A Sneak Peek at The Beerded Goat Brewery

The Beerded Goat Brewery

As we reported a few weeks ago – The Beerded Goat Brewing Company Has Taken Over the Old NewFangled Brewery – and tonight is their grand opening.

They were gracious enough to invite us out (thanks Jason and Brian) to their brewery to do some tastings and to check out the place.

Before we get into the tastings and discussing the wonderful, and amazing beers, let’s first talk about the brewery. Newfangled Brewery closed their doors back in August of 2022, leaving Union Station lacking a brewery, a restaurant, and a big central hub for people to meet and gather.

Since that time, Union Station has only grown. Shawn Grant’s BBQ that he was running out of Newfangled Brew Works right before they closed, moved across the street and became Nomad Pizza. Several other businesses have opened across the street from the old brewery, and the community itself has grown larger.

Located at 8001 Union Station Blvd Harrisburg, PA 17111, in the former home of Newfangled Brew Works as part of the development of “Union Station” off of Union Deposit.

The Beerded Goat Brewery – exterior. Previously the front of the brewery, will now be the back of the brewery. (8001 Union Station Blvd.)

The brewery sits as the center hub for the Union Station development and community. It is a huge spacious building with a large attached restaurant that will be used in the future. Currently the old Koda restaurant will be sitting empty, but it will be used in the future (more on that later in the article).

The Beerded Goat Interior

Mural in the doorway leading into the (old entrance of the) brewery

We were invited out to come hang out with Brian, the head brewer, at 5:30 PM. We arrived a bit early (5:14 PM to be exact) and drove the neighborhood a bit to see how different it was when I was last out (when Newfangled Brew Works closed).

We then entered from used to be the main entrance of the brewery – the entrance facing Union Station Blvd. (Jason later explained to me that this will become the back of the brewery, and will not be a usable entrance for patrons to come in. Where the back entrance, and the large parking lot is will become the new main and only entrance into the brewery.)

Once you enter the brewery, you get a true scope of just how big the place is – spoiler: its huge. There is a ton of floor space, ton of seating, and a long bar as well. In the back wall there is already some games – SkeeBall and basketball games as well as a golf simulator game. They have also added a fireplace that wasn’t there before, and removed the old hastily put together stage.

Now enough about the interior and the building, lets get to what everyone here really wants to know about…. the beer!

The Beerded Goat Beer

Amy and I introduced ourselves to Brian, the head brewer, who then took us over to the bar. He was willing to sit with us and talk about all of the beers, as well as give us a tasting glass of each beer down their entire tap list (as well as a pour of their bottled beer – Sure Thing).

We discussed the brew house, how the equipment is the same from Newfangled Brew Works. That to alter, change, or add and / or remove anything would be just too much effort, money, and would have to change a lot of set up and plans.

Amy and I decided we wouldn’t take a picture of each beer. We also didn’t bring a notebook for quoting and writing down things, wanting to keep the whole preview and discussions more informal and fun and upbeat. No need to get tied up in quoting and getting exactitudes.

Brian, Amy, and I went down the list of their beers on draft, as well as their mead, and a bottle of their Sure Thing. Brian also pulled us a ‘sneak peek’ at a barrel aged stout that will soon be available at the brewery. All the while we chatted, discussed the brewery, how the soft openings went, the barrel system, and more.

As you can see above, they have a wonderful wide arrange of styles. Brian discussed with us that he prefers the more traditional German styles, preferring the Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Laws) and maintaining that – to a degree. Obviously in today’s climate of craft beer, thats not a perfect solution, and no longer completely sustainable for any brewery to use that as their full emphasis (thus why you will see a Hazy IPA on the menu).

Starting right down the list, the first we got to taste was Yingstling Light. Brian explained to us this is the basic of basic beers – in so far as this is your “beer that tastes like beer”. This is the Miller Lite, the Coors Light, the Bud, etc, for your dad and grandpa and others who only typically drink macro.

Brian said it was also their best seller on the soft opening nights. Which makes the most sense, as Brian stated – it’s not going to be the highest rated on Untappd, but its going to be the most sold.

Yingstling Lager is a 4.5% ABV Lager – American Light beer. The Untappd description reads: “Beer flavored beer. Enough Said.” And there is no IBU listed for this beer.

Next up was Easy Mold. A very drinkable, light, delicious Kolsch. Easy Mode is a 5.25% ABV (no IBU listed) Kolsch; the Untappd description reads: “Brewed with Weyermann floor malted Pilsner, and a touch of Vienna and wheat malt. Hopped exclusively with Hallertau Mittlefreuh and fermented cool with a classic Kolsch yeast. Soft and gentle with subtle white grape esters”

This was a very tasty, delicious beer. We discussed Brian’s previous brewing experience – working for River Bend Brewery, Liquid Noise Brewing, and Mount Gretna Brewing. He also still loves to home brew and does so quite often. Shows just how much passionate he is about brewing, that he is basically doing it in his free time as a hobby.

Brian told us he doesn’t like Hefeweizens. Stemming from his time at River Bend where they made that continuously. So instead, he has an American Wheat – that is definitely not a Hefeweizen. It’s called “Don’t Got Time for Bananas”. This is a 5.25% ABV (no IBU listed) American Pale Wheat beer. The Untappd description is: “Brewed with Pilsner and wheat malts. Hopped in the kettle with Centennial hops and fermented with a clean American ale yeast. Soft and pillowy mouthfeel with a strong citrus backbone. This is NOT a Hefeweizen.”

The Standard was up next, and Brian joined us for this one. This is one of his favorites he said. Its a Czech Pilsner, and it was very crisp, very delicious. Its a Pilsner – Czech / Bohemian that clocks in at 5.3% (no IBU listed) with an Untappd description of: “Brewed with 100% Weyermann floor malted Pilsner and hopped with 100% Check saaz. Spunded for natural carbonation. Crisp, clean, and crystal clear. Mild grainy notes of soft honey balanced by an assertive and refreshing bitterness. This is the Standard.” It was a slightly hopped up version of a Pilsner, but when I say “slightly” I mean – “slightly”. With it being spunded, it had a wonderful carbonation, and was downright delicious.

Next up was the Hazy IPA. A style Brian says he doesn’t really enjoy making, but understands you should always have one on tap anymore. He said a perfect world for him would be all German style beers with only one IPA on tap – once per year. They currently have two on tap at The Beerded Goat, but both are worlds apart different.

Wizard Circle is a Hazy New England IPA that comes in at 6% and is extremely fruity and pillowy. Wonderful light body to it with a wealth of flavor and fruit notes. The Untappd description is: “Brewed with Pilsner, oat and wheat malts with a touch of honey malt. Kettle hopped, dry hopped, and double dry hopped with Simcoe and El Dorado. Fermented on passionfruit. Soft, juicy, and tropical.”

The McMule is a dry cider and is an “Irish take on a Moscow Mule” as Brian would describe it. Amy’s favorite non – beer drink is a Moscow Mule so this was completely up her alley. The McMule is a very dry, crisp, ginger and lime cider. Its a Cider – Herbed / Spiced / Hopped according to Untappd and is 6.5%, the Untappd description reads: “Cider infused with fresh ginger and lime.”

We saved the barley wine for later (W. W. A. M. B.) and next went to the Double IPA – a west coast styled IPA called Bitter Trends.

Bitter Trends is a 8.1% ABV Double IPA (west coast style); Untappd description reads: “Brewed with Pilsner malt and corn sugar for an ultra dry and simple beer to showcase the hops. Hopped in the kettle, dry hopped and double dry hopped with Columbus, Mosaic, and Strata. Notes of dank tropical blueberries and mangoes with a solid bitterness to pull it all together.” This had super strong notes of mango and light notes of blueberry. It absolutely blew us away, and for not liking the style, Brian joined us in drinking it, and Amy and I agreed this was Top 3 for the night.

After this, we got to try Brian’s first try at a Dortmund Lager. And he certainly nailed it on his first try. The Dortmund Lager – Expat Lager – was wonderful. Clocking in at 6.3% it is a bit higher for lagers, and one of the higher beers that The Beerded Goat offers, but not out of the realm of “crushable”. The Untappd description reads: “Golden colored lager brewed with Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts. Hopped with Hallertau Mittlefreuh. A solid balance between maltiness and bitterness.”

We got to discuss with Brian styles and what he was looking at for the brewery. This is a good point to mention that he wanted to mainly focus on lower ABV beers. Other than the mead (9%) and the barley wine (12%), the rest of the beers were around the 5-6% range. The highest being 6.3% and 6.5%, and the others being mostly 5, 5.25, and 5.3%. He wants an atmosphere where people can sit, hang out for a while, and drink several, rather than have one that they’ll sip on the whole time.

Next up we got to try the mead. And this was another phenomenal drink. Its lactose, its sugary, its sweet, its strawberry – which isn’t usually particularly a flavor I enjoy but here it worked so well. It reminded me of a candy I had as a kid that I couldn’t name or think of, and Amy and Brian were no help on that end either, but I feel like its on the tip of my tongue. Brian wants to do regular releases of the mead but in different flavors, peach, chocolate, peanut butter, marshmellow, etc.

This particular one was lactose, strawberries, and Madagascar Vanilla. Its called Milkshake Mead and clocks in at 9%. The Untappd description reads: “Mead brewed with lactose, strawberries and Madagascar vanilla beans. Sweet and decadent.”

Next up was a Nitro Porter. So as you can see, they are really hitting all the different styles here. Mead, cider, nitro, dark, light, heavy, low end, etc. Which is wonderful. Amy and I often discuss how great it is to see breweries with full varied lists, rather than “IPA, IPA, Hazy IPA, Hazy IPA, Milkshake IPA, Sour, Sour, Fruited Sour, Seltzer, Pastry Stout”.

The Nitro Porter is called Heroes and Villains. It is an American Porter, and does clock in a bit higher at 7.2% on the scale, but the Nitro makes it so smooth you won’t even notice it. (Speaking of that though – the Bitter Trends is also deceptively smooth for an 8%, so be careful with that bad boy as well.) Heroes and Villains Untappd description reads: “Brewed with a base of Pilsner malt and a blend of English crystal and chocolate malts. Dark brown with ruby red highlights and creamy tan head. Notes of roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Served on nitro.”

Finally it was time for the barleywine. One of my favorite styles. Titled “W. W. A. M. B.” What does that stand for? Why it stands for “What Would Angry Mark Brew”. And knowing Mark… this certainly fits the bill. It is a delicious barley wine, and while I might be slightly biased about styles and likes, this certainly fits the bill for what makes a good barleywine a good barleywine. Coming in at 12% its going to be a sipper rather than a crushable, but thats the point of it, and you’ll appreciate it. It’ll make for a great night cap to sit by the fire while reading your Canterbury Tales or Nietzsche. The Untappd description reads: “Brewed with Maris Otter malt and house made golden syrup. Hopped with East Kent Goldings and rested for many months in a Laird Apple Brandy Barrel.”

We discussed the brew system they have in place. They are going to keep it primarily all in house, with a few kegs going out to select and hand picked bars and locations. The system is set up for 40 barrel but he will be only brewing 20 barrel at a time, for ease, and to keep the kegs in house moving more smoothly. (40 barrels is a lot to move in house, and would limit the amount of styles and variations they could have on tap then. Would also hinder things from a business perspective as well.)

Brian then busted out the stout that will soon be coming on for everyone This was called Pit Master Stout. An English style stout barrel aged in Hidden Stills bourbon barrel. The Untappd description reads: “A collaboration with our friends at Smoked Bar and Grill in Hershey, English style stout aged in a Hidden Still bourbon barrel. A bit hit of bourbon on the nose with toasty notes of molasses and vanilla carry thing through the finish.”

A bottle of Sure Thing at The Beerded Goat Brewery

There was a couple a bit down from us at the bar doing some tasting with another crew member of The Beerded Goat Brewery. So we all split a bottle of the Sure Thing at the bar. Sure Thing is sold in 750ml bottles and will be available for both in house consumption and to go.

The Sure Thing is a collaboration with Cassel Vineyards. It is a wonderful 5.5% Farmhouse Ale, bitter, complex, sour, a whole host of flavors. Its wonderful. And makes for a great dinner beer in lieu of a wine. The Untappd description reads: “Mixed culture Farmhouse Ale Aged I red wine barrels with raspberries and apricots.”

Brian

(Check out our YouTube video here: Brian at The Beerded Goat.)

I want to take this opportunity to express Amy and my gratitude to Brian for taking the time to talk with us, hang out with us, and drink some amazing beers. Dude went above and beyond chatting with us about all kinds of things from small things to big things, from the brewing process, to the building, to his personal likes and dislikes and everything.

He is certainly a “back of the house” kinda guy, and you can tell he’s much more comfortable in the brewhouse than out front dealing with folks, but he did a marvelous job, and was very cool and a wonderful guy to hang out with. We spent about an hour and a half drinking the beers which is a wonderful amount of time. We can’t say enough thank you’s to him for that.

The Kitchen

After leaving the bar area, and saying goodbye and thanking Brian, we went to say our goodbyes to Jason, the gracious host who invited us out for the evening. Amy ran into an old friend and chatted with him while I got to talk to Jason for a while and pick his brain about the building, the business, and the location.

For a bit we talked about the old Taco Truck that was there when it was Newfangled Brew Works. He showed me the kitchen and how it looks and hows it going to operate as a ‘pop up kitchen’ for the restaurant. We chatted about the soft openings and how they went and how it helped get the kinks outs.

He discussed having Nomad Pizza on hand for the brewery as well. And how in the future he wants to utilize the Koda restaurant space for a steak and seafood restaurant to run with the brewery.

Jason certainly has big plans and its great to see them. He has a vision and wants to carry them out and really bring them home.

The big thing that Jason keeps circling back to is “community”. He wants this brewery to be the center of the Union Station community, and not just the Union Station community, but the whole area even. The Union Station development sits as a great straddle point for Nyes Road, Locust Lane, and several other big roads. Its also a big development with lots of houses.

Jason discussed the food menu as well a bit, and it looks wonderful and I really think the guests will love it. He said his head chef is amazing and has created some wonderful foods that he greatly enjoys.

The Patio

The Outdoor Patio area at The Beerded Goat

There is an outdoor patio at The Beerded Goat. Jason wanted me to emphasize one thing though – while it is accessible from outside; no one will know your there until you make yourself known. So don’t expect service until you come inside and let people know. Also, be respectful with your pets. While The Beerded Goat will be a dog friendly brewery, you still need to be respectful with them, and mindful of how they interact with others.

Grand Opening

Tonight is the Grand Opening of The Beerded Goat. They will be fully opening their doors at 5 PM for the masses. Please come out and visit them. Remember to park in the big parking lot in the back and come in through that entrance.

Their Grand Opening is at 5 PM tonight – July 13th, 2023. They are located at 8001 Union Station Blvd Harrisburg, PA 17111.

Lets Wrap This Up

Whew… this article took me far longer than I thought it would! And that goes to show how great of a time we had at The Beerded Goat. I can’t wait for their opening tonight! If you have the chance, you definitely need to be checking them out.

We didn’t get to sample food, and we won’t be able to make it out tonight, but I know Amy and I will be out soon and we cannot wait. But from the beers we had, this place will be an absolute must stop for anyone in the area.

I started this article last night – didn’t get too far, but figured I’d have it finished by 10 AM, and here it is noon, and I am wrapping it up. Whew. It was a blast to get to talk to Jason and Brian and learn about The Beerded Goat. We had a wonderful time, and I can’t say thank you enough to both of them for inviting us out, taking the time to chat with us, and for hanging out. It was a pleasure.

For More Information on The Beerded Goat

First, check out our previous article here:

The Beerded Goat Brewing Company Taking over the old NewFangled Brewery

Secondly, check them out at Untappd here:

The Beerded Goat – Untappd

They currently don’t have much information on themselves out there in the social media world, and Untappd is pretty scarce on them so far. (Heck, I haven’t even checked in the beers from last night, going to be doing that soon after this article is up.)

But you can also find them and follow them on Facebook here:

The Beerded Goat – Facebook

Tours and Visits

To see and read some of our other articles about special tours and visits to breweries we’ve gotten as part of the blog, you can check them out here:

A Sneak Peek of Rubber Soul Brewing Company
Brewery Visit: Mellow Mink
Brewery Tour: Couch Brewing
A Sneak Peek of The Beerded Goat Brewery

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

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