I remember reading about Earth Bread and Brewery (most likely from Suzanne Woods) when it first opened and being curious to try it. It sounded a lot like a professional version of what my partner does for fun – making craft brews and baking bread.¬†With the additional excuse of having friends who live equidistant, and who aren’t often able to come to the city, it still took a year to get out there. But get out there we eventually did.
The menu is not extensive, but it doesn’t pretend to be. Flatbreads – pizza really – is the focus of the menu. They are large and delicious. Six people split three flatbreads and there were left overs. I liked it better than Stella. A cheese plate was also ordered, which had the most amazing made in-house vibrant green basil cheese. ¬†They are very upfront about their¬†environmentalist / local foods¬†bent, from a perspective that is obviously sincere, rather than the green-washing that has become de rigeur.¬†They also seem passionate about their beers, offering several¬†varietals¬†for¬†disparate¬†palates, although having sampled around the table all the brews on draught, ¬†there was an undercurrent of sameness (same grains? one yeast strain?) to the different beers.¬†
The menu (but not the website) had most passive-aggressive¬†green-guilting I’ve ever seen, even given what I knew about their philosophy. It said something along the lines of we hope you drink our draft beer because it has a smaller footprint, unlike those bottled beers that have to be trucked in from far afield which damage the earth. Being from Portland, I am used to this mentality and took it in stride. I always drink what the brewery’s brewing, and their beers are good. Currently they are featuring a FreeTheHikers Scotch Ale, the proceeds of a fundraiser will go to the families of the three Americans hikers currently detained in an¬†Iranian¬†prison since accidentally crossing into the country last summer. More information at¬†freethehikers.org.
Colin Keefe from the Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space recently hit me up to inform me that I had the listings wrong. It’s not JUST this month that EB+B is showing members of the Northwest Artists Collective, but rather they always provide space for the artist collective on their walls, sometimes featuring specific members, other times creating thematic group shows, the hangings switching up every two months.¬†Good beer, good food, ethical causes, supporting local artists, what’s not to love? I hear they even have table tennis Tuesdays. We’ll¬†definitely¬†be back, and it’s nice to be reminded that quality establishments of course aren’t limited to places I can walk to in Center City.
Earth Bread and Brewery - 7136 Germantown Ave www.earthbreadbrewery.com
