McKenzie Brew House

McKenzie Brew HouseMcKenzie Brew House
McKenzie Brew HouseMcKenzie Brew House
Brewery, Eatery

451 Wilmington Pike
Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, 19342
United States

(610) 361-9800 | map
mckenziebrewhouse.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.69
Beers:
64
Ratings:
498
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.86
Reviews:
55
Ratings:
68
pDev:
14.77%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ithacabaron:
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Reviewed by ithacabaron from California

3.35/5  rDev -13.2%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
(Reviewers' note: I've volunteered as a brewer with Scott here, but I'm writing my review based on a recent visit, when I came with a friend for lunch here. Scott wasn't there, and we didn't go into the brewery to say hello to anyone, so we did not recieve any special treatment or other considerations. In this way, I think that this review could be considered as if it was written by any other patron, and nothing more).
___



McKenzies helps prove the old adage that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

Pulling up to the building (which resides just north of the DE/PA border on Route 202), it looks like any other chain-restaurant, from the dated 90's font of the sign up front, to the almost cookie-cutter look of the building itself. All in all, it appears more like where you'd go for jalapeno poppers and other "fryolator" foods, not a beer mecca.

Inside, again, there's nothing particularly distinguishing about the dining room, except for the fact that it looks incredibly sterile - another restaurant with no soul of its own. I might have thought I had been standing in an Applebees or a TGI Fridays, if it wasn't for the top of the mash tun and brew kettle that I could see from one part of the dining room. The bar to the right has a lofted ceiling, which was nice, but we'll get there in a minute.

Service was not bad, but not spectacular either. We ordered a sampler (regular beers, and special one-offs), and, when it arrived, the young man serving us did make a nice attempt to explain each of the kinds of beers. He did, however, fall back on a few unoriginal chestnuts ("This is a stout, it's a lot like Guinness, if you've ever had that."), but I'll forgive him for the effort, and I'm sure, for someone trying their first flight of beers at their first brewpub, it would have been a nice intro. It should be noted that the beers in the sampler were not mind-blowing, but definately solid -- something has to pay the bills, I guess.

Food was not bad, and reasonably priced. The brie and crab bisque, I should note, is a must have. Delicious.

It took a while to get a check at the end of our meal, even with only three other tables in the dining room filled, but that's not a big deal.

After eating, we went into the bar area to get some bottles to take home. The bar is slightly more attractive, but again, built more to be a "party" bar, then a place you'd go for some serious beer appriciation. The bartender wasn't familiar with what varieties they had, but since I had previous knowledge of what varieties were in stock, I was able to give her the names of what I wanted. She was able to find all the bottles we needed, which was nice, but it should be noted that every one of them had to be 40 degrees at the warmest. Cold, cold, COLD beer, my friends.

I noted that all of the beers were in different coolers, along with other items. If they consolidated all of their bottles into one cooler (definately possible), and kept it at a more reasonable temperature, it would go a long way in terms of service. I can only imagine that drinking a 750 at the bar there, one would need to let it warm up for a good 30-45 minutes.

All in all, if you're within a two hour drive of this place, go for the bottled selections and maybe a little bisque. Luckily, with the majority of the good stuff in bottles, you don't have to worry about the lack of atmosphere here -- just take it home!

P.S.: If The Dude is here when you visit, do say hello to him. He is quite awesome, and incredibly friendly. A brewer's brewer.
Dec 30, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.7 by MeganandDana from Pennsylvania

Mar 27, 2019
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Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.03/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
they have a handful of these spots, but this seems to be the original from what i can gather. a little chainy or corporate feeling when you roll in, but clean and newish and comfortable, lots of polished wood everywhere, a view to the brewhouse in the front, and a big bar, the place is packed on a friday night. i was most impressed with the selection here, they had a ton of beers on, and really had something for everyone. their saison was great, and they had a single hopped mosaic beer i also really dug. many in our group also enjoyed the hoppy blonde, but all the beer here was well made, and ahead of what i expected heading in, thats for sure. service was knowledgeable and really kind, generous with free samples, and pretty excited about the beers. we did not eat here, but their food looks good! really cool selection of beers, neat artwork in the menu for each, and good quality beer all around. the saison took the cake for me, but the hoppy stuff was also very good. i had a good time here, and this is the kind of place that proves you cant judge a spot by its exterior, or even its first impression when you walk inside. it feels more like a restaurant near an airport than it does an intimate craft brewery taproom, but the beer was delicious.
Apr 09, 2017
Photo of zekeman17
Reviewed by zekeman17 from Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon, opted for lunch rather than brunch that is served until 2:00. Both the restaurant and the bar area are huge, it would take a lot of people before it started to feel crowded. Nicely decorated with soothing jazz music playing during our meal. Food was very good, as was the service.
As far as the beer--I got the sampler which was 9 beers in total. Nothing was bad, but nothing was memorable, either. I was looking forward to trying the WooHoo stout which our waitress told us was supposed to taste just like YooHoo. It's been quite a while since I've had YooHoo, but pretty sure they missed what they were going for.
Jul 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.78 by mdfb79 from New York

Dec 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.95 by WallstreetB from Pennsylvania

Jan 07, 2015
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Reviewed by baybum from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
So the food is great here. The beers are mixed, their base beers are so-so, but the special drafts are usually very good. And the bottles/drafts of Saisons they have are amazing!
Dec 24, 2014
 
Rated: 1 by Johnbenco34 from Florida

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.8 by FightinIrish88 from New Jersey

Nov 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by IPAchris from Pennsylvania

Oct 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by JackNip from Delaware

Oct 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by JKV96 from Massachusetts

Sep 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Griffith from Connecticut

Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BigRizz62 from Maryland

Aug 19, 2014
Photo of drtth
Reviewed by drtth from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Located on a grassy strip between four lanes of traffic. While traffic is often heavy its quite possible to get in and out without much difficulty.

Pleasant place to visit.

The have a wide range of their own brews available and the brewmaster clearly enjoys his work given the nature and general quality of the beers on offer.

Food is fine.

Service is usually attentive and pleasant.

Probably should make it a point to visit their second location.
Aug 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by buzzy from Pennsylvania

Apr 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by canawler from Pennsylvania

Oct 30, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by garuda from Pennsylvania

Oct 09, 2013
Photo of CHickman
Reviewed by CHickman from New York

3.3/5  rDev -14.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Review from 12/18/2012: McKenzie Brewhouse in Glen Mills, PA was in a fork in the road and hard to pull into at night, but walking up and seeing the tanks made it worth the trip since I was in the area. It's a big place with a decent sized bar area, as well as separate dining areas so this could handle big crowds. Overall it looked clean.

Atmosphere was very laid back and casual with an after work crowd lingering on a Tuesday night. Music was playing, TV's all had games and ESPN on and it had an open feel to the place. Very basic sports bar decor, perfect to just sit at the bar alone and drink.

Bartender was OK with the personality of a stick, and didn't offer up any beer explanations and seemed to care less, but he was attentive so that's all I cared about since it's a brewpub and explains all the offerings in the menu.

Food was edible; had a bowl of gumbo that was decent and a crab-cake dinner, which both went well with the Application IPA. The gumbo was the highlight of the meal, so I would not make this a food destination. They had 6 standard beers on tap representing all of the basics and 2 seasonals, so the variety was decent. They also had a bottled winter old ale which sounded very interesting. The IPA I had was average in every way.

Overall it was better than sitting in my hotel room, but I'm doubtful I would come back here. The place was boring. The patrons all seemed boring, the bingo announcer was boring, the music was boring and I almost had to check to see if the bartender had a pulse. Beats going to a funeral or old age home, but not by much. Don't mean to offend anyone, but this is an honest assessment of my night at this place.
Dec 21, 2012
Photo of greyghost86
Reviewed by greyghost86 from Delaware

4.23/5  rDev +9.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
I enjoyed the evening with my wife, daughter and her boyfriend that just graduated from college. Myself and the boyfriend ordered the sampler which offered the 6 standards and two seasonals.

The seasonals were pretty decent (experiment a little more please!!!) along with the oatmeal stout. I really enjoyed the American pale ale and the IPA, but the "light" tasted just a little bit better than water...sorry but after trying the APA and IPA the light really was a non-entity!!!! The Belgain wit was nice, but nothing special.

I ordered the wings with bbq sauce and they were okay. They were not really meaty, but the sauce more than made up for it. Very tasty!!!!

The sampler gave a decent overview of what McKenzie's has to offer, but I felt that most of the offered fare was over carbonated. The IPA and APA really stood out, while the seasonals were nice, but didn't really make me want to jump up and say, "I want that!!!" They were enough to enjoy, but want to see more 'umph' in the brews.

The prices were reasonalble, and the atmosphere at the bar area was great, the server was very good, but I didn't like the fact that he describe their beers by comparing them to known stables as Sierra Nevada. Hype up your beers!!!! Sell them, not someone elses!!!

Overall, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone passing through Chadds Ford, PA. The service was extremely good, just need to sell thier own beers!!!
May 29, 2012
Photo of spdyfire83
Reviewed by spdyfire83 from Ireland

2.9/5  rDev -24.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3.5
Visited McKenzie in September 2011 while in Philly for a wedding; this is actually where the rehearsal dinner was held. Anyways, the service was slightly above average for a busy Friday night, but the beers here were not so good. I tried the Oatmeal Stout, English Brown, Wit, and Pale Ale and I'd say the average of all four combined couldn't be above 2.5. Either way, such goes life with a small joint like this. The food was fairly decent for a buffet-type spread, but I could get over how simply off the beers were. I guess some places stay in business because people don't know what the quality of what they are drinking. Maybe their lines were unclean or something was funky with their taps, but I just thought the beer was off. The bar area was a decent size and the dining room seating area was quite large as well. Worth a stop if you want some quality food, but maybe skip the beer unless your just looking to tick some stuff.
Feb 03, 2012
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Reviewed by CowsCanBark from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Went here about a week ago with my girlfriend to have dinner and try a few of their beers. We attended the Glen Mills location.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was simply average. Just your average run-of-the-mill brew-house/eatery, nothing overly fancy but nothing horrible either. Where we sat we could see the chefs cooking in the open kitchen and the beautiful brick pizza oven. However, the lighting was a bit dim and the place had this overall shoddyness to it.

Quality: The quality was good. It wasn't dirty or anything; the floors were clean, we had silverware waiting for us at our table that was clean, and nothing was really dirty or anything like that. As stated above, though, the place, for some reason, felt shoddy, like dim and drab.

Service: The service was very courteous and kind, and wasn't bothersome by asking us how we were doing a hundred times. If I was empty on a beer, the waitress was right there to see if I needed a refill. The food and drinks came very fast, as well.

Selection: The beer selection was nice. They had their usual beers on tap: McKenzie Light, McKenzie Wit - Belgian Wheat, Saison Vantour - Farmhouse Ale, American Pale Ale, English Brown Ale, and Oatmeal Stout. They also had various seasonals, as well as expensive special barrel-aged beers for purchase. I got the Saison Vantour, English Brown Ale, and Oatmeal Stout, all which were delicious.

Food: The food at this place tastes amazing! I got a caramelized onion and bleu cheese burger that was absolutely delicious. My girlfriend got the chicken pot pie, which was probably the best pot pie I had ever tried. The only thing that is keeping their food from a perfect score is the fact that my girlfriend got a piece of a plastic bag in her pot pie. Not only did they make her a new pot pie, but they comped us for it as well.

Value: Everything here is reasonably priced. Their beers are $4.50 for a pint, $4.25 for a select few. The food is also very reasonably priced. Nothing wrong here.

Overall: I would definitely go back here. I had a nice experience, aside from the plastic incident. However, I would still definitely go back for the great beer and amazing food.
Nov 14, 2011
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Reviewed by rfgetz from New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Located on a wedge between the northern and southern lanes of a major highway, McKenzie's appears as an average suburban non-chain restaurant.

Unassuming, clean interior - large bar to the right, high ceilings and minimal maount of fixtures give a very open and airy feel. Dinning area to the left feels quite comfortable and welcoming, again with minimal decor and fixtures. Open kitchen to the rear of the dinning room adds a splash of atmosphere. The brewhouse is visable from the front parking lot and dinning room interior and is quite modern and organized.

Beer list consisted of 6 regulars (approchable and straightforward for the most part) and 3 seasonals (more creative). Small bottle list focuses on the widely available, but highly rated Belgians such as Chimay, Orval etc. Good beer all around.

Food menu is quite expansive (appetizers, burgers, pizzas, sandwhiches, steaks etc.) and a slight tick above your normal pub grub in quality and composition. Ample portion sizes and great preperation (one of the few places to cook a burger to the correct medium rare i prefer).

Service is knowledgeable and friendly - as a beer geek, still uncomfortable hearing everything described as ale/lager, hoppy/not hoppy, light/heavy from a server, but he isnt supposed to know anyones level of knowledge.

Overall, a great little stop off when in the area. There should be a beer for everyne, a food item for everyone and a relaxed atmosphere. All a rediculously good price - all the regular brews were under $5 for a pint.
Jun 20, 2011
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Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
The first thing we noticed as we got out of the vehicle and started towards the building was the smell. Wow, something smells really good. This place looks very clean, even the floors look like they are new or were just buffed. The walls are painted with a bright and lively arrangement of colors which works well with the lighting. Relevant and amusing pieces of artwork decorate the walls. There are many tables, booths and a "roundabout" rectangular fully stocked bar area that has many wide screen panel TV's hanging on the wall. The open kitchen is a nice touch. We are early today, it is slow and quiet but they are well staffed and this looks like a place that could get packed.

Their website is outdated. It advertised they were open for brunch at 10, we showed up at 10:30. Hostess greeted us and explained that since it hasn't been busy lately before 11 they don't do food until then. We were seated, placed our food order and it was served all before 11:00 anyway. Very fast service from the time the order was placed to delivery considering the kitchen supposedly wasn't open yet.

While we waited, we enjoyed a couple of beers, in particular an ipa in the 7% range. It was served in a 10oz glass and the hostess continued to seemingly pest us and explain why the serving size was so small. "You know, that's a very strong beer so we have to give you a small pour until you get some food in your stomach." Really? Are you serious? We did not even complain about the glassware and it seemed like she was making excuses. She was trying a little too hard be funny, if that's even what she was trying to do. Strangely enough, our waitor was constantly apologizing to us for the hostess' actions...strange.

Both a brunch menu and lunch menu were made available to us. A vast selection of food is there for the picking. We opted for Eggs Benedict on one plate and a burger and fries on the other. Both were cooked perfectly and were very enjoyable. The beer selection consisted of 6 of their staple brews and 2 seasonals, one of which was a dark wit that was barrel aged. The beer I tried was not all that good, it was nearly flat and tasted off.

Towards the end of our meal, more people started coming in and we were pretty much neglected. No offering by our waitor if we wanted coffee or anything else for that matter. The check just arrived at our table. I asked about a certain beer gift pack that I wanted to pick up for a friend. They adjusted the check, I paid and then they informed me that they were out of one of the beers in the gift pack. The hostess asked me which bottle I would like as a duplicate in the gift basket and before I could answer, she left again "to make a call." By the time it was all said and done, we waited for an extra half an hour after paying to get the gift basket with unlabeled bottles...

I fully intend on going back to this place to give them another shot outside of breakfast/brunch time. Perhaps the hostess and/or waitor were new. The food was excellent and priced very reasonably...the beer on the other hand was not.
Dec 13, 2010
Photo of bundy462
Reviewed by bundy462 from Texas

3.4/5  rDev -11.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 4
A: Typical micro, nice and clean, bar, dining, and outdoor porch area. Big place, can easily accommodate 300 or so customers.

Q: Good brews, good food, nice place. Their oatmeal stout was especially good.

S: Service was average.

S: Selection was also average, about 20 different food choices and about 8 or so homebrew choices.

F: Food was good, above average for sure. Went nice with their brews.

V: It was a bit pricey I thought at about $20 for a meal and $6 a draft. Probably not bad for that area, but more than I'm accustomed to.
Dec 13, 2010
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Reviewed by joeyspit from Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
I have been here a number of times but most recently about a week ago. The beers are usually average but easy to drink. I am usually here in the afternoon so the crowd is light and it is not noisy at all. They have about 8 TVs around the bar area. It is a large place with a bar area, separate dining area, downstairs bar with pool tables and other games and an outside deck during the Spring and Summer months. The food is usually pretty good and consistent. I do have to say Saison Vantour is excellent and I will always stop in when that is on tap. I believe this won gold at the 2009 GABF. Great beer.
Feb 03, 2010
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Reviewed by jwhancher from Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -15.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3
Have been a here a few times, but recently visited last week for lunch. The beers regularly on tap are pretty tame. Obviously, this is mostly due to attracting as large a crowd as possible. The beer is good...found nothing unpleasant with any of the brews that I tried. The food, however, could use some improvement. Portions are big, but the taste is somewhat on the "eh" side. Service is fine. Atmosphere is a grey area- I've been here on a Friday night in the downstairs where it was so smokey I was disgusted to even sniff my clothes the next day. The upstairs has a circular bar- okay, but nothing that really attracted me all that much. Overall, not a bad place although I think it still lacks something. Maybe in the food or beer category. Basically, there's nothing that really draws me to this place.
Dec 21, 2009
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Reviewed by bonkers from New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I visited McKenzie's a few weeks back, but my original review was wiped out in a crash. The bar and restaraunt are both well lit and have a nice decor. Our waitres was pleasant and prompt, but needed to know more about beer. I overheard her describing Spaten's Octoberfest as being very similiar to a pumpkin beer. Our meals were both very good as was the beer. I had the Abbey 8 and it was very tasty. If you are going for dinner on a Saturday night get there early, by 6 the line was out the door.
Nov 07, 2009
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Reviewed by TheFightfan1 from Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Well my wife and I made a little trip here on a Saturday and man was it worth it. As you stroll up to the front doors you can see the tanks through the windows. As you walk in there is a square bar surrounded by t.v's with numerous amount's of different sports on to your right. The dining area is off to the left which is huge. There is a clear glass window to see what the cook's are doing.

I got the premium sampler and my wife got the amber ale. I must say they have a solid line-up of permanant brews but I thought their seasonals could have used a little work. I believe it was Saison Vautour tasted like I was drinking rubbing alcohol.But most of there beer's didn't have that homebrew taste that you sometimes get. There is something different about this place then a normal brewpub it actually has a restauraunt chain atmosphere that I kind of liked.

Our waitress was very quick and helpful and seemed to know what she would tell her customer's about their company's beer's if need be.

Selection of both food and beer was excellent they had something for everyone. I had the chicken and pasta combo which was excellent and my wife had a special of swordfish which she said was amazing.

Beer's seem cheap here for what you get. I mean 2.00 for a 12 oz and 4.00 for a pint seems very cheap to me as for some other brewpubs I've been to in the past. Well worth the drive and may be back sometime.
Aug 23, 2009
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Reviewed by Yetiman420 from Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Stop number 265 on my quest to visit every quality brewery/brewpub in North America.

Arrived around 8:30 on a Thursday night - thumpin! Quite a happy hour crowd in the bar. Lots of young professionals, loud music, and sports on TV in the bar. I also think I saw a sign for a lounge/club in the basement.

A very nice place. Well appointed and obvious someone spent the money to do it right. We ate in the bar, the dining room was dim and looked like a very nice place to eat in a more formal setting.

We took a booth in the bar for drinks and dinner. I had a French farmhouse ale. 10% served in a proper, flute glass. I finished that with the house pale ale that had a nice mild aroma and strong biterness for a pale ale.

I had seared ahi tuna and a steak/Belgian endive/gorgonzola salad for dinner. Aside from the entree coming out halfway through the ahi appetizer, the food was very good.

The beer was good and I would have liked to have seen more selections. The other seasonal was a scotch/wee heavy. There was maybe 5 house beers (pale, stout, amber, and can't recall the others).
Mar 15, 2009
Photo of gdfan47
Reviewed by gdfan47 from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
this place is a good half hour from my house

its a great place to stop at if you are going back to philly on your way home from de

right on 202

big place, giant bar in the middle. They have tvs and usually have the hip sports games on. Its non smoking inside (which I love)

the beer is very reasonable, I cant remember the names of any of the ones I have had off the top of my head but all of the ones I have had I have enjoyed. They have a very specific beer menu, including abv and gravity.

Like most Bops around, I feel like the crowd sways more towards people who could care less if they brew their own beer, they just wanna drink and or get drunk.

Occasionaly they must get people that are really interested, but this is a place that I usually go to by myself or with a lady friend, so I never really know anyone else there.

The head brewer has won some awards( I forget his name)

the food is very good, and ecclectic. I think last time I was there I had some calamari and kobe beef sliders

def worth checking out
Dec 06, 2008
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Reviewed by Umbra from Maryland

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Stopped here several times because it is halfway between home and a regular work trip. Others have adequately mentioned the atmosphere. The bar gets a little loud and always appears filled with people on every night that I've stopped. In fact, last night there were even multiple tables of ladies enjoying brews on a random Thursday.

Quality: Has always been top notch. Their standards are as expected and the seasonals are interesting.
Service: Generally quick and affable. Even the regular waitresses have a good handle on the brews, which is always a plus.
Selection: Have about 5-6 regulars, my favorite of which is the IPA, and 3-4 seasonal brews. I think they usually have a guest, which was recently framboise.
Food: They serve pub grub, neither bad nor great. I'd suggest pulling a Gordon Ramsey and cutting back on the six pages of stuff and focusing on what they have, but we've never been disappointed.
Overall: Quality beer in what appears to me to be in the middle of nowhere. Even without the old fabled brewer, I've never been let down.
Nov 07, 2008
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Reviewed by AltBock from Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
This McKenzie Brew House is located in either Glen Mills or Chadds Ford, PA. My GPS says Glen Mills while the McKenzie beer coaster says Chadds Ford. Either way it's located on 202. It's in an odd location. It's located in front of a fork in the road across from a Nissan dealership on the northbound side. It doesn't what side of the road you're on because they have an entrance on both sides. When you walk through the double doors, the dinning room is on the left and the bar area is on the right. I'm not sure of the size of the dinning room, but it looked pretty big from the door. The bar area is very open with harwood floors, a wooden square island bar, and a handful of tables surrounding it. There is a basement to this place, but that's only reserved for parties.

The service here was good. When I sat down at the bar, I got my beer right away, but the food menu is a whole another question. That took awhile to receive. I don't remember waiting too long for my food after I finally got to order off the food menu. The blonde hair waitresses here seemed to know their beer and they were always there when my glass was empty.

They have a nice sized food menu, but it looked like all of it was either bar food or your typical family restaurant food.I wasn't hungry at the time, so I ordered the chip and salsa. For $5 I recieved a big plate of multi colored tortilla chips and a saucer of homemade salsa. Just make sure you have a glass of water handy when you have any of their salsa.

For their beer selection, they offered 5 to 6 main stay taps that ranged from a Light Ale to a Red Ale and then up to a Stout. On the other side of the beer menu they had 4 to 5 seasonals which ranged from a Hefeweizen to an IPA. All the beers I had here were pretty good, especially this year round Black Lab Stout. I thought they had a nice range of beers. It alos seemed like all of their beers had kooky names to them. I can't remember off hand right now on what so of those names were.

In the end, this brewpub didn't knock my socks off, but it's still a pretty good brewpub that makes some really good beers. That's all that matters! Would I ever visit again? I would if I was in the area, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to visit this McKenzie Brew House again.
Jun 17, 2008
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Reviewed by slvrmon82 from Delaware

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Every time I go home this is about the half way point. It is a great sports bar with lots of tv's. The quality of all of their beers are good but their seasonals are the best I've had. Including Peach Wheat, Farmers Saison, English Pale Ale, etc. Always a great seasonal on. Last time I was there were 4 seasonals on tap. The service is very fast and friendly. The selection is great and the food is unbelievable. Check out there calamari which is some of the best I have had. Cut perfectly tender. Food is a little pricey but the beer is reasonable. I must stop if you get a chance. I will be back again and again.
Feb 21, 2008
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Reviewed by Ralph from New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Just got back. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no wait at about 6 PM on a Saturday night. Service was good, especially considering that the restaurant was fairly full. I really enjoyed the food. I had a Key West Salad with spicy tuna that was very good, with strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, walnuts, and a corn salsa.

Unfortunately, I thought the beer was just so-so. My favorite was probably the Czech pilsner. I had the premium 7 beer sampler, and the additional seasonal beers were probably the most boring.

The thing that probably would keep me from returning was the flies in the dining area - a real turn-off, to say the least. That's too bad because the beer was passable, the food very good, and the service, location, atmosphere, and value were also pretty good.

A second visit in September 2007 was even better. Again it was pleasantly uncrowded for a Saturday night. The seasonal peach wheat beer caught the fancy of all four of us, and we weren't disappointed - it was incredible! Just the right hint of peach - very subtle but flavorful. I could have drank a gallon of that stuff. And the steak night special was great. And no flies this time! We'll definitely be returning again to see what new beer they have.
Sep 15, 2007
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Reviewed by Imstillthegman from Delaware

3.15/5  rDev -18.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 3
This review is based on my latest visit (7-13-07). I didn't think I would be back after the Dude was released from his duties. My wife and I were going to go to Firewaters but after being told I couldn't come in with out dress shoes on (are you f'n kidding me? it's attached to a Hooter's!) we headed back down the road to McKenzie's. As far atmosphere goes it's the same as always. The place is too big and open, imo. Dining area is to the left when you walk in and the bar area is to the right. Huge rectangular bar with a bunch of TVs hanging all around. There are tables and booths on the bar side, also. The waitress we had on this particular evening was very difficult to find. She would disappear for 15-20 minutes at a time and didn't clear any glasses or plates away. "I'll be right back to get them" she kept saying. You would have thought there were ten people sitting at our table. The beers seemed to have fallen off a bit, too. I was afraid that would happen. The IPA I had was good, but fairly average. The Honey Maibock I had was horrible. Tasted like I licked the underside of my lawnmower and then drank the gas that was left in the tank. Yuck. We did have an appetizer, which was barely average. I haven't had much luck with the food in the past for some reason. Not sure if I will ever be back.
Jul 14, 2007
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Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I wrote this review prior to The Dude's departure and am only now getting caught up in transcribing my notes.

I simply do not get down here often enough, despite its convenience. Headed north on US Route 1, we made a left on PA202, and staying in the left lane, continued a mile on and Voila! As we pulled into the parking lot, The Dude's setup was fully visible in the left-hand window at ground level. The west side of the building was the front, with the entryway up a set of steps with stairs on each side of the climb. Once inside, there was a wide vestibule with the brewhouse again visible on the left side, but behind glass. Passing through a second set of double doors, a chalkboard on the right wall announced specials and the m.d.s. was dead ahead, manned by a seeming cadre of waitstaff.

We sat in the non-smoking area, off to the left, in an "L"-shape, with the kitchen fully visible along the east side of the building. To the left of the kitchen and accessed through the restaurant seating section, was The Oak Room, a semi-private meeting facility for groups of ten to thirty-five. The restaurant area was mainly restaurant-style tables and chairs, but set off by some booths.

To the right of the entry was the bar area. The wood-topped bar was to the right of the m.d.s., past the "Underground" entryway, and was a flattened heagonal shape. The back bar was an island in the center of the hexagon. The washrooms were on the bar side on the east side of the building. On the bar side, booths ran along the west window and there were high tables and chairs along the south wall, as well as a raised floor with high tables and chairs along the wall beside the washrooms. There was also an outdoor deck on the south side of the building.

To the right of the m.d.s. and down an immediate flight of steps was the "Underground Pub - Billiards & Games" area with its own square, centrally-positioned bar; three pool tables; a CD jukebox; and a couple of video games.

I had the tortilla-ecrusted chicken breast sandwich and Cuban Black Bean soup for lunch. As always, the beers were fantastic.
Feb 16, 2007
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Reviewed by roan22 from New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
I am basing this review on 2 visits. The most recent trip was with my Mom, sister Kate and friend carlosd74 around Thanksgiving. I was too occupied bonding happily with them rather than critiquing the place, but I had the pale ale which is very west-cost IPA-like and tasty.

My first visit was a quick hour at the bar during a Grey's Anatomy episode, a TV show which I had never watched before. I became engrossed in it waiting for my lettuce wraps. I had two pints of the pale ale on-tap. Its in the 5% range, brownish red in color. It was surprisingly of quality, with a real hoppy bite to it. Nicely balanced. I really enjoyed it! It went perfect with the lettuce wraps. I took a growler home in fact. I had to get the hell out of there however when the karoake started...shudder.

I would've 'cheers!' MacKenzies, but I've heard a lot of unfavorable stories regarding the firing of their brewer...sorry.
Feb 07, 2007
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Reviewed by ffejherb from Pennsylvania

3.41/5  rDev -11.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
After visiting Iron Hill Brewing Co. in West Chester on December 1, my wife and I made the short trip over to McKenzie Brew House for some after-dinner brews. We pulled in to the huge parking lot, and it looked pretty busy. My wife commented that the building looked like a “chain” brewpub, which I think it is.

The atmosphere was just that – a huge, chain-type brewpub with lots of TVs strategically placed around the inside bar area. The bar itself was quite large (and full of people), so we found a nearby empty raised pub table and made ourselves comfortable. Overall, this brewpub was a bit too spacious and impersonal for me, but still comfortable.

After perusing the beer menu, which was at our table, we were greeted by a friendly female server who was also able to answer some questions about their beers. I decided to try their seasonal Funf Smoked Dopplebock on draught. I asked about the ABV%, and she wasn’t sure, but found out for me, so that was cool. By the way, it was 7.2%. Their dopplebock packs a pretty weighty malty aroma combined with roasted, nutty and barley overtones. Not much of a hop presence here, but it did have a tinge of alcohol. There was also a very strong smoky aroma, giving it more of the characteristics of a porter than a dopplebock. It was served in a 16-oz. pint glass with a single finger creamy light brown head that virtually disappeared. Not a bad selection. My wife had their Unicorn Amber Ale, which she did not care for.

I decided to try another selection, so I went with their East Kent IPA, another seasonal draught offering from McKenzie. I went with a 12-oz. glass this time. It came to me in a tapered beer glass and appeared somewhat hazy with a blonde/light amber color and nice carbonation. There was a moderate hoppy aroma with citrus notes, but not as strong as other IPAs I’ve had. It boasted a white frothy head that mostly diminished, but retained excellent lacing as the beer went down. This is an unfiltered IPA made with East Kent hops, as the name implies. At 67 IBUs, this offering had a decent spicy, biting hop flavor that stays with you at the back of your throat. It was definitely more spicy that fruity. Not a bad IPA, but not one of my favorites either.

Overall, I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there again, but would likely stop in if I was driving through. The beer was pretty good, but we didn’t have any food, so I can’t comment on that. The service was very good and the atmosphere was just a little too cookie cutter for me to make a special trip there. But I’d rather go to a chain that actually served decent craft brews that the typical American swill found at other restaurant chains.
Dec 03, 2006
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Reviewed by Beerquester from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +12.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I visited this pub about a year ago and didn't really think the beers were too outstanding, but I have changed my mind for the better after this visit.

I tried McKenzie Light Lager, Unicorn Amber Ale, Wicked Will's Pale Ale, Shane's Gold, Black Lab Stout, a Belgian, a Double-Bock and East Kent Goldings Ale. So, at 8 beers, it wasn't a bad selection at all. I could find no flaws with any of the beers, so it was extremely hard picking out favorites. My two favorites would have to be the Outmeal Stout and the East Kent Goldings Ale. Black Lab Stout is one of their regular beers and very drinkable, roasty, stout with chocolate and licorice notes. The East Kent Goldings had a very good aroma, body, and mouthfeel and was a specialty beer. The belgian was good, but not outstanding. The double-bock was nice. Other than the black lab stout, out of the regular beers, I thought that Shane's Gold, a Czech pilsner with an incredible spicy fresh hop aroma was excellent.

The brewpub is in a large newer style building with high celings in the bar area with tables along the walls. There is a nice outdoor deck if you are visiting in the summer. We got excellent service from our waitress, which i think may be due partly to the fact that the saturday evening crowd had not yet showed up (by about 6 pm) so there were plenty of waitstaff for each customer. I ordered a dinner special, the mahi mahi with plum sauce, cilantro pesto and baby corn and shiitake mushrooms for $15.95. Very tasty and worth every penny.

There is another bar in a downstairs area that has games including 4 or 5 pool tables and darts. This seemed to have a cozier, less formal atmosphere that some people enjoy.

Like I said, I think the beers have much improved since last year, the food was very good, the service good, and provided an overall very pleasant experience.
Nov 27, 2006
McKenzie Brew House in Glen Mills, PA
Brewery rating: 3.69 out of 5 with 498 ratings