NORTH WALES, PENNSYLVANIA
Completely redesigning and renovating the same blush pink-fronted commercial industrial space defunct brewery, Prism, previously occupied, MC ALLISTER BREWING COMPANY crafts some of the most expressive beers in Pennsylvania. Re-creating a loosely defined Speakeasy feel, this tidy North Wales pub came to fruition December 2018.
Dedicatedly detailed co-owners Mike and Kate Mc Allister got inspired to open their own small brewery during a honeymoon trip to Denver’s Great Ameircan Beer Fest. College friend, Seth Montz (a former military man) then joined the married couple (a cop and nurse) on their nostalgic zymurgic venture, niftily capturing the spirit of yore.
A rustic warehouse turned into a Prohibition Era saloon, this nifty watering hole features a sidewinding 20-seat mid-space mahogany bar with twelve-plus draught handles. Its snazzy original wood floor, reupholstered wood booths, olden red brick walls, exposed ceiling pipes and four front tables retain a certain antiquity.
When the weather’s fare, there’s a roomy metal-furnished front deck with siding for extra seating. A small billiard-centered game room’s to the right upon entering and the brew tanks are behind the bar.
My wife and I chow some beer-cheesed pretzels while dabbling with a dozen dandy delectables early February, ’22.
Judiciously combining stylish orange-peeled coriander spicing with tangy peach zest and banana pureed clove sweetness, fulsome witbier, Movin’ To The Country, heightened its fruitful fortitude with spritzy red cherry, pineapple, pink grapefruit and strawberry illusions plus random cucumber-humidified watermelon rind snip. Highly recommended.
Dewily soft-toned yellow-cleared German pilsner, Gras Mahen, let dry perfumed citrus musk seep into lightly spiced cereal graining.
Dryly citric-spiced Winter Lager plied its sharp orange-peeled cinnamon stick adjunct and nutty cocoa tones to subtle woody Chinook/Simcoe-hopped bittering.
Bubbly orange-juiced champagne spritz pervaded Mimosa knockoff, Baller Beermosa, a Citra-hopped moderation with an Orangina soda twist.
Tart blood orange adjunct gathered citric-derived tangerine, clementine and mandarin juicing for Hindsight, a sugary pale malted NEIPA.
Sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and dry wood tones informed Shovel Buddy, a briskly moderate Citra-Apollo-hopped New England IPA.
Packing a punch while retaining a mild mouthfeel, multi-hopped Imperial IPA, Blackthorn, mingled waxy grapefruit-peeled tangerine, mandarin orange and tangelo oiling with resinous dank wood tones and musky grains.
Nutty mocha and sour dried fruiting saddled mossy First Love Brown Ale, allowing black grape, fig and prune desiccation to flourish below the surface.
Confectionery sweet-toothed brown ale, Campfire S’More, loaded yummy vanilla-sugared marshmallow, toffee and butterscotch above its honeyed Graham Cracker base.
Dry cocoa-beaned dark chocolate syrup draped Porter’s Porter, leaving coffee-burnt vanilla tannins on its bitter back end.
Buttery Chardonnay wining, creamy banana liqueur and burnt orange murk grazed tripel-like malt liquor, Clown Puncher, a Scotch-licked, corn-liquored 9% ABV strong ale.
For an early nightcap, rich bourbon vanilla-creamed brown chocolate sweetness anchored Sir Fuzzy Pants, a burgundy-licked bourbon-aged Imperial Stout with hazelnut-glazed pecan, almond, praline and coconut niceties.