The beer scene in York, Pennsylvania continues to grow with the latest edition; Gift Horse Brewing. Located on North George street you will find this former tax office and barber shop turned craft brewery.
For locals, Gift Horse is a name many people will recognize. Long before their doors opened they were participating in local beer fests impressing the crowds with their beers. Having racked up countless awards such as “Peoples Choice” at the 2014 Yorktoberfest, “Peoples Choice” at the 2106 Hop’s N’ Clock’s and Brew Kids On The Block “Brewer’s Choice” award in both 2016 and 2017! Needless to say, when it comes to brewing beer Gift Horse has the credentials.
We recently toured the brewery and sat down with Zach St. John who is the GM at Gift Horse (and brothers with owner and brewer Jason Snyder) to learn more about the brewery. Having 15 years restaurant experience in his own rights Zach was able to give us an incredible sense of the work that went in to make Gift Horse it’s own unique location.
As Zach told us, the idea behind Gift Horse all came about around 10 years ago when his sister in law gifted a home brew kit to his brother Jason. After years of perfecting his craft it was time for Gift Horse to finally become a reality.
Brewing in a 5 barrel system Gift Horse offers patrons a selection of 10 of their beers on tap along with guest taps. You can always find their most up to date list here. See the tap list below during our visit:
Of course, no visit to a brewery is complete without enjoying the homemade beer for yourself. We were lucky enough to enjoy a plethora of beer served in their one of a kind horseshoe flight holder.
Beers from Left to Right as pictured below:
Citra Shandy: 4.25% Shandy – Their Citra Wheat blended with English style lemonade. Refreshing & delicious. Prefect for a hot summer day.. or any day.
Downtown Brown: 6.3% Brown Ale – An English style brown ale with toffee and nutty notes that leaves you wanting more.
Day At The Races: 5.25 % IPA – A refreshing Citra hopped summer session IPA that is juicy and overflowing with hop flavor. It’s prefect for those long days..
Citra Wheat: 6% Pale Wheat Ale – An American Pale Wheat finished with Citra Hops. This beer is refreshing with tons of citrus flavor and is extremely drinkable.
As we have written before, more and more breweries are opening that provide guests a full dining experience. And Gift Horse is no exception. Along with the beer, the brewery will also offer a kitchen with light fare such as sandwiches, charcuterie, pretzels, meatballs and more! Completing the dining experience Gift Horse will also offer Pennsylvania made wine and spirits, making it the ideal location for any person in your party.
Gift Horse offers 50 seats in the taproom with enough room for 80 standing. They will also be opening an outdoor area in the future to offer even more space. You can get a look inside the spacious brewery for yourself:
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We highly recommend you give Gift Horse a try. Centrally located in downtown York and within walking distance of restaurants, the Historic Central Market House and other breweries, this is an ideal location to spend a day enjoying all the city has to offer. And the best part is you can come in 7 days a week! They are open the following times and days:
MON-WED: 4PM – 10PM
THURSDAY: 4PM – 11PM
FRI & SAT: 11AM – MIDNIGHT
SUNDAY: 11AM – 9PM
So step on in to their brewery on North George Street to experience for yourself. Can’t make it in? Make sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or check out their website to stay up to date on everything they have going on!
