The Referend Bier Blendery

The Referend Bier BlenderyThe Referend Bier Blendery
The Referend Bier BlenderyThe Referend Bier Blendery
Brewery, Bar, Beer-to-go

407 Old Route 22
Kutztown, Pennsylvania, 19530
United States

(609) 474-0443 | map
thereferend.com

***They have completed their move to the new farm in Kutztown, PA and will be opening for tasting room service shortly. Please join their mailing list or check their website for updates on the exact opening date.***

Since 2016, The Referend has produced beer using strictly spontaneous fermentation, sourcing yeast passively from the environment and open air, and actively sourcing locally-grown grain and fruit. These naturally wild beers develop on their own timeline, with total production times ranging from nine months to five years, and with bottles carrying cellaring potentials of three to fifty years.
BEER STATS
Average:
4.24
Beers:
133
Ratings:
490
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.33
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
15
pDev:
6%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Zekenyce:
Photo of Zekenyce
Rated by Zekenyce from New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5

Apr 28, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of bubseymour
Reviewed by bubseymour from Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
I love the old rustic barn taproom with all the barrels aging the beers right behind the serving area. Easy access right off the interstate but in middle of nowhere which gives it a nice quiet peaceful rural setting.
Feb 24, 2024
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
stopped in on a Saturday evening for a few drinks and to pick up some bottles. Taproom is the bottom of an old barn, so fits the vibe of what they are doing. They had 5 of their beers on draft, 2 on cask, 1 guest tap, and then 2 of their natural wines on draft. Then also a menu of their vintage bottles for on-site consumption, plus some PA vintage barleywines from various other breweries. All of their house beers are spontaneous fermentation. nice variety of beers on draft - some golden, some wheat, some fruited, some dry hopped, some herbal additions. The 4 beers I tried were all good. They had about a dozen bottles available to go as well.
Sep 10, 2023
Photo of JulianS
Reviewed by JulianS from Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Reviewing the new digs in Kutztown, located in an active vineyard. A very scenic drive from Allentown through rolling hills to get here. The Cellar bar is a nice cozy dark tasting room, but there are also seats outside behind the barn with a view of the vineyard. It's very picturesque and gives some Jester King vibes. They had 6-7 of their own beers on tap, including a young pull of their spontaneous ale so you can taste it before it is aged for years and blended. They also have guest beer (a pilsner on tap when I visited, and a growing collection of barleywine). Lastly, while they do not yet produce wine from their own vineyard, they are starting to produce natural wine using grapes from other local vineyards, which is served on tap. I wasn't sure how a dedicated beermaker would do at running a winery- turns out the wine I tried was lovely, and my favorite beverage of what I tried there. They do not serve food but you can BYO. There are bottles for purchase from the tasting room, ranging from $18-28/750 ml when I was there. That is reasonable for what they are doing. Highly recommend a visit.
Sep 09, 2022
Photo of TheGent
Reviewed by TheGent from New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
On the outside not the sexiest of places as it’s in a sort of light industrial building with some other tenants around. On the inside, a great vibe. Very rustic with a lot of wood and barrels. Cool idea with music played on vinyl. Defiantly an enjoyable hang out spot for a group of friends. Not a huge venue but a decent amount of tables and seating.

The quality of the beer is extremely high.

The service was great. I went on a very popular release day (Tender Buttons - Vanilla). Arrived when they opened and waited in line for an hour. I do think they did a good job with serving such a large group of people in such a small venue.

Selection and availability is always outlined and updated on line as needed. and they always seek to have a decent number of options available.
Mar 17, 2020
Photo of Tony210
Reviewed by Tony210 from New Jersey

4.57/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
When I found out that this brewery special is in sours / farmhouse beers, I was very excited to visit it.
Like many NJ breweries, this one is in a small industrial park. They made great use of the space, it has a Sonoma wine tasting room vibe. Lots of oak barrels, but no brewing equipment. Turns out they do a lot of contract brewing and collaborations. But when they are ready to pull the trigger and buy the brewing vessels, it looks like they have plenty of room to expand.
I visited on a Thursday at 6, and was the only customer. They had more than enough beers on tap and to go - I walked out with a case. The bartender was very knowledgeable and willingly gave me samples so I could determine which bottles to purchase. I live 1.5 hours away from the brewery, and plan on visiting it several times a year to stock up.
I highly recommend visiting this brewery if you are into sour beers, or want to try them for the first time. This place is very, very good at what they do.
May 05, 2019
Photo of MacMalt
Reviewed by MacMalt from New Jersey

4.36/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
The Referend is a unique and wonderful brewery. Located in a commercial building on a quiet road, it has a rural feel despite its proximity to Route 95.. The space is light and airy and there is outdoor seating. The atmosphere on a weekend is lively and eclectic. Referend specializes in spontaneous fermentation, so don't expect trendy IPAs here. The quality of the beer is outstanding and the staff is friendly.
Apr 16, 2019
Photo of bl00
Reviewed by bl00 from Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 2.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
I love seeing new places that focus on lambics pop up, though The Referend leaves something to be desired. The beer is great, very well done. The brewery offers a variety of size pours for each beer. This was also my first time trying a wild ale on cask. I was disappointed that despite the copious bottle selection, none were available to sample on draft. I'm usually willing to spend a fair amount on a nice bottle, though become reluctant without an opportunity to try, particularly from a brewery that I'm not familiar with.

The vibe was rough. Though I adored the music setup (psychadelic music off a large vinyl system), the space had little else to offer. It was quite bare in respect to decorations, lighting was bright fluorescents, furniture was mismatched.

Service was very good overall, though the individual working lacked knowledge on the bottles available. Selection is as you would expect, limited to wilds to the brewery's specialty. Overall I really want to like this place, though it leaves a bit to be desired.
Jan 03, 2019
Photo of jaja1974
Reviewed by jaja1974 from New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +11.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
The Referend is one of the best kept secrets among the vast landscape of NJ breweries. It really deserves and undoubtedly will soon be known to many more beer lovers throughout the Garden State. The space is simple and sparse but the vibe is cool and their collection of vinyl records spinning on a turntable, shelves of well read philosophy books, and limited number of brews on hand pumped cask are a nice touch. There are several different blends available by the glass in the tasting room and both corked bottles and cans of their sour blends that you can purchase for home consumption. The Referend is a unique brewery/blendery and therefore you won’t find any traditional IPAs, stouts, session ales or lagers amongst their offerings. They specialize in Belgian-style lambic beer and when it comes to producing spontaneously fermented, barrel aged, and open air wild brews — nobody in the area is doing anything like the folks at The Referend. If you’re a fan of sours, wilds, gose, and funky barrel aged brews infused with fresh fruit and other flavors this has got to be your go to spot. It’s a sour beer aficionados’ dream and you’ll geek out over the flavor creations the blenders here are achieving. If you are not a fan of sour brews ... don’t be surprised if a visit to The Referend makes you a quick convert and changes your whole philosophy about what a brewery can be.
Jul 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.44 by InspectorBob from New Jersey

Apr 12, 2018
 
Rated: 4.01 by Jsalz21 from New Jersey

Feb 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by schroeder1200 from New Jersey

Dec 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by acurtis from New Jersey

Dec 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4.42 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Dec 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

Nov 18, 2017
The Referend Bier Blendery in Kutztown, PA
Brewery rating: 4.24 out of 5 with 490 ratings