Forest & Main - The Brewery

 

Forest & Main is an exciting brewery tasting room with a lived-in feel, amazing selection, good people, and quality beers available in an impressive amount of serving formats.

This is apparently the suburbs judging by the 45-minute drive from downtown, but it feels like you are in the city proper. Located on a tight, cramped street with severe parking challenges. this location has the hybrid industrial/bar vibe that you come to expect from a brewery on the edge of a metropolis. The seating options spill out on to the sidewalk, making for an efficient little oasis with great people watching.

The beer list here, at first glance, appears slightly schizophrenic. Many styles are found, not many of which are expected neighbors. What that shows, however, is that there is a desire to please everyone or a skill for brewing everything. Whichever cause, it's a happy sight similar to the menu at a cheesecake factory.. but imagine if everything on that menu actually tasted good. I stuck mainly with the UK pub style stuff and czech options and had no complaints. Those beers are a bit easier to make, but can expose big technical flaws if present (they weren't.) Their approach seems similar to that of one of my favorite hometown locals, Fox Farm. Nothing new lacks imitation 100%, so if you're gonna be inspired may as well be from someone like that, at least in my book. Delicious beers found here.

One lone goateed bartender on my visit, super attentive and able to answer all questions. The efficiency of this bartender was such that it made the difference in me being able to enjoy 2 or 3 beers here. I appreciated that.

Selection was great. A tip: check both Forest & Main location taplists before settling on one. They aren't too far from each other, have about the same # of taps, but had different beers every time I looked. And most importantly, in addition to the different flavors, the different serving sizes and methods are a real treat for beer lovers. Beers are available on CO2, nitro, hand pull, side pull, as well as pints being offered in both 16 and 20 ounce sizes. Taster sizes available as well. Overall, a customer-friendly experience for sure.

Went on a Sunday and they had a food truck.

I look forward to my next visit here and will make this a part of any Philadelphia trip in the future.

The brewing facility and tasting room (not the downtown pub) are located in an industrial building on the outskirts of Ambler. The venue has an industrial feel with high ceilings and the tasting room is adjacent to the brewing area. The large bar area is impressive and includes several hand pumps and side pumps. The crowd is a combination of beer nerds and locals and the atmosphere is homey and fun. The staff is friendly and will talk beer with you. The beer itself is excellent. There is a cooler with a good selection of cans and bottles to take out. Overall, this venue is very different than the downtown pub but the draught selection is better. The only downside is the limited on-street parking.

A wonderful traditional corner Pub like you’d find in England somewhere. Barkeep was super friendly and provided great service and advice while I was visiting the area. Highly recommend a stop in here.

Their new brewery space (no longer the original brewpub in the Victorian House). This new location is up the street on Main Street from the original location. There are a few parking spots in front, other than that it's street parking. Inside in addition to the brewing space there is a nice bar and some tables. clean industrial vibe. Bar has 3 beer engines just like the The Pub location. There are coolers of to-go cans and bottles as well.