Bill M.
Yelp
Other Half is one of those breweries I want to like more than I do. But then I ultimately compare it to the brewery that used to be in the space, and many breweries and beer-centered bars on the Fishtown trail, and it just shows where they have some serious grounds for improvement.
Ultimately, the indie beer snob in me is kicking myself for saying that a Budweiser IBev-owned brewery like Goose Island did things better than a rising indie brewery darling like Other Half. But in the grand scheme of things Goose Island was a brewpub that featured a plentiful food menu and a huge but well-rounded beer list, while in comparison Other Half has a still half-assed food menu with a lot of kinks and one of those beer menus that rely FAR TOO HEAVILY on IPAs and not nearly enough on other beer varieties.
Then you look outside of Other Half to see what other Fishtown area breweries like Evil Genius, Tired Hands St. Oners, and Human Robot are doing; and what beer bars like Bottle Bar East, Kraftwork, and Johnny Brenda's do in comparison, and that's where you start to see even more of a disconnect!
I don't care whether you name your beer after cheese, vegetables, basketball references, or give it an elaborate dreamscape name; if you 10+ IPAs on your beer list they eventually all start to taste exactly the same. The lack of beer variety is their main problem, but they shouldn't have to necessarily go through that IPA overkill since I've also enjoyed their Japanese rice lager, and MMM Fruit sour. I would also like to try more of their stouts if they didn't just cost around $10-12 for a 4 or 6 oz pour or $16 for a big bottle, which brings up their 2nd problem of pricing since their offerings are fairly overpriced compared to the many other breweries and beer bars in Fishtown.
The next thing that needs more work is the food menu. While the smash burger that I had was decent even if it was barely smashed, it just doesn't hold a candle to the burger offerings that you'll find at spots like Kraftwork, Lloyd Whiskey Bar, Johnny Brenda's, and others in the area; especially with the $16 price tag. They do also have plenty of fries, wings, sandwiches, and vegetarian options on the menu, but it also still feels a little thrown together.
Despite those issues, Other Half is still the best option for grabbing a quick bite before a show at The Fillmore or Punchline, and it still has the impressive outdoor seating area that Goose Island had. So it does have its pluses.