Saucony
Creek Brewing Company is named after the creek that runs through Kutztown (which
is a tributary of Maiden Creek). The restaurant is located in a former
Chevrolet dealership on Kutztown Road. The building features many floor-to-ceiling windows (because of its
previous life), so it is light and bright and spacious. The building is
minimalist in its décor: two areas of walls are covered with the ends of cut
lumber, which are a unique decorative touch. Other walls feature bright green (chartreuse)
paint for pops of color. Industrial-looking pendant lights hang over the bar
and the (possibly faux) wood tables. The restaurant offers three types of table
seating: regular low-top tables (which seat four people), small high-top tables
(which seat four people), and long communal high-tops (which hold at least eight
patrons). The smaller high-tops have bar stools with backs and cushioned
bottoms (the same kind that are positioned at the small bar), but the communal
tables have back-less and cushion-less stools. The high-top and communal tables
sport interesting metal piping as their legs. The restaurant can seat
approximately 80+ patrons at a time. The owners plan to build an outdoor patio
and beer garden in the future, which will be a great addition both because the
locale has the space to accommodate it and because the bucolic location will be
relaxing. A small room near the bar offers take-out beverages, where you can purchase
anything from a single bottle to a case, a growler, or a mix-and-match sampler.
Saucony Creek
Brewing Company produces “adventurous beers for adventurous people” (the owner of the brewery is a former
professional X Games participant) by brewing on a 15-barrel system (with an annual capacity of 6,000
barrels). Saucony Creek packages kegs and bottles and distributes them in
Northeastern Pennsylvania. Their master brewer comes to Saucony Creek from the Russian
River Brewing Company in California, and locally, from Fegley’s and Weyerbacher. The brewery makes three flagship beers: a
lager, an India pale ale, and a double IPA, as well as several seasonal beers.
Although the restaurant only opened in 2016, the brewery has been producing
beer since 2013. You can tour the brewing facilities; check their website for
details. You can order a flight/sampler in order to taste a variety of beers.
Although we did not order a beer flight, we were surprised to see that the
restaurant did not offer a placemat or paper that contained the names of the
beers as we have seen done elsewhere; it might be difficult for patrons to
remember what they drank and/or in what order, hindering their ability to
choose a favorite to re-order. Another suggestion is for the restaurant to
actually serve customers non-alcoholic beverages; when we ordered one of their
Kutztown sodas (they also serve Steaz ice teas, a fair trade product sold in
cans), we were told to help ourselves to whatever we wanted from the cooler/take-away
room. (We presumed that our server might deliver non-alcoholic as well as
alcoholic beverages to her customers, but disappointingly, the non-alcoholic
beverages were self-serve.)
Saucony Creek’s
chef formerly worked at the Glasbern, The Bookstore Speakeasy, and (now closed)
Pomme Verde in Easton. The restaurant is farm-to-table; with the owners growing some of
the ingredients that they use in their beer and food. Other ingredients are locally grown and
sourced wherever possible. Saucony Creek’s goal is to unite brewers, craftsmen,
chefs, farmers, friends, and local businesses. As appetizers, from the “Fork & Spoon”
category, we shared the Moroccan chickpea stew (served with pita triangles and
a dollop of yogurt) and from the “Shareables” category, we ordered the pierogis
(three to an order, and topped with sautéed onions and slices of ring bologna
set on a sweet mustard sauce). For one of our entrees, we ordered the double
burger melt from the “Handhelds” section (two grass-fed patties topped with
cheese, pickles, and sauce similar to Thousand Island dressing set atop a roll
and served with potato chips). Because the burger was called a “melt”, we
expected more of a patty melt type of dish, but it was like a regular
hamburger, just with two meat patties. The potato chips were the commercial
variety (not homemade), and the quantity was a bit paltry. We also ordered one
of the daily features: two thick slices of meatloaf dabbed with house-made
ketchup, set atop cauliflower puree and served with three thick (but tender and
tasty) grilled asparagus spears as our second entrée. For dessert, we shared
the strawberry shortcake, which included a nice slice of dense cake, topped
with fresh whipped cream and a freshly sliced strawberry, but also served with
(previously frozen) strawberries arranged on each side of the cake.
We
had an enjoyable lunch at Saucony Creek. Although we will not rush right back,
we will be happy to visit again in the future if we are in the area (there is a
real scarcity of decent restaurants nearby) to see how the restaurant (and the
outdoor patio) develop.
