Human Robot Brewery is moving from its location on the Schuylkill River banks in Rittenhouse to the recently vacated storefront of Crime & Punishment Brewing Co., which shut down this month after a decade on Girard Avenue in Brewerytown. Human Robot also has plans in the works to open another tasting room in New Hope.
Human Robot, known for its foamy Milktube pours, announced the move in an Instagram post Tuesday afternoon. The brewer's Schuylkill Banks location, which opened in 2023, will close at the end of May. An opening date for the space at 2711 W. Girard Avenue is still unknown.
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"One of our very first 'meetings' took place in this space, and it holds a very special place in our hearts," Human Robot said of the row home where Crime & Punishment became a neighborhood fixture. "We cherish the memories we've made there over so many exceptional beers and look forward to creating even more with all of you. Our hope is to get it reopened as soon as possible."
The upcoming spot on Girard Avenue also will serve sandwiches from Poe's Side Piece, a new counterpart to Poe's Sandwich Joint at Human Robot's headquarters on North 5th Street in West Kensington. Other Human Robot tasting rooms have opened in East Passyunk and Jenkintown in recent years.
Human Robot was founded in 2020 by co-owners Ken Correll, Chris Roller and Jake Atkinson. Under head brewer Andrew Foss, the brand became known for its experimental brews and diverse selection of lagers, pilsners and fruited sours. They helped kickstart the trend of using Lukr faucets from the Czech Republic, where specialized beer taps are designed to create a thick layer of foam.
Human Robot said its planned location at 12 W. Mechanic St. in New Hope — their first in Bucks County — will be built from the ground up with a "slightly different spin" on the brewer's other locations. The owners are targeting a summer opening for the space, which will be called Doubles.
Crime & Punishment, founded in 2015 by brewer Michael Wambolt, made an unlikely production space in the Girard Avenue row home where customers could see brewing equipment in the back of the bar. The brand created nearly 500 different beers during its run in Philly, and the brewery welcomed customers for a final sendoff earlier in April.