We came to town for a short trip, and met the other half of our party here for dinner and a beer. Very tasty flight, so many good, homemade German food options, and friendly atmosphere. Carlisle isn't big, but somehow I had never been to the fairgrounds. Dog friendly patio, but you had to order inside (at least that Monday night). We shared the sauerbraten sandwich and the Reuben. Friendly bartender recommended other places for our stay. read more

Desperate Times Brewery - Sauerbraten sandwich with homemade potato salad - Breweries Near Me - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Beers are so good here! The seasonal pumpkin beer is great. Friendly staff and a great spot for a date night. Did not try any food but will be back to try soon! read more

My husband and I wanted to go somewhere new for us here in Carlisle and decided to try Desperate Times as the menu sounded good and cider was advertised. We arrived around 7:40pm for a late dinner. We got a great table in the corner by the window. Our server was friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable of the menu. We ordered the original cider & the cranberry cider to try. They were okay, but both had an aftertaste of beer. I expected more of an apple base to them. That was a bit disappointing for us. We were very impressed with the German fair on the menu and both ordered a Paddy Wagon. The different sausages were excellent! The sauerkraut and potato salad were delicious. I only wish we got bigger portions! Big fans of the German mustard. Could have used more of that as well. Highly recommend the food here! Will have to try different drinks next time. We look forward to returning. read more

See all

We really love this place! The food is unique and always good. We especially love their oatmeal stout beer. It's a great place to spend some time, which is good because the wait for food can be long at times. read more

A good brewery serving prepared to order bar fare. Right off a main road and outside the fairgrounds. The location is easy to find and there is plenty of parking. The interior is bright and staff is ready to accommodate different size parties. Menu includes detailed description of the brews and food. The brews are good and different choices available for different tastes. Tried the pretzel, its huge and shareable with different dips offered. Schnitzel sandwich was a good portion and sides complimented it well. Recommend for sure. read more

See all

This is a very good brewery that not only features many German style beers, but also offers German style food on its menu: large baked soft pretzels, German potato salad, German sauerkraut and a good variety of German sausages. We are talking knockwurst, bratwurst, Nurnbergerwurst, beer brats and other German sausages that can all be topped with German mustard. They also offer dessert pretzels. Not only is the food excellent, but the beer is also. On this visit we ordered Honest Lawbreaker Stout (oatmeal), Officer Kinky Thompson pale ale and Rauchbier. A very good Saturday evening out. read more

Desperate Times Brewery - The Billy Sunday - Bonnie Parker sausage on a toasted roll with German sauerkraut, homemade thousand island dressing and Swiss cheese. - Breweries Near Me - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Good food and good drinks, what can I say. The service is great and the atmosphere is family friendly.

In a pandemic, Desperate Times is the place to go. What can't you say about place with beer and giant pretzels. Plenty of room on the inside, a bier garden on the outside... Not necessarily on the menu, but if you like the Schwarzbier, try the Schwarzbier Float! Food is delicious, and the staff is friendly. If you're there on Thursday, they got Trivia - so dust off that bank of useless information. read more

Desperate Times Brewery - Schwarzbier float - Breweries Near Me - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Great beer, food and atmosphere! Love the Octoberfest. Best trivia crew on Thursdays! Sooo good!

Food was ok, food was cold when we received. Wait time was over an hour. Only saw waiter twice during the visit.

Popped in after the Ford show. Neat little place, plenty of parking. The menu is decent. We ordered the large pretzel, it was fresh and hot. The cheese dip had a nice little kick, didn't care for the mustard. I ordered the "Capone" - it was a Cuban Sandwich and I totally recommend it - however, they should have called it "Scarface"... My friend ordered the pulled pork sandwich, not the greatest. The pork and bun tasted microwaved with the bun also being stale. Scrapped the pork off and ate it, left the bun. :-( read more

Desperate Times Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

See all

Stopped in the other day for a quick bite to eat and try their beers. Our waitress Deb was really helpful with recommendations for everything. The beer was great as well as the flatbread pizza and warm goat cheese dip. Next time we are back in Carlisle we will definitely stop in again! read more

Don't sleep on Desperate Times. We stopped here on a whim, and I'm so glad we did. The beer was excellent and the food menu was stellar. Desperate Times is situated a little outside of the hustle and bustle of the center of town, and parking is great. If you're craving some German comfort food, or just something snackish to pair with your beer, you're bound to find something on the menu to suit your fancy. The inside is bright and spacious, and it would be a great place for a larger party to gather. They have nice outdoor seating when the weather permits, as well. Kiddos and doggos welcome, with board games aplenty to keep you preoccupied the conversations lull. I really, really enjoyed the beers. They are super well made, and not your standard 10-taps of IPAs - but dunkels and milds and browns and bitters. There's something for everyone, and it's very good. It's been over a week since our visit, and my partner and I are still talking about how much we enjoyed our beers. He wants to come back for a car show for an excuse to revisit Desperate Times. Hop on in for a bevvy! read more

3.5 stars. Walked into a huge room with lots of seating and large windows. It didn't really feel warm and cozy. Trivia was going on so there were a good amount of people there. Service was friendly and fairly quick. I got a flight and enjoyed the beers especially the pumpkin one and the porter. Husband didn't particularly like the ambiance here but thought the beers were good. I liked how the flights were presented in a circle. We've been to a lot of breweries and this one doesn't particularly stand out. It's somewhere in the middle of the road, so I think it's a perfect 3.5 star place. read more

Desperate Times Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Ok I ordered their desperate times. Pint . I should of ran , but I didn't!! I ordered another beer and it was not what I ordered!! It was good but ... not what I ordered.! Check arrived and I got charged for the beer I didn't order not 1 beer on us but they charged me for the beer miss labeled!! Bad place stay away !! And could be the worst Cuban sandwich I've ever had read more

Fantastic selection of in house brews. Food menu is mostly sandwiches and appetizers all named for Prohibition celebrities. Enjoyed both food and beer with excellent service. Well worth the 5 block trip to the north side of town. read more

This place definitely lives up to the name - I would have to be very desperate to return there again. Visited on a Saturday night 3 weeks ago and was greeted by no one. Stood for 15 minutes (in a half-filled room), until we decided to seat ourselves. Another 20 minutes went by before anyone asked us if we would like anything to eat or drink. There was only 1 waitress working very hard from table to table, and several other employees just hanging out behind bar watching us wait. The beer we eventually received was ok - not the best and not the worst, and the food was about the same. The giant pretzel was the highlight of the evening - although the bar was set very low. I don't know if the owner of this place was there on that evening, but if so, they must not care about customer service; and if they were not there, they might want to show up to see the lethargy in person. We will not return. read more

Desperate Times has great beer and food. The sauerkraut and potato salad are fantastic!

This is a great brewery and Matt is a fantastic host. The food is authentic German and a really treat, highly recommend the pretzel. You wont go wrong w Ny of the beers. Very true to their descriptions. read more

Cute little brewery near the fairgrounds in Carlisle. Good variety of beers brewed on site and their homemade sausages are excellent! Check out trivia on Thursdays! read more

Great food Great beer Semi-rude server Just the way I like it. Lol Drank a flight Ate a Capone. read more

Ya'll! Can't say enough great things about this place! We were looking for a pit stop to refuel (food wise) and found this gem right off 81. The beer was delicious! Dave the bartender was both timely, generous, and very helpful! Then there was the grub! Holy cow! Can I say delicious. I had a schnitzel sandwich in which the bun was simply a hat-sized-suggestion. It was tender and tasteful. My boyfriend got a cuban sandwich which he said was pure divinity (I was too busy with my mammoth schnitzel situation to try it!). So - in summation - go. Just go. And try the German Weizen!!!! read more

Desperate Times Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

See all

Totally unplanned, but seriously the best surprise stop ever! We were hungry and stopped at a local bar but they didn't serve food. So Desperate Times cause Desperate Measures....lol. The food was phenomenal. It is German style food, homemade and so delicious! By the way, they don't just have an incredible beer selection, they also have Midstate Distillery spirits. Pet friendly if you choose to set outside at one of the picnic tables. Inside is roomy, the bar is average size with many table to choose to sit at. Games are in the house for those wanting more entertainment than the several Tv's to watch. read more

See all

This Brewery had wonderful drinks and food was absolutely great . There were 6 of us and all had different items and all were delicious. The service was great. Highly recommend read more

I like to try out smaller breweries, despite being disappointed quite often. This place bucked the trend in big ways. The beer exceeded expectations and was some of the best I've ever tasted. They were true to the style of the beer, and you could tell they keep their equipment clean. None of the samples had weird aftertastes like you'll find at a lot of small breweries. I can't overstate how perfect each beer was. I got a flight of 6, all of the lighter side. Their descriptions were perfect and hit each one right in the head. There's a German theme to the beers and menu. My daughter got a breaded pork sandwich, and it was darn good. I didn't stay on the German theme but rather got a salad with grilled chicken and beets and some kind of soft delicious cheese with a light dressing and it was very refreshing and tasty. We sat outside and had the whole exterior to ourselves. It's right next to the fairgrounds and there were a lot of Corvettes coming and going which was kind of fun. We went inside to use the restroom before we left and they were clean. The inside was spacious and nice a cool for a very hot summer day. Seemed a little loud inside because of the build materials but that's expected these days in breweries. Overall really great experience. I'm sorry that I didn't take pictures, but I'll paint one: clean, open interior with a large bar and ample seating. Casual outdoor area with patio seating, some tables, on gravel laid over a parking area that has now been roped off and some planters added. We will def be going back when we visit Carlisle. And next time we will get a growler! read more

Came here after the ice fest for some drinks and food. I didn't particularly care for my red IPA but the rest of my group liked their beers. Food was ok! The menu had fun names and good portions and prices. However, my only qualm was the chips were straight up Lays chips. Cute atmosphere, would come back post COVID to see how it is normally read more

If you are visiting the Army War College, add the Desperate Times Brewery to your itinerary! Authentic German menu backed up with an excellent selection of in-house craft beer. The Desperate Times Brewery absolutely deserves five stars! read more

These guys are beer geniuses! It's all good . . . I specially like the German beers like Black Forest Schwartz Bier, German Pilsner, and other special batches they've done like Düsseldorf Altabier and Helles Bock. Try the Micky Fin schnitzel sandwich. read more

We first walked in to a large open room. The place filled up with trivia night test and was on the louder side. They have a great kids area and lots of games so come early if you are bringing kids or want a quieter vibe. The beers are good. We did a flight. My husband like the Honest Lawbreaker and I favored the Irish Red Ale. We had the Paddy Wagon. It's a lot of food. So don't get an app. We made that mistakr, not because it was bad. It was a great soft pretzel with the spicy cheese sauce. It was just so filling. Staff was friendly and got so excited when my hubby asked if they had curry ketchup. (They did. Ask for it. It's good.) Will we be back? Yes when my hubby gets a craving for German food. read more

See all

Great beer, great food! I had the Pilsner and it was excellent!! The wait staff is very friendly and chatty, which makes it an enjoyable evening. read more

Pretty sad that someone who can't drink can't get a club soda. Even though they have club soda. And I offered to pay for the club soda. They won't serve it to me. Huh?? Really poor customer service imo. Apparently "it's for mixed drinks only." Mmk. Next time I'll try ordering a vodka soda 86 the vodka? Bad business. read more

There were several beers on tap that I really enjoyed. However, the food menu was pretty much exclusively meat, so I was very disappointed my only option for dinner was a pretzel. I would definitely give the brewery aspect of Desperate Times 4 or 5 stars if it were just a brewery, but I had to go with 2 stars because I couldn't give the kitchen any praise due to a complete lack of options. read more

We had an amazing lunch on the Saturday of the spring Carlisle car show/swap meet. Our waitress was very friendly and efficient. The beer we had was very good and our food, was great!! If we didn't live out of state we would be back here many times. Hope we can return in the future. read more

Recently opened brew pub next to Carlisle Fairground. The bar/dining room has a cold industrial look and feel. It has a cement floor, open heat ducts, tables with hard uncomfortable chairs. Although only a few people in the acoustics are bad. You would not want to sit here too long and make a night of it. No cozy pub feel at all. Tables and bar stools are not numbered so the food runner has to check with the person who took the order as to where to take food. Would be simpler to number the tables and bar stools and who ever takes the order put the table # on the ticket. Staff were friendly. Menu is German based. Not sure why. I saw a very large pretzel come out of the kitchen. I had a delicious home made chili, perfect for a winter night. Food came out in reasonable time. Food served in paper bowls. There are a selection of beers, but unfortunately they are all keg beers. Quality soda pops and some ciders in a can. I think there were three IPA's. The one I had was tasty but a little more alcohol, around 6% than I like. I think they had one around 3.8 % I may try if I go back for a second time. read more

Noticed when we were up for Thanksgiving that this place had finally opened. Came up for Christmas and decided to stop in. It's your basic brewery-bar that seems to be popping up in towns all over the place. Make their own beers in house and offer a basic menu. The menu seems to be German-oriented: lots of sausages available with available sides of homemade sauerkraut or German-style potato salad. They also offer basic snack plates and a few different sandwiches. The German-style plates come with little German flags in them. Odd thing: even though the food is notionally German-style, they only have *ONE* German-style beer on their menu. Dunno if this is a seasonal thing, or what. Whatever the case, it was a basic light wheat beer - think your basic Helle if you've ever been to Germany. They really coulda done with a good Dunkel or Märzen. Sadly, they've followed trend and gone more for IPAs and stouts rounded out with ales. Fortunately, no Pils-biers on the menu. I ordered the German-style wheat beer. Wife got the oatmeal stout and then the "turtle" stout. My selection was "ok", wife found both of hers to be enjoyable - though she noted that the turtle stout was probably too sweet for drinking by itself. I ordered their Cuban sandwich. It was decently good - even made on bread from Ybor City. Owners are from Tampa, so, made sense that it would be a decen Cuban and be served on Ybor City bread. I got a side of their homemade sauerkraut - it was right tasty. Wife ordered the meat and cheese plate. I ended up with the brie and the pepper-cheese: wife doesn't care for spicy cheese and is iffy about brie. She can do brie if it's cooked or if it's served with a good salty meat-pairing. Unfortunately, the meats on the tray did not well-complement the cheeses - especially the brie. In general, the meats were pretty low on the flavor scale - not bad, just not exactly high in flavor. The tray also came with what sorta resembled large, dark cornichons, but had an weird kind of sweetness to them (different than the kind of light sweetness I'm used to with the ones we get from the German market back home). Hopefully, as they hit their groove, the beer selections will improve and they'll find a better place to source their meat-tray meats from. read more

First time eating here and it was a great experience. If you're looking for ambiance this may not be the place for you but the place was clean, tables were socially distanced and everyone was wearing a mask. The service was great and the food was delicious. It was hard to decide because they have a very interesting menu with unique items. We had the pork schnitzel sandwich (huge!) and a smoked sausage sandwich with homemade sauerkraut and German potato salad. Both were very tasty and well prepared. Beer is very good with a large selection. Prices were very reasonable especially since portions were ample. Will definitely return because I can't wait to try some of the other interesting menu items. Great choice for an evening of informal dining and great food. read more

It saddens me to give this place only 3 stars but even that is generous. While this place has so much potential, there are some major issues, mainly with the food component. We stopped in for a late lunch last Saturday and were surprised that there were very few cars in the parking lot. The outdoor space looked appealing but it was 95 degrees and sunny so that was not an option. Inside is spacious and simple. There is a nice bar with plenty of TVs around. We were quickly introduced to our waitress who was very friendly (forgot her name) and attentive. My wife and I each ordered beer flights which were brought out quickly. At that point, it was almost 2 PM and there were only 3-4 other patrons in the whole place. Overall, I would rate the beers as above-average but nothing that separates it from their competition. Curiously, their menu claims (self-proclaims?) they were ranked the best brewery in Cumberland Valley in 2017?!?!? Really? The menu provides a variety of German fare, which as expected, is meat heavy. Since I was not particularly in the mood for anything too German besides the suds, I ordered the Capone which is their version of the Cuban. While I hate to provide such negative feedback, this was the worst sandwich I have ever ordered at a restaurant. First of all, I ordered it without pickles as they often times dominate the other flavors and it came out with pickles. Even though I took the pickles off, the damage was already done...but it really didn't matter. The sandwich could have fit in the palm of my hand. While they claim to get their bread from some Cuban bakery in Florida, it might as well have been from a dumpster at the Carlisle Fairgrounds. While it was crunchy, it lacked any other positive attributes. The meat, what little there was, and believe me, it was starving for meat, was totally tasteless. Cuban mojo marinade my a$$. Although the sandwich came with mustard and cheese, it was terribly dry. My wife had a salad that was decent. The winner was my daughter's Hokey Pokey sandwich - nutella and PB on white bread. Can't mess that up. The kicker is, despite no one being there when we ordered, it still took more than 30 minutes for our food to come out. While I would go back to drink their beers, I can say with certainty that I'll avoid the Capone. read more

Nice brewery nestled adjacent to the Fairgrounds. Innovative menu that pays homage to some German standards (which is hard to find) but at the same time offers alternatives for all tastes. The beer I had was solid and flavorful, staff was friendly and accommodating. Would expect it to be rather crowded when the car shows are in town. We'll be back when they're not. read more

Excellent place, Geeman Sausages, potato salad, and bread was amazing. BEER IS GREAT TOO! read more

Desperate Times Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

We weren't actually able to eat here because 90% of the menu was pork and a person in our party had a pork allergy. Writing this review just to say the menu is mostly pork. Vegetarian options would have been grilled cheese or a lettuce salad. read more