Ardmore and neighboring Haverford appear to be two very wealthy towns. Driving to Tired Hands directly from central-Vermont was just over 7 hours after stopping for food and gas and we arrived just as the doors opened. While unloading my car, Jean, head-brewer at Tired Hands yelled out, “the guy with the Heady Topper can come on in.” We brought some gifts for Jean (Lawson’s Toast Black IPA, Hill Farmstead Friendship & Reunion, Edith and a 4-pack of Heady Topper) and some Tired Hands growlers to be filled.
The setup is smaller than I thought and after reading each batch of beer is only 12 kegs worth, it’s quite amazing the notoriety this small brewery has received in only a short time since opening.
Meeting the Brewery and Staff:
Jean and the staff prepping food and filling growlers were all friendly, kind, courteous and awesome. We had a fantastic time at Tired Hands simply on service alone. Sitting right at the bar, we ordered some candied bacon, bread and some pickled vegetables. Everything tasted great and our growlers were filled while we waited. Jean answered a lot of questions I had and said goodbye before heading out. The brewpub gets busy very quick with patrons arriving an hour after opening having to sit upstairs since all downstairs seats were full.
The Beer:
The view of the brewery part of TH was incredible to think they’re brewing as much as they are and even doing some barrel aged beers. There was nothing extreme on tap, no ale was over 8% and most were very enjoyable on a warm spring day in Pennsylvania. I’ve never had a growler fill of a barrel aged beer but their Biere de Garde was on tap and I got 64 ounces of it to take home.
The beers were all great with nothing falling below the 3.5 out of 5 area at least for my tastes. I enjoyed the simplicity of them and my GF loved all of them as well which is always surprising especially for hoppy beers. We enjoyed a growler of Farm Hands 8 days after being filled and carbonation was still well contained and it tasted great.
The Food:
It’s definitely a pre-prepared food joint with almost everything cooked in advance but enough to soak up the alcohol while you’re drinking. The bread was other worldly and the candied bacon was exceptional. They did a very good job with these.
The price:
We got out of there for about $100 and that’s 2 plates of food, some beers there and a few growlers to go that we enjoyed over the next week or so. With a friendly staff and delicious beers, I look forward to going back again to get more of this quality beer. Thanks Jean and staff for your hospitality.
Looks like a great little spot. How big is their brewhouse? Are the batches 12 sixtels or half barrels worth at a time?
That’s a good question on the size of the kegs. I honestly don’t know.
The brew house was very small though. I can’t find a photo of it and didn’t snap one. With the amount of new beers every week, it’s safe to say though that each batch is small.
I worked out with a guy a trade where we send growlers back and forth. he sends me TH growlers (whatever is new 3 per month) and I send Hill Farmstead back to him. I’m excited to try more of Jean’s beer.