Pretty cool spot...I'm from New York so I was skeptical when a friend suggested this place....it's actually very popular and they have so many beers that I was lost on what to order. Def a spot to check out if  you're in the area. And there's a club right next door which everyone seemed to go to when it got later. They also have an outside bar .
Review Source:This is a good place to find a variety of good beers on tap and in bottle when you're in downtown Scranton. There are two bars, one inside and one outside - the one outside unfortunately allows smoking, so that's one to avoid if you're like me and detest all forms of tobacco. That aside, the variety of brews is pretty awesome and prices are comparable for the area (i.e., cheap).
Review Source:Backyard Ale House (BYAH) is the premiere beer bar in the Scranton area. Â They have an amazing selection of microbrews on draft and a great bottle/can list to boot. Â The atmosphere is upbeat and fun with an indoor bar as well as an expansive outdoor patio that's open all year round (they put a tent up in the winter). Â The outdoor area has another bar that's the size of two bars put together and has different beers on draft than the indoor bar so make sure you check both out. Â It's nonsmoking inside but there is smoking outside, but with so much open area, it really isn't noticeable.Two ultra high tech jukeboxes, one inside and one outside play music in their respective areas except when they have live music inside.
The crowd varies but is usually a mid 20s to late 30s crowd with a mix of the "classier" college student who know what good beer is thrown in. Â
Great bar to go to if you're looking for good beer and a more relaxed crowd. Â Totally different from most of the bars in center city.
I met a pal here after a job one Saturday afternoon in late October. Â The place was quiet, with maybe 10 other patrons. Â Those looking to pick up something other than a pint might have been disappointed but it suited us fine. Â The decor is nothing special but more than adequate for our needs. Â We sat at the "Inside" bar. Â The Backyard Ale House has another bar in an adjoining tented-in area which might be the source of the name. Â The Outside provides something of a rarity in 21st century Pennsylvania--a bar for smokers. Â I don't know if the place is in compliance with the Commonwealth's laws governing smoking in public but I imagine this area is a real bonus for those who enjoy cigs and suds. Â I couldn't detect smoke where I drank when there were a few puffing away. Â I do wonder if a full tent might be a problem for tobacco-sensitive folk. Â Pictures on the bar's website show that section sans tent which could be quite nice in warmer times.
The Backyard Ale House's printed draft menu was split into Inside and Outside listings with 20 for the former and 6 for the latter. Â The broad selection offered a good variety of styles. Â Â That day 5 of the 20 Insiders were Marzens or pumpkin ales. Â Only 1 mainstream offering diluted the group. Â Many beers were new to me, which is always a plus. Â I went with Belgian-style IPAs, Evil Genius Beer's Evil Eye PA and Clown Shoes' Tramp Stamp. Â For the record, I liked the Tramp Stamp better but did feel a little funny when I told the bartender "I need another Tramp Stamp." Â The Backyard Ale House also had an extensive bottle list.
I would definitely return should I find myself back in the Electric City.
Great outdoor option in Scranton, the patio in the back is very spacious with a lot of seating. Â The beer selection is huge, but the 21-35 crowd is drinking mostly Miller lites and Vodka cranberrys. Â Music can always be better and never put money in the juke box, it's never on. Â 4/5 on a relative scale. Â Great atmosphere, awesome patio and always a good well dressed crowd.
Review Source:The great beers continue to flow at Backyard Ale House (as does the amazing people watching, which is just a bonus). Recently, my mom and I went up together and the tradition of paying a visit continued. The draft list was killer for early summer, featuring Hell or High Watermelon, a very tasty blueberry wheat beer, and several pale ales and IPAs. My mom's night was set when she ordered her third(ish) brew of the night, Green Flash's Palate Wrecker, a 9.5% IPA that was served - yep, in a pint glass.
Kid tested, mom approved.
This has become the standard place to hang out and gather up old friends whenever I pop into town for the past year or so. Â 9 out of 10 times, I've was here during the happy hour times. Â And, its been a much more pleasant experience than any of the other local joints.
So, keep it up BAH!!!
The Ale House is a decent bar. Â If you're looking for the college bar scene, try here. Â It's right next to U of Scranton. Â
If you've never been here, you probably wouldn't know there's a huge patio in the back. Â Even if it rains, there's a portion of the patio that's covered so you can still have a good time outdoors.
If I was closer to the Scranton area, I would come back.
Loads of beer options, friendly bartenders and a great outside bar that's closed in kinda thing that i believe opens when it's nice out. You'll prolly hear some clown playin acoustic guitar and playin covers his voice will prolly sound like an irish Eddie Vedder, but that's pretty much every bar in Scranton except The Bog. Overall a good time though. Gem place!
Review Source:Well it has come to my attention that it has been a year sense my review of the Ale House. Â I would like to revisit this review and give a bit of an update. Â I will start my review of the tent. Â My last visit to the Ale House was a about 2 months ago, while it was still warm out. Â The tent has been removed and the patio has been nicely remolded. Â I have been informed that a brand new tent. Â I'll have to make a trip in to see the patio, but that may still be hard for me to do. Â Along the wall the borders Tinks, a is the bar area. Â The bar area is very nice, and the glowing stand up cooler of beer does seem to call my name, but this is where my problem come back in. Â But we still need to discus the patio first.
As you may or may not know, the patio use to be Tinks Tiki Bar. Â And there is a tree planted on said patio. Â Well, the tree was and still is painted like a totem pole. Â This is very tacky. Â Now I am not one for high brow establishments, but a painted totem pole in an Ale House, that is just wrong. Â This needs to be taken care of.
OK, on to the beer. Â Their selection has grow sense my initial review, and I feel they can now honestly call themselves and Ale House. Â But the prices have not seemed to change, at least for the positive. Â The prices are still high. Â This is the one of two things keeping me from walking through those doors again, would you like to know the other thing? Â OK, I'll tell you, the wait staff has not improved one bit.
I was with a group of 4 people, myself included. Â The rest of the patio had no more than 4 other people at any given point. Â With no more than 6 people at the patio bar at once, I still managed to wait for 10 minutes to get an over priced beer. Â The bartenders seemed to more apt to talk to themselves than to wait on me. Â i know it can get boring, but 10 minutes with that few amount of people is unacceptable. Â I am normally a good tipper, on this night I kept my tip money and used it to pay the extra $1 each beer seemed to cost over every other good beer bars in the area.
But I'll end this on a positive note, they have defiantly improved in decor and selection. Â In my book, they have a long way to go, but they have only been open a year.
Previous review from 12/1/09: Â 2 stars
This was not at all what i had hoped for it to be. the name is very deceiving. it is not an Ale House. with only about 8-10 beers on tap and a very selective bottle list, you fail at being an Ale house. If you want to pay a cover to freeze your ass off on the "Deck," Tink's old patio with a shabby tent put up and a very weak heating system, feel free. it felt like they were just venting an exhaust fan from inside to heat the "Deck." and well i spent half the night freezing.
This place was better off staying gay bar. you got serve red right away, the people were friendly, and no sick-O, i am not talking about a perverted way. the clientele were generally really nice people. and who didn't like a whole wall with a mural of guys in leather chaps.
The Backyard Ale House fails for me.
Backyard Ale House opened in the space right next to Tinks.
The scene is mostly college kids with a few older folks as well. This is definitely a place for the beer  connoisseur. They have about 10 beers on tap as well as several dozen bottle beers. If you're not into beer they also a pretty wide selection of liquors and martinis as well... Even though they were packed the bartenders seemed pretty chill and attentive.
One pretty cool thing about this is the layout...  there is the bar area in the front with seating along the walls and a few huge LCD TV's but the have an outdoor section as well. This was essentially set up as a big tent in their backyard. The tent is heated and smoking is allowed back there. So as not to have you feeling 'let out in the cold' they actually have two beer stands serving beer back there... not only Coors Light  but surprisingly Magic Hat. It looks as though this section might be unfinished and will be a completed party deck by spring time.
We didn't stay long, but enjoyed while we were there... will definitely go back.
The one criticism about this place would have to be the mixed drink I ordered... I expected the club soda to be from a tap and not a warm 1 liter bottle sitting behind the bar. Doesn't make for the best mixed drinks, but oh well what do expect from a full on ale house.
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