Mice, Droppings, Roaches Found At Brewery Ordered To Close In Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia brewery has been forced to temporarily close after inspectors say they found mice, roaches and rodent droppings on the premises.

Victory Brewing Philadelphia (1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway) was ordered to close Tuesday after a city health inspector discovered a range of violations.

The inspector saw one mouse running through the basement and another stuck on a soiled glue trap in the cabinet beneath the beer spouts at the lower-level bar.

Prep areas also contained roaches, mouse droppings and flies. Small flies were also found by the lower bar. Additionally, several employees were seen wearing gloves but failing to wash their hands, and grime was observed in several locations, the report says.

Victory Brewing was ordered to close for at least 48 hours to comply with health codes. They received the same order on Thursday after failing the follow-up inspection.

The health inspector said they found mouse droppings in a closet and near the stairs to the outside bar, a dead roach in the kitchen, and flies in the prep, bar and storage areas — among other violations and risk factors.

Victory Brewing was once again ordered to close for 48 hours to take corrective actions, including following up with pest control, the report says.

A reopening date has not been confirmed as of this writing.

"We will remain closed today as we put the finishing touches on the necessary corrections and preparations," the brewery said Thursday on Instagram. "Our priority is ensuring everything is fully addressed and that we have met our Internal Standards and those of the Philadelphia Health Department.

"We are working diligently to reopen as soon as possible and will share an update once our reopening is confirmed. We sincerely appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support."

The closure doesn't apply to Victory Brewing Company's other locations, which include three taprooms in Chester County.