Mainstay Independent, a new brewery, is open in Philadelphia. This is exciting news for local craft beer lovers, of course, but also exciting for the city at large, as it represents the first phase in the exciting new food hall, Craft Hall, in the former Yards brewery on Delaware Avenue (Yards moved in October 2017 to a larger space on Spring Garden Street). Mainstay is a project between longtime local beer maker, Brian O’Reilly, and Philadelphia restaurateur, Avram Hornik.
You may know O’Reilly from his 20+ years of work at Sly Fox Brewing Company, and Hornik’s hospitality company, FCM Hospitality, is behind some of the city’s most popular gathering places, like Morgan’s Pier and Harper’s Garden. Mainstay Independent, which aims to “create and maintain a balanced portfolio of consistently excellent beers, independently brewed in the city that defined independence,” officially opened its taproom on Thursday, November 1, with hours from 4 to 8 p.m. A limited menu and the brewery’s first flagship beers, like Poplar Pils and King Laird Weisse are on offer. A small selection of cocktails and wines rounds out the menu options.
“Mainstay Independent’s focus will be brewing classic and New World beer styles with balance and passion,” says O’Reilly. O’Reilly is brewing all of the beers along with Andrew Foss, formerly of St. Ben’s Brewing.
Mainstay’s opening represents the first phase in the transformation of Craft Hall. The full space is scheduled to open in February, with seven vendors, including Mainstay Independent, Lost Bread Bakery and City Creek BBQ all under one roof.
“I like the idea of bringing all of these expert makers together in Craft Hall where the destination will be as much about the experience as it is about food,” says Hornik. “People will be able to enjoy the quality offerings individually or together, but they’ll also be involved.”
Though the rest of the space is still under construction, Mainstay’s taproom will hold hours Wednesday through Friday from 4 p.m.–midnight, Saturday noon–midnight and Sunday, noon–8 p.m. Stop by to welcome Mainstay Independent to the neighborhood and take a peek at what’s to come for Craft Hall!
Mainstay Independent is located at 901 N. Delaware Ave. in Philadelphia; (215) 422-3561.
- Photo: Mainstay Independent
