Crime & Punishment Brewing Company

Crime & Punishment Brewing CompanyCrime & Punishment Brewing Company
Crime & Punishment Brewing CompanyCrime & Punishment Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

2711 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19130
United States

(610) 945-8351 | map
crimeandpunishmentbrewery.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.93
Beers:
54
Ratings:
99
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.07
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
28
pDev:
11.79%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DrBass:
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Rated by DrBass from Maryland

4.65/5  rDev +14.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4

Mar 20, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sludgeman
Reviewed by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Visited on a Tuesday around 6pm. Halfway through my run. Sat at the bar. Had a few beers and a bit to eat.

V - A hole in the wall in a neighborhood that may be a bit sketchy at night. Nothing particularly noteworthy about the facility. A classicly long and narrow place with a bar and tables in and outside on the sidewalk. They could upgrade the toilets. 3.5

Sel – The selection was limited to me. Was that because I visited during warmer weather. Not an excuss for me. Nothing “dark” or “heavy.” 3.5

Ser – Tender was friendly and knowledgeable. Tasters available. 4.0

Food – I had the pierogies, which were very good. Ask for extra onions. Did not come with enough. 4.0

Qual – The beer not that great. I will run a different direction and longer to get better beer. Glassware was clean, but not necessarily the correct glass for the beer. 3.5
Jun 15, 2023
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Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.5
Small taproom, in Brewerytown, of all places. Up and coming neighborhood, should be booming soon. Small plates with a eastern European flair. Nice selection of beers too.
Dec 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.45 by blassor from New Jersey

Jul 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.39 by cp45 from New Jersey

Mar 01, 2020
Photo of roan22
Reviewed by roan22 from New Jersey

4.37/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
I like the atmosphere here. Small neighborhood brewery. Never been in peak time but I imagine its hard to get a seat. Beer is good, better than most. Have not had the food.

I don't know why but coming here reminds me of going to the old North Star Bar for some reason.
Jan 31, 2020
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Reviewed by West_Chester_Ale_Tester from Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
The brewery I was most excited to visit in Philly. It fell a little short of my expectations. Everything was just a step below what I was hoping for. That being said, the beer was fine, taproom is cool and the service was good. Maybe another visit would turn me around.
Jul 13, 2019
 
Rated: 3.81 by nicolettebeach87 from Pennsylvania

Feb 17, 2019
 
Rated: 4.51 by CanConPhilly from Pennsylvania

Jan 27, 2019
Photo of JamFuel
Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden

4.41/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
C&P is a bit out of the way, in the aptly named Brewerytown district. Area has it's sketchy places, which led to and interesting Lyft ride where the GPS didn't cooperate fully.

Once inside, you find a small, narrow room with a bar to the left and seating to the right. Not a lot of room, can imagine the crush on Saturday night.

Not a huge selection, 8 or so beers, but good variety, with some more obscure styles like kvass and wee heavy represented. All the beers I tried were at least solid with the Berliner Weisse Shade of Spectre and Space Race IPA being the stand outs. Space Race was so good I even bought my first ever growler. Service was excellent, very friendly bartender/server who always had a smile on his lips.

Food got a very high mark from my friend, but I had gorged myself at The Cheesecake Factory before coming here, so I was quite full.

Overall, a really cool little place, slightly ecclectic beer list, which is fun, and a great vibe.
Jan 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.09 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Oct 31, 2018
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Reviewed by Radome from Florida

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
Visited on a Sunday afternoon with some local friends who knew the place. It is a cool, funky, endearingly run-down location that stays very true to its Soviet-era, workers' watering hole shtick. It doesn't come across as a campy theme park recreation, but rather as a homage. It is tiny, with only a few dozen seats behind a narrow storefront, but we got there early enough to find seats at a a tiny table. the beers I tried were amazing in their creativity, originality, complexity of flavors, and sheer "who-gives-a-s**t, let's try it!" attitude. Baikal Uprising was one of the best Russian Imperial Stouts I've ever tried, full of flavor and punch.

Did not try food (and I don't remember if it was available). The bar servers were friendly, knowledgeable and committed to the beer and the bar's Soviet theme. I am a die-hard opponent of Communism and socialism in all its forms, but I can gladly tip my hat to this unique brewery and its beers..
Oct 13, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by miran1204 from Pennsylvania

Nov 14, 2017
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Reviewed by RutgersBeerGuy from New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.75
I have a friend who lives right next to C&P, so I'm pretty familiar with their space and their beer.

It's a neat, relatively polished space that can definitely get busy on a Saturday.

Beer is pretty good to great, with a preponderance of IPA and fruited sours (Gose/Berliner Weisse, mainly). They've recently started brewing lagers, which is fitting for a place with a Central/Eastern European literary theme.

About that theme...it mostly exposes itself in punny beer names and the food menu.

The menu is short, but focused. Kielbasa, pierogies, pickles of all kinds, and so on. Satisfyingly rustic.

Service has been good and prices are reasonable. They do growlers in a few sizes.

Good, local place.
Sep 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.6 by Little_Ben from Pennsylvania

Jul 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by mdfb79 from New York

Apr 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.01 by acurtis from New Jersey

Feb 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.13 by Jhfinn from New York

Feb 19, 2017
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
Crime & Punishment is a fairly polished, nice looking place on the north side of Germantown Ave. near Brewerytown, which is on the west side of town. There used to be next to nothing there, and you didn't want to be there either, but that's changed, and at least in part due to Crime & Punishment, so kudos to them.

As you enter the storefront there are a few tables to the right and the bar lies directly ahead of you on the left side of the room. It's small but comfortable, and the crowd is always friendly. The brewery is at the back if you're the kind that likes to take a peek. Cute little set-up.

Both the food and beer are unique, and at least partially based on a Russian theme, hence the Tolstoy reference, and perhaps their proximity to Eastern State Penitentiary.

I've liked everything that I've had to eat (Pork and Beef Pelmeni (dumplings)(small $8), Mushroom Pelmeni (small $6), Potato and Caramelized Onion Pierogies (small $6), Kielbasa Sandwich (half $5), and some kind of pulled pork sandwich for brunch). My wife enjoyed their Borscht at one point ($6)... not my favorite.

I've also liked everything that I've had to drink, and they can have up to 8 on tap. They've done some very interesting beers including their "Disturbing The Beets" which is brewed with beets ($4/8 oz.), and the names they choose are interesting, sometimes funny, and occasionally educational ("Secret Cities" $3/8 oz.).

In a general way both their foods and beers are limited, but of course that's also a kind of reference to the U.S.S.R. now, isn't it? Their foods are clearly tied to the Russian theme, which is limiting in itself, and perhaps the size of their kitchen doesn't help either. That's all fine though, it's not a restaurant, and they've certainly got more to offer than most pubs in the U.K. The beer selection could perhaps be a little better spread out though, as it seems they're often offering quite a few IPAs or sour beers at the same time. They're clearly not sticking with the Russian theme here, and I'd love to see them flex a little bit, but on the other hand sours and IPAs are what's selling now so I can hardly blame them. I would like to see them brew a strong Russian lager though, although it is illegal to simply add glycol to your beer here (those crazy Russians!).

Overall: small, quirky, a little funky, a bit pricey - but entirely worth it.
Jan 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.39 by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

Jan 25, 2017
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Rated by bobpgh from Pennsylvania

2.28/5  rDev -44%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2
Disappointed that no flights or taster size options are available
Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.08 by GreenMind from Pennsylvania

Aug 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by Lambdon from Pennsylvania

Jun 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by Apearn87 from Pennsylvania

Feb 28, 2016
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Reviewed by Bruce5 from Pennsylvania

3.94/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
C&P is in a transitional neighborhood but worth the trip. The one negative is that it's too small, arrived on a Saturday afternoon to find a short que waiting for seats. Once we were seated all was great!

Quality beers however selection is limited, but what separates this brewery from most others is the food. Great choices and unlike the last reviewer I love beets.
Feb 09, 2016
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Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

3.76/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Bad neighborhood, but cool brewery. It's a small place, the bar seats about 10 people, and there are a few tables. Basic decor, some hipster art, but a nice bar setup, and an interesting old iron gate that separates the pub from the brewery section.

The beer line-up is nice, some basic stuff on tap, IPAs, saisons, etc., with the occasional Berliner, fruited beer, or oddity (look up The Grod). Everything was really good, even if not utterly mindblowing. There's some definite potential here. The bartender was a little iffy, but I've met some of the other staff, and they all seem nice.

They do serve food here, somewhat limited menu since the kitchen area is very tiny. They seem to have a thing for beets, which is bad news for me. But they also seem to have a thing for dumplings, hand-made dumplings, and that's good news for me. I sampled the mushroom dumplings, and they were pretty tasty.

This is definitely a place to keep an eye on, and worth a visit if you're in the area.
Sep 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.15 by fredmugs from Indiana

Aug 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by InspectorBob from New Jersey

Sep 07, 2014
Crime & Punishment Brewing Company in Philadelphia, PA
Brewery rating: 3.93 out of 5 with 99 ratings