Brewery Touring York and Hanover PA
So, this was meant to get written a few days ago, but everything kinda turned upside down on its head when Wednesday I got the call that I was going back to work, and officially Friday (July 3rd) was my first day back. I was also switched to swing shift, and our days went from being 8 Hour days to 10 Hour Days. So this post is a bit late in getting up and I apologize for that.
Also, this will be somewhat similar in some of my other travelogue and brewery hopping posts. So if you like reading about me and checking out breweries, I think you will dig this. This will probably not get posted until July 5th, but I’ve started it now on July 4th. I wanted to get it written before going back to work – yesterday – July 3rd, but it just didn’t happen. Friday didn’t quite go as planned, and I didn’t get nearly as much done as I wanted before having to get to work by 5PM for a meeting, and then starting my 10 hour actual work day. Today – July 4th – I start at 6PM, but I’m only going to be writing for about an hour before celebrating 4th of July with my daughters. I got home last night (technically I suppose this morning), ate a little bit, fell asleep, and woke back up at 8AM and then at 10AM, and got a little work done at home and now started on the blog, but hopefully it will – fingers crossed – it will then get finished tomorrow in my time between waking up and going back to work. (I feel like this will become a regular cycle on my new schedule…. work…. sleep…. write…. work…. sleep….) (Its looking like I’m lined up for six to eight days straight at 10HR days…. so, we’ll see how I survive all this.)
Ok, lets get right into this. This travelogue is pretty straight forward. Ming messaged me about any plans upcoming, and I told him I was going down to York for The York Emporium’s book sale. Ming offered to come on with, since he had some errands and chores to do in the York and Hanover areas, thus it was decided, we’d make a whole day trip and excursion out of it. Why not right? It was furlough and we had no plans, so why not? Grab some cheap books, some drinks, hit a state park, have a bit of adventure… why not?
Luckily it didn’t pan out like my trip with my daughters to Monocacy. So it wasn’t one of “those adventures” (sorry to disappoint). This was going to be a pretty straight forward trip. I drive to meet Ming at his place in Mount Joy, we drive down to York, stop at the York Emporium for the book sale, hit a brewery in York, Ming drops some stuff off for a friend in the York area, we go to Hanover to the state park there, hit a few breweries, then head back to Mount Joy and then I would drive home after calling it a day. Straight forward, simple, easy peasy.
Friday, June 26th, 2020, I drove up from Hummelstown to Mount Joy to meet Ming and the two of us headed down to York. First, of course, Ming had to show me the impressive assortment of animals on his property – quails, chickens, turtles, dogs, kittens, quail eggs…. and possibly a dragon, not sure. He gathered the stuff he needed to drop off (mum clippings that he potted and grew) and off we were to York Pennsylvania.
A quick drive down and we got to The York Emporium roughly around 2PM. I’ve been to The York Emporium once or twice before, I believe both prior times were when the store was doing their book sale – just like this time. This year, unfortunately due to the COVID-19, many libraries have announced they aren’t doing their book sales (the Hershey Public Library, one of the biggest in the area has announced their not, I believe Hummelstown’s – which is in October – is still yet undecided), so it was nice to get to a book sale of some sort.
We meandered through the halls and rows and shelves of books. Browsing this section, that section, etc. Philosophy, Civil War, sociology, US Presidents, science fiction, history, the classics, etc. All told, I ended up walking out with a fairly sizeable amount of books – 16 books for myself, and 1 for Ming – for only 52$. Can’t beat deals like that, when hardcover books released typically are 25.99-34.99$ nowadays. After getting back in the car, we jumped a few short blocks over and found us at brewery number one for the day….
We didn’t stay here long, Ming was worried about his parking meter and it running out, but we did enjoy the nice sun, sat out for a pint. I got a pint (in a plastic throwaway cup) of Cherry Lane Strong Ale. It’s a Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9% ABV, 22 IBU, and its Untappd description reads: “Dark Belgian strong ale brewed with tart cherries, dark Belgian candy sugar and trappist style yeast.”
It was tasty, and was a nice strong beer to start the day. I gave it **** on Untappd. It has a global average rating (as of 7.5.20) of 3.59.
Getting back to his car with just two minutes to spare on the meter, we then headed out for his first errand, which was to drop off some of the mum clippings at a friend’s house. I didn’t know this, but Ming explained to me if you cut a decent size branch (or piece) of a mum, diagonally of course, and root it in water and soil for a bit, it will grow to become a full mum in due time. It is amazing how some plants can do that, I know of some, like roses that can do that as well.
After dropping off the flowers, we were on our way to Hanover Pennsylvania, and back to back breweries. The first of which was….
Miscreation Brewing Company. Lovely little brewery on a busy square in the town. Me and Ming sat out for a pint, and were going to get food, but their kitchen wasn’t going to open until 5PM and we were there at 3:30PM. So I ordered a pint of Mediocre Security Blanket.
Mediocre Security Blanket is an Amber Lager by Miscreation Brewing Company, its 5% ABV and has 30IBU. Their Untappd description is simple and to the point: “Amber Lager brewed with Simcoe hops.” I gave it ***.50 on Untappd. As of 7.5.20 it has a global average rating of 3.89.
Before we left, I grabbed a four pack to go (for Cadorus State Park). For 15$, they even let me make it a mixed four pack, so I grabbed 2 stouts, a pale ale, and a pumpkin beer (they only had three options of canned beers). 15$ for a 4 pack is a great deal, especially when you can mix-match it (that comes out to 3.75$ per beer). Many craft breweries tend to be 16-24$ for a 4 pack, so while not as cheap as getting a case of something like Natty Ice for 8-12$, its cheap for the standards. And I much rather spend 15$ for a 4 pack from Miscreation than 10$ for a case of Natty Ice…. any day of the week. That’s for damn sure.
After Miscreation Brewing, we walked around the block and came to…
Something Wicked Brewing Company. Another lovely spot in Hanover Pennsylvania. This time we went inside (they had no outdoor seating as far as I could tell). And here Ming was able to get some food too. The entrance we took led us through a winding, twisting, route into the main tap room and dining area. The hallways we walked through had paintings from various movie franchises. Most notably (to me at least) being the twin girls from The Shining.
For beers at Something Wicked I got two pints while there, Ming as usual, just got water, but for food he ordered tacos which he said were delicious. Claimed they weren’t quite as good as his, but next best thing. So….. take that for what its worth…
The beers I had there were White Wookie and Incessant Debauchery – Curuba.
White Wookie is a white IPA, it is 8.1% ABV and has 109 IBUs. The Untappd description reads: “A Belgian style white IPA double dry hopped with Galaxy hops. Rich hop bouquet with bubble gum hop finish”. I rated it ***.75 on Untappd, and currently (as of 7.5.20) it has a global average rating of 3.62.
Incessant Debauchery – Curuba is a 5.3% ABV fruited sour by Something Wicked Brewing Company. It has 24 IBUs and its Untappd description reads: “The latest in our rotating fruited sour series. It features the puckering flavor of the Curuba (Banana Shaped Passion fruit from Latin America) with a touch of vanilla. This bold passion fruit is our sourest offering yet!” My Untappd rating for it was: ****. As of 7.5.20 on Untappd it has a global average rating of 4.05.
Before leaving I grabbed a crowler of Butt Monkey, which I later enjoyed, sharing it with D. Scott during one of our gaming sessions for his Knights of Nostalgia page. (You can click the link provided there to check it out. We somewhat regularly stream us playing old school NES, SNES, etc, video games. He streams regularly, and I am a guest on his ‘show’. Similar to the podcast him and Esteban [Estey] have that I also somewhat regularly appear on – So a Mexican and a Scott Walk Into a Bar….). I might do a full beer review of this in the future, to be determined (I have so many beers I want to write up reviews for.)
But, a quick summary of it – Butt Monkey is a 5.1% ABV American Pale Ale, it has 26 IBU, and the Untappd description for it reads: “This session Pale Ale is dedicated to all of the Butt Monkeys out there that like to send cease and desist letters to the small guys. Enjoy this crushable beer as you think about those whom you wish ceased and desisted.” I gave it ***.75, the global average rating (as of 7.5.20) is 3.58.
Now with the food eaten – which makes Ming a happy Ming; and beers were drank – which makes me a happy Ben; we were on our way to Codorus State Park in Hanover Pennsylvania. Technically, according to the Wikipedia page on Codorus State Park its located in Heidelberg, Manheim, Penn, and West Manheim Townships in southwestern York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. As the Wikipedia states: “Codorus State Park is a 3,500-acre (1,400 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Heidelberg, Manheim, Penn, and West Manheim Townships in southwestern York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park was created around Lake Marburg, an artificial lake covering 1,275 acres (516 ha), and is named for Codorus Creek, which forms the lake. Codorus State Park is located on Pennsylvania Route 216, 3 miles (4.8 km) from the borough of Hanover.”
Either way, Ming and myself came to kayak, and so that is exactly what we did. Normally we hike trails and do all that kind of stuff, but this time instead of taking a hike like we did for Ricketts Glenn we went kayaking. I’m not much of a water guy; drinking it, swimming in it, boating in it, kayaking in it, etc – just not my cup of tea (or cup of water if you will…… pa-dum-dissss…..) but here we were, and so we were going to do it. I brought along my four-pack from Miscreation Brewing to enjoy while kayaking.
It was a beautiful view, and we had a great time. I learned how to kayak properly without just going in circles like we were on The Simpsons or the Three Stooges. Got to watch the sunset a bit which was gorgeous, and I got to drink a few beers. Plus got a bit of a workout in as well, so can’t complain about that I suppose.
The two beers I had while kayaking were – MBC IPA and Smashed PumpKing Porter.
MBC IPA is an American IPA (relatively a session IPA in this case) thats 5% ABV and 72 IBUs. The Untappd description reads: “West Coast style IPA. Brewed with Chinook and Cascade hops.” I gave it ***.75, and its global average rating (as of 7.5.20) is 3.87.
I think the face of the pumpkin on the can is how Ming looked quite a few times during our kayaking travels. (Needless to say, I was not the best person to do a tandem kayak with.) Anyway…. the porter is a 6.5% ABV and 30 IBU Pumpkin / Yam Beer porter. Its Untappd description reads: “Seasonal Porter brewed with Pumpkin and Pumpkin spices.” I gave it ***.75 on Untappd, and the global average rating for it is 3.53 as of 7.5.20.
After finishing the kayaking we got back in the car and headed back up through York to make a stop and then to get back to Ming’s house in Mount Joy where I originally met him at. Once on the road, I attempted to get a last shot of the sunset.
Its not the best piece of photography, and its not the best picture… but it was too gorgeous of a sunset not to at least attempt getting a picture of it. Plus I was a few beers in by this point, and taking the picture through the car. Either way, let it be known – there was a beautiful sunset that evening. And that I attempted to document it for all of you – my faithful readers.
Coming back up through York we made the last stop for Ming, and I decided (while he was running the mums up to the house) to take a gander at the old Untappd map and see if there were any breweries in the direct vicinity… and lo and behold, just up ahead on the highway was one. So, needless to say, we stopped at Stony Run Brew House. Stony Run was nice, the inside looked beautiful, almost like an Italian Villa style restaurant, reminded me of the old Italian Villa Rosa that used to be on Route 22 in Grantville (where the new Sheetz is at the corner of 743 and 22).
We went in to hit the bathroom and get a table outside. Ordered some nacho chips. I believe we tried to order fries or quesadilla or something else but they were out, so we ended up with the nacho chips. I ordered a flight. I think the only other place that offered a flight (of the breweries we visited on June 26th – Mudhook Brewing, Miscreation Brewing, Something Wicked Brewing, and Stony Run Brewing) was Mudhook Brewing. So two out of four, not bad. But, I didn’t get a flight at Mudhook due to time. Typically when trying out new breweries I like to get flights so I can sample more of their beers and try as much as I can, and then decide what to buy to take home, but given the current environment with COVID-19 and everything, its understandable that many places aren’t doing flights.
They had a few guest taps, one of which was a delicious sour from Weyerbacher. So my flight was three beers from Stony Run Brewing and one from Weyerbacher. My flight was: first from Stony Run Brewing – Blackstrap English Porter, Irish Eyes, Capt. Jack Block – Hell, and from Weyerbacher – the Rico Guave. All were very good.
A quick rundown of the flight:
- Bootstrap English Porter – 5.5% ABV, 31 IBU. “The key ingredient to this moderate strength brown beer is the addition of blackstrap molasses, contributing to its roasty character and bitterness. This Porter goes down smooth and easy.” My rating: ***.75 / global rating (7.5.20): 3.8
- Irish Eyes – an Irish Red Ale, thats 4.2% ABV and 22 IBU (no description). My rating: ***.25, global rating: 3.75.
- Capt. Jack Block – Hell – is a strong Lager thats 6.7% ABV and 20 IBU. Untappd Description: “Strong German Lager, lightly hop and malty.” My rating is ***.75, not enough ratings yet to give it a global rating.
- Rico Guave (Weyerbacher) – Rico Guave is a 9% ABV fruited sour with 25 IBU. The Untappd description reads: “Rico Guave is a 9% sour ale brewed with pineapple and guava. Rich with the tropical notes of pineapple and fruitiness of guava, this pink hued brew is clean and refreshing with a touch of tartness.” My rating was ****, global rating was 3.69 as of 7.5.20.
While at Stony Run it began to drizzle on us a bit, and we could hear lightening and thunder in the distance. After finishing up we headed back to Mount Joy. Where once there, we went over and visited a friend of his who is turning his barn into a bar / rec area for himself and friends and is going to be setting up pinball machines and other kinds of games. I also got to play with a Pug puppy, so just that right there made my day.
Finally it was time to call it a day (well now night) at 2-3AM after Don came home from work. He had started back up at the casino before the rest of us. I myself now started back up at work on the 3rd, while Ming still hasn’t gotten his return call yet. But soon, shortly, he will.
And that was our trip around York and Hanover Pennsylvania. We visited Mudhook Brewing, Miscreation Brewing, Something Wicked Brewing, and Stony Run Brewing. I hope you all enjoyed this brewery touring. Before I got the call back to work me and Ming made a plan to visit the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and Wellsboro PA and visit a few breweries in that neck of the woods (probably New Trail Brewing while up there too). But with me going back to work, that is currently on hold. But rest assured, you will read about it on here when we go.
Ok everyone, cheers, and stay safe, especially as places are reopening. Don’t get lax, still wash, cover your face, and take care of each other. Cheers!
-B. Kline
August (2019) Road Trip Series:
Rickett’s Glen (2020) Road Trip Series:
Monocacy Battlefield Road Trip:
- Impromptu Two-Day Trip to Frederick Maryland
- Road Trip to Monocacy Battlefield (June 19th – June 20th, 2020)
Other Brewery Hopping Articles:
- Brewery Touring York and Hanover PA
- Brewery Hopping – 12.27.19
- Breweries Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg – 9.6.19
My Article for Breweries in PA:
My Podcast About Breweries in Central PA:
Some other brewery tour and road trip articles:
- A Sneak Peak at the New Rubber Soul Brewery in Hummelstown
- A Brewery Tour of Mellow Mink
- Brewery Review: Battlefield Brew Works
- Brewery Review: Cushwa Brewing
- A Trip to Gettysburg and Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
- Beer Review: Road Trip Snacks (Panther Island Brewing)
Codorus Links:
Breweries Link:
