Saturday, September 3, 2011

North Wales Has A Brewery?!: Prism Brewery



Today I felt like Magellan or like Columbus… only lazier. I rolled over in bed this morning and reached for (as most of you probably do, but hate to admit it) the Internet. I was researching the Jenkintown Fest. It sounded like a hoot with a brew fest. It was at this point that I made my sleepy-eyed discovery. Scrolling the list of participating brewers, what did I see? Prism Brewery (click here for a link to the site) of North Wales is participating.

North Wales has a brewery?! I promise it was like the discovery of the Americas, 2.0. There are additional continents in the world? A few hundred years later – There’s beer being brewed within biking distance of me? How could I have not known this before today?

However, beer being brewed under one’s nose is a mute point. You and I both know the matter is whether good beer is being brewed. This is, indeed, good beer. I sampled all eight brews on tap and liked all but one. I simply didn’t like the sour (Sorry. It’s name illudes me at the moment) because I don’t care for that style and in no way did it reflect poor craftsmanship on the brewer’s part.

Rob, the brew master, has taken the time to select unique ingredients that set his beers apart, but is careful to not bog down the taste buds. For instance, Par Tea marries a pale Ale and whole leaf tea. Bitto Honey is the flagship IPA that is infused, of course, with honey. For those of you looking for a little more meatiness to your suds; the Insana Stout tosses in a helping of bacon. It works. Beyond taste the beer manages to attain a status of altruism. Two dollars of every pint of Chemosabe goes to help a local girl fight cancer. It’s a solid brew, making it easy to toss back a couple and feel good about helping someone out.

Rob is proving to be a man with a clear vision. Jack: bartender, friend of Rob’s and comrade in business is a welcoming, down to earth addition to the bar. It all comes together well. Casual, intimate, fun and small are what Prism needs in a full service bar right now. If they tried to pull off anything else more pretentious it would bomb in a second in this area. It just wouldn’t be relatable to the demographic. Walking in, I got the impression that this was the kind of place where people who know each other can come, have some beer, watch sports, listen to music, grab a well-made, cheap hot dog and shoot the shit. Really, isn’t that what most people want? I know you’re about to start singing the theme to Cheers any minute. Instead, just go straight to Prism, grab a growler and fill it up.


Getting There:

You’ll need help. If there was one draw back to the brewery, it’s the lack of advertisement in the immediate area. I found it, but I was determined - on a mission. I feel bad for all the local people missing out. If only there was a sign on main street or even right outside of Dickerson. I know it’s a costly investment probably with some sort of bureaucratic red tape involving zoning, but I hope it’s high on the to do list.


2 comments:

  1. Great find, K! I can't wait to visit this place when I'm in town next time. A word of caution, also: you *can* get pulled for biking under the influence. Jussayin'. ;-)

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  2. lol. Great point. Big Bro always lookin' out for little sis. xo

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