Earth Bread + Brewery

 

I was a huge fan of Tom's brews since Heavyweight started showing up on the shelves in MA. I had been looking forward to a visit here for years, and it did not disappoint.

Low-key rustic vibe to the place. Simple and modest. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. She made sure to let us know about the happy hour deal, which brought their already-reasonable prices down to prices that almost made me feel like I was stealing. Only four house brews on tap, but they were great. An alt, saison, APA, and a milk stout. The alt was spot-on, and the saison had a lot of character. Milk stouts aren't really my thing, but this one was pretty good. And it was nice that the APA didn't give in too much to the NEIPA trend and stayed very drinkable. I had a mushroom pizza that was very good, though the truffle oil overpowered most of the impact the wild mushrooms could have had.

There are a lot of guest brews available, but with such wonderful house brews, I didn't venture into them. Even some brews from Tom's other place Bar Hygge/Brewery Techne are available here.

This is the type of place I would die for (die at?) to have in my neighborhood/town. A great relaxed place to go and drink some top-notch beers that are priced reasonably with good food and good company.

stopped in here for a couple beers and a snack on a Sunday afternoon. Only the upstairs was open so we sat at the small bar upstairs. There is a also a larger bar downstairs. Dining tables on both floors.

they have 4 of their beers on tap plus 7 more guest taps. Good variety.

We didn't have any flatbreads, just a cheese plate which was good. Bartender was friendly and service was good.

Remind me to tell you sometime how I met T & P a dozen years ago at Cambridge Brewing following the first AOBF…

Two tiered places at different heights on the hill attached; this room holding a staircase to the other, a lower space. You’re greeted by the Collins Bar spun into place (I swear Broderick had a tear in his eye when I told him so). Laminate topped, panel base, & a foot bar; seating for 10 on hightop chairs. The barback with diamondish mirrored panels on wood panels, shelved glassware & wine, glass front cupboard pieces on the ends with old Heavyweight bottles, and red lights tonight. 12 tap barbell tower on the bar and a handpump on the front end. John, can I please get a shorty of the…

Glow light lined horizontal board listing taps, specials, sodas, wines, etc. up front and vintage world school maps over the bar. Step up walk around the sunken brew room to the rear. See Lynne & Leslie, and say hello to Baker mulling about down there. Barrels and pieces of beer bric a brac lining the ledge and a completed wine crate Death Star mounted on the wall above. Tiled floorings around the bar and wood slat below, spinnys and sunken spots. A bar counter space adjacent to the bar offering views of the kitchen prep area and igloo hearth where the magic happens. A few bar tables forward the bar and more seating below. The room’s done in yellow & a lot of green with great local art, and tall vertical windows up front that open over Germantown Ave.

And upstairs past the cool Philadelphiaings (maps and prints) in the stairwell. A smaller straight bar there, laminated wood topped, panel base, & foot bar wrapped; seating for 6 on hightop chairs (much nicer than the one we sledged out in its place). Panel wood barback wall with glassware shelved, and slight wines & boozings. A glowing globe in the corner and a lie down wine rack piece on the other end. Horizontal boards framed and glow rope lined above listing house drafts (name, style, ABV), and guest taps, events, & specials in alt colored chalk. 12 tap barbell tower on the bar and upright cylinders for local wines.

Stucco-y walls in yellow and the ceiling in purple, slat wood floors. More art of the same, some permanently painted pieces, and a ‘Wine grape varietal table’ print. Drop gold cylinder lamps over the bar and winding track spots. Spinny fans for the breeze and duct work above. Panel windows curtained to the front and side. Long shared tree hightop table off the bar and some shorty round & squares in the corner sharing some bench play. And then roughly two and a half dozen 2 & 4 people tables here & below; including the shared pew space in the mirrored disco room.

A dozen taps; 4 house beers (Honey Latte Stout, 5.2%, homebrew contest winner coffee/honey stout; Whale Wishes, 6.7%, English style Old Ale; Wetherby’s Son, 5.7%, ESB; Girl of My Dreams, 5.9%, German Style Ale) and 8 guest taps, a mix of locals (PBC Pennylvania Pale Ale, Victory St. Boisterous Doppelbock, Headwaters Pale Ale, & Kirsch Gose), regional (DogFish Head Indian Brown Ale, Allagash White), and beyond (Founders Breakfast Stout). And a single handpump, sometimes house, sometimes guest. Today, it’s the Sly Fox London Calling Porter. Sampled through all the house beers. Liked the Wetherby’s Son & Girl of My Dreams the best, although they were all good drinking.

And nearly a dozen bottles, beer (PBC Kenzinger, Victory Earth & Flame & Prima Pils, Yards General Washington’s Tavern Porter, Ommegang Hennepin, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Petrus Aged Pale Ale) and cider (Commonwealth Hard Cider & Gregarius Ginger Cider, Isastegi Sagardo Cider).

Now, for eats, the primary staple is the flatbread, and they do a bunch of ‘em. My standard is the ‘Seed’ (roasted garlic puree, pine nuts, pumpkin & sesame seeds, mozzarella, red pepper flakes) but sometimes I switch up with the likes of the Caveman or weekly special. But today, I’ve had this idea, see, where I would bastardize the already amazing Seed by adding a few more awesomeness things; namely pepperoni (latin for ‘of the pig’), and scallions (king of all onions). Witz suggested we instead get a small pepperoni, to which I agreed, but then he hurt me with his words by bagging the pepperoni and ordering the weekly special flatbread (whole grain mustard sauce, smoked pork belly, house made garlic pickles, & cheddar, topped with spinach & local honey) on the fly. To be fair, it did had a yum factor 9 to it. The flatbreads are the jam, but there are other goods to snacky snack on. I very much so dig the Wheatberry salad & Humus sampler, and let us not forget the dessert flatbreads.

Cool mural on the side of the building done by everyone’s favorite arborist. Great green house; sustainable practices and built from reclaimed goods. No TV’s, so you’ll have to converse with one another. Fantastic flatbreads, tasty, sometimes unusual styled beers, and the nicest people in beer, period.

 

 

Good quality beer, typically a very good selection, great pizza choices

 

 

 

 

Earth is great because they always have something new whether it's their beer, or their flatbreads. In my opinion, they have the best flatbreads and some of the best beers in Philly. They rarely repeat beer recipes, so they always keep it exciting that way. If you like a beer there so much that you can't live without it, get a growler for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wife and I were back in Philly, a bunch of weekends ago. We like Mt Airy/Germantown/Chestnut Hill/Fairmount/Whatever. There are not a lot of boundaries between all of these neighborhoods, but they are oh-so-beautiful, cozy, quaint, perfect for a chilly winter evening, morning, day.

We had tried once to stop at Earth Bread but it was closed. This time I did my homework and we went in on a Saturday afternoon before the crowds. Smallish place, we sat at the bar overlooking the pizza oven. There is also an upstairs section where families with babies were all headed.

4 beers on tap at the bar: Tripel, High Point Coffee Stout (nice and rich), Farmhouse, Dubbel and a Mild on hand pull. Also, 7 guest taps: Deschutes, Goose Island Sophie, Phila Brewing Co.

I like breweries who have guest taps to complement their short lineups, and I like it even more when a brewery offers housemade sodas and kombucha! Yessss....

Not bad prices, five bucks for a 13-oz glass and $6.50 for 20 ounces. The food was disappointing, though. You read about their flatbreads and you can't help but expect some amazing yumminess. When it comes out, it is a soggy-mushy mess of an overwhelmed dough. Toppings had no flavor.

Bartender was nice, beers are fun, place is warm. I will come back, no doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fairly unassuming exterior. Upon entering, your a greeted with a staircase to the upstairs bar and dining area or an entry way to the main floor. The main downstairs has a bar with some hightop seating around the perimeter and a big brick and stone pizza oven in the rear corner. Upstairs has another small bar and significantly more seating. Overall vibe is okay, lots of recycled and reclaimed wood and industrial scraps, local art hangs on the walls.

Only 4 of their house beers available, none ever repeated. Four feels like too little for frequent visits and long drinking sessions. A dozen or so guest taps also available, mostly local or regional with a few larger domestic craft offerings. Most house beers showcased a nice cereal grain quality, but hops were lacking.

After visiting American Flatbread in Burlington, VT, we were excited to visit a place inspired by there. Flatbreads are good with unique combinations of minimal ingredients on most. Some were too cheesy and bready and lacking in particular ingredients to get all the subtle nuances of flavor. The crusts are good, but a little thicker than I prefer for a flatbread.

Service friendly and knowledgeable and the prices were okay. If it wasn't for the location and limited house taps, id be back more frequently.

Not your typical brewery or beer bar, but Tom(owner/brewer) knows his beer and is a top notch brewer. If i was reviewing just Tom's beer this review would be an A+

Chances are you won't find the same (in house) beer here on a recurring basis but you will find something you like. Most offerings tend to be on and then gone, but there is a good selection of in house brewed beers along with "guest" taps and bottles

No tv's and could use some more bar seating (has a second bar, but it is not always open and is on the second floor away from the other) Food is basically just flat bread and on the pricier side for the size. Would be nice to see a more expanded menu on the food side. No daytime hours during the week is disappointing as it would be a great place for lunch.

A great neighborhood brewpub. They usually only have 3 of their own beers on tap, but the rotate them quickly so there's always something new. I get the impression they don't repeat much. Guest taps are quality craft beers. On my two visits, their IPA, Kolsch, and Berlinerweisse were all great.

Service was excellent on one trip, 'merely' good on the other. The seed pizza is creative and delicious. Non-flatbread food is okay, but I'd stick with the flatbreads. Looks to be family friendly and solo friendly - a good casual option for any occasion.

In town on business and had some time to kill Sunday so I stopped by for dinner. Got there before they opened, but they opened the doors promptly at 4:30pm. Kitchen didn't open until 5:00pm, but that was ok I was not in a hurry and was willing (twist my arm) to have a few of their beers first. Liked the "Deter" amber lager the best of all their beers. The handpulled 1492 pale ale had a phenolic funk too it (maybe the beer engine was not clean). Ended up at the bartenders recommendation having the fresh mozzarella salad (cheese made fresh daily) and a small flatbread, perfect amount of food. It was slow at the bar so the service was attentive. Did notice a lot of couples with kids heading to the upstairs seating area. List of "guest" beers was impressive, although already having consumed their 5 offerings, only tried the Mahr Hell Lager (OMG was it good). Nice place, will be back if I am ever in Philly again.

A pretty simple yet friendly place in the Mt. Airy neighborhood. Simple and organic layout and decor, with the stone ovens and brewing equipment in plain view. There are two bars, one downstairs that seats maybe 15, and one upstairs that seats about 8 or so. Plenty of table space.

They have about four or five house brews on tap at any given time, and an occasional cask-conditioned ale. I sampled two on my first visit; they were okay, nothing tremendous, although the pale ale they had in the cask was mighty tasty. Each subsequent visit yields more and more interesting additions, and they never have the same draught line-up twice, that is, they never brew the same beer twice. This is a double-edged sword: on the plus side, it's a display of their innovation; on the down side, they will never have a beer that "puts them on the map," so to speak. Maybe they lack confidence in their consistency, but it seems to me they've been in the business long enough where they should at least specialize in one solid year-round beer that they can really call their own. But what do I know.

They also keep about 4 or 5 local "visiting" craft or micro brews on tap. As for food, it's simple: mainly flatbreads with salads and a few appetizers, but all excellent. Friendly and helpful staff. I can definitely say that if this place wasn't a pain in the ass to get to, I'd definitely go more often. But it is kind of a pain in the ass to get to, and you have to either drive through the ghetto to get there if you're coming from the south, or the daunting Lincoln Drive coming from the west. Is it worth the trip? Yeah. More so nowadays. It's not a trip I make too often, but I do like the place, and I go whenever I possibly can.

Been here a few times, now on to a review.

The vibe is ok here. Nice people, nice beer, nice food. Alot of the staff and most of the patrons are very uppity and snobby, the only drawback in my eye. Earth is a very open and clean space with plenty of seating and limited at the bar seating. Earth is very kid friendly from what I can see and it gets old real quick The quality is top notch in terms of cleanliness and the beer is brewed in house so fresh as can be.

The beer list consists of 4-5 in house brewed beers of varying styles. Most of what's offered is sessionable in alcohol range which makes it easier afterwards, I love session beers. The other 7 or so taps are dedicated to local brews and anything else we can get in PA that does not go over the owner's budget, don't expect many gems. The flatbread's are oven baked, nuff said.

The service is attentive and on top of their game when they think they will get a good tip out of you. If they don't, expect to be treated not as a customer but as in the way. When sitting at the bar good service is pretty much guarenteed but while sitting at a table the service could be spotty. EBB is a big place so I can understand a little delay but there were bigger gaps than that during some visits. While not being beer experts the servers/bartenders did know what they were serving so that's a plus.

The food is mostly flatbread pizza's with a few varieties of styles that you can get. You can also build your own. Smaller side dishes are also on the menu with some non alcoholic beverages for the not of age yet peoples. The ingredients for the prep of these flatbreads is not all that expensive, so I wish earth could expand a bit on it's menu, as is, it's pretty dull.

Edit- If a large portion of your patrons really dug a beer, why would you not brew it again to appease them. It gives off a 'holier than thou' attitude that has no place in this thing of ours(Good beer), but in Earths case it's this 'thing of theirs'. Good beer is good beer and I want it again. A major turnoff for me is their unwillingness to brew great beer again, but over and over again they 'earth' will brew shitty ALT after shitty ALT and brew 10 IPA's per year that all taste the same, read: Not good.

Earth Bread is the perfect place to grab a beer and a pie and relax.

The beers are contantly changing as the brewer never brews the same recipe twice. As a result the beers are always different and very inventive.

Thusfar I have had their pale ale made with Cherrios, their tea leaf Gruit, a nugget and gold hopped IPA, a Beligan RIS, and a dark saison and have enjoyed all very much. In addition they keep a number of guest taps going showing they know their beers stand up to the commecial ones.

Pizza is very good and everything is homemade. They have a nice selection of pies with local ingredients for very reasonable prices. The seed and four cheese are both great and I have a few more still to try.

They showcase local art on the walls and you can buy them as well. The whole place has quite an eclectic feel. Being able to see the tanks and know what is in them at a given time is cool too.

They update their website constantly which is great so you can always see what house beers they have going.

Earth Bread is my go to spot when I don't know where I want to grab a bite and I just want a chill relaxing atmosphere and a great local vibe.

Highly recommended

I headed over to EB&B the other night for dinner. We got there about 6 on Sat, and it was packed. There was a long wait for a table, but we were able to grab bar seats. The bar overlooked the kiln, and had an ecclectic feel to it. The waitress was very attentive and we got quick service. They had 4 house taps, and about 5 guest taps. They had some I enjoyed a German IPA and a honey IPA from Manyunk brewery. Some of the upcoming beers on tap looked great. We split a pizza and it was fantastic. The prices were very fair, $3.50 for a 13 ounce pour. A great place for a pizza and a beer.

I finally made it here on the last weekend in Philly for sister and B.I.L. I've never been to Mt. Airy and I really like the neighborhood.

My sister used the word "salvaged" to describe the decor and think that fits very well. A hodge-podge of materials come together to create an inviting 2 floor space with bars and dining areas on each. I was disappointed to see only three house beers on tap, but I well thought out selection of guest taps rounded out a very nice selection. I enjoyed an IPA made with bread yeast, but had to send back my BA barleywine. That one was pretty bad. Our server was pretty gracious about taking it back at least. The flatbread options were intriguing and Mexican I split with Jes which was great.

I'm glad I finally got here. This is a great space on a worthy mission.

A great neighborhood place that is not in my neighborhood, I am sorry to say. EB+B is located in the heart of Mt. Airy on Germantown Avenue. There is a small bar and dining room on the first floor, and a small bar and larger dining room on the second floor. The place is usually bustling with locals, which often means small children are underfoot, even in the bar area. Otherwise the vibe is cool and inviting and the space is well furnished.

The place is owned by the former owners of the lamented Heavyweight Brewing so the quality of the beer is good, as you would expect. The list was almost exclusively sessiony at the beginning, though thankfully the brewers are stretching out toward higher ABV territory again, with great results. The tap list is always fairly limited (I don't think I have ever seen more than 4 house beers on tap) but nicely supplemented by a strong guest tap list, something we see far too seldom in our area brewpubs.

The highlight of the food menu is the seed flatbread, easily one of the best meals in town and a must have. I rate the food a 4.5 on the basis of this item alone. Other flatbreads are highly recommended as well.

Service is always pleasant, often competent, sometimes harried and inexperienced. This is a great place for residents of the area but worth a journey for craft beer lovers. Hours can be quirky on weekends so check ahead.

HV