Reading, PA, and west thereof

Like most Fridays during the year of uncertainty (thanks 'Rona), we've hung out with our friends Darin and Jeni. Usually, we'll just order some wings from Big Daddy's or, on occasion, grab some 'za (the new, hip abbreviation for pizza) and then kick back with some adult beverages and tunes for a few hours. On this particular Friday evening, we were just about to head home when we all - in a semi-drunken state - decided to make plans for the following day. What did these plans entail? Making the short drive to our old stomping grounds of Reading, PA, an outing Jeni was surprisingly excited about. I'd never seen someone get that excited about Reading before (maybe when my brother used to buy up all the railroads on Monopoly back in the day). To her defense, when I say "Reading" I'm actually referring to "West Reading." West Reading is kind of like South Street in Philly, only cleaner and more upscale. Back when we lived in the area (Sinking Spring), we used to venture into West Reading to shop at the VF Outlets and buy horrendous pairs of Lee jeans like they were going out of style. Hey... we were in our early twenties, had little money, and Levi's were too expensive for the meager wage I was pulling in at the time (although I did save enough money to allow us to honeymoon in Europe). But back in the late '90s, West Reading was known for outlets, a diner, a sandwich shop or two... and that's about it. 

Fast forward twenty-odd years later, and the strip is rife with trendy little shops, upscale drinking establishments, restaurants, and - the reason you're reading this - breweries; three, to be exact, plus a satellite tasting room for a meadery, an awesome craft beer bar, and a whiskey bar. It's kind of like the Lititz of Berks County. As a bonus, one of my favorite record stores from back in the day, Vertigo Music Trade, had moved from West Lawn to West Reading since we'd moved out of Berks County. So, yeah, we'd find plenty of stuff to do to fill up a full day. 

We began our day on familiar turf: Chatty Monks. Since I was driving, I decided to limit my intake to one beer per stop and do my best to keep things on the lighter side of the spectrum. When we arrived, we had to wait for about five minutes or so, since there were no available outdoor tables. We actually scored a table inside (which I typically prefer, especially when no shade is available) and perused the beer list. Our server was working solo, an impressive feat considering she was waiting tables outside, inside and on the second floor, plus she was pouring her own beers and running food. Despite being a bit frazzled (who wouldn't?) she was pretty damn amazing, so we tipped her extremely well! 

Anyway, onto the beer. I settled on Monastery Pale Ale, which is Chatty's house dry-hopped pale ale. The combination of Citra and Simcoe, two tried-and-true varieties, lends a dank citrus vibe, while - get ready for another hop lesson - Pekko hops impart subtle tea-like notes. Pekko is another variety with which I was unfamiliar, so I headed down to the library and spooled up some microfiche to do a bit of research. Actually, I Googled it (although I used to love my Library Science class in middle school). Pekko is a new dual-purpose (i.e. used for bittering and aroma) hop variety with possessing floral and herbal traits. Despite its use by some big breweries like Stone and Against the Grain, it's a variety that isn't really used widely among craft brewers. Pekko hops were initially bred by the American Dwarf Hop Association and named after the Finnish god of crops. So there's your hop lesson for the day (the more you know). This was one of my favorite beers I've had at Chatty Monks amid the baker's dozen or so beers I've had from them, and I'm pleased to know it's a house beer that I can rely on if nothing else jumps out at me when we visit again. 

Just up the street on the opposite side is Vertigo Music Trade. We stopped in for a bit and I picked up a few reasonably priced records. This place is a cool little gem that always has a solid selection of new and used vinyl as well as CDs and memorabilia. I always appreciate when a record store is in close proximity to breweries. It not only gives me a break from drinking, it also feeds my record-buying addiction. 

Up next on our agenda was a stop at Broken Chair. Darin and I had visited back in November 2019 with Doug when the three of us went to see Kansas in concert (as recounted in The Point of Bro Return), but it was the ladies' inaugural visit. This little place with a music bent is a cool addition to the main drag in West Reading. I mean, when isn't a brewery a good addition to the local community? Broken Chair seems to have a fetish for fruit and pepper beers. I've seen a variety of fruit-based IPAs here as well as two habanero beers in the form of an IPA and rye stout. I decided to go with the former and try my hand at the Key West Pineapple IPA. A signature blend of six different hops lends some of citrus-forward bitterness, while the addition of fresh pineapple adds a hint of tropical juiciness and a touch of dankness to sweeten the pot. This one was pretty enjoyable, and I find that pineapple is always a pleasant fruit addition to IPAs to coax out more tropical notes. 

Oooh, what's that smell?!

To remain compliant with the still-lingering "gotta eat while you drink" rule in PA (which has since been revoked, I'm pleased to report), Broken Chair dolled out compact cheese, meat and cracker snack trays that were similar to more upscale Lunchables. Works for me! I will say I'm definitely relieved that some of the weird COVID restrictions have finally been lifted. The things you take for granted like sitting at a bar and drinking a beer... 

Another new mask, Pleeps?

On the way back up to the other end of the street, we stopped in at Rebel Hive Meadery. Darin and I stopped in here on one previous occasion when we were out record hunting. It's basically a small tasting room where you can sample four different meads for free, purchase a small glass to enjoy on-premises, or buy some bottles to enjoy at home. My personal favorite was Jazzy Java, a delicious mead cold-infused with gourmet Jazzy Java from Reading Coffee Roasters gourmet Jazzy Java. This tasty libation boasts notes of cinnamon, pecan, and chestnut with a sweet coffee and cream finish. Absolutely delicious, if you ask me. Brewslut agreed. We also enjoyed Cherry Lee Lewis, made with sweet and tart cherries. This one drank like a heavily fruited Belgian fruit beer with plenty of tart cherry pie filling flavor. We left with one bottle of each to enjoy on another occasion.

Willow Creek was the one new brewery we got to hit on this particular day. Founded in 2018, this small, veteran-owned brewery is a great addition to the West Reading scene and features year-round outdoor seating in its adjacent beer garden. Deuane had visited a few weeks prior, and gave it thumbs up. When we arrived, the place was pretty packed due to a birthday party for someone. There was even a live bagpiper blowing out Scottish melodies like they were going out of style. We made our way to the back of the long, narrow room and decided to snag a table out in the beer garden. After a few minutes, one of the owners came out carrying what appeared to be a guitar amp that turned out to be a pretty sweet Bluetooth speaker and told us we could play whatever music we'd like. Darin had just signed up for Spotify and had a prog rock playlist all ready to go (much to the chagrin of the patrons around us, I'm sure). So it was Rush, ELP and Kansas to the rescue! Good music always makes any brewery visit more enjoyable, especially a shitty one. However, that wasn't the case with Willow Creek. Turns out I had my favorite beer of the day there. Even more strange was the fact that it was a pineapple coconut porter.

Wait, what?

Yes. Pineapple. Coconut. Porter. I know, I know... sounds weird, right? Suddenly, my memory lept back to those old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercials: "Hey, you got your pineapple in my porter!" No, wait... hold on. "You got your porter in my... um, pineapple?" 

OK, so the beer in question is called Gobshite. The name itself conjures images of someone struggling uncomfortably on the toilet for half an hour after swallowing a ball of Play-Doh, silly putty or - even worse - Slime (you know, that green slimy stuff from the 80's... I got it stuck in my hair once). 

In all seriousness, let's get back to the crux of the blog. So, coconut porter... I get. It's become a fairly popular style and I've had some amazing ones over the years (Three Hour Tour, anyone?). But the addition of pineapple into the mix, albeit intriguing, had me scratching my head. I'd wanted to try the West Coast IPA, but quickly realized that it was on the "coming soon" list and not the actual tap list. So I decided to give it a shot. 

Thankfully, Pleeps refrained from flinging his Gobshite.

After Willow Creek, we headed across the street to The Whiskey Bar, which shares its space with Winedown Cafe & Winebar. Jeni is definitely more of a "brown liquor" drinker compared to the rest of us, so we made some time to swing by for a drink. We secured a table outside, complete with a little gas fire, um... pit, I guess they're called? Perhaps I'll coin the term "Flaming Table," which seems appropriate I suppose. Whatever it's called, it served its purpose and provided a bit of warmth in the nippy late March air. I sipped on an ounce of Buffalo Trace while Brewslut and Darin stuck with beer and enjoyed a can of DFH Slightly Mighty. Jeni, meanwhile, worked on a flight of three different whiskeys. The atmosphere was enjoyable and the presentation was upscale, but the service was lackluster. Still, it's a good alternative if you need a break from beer. We all can use a little more whiskey in our lives, right? 

Our final stop of the day found us venturing across the river from West Reading to Reading proper for a stop at Saucony Creek Franklin Station for dinner and drinks. This was our first time visiting this cool new satellite location for the small Kutztown-based brewery, and it definitely had the coolest vibe of all the places we visited on this occasion. 

Opened in July of 2019, the Franklin Station site boasts a constantly rotating line of twenty taps and an adventurous menu that complements Saucony Creek's wide variety of beers. In addition to its house beers, they also serve a selection of PA wine and spirits.

Located on Franklin Street at the intersection of Seventh Street (aka the railroad tracks), the brewpub operates in the previous Reading Railroad Franklin Street Station, which was built in the early 1930s and completely restored in 2013. Inside, the main dining area is vast and spacious with a 30-ft. high ceiling, ornately detailed walls and trim, and lots of natural light. The large windows allow customers to enjoy the passing trains, which frequently roll by at numerous times throughout any given day. (We experienced a few while we were there.)

The place was pretty packed (for 50% capacity, anyway) when we arrived, and an acoustic guitarist was performing in the loud, boomy room. (When I was walking out of the bathroom, he actually recognized me and pointed to his stool, which had one of our Solar Federation stickers proudly affixed to it. No wonder why Darin called me "the mayor"; every time we go somewhere together, I get recognized. That's the price of fame, I guess!) We were forced to sit outside or wait an hour and a half for a table indoors. However, there's plenty of seating outside at this location, complete with wood fire ovens to help keep folks warm on chilly nights. (I'm still not sure how Darin made it with no hoodie while we were there. I had a hoodie and blanket wrapped around Brewslut and I, as the temperature dropped considerably over the last few hours.) 

By this time of the day, we were pretty hungry (although we'd been snacking throughout the day). I kept things light and opted for a pour of Kutztown Lager, a crisp, easy-drinking American-style amber lager. With a well-rounded sweet malt profile and hint of noble hops, Saucony Creek adds a smidgen of smoked malt to add a bit of depth to the malt character. I'd had this one before, and it's a reliable little lager that drinks like a champ. 

Since we were waiting a while for our food to arrive, I decided to order a second beer. The temperature was also dropping quickly, so I figured some more alcohol would help warm me up a bit. I opted for another coconut beer this time around with Kokosnuss Fur Dich!!, a porter brewed with oatmeal and conditioned on a bed of coconut flakes toasted in-house at the brewery. This beer was fairly soft and cuddly with just a hint of coconut in the finish, though not as coconut-forward than the Gobshite from Willow Creek. 

Although it took a really long time to get our food (like, an hour and a half), they weren't even going to seat us because apparently all of their line cooks up and quit that very same night. I didn't mind; I was enjoying some fine beer in the company of good friends, my best bud, and my main monkey. Loving life, as it were. My veggie flatbread hit the proverbial spot. We also had a great conversation with some folks from upstate NY who were visiting some friends in the area, one of which happened to be a big Tröegs fan. I gave the one guy (arguably the biggest beer fan of the group) a business card, so hopefully he's reading this. 

Pleeps keepin' warm and toasty at Saucony Creek.

If you're rooted in the same general area as we are (Lebanon, Dauphin, Lancaster Counties), West Reading is a pretty painless drive and you can easily spend several hours there without getting bored. Throw in Saucony Creek's Franklin Station site (just a few minutes away), and you've got a perfect day trip. Thanks for reading. Until next time...

The Point of Bro Return

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

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

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

Outside Schaylor. Photo taken from our original blog post.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tap Handles at Broken Chair.

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

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

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

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

Outside Chatty Monks. Photo courtesy of Beer Busters Podcast.

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

But enough stuff about asses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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