Clarion River Brewing, Clarion PA

13 September 2025

The few blocks of downtown where the brewery is located are rather nice with small shops lining the streets, and the interior of Clarion River Brewing is cheerful. All of the employees there were exceptionally nice as well, which was good, because the food and the beer were a disappointment.

You can choose as many of their drafts as you want for a flight, and honestly, $2 each is a bargain compared to most places! I opted for numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 10. Here we go …

Golden Eagle – Pilsner, 5% – I didn’t mind this one — it had a hint of fruitiness and was clean and refreshing, but it also had a bitterness to it that I found off-putting. I wouldn’t have wanted a pint of it (although in the final analysis, it might be the only one of these six that I would order a pint of).

Iron Furnace-Tippecanoe – West Coast IPA, 6% – I’m not sure of the Tippecanoe reference in the name, but from 1845-1850, Clarion County produced more than half of all the iron in PA. This brew tasted a bit of iron and was very bitter. It was a big “no thank you” for me.

Leatherwood – English Brown Ale, 4.8% – It was actually decent and a solid brown ale although not remarkable. I might have done a pint of it — especially given the alternatives — but I’ve had many of this style that I like better.

P(a) NW – Fresh Hop Pale Ale, 6.3% – I could not decide what this was trying to be. The flavor was better than the Iron Furnace but it had the same extreme bitterness.

Harvest McHazeFace – Hazy IPA, 6% – There was a hint of a fruity flavor in this as if it was trying to hint at an NEIPA, but once again, what came through was just the bitterness.

Sommernacht – Schwarzbier, 4.7% – This had the typical roasty flavor of a Schwarzbier, but also (you guessed it) too much bitterness to be enjoyable.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, but the food continued in the same vein although the fries were decent. This is a Chicken Tender Parmesan Sandwich but without much “parm” and with the addition of some odd, spicy meat. Think “dry” and you have the idea.

All in all, the entire visit just left me shaking my head. At least I know where not to stop in the future!