Sunday 11th of December 2011 02:23:21 PM
link
Fegley's Brew Works opened in 1998 in the struggling steel city of Bethlehem PA. Bethlehem made significant recovery in the years since, and the brewpub did very well. In 2007 Fegley's opened a second location, the Allentown Brew Works. I visited in April 2011, and enjoyed two of their beers that I thought were better than average, "Richter's Red Ale" and "Steelgaarden Wit". I also tried their "Belgian Blonde", "ESB", "Oatmeal Stout", and "Valley Golden", but I thought those were just average or below. I was a little disappointed with the Bethlehem location, because the beer variety at their Allentown location was noticeably better.
Selection: 3.5 |
Atmosphere: 4.25 |
Service: 4.25 |
Food: 4.0
Friday 12th of November 2010 10:01:27 PM
link
Great spot any day of the week. Plenty of different flagship and seasonal brews. Plenty of parking in garages nearby. Has a cask night each thursday and other events like trivia throughout the week. Food is great with a large menu. Call ahead on the weekend if you want to table as this is a popular place. This is the first micro brewery / restaurant in the lehigh valley that took of so well they made the Atown brew works.
Selection: 4.25 |
Atmosphere: 4.5 |
Service: 4.25 |
Food: 4.5
Tuesday 27th of July 2010 05:11:58 PM
link
As mentioned here also, very easy to find. Seemed like a lot of available parking too, if your okay with parking on a bridge half a block away (I lucked out and found a spot right outside the front door).
Really dug the atmosphere...very open, with lots of window space, and everything seemed to be designed around the bar, which is the way it should be (in my humble opinion).
Bar-keeper was very engaging, and seemed to be very knowledgeable about his product. Even a couple of the locals sitting next to me seemed to know a great deal about what they were drinking.
I didn't realize it until I got there, but they are the sister brewery to Allentown Brew Works (the name should have clued me in?), but it appears the brewing is done on location here.
First thing I tried was the oatmeal stout. It was very nice...burnt malt, but not too strong, had a smooth consistency going down. So I had another....
They have cask beer there too, but only on Thursdays (they tap it on Thursday and leave it online until it runs out, and from the sound of it, that isn't long).
If I'm back down that way again, I'll definitely stop in, hopefully on a Thursday.
Selection: 4.5 |
Atmosphere: 4.5 |
Service: 4.5 |
Food: N/A
Tuesday 6th of April 2010 08:10:37 PM
link
I've been going to the Brew Works for years, and it's really a local establishment at this point.
The beer selection varies; Brewmaster Beau Baden knows his stuff, but it is a small brewery and one gets the sense he's overworked, because they are often out of beers. Quality of brews has steadily climbed over the years, and is fairly consistent now. The atmosphere is a wonderful (if a little loud) large space with rivets and pipes to play on the industrial history of Bethlehem.
Service is usually pretty good, but it can take a while to get a beer if it's busy. Food is fairly straightforward hearty fare in the PA German tradition. It's good, but you might have trouble finding something light and healthy.
Selection: 4 |
Atmosphere: 4.25 |
Service: 4 |
Food: 4.25
Wednesday 10th of March 2010 04:04:45 PM
link
Date of visit: 1/11/10
Stopped in since I was staying at the Hyatt, two blocks away. Had a sampler but there were two beers I really wanted to try that they were out of. The ones I had were solid but not spectacular. The bartender was friendly & informative. Had I not had dinner 30 minutes earlier, I would have grabbed something from the menu. Some of the food sounded pretty good. I will try the place again the next time I'm in the area.
Selection: 3 |
Atmosphere: 3.5 |
Service: 4.25 |
Food: N/A
Monday 3rd of March 2008 09:16:20 AM
link
Bethlehem Brew Works (569 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018) keeps eight of their own beers on tap in addition to a few guest taps serving mainstream favorites like Hoegaarden (a Belgian witbier) and Woodchuck Amber (a cider). During this beer tour of Pennsylvania, I got in the habit of ordering horizontal tastings (that is to say, the beer sampler).
The sampler at the Bethlehem Brew Works featured six of their eight beers. Four were English styles: Batch 537 an Old Ale, Fegley's ESB, an Oatmeal Stout, and an Imperial Stout. The other two beers were Belgian: Stumbling Monk (amusingly noted on the beer menu as "an advanced palate" beer) and an Oud Bruin called simply Framboise (or Raspberries). I didn't realize it at the time, but Bethlehem Brew Works Framboise would be the highlight beer of the Pennsylvania brewery tour.
The beer line-up at the Bethlehem Brew Works had some good beers (I found no major flaws on my visit), but I have an affinity for Belgian style beers and admire a brewpub that's willing to serve a sour beer as part of it's regular line up.
Selection: 3.75 |
Atmosphere: 4 |
Service: 3.5 |
Food: 4.0
Sunday 4th of November 2007 11:55:28 AM
link
This place was a breeze to find in the nice downtown that is Bethlehem, PA. A spacious interior and interesting lineup of beer greets you. Then it all takes a dive.
The food was passable to good. Nothing worth noting except for the wings and out of a table of 20 no one found anything to be great. The beer arrives and despite winning a GABF medal was either poorly crafted or oxidized. After 4 attempts at finding a winner I gave up and reverted to water. I'd suggest to get a sampler, perhaps there is a diamond in all the roughness.
The waitstaff was good and the atmosphere was good. Karaoke later in the evening was a blast and being Halloween the freaks came out. Anywy, I couldn't recommend the joint unless you were out of other options.
Selection: 3.5 |
Atmosphere: 4.25 |
Service: 4.5 |
Food: 3.0