Breweries have been popping up around the region faster than you can chug a lager, but there’s one that’s been around that might be worth revisiting if you haven’t been in a while. Or make time for a special trip. You’ll get the sense from the brightly painted ornate woodwork visible the moment you pull up: it’s colorful with history, hauntings and whimsy.
Walking into the world of Bube’s Brewery is not only a step back in time but also a peek inside the creative mind of the owner and soul behind what it is today, Sam Allen. “You can tell you’re not in the average restaurant, and it’s a full time job living up to that,” explains Allen, who started working at the restaurant straight out of college in 1981 and took over as owner in 1982. He’s made his life’s passion preserving the history here—tied in with his appreciation for theater, as he even acts in the murder mystery dinners. Here, the story of Alois Bube (pronounced Ala-wees Boobee) and the history of his brewery are artistically preserved and celebrated. Luxurious themed feasts in the catacombs, special events and weddings, plus nine whimsically themed guest rooms like “the good princess” suite at the old hotel are all a part of the original brewery and tavern. The Mount Joy landmark was built in 1860 around the cave where guests now enjoy dinner and shows. The brick building housed the beer made there by Alois Bube, and the Central Hotel accommodated guests. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Bube’s is the only intact brewery from the 1800s left in the United States.
The Bottling Works, where the beer was once bottled, is the eccentric bar where diners can enjoy a casual menu and some of the house brewed beers, like a hybrid apple cider and lager. “It’s fun to have a brewery that can be light on its feet” and experimental with small batch beers, Allen notes. “We want to be a good beer bar,” he continues. They carry 20 taps, four to five of their own, with some basics like Bud Light. “We can be a lot of things to a lot of people,” Allen explains, with offerings from casual to fine dining, small and large events, indoors and out.
Outside, The Biergarten—the first of its kind in the region—is where the horse-drawn carriages used to pick up the beer made at the Mount Joy Brewery. Today, couples, families and friends, from local regulars to tourists, relax over lunch or dinner and have fun with giant chess, corn hole and a billiards table.
New and Noteworthy
“We’re really excited to have a new chef and new menu,” says Allen. The new menu created by executive chef David Nutter includes appetizers like Reuben hush puppies and hummus cakes with cucumber yogurt and feta. A whole section is devoted to fair fare: popcorn popped in bacon fat topped with cheddar; pumpernickel funnel cakes; and a corn battered bratwurst dog topped with chili, nacho cheese and jalapeños. Customer favorites like baked tomato soup and the toasted Pinucchi with pepperoni, salami, provolone, cherry pepper mayo and spicy vinaigrette will remain on the menu.
Down in the catacombs, stone-lined cave archways are where barrels of beer were stored and refrigerated. Today they provide a one-of-a-kind fine dining atmosphere surrounded in twinkling lights for themed feasts and murder mystery dinners. Diners can enjoy Prince Edward Island mussels in Bube’s IPA butter with fresh herbs and prosciutto; roasted asparagus wrapped in parmesan puffed pastry with bacon butter; house made potato gnocchi sautéed with kalamata olives, tomatoes, garlic and capers tossed with feta and more.
“We’re a destination,” says Allen. Free historic tours are offered daily from 5 to 9 p.m. And as if there wasn’t already enough to see and do, Bube’s also offers ghost tours on the first and third Friday of every month. Over the years, more than 20 people have seen them, Allen says. Although he’s never seen one, “there’s enough evidence that there is something.” In 2012, the SyFy Channel’s “Ghost Hunters” visited with machines that picked up frequencies in German. Many who have worked there and visited over the years have seen the same ghost. “We think it’s Pauline, Mr. Bube’s granddaughter who was schitzophrenic; rather than institutionalize her, they let her stay here, under the hotel [where there is now an art gallery].” Bartenders over the years also see the spirit of a man walking out the front door. Alois’ great-granddaughter Jean Ellis, a historian who lives in town, gives the tours and wrote the book “Spirits of the Brewery.”
New to Bube’s this summer is a speakeasy jazz series every fourth Friday. You can attend themed dinners every month; in October, you are guests of Count and Countess Dracula, and “you’re not just watching a show; you’re in the middle of it,” explains Allen.
Eater Philadelphia recently named Bube’s number one of the “Top Ten Restaurants Worth the Drive.” The Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise” also filmed a show there in early summer, so watch for that. Plus listen for WITF’s “Radio Smart Talk” with a special live broadcast in October. And go see for yourself why this destination has stood the test of time and continues to draw visitors near and far and of the supernatural.
Bube‘s Brewery
102 N. Market St., Mount Joy, PA / 717-653-2056 / bubesbrewery.com
