Breweries
America’s greatest brewing city is reclaiming its sudsy heritage
In the mid-19th through the early 20th century, more than 90 breweries operated in Philadelphia proper, and another 100 more operated in the city’s environs. One northwestern region of Philly, located on the banks of the Schuylkill River, near Girard Avenue Bridge, became known as “Brewerytown.” As Brewerytown grew, area producers of German-style beers and American lagers expanded into the nearby Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods, and beyond.
The brewery boom came to an end in 1920, when Prohibition brought on the decline — and near demise — of virtually all of Philadelphia’s beer producers, the majority of which remained shuttered beyond the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.
But 60 years later, the Philadelphia region began reestablishing itself as a force in beer making. Throughout the city — from Kensington to Manayunk — and beyond — from Lafayette Hill to Phoenixville — independently owned breweries and brew pubs were handcrafting flavorful ales, lagers, stouts and meads that had all but disappeared from America’s beerscape.
Today, the Philadelphia area is home to several microbreweries that bring home gold and silver medals from international beer festivals and competitions every year. Throughout the region, suds-centric bars are serving local drafts alongside ale-friendly haute cuisine.
Twice a year, the Neighborhood Tourism Network hosts tours of Philadelphia’s historic and reemerging brewing neighborhoods of Fishtown and Kensington. The tour typically includes a visit to Kensington’s Yards Brewing Company, the only production brewery within city limits.