Birthday Weekend: Part I

Brewslut and I decided to take a long weekend to celebrate my 37th birthday, which occurred on March 26th... a Saturday this year.  I had a gig at Bube's Brewery on Friday night, where I enjoyed some pre-game Victory and Stoudt's beers (thanks Corty and Dinse) as well as one of Bube's house beers, Crazy Eights DIPA (thanks Ted).  I must admit that I haven't been thrilled with Bube's recent output, but I was pleasantly surprised by this hoppy offering.  While it wasn't anything mind-blowing, it boasted a sharp blend of citrus and piney hops and a sweet malt balance, and went down pretty easy for an 8% ABV brew.  (Sorry, folks... no BA review for this one, as I enjoyed it while on stage.)

After the gig, I managed to get only a few hours of sleep Friday night, because on Saturday morning, Brewslut and I were heading up to NEPA for the Annual Beer Fest at Shadowbrook Inn & Resort in Tunkhannock.  Our friends Bruce and Carrie (our hosts for the weekend) joined us, with Carrie graciously offering to "DD" for the event.  Tickets to the event were only $20 each, which I thought was quite reasonable for a four-hour event.  While I was a bit disappointed with the amount of "good" beer at the event, it was still pretty well organized, with live musical entertainment, some food and merchandise vendors, and even a hot dog eating contest (kind of dangerous, I thought, for a beer festival).  Perhaps my favorite aspect of the festival was chatting with local celebrity Bill from My Beer Buzz, a fantastic NEPA-based beer blog that was actually one of the two sites that influenced me to take up beer blogging (the other being Carolyn's great Pub Crawlin').

Enjoying some Breaker Brewing Co. beers with Bill from MyBeerBuzz.com.

For most of the afternoon, Bill, Brewslut and I were parked beside Breaker Brewing Company's display, a relatively new brewery based out of Plains, PA.  The one aspect that stuck out to me were the names of Breaker's beers and how they all incorporate a coal theme.  This struck a chord with me immediately, due to the fact that I am a bona fide coal cracker from good ol' Shamokin, PA.  I first enjoyed a few of their beers during a visit to Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre, PA, about a year ago, including the cleverly named Malty Maguire (its moniker is taken from the infamous Molly Maguires, a secret group of Irish-American miners situated in the anthracite coal region who participated in militant labor union activism).  Since then, they have been on my "beer"dar, even though their beers are only scattered throughout NEPA in small quantities.  Breaker was serving four draught selections at the festival: Anthracite Ale (their flagship pale ale), I Love PA (an IPA), Black Diamond (a black IPA) and Goldies Blonde Ale (a Blonde Ale).  My favorite of the lot was Black Diamond, which boasted a damn fine hoppy aroma for a black IPA.  Typically, I find that most black IPAs feature the roast and chocolate malts more prominently, but Black Diamond was brimming with hop goodness.  The flavor was equally as hoppy, with a solid backing of coffee and chocolate, as well as slightly smokey and woody notes.

Breaker Brewing's cool coal-themed tap handles and display.

Aside from Breaker's solid line-up I was pleased to see Victory's Headwater Pale Ale and Ithaca's Flower Power IPA and Cascazilla (bottles only).  Ithaca was also pouring Ground Break on draught, an American-style Saison, which I'd never had before.  Several Sam Adams and Magic Hat offerings were also available, albeit all in bottles.  Even local yokel Stegmaier was featured prominently with a few bottled selections, including an IPA, which I was surprised to find they even brewed.  However, I was a bit perplexed by the inclusion of such offerings as Twisted Tea and Moosehead Light Lime. 

After the festival, we headed over to Perkins for a much-needed meal.  Afterwards, we stopped by the Lovelton Hotel for a few drinks, including Lionshead from a can!  I had fun playing (and winning at) darts, even though I haven't thrown darts in many years.  With cheap drinks flowing and the jukebox pumping (my tunes), we finished our night at the hotel and headed back to Bruce's well after 1am.

Stay tuned for Parts II and III of my birthday weekend to come later. 

A Great Stop Between Selin's Grove and Bullfrog!

Relatively new to the Central PA / NEPA beer scene is River House Brewpub, situated smack dab in the middle of my two favorite brewpubs in PA (see title of this blog) in Milton, PA.  I had the chance to stop in and sample some of their beers while en route to Terry Hawbaker's farewell party at Bullfrog.  Now, fans of local craft beer may notice some familiar names of River House's flagship beers - Alpha Deuce IPA, Vanilla Latte Stout, etc.  This is because ex-Abbey Wright brewer Bart Reippel is at the brewing helm.  While it appears that they are still working on an image for the place (it still looks like a slightly upscale pizza joint), they definitely appear to have a handle on the beer... and that's the important thing, right?  I enjoyed a 10oz. pour of Alpha Deuce IPA, and absolutely loved the Vanilla Latte Stout to the point that is one of the best nitro-poured stouts I think I have ever tasted.  Simply delicious!  (Sorry folks, no pictures this time!)

On a different note, an interesting fact about River House is that apparently it is the first brewery in Northumberland County since F&S (Fuhrmann & Schmidt Brewing Co.) in my hometown of Shamokin, PA stopped making beer in 1975.  My brother actually remembers watching the brewery burn to the ground while sitting on our front porch!  So congratulations to River House for bringing in some much needed liquid nourishment to the citizens of Northumberland County for the first time since I was only a year old! 

Check out my reviews of two of River House's beers...
Vanilla Latte Stout
Alpha Deuce IPA

Imminent Liquidation - The Aftermath

First off, I'd like to extend personal gratitude to Paul Pendyck and the staff of The General Sutter Inn and Bulls Head Public House in Lititz, PA for hosting the inaugural "Imminent Liquidation" bottle share event.  Also, a big "thank you" to my fellow Team D(r)INK members Brandi, Dan and Kristen, Dain and Jill, Heath and Kim, and Deuane and Carolyn for assisting me with the planning and execution of this event.  Finally, a shout-out to Dean for coming early and helping out!

OK, now that the formalities are out of the way, let's talk beer.  And let me tell you, there was PLENTY flowing on Saturday afternoon in little ol' Lititz, PA!  Brandi, Dean and I arrived at The General Sutter at around 10:30am on a misty March 5th morning to set up some things for the event.  Dan, Kristen, Dain and Jill met us there early to help out, but to my surprise, the folks at the General Sutter were about three steps ahead of us, having already set up the water and rinse stations, seating, greeting table, raffle tickets and gift cards.  Paul was also preparing a special firkin of Jolly Pumpkin Nightmare Before Vicious (a sour wheat IPA), which Al's of Hampden in Enola, PA graciously donated for the event.

Firkin of Jolly Pumpkin "Nightmare Before Vicious"

  After enjoying a few samples (and getting in my lone beer review of the afternoon), people started to arrive, bottles started popping, and beer began to flow.  At first, it was extremely difficult to actually enjoy a sample of beer, because as soon as I'd pour something, somebody would come over to me with another awesome bottle.  When attending an event like this, you really need to avoid getting caught up into the "quantity over quality" competition, because you will surely LOSE!  Indeed, it is extremely difficult to pace yourself when ten beers you've never had before are suddenly flowing before your very eyes!  Needless to say, I'm not the "noob" I was a few years ago, so I was able to be a bit more selective, thus reducing my chances of becoming too inebriated to really enjoy the event.  Some of my personal highlights of the day were: East End Gratitude '05 (Al from Al's of Hampden brought a vertical run of '05 through '09!); Ithaca 13; Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak aged in Rum Barrels; and Three Floyds Broo Doo (I actually brought this... never had it before!).  Check out some pictures of the spread below...

Beer aside, it was also a fantastic, incident-free social event that brought together lots of folks from all around Central PA.  I received tons of positive feedback from all attendees about the venue, staff and food, so I am confident that "Imminent Liquidation" will become an annual beer event and gathering.  If you missed out on the festivities, never fear... things look promising for the Second Annual Central PA Bottle Share Event!  Cheers!

Me, Dan, Paul and Deuane

Imminent Liquidation is upon us!

On Saturday, March 5, The General Sutter Inn will host the inaugural "mother of all bottle share events" in the Central PA region.  Assembled for members of Beer Advocate and local craft beer enthusiasts, the event - dubbed "Imminent Liquidation" - allows participants to dust off rarities from their collective beer cellars and share them with fellow beer geeks.  Over the course of four hours (from 12 noon to 4pm), the event will allow participants to share and sample a variety of beers from potentially all over the world. 

While there is no admission per se, participants will be required to purchase a $10 gift card to The General Sutter Inn / Bulls Head Public House, which can be used either at the event for food or during a future visit.  Aside from the beer tastings, each participant will receive a free raffle ticket upon entry, and throughout the afternoon, several beer-related items donated from Beer Advocates and local businesses will be raffled off.  Some of the items include: a free overnight stay and breakfast for two at the Central Hotel and Conference Center in Harrisburg, PA (courtesy of the hotel); a 3L magnum of Stone Double Bastard (donated by Al's of Hampden) and a 2001 vintage 750mL Stoudt's Abbey Triple (donated by Mastracchio's Lounge).

If you plan to attend, please be sure to BRING YOUR OWN TASTING GLASS... preferably a small 4- or 5oz. tasting glass.

For more information, please visit The Bulls Head Public House or the official Beer Advocate event listing.  Hope to see you there!

Old School College Party Throwdown

Sometimes you just gotta hang up the Beer Geek hat and throw down, college style!  Of course, that would imply that I actually used to throw down "College Style" back when I was in college, but unfortunately, that's not the case.  I didn't play beer pong and Kings (my favorite card game EVER) until my late twenties, nor did I enjoy the simple pleasures of Flip Cup until I was... wait for it... thirty-six (my current age)!!! 

When I use the term "throw down," I of course mean the kind of drinking in which one would typically engage during one's formative drinking years.  This would entail drinking the dreaded fizzy, yellow piss water, as us beer geeks refer to it.  You see, in my close-knit circle of musician friends, I am the lone true beer geek stuck amongst a horde of Silver Bullet swillin', triple hop enjoyin', "lite" beer drinkin' yokels.  These guys definitely prefer quantity over quality, while I tend to enjoy both quality AND quality!  Perhaps that's why I was zonked out a little after midnight, while many of my cohorts kept it going until almost 4am.  Of course, I was knocking back Troegs Hopback like it was Bud Light, while most everyone else was partaking in a keg of Miller Lite (which happened to kick at around 11pm... an impressive feat for less than 20 guys). 

As an unfortunate result of my beer geek-ery, I am frequently targeted as an object of ridicule.  This includes getting teased for pouring a bottled beer into a pint glass, then smelling it before I take a sip.  I am also taunted for reviewing beers, and they typically start making up fake reviews when the see me taking notes on a beer.  For example: "I can taste the 95 IBQs of the malted hop barley flakes in this porter when served at optimum cellar temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit."  Clearly, they don't get it, but it is still comical to hear them poke jest at me for something I enjoy so passionately.  Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, you have no business laughing at others, right?

But let's backtrack a bit.  The reason for this gathering was for my good friend Jay's bachelor party.  I've played in bands for almost ten years with Jay, and he is like a little brother to me.  We both share a deep love and passion for making music, and we also have an affinity for loud, obnoxious gaseous secretions from our nether regions (or farting, for those of you not feeling overly verbose today). We both grew up in similar areas of PA (me, in the "coal region" town of Shamokin, and Jay in the more NEPA-based town of Mountain Top). 

OK, back to the bachelor party festivities.  Typically, the focal point of most old school college parties is a good, old fashioned Beer Pong tournament.  Ironically, my Beer Pong team (Team Taint, consisting of Mark Halowka and myself) went undefeated, beating every team pitted against us.  I found this to be amazing for a two reasons: 1.) I was undeniably intoxicated for pretty much all of the matches, and 2.) I have probably played beer pong maybe a dozen times in my life.  While I got mocked for my "bounce" technique by virtually every competitor we faced, all I can say to those Team Taint defeated is... EAT IT!!!  After our Pong victory, we assembled teams for an epic game of Flip Cup.  Unfortunately, the game was not completed due to some of the guys taking a smoke break, and others (ie: me), went downstairs to pass out.  I am happy to report that my team was kicking major ass, though!  Fast-forward seven hours, and after a good night's sleep and a fantastic homemade breakfast from Jay's mom consisting of pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, juice and coffee, I was ready to come home and take my mom out for a birthday dinner at Iron Hill Lancaster, where I enjoyed the new Sweet Leaf IPA and Habanero Porter. 

While I absolutely have come to love and appreciate the more cultured beer tasting events I typically attend, sometimes I just can't resist unleashing the caveman inside of me and "throwing down" old school college style!

Drinking "One Day at a Time"

Sometimes, I think I drink too much.  Other times, I feel like I'm not drinking enough.  One thing is for sure, though... I am usually drinking something, somewhere.  If I'm not, I am probably sleeping or working (unless it's a long lunch day at Troegs, but that's a different story)!  Let's walk through a typical week of beer drinking for The Pour Travelers, shall we?

Monday
More often than not, I head over to Brass Rail Deli at around 7pm and hang out until closing time, which is only 9pm, unfortunately.  I started this tradition mainly because brewslut got a part-time job there about two years ago, and she always works on Monday nights.  I will typically have two draught beers from Cisco's small but well thought-out tap selection.  This past week, I enjoyed a Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner and a Fort Collins Chocolate Stout. 

Tuesday
I typically have band practice on Tuesday nights (though not tonight, surprisingly) and I usually have two or three bottles from my "DBF" (Dedicated Beer Fridge) down in the basement, or from the beer cellar, especially during the fall and winter months when the beer is at its optimum cellar temperature.  I typically try to keep this limited to my "usual suspects," such as variety cases I purchase.  These tend to be beers I have already reviewed on BeerAdvocate.com.  I am usually mocked for pouring these beers into plastic cups or (even worse) glass tumblers or shaker pints.  Tonight, I am enjoying a Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout. 

Wednesday
Another band practice night, which alternates with "hang out with brewslut on the couch" nights.  We will typically share a beer or two, or occasionally drink a bottle of wine.  I have fallen behind on my "home reviewing," unfortunately, but sometimes use this night to catch up on a review or two.

Thursday
Thursday is a great beer day for me, because I always head over to Al's of Hampden prior to my weekly gig with The Think Tank at T. Brendan O'Reilly in Harrisburg.  I slam down one or two pints (usually two) as well as a grilled chicken sub with wing sauce and banana peppers.  I follow this up with one or two beers at O'Reilly's during our set, which lasts from 7pm to 11pm.  They have happy hour from 5pm to 7pm, so I can always grab a Troegs for around $2.25 before we play, which is sweet!  Nugget Nectar is on at the moment, so I am in heaven!

Friday and Saturday
Being a busy musician, I am typically playing shows on Friday and Saturday nights, and more times than not, beer is available.  When I drink for free, look out!  I will take full advantage of it, unless it's free Miller Lite and Yuengling Lager, in which case I will maybe have a Lager and just start a tab if they have decent beer on tap.  On rare weekends when I am not playing, brewslut and I (sometimes with fellow beer travelers) will visit local brewpubs, with our favorites being Selin's Grove, Bullfrog, Victory, Berwick, etc.  Basically, any time I don't have a show (or when I'm playing somewhere close to a brewpub or good beer bar), we will be somewhere drinking beer.

Sunday
Most Sundays, I am prety run down.  Between working 45 hours a week at my job, playing drums on most days, and going to the gym five times a week, a guy's gotta rest, right?  Sundays are typically lazy days, or "Sillyhead Sundays" as we like to refer to them.  We also reserve Sundays for beer tastings with friends, and had a great one on Super Bowl Sunday, which featured some fantastic growlers including selections from Jackie O's, Weasel Boy and Hill Farmstead.  Occasionally, if I can muster up enough energy, brewslut and I will travel to Iron Hill Lancaster to take advantage of brewslut's mug club membership.  They always have some awesome fresh beer on tap, and the food is stellar.  Afterwards, we'll catch up on our TiVo viewing and fall asleep on the couch.  Then, on Monday morning, we get up and do it all over again!

Great beer in the Coal Region!

Berwick, PA has always been known for its power plant and high school football team.  A seemingly quiet little coal region town in NEPA, Berwick has never been a beer destination, unless you were looking for Genny Cream Ale or Yuengling.  That is, until now.  What began as a one-man operation in what seemed like a one-car garage, the aptly named One Guy Brewing Company (founded by an actual "Guy"... Guy Hagner) soon blossomed into Berwick Brewing Company and now boasts seven draught beers, amazing homemade pizzas (try the Steve-O Inferno!), a live entertainment annex, and a beautiful, authentic German Biergarten.  Wow!  These days, I find myself looking for any excuse I can to visit somewhere in the vicinity of Berwick just so I can stop by for one of Guy's fantastic brews, whether it be his hoppy Atomic Punk IPA, tasty Hondo Kellerbier or the rarely seen but absolutely delicious bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout (see below for Pleepleus enjoying one as much as Brewslut and I did on our last visit)!

Get off my Kool-Aid, Pleeps!

 Guy has a fondness for traditional German ales and lagers, and he has a knack for brewing them.  His flagship Berwick Lager is flavorful and sessionable, and at only $3.00 a pint, you can't go wrong knocking a few of these back or pairing with a pizza.  As for seasonals, Guy's got a bunch of solid rotating offerings throughout the year, including the beer that has the distinction of being the ONLY BEER MY MOM LIKES!  Yes indeed, while my mother doesn't share my love of beer (one could say that she doesn't even like it at all, and has probably had the equivalent of what I drink in a single day over the course of her 66 years on earth), she had no problem finishing a half pint of Peach Wheat during a visit about a year ago.  Now if that doesn't say something about how good Guy's beers are, I don't know what does!

Guy's solid line-up of beers available during our last visit.

Aside from the food and drink, the people here are great, too.  With a somewhat similar vibe to Selin's Grove Brewing Company, you won't find a bunch of TVs blaring sporting events, but rather you will find good people sharing stimulating, beer-centric conversation with light music playing in the background.  Also, the decor is quite eclectic yet comfortable, and creates an atmosphere that is conducive to good, old fashioned drinking!  When you visit Berwick Brewing Company, you feel like you are drinking in your parent's basement.  But then go outside to the Biergarten, and you are transported to Munich during Oktoberfest!

So, next time you find yourself in the area, do yourself a favor and head over to Berwick for some damn fine beer and pizza, as well as a great atmosphere for your imbibing pleasures.  Knoebel's Amusement Park and Bloomsburg University are both a stone's throw away from Berwick.  And if you're not nearby, then just jump in the nearest car, truck, scooter, RV, snowmobile or helicopter and get moving.  You won't be sorry!

Mmmm... Atomic Punk IPA.  Cheers!