The next beer festival that I would love to go to is at Mt. Hope Winery in Mannheim, Pa on May 9th. There are 2 sessions 11am until 3pm, and 4pm until 8pm.
The listed brewery participants are:
Victory Brewing Co.
Downingtown PA
Flying Fish Brewing Co.
Cherry Hill NJ
Roy Pitz Brewing Co.
Chambersburg, PA
Spaten North America
Munich, Germany
DuClaw Brewing Co.
Abingdon, MD
Sly Fox Brewing Co.
Royersford, PA
Franklin's Brewery
Hyattsville, MD
Appalachian Brewing Co.
Harrisburg, PA
Cape Ann Brewing Co.
Gloucester, MA
Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, CA
High Falls Brewery
Rochester, NY
Yuengling Brewery
Pottsville, PA
Tun Tavern
Restaurant & Brewery
Atlantic City, NJ
Spring House
Brewing Company
Conestoga, PA
Bavarian Barbarian
Brewing Company
Williamsport, PA
Erie Brewing Co.
Erie, PA
Boston Beer Co.
Boston, MA
Olde Burnside
Brewing Co.
East Hartford, CT
Lancaster Brewing Co.
Lancaster, PA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, CA
Intercourse Brewing Co.
Creamery, PA
Old Forge Brewing Co.
Danville, PA
Tickets are $40 per and you can order them on line at the Mt. Hope website. Let me know how it goes. Hopefully Sly Fox shows up for this one.
L8R.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Hershey Biergarten: The Review
Ok, so as you read in my previous post, a group of us when to Hershey Gardens for a Biergarten fundraiser for The Milton S. Hershey Foundation. It was to be a three hour tour. A three hour tour.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
We are going to break this up into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Because when you are putting on an event with this kind of audience draw it nevers goes off flawlessly.
The Good: 10 beer tents, as advertised and I drank samplings from all but 2 of them. Why did I stop at 8? Because Sam Adams was one of the 10, and I know that I love Sam Adams Boston Lager so it just seemed that I was wasting time drinking something that I was already familiar with. Lancaster Brewing was also there with their Rare Rooster brew, and their Shoo-Fly Porter. I got to try the Rare Rooster Ale which was very crisp, with a real nice mouth feel, and a smooth malty back taste. An excellent summer beer.
First up for me was Marzoni's Brick Oven and Brewing Company out of Duncansville, Pa. I had their Maibock beer, which is a strong spring beer also known as a transitional beer. Transitional in that it is a beer that is between the strong beers of winter, and the milder beers of the summer. This was a really nice, crisp beer with just a hint of hops, and a very nice malt back taste. A perfect beer for me, because I just am not a huge hop fan.
On to Bavarian Barbarian Brewing. Headbangers Brown is what I tasted from these guys. Another favorite of mine due to its rich nutty, malty flavor with just a hint of hops to keep it balance. Next up from these guys was Steel Drivin' Stout. A very nice stout that drinks
On to Bullfrog Brewery. I had a couple of tastings of their Inspiration Red, because I just couldn't get enough of the first one. The taste of this red is that good. Another smooth, malty beer, easy on the hops but hit my tastes dead on.
By this time I had had 6 beers and it all started to get hazy. Troeg's was my next stop, if I remember correctly, and I tried their Organic Rugged Trail and liked very much. It is an organic take on their original Rugged Trail which is a nut brown. Very smooth, very tasty, and great after a day of being outside.
So are you wondering if I had any beers that I didn't particularly like? Oh yes I did, padawan. So let's get to them right now, shall we?
Barbarian was serving a Blueberry ale that was just weak. It was extremely lightly hopped along with lightly malted so that the blueberry flavor could come through. And it just didn't do it. Very watery.
Magic Hat was there with #9, and Circus Boy. I tried Circus Boy first because of a friend who has been bugging me to try it. Circus Boy is a hefeweizen, but in my opinion is was pretty weak. Not much character. Quite unlike #9, a pale ale with that uses cascade, and columbus hops. You can really taste the cascade hops in this brew. Not a favorite, but it is one of those beers that is a refreshing difference.
Now lets talk about The Bad. First off Sly Fox was listed as one of the breweries in attendance. They weren't there. That was disappointing to me as I was really looking forward to tasting their brews. The layout of the event was a little crowded also. The tents were stacked pretty close to one another, so that when you were waiting in line, you were right on top of folks who were waiting in line for the next tent. I got to meet some nice people in the lines, but still, it was hot and I could have used a little breathing room. Other than Gettysburg Pretzel and Snack Company, there was only one other food vendor. Just one more would have been sufficient to take care of those of us who really didn't want to wait in any more lines.
And The Ugly. If you advertise an event to last a certain amount of time, it should be running on all cylinders for that amount of time. And unfortunately, the Biergarten did not. By 3pm all but 2 breweries had run out of beer. How could you run out of beer at a beer festival? Lack of planning, and lack of concern for your guests is how I see it. And in talking to a couple of other folks who were there, they agree. As a matter of fact I talked to a DJ from KISS 99,3 who was attending with some of her friends and she was saying the same thing. Kate said that last year most of the vendors were open until 4:30, and unfortunately she didn't see herself coming back next year.
Me? I do see myself going next year, but I will be very interested in seeing any changes that will be made.
By the way, the only brewers that were open until 4pm were Lancaster Brewing, and Magic Hat. They were paying attention.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
We are going to break this up into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Because when you are putting on an event with this kind of audience draw it nevers goes off flawlessly.
The Good: 10 beer tents, as advertised and I drank samplings from all but 2 of them. Why did I stop at 8? Because Sam Adams was one of the 10, and I know that I love Sam Adams Boston Lager so it just seemed that I was wasting time drinking something that I was already familiar with. Lancaster Brewing was also there with their Rare Rooster brew, and their Shoo-Fly Porter. I got to try the Rare Rooster Ale which was very crisp, with a real nice mouth feel, and a smooth malty back taste. An excellent summer beer.
First up for me was Marzoni's Brick Oven and Brewing Company out of Duncansville, Pa. I had their Maibock beer, which is a strong spring beer also known as a transitional beer. Transitional in that it is a beer that is between the strong beers of winter, and the milder beers of the summer. This was a really nice, crisp beer with just a hint of hops, and a very nice malt back taste. A perfect beer for me, because I just am not a huge hop fan.
On to Bavarian Barbarian Brewing. Headbangers Brown is what I tasted from these guys. Another favorite of mine due to its rich nutty, malty flavor with just a hint of hops to keep it balance. Next up from these guys was Steel Drivin' Stout. A very nice stout that drinks
On to Bullfrog Brewery. I had a couple of tastings of their Inspiration Red, because I just couldn't get enough of the first one. The taste of this red is that good. Another smooth, malty beer, easy on the hops but hit my tastes dead on.
By this time I had had 6 beers and it all started to get hazy. Troeg's was my next stop, if I remember correctly, and I tried their Organic Rugged Trail and liked very much. It is an organic take on their original Rugged Trail which is a nut brown. Very smooth, very tasty, and great after a day of being outside.
So are you wondering if I had any beers that I didn't particularly like? Oh yes I did, padawan. So let's get to them right now, shall we?
Barbarian was serving a Blueberry ale that was just weak. It was extremely lightly hopped along with lightly malted so that the blueberry flavor could come through. And it just didn't do it. Very watery.
Magic Hat was there with #9, and Circus Boy. I tried Circus Boy first because of a friend who has been bugging me to try it. Circus Boy is a hefeweizen, but in my opinion is was pretty weak. Not much character. Quite unlike #9, a pale ale with that uses cascade, and columbus hops. You can really taste the cascade hops in this brew. Not a favorite, but it is one of those beers that is a refreshing difference.
Now lets talk about The Bad. First off Sly Fox was listed as one of the breweries in attendance. They weren't there. That was disappointing to me as I was really looking forward to tasting their brews. The layout of the event was a little crowded also. The tents were stacked pretty close to one another, so that when you were waiting in line, you were right on top of folks who were waiting in line for the next tent. I got to meet some nice people in the lines, but still, it was hot and I could have used a little breathing room. Other than Gettysburg Pretzel and Snack Company, there was only one other food vendor. Just one more would have been sufficient to take care of those of us who really didn't want to wait in any more lines.
And The Ugly. If you advertise an event to last a certain amount of time, it should be running on all cylinders for that amount of time. And unfortunately, the Biergarten did not. By 3pm all but 2 breweries had run out of beer. How could you run out of beer at a beer festival? Lack of planning, and lack of concern for your guests is how I see it. And in talking to a couple of other folks who were there, they agree. As a matter of fact I talked to a DJ from KISS 99,3 who was attending with some of her friends and she was saying the same thing. Kate said that last year most of the vendors were open until 4:30, and unfortunately she didn't see herself coming back next year.
Me? I do see myself going next year, but I will be very interested in seeing any changes that will be made.
By the way, the only brewers that were open until 4pm were Lancaster Brewing, and Magic Hat. They were paying attention.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Today we drink beer
It all started innocently enough at a perfromance of "Riverdance". Don't judge me, and I won't judge you, dude.
Anyway, in the program was an advertisement for a fund raising event for The Hershey Foundation. A biergarten. So, being a responsible, charitable person I contacted a number of my friends who I knew to be of the same mind.
They like to drink beer.
We decided that all of us could not think of a better thing to do on a pleasant Sunday afternoon than to hang out with one another and drink beer while contibuting to a good cause. Ok, fine. We just wanted to hang out and drink beer. But can you blame us? Sunday, April 26 in Pennsylvania dawned clear, with bright blue skies along with the promise of temps in the mid 80's. How could it be any better than that?
So, I will be telling you about the beers we had, and the conversations about them. In our little group of 6 there are two of us who can argue about anything, one who thinks he knows more about everything than he really does, a couple of wild cards, and a designated driver who is bound to start some kind of shit just for the fun of it.
Stay tuned for more later today.
Anyway, in the program was an advertisement for a fund raising event for The Hershey Foundation. A biergarten. So, being a responsible, charitable person I contacted a number of my friends who I knew to be of the same mind.
They like to drink beer.
We decided that all of us could not think of a better thing to do on a pleasant Sunday afternoon than to hang out with one another and drink beer while contibuting to a good cause. Ok, fine. We just wanted to hang out and drink beer. But can you blame us? Sunday, April 26 in Pennsylvania dawned clear, with bright blue skies along with the promise of temps in the mid 80's. How could it be any better than that?
So, I will be telling you about the beers we had, and the conversations about them. In our little group of 6 there are two of us who can argue about anything, one who thinks he knows more about everything than he really does, a couple of wild cards, and a designated driver who is bound to start some kind of shit just for the fun of it.
Stay tuned for more later today.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Hershey Gardens Biergarten
I do so hope that you have your tickets to the Biergarten at Hershey Gardens this coming sunday April 26th. I have had mine for the past couple of weeks. I wouldn't miss this for anything.
ABC is going to be there along with Lancaster Brewing, and Bavarian Barbarian ( which is one brewery I am looking foward to sampling ), and Bullfrog Brewing, Troegs, Yuengling, Magic Hat ( which is the brewery that one of my friends is pushing me to try ), Sam Adams, Dogfish Brewing, and Victory.
That is a full day of drinking. And I hope that I am up for it.
Wish me luck.
L8R.
ABC is going to be there along with Lancaster Brewing, and Bavarian Barbarian ( which is one brewery I am looking foward to sampling ), and Bullfrog Brewing, Troegs, Yuengling, Magic Hat ( which is the brewery that one of my friends is pushing me to try ), Sam Adams, Dogfish Brewing, and Victory.
That is a full day of drinking. And I hope that I am up for it.
Wish me luck.
L8R.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Church Brew Works
I am drinking Thunderhop IPA from The Church Brew Works established in Pittsburg, Pa on the 1st of August in 1996.
Thunderhop is listed as an American IPA. After the first swallow, I can agree with this as it is not as bitter/hoppy/dry as a traditional IPA. And we all know that I have issues with traditional IPA's.
Thunderhop is very nice. Crisp, and finishes with an almost grapefruit taste from the hops. This is an IPA that I just had to share with one of my friends who is a true hop fanatic. As a matter of fact, I called him up just a few minutes ago to let him know about this beer.
If you like IPA's you need to try The Church Brew Works Thunderhop.
Thunderhop is listed as an American IPA. After the first swallow, I can agree with this as it is not as bitter/hoppy/dry as a traditional IPA. And we all know that I have issues with traditional IPA's.
Thunderhop is very nice. Crisp, and finishes with an almost grapefruit taste from the hops. This is an IPA that I just had to share with one of my friends who is a true hop fanatic. As a matter of fact, I called him up just a few minutes ago to let him know about this beer.
If you like IPA's you need to try The Church Brew Works Thunderhop.
Monday, April 13, 2009
May brew fest at Mt. Hope Winery, Mannheim, Pa
May 9th looks to be an excellent day to head to Mt. Hope Winery in Mannheim, Pa for Brewfest 2009. 2 sessions. 11am - 3pm, and 4pm - 8pm.
$40 per tickety. Admission Includes:
Free beer sampling from 35-50 breweries including:
Victory Brewing Co.
Downingtown PA
Flying Fish Brewing Co.
Cherry Hill NJ
Roy Pitz Brewing Co.
Chambersburg, PA
Spaten North America
Munich, Germany
DuClaw Brewing Co.
Abingdon, MD
Sly Fox Brewing Co.
Royersford, PA
Franklin's Brewery
Hyattsville, MD
Appalachian Brewing Co.
Harrisburg, PA
Cape Ann Brewing Co.
Gloucester, MA
Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, CA
High Falls Brewery
Rochester, NY
Yuengling Brewery
Pottsville, PA
Tun Tavern
Restaurant & Brewery
Atlantic City, NJ
Spring House
Brewing Company
Conestoga, PA
Bavarian Barbarian
Brewing Company
Williamsport, PA
Erie Brewing Co.
Erie, PA
Boston Beer Co.
Boston, MA
Olde Burnside
Brewing Co.
East Hartford, CT
Lancaster Brewing Co.
Lancaster, PA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, CA
Intercourse Brewing Co.
Creamery, PA
Old Forge Brewing Co.
Danville, PA
PLUS
5 ounce commemorative sampling glass
Full access to three different buffets featuring American, Irish and German fare
I think that I need a ticket to check this one out.
$40 per tickety. Admission Includes:
Free beer sampling from 35-50 breweries including:
Victory Brewing Co.
Downingtown PA
Flying Fish Brewing Co.
Cherry Hill NJ
Roy Pitz Brewing Co.
Chambersburg, PA
Spaten North America
Munich, Germany
DuClaw Brewing Co.
Abingdon, MD
Sly Fox Brewing Co.
Royersford, PA
Franklin's Brewery
Hyattsville, MD
Appalachian Brewing Co.
Harrisburg, PA
Cape Ann Brewing Co.
Gloucester, MA
Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, CA
High Falls Brewery
Rochester, NY
Yuengling Brewery
Pottsville, PA
Tun Tavern
Restaurant & Brewery
Atlantic City, NJ
Spring House
Brewing Company
Conestoga, PA
Bavarian Barbarian
Brewing Company
Williamsport, PA
Erie Brewing Co.
Erie, PA
Boston Beer Co.
Boston, MA
Olde Burnside
Brewing Co.
East Hartford, CT
Lancaster Brewing Co.
Lancaster, PA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, CA
Intercourse Brewing Co.
Creamery, PA
Old Forge Brewing Co.
Danville, PA
PLUS
5 ounce commemorative sampling glass
Full access to three different buffets featuring American, Irish and German fare
I think that I need a ticket to check this one out.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
York County Heritage Trust Micro Brew Fest
Wow, that is a mouthful to be sure.
But mark your calendars anyhoo. June 26th, a Friday night from 7pm until 10pm at the Agricultural Industrial Museum. And this year there is a Home Brewers contest, which should bring out some interesting concoctions.
Any way the info is on the York County Heritage Society homepage. Price is $30 for members of the society, and $35 for non-members. Designated Driver tickets are $15.
Tickets go on sale in May, no definite date as of yet, but I will let you know as soon as I see it.
And remember, you don't get to buy your tickets before me.
L8R
But mark your calendars anyhoo. June 26th, a Friday night from 7pm until 10pm at the Agricultural Industrial Museum. And this year there is a Home Brewers contest, which should bring out some interesting concoctions.
Any way the info is on the York County Heritage Society homepage. Price is $30 for members of the society, and $35 for non-members. Designated Driver tickets are $15.
Tickets go on sale in May, no definite date as of yet, but I will let you know as soon as I see it.
And remember, you don't get to buy your tickets before me.
L8R
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Correcting my faux pax
And I don't even speak french.
It has been pointed out to me that I inadvertently attributed an event with a company that has nothing to do with the event other than it shares a common name.
Hershey Entertainment is not involved with the Biergarten event at Hershey Gardens. Hershey Gardens is a division of the M.S. Hershey Foundation.
Two entirely different organizations.
And I am still open to any free tickets to the Biergarten event that anyone would like to offer me.
Just saying.
It has been pointed out to me that I inadvertently attributed an event with a company that has nothing to do with the event other than it shares a common name.
Hershey Entertainment is not involved with the Biergarten event at Hershey Gardens. Hershey Gardens is a division of the M.S. Hershey Foundation.
Two entirely different organizations.
And I am still open to any free tickets to the Biergarten event that anyone would like to offer me.
Just saying.
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