Mudhook Brewing Company

This place is tucked away in an alley off the main street. I visited on a Saturday early evening. The place was pretty quiet and had a restaurant feel to it. It was well lit, decor is basic. There were 8 beers on tap during my visit, I had the Hefewiezen, $6 for a pint. The service seemed a bit indifferent. Overall it's not a bad place, but nothing special either.

Mudhook, like the rest of York, resides in a very old building. It's tucked away a bit , down an alley, right next to the big bike path. The pub is long and narrow with ample outdoor seating which is oddly beach-themed, with sand and fake palm trees. This doesn't make much sense aesthetically, against the early 1900's architecture and general reclaimed former industrial area feel of the town. And, honestly, they don't pull it off very well.

The vibe was pretty friendly, though. Pennsylvania is odd, kind of MAGA-ish, but I didn't get any of the outwardly hateful vibes I felt in my recent travels to redder areas. Inside they make some more gestures toward a cantina feel but it's basically just a standard issue American gastropub: sports on the TV, bar and hightop seating, fried food. They were well staffed and the servers were attentive and friendly.

They had about a dozen house beers on tap along with a full bar. I tried two. The red ale attempted an older, English style and it wasn't very good. The stout was Americanized and more contemporary and it was quite good.

York features a profane number of breweries within a few blocks of one another. It is, honestly, a very nice beer destination. I can't say Mudhook should be the first stop on your trip, or even a necessary stop, but overall it was okay.

Downtown York, around a fwe corners from a host of other worthy beer spot....smaller inside room, more room for eating outdoor, in the good weather.

Beers were middle of the road, but still decent craft quality.

Food was better.

Service was good.

Pretty quiet on the thursday evening we visited.

Decent place for a mellow/low key brew or two and a better then average bite.

Probably the most boring, mediocre beer bar in York. I want to like it because it has been there for quite some time, but the beer is mediocre to bad, and every time I am there (always on friday or saturday nights) the place is almost empty. The bartenders aren't great and the food is just ok. My main issue with them is that they don't ever try anything new beer wise. They always have the same boring uninspiring options on tap. And what they have isn't even that good. You'd think after all these years they would have improved but they have not.

Edited to add: We also went on a night where they advertised live music and they had no live music.

 

 

 

 

 

I visited Mudhook when they opened and found the beer to be uninspiring, but contributed this to the newness of the establishment. Visited again last evening after they had a few years under their belt and the place has progressed every so slightly.
Beers were average for this type of small brewery, tried the Peach Wheat and found it lacking in identity. The Maibock was a decent beer. Selection was rather limited and the food was just OK, server was a little confused on the menu and specials of the day. They had a little beach party theme going which added to the vibe of the evening but without the sand and surf, it would be an average place.

Zero Hour Trivia is a worthy time spent on Tuesdays at the Mudhook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visited on the 06/05/2014 on holiday from the UK. Fresh off the flight from the UK and was looking for some tasty beer. From other reviews was to be a difficult place to find but was easy to locate. The place was very nice tastefully done with light pine was light and airy. Seat promptly by a friendly server. The server's Knowledge of the beer's was good and was recommended the Midnight Cast Black IPA which was excellent. They had 7 beers on tap ranging from 5.0% to 8.0% . Food was very good and the service excellent all in all would come back if back in York.

Small brew pub in York's central market.

I really wanted to like the beers, and I've tried them over and over but they always seem to be just a little off. Either too estery or phenolic for me or some just have an indescribable off taste and are often lacking in body. Not on par with other local offerings

Food is good with a decent selection and haven't really had bad service.

 

I love the beer here. They are all rather good. The food is typical pub fair at hamburgers and chili, etc.

The place is smaller, but that is what i like about it. The head brewer can usually be found behind the bar pouring the brewskis. Friendly person and will usually give you a tour of there small brewery which is housed in the adjacent market house.

Mudhook brewing is one of York's more recent developments. It's a brewery attached to the York Central Market in downtown York. They're open mostly for dinner and late nights but they'll be trying to open more for lunch in the near future. They have a nice selection of world-wide micros in bottles in addition to their selections on tap. Food was pretty standard pub fair but at least seemed to try to be better then average. The atmosphere was friendly, inviting, cozy and unique. You could get a feel for how the watering holes of yesteryear were on the back alley it sits on. You could do better in York but you could also do a lot worse, definitely a slightly above average brew joint.

Stopped by here this past Saturday and had a very good time. Sat up at the bar and was promptly asked what I would like by the owner. After checking out the selction I chose the Wolfgang Chocolate Lager and it was great. (chocolate for the beer was provided by the Wolfgang candy company which is located in York)

Was in the mood for a late lunch early dinner and had a burger which was cooked on the flat iron. Very good burger and also overall great service. I briefly sampled the Redeye Irish Red
which was also good (I believe 5-6 beers on tap and the Kolsch was going to be tapped in the next few weeks) and grabbed one of the growlers and a fill to go. Growler was a glass scew on top with the Mudhook insignia and ran me $6 plus $14 for the chocolate lager fill. Will definately stop by again.

Interesting experience at Mudhook tonight...the place is hidden off an alley, with a tad bit of meter parking out front...after 5, they're free, and we snagged the last one. Inside, the decor is pretty nice....feels like an old lodge kind of place, lots of wood. The staff was very pleasant to us, with a woman that I'm assuming was the head chef/owner checking on us numerous times to make sure our food and beer was good. As for the food...hm. I ordered a crab dip, one friend ordered a salad, and one friend ordered a chicken sandwich and a salad. My crab dip came out first....after I finished, both salads came out....and after those were finished, the sandwich came out. Odd, but it is what it is. The dip itself was fine, but nothing you haven't had elsewhere. The bread bowl it came in was excellent, especially when rubbed in the Old Bay that liberally coated the plate. Now, the beer....six selections: a stout, an amber, a pale, an Irish red, and two seasonals, a dunkel and an IPA. Nothing was standout, but nothing was actively bad...kind of reminded me of some run of the mill Sam Adams brews. A sampler and my dip came to $17 bucks, which seemed about right. Not a bad place, considering the newness of the establishment, but there's room to grow here. I wouldn't necessarily make it a weekly or monthly stop, but I'd try back again in a few months to see if things have progressed. Good opening effort.

Was a little apprehensive after reading some reviews online, but what a pleasant surprise! Mudhook is a GREAT place for a craft beer in York... a place where Yuengling reigns supreme.

Atmosphere is awesome, just what you're looking for in a watering hole. Wood furniture and bar are beautiful. Taps are original and continue with the fish theme.

Brews are good, and I suspect will become even better with time. The IPA is their standout in my opinion. Plenty of hops and citrus. Their pale ale was also a highlight. The amber ale was the weak spot on an otherwise nice lineup.

Food menu is limited, but at least it's fantastic. Had the Greek chicken breast and it was tremendous. Juicy and perfectly prepared. Other fried items smelled delicious, although I didn't indulge.

Prices are fair and reasonable. Under $10 and you'll be filled. Pints are $4.50 which is more than acceptable in my book. I think the price complaints stem from the growlers being a little out of line...

Overall, WELL DONE.

Lizzie B and I, out for a father-daughter night, later joined by JCK. Had to check it out.

A: Anyone remember when Country Cuisine and other market stalls inhabited this area? Well it looks nothing like it did a long time ago. Exposed wood, nice tables, a long bar and outdoor seating. A nice vibe; we were even welcomed with the hostess opening the door.

Quality: The food preparation is a little slow. Other than that, I had no complaints. I'm still in awe with what they've done to the place.

Service: Greeted and seated promptly, I had no complaints. Our waitress stopped by frequently, even refilling a bottle for Lizzie B.

Selection: Only four beers on tap. I hope that that is increased over time. The pale ale was my favorite with the stout coming in a close second. The toffee fullness of the Live Bait also went down well. I was impressed with the beers - all were good.

F: Cheap and varied. Burgers and hot dogs, quesadillas and nachoes. Lizzie B. had a hot dog; I had the chicken quesadilla. The burgers and hot dogs come with a variety of toppings. Lizzie, being a wee little one, went with the plain version.

The portions aren't huge but the prices are low. Beer prices were a little on the high side, balancing out the tab.

I stopped in for a pint, no more no less. I asked a few questions and one thing stood out that I was unsure of - the pricing. I asked why the prices were what they are since other establishments seem to sell their beer at a more reasonable price and was told I was being argumentative. I thought it was a fair question why a screw top growler is $24.95 since that was what I asked, but it must be a sore subject. I think the mug club idea is not necessarily bad considering you get a few more ounces per serving, a shirt and growler but at $50 it is a bit spendy. I had my pint and moved on. The rest of the crew besides the person I mentioned were friendly and gave me good information about the place so I will basically keep the score even since I was given a 'taste' of an ounce or two of the other tapped offerings. The menu seems simple, yet also pricey since they are selling hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken sandwiches with some other appetizers like wings, loaded fries etc. The burger is $8 and 1 lb hot dog with toppings is $4.50 so you get the idea.

The selection and quality could be better -4 beers that are just a notch above ordinary. I think most brewpubs have more than 4 standards these days, I understand they are just starting out and will have rotating seasonals, but it is your basic -Pale, Irish red, Amber ale and stout line-up which everyone can find at Rock bottom, it just lacks imagination and seems to cater to those who just want what is familiar. I am all for local business when it enhances the market, but I kind of felt let down especially after they promoted themselves as 'an anchor to the downtown marketplace' I see a lot of creativity from local business in York, but this spirit is lacking in Mudhook. The beer is a bit pricey considering you aren't getting a unique offering and the atmosphere alone is not enough to bring me back. I hope they reconsider either the product or the pricing to keep in line with what the market has established. The place could have potential if they choose to accept feedback, but as it is being the new place on the block is not enough to bring me back. I would love to support local business and I would like to see them succeed so I will check back in a couple months to find out how things are going.