Kathleen D.
Yelp
A few weeks ago I posted a list of places to visit and things to do before leaving the country, and one of my friends sent a message inviting me to Broken Goblet. He had purchased a Groupon and it was expiring, so it was perfect timing all around.
BG is an hour from my current home base, but everything is far from where I am currently, so it wasn't a deal breaker. Plus I'd been curious about this spot for a long time.
When I drove up, I saw it was on the edge of a business complex in a random, unassuming location. AKA: A typical brewery setup.
I walked inside and it was surprisingly dark and inviting. They had some great music playing through the small space. There's a bunch of seating when you first walk in. The bar is back to the right with single stall bathrooms right across the way. The brewery operations are in the back.
I arrived first, so I mentioned my friend was on his way with a Groupon and had a seat at the bar to wait. They offer a 5-beer sampler flight for $8, and if I had been on my own, I would have ordered that.
Instead, my friend's Groupon was exchanged for four carafes of beer. Bartender's choice. You could later cash in a token for a pint of your choice. I can't complain that much since it wasn't my voucher, but there was way too much beer for me to pleasantly consume....and some of them were styles I flat out didn't like.
Bartender's choice just seems like a daring move for a brewery. People often have polarizing beer preferences. I'd take a sour over an IPA any day, but I know that's not always the norm. As such, I only took a small pour of the assigned IPA carafe and my friend had the rest.
Our other beers were the cream ale, the black rye, and the tea bag. I also wasn't a fan of the rye. It's just not my thing in general and felt too heavy for the season. I did, however, really enjoy the tea (plum, apple, cinnamon notes) and the cream ale.
I didn't want to drink a ton, so I didn't cash in the token. I would have loved to try their saison since I trekked so far to check out the brewery, but it was a high ABV and there was no way I could deal with that.
So, basically:
- Yes, I'd recommend the brewery itself. They appear to have a great operation and they're even down the road from Neshaminy Creek Brewing so you could brewery hop.
- No, I'd say to pass on the Groupon offer unless your end goal is to drink a bunch. It's just better to try small samples based on personal preferences at breweries, IMO. I feel like most people would agree with me.