Taking up the same space originally occupied by Broken Goblet, Bristol’s SECOND SIN BREWING COMPANY opened in 2019 (with a second location in Newtown since 2024). A casually conventional tap house with eight-seat right side cement top bar, rounded tables and community benches atop a yellowed concrete floor, Second Sin’s white tile ceiling fits the light Industrial mall complex.
There are lanterns above the bar, a fine bottled beer collection upon the shelves and a front walled TV. The metal-sided outside deck increases seating.
My wife and I joined a full house Saturday afternoon, February ’25, to try four of the dozen draughts available.
Dry Faux-Talian Pils, sprayed floral-spiced lemon spritz upon its earthen barnyard parch and raw-honeyed pilsner malting.
Flirty red cherry tartness penetrated soft-toned fruit ale, Cherry Seinfeld, prodding white grape esters before reaching its caramelized Belgian Flanders red ale base.
Mild lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering picked up frothy oated wheat creaming for Oatey-Boi, a double dry-hopped IPA with ancillary pineapple, mango, green grape and peach illusions joining the spritzy fruit cocktail.
Mexican-styled mole knockoff, Lil’ Mole, seeped bitter dark chocolate into cinnamon-spiced mulato peppers and bittersweet vanilla beans, leaving charred hop resin on the Band-aided backend.
One of the many Bristol, PA. brewpubs popping up since 2018 or so, BROAD STREET BREWING started slinging delightful stylish suds for hearty blue collar working stiffs in July ’23. Right off the 95 turnpike inside a smallish white colonial-styled strip mall with maroon awning, this friendly low profile joint has a certain casual charm.
Showing an appreciation for the City of Brotherly Love, there are framed Philly skyline photos on the walls and Flyers/ Phillies banners along the bar. The simple epoxy-floored interior features an aluminum-sided wood top bar and several wooden picnic tables.
My wife and I gathered on an early Saturday eve, February ’25, to sink six tapped brews.
Flagship Independence Lager, a clear-yellowed ‘Classic American’ light body, let lemon lime soda fizz perk up crisp pilsner-malted cereal graining in sessionable fashion.
Sessionable summertime Mexican-styled spritzer, Broad Street Lime, let light limey bittering pick up zesty pineapple perk over freshly baked white breading.
One of Broad Street’s most popular brews, approachable Belgian Wit, 201 North, let mild coriander-spiced navel orange peel sweetness placate its buttered wheat breading.
Tropical fruited Mosaic hops ride above creamy oated wheat for Broad Street Bully, an Imperial IPA with brisk pineapple, mango, navel orange and tangerine tanginess drifting into soft pine tones.
“Assertive” West Coast IPA, Drop Top, secured piney grapefruit bittering and sunny lemon zesting with candied pale malt sugaring.
For dessert, velvety (12% ABV) pastry stout, Right Side Of the River, combined roasted coffee, creamy vanilla and brown chocolate in a unique caramelized campfire setting.
Just down the road from the Delaware Riverbanks of Bristol in a narrow red brick shop, NAKED BREWING came to fruition in 2012 at its still-thriving Huntington Valley locale. A few years hence, Naked Brewing expanded to include this inconspicuously spacious Bristol taproom. Its rustic tavern feel secures the cozy main space as the olden wood floor, red brick side walls, barreled tables and bright red furnishings reinforce the tight 10-seat, L-shaped bar.
But that’s only part of the Naked experience. There’s also a cement-floored downstairs space with small stage area, wood tables and chairs and a 12-seat bar connected to a benched alleyway beergarden leading to the riverbank parking lot. Plus, the back-spaced kitchen served loaded hot dogs plus the New England clam chowder and Cuban sandwich my wife and I enjoyed alongside several diversified brews Saturday at noon, January ’25.
Concocting experimental elixirs (including a few “pub-styled” Old World Euro styles), founding head brewer Jim Crossland lets his creativity run wild with dazzling one-offs and recurrents.
A dryer hefeweizen variant, Lord Helmet Cran-Orange drizzled cranberry-soured lemon fizz and spritzy orange mist over blanched banana-clove sweetness as green grape esters and yellow guava reinforced mild finishing sourness.
Weirdly nebulous pretzel-inspired gose, Salty Phukker, spackled pink Himalayan salt and dill-pickled ground mustard across its coriander-seeded citrus zing.
Quirky barrel-aged biere de garde, Louis de Garde Dawg, temptingly engulfed ginny orange liqueur boozing with oaken white grape-skinned gooseberry and guava tartness over dry lagered pale malts.
Another unconventional Revolutionary Era barrel-aged doozy, 1681 Olde Ale stayed dry as Dad’s Hat Rye whiskey influenced molasses-sapped dried fruiting, red-wined grape esters and ripe cantaloupe sweetness.
Dry Imperial IPA, Krampus Cat, a local fave, sashayed zesty Azacca/Idaho 7-hopped lemon, clementine and guava fruiting thru mild black tea musk, delicate pine tones and floral wisps atop soft flaked oats.
Lovely Bananas Foster-inspired Belgian dark ale, Headboard Dismount, draped chocolate syrup all over vanilla-creamed banana puree as spiced rum, bananas flambe and fried plantain sweetness scurried thru.
Dark-roasted coffee dryness saddled caramel-burnt, nut-charred English brown ale, Freckles Angry, gaining black patent malt bittering.
Confectionery Tiramisu-inspired golden coffee stout, The Blonde Barrister, let milk-sugared El Salvadorian coffee seep thru bittersweet cacao nibs, eggy chocolatey vanilla custard creaminess and mild Graham Cracker sugaring.
Easygoing dry Irish stout, TEDStout, indulged its mild coffee-roasted dark chocolate bittering with a nutty wood burnt hop char and burnt toast remnant.
Rye-whiskeyed rum barrels informed barrel-aged Imperial Stout, Hello Starshine, sliding dry bourbon spicing into syrupy dark chocolate and oaken vanilla while tertiary black licorice, rum raisin, bourbonized fruitcake, maple molasses and candied nut illusions sashayed.
