About two weeks after Aristaeus Craft Brewing Co. opened a friend had reached out to see if I had checked out the brewery yet – I had not. I like to give new places a good four to six weeks to work out the kinks before I visit. Fast forward a couple days from that conversation only to find myself at the brewery. Who am I to turn down an invitation to celebrate a family member’s birthday with a beer or two? 

Even though Aristaeus had only been open a couple of weeks rest sure they have all the kinks worked out. Right from the beginning I was impressed with the attention to detail…the logo/branding is beautiful, the building is upscale casual and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The decor is clean and contemporary with rustic accents such as the exposed ceiling and an old piano on the wall. Even though the overall brewery is small they have made the most of the space and laid it out in such a way that it’s spacious and inviting. There’s plenty of seating at the bar plus ledge seating around on the opposite wall and the brewing floor plus both high top and regular tables to choose from. Outside there’s some seating out front and a large patio area on the side that overlooks the train tracks. Dogs are welcomed on the patio!

The other thing that really stood out was the sense of community that is evident from the moment you arrive. They clearly state CRAFT. LOVE. COMMUNITY. and follow that up with partnering with local businesses in the area. Several of their food offerings are from local businesses and the wine they serve is from the Lehigh Valley. #supportlocal 

Not only do they support local businesses but the sense of community is shown with how welcomed they make each patron feel.

On this particular day there were seven (out of twelve) beers on tap and the variety was nice. Of course, I ended up trying all seven but what shocked me was that I ended up going with the Kalapa Stout 5.5% for my full pour. It’s been forever and a day since I ordered a stout. This one was easy drinking with hints of toasted coconut and cocoa without the roasted coffee that can over power some stouts. 

The other beer that really stood out to me was the Alpha Brown 5%. Woohoo, I love when there’s a brown on the tap list and glad to see them a bit more now. This Southern English brown did not disappoint. It had that nuttiness I just love with a good brown ale balanced by the malts and finishes clean. 

The tap list was rounded out by a Rye Saison, Irish Red, Cream Ale, Belgian Blonde and a Session IPA. This gal was so pleasantly surprised to see a session IPA on the list. For me, personally, I just need a break from the hazy IPA’s and was happy on this warm day for a session IPA. Cascade Affect 5% is a clean classic easy drinking IPA, how refreshing. 

As I previously mentioned there is a small snack menu plus you can bring in your own food and on the day I visited there was food truck in the parking lot. So plenty of options if you’re hungry. On this particular visit I enjoyed a soft pretzel with hot mustard. I’m hoping they partner with a local cheese place to make a beer cheese to accompany the pretzels. They also offer wine and hard seltzers plus cold brew coffees for the non beer drinkers.  

Aristaeus Craft Brewing Co. is a welcome addition to the community and a place I look forward to watching how they grow. One can tell they put a lot of thought and attention to making sure their guests are comfortable and appreciated while brewing good beer which makes me really look forward to my next visit.

Next up this Gal returns to her 2021 Breweries to Visit list.

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