Nepenthe Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Meh... located in the very trendy and hipster area of Hampden in Bmo city. While they have a decent selection of beers, when we visited it was clear the brewery was more interested in 'turnover' rather than letting consumers enjoy their beer(s). I don't know... seems like Nepenthe is more interested in the 'scene' rather than the beer.

Note: This review is for the bar/brewery area and not the homebrew location.

I have visited Nepenthe a couple of times now and I personally believe they have grown into one of the best breweries in the Baltimore area. Overall, it is a very relaxing atmosphere both family/large group friendly as well as inviting for individuals (they have a long bar full of seating with TVs if you prefer not to sit at a communal table).

They usually have 10-15 beers on tap as well as a full liquor license with specialty cocktails. The beers are served in 4oz, 8oz, 16oz as well as 32oz crowlers to go. Their IPAs are above average to excellent New England style and their Tiny Tyrant series demonstrates their ability to brew with attention to detail and low margin of error. Their sours are often balanced and fruit forward. I have noticed a desire to include lactose in several of their beers.

Their food is elevated bar food and excellent. Their burgers are delicious. They also serve a weekend brunch. While I haven't personally had it, most have said good things.

Finally, the service is prompt and attentive. They usually have several bartenders working and on a Saturday night, at one point had 4-5 bartenders at once. If you are sitting at the bar, they will let you order from your seat. Otherwise, you stand in-line at a clearly marked portion of the bar. The only knock I would have is that it appears there is no separate line for crowlers (and crowlers generally are filled upon request). This can slow things down on a busy night, but not a major issue.

 

 

 

The space is really nice, plenty of seating and communal tables. Points off for the noise level though. They need to do some work with the acoustics, it was very hard to hear. The beer was solid, though offerings were limited. I believe they had 4 things on tap- two ipas, an esb, and a golden. I understand that they are new and look forward to trying more of their offerings. What I was able to sample was good. Nepenthe also serves cocktails, which is a nice touch. Service was friendly and quick. The food was tasty and high quality. I'll be glad to make this place a staple when I'm in the area, though I might avoid in peak times if loudness remains an issue.

 

It's primarily a (very expensive)* BOP but it's also a (merely somewhat expensive) homebrew shop. The supplies and selection are solid, but not as robust as what you find down in Columbia's Maryland homebrew store.

The vibe is upper middle class and causcasian but much more gender inclusive than the homebrew enclaves I frequented in the midwest--which, at least at the time, had a very similar demographic makeup to the Devo fanclub. Same skin problems, too. Anyway, it looks as if Mid-Atlantic home brewing popular among women as well as men, and that's a good thing. It helps lessen the stigma, make drinking seem more like a hobby than a problem.

The staff is friendly and helpful--again, avoiding much of the Comic Book Guy-esque condescension I associate with the midwest homebrew scene. There's also a large and friendly dog who usually hangs out here.

So it's not the very best place mostly due to high prices and middling selection. But it's totally solid.

*$160 bucks to brew a 5 gallon batch? And that doesn't include DME or liquid yeast? And they charge an additional 35 bucks to dry hop?!? What the hell, guys?