I strive to be as objective as possible and let the reader decide whether the brewery or pub described is someplace they’d enjoy or plan to visit. In this case, my bias is sure to show through, so I’ll go ahead and preempt my overview of Tired Hands by saying it truly is a place of unique character, and embodies more so than any other brewpub I’ve visited so far what craft beer is all about.

Ardmore, PA is much like any other ‘historical’ district you might encounter on the East Coast, with various craft and knick knack stores, ripe for window shopping. The town has a laid-back vibe and being within reasonable driving distance of Philadelphia, embodies the type of genuine sensibilities often associated with this area of the country. Tired Hands is at the end of one of the main streets in Ardmore, but feels tucked away due to its nonchalant and cozy features.

The menu, for the most part, consists of locally-sourced (all within 100 miles) charcuterie, including house made bread. On this occasion I wanted plenty of room for the varied menu of beers and ordered a simple platter of bread and butter. Rather than acting as a means of cleansing the palate, the nearly whole loaf of bread I received enhanced each and every beer I ordered. Accompanying the just-hard-enough crunchy exterior and fluffy, slightly sour interior bread, was a super creamy, dark yellow butter and dash of sea salt and very pungent fennel. I had to not just pace my drinking, but my eating of this amazing bread so as not to fill up too quickly.

To say that Tired Hands does not brew to style would be an understatement. It becomes clearly evident with each subsequent tasting of the nine taps that the brewer had a distinct vision for each creation and chose ingredients to both enhance and dazzle the taste buds.

The beers themselves offer a complex array of flavors so extensive, that I would be doing them a disservice by trying to describe them in simple objective terms, plus their website attempts to provide detailed descriptions already. I will say, that for the ‘wild beer’ drinker, you will assuredly find Tired Hands a mecca for these types of beer. They are not shy about using Brett (ie. brettanomyces, a yeast strain heartier than your typical ale strain, with additional complex tastes and aromas ranging from tropical fruit to barnyard), as I noticed in at least three beers including a saison, a hoppy pale and a grisette (made with wheat, honey and tea).

Whether you are just dropping in few a quick bite of some local bread and cheese, or plan on making Tired Hands a destination in itself, I would find it extremely difficult not to endorse either. Regardless, I assure anyone that you will likely find that time has quickly fleeted by when you leave this amazing brewery.