The Brewery — Restaurant in State College

I have very complex feelings for the Brewery. It is about much of a dive bar as you will get in downtown State College, and it is also a gem because it is less-widely known than the other late-night bars. I have enjoyed nearly every one of my visits to this establishment for a number of reasons. The drinks are honest-to-God cheap. The prices stay low, and constant specials are available on certain liquors. This is great, and they make the drinks strong, to boot. Another thing I like is that the bar has several seating areas, not just one large room. There is a corner for darts and pool that is somewhat removed from the larger music area with tables, a pool table, and the stage. This means I can actually hear people if I want to have a conversation. I also like that the entertainment tends to be local and low-key, which is a nice change of pace. The negatives: The bar was falling apart a few years ago, and while a lot of it seems to have been repaired and cleaned over the last 2-3 years, all the furniture is still old, and there are a lot of ceiling stains, etc. This is a non-issue for me, but sometimes people are really turned off by this. What I don't like is being charged cover for an amateur karaoke night. It doesn't always happen, but it sucks because I'm not there for the entertainment. Sometimes, they allow for donations to the band in tips or beer (which I am 100% onboard with, over paying cover). Generally, the cover is still way cheaper than most places that charge cover. Lastly, when the A/C is off when it's even a little bit hot, half the bar is untenable. Bathrooms used to be not good, but the ladies room has been near-spotless the last several times I've been. Overall, if you are not particular about the scenery, this is a really chilled out bar with cheap/strong drinks and nice staff, and is a little bit off the beaten path from the State College...

Had a crazy experience with the girl checking IDs. We always go to The Brewery when visiting (our dad use to be their live music when he went to school here). We drove 10 hours to Penn State to visit the campus again. The girl checking IDs walked up from behind us, yelled at us for being in her way, took our cover money, and then staired me down for 20-30 seconds, and then turned us away. I was so confused... I thought she was joking at first, but she was very serious. We walked out the bar confused and the local regulars asked us what happened. We said we had the weirdest experience with the girl checking IDs. They said "oh she is crazy, she side eye's us all the time...". Honestly a funny story and experience, but I won't ever go their again because of her. We had an awesome time at the basement of...

The Brew used to be cool. Came in last night to celebrate my birthday with my friends, hoping to get a couple rounds of their iconic shots and play some darts. Paid cover, came in to a relatively busy bar, ordered one of the shots... but the bartender refused to make them, and we were told that they "don't do specialties on the weekend anymore." Talk about lame. I get not posting the huge list of shots while its busy, or not honoring low-cost specials, but when customers come in excited to order rounds of shots, you'd think they would just charge us a little extra for them. If you want to drink anything other than midlife crisis beer or straight liquor shots, you will most likely have more fun somewhere else. The vibes are cool, but vibes aren't enough to remedy...