If we told you Crowded Castle has only been open for 4 months, we’d understand why you wouldn’t believe us. Maybe it’s the fact that when you walk in their taproom it looks like it was pulled straight out of a magazine. Or could it be that their tap handles are not only plentiful, but also look like they were designed by a true professional.
Either way, when you walk into Crowded Castle you’ll think they’ve been a part of the Phoenixville landscape for years, and not just a 4 month old brewery.
While the location is amazing, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We were lucky to spend some time with head brewer Mark Sofio to learn more about this brewery. Crowded Castle is the brainchild of the “W5 Homebrew Club”. A group of neighborhood home brewers who, much like most home brewers, loved getting together to make delicious beer. The W5 Homebrewers have too much of a history for this article, so read more of their story here.
But back to Crowded Castle……
One conversation with Mark and it didn’t take long to realize he didn’t start this brewery to just start a business. Instead he started this brewery because someone with that much beer knowledge has no choice but to open a brewery. It’d be like Tom Brady not playing football; it just can’t happen.
Marks knowledge isn’t just about when to pitch the yeast or when to add the malt, it runs deeper than that. He knows the science behind beer. In fact, what really stuck out to us was when Mark told us how he didn’t really prefer to brew a certain beer style. And then proceeded to tell us the science behind how that beer style was made. I don’t know about you, but if you don’t like something you probably aren’t educated on it very well. Not Mark, he had no problem rattling off the science behind a style of beer he admitted he had no interest in.
Imagine how knowledgeable he is about styles he enjoys???
And that knowledge proves itself in the beer they brew. Try out the Rum Raisin Stout. Think you’ll be getting raisin flavoring? Nope, you’re getting real raisins in a delicious stout beer! How about the Midsummer IPA? A beautifully flavored IPA that stays away from the haze trend that is over saturating the IPA world and instead brings you a mouthful of flavor. Check out the rest of their other beers here.
Crowded Castle didn’t just dip their toe into the commercial brewery world, they made a full blown splash! One step into their brewery in downtown Phoenixville and we are sure you are to feel the same way.
Whether it’s their merchandise……
Their spacious seating……
Or even their game corner……
Crowded Castle has done an amazing job at creating one of the premier locations Phoenixville has to offer (which is not an easy accomplishment). So the next time you are spending an evening in Phoenixville, or are looking for a brewery that is sure to amaze you, make sure you stop in Crowded Castle.
Oh yeah, and grab some beer to go, they can do that too!
