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!

Planted in Cherry Hill - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our little Jersey/Philly weekend excursion. When we last left you, we were in the middle of a beer-soaked Saturday in southwest Jersey. Here's the conclusion of our adventure. Enjoy!

Situated in Clayton, NJ, Core3 was one of the new places I was most excited about visiting. And when I say "new," I mean it. Core3 opened its doors just a few months ago in August 2019 after the two owners and lifelong friends decided to take their homebrewing obsession to the next level. The bartender at Kelly Green remarked that it was the favorite among all of the "in" crowd in the area as well as the local brewing community.

Outside Core3 Brewery.

Once we entered, the crowd amassed around the bar provided proof that Core3 was, in fact, popular among the locals. Inside, the tasting room area features a rectangular, wrap-around bar that was packed with customers, as well as a few adjacent tables and a cozy lounge area near a fireplace that we were actually lucky enough to secure when we arrived. The warm, inviting atmosphere reminded me of a rustic log cabin tucked away in the middle of nowhere. I felt ensconced in wood. The place really captured the vibe of a gathering place where folks are able to kick back with a beer and talk about their daily lives with one another.

Decisions... decisions...

While Brewslut and Pleeps set up shop near the fireplace, I bellied up to the bar for our initial order. I was excited to not only find a rauchbier on tap, but one dispensed via nitrogen! Well, that settles it then... The Hearthside Bellow it is! In all my years of beer travels, this is the first time I've encountered a rauchbier (i.e. German smoked beer) on nitro. Rauchbiers are rare enough as it is, and this one was definitely a treat. The nitrogen really rounded out the harsh edges of the smoky character, making it much more approachable for folks who might not be used to this strong, complex style. Despite its silky smooth texture, flavors and aromas of applewood, leather, and a hint of cedar came through nicely.

Pleeps likes smoked beers too.

For some reason, I really wanted to try a beer called The Graceful Maiden. Described as a "minty pale ale," I'm honestly not sure why I was drawn to it. You may recall that I typically stray from beers brewed with mint, but something was calling me to this beer. This was an exceptionally balanced beer featuring a pinch of smooth, cool mint atop a zesty, citrus-forward flavor. I liked this one quite a bit.

We ended our visit with a shared pour of Washington's Summit, an American IPA hopped with Citra and Amarillo and featuring bright citrus notes. Around this time, it was getting really crowded and soon became "standing room only." We still had our comfy seats, but the volume of the crowd became a little overwhelming, so we decided that was our cue to move along. Besides, we had one final stop on the agenda for the evening...

We got to Spellbound just in time to make last call. I couldn't imaging visiting the area and not hitting up this place - which is one of our favorites - for at least one beer.  Since it was late, we figured we'd might as well make it count. Spellbound taps firkins on Saturdays, and we had the opportunity to sample some fantastic offerings in the past, including an IPA aged on Spanish cedar, which I enjoyed during our last visit. This time around, their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie aged on Cognac immediately caught my attention. We'd had the base beer in the past, which is a 7% ABV dark ale brewed with 200 pounds of raisins and about 300 whole vanilla beans. Aside from molasses, oatmeal raisin is probably my favorite cookie variety. So when it's in liquid form, you can definitely sign me up! It was a little thin due to the cask conditioning, but the cognac aging really added a depth to the complexity of this beer and opened up the natural dark fruit notes of the beer. If you're unfamiliar with cognac, it's a variety of brandy with its origins in the French region of the same name. While cognac matures in the same fashion as whiskey and wine, it typically spends longer on wood than the aforementioned spirits (at least two years in French oak barrels). The resulting liquid is quite delicious and complex. 

Brewslut opted for Living the Dream?!, an 11.5% ABV BBA Imperial Stout with huge roasty flavors and notes of chocolate cake, dark roasted coffee, vanilla, and bourbon. It was definitely the better beer of the two. I mean, it's a bourbon barrel-aged stout. I've rarely met one that I didn't like. This was quite enjoyable and under most circumstances would provide a great ending to any day-long drinking extravaganza. But wait... there's more! 

Pleeps... living the dream!

Yes indeed, we weren't done quite yet. I realized there was a brewery that we'd overlooked during previous visits to the area. Somehow, for whatever reason, Village Idiot had eluded us. Also located in Mount Holly, this nanobrewery operates on a tiny 1.5bbl brewhouse to produce a broad spectrum of styles in very small batches. Once we perused the extensive beer list, we knew that Pleeps was going to heavily influence our selections. Our celebrity monkey was indeed chomping at the bit when he saw the tap list, which included not one, but TWO beers featuring banana. Oh boy.

I love the description of the first of the two banana beers we tried, Monkey Breath Banana Bread Ale. Check it...

You're a monkey. You just ate a banana. What better way to wash it down than with a cold VIBC beer? 4 out of 5 monkeys surveyed recommend this bready, walnut-colored brew to their primate buddies. Monkey see, monkey do. Welcome to the jungle!

The other one, named Elvis is in the Building!, recreated the King's favorite snack with this chocolate peanut butter banana porter. Well, not quite. The sandwich in question was actually a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich. Perhaps this recipe could be tweaked and released as a smoked porter. Either way, bonus points for the name!

Here Pleeps is, stuck in the middle with brews.

I've maybe had only a handful of beers brewed with banana in the past, and honestly they've been all over the map. It doesn't ferment as easily as other fruits like stone or tropical fruits, so it's not exactly easy to use in the brewing process. Typically, banana character in beer comes from a yeast strain often used in wheat beers such as hefeweizens. But I must say that both of these beers were solid. Each had a pretty full mouthfeel with a bit of viscosity as well as balanced flavors. I'm not much for peanut butter in my beer, but the Elvis beer was nicely done. The Monkey Breath, on the other hand, used a Dunkelweiss base so it had that estery banana-esque flavor already present. The cinnamon and sugar-rimmed glass added a hint of spice to the mix.

We also decided to get a beer to close out the night, which was named Da Nick. All I know is that it's a rye beer. I seem to recall asking the bartender about the name, and he told me. However, things got a bit hazy roundabout this time. Thankfully, the pizza place across the street was open, so we ordered a buffalo chicken pizza to eat while we hung out with the village idiots. After finishing half of the pizza, it was time to head back to the hotel. Overall, it was quite a productive day, with six new-to-us breweries we could now officially add to our list. For now, it was sleepy time. Zzzzzzz...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On Sunday, we decided to focus on the Northern Liberties section of Philly, where breweries have been spreading like wildfire. First up was a return visit to a recent favorite, Urban Village.

Focusing on a brewpub model, Urban Village offers "tank-to-table" handcrafted beers brewed on site, brick-oven pizzas, and artisan bread made with natural, yeast-leavened dough. The beer and food menus change seasonally to provide customers with different flavors each time they visit. They also feature a Sunday brunch menu, which was the reason we decided to begin our day there. That, and they opened earlier than all of the other places on our itinerary for the day.

Cool mural outside Urban Village.

I felt like going dark and crisp since it was still early and we hadn't had any coffee yet. I thought the hotel coffee would be better at a Crown Plaza, but nope. It was terrible just like pretty much all hotel coffee I've ever had. I took one sip and dumped it in the street. So starting my day off with The Wolf, a Schwarzbier, made sense to me. This beer represents Urban Village's first time brewing the style, a dark German lager. The Wolf features local malt from nearby Deer Creek Malthouse in Glen Mills, PA (just outside West Chester). Subtle roasty notes mingle with a rich, malty sweetness and crisp mouthfeel. I wish more breweries would make Schwarzbiers, as I crave one every once in a while. This one hit the spot and worked well with my chichen and cheesy grits-laden brunch.

While we were there, I also enjoyed a pour of Hop Water, a cask conditioned pilsner hopped with Simcoe and El Dorado. The typical crispness and carbonation of a pilsner was gone and replaced with notes of mandarin orange and lemon citrus. The malt backbone was still present, but it drank more like a session IPA with a bigger malt backbone. Brewslut wasn't diggin' it but I enjoyed it. Besides, when was the last time you saw a pilsner on cask?

It's hops, it's water... it's Hop Water!

I was really excited to finally make it to Mainstay. You may or may not know that long-time Sly Fox brewer, Brian O'Reilly, moved on to assume the brewmaster position at Mainstay. Brian is a legendary brewer in our region and has won several GABF medals during his 15-year tenture with Sly Fox. I especially enjoy his German-style lagers, which are always in abundance at my favorite PA beer fest, The Sly Fox Bock Fest & Goat Races. So while we were sad to see him part ways with Sly Fox, we were excited for Brian to see what this new chapter had in store for him.

The brewery itself is situated in the old Yards facility on Delaware Avenue. The reimagined space, dubbed "Craft Hall," not only houses Mainstay's brewery, but also a bakery, eatery, two bars, a stage for live music, and even - gasp! - a playground for kids, all contained under one 35,000 square foot roof.

Inside Mainstay's eclectic space, dubbed "Craft Hall."

When we arrived, there appeared to be a birthday party of some sort in the back of the main room. Upon further investigation, we noticed a large golden balloon shaped like the number "3," and therefore deduced it was a party for a 3-year-old. Yes. A party for a toddler. At a brewery. Again.  Yes, unfortunately this wasn't the first time we'd encountered this scenario. Since the brewery has a play area specifically set up for kids to keep them occupied, Brewslut and I decided to set up camp in a cool lounge area at the very front of the spacious room... about as far away as possible from the Toddlerpalooza that was taking place in the back. More on that in a bit. But first... beer!

We ordered pints of a pair of IPAs. I'm not sure why I was drawn to an IPA, because I've always preferred Brian's traditional German style beers when he was brewing for Sly Fox. Regardless, we opted for one called Bowline, which was described generically as a "delicious, balanced IPA... enough said!" Personally, I like a bit more information and creativity when it comes to beer descriptions. The hop varieties used in the beer are appreciated as well. Overall, this beer was enjoyable, boasting hints of light citrus fruit, watermelon candy, and juicy pear.

Brewslut went with United Fruit, an IPA with a fruit-forward aroma. Hopped with Mosaic, Citra, and El Dorado Hops, this unfiltered IPA displayed faint notes of citrus and stone fruit. It definitely wasn't as bright or flavorful as Bowline, which was surprising given its name features the word "fruit." Turns out the name of the beer refers to Cherry Street Pier, where the United Fruit company formerly received fruit for distribution throughout the Philadelphia region. Unfortunately, this beer wasn't jiving with Brewslut. I offered to split half of mine with her, but she wasn't digging that one either. Meanwhile, Pleeps was off making new friends...

Pleeps loves meeting new friends.

Now, on to the aforementioned Toddlerpalooza. Things were all well and good for us. We found a comfy, old sofa in the lounge area and were enjoying our beers until - sure enough - kids began to venture off to unexplored areas of the brewery and eventually migrate to our general area. Of course, their parents were too busy drinking and "adulting" to take notice. Eventually, about half a dozen kids were running around in the main aisle chucking these baseball-sized stuffed stars that they must have gotten as party favors. They were seriously winging them around like fucking Chinese throwing stars. One of them landed on Brewslut's purse, and I quickly snatched it up and sat on it. The kid's dad saw me do this, but I didn't give a shit. As far as I was concerned, it was now mine. First off, what parent thinks this is acceptable behavior in an indoor public establishment, especially with decorations such as this...

It's like Auntie Wainwright's Bric-a-Brac.

...much less customers holding glasses of beer in their hands?! That's right, he was whipping this toy around in mid-air in close proximity to these shelves and customers drinking their beers. I mean, look at all those breakable objects decorating the shelves. I was prepared to teach this little shitbag a lesson, albeit one he'd likely forget in five minutes. I seldom get worked up like this, but I was fuming. After about a minute, Brewslut caved and (without my consent, mind you!) unearthed the buried toy from beneath my buttocks and threw it back to the kid. And then guess what? He started chucking it around again. Seriously? I hope he tripped down the stairs on the way out and fractured his shin. Little fucking mongrel. It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite Instagram feeds to follow is "Kids Getting Hurt." Seriously, if your disdain for children matches that of mine, then do yourself a favor and follow it. This concludes the rant portion of this program. 

Love City was another brewery that we'd been wanting to hit for at least a year or so. The same building that houses the brewery once manufactured parts for trains that traveled the Reading Railroad. Inside, the natural beauty of the building shines through and highlights antique machinery, lofty ceilings, and plenty of natural light.

Outside Love City Brewing Company.

In contrast to the Toddlerpalooza festival at Mainstay, Love City was hosting a local pet rescue and adoption organization in its back room, and the animals couldn't have been more well-behaved. About half a dozen cuties were on the floor snuggling with their handlers while everyone enjoyed a beer and conversing with one another. It warmed my heart. Dogs > kids. Actually, dogs > people in general, but I digress.

Wrap-around bar at Love City.

My only encounter with Love City had been its Love City Lager, which I'd obtained somehow at work as one tends to occasionally do whilst working at a brewery. Other than that, this was unexplored territory for us. With that said, we felt a shared sampler flight was in order. Here's the low-down:

• Obscura - Munich dunkel lager with a toasty malt character and hints of chocolate and coffee. 
• Totally Wired - English-style brown ale aged on Lunar Lander espresso from the local Elixr coffee roasters. 
• Strange Powers - Belgian-style pale ale fermented with Brettanomyces. Notes of stone fruit and freshly cut grass mingle with a hint of biscuity malt.
• Tart Beats Pommegranate - Kettle-soured American wheat ale featuring lactic bacteria fermentation in the kettle, followed by a secondary fermentation with 55 gallons of pomegranate juice. Light, tart, and fruity. 

Pleeps and his coasters...

Nothing was mind-blowing, but the beers here were all pretty solid and enjoyable. Beer aside, I'd probably go on record and say that this brewery embodies the City of Brotherly Love moreso than any other we've visited thus far. The atmospheres hearkens back to a time before Prohibition when every neighborhood had its own brewery. The beer label art is simple and classic, and echoes back to the early 20th century. You know... the good old days. I definitely felt a sense of Philly pride while enjoying our beer at the bar here. I mean, how much more Philly can you get than this...?

You can't get more Philly than Rocky!

While we didn't have any food at Love City, I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention its cool, Scooby Doo-inspired food truck that remains on-site in the back room. Zoinks! 

Love City's awesome Scooby Doo-inspired, on-site food truck!

Just a few blocks away from Love City is Triple Bottom, a wonderful recent addition to the burgeoning Philadelphia craft beer scene. Situated on Spring Garden he tiny brewery only opened its doors in May 2019. The brewery is based on its “triple bottom line” philosophy, which prioritizes “people, planet, and profit.” By way of this mission, Triple Bottom simultaneously supports its employees and local community, environmental sustainability, and financial stability. Their official blog is a great place to get to know Triple Bottom and its comunity-driven ethos. Inside, the stark white walls, large bay windows, natural light, and simple decor reminded me of a European cafe. Clean, sophisticated, and classic.

Outside Triple Bottom Brewing.

After perusing the beer list, both Brewslut and I seemed to land on the same beer. Not only did Hitchhiking Robot sound delicious, it was also a peculiar name for a dry-hopped, fruited sour ale. Brewed in collaboration with Crime and Punishment Brewing Company, this delicious beer is conditioned on blood orange, tangerine and vanilla to release bright, citrusy flavors and lush vanilla and creamsicle notes. It was one of our favorite beers of the weekend! Of course, Brewslut was quick to pick up on the beer name reference. This delicious beer is named after Philly’s ill-fated visitor, HitchBOT, a cheerful hitchhiking robot that had made successful cross-country trips across Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany. The little robot had intended to traverse the United States as well. However, it only survived for about 300 miles on the cruel streets of the United States. Two weeks after beginning its cross-country trip in Boston, the robot was vandalized in Philadelphia. City of Brotherly Love? Bunch of savages in this town! Seriously, Philiadephians need to calm the fuck down when it comes to vandalism. What is this, Penn State?! Poor little robot. At any rate, this beer was freaking delicious!

We tried two other beers during our visit. The first, Trolley Car, is a blood orange tart ale with a subtle honey sweetness and lots of bright, citrusy flavor. The other, Percy Pils, is a pretty solid keller pilsner. We enjoyed these while watching the Puppy Bowl on a movie screen the brewery had set up for folks to watch the Super Bowl. Oh yeah, I forgot it was a national holiday. Funny story... I didn't even know who won the game until later the following day. Regardless, these two beers were enjoyable but didn't wow us like the Hitchiking Robot. Still, the beers are very respectable for a place that hasn't even been open for a year, and the bartender was extremely friendly and attentive... something that's pretty hit or miss in Philly. All in all, it was a great first impression of Triple Bottom.

I'll admit that we were never huge fans of Roy Pitz. That's not a guy, by the way; it's the name of a Chambersburg-based brewery that's been around since the "aughts" (2008, to be exact). My first experience was way back during our Brass Rail Deli days, when a group of us would congregate at the small bottle shop to share beers and try the new taps of the week. I believe it was Daddy Fat Sacks (great name for a DIPA). Since they were new back then, we had the opportunity to try several Roy Pitz beers. The only one that I remember liking quite a bit was Ludwig's Revenge, a German-style smoked beer (no surprise, as I love rauchbiers). But something just didn't excite me about the beers at the time. And with that, I placed them in my B-list bin. We had the opportunity to visit the brewery several years ago (during my blogging hiatus, unfortunately), and didn't really make a connection again. It's not that the beers were flawed in any way; they were all respectable beers. I can't really put my finger on it, but for whatever reason, I'd simply written them off.

So when I first heard about Roy Pitz opening a location in Philly, I was kind of perplexed. The Philly location, dubbed Roy Pitz Barrel House, opened back in 2017. I'd heard about it through the grapevine, but didn't know much about it or its location, other than it was in Philadelphia. Turns out it is literally right across the street from Triple Bottom. Of course, we had to go. I mean, come on... it's right across the street. Turns out, I'm glad we did, because we were treated to some of the best beers of the weekend.

I decided to tread lightly and chose a beer with a small ABV tag, so I went with the Dry Hopped Foeder Sour. For a tiny beer, this packed a ton of flavor! Not only that, but the beer was rife with subtle complexities that only foeder can coax out of a beer. Aged for a year-and-a-half and blended from foeders, this golden sour features oaky notes, a slight Brett-like funk, and tart lemon acidity. Dry-hopping with old school Nugget and Cascade impart a strong grapefruit aroma and dank, herbaceous flavor. Sour, refreshing, and hoppy; I can't argue with that trifecta!

The other beer I tried, Nice Dreams Strawberry Foeder Forever, begins its life as a strawberry blonde ale and is then aged in oak foeders. A house mixed yeast culture is introduced and works for several months to impart a dry, funky, Brett-heavy finish, while foeder itself provides a dry, tannic oak flavor balanced by sweet strawberrry notes. Flavor aside, this beer boasts a lovely pinkish hue and also gets bonus points for the Beatles reference. Another winner, although my favorite was the Dry Hopped Foeder Sour.

I'm glad we decided to stop in, because this visit put a great cap on an enjoyable weekend in one of our favorite nearby regions for breweries. Roy Pitz has duly been removed from my B-list and placed on the "can't miss" list next time we're in Philly.

And with that, it was time to return home. All in all, we enjoyed a leisurely weekend of brewery hopping that included a few recent favorites and plenty of new places to add to our ever-expanding list. Perhaps one of these will make it into our Top 10 new-to-us breweries of 2020. We'll just have to wait and see. Until next time...

Planted in Cherry Hill - Part 1

For some reason, mid-winter has become the time of year when we head to the Philly area for a weekend of brewery hopping. The last few years, we've been blessed with unseasonably warm weather... for the most part, anyway. This year, we set our sights on a string of new breweries in the southwestern New Jersey area as well as a few places in Philadelphia. With its close proximity to both Philly and the breweries we planned on hitting in Jersey, we set up camp in Cherry Hill at a large, well-appointed Crown Plaza Hotel. We're avid Priceliners, and we can usually secure a pretty slick deal on hotel rooms when we travel. Part of the secret is waiting a few days before you travel to book your room. Plus you have more money to spend on beer!

Rather than leave early on Saturday morning, we decided to head out right after work on Friday. So, we ended up hitting the road roundabout 4:30 p.m., a half an hour later than scheduled. Our first stop was Rebell Hill in Phoenixville, PA. It seemed like a good midway point between our house and Cherry Hill, and the area has since blown up in the last few years with several new breweries. I remember when Phoenixville's beer scene consisted of Iron Hill and Sly Fox. Now there's half a dozen places all within a few miles of each other. Rebel Hill was one of the ones that was new to us. 

I opted for one of its standard offerings, Bleed Green, a double dry-hopped IPA featuring Mosaic and Columbus hops. You can tell when you're deep into Eagles territory when a brewery names one of its beers "Bleed Green." While hazy and NEIPA-like, this beer presented quite a bit more complexity and bitterness than your everyday soft, juicy "haze brah" beer. I'd say this one straddles the line between east and west coast. Regardless, it was quite tasty. Off to a good start, I'd say!

We decided to share a snack while we were here, and after consulting the small menu, decided that the "flatbread of the week" sounded absolutely delicious. Check it... fig jam, brie, mozzarella, Brussels sprouts, Sriracha ranch, and cashews. Man, was it tasty! We also got the trip started on the right foot with some nice conversation with two locals. This would set the tone for the rest of the weekend, as we enjoyed talking with both customers and brewery staff at just about every stop.

After our initial beers, we decided to share a 10-ounce pour of Steady Grindin', an imperial coffee stout. This jet-black beer is brewed with a variety of specialty malts and a touch of milk sugar, then conditioned on a blend of equal parts "Sunrise" and "Hello Darkness" Colombian coffee beans from Stolen Sun Brewing and Roasting Company. As always, I was glad to see coffee from a local roastery used in this beer. Coincidentally, we recently visited Stolen Sun and enjoyed it quite a bit (see The best of times are when we're all drinking brew entry). This tasty coffee stout boasts notes of baker’s chocolate, raisin, caramel, and drip coffee.

Pleeps is up for some Steady Grindin'.

Also in Phoenixville is Root Down, which we enjoyed immensely last time we were in this neck of the woods (as documented in Under the Weather and Drinking). You may recall that its Bine IPA snagged a gold medal in the coveted "American-style IPA" category at the 2018 GABF competition, an impressive feat for sure. Even more impressive is that it's one of the most-entered categories, with 311 entries in 2018 (most categories get around 50 to 100 entries).

Root Down is one of those places that effortlessly combines a rare mix of classic and hip. Situated in the historic building that once housed the Superior Beverage Company, the space features lots of exposed brick, restored original flooring, high ceilings and even the original elevator! However, its penchant for 90's hip hop shines through with the likeness of several rappers and urban graffiti plastered about the tasting room. Seating is ample among the massive bar and throughout the 13,000-sq. ft. facility. Root Down also has a full kitchen and even a game room in the back complete with a projection TV, video games, bubble hockey, corn hole, and more. Sadly, they weren't viewing any cheeseball Kung Fu movies on this particular night. The TVs were dominated with - what else? - sports.

I had to chuckle at the name of the first beer I sampled: 1999 Called, They Want Their IPA Back. With a name like that, right off the bat I knew it was a throwback to the good old days when California was king and hop burps were plentiful. This beer is Root Down's ode to all things 1999 (think Myspace, Napster, boy bands, the Y2K scare). It harkens the time when malt and hops worked together to create something called "balance" that seems to be lacking in many IPAs these days. With this beer, Crystal and Vienna malts play nicely with Centennial, Columbus, and Mosaic hops. While it didn't take me back to those sunny, glorious early days of our very first trip to San Diego, I was glad to try this throwback IPA in lieu of a hazy juice bomb.

It was dinner time, and we'd decided to eat here since we enjoyed the food quite a bit during our inaugural visit. This time around, we delighted in some bangin' Fajita Burritos (me with vegan chorizo, her with chicken) that curiously came with a side of herbed popcorn and delicious dill-heavy pickles. Since we were eating, I decided to get something lighter and neutral to drink with my meal. I'm not too keen on drinking beer with my meal, although I do love a good beer and cheese pairing.
So I opted for PA Lager, a lager brewed with locally sourced ingredients including malted barley from Deer Creek Malthouse based out of the West Chester area. I had the opportunity to tour Deer Creek's facility during its early years when Tröegs began using some of its malts in a few Scratch Series recipes. They make a quality product, and it's great to see more and more local maltsters popping up around the country. The beer itself was simple but effective. I've definitely been digging lagers more and more as the haze craze continues to grow.

Random weirdness at Root Down.

While we were at Root Down, we decided that we had enough time to get to Forgotten Boardwalk, which was within close proximity to our hotel in Cherry Hill. It was about an hour drive to the hotel, and we had this brewery as an "audible" since we'd been there several times in the past. So barring any traffic inconveniences, we could easily get there and enjoy a nightcap. 

We arrived with less than an hour to go before closing time, so we figured we'd each have a beer and maybe split one. Turns out that the owner, Jamie, and marketing manager, Laurel, were working the bar on this particular evening. Once Laurel introduced herself as the marketing manager, I replied with, "Awesome! I too work in marketing for a brewery." We then proceeded to park ourselves at the bar for about 90 minutes after the brewery should have closed. I suppose if you're the owner, you can stay open as long as you'd like. So needless to say, this visit turned from a one-and-done to over two hours of delving into the vastness of its tap list... and then some.

Coincidentally, one of the first things I recall from our initial visit to Forgotten Boardwalk was just the atmosphere of the place. When you walk in, you're transported back to a turn-of-the-century (20th, not 21st) amusement park at the boardwalk. Think a small taste of Coney Island. Their mascot, a three-eyed cat, hearkens back to those oddity shows featuring assorted freaks of nature that were popular at old-time carnivals. According to the brewery's bio from its website, there's a cool story behind the cat. I'll let them explain:

The feral cat is the sideshow attraction and mascot to the boardwalk. No one quite knows exactly when the undomesticated felines made their homes under the piers, but most say it happened when the boardwalk was first built back in the 1880s. The reason? Some say it is due to the scraps of food dropped by tourists that slip through the cracks of the planks. These curious creatures have roamed the boardwalks for over a century, spending their days in the shadows largely undetected by human eyes.

I always thought the branding and imagery of its beer labels and merchandise stood out from most other smaller breweries we'd encountered. I own a forgotten Boardwalk T-shirt, which should speak volumes regarding my infatuation with their art. God knows I have enough T-shirts to wear a different one every day for, like, 4 1/2 years. So buying a brewery shirt is something that happens pretty infrequently. I have to really like it. It also usually needs to be black, or some version of off-black, like dark heather gray or whatever the fuck you guys call it. Sorry for the unnecessary Jerky Boys reference. Actually, no I'm not, sizzlechest.

Skee Ball, anyone?

Anyway, on to the beer.

I kicked off our visit with a small pour of 103 Years Later, a black IPA hopped with Huell Melon, Mosaic, Denali, Cashmere and Comet. Notes of dark fruit and light chocolate mingled with lots of citrus and a hint of brash resinous hoppy goodness. I'm not sure why black IPAs seemed to have fallen by the wayside in the last 5 years or so. When properly executed, they are delicious!

The next beer we tried was probably our favorite of the bunch: Bourbon Barrel Aged Gravity Road. This one was a variation of its imperial stout aged in Jim Beam barrels for 7 months with Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans. Slick and warming with very minimal carbonation, this bourbon-forward stout boasts plenty of chocolate and coffee notes with a lush, vanilla finish. Nicely done!

Last Brunch, a coffee porter with cinnamon and vanilla, sounded good, so I ordered a small pour of that. This one wasn't super coffee-forward, but it did feature a hint of roast and smoky chocolate followed by a smooth vanilla finish.

Who doesn't love a ride on the merry-go-round?

After gifting a can of an Urban Artifact beer for her and the staff, Laurel was kind enough to bring out a pair of one-off beers for us to sample that had been featured at a recent brewery event.

The first, Spice of Life IPA, features tropical flower blossom honey and ghost peppers as well as Waiiti, Cashmere and Sultana hops. It's spicy, hoppy, and sweet with flavors of orange, peach, and a hint of honey amid a touch of provocative heat. The beer had just been released on January 26 at the brewery's 6th annual "Spice of Life" fundraiser event to benefit the Living Kidney Donors Network as well as The Gift of Life Donor House. I really enjoyed this one!

The other beer, simply called Spiced English Ale, is an English Strong Ale inspired goda masala, a unique spice blend exclusive to Maharashtrian (i.e. region of India) cuisine. After fermentation, the beer is conditioned on toasted coconut, coriander, cinnamon, bay leaves, clove, and black peppercorn. Very unusual but simultaneously enjoyable. We love Indian food and definitely appreciated the experimentation with this one. The spices all seemed to blend effortlessly, making for a complex but drinkable beer.

We've had the pleasure of visiting Forgotten Boardwalk a few times in the past, and this was definitely the most memorable and enjoyable. Before we left, Brewslut picked up a new tank top, a six-pack of its flagship Funnel Cake cream ale, a bottle of the BBA Gravity Road and a 4-pack of one of the seltzers. Quite a haul for her!

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On Saturday, things got off to a great start at Neck of the Woods. Situated in Pitman, NJ, in the Total Turf complex, a massive full-service sports complex offering all types of youth and adult sports as well as a fitness center and more. It's also the home of the American soccer league’s Philadelphia Fury and arena football team, Philadelphia Soul. And what better way to wind down after a workout or long, gruelling racquetball match than with a cold glass of beer? I can't think of one.

For my first beer, I settled on Guess Who's Back?, a golden coffee stout. The recipe for this beer took shape back in the "garage days" of the brewery's infancy. Silky and creamy thanks to a boat-load of flaked oats, Maris Otter and German roasted malts provide this delicious beer with its deep, roasty backbone. This one finishes sweet and roasty with a touch of bitterness courtesy of cacao nibs, coffee and vanilla additions. This was a fantastic interpretation of this newish style.

Inside Neck of the Woods' tasting room.

I moved into higher ABV territory with Coffee Chocolate Cayenne PTP, a variation of the brewery's signature PTP Porter, which serves as the base beer. (PTP stands for Pittsgrove To Pitman, by the way.) The twist, however, comes from conditioning the beer on Colombian roasted coffee beans, Dutch cacao chocolate powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. This one was very good overall, but could perhaps use a hint of contrast by way of cinnamon or vanilla. While I preferred the golden stout, this one was still quite tasty and enjoyable.

"Hey there, dark beer... you wanna get in my belly?"

Meanwhile, Brewslut worked on a generous sampler flight consisting of four different sours. She was pretty enamoured with everything, which is a rare occurrence indeed. One of the beers, No OJ No Straw, was pretty freakin' remarkable! Described as a kettle sour NE-style milkshake IPA, this complex, delicious beer features milk sugar and a healthy dose of Amarillo and Centennial hops before being conditioned on orange and cranberry puree. As if that wasn't enough, the beer is dry-hopped with El Dorado for a juicy smack of grapefruit in the finish. I snuck a few sips of this one! It was easily one of the standouts of our weekend.

Pleeps posing with Brewslut's sampler flight.

Overall, Neck of the Woods was one of our favorite breweries of the weekend. Brewslut loved all of the sours in her flight, and my beers were no slouches either. The golden stout was particular delicious. I'm glad to see that this new brewery is off to an amazing start.

Also in Pitman is Kelly Green, a small brewery named after the green color that adorns the Philadelphia Eagles team uniforms. Another Eagles reference! Kelly Green officially opened its doors on May 7, 2016 as Gloucester County's first brewery.

The small, sparsely decorated tasting room features a tiny bar in the back with a few tables scattered around the space. We weren't sure what to expect here, so we opted to share a flight.

• Chocolate Cherry Jelly - smoothie sour ale with chocolate and cherries. Delicious! This was one of our favorites of the trip, especially Brewslut.
• Matty Ice - sour ale brewed with plums and apricots
• Groceries - double dry-hopped IPA
• The Informant - Russian imperial stout

Outside Kelly Green. (Photo courtesy of Beer Busters podcast.)

Overall, the beers here were solid. Comparatively, Brewslut wasn't as jazzed about the other three beers as she was with Chocolate Cherry Jelly. I mean, it definitely was the best of the bunch. I thought Groceries was a solid stab at a hazy IPA, and Matty Ice - great name, by the way! - was pretty tasty. I also had a great conversation with a local homebrewer, who was sharing the bar space with us. His stuff sounded great, so I gave him one of my business cards because he said he gets up our way every once in a while.

Of all the breweries we visited in Jersey on this day, Bonesaw was clearly the largest. I'd never heard of them prior to the trip, but they seem to be running a pretty legit operation at their facility in the town of Glassboro. The brewery takes its name from an antiquated surgical instrument used to literally saw through bone. So it should come to no surprise that the owner of the brewery is also an orthopedic surgeon. Long story short, the owner (Rich DiVerniero) started homebrewing back in the 1980s and - like most people - got hooked. After 30 years of brewing as a hobby, he decided to throw his hat into the ring. After enlisting a multi-GABF-medal-winning brewer, AJ Stoll (who's credentials include Funky Buddha Brewing), Bonesaw became a reality. The brewery opened its doors in late 2018, and business seems to be doing well.

I kicked off our visit with a beer named Peach, Love & Happiness. Here we go... another peach beer! This one is a hazy American pale ale brewed with 500 pounds of local south Jersey peaches. Naturally, the aroma was heavy on stone fruit, while the flavor featured plenty of juicy peach and a hint of bitterness in the finish. The peach definitely came across much more in the flavor than the nose. Overall, it was quite enjoyable.

Pleeps, Love & Happiness.

Even though I had my sights set on a different IPA, Pleeps was on the warpath about this beer named Why is this Monkey Called Steve?. Apparently named after an odd brewery mascot, this heavily oated IPA is a ghostly, pale beer hopped excessively with Denali, El Dorado, Citra and Mosaic to elicit hints of melon, green mango, papaya, pineapple, and pine. So, why is the monkey called Steve, exactly? Inquiring minds (OK, Pleeps) wanted to know. He begged us to get this beer, which featured a chalk drawing of a sock monkey on the beer board. Once he gets fixated on something, forget about it. You just need to bow to his whims. Editor's note: We never found out why, in fact, the monkey is called Steve.

Pleeps and a monkey called Steve.

While we were at Bonesaw, I noticed an older guy wearing a Rush T-shirt when I was visiting the facilities. A Rush shirt is conversation bait for me. Naturally, I engaged him. Turns out he'd seen the band like 87 times since 1975 (when I was but a wee carpet crawler). We talked for a while, and he was surprised to learn that I played drums in a Rush tribute band. It's always great to meet a fellow Rush fan, and this guy was the real deal. All in all, it was a pleasant visit to Bonesaw, and it seems like the sky's the limit for this new brewery. 

Obligatory coaster pose.

The next stop on the Pour Travelers train was Axe & Arrow, a small brewery situated in the town of Glassboro. The brewery opened its doors in April 2019 and offers 20 taps including standard offerings and seasonally rotating beers. During our visit, the tap list was slanted toward IPAs and sours, but there were still a few lagers and other traditional styles available too.

Its brewhouse boasts a system know as a Brewha BIAC (Brew In A Conical), which is designed such that the mash tun, brewhouse and fermenter are the same piece of equipment. This design reduces energy utilization, water consumption, cleaning and sanitation chemical usage, and allows for the use of energy from renewable sources. You can read more about it here.

Our view from the bar at Axe & Arrow.

Since we weren't sure what to expect, we opted for the old sampler flight. We went heavy on the sours this time, with three of our four selections from the brewery's "Sour to the People" series. Here's the skinny:

• Cherry Fluff - A variation of the Cherry Berry with lactose and conditioned on vanilla bean to give a sweet twist to this sour brew! 
• Cherry Berry - Brewed with blackberry puree and then conditioned on more blackberry as well as sour cherry purees, this sour blends the sweetness of the blackberry with the tartness of cherry in a delightful kettle sour.
• Tropic Thunder - A fruited sour made with over 200 pounds of guava, mango, and passionfruit.
• Corky Beans - coffee stout with Sumatra and Kona beans added during fermentation. Sounds great on paper, right? Sadly, this one didn't deliver. While the sours were all fairly reputable, this beer was - for lack of a better term - pretty horrific. Not sure what was going on here, but it reminded me of old shoe leather with a hint of mushroom farm. We lived near a mushroom farm once for about a year and - TRUST ME - it's not a pleasant smell. 

Although this episode seems to end on a down note, there's still plenty more to cover. Stay tuned for the second half of our little weekend jaunt, which features more Jersey adventures and a few hours hitting up some new places in Philly. Until next time...