They look to open first quarter of 2017, on Spring Garden street right next to Union Transfer http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/Roy-Pitz-brewpub-990-Spring-Garden-Callowhill.html Can't say I've drank much of their beer - I've tried Daddy Fatsacks, that's all. Seems like an odd move for a middling brewery based out of Chambersburg.
Or is it "an odd move for a middling brewery based out of Chambersburg"? I'd say it's ante up time for them at this point, or they might be out of the game. Getting into Philly right now might be the best thing for them! The beers are not that great, but they could make a killing based on the current wave of new beer aficionados who don't know any better. And they'd be on that corridor that carries all the way over to the river. At the very least, given what's been going on I'd see it as beneficial to the revitalization (gentrification) of that area, so I'm totally behind it. One thing I do find odd, however, is that although they seem to try to be Germanic, calling their pub "The Beer Stuibe" and everything, they still misspell "schwarzbier" as "shwartz beer" on their website.
Being from Chambersburg, I find it to be an odd move as well. Competing with the likes of Victory, Yard's, Tired Hands, Sly Fox, and many others will be a challenge. On top of that philly has some of the best distribution in the state, so the competitive landscape is even greater. I'm not a huge fan of Roy Pitz beer. However, I do think they have been moving in the right direction over the past year. With that said, I don't think their beer can stand out enough in a market like that.
I think an attractive space and good food program will have to drive their popularity/growth. I don't know that the beer is enough. Honestly, I think that's half the reason they are successful in Chambersburg. Along with being the only brewery in town.
If you look at the architectural drawings via Boxwood it looks pretty good, but at the same time it's not really that much different than Frankford Hall (which was done by Stokes). It's nice, but it's nothing new. Food will of course drive it, which isn't saying much in Philadelphia's tough restaurant scene. The beer, of course, is a plus.
I agree. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. On another note, they have some pretty strong competition opening in Chambersburg with GearHouse Brewing Co. I've sampled a fair amount of their beers and it's obvious that the head brewer learned a lot during his stints with Troeg's and Flying Dog.
Of those, only Yards is in the city proper. While the number has recently grown, there are still fewer breweries inside the city than in the suburbs. As a brewpub, I'd say their main competition would be the many gastropubs and beers bars in the city that have a great wealth of quality beer on tap.
