Rushing Duck Brewing Company is a small, family-owned brewery in Chester’s Historic District, making beer that ranges from hop-forward IPAs to Belgian-influenced, barrel-aged and sour releases. Founded as Dan Hitchcock’s college-dorm brewing idea in 2006, the company began selling beer in August 2012 with help from his father, Les. Its 20-tap tasting room also serves as a Hudson Valley gathering place, hosting regular live music and special metal and punk shows.
Moo-Duck BrewerySince 2014, Moo-Duck Brewery has been a small family-owned and operated brewery and pub in Elizabethtown, handcrafting unfiltered beer in small batches on a hand-built brewing system. Brewer-owner Mike’s recipes respect traditional styles while making room for unconventional ingredients and techniques, with twelve seasonally rotating taps and a locally sourced food menu. The taproom also keeps community at the center through an ongoing charity beer program, live music, and a no-TV, conversation-first atmosphere.ELIZABETHTOWN, PA
Bucks County BreweryBucks County Brewery brews craft beer in Pipersville, pairing its taproom with a large outdoor beer garden built for relaxed, family- and dog-friendly gatherings. Its flagship Chuicy Chowey Wowie anchors a rotating lineup that includes inventive pours such as a jalapeño saison made with peppers from the owners’ backyard. From April through November, the brewery turns weekends into a local social calendar with live music, food trucks and its own ChuicyStock celebration.PIPERSVILLE, PA
Crooked Eye BreweryEstablished in February 2014, Crooked Eye Brewery grew from Jeff Mulherin’s kitchen experiments into a Hatboro brewery producing beer on a seven-barrel system. Its founders—Jeff and Paul Mulherin and Paul Hogan—combine different work experiences around a shared passion for brewing, while the taproom adds a distinctly local gathering place with live music from area bands and its own house band.HATBORO, PA
Double Groove Brewing CompanyDouble Groove Brewing Company grew from four Harford County friends’ shared brewery-hopping habit into a Forest Hill brewery where craft beer and classic rock vinyl are part of the same experience. The four owners shaped the taproom around Craig’s collection of more than 3,000 albums, while brewer Mark advanced his training through the American Brewers Guild after their home-brewed IPA won a local competition. Its name refers to the rare record groove that can send a needle to different tracks—an apt idea for a tap list that changes from visit to visit.FOREST HILL, MD