Benny Brewing Company

Basic Information:

• Benny Brewing Company - 12/27/18
  Overall Rating: 77

  Lynch Serniak

  Lynch's Rating: 39 out of 50

  Environment: 8
  

  Benny Brewing is a place I’ve been meaning to check out for years, simply for the fact that they are a brewery that is relatively close. After being told that they serve some pretty good wings, we decided to mix business with pleasure and make the trip down. We knew we may be in for a wait upon pulling up to the parking lot as it looked pack. Our suspicions were confirmed once we entered as the place was bustling. We put our number in the pad at the front and headed to the long bar to get some drinks. In hindsight, I have a feeling putting our number in the iPad at the front did not hold our spot, but we lucked out and got a spot at the bar for our small group. The bar is fully stocked with liquors, mixed drinks, and a bunch of their own beer on draft. They have a decently-sized selection of their own craft beer, so you’re bound to find something you like. Our bartender seemed to be manning the bar mostly by himself, and with all the people at the place, he definitely had his work cut out for him. Even though he was super busy, we were still able to get our drinks and food orders in decently fast. Hats off to that man! It was a bit of the wait for the wings, but again, considering how busy they were and the idea that all their wings are smoked and served hot, I can understand the wait. The bartender, which I want to reiterate , was super busy, still checked on us multiple times and made sure we had drinks at all times. We were there for the wings, obviously, but their menu is huge with plenty of smoked meat and BBQ pit options that really caught my attention. The place smelled amazing! If Benny Brewing was closer to us, I’m sure I would be there often as craft beer and delicious, smoked food is always a winning combo in my book.

  
  Wing Size: 7
  

  Size is a tough category to judge when it comes to the wings at Benny Brewing. They do not have a wing night. Their wings cost $1 a wing for a half dozen, and just a smidge less if you order a full dozen. That’s pricey for your standard wing, but there are a couple things to note. These wings were pretty darn big. They definitely fill you up fast. And, all the wings are smoked for 24 hours with cherry wood, which is a process all in itself. So, while the wings may be expensive, you’re getting some higher quality wings.

  
  Wing Flavors: 6
  

  Benny Brewing has your typical flavors when it comes to wings. As I’m writing this review, I’m realizing now that I should have gotten the traditional BBQ sauce as I think it would have worked really well with the smoked wings. That’s a miss on my part. The Boil Kettle from my understanding is just an amped up hot sauce. The one off-the-wall option that I’ve never seen anywhere else is the Goat Cheese Ranch. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen goat cheese mixed with a wing sauce before.

  
  Wing Taste (x2): 9
  

  I want to start off by saying these wings were cooked to smoked-wing perfection. They had exactly the right level of smokiness with a fantastic taste from the dry rub. Plus, the char on the wings really just pushed these wings over the top. They were easily the best smoked wings I have ever had. To be honest, these wings could stand on their own without any sauce. But, of course, I needed to try some sauces. Benny Brewing does not coat their wings in sauce. Two of the sauces I ordered were drizzled over the wings, and the third was served on the side. Normally, I would be against this, but with the fantastic smoked flavor, I think it is meant to accentuate the smokiness and not overpower it. The regular Hot had a nice, peppery, cayenne flavor. It is a thicker sauce that sits on the wing and does not run off. I enjoyed the flavor. The Cajun hot were pretty similar, with just a hint more of the spicy Cajun flavor. It blended well with the smokiness of the wing. It didn’t stand out from the regular Hot, but both were still very good. Finally, the Goat Cheese Ranch worked very well with these wings. It is a thicker, creamy, white sauce with chunks of goat cheese and ranch mixed throughout. They serve it on the side, so you either have to dip your wing into it or spoon it onto the wing. I’m a sucker for goat cheese (which I sometimes refer to as a fancy cream cheese) and I think it worked really well on these smoked wings. Overall, if you’re looking for a different type of wing night and don’t mind paying a bit more, Benny Brewing is highly recommended.

  Serniak's Rating: 38 out of 50

  Environment: 9
  

  Nothing like going to a brewery. It’s just always fun. Name one time a person went to a brewery and had a bad time. See, it’s impossible to name such a time. That’s why we went to Benny Brewing Company in Wilkes Barre. What makes Benny Brewery a place that the Wingmen want to seek out besides tasty suds, their list of smoked wings. Benny Brewery has a pretty good sized menu with an active BBQ pit. I’m a sucker for any kind of BBQ food place. You should be too.

  You might want to make a reservation because there was a steady flow of people during our time there. I’m not saying you definitely have too, but it can’t hurt. They have a long bar area, where we sat, equipped with about 10 of their crafted beers. They also serve some regular domestics as well, something I thought was odd but I guess they’re just playing to the masses, which is fine. There are several other tables to sit at and in the Summer, it appears that they have an outside seating area. That’ll be nice to be apart of in a few months.

  Our server was a busy man. Like I said, we sat at the bar and it was a big bar. He was seemingly the only guy working this big area while also taking orders from waitresses at other tables. Once in a while, someone else would help him, but we all felt bad for this guy because he was moving at an Usain Bolt like pace.

  The atmosphere is one that’s tough to beat. Breweries have that kind of effect. Pretty sure it’s a law that you can’t be sad or upset in a brewery. There’s TVs surrounding the place so taking in a game or watching the Wheel is very much in play.

  
  Wing Size: 5
  

  There isn’t a wing night at Benny Brewery. Wish there was, but there isn’t. That being said, the prices are a bit high. But, it’s a brewery. All breweries prices are a little bit higher than your regular restaurant. I guess that’s the price you pay for such a cool place. The prices are $6 for a half dozen and $11 for a dozen. Not great on the wallet I know, but the size is pretty darn good. You’ll definitely be full if you order your regular amount.

  
  Wing Flavors: 6
  

  Benny Brewing Company has a lot of different avenues that they tackle. They have their own beer they make on site, a BBQ pit, and all the other food. I’m just glad they put effort towards wings. That being said, they only have 9 flavors. You’d love if they had more, but 9 is what they got. They have mild, hot, cajun mild, cajun hot, bbq, garlic parm, Goat cheese ranch, sweet chili and kettle boiled, which is their extreme hot.

  
  Wing Taste (x2): 9
  

  Right off the bat, they’re smoked. We’ve encountered smoked wings earlier this year and enjoyed them, but these were the best smoked wings I’ve had. The reason why is because the smokiness was at a proper level which let the sauce of the wing do its job. They were smoked, had a good char but also had a nice crisp to them. Only thing I would say that could improve them was that both sides of the wings weren’t covered in sauce. Fortunately, I’m down to dip.

  First, I had the sweet chili. Out of the three flavors I got, sweet chili ranks third. It was good but I could of used more sauce. The flavor had the sweet hot taste you’d expect, but I needed more. Next I had the cajun hot and they were excellent. It’s their regular hot that is already very tasty combined with the spices of New Orleans. One of the more flavorful sauces you’ll ever encounter. It’s spicy and hot, but not to the point where you can’t have a lot of it. You keep going in for more and more. Lastly, was the garlic parm. This sauce had big slices of parmesan cheese on it, which is always a great display. But instead of being a butter garlic sauce, they had an actual parmesan cream sauce loaded with garlic. Very savory indeed.