Barley Mow

Probably my favorite place to be. Great selection of bottles and always rotating the tap selection. Employees are friendly and knowledgeable and the beer garden is a great place to hang out. Dog friendly too. Cheers

Great place. Good beer selection on tap and in the fridge. This place is strictly beer. They do not serve food here. They do however have a menu for a pizza shop down the street called Nonna’a Alby, and their food is excellent. You can order food from Nonna’s to be delivered to Barley Mow if you want some pizza and good wings. The beer at the mow is amazing. I had a cherry wheat, excellent. Great atmosphere, will return.

They have a great beer selection but wayyyyy over priced. And what’s with the customer serive? All the staff have permanent stank faces… maybe they should re-​locate to Brooklyn so that can be with fellow snobby hipsters. No one asks if you would like any suggestions/​help picking out beer. They dont ask you if you liked your beer. They act like theyre doing you a favor for allowing you to shop there. Do yourself a favor and go across the street to chatty monk instead… the staff actually act like they’re happy to see you there (imagine that). Barley mow… your really not as cool as you think you. You need to get over yourself you trendy jerks.

This place is even getting greater! They just finished major upgrades and renovations to the beer garden area in the back. New bar, with 10 draft selections available there. You have to stop by the check it out. I love this place. Make sure you say hi to the owners, Peter and Claire.

Grown up place to enjoy a great beer selection. If you like craft beers this is the place for you.

The Barley Mow is a cozy little bottle shop with a good selection, a relaxing atmosphere, and friendly staff. While their selection is nothing to scoff at, they don’t have the amount of beers they claim to have. You’ll find good beer here for a decent price with a nice ambiance in which to drink, but if you’re looking for a massive selection, Mari’s 6-​pac is still the way to go.

Awesome spot for beer lovers! Barley Mow is a healthy compromise between bottle shop and bar. Ten unique beers on draft, and several hundred, both in a cooler and warm, for you to choose from. Grab a growler or make a mixed six pack (or two or three or four…) to go home with you. Beyond their impressive selection of beer they serve light snacks, and the pizza place next door also delivers right to Barley Mow. Great vibe inside, a little cozy once it begins to fill. Four instead of five stars as I wish for better seating and more beers on draft. But that said they’ve got a great thing going on and I highly recommend adventurous beer lovers stop here when nearby.

I was told by a friend that he heard from a friend that this place puts Mari’s six pack and more to shame. It does not. Not even in the same realm. Place is WAY too small, it was PACKED on a Friday night. All I wanted to do was check out their bottle selection for a six pack to go. I could not get to the back where they keep the bottles without «rubbing junk» with other patrons. When I finally got to the back, and after many looks of disgust from the people I was inadvertently molesting, I was highly disappointed in what I found. One small (maybe 5 foot wide) shelving unit with warm beer and 2 equally small coolers. There was a wide variety available, but nothing like other places in the area. If you are looking for craft brews and aren’t into giving strangers freebies, you would be better served going to Mari’s or Liberty Taproom. Three stars for the idea only. Move to bigger digs!

Great constant changing tap selection and small bottle selection, however, all available bottles are top quality beers.

Oh am I invisible? Felt that way when I visited this place. The only reason I’m giving two stars is for the stellar selection of brews. It’s not really a bar but more of a grab and go establishment. If you want something different to go this is your place but if you want to hang out and have actual interaction head down a block or two to Chatty Monks.

This is a solid 3 star establishment with an opportunity for more as they continue to settle into their skin so to speak.
The Barley Mow fills a nice niche in the area as a beer tasting room, bottle shop, and overall pleasant place to relax with a brew.
They do a decent job of filling a niche in the revitalizing W Reading area, but it’s not what I would consider a destination. So, it’s worth checking out — but not worth a special trip.
The prices are about average, and the selection nice, but not expansive and certainly nothing that stands out. They have 10 taps inside with a nice variety, but served my summer type wheat way too warm for that style.
I’ll check it out again in a couple of months and see how things are going.

Great prices for the draft and bottle selection! Impressed by the layout of the place, especially the back outdoor patio. Glad this concept of beer bar /​store came to a great location in WR. Evil Twin available to buy here seals the deal for me.

Do you love beer? Good, then read on.
The second stop on my tour of Penn Ave in Reading lead me to Barley Mow which blew me away with their selection and price of stellar beers. Their site shows what «breweries are in stock» which is fun if you are looking for something specific.
They have two areas with draft lines that allow you to sit and drink if that’s what you’re in the mood for. The space inside is really beautifully done and very new from what I can tell. We drank a couple of selections and shot the breeze with the guy working the front counter (he might have been an owner)
I love what this place is doing. Give the people good beer and they will come. If you’re in Reading, get here immediately and leave happy.

I was visiting Reading for a few days and am always interested in finding local craft beer spots. Wow, this place is as good as it gets. They have about 12 taps inside of every style and gravity level imaginable and then they have warm and cold bottled and can beer to purchase. The cold beer you can even drink on site. There are a few stools at the bar but most of the seating is upfront via stools surrounding the building. If you get lucky, there are two very comfortable leather chairs in the bay window across from the bar.
Outside, they have 4 additional taps and on my two visits those catered more to lighter summer beers. There are also a few covered tables and chairs to keep you cool on a summer day and a custom bench on the side next to the walkway.
I found the staff to be friendly and knowledgable. They were happy to assist me in finding hoppy PA beers to take home.
Great place. I will definitely be back when I am back in the Reading area.

Excellent beer selection. Ask about their drafts … You may have something you never had before.

An excellent addition to West Reading! It’s about time that we finally get to enjoy a place that promotes good, quality beer.
No, this isn’t a place to go get drunk. No, this isn’t a place to grab a bite to eat. It’s a nice place to grab a brew (or six), and enjoy quality company. It’s not a «bar», but more along the lines of a wine bar (like Winedown, right down the street). Quiet + simple.
Sit down, grab a beer, and enjoy!

If you want to go to a bar, don’t go to Barley Mow. If you want to go to a restaurant, don’t go to Barley Mow. On the other hand, if you want to go to a warm, inviting, hip place to taste, discuss and learn more about craft beer, then this is the place for you. The owners are very knowledgeable about craft beer and are happy to describe, in detail, the differences between the four beers on tap and the hundreds more sold by the bottle. Yes, there are only four beers on tap. This is not a place to go to swig the same old beer you always drink. This is a place to approach the taps and open your eyes, nose and tastebuds to something new. The wall colors are warm gold and green. Vintage-​looking lamps and minimal beer graphics adorn the walls. There are two levels. Twenty barstools are downstairs and ten more are upstairs. There are just a few seats at the bar, but it’s not meant as a place to hangout. Beers are purchased at the bar, then carried to a seat. It’s pay-​as you-​go. Snacks are minimal (cheese, pretzels) and meant to complement and not take the focus from the beer. The stone fireplace and exposed brick walls provide a homey, comfortable feel. Pass the word about Barley Mow to your beer-​loving friends. If they truly enjoy learning about and drinking good beer, they will thank you.

First time here tonight! Very cute, relaxed atmosphere. I loved the details of the quotes on the wall. Great bottle beer selection, and some unique drafts. Nice place to grab a beer or two before or after grabbing dinner in West Reading — definitely a nice addition to the area! Only wish they would be open later.

My friend astutely described this as Winedown for beer drinkers, meaning an elegant grown-​up atmosphere with quality brews (and a few snacks too). Don’t we have enough sports bars? The décor is both minimalist and warm, with a lower and upper level, lots of wood and a soothing maizey golden color. (The lower level, a former photo studio, pokes out onto the sidewalk and makes the place easy to see.)
The wooden wine tote is a great way to cut down on waste, but you also get a discount, wonderful idea of their part — and a perfect host gift idea. People were busily getting takeout sixes. The fireplace was going, and there is no blaring tv, hope hope hope it stays this way.
Four delicious beers were on tap, and how did I miss the pineapple one? I had a perfectly balanced hop bomb. Love the stemmed glasses too, and they sell their own logo glass.
Plenty of stool seating around the edges with cozy hangout space. Great place to unwind after work or to have a quality sip before dinner. We ran right over to Chen afterwards, only a door or two away (it is right beside the chocolate café too). Thanks Barley Mow for adding more class to the best street in the county.

Just returned home from The Barley Mow; it is such a great addition to the fun atmosphere of Penn Avenue. The setup is half store, half bar and seating. They have 4 beers on tap which change regularly and a very impressive variety of bottled craft beer both chilled and not chilled. Beers are all sold separately so you can buy a variety as opposed to a six pack of all the same beer. We bought a wooden six pack carrier which entitles you to 10% off each time you fill it. They will also fill growlers. As far as food, a couple of small appetizers are offered (a gourmet cheese plate and soft pretzels), but it is not a restaurant. It’s a great place for a before or after dinner drink or and a great atmosphere to just relax and enjoy craft beer. I look forward to becoming a Barley Mow regular.