Brewerytown, located just north of Fairmount’s well-known attractions, was a booming location for breweries prior to Prohibition. Now, the somewhat isolated part of the city finds itself in a state of revitalization centered around the businesses on bustling Girard Avenue, one of the newest being the brewpub for Crime & Punishment Brewing Company.
The venue is modest, cozy and quaint, with wooden seating and a small bar for an intimate craft drinking experience. Seven acting members own the establishment, although Mike Wambolt has been the driving force behind the literature-obsessed and slightly rustic aesthetic of the joint.
Mike has lived in Brewerytown for six years, and began the business after working a few odd jobs and brewing his own recipes in his free time. He worked in Kensington for a while as a school counselor, and then found a gig working “dreadfully long days” painting white walls, sometimes pulling 70 hours a week. During that time, the young philosophy enthusiast had a lot of time to digest the Fyodor Dostoyevsky books he read on his breaks, as well as ponder what his next brew might be. He, with the help of some friends like Tom Baker of Earth Bread and Brewery, was able to brew high-quality beer and make a name for himself by selling out of Pizza Brain’s First Friday events. Eventually, timing and funding fell into place and, with the help of some more friends and a kickstarter campaign, Crime & Punishment Brewing Company officially opened its brewpub’s doors July 11 of this year.
In the main attraction realm of beverages, Crime & Punishment serves up unique beers that are worth a stop in. They have a range of brews that will appease amateur palates and raise curiosity in expert ones, and Wambolt said their goal is to “brew to style, but with our own subtle take on nuance and dryness.” Indecent Exposure, a fruity pale ale brewed exclusively with Citra hops, and Baker Street, an easy-drinking English session ale, are sure to welcome craft beer newcomers. Other standouts like the Behemoth Stout or 100 IBUs to Life, a hop-forward IPA that was also briefly brewed with habanero, will satisfy the bold craft brew seeker.
Crime & Punishment also delves into the odd history of brewing. One brew, named the Grod Inquisitor, follows the grodziskie style that originates from 14th century Poland, and tastes of smoky bacon and ham. Another uncommon brew, Graffiti The Wall, is a 3.7% berliner weisse that makes use of kettle souring and an absurd amount of cherries to create an experience reminiscent of sipping sweet, fruity champagne. Also playfully lingering on the menu was Jesus Wept, their Philly Pope Visit beer, which was a straightforward sour gose.
The food menu is impressive. The Russian-influenced fare focuses around housemade pelmeni, kielbasa sandwiches and assorted pickle plates. The chips and pickles were a nice snack to enjoy while hanging at the bar, especially when paired with the Baker Street or the Jesus Wept. Meanwhile, the seasonal butternut squash and sage pelmeni had a chewy outside and a sweet, moist inside that worked subtly well with the last remaining sips of their English session ale. Casually served in a plastic bowl, the unpretentious dishes can be snacked on while sipping a beer, chatting it up with the patrons and staff or watching whatever might be up on the flat screen.
Crime & Punishment Brewing Company obviously has their focus in brewing, but they are also incorporating their love for experimental indie rock with their physical product wing, known as Crime & Punishment Packaged Goods. The music-focused sect of the business releases cassette tapes from amazing local bands, like Mewithoutyou, as well as foreign artists, like Liverpool’s The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. The little cassette label is a small part of their business, but Mike hopes it continues to foster eccentric bands and builds a cult following.
In addition to holding normally scheduled happy hours and events, like beer-nerd football watching on Sundays, Crime & Punishment also hosts live music and film screenings. Because their focus is on local growth and betterment, the brewpub often brings in Philadelphia-based musicians and shows socially or environmentally conscious films. In addition to hosting events like these, Crime & Punishment has been giving back to the community by working with Neighborhood Bike Works and local Little League teams to field uniforms. Mike noted that he lives in the neighborhood and that the goal of the brewpub is to “be a part of the community, not just to move in.”
Over the course of their first four months, Crime & Punishment has seen good business and returning drinkers, which is already allowing them to make some upgrades. Currently their brews are almost exclusively served out of the brewpub, but the addition of two new fermenters will allow them to amp up production and start distributing throughout the city. Their goal is to have one fermenter dedicated to distribution beer, while the other three will be focused on producing beer to serve on draft at the pub or bottle into very limited releases. Mike mentioned a few ideas for bottle releases, including doing rare runs as low as 50 bottles, which means you can probably expect to see some lines down Girard Avenue in the coming months.
The brewpub is open pouring drinks Wednesday from 4–10 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday from 4 p.m.–midnight. The kitchen closes at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. In addition to happy hour specials, Crime & Punishment offers $5 Kielbasa, Salad or Soup Wednesdays and frequently hosts film screenings, poetry readings and other events geared toward sustainability and environmental issues. They also occasionally host parties to coincide with holidays and exclusive brews, like the upcoming Thanksgiving Eve, where they’ll be tapping a one-night only Pumpkin Stout, or the annual Crime and Punishmas, which brought out a packed house last year.
Look for Crime & Punishment to keep making progress with its neighborhood’s revival and, if you’re a suburb dweller, make sure to stop by next time you’re in the city visiting one of the many nearby attractions. If things keep looking up for Brewerytown, it won’t be too long before there are even more.
Crime & Punishment Brewing Company is located at 2711 W. Girard Ave. in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia; phone: (215) 235-2739. Get updates on Faceboook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Photos: Jay Breslin
