Crooked Eye Brewery
Last night I visited a local brewery near me. It was a lot of fun meeting and talking to one of the owners. I had a great time talking to one of the owner's Jeff Mulherin. I was introduced to Jeff by a regular at a bar I used to work at, her name was Linda. Linda knows my passion is beer and thought I should check out this brewery, so we visited the brewery last night. Jeff gave me a tour of the brewery and then we got down to talking beer and tasting some brews. Crooked Eye was thought up in 2013 and officially licensed in 2014. They opened up in February 2014, right on Super Bowl Sunday. Originally started with homebrewing and a five gallon extract batches to their current 7 barrel brewing. Crooked Eye brews can be found in many local area bars, which is big for a growing brewery to help spread the notoriety. I think that having their brews available at local bars allows for a bigger growth and if people are not able to get it at the bar, they can always visit the brewery.
I loved the openness and the local community vibe that I saw when I visited the brewery. It was a monday night at brewery, which most breweries are not open on monday's. When I first walked in the brewery had just opened and then after a half hour of being there, the brewery began to get regulars trickling in and stopping in. Some filled growlers and left. Others sat and had a few brews, while enjoying the company of others.
View of the Tasting Room
I think I enjoyed the openness the most last night. It allowed people to come on in and have a brew while still enjoying others company. I think the tasting room makes me feel like I am at home. Gives you the feel of the brewery as well, since you are able to see into the back room, where the beer is brewed. Now this picture was taken how the tasting room looks right now, but the tasting room used to be a lot smaller and not a tasting room. It only had the taps and a little bar set up.
Old pic of the Tasting Room off of Instagram
Jeff and I began talking brews after the tour. I really enjoyed the fermentation area where he had some special brews going. I especially was interested in the Saison that he is aging in a Cabernet barrel. If you are interested in getting first shot at some unique brews like this, you might want to join their mug club. The mug club allows you to be able to get try the beer before everyone else. Jeff was telling me that they will open a tasting up for the mug club, for three days then open it up to the public. I love the idea of the mug club and showing support for the brewery. The brewery hangs the mugs up at the bar for the supporters and Jeff showed me one that had someone's shoelaces around the handle from their first marathon.
Another awesome thing is about this brewery is the trip down memory lane. The have a vinyl player and a corner that has collection of vinyls to choose from.
Vinyl Player and Vinyls to look at.
Let's talk about what brew I tried while I visited them. If you are at one of the tables in the tasting room the picture below is on each table and gives a brief description of each brew.
Tap list on the Tasting room Tables
Beer Board
This beer board shows what is available and the prices for flights, growlers, pints. It also shows the alcohol by volume for each brew, just in case you are curious. In addition, it has a spot on the board to show what is in fermentation. Which is great to see, because it shows you what is upcoming.
Here is what I sampled last night.
My beer flight
Owner, Jeff Mulherin
First I started with their White Tail Ale. After trying this brew I really enjoyed the take on a White Ale. The ginger added in to this brew was delicious and something I thoroughly enjoyed. Sometimes for me there is too much coriander in White Ales, but this brew gave me just enough and the light body made me really enjoy this beer. White Tail Ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 3.8%, which you could say is on the lighter side, but to me it's just right.
White Tail Ale
Next I sampled the Accidental Pale Ale. I get hesitant with Pale Ales, but when I took my first sip of this brew I really notice the sessionability of it. You do not get a big hit of bitterness that you would in most Pale Ales, but you get just enough of the bitter note. For someone like me, I could have a few of these and that is a big deal for me. The alcohol by volume or ABV of the Accidental is 4.5%.
Accidental Pale Ale
Then I tried the Regimental 80 Scottish Ale. I found it helpful to take a picture of the beer next to the name so I remembered, what I was drinking at the time. This Scottish Ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 4.7%. I think out of all the brews this was the most sessionable and something that had a nice smooth body.
Regimental 80 Scottish Ale
This brew is an intriguing one. It's Top Hat Brown Ale, it is intriguing because the name comes symbol for the town of Hatboro. That is the Top Hat. The local high school is known as the Hatters. I love the incorporation of the local town. This brown ale had nice roasted taste note and nice caramel aroma that brought you into this brew. The alcohol by volume or ABV on this brew is 5.3%.
Top Hat Brown Ale
Next up was the ESB, which is an Extra Special Bitter, an English Pale Ale. This ESB was probably one of my three favorites when I visited the brewery. It had just the right bitter note and the right malt forward notes in the brew. The ESB has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 6%.
Extra Special Bitter
Jeff and I were talking about beers and what our favorite styles were I explained that I am more of a dark beer fan. Jeff talked about India Pale Ales or IPA's and he then poured me the Double IPA from the brewery. To be honest the ABV is not as noticeable which can be dangerous, but the bitterness from the IBU wasn't bad as well. I did not think I was drinking a Double IPA. The alcohol by volume or ABV of this brew is nine percent.
The last beer I tried was the Black Eye Stout. Which was my favorite by far. I enjoyed the sweetness from the Oatmeal Stout. The coffee and chocolate notes were pleasant as well. I real enjoyed the toasty finish and the roasted body. One of the bartender came up with an idea for a rim around the top of the glass for this brew. They added a sugar rim and it took this brew to another level. The Black Eye Stout has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7.5%.
Black Eye Stout
Overall, I do not think I had a bad brew when I visited. I thoroughly enjoyed all the beers and getting to know Jeff. The brewery is one you should keep an eye out for and if you are in the area you should stop on by. The fun part about Crooked Eye is the tagline, or more of a catch phrase. "For What Ales You."
One of the glasses
View from Outside the Brewery
View of the Beer Board and Mugs from the Mug Club
Crook Eye Calendar of Events
Make sure you check out Crooked Eye Brewery next time you are in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. Check out Crooked Eye Brewery on their Website and their Social Media to stay update with them.
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