Brewery Profile

Dock Street Brewing Co

In a city with a long beer-drinking history and an active craft brewery circuit, this Philadelphia brewery is best understood as a stop for visitors who want to see what a local producer is working on now, not just order from a fixed idea of house styles. A recent example is its collaboration on a Graf, a hybrid beverage made by fermenting beer wort with cider. That choice says something about the brewery’s place in the city’s beer scene: it participates in familiar taproom culture while also leaving room for less common fermentation projects. For someone walking in, the main draw is the chance to check the current board, ask what is fresh, and see whether any experimental or collaborative pours are available.

Travelers in Philadelphia and the surrounding region often seek out breweries that connect beer with broader drinking traditions, whether through hop-forward ales, yeast-driven beers, seasonal releases, or crossovers with cider and wine techniques. Dock Street Brewing Co. fits that kind of itinerary through its Graf project, which uses a beer-forward ratio of 70% fermented beer wort co-fermented with apple juice. The style is not widely produced in the United States, although co-fermentation itself has ancient roots. Head Brewer Russell, who began with the company in 2015 at the Dock Street West location, oversaw the project. The brewery’s version was lightly hopped and dry-hopped with Mosaic and HBC 472, an experimental hop known for notes associated with coconut, oak, and vanilla cream.

For practical planning, the taproom is the place to confirm the day’s pours, since specific regular beers, amenities, food options, and current availability are not established here. Visitors especially interested in the Graf should not assume it is always on draft; it is better to check directly with the brewery or ask staff when arriving. The same applies to collaborations, limited releases, and any beers using experimental hops. If your Philadelphia brewery route includes stops chosen for technical curiosity rather than only flagship beers, this is a reasonable candidate. Go in expecting a changing list, ask questions about process when the staff has time, and treat the visit as a snapshot of what Dock Street is pouring at that moment.

Dock Street Brewing Co. recently collaborated on a Graf, a hybrid beverage consisting of fermented beer wort and cider. This style, which blends apple juice and barley wort, is not widely produced in the United States, though the concept of co-fermentation is ancient. The specific Graf brewed by Dock Street utilizes a ratio favoring beer at 70%, co-fermented with a blend of the brewery's house ale yeast strains. Head Brewer Russell, who started with the company in 2015 at the Dock Street West location, oversaw the project. Their interpretation of the Graf style was lightly hopped and dry-hopped using Mosaic and HBC 472, the latter being an experimental hop variety known for imparting notes of coconut, oak, and vanilla cream.

Website available

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19146

Phone: 215.337.3103

Website: https://www.dockstreetbeer.com/news/graf-definition

Hours: Monday: Closed, Tuesday: 11am-10pm, Wednesday: 11am-10pm, Thursday: 11am-10pm, Friday: 11am-11pm, Saturday: 10am-11pm, Sunday: 10am-10pm