Pennsylvania Beer and Brewing Guide

November Beer Festivals.

2009-10-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

November is almost here, and in the spirit of helping people plan their weekends.

So let's get to it, shall we?

Allentown Brew Works is hosting a Craft Beer Festival on November 7th. Two sessions starting at 12pm. 20 breweries confirmed. This one should be a goodie.

On Friday the 13th, The Grey Lodge Pub in Philadelphia will be hosting Friday the Firkinteenth.

That same day, on the other side of the Commonwealth, the Pittsburgh Rugby team will be sponsering The Pittsburgh Brewfest.

On Saturday, the 14th at the Harrisburg Farm Show complex there will be Flavor Pa Beer and Food Expo sponsered by the Pennsylvania Brewers Guild.

On the 14th and 15th Winterbeerfest will be held at The Navy Yard in Philedelphia.

And finally on the 21st, and the 22nd Split Rock Resort will be holding a Great Brews Classic Beer Festival.

Always have a Designated Driver, and always drink responsibility.

L8R

Introducing Dodd Brewing American Classic Ale

2009-10-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I attempted my first all-grain brew. I was thinking that it would take on the characteristics of a red ale, but boy was I wrong. And wrong in a good way, we bottled it a little earlier than I wanted, but it turned out a really nice amber color.

So, introducing to the the world Dodd Brewing American Classic Amber ale. This will be a beer that we have in our regular rotation of brews. Crisp, with a nice malty after taste. Good stuff.

L8R

An All Grain Red Ale

2009-10-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here is the recipe for my first all grain red ale. Enjoy.

L8R.

Brewing your first all grain batch of beer

2009-09-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

The day has come my friends. This coming Saturday I will be brewing my first all grain batch of beer. The mash tun will be completed today. The grains have been purchased, the time has been DayTimered, and it will happen.

This inaugural batch will be an american amber. 8lbs of 2 row pale malt, 1lb of caramunich, 1lb of munich. I will be using centennial hops that a friend and I grew for flavoring, don't know yet what I am going to be using for bittering. I will be using 2 wyeast 1056 or equivalent starters in fermentation. I am looking for a big beer out of this batch.

More when it happens. Wish me luck.

L8R.

Weyerbacher Brewing

2009-09-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had some time on my hands so I thought that I would try a new beer distributor. Here in Pennsylvania you have only a couple of options to buy beer. You buy 6 packs from a bar at outrageous prices,or you go to a beer distributor. Draconian, to be sure, but you gotta work with what you have.

I got sucked in by the flashy advertisement for this place, and by the fact that they stated that they had a walk in humidor. I am always on the look out for good cigars, so I thought what the heck.

Wrong idea. This place was only good if you wanted a Miller, Coors, or Bud product. The rest of their offerings were pretty slim. Strike one. And then their humidor was the size of a closet. Strike two.

As I left the parking lot I was thinking to myself, why did I even think that any distributor would be better than where I always go. And where would that be? It would be to Westy's Beer Distributor in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. And I am not being paid to say this, though George? I am not above taking feebies whenever I can get them.

Once through their familiar doors, I set about looking for that beer that was going to make me sit up and say howdy. I whittled down the competition to an Autumn Harvest, and a Imperial Pumpkin Ale both from Weyerbacher Brewing. I chose the Imperial because it just sounded good, and good it is. With just a hint of pumpkin spice to make it dance on your tongue. This is a good seasonal drink. I am finding that when I can afford Weyerbacher, because they are a little pricey, I am never disappointed with the taste of their brews.

And that is how I spent my Friday.

L8R

Pennsylvania Beer Festivals in October

2009-09-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

october is rocking in Pennsyvania. There are a lot of festivals going, so let's get to it:

Oct. 2, and Oct. 3 the town of Mifflinbburg will be hosting Oktoberfest.

A great family event celebrating Mifflinburg's German heritage

Imported Bier vom Faß (keg).
We usually have ALL beers available until 5 pm. Saturday.
Hacker-Pshorr, Paulaner, and Spaten Oktoberfests from Munich
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse (Wheat) from Munich
Spaten Lager & Spaten Dark from Munich
Beck's & Beck's Oktoberfest from Bremen
Stoudt's Pilsner from Adamstown
German style wines from Shade Mountain Winery
Traditional Oktoberfest food
American favorites, including tasty big soft pretzels
German bands and dancers
Hayrides and Jugglers
Polka Band with the "OOM PA PA" Sound
Everyone is encouraged to come dressed in their Lederhosen (German Shorts with Suspenders) and Loden Hüt (wool hat).
*** Wear an article of German Clothing and receive a
$1 discount off a wristband and mug. ***

Also on October 3 the city of Bethlehem will be hosting their 4th annual Bethlehem Harvest Festival.

Beer sampling
An open air produce market
Great food
Fine arts and crafts vendors
19th Century brewing demonstrations
live music on Main Street
Children’s activities at the Smithy
The beer garden and live music in the Sun Inn Courtyard
Harvest Soup contest and sampling
Apple dessert features from the Sun Inn
And much more!

October 4 the city of Philadelphia will host Sippin' By The River.

The 15th annual Sippin' by the River will take place on Sunday, October 4 at Festival Pier at Penn's Landing located at Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street. The event runs from 1p.m. until 5p.m. and benefits the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.

At the event, visitors will enjoy food from local restaurants, cooking demonstrations, and live entertainment from the band DAME.

Attendees can sample a huge assortment of beers while learning all there is to know from beer expert Gary Monterosso. Authentic beer and food will be offered in a special pavilion as well. A new large Wine Tent will house a variety of wineries offering samples. Guests will have the opportunity to gain knowledge about wine from local experts Robert Peters and Richard Unti.

Stoudts Brewing will host Oktoberfest every Sunday in October.
Celebrate German traditions right here in PA Dutch Country in our
Gemutlichkeit Bier Garden. A fun-filled family event held the last
weekend of September and every Sunday in October featuring live
German music and authentic German food. Try the apple and beer
sausage with slow roasted sauerkraut, Stoudt's award winning brews,
and our famous Pig Roast. Fresh baked hand rolled soft pretzels are
a favorite treat for any age.

Ein Prosit!

October 10 brings the 12th annual Kennett Brewfest to Kennett Square.

October 17, Easton, Pennsyvlania hosts the Lehigh Valley Brewfest.

October 17 also brings the Newtown Brewfest.

And that is just the beginning, stay tuned for more.

L8R

September beer festivals in Pennsylvania

2009-08-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

September. The time of labor Day Festivals country wide. And the beginning of the Oktoberfest season.

I don't know why Oktoberfest is celebrated in September, and not in October, but there you have it.

And here we go:

Saturday, September 12 in Pittsburgh, Pa there will be The Steel City Big Pour. 32 craft brewers, and 2 sessions. This sounds like a good one.

Saturday, September 19 in Harrisburg, Pa. The 12th Annual Capital City Invitational Beer Festival will be held at Appalachian Brewery in Harrisburg. 3 sessions, 20 brewers, food, and music. Another good one.

Saturday, September 26th in Quakertown, Pa. McCoole's Beer Festival will host 40 craft beers, 2 sessions, food and music.

Ok, Ok, I know that it is August

2009-08-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

I admit I screwed up. I got caught up in vacation and the end of vacation blues, but now I am back on the job. Sheesh.

What is going on this weekend? A lot of stuff, that is what.

The Pennsylvania RenFaire is open officially this weekend, stop in and grab a brew at Swashbucklers Brewery. I know that I will be.

Sly Fox Brewing Company is hosting an American Homebrew Association Rally on Saturday from 2pm until 5pm. A great time to find a brew club in your area.

Brew at the Zoo is August 15th in Pittsburgh from 7pm until 11pm.

Also on the 15th on the other side of the Keystone State there will be an International Great Beer Expo. The event will be held at the Philadelphia Navy Yard located at 5100 Broad St. in Philadelphia.

On a final note, the Brew Expo that was scheduled to be held in State College was canceled this year.

And that is what I know of going on in the world of beer here in Pennsylvania.

L8R

Pennsylvania Beer festivals in July

2009-07-09T18:46:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. I told you about a couple festivals earlier in the month, but here is one more that I just came across.

The Philedelphia Zoo is holding their annual Summer Ale Festival on July 25 from 6:30pm until 10pm.

Tickets are $75 a piece and includes private educational seminar with exclusive brewer, a souvenir pilsner tasting glass and goodie bag. I love goody bags. Tickets are only available on line.

Breweries included are:

Sly Fox Brewery
Roy Pitz Brewing Company
Yards Brewing Company
Flying Fish Brewing Company
River Horse Brewing Company
Weyerbacher Brewing Company
Victory Brewing Company & Restaurant
Stoudt’s Brewing Company
Triumph Brewery & Restaurant
Lancaster Brewing Company
Dock Street Brewery & Restaurant
Philadelphia Brewing Company

Growing my own hops

2009-06-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have told you that a friend of mine and I are growing hops for this coming Fall and the brewing season. I now have some new pictures, taken today, of my 3 plants.

I am growing 2 horizon rhyzomes, and one willamette. And without further ado, here they are:

The biggest one is one of the horizons, and the smallest one is also a horizon. I don't know why it is that way, but what the heck. The willamette was planted about 2 weeks after the horizons went in the ground, and is doing just fine. I haven't used any fertilizer on them other than worm castings that come from my worm pile. My buddy who is growing centennial hops put Scotts organic fertilizer on his and says that they are now about chest high. I haven't seen them to verify, but am happy that his are doing so well. Because I still get to use them, even if they do better than mine because my friend doesn't drink beer. Freakazoid that he is.

L8R,

Pennsylvania Beer Festivals in July

2009-06-18T05:06:00.001-07:00

With June being half over, I thought that it should be time to post the beer festivals that will be going on in Pennsylvania in July.

I am thoughtful that way, no need to thank me.

Selinsgrove will host its 2nd annual Brew Festival on Saturday July 18th from 2 until 6pm. This festival benefits their downtown revitalization program. Tickets can be purchased online for $43 for drinkers, and $11 for the DD. You can see the breweries that are stated as being there by following this link.

Erie Brewing Company will be hosting Beer on the Bay on July 25th at the Pepsi Ampitheater. This beer festival will benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Two sessions available, 12pm until 3, and then 5 until 8pm. Tickets are $25 for drinkers, and $10 for your DD. If you want a souvenir T-shirt, tickets are $40 for drinkers and $25 for your DD. And here is the link for the rest of the info.

Just a couple of beer festivals that are going on in Pennsylvania, but then again it is all about the quality, not the quantity now isn't it?

L8R,

Pennsylvania Beer Festivals

2009-06-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

We have a couple of cool beer festivals coming up in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the next couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to partake in either one of them. The job that pays the bills always takes precedence.

The first beer festival is the coming weekend June 20th in downtown Harrisburg to benefit The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and sponsered by Troeg's Brewing Company.

And then next weekend, June 26th the York County Heritage Trust will be hosting their Microbrew Fest.

Hopefully some of you will be able to take in either one, or even better, both of these events. If you do, I would really enjoy hearing about the good, the bad, and the ugly of them.

L8R,

Hops, Hops, and More Hops

2009-06-13T11:49:00.001-07:00

I promised you pictures of my hops, and pictures of my hops are what you will have.

They are starting to vine quite nicely at this point. I haven't added anything in the way of fertilizer other than from my compost pile. My friend who is growing the centennial hops has added Scott's Organic Fertilzer to his, and they have grown somewhat more than mine. I am not a fan of fertilizer, so I haven't added any.

I have the hops vining on hemp that is attached to a electric pole that was left in out backyard. I have the hemp attached about 12' up, and with the angle that the hemp has, they have about 20' of growing space. The hops are planted in a section of my garden that gets about 10 hours of sun daily. So, as long as I keep them watered, and we get good sun this summer, by this fall I will be using my own hops in my beer.

This, my friends, is satisfaction.

L8R

Revelation #9

2009-05-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

It is always interesting to me, one of my many revelations, how little of my own homebrew that I actually drink. This came to light just yesterday when a friend and I were discussing getting our families together for an impromptu picnic. I say impromptu because we husbands were the ones who did all of the planning. And the planning went something like this:

The players are myself, Phil, and my friend, Scott.

Scott: Phil the girls were talking about getting together on Sunday. Are you off?

Phil: Yep, and I have a new beer that I want you to try. Double Simcoe IPA from Weyerbacher brewing.

Scott: Cool. I picked up a variety pak from Appalacian Brewing that I will bring over.

Phil: Excellent. How did you like that Thunderhop from Church Brew Works I gave you a couple of weeks ago.

Scott: It was really good. A little toned down from what I like, but it still went down well.

Phil: I have to turn you on to Blithering Idiot sometime too, but I just drank my last 2 bottles last night.

Scott: I picked up a couple of cigars the other day too. You want me to bring them over?

Phil: Naw, I have a couple of Romeo y Julietta Maduros we can smoke, or you can just rummage through the humidor and see if there is something you like. I have a friend who has been getting some nice cigars for a guy at work, and he has been passing some of them on to me.

Scott: We better plan the food or else we are going to forget all about it. We have chicken we can bring.

Phil: Great, I am working tonight so I will get some corn, salad, and desert.

Scott: So how much beer do you think I should bring over?

Phil: Whatever you can drink

So you get the gist of the conversation. We spent a good 15 minutes talking about beer and cigars, and all of about 3 minutes talking about food.

It was after this conversation that I actually realized that I hadn't said anything about my beer. Sadness. I try to brew to a taste. And I end up giving most of the beer I make to friends. They try it, tell me that they like it, or not. We discuss that pro's and con's and I put that into the recipe for the next batch.

I need to start drinking more of my own beer. Especially since I am going all grain this coming fall. This is important.

And have I mentioned that I am going to a kegerator system? I don't think so. A friend called me up the other day saying his parents had a refrigerator that they want to get rid of, would I be interested. Hell yes I would be. I am picking that puppy up on Monday and converting it to a two draft system.

More as the story develops.

L8R

Just who are you calling a Blithering Idiot?

2009-05-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

I am a little slow up and around today. You see last night I, after working a harried 10 hours at my day job, decided that I should sit down and drink a couple of Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot brews.

For the uninitiated, Blithering Idiot is a barley wine, weighing in at 11.0% ABV. It is a heavy ale, full of malty deliciousness. Just the kind of brew I enjoy. Though I wouldn't recommend it for a hot summer day. Blithering Idiot is perfect for a cool Fall evening, or a cold Winters night.

And, being the light weight I am, I could only drink 2 of them last night before sleepy time called.

Weyerbacher Brewing has some wonderful beers that you need to be checking out.

Growing your own hops

2009-05-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

I planted my hops last week. I ordered two different styles, 2 rhyzomes each. 2 Centennial, and 2 Horizon hops. Both of these are high alpha acid, dual purpose hops. Meaning that I can use them for both bittering, and flavoring.

A week later, I have sprouts on one of my rhyzomes, and none on the other. I gave the Centennial 'zomes to a friend of mine who wanted in on this little experiment. He didn't put his in the ground until just this last weekend.

Pics coming later.

I will keep you informed as to who, what, where, and when.

L8R

Pennsylvania Beer Festivals

2009-05-13T03:53:00.000-07:00

Time to start talking about the next group of beer festivals that will be going on in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Penn Brewing had one that was scheduled for June 6 that has now been cancelled. They will be re-scheduling and will announce the new date at a later point in time.

Stoudt's Brewing will be holding their microfest on June 13th. From their website: "Stoudt’s knows how to throw a party and has been doing so since 1991, the first year of the Great Eastern Invitational Microbrewery Festival. We will host various breweries from around the country. The event is held in our spacious courtyards and Brewery Hall. With taster glass in hand, attendees stroll from one table to the next sampling some of the best craft brews that the industry has to offer. Another well-known part of this festival is Ed’s “Best of the Wurst” German style buffet. Included in this are German sausages, pasta salad, German potato salad, red cabbage and six different varieties of Eddie’s homemade bread."

Troeg's will be holding their Harrisburg Brewers Fest '09 on Saturday June 20th. Benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The York County Heritage Trust will be holding their Microbrew Fest on June 26th. Tickets are on sale now, so you had best get them ordered.

Ok, that is a quick run down on what is going on in the world of beer in Pennsylvania in June. Hope to see you at some, or all of the festivals.

L8R

May 9th at Mt. Hope Winery

2009-05-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

You lucky dogs who are going to Mt. Hope for their first beer festival tomorrow.

I am officially jealous. But I have to earn a living, so it will be off to work I go. I would like to hear about it if you have a chance, and it would be even better if you had some pics to share.

That way I won't feel so bad not being able to taste the brews from Swashbucklers Brewery.

Enjoy yourself, kids.

What Pennsylvania Brew have you been drinking?

2009-05-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Thought it was about time for a report card of sorts. Just a check in of what beers I am still in need of trying. Not to take away from the feat of having sampled the beers that I have. Heaven forbid that from happening.

So here we go:

The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, Pa. I drank Thunderhop IPA, which was an IPA that I really liked. I also had Celestial Gold, and Pipe Organ Pale Ale. Both very good beers. This was a good deal.

Erie Brewing Company, Erie, Pa. The first beers from Erie I had was Fallenbock Ale. A really good tasting Bock beer. Malty, with just the right amount of hops to even out the taste. Next I had Railbender Ale which is a Scotch Ale. Another malty beer with a really great taste. I also drank Mad Anthony Wayne APA which is a great American Pale Ale. Again with a really good malt to hop balance. Lastly I drank Presque Isle Pilsner which is a crisp, light tasting beer that would be excellent for days at the beach. This beer is what a national beer brewing company wishes its pale ale tasted like.

On to Lancaster Brewing Company. Started with Amish 4-grain Ale, another APA. I am not sure which one I prefer comparing Mad Anthony Wayne APA, and Amish 4-grain. I will have to do a drink off and get back to you. I also drank Milk Stout, a really nice sweet stout.

Penn Brewery left me ambivalent. It was ok, but it didn't stand out like some of the others I have drank.

Philadelphia Brewing checked in with Kenzinger Ale. Another nice, crisp, change of pace beer.

Troeg's Brewing checks in with Dead Reckoning Porter. I loved this beer. I also tasted Troeg's Pale Ale which is an American Pale, not an India Pale.

Victory Brewing has given me Prima Pils, Hopdevil, and Golden Monkey.

Yuengling Brewing. Who in Pennsylvania has not had a Yuengling? If, then you have to move out of the state.

That makes 8, and tonight I am drinking Weyerbacher Merry Monks beer. That makes 9 breweries out of the 70 that I need to drink.

I am feeling overwhelmed.

All grain brewing

2009-05-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I spent a very pleasant afternoon is Hershey Pennsylvania drinking beer in the Hershey Gardens with some friends. We were attending a fund raiser for The Milton S. Hershey Foundation. In amongst the tents handing out free beer was a guy who was brewing beer in a kettle over an open fire.

Rich Wagner is a Pennsylvania Brewery Historian. We got to talking about all grain brewing, and as he walked me through the process, I got bitten by the bug. For the 3 years I have been making my own beer, I have used liquid extract, dried extract, and have always steeped my grains. No more. Rich explained the process of all grain brewing so well, that I am going all grain.

The first thing I will need is a mash tun so that I can make my own extract. I have a couple of coolers lying around that could fit the bill, so my investment will be fairly minima. I will need to buy a valve, and some stainless web to strain the liquid out of the cooler into another vessel, but again that will be minimal.

And I got so excited about becoming all grain that I decided that I would grow my own hops. Got on Ebay the other night and bought 4 rhizomes that should be getting here in the next couple of days. One of my friends, being a competitive type wants to take half of the rhizomes to his house to see who will end up with the most hops. Which is interesting as this friend doesn't drink beer. He just wants to see what he can do.

Some peoples kids. What can you do with them?

I will keep you informed as to the progress of these projects as we get into them.

Mt. Hope Winery Beer Festival

2009-04-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

The next beer festival that I would love to go to is at Mt. Hope Winery in Mannheim, Pa on May 9th. There are 2 sessions 11am until 3pm, and 4pm until 8pm.

The listed brewery participants are:

Victory Brewing Co.
Downingtown PA

Flying Fish Brewing Co.
Cherry Hill NJ

Roy Pitz Brewing Co.
Chambersburg, PA

Spaten North America
Munich, Germany

DuClaw Brewing Co.
Abingdon, MD

Sly Fox Brewing Co.
Royersford, PA

Franklin's Brewery
Hyattsville, MD

Appalachian Brewing Co.
Harrisburg, PA

Cape Ann Brewing Co.
Gloucester, MA

Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, CA

High Falls Brewery
Rochester, NY

Yuengling Brewery
Pottsville, PA

Tun Tavern
Restaurant & Brewery
Atlantic City, NJ

Spring House
Brewing Company
Conestoga, PA

Bavarian Barbarian
Brewing Company
Williamsport, PA

Erie Brewing Co.
Erie, PA

Boston Beer Co.
Boston, MA

Olde Burnside
Brewing Co.
East Hartford, CT

Lancaster Brewing Co.
Lancaster, PA

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, CA

Intercourse Brewing Co.
Creamery, PA

Old Forge Brewing Co.
Danville, PA

Tickets are $40 per and you can order them on line at the Mt. Hope website. Let me know how it goes. Hopefully Sly Fox shows up for this one.

L8R.

Hershey Biergarten: The Review

2009-04-27T03:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so as you read in my previous post, a group of us when to Hershey Gardens for a Biergarten fundraiser for The Milton S. Hershey Foundation. It was to be a three hour tour. A three hour tour.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

We are going to break this up into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Because when you are putting on an event with this kind of audience draw it nevers goes off flawlessly.

The Good: 10 beer tents, as advertised and I drank samplings from all but 2 of them. Why did I stop at 8? Because Sam Adams was one of the 10, and I know that I love Sam Adams Boston Lager so it just seemed that I was wasting time drinking something that I was already familiar with. Lancaster Brewing was also there with their Rare Rooster brew, and their Shoo-Fly Porter. I got to try the Rare Rooster Ale which was very crisp, with a real nice mouth feel, and a smooth malty back taste. An excellent summer beer.

First up for me was Marzoni's Brick Oven and Brewing Company out of Duncansville, Pa. I had their Maibock beer, which is a strong spring beer also known as a transitional beer. Transitional in that it is a beer that is between the strong beers of winter, and the milder beers of the summer. This was a really nice, crisp beer with just a hint of hops, and a very nice malt back taste. A perfect beer for me, because I just am not a huge hop fan.

On to Bavarian Barbarian Brewing. Headbangers Brown is what I tasted from these guys. Another favorite of mine due to its rich nutty, malty flavor with just a hint of hops to keep it balance. Next up from these guys was Steel Drivin' Stout. A very nice stout that drinks

On to Bullfrog Brewery. I had a couple of tastings of their Inspiration Red, because I just couldn't get enough of the first one. The taste of this red is that good. Another smooth, malty beer, easy on the hops but hit my tastes dead on.

By this time I had had 6 beers and it all started to get hazy. Troeg's was my next stop, if I remember correctly, and I tried their Organic Rugged Trail and liked very much. It is an organic take on their original Rugged Trail which is a nut brown. Very smooth, very tasty, and great after a day of being outside.

So are you wondering if I had any beers that I didn't particularly like? Oh yes I did, padawan. So let's get to them right now, shall we?

Barbarian was serving a Blueberry ale that was just weak. It was extremely lightly hopped along with lightly malted so that the blueberry flavor could come through. And it just didn't do it. Very watery.

Magic Hat was there with #9, and Circus Boy. I tried Circus Boy first because of a friend who has been bugging me to try it. Circus Boy is a hefeweizen, but in my opinion is was pretty weak. Not much character. Quite unlike #9, a pale ale with that uses cascade, and columbus hops. You can really taste the cascade hops in this brew. Not a favorite, but it is one of those beers that is a refreshing difference.

Now lets talk about The Bad. First off Sly Fox was listed as one of the breweries in attendance. They weren't there. That was disappointing to me as I was really looking forward to tasting their brews. The layout of the event was a little crowded also. The tents were stacked pretty close to one another, so that when you were waiting in line, you were right on top of folks who were waiting in line for the next tent. I got to meet some nice people in the lines, but still, it was hot and I could have used a little breathing room. Other than Gettysburg Pretzel and Snack Company, there was only one other food vendor. Just one more would have been sufficient to take care of those of us who really didn't want to wait in any more lines.

And The Ugly. If you advertise an event to last a certain amount of time, it should be running on all cylinders for that amount of time. And unfortunately, the Biergarten did not. By 3pm all but 2 breweries had run out of beer. How could you run out of beer at a beer festival? Lack of planning, and lack of concern for your guests is how I see it. And in talking to a couple of other folks who were there, they agree. As a matter of fact I talked to a DJ from KISS 99,3 who was attending with some of her friends and she was saying the same thing. Kate said that last year most of the vendors were open until 4:30, and unfortunately she didn't see herself coming back next year.

Me? I do see myself going next year, but I will be very interested in seeing any changes that will be made.

By the way, the only brewers that were open until 4pm were Lancaster Brewing, and Magic Hat. They were paying attention.

Today we drink beer

2009-04-26T05:49:00.000-07:00

It all started innocently enough at a perfromance of "Riverdance". Don't judge me, and I won't judge you, dude.

Anyway, in the program was an advertisement for a fund raising event for The Hershey Foundation. A biergarten. So, being a responsible, charitable person I contacted a number of my friends who I knew to be of the same mind.

They like to drink beer.

We decided that all of us could not think of a better thing to do on a pleasant Sunday afternoon than to hang out with one another and drink beer while contibuting to a good cause. Ok, fine. We just wanted to hang out and drink beer. But can you blame us? Sunday, April 26 in Pennsylvania dawned clear, with bright blue skies along with the promise of temps in the mid 80's. How could it be any better than that?

So, I will be telling you about the beers we had, and the conversations about them. In our little group of 6 there are two of us who can argue about anything, one who thinks he knows more about everything than he really does, a couple of wild cards, and a designated driver who is bound to start some kind of shit just for the fun of it.

Stay tuned for more later today.

Hershey Gardens Biergarten

2009-04-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

I do so hope that you have your tickets to the Biergarten at Hershey Gardens this coming sunday April 26th. I have had mine for the past couple of weeks. I wouldn't miss this for anything.

ABC is going to be there along with Lancaster Brewing, and Bavarian Barbarian ( which is one brewery I am looking foward to sampling ), and Bullfrog Brewing, Troegs, Yuengling, Magic Hat ( which is the brewery that one of my friends is pushing me to try ), Sam Adams, Dogfish Brewing, and Victory.

That is a full day of drinking. And I hope that I am up for it.

Wish me luck.

L8R.

The Church Brew Works

2009-04-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am drinking Thunderhop IPA from The Church Brew Works established in Pittsburg, Pa on the 1st of August in 1996.

Thunderhop is listed as an American IPA. After the first swallow, I can agree with this as it is not as bitter/hoppy/dry as a traditional IPA. And we all know that I have issues with traditional IPA's.

Thunderhop is very nice. Crisp, and finishes with an almost grapefruit taste from the hops. This is an IPA that I just had to share with one of my friends who is a true hop fanatic. As a matter of fact, I called him up just a few minutes ago to let him know about this beer.

If you like IPA's you need to try The Church Brew Works Thunderhop.