imagine that on a very busy night it will be nigh impossible to hear each other since there's no baffling of sound.
Music choice relaxing and good and a perpetual flow of customers, which I'm happy about as a local.
Staff & Service
Very knowledgeable, conversant, approachable and informative. A welcome change to most of the local bars. On top of my needs not sitting at the bar.
Negatives:
Check above and the prices for flight glasses. 20 oz. for $14.25 when two pints--at the highest price--cost $13. It reminds me of when I lived in MN and new beers came in to the store. New beers could only be bought in a case until they sold enough to encourage selling them as singles = a backwards way of doing things. I will never try a flight again. Why bother? I can come back and get pints cheaper...and it's not like it costs them more or uses up more beer. OK, OK, it might cost a fraction more to wash 4 5oz glasses than 1 16oz glass, but if that's their business model, I won't come back despite the excellent beer...because it's stupid, and it needs to be said.
Tasters
Asked for a taste of a beer and received a full 5 oz glass--don't need that to know if I want to drink something. Although I despise, nay they are anathema to me, those brew pubs and bars that charge $.50/taste, I'd rather that than a $4.00 fee to try a beer I may or may not like. In the words of Chris Berman..."C'mon, man!"
In Between
Cheesewurst was flavorful, despite the kraut. On it's own, the kraut is barely edible; with the brat, amazing, so props to the chef for figuring that out. Just don't offer it on it's own...please, we're in PA, the US home of kraut. And the cheese was hard to find or non-existent, although the flavor of the brat was excellent. read more