G.G. Brewers

No Longer In Business

Popped in a while ago with another homebrewer to give it a try, and we were also authoritatively told "no note taking". Whatever - we left our mostly full beers on the bar and walked back out the door and won’t go back. It’s a shame too with the Keswick Theater just across the street. Instead of GG or the KT, try Plush (in the little strip shopping center just past GG). They usually have some decent beers on tap and the food’s been good in the past.

When I was going to see Peter Frampton a couple weeks ago I planed on having dinner at the Keswick Tavern when I saw GG right across the street. Since I had no idea that there was a brewery in that area, I decided to give it a try. The place was extremely small, probably not more than 30x30 feet. When I asked about the brewery portion of the brewpub, the waitress had said that it was the second smallest brewery in the WORLD. Used to be the smallest she said. I wanted to talk to brewer as well and she said once he was free he’d come out and talk. Considering that he was the brew master AND the cook, I had to give him respect for taking time out of the kitchen/brewing area at all. In the meantime, I ordered dinner and had some of their brews. The calamari was mediocre, but their pulled pork sandwhich was delicious. I noticed that it was a pretty small menu (such as no burgers), but that made more sense considering that the brewmaster was the chef. Each of the three beers I had were warm, and they had just run out of the porter that I wanted to try the most. The amber ale was decent...nothing special, but I think I would have apreciated it more had it been colder. After eating, Gerry came out and I talked with him for half an hour about how everything started and where he was going with the place. Being a homebrewer myself, I was interested in his beginnings. He was very adamant in keeping your recipes to yourself (which makes the notes ban reviews i’ve seen make sense) and trying out anything to create a great beer. Overall, Gerry is a nice guy that trying hard to bring his place up and while there is a long way to go, GG is a good place to try out.

Practically a hole in the wall but located across from the keswick theater makes it awesomely accessible. I think that’s why they brew light beer at all because I’ve never heard of a beer geek drinking light. It does however appeal to the masses of uncultured drinkers who show up simply because its so close to the theater. That’s just good business and I can’t fault Gerry for that. They also offer discounts for us Arcadia students so I can’t complain. Food is good, especially on wednesdays when its only $3 a meal and $3 a beer. The beer is decent. As far as what I’ve had I’d say the smoke gets in your rye is the best, but Gerry often has seasonals and I haven’t had them all. The service is great it’s all local. Gerry has his niche and I would love to see this place grow along with his skill.

A very small place with really good food and pretty good beer. Wed night specials are $3 cheesesteaks, taco plates, burgers, pulled pork, meatball sand, etc...Looks like they have darts. The beer is good and drinkable. Seating is limited but we haven’t had a problem getting a table.

Went there with Whaleman to meet with Immy. Whaleman and I got there first and ordered the sampler. Only had 4 out of 5 because the IPA was out. We were told "no notes" for a reason that I didn’t understand. The owner did not check my notes on what I was writing, instead told us that a guy taking notes had an argument with a server two years ago and made her cry - What the hell does that have to do with us? Our server was good. Food was mediocre and the beer was mediocre at best. The Stout was decent but nothing special.

Rather small brewpub in a refurbished historical area. Met up with whaleman and jasonmech77 for a few beers, and was cautioned that note taking is, um, somewhat frowned upon. Atmosphere is pretty local-publike. Food is OK at best - I had the roast beef sandwich. Nothing I haven’t had in local watering holes before, for sure. Beer is much the same - OK but unspectacular. Worth a stop, but we moved on pretty quickly.

After literally hundreds of brewpub visits, this is probably the most bizarre. The ambiance is quaint and comfortable with lots of potential and the location (across from the Keswick Theatre in Glenside) is excellent. But the owner/brewer has obvious hang-ups about any public scrutiny related to his beer. Anyone taking notes or expressing genuine interest in craft beer is prejudged and seemingly distrusted. At some point, the proprietor decided to ban note taking. Jason and I found that out loud and clear when the owner pointed his finger at us and said, “NO NOTES!” I asked for permission to copy the commercial descriptions and was again told, “NO NOTES!” Some incomprehensible explanation was offered about a server getting in trouble with someone from BA. Whatever--that has nothing to do with me. But the bottom-line is that the beer here has apparent flaws and the brewer is clearly not receptive to constructive criticism. Ignoring criticism and/or consumer opinions is perfectly understandable. Trying to ban them is ridiculous. From my perspective as a passionate fan of craft beer, that attitude is way too uptight and takes the fun out of a pastime that shouldn’t be taken so seriously. I won’t be returning. Fortunately there are scores of great beer places in the region where insecure brewers/owners aren’t an issue.