Tuesday 30th of April 2013 08:44:17 PM

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I stopped at Nodding Head this past weekend. The bar is up a flight of stairs on the 2nd floor. The atmosphere is nice, with some interesting decor (like a giant, prominently displayed bobblehead collection).

While there, I tried their beer sampler. It included 8 samples, each in a 5.5oz wine glass. This included a cask ale, the BPA (hoppy ale), Grog, Joe's Rye, Rudy's Kung Fu Grip, Saison, Spring Ale, and Ich Bein Ein Berlinerweisse. Grog was decent, but I wasn't a fan of many of the others. The Berlinerweisse is an extremely tart beer that comes with a sweet syrup - I didn't really like it with or without the syrup.

Overall, they have a nicely varied selection, but few, if any, of the beers are to my taste.

Saturday 10th of December 2011 07:34:16 PM

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Nodding Head is a well-established fixture in downtown Philly. Enter at street level on Sansom Street (between 15th and 16th), and ascend upstairs to this 2nd floor brewpub. There are plenty of dining tables and a small 9-chair bar. They have better than average beers, and some of my favorites are an excellent "3C Double IPA" (8%), "BPA" (5%), "Hullabaloo Amber" (5%), "Old Sot Barleywine", and "Rudy's Kung Fu Grip". Other regulars are "700 Level" blond ale which I find just average, and their cask-conditioned "Grog" brown which is pretty good. They always have a seasonal or two, such as Rye IPA, Saison, Scotch Ale, Festbier, and Holiday Ale. Lastly, I'll mention their memorable "Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse" which is one the tartest beers I've ever had! The service is friendly, and their bobble-head collection is amusing.

Sunday 16th of August 2009 02:02:26 PM

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On Saturday, Aug. 15th, we embarked on a LONG beer day in Philly. We are on to our 5th??? place of the afternoon. Try to find our other locations we hit on the map! Nodding Head had a great atmosphere. When you enter, you walk up some steep narrow stairs to a loft style room with seating and a bar area with some lounging area around. The beer selection was pretty good. Something they call Pale Gold... that has ginger in it. Not sure why, but ok... whatever floats your boat. Then a 60 shilling Scottish Ale. Then an Oatmeal Stout which was nice a smooth! Then we sampled the Berliner Weisse. The bartender gave us three of these. One straight, one with Woodruff syrup which is the traditional serving style. And the third was with Chambord. That was really good! A pinky up drink, but good! The Rye IPA was next. Very piney... too much piney hops. Then an English Brown ale. Can't remember if it is Northern or Southern but it was very nice and smooth with dark chocolate notes. Then an APA on cask which wasn't really hoppy enough to be an APA maybe a hoppy ESB or something but it was nice. So all in all, alot of beers on tap, a friendly bartender and a great spot to just hang out. We ate some bar food here and it was very tasty!

Tuesday 21st of July 2009 04:00:06 PM

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The Nodding Head brews their own beer in house, and has won multiple awards from the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. That really should be all you need to know, but since you're still reading, I'll say some more. They have six taps, and they have 15-20 brews that I've counted so far, so unfotunately, your favorite might not always be on the menu. On the plus side, I can't recall a single of their beers that I haven't been interested in if not loved.

Service is good, but nothing special. Atmosphere is great except on friday/saturday nights when it's so busy and loud that you can't hear yourself think, let alone what the person across from you is saying.

The food is for the most part tasty standard pub food, with a good mix of fried, fatty, cheesy, and delicious. The burgers are always good, as are the fries. Stay away from the Jambalaya though. It's extremely disappointing. Good Mussels, Good Fries. Very similar to Monk's in terms of food.

Two quick notes... Cask Ale's are only available occasionally, so if you're going specifically for that, call ahead and ask or check their website if you know the name of it (I don't remember at the moment). Also, I gave it a 5 on beer selection because I love everything they have, but really, 6 beers isn't a ton of selection. Quality over Quantity, I gave it a 5.

Sunday 15th of June 2008 09:21:30 PM

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I dig this place. The beer is always good. The food is good. The service is usually good. The beers tend toward higher alcohol and a little more off-beat than normal. I have yet to have a beer at Nodding Head which I did not like. I usually get the BPA which is well balanced. The Nodding Head is a must try for burgers and beer in Philly.

Sunday 2nd of March 2008 11:52:20 AM

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Visited Nodding Head hoping to sample the Berliner Weisse and Scottish Ale. Unfortunately they were out of the Scottish Ale at the time, but started with a pint of the Berliner Weisse. They serve their beer with a green woodruff syrup (as is the custom in Berlin) unless you specifically request otherwise. For those who have never tried a Berliner Weisse before, I would recommend trying it without the syrup first. Their Berliner is less sour than Kindl Weisse, which should make it a great introduction for newbies. You don't find this style brewed often, so take advantage of it and try a pint.

After the Berliner Weisse I moved to the Lead Pipe Lager. Took a little adjustment after the tart Berliner, but as the lager warmed a little the malt profile started to come through. Nodding Head may not have a ton of beers, but they seem to put a lot of effort into the ones they offer. It's laid-back so you can enjoy your beer and hold a conversation (at least on a weekday night), and they have a great juke box. Overall, well worth checking out while in Philly.

Saturday 4th of August 2007 12:37:22 AM

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First time in Philly, so I had to visit Nodding Head. If you are not familiar with Philly (or don't have GPS) it can be a little tough to find. The hardest thing is finding parking. Little or no street parking, and the garages are expensive. Take the train and walk if you can. Nestled upstairs between an oyster bar and a cigar shop, the search is worth it. Food and service were very good, and the beers were even better. The Grog, a traditional brown ale was awesome. I also had their Double IPA, which I was very impressed with (for an east coast double). Not to be forgotten was the O-tay, a Belgian inspired brew made with something like 80 lbs of organic buckwheat...WOW.