Highway Manor Brewery - The Beer Thrillers

Highway Manor Brewing Temporarily Closed For Remainder of 2023

B. Kline — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 14:48:00 +0000

Highway Manor Only Temporarily Closed

Closed? Permanently Closed? or Temporarily Closed? I guess it all just depends on who you ask. If you ask the owner of the brewery the answer would be “Temporarily Closed”; if you ask Google the answer is “Permanently Closed” and if you ask Facebook it would be “Complicated”.

After our piece – Highway Manor Brewing Has Seemingly Been Closed – was published on October 26th, 2023, PennLive’s writer Sue Gleiter followed up and released her article on October 30th: Brewery in Cumberland County is closed for now.

Unable to get a response myself from Johnnie Compton III (who had previously reached out to me about the opening of Highway Manor – Highway Manor Opening in Camp Hill – as well as to do beer reviews for them); Compton did respond to Gleiter, giving her quotes for her article.

Despite no public announcement of any kind on any social media platform, despite the Google page listings and searches showing a “Permanently Closed” section for the brewery, and despite some really odd and troubling comments by people online, Johnnie Compton III tells Gleiter that Highway Manor Brewing is only temporarily closed, and that he is planning on re – opening in 2024.

Their liquor license as per PLCB ended in December 2022, and Compton is saying that he will be renewing it start of January 2024 and plans to reopen the brewery starting 2024.

Controversy

Firstly, let’s go over again the controversy during COVID. As stated in the previous article – Highway Manor Brewing Has Seemingly Been Closed – Highway Manor Brewing had some “controversy” over signs they had on their door.

On December 27th, 2020; PennLive ran an article discussing how Johnnie Compton III took the sign down; primarily at the urging of his daughter.

In the most recent of pandemic-related controversies, a West Shore brewery owner has taken down a sign that brought allegations of racism to his door.

Johnnie Compton III, owner of Highway Manor Brewery in Camp Hill, said once the COVID-19 regulations hit his business, he and his staff put up “funny signs” to alert customers to their new methods of operation.Controversial sign on central Pa. brewery gone after owner says joke was ‘misconstrued’

The second shut down for restaurants, businesses of the social sort, casinos, etc; was done as a way to curtail problems with COVID – 19 that might arrive during the holiday seasons of Christmas and New Years Eve after Thanksgiving.

Johnnie had stated that he and his staff enjoyed putting up signs on their door, as well as internally during the tumultuous 2020 as a way to bring levity to the time. And with the second shut down, he was ‘agonizing’ over what to put up next when he thought of his “TO GO ONLY – BLAME CHINA” sign; thinking it was funny.

I’m sick of hearing about COVID.Johnnie Compton III – Owner and Head Brewmaster for Highway Manor Brewing

The sign was originally posted on Wednesday, which was the 23rd. Compton stated that only the day of the PennLive article did the sign go viral on social media. (But it seems the sign was both up longer than Wednesday, despite the article and Comtpon saying so, and that it made the rounds of social media sooner than had been stated as well.)

While talking about it with his staff, someone made a joke about the coronavirus coming from China, which Compton said is a simple fact. With that, came their latest sign:

“TO GO ONLY BLAME CHINA” with the taproom’s hours and Compton’s phone number listed alongside it.

While the sign went up on Wednesday, Compton said it was only in the last day or so that the sign began making its rounds on social media and people began complaining about it, with some calling him a racist.

One post viewed by PennLive said the person was trying to support local businesses when they saw the sign. “So ignorant and xenophobic,” the person wrote, adding they would not be returning.

Compton said people have been messaging and calling him, including a woman who called him at 9:30 p.m. Saturday to call him a racist.

In the end, he said he decided to take the sign down.

“People are misinterpreting it, clearly,” Compton said.Controversial sign on central Pa. brewery gone after owner says joke was ‘misconstrued’

Writing controversial signs certainly isn’t new for Compton at the brewery; previously he had written one sign saying: “Wear a mask by order of the Big Bad Wolf.”

For more information on the controversy, you can read the full news article here: Controversial sign on central Pa. brewery gone after owner says joke was ‘misconstrued’ by PennLive.

Comments, Reactions, etc.

After our story was posted and went onto social media, there were numerous remarks, replies, and comments from several people about the brewery. Most of them pretty troubling or at least interesting to say the least. Here is some snippets of some of the comments.

I stopped in a few months ago and the doors were locked and the lights were off.. no mention on FB that they were closed that day. Kinda figured this was coming.
Redditer – Mustang46L

I remember when they were only selling their beers in Philly and NYC. When we asked him why we can’t get it in Harrisburg, he said “Harrisburg isn’t ready for my beer”. Then he proceeded to show his ass during COVID times.

So I am not taking this as a huge loss.
Redditer – Ed5275

Guy has very questionable hygiene with his beer production. Also that manor was more of a crackhouse.
Redditer – clownus

This is my shocked face😐. Johnny has not exactly built up goodwill with anybody, always looks for shortcuts and has gone out of his way to piss off customers. Pretty talented brewer but just a terrible person and businessman.
Redditer – Live_Podcast_Junkie

I went there once last year and actually had a pretty good time with a few good beers and I tried going there earlier this year once and all the lights were off like they were closed at like 8 pm on a Saturday night which I thought was weird but the door was open.. I yelled in asking if they were open but got no response and left. It was definitely interesting.
Redditer

Google says open….. sign on door says open!!!! But closed!! UPDATE YOUR HOURS!!!!!! May actually have good beers ….. but I will never know!!!!! 5pm on a Monday!!!!!
Google Reviewer – Josh Elkins (3 months ago)

I’m confused why a brewery would put themselves in a position to only target a certain percentage of consumers in the area. We do not drink sours so will never visit and that could be the thought of other beer lovers. Just my opinion but it cuts revenue a good bit and that’s bad business. I’m sure the place is creative but as of posting this, the place looks abandoned and there are tons of others around.
Google Reviewer – Amanda McBride (5 months ago)

I really debated putting this review up, but I feel like people need to know about the owners of this establishment. An incident occurred while I was there that they drove their forklift into my unoccupied, legally parked car. They then tried to buy me off (at a discounted price of repairs, of course) and threatened my safety when I reported it to the police and insurance company. This establishment is shady at best. If you want to worry about damage to your vehicles and being threatened by the owners- then this is your place.
Google Reviewer – Lisa Rose (1 year ago)

I went there last Saturday around 1:00 PM and it was a confusing experience. The hours on the building said they were open, the door was unlocked, but no lights were one. There was a Futon mattress on the floor in a side room and no one was around. It looked abandoned, or closed for a while at the least. Not sure if this is closed permanently or what.
Google Reviewer – Matt Hendrick (8 months ago)

Stating its a Temporary Closure

In the PennLive article, Johnnie Compton III tells Sue Gleiter that its just a temporary closure. That he’s currently helping his family’s business – Miracle Steel, Mechanicsburg PA.

Highway Manor Brewing Co. at 2238 Gettysburg Road in Lower Allen Township appears to no longer be in business and is listed on Google as closed, but owner Johnnie Compton III said he decided to take a year off and will reopen in January.

“I was too busy,” Compton said, noting he’s noticed a rash of other breweries closing and many struggling to find enough employees.
Brewery in Cumberland County is closed for now – PennLive

The PennLive article doesn’t give much more information than that quote – which was added in the update to the article (original publish time was October 30th, 11:35 AM, and the updated time was October 30th, 5:53 PM). The updated edit byline states that the article was updated to include his quotes.

The remainder of the article goes on to discuss the start of Highway Manor Brewing, how it got its name, and how Johnnie Compton III got involved in sour beers and brewing.

Currently the business has made no public announcements of any kind about the business itself. Be it closed, temporary closed, or permanently closed. Their social media is still quiet, and their last Facebook post still remains the April 16th one. Their official website is still active, even including their “hours of operation”, with no word on any sort of closure.

For More Articles on Highway Manor Brewing

Highway Manor Brewing Has Seemingly Been Closed
Highway Manor Brewing Temporarily Closed For Remainder of 2023
Brewery Opening: Highway Manor
Brewery Review: Highway Manor
Beer Review: Dreams of Orgonon (Human Robot) (had at Highway Manor Brewery)

For More Information on Highway Manor Brewing

The following comes from Untappd. Highway Manor Brewing is listed as a micro brewery from Camp Hill, PA. They have 54 unique beers and over 27,000 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.69 as of 10.26.23. Their Untappd description is blank.

You can follow them on the following social media platforms:

The brewery’s location was: 2238 Gettysburg Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011.

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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Highway Manor Brewing Has Seemingly Been Closed

B. Kline — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 20:48:51 +0000

Apparent Closing

Breweries closing and ghosting isn’t all that outside of the unusual. Typically though they don’t completely fall through the radar system – normally someone sees it and it gets noticed. Highway Manor Brewing did one of the most quiet closings in quite a while however.

About two weeks ago we went out to Sworn Brewing and just on a whim decided to see about Highway Manor Brewing. I knew it had been quite a while since we had gone out there (apparently two years). Amy and I had went, and I had gone out previously by myself on their opening night / weekend. Looking it up on some saved breweries Google maps I have on my phone, and on the three maps it was still listed as a brewery with the mug there.

But when doing a Google search, it popped up as “Permanently Closed”.

Seemingly no mentions of it on the various beer groups of the area; nor the brewery groups of the state; nor even websites or beer sites at large.

Checking their personal Facebook their last post was on April 16th, a simple post, a shared post from Blackfoot Daisy, just saying: “If you really want to strike back at Ticketmaster, go see a local band at a local venue.”

There is one comment on the post, from 9 weeks ago, saying: “PSA: this is closed down! It doesn’t say it ANYWHERE online but it’s abandoned.”

The next post before that is a post from December 24th, 2022 stating: “Opening from 3-8pm today.” And the last post before this one is from Thanksgiving giving hours.

So obviously, posting on social media was certainly not a huge pressing concern for the brewery, but even outside the April post being a share, the last real post was from December 24th, 2022.

Highway Manor Brewing as it appears when searched for on Google

Controversy

During the second COVID – 19 shut down in late 2020 and very early 2021; Highway Manor Brewing found themselves in a rather steeped bit of controversy.

The brewery had put a sign on their front door saying: “TO GO ONLY – BLAME CHINA.” And on various things the personal owner and brewer (via Facebook, Twitter, etc.) posted that it was the “Asian Flu” and that the “Chineese Pandemic Did This”.

On December 27th, 2020; PennLive ran an article discussing how Johnnie Compton III took the sign down; primarily at the urging of his daughter.

In the most recent of pandemic-related controversies, a West Shore brewery owner has taken down a sign that brought allegations of racism to his door.

Johnnie Compton III, owner of Highway Manor Brewery in Camp Hill, said once the COVID-19 regulations hit his business, he and his staff put up “funny signs” to alert customers to their new methods of operation.
Controversial sign on central Pa. brewery gone after owner says joke was ‘misconstrued’

I’m sick of hearing about COVID.
Johnnie Compton III – Owner and Head Brewmaster for Highway Manor Brewing

While talking about it with his staff, someone made a joke about the coronavirus coming from China, which Compton said is a simple fact. With that, came their latest sign:

“TO GO ONLY BLAME CHINA” with the taproom’s hours and Compton’s phone number listed alongside it.

While the sign went up on Wednesday, Compton said it was only in the last day or so that the sign began making its rounds on social media and people began complaining about it, with some calling him a racist.

One post viewed by PennLive said the person was trying to support local businesses when they saw the sign. “So ignorant and xenophobic,” the person wrote, adding they would not be returning.

Compton said people have been messaging and calling him, including a woman who called him at 9:30 p.m. Saturday to call him a racist.

In the end, he said he decided to take the sign down.

“People are misinterpreting it, clearly,” Compton said.
Controversial sign on central Pa. brewery gone after owner says joke was ‘misconstrued’

Writing controversial signs certainly isn’t new for Compton at the brewery; previously he had written one sign saying: “Wear a mask by order of the Big Bad Wolf.”

For more information on the controversy, you can read the full news article here: Controversial sign on central Pa. brewery gone after owner says joke was ‘misconstrued’ by PennLive.

Problems

The controversy over the signs certainly didn’t help the brewery any. The Highway Manor Brewery opened on September 26th, 2020 during COVID – 19. Obviously not the best time to be opening a brewery; but many others have made it work that opened during that year (Rubber Soul in Hummelstown, The Englewood in Hummelstown / Hershey, etc.) Rubber Soul Brewing Company even opened just four days after Highway Manor Brewing.

Highway Manor Brewing left no messages on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, etc; stating why they closed. But there is most likely numerous reasons. The ghosting of breweries has become more of a prevalent things in recent months / this year; or at least the very minimal notice of imminent closing (like Mount Gretna Brewing Company).

Businesses aren’t obligated to tell anybody when they are closing, but it certainly fosters good trust in the future dealings with owners, helps their own staff, and at least is good etiquette to their faithful guests and customers. It just seems like the reasonable and nice thing to do.

No Word Has Been Received

No word has been received since a week ago when I sent one to the e-mail provided on the Facebook. (It has also not come back with a DAEMON response either though.)

I imagine a few maps will be needing to be updated soon to show that the brewery has been closed. Its a shame, when Amy and I went, we had a nice few beers (despite the lone dog just wandering the premises unleashed), and the time I went by myself at their opening – I enjoyed the beers and the sandwich.

An excerpt from my brewery review:

All around amazing beer and went fantastically with my sandwich. By this point I had moved to the center table and sat across from the one swing. I was informed by Johnny (Johnny Compton III – owner/brewer at Highway Manor Brewing) that a friend of his bought everyone a round. I was then joined by a couple – Lucas and Kaitlin who sat next to me.

They were both wearing ‘cat’ pants (pants with dozens of cat faces all over them), and quickly from talking to them I realized Lucas was Johnny’s friend. I thanked him for the beer, and for the rest of the night there, talked with them while we all drank, as well as talked with a few others who were there and one or two that came and went.
Brewery Review: Highway Manor Brewing

For More Articles on Highway Manor Brewing

For More Information on Highway Manor Brewing

You can follow them on the following social media platforms:

The brewery’s location was: 2238 Gettysburg Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011.

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:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

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Beer Review: Dreams of Orgonon (Human Robot)

BKline — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 13:34:38 +0000

Dreams of Orgonon by Human Robot (at Highway Manor Brewing Co.)

When I was at the grand opening of Highway Manor they had several Philly area brewery beers on tap (Rainey Cellar, Brewery ARS, Naked Brewing, and Human Robot). You can check out all of them in a short review of the beers as well as a brewery review of Highway Manor here. All of them were delicious, but this one I felt deserved a more full fledged beer review than just the mini review I gave.

Here’s the mini-review I gave:

“My Untappd Rating: ****.5
Global Untappd Rating: 4.15 (as of 9.28.20)

This was extremely tasty, juicy, dank, and delicious. Everything you want from a New England IPA, this had in spades, plus some. All around amazing beer and went fantastically with my sandwich. By this point I had moved to the center table and sat across from the one swing. I was informed by Johnny (Johnny Compton III – owner / brewer at Highway Manor Brewing) that a friend of his bought everyone a round. I was then joined by a couple – Lucas and Kaitlin who sat next to me.”

So, now, let’s give it a more full fledged, in depth review.

Dreams of Orgonon by Human Robot

Beer: Dreams of Orgonon
Brewery: Human Robot
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 6.6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Deliciously dreamy juice bomb brewed with sweet golden promise malt and hopped intensely with Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7. Its like the sun coming out…

This was my first beer from Human Robot – and hopefully, all fingers, toes, and things crossed, it won’t be my last.

Firstly, unlike my brief description, I’ll do my typical three paragraph breakdown (appearance, aroma, taste). (Oh, you didn’t notice thats how I do my reviews? ….well, now you know my system. Deconstruct away!)

So let’s start with the appearance then. I know its a bit hard to tell in the picture due to the pink fluorescent light / glow, but this is a bright golden orange hazy IPA. It has that orange juice look and glow to it that most (well done) New England IPAs have. A nice foamy head too, with lots of dispersed bubbles, and good lacing left on the glass. This already looks good before even getting to the nose.

The Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 hops gives this an amazing hop aroma. Citrusy, mango, mellon, rind, and a small dosage of orange notes I pick up. Some Earthy / grassy tones, but very extremely subtle. This smells like its going to be juicy, it looks to be dank, and I gotta believe its gonna be delicious….

…..and huzzah… it is! It is extremely…. extremely… extremely delicious! So juicy, so dank, so hazy, so strong, so citrusy, so mellon-y, so mango-y, so tasty, so so so so so tasty. This is bright, strong, beautiful, bold, and powerful. Its extremely juicy. This could be a shot of orange juice in the morning (and would be a hell of a lot better and tasty than any orange juice OJ I ever had). The citrus notes are very strong, and they lead into the mellon, mellon rind, mango notes, always love that combination in an IPA – especially a juicy New England IPA, it just seems to fit and blend so perfectly together. This went down extremely well, and absolutely helped me crush a lot of my turkey sandwich (pictured with the beer). Also at only 6.6% its pretty damn crushable itself. I could see a crowler of this going down smooth and easily in the backyard or at a picnic or mowing or just hanging out with friends… or… well, anywhere / anytime. This is the perfect epitome of the style and is why people like New England IPAs; juicy, dank, hazy, no crazy hop bite, smooth, nice foamy head, nice taste, nice flavors, no after taste, no lingering dislikes, no off flavors, this is just an extremely well crafted beer that hits all the right spots. Can’t say enough great things about it.

My Untappd Rating: ****.50
Global Untappd Rating: 4.16 (as of 10.9.20)

Definitely add this brewery to your list of breweries to watch out for and to check out, especially if you are in the Philly area. I know they’ve skyrocketed to the top of my ‘must visit’ breweries list.

Well, I’m now off to drive to Ming’s to go with Ming and Don to Wellsboro PA to visit the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, and we are most likely going to be stopping at (at least one) a brewery for the dinner. Most likely going to be New Trail in Williamsport, but I might be able to convince them to also stop at Bullfrog Brewery or Bald Bird’s on the way back through. We’ll see. I’ll be sure to have it on The Beer Thrillers Facebook page, as well as our Instagram, so be sure to check them out to see what breweries we hit today.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Until next time, cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

Brewery Review: Highway Manor Brewing Co.

BKline — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Highway Manor Brewing Co. opened their doors (finally!) for in-house service Saturday, at 11AM (September 26th, 2020). You can read our preview article here: Brewery Opening – Highway Manor.

From Highway Manor Brewing Co’s Facebook page – a screenshot of our posting about their brewery opening

Saturday night after work got over (7PM) I got the pleasure to get to Highway Manor Brewing in Camp Hill. I left work at 7 and got there at about 7:25-7:30. There was still a decent crowd at the time when I got there (inside tables were full and the tables with the swing seats were full). I ordered the Mr. Blackberry and a Turkey Sandwich to start.

Mr. Blackberry by Highway Manor Brewing Co.

Beer: Mr. Blackberry
Brewery: Highway Manor Brewing Co.
Style: Sour – Other
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: None

First time having this, I’ve had several other Highway Manor beers at various brewfests (Lititz Brewfest, Lancaster Brewfest, possibly Little Big Beer Fest or the Mount Hope RenFaire Brewfest), and this was just as good as all of those. This was super tart, delicious, fruity, with a great berry flavor.

On Untappd I gave it a ****.25
The global Untappd rating (as of 9.27.20) is: 3.73

Soon my food was arriving, and I had already drained my Blackberry sour, so I needed a new beer to help eat the food. (By the way, the entire food menu looked amazing, the turkey sandwich was phenomenal. Top of the line, high quality food, and very cheap, and with huge portions.)

Once my sandwich arrived I needed another beer, and decided to try some of their guest taps that they had running (they had five drafts; all guest taps). I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about Human Robot but haven’t had a chance yet to try anything from them, so I decided to try out their IPA – Dreams of Orgonon.

Dreams of Orgonon by Human Robot

My Untappd Rating: ****.5
Global Untappd Rating: 4.15 (as of 9.28.20)

This was extremely tasty, juicy, dank, and delicious. Everything you want from a New England IPA, this had in spades, plus some. All around amazing beer and went fantastically with my sandwich. By this point I had moved to the center table and sat across from the one swing. I was informed by Johnny (Johnny Compton III – owner/brewer at Highway Manor Brewing) that a friend of his bought everyone a round. I was then joined by a couple – Lucas and Kaitlin who sat next to me.

They were both wearing ‘cat’ pants (pants with dozens of cat faces all over them), and quickly from talking to them I realized Lucas was Johnny’s friend. I thanked him for the beer, and for the rest of the night there, talked with them while we all drank, as well as talked with a few others who were there and one or two that came and went.

Compton Pilsner (a collaboration by Raney Cellar Brewery and Highway Manor Brewing)

Beer: Compton Pilsner
Brewery: Raney Cellars Brewing Company
Collaboration with: Highway Manor Brewing Co.
Style: Pilsner – Czech
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: A traditional Pilsner with Mr Johnny Compton from Highway Manor Brewing. Saaz Hops from start to finish on this Pils.

As I’ve said in the blog here before when doing reviews, pilsners are a style that can be very hit or miss for me. This was a complete hit for me. Blew me away how wonderful the flavor was, how crisp it was, no lingering aftertastes (which I sometimes get from pilsners and why they are often a miss for me). This is just a fantastically brewed beer.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.88 (as of 9.28.20)

Throughout the night I had been texting with the group text of guys from my work, a group of us that regularly meet to play the Game of Thrones board game (and other games) and just group text each other about all kinds of things, from beer to philosophy, to politics, to work, to movies, shows, nerd culture, etc. My one friend and co-worker in the group text decided he would spend the night throwing out some new “blog names” for me instead of using The Beer Thrillers. At this point, I’d like to take a divergence from the brewery review and highlight the best that D. Pezzuti had to offer:

Benjamin Buzzin
Get Ben’t
Bend Over Bens Benders
The Curious Cases of Benjamin Buzzin

We then discussed doing a segment of beer reviews of Nitro stouts and rate them in the style of WCW Nitro Years. With five star Nitro stouts being WCW Nitro ’97 and one star Nitro stouts being WCW Nitro ’01. We also discussed calling the faithful to the blog “Hopamaniacs”.

Anyway…. back to the program…

Time for another beer, this time I went for another guest draft – this time from Naked Brewing; Thank Frank.

Thank Frank by Naked Brewing Company

Beer: Thank Frank
Brewery: Naked Brewing Company
Style: IPA – American
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: West Coast IPA hopped with Citra & Amarillo.
Refreshing and perfect for those warm September days. Notes of dank citrus & delicious sticky resin.

A traditional hoppy IPA, this was a change of pace from the crisp pilsner, the juicy New England IPA, and the super tart and delicious sour Mr. Blackberry. This was a good, hoppy, bitter, earthy IPA, old west coast style old-school vibe to it.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.75 (as of 9.28.20)

It was starting to get late, I had thought about meeting two friends (D. Arndt and Youngblood) at Ever Grain before Ever Grain closed (at 11 – just like Highway Manor) since they were doing their Anniversary weekend, but Youngblood’s comedy (stand up comedy) bit went on longer and they wouldn’t be leaving their show til just before 11 anyway. So I stayed til closing getting to talk to Lucas and Kaitlin and others.

At this point, we also got introduced to Johnnie’s dog – a great dane and black lab mix – named Luna. Absolutely beautiful and wonderful dog. Fun and playful and nice drinking companion (no, I didn’t give the dog any beer).

So for my final beer of the night, I tried another brewery I never had before but have heard nothing but great things about – Brewery ARS.

Unfortunately for this, I do not have a pic, as just as I was ordering, my phone died and I did not have a charger on me. (9 hour day at work, plus driving using my GPS, plus texting, plus Untappd, and other apps, for notes, etc., really drained the battery).

Beer: Embrace the Day
Brewery: Brewery ARS
Style: IPA – Imperial / Double New England
ABV: 8.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Hazy Double IPA :: mosaic, simcoe, falconer’s flight, el dorado

Another juicy, bright, delicious New England style IPA; this time a DIPA. A great beer to end the night on. This was super easy to drink, juicy, and went down fast (also perhaps because it was the end of the night and my fifth drink, but who knows).

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 4.09 (as of 9.28.20)

Before leaving, I said my goodbyes to everyone, and got to talk to Johnnie Compton a bit more. He is a great dude, knows his saisons, knows his yeast, knows his beer, and very down to Earth. Thanked me for coming out, and sent me on my way with a few (free) bottles of Mr. Peach and Mr. Plum. Which I will be diving into on the next stream with D. Scott for The Knights of Nostalgia.

I will discuss the aesthetics of the brewery now. The building is small, but well laid out (even with the current COVID restrictions), it has two rooms for dining tables, and then an open patio like area. Kind of reminds you of a house in the suburbs with the patio garage area.

The swings are really neat. I am wondering if they may become a problem with an ‘intoxicated’ person, but at a brewery, I highly doubt this will come up, but you never know. The tables and seating area though is gorgeous, both indoor and outdoor. Indoors, it has a rave like vibe with the glowing lights and the glow in the dark paint. (Make sure to check out the bathroom to really see what I mean.)

Lucas summed it up when we were discussing the brewery and the area, that its a “Philly bar in Camp Hill, turned saison bottle brewery.” And thats probably the most apt way to describe it. Johnnie and I were discussing how it was like opening during COVID and everything, and he was saying how nuts he was for opening a brewery primarily based on bottles rather than draft, and to do it during a global pandemic on top of everything.

The food menu on Saturday night looked fantastic. Lamb, turkey, vegetarian or vegan sandwich, and many other options, all for 8$ or less. Not sure if that menu is permanent or if it will be changed or updated or switched, but Johnnie did say he’s hoping to have food trucks in their parking lot area and grass field area across from the brewery on weekends.

The following pictures I took Saturday night while I was there:

Highway Manor Brewing Co. (Pictures by: The Beer Thrillers) (Include: Highway Manor Brewer and Luna)

The following pictures are courtesy of Highway Manor’s Facebook page:

Highway Manor Brewing Co. Grand Opening – September 26th, 2020 (Photos courtesy of Highway Manor Brewing Co. Facebook page)

This will certainly be a stop I will make regularly when on the West Shore, and will be perfect when hitting the area to do a brewery lap. Other great local breweries include Ever Grain, Mellow Mink, Hemaur Brewing, and Pizza Boy (as well as Liquid Noise which is a bit further, but still in the general area). So lots of great options all in the area.

I personally highly recommend checking the brewery out, and trying their wonderful tremendous beers. Especially if you like farmhouse ales, saisons, tart beers, sours, lambics, or all things similar. They also will have a rotating guest draft list that looks great for the area (Johnnie said he would like to keep it relatively full of Philly area beers), so that looks great – getting to try Philly beers and Philly breweries without the 2 hour drive to Philly. The brewery has a super cool vibe. There was a food menu for kids though it might not be 100% the most kid friendly; its certainly not anti-kid, but the venue vibe seems to be aimed away from parents. It is also dog friendly.

Highway Manor Brewing Co.

Be sure to check out some of our other brewery opening articles:

Thanks for reading everyone and hopefully someday I’ll see you at Highway Manor and have a beer together. Until then, virtually, cheers!

-B. Kline

(Post Script: This was meant to go up Sunday night, but everything kinda got pushed back and thus why its gone up this morning, Monday, September 28th. My parents celebrated their 40th Anniversary on Sunday the 27th, and originally – pre-COVID – we were all going to go to the Bengals vs. Eagles game at the Lincoln Center in Philly; since they are big Eagles fans and I’m a Bengals fan, but unfortunately that didn’t get to work out. Instead, we got to watch the overtime – because the game in regulation time was not aired locally – and we got to see possibly the most apathetic overtime ever played. Six punts by the two teams combined in the 10 minute overtime. Neither team trying on their last plays to score. And on top of all this, the Phillies still had a chance to make the playoffs, and all they had to do was win, against a team that was locked in at their seed, and that they had just lost to twice, ….and of course they couldn’t do it. So despite it being an 8-team playoff for each conference, the Phillies *STILL* couldn’t manage to get in. So disappointing. But needless to say despite all this, the article is now up, just a bit later. Enjoy!)

Brewery Opening: Highway Manor

BKline — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 19:33:13 +0000

Highway Manor Brewing Co. will be opening Saturday 26th, 2020 in Camp Hill (Pennsylvania)

Another brewery is due to open in the greater Central Pennsylvania area (Central PA); this time its Highway Manor and it will be opening up in Camp Hill. This has been a long time work, and they’ve been working hard to get here. Yet again another brewery opening despite / during COVID-19 and the mess that the coronavirus has created this year (2020).

The Highway Manor Brewing Co. will be opening their doors as a taproom this Saturday – September 26th, 2020 – in Camp Hill at 11:00AM. They are located on Gettysburg Road (Camp Hill).

This has been their building that they’ve been brewing out of for years, but is now finally being turned into a taproom and will be opened to the public.

For many, if you are a big sour fan, or lambic, or Belgian, or saison fan, you are fully familiar with the portfolio that Highway Manor has to offer. They’ve been doing many brewfests for years, a highlight of which being their consistent showings and offerings at Lititz Brewfest. I remember one particular year, me and friends were there and had their Sour Stout (yes, you heard that correctly – a SOUR STOUT). Very unique and interesting beer. To see their full portfolio of beers you can check out their website here: Highway Manor’s Portfolio.

For others, you might have become familiar with them due to their statewide shipping that they’ve started during the COVID-19 and quarantine lockdown. They like several others in the state (Levante, Tired Hands, Tattered Flag, The Larimeer, etc.) have adapted, and overcame during the pandemic, creating a delivery system that allowed for them to ship statewide. If you would like to order statewide from them through their “drink from the barrel” – #drinkfromthebarrel – system, you can order here: Highway Manor Statewide Shipping – Ordering – Drink From the Barrel.

Highway Manor Logo

Highway Manor is ran by brewery owner and head brewer – Johnnie Compton III. He specializes in saisons, sours, lambics, and Belgians – especially Belgian Farmhouse styles. For those with knowledge of wine, and an appreciation for it, you will definitely enjoy his style and take on beers then as well. The house yeast for Highway Manor has been personally cultivated since the 1840s from Liverpool, Pennsylvania.

Be sure to follow Highway Manor Brewing Co. on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

As always with us here at The Beer Thrillers we will be definitely checking them out in person hopefully very soon. So be sure to stop by Saturday when they open, starting at 11AM.

Also, please make sure to follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. Our account links are on every page (just click the logos), and be sure to sign up here on our site to subscribe and follow us directly. Be sure to like and comment as well, we always are glad to hear from everyone.

And make sure to check out the ‘BREWERY NEWS‘ section and ‘BREWERY OPENINGs’ section of our blog to stay up to date on brewery news and openings in the Central PA area.

Be sure to check out our other articles on brewery openings:

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline