Tired Hands Fermentaria

Burgers are great. People in my party liked the tacos and had a pretty good salad. The other person ordered ribs which were great.
Beer is really good but a bit pricey (why in the world is it $ 7 for a beer you make ON SITE?).
Good, cool-​ish setting. They seem to get decent bands playing there. The wait staff and hosts have always been nice to us and good with getting kids a table.

The food just isn’t that good. My friends and I got a variety of EH food. The shiitake tacos were mediocre at best. The chicken sandwich was chicken thighs… not breast which was not stated anywhere on the menu. so I just assumed it would be white meat. my mistake and also bland. The veggie burger was likely store bought and the buns for all the sandwiches looked like store bought tiny hamburger buns. One friend got a steak taco they really enjoyed though. This was my second visit.
My first visit we got shiitake tacos that were OK and curried cauliflower tacos that were bland and I did not want to go back the second time but it was a friends birthday and they chose it.
Disappointed because the food at the Brew Café is AWESOME and their beer is AWESOME. The food at Fermentaria is not good, consistent or vegetarian/​vegan friendly enough.

Is there a zero star rating? Rude and clueless waitress, the tacos were bland, the burger was came well done to the point of being too dry. I like the industrial feel of the old warehouse but for the prices they charge I would expect better service and food. The beer is average farmhouse fare.

I’m so torn on what to rate this place, so here’s the breakdown:
Beer — 5 stars
Food — 4 stars
Service — friendliness — 5 stars
Service — efficiency — 2 stars
The beer here is excellent, one of the best in the area. That is what really keeps us coming back, despite the fact that it is kind of a hike to get there. The food is pretty tasty as well, I have never had anything I didn’t like. Tacos can be a bit pricey since you only get 2 tacos per order. However, the tacos are quite large and filling, and on Mondays they offer $ 2 off tacos.
What is really lacking here is the timing of the service. Now, it’s been getting busier here every time we have gone since they opened, but there could be some improvements:
First, we walked in and the hostess said the wait time was 30 – 45 minutes. 45 minutes later I went and asked the status and we were told we were the next party of 2 to be seated. 20 more minutes later and we finally get seated. Host/​esses should always overestimate wait times. If we had known the wait was over an hour, we probably wouldn’t have stayed.
5 minutes later, water gets dropped off at the table, and we are told our server will be right with us. Another 10 minutes later she comes to take our drink order and we tell her we are ready to order food. I order the crispy buns as an appetizer to share, and the burger for my meal. Husband orders the fish and chips. Fairly quickly, the appetizer comes out with the fish and chips. Wait… why is his entrée coming out with a shared appetizer? Our server comes to check on us and ask if we need anything. I mention I still need my entrée, and she informs us that they have no heat lamps so food comes out as it is ready. So I eat my appetizer and wait another 10 minutes for my food. My husband decided to wait to eat his until mine gets there (although I told him to eat). If he had eaten it when it came to the table, he would have been done by the time I even got my entrée.
Everyone who works there seems super friendly, but they need to work on efficiency of seating and timing of food coming out. It will probably be a little while before we return for food, but we’ll be back for beer.

I’m a huge fan of tired hands beer, and their fermentaria seems to have hit its stride. I’ve eaten here a few times since they’ve opened, and last night was the best experience I’ve had there. I shared a burger, ribs, and chips and stuff and all were excellent. The beer was typically-​great, but the food and service was what surprised me the most. My only complaint is that a 64oz growler of hop hands is $ 17.50, which is quite expensive and higher than what other similar breweries charge for a pale ale, and higher than what tired hands charges for 4−16oz cans ($ 14).

While I wasn’t enamored by my total experience at Tired Hands Fermentaria, I was enamored by their beer. While overall experience is important, sometimes having good beer can trump everything else.
During my visit my husband and I sampled 4 ounce pours of everything single beer they had on tap, which equated to 11 beers total. Standouts included the «Whatever, Nevermind,» «Alien Church,» «Punge,» «Season of Perception» and «Altar.» Their list was a little IPA/​saison heavy, but there was something for every taste on draft. Of the 11 beers I tried, I gave 9 of them a four rating or higher on Untapped. It was a deliciously good time.
While we were having 4 ounce pours, we weren’t able to order flights. It was a little irritating that we had to order one drink at a time per person. It would have been nice to strategically order our beers in groupings larger than two. Prices for each 4 ounce pour were decently.
It was the growler of «Whatever, Nevermind» that was hefty at about $ 30. They also have a policy where all beer must be sold in their growlers. You can trade your growler in for theirs at no additional charge. I didn’t have any personal attachment to my growler, but that could have been an issue if I had a sentimental reason to hang on to my growler.
The place was packed on an early Saturday evening. When we arrived no bar seats or tables were available so we were able to sit at one of the barrel tables by the door. It was super drafty and I kept my coat on the entire time. As others mentioned, the setup had a real industrial feel. We opted for a server but theoretically could have gone to the bar for each round. I feel we would have been inconvenienced if we went to the bar, but also felt we were inconveniencing the server by requesting our little pours so frequently.
With all of that being said, I really enjoyed the beer and am definitely hopping on the Tired Hands wagon.

As a long time fan of the original Tired Hands, I decided to pay there new larger joint a visit a few weeks back. While it lacks the charm and intimacy of the original down the street, overall I thought it was great.
The beer is some of the best in the city and while the food isn’t anything fancy, it’s certainly a step above your standard bar fare. In addition the service was excellent and there was plenty of room.
The one drawback is the loudness of the room. There isn’t much that can be done about that unfortunately.
As for the parking, there are plenty of metered spots around the town.

Have been wanting to try Tired Hands for a while now since it’s so popular, but was hesitant as i’m not really a beer drinker. The restaurant has a really nice layout and is a large, industrial space. First, we ordered a bunch of apps: fries, pepper grits, hummus, chips and queso. The menu isn’t huge, but everything was really good, my favorite was the pepper grits, a must try. I explained to waitress that I don’t really like beer lol, and she recommended the «we are infinite energy”(the actual name is longer than that but I can’t remember) one. It was a yellowy-​orange color and a little fruity. Not only could I stand it, I actually really enjoyed it and ended up ordering a couple more. I also had the chicken tacos, which were very good and big enough to share. I will definitely be returning to Tired Hands, especially since I enjoyed the beer. I’m guessing beer aficionados would be in love with this place.

Taco Monday, FTW! Went to a UYE here after a good workout at the nearby Planet Fitness and it was quite good.
On Monday nights, all tacos are $ 2 off and some drafts are 50% off. We shared the special of the night, chorizo and potato, as well as the carnitas. I liked the carnitas ones best, and both were quite hearty (2 tacos per serving). I could maybe have eaten 1 more taco but I was pretty well satisfied with 2. I also love that they have mini beers available from the taps. Got a mini Hophands even though it was barely cheaper than the full size (Monday deal) because calories. It was delicious and just enough beer to wash down the tacos.
All in all very tasty and a really good value!

I don’t really understand the negative reviews for this place. Some feel that service isn’t quick enough. The atmosphere is laid back, so maybe try relaxing? Others feel that the beer is nothing special, yet it has won awards. The inside is beautiful and they do a lot of collaborations/​special releases. I had a great experience at this place and think it’s a great addition to the suburbs. The only drag for us was the parking lot, which is metered. Watch your time carefully or you WILL end up with a ticket!

Went in today for the first time as I’ve heard many great things about the place. The place was fairly packed but there was a good 10 tables (2 person) open. I stood around at the front for a solid 10 minutes before I flagged down someone and asked if I needed to put my name in or sit wherever. The hostess or whatever she was took my name and said it was a 15 minute wait. OK.
So in 20 minutes I get seated in one of the 10 tables that were open the entire time lol. Go figure. Server (Darren I believe) was on point with drink and food order. Just ordered a couple burgers and a beer. The burgers were out in a flash and were on point. As was the beer. 5 stars for this portion.
Was asked if I needed another beer and I ordered a 32oz growler to go. Paid my bill within the next couple minutes and then I had to wait a solid 25 minutes for my growler to show up. Was told that someone placed an order «just before» me for 12 growlers to be filled. I mean ok. But 25 minutes ?
With that being said the food and beer were easily 5 stars all day long. The hostess/​seating portion and the wait for the growler 2 stars and I’m being generous.. Would I go back? Yes.

My fiancé and I have been looking forward to visiting Tired Hands Fermentaria ever since they opened. We visited on a Sunday afternoon. We were greeted by friendly front of house staff and seated promptly. Our table was a bit out in the open, but otherwise was situated nicely not too close to neighboring tables. Our waitress, Nicole, was quick to take our drink and app order. She was very friendly and really knew the food and beer menus. She thoroughly answered our questions and was on point with the answers as well.
We decided on the Beer Queso Nachos. They are served with nachos and the beer queso separate. You can just slather on the whole queso mix or dip chip by chip. We chose to dip the chips. The queso was brilliant. Great flavor and ingredients. The only recommendation on this would be to reduce it for a bit longer to make it thicker and less runny. Other than that, it was perfect.
For beers my fiancé had the Reincarnated as a Cloud IPA. I had the Shambolic. I’m not an IPA fan, but I enjoyed a couple sips of the Reincarnated as a Cloud. The Shambolic was precisely what I wanted: A smooth beer with a citrus note and a good sour kick. We loved our 8 oz. pours so much that we decided to bring home 64 oz growlers as well.
Dinner-​wise I chose the burger, medium. It was cooked as requested and the bacon … oh the bacon! What a beautiful, crisp piece of pork. Some of the better bacon I’ve had, though Harry’s Blue Bell Taproom is still tops for bacon in my book. The mustard and accoutrements blended perfectly. The included fries were crisp and tasty. My fiancé had the Veggie Burger with all the fixings from the regular burger. She loved it and it was definitely tops in her book of veggie burgers.
Overall we were both satisfied with our choices of beer & food. I do think if they added some booths by the windows and near the brewing area it would add a lot to the space! Having Nicole as a server added to the great ambiance of the beautiful interior. We will definitely be back, and hopefully very soon!

Restaurants in the burbs are not in my regular rotation of places to visit. However, exceptions may be made for get togethers with friends — especially for locales that are close to Septa train stations, as the Fermentaria is (a couple of minutes from the Ardmore station).
They’ve got an interesting and substantial beer list — even when one excludes the numerous IPAs on that list. I tried a couple and enjoyed both. And would be happy to return to try more of the brews.
The food options include typical pub fare, but done much better than average. I tried the fish tacos (thankfully made with an Atlantic pollock, rather than the now-​ubiquitous tilapia). The order comes with two tacos, topped with freshly-​fried fish goodness and heaped with a colorful variety of veggie and cheesy toppings. They were yummy and filling.
Our server was friendly and had no problem tracking and providing separate checks, which makes it sooo much easier for people in a large group to come and go and pay in accordance with their schedules and such. So much easier. And a definite mark of professionalism.
The prices are reasonable. The space, which is huge, seemed a bit cavernous, especially on an only mildly busy weeknight. The bathrooms have awesomely original artwork worth checking out (well, at least the men’s room does).

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this place yet. Considering I’ve been here a good handful of times, I’d say it’s a win. The larger space is great. It’s awesome to see the large barrels sitting next to you while you drink. The food is on point. Order the carnitas tacos, you will not be disappointed!

Wow what a turn around. I was never a big fan of tired hands brewing company. Wife and I had a reason to celebrate so we wanted to get Fermentaria a shot. The atmosphere was stupendous. The kitchen looks out onto the bar area… a very open and honest way to make food. The fermenting area for the beers was all polished and beautifully laid out. This is a much welcomed addition to the Ardmore food scene. They offer unique opportunities to experience cool events that they host, just follow on instagram or twitter. Can’t wait to become a regular!
P. S. the beer nerd in me is sad that they don’t vacuum back fill their growlers.

Oh where to begin.
The décor is nice, but my dining partner and I agreed something was off. We eventually agreed that the lighting is out of balance. If you go notice how brightly lit the open kitchen is, then pan across the large room to the darkly chasm holding the large wooden casks. And the nice looking wooded ceiling hides in the shadows. This is not a deal breaker; and not the most important part of our meal. Once we noticed, this an odd detail that stuck with us, so I mentioned it first. That’s all.
On to the important part.
The simple menu was appealing. I was torn between the burger and the BBQ chicken. The waitress agreed this is a tough decision, strongly recommended the burger. «Very Special». I ordered the burger medium– she quickly corrected me that they only serve medium-​well. Fine with me. My wife told the waitress about a gluten and dairy intolerance (I’m sure some will stop reading at this point. Trust me this is a real condition in her case ;-). Mushroom tacos– it was concluded– meet those requirements. Meanwhile the table next to us got the chicken, and by just a visual, I thought the special burger was the right choice.
I’ll cut the food portion short. The burger (cooked medium) was well below average. I’m guessing delivered frozen to the kitchen. No matter– that’s how it tasted: like an cheap frozen patty. All the mustard and candied bacon couldn’t compensate, in fact, I didn’t like the entire package. The mushroom taco is loaded with breaded (gluten) items, so that was a gigantic fail. Servers & kitchens need to take diet restrictions seriously because the reaction is serious.
Service…here’s something I haven’t seen before. We– and every table we could see — was served «tapas style». When the kitchen finishes your burger, for example, a runner bring it to the table. When the kitchen fishes your tacos, a runner brings it to the table. Sounds efficient. From a diner’s perspective this results in dishes coming out a different times. Most sit-​down spots obviously try to server everyone’s food at once. At this level of dining (ie: gastro-​pub level), they need to give a more coordinated service.
This was disappointing b. c I ate at the original Tired Hands and would expect what I assumed was their values translate into this space. 2 stars because this wouldn’t be the worst decision you could make. Good setting (my lighting input aside) Just expect below average food and service.
* The waitress said she felt bad and removed the gluten taco from the bill. That was nice!

As a consistent «regular» at the Tired Hands Brew Café, I was dying for this place to open for almost a full year – to the point of going out of my way to peek into the windows and monitor progress! Obsessed? Probably.
By this point, I have tasted nearly everything on the menu. The Brisket (BEST), Carnitas, and Mushroom Tacos are to die for. It’s true that the price is a little steep for this option, but it is very worth it, trust me. The Fried Chicken is huge, but amazing. I recommend sharing, which both your belly and wallet will thank you for. One word on dessert: it’s weird. The Panna Cotta is superb, the Donut & Coffee and Banana Spring Rolls are just okay – all are interesting to say the least.
The beer is the typical Tired Hands experience we have all grown to adore. You can still order anything from the 4oz sampler up to the 64oz growler. The classics stay consistent, the choices are just as exciting and, as always, the IPA game reigns supreme!
So why only four stars? I’m very disappointed with the atmosphere here. While it’s true that this place wasn’t intended to be a second Brew Café, I still feel like the whimsical Tired Hands vibe was completely lost. It’s very open and yet also very empty, which really lowers the degree of intimacy inside. In other words, I would never bring a date here.
Still, this small point should not detract from the fabulous food, beer, and service. Every experience here is a memorable one and that alone is what keeps me coming back again and again. Tired Hands for life!

My friends and I are on a quest to hit every place in Ardmore until we play that neighborhood out too. Today it was Tired Hands. I showed up at the wrong place at first, but we all figured it out and settled in at a high top table. No wait on a Sunday evening. It’s really open and a bit industrial but somehow wasn’t super loud. I wish I recall her name, but the waitress was very polite and attentive. She went to the back to check on what items were gluten free for my friend. She checked on us a lot without being intrusive.
Well, it’s a brewery so I guess you want to know about the beer. I stuck with IPAs and they were all very good. Hoppy but crisp, and all the taps were clean. The menu has a Mexican influence. We got the burger, smoked chicken, and ribs. Everyone was satisfied with what they had. I do wish the menu was 20% larger or so. If you don’t love something on it, there’s not a lot of exploring to do.

The word «Fermentaria» connotes strange things in my mind. Does it mean that this is where very old beer aficionados go to die and get turned into ashes? In this case it might mean die of happiness as this is a very good beer emporium with excellent food to boot.
I blew in here on a Thursday around 2:30 for a late lunch. Even at this odd time the place was jumping. I can’t say I’m a fan of the ATMOSPHERE. It was a warehouse and it still looks and feels and echoes like a warehouse. A place for a romantic dinner it’s not. I can say I’m a fan of the parking. $.25 for 30 minutes in a lot directly outside is a very nice convenience.
There is a law that says you can’t look at the menu without sipping on a BEER. I ordered Alien Church. I’m told this excellent IPA has been the fastest selling brew since they opened and I loved it. I also tried Reactionary and it was tasty but didn’t compare to Alien.
My bartender was just fine with the appropriate amount of knowledge and attentiveness. It was amazing how many growler orders he was filling. I had no problems with CUSTOMER SERVICE.
For lunch I ordered Carnitas Tacos for $ 10. The fillings were braised pork, guacamole, pickled red onion and queso fresco. I was quickly served two 5 STAR tacos plated beautifully. These bad boys were heavy with fillings and worth every penny of the $ 10. They were excellent! Others have complained about the pricing but I must say I didn’t feel it with this dish.
I can easily overlook the unusual atmosphere in return for great beer and interesting delicious food. I’ll be back.

Jon Taffer challenges bar owners to «elevate the concept.» Tired Hands Fermentaria gives its customers vertigo with how high it elevates its concept!
Here are some good vegan options:
Hummus plate. Huge. Meant for multiple people. The pita and the broccoli are the best two parts. The pita are grilled perfectly. The broccoli is wonderfully deep fried.
Cauliflower tacos. Curry flavor. Pretty good.
Mushroom tacos. These were great. Awesome coconut cream and eggplant in there. Warning: some bites are rather spicy. Have some hummus around to put out the fire.
They also had a homemade lime soda that I very much enjoyed.
The only thing missing is a vegan dessert. They need to get on that. Besides that, Tired Hands Part Deaux is perfect!