Trip Recap - The Beer Thrillers

Visiting Virginia Breweries in Fairfax, Sterling, and Ashburn – Or Voyaging in the Land of Animal Breweries – Saying Farewell to Rocket Frog Brewing and Hello to Chubby Squirrel Brewing, Lost Rhino Brewing, and Old Ox Brewery

B. Kline — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 22:17:18 +0000

Pictures from our trip to Virginia – (starting upper left and working clockwise: Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company, Lost Rhino Brewing, Old Ox Brewery, Lost Rhino Brewing, and Rocket Frog Brewing Company – with the two most photogenic ladies I know – Amy and Scarlet)

Visiting Virginia Breweries

Thats probably the headline I should just go with. Because, lets be honest: Visiting Virginia Breweries in Fairfax, Sterling, and Ashburn – Or Voyaging in the Land of Animal Breweries – Saying Farewell to Rocket Frog Brewing and Hello to Chubby Squirrel Brewing, Lost Rhino Brewing, and Old Ox Brewery — is a mouthful! And probably ruins all attempts at search or marketing or whatever.

A simpler, better title would have just been “Visiting Virginia Breweries” or even “Visiting Virginia Breweries in Fairfax, Sterling, and Ashburn”, or maybe just my subtitle – “Voyaging in the Land of Animal Breweries”. I dunno, but I couldn’t decide on what I wanted, and so here you go – enjoy the long winded title!

But enough on why I named the article what I did, lets move onto the actual article right?

Firstly, let’s talk about why we headed down to Virginia in the first place….

Rocket Frog Brewing Company Announces Closure

Back on November 29th, Rocket Frog Brewing Company announced they would be closing their doors for the last time on December 11th. You can read about it here: Rocket Frog Brewing Announces They Will Be Closing December 11th.

We had first visited them back on January 15th of 2022. Here, I’ll share an excerpt from the closing article:

Amy and I got to travel to Rocket Frog back in January on a Bengals play-off gameday. I got out of work early (I was still working Saturdays then), using my top of the EO card and we made the two and a half hour trek down to Virginia hitting some breweries. We stopped in the Sterling Park Business Center to hit two breweries right off the bat. The first of which was Rocket Frog.

We had a really good time. We got to see the Bengals win against the Las Vegas Raiders – their first playoff win in 30 years (they last won in January 1991). We got to Rocket Frog Brewing Company before the game started. We then watched the first half at Crooked Run Fermentation, before driving to Beltway Brewing where we saw a little bit of the third (they didn’t have any TVs on, so we quickly left to get to Mustang Sally’s after a flight), and we finished the game out at Mustang Sally’s where I got to witness the first playoff win since I was 5 and a half years old. Amy and I then celebrated and finished the night out watching the Bills rout the Patriots at Bunnyman Brewing.
Rocket Frog Brewing Announces They Will be Closing December 11th – The Beer Thrillers

You can find our trip here: Trip Down to Sterling Virginia and Beyond to Visit Rocket Frog Brewing Company, Crooked Run Fermentation, Beltway Brewing, Mustang Sally Brewing Company, and Bunnyman Brewing.

December 10th – The Trip

Traveling with a nearly (one day shy) month old certainly changes things a bit. It certainly doesn’t make the trip go smoothly, thats for sure. So there was certainly a new monkey wrench thrown into the works that wasn’t there our last trip to Virginia.

To start the day, we decided we would hit Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company first, mainly because its the furthest from home, and do a ‘hit the others as we work our way home’ approach. Our typical approach to brewery visiting, and usually the one that works out best for us.

Plus, Amy has absolutely been looking forward to hitting Chubby Squirrel. (To the point where she got two Christmas gifts for her from the brewery…. shhh…. nobody tell her…. she has no idea….) They popped up on our radar from an Instagram or Facebook suggestion post. They immediately grabbed Amy’s attention – firstly with the fun name, secondly with the food options. Poutine and pierogies. You had us at poutine and pierogies. We could seriously do an entire blog post on just poutine, and another on just pierogies. Maybe list all the best breweries in the area with poutine and pierogies… hmm….

Anyway… I digress.

So we originally had planned on leaving in the morning at 10:30AM. According to Google Maps it would take us 2 hours and 30 minutes to get there, putting us as at getting there at 1PM. Perfect.

Google Maps – from Hummelstown to Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company

Well, as you might imagine, things didn’t go according to plan. We’ve been in the process of moving Amy’s Uncle Bob’s car into our name, and with him having moved into an assisted care home and unable to drive anymore we needed the title, and this and that, etc, etc, etc… and Uncle Bob’s been having some memory issues, so it was a bit of an issue finding the title and everything required, so we were just going to request a new title; but luckily just before we were about to do that he found it. This then took up our morning, taking SueAnn (Amy’s mom), Amy, Scarlet, and myself to the notary and getting this all finalized. And a few other errands, and then dropping her mom back off, and then finally on the road… at a healthy 12:20PM to start the day…

Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company

Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company logo

After a stop at a Sheetz outside of Gettysburg (where Amy says to me, hey… maybe on the way home we can stop at Fourscore Beer Company, and I just assure her and say, sure… sure… sure dear… we’ll have time I’m sure… – insert massive eye roll here), and another stop a bit of the ways down as well (both stops were to feed and change Scarlet) we finally made it to Fairfax Virginia at roughly 3PM.

I ordered a flight, and we got the pierogies and the poutine to go with it. (Because, of course we got the poutine and pierogies to go with it.)

The beer flight was:

Prancing Squirrel Christmas Ale – a Spiced / Herb Beer. 7.4% ABV, 15 IBU. Global average rating of 3.82. I gave it ****.
Hazy Squirrel – a New England IPA. 6.2% ABV, 55 IBU. Global average rating of 3.56. I gave it ****.
OK This is Gonna Be Weird IPA – a West Coast style IPA. 5.4% ABV and 55 IBU. Global average rating of 3.73. I gave it ****.
FUCOVID Cinnamon Bun Stout – an Imperial / double stout. 8.9% ABV. Too new for global average rating. I gave it ****.

The poutine and pierogies were wonderful. We had an absolute wonderful time there. The ladies working were so very nice and were loving getting to see Scarlet Emma. I highly recommend Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company if you get in the Fairfax Virginia area. Found out as we were leaving, there is even another brewery just a block away – Ornery Brewing; which sadly we didn’t have the time to stop at. We are definitely planning on coming back, so will certainly be stopping there as well. Also looked like the town was doing a little Christmas thing in the nearby park / business district area.

For more information on Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company, check out their links:

Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company’s information on Untappd: they are considered a brew pub out of Fairfax, Virginia. They have 146 unique beers with around 10,000~ ratings. They have a global average rating (as of 12.13.22) of 3.65. Their Untappd description reads: “No need to be bitter, we’ve got the hops! Located in Downtown Fairfax, Virginia, Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company is the first nanobrewery & brewpub in the City of Fairfax.”

Scarlet Emma

Speaking of Scarlet Emma, she’s now been to quite a few breweries already (and is just a wee bit over one month old). Her first brewery was Boneshire Brew Works (because, right now, where else?). She’s most recently been to Compass Mill Tap Room, Jackass Brewery, Selin’s Grove Brewing, and just the day before this Virginia trip we had errands in Reading so she got to visit Willow Creek Brewing and Saucony Creek Brewery at Franklin Station. And now after this trip, you can add Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company, Lost Rhino Brewing, and Old Ox Brewery. (You’ll see why shortly I don’t consider her trip to Rocket Frog Brewing Company as counting.) So in total she’s been to nine breweries so far.

Rocket Frog Brewing Company

From Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company to Rocket Frog Brewing Company was about a twenty – five minute drive. (And was the longest distance between the breweries we hit; other than the initial drive down and home.) We got there around 5:15 – 5:20PM and the place was absolutely rocking. Standing room only on the inside, their deck was pretty packed, and even the spill over tables they were using in the parking lot were full. The parking lot itself was pretty full as well.

Amy decided to stay out in the car with Scarlet and feed her rather than even brave the insides of the brewery. Amy gets a bit of an anxiety in large crowds, so it was fully understandable for her to stay out, especially with Scarlet. (You can read Amy’s excellent article about her anxiety here – Brewfests with Anxiety.) We debated about skipping the brewery, and even heading over right next door (well, a block around the corner) to Crooked Run Fermentation; but we decided that we made this entire trip to stop at Rocket Frog Brewing Company, so I went in and grabbed two tasters and bought a stein to go.

The tasters I got there were:

Bowcaster – a brown ale, 5.2% ABV, no IBU. Global average rating of 3.92. I gave it **** and 1/4.
Snark Infested Waters – a schwarzbier, 4.5% ABV and 22 IBU. Global average rating of 3.71, I gave it ****.

Rocket Frog Brewing Company has already listed their brewery as “permanently closed” on Google, Google Maps, Facebook, and Untappd. They delisted all of their beers on Untappd as well. So the following information is slightly skewed due to that.

Rocket Frog Brewing Company on Untappd is listed as a “permanently closed” brewery from Sterling Virginia (formerly listed as a micro brewery). They have 0 unique beers with a total of 42,298 ratings, and a global average rating of 3.82 (as of 12.13.22). Their Untappd description reads: “Closed December 2022 Rocket Frog Brewing Company is an independent craft brewery based in Sterling, Virginia, serving the greater Northern Virginia and Washington, DC community. Our passion for quality craft beer runs deep and we demonstrate this with our four to five flagships, seasonal offerings, and a variety of specialty beers throughout the year.”

For more information on Rocket Frog Brewing Company:

They recently did a podcast with DC Beer, which you can find here: A Moment to Celebrate a Beloved Brewery.

Lost Rhino Brewing Co.

Lost Rhino Brewing Company logo

We decided to skip Crooked Run Fermentation as we were running out of time, and really didn’t want to be leaving Virginia too late. (Even from the Ashburn area where Lost Rhino is, its about a 2 hour and 12 minute drive home.) As it was, we were looking at maybe having to skip Old Ox Brewery, so time was becoming a bit of an issue. We did stop and get gas, as gas is always a good 20 to 30 cents cheaper in Virginia than it is back home in Central PA.

Lost Rhino was another lovely brewery find. We saw it on our one trip to Virginia, but sadly only on the way back home so we didn’t have time to stop, so I made it a point of interest to hit it today. And besides I figured – why stop the animal themed brewery names? We were already hitting Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company and Rocket Frog Brewing Company, why not add Lost Rhino Brewing Company and Old Ox Brewery to the list? If we wanted, we could have went and hit Ocelot Brewing (again) as well, to really round out an all animal named brewery tour of Virginia.

I ordered a flight as we watched the end of the Army vs. Navy game that went into overtime and provided a great ending. My flight included:

Coco Caliente – an Imperial Double Pastry Stout. 8.5% ABV, 20 IBU. Global average rating of 3.93. I gave it ****.
Tmavý Dark Lager – dark lager, 6.2% ABV, 32 IBU. Global average rating of 3.64. I gave it a ****.
Pink Panther – Sour / gose. 5.2% ABV. Too new for a global average rating. I gave it a *** 3/4.
Face Plant – a West Coast style IPA (IPA American). 6.8% ABV, 65 IBU. Global average rating of 3.64, I gave it a ****.
Dark Hours – Imperial / Double stout. 10.9% ABV, 79 IBU. Global average rating of 3.98, I gave it a **** and 1/4.

‍‍We very much liked our time there, and will definitely be back down in the area for a return visit. (In fact, we really enjoyed every brewery on our trip this time, not always a lock for our trips.)

Lost Rhino Brewing Company’s information via Untappd:

Lost Rhino Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Ashburn, Virginia. They have 252 unique beers and around 122,000~ ratings. They have a global average rating (as of 12.13.22) of 3.59. Their Untappd description reads: “Lost Rhinoʼs founders, Matt Hagerman and Favio Garcia, set out on an adventure of their own: a coast-to-coast journey in search of discovering the greatest traditions and the wildest frontiers of beer brewing. Our beers are inspired by the experience of choosing the scenic route, the tough challenge, the road less traveled. In the brew house, we take pride in bringing together a global perspective and locally harvested ingredients. Everything we craft is personal, from our innovative pursuit to cultivate wild Virginia yeast strains from nearby orchards, meadows, and even fossils, to our steadfast dedication to support local Virginia farms.”

For more information:

The Trip down to Virgina hitting all the breweries

Quick Shout Out

If I got you reading this far, please indulge me on a quick shout out. This Sunday we will be appearing on the Central PA Pour Podcast. You can find out more information on them here:

Pretzels – Pretzels – Pretzels

While I’m at it here, let me do a quick public service announcement. We have recently joined up with Pretzels.com to provide you with a cheaper option on pretzels; a perfect gift for this time of year. They make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer. We will have a few posts and videos (an unwrapping / unboxing video, as well as beer and pretzel pairing posts) so be on the lookout for all that. Yes, we are an affiliate with them, so when you go and order, be sure to use our gift code: THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – this will provide you with 20% off your order, as well as help us keep the blog running.

Ok, now, back onto our last stop of the night.

Old Ox Brewery

Old ox Brewery

Luckily it didn’t take a whole lot of convincing to get Amy to stop at one more brewery, namely because she wanted some food for the ride home. I was given a “hard fast” 8PM deadline at Old Ox (spoiler alert – we didn’t leave til 8:30PM). We ordered the meatballs which were extremely tasty, and I did my usual – ordered myself a flight.

My flight from Old Ox Brewery was:

Billionaire Space Party – a collaboration with RAR Brewing – a west coast style IPA. 7.1% ABV, no IBU listed, global average rating of 3.81, I gave it a ****.
Robot Dreams – a milkshake IPA, 7% ABV. A global average rating of 3.88, I gave it a ****.
Hoppy Place IPA – traditional west coast / American IPA. 6.5% ABV, 65 IBU. Global average rating of 3.69, I gave it a ****. (Humerous note: when looking things up here for the post, on Untappd they have a check – in for this from a person from a day ago that says “quite hoppy. solid taste” and proceeded to give it **1/2 …….. and this is why people don’t take Untappd all that seriously.) (Checking the dude’s profile, he gives one beer a “tasty” comment and only **, but then also says “very tasty” for Voodoo Ranger and gives it ****1/2 ….so once again, take Untappd with the grain of salt that it needs to be taken with.)
Bourbon Barrel Oxorcist – Pumpkin / Yam beer. 10% ABV, 12 IBU. Global average rating of 3.94, I gave it ****.

We had a really great time, talked to the bartender at closing, who comes up often to the area to play softball – at Spooky Nook – where we were just at a few weeks ago (thus why we went to Compass Mill Tap House). Once again, as with the other stops, wonderful food, beer, and great service.

Some information on Old Ox Brewery via Untappd:

Old Ox Brewery is a micro brewery from Ashburn Virginia with 482 unique beers and 115,000~ ratings. They have a global average rating of 3.66 (as of 12.13.22). Their Untappd description reads: “Old Ox is a family owned and operated commercial brewery. Our family works together. Plays together. Celebrates together. Faces life’s obstacles together. We’ve founded our brewery on hard work and a commitment to the community. We are looking for ways to partner with the artists, farmers, restaurants, retailers, and other businesses that make Loudoun County a special place to live. We chose Old Ox Road as the inspiration for our brewery. Old Ox is one of the oldest roads in Loudoun County and was originally built to connect the agricultural producers of Loudoun County to the markets in Fairfax County and beyond. It is this same sense of connection that we want to provide for our customers…whether they are here in our tasting room or enjoying a pint in their favorite restaurant or tavern. We brew in a 30-barrel brewhouse. Just to give you some perspective, each batch we brew will produce 930 gallons of beer. That is enough for 9,920 12-oz. cans of beer or a little over 413 cases of beer per batch. Our beer is on draft in many restaurants and in on the shelves in stores in Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Of course, our beer is always available in the Tasting Room either by the pint, refillable growlers or kegs.”

For more information:

Heading Home

The Return Trip via Google Maps

After hitting up Old Ox Brewery it was time to head home. Needless to say, like I called it, we didn’t have the time (or energy) to hit Fourscore Beer Co in Gettysburg. No issues on the return trip and we made it home around 11PM, just enough time for me to take Leela for a walk and hit my 10K steps (haven’t missed a day this entire year, not about to miss one yet).

Conclusion

This trip really hit it out of the ballpark. Every brewery was fantastic. The beers were wonderful, the food was great, the staff at all the spots was on point and lovely people. We always have a blast on our trips, but there’s usually a dud or two breweries on our journeys. Not this time, each place was a home run. Can’t recommend the breweries enough. If you get down to Virginia – particularly Fairfax and Ashburn, make sure you hit these guys up. They are well worth your time and visit!

Our Virginia Brewery trip.

Other Trips and Travelogues

Big 3 Day Weekend
Big 3 Day Weekend: Friday Recap
Big 3 Day Weekend: Saturday Recap
Virginia Road Trip (Quick Recap) (November 2021)
The Trip to Indianapolis – Recap Articles:
The Trip to Indy
The Trip to Indy – Day One Recap
The Trip to Indy – Day Two Recap
The Trip to Indy – Day Three Recap
The Trip to Indy – Day Four Recap
The Trip to Indy – Day Five Recap
The Trip to Indy – Day Six Recap
The Trip to Indy – Day Seven Recap
Recap and Stats
August (2019) Road Trip Series:
Going on the Road
The Trip: Day 1 Recap
The Trip: Day 2 Recap
The Trip: Day 3 Recap
Rickett’s Glen (2020) Road Trip Series:
A Road Trip to Rickett’s Glen
The Trip to Rickett’s Glen
Monocacy Battlefield Road Trip:
Impromptu Two-Day Trip to Frederick Maryland
Road Trip to Monocacy Battlefield (June 19th – June 20th, 2020)
Hiking Sunset Rocks and Checking Out Maxie’s Brewhouse:
Hiking Sunset Rocks and Checking Out Maxie’s Brewhouse in Shippensburg Pennsylvania
Other Brewery Hopping Articles:
Brewery Touring York and Hanover PA
Brewery Hopping – 12.27.19
Breweries Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg – 9.6.19

Thanks For Reading

Thanks for reading everyone! The year is nearing its end, and 2022 has been a wild one! I’m still off until the 26th when I go back to work. Amy has already gone back, so its mostly me here at home with Scarlet (and Leela). So when she’s asleep I’ve been working on the blog. Lot of big things in the works for 2023!

But 2022 isn’t over yet, and we still have some great stuff coming out.

Like I said earlier, we are affiliated now with Pretzels.com so be sure to check them out and use our promo code – THEBEERTHRILLERS20 to get 20% off your order.

Also, as I said earlier, we will be doing a podcast / video with Central PA Pour on Sunday. So be on the lookout for that.

We still have a planned trip to The Alementary in Hackensack New Jersey; just not sure when we’re gonna be going. But you’ll know when we do.

Thanks for reading everyone, as always, we appreciate it so much here. Cheers to all!

(PS: This article took me all day to write because I had to do it in small bits and pieces whenever Her Majesty Scarlet napped.)

Cheers!

-B. Kline

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

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Big 3 Day Weekend: Sunday Recap

BKline — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:05:41 +0000

Abolitionist Ale Works from Charlestown West Virginia

Taking it Easy

Well…. after the big hard day on Saturday, we decided to take yesterday (Sunday) a lot easier. After the Cushwa Brewfest, and the big beer share we did in the hotel afterwards, it was time for an easier day. So needless to say, the six brewery tour I had in mind was crossed off a bit and we went a lot slower.

Originally I planned on doing the Antietam Battlefield, then Harper’s Ferry, then Harper’s Ferry Brewing, then Abolitionist Ale Works, and then on the way back through and home hitting a few other breweries (Milkhouse Brewery and Fourscore Beer Co being ones I remember).

Well, we definitely didn’t do quite all that. We left the hotel just before check out time (11AM), and went to Antietam Battlefield. We walked some of it, but mostly did the drive tour, due to how cold it was. After this we went to Harper’s Ferry Historical Park, paid the 20$ to get in…. and decided not to do the shuttle and stuff, due to time, and everything else. So basically, I paid 20$ to park, walk around just a little bit, and read a few signs, get a brochure (20 dollar brochure!) and leave.

Harper’s Ferry

Harper’s Ferry Brewery

After leaving the historical park, instead of parking down at the train station and checking out the town a bit, being hungry (and me being thirsty), we went to Harper’s Ferry Brewing. The view from the brewery was fantastic, and the beers and food were good.

After this we went back into West Virginia to Abolitionist Ale Works. Checked them out (flight at the top of this article). Cool place, cool vibe. Also took two beers to go home with.

And while in Charlestown, I had to stop at the casino for a bit. If for nothing else professional curiosity. Getting to walk around their casino and compare it to the one I work at, seeing the nuances and differences. Also had two beers while walking around, and stopped at the Sports Book area to watch the end of the Rams and Buccaneers game.

Homeward Bound

Then we were off to home. Skipping the stops in Maryland and Gettysburg that we originally thought / planned on, and just heading home. Nice to finally see the old place again and get to see Leela puppy again (my parents were taking good care of her). Took Leela for a small walk around the town as a few snow flakes fell, and called it a night.

Thanks for reading up on our recap of the three day weekend, you can check out the other articles here:

Big 3 Day Weekend

Also, be sure to check out Amy’s companion piece as well:

Brewfests with Anxiety

Thanks For Reading

Don’t worry, I’ll give a more indepth article on the whole weekend in the days ahead (maybe a week or so). Be sure to check that out.

As always, please be sure to leave some comments, questions, concerns for us here or on our social media pages. Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Big 3 Day Weekend: Friday Recap

BKline — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 17:00:36 +0000

Flights at Dogfish Head Brewery

Where we started….

If you read the previous article – Big 3 Day Weekend – this is the first recap article in the series.

So Friday certainly was a day! We got to Dogfish Head at about 11:15AM. (Having left right after I finished and posted yesterday’s article.) And we hit it hard. First beer on the taster was the ‘Rip Van Wrinkle World Wide Stout’ which was a 18.4%. Then proceeded to follow that up with Orloso 120 Minute (a 15.4%) and 120 Minute regular. We did three flights at Dogfish Head Brewery before leaving for Burley Oak.

Well… we had to make an impromptu stop at Dewey Beer Co in Harbeson… then went to Burley Oak. At Dewey Beer we got several 6oz pours.

At Burley Oak we did a flight, and picked up our JREAMS Hydra and JREAMS Swerve that we ordered online. The flight was absolutely tasty.

We then traveled Tall Tales Brewery in Maryland on our way to Loakal Branch in Delaware to dip back into Maryland before hitting RAR Brewing.

RAR Brewing ended up being the last brewery stop of the day – as we got there only around 7PM. Its amazing how fast time travels at breweries. So, needless to say we did not hit the full list of breweries I planned.

Where We Ended Up

Yea… we never quite get to all of the breweries on my itineraries. Just how it is (I often get ‘scolded’ or over-planning or being too ambitious with my plans.

But, after RAR Brewing, we traveled all the way to Hagerstown from basically 9PM to 12-midnight to check in at our hotel in Hagerstown to spend the night and be prepared for the Cushwa Brewfest today. (Which, I am wrapping this article up, with the Uber on its way.)

Friday was still a very good day. We still got to six breweries – Dogfish Head, Dewey Beer Co, Burley Oak, Tall Tales, Loakal Branch, and RAR Brewing. Thats still a lot and we did plenty of traveling! (I got to have 36 beers in total at the various breweries, and quite a bit of food as well too.)

So now, I am wrapping this up, the Uber is nearly here, and we will be on our way to the Historic Springfield Barn for the Cushwa 5th Anniversary Celebration Brewfest. Maybe I’ll see you there! I know I can’t wait for it!

Thanks for Reading

This is definitely a brewfest that looks absolutely banging. You can get the details here: Cushwa 5th Celebration. I hope to be able to see some of you there, and I can’t wait for all the delicious brews!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Thank you for reading everyone. Have any questions, comments, or requests? Leave them for us in the comments section or on our social media pages! Thanks for reading! We appreciate you all checking in with us.

Big 3 Day Weekend

BKline — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Breweries and Events for the big 3 day weekend

Big Weekend

Got a big weekend lined up for us here at The Beer Thrillers. With the kingpin of the trip being the Cushwa 5 Year Anniversary Celebration.

Just about to head out as soon as my friend arrives. Today might be the biggest part of the trip, with the plan being:

Friday

Leave Home
Stop at the bank
Get gas at Sheetz

Then its time to hit the breweries:

Dogfish Head Brewery
Burley Oak Brewery
Tall Tales Brewery
Burnish Beer Co
Loakal Branch Brewery
RAR Brewing
Cult Classic Brewery
Street Car Brewing
City – State Brewery
Audacious Ale
True Respite Brewery
Harper’s Ferry Brewing
Antietam Brewery

And then end the day at our hotel. And then Saturday, the main event begins:

Saturday

Uber from Hotel to Historic Springfield Barn for the Cushwa Brewfest
Uber to Cushwa Brewery
Walk to Homaide Brewery
Uber back to Hotel

Sunday

Sunday will be a bit more of a peaceful day, as far as drinking goes. It will still be a fun and eventful day.

Leave Hotel
Antietam Battlefield
Harper’s Ferry
Harper’s Ferry Brewery (if we don’t get to it on Friday)
Abolitionist Ale Works
Charlestown Casino
Appalachian Trail C.O. Canal Towpath
Milkhouse Brewery
Fourscore Beer Co
Gettysburg
Home

We’ll see how it goes. Tomorrow morning before the brewfest, I’ll give a recap of how Friday (today) went. And then Sunday morning, I’ll give a recap of the brewfest. And then after Sunday some point, I’ll do a full article of our travels just like my previous travelogues. Be sure to check in for all of it!

Thanks For Reading

Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you can follow along with our wacky adventures, and hopefully we’ll get to most of the breweries on the list. (I always overbook the itineraries.)

Be sure to check in each day with the recaps!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Virginia Road Trip (Quick Recap)

BKline — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 16:11:11 +0000

Wheatland Spring Farm and Brewery in Waterford, Virginia

Road Trip Recap

Like I said in yesterday’s Puzzles and Pagans (2021) beer review – we were taking another road trip, this time to Virginia. So here’s the quick recap of where all we went:

Wheatfield Spring Farm and Brewery (Waterford, VA)
Harvest Gap Brewery (Hillsboro, VA)
Adroit Theory (Purcellville, VA)
Ball’s Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery
Ocelot Brewing Company (Sterling, VA)
Aslin Beer Company (Herndon, VA)

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. Loved each of the breweries for their own different reasons, and will go into that more, when I do the full article on the trip.

We’ve done many other brewery tours and trips, and a lot recently, so be sure to check in the Travelogues section here to see them all.

Thanks for checking out this little quick recap, and stay tuned for when we give the full account! These breweries were a blast!

Also, make sure you check out the still ongoing #freebeer Small Brewery Sunday Giveaway!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indy – Day 7 Recap: There and Back Again – A Drunk Hobbit’s Tale (WhiteHorse Brewing LLC, Gearhouse Brewing Company, Rubber Soul Brewing)

BKline — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 04:30:00 +0000

Cucumber Falls at Ohiopyl State Park

Started the day waking up in Morgantown West Virginia to the full cacophony of noises one can only hear at an Econo Lodge at 5AM. After getting situated, getting gas, mountain dew for the drive, basic necessities, I made the hour and a half trek to Ohiopyl Pennsylvania. There I made landfall in the state park at 10:30AM.

I started at the parking lot by the Cucumber Falls (pictured above) and took the long yellow trail. It was about 6 miles out and back to get to Flatrock and then Cascade Falls. (I’ll post pictures of them in the full recap.) This was a more difficult hiking trail than some I’ve done on the trip. The Meadow Run rapids and the Cascade Falls were equally beautiful.

There was a few other things to do in Ohiopyl, but since this was my last day, and by 3PM (the time I finished the hike), I figured it would be best to head home. It was roughly a 2.5-3 hour drive home, so I wanted to get moving. If I took the turnpike (and selected tolls) on my Google phone GPS maps whatever, it was going to be 2 hours and 15 some minutes (plus stops). If I did no tolls, it had me drop into Maryland just below the Mason-Dixon line and then come back up and be 3 hours and 34 minutes. Or something like that (don’t quote me on it exactly, I didn’t write it down).

But, I didn’t take either of these routes. I wanted to at least try a brewery in the area, since I most likely won’t be in this area again. So the closest, most local brewery, was Whitehorse Brewing LLC in Berlin. So off I went. Forty minute or so drive there.

Whitehorse Brewing LLC

I was a bit surprised by this place, because it looked like a typical development / suburban house and garage. (And I’m pretty sure it was, just converted into a brewery.) Inside was the brewer and a bartender and they were extremely nice, generous, and talkative about the area. I got an Apple Butter Cream Ale and enjoyed it outside by the fire before moving on.

Instead of driving for 2-2.5 hours straight home, I decided to break it up and hit another Pennsylvania brewery I hadn’t been to yet….

Gearhouse Brewing

Gearhouse Brewing in Chambersburg. I’ve heard nothing but good things, and know the brewers and many people who frequent it, unfortunately, getting down to Chambersburg hasn’t been in the cards until now. So I stopped there, had a flight, a delicious hamburger, and then it was ontowards home.

Sort of.

Earlier in the day my friend Drew texted me saying if I was home by 5 he’d be at Rubber Soul; well that didn’t work out, but my mom had wanted to go to Rubber Soul to try their Italian Wedding Soup (as did I; being a huge huge huge fan of Italian Wedding Soups), so I drove to my parents place, and we walked over to Rubber Soul for dinner.

Rubber Soul flight

And while I was gone, they had released four new beers I hadn’t had yet, so I got a flight of the beers I’ve missed (enjoyed all of them by the way, especially the blueberry pomegranate IPA and the sticky stout). Showed mom the pictures of my trip, the museums, the waterfalls, etc. Discussed how her grandmum (pure 100% Italian) made wedding soup, and my mom even went so far as to say this was her favorite Italian Wedding Soup she’s had not made by her family. Which for her would be extremely high praise.

Finally got home, and got to be reunited with my dog who I hadn’t seen since Sunday morning when I left. My ex-wife took good care of her, but she was still so super eager to greet me and take another walk that she basically pulled me the entire way.

Leela at home

The above picture doesn’t do justice to how excited she was to see me, and I have to say the feeling was very mutual. I sure missed my pup.

After taking her for a long walk, came home to see that I had a beer mail package from a buddy out in Bristol PA.

Beer Mail

We did a trade 2 cans for 2, and he threw in the extra – 12 oz can of Dulachan by Lavery – for me to review for the blog, free of charge. Thanks Steve! So be on the lookout for all three of these being reviewed soon.

Well, it is 11:30, and I am exhausted and its been a long seven day trip and I can finally rest and sleep in my own bed, so that is exactly what I am going to do.

Goodnight everyone and cheers, and thanks for following along on the trip!

-B. Kline

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The Trip to Indianapolis:

The Trip to Indy – Day Six Recap: How I Spent 4 Hours Hiking the Wrong Way at Hocking Hills and Returned to West Virginia (Jackie O’s Brewpub, Little Fish Brewing Co, Mountain State Brewing, Morgantown Brewing Company)

BKline — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 04:24:00 +0000

Day six, next to last day, and I spent the first four hours and some odd minutes hiking Hocking Hills. I woke up, despite waking up early, I kinda left later than I wanted (a trend, waking up at 6AM, but not leaving til 9AM when I should have left already, sigh). Drove the hour and a half to Hocking Hills, getting there around 11AM, and getting lost. Note: Google Maps will take you to the edge of the road closest to the State Park. Put in “Old Man’s Cave Visitor Center”.

Cedar Rapids at Hocking Hills State Park

I arrive, get out, and despite (what I realized at the end when leaving) that I parked right where I was SUPPOSED to begin my hike, I went to the port-o-pots (had to go!) and from there saw a trail, so I took that red trail because it had signs saying “Cedar Falls”…. well, little did I know, that Hocking Hills is all set up (at least mostly all) as one way hike paths. So the three mile red path that got me there, was not the correct way to go. I cheated a bit and still went down to the rapids, and then took the blue path to Ash Cave, then the yellow path to connect back to Whispering Cave, Hemlock Bridge, and back to the visitor center. I never even got to see Old Man’s Cave, despite it being the biggest thing about the park, and right next to the visitor center. Oh well. Gives me things to do for the future. I hiked 12+ miles in 4 hours, and I hadn’t eaten yet, so I leave around 3:30PM.

Jackie O’s Brewpub

My first stop was Jackie O’s Tap Room / Brew Pub outside of Athens. They didn’t do anything other than snacks, so I just got a flight, grabbed a mix six pack to take home, and after spending my time there, I then went to the next Athens area brewery…

Little Fish Brewing Co

Little Fish Brewing Co. Here, I got a lamb panini / taco thing that was pretty interesting and good. Had a beer (they didn’t do flights), and then made my two hour and forty minute drive to Fairmont West Virginia.

I arrive at 8:40PM in Fairmont at a brewery called Short Story Brewing, which Facebook listed as closing at 9PM…. but they did last call at 8:30, so I wasn’t able to drink. She recommended Rambling Root bar and for breweries Mountain State and Morgantown in nearby Morgantown.

Mountain Stain Brewing

Hopped back in the old mobile that is really racking up miles, drove the 5 minutes or so to Morgantown, and stopped at Mountain Stain. It kind of reminded me of an Outback Steakhouse, Texas Steakhouse, Applebee’s conglomeration. Had a flight there, and they were ok. Wish I would have done their guest flight too, since it had several breweries from the area (including that Short Story Brewing) that I’ve never had before, so I would have at least been able to try a larger range, but it was getting on 10PM and they were closing up, and so I figured I’d quickly hit Morgantown because they close at 11PM.

Morgantown Brewing Company

Morgantown Brewing Company was a nice front street type brewery that was the neighborhood bar too. Talk ranged from politics, to philosophies, to weather, to crops, to TV shows, from the nearby tables. I sat back and sipped my pint til closing time.

Made it to my motel, checked in, and watched the latest episode of The Mandalorian (wow! wow! wow!).

Tomorrow brings me to Day 7 and my final, complete, road trip back home. I will do much more in-depth reviews, pictures, etc, for the days in a few days, when I’m able to soak things back in, get back to normalcy, and not be rushed by the seven day road trip. I’ll also post lists of what all breweries I hit, mileage, steps, my route, etc.

Enjoy, and see you all here tomorrow for the conclusion!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis:

The Trip to Indy – Day Four Recap: Landfall is Made (Kurt Vonnegut Museum, TwoDEEP Brewing, Sun King Brewery, Bluebeard, Chilly Water Brewing, Ellison City Brewing)

BKline — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:20:00 +0000

Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

I woke up early outside of Dayton Ohio, and get my shower for the day at my La Quinta Hotel…. to find my room’s hot water isn’t working. (The check out lady gave me a run around saying I should have turned the knob a bit to the left, then back to the right to bypass something…. yea, ok lady.) So that was my wake-up for the day. Then it was on the road for what Google Maps had listed as a 1 Hour 18 Minute Drive….. which turned into a 2 Hour and 34 Minute Drive….. because Google Maps didn’t reload until I was on the road that I-70 was having massive road work done for a giant long stretch.

Whatever.

I made it to Indianapolis and to the Vonnegut Museum at 12-noon, just in time for everything to start. In my full detailed travelogue I’ll discuss it, but the reason for the trip was to get here on Wednesday (today) – November 11th, – Armistice Day – Veteran’s Day – Kurt Vonnegut’s birthday. He would have turned 98 years old today.

Like I said, I’ll go into much more detail about the museum and library, but suffice it to say it was fantastic, and any fan of Vonnegut owes it to themselves to come out and check out the museum and library at least once in their lives. I’m looking to come back in two years for his 100th Birthday.

TwoDEEP Brewing

After the Museum, my first Indianapolis brewery was TwoDEEP Brewing. Fun little brewery, beautiful inside. I had a roasted amber ale and a pilsner. (No flights, just drafts.) Both were fantastic.

The Vonnegut Mural

I of course had to drive and stop (illegally parked – at a meter – might I add) and get out and grab a picture of this. I also later in my day stopped by his childhood home and then the cemetery where he was buried. (I was unable to find his grave, but I did find President Benjamin Harrison’s gravesite.)

Sun King Brewery

An absolute must stop for everyone in Indianapolis. This is THEE brewery in the city, and it shows. They’ve won a ton of awards in the past, and several more this year at the 2020 GABF. Amazing beers, not a single bad one. Even my least favorite from them was nearly a four cap beer. The nacho and taco place inside was also really great. Be sure to visit Sun King if you are ever even remotely in the area.

Bluebeard

So after driving out to his childhood home and grabbing a picture, and going up to the cemetery and driving around looking for ‘him’, I had to stop at BLUEBEARD for dinner. Why? Well, the tavern is named after his novel ‘Bluebeard’ and even has a picture of him with a replica of a typewriter he used. This is a very hoighty-toighty place, (baby octopus was 28$) and very heavy sea-food (which when you are deathly allergic, is a slight scare). But I had a fantastic beer from a local brewery in can and great pasta.

Chilly Water Brewing

About three businesses down from Bluebeard was a brewery (just happened on it by walking to / from my parked car). So I ducked in for a pint, and picked up a four pack to go.

Ellison City Brewing

I ended my night (as far as breweries go) at Ellison City Brewing. Looked like an old apartment building reimagined, not quite sure though in the dark. When I entered they had two food trucks or two kind of party trucks or something outside, and a lot of younger (20s) dancing and carrying on by them. After I had my pint and read, which I nursed a bit, and came out, the revelers and trucks were gone. Shrug.

Then it was off to another hotel for the night, where I wanted to finish A Man With No Country by Vonnegut, but sadly, I stayed on the phone with a co-worker til about 12:30AM and then soon passed out watching Chappelle Show on Netflix.

Tomorrow’s itinerary is Cincinnati, with a dip into Kentucky. Then moving on towards Hocking Hills, Athens, and Ohiopyl and back home to Central Pennsylvania. Nearing the home stretch of the trip and tour. We’ve gone, now we’re coming back.

Cheers!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis:

The Trip to Indy – Day Three Recap: Started in Washington and Ended Up in Dayton – How did I Get Here? (Southside Brewing Company, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, Land-Grant Brewing Company, The Wandering Griffin)

BKline — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 04:40:00 +0000

Had a slow start to the day leaving Washington Pennsylvania (not Washington D.C and definitely not Washington the state). Drove out of Pennsylvania, and I have to cut through West Virginia for all of twenty minutes before entering Ohio…. when I see sirens. And sure enough, I’m pulled over going 64 in a 45MPH zone where it just dropped from 65MPH. Ugh, there’s a start to the day. And to boot, I find out my driver’s license expired on the 28th of August (day after my birthday), which is interesting that none of the places I’ve used my license at (like the Casino last night) took notice or said anything.

Salt Fork State Park

My first stop of the day was Salt Fork State Park. Where I sat along the beach and listened to the lapping of the lake’s waves for a while, then hiked the surrounding trails by the camp ground and golf course.

On my way towards Columbus I stopped at my first brewery of the day in Georgetown Ohio – George’s Tavern on the Hill, with a winery and brewery as part of it’s location. The brewery was called Southside Brewing Company.

Southside Brewing Company

After this, I then made my way towards Columbus. This is a long, slow drive, especially now that I was a bit leery of speeding too much.

I stopped at Blackhand Gorge and did several of the hikes there, including the tunnel and the quarry. Both gorgeous views and interesting sights. After this it was time to make my way into Columbus itself.

Where I wish I could have stayed longer, but sadly it was already 5PM when I got to Columbus. Also with it being a Tuesday, and with COVID still going on, it was hard timing myself up with breweries. For example I missed Weasel Boy in Zainesville which I was recommended, but anyway, in Columbus I did get to visit two breweries before moving on.

Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

First stop was Wolf’s Ridge Brewing. Where I had a delicious rauchbier and a fantastic Russian Imperial stout. I highly recommend stopping here. The food looked great too (I didn’t eat there).

Next, I was on to Land-Grant Brewing Company.

Land-Grant Brewing Company

Sadly I didn’t have time to fully stay and appreciate Land-Grant or cross the street to BrewDog because I needed to get to Dayton by 8:30. That was my final destination and stop, and there was a brewery right near a hotel, which is becoming a popular thing for me. So I wanted to hit that before it shut down. I definitely will be coming back to Columbus in the future, and hopefully on a weekend and hopefully without a pandemic going on.

The Wandering Griffin (photo courtesy of their Facebook page)

My last stop for the day and got there as they were doing their final pours. I had their Oktoberfest which was good (can never turn down an Oktoberfest). I didn’t get as many pictures of the breweries today as I had wished, but, so it goes.

Tomorrow’s itinerary is Indianapolis to visit the Vonnegut Museum for his birthday. I’ll be posting on our Instagram and Facebook and Twitter pages when I get to places, and I’ll do my update at the night like usual. See you then!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis:

The Trip to Indy – Day Two Recap: Landfall in Pittsburgh and Shenanigans (Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Hop Farm Brewing Company)

BKline — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 04:40:00 +0000

Day two of the trip arrived bright and early at my hotel in Indiana. After the morning get-up and get ready, and a harried look for my wallet (it fell back behind the bed and took me twenty minutes to find it), I was finally on the move towards Pittsburgh.

Rock Furnace Trail – Mile 0

The day started with some trails around the Jackson Falls. The Rock Furnace Trail walks right along the beautiful creek’s edge with lots of little rapids and small waterfalls. Beautiful 9AM walk with nobody in sight. It then led into the Roaring Run Trail along the river where there were more bikers and walkers.

After my hike, it was time to keep moving west young faithful traveler.

Allusion Brewing Company

The first brewery for day two was Allusion Brewing Company in Vandergrift Pennsylvania. A pretty little brewery pub that really captured the old – time feel of the town. The town was quaint, small, and old in that way most small Pennsylvania towns are. It reminded me of the town from the Back to the Future (when they travel back in time). It just had this oldey timey feel. The beers at Allusion were top notch. And if you visit, and Jim is there, make sure to say hello, great guy and fun bartender. The flights are also very cool, they repurposed old library card catalogue holders.

After this I ventured into Pittsburgh itself (I know a dangerous thing for a Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia Phillies fan to do), but I visited the Rodef Shalom Botanical Biblical Garden. I stopped here last year with my girls, to find out we were there on the wrong day (despite Google Maps saying they were open). Well, once again Google Maps got me, and here they closed for the season back on September 15th.

Couch Brewery

I was invited by Bobby, the current head brewer for Couch Brewery, to stop in and pay him a visit. They were closed but he was in the ‘shop’ kegging their upcoming release – The Four Horseman, so he invited me in, gave me a tour of their facilities backstage, and brought me out to the bar, and let me have a run of samples of all of their beers. Even giving me a four pack to go. Top notch dude, a complete blast and riot, funny guy, and knows his beer as well. The beers were all fantastic, and he sent me on my way with – Macho Man, Sofa Quasimodo, Morning Wood (not often can I say that a guy sent me on my way with Morning Wood), and Atomic Clock.

Four Horseman

He even gave me a sample of their upcoming collaboration beer that he was kegging – The Four Horseman. (He’s Arn Anderson.) I can’t say enough thanks for the hospitality and friendliness he showed me. If you are in the Pittsburgh area be sure to stop out and check Couch Brewery out.

I then traveled up to Riverview Park, where along the way, I must’ve made about ten different wrong turns, going up the steepest hills and back down the steepest slopes. I passed the St. Anthony’s Chapel, where I had taken my daughters to last year, to see a piece of the Cross. I finally made it to the Alleghany Observatory parking lot, and spent the next couple of hours walking and hiking.

Penn Brewery

While up on Troy’s Hill I saw Penn Brewery and stopped, they were unfortunately closed, but I still snapped a picture, and found a brewery (don’t fail me now Google Maps) that was open, so I was on my way to Hop Farm Brewing Company.

Hop Farm Brewing Company

I got to Hop Farm Brewing Company around 7:30PM to find they were at max capacity, so I walked the block, and went back to my car for about fifteen minutes and read, then came back and they luckily had an open table. (Seating was pretty limited.) The burger was delicious and they did their french fries in hop oil (like how Troegs Brewing does their’s at their brewery), and they were absolutely stellar, better even than Troegs.

Hop Farm Brewing Company

My night concluded with me going to The Meadows Casino and Racetrack. Hung out there for a bit, checked out the dice tables, poker room (didn’t play), and tried to get a local beer on tap – Sobel’s Obscure Brewery’s Prehistoric Pilsner. But it kicks with barely a taste in it, and when for replacement I asked the bartender for a local beer, she offers me the Sierra Nevada’s Little Hazy Thing …… sigh. Oh well, so it goes.

Hop and a skip over to my hotel, and I’m calling it a night. See you guys on here again for tomorrow’s recap as I venture into Ohio and Columbus. Cheers!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis: