Brewing in Bucks County Booms

Popular Broken Goblet Brewing on Grundy Lane in Bristol Township, right off Newportville Road, is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend.

On Saturday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m., Broken Goblet will be hosting Goblet Stock. The anniversary event will feature free admission, over 15 beers on tap and music by several artists, including Don Jamieson.

Broken Goblet opened in July 2014 and has already become one of Bucks County’s premier breweries, despite its young age. “The reaction to the beers has been positive. We’re ecstatic that we haven’t been written off for being so young,” said Mike LaCouture, one of the brewer’s four owners.

Inside Broken Goblet, the lights and music create a laid back mood; the owners and staff of the pub contribute to this feeling by making sure that they are personable and receptive to customers and patrons. Local musicians, including Langhorne resident Mike Estabrook, often play at the brewery’s stage.

According to LaCouture, Broken Goblet started with a very different business model than most breweries. While they sell beer to patrons, the brewpub is also equipped with a kitchen, and patrons can eat to their hearts content while they enjoy live music and fine brews.

“Our vibe is something that our customers say set us apart,” said LaCouture.

According to LaCouture, the brewery nearly ended up in Bristol Borough, however, the deal with the potential landlord fell through. The building owner at their current location has never been a landlord, let alone the landlord of a brewery, which allowed Broken Goblet to take on its unique vibe.

Broken Goblet is not the only brewery in Bristol Township, let alone the county as a whole. In the lower end, Broken Goblet is joined by Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, who has earned awards for their ‘Churchville Lager’ beer.

According to LaCouture, the crew at Neshaminy Creek have been more than helpful and insightful in helping Broken Goblet get it’s feet off the ground.

“I wouldn’t say we are special, because I would say that we are in awe of the breweries around us,” explained LaCouture.

Many of those breweries extend outside the Levittown area. In Yardley, where Vault Brewing is based, co-founder James Cain explained that their relationship with the other breweries in the area is “much like a brotherhood,” and described the connections of the breweries as a “nice network.”

Other breweries include Doylestown Brewing Company, Freewill Brewing Company in Perkasie, Naked Brewing Company in Lower Southampton and Triumph Brewing in New Hope.

As with other local breweries such as Broken Goblet and Triumph, their busiest days are Friday, Saturday and Sundays, however, Cain explained that Vault is busy every single day, for dinner.

With more breweries joining the established veterans of Bucks County, it appears as though the brewing scene throughout the county may continue to flourish.

When it comes to flourishing growth in small brewing, it is hard to compare one area of the country to the next. However, in recent years, the craft brewing scene has grown by leaps and bounds. According to brewersassociation.org, the percent of craft beer in America has increased 19.4 percent between 2013 and 2014. The sales in beer have also increased. In 2014, the craft beer market was responsible for $19.6 billion in sales, a 22 percent growth, according to the site.

Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association in Denver, Colorado, told PennLive.com in 2014 that at least one and a half breweries are opening daily across the United States.

Pennsylvania is around 20th in rank for breweries per 100,000 adults, but number one in terms of barrels produced,  LaCouture said, citing brewersassociation.org. “Pennsylvania is a powerhouse player in the craft industry in the United States.”

Comparing growth in brewing in Bucks County to any other area is difficult, explained LaCoture, because brewing size and growth is relative depending on the area it serves.

“I can say this about Bucks County: we have great water, we have a good mix of highly affluent and economically flexible people , and we are close to Philly while having more brewery options than in Center City,” said LaCouture.

LevittownNow.com Publisher/Editor Tom Sofield contributed to this story.