Brewery ARS Finally Opened in South Philly

The last Eater heard about Brewery ARS was back in March, when brothers Sean and Andy Arsenault were still dealing with the mass amounts of permitting involved with opening a brewery in Philadelphia. But this weekend, after a long year of building out the space and brewing a whole lot of ales, the brother-twins Arsenault opened their very own brewpub at 1927-29 West Passyunk Avenue in an old auto body shop.

The brewery is Belgian ale/Saison-focused, which, in the realm of craft beer (where only the hoppiest reign king), is a breath of fresh air. They’ve tapped four beers to start: two saisons, an American pale ale, and a winter-friendly English chocolate porter. Four more are soon to come. Food is BYO, so stop by nearby Nick’s, Philip's Steaks, or Florida Style Pizza for some classic South Philly eats before you pop in for a drink inside ARS’s 49-seat tasting room.

With Manatawny Still Works opening its own tasting room on East Passyunk Avenue and Brewery ARS living up the scene over on the west side, it's encouraging to see some makers' life spawn for the first time outside of the Fishtown and Kensington neighborhoods.

Hours are weekends-only for now, 5-10 p.m. on Friday, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

• Checking In with Brewery ARS, Stockyard Sandwich Company, and Bar One [EPHL]
• West Passyunk Gets Its Very First Craft Brewery [EPHL]
• Brewery ARS Sets Opening Date [Foobooz]