North Wales Pourhouse Offers 120 Beers on Tap Plus… Poutine!!!
Story by Elspeth Misiaszek, photos by Alexander Waegel
The Pourhouse will be opening its doors in North Wales at 29 Airport Square on Sept. 21, 2015. With a full menu of upscale pub food, their selection of fine food and brews is sure to please the entire family.
Appetizers start at just $6 per plate, including mozzarella triangles, colossal shrimp with creole dipping sauce, and the ever classic pigs in a blanket.
What more could a beer geek ask for? Pretzel bites. Using Allagash white (an unfiltered Belgian wit bier) makes the pretzel cheese dipping sauce a stand-out option, even if you’re still sober when ordering.
Impressively, a local micro-brewery also finds a home on the menu at Pourhouse. Free Will Brewing Company, a Perkasie mainstay that has recently expanded, features a grapefruit-centric Saison de Rose.
Note that the Pourhouse is a family owned business as well. Their chain includes PJ Wheelihan‘s, but the family started with just one location before expanding.
Through the years, and nine locations later, they’ve never lost focus on what’s important; giving back to the local community.
Victory Brewing Company, another local Downingtown-based brewery, also takes center stage. Pourhouse is the number one seller of their beer. In a candid moment, Director of Operations Chris Webb tells us how important it is to him to seek out smaller, enthusiastic breweries.
In fact, Chris thrives on mentoring them to build their businesses to the level of success that Pourhouse has enjoyed.
It’s just this kind of hospitality that makes Pourhouse the place you want to spend your time …not to mention the 120 brews they offer on tap. Keep an eye out for expanding menu options. The North Wales location intends to offer larger portion dinner entrees. They’ll announce these selections shortly after their opening.
Additionally, don’t expect the Pourhouse to stand still for long. Chef Matt took a minute to advise Explore-Philly that he tests out his new ideas every Wednesday night, requesting feedback from those savoring his dishes.
When a concept is well reviewed, he’ll tweak the menu to ensure that North Wales always maintains the “neighborhood bar feel” Pourhouse has become known for.
Tom, the regional manager, also swung by to tell us a little more about the four wines Pourhouse will be featuring on tap, including a beautifully smooth Napa Valley Cabernet, as well as a blend red, Meritage.
So, yes, for those vino drinkers in North Wales, they’ll be an excellent selection of wines, on a rotating tap, waiting for you at the Pourhouse, too.
Finally, if you’ve been following Explore-Philly on Twitter, we took the plunge to sample both the Poutine (a Montreal favorite) and the short rib gravy fries. The verdict?
If you prefer a fry-centric snack, the Poutine used thicker fries and less gravy. The cheese curds were scattered on top as thick chunks.
The short-rib fries, however, were layered with hunks of thick, juicy meat, smothered in American cheese, and offered enough gravy to keep even the most discriminating Philadelphian quite pleased.
Despite Tim’s opinion that “they’re both different,” we’ve just got to say, hands down, order the short rib fries.
Wash them down with a Wooky Jack Black IPA and all will be perfectly right with the world by the time you finally leave the Pourhouse in North Wales … if you ever want to leave at all.
