Son of Campground Brewdown

After my cousin sold the chalet, I felt a void in my life. Not only am I a sucker for nostalgia (my family purchased that land back when I was about 3 years old), but over the years Brewslut and I have grown to love the Penn's Creek region. A huge part of its endearing quality is the proximity of a few of our favorite breweries in the region, the most obvious being Selin's Grove. Thankfully, my good beer buddy Kramer owns Penn's Creek Campground just a few miles down the road from the chalet. He's been kind enough to offer accommodations to us on a few occasions, so it would appear that we'll be able to continue visiting the area we enjoy so much! 

Entrance to Penn's Creek Campground.

As with any weekend retreat to this area, we always begin on Friday evening with a (usually lengthy) stop at Selin's Grove for dinner and drinks. In addition to the Kriek - which was still hanging in there - I was elated to find the 2017 vintage of bourbon barrel-aged St. Fillan's Wee Heavy (aka barleywine) on the beer engine. We were about to set up shop at the bar when Brewslut noticed two of our good friends - Uncle Rick and Aunt Carol - occupying the corner table in the main dining room area. They were with two friends - Jeff and Beth - visiting from Charlotte, NC. They asked us to join them, and of course we obliged. They'd just finished dinner, but it's our MO to eat at the pub on Friday, so we ordered our food and drinks. The corn chowder was sold out, so I opted for a chicken chipotle wap with a side of po-sal... one of my go-to menu items. I started off with a Kriek because I knew it would be disappearing soon, and followed it up with two BBA Wee Heavy pours, because... well, why not? We had a great time getting to know our friends-of-friends, and we talked about everything - yes, even Rush! - but mostly the conversation included tales of beer, bourbon, and traveling. To our surprise, Jeff and Beth stealthily picked up the tab when none of us were looking, and we didn't even know it until an hour later when we were ready to settle up. What a nice surprise! With that, we finished up our drinks and headed to the campground. 

When we arrived about forty minutes later, the key to the house wasn't where it was supposed to be. After a brief panic and a stroke of luck, we actually stumbled upon the guy with the key at his campsite. Turns out the water main was struck by lightning in a bad storm and one of the regular campground residents had the key to try and get everything fixed up. With key in hand, we turned in for the evening.

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Since I didn't prepare an itinerary in advance, we ended up switching gears and re-routing our trek. I'd originally planned to start the day at Shy Bear and work our way up to State College, then finish up back at camp. Turns out Short Bus (one of the other new places we planned to hit) didn't open until 3 p.m. so we decided to "Tarantino" our route and go in reverse. But first, breakfast! We decided to hit up the nearby (and recently re-opened) Boomerangs, a bar and grill located outside of Millmont not too far from the campground. The place had burned down a while ago, and they rebuilt and remodeled it. The cheese omelet, home fries and toast provided a nice layer of starch and protein in our bellies upon which we would be laying plenty of beer. 

The slight change of plans was fine by me, because it meant we could swing by Inglebean for a quick iced coffee before grabbing a beer at one of my favorites in the region: Elk Creek Cafe & Aleworks. We actually arrived about twenty minutes before Elk Creek opened for the day, so we decided to use our time wisely and get some coffee before our visit. Typically, we like to swing by Inglebean after a beer or two and get it to go, since State College is another half hour or so from Millheim. We grabbed a pair of iced coffees and decided to sit out on the back patio with the resident dog, Eddie Murphy (yup, that's his name). Sadly, he was pretty drained from a week of running and playing back home, and was happy to lie lethargically during our entire twenty-minute visit. 

Pleeps with my pour of Elton's ESB...

We easily procured two seats in our usual spot at the bar (right under the "food specials" chalkboard) and I immediately noticed that they had four seasonals and no Winkleblink, their lightest offering. Usually, they only have two or - at most - three seasonals. I was torn between two of my favorites: Elton's ESB, which was on cask, and Yarrington's Best Bitter. I ultimately decided to go with Elton's ESB since it was on the engine. Tim (Yarrington, head brewer) is one of the best traditional English style brewers in the area, and these two beers are stellar takes on these classic English ales. Brewslut opted for the Summer Session Ale, a light, crisp thirst-quencher that doesn't skimp on flavor. 

...and with the wife's Summer Session Ale.

After a pleasant commute to State College, we arrived at Happy Valley, which has always been a reliable stop on the itinerary. I don't really recall having a "bad" beer there. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed a Triple IPA called Grand Wazoo (bonus points for the Zappa reference) last March that turned out to be one of my favorite PA beers of 2018.

Happy Valley has had pretty much the same flagship line-up of four beers since opening in 2013, but they always have one or two seasonals that we hadn't had before. I'd likely hang out here quite a bit if we lived in the area, as they host live music several nights each week as well as a Vinyl Night on Tuesdays. My kind of place, indeed! 

Monkeying about the tap handles at Happy Valley.

Beer-wise, I decided to go with something new, while Brewslut chose something more familiar. The new beer in question was Haymow Mango, a DIPA hopped with Amarillo, Bitter Gold and Ekuanot boasting tropical notes of papaya as well as ripe melon and a hint of lime. Of course, this one was also finished with juicy mango. However, the mango didn't dominate the flavor or add too much sweetness. It was a nice little dollop of mango. This one drank more like a West Coast style with a little hoppy grit and bite to it. Nicely done! 

Brewslut revisited ZZrbert, a beer we'd first tried back in 2015. Brewed with a raspberry, blackberry, Tahitian vanilla and lactose, this refreshing, slightly tart beer is heavy on fruit and finishes smooth with a creamy mouthfeel. It comes off as liquid gelato or raspberry sherbet. Tasty, indeed, but I was in the mood for hops, so I was pleased with my decision. 

We'd recently checked out the new Voodoo tap room in Lancaster, which is situated in a local butchery. Upon checking out its web site for details, I also learned that Voodoo had a location in State College. Wha-wha-whaaaaat?! 'Tis true! So we made it a point to swing in for a beer. Turns out Voodoo State College is two doors down from Happy Valley.

Our view from the bar at Voodoo State College.

The tap room is situated on the lower level of the Barn at Lemont, a small plaza on the same side of the street as Happy Valley (only a house divides them). I'm sure that particular resident is thrilled that he or she is sandwiched betwixt two breweries in a college town. I personally think it would be awesome, especially since I love these two breweries. I could do without the 22-year-olds, though. At any rate, the Barn at Lemont is home to a collective of local businesses focused on sustainable, healthy living. For example, there was a seafood vendor on-site slinging salmon burgers, lobster rolls and the like, and I quickly regretted filling up for breakfast at Boomerangs. Upstairs in the courtyard, there appeared to be a mini farmer's market taking place.

But back to Voodoo. The tasting room is situated along Slab Cabin Run, a tributary of Spring Creek, and it boasts a patio as well as seating along the water for added ambiance. The outside area was pretty packed, so we decided to set up shop at the small inside bar. In addition to the usual six or so year-round offerings, there were a variety of other seasonal and one-off options. I settled on Unrefined, a hazy IPA hopped with Azacca (one of my favorites) and Cashmere (one you don't see all too often). This one had a tropical fruit flare similar to other IPAs in the same genre. While it hit the spot, I will give the nod to Happy Valley's Haymow Mango as far as being more in line with my particular IPA palate.

Pleeps with a plastic cup of Unrefined.

Overall, this is a great addition to the growing craft beer scene in State College, and it's good to have another reliable option when we roll into town. Before we left, Brewslut picked up a 4-pack of Hazy Vibes to enjoy at the pool and at home. And with that, it was time to move on and check out a pair of new-to-us breweries. We set the GPS for Lewistown, PA, and hit the rocky road.

I hadn't really been in or around Lewistown since my days of driving between Shamokin and State College during my later college years. We'd been meaning to visit Shy Bear for about a year (more on Shy Bear shortly), but when we caught wind of another brewery less than two miles away, we felt it was time to bite the bullet and cross two more breweries off our ever-expanding list.

Gettin' ready to ride the short bus!

Short Bus Brew House, situated in Lewistown's neighbor, Burnham, recently hoved onto our radar when Deuane gave us a can of its Bus Stopper DIPA back in April. It was pretty solid, so I could sense some promise with this new kid on the block. Other than this singular experience, we'd never had any Short Bus beers. When we arrived, we were surprised to find the place was pretty large. Brewslut mentioned on the way in that the building looked like an old car dealership.

Since we'd only had that one beer from Short Bus, we decided to dip our toes into their beer and share a sampler flight. If they were up to snuff, we'd get an additional full pour to share. Here's the skinny on the sampler flight:

• Field Trip Peachy Day - light blonde ale brewed with peach puree.
• Straight A'zzzzz - Single hopped New England style IPA brewed exclusively with Azacca.
• Hot for Teacher - Belgian style Tripel with hints of coriander, clove and pepper. Finishes pretty dry with a hint of sweetness and touch of hop bitterness.
• Black Goat - NE-style black IPA with plenty of roasted malt character and an earthy hop presence with a touch of citrus.

Pleeps proudly ridin' the Short Bus!

All in all, everything was solid across the board, although Brewslut didn't care for the Black Goat. This didn't surprise me, as she's not a fan of black IPAs. My favorite was the Field Trip Peachy Day. I just can't seem to get enough of them peaches! Since we were adequately impressed, we decided to share a pour of Hazy Dazy, a triple dry-hopped NEIPA with Citra, Mosaic and Vic Secret. This one was pretty tasty and had a fruit-forward aroma and flavor with a sticky hop finish.

It's just a Hazy Dazy for this little monkey.

Great conversation with older local guy, met the owner, suggested some cool school-inspired beer names. Place bigger than I thought it would be.

From Short Bus, it was a quick five minute drive down the road to Lewistown and our next destination, Shy Bear. We first sampled their beer at the Selinsgrove Hops, Vines & Wines festival last year and were pretty impressed. We'd heard from a few friends that the food was excellent, so it has been on our list for a while. I knew we'd get there sooner or later, and now was the time to check out Shy Bear. 

Inside Shy Bear's tasting room and restaurant.

In retrospect, I'm glad it worked out so we could visit around dinner time, because the food WAS spectacular! The menu is pretty upscale and forward-thinking with a variety of non-traditional dishes using fresh, seasonal ingredients. After some deliberation, we each ordered an Aloah Tower featuring ponzu vinaigrette marinated sushi-grade tuna marinated in a ponzu vinaigrette with seaweed salad, Hawaiian salsa, tobiko (aka flying fish roe), fried wonton strips, and a citrus hoisin glaze. We also shared the Nacho Stack as an appetizer. Check out the laundry list of ingredients in this puppy: house-made corn tortilla chips with pico de gallo, firehouse-style grilled and chopped chicken, green onion, smoked beer cheese fondue, pickled jalapeno, sour cream, and cilantro. As predicted, the food here was outstanding!

Me posing with a not-so-shy bear.

Pleeps ain't afraid of nuthin'!

Beer-wise, the board looked rather enticing, I must say. We felt another shared sampler flight was in order, so we decided on an a la carte sampling of several beers. Here's the lowdown:

• Osoveza Especial - Mexican style lager brewed with flaked corn and pilsner malt and featuring a classic German hop profile. Crisp, clean and flavorful! 
• Seabreezy - Inspired by the classic beach cocktail, the Seabreeze, this Berliner Weisse features cranberries and fresh pink grapefruit for a tart, citrusy finish.
• Blue Hen Crush - Session IPA showcasing El Dorado and Simcoe hops.
• Shifty Please - Key Lime Pie Sour IPA. Dee-freaking-licious!!! 
• No Ducks Given - Pina Colada DIPA. This one was a very close second to the Shifty Please, but gets the award for favorite beer name! 
• Alpine Swift - Pale Ale hopped with Ekuanot, Summit, Citra and Cascade featuring flaked rye and Ekuanot dry hops. This one is fermented with Norwegian Kviek yeast, a traditional non-phenolic farmhouse yeast passed down through the generations.
• Chief Logan - Citra dry-hopped Pilsner.

Pleeps is ready to dig in to this lot!

I really liked the presentation of the sampler flight board. Each beer was accompanied by a card indicating the name of the beer, and the cardholders stuck to the board magnetically. Each sample featured a generous 6-ounce pour of beer, which is 1-2 ounces more than typical sample size glasses.

Alternate angle of Pleeps with the flight.

 

Overall, the beers here were above average, with our favorites being Shifty Please (especially Brewslut) and No Ducks Given (mostly me). The Blue Hen Crush was perhaps a bit lacking in flavor, but otherwise a stellar line-up from Shy Bear. Factor in the food and this place is a goldmine. Looks like we'll be back in Lewistown sooner than later!

Pleeps gives at least a few ducks.

We still felt like we had one more stop in us before heading back to the campground. We hadn't been to Rusty Rail in a while, so we decided to swing by for a late night one-and-done. They were in the process of closing up the main floor, but the second floor bar and game room was still open until midnight. We decided to head upstairs (even though I deplore all of the taxidermied animals occupying the walls) for a beer. The free classic video game sit-down consoles kind of cancel out the taxidermy, so I just suck it up and focus on the beer and video games. We both opted for the same beer this time, a tart peach and passionfruit ale called Tasting Colors. This is a great beer with a great name; one of the best I've had at Rusty Rail to date. I'm glad to see Rusty Rail is finally coming around and churning out some great beers. They have always been hit and miss with us, but recently I've been routinely pleased with everything I've had from them. And the place really is a gem of a brewpub. 

Back at the campground, we had our own little "Campground Brewdown" with a circle of Shamokinites around the campfire. Chu, one of my friends from high school who is now the Schuylkill County rep for Durdach Distributors, was spending the weekend at his little cabin and introduced a bunch of people to us. Some actually lived mere blocks away from my mom's house (where I grew up) and another guy, Russ, is the sales manager at Durdach and has been slinging Tröegs since the very early days. He regaled me with tales of - among many others - driving around Northumberland and Schuylkill Counties with Chris Trogner trying find ANYONE who would take a chance and buy Tröegs to put on tap. We shared a few beers around the fire, ate cheese, potato cakes and soupie, tried some freaking amazing homemade limonchello and root beer liquor, and got pretty drunk. Luckily, we had a short walk back to the house (thanks again, Kramer)! 

On Sunday, it was once again a Selin's Grove sandwich within a sandwich. Wait... huh? The Selin's Grove sandwich is a term I coined to describe visiting the pub on a Friday night and again on Sunday before we headed home. Well, this time we visited the pub for lunch, then joined Uncle Rick, Aunt Carol and company for some pool time and MinkiBall (patent pending), then headed back to the pub for dinner and a few more beers. The Kriek had finally kicked, so I settled for a Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout, which I hadn't had in a while. I really wanted another pour of the St. Fillan's but knew I had to drive over an hour to get home. See? I can be responsible every now and then. 

Well folks, that's a wrap on another enjoyable weekend of brewery hopping! Until next time...

The Memorial Day Weekend Trail: 2019 Edition - Part II

The Saturday of DetFest has turned into one of my favorite days of the year. Not only do I get to play music for some of my band's biggest fans and hang with great people, Brewslut and I have come to love the brewery loop we take before heading to the fest. This year, however, we were able to add a new place that has become a fast favorite of ours. That brewery is Beer Tree.

Based on the name alone, I must admit that I didn't have very high expectations. However, once I perused this new brewery's tap list and story, I was sold. As a matter of fact, I was pretty sure this place was going to be awesome. Fortunately, I was correct in my assumptions. Beer Tree is legit!

We arrived at around 10:30 a.m. (yes, they open at 10 a.m. people!) to a pretty empty house. There was a guy tending to a huge grill, prepping items for the impending food truck opening. So, first off... points for having a taco truck! Unfortunately, it didn't open until noon, and I made an executive decision to skip breakfast so we could eat at Beer Tree.

Situated in the small town of Port Crane, NY, about 15 minutes NE of Binghamton, Beer Tree Brew Co. is a farm brewery highlighting beer brewed with local ingredients and hops sourced from Willet Hop & Grain a neighboring raw ingredients provider based out of Willet, NY. Sometime in the near future, Beer Tree also plans to offer a variety of local farm goods and products for sampling and purchasing. Inside, the place was much bigger than I was anticipating. We set up shop at the large, wrap-around bar, which was the focal point of the tasting room. I also noticed that they host live music regularly. More bonus points! Once we settled in, we checked out the beer menu. We both quickly discovered that we wanted to try too many beers, so we had to choose wisely and share the wealth.

Tap list at Beer Tree during our visit.

After a few seconds of perusing the list, I honed in on my first selection: Morning Timber - Blueberry, a breakfast stout brewed with coffee and wood-fire evaporated maple syrup from Willet, and conditioned on blueberries. I'd been on a blueberry kick for a few weeks, so that sealed the deal. What better way to kick off the day (on an empty stomach, no less) than with an imperial stout? Well, it was a coffee stout, after all.

Pleeps getting his share of Morning Timber.

Meanwhile, Brewslut worked on her beer: Slightly Fuzzy, a mixed fermentation ale conditioned on strawberries, rhubarb and limes. This beer was crazy good! So good, in fact, that Brewslut had to take home a 4-pack, which she rarely does when we travel. So it's gotta be good, right?

By this time, we were both sufficiently impressed enough to order a second round. I was actually pretty giddy on this particular day, even more so than usual. For our next two beers, we decided to head into the hoppy end of the spectrum and try a pair of IPAs. There were several that sounded awesome on paper, so it was a tough decision. Ultimately, we went with Euphoric Colors and Feeling Cute.

The former is a mixed fermentation sour NEIPA. The malt base of oats, wheat and barley combined with the addition of milk sugar creates a soft canvas onto which a generous whirlpool addition of Michigan Copper hops shine. Double dry-hopping with Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic create a waft of dank citrus fruit and hard candy. But wait, this beer isn't finished yet! This sucker was then conditioned on passionfruit, almonds, and vanilla. Yes, there's lots going on here, folks. Almost too much, actually.

The latter, a milkshake IPA, features a similar malt backbone with the sweet addition of milk sugar. This time, Beer Tree double dry-hops with a combo of Idaho 7, Citra, and Belma before aging the beer on a blend of strawberry, banana, and vanilla. Belma is a newer hop variety said to impart an ambrosia-like melange of orange, melon, pineapple, and strawberry. My mom calls it "heaven" instead of ambrosia, and it's delicious!

Pleeps is always feeling cute!

The two IPAs were pretty solid but didn't wow us like our initial beers did. Still, these came across as forward-thinking flavor combinations, which we both appreciated. I really enjoyed our visit and can't wait to get back to Beer Tree next year... or even sooner!

We first visited to The Farmhouse Brewery back in 2016 during the very same "Memorial Day Trail" as we've come to call it. Situated in the quaint town of Owego, NY, the original location was on the outskirts of town and reminded me to drinking in someone's basement. The place was adorned with assorted chachkies you'd expect to find in your grandma's parlor (not living room, mind you... parlor; you know, the place where the Davenport resides). They even had a Nintendo Wii set up for customers to play, and we enjoyed some competitive 100-pin bowling during that inaugural visit. Last year, Farmhouse had moved and since set up shop on the main drag in Owego, which must have given the business a boost, as the town is brimming with little stores, boutiques, eateries, and antique shops.

Farmhouse loooooves the cock!

Speaking of eateries, I'd remembered a great meal we had during one of our previous visits at a place called The Owego Kitchen, which is basically two doors down from the new Farmhouse location. We were hungry, so we decided to order food and eat it at Farmhouse while we enjoyed our beers. I opted for the Gourmet Gobbler featuring turkey, Brie, cranberry chutney, and lettuce on a baguette. I'm a sucker for Thanksgiving sandwiches and typically order one when its available.

Back at The Farmhouse in Owego, NY.

Back to beer, though. Since we spent a little extra time at Beer Tree, we decided to slow down and share a sampler flight. Here's the skinny:

• Grinder - Saison brewed with 100% NY ingredients and aged in wine barrels with Aronia berries (aka chokeberries)
• Don't Miss a Beet - Saison brewed exclusively with NY ingredients including locally grown beets.
• Momma Maple Llama - Porter brewed with maple syrup, coffee and sweet potatoes. This one took home the gold medal at 2017 TAP NY. 
• Peat & Repeat - Wee Heavy brewed with peat smoked malt. 

Pleeps in his natural habitat.

Of the four beers we sampled, two were familiar and two were new to us. We'd both had Grinder and Don't Miss a Beet on previous occasions and remembered liking them quite a bit. The other two were up to snuff with the usual quality of their beers. Peat & Repeat wasn't too terribly "peaty" (good for Brewslut but not-so-good for me) and Momma Maple Llama might have been my favorite of the bunch. I mean, coffee and maple syrup? Come on.

Another angle of the ever-pleasant Pleeps!

The beers at Farmhouse are always full of flavor and experimental in nature. I usually stray from the "regular" beers such as IPAs because honestly we just don't run into too many beers brewed with ingredients like beets or peat smoked malt. That's what I love about this place. The beers are fun and whimsical, and Marty (the brewer and owner) definitely thinks outside the box. Sadly, he wasn't around this time. When he's there, he's always good for a few funny stories and available for you to pick his brain.

Tap handles at The Farmhouse Brewery.

After our flight at Farmhouse, we ducked into a cool little place on the same block called The Goat Boy. Yup, there was no way we were leaving Owego without a quick visit to this place. Because goats, of course! Turns out the coffee shop was situated next door. Featuring local art, live music and a variety of drinks, this place (actually now called Carol's Coffee & Art Bar; Goat Boy is a gift shop) was worthy of a stop. There's a lot to soak in, and it was welcome deviation to our typical rinse-and-repeat agenda of brewery followed by brewery.

You had me at GOAT!

As usual, I was most excited to return to The North. We'd first visited this small brewery based in the somewhat depressed town of Endicott, NY, back in 2017, and I loved the rough and tumble charm of the place. At that point, they'd been churning out some amazing beers on a pretty small system for about five years, and seemed to have a penchant for bold, complex barrel-aged stouts. To be honest, I can't believe the brewery had eluded us for so long! Still, better late than never, right? Now it is a place that we HAVE to visit at least annually. 

Since our last visit a year ago, the North added a small enclosed patio area (basically right outside the brewery's front door on the sidewalk), which added space for an additional ten people or so. I happened to be wearing my Mastodon tour shirt, and upon walking up to the entrance, I received acknowledgement from a fellow fan. I gave him the horns aka \m/ and we grabbed some beers at the bar.

Whatever this is, it's pretty METAL!

I started off with a pint of Eye Candy, a sticky, hazy IPA hopped with El Dorado and Azacca. After grabbing our first round, we decided to check out the patio and strike up a conversation with the Mastodon guy. He was visiting with his son, and they were chatting with a random young guy about his recent Tesla purchase, which was parked a few feet away. We spent a good deal talking about our beer travels as well as music (including Rush, of course), so it kept me occupied while we worked on our beers. The weather was perfect and conversation was plentiful, so we kept to the patio until everyone had to leave. Once our new friends vacated the patio, we decided to head back inside to see what was going on.

For my next beer, I went big with Pastry Klouds, a delicious whiskey barrel-aged Russian imperial stout aged on Vietnamese coconut and cinnamon. This kind of beer is what The North excels in. I first became enamored last year with one of its barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stouts called Big Bad Leather Daddy, which was one of my favorite beers of 2018.

The North is like a museum of strange toys.

I also sampled God Complex, a stout brewed with coffee, hazelnut and chili peppers. Tasty it was, but it was no Pastry Klouds. I love the name, though: God Complex. Of course, they have a few different variants of this beer, as well they should. Two years ago when we visited, someone bought a bottle of this beer - then apparently called Loaded God Complex - and cracked it open for all to share. I recall liking it quite a bit, although it was heavy on the hazelnut (not a problem for me, as I love the flavor of hazelnuts). The version we sampled during this most recent visit didn't have the same prominent hazelnut oomph. Perhaps it was because we'd just finished Pastry Klouds and this one paled in comparison.

As per usual, a small group was congregated at the back end of the bar and cracking open a variety of cans and bottles, some from The North and some from other breweries. Of course, I was quite prepared for this eventuality and had a few Splinter beers in tow. Here's what we sampled (the first three are from The North):

• Eight Banners - whiskey barrel-aged stout
• Oreo Klouds - imperial stout brewed with Oreo cookies
• El Chupracabra - rauch roggenbier brewed with smoked rye and habanero
• Triple Citra Daydream from Other Half Brewing - DIPA brewed with oats and lactose, and triple dry-hopped with Citra and Citra Lupulin powder
• Double Dry-Hopped Double Mosaic Daydream from Other Half Brewing - Imperial IPA brewed with oats and lactose sugar

The El Chupracabra was a 2016 vintage, if I'm not mistaken, and was drinking quite nicely. Oreo Klouds was a little too sweet for my liking, but it was better than the one The Veil did when we visited Richmond a while back. As for Other Half, they do a fine job with the dry-hopped IPAs, so no complaints there. 

Another random oddity at The North.

All in all, it was another fantastic visit to the North. We always have a blast here, and Brewslut even got to talk shop with a fellow English teacher, who also happened to be one of the guys sharing beers with us at the bar. This is exactly why we love "pour traveling." Drinking the beer might be the cake, but meeting cool locals is definitely the icing!

Since its located in Montrose a few miles from the festival, we always finish up our day of brewery hopping at Endless. Endless is a great example of the kind of brewery every small town should have. We always encounter friendly patrons each time we visit, and the owners (Jon and Morgan) are incredibly nice. Morgan is always tending the bar, while Jon is usually in the brewery concocting his next libation. And you'd think by now that I'd remember the name of the big, fluffy white dog who's always there... but nope, I suck.

Tap handles at Endless Brewing in Montrose, PA.

I started off with a pour of a new IPA called Texahio Armadillo.  I found it to be an odd name for a beer, so I inquired. Like the name of the dog, I also failed to save the story behind the beer to my memory banks. But hey, I got to try a new beer! If I recall, it has something to do with the hop variety, Texas and Ohio. It was the end of a long day of drinking, so excuse me if my mind was a little hazy. On a side note, armadillos are weird.

I followed this up with another new-to-me beer called Dunkel Yum, a dark German wheat ale. I like me a good dunkel, and this one was kind of middle-of-the-road. But it served as a quick diversion from hops so I could then move onto another hoppy beer.

That beer was Bombshell Blonde, a traditional West Coast style IPA. This is Endless Brewing's flagship beer for a reason. It's always fresh, tasty and consistent. It might be my favorite of their hoppy beers too, except maybe for Grasshopper, a really good pale ale that has eluded us for the past few years. We always seem to miss its release by a week or two. M'wah.

Full tap list at Endless!

After our visit to Endless, it was time to head over to DetFest to play some drums for a few hours. Although attendance was lower than usual and the weather was a bit spritzy, we played an awesome set and it was good to see some peeps I only get to see once or twice a year. 

Typically, our journey wound end there. This time, however, there's a brief post-script. We stopped by our hometown of Shamokin on Sunday to visit my mom and take her to an appointment in Danville, so we hit up Old Forge for lunch. It had been a while since our last visit, but my mom actually likes that place (for the food, though... not the beer). I always joke that I drink more beer in a day than my mom has consumed throughout her now 74-year existence. I enjoyed a pour of their new-ish IPA called Hopstache, which I'd never had before.

Anyway, it looks like Pleeps is already anticipating his next adventure. Until next time...

The Memorial Day Weekend Trail: 2019 Edition - Part I

You guys know the drill by now. Every year for the last few years, my band herbie plays at a private festival out in the sticks somewhere betwixt the PA/NY border. Brewslut and I always do a loop of some favorite breweries and try to incorporate one or two new destinations as well. (Check all of them out if you're a new follower of our blog and feel so inclined: 2016, 2017 and 2018. The 2016 blog is the one that brought me out of retirement.) This year was no different. Our story begins as it typically does on a Friday evening after work. Ever since we had the ingenious idea of abandoning town on Friday night to avoid the dreaded Memorial Day parade that barrels down Main Street right in front of our house, that's been our MO.

Friday began with a quick detour off the usual I-81 N. trail to hit up a new-to-us brewery in the metropolis of Shickshinny, PA. Yes, that's the name of the town, people. As someone from a town called Shamokin, I can safely assert that this place definitely fits nicely in the description of "podunk Pennsyltucky." To be honest, the only reason I caught wind of this brewery is because my cousin (who lives in the general region of said brewery) got us a gift certificate for the brewery at a charity fundraiser he attended. The brewery in question is Five Mountain. This place is definitely off the beaten path, and at points I feared for my life as we traversed the 10-plus miles of crooked (sometimes gravely) back roads to get to Shickshinny.

Chalkboard at Five Mountain.

The place was kind of what I was expecting: a garage-turned-brewery with a few taps, a small bar, and some random seating. A display featuring mug clubber mugs adorned some of the walls. Other than that, the decor was pretty bare bones. That's not to say that I don't enjoy hanging out in a garage and drinking beer. I've had some memorable experiences in tiny hole-in-the-wall breweries over the last 15 years. One that comes immediately to mind is the original One Guy Brewing, which later became Berwick Brewing. Oh, the memories!

Five Mountain's taps.

While our gift certificate was good for a growler fill, I asked if we could get three different pours, as we wanted to stay for a bit. The bartender was fine with it (as she should have been; our drafts totaled $1 less than a growler fill and she got a better tip). The three beers we tried were as follows:

• Miffle Sipper - NE-style IPA 
• The Preferred Nomenclature - West Coast IPA. Brewslut actually pointed out the name to me, which is a reference to a line from my favorite movie, The Big Lebowski, spoken by Walter when the Dude refers to an Asian American as a "China-man." 
• Downhill in Neutral - vanilla maple porter

Unfortunately, I couldn't really find any information about any of the beers other than their styles. Sadly, all of these beers possessed classic textbook flaws and off-flavors that even the most unrefined palate should be able to detect. I wish I would have taken notes, but I definitely remember Hydrogen Sulfide (which elicits a sulfur-like aroma), diacetyl (classic buttered popcorn), and metallic (harsh, rusty, and blood-like). I hate trashing breweries, so I'll just kindly direct the brewer to this page, which includes 18 common off-flavors found in beer as well as how to detect and avoid them. Cheers!

The always cheerful Pleeps!

Thankfully, Brewslut took one for the team and consumed the lion's share of these three beers. After all, I was driving. 

After a rocky start, it was off to Wilkes-Barre for our third visit to Benny Brewing. When we arrived, there were maybe two available parking spots. This place was absolutely packed inside and out, so you can tell they're doing something right. Since we weren't eating there, we decided not to take up a table (valuable real estate to hungry patrons) and stand for a while. Lucky for us, there was an entertaining musical duo performing on the small elevated stage area during our visit. Turns out the bassist was a member of the legendary local band, Strawberry Jam, who used to play at the Coal Hole in Shamokin back when I was a kid. Every time we come here, the beers improve and there are more people. I guess NEPA-folk finally got on board with craft beer!

While we were there, we tried three beers from Benny's "Single Batch Series." These beers aren't part of its flagship or seasonal lineups and are brewed in smaller batches. First up was ‘Tis Noel Saison, an odd choice for me, especially as we were fast approaching the start of the summer season. This dark saison brewed with vanilla bean was concocted by homebrewer Patrick Granahan, and it took home The Crystal Lederhosen Champions Cup in 2018. I'm not sure if Benny took the recipe and brewed it themselves, or if it was a collaborative effort, or if this was the original homebrew batch. Either way, it was pretty damn tasty and had a nice mix of vanilla sweetness and spiciness courtesy of the yeast.

Benny taps (photo courtesy of Google Images).

Meanwhile, Brewslut was enjoying a pour of Reckless Endeavour, a triple dry-hopped DIPA with milk sugar. She's been hell bent for milk sugar IPAs lately and we both enjoyed this one as well. It boasted moderate viscosity with minimal chalkiness (a byproduct of lactose I sometimes find in lesser milkshake IPAs) and a bold hop profile. Nicely done!

Since we were batting 1000, we decided to go balls out and split a pour of 4 Day Weekend, an Imperial Cherry Stout aged for six months in bourbon barrels. After all, we were on a 4-day weekend. At 10% ABV, this one had some warmth and boozy bourbon presence, but it felt pretty tame thanks to the addition of cherries.

All in all, it was a fantastic visit to Benny and easily my favorite thus far. We enjoyed all of the beers and I was happy to get to soak in some live music for a change (since I'm usually the one on stage). It takes a lot to impress me, but these guys were solid musicians with fun personalities and amusing banter, which I love. I mean, clever microphone banter is an art form in and of itself and can really enhance any musical performance... which is why I love having a microphone when I perform!

Next up, we headed across town to nearby Breaker Brewing. We've been following Breaker since the beginning, which is 2009. Damn, I can't believe they've been around for a DECADE! We first had Breaker's beers at the infamous Elmer Sudds, a cool beer bar in Wilkes-Barre, many moons ago. After several years of trial and error and struggling to find its footing, I think Breaker has finally discovered its niche. These days, they crank out some pretty stellar fruit-infused sour/IPA hybrid beers like Lime Life, one of Brewslut's absolute favorite beers. (Editor's note: she recently visited Wilkes-Barre for a work-related class and made it a point to swing by just to pick up cans of this beer to bring home. She also drank a few while she was visiting.) They also do some pretty tasty milkshake IPAs.

Breaker Brewing Co. (photo courtesy of Google Images).

After checking out the beer list, Brewslut was eyeing up Grapefruit Bash, a NE-style IPA brewed in collaboration with Beer Tree (stay tuned for more on those guys in our next episode). Hopped with Michigan Copper hops from New York, a relatively new variety boasting fruity notes of cherry and fruit punch, and double dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic for additional citrus and tropical fruit goodness, the beer was then rested on gallons and gallons of juiced ruby red grapefruit and vanilla beans. You definitely get a huge smack of grapefruit in this bad boy with a lot of peppery rind and pith. The vanilla softened it a bit but this was fairly bitter. It was pretty solid but didn't live up to the beers we had during our last two visits.

I settled on a pour of an beer called Hey Man Nice Shoes since the beer I wanted had kicked (sorry, I don't remember what it was). Brewed with flaked and malted oats and raw white wheat for a soft mouthfeel, this IPA features Idaho 7 hops with backup of Citra, Warrior, and Azacca. You don't see Warrior too often in beers (though it is a key hop variety found in nugget Nectar). This one is also double dry hopped with Idaho7 and Citra Lupulin powder for notes of grapefruit, pineapple, and mango smoothie.

We typically eat at Breaker Brewing, and we chose not to deviate from the norm. The folks at Breaker serve up some slammin' panini sammies that are always enjoyable, and this time was no different. They change up their menu fairly often, or at least it seems like they do, as we only get up there about twice a year. My usual is The Simpson, a turkey panini with smoked gouda and house-made blackberry jalapeño jam. Can't go wrong with that combo, folks!

We closed out the evening with our requisite visit to Sabatini's, a place I often call the NE branch of Al's of Hampden. Pizza + beer = good, indeed! I was stoked to see a few offerings from New Trail, Billtown's newest craft beer player on the scene. We also had to get a pizza, and nothing quells my hunger pangs more than a chicken pizza. They have two great ones on the menu, but we opted for the Chicken Wing pizza this time, which is basically like wings on a pizza. Yum!

Back to the beer. I really enjoyed a one-off version of Hay Stacks IPA on cask conditioned on mango and peach. And again, we find your friendly neighborhood narrator salivating over the use of peach in a beer. I gotta say, I freakin' love peaches. Perhaps I'll move to the country... you know, so I can eat me a lot of peaches.

The other beer, Strawberry Haze, is a collaboration with Almanac Beer Co. Brewed with wheat and oats and "bluntly hopped with Sabro and a blend of some old favorites," the beer is then fermented atop "bundles of sticky icky strawberries and tangerines" for a blast of berry and citrus goodness. I hadn't heard of Sabro hops before, so I did a bit of Google exploring. Turns out the variety was developed by the Hop Breeding Company and released in 2018. An aroma hop, Sabro is notable for its complex fruity and citrus-forward character including a predominant tangerine note. It also imparts hints of coconut, tropical fruit, and stone fruit aromas, with traces of cedar, mint, and cream. So, lots going on there, right? (If you feel like geeking out a bit, check out this article about the history and lineage of Sabro hops.) While I enjoyed both of these beers quite a bit, I must give the nod to Hay Stacks. Because, you know... peaches.

And with that, the day had come to a close. Still, it was nice to leave a bit early and get to squeeze in a new brewery (even though it was only worth a visit so we could check it off our ever-growing list). Stay tuned for more Pour Travelers hijinx as we head into New York and hit up some old favorites as well as a new-to-us brewery that blew us away. Until next time...

Tröegs Field Trip 2019

Hey kids! Remember last year when I got to join my fellow Tröegs co-workers on a sweet field trip to the Martin guitar factory with a few breweries thrown in for good measure? Well, turns out it's kind of an annual thing now. Once again, my beer cohorts and I traveled (by chartered coach... not some shitty school bus) to the fine city of Baltimore for a day of fun, beer, and a little bit of art appreciation.

First up was a visit to Union Craft Brewing for a tour, some beers, and lunch. Brewslut and I had visited Union back in August of 2017 when we traveled to see Dweezil Zappa for the umpteenth time (refer to the What's New in Baltimore? blog for an account of that trip if you're new to us and feel so inclined). Back then, Union was still shacking up in its old digs and in the midst of celebrating its 5th anniversary. This time, however, they'd set up shop in a big-ass warehouse situated along the Jones Falls river in the historic Woodberry neighborhood of Baltimore. Once inside, I realized this was a far cry from its previous location, which could be described as garage-like compared to the sprawling layout of its current facility.

Trippy, colorful mural adorning the wall outside Union Craft.

Our tour guide was Kevin Blodger, one of the co-founders of the brewery. I'm happy to say that Union has grown considerably since our first visit. Kevin talked a bit about the history of the brewery, which was founded in 2011. It also employs "Adult Swim" hours, meaning no persons under the age of 21 are allowed inside the tap room after 6 p.m. Now we're talkin'! I wish more breweries would embrace this philosophy. Bring the kids in the afternoon and leave the evenings for the professionals. Just sayin'.

Inside, the tap room is eclectic and cozy. It kind of reminded me of Weasel Boy to an extent. They even have a full-size camper complete with a photo booth inside the tap room. See?

The tap room is quite spacious, so we were able to break off and explore the space at our own pace. The floor plan is open and inviting, and includes a small gift shop and a pretty rad game room complete with additional seating, skee-ball and more! They also use this space for private events. Good idea!

Game room at Union.

Once we got settled after our tour, I was excited to see a collaboration beer done with Ocelot, one of my favorite breweries in Virginia, called Grand Royale. The beer, an 8% double IPA, is hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and an experimental variety known as U1/108. This one was dank and juicy with a good bit of heft and some bristle (not uber-soft and silky like most NE-style IPAs). Overall, this one was exceptionally drinkable and quite flavorful with notes of tropical fruit and a smack of grapefruit.

 

Up next was something from Union's "Rough Drafts" series called Green Ghost IPA. Born through its R&D (research and development) brewhouse, this West Coast-style IPA features a new-to-me hop variety called Grüngeist (aka The Green Ghost). This one boasts peach, kiwi, and passionfruit in the nose followed by hints of lemon zest and wildflowers with moderate bitterness on the palate. A touch of pine resin weighs in through the finish. This was pretty solid overall, but I wish I would have started with this one and then moved onto the Grand Royale. OK, so it was a classic rookie mistake. I guess I got excited when I saw it was a collab with Ocelot.

Inside Union's expansive tap room.

While we were enjoying our beers, we enjoyed an assortment of food from Union's on-premise Well-Crafted Kitchen, including a variety of pizzas, pretzels and popcorn. Everyone must have been pretty hungry, because they were pumpin' out the food like it was feeding time at the zoo!

Even though it was unseasonably warm for early April, I decided to go with a pour of Snow Pants next. I must admit that I opted for this based on its clever name (a winter warmer, of course), so I was thrilled that it was really tasty. An Oatmeal Stout, this jet black, full-bodied beer weighs at 8% ABV. Boasting a gentle, creamy body due to the addition of oats, it's a sweet stout tempered with Cascade and Columbus hops, which offer a tinge of citrus and pine.

Another shot of Union's interior.

I rounded out our visit with a pour of Old Pro, a German-style wheat ale brewed with coriander and salt. I think by now everyone knows what a gose is. A dash of salt and a hint of tart, Old Pro is a slammin' straight-up gose. No fruit, no frills; just damn tasty and super refreshing.

I don't remember enjoying Union as much as during our initial visit as I did this time. Perhaps it was the new location and the hospitality. Either way, the beers were fantastic and the space was fun. Everyone was just really inviting and friendly, which always helps too. Can't wait to go back with the wife!

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Tröegs has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the American Visionary Art Museum, one of Baltimore's most unique non-beer destinations I've ever visited. These folks are responsible for the utterly awesome Kinetic Sculpture Race, whereby dozens of handmade, man-powered works of art traverse the streets of the city across a 15-mile course of various terrain. Sadly, the event is always the day before the Sly Fox Goat Races, so I haven't been able to attend. One of these years I'm just going to have to suck it up and attend both, because this one looks hella-fun!  

Outside the American Visionary Art Museum.

The exhibits at AVAM during our visit focused on children and parenting, two subjects I know very little about. I'd probably do better on a Chemistry exam, in all honesty. Still, the place is quite a sight to behold. I had the opportunity to visit the museum about two years ago with our marketing team at Tröegs, which took place just prior to our involvement with one of AVAM's signature events, the Kinetic Sculpture Race. We've since participated in the event as a beer sponsor, and even constructed our own human-powered Troegenator float (dubbed the "Nator Racer") to traverse the 15-mile course through the streets - and other terrain - of Baltimore. Sadly, I've never had the opportunity to experience the race, as it is always held the day before the Sly Fox Bock Fest and Goat Races, which is an absolute MUST-ATTEND event for Brewslut and I. 

After a nice guided tour of some of the key exhibits, we strolled around on our own for a bit and visited the kitschy, eclectic gift shop, where last year I'd purchased a sock dog (like a sock monkey) and a pair of Bob Ross socks for Brewslut. This year, though, I went home empty handed, although I almost bought a "chicken hat" (use your imagination with that one). I was considering wearing it to our next stop on the itinerary, but even I don't need that much attention. Here are two fun photos I snapped while walking around and soaking in the exhibits:

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The headline act of the day was a visit to the amazing Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House. We'd had plans to visit last June after the Primus/Mastodon show we attended in Baltimore (which you can read about in our Less is never more, especially in Baltimore entry). Long story short, we were going to visit on Sunday, which was the day after the concert, but the hotel overbooked and we were forced to drive home late Saturday night. So I was excited to finally check out the facility. And let me tell you... it's pretty damn impressive!

I'd met Oliver, our guide for the day, when he contacted me to make plans to visit Tröegs. This was about a year before the Open Gate Brewery opened its doors. He was kind enough to give me a sweet Guinness T-shirt and some extra-special limited barrel-aged beer, which was really damn good! 

After our group received a thorough tour of the facility, we made our way back to the tasting room for some much-needed libations. I was anxious to dig in and see what Guinness was up to at this experimental brewery. A few things I picked up along the way: 

1. This facility brews all of the Guinness Blonde that is sold in the United States; 

2. It's the first Guinness brewery situated on American soil in over 63 years (Guinness briefly owned a brewery in Long Island City, New York, from 1949-1954); 

3. The Guinness Draught we all know and love didn't actually launch until 1959, when Michael Ash invented the "surge and settle" effect and thus the world's first nitrogen-dispensed beer, and; 

4. Arthur Guinness started the brewery in 1752 after receiving a 100£ inheritance. Pretty good return on investment, eh? 

Now onto the beer. I must say that Guinness is cranking out some pretty impressive beers here. After perusing the fairly lengthy draft list, I opted for the Nitro Coffee Stout brewed with Brazilian roasted coffee from Vent Coffee Roasters. Silky and smooth thanks to the patented Guinness "perfect pour," this was pretty solid albeit the coffee flavor was a bit subdued. I find this pretty typical for nitro stouts; you trade flavor for texture. Still, this was a stunning beer to soak in even if it wasn't as coffee-forward as I prefer for the style. 

While I worked on my coffee stout, everyone seemed to be going on and on about this Dry Hopped Kolsch. Turns out it was a favorite of many of my co-workers, and it also happened to be my favorite of the lot as well. Floral, light and refreshing, this one really hit the spot. I'm usually not terribly excited about the style, but this one was money! 

Another favorite of the group was the Imperial Stout. Weighing in at 8% ABV, this came across as a Euro-style stout with a big, chewy mouthfeel and minimal sweetness. Instead of chocolate and vanilla sweetness, this one boasted lots of dark stone fruit with a tinge of earth and accents of molasses, coffee, tobacco and leather. Roasty and complex, just the way I like 'em!

I thought we were ready to load up the bus by now, but everyone seemed to be having a great time, so I figured I'd have time for a few more. Enter the Northwest IPA, a copper-hued IPA brewed as an interpretation of a style made popular in the Northwestern part of the US. Malt-forward and medium bodied with rich caramel notes, some subtle pine and resin crept through, but not quite enough for my hoppy palate. Brewed with Mosaic, Citra and El Dorado, this IPA features muted notes of melon, orange, and dark fruit. 

Finally, I opted for a small pour of Belgian Ale, a classic Belgian-style Tripel with notes of light clove, sweet bubblegum, fruity esters and hint of pepper. And with that, it was time to hit the rocky road back to PA. 

OK kids, there's a lot to see here, so this is gonna be a photo-heavy blog. Plus I've been working on it for a while and I just haven't been feeling very verbose lately. I guess I'm still in FOJ mode. 

Gift shoppe (sounds more European, right?)

Nitro coffee stout.

The Guinness toucan was first introduced in 1935.

Me with the Guinness seal.

Randomonium.

Barrel-aging room.

More wood for y'all!

Well, that's all, folks! Tune in next time as we make our annual Memorial Day weekend trip to NEPA and upstate NY for Detfest weekend! Until next time...