Pour Travelin' in our backyard

As it would happen, the weekend of September 7, 8, and 9 offered a rare Saturday with absolutely nothing on our agenda. Friday, we were heading to the York Fair to attend the Alice Cooper concert (which was awesome, by the way), and on Sunday I had Rock Music Trivia, which I host at the Corvette Grille in Annville. But Saturday? We had a whole lotta nuthin' goin' on!

So... what to do?

We thought about heading up to "The Pub" (aka Selin's Grove), but we get there so often that I thought perhaps it was the right time to cross off a few places right in our backyard that we hadn't had the opportunity to visit yet. So after breakfast, I whipped up a quick itinerary, and we were off by 12:30 p.m. or so.

I'd been wanting to visit Cox Brewing Company since I first sampled Fat Cow, a Baltic Porter with coffee, at a local beer festival. I would've gotten there a long time ago, but the Tasting Room's hours are extremely limited. Cox is only open to the public three days a week at three hours a pop. That's only a 9-hour window of opportunity in a week. Since we had nothing going on this particular Saturday afternoon, it seemed like enough of a reason to make the short drive to Elizabethtown, where the brewery is situated. (OK, technically it's in Rheems, but the GPS address is E-town.)

Entrance to Cox Brewing.

The place itself isn't much to look at. It basically situated in a large garage next to a deer meat processing business. Inside, a cobbled together brewhouse, small fermenters and other equipment mingled with a small bar area and a few scattered tables and chairs. I was surprised to find twelve beers on tap, especially given the minuscule brewing system. This place ain't fancy by any stretch of the imagination. They serve their beer in plastic cups. There's not in the way of decor, save for some military posters and memorabilia decorating the walls. As a matter of fact, the brewery is owned by veterans and some of the beers are named after military terms. After perusing the list of available beers, we decided to each get a sampler flight of four different beers. Here's the complete run-down:

• CH-47 IPA - Named after a Chinook helicopter, this IPA likely features hops of the same name.
• Melon-X - The "X" stands for "experimental." This one is a pale ale brewed with watermelon.
• DIPA-X - "experimental" double IPA with a sweet malty backbone and sticky citrus and floral hops.
• Liberty Lager - American lager with lots of bready and malty cereal grain character.
• The White Feather - hefeweizen with traditional notes of clove, banana, and bubblegum.
• Fat Cow Coffee Porter - Baltic porter with coffee added. 
• ESB - English Style Bitter with a dominant caramel note.
• After Burner - oatmeal stout with a hint of roast and chocolate.

The Fat Cow was far and away my favorite of the bunch. This one boasts a smooth texture and moderate coffee presence amid a hint of dark fruity esters. The Melon-X was pretty refreshing, and the watermelon came through nicely without being too overpowering. Neither of the IPAs were memorable, and the ESB could use some tweaking, but overall I was pleasantly surprised at what this tiny brewery is putting out. It's nice to see the brewing community in Elizabethtown area continue to grow.

For some reason, the opening of Twisted Bine completely fell off my radar. Apparently, they've been open for about six weeks. I guess I'm slipping in my old age. I remember when one brewery used to open every six to nine months. Now a brewery opens every other week, it seems! Oh well... it keeps me busy, I suppose. Based in Mt. Joy just a few blocks away from long-time player Bube's Brewery, the tasting room is modern, sparsely decorated and wide open, with a huge wrap-around bar in the center of the room. They have "snack bar" type food service, whereby you walk up to the window, order, pay, and get a beeper. We ordered some fried cheese curds for a snack. At seven bucks an order, I was miffed when the guy at the window charged me $8.60-something "after tax." Last I checked, sales tax was $0.06 on the dollar in PA and my math skills aren't that bad. Oh well. They were tasty.

Twisted Bine Beer Co. in downtown Mt. Joy, PA.

As with Cox, we opted for a sampler flight, although we only shared four beers this time. I decided to go for the IPA flight, which included the following hoppy beers:

• Newcomer - 4.7% ABV session IPA aggressively dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic. 
• Test Btch #1 - Unfiltered IPA dry-hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo for abundant tropical fruit notes.
• Barbara Street - NE-style IPA dry-hopped with Citra and Simcoe for a citrusy punch.
• Appletree Alley - NE-style IPA dry-hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe and Ekuanot. This hop combination produced an odd green pepper/vegetal note amid the dominant fruity notes. 

Sampler flight at Twisted Bine.

Newcomer was my favorite of the flight. The other three were all pretty similar in execution and flavor, although as I said, the Appletree Alley had some funky vegetal notes that are present in a lot of Trillium's beers (one of the reasons why Brewslut ain't too keen on 'em). Based on the names of its beers, it appears Twisted Bine tips its cap to Trillium, as two of the beers are named after "streets" (well, one is an alley). After perusing its beers on Untappd, I discovered a few others named after streets, which Trillium does quite often. Just an observation, not a criticism. It's good for young breweries to acknowledge influence and take cues from more established breweries. While none of these beers knocked my socks off, this place definitely shows promise and, if anything, will make Bube's up its game quite a bit. Not too shabby for six weeks into the game. 

After Twisted Bine, it was back to E-town for our inaugural visit to Moo-Duck. I'd heard mixed reviews of the beers here from a variety of people. Opinions were all over the spectrum; everything from "one of my favorites in the area" to "the worst brewery in PA." Finally, I just had to visit and judge for myself. Located adjacent to the Amtrak station, Moo-Duck has been on the local scene since 2014. I honestly can't believe it took me four years to make it there. I mean, I live 15 miles from E-town (give or take).

We found a pair of open stools at the bar and set up shop. Inside, it's got a garage vibe like Cox, although it's set up more like an actual tasting room. I also appreciated the various stuffed animals behind the bar. Sadly, Pleeps wasn't joining on this little excursion. I'm sure he would have made fast friends with the little duckling chilling out near the taps. Once again, we opted for a sampler flight and chose from the dozen or so available beers. Here's the skinny:

• I'm a Farmer - Harvest ale brewed with PA ingredients including Colonial Pilsner and Double Dutch Malts from Deer Creek and wet Cascades from Sunny Brae Hops.
• Pops Smoked Porter - Porter brewed with cherrywood smoked malt.
• The Big Mango - 10.5% ABV imperial IPA brewed with mango.
• Mistopheles Imperial Coffee - Imperial milk stout brewed with lactose and aged on coffee beans.

Overall, I definitely wasn't offended by anything I sampled. Pops Smoked Porter is more of an entry-level smoked beer for those wanting to "test the waters." It definitely has more of a sweet smokey flavor that is approachable. Although it was a tad thin for the style, it had a nice subtle roasty flavor with a hint of smoke. The Big Mango exhibited an odd aroma (possibly an off-flavor), but it tasted as described: lots of juicy mango and tropical fruit. The Imperial Coffee version of Mistopheles may have been my favorite beer of the day (up until that point, anyway). It boasted a rich, velvety mouthfeel and the coffee flavor was present but not over-the-top. It was a fine execution of the style.

One other thing that's noteworthy about Moo-Duck is its support of the local community. In an effort to support a variety of charitable organizations in its backyard, the brewery features a special "charity brew" on tap at all times, with $0.50 of each pint sold benefiting a different charity. Pretty cool, eh?

While I don't like rating breweries, I'll leave it at this: I would stop in again for a beer when I'm in the area.

We'd heard through the grapevine that Tattered Flag had hired a new brewer a few months ago. Additionally, two very respected beer friends mentioned that their beers had improved dramatically since the new brewer had taken over. With the new guy now firmly in place, I'll officially go on record and say that the beers I sampled at Tattered Flag shortly after it opened for business were among the worst I'd ever had. I was so turned off that I didn't even blog about it because, well, I'm just a nice guy, I suppose. Don't get me wrong, I'll bitch about annoying kids or people that we encounter along the way in our travels, but I've always kept criticism of the breweries I visit constructive and sparse. Once I started working at a brewery, I didn't even assign score ratings for my Untappd check-ins.

So I felt a second chance was in order. Well, I'm happy to report that this is no longer the case with Tattered Flag. What we experienced during this visit was nothing short of a complete 180. I'd always thought the place itself was cool; a unique building with a rustic vibe and lots of character. The food seemed to receive a good bit of praise (although we'd never eaten there). Plus, the whole veteran angle should be commended. However, the beer was the one piece missing from the equation. And if you're a brewery, this is a pretty important component. It's like their beer was an unsolvable "x" in an algebra teacher's worst nightmare.

View from our bar seats at Tattered Flag.

With only about 7 beers available on tap, we decided to go with the two most interesting sounding beers and order full pours. I was eyeing up a tiramisu variation of the Boulangerie Stout. Turns out "Boulangerie" is French for "bakery," so this is likely one of those newfangled pastry stouts I've been hearing about. This rich stout boasts notes of dark Belgian chocolate, coffee and a hint of cinnamon. It wasn't too sweet and it wasn't too thick. It was kind of right on the nuggets, to be honest. I was definitely digging it despite being skeptical. Once I got through the initial few sips, I was confident that this place had finally got its shit together.

Over in Brewslut land, she was working on something called Fatum Series Kumquat Sour, a kettle sour ale brewed with 50 lbs of kumquats. Based on a few other beers under the "Fatum Series" moniker, it seems like this is a sour beer series. Man, those little grape-looking things are sour! Plus kumquat is just so fun to say! I gotta tell you, this beer was awesome! I really liked its thicker, more viscous body compared to other lighter, highly carbonated sour beers that are in the majority. This was my favorite beer of the day. Brewslut loved it too. To top it off, the bartender was awesome. She was friendly, attentive, and very talkative, a combination I love. I can't stand when a bartender stands in the corner on his or her cell phone when it's not too busy. Here's some advice: talk to your customers! Engage them. Ask them where they're from and what their favorite beer is. (For the grammatically challenged, that last sentence is a good example of how to use "their" and "they're" in a sentence. So there you go. Woo hoo! Got all three!)

Aside from having an in-house distillery on premises, Tattered Flag also has its own coffee bar. Well, not a separate coffee bar; it's an extension of the actual bar. They also serve nitro cold brew, which made me happy. I made sure to order some to go before we left. On our way out, I noticed the brewer working down below in the brewery. I yelled down to give him the thumbs up because he really has turned this place around, at least from a beer standpoint. I'm really looking forward to seeing how everything plays out for Tattered Flag. One thing's for sure, though... we'll definitely be back in the near future!

Since we had about an hour to kill before dinner, we decided to swing by Ever Grain, where we bumped into our friends Terri and Mike at the bar. We caught up with them over pours of two new IPAs we hadn't tried yet: Fuzzy Mackerel and Sweet Pine. The former is a hazy DIPA with lots of tropical fruit and citrus pith notes. It finished a bit more bitter than I was anticipating for a "hazy" IPA. It was OK, but didn't live up to Blue Detour, the last IPA I'd tried during our previous visit, and consequentially my new favorite beer at Ever Grain. The former is an American IPA infused with pineapple and hopped with Citra and Columbus to enhance the tropical notes of the pineapple. It was a bit too sweet for me overall.

After our quick one-and-done visit to Ever Grain, we were off to have dinner at Bangkok Wok with my nephew Kyle and his girlfriend Kelly. I was down for some Thai cuisine, and it didn't disappoint! I love me some curry! The restaurant is BYOB, but I took the opportunity to take a little break in my drinking day, as we'd already been to five breweries.

Afterward, we headed over to the brand spankin' new Mellow Mink, just a few blocks down the Carlisle Pike from Ever Grain. Focusing primarily on sour beers and farmhouse ales, Mellow Mink had just celebrated its grand opening over Labor Day weekend. Since Brewslut and I were attending RushCamp! (yes, it's an actual thing), we missed the opening celebration, which I'm sure boasted a veritable "who's who" of the local brewing scene. The Mellow Mink crew had been building up some hype across social media in the months leading up to the opening, and their stuff looked legit.

It was pretty busy when we arrived, which I figured would be the case considering they'd only opened the week prior. Seven beers were available during our visit, the majority falling in either the sour and saison category. They rounded out the line-up with a hazy IPA, an oatmeal stout, and an amber ale. I led with Hop Moon, a dry-hopped golden sour ale. Brewslut went for Superfruit Tapestry, a blonde sour ale with raspberries and passionfruit. Both were well executed, although we both preferred the latter with its blend of sweet-tart berries and acidic passionfruit notes.

Superfruit Tapestry, our favorite at Mellow Mink.

By this time, my nephew's friend Eric had joined us. He's into the craft beer scene and has plans to some day open a small nano brewery in the Harrisburg area with his friend and homebrewing partner, Mikey. Seating is challenging for larger groups, as the majority of the tables are for two people. the bar, while fairly large, isn't very conducive for more than three people, especially if you plan to converse as a group. So we gathered around a tiny round table near the front entrance.

For round two, I opted for Cloud Chamber, a sessionable New England-style IPA at 5.3% ABV. Brewslut decided on Apricot Estate Saison, tart farmhouse ale brewed with apricots. We definitely preferred our initial choices over these two. The IPA was a bit too harsh and "green" tasting, while the saison had a medicinal note amid the sweet apricot flavor. It was a little abrasive on the palate overall. All things considered, not a bad start for these guys at all. While we weren't too jazzed about our last two beers, the Superfruit Tapestry was delicious and Hop Moon came in a close second for me. I love me a nice dry-hopped sour, and this one didn't disappoint. I look forward to seeing how Mellow Mink evolves over the coming months. Plus, I'm always glad when another brewery opens near one that I visit from time to time. This is a welcome addition to the Pike!

Stay tuned for more from the Great Taste Caper 2018 currently in progress. Just thought I'd throw this in as a bit of a diversion. 

Fairweather Fall Frolicking & Fun Fermented Festivities

Having grown up in Shamokin, the Bloomsburg Fair was always a highly anticipated event for me. I was never much of a "ride guy" (especially the sketchy rides at carnivals and state fairs), but I loved the vendors, food, and games... in that particular order. I could find some sweet pins or patches for donning the names of my favorite heavy metal bands for my jean jacket, or maybe even a cool studded wristband, leather wallet with chain attachment, or some other piece of flair I used to think was cool. Who am I kidding? I still think these items are cool. Metal is a lifestyle. You either abandon it completely, or it engulfs you for life. I fall under the latter category. As for the food, I definitely had my favorites: Benton Cider Mill, St. Mary's potato cakes, and many others. Between scarfing down hundreds of calories of comfort foods, I would try my luck at winning glassware or - even better - goldfish! I once won so many goldfish that I traded them in for a super cool "fish house" so I had somewhere to keep all of my fish. Aaaah, the memories.

These days, I'm more concerned with checking out the livestock exhibits and connecting on some cosmic level with a Nubian goat or miniature donkey. I must admit that the animals are the main reason I enjoy going to the Fair in my older years, although the food is a close second. Since there's no beer (except of the root and birch varieties) available at the Fair, I won't bore you with a detailed account of our day at the Fair. Instead, here are some pics I snapped throughout the day (mostly of animals) for your enjoyment.

Little webbed-footed friends outside the Rabbit Exhibit.

How now?

Alpacas look like they're from the swingin' 60s!

We saved the best for last... GOATS!!!

Obligatory beer content: Hops are part of the agriculture competition!

We never go anywhere without first scoping the area for beer destinations. Fortunately for us, we were staying at the Chalet, so we know the area all too well. Backtracking to Friday evening, we landed at Selin's Grove around a quarter to nine, and I was bummed to find that Saison de Peche (my favorite beer) had a little frowny face sign covering its intricately drawn name on the chalkboard. For those of you who have never been to the Pub, the little frowny face means that the beer has kicked but will return soon. "Soon" means whenever Steve (the owner) is around the change out the keg. Unfortunately, he wasn't around, so no Peche for us that night. Oh well. It's not like they don't make a bunch of stellar beers. Sadly, the Whole Hop IPA was also off, and I must admit I was craving something green and hoppy. Plan C. I ordered a Shade Mountain Stout (back after a recent hiatus in favor of the newer Roasted Oat Stout) with cold brew coffee. I love blending darker beers at the Pub with this amazing cold brew, which is dispensed alongside all of the beers and ciders via a nitro tap. I followed up with a Market Street Fest, a variation on the Oktoberfest, or Märzen, theme. I was surprised to learn that I'd never checked this beer in on Untappd. New check-in for me, even though I've had it numerous times in the past. I finished the night with an 8oz. pour of my Kryptonite - Stealth Triple. Every time I end our visit with one of these high octane suckers, Brewslut has to drive home. She didn't have to this time, as I only imbibed a small amount. Still, this beer is aptly named "Stealth," as it can really sneak up on you like a ninja sneaks up on Hellen Keller.

Shade Mountain Stout with cold brew coffee!

Back at the Chalet on Friday night, we shared a can of The Alchemist's Focal Banger, graciously donated to us by Al (Kominski) by way of "Lawyer Steve," one of our many acquaintances from the Pub. He stopped in to see Al after a recent trip to Vermont, and he had plenty of beer in tow. Lucky for us, Brewslut was working and able to procure a can of this hoppy treat (as well as one you'll read about a little later).

Fast forward to Saturday after the Fair. We made it out of the fairgrounds just as it had started to rain (albeit a light mist rather than the downpour they were expecting) and were on our way to nearby Turkey Hill Brewing Company. I'd heard they were doing some good stuff in the form of sours and barrel-aged beers lately, so I was eager to swing by and check out what they've been up to since our last visit. I'd been a fan since our initial visit, not long after they first opened to the public.

Taps and chalkboard at Turkey Hill Brewing Co.

For my first selection, I went with my tried-and-true favorite - Revelation Pale Ale. However, this particular version was cask conditioned and dry-hopped with Citra. It went down way too quickly and I found myself still thirsty. I also had a few swigs of Brewslut's Berliner with Raspberry from Turkey Hill's new "Abandoned Sour Series." It appears that Turkey Hill is kicking things up a notch and dabbling in sours and other interesting styles. I noticed a variety of cork & cage 750mL bottles for sale in the reception area - everything from barrel-aged beers to blended sours - so it seems like they are doing a fair amount of experimentation, which I always appreciate.

Pleeps guarding our Berliner with Raspberry.

We decided to have another round and followed up our first selections with two tasty beers new to us: Mango-Habanero Pilsner and Urban Abbey Pumpkin Lager. Both of these were very well done. The Pilsner was sweet and fruity up front with a moderate amount of heat in the finish. The crispness of the malt helped bolster the sweetness a bit, which is a good thing because this flavor combination is all about balance. This combo is picking up steam and becoming quite popular among craft breweries. It almost seems like the next big trend after the Gose explosion of the last few years. I guess we'll have to wait and see. The Urban Abbey was also quite tasty. Pumpkin beers can be hit or miss for me. More often than not, it depends on the spice combination. I tend to prefer cinnamon-forward pumpkin beers versus ones heavy on clove or nutmeg. This one had a dominant cinnamon flavor but it wasn't over the top. Brown sugar sweetness mingled with the piquant cinnamon, ginger and other pie spices nicely, and I like the fact that they used a Märzen style as the base beer rather than an amber ale or lighter base. Hints of molasses and caramel came through in the malt, which thickened it up a bit, giving it the subtle chewiness I crave in pumpkin beers. Overall, it was nicely done.

We ate conservatively at the Fair, so we were starting to get a bit peckish. I spotted fish tacos on the menu so I didn't need to look any further. Brewslut ordered a Thai noodle bowl with chicken. This small meal held us over for a while and allowed us to keep the beer flowing, as we were on to our next stop.

I'd been following Old Forge Brewing Company in Danville since well before they were open for business. They were probably the first brewery to open in such close proximity to my hometown of Shamokin (although Selin's Grove is pretty close too). I remember seeing photos of their brewing equipment being delivered, and I was excited to have a place close to home when we visited our families. It was also easier to keep track of all the new PA brewery and brewpub openings back then. Nowadays, there are multiple openings every month instead of one every six months or so. At any rate, I love the philosophy of Old Forge (even though their beers have been hit or miss for me since the get-go). I love the fact that their approach to brewing beer echoes everything from the food they serve to the decor of the brewpub. All of the furniture at their location (including the bar itself) was handcrafted by a local wood and metal worker, while the tap handles, dinnerware, mugs, and sampler trays were hand-made by local potters and artisans. Now that's pretty damn cool!

Mug Club carousel at Old Forge.

We were meeting my cousin (who happens to live nearby) for a few beers. I decided to go outside of my comfort zone for a pair of beer styles I rarely order. Of course, I don't really see these styles on beer menus too often. Despite them having one of my favorites on nitro, Slack Tub Stout, I opted instead for 10oz. pours of the Ryetious Roggenbier as well as a Rauchbier. For those not familiar with the styles, a Roggenbier is a traditional German style made with a grain bill containing about half malted barley and equal portions of rye and wheat. The spiciness of the rye stands out in both the aroma and the flavor, giving a slight pumpernickel bread quality to the beer. Rauchbier, or "smoked beer," is exactly that - a beer brewed with smoked malt. This gives the beer a wood-smoked, beef jerky, or even a bacon flavor, which some people just don't care for in beer (Brewslut included). I, on the other hand, love them! This one was pretty solid, too. We were enjoying good conversation, so I opted for a third choice, this time Overbite IPA poured off the beer engine. I've had this one before a few times and it definitely benefits from cask conditioning to smooth out its rough edges.

By this time, it was getting pretty late and we decided we had to get to the Mifflinburg Oktoberfest for at least one beer. We'd attended a few times in the last couple of years and have always enjoyed the festivities. They serve a pretty solid roster of authentic German beers, the only recent deviation is the locally brewed Oktoberfest from the neighboring Rusty Rail just down the street. By this time of day, the rain had subsided and, although the field was pretty muddy in spots, our boots made it in and out of the tent unscathed. The food vendors were just shutting down for the evening, but we were able to score some free potato dumpling soup and tater tots. We made sure to reciprocate with a hefty tip. With our official Mifflinburg Oktoberfest mugs in tow, we filled them with Köstritzer Schwarzbier (me) and Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb (Brewslut). We've had both beer several times in the past, and I didn't remember liking the Schwarzbier as much as did on this particular occasion. I wasn't even going to get it, but by the time we arrived it was late and they were sold out of a few selections. It went well with a bag of roasted peanuts Carolyn's friend gave us when they left.

Speaking of Carolyn (Deuane's wife), she's the reason why we know about this event in the first place. Although Mifflinburg is just a few miles from the Chalet, she grew up in nearby New Berlin, a small town just down the road. Mifflinburg and Lewisburg are considered the closest "big cities" in that particular neck of the woods. This year, she was entertaining some friends from Vermont who were staying in town at - of all places - the Scarlet D, which was just down the street. I didn't even know they had rooms for rent! After Oktoberfest wound down, they decided to convene at the VFW for a drink, while Brewslut and I headed over to Rusty Rail.

Pleeps clilli' with some NOktoberfest!

When we arrived, I noticed the considerable lack of crowd typically inhabiting the place. Plus it was a Saturday night, so I was even more surprised. There was plenty of room at the bar, so we grabbed a pair of seats and perused the beer menu. I spotted some new Side Track beers on tap (Rusty Rail's limited, small batch series) as well as a new seasonal called NOktoberfest, which Brewslut ordered. I went with Side Track #7 - Mixed Berry Imperial Stout. We found both of these beers to be vast improvements on the beers we sampled during our last visit. The NOktoberfest was a Märzen hybrid brewed with rye malt and blood orange juice. Kind of an odd combination, I know, but it seemed to work. The Side Track #7, which I suspect is a variation of its year-round Wolf King Imperial Stout, was also quite good and featured a blend of blackberries, blueberries, and boysenberries. On the insistence of Pleeps, we also decided to try our luck with an odd-sounding beer. Sidetrack #9 - Imperial Peanut Butter Hefeweizen was brewed with "peanut butter flavoring" and Jarrylo hops, a variety with which I wasn't familiar. (Upon further investigation, I learned that this variety imparts notes of pear, orange, fruity spice, and banana.) Optimistically, I was thinking this could be like a peanut butter-dipped banana (since most Hefes have a distinct ripe banana note as a result of the type of yeast strain used to brew the style). Instead, what we got was more like roasted peanuts with a hint of spice. It was definitely more dry that I was anticipating, and the roasty, nutty quality really overpowered everything else. Still, it was an interesting experiment I was happy to try. It actually wasn't that bad, just rather odd.

We were going to head back to the Chalet, but then Brewslut noticed Carolyn & Co. checked in at the Scarlet D just down the street. We'd stopped in the Scarlet D a few times over the years, mostly because it used to be a cool spot our families took us on occasion to have dinner or get roasted peanuts. (Aside from my family owning land in Millmont since I was a toddler, Brewslut's family also had a summer cottage in the area.) Almost every bar in PA has Yuengling Lager on tap. As a matter of fact, the flagship offering of America's Oldest Brewery has become synonymous with "lager" in Pennsyltucky. But what about the under-appreciated (and far superior)  Lord Chesterfield Ale? The Scarlet D has the distinction of having this (as well as Yuengling Porter) on tap! We enjoyed each of these at the Scarlet D to cap off a fun evening. We arrived just after last call, but the bartender was kind enough to allow us one beer each. Plus Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast" was blaring out of the speakers, which was a huge plus for me! Apparently, the bartender likes to listen to "House of Hair," a syndicated radio show featuring hard rock and heavy metal from the 1980s. \m/

After our fun, impromptu visit to the Scarlet D, we headed back to the Chalet and enjoyed another treat from the Alchemist, Heady Topper. If you haven't heard of this beer, then I'm surprised you are reading a blog about craft beer. This is one of the most hyped-up beers in the pantheon of craft beer, and although its shelf life is shorter than that of an already ripened avocado, when this beer is in its sweet spot, it's tough to beat. This particular can was indeed right on the nuggets.

On Sunday morning, we had breakfast and packed everything up to return home. More times than not when visiting the Chalet, we do what I call a "Selin's Grove sandwich," meaning we stop in on Friday evening and again on Sunday afternoon. I guess this time we also had some dessert, because we'd planned on hitting up a few additional destinations on the way home.

Back at Selin's Grove, I was excited to see two open seats at the bar among a group of regulars. I was also stoked to see that not only had Whole Hop IPA returned, but Wild Peach was now on tap! I had both during our visit. While the Wild Peach is indeed an amazing beer, I actually prefer the standard version. Still, it was great to see this rare treat back on tap for a limited time. I also noticed that Hop Nouveau was coming out soon, as the chalkboard advertised a firkin event the following Friday. I wish the firkin tappings occurred later than 3 p.m. so we could attend them. Oh well. I'll get my fix of this sweet elixir brewed with locally grown hops during our next visit. The arrival of this beer also means that Pumpkin Ale is right around the corner! September through November is definitely my favorite time of year to visit the Pub. At the time of writing this, we'd visited the last 5 weeks in a row. The proof is in the pudding.

Wild Peach... what a surprise!

After yet another enjoyable visit to the Pub, we were off to Al's of Hampden to try some new Pizza Boy beers. Brewslut has the luxury of trying new beers more often than me because she works there once a week. So I always put in a request to visit when we're in close proximity. Al recently installed some new TVs to be used in conjunction with his rotating beer menu. In addition to all of the draft, nitro and cask selections, the new screens include all bottle releases available for on-premise consumption.

Al's new wall of TVs. That's a lot of beer!

First up was a new Saison brewed by Al (with help from the new Assistant Brewer, Roger) called The Hell That is My Life. Brewslut had it recently and mentioned it was awesome, so I had to see what all the fuss was about. This was a solid straight-up Saison with lots of zesty citrus fruit, some earthy herbs, and a hint of barnyard funk. I also had the Wet Shore, a wet-hopped version of their flagship West Shore IPA (recently re-named Hampden IPA due to a small entanglement with a West Coast brewery that will remain anonymous). I'd had this about two years ago when it first came out, and this year's version was killer! If you like fresh hop IPAs, this one is juicy and insanely drinkable. Check it out before it's gone. Up next, I settled on Washed Up, a bacon-washed beer. Brewslut opted for On the Fritz, an India Pale Lager. While I don't eat pork anymore, my one caveat is that I will still drink beers brewed with bacon (or any meat, really). I asked Al what the base beer was for this, and he said it was an Oatmeal Porter, so I was sold. Man, this beer was awesome! It featured just the right amount of smoky meatiness backed by a luscious mouthfeel and robust chocolately, roasty malt character. I had some of Brewslut's On the Fritz as well (another one new to me) and it was crisp and hoppy, just as I'd anticipated. We used these last two beers to wash down our tasty subs.

After Pizza Boy, it was off to a brand new Central PA brewery. Evergrain Brewing Company in Camp Hill had opened the week prior to our visit. Owned by the same two guys (Norm and Larry) who own the Brewhouse Grille, a beer bar in Camp Hill and mainstay of the local craft beer scene, Evergrain features a roster of ten house brews and food available through the adjoining Our Kitchen Table (where you literally order at a window connecting the two establishments). Brewmaster Bruce Tanner used to work at Tröegs for a number of years, so I knew the beers would be solid.

I was dying to try Joose Juicy, a NE-style IPA with a "hop character of dank, resinous hops" I'd heard from several friends to be excellent. Brewslut went with the Dark Necessity, a 10% Russian Imperial Stout. She doesn't mess around! Both were solid and enjoyable. We also enjoyed sharing a pint of the Wet Hop Cascade IPA, which was brewed with local hops grown and harvested at Painted Horse Hop Farm based in Dillsburg, PA. It was quite busy for a Sunday evening when we rolled in, and there was a hefty constituency of Tröegs peeps in attendance, which was nice to see. This place boasts a huge, open floor plan with the brew deck and tanks in plain sight, plus spacious seating options and even a ping pong table. Overall, it has a boomy warehouse vibe similar to some of the larger "industrial park" breweries in California. It seems like Evergrain is off to a great start, so I'm anxious to see what lies ahead for them.

Inside Evergrain's Tasting Room.

Thanks for reading. Perhaps we'll cross paths one day while seeking out some fresh, local beer. Until next time...