Burnin' for Brew

This past Saturday, two of my music buddies and I headed down to Lancaster to see Blue Oyster Cult at the American Music Theatre. Our trio also attended a Kansas concert in Reading last November (as documented in The Point of Bro Return), so I guess it's becoming "a thing." The night before the show, I performed at Kennett Flash with my Rush tribute band, Solar Federation, and stayed over at a friend's house with a large group of Rush friends after the show. Despite staying up until after 3 a.m., I was able to get my shit together in the morning (thanks to a filling breakfast and three generous pours of some excellent coffee) and be back at home just before 2 p.m. to get a shower and meet up with Darin and Doug in Lebanon at 3 p.m. The plan was to hit a few record stores and breweries before the show, which started at 8 p.m.

The brewery scene has picked up a bit in recent years with the addition of a few satellite taprooms of familiar breweries. After hitting Mr. Suit and Stan's, two record stores, we took a short stroll to
Columbia Kettle Works 2nd Gear. This relatively new taproom is part of a multi-tenant cultural building located in downtown Lancaster on Water Street, and shares its space with Zoetropolis (a cool theater and performance venue) and Cocina Mexicana (a restaurant). During warmer months, patrons can also congregate outside in the courtyard area with beer in hand and enjoy some sunshine.

The original Columbia Kettle Works (situated appropriately in Columbia, PA) opened its doors in 2014 and has been cranking out some impressive beers ever since. Brewslut and I have visited on several occasions, including a few times when Think Tank Musiquarium (one of my musical projects) has performed, and we've routinely been impressed with its beers. In particular, Grinch Feet (a holiday ale brewed with oats, Blackstrap molasses, cherries, vanilla bean, and cinnamon) is a favorite of mine. They just make great beers across the board, in my opinion. They also brew a nice collaboration beer with St. Boniface called Kettleface, a hoppy imperial red ale.

Outside Columbia Kettle Work's 2nd Gear location.

Brewslut and I had just visited a few days earlier before we attended the Iron Maidens (an all-female Iron Maiden tribute band) concert at the Chameleon, and I'd enjoyed two beers: Revisionism Rye IPA and Lumberjack DIPA. I decided to keep things light this time since I was driving, so I opted for
Kulmbacher Export, a German-style Schwarzbier. As a matter of fact, the beer is based on an old recipe for a black lager originally brewed by Rieker Star Brewing in the late 1800's. (Fun fact: the brewery was actually situated in the old Blue Star Hotel building, where my band herbie played on numerous occasions. I also had some of my very first beers there!) Smooth but fairly dry, this dark, roasty beer boasts subtle notes of chocolate and coffee, yet maintains a lager-like crispness.

We decided to hit up Voodoo next, as it was getting close to feeding time. Brewslut and I had been there a few times during recent visits to Lancaster. I've always been a fan of Voodoo ever since I first met original brewer and owner, Mat Allyn, at an event at Zeno's in State College, PA many moons ago. We immediately bonded over our shared love of the band Primus (one of his first beers was even named Wynona's Big Brown Ale... a beer still in Voodoo's portfolio). Plus, his beers were awesome!

These days, Voodoo is an employee-owned company that still holds onto its Meadville, PA, roots. However, the company launched a pub expansion program back in 2018, which allows folks to own and operate their very own Voodoo pub. Currently, there are eight Voodoo locations, many of which are located in Western PA, with one in the works. In addition to the original Meadville location (and of course Lancaster), Brewslut and I have also been to Homestead (in Pittsburgh) and State College.

The Lancaster site shares its space with Cabalar Meat Company, a locally sourced butcher and eatery. Doug mentioned he'd like to have dinner there, and I agreed (even though I wasn't even sure they'd have anything on the menu that I could - or would - eat). Turns out they have a falafel burger on the menu, which I ordered... and it was delicious! Plus I saved another animal.

Inside Voodoo's Lancaster location. [Photo courtesy of USA Restaurants.]

Beer-wise, there was a lot of high gravity stuff on tap during our visit. A quick scan of the menu revealed nothing under 7.5% ABV. I opted for Spruce Tip Ale, and imperial cream ale brewed with oats and Colorado blue and Engelmann spruce tips. Wow! This beer was pretty damn amazing! I love piney IPAs and have had lots of beers brewed with pine or spruce tips in the past with mixed results. The creaminess of the body really softened the abrasive character spruce tips can sometimes exhibit. This allowed the natural flavor of the spruce to really shine through. It really was quite a delicious beer!

Doug wanted to get another beer (and he was picking up the beer tab since I drove), so who was I to argue? Since we were on our way to see Blue Oyster Cult, I thought it only fitting to order a pour of Voodoo's fantastic double chocolate oatmeal imperial milk stout, Cowbell. (Had they still called its imperial pilsner Pilzilla, that would have been an appropriate choice, too; however, they apparently had to change the name to KillaPilz after receiving a cease and desist from the Godzilla franchise.) Dispensed via nitrogen, this beer is a smooth, decadent, chocolately treat. I've had this one a few times in the past and I've always enjoyed it. This time was no different. It made for a great dessert after the slightly spicy and earthy falafel I'd just devoured.

I wasn't sure what was up next, but we had about an hour or so to kill before we had to get to the venue. Unbeknownst to me, Lancaster Brewing has a taproom (called the "Rt. 30 Taproom") in close proximity to the theatre on Lincoln Highway East. It was settled, and we were off to Lancaster Brewing.

A staple of the Central PA craft brewing scene since 1995, Lancaster embraces its geography and Amish heritage, which manifests through its beer label artwork. Think barns, cows, buggies, and the like. They even brew a Shoo Fly Pie Porter, which is actually pretty darn good... at least if you like Shoo Fly Pie. I love molasses, so I certainly dig it. Some of my earliest beers when I was first dipping my toes into the local beer scene were from Lancaster, including Amish 4-Grain Pale Ale, Strawberry Wheat, Hop Hog, and Milk Stout, the latter of which I still enjoy from time to time. I hadn't been to the brewery proper in a number of years, so I was anxious to see what Lancaster had been up to since then.

Lancaster Rt. 30 Taproom. [Photo courtesy of Lancaster Online.]

When we arrived, it was so packed that we had to order our beers and stand at the bar. Fine with me. We'd be sitting for the next two hours. While we were there, I ran into a co-worker, Bob, and friend who comes out to see my various bands, Ron, sitting across the room about to have dinner. Turns out they were also going to the show. We had a quick chat and then I returned to my beer.

I took a chance and decided to try my luck with a Chili Smoked Baltic Porter. This beer represents Track #19 in its "Jam Series," which I assume is a limited, small-batch series similar to the Scratch Series. Brewed with a hefty amount of Bamberg Smoked malt, this beer also features 100 lbs of guajillo and 40 lbs of meco chipotle peppers to deliver a rich, malty backbone with plenty of smoky character and a hint of warm spice, courtesy of the peppers. The flavor is balanced by touch of brown sugar to add a pinch of sweetness. I was actually pretty impressed with this beer. It was well-balanced and the pepper character never overpowered the malt.

As for the concert, it was enjoyable. I don't know B.O.C.'s catalog as well as, say, Rush, Iron Maiden, or even Kansas, but they played a wide variety of album tracks as well as their three big hits - "(Don't Fear) the Reaper", "Godzilla", and "Burnin' for You". I was hoping for "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" (my favorite B.O.C. song), but it hadn't been in their set for over 10 years. I was also surprised they didn't play "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll," a song with which they typically close out the night. Oh well. Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma, the two sole original members, looked and sounded great for guys in their seventies (Bloom is 75 and Buck, 72), and the band was incredibly tight.

B.O.C. was NOT wearing gold-plated diapers.

After the show, we swung by Mad Chef on the way home for a nightcap and more goofy, prog rock-inspired shenanigans. I've been to Mad Chef plenty of times in the past, whether it's for a quick beer after the Keystone Record Collectors Expo or if we're just passing through Lancaster. Mad Chef combines its flair for creative food and craft beer in one setting. The food is as important as the beer here, and we've had some delicious dishes including the signature chicken and waffles, which is very different than the chicken and waffles I grew up with in Shamokin... but equally as delicious! This time, we were simply stopping in for one final beer and to exchange notes about the show.

I kept things light and opted for K3Y L1M4 PIE, a kettle sour brewed with graham crackers, lactose, cinnamon, vanilla, and key lime fruit juice. The beer was available on draft as well as nitro, so after some deliberation, I decided to try the nitro version. Smooth and slightly sour with a dominant lime and vanilla flavor, this was quite tasty. I could have had another one, but it had already been a long day, so it was time to resume my driving duties and point the ship homeward bound.

Key Lime Pie sour at Mad Chef.

In closing, I'd like to offer an appropriate little ditty to take us out:

Burn out the day

Burn out the night

I can't see no reason to put up a fight

I'm living for giving my gullet some booze

And I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for brew

Thanks for reading. Be sure to tune in next time for more Pour Travelin'. Cheers!