The 7 Best Breweries in Erie, PA

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Located in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania along the shores of Lake Erie, the area around the city of Erie is well known for its many delicious wineries. However, those looking for great breweries in Erie, PA are in luck as the city is home to many fantastic options.

I had a chance to personally visit each of the breweries in Erie that are listed below and discovered that while some were better than others, this is definitely a fantastic destination for anyone that loves beer.

So, the next time you are looking for something fun to do Pennsylvania’s Great Lakes Region, head over to a few of these great spots.

Erie Brewing Company

Erie Brewing Company is the oldest and likely the largest brewery in Erie, PA. First opened in 1994 as a small brewpub, they now run an impressive tasting room just east of the downtown area.

Compared to some other breweries, Erie Brewing Company’s beers tend to be a bit less unique, but they are still tasty, and the brewery has even won three awards at the Great American Beer Festival. During my visit, I had a chance to try two of their beers, which combined with bottled beers I had tried in the past, were all quite good.

Inside the tasting room at Erie Brewing Company in northwestern PA — The tasting room at Erie Brewing Company offers great views of the brewery.

Their large tasting room features both indoor and outdoor seating. They also have a self-guided tour area for those wanting to learn how their beer is made.

Within the taproom, there is a stand for John’s Wildwood Pizza, which offers delicious pizza and other pub food. While there, make sure to get the fries, which are fantastic.

Erie Brewing Company is located at 6008 Knowledge Parkway.

Black Monk Brewery

Black Monk Brewery is located in west Erie near the entrance to Presque Isle State Park and Waldameer Park. They feature a very delicious selection of Belgian-style beers. However, with 17 beers on draft the day I visited, they also offer a nice variety of other styles, including some very good IPAs.

Black Monk’s tasting room is rather basic and features both indoor and outdoor seating. While they don’t have on-site food, they do have food trucks visit on select days and offered free popcorn for visitors.

The bar inside Black Monk Brewery in Erie Pennsylvania — Black Monk Brewery offers a wide variety of tasty beers.

During my visit, I opted to try three Belgian beers (Three Sheets Belgian Ale, The Belgianator Tripel, and Kingdom of Desire Dark Strong Ale), two IPAs (Spring Loaded Juice IPA and Hazy 16 New England IPA), and Red Witch Irish Red Ale. All of these beers were quite impressive, and I definitely could have stayed to have another if I had the time.

Of all the breweries in Erie, Black Monk is definitely one of my personal favorites.

Black Monk Brewery can be found at 3721 West 12th Street.

Erie Ale Works

Erie Ale Works is located in two converted garages in downtown Erie. This gives their tasting room a warehouse feel, though the space is still inviting.

During my visit, there were only six beers on tap, giving Erie Ale Works a smaller selection than the other breweries I visited in the city. Of the beers on tap, most were ales of some sort. However, that appears to have been more a product of when I went as looking over their current selections shows that they do offer more variety typically.

Compared to some of the other breweries I visited, I wouldn’t say that Erie Ale Works was among my favorites. However, they still offered some tasty beer, and I’d love to go back again and try a few more of their beers.

Erie Ale Works can be found at 416 West 12th Street.

The Brewerie at Union Station

Of all the breweries I’ve visited in Pennsylvania, I don’t think any have had a cooler setting than The Brewerie at Union Station. That’s because the brewery is located inside Union Station which still is served twice daily by Amtrak.

The brewery is located in a portion of the building that is unused by trains today but was once a focal point of the train station in years past. Throughout the space, you’ll find many historic details that have been preserved, and I really enjoyed wanding the space during my visit.

Inside Union Station in Erie Pennsylvania — The incredibly restored train station is worth visiting regardless of whether you drink beer or not.

To be perfectly honest, the beers at The Brewerie at Union Station were probably my least favorite of the ones I tried in the area. However, that doesn’t mean they were bad, and the quality of the setting here makes this a perfect spot to stop for a beer if you love history and historic architecture.

They also feature some very inventive seasonal beers, several of which I’d love to try on a future visit to Erie.

The Brewerie at Union Station is located at 123 West 14th Street.

Nostravia Brewing Company

A flight of beers at Nostravia Brewing in Erie, Pennsylvania — Nostravia Brewing Company features some nice brews east of downtown Erie.

Nostravia Brewing Company is located four miles east of downtown Erie in what appears to be an old convenience store. While their taproom is fairly basic, the large front windows make the brewery feel very inviting.

My visit was just a few months after their April 2019 opening, and the beers tasted a bit like they were still perfecting the recipes. That’s not to say they were bad, because they weren’t, but they reminded me of several other new breweries that I’ve visited in the past.

The entrance to Nostravia Brewing Company near Erie Pennsylvania — The entrance to Nostravia Brewing Company.

During my visit, there were nine beers on tap, and I got a sampler with their IPA, American Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, and the Oatmeal Stout. While the IPA and APA were slightly sweet for my taste, the coffee flavor in the Oatmeal Stout was quite tasty.

I’m excited to see how this spot grows over the years and will definitely be back to try it again in the future.

Nostravia Brewing Company can be found at 4415 East Lake Road.

Lavery Brewing

Close up shot of a beer at Lavery Brewery in Erie PA — Lavery Brewing features some delicious beers in one of the busiest taprooms in Erie.

Lavery Brewing is another brewery located in downtown Erie. Their tasting room is one of the smaller ones in the area and can get quite crowded in the evening and on weekends, so try to visit this one outside of peak hours if you can.

During my visit, they featured roughly a dozen different beers that spanned a variety of styles and even featured a few inventive options. In fact, the Massive Mango IPA was my personal favorite from the ones that I tried because it hit a perfect balance of being both fruity and bitter.

Lavery also features a full menu, and while their food gets great reviews online, I didn’t have a chance to eat there, so I can’t comment on the quality of the food.

Lavery Brewing can be found at 128 West 12th Street. They also have a second location in Titusville, PA.

Voodoo Brewing

Time for a confession: I didn’t actually have a chance to visit Voodoo Brewing in Erie. However, this Erie brewery is one of five locations in Pennsylvania run by Voodoo (at the time of publication) and having been to three of their others, I feel confident in recommending Voodoo as a great brewery in Erie, PA.

Voodoo Brewing is known for its inventive beers and their funky atmosphere, both of which combine together to make a great drinking experience. I always enjoy their IPAs and barrel-aged beers. In fact, their seasonal Blossoming Down Under IPA is easily among my favorite PA beers of all time.