Everybody got to deviate from the norm

Readers of the Pour Travelers are certainly familiar with "The Chalet." In case you're just joining us and have no frame of reference, you can read the opening paragraph of this blog for some background on the Chalet. For those of you who have been following us for a while and have wondered what the Chalet looks like, I decided to snap a few pictures this time to share. Here you go:

The Chalet

Typically, +we'll follow one of two standard itineraries when we get away to Chalet for the weekend. Friday evening always begins with a stop for dinner and drinks at Selin's Grove. This is a constant and always a given. Sunday is sometimes a mixed bag, but more often than not, we'll hit Selin's Grove again in the afternoon and end up at Pizza Boy by the early evening. As for Saturdays, here's the two alternating itineraries we usually follow to the T:

Option 1 - State College: Elk Creek > Happy Halley > Zeno's > Otto's

OR

Option 2 - Williamsport: Bullfrog > Riepstine's

We'll usually tack on a visit to Rusty Rail at the end of each day since it's in such close proximity to the Chalet, followed by a nightcap at Pap's Pub (ie: Ffej's Igloo North).

This past weekend, however, I was up for some much-needed deviation from the usual suspects. I felt that our weekend trips were becoming too predictable and stagnant. On Friday afternoon, I texted Brewslut and asked, "Feeling limber on Saturday?" Always one to go with the flow, she responded in terse fashion with, "Sure." This is one of the many reasons why I love her.

I'd suggested that we head north to Mansfield, PA, and eventually across the border into upstate New York, then loop back around to Williamsport, PA, before heading back to the Chalet for the evening. It was quite an ambitious itinerary for a single day, as I'd hoped to hit six breweries. While it doesn't sound like too many stops given our track record of visiting up to 10 breweries in a single day, the challenge here was the five-and-a-half hour round trip from the Chalet to our northern-most destination and back. I, too, was feeling limber. We got this!

But first, we had a date with the Pub on Friday night. I was hoping the new cask-only Cocoa Nib Stout would still be available when we arrived, and luckily it was. This cask-conditioned version of
Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout was aged on vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and bourbon-soaked oak spirals. The oak and bourbon character was modest, but the cocoa aroma and flavor was quite pronounced. Brewslut and I both enjoyed it quite a bit! I followed up the stout with an IPA (can't pass on one of these when it's on), and a Framboise. We also tried the latest draft cocktail, which was a blood orange vodka-infused concoction with house-made lemon-lime soda, which was quite tasty. I love that the Pub is now offering these draft cocktails in addition to its stellar beer, local wine, and cider, and nitro cold brew coffee. The only problem now is that there are too many awesome selections! Steve, the owner, was also in rare form this evening. I think he was hitting the Tripel pretty hard and trying to remain in a well-lubricated state due to the fact that his twin daughters were having a birthday slumber party next door. He was also gracious enough to give me a healthy sample of a special secret beer he got from the brewery while he disappeared for a few minutes. I'm not gonna lie to you, but it was like getting a gold star on my book report in fifth grade.

We woke up uncharacteristically early on Saturday morning, made breakfast, and headed out around 11:15 a.m., which was only about 15 minutes behind schedule. Our first stop of the day was Yorkholo Brewing Company. Situated in Mansfield, PA, (within walking distance of the college), Yorkholo has been around for about six years. Brewslut had visited once a few years ago on a Team D(r)INK trip to the Fingerlakes. I couldn't join them, as I had a gig that particular weekend. I'd been wanting to get there for quite some time. After perusing their tap list on-line, I decided it was finally time to make the trek. I'm glad we did because I loved this place!

Pleeps lends a hand with our 10-beer sampler flight!

It was close to 1 p.m. when we arrived. Just across the street, there was a small crowd of ladies holding signs about educational rights, so I beeped to show our support. I parked next to what we assumed was one of the protester's cars, because Brewslut noticed a comical bumper sticker, which read: "What if we destroy the planet before Jesus comes back?" I had to chuckle. It made me proud to be a liberal and glad to have a warped (scratch that... depraved) sense of humor. Plus my sarcasm meter is usually running well into the red at all times, especially as I get older and crankier. But enough of that. Why are we here? Because of beer!

In typical fashion, I wanted to try everything on the beer menu. So, we opted for a full flight of all ten beers currently available. Five were hoppy offerings while the others were an assortment of dark beers like Belgians, porters, and stouts. Here's the run-down:

• House Beer - a Belgian-style "Single" (aka Blonde Ale)
• Komorebi - an "extra" pale ale. (FUN FACT: Komorebi is a Japansese word used to describe when sunlight filters through trees and the interplay between the light and leaves.)
• India Pale Lager - hoppy lager with hints of pine, mango, and grapefruit.
• Amarillo IPA - 
• Alpenglow - dark Belgian-style ale brewed with ginger and aged on tart cherries and sweet black cherries. Yup, this one was as good as it sounds! Probably my favorite of the lot. (Another FUN FACT: Alpenglow (noun) is the rosy light of the setting or rising sun seen on high mountains.)
• The Tantalizing Succulent Monk - Belgian Dubbel with lots of dark fruit, clove and a hint of anise. 
• Molé Stout - milk stout aged on cocoa nibs, Serrano peppers, vanilla beans, and cinnamon. This was was brand new as of 2/13. 
• Imperial Porter - chocolate and espresso goodness!
• The Yanochik - A Scottish Wee Heavy style ale with notes of tobacco, leather, caramel and faint smoke. I dug this one quite a bit too.
• Rez-Head - Imperial IPA with citrus and peach notes. Loved this one too!

#winning at Yorkholo!

Overall, the place had a great vibe and we felt very comfortable drinking there. I liken it to hanging out with an old friend. The space was open and inviting, with high ceilings, exposed brick walls and fun strings of lights strewn about the space. The servers were super-friendly and we learned a bit about the history of the brewery, including the man behind the logo (Grandpa Yorkholo), and a few Japanese words. (We were both English majors, so we're always interested in expanding our vocabularies.) Word of the day: KOMOREBI (pronounced ko-mo-RAY-bee). Editor's note: Sorry to all the linguists out there... this might not be the actual phonetic spelling of the word.

After a fantastic visit to Yorkholo, we were off to New York. We had another 30-odd miles to traverse, plus we ran into a detour, which tacked on a few additional minutes. Our first stop was in the town of Elmira. Like Yorkholo, Upstate Brewing boasts a 6-year brewing history. When we arrived, I was excited to see a firkin sitting firmly on the bar. Turns out it was a bourbon barrel-aged version of its flagship beer, Common Sense, a dark cream ale. Brewslut went with a beer called Ipso Lacto, a Berliner Weisse dry-hopped with Amarillo and Equinox. Both were pretty solid. For this stop, we decided to share a few half pours of some more interesting-sounding selections. Around us, the place was brimming with friendly people chatting about beer and travel (go figure!), so we were happy to chime in. We chatted with a couple from nearby Sayre, PA, as well as another couple from Rochester, NY. Upstate is also dog-friendly, and there were some pretty chill pups hanging out with their owners. We're both pro-dog, and we'll gladly take a brewery packed with pooches over a congregation of ill-behaved children any day of the week.

On tap at Upstate.

Up next, we sampled the New Zealand IPA and another Molé Stout. Hops harvested in New Zealand continue to be in vogue in 2017, and we come across many hoppy offerings brewed with hops "Southern Hemisphere" varieties. This one didn't "wow" me, but it was pleasant enough. The stout was solid too. We ended with a pour of the aptly named Double, a DIPA with minimal bitterness and notes of tropical fruit and berry. 

The many moods of Pleepleus.

A few miles north of Elmira is the oddly named village of Horseheads, NY, which is actually a part of the greater Elmira area. I just love the name Horseheads. Needless to say it sparked an interesting conversation between Brewslut and I while we were on our way to our next stop, Birdland Brewing. I suggested that the founder of the village perhaps saw a team of horses as he was coming over the horizon and named the town after this sighting. Brewslut, on the other hand, had a somewhat more morose theory about decapitated horses. (A quick Wiki search revealed a brief account of how the village acquired its name, which you can read about here if you are so inclined. She was closer to the actual story in her estimation.)

Birdland is a tiny place nestled in a small commercial plot next to a carpet cleaning business. The place probably seats only 25 or so people. Since we passed on a snack at Yorkholo and Upstate didn't have any food (except for bar pretzels), we decided it was time to feed. Lucky for us, Birdland has some tasty-sounding sandwiches and salads. We both opted for The Gobbler, a turkey breast sandwich with American cheese, cracked pepper mayo, cranberry horseradish, Granny Smith apple slices, and lettuce. The sandwiches hit the spot, and we especially liked the crusty baguette-style bread. 

Inside Birdland's tiny tasting room.

As you might imagine, all of its beers and menu items are named after species of birds (or parts of birds' anatomy). I thought that Deuane would appreciate the effort here. We again opted for a sampler flight of six different beers selected from a list of ten. These included some fruited porters, a maple beer, an IPA, and a few others. Unfortunately, none were particularly memorable. We appreciated the effort of beers like Bluebird (a chocolate blueberry porter) and Crimson Chat (a double chocolate cherry Porter), and the staff were super friendly, but overall the beers were lacking complexity and aroma. Still, it's always nice to get a new brewery under our belts and chalk off another place from the list. Plus the place was packed, so it looks like the locals are digging it. 

Horseheads!

Our final destination in NY was the actual Horseheads Brewing Company. This was one I'd been privy to for a number of years, as its Pumpkin Ale is considered one of the best of its kind in craft beer circles. (NOTE: A quick search of my old BA reviews revealed that I did, in fact, have at least one of its beers in the past. Click here to check it out!) Inside, the tasting room was booming with folks getting down to some tasty beers and a trio of musicians playing antiquated but entertaining music on acoustic instruments (although the one guy did play a Tele with a slide on a few tunes). We found a tiny table in the corner of the room and settled in with our drinks. It was loud and boomy inside, making it difficult to hear the trio's vocals. The TVs didn't help, either. The place wasn't dripping with ambiance (it was a big square room with plain white walls and non-descript seating), but the beers were solid and the place was packed with locals. It was tough to strike up a conversation with the band playing, so we kept to our own devices and planned our next attack over a pair of tasty beers. While we're not huge fans of getting beer in plastic cups, we did like what was inside said cups, so forgiveness was in order.  

Pleeps and the plastic cups.

For our first selections, I opted for Tropical Daze, a blood orange IPA, while Brewslut ordered OMFG, a chocolate peanut butter porter). Both were quite tasty and neither had that "fake" flavor (you know what I'm talking about) you sometimes get with other similar beers using these types of ingredients. Brewslut commented that the Tropical Daze was her favorite beer of the day thus far. I liked it also, but it was like drinking orange juice. Not a bad thing, right? Could be an alternate breakfast beer when you're short on coffee stouts. Since we were impressed with our first two selections, we decided to share another half pour of the Double IPA, which was also quite good. At almost 9% ABV and around 91 IBUs, this one was pretty potent and displayed a huge citrus punch. After sharing that one, it was time to hit the rocky road back to PA. However, the day wasn't over just quite yet. 

Billtown (that's code for Williamsport, PA) is familiar territory for us. I'd just learned of a brand new brewery in Billtown called Boom City, which was just down the street about two blocks from Bullfrog Brewery. I figured this night was as good as any to swing by and check another new place off the list.

Inside Boom City.

Inside, it was fairly crowded, but we managed to spot two stools on the far left side of the bar. We recognized the bartender as a guy who previously worked at Bullfrog (or perhaps still does). Beer-wise, they had six offerings available. We settled on Smash Simcoe IPA (me) and Muddy River, an American Porter (Brewslut). Both were solid and showed promise. However, they've only been open a very short period, so I'm sure they'll get their system dialed in quickly. It's great to have another place in Billtown, especially one just around the corner from Bullfrog. They also have a full menu that looked pretty good. Tonight, they were featuring fried banana peppers as an appetizer special, and we actually managed to get a few free samples. These were bangin' and after tasting these, I'd wished we'd ordered some. Oh well. Hopefully next time they'll have them on the menu.

View from the bar at Boom City.

Since it was getting late, we unfortunately decided to skip Riepstine's this time and drive around the corner to Bullfrog. I decided to shoot my buddy and fellow drummer, Joel, a message. Thinking he was probably gigging that night, I thought I'd at least invite him to meet us for a beer. He handles the marketing duties (sound familiar?) for Bullfrog, so I know he's always up for some "frog in his throat." As it turns out, he was enjoying a rare night off, and happened to be hanging out at his office right across the street from the Frog. Joel was gracious enough to hook us up with a few beers and an appetizer (we love the tofu bites, so we opted for those). I settled on a pint of Edgar IPA, one of my all-time favorites, while Brewslut opted for a pint of Coffee Stout. The recipe for this seems to change from time to time, and this version was very different than the one I'd just had during our last visit. This version was lighter and extremely hazy, almost like a Northeast Style IPA a la Trillium, Tree House, or Alchemist. It was fairly dank and citrusy. It paired nicely with the killer band that happened to be playing that evening, a band from Burlington, VT, called Gang of Thieves. I was immediately struck by the quartet's unorthodox instrumentation, featuring a frontman and lead vocalist who also played electric violin, and a guy playing trombone. The rest of the ensemble was rounded out with guitar, bass, and drums. These guys boasted a fat 70's funk groove with some danceable beats and killer vocals. The group also traded off slick leads on the violin, guitar, and trombone. I liked them enough to buy both of their CDs during set break. They were just kicking off a 6-week tour that would take them all the way down the east coast to Florida, then out west to Colorado followed by a few random dates in the Midwest. Their originals were enjoyable, and they even threw in a few choice covers including some Chili Peppers, a Stevie Wonder medley, and Hendrix. Great stuff! After finishing our beers, we shared a pint of Hopsphycitration, a dry-hopped Pale Ale steeped with fresh, organic citrus. This version was light, vibrant and pretty hoppy. It was great to catch up with Joel a bit and enjoy some great beers at the Frog. Plus, I absolutely loved the band (which is rare... like the beer, the band has to be pretty damn killer to capture my attention). It was the perfect cap to an amazing day. Did I mention it was like 65 degrees all day... in February... in northern PA and upstate NY?! Yup. It was surreal to walk around outside in February in a T-shirt. I would have loved to have stuck around for Gang of Thieves' second set, but we had a 45-minute drive ahead of us, and we'd been drinking since 1 p.m. It was time to retire for the evening. Stick a fork in me, Billtown!

Until next time... Pleeps says, "Cheerio!"

Labor Day Weekend Excursions

I love long weekends. They serve as an excuse to travel... not that we need one. Brewslut and I enjoyed a few beer adventures over Labor Day weekend, so I thought I'd interject a short intermission between Portland posts. Readers of the Pour Travelers (all 5 of you) know about the Chalet, our little getaway along Penn's Creek. It's in close proximity to Selin's Grove Brewing Co. (aka "The Pub" for us locals), an added bonus when we visit. Almost no trip to the Chalet is complete without a stop at The Pub on Friday evening, which is a mere 20 miles or so away from our destination. With Saison de Peche going on tap recently, it wasn't even open to debate. Of course, we NEVER argue about going to The Pub. EVER!

First Peche.

I was itchin' to get my peach on (or should I say peche?) because after an impromptu trip to The Pub the previous Sunday, I had come to the decision that Saison de Peche is my favorite beer ever. This year's batch, in particular, was off the charts good. I can't say enough about this beer. Anyone who knows me knows of my devotion to The Pub and my respect for Steve and Heather, the proprietors and brewers (although Steve primarily does the brewing these days). The only brewery I can think of that is on-par with The Pub when it comes to fruit beers is New Glarus. I had a feeling that the peche was going to be special this year after my brief infatuation with the Phoenix Kriek this season. At any rate, if you enjoy peaches this time of year, then this beer is probably right up your alley. Despite its confusing name, Saison de Peche (meaning literally "season of the peach") is NOT a Belgian farmhouse style. It's a thirst-quenching, lip-smacking, sweet and slightly tart treat that comes smack dab between the end of summer and beginning of autumn, and heralds the return of my very favorite time of year at The Pub. After the Kriek kicks, I know the Peche will be available soon, followed by their amazing Pumpkin Ale and Hop Nouveau, the latter a pale ale brewed with hops grown on premises as well as donated by friends and fans.

Fourth Peche.

 After starting with a Peche, I decided to get an IPA to go with my dinner (a Thai soup made with shrimp, spices, and special coconut milk acquired from Baltimore, according to Steve) and vegetable lasagna. As much as I love the IPA, I took one sip and knew I should have just gotten another Peche. Yeah, that's how good it is! Don't worry though, because I made up for it by having three more. For dessert, I split a Roasted Oat Stout mixed with cold brew coffee on nitro. Oh yeah... this is another new offering at The Pub. Steve got on the cold brew train early, I'm happy to report. We'd encountered a few places around the country (Cleveland, Raleigh/Durham, and San Diego) that offered cold brew coffee dispensed via nitro. I think the first place we had it was at Modern Times in San Diego, and we fell in love. If you're a coffee lover, try some the next time you visit The Pub, or blend it with your favorite dark or malt-forward beer. Aside from the aforementioned stout, we tried it with the Scottish Ale, Cream Ale, and Dubbel. The stout is our favorite. And of course The Pub is always great for a late-night chat with the locals, so we ended up closing the place down despite actually getting there about half an hour earlier than we usually do.

After sleeping in on Saturday morning, we had plans to head north to Williamsport. But first, we decided to hit a pair of new places to us in nearby Lewisburg. First up was West Branch Brewing Company. Situated in the renowned Bull Run Tap House on Market Street (the main drag), this place is a favorite among Bucknell students and craft beer fans alike. With 47 taps (mostly local and regional craft) and a solid bottle selection, Bull Run is also the de facto tap room for West Branch. During our particular visit, I was happy to see five house brews on tap. Coincidentally, their sampler flight consisted of five 5oz. pours. How convenient for us!

Sampler flight and growlers at West Branch (courtesy of Google Images)

We decided to share a flight to test the waters. Here's the run down: Blonde, Saison, Rye-IT, Hopcore Pale Ale, and Black Magic Porter. Not bad overall. While the Blonde and Saison were middle-of-the-road offerings, I quite enjoyed the finish of the Rye-IT and the Hopcore was pleasant as well. The Porter wasn't bad either, although what it lacked in body it made up for in roasty flavor. Overall, this place shows some promise. The Bull Run is a huge place with plenty of seating, a huge wrap-around bar, pool tables, games, and enough beer on tap to keep things interesting. We'll be back the next time we're spending some time at the Chalet.

Beer and cider offerings at Civil War Cider

Right across the street, we noticed the tasting room Civil War Cider. We were familiar with this local cidery because The Pub had been carrying their ciders on tap regularly for about a year. While we'd yet to sample any of their libations, we figured we might as well stop in and check it out. Inside, the tasting room was quite small with a colonial flair: dimly lit with lots of exposed brick, old weathered wood, and some cool antiques including a working cash register from the early 1900s. There was a decent amount of people inside for a random afternoon, but we found two open stools at the small bar. Aside from having three house ciders on tap, they also boasted a few craft beer taps (I was pleased to notice Troegs JavaHead Stout was one of them) and a selection of local bottles from Troegs, Stoudt's, Appalachian, and some others.

Civil War's tap tower looked like an old tree stump

We got small samplers of each of the three ciders. The first was Brew Cannon, a dry cider that was simple yet pleasant with a crisp apple bite. The second offering, Maple Sap Tap, featured local maple syrup from the PA Grand Canyon and Union County apples. I found this to be quite sweet with a hint of molasses and maple flavor. The third, Iron Horse, was a coffee-infused cider with a slightly tawny appearance. As a coffee lover, this sounded interesting and it didn't disappoint. Although it was 9.5% ABV, we decided to split a jar of this one. (They served their ciders in squatty mason jars, which I thought was cool.)

After hitting these two new places, it was time to venture onward to Billtown. Home of the Little League World Series, Williamsport, PA is also home to one of my favorite brewpubs in PA, and one of the first places I came to love the IPA style. Bullfrog Brewery first came onto my radar when my band, herbie, used to play there back around 2004. I had just started getting into craft beer, and playing at breweries and brewpubs really allowed me to dive into trying different styles, as I typically drank for free. Once I met Deuane, we then became friends with Terry Hawbaker, who was brewing at Bullfrog at the time. We liked Bullfrog so much that Brewslut joined the pub club, which gave us lifetime access to cool events like Halloween and Christmas parties. Although we were sad to see Terry eventually move on (even though he landed much closer to home at Pizza Boy), his successor, Nate, hasn't missed a beat and has been churning out unique concoctions including smoked wheat-based fruit beers, crazy sours, and ciders. He's also kept Edgar IPA alive and well, one of my all-time favorite IPAs!

The carved wood tap handles at Bullfrog have long been some of my favorites!

One of the perks of the pub club membership is the ability to enjoy a complimentary pour of any beer "new to you." We spotted a coffee stout on the chalkboard (one of our favorite styles) that Brewslut hadn't tried before. I had recently heard about a tasty Smoked Berry Wheat Farmhouse Ale from a friend, so I was delighted to see it on tap during our visit. Yes please! This puppy was brewed with 100% German beechwood-smoked malt and oak smoked wheat, then fermented with a house ale yeast blend and finished with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and aronia berries. Google to the rescue! Aronia berries, also known as "choke berries," are cultivated as ornamental plants but are also edible despite being quite astringent, causing the mouth to pucker. I enjoy Bullfrog's smoked offerings quite a bit, and I found this one to be subtly complex with a hint of smoked cedar-like wood, plenty of sweet and tart berry flavor, and traces of wheat bread dough.

Pleeps was digging the Smoked Berry Wheat!

I had a few sips of the Coffee Stout and it was quite tasty. This latest version features locally roasted coffee from Alabaster Coffee Roaster in Williamsport. With a slightly roasty flavor and chocolately coffee note, this stout boasted a smooth, creamy texture and clean finish. Next time we're in town, we'll make it a point to swing in for an iced coffee. Up next, we split a full pour of the new Lemon Party IPL (India Pale Lager), brewed with organic lemons. Wow! This hoppy lager was packed with zesty lemon tartness and citrusy hops. Overall, the balance of tartness and hop bitterness was quite amazing, as neither ever became too overpowering. The aroma was fantastic... no whiff of fake lemon Pledge, just pure zesty goodness amid citrus and tropical fruit. I finished up our visit with a half pour of Edgar IPA, a must-have every time we visit. The bartender mentioned they recently added Galaxy hops to the mix, and while the flavor was pretty close to what I recall, there was a distinct hint of passionfruit, which is a hallmark of the Galaxy hop variety. This is a world-class IPA!

After Bullfrog, we always head down the road to Newberry (although technically part of Williamsport) to Riepstine's Pub. Owner and brewer Bart Rieppel has been part of the local craft beer scene for many years, getting his start at Abbey Wright Brewing in nearby Duboistown. It was there that I first had his Alpha Deuce IPA, and I knew he was legit. After a few years at Abbey Wright, he moved on to River House Brewing in Milton, bringing along with him not only Alpha Deuce but also his exceptional Vanilla Latte Stout, which is still one of the best stouts brewed in PA I've ever had. After a short stint there, Bart realized that he needed to be his own boss. The rest is history.

Riepstine's Pub exterior shot (courtesy of Google Images)

Bart has been churning out some fantastic beers over the last two years. In addition to the aforementioned beers, some standouts have been Reindeer Fuel (a Mad Elf-esque Belgian strong ale brewed with tons of fresh raspberries), Blackberry Brandy Barrel-Aged Tripel, and Tropical Barbie, a blond ale brewed with four varieties of fruit. We were happy to see the return of the latter during this particular trip, and Brewslut enjoyed this one quite a bit. This time around, it was heavier on the strawberry versus last time when pineapple was the dominant fruit. Speaking of strawberry, it also happened to be Firkin Saturday, and Bart was pouring a "Chocolate Dipped Strawberry" version of his Midsummer Night's Cream Ale. Aside from being somewhat thin, the flavor was pure cocoa nib and strawberry bliss. After finishing the firkin pint, I moved on to the new-to-me Sun Kissed, a tasty Pale Ale brewed with an assortment of citrusy hops and orange juice. I dig! And since Vanilla Latte Stout was also on tap, we HAD to get a pour of that. I sneaked a few sips from Brewslut when she wasn't looking... and so did Pleeps! Before we left, we picked up a very limited bomber of a Rum Barrel Aged Tripel. If it's anywhere near as good as the Blackberry Brandy Tripel, it was worth the shekels. Plus our friend Carolyn is on the label (she's one of the original mug club members)!

By now, it was time to start heading back to the Chalet. On the way home, we swung by Rusty Rail in Mifflinburg, which is just a few miles from home base. Since they've been cranking out Sidetrack Series beers (similar to Tröegs Scratch Beer Series), they always have one or two different beers on tap when we visit. This time, they had Sidetrack #5 - Grapefruit IPA and #6 - Chocolate Hazelnut Porter. We ordered one of each and sat outside by the awesome fireplace. Both beers were a marked improvement from our last visit. I'm all about revisiting a brewery several times to track their improvement and see how they are growing (or devolving) as a brewery. We were glad to enjoy both of these beers outside on the patio under a lovely starry night. 

I'm gonna lay you down by the FIRE!

After our quick stop at Rusty Rail, it was time to retire to the Chalet for the evening. The next day, we were off to State College. When we visit the area, we typically venture to either Williamsport or State College, but seldom both. Fortunately, it was a long holiday weekend, so we were able to fit in both! We've been going to Elk Creek Cafe & Aleworks since they first opened in 2007 (I can't believe it's been almost a decade)! This place is a true gem. Aside from solid beers across the board, they also have a beer engine (and they usually offer some fantastic British style bitters), tasty local farm to table fare, and extremely reasonable prices. We always make it a point to stop in on our way to State College. Unfortunately it was a Sunday, and IngleBean, the coffee shop just down the street, was closed. No second coffee for us today. At any rate, we headed into Elk Creek and bellied up to the bar.

Our view from our seats at the bar at Elk Creek.

Shortly after we sat down, we bumped into our friend Huck, who we know from "The Pub." He joined us and we conversed over a glass of the brand new (aptly named) Elk Creek IPA. This was another solid offering, and I was happy to see another IPA on tap. This was was more of an American style with slight herbal, floral and citrus notes. Huck mentioned it was Krick Fest weekend in the area, and we were tempted to postpone our drive to State College to check it out, but I had Zeno's on the mind. We stuck around Elk Creek to share a glass of our favorite year-round offering, Poe Paddy Porter.

Soon, we were off to Happy Valley. First stop, Happy Valley Brewing Company. I must admit these guys have been knocking stuff out of the park lately. We've been there a handful of times since they opened and have routinely been impressed, save for a clunker of a beer here or there. The brewery is situated in an old converted barn, which makes sense as their tap handles are topped with weathervanes and most of their beer labels feature farm animals. As with most breweries, they have around six year-round beers available and a handful of seasonals and limited beers. This time around, I went with a pint of Summer Camp, an Imperial Citrus Wheat as they call it. Basically, it was a citrus-forward IPA brewed with wheat. I had this once before, but damn was this beer tasty! Brewslut opted for the Scream, a pumpkin ale. After consulting our Untappd beer history, we realized we also had this during a previous visit. We decided this would be a one-and-done visit so we could get downtown to Zeno's.

Tap handles at Happy Valley.

Aside from being the coolest beer bar in State College (one of the best in PA), they also have the most memorable bathroom I've yet to encounter. Never mind all the great graffiti (er, poetry!) on the walls, but it also has such a distinct smell that slaps you in the face as soon as you enter. I liken it to taking a whiff of an uber-hopped DIPA reeking of Amarillo hops (you know, the cat piss one), except for, you know, the hop aroma. I always find some new, entertaining reading material adorning the walls in the bathroom at Zeno's. Lucky for me, each visit is met with multiple trips to the bathroom, most likely caused by drinking too much while we're there!

Bathroom Literature 101 at Zeno's.

I always have a good time here and usually end up talking to some rando or one of the staff. This time, I hit the jackpot because not only did we enjoy some good chatter with the bartender, lo and behold I ran into a raisin cake in the bathroom. When I came out, I mentioned to Brewslut that I'd just rocked a piss next to a guy who "looked exactly like Joe Manganiello." Her face lit up with a mixture of both intrigue and disbelief. When he walked out, she said I was full of shit. Regardless, this guy was a trip. I won't go into details because you just had to be there. I will say that he was quite inebriated and tried to order a "half Jameson and half Rumplemintz." Dear God!

Funny story aside, we were pleased to see Goose Island 2015 Bourbon County Stout on tap. At only $8 for a 10oz. pour, we thought this was reasonable. I ordered one. Brewslut made the mistake of getting a Stone Americano Stout instead. Not to say it's a bad beer, but Bourbon County Stout it ain't. She had no qualms sharing some of mine, though. Hey, that's what marriage is all about, right? (Inside joke alert: Especially if you're a frequent visitor of TJ's: A Private Club.) Speaking of sharing, we decided to split a pint of the tasty Zeno's Rye, a beer brewed especially for them by Otto's.

Pleeps can't stop Joe'kin around!

I suppose this is a good segue, because our next stop was, in fact, Otto's. We almost skipped it this time around after our lengthy stay at Zeno's. However, Otto's has been releasing special cork & cage series beers over the last several months. At around $10 a pop for a 750mL bottle, these are great to share at the brewery (they are only available for on-premises consumption). They usually have a few different beers in stock, and they all sound really interesting on paper. We've had a few now, and they've mostly been hit or miss. Some have been fantastic; others, not so much. Still, we appreciate the experimentation and the fact that these are very reasonably priced. This time, we opted for a beer called Joe'kin. This sucker is brewed with real roasted pumpkins, caramelized brown sugar, Madagascar vanilla, pumpkin pie spices, lactose, and three types of coffee. You'd think that this would be a dark, menacing beer but it's a wheat-based ale that pours amber-orange and was highly effervescent. Overall, not a bad release and it was interesting to mix pumpkin with coffee. If this would have had a porter or stout base and less spice, it would have been a homerun! There was also another cork & cage beer available called Neo (based on Neopolitan ice cream flavors chocolate, vanilla and strawberry that sounded awesome) but it would have to wait for another time.

So it was back to the Chalet for a few late-night beers and some couch time, followed by a good night's sleep. Since Selin's Grove was closed on Monday (m'wah!), we skated down Rt. 11/15 South to Al's of Hampden for some Labor Day libations. I don't visit as often as I'd like, but each time I do, there are a few new beers on tap that sound tasty. I went with Stay Handsome, a new IPA brewed with peaches and hibiscus. This one was particularly delicious and left a ton of lacing all around the glass (see pic below).

In addition to about 25 house beer at any one time, Al's is known for his unparalleled tap selection in the area, boasting 101 different beers on draught, nitro, and cask. They've also become what might as well be called Tired Hands' West Shore location, because Al has been featuring anywhere from 4 to 8 Tired Hands beers on tap at any given time. Since I make it to Tired Hands even less than Al's, I always make it a point to try a new beer if I hadn't already had it. On this day, I sampled Hoi Oligoi, a cloudy IPA brewed with spelt and rye and hopped with Cascade, Hallertau Blanc and Columbus. I followed this up with Confrontation of the Unconscious, a barrel-aged saison. One of Jean's fortes is brewing complex farmhouse-style ales, and this one was no exception. This one featured a blend of a fresh, citrusy Saison base with a 1-year aged red wine barrel fermented "red" Saison. Delicious! 

Pleeps' Confrontation of the Unconscious

With an extra day of drinking, it was time for a much-needed rest. Stay tuned for more scenes from Portlandia. We're about halfway through our adventure. Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Pullin' out a few rarities... NO BULL!!!

On the eve of Imminent Liquidation, the Annville, Lebanon and Harrisburg chapters of Team D(r)INK convened at our house to share some limited bottles from one of our favorite collective PA brewpubs - Billtown's own Bullfrog Brewery.  Brewslut had procured a bottle of the coveted Blue Cheer from brewing deity Terry Hawbaker just prior to him parting ways with Bullfrog, so we were saving it for a special occasions.  She was also successful in obtaining a rarity via raffle at the Bullfrog Christmas party - the first-ever bottled release of a Bullfrog elixir, named Diabolique.  Deuane and I rounded out the evening's selections with Houblonium P-38, French Kiss, Black Cherry Bomb, Magic Beans, Undead Ed and The Jaspers.  Even the most jaded of beer enthusiasts would agree that this was an impressive line-up indeed!

First up was French Kiss, a Biere de Garde, or a French farmhouse ale.  While this was a solid representation of the style, it was forgettable in the grand scheme of things and I honestly don't remember much about drinking it.  After all, it WAS the first beer of the evening.  And with everything else we had in store for us, it was a good way to kick off the tasting.

Up next was Houblonium P-38, a Belgian IPA named after a reference to a Bugs Bunny cartoon featuring Marvin the Martian (one of my favorites)!  This one was sitting in the DBF (Dedicated Beer Fridge) for quite some time, and unfortunately the hops had subsided quite substantially over the course of time.  Still, it drank like a very good pale ale despite the hops having dropped off quite a bit.

We followed this up with the bottle Brewslut had won in the Bullfrog Christmas Party raffle - Diabolique.  It is my understanding that this was the first-ever bottle release from Bullfrog, and according to Terry, this was from the first batch (evident from the dust that had accumulated on the bottle over time).  So we're talking circa 2007 or maybe 2008, judging by reviews on BeerAdvocate.com.  This Belgian Strong Ale was still pleasant enough to drink, but it was definitely past its prime and quite under-carbonated.  Still, it possessed lots of dark fruit character and was quite tasty despite the flatness of its texture.

Undead Ed, a sour version of Bullfrog's fantastic Edgar IPA.  I had sampled this beer before (courtesy of Dan) and remember digging it.  But this particular bottle from Deuane's "Cellar of Doom" definitely benefited from a bit of age under its belt.  The heavy Brett character settled down a bit, giving the beer a more approachable drinkability.  However, the hops were still surprisingly quite bright.  This was definitely one of the highlights of the evening for most (sans Kristen, who is even more sour on sours than myself).

By this time, we hit the halfway point, and it was time to pull out Magic Beans, an interesting experiment concocted by Terry that can be described as a barrel-aged dark Saison infused with Belgian Callebaut chocolate and vanilla beans.  I remember having had a sample of this beer a while back, and I was definitely underwhelmed.  However, I'd heard that there were a few bottles that were infected.  On one occasion, Deuane equated its flavor to that of old cabbage... not exactly a note one would care to find present in a beer!  However, I was pleasantly surprised with this sample.  It definitely improved over time.  The chocolate and earthy tones were nicely displayed, while the sour tang took a backseat.  While I still find Magic Beans to be an odd beer, age has been rather kind to it.

We were now coming down the home stretch, and up next was the 2010 GABF Bronze medal-winning The Jaspers, a Flanders Red Ale.  Dan and Kristen were lucky enough to attend the 2010 GABF as representatives for Bullfrog Brewery, and Dan even got to accept the medal for Terry, who was not able to attend!  Honestly, I can't remember much about this beer, as I decided to give a more hearty pour to Brewslut, who loves her some sour beer!  But it was nice to finally try this beer for the first time.

For our final two beers, we really pulled out the rarities - Blue Cheer and Black Cherry Bomb.  As I stated earlier in this blog, Brewslut was able to secure a bottle of the former from Terry (and it only cost her a bottle of Short's Imperial Soft Parade).  Deuane and Carolyn provided the Black Cherry Bomb.  Now, most of my beer friends know that I am usually on the fence when it comes to sours.  Sometimes I love them, and sometimes not so much.  Well, Blue Cheer is definitely one of the finest American Wild Ales I've had to date.  I had the pleasure of sampling this once before at one of Deuane's tastings, and I am happy to report that it is holding up quite nicely.  However, the star of the show (at least to me), was the final beer of the evening - Black Cherry Bomb.  Wow!  This beer was amazing!  The texture was all stout but the cherry added a depth of tartness without becoming too obtrusive.  I definitely think this beer improved with age, as the sourness subsided a bit, leaving room for the stout to really shine.  I wish we had more of this beer, but alas it was Deuane's final bottle (or so he says... there's probably a case hidden somewhere in the Cellar of Doom)!

All in all, it was a fine tasting of rare beers from one of our favorite breweries in PA and provided some good pre-gaming for the next day: Imminent Liquidation.  But more on that later.   

The hand-labeled bottle is The Jaspers, given to Deuane from Terry for his birthday.

The End of an Era... and the beginning of a new one!

I'm sure if you follow craft beer news in PA, then you have heard of the parting of brewer Terry Hawbaker from Williamsport's Bullfrog Brewery.  This news will perhaps come as a shock to many local craft beer enthusiasts (myself included), so I can't help but shed a tear, as Bullfrog was perhaps the first brewpub in PA that I truly came to love.  I remember having my first pint of Edgar IPA back when my band, herbie, used to play there regularly and I was just getting into craft beer. Aaah, the memories!

Brewslut and I hold Bullfrog in very high esteem (she's even a mugger there), and Terry is undoubtedly an integral part of Bullfrog's awesomeness.  We even chose to spend some time there on the last day of 2010, which coincidentally was brewslut's birthday (I won't tell you how old, though).  Terry has been knocking just about everything out of the park over the last year or so.  Some highlights have been Busted Lawnmower, HopGASM, Double Coffee Stout, Smoked Porter, and Deuane (the latter, a DIPA brewed in honor of my friend and beer guru, Deuane Hoffman).  And that list doesn't even include some of the stellar sour beers that were released in bottles, including El Rojo Diablo and the 2010 GABF bronze medal-winning The Jaspers!

Pleepleus and myself enjoying Master Blaster Imperial Stout.

While it is truly sad to see Terry leaving after several years with Bullfrog, it is equally as exciting to see him venture off into new territory, as he will be heading to the City of Brotherly Love to brew for a brand new establishment called The Grainery*, owned by the Fork & Barrel folks.   The Grainery won't exactly be a brewpub proper, but it will tentatively feature 24 taps, four of which will be dedicated to Terry's artisan beers.  He will also have an exclusive handpump, which is really exciting news.  What does this mean?  Well, you can probably expect lots of barrel aged brews, wild ales, and sours... you know, the stuff Terry is known for brewing!

With that said, what will the future have in store for Bullfrog?  Well, while Terry is finishing up his tenure, the search is on for a new brewer.  Mightly big shoes to fill, indeed.  Bullfrog has been one of my very favorite brewpubs in PA, and hopefully that won't change.  I wish them the very best in finding a successor worthy of Terry's crown. 

*Editor's Note: The name was later changed to Farmer's Cabinet.

Check out some reviews of my highest rated Bullfrog beers...
Barrel Aged Old Toad Barleywine
Smoked Porter
El Rojo Diablo