Abbey Wright Brewing Co.

Brewery, Bar, Eatery

204 Valley Street
Duboistown, Pennsylvania, 17702
United States

(570) 326-3383 | map
thevalley-inn.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.7
Beers:
4
Ratings:
11
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.21
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
17
pDev:
20.25%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
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Ratings by nstroup:
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Rated by nstroup from Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +9%

Oct 14, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.43 by yergermeister from Pennsylvania

Mar 04, 2015
 
Rated: 2.5 by BeerCon5 from Pennsylvania

Sep 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by themanilow from West Virginia

Dec 05, 2013
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Reviewed by Bmoyer0301 from Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -14.3%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3
Boy this used to be a pretty neat place to be when they first decided to start brewing. Upon entering you are a little confused if you landed in a brewpub or a hunting lodge somewhere in parts unknown PA. Typical jukebox and BMC signs all over the place with a few pool tables. Off to the right of the bar area you have a nice clear view of the brewing facility that sports a clean and well maintained 7 BBL system. I got a sampler of their beer and the bartender (possibly owner?) said " you better watch out for that brewed beer, its strong and will get ya" I immediately knew this place was going to be a bust. The beers all tasted decent but were highly under carbonated except the vanilla latte stout which was incredible. After talking a bit more to the bartender he informed me that the brewer actually quit and has moved on to his own ventures and the current kegs might be the last ones. Bart- good job getting out of that place you are a much more talented brewer than that place should have
Jan 04, 2011
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Reviewed by pvequalsnrt from Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -15%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
First of two places of my mini beer tour of williamsport. will have to come back, because the bavarian tasting room was not open.

First problem: couldn't find the front (actually side) door. but i'm an idiot, so i won't subtract for that. second problem: smoking allowed. although i should have expected this i suppose. inside is quite large, not much seating because of pool tables. i sat at the bar. since this was the first stop, we didn't get a full meal, just nachos and wings. nachos were very tasty and the wings were outstanding.

but i came here for the beer. and that was slightly disappointing. the website touts 22 taps. i was thinking they had a bunch of guest taps in addition to the brewed beers. yeah.. well, they do. the guests are woodchuck, pbr, bud, blue moon, molson, etc, etc. did not expect this. again, i probably should have... i'm from the middle of the state.

i got the sampler, but had to ask where the list of brewed beers was because i could not see it... on the wall behind me of course! first was a run-of-the-mill honey lager which was quite watery. a 'wicked peach' which was overly peachy and style: ambiguous as there was no description anywhere of any of the beer. that i could see anyways. next was a saison that tasted like sparkling grape juice. then a black-n-blue wheat which was very drinkable. the IPA was easily the best of the lot; good body, good nose, and quite hoppy. i took a growler home! last was the beer i was most excited about (the vanilla stout) and unfortunately i was very disappointed. it seemed too thin for the style and tasted disjointed... like adding vanilla flavor to a milk stout. dang. i REALLY wanted it to be good.

i was really hoping i had found a diamond in the rough randomly (i found this place on beermapping) but it seems that i did not. but i would swing by to fill a growler with the IPA again. it was definitely very drinkable.
Dec 29, 2010
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Reviewed by slander from New York

3.38/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
I don't really want to get into it, but this was one of them rejuggling of my day driving a good ways in the opposite direction from where I am to where I'm going kind of lunch excursion having had my initial plan dealt two to the back of the head and rolled. A recovery of the day, I suppose, but at what expense time and miles and life? Across the river and back a bit and then turn around 'cause I passed it, it ain't where I was 'spectin' it to be but I gone found it just the same...

A little log cabiney looking place with a "We are a smoking bar" sign as you enter, oh, so very inviting. Through the tobacco haze, I can see a 6 sided laminated slat wood bar with a lip seating 14 or so. A corresponding angled bar island table sits inside in the center. The back wall holds a pair of framed wood unit pieces, one to each side of the doorway to where they kitchen things. To one left, shelving over mirrored panels holding booze, and glassware shelved below; to the right, a row of upwards of a dozen and a half taps, mostly crappy macros with Guinness, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Molson, and Killians Red being the most decent things there, below a wine rack piece. In the corner next to it are 3 coolers with 6's & singles, chilled pitchers & pint glasses. The house beers pour from a separate tower off the corner there on the wall.

The bar has a wood overhang tracing above with a pressed tin ceiling inside, alternating red, white & blue martini glass lamps with flag & star garland strung from lamp to lamp, and drop dangle stars of different sizes at different lengths. It's busy but not unesthetically pleasing. TV's in the corners for, you know, looking at. Lino tile floorings & wood slat walls adorned with macro neons, light brewery signage & mirrors, and Beatles & Bob Marley framed pics. And oooh, cool Red Bull mirror. Also, American flags hung or mounted in every direction you look.

Pool table adjacent to the bar and 2 more on the far side of a pair of raised divider bar counters, roughly a dozen and a half tables of all sizes and shapes out there as well. I can see a stage at the far end of the room with some arcade games there, and a Foosball table up front in the corner near the cigarette machine. Just off the bar in the corner, an open and exposed, there to walk up to and fuck with, 10 barrel brewing system in the far entry area (if they can, they will. It's shiny, they can't help themselves).

The 4 tap selections are listed on a board on the wall in the corner; I ordered the sampler and was eyeballed by everyone for doing so like they've never seen the likes of it. Smokey Oak Scottish Ale, 6.1%, some smoke, some alcohol, could be Scottish Alelike, I suppose; Equinox Pilsner, 6.2%, a bit bitter, but not terribly Pilsnery; Hefeweizen, just no banana clove love; and the Flower Power Pale Ale, 6%, Cascade, pretty good, nicely hopped, hands down the best of the lot, so I took in a pint. Flower Power, eh? I think some Finger Lakes folks I know may have something to say about that. And you know, I believe they make a Root Beer.

I had the grilled chicken salad over iceberg; the king of all lettuce. It was plentiful and came with garlic bread and fries. Hey, why is it you never spot the board listing the crawfish & Andouille sausage gumbo special 'til well after you've ordered up something else? Why yes, I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Most of the people here are drinking Heineken bottles. And then there's Angryman sitting at the end of the bar drinking White Russians who became more agitated when the music he played abruptly stopped (sometimes the juke's trying to tell you something). I'm kind of enjoying his tantrums of shittiness absurdity, laughing at him on the inside and hoping it doesn't send beer out my nose. And taking in the crowd around me I'm wondering if I'm getting out of here without a scrap. No, I'm not feeling the love, with my 4 small sampler glasses of more attention than I would like and my little serial killer scribble book of notes. Food was good and the portions were plentiful; mine was anyway. The beer was meh for the mostpart, not bad but not inspiring and of course they only had 4 up whereas other reviews have seen upwards of 7. And would you mind not blowing smoke my way when I'm eating, upwind guy? Really.
Oct 29, 2009
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Reviewed by AtlasBrew from Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +45.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
This is the actual website:

http://thevalley-inn.com/index.html

The link here is a hoax.

On with the review:

Well, after a hectic Easter weekend and trying to get caught up on a million things at work and at home, I'm finally able to write this review, albeit I'm a little late in doing so. We took a trip to the 'Port to visit family this weekend and after a wonderful Easter dinner with everyone, we decided to hit The Valley Inn in Duboistown (across the river from Williamsport) to check out Abbey Wright Brew Company which is housed there. It had this great hippy hangout meets biker bar feel, and Gareth, one of the Valley Inn/Abbey Wright crew who was also serving up the drinks behind the bar, seemed to be a pretty great guy too. After our sampler, we thought we were going home, but when the chance to hang out with my sister came up, we came back to the Valley for more. Gareth gave us a small tour of the brewery and hooked us up with a pint glass or two. Nice guy.

I have to be honest, going in to this one, I was a little bit biased and had a bad attitude. I read a pretty lousy review, on BA. I really just wanted to find out for himself if this was a failed brewery in the making. But what I found was a really original and flavorful selection of brews, including one that I just might brand as my favorite Saison. All were served nicely chilled and tasted very fresh. So here we go...a brew by brew review;

1. Kosmic Kolsch:
Color: Gold
Aroma: Light malt, slightly grainy
Flavor: Nice mild Kolsch flavor, a little more than expected, but it was good anyway. More hop kick than usual for this style, but it's a pretty decent beer. I'm never one to complain about hoppiness. It's a nice take on the style.

2. Hefeweizen:
Color: Cloudy straw
Aroma: Faint banana notes along with a hint of clove and spice, typical of a hefeweizen.
Flavor: Sweet and floral up front that balances well with a mellow, yet spicy, bitterness from the hops. Very low bitterness on this one. Finishes medium-dry. It's good stuff. I'm typically not a big fan of wheat beers, but this one is pretty damn good.

3. Raz-Berry Wheat
Color: Deep amber, almost copper, and very clear.
Aroma: Straight up raspberries. Like, knock your ass off the barstool raspberries.
Flavor: Wow. This is more like a carbonated raspberry soda than a beer. It's very sweet with the great taste of raspberry throughout paired with a very mild maltiness and a very mild hop finish with extremely low bitterness. This one could go down way too easy! Very unique brew.

4. Irish Red Ale
Color: Red, of course.
Aroma: citrusy hops with hints of sweetness
Flavor: Awesome. Sweet malts with a touch of caramel up front, bit of citrusy hops in the middle with mounting bitterness towards the end and a dry finish. This is a great Irish Red Ale and dances on your tongue exactly like it should. Good job, lads.

5. Saison Ale
Color: Deep reddish copper with lacy tan head.
Aroma: Sweet and fruity
Flavor: Fruity and candylike up front with very low bitterness through to the end. Light bodied with a touch of bananas, this is a nice Belgian-inspired ale.

6. Alpha Deuce IPA
Color: Deep copper/reddish
Aroma: Fresh (very fresh!) citrusy hops
Flavor: Sweet, caramely and citrusy. The hop flavor meets you in the middle and carries you to a semi-dry bitter finish. Love that hop bite. Light mouth feel. An awesome IPA.

7. Vanilla Latte Stout
Color: Black with a thin tan head.
Aroma: Slight notes of vanilla, malt
Flavor: Hint of vanilla and coffee up front, malty in the middle. Very low bitterness makes this a sure contender for my Best Stout award. The coffee surely lends some bitterness to the brew, but it's not overwhelming at all. Semi dry finish with a smooth coffee and vanilla aftertaste. This stout was incredible and very drinkable. This is some masterful brewing if you ask me.
Rating: five coals right out of five. Brilliance in a glass.

After visiting the Valley Inn and trying these beers, I realized that Williamsport is really a happening place for craft brewing. Abbey Wright joins Bullfrog Brewery and the new Bavarian Barbarian on the list of microbrewers in this little college town turned big city. A huge thanks to Gareth for showing us around and extending such hospitality...something that's hard to find nowadays in any crowded bar. Besides, anyone who rings a bell to a Social Distortion song is okay by us! Abbey Wright is phenomenal by our standards, and we will be visiting again quite soon.
Apr 17, 2009
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Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +17.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Abbey Wright Brewing Co. is located in the Valley Inn in Duboistown, across the river from Williamsport. We stopped on the way to Cooperstown.

Atmosphere: The Valley Inn is a bar, large and spacious with a number of televisions, arcade games and a stage at the far end (along Euclid St.). The bar is large and semi-circular and hidden just beyond the bar is the brewing area with its copper kettles.

Quality: The beer was cold (and served in iced glasses to boot) but the staff was friendly and the beer was good.

Service: The bartender was friendly and fast with the pints and the growler fill.

Selection: In addition to the Abbey Wright line-up, the bar has the whole gamut of BMC and a cooler or two of bottles for take-out. The Smokey Oak was on tap, and should be a top choice for most people.

Food: N/A, didn't eat there but they do have a full bar menu.
Aug 04, 2008
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Reviewed by bobbybou from Massachusetts

1.65/5  rDev -48.6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 2 | food: 1
We arrived on a recent friday night and the place was relatively quite. We should have known this might be bad. This place used to rock but heard that its slowly going downhill.After 15 minutes our waitress come over. We both got one of thier own beers and the lines must have not been cleaned in a year. They smelled and tasted like old skunked beer. We ordered buffalo wings and nachos. After half on hour the waitress come back over and asked if we wanted a drink.We inquired about our food and she said that she would check. ten minutes later, our beer glasses empty for a good twenty minutes now ,our food arrived. Ice cold. The wings were cold and rubbery and the nachos were one solid lump.We were starving and ate the apps and finally got another glass of ale,an IPA . Where's the hops?How boring!What a dissapointment the food was,the beer was less than average.They should stick to bottled beer. We wont go back to this place EVER!
Mar 17, 2008
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Reviewed by Dodo2step from Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
This place was right down the street from me when i did live in Williamsport. It is actually located in Duboistown.

The bar/tavern is actually pretty spacious with enough space for live band. they have had some good bands perform there. The lighting was a bit dim but thats ok, every bar has dim lighting.

The service was pretty slow and took awhile to get your food even when it wasnt packed. If it was packed you could expect a 45min-1 hour wait just for food.

They had a huge selection of flavored wings and 3 pages worth of food. They also had a variety of beers on tap and in the cooler.

There brews were ok but nothing to extravagant. I enjoed their pumpkin ale. It is no Dogfish but it was quite alright.

The price was pretty reasonable for the most part. It is a nice place to go hang out and shoot some pool and listen to some good local bands.
Jan 26, 2008
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Reviewed by gljenso from Illinois

3.65/5  rDev +13.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 3
This brewpub is in Duboistown, which is just south of the river from Williamsport. There is not much going on in the area around the brewpub. It's not a nightlife area. The brewpub is a big place but I saw only the large bar area which had several pool tables. The only dining tables were on the side of the room next to the pool tables. The rest of the place was being used for a private event and it appears this happens frequently since they had two scheduled that day. The specials on the menu sounded good and seemed a bit upscale for the neighborhood bar decor and the surly biker-type bartendar. I didn't try the food. Since the previous reviews had been a bit lukewarm, I was surprised to find that the two beers I tried, the Alpha Deuce Double IPA and Pale 4 Ale were both fantastic, hoppy ales. They have apparently greatly improved the quality of their beers in the short time they have been open. They also were nice enough to fill my growler from Three Floyds rather than making me buy one as so many brewpubs do. I'm from Chicago and was traveling and accumulating too many growlers.
Oct 19, 2007
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Reviewed by anthonylalota from Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -15%
vibe: 1 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
I've been to Abbey Wright twice, with the two visits a year or so apart. The first time, they had only been serving their own beer for a short while. I just made my second visit a month or so ago, and the quality of the beer improved greatly. They've still got a long way to go before they're considered in the same league as the Bullfrog Brewery just across the river, but they've taken a few very respectable first steps.

The place itself is gorgeous. The bar, the tables, chairs, even the bathrooms are all made of fresh-looking wood. The downside is that it's a typical bar, with either sports on every television, or the jukebox blaring "Freebird" all of the time. Lots of pool tables and video games, TV's, pinball, dart boards, etc. Before you travel any great distance to visit this place, please know it does not have your typical brewpub atmosphere - it's basically like drinking a few craft brewed beers in the middle of a frat party.

As far as the beer goes, I recommend the porter, or vanilla bean stout. The IPA isn't bad either, but nothing too noteworthy. The rest of the beers still need some work. Blueberry wheat, irish red stout, frosty pumpkin, and one other I completely forgot about are still lacking body, and could use some more flavor. Given their improvement in a year's time though, I'm sure they'll only get better.

The food, however, is outstanding. The menu boasts a broad selection of burgers, sandwiches, wings, pizzas, and just about anything else you could want to eat while trying a new beer for the first time.

One piece of advice - don't go when you're incredibly hungry, as the service flat out sucks. Both visits, I waited damn near an hour for my food, and there were maybe two or three other tables.

It seems to me that this place is unsure of what exactly it wants to do. Serving your own craft-brewed beer in a typical dive bar where fights often break out over games of pool does not make you a brewpub(true story - in the last month since I've been there, there have been two reports of fights at Abbey Wright in the police news). The food is great and the beer is improving, but the atmosphere and service are downright miserable. I suppose you'd have to judge if it would be worth it for you to endure.
Jul 05, 2007
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Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.78/5  rDev +17.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
A few minutes away from Bullfrog, this hole in the wall is up and coming. You enter a smoke filled room with mostly young people, a big bar and pool tables, blue collar and amiable. In the back is an addition that could be a nice hall anywhere, where couples were eating and beer could be brought to you. I of course stayed in the former. I have no previous biases as the owner was switching from home brew to pro, so I enjoyed the IPA as the highlight. The rest of the lineup was so-so with a couple of decent stouts. A lot of people come for the food.
May 03, 2007
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Reviewed by StoutHearted from Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -9.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4 | selection: 2
First thing that hit me when I walked in was the loud rock music. Then, the cigarette smoke. After spending all morning and afternoon in non-smoking areas, it was a bit of an adjustment. No biggie, I can deal. Sidled up to the large, roomy bar to order a beer, but it turns out they were out of almost everything. Only a few choices left, including Wheat or Blueberry Wheat. I got the latter and it wasn't too bad, but nothing to crow about. Service was nice, however, and even took time to give us directions when we asked for them.
The walls looked shiny and new, but the floor looked like it saw better years- an odd contrast. There was a nice modern fireplace on the side and a bunch of tables in the back. The place was hopping, but there was more than enough room for everyone. The best thing about this place was the foosball table and the four pool tables. The place was fun while my interest in those games held out, but if they want people to stay, they really need to work on the beer. I understand the place is still getting its sea legs, so hopefully things will improve.
Nov 15, 2006
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Reviewed by PopeDX from Pennsylvania

3.64/5  rDev +13.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Stop 3 on the mega 2 day central PA brewery tour was Abbey Wright. Figured we'd pop in for a brew, hop on over to Bullfrog (HAHAHAHAHA) then find a hotel.

The directions you print out from your mapping website of choice are going to make it sound all difficult and fucked-up to get there...it's really easy. It's just that PA-654 changes names every 20 feet. It's also on the left side of the street instead of the right if you're coming from the east, dunno why Google shows it further down. It's on the corner of 654 and Valley.

Cartological oddities aside...I wish I had a good way to end that insanely clever beginning to a sentence.

So anyway, we find the place...seems very new, has a country sports bar vibe going on. Lots of wood. A nice looking brewhouse to the back, wide open so you can pop your head in and get a good view. An interesting tap, 5 beers of their own and about 10-12 "guest taps", including some micros, imports and local favorites (AKA Yuengling). Our choices were a witbier, a wheat beer, a blueberry wheat, a pilsner and a Scottish ale. I get the witbier and Karen gets the blueberry wheat. No, really, I'm thinking the same thing. Never seen her not order a Scottish ale. After the amazing one we had at Selin's Grove I don't think anything else could match up no matter how good it was...so I don't blame her.

So we grab our brews and duck over to the foosball table. $.25 gets you 8 balls. So we play twice and tie 4-4 both times. Should have thrown a damn ball out to begin the game (I'd have won the first time and she the second).

Foosilogical difficulties aside...

So we then go on to the rubber match...BILLIARDS, BEYOTCH! I win...down goes Karen! Down goes Karen!

I just wish the beer was as exciting. The wit lacked that spicy/fruity punch I love in the style and the blueberry wheat was...just kinda there. Service was really nice, giving me the key to the pool table when a ball didn't drop (fuckin' 15) as well as excellent directions to Bullfrog (right onto 654, left onto Maynard, cross the river, right onto 180 E, first exit, hang on the left side of the ramp to get onto Hepburn St...Bullfrog is right off of Hepburn on 4th...but 4th is one way the other way I found out as traffic approached)

If you're in the area or are doing a mega 2 day central PA brewery tour, pop on in! A few recipe tweaks and some more selection on the house brews (a lack of fermenter space may be causing that methinks) and this will be another solid PA brewpub.
Nov 15, 2006
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Reviewed by foamee from Maryland

3.25/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
Across the river from Williamsport, the Abbey Wright Brewpub, located in the Valley Inn, is worth the trip. Currently serving five of their own beers, they also have about a dozen more taps including all of the common macros and a few regionals as well. The menu seems limited to pub grub, but the servings are quite large, and the prices are very reasonable. The five barrel brewing system is adjacent to the bar and accessible for a wander through. The seating is kinda strange...large tables interspersed with the pool tables. It's a fun place to drink.
Oct 27, 2006
Abbey Wright Brewing Co. in Duboistown, PA
Brewery rating: 3.7 out of 5 with 11 ratings