Round Guys Brewing is the newest brewery to hit the Greater Philadelphia area. This event was not only my first time trying Round Guys’ beer, but it was also my first time at the Side Bar. This West Chester staple overlooks Gay Street and features three separate bars and a full dining area. The venue creates a very comfortable relaxed ambiance that makes you feel at home while experiencing their great beer menu.
I found the staff at Side Bar to be extremely nice and helpful. Our server Patrick insured that we didn’t go thirsty and repeatedly went out of his way to make sure my friends and I were happy.
When we sat down at our table, we were each excited to dive into the Round Guys’ selection. I promptly ordered the Original Slacker British Brown Ale for a starter. The pint glass that arrived contained a brew of a much darker hue then I was expecting; this beer was closer to black than brown. The aroma was mild, smooth, and very inviting. Coming in at 5.6% abv the body of this beer is light and extremely drinkable. The flavor consisted of toffee, caramel, toasted grains, and it finished slightly smoky. The light hopping gave it a mild and refreshing bite. This is a truly a great session ale that I could enjoy in any setting. The light body and rich flavor definitely reminded me of another Philly favorite, Yard’s Brawler Pugilist Style Ale.
The next beer up was the Fatbob XVII Belgian Tripel. This beer was a classic Belgian Tripel that is more focused on the spice. Some Belgian Strong Ales focus too much on overloading you with sweetness from candi sugar, but this beer is definitely a more well rounded brew. The Ardennes yeast gives it an authentic belgian flavor and great complexity. Overall, I enjoyed this beer but it didn’t stand out as an exceptional Belgian Tripel.
After finishing my Fatbob XVII I moved on to Round Guys’ BerlinerWeisster-WeissterBerliner. This Berliner Weiss had a nice flavor, which reminded me of a less sour, more drinkable wild ale. It had the light spicy flavor of a German wheat beer with a strong wild yeast flavor that made this beer stand out. I decided to also try the Berliner Weiss with the addition of raspberry syrup.
Before I proceed, I must confess that I thought this was terrible gimmicky idea. I figured this wheat beer with raspberry syrup would be an excessively sweet, excessively fruity beer, fit for Anheuser-Busch’s product portfolio. Thankfully I couldn’t be more wrong about this concoction. The addition of raspberry syrup was not only delicious, but it was far from gimmicky. When talking to the brewers, I learned that adding raspberry syrup is traditional in Germany and it is used to make the sour beer more palatable. The raspberry addition added a slight sweetness to this sour acidic beer and made this great beer even better.
During the event I had the chance to chat with Scott Rudich and Rich DiLiberto, the brewers that started Round Guys Brewing Company. Scott and Rich are two really friendly guys that obviously love the chance to talk beer and lend their brewing knowledge to others. The decision to open a brewery came when Rich called Scott and told him “we should either start a band or open a brewery.”
Seeing as though neither of them played instruments he quickly dismissed the idea of starting a band and agreed that opening a brewery was a great idea. Rich has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Scott has a B.S. in Biology so brewing was something they already had an interest in. They both had families and full-time jobs, so they started brewing in their free time. Through the whole process they were constantly figuring out how they could convert everything they were doing to a larger scale. In July of last year they were able to move into their current location located on Main Street in Lansdale PA and they have recently started distributing to local bars and restaurants.
Next time you head out for a drink keep an eye out for pints or bottles of Round Guys beer. Also, don’t be afraid of the raspberry syrup. They will be distributing their beer throughout Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County, Chester County, and Delaware County. You can keep updated on Round Guys Brewing Company through their website, Facebook, or Twitter.
Photographs credited to Nina Lea Photography & Arne Morin.
