If you live in Boothwyn, Upper Chichester, or anywhere in southern Delaware County, PA, some of the best craft beer and wine in the Philadelphia region is a surprisingly short drive away. October is the perfect month for it: the tasting rooms are cozy, the patios still work in the afternoon sun, and the Brandywine Valley turns gold. This fall tasting trail starts in Aston, right next door to Upper Chichester, and winds through Chester, Glen Mills, and up to Media and Swarthmore, with award-winning stouts, Napa Valley pours, and a working farm winery along the way. Here is a friendly guide to the stops worth making this season.
Start Close to Home: 2SP Brewing in Aston
The first stop on any tasting trail from Boothwyn is 2SP Brewing Company at 120 Concord Road in Aston, the township right next door to Upper Chichester, so it is only a few minutes up Route 452 from the 115 Louise Dr listing. The brewery opened in August 2015, started by the same team behind the Two Stones Pub group, and it has built a real reputation for dark beers: its Russian Imperial Stout, called The Russian, took back-to-back gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016 and 2017. On any visit you will also find local favorites like the Delco Lager, the Up & Out Hazy IPA, and the Baby Bob Stout among the 20 or more beers on tap in the tasting room. There is no full kitchen, but the taproom hosts food trucks, has an outdoor patio, and is pet-friendly, with hours Monday through Thursday 3 to 9 p.m., Friday 3 to 10 p.m., Saturday noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 8 p.m. Check the brewery's site before you head over, since trucks and events rotate week to week.
One More Close Stop: The Larimer Beer Company in Chester
A little farther down the corridor, The Larimer Beer Company pours out of Engle Street in Chester, about 10 minutes from Upper Chichester. It is a newer, compact craft brewery with a taproom that has quickly become part of the growing Chester food and drink scene, an easy add-on stop if you are already down that way running errands or catching an event at Subaru Park nearby.
Wine Country in Glen Mills: Red Brick and The Inn at Grace
About 15 minutes west, Glen Mills has two very different wineries worth the drive, and you can easily visit both in one afternoon. Red Brick Winery at 128 Glen Mills Road is a Napa Valley winery, and its Glen Mills tasting room, open Thursday through Sunday, is the only Napa Valley winery tasting room in Pennsylvania. It pours tasting flights plus wines by the glass and bottle, and it often has live music and a gift store, so it makes a relaxed indoor stop as the weather cools. Just up the road at The Inn at Grace Winery, 50 Sweetwater Road, you trade the Napa lineup for French-inspired boutique wines grown on a 35-acre working farm in the Brandywine Valley. The original Wine Barn and a newer Vineyard Barn tasting room both pour estate-grown wines, and the tasting room restaurant opens Friday through Sunday with food built around local Brandywine Valley ingredients. The property's historic Sweetwater House dates to 1748, so even the setting feels like a little trip back in time.
Head North to Media and Swarthmore: Sterling Pig and Ship Bottom
For a bigger fall day out, keep going north. Sterling Pig Brewery sits right on West State Street in Media, in the heart of Delaware County's walkable county-seat downtown, and Ship Bottom Brewery has its Swarthmore taproom on Park Avenue. Ship Bottom also runs a seasonal beer garden up at Linvilla Orchards in Media, which is a fun way to pair a flight with pumpkin-patch season. Both are a roughly 20 to 25 minute drive from Boothwyn, and State Street in Media is worth a wander after your tasting.
Turn a Tasting Trail Into a Reason to Move
The thing I love about recommending this route is how much of Delaware County's character it shows off in one afternoon: the small-town taproom in Aston, the working farm in Glen Mills, the walkable downtown in Media. If you are new to the area, our local favorites guide rounds up more of the independently owned spots that make these towns feel like home, and the full Boothwyn and Upper Chichester neighborhood guide covers the schools, commutes, and parks on the other side of the fun. Fall is a wonderful time to explore Delco, whether you are just visiting or thinking about where to put down roots.
If you are ever in Boothwyn and want a house that puts you close to all of it, 115 Louise Dr in the Stoney Creek at Naamans neighborhood is a great home base for the tasting trail and everything else the area offers. I am Andre Richardson, a Realtor with HomeSmart Realty Advisors, licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Whether you are buying, selling, or just curious about the local market, I would love to help. Reach me at 267-977-0304, head to the contact page, or browse more local guides at andrerichardson.com. Cheers, and see you around Boothwyn.
Andre Richardson
Realtor . HomeSmart Realty Advisors . PA RS349905 . NJ 1969348