The Point of Bro Return

It seems 2019 was a pretty good year for concerts. I definitely filled my quota and even crossed one or two acts off the bucket list. Much like our recent trip to the Keswick Theatre to see Dennis DeYoung of Styx, I threw out the idea of going to see Kansas at the Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading to Darin and Doug, two of my music buds, and we decided to make it a "Dude's Night Out." You may remember Darin from our recent outing to see DDY last month, which concluded with a day of brewery hopping around suburban Philadelphia. I met Doug through Darin when he started attending my monthly rock trivia nights at the Corvette Grille. Not only does Doug have the most ridiculous CD collection I've ever seen in my life (somewhere between six and seven thousand, all meticulously alphabetized and in chronological order), he's also an old-school craft beer fan. As a matter of fact, he was one of the earliest employees of Tröegs back in Harrisburg during its infancy, and his shrine of old Tröegs memorabilia is only rivaled by his music collection. He also has many stories of being on the road with Clair Brothers. So yeah, he's a keeper.

Similar to DDY's presentation of The Grand Illusion album in its entirety, Kansas was celebrating the 40th anniversary of its quadruple platinum-selling magnum opus, Point of Know Return. (And yes, it is actually "know" not "no," which even I didn't realize until decades later despite my brother having this cassette during the formative years of my rock music upbringing.) The album was originally released in 1977, so I suppose the band found it necessary to celebrate the shit out of this album. Since the show was taking place on a Friday night, I got the notion in my skull to get an early start and - what else? - visit a few local breweries.

Our first stop of the day was Schaylor Brewing Company situated in Shillington, PA, a few miles off the turnpike exit for Reading. I'd first visited Schaylor during our Team D(r)INK reunion tour about a year ago and thought it had promise. Shillington is the back yard of our stomping grounds dating back to the mid-late 1990s. Brewslut's first teaching gig was actually at the Governor Mifflin High School in Shillington.

Outside Schaylor. Photo taken from our original blog post.

While the tasting room is pretty spacious, the brewhouse is tiny. Surprisingly, they had about fifteen beers on tap running the gamut of hazy IPAs and sours to more traditional styles like pale ales and a Kolsch. They also like using fruit. Many of the beers listed on the menu had some kind of fruit. I opted for three of them (four if you consider pumpkins fruit) and was quite pleased with everything. Looking back to that initial visit, I also remember enjoying my flight, which consisted entirely of IPAs. So I was happy to see this little place keeping up to snuff.

As for my flight, it consisted of the following beers:

• Aim for the Bushes - IPA with pink guava and tangerine. While I love the name, it was perhaps my least favorite of the lot. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable; I just preferred the other three. The blend of guava and tangerine produced a grapefruit pith kind of flavor. 
• Plumus Rubus Hibiscus - Sour ale with blackberry, plum, hibiscus, and honey. Nice blend of flavors overall with a dominant earthy berry and dark fruit character. 
• Functional Prototype - Sour ale with cherry and vanilla. This was my favorite of the four beers in the flight. The vanilla counterbalanced the tart cherry flavor with a hint of soft sweetness, giving this otherwise thin-bodied ale a lush finish. 
• Basic Witch - Ale with pumpkin, graham cracker, gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla bean, pumpkin pie spice and lactose. That's a lot of ingredients! The lactose didn't come through as much as I'd anticipated, but the beer was nicely balanced overall despite the hefty spice bill and adjuncts. Otherwise, no complaints here. 

Luckily, I planned ahead and made sure we had somewhere to eat. Schaylor has a very reasonably priced menu including various flatbreads, salads, and sandwiches, as well as signature items like stuffed pretzels - I got the buffalo chicken version and it was bangin'! - and build your own mac & cheese featuring twenty-odd "toppings." Overall, a great way to kick off the evening.

As we were about to park the car before our next stop, I noticed a sign on the corner for Vertigo Music. I'd been there several times, but the store actually originated in nearby West Lawn, which was one town over from Sinking Spring, where we lived between 1997 and 2000. Since the three of us are all avid music collectors (Darin and especially Doug have vast collections of CDs), I'll always jump at the chance to dip into a music store for a quick dig through a few rows of records. I picked up a couple of things and spent less than $30, which is good for me. I'm really glad to see this place is still in business after 22 years!

More or less across the street from Vertigo is a new-to-me brewery called Broken Chair Brewery. I was surprised to learn that this place had celebrated its 2nd anniversary recently, which prompted my comment to the bartender: "I must be slacking in my old age." Had this been 10 years ago, I would've been there opening week. There are simply too many new breweries to keep up with these days. But, as always, better late than never, right?

Tap Handles at Broken Chair.

We immediately noticed framed original pressings of classic records by the likes of The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, and others decorating the exposed brick walls of the place. Bonus points! Any time a brewery marries beer with music - unless it's, like, The Eagles or some bullshit like that - I appreciate a little more.

Since I was driving, I decided one 12-ounce pour at each brewery was the responsible thing to do. I glossed over the lengthy computer screen beer menu and after a bit of debate, settled on Beach Bomb, a milkshake IPA with toasted coconut and fresh pineapple. The aroma was pretty juicy and tropical, reminding me of a piña colada cocktail. Coconut dominated the flavor with a hint of fruit in the mix. There was also just the faintest burnt flavor, which might have been a byproduct of the toasted coconut. Still, it was enjoyable and went down pretty easily despite not really possessing any qualities of a "milkshake" IPA.

Darin got a pour of a habanero IPA called Hot Pants and said it was the hottest beer he's ever had. We joked about flaming anal cavities and all that fun stuff you tend to discuss during a "Dude's Night Out." (Stay tuned for more funny "ass" stories coming shortly.) Doug enjoyed a pour of Beerhemian Trappsody (I see what you did there, Broken Chair!), a Belgian-style Tripel. 

Overall, this is a cool little unpretentious place with a music-centric vibe and solid beers. I'm glad to see the Reading area adding more decent drinking establishments over the last few years. I remember a time when Canal Street and the Northeast Taproom were two of the only options for good beer in the area.

Outside Chatty Monks. Photo courtesy of Beer Busters Podcast.

About a block away (on the same side of the street, even) is Chatty Monks. I'd been there twice in the past, but it had been some time since our last visit. Also, I'd never featured the brewery in any edition of The Pour Travelers, so I figured we'd swing by for a quick one if time permitted. When we arrived, the downstairs area was pretty packed. We ordered our beers at the bar, had a fun conversation with a woman about the human rectum and Brussels sprouts, and eventually meandered upstairs to sit at the bar. Actually, I didn't even know there was an upstairs area at Chatty Monks. It served as a good final place to relax - and also drop my pre-show "D" - before heading to the venue.

But enough stuff about asses.

Upon perusing the chalkboard, I eventually landed on the evocatively named Drunken English Football Hooligans. That pretty much sums up European soccer fans in one convenient phrase, doesn't it? This variation takes the base beer, Berks English Ale, and ages it in Hidden Still bourbon barrels for more than a year. Despite having a hefty bourbon nose and flavor, this sucker is less than 6% ABV. It drank like a classic English bitter with caramel and toffee notes, but finished with a warming bourbon note. No heat, just flavor. It was pretty enjoyable overall.

After finishing up at Chatty Monks, it was time to head over to the venue for two hours of fine American progressive rock courtesy of Kansas. While there are only two original members left - guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart - the band was incredible tight, the set list was fantastic, and the sound quality of the venue was top-notch. It was a very enjoyable show to say the least!

...and if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know.

After the show - and a few altercations with one-way streets, we made our way to the Ugly Oyster, a classic Irish pub-style corner bar that's been a hallmark of downtown Reading since opening on St. Patrick's Day in 2000. Actually, the history of this drinking establishment can be traced all the way back to the 1700s. As a matter of fact, the building is the oldest pub operating in Berks County. It's a great spot for a post-show beer, as it's only about three blocks away from the venue. The last time I went to a show in Reading, it was Kansas at the same venue, and we did in fact stop at the Ugly Oyster afterward.

The kitchen was about to close and I was hungry, so without examining the menu too closely, I ordered a large plate of fries, which turned out to be small than I had anticipated. I washed 'em down with a pint of A Tiny Beautiful Something, a solid pale ale from Maine Brewing Company, which I was surprised to see on tap. Darin picked up the tab, but I must say that $8 was a little dicey for a 5.5% ABV pale ale. A group of concert-goers came in after us, hungry and wanting some grub. I told them the kitchen was closed, and one of them bummed a fry off me. They reciprocated by passing around some Tootsie Pops, which I enjoyed on the ride home.

It was great to get some guy time in with these two music and beer lovers, and we plan to do it again next February when Blue Oyster Cult rolls into Lancaster for a show at American Music Theatre.

Your brothers, they echo the words
"How far to the point of bro return?"
"Well, how long?"

Next February, I reckon. Until next time...