Lagers versus Bocks – Whats the difference?

Unraveling the Brews: The Distinctive Worlds of Lager and Bock

In the ever-expanding universe of craft beer, the distinctions between beer styles can sometimes blur, leaving enthusiasts both intrigued and perplexed. Among the myriad styles, “lager” and “bock” are terms often encountered, each representing not just different beer types but also embodying unique histories, brewing techniques, and flavor profiles. Let’s dive into the effervescent journey of understanding what sets lagers apart from bocks, and why each holds a special place in the hearts of beer lovers.

Lager: The Cool, Crisp Connoisseur’s Choice

A delicious frothy Lager.

At its core, the term “lager” refers to a broad category of beers that share a common fermentation and conditioning process. Lagers are brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast strains, which, true to their name, sink to the bottom of the fermenter. This yeast thrives in cooler fermentation temperatures, ranging from 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a method that imparts lagers with their hallmark clean, crisp taste. Lagering, the process from which this beer style gets its name, involves storing the beer at cold temperatures for several weeks to months, allowing it to mature, clarify, and develop a smooth finish.

The world of lagers is rich and diverse, spanning the light and refreshing pilsners, the amber-hued Vienna lagers, and the dark, malty dunkels. Each style showcases the versatility of lagers, capable of offering a spectrum of flavors from subtle and delicate to robust and complex. Despite their differences, lagers generally share a common thread of crispness, making them immensely drinkable and universally appealing.

Bock: A Malty Marvel with a Kick

A delicious Bock beer.

Bock, on the other hand, is a specific style within the larger lager family, distinguished by its strong, malty backbone and higher alcohol content. Originating from the German town of Einbeck in the 14th century, bock was traditionally brewed for special occasions, earning its reputation as a beer of celebration. The style has evolved over the centuries, giving rise to several variants, including the lighter maibock or helles bock for spring, the stronger and darker doppelbock, and the celebratory, seasonally brewed Oktoberfestbier.

Characterized by its rich malt flavors, bock beers can range from light amber to deep brown hues, offering notes of caramel, nuts, bread, and dark fruits. Despite their malt dominance, bocks maintain a lager’s characteristic smoothness and clean finish, thanks to the cold fermentation and lagering processes. The higher alcohol content, typically ranging from 6% to 7.5% ABV, provides a warming sensation, making bocks especially popular in the colder months.

Celebrating Diversity in Every Sip

Understanding the differences between lager and bock enriches the craft beer experience, highlighting the importance of brewing traditions and the creativity of brewers in shaping the flavors we love. While lagers offer a refreshing gateway into the world of beer, bocks invite enthusiasts to explore deeper, more intense flavors. Both styles, with their distinct characteristics, contribute to the vibrant tapestry of craft beer, offering something for every palate and occasion.

As the craft beer movement continues to evolve, the exploration of lager and bock beers remains a testament to the rich heritage and innovative spirit of brewing. Whether you’re reaching for a light, effervescent lager on a hot summer day or savoring the malty richness of a bock by a crackling fire, the journey through the world of beer is endlessly rewarding, one sip at a time.

Contrasting Bocks and Lagers

Bocks and lagers represent intriguing chapters in the vast anthology of beer styles, each distinct in its characteristics and brewing traditions. Lagers, as a foundational category, are celebrated for their crisp, clean taste derived from cold fermentation processes using bottom-fermenting yeast. This broad category encompasses a diverse range of beers, from the pale and refreshing pilsners to the dark and malty dunkels, all unified by their smooth finish and refined clarity. The versatility of lagers is a testament to the adaptability of the lagering process, allowing for a spectrum of flavors within the same foundational brewing technique.

Bocks, on the other hand, are a specialized offshoot within the larger lager family, distinguished primarily by their stronger malt profile and higher alcohol content. Originating from Germany, bocks are traditionally richer and more robust, offering a hearty spectrum of flavors such as caramel, chocolate, and dark fruits. These beers are typically brewed for seasonal or celebratory purposes, with variations including the lighter maibock in spring, the dark and rich doppelbock, and the festive Oktoberfest varieties. Despite their diversity, all bocks share a common lineage with lagers, benefiting from the smooth, clean finish that is characteristic of cold fermentation and extended aging processes.

The key differences between bocks and lagers lie in their flavor profiles and brewing intentions. While lagers are often appreciated for their refreshing and approachable nature, bocks invite a deeper exploration into the complexities of malt and the warming embrace of higher alcohol volumes. This distinction not only highlights the broad spectrum of beer styles available to enthusiasts but also underscores the rich traditions and innovative approaches that define the craft of brewing. Whether one prefers the crisp simplicity of a lager or the bold, malty depths of a bock, both styles offer unique pathways to appreciating the art and science of beer.

Fan Favorite Bock Beers

Bock beers, with their rich malt flavors and warming alcohol content, have earned a revered spot among beer aficionados worldwide. Here are some popular Bock beers that showcase the range and depth of this traditional style:

1. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock: Hailing from Germany, this doppelbock is often considered a benchmark for the style. With its deep mahogany color, it offers a complex array of flavors, including dark fruits, chocolate, and a hint of caramel. Its creamy texture and balanced sweetness make it a perennial favorite.
2. Weihenstephaner Korbinian: Another exemplary German doppelbock, the Weihenstephaner Korbinian boasts a rich, full-bodied experience with notes of dark bread, chocolate, and dried fruits. Brewed by the world’s oldest brewery, it’s a testament to centuries of brewing excellence.
3. Troegenator Double Bock: Brewed by Tröegs Independent Brewing in Pennsylvania, USA, this American take on the traditional doppelbock style delivers a powerful malt character with hints of caramel and dried fruits. Its robust profile and smooth finish have garnered a loyal following.
4. Paulaner Salvator Doppelbock: This beer has a storied history as the original doppelbock, which has inspired countless other brewers. It presents a rich tapestry of malt flavors, including caramel, toasted bread, and a slight hint of hops for balance. It’s a classic example of the style, deeply rooted in Bavarian brewing tradition.
5. Spaten Optimator: A staple among doppelbock enthusiasts, Spaten Optimator delivers deep, malty flavors with notes of chocolate and dark fruits. It’s a well-rounded beer that captures the essence of the bock tradition, offering a hearty and satisfying experience.
6. Einbecker Ur-Bock Dunkel: Einbecker Brewery claims a historical connection to the origin of the bock style, and their Ur-Bock Dunkel is a tribute to this legacy. It’s a darker, malt-forward beer with a smooth finish, showcasing the traditional flavors that have made bocks beloved by beer lovers.
7. Shiner Bock: Brewed in Texas by the Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner Bock offers a more accessible and lighter take on the bock style. Its popularity has made it a gateway for many into the world of bocks, featuring a gentle malt sweetness and a clean finish.

These bocks represent just a sampling of the rich variety available within this beer style. Each brewery brings its own unique interpretation to the table, offering beer enthusiasts a wide range of flavors and experiences to explore.

Fan Favorite Lagers

Lager beers are celebrated for their crisp, refreshing qualities and are among the most widely consumed types of beer globally. Here’s a list of some popular Lager beers that span a range of styles within the Lager category:

1. Pilsner Urquell: Brewed in the Czech Republic, Pilsner Urquell is the original Pilsner beer, offering a clear, golden color and a balance of hoppy bitterness and malty sweetness. Its crisp finish and floral hop aroma set the standard for the Pilsner style.
2. Budweiser: Known as “The King of Beers,” Budweiser is an American Lager that has become a global brand. It’s known for its light, clean taste and is brewed using a mix of American and European hop varieties.
3. Yuengling Traditional Lager: As America’s oldest brewery, Yuengling produces this iconic Amber Lager. It boasts a rich amber color and a medium-bodied flavor with a balance of malt and hops.
4. Heineken: This Dutch Lager is one of the most internationally recognized beer brands. It offers a mildly bitter taste and a clear, golden color, making it a staple Lager in many parts of the world.
5. Beck’s: Originating from Germany, Beck’s is a classic German Pilsner known for its green bottle and distinctive hop-forward flavor. It’s a crisp, refreshing beer with a slightly bitter finish.
6. Corona Extra: A top-selling Mexican Lager, Corona Extra is famous for its light, crisp taste and is often served with a lime wedge to add citrus flavor. It’s a popular choice for casual drinking occasions.
7. Samuel Adams Boston Lager: This Vienna-style Lager from the Boston Beer Company has helped pioneer the American craft beer movement. It features a complex balance of caramel malt sweetness and spicy hop flavors.
8. Modelo Especial: Another well-loved Mexican Lager, Modelo Especial is a rich, full-flavored pilsner-style beer that offers a crisp and refreshing taste with a hint of orange blossom and honey.
9. Stella Artois: A Belgian Pilsner with a heritage dating back to 1366, Stella Artois is known for its floral hop aroma, well-balanced malt sweetness, and a soft dry finish.
10. Asahi Super Dry: From Japan, Asahi Super Dry is brewed using a unique yeast that produces a clean, crisp taste with a quick finish. It’s a rice Lager that has gained international popularity for its refreshing flavor.

These Lagers represent a broad spectrum of the Lager family, from traditional Pilsners and American Lagers to international favorites. Each offers a unique taste experience, reflecting the diversity and global appeal of Lager beers.

Milko Pours

Craft beer milk pours represent a unique and visually captivating method of serving beer, particularly embraced within the craft beer community for styles that benefit from a rich, creamy texture. This technique involves pouring the beer in such a way that the glass initially fills with a dense, foamy head, resembling milk in its smoothness and consistency. The spectacle of the foam settling into the liquid beer not only offers an appealing presentation but also enhances the drinking experience by emphasizing the beer’s aroma and mouthfeel. Milk pours are especially popular with nitro beers and creamy stouts, including milk stouts, where the nitrogenation or the addition of lactose adds to the silky, luxurious body of the beer, making each sip a decadent experience.

The art of the milk pour in craft beer goes beyond mere aesthetics; it is a testament to the brewer’s skill in creating a beer that can maintain such a texture and to the server’s prowess in executing the pour perfectly. This method accentuates the sensory attributes of the beer, from its visual appeal to its tactile sensation and taste, creating a more engaging and enjoyable beer-drinking experience. As craft beer enthusiasts continue to seek out new and unique beer experiences, the milk pour stands out as a distinctive practice that highlights the creativity and innovation inherent in the craft beer culture, making it a cherished ritual for both brewers and beer lovers alike.

Related Articles

• What is Bock Beer? Exploring the Bock Beer Style: A Journey from Einbeck to Munich
• What is Lager Beer? Exploring the World’s Most Popular Beer Style
• What is the Difference Between Bock and Lager Beer? Unraveling the Brews: The Distinctive Worlds of Lager and Bock

See Also

• Information on Milko Pours
• The Rise of Craft Lagers in Pennsylvania Brewing

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!

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• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

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A delicious frothy Lager.

What is a Lager? Exploring the World’s Most Popular Beer Style

Lager is more than just a type of beer; it’s a testament to the evolution of brewing and a symbol of beer’s global appeal. From the crisp, golden pilsners that grace summer barbecues to the rich, malty depths of a traditional bock enjoyed in the colder months, lagers offer a range that can intrigue the palette of any beer lover. But what exactly makes a beer a lager, and how does it differ from its ale counterpart? Let’s dive into the cool, refreshing world of lagers to find out.

The Basics of Lager

At its core, the term “lager” refers to the method of fermenting and storing beer. Derived from the German word “lagern,” which means “to store,” lagers are characterized by their fermentation process. Unlike ales, which are fermented at warmer temperatures using top-fermenting yeast, lagers are produced with bottom-fermenting yeast that works its magic at cooler temperatures, typically between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit (7-13 degrees Celsius). This cooler fermentation process is slower and results in a beer that is cleaner, crisper, and more subtle in flavor than its ale counterparts.

The Lager Family

Despite a common misconception that lagers are all light and bland, the lager family boasts a surprising diversity of styles and flavors. These range from light and crisp to dark and complex, proving that there’s a lager out there for every type of beer enthusiast. Here are some of the main styles within the lager category:

• Pilsner: Originating from the Czech Republic, pilsners are golden, hoppy, and have a crisp finish. They set the standard for what many recognize as the quintessential lager flavor.
• Dunkel: Meaning “dark” in German, dunkels are smooth, malty, and feature caramel and chocolate notes, offering a richer lager experience.
• Helles: A lighter, malt-oriented beer from Germany, helles lagers are soft and subtle with a clean, refreshing finish.
• Bock: Stronger than your average lager, bocks are known for their robust maltiness and can range in color from light to dark. Variations like maibocks, doppelbocks, and eisbocks offer a spectrum of flavors and strengths.
• Märzen/Oktoberfest: Traditionally brewed in March and aged through the summer, these amber lagers are malty, medium-bodied, and the stars of Munich’s Oktoberfest.

Serving and Enjoying Lagers

Lagers are versatile when it comes to food pairings and serving options. Generally, they are best served cold, around 38-45 degrees Fahrenheit (3-7 degrees Celsius), to highlight their refreshing qualities. Glassware can vary based on the specific type of lager, from traditional steins and mugs to tall, slender pilsner glasses that showcase the beer’s color and carbonation.

When it comes to food, the clean, crisp profile of a lager makes it an excellent companion to a wide range of dishes. Lighter lagers pair wonderfully with delicate flavors like seafood and salads, while the more robust dark lagers can stand up to hearty meals, including grilled meats and rich stews.

Beyond the Basics

The world of lagers is as rich and diverse as it is accessible. Beyond the well-known mass-market lagers, craft breweries around the globe are pushing the boundaries of what a lager can be, experimenting with new ingredients, aging processes, and hybrid styles. These innovative brews are part of a larger lager renaissance, inviting beer drinkers to rediscover and reevaluate the potential of this often-overlooked category.

In essence, lagers embody the tradition, craftsmanship, and innovation that define the art of brewing. Whether you’re enjoying a classic pilsner on a hot summer day or savoring the complexity of a doppelbock by the fireside, lagers offer a world of flavors waiting to be explored.

Some Popular Lager Based Breweries and Brands

Lagers at Human Robot

Some popular lager based breweries and brands:

• Human Robot Beer
• Forest and Main Brewing
• Yuengling Brewery
• Anchor Bock
• Augustiner Bräu Lagerbier Hell
• Lagunitas Pils
• New Belgium Fat Tire
• Paulaner Oktoberfest
• Peroni
• Pilsner Urquell
• Shiner Bock
• Sprecher Mai Bock

Craft Beer Enthusiasts’ Lager Picks

Among the vast sea of lagers, several brands stand out for their quality and distinctiveness, including Anchor Bock, Augustiner Bräu Lagerbier Hell, and Pilsner Urquell, to name just a few. These brands offer a glimpse into the rich diversity and heritage of lager brewing, showcasing why this beer style continues to captivate the hearts of beer lovers around the globe. Whether you’re a seasoned craft beer aficionado or a casual drinker, the world of lagers holds endless possibilities for exploration and enjoyment.

Diving into the Lager vs. Ale Debate

At its core, lager is distinguished by its bottom-fermenting yeast, settling at the bottom of the fermenter, in stark contrast to ale’s top-fermenting nature. Lager yeast thrives in cooler conditions, between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a factor that not only allows for a cleaner taste with fewer by-products but also permits longer aging periods or “lagering” at cool temperatures. This process yields a beer that’s smoother and crisper than its ale counterparts. Historically speaking, lagers are relatively new to the scene, with the pivotal discovery in the 1500s that storing beer in cold conditions with cold-resistant yeast resulted in a refreshingly crisp beverage. This revelation led to the birth of lagers as we know them, including the hoppy German pilsners that emerged in the 19th century and other varieties that have only added to the lager legacy.

Exploring the Lager Landscape

Lager styles are as varied as they are fascinating. From the dark, malty depths of a Dunkel, offering flavors of nuts, bread, coffee, and chocolate, to the golden, hop-forward crispness of a Pilsner, there’s a lager out there for every palate. The Schwarzbier brings a dark chestnut hue and a tapestry of complex flavors, including roasted malt and bitter chocolate, while the Helles shines with its soft malt flavor and golden sparkle. Not to be overlooked, the amber lagers, like the Oktoberfest and Vienna lagers, balance sweetness and crispness in a way that’s uniquely satisfying. And for those seeking something stronger, the bock variations present a malty, warming experience with alcohol content that can soar up to 13%.

Serving and Savoring Lager

When it comes to serving lagers, the colder, the better is generally the rule, with bocks being a notable exception, often enjoyed closer to room temperature. The choice of glass can enhance the drinking experience, from mugs and pint glasses for darker lagers and mass-produced varieties to pilsner glasses and traditional steins for the lighter or amber options. As for pairings, lagers are incredibly food-friendly. Amber lagers shine alongside pub classics and hearty dishes, while the lighter pilsners are a perfect match for salads, light pastas, and German specialties. Bocks, with their robust flavors, are excellent with spicy dishes and decadent chocolate desserts.

Lagers

The Black Forest Schwarzbier by Desperate Times Brewery

Its a Cold Wintry Day

We got some snow – finally – on Tuesday – February 13th. Fascnacht day. Work closed so I had essentially a snow day just as if I was a little kid again. The electricians who were working on the upstairs and redoing the upstairs electrical work on Monday, weren’t able to come out (in fact, they just now got here on Thursday), and so it was just me and Scarlet for the day while Amy went to work. But after Amy got done with work and came home. And after we put Scarlet to bed, it was time to enjoy ourselves a cold one with dinner.

Amy went for a tried and true beer, and a style we both really enjoy, on this cold and blustery day. A day where a lot of people in our area were without power – which luckily we had, a Schwarzbier was a feel good style for the evening. A wonderful mix of being dark, being heavy, but also being light, it went perfect with the ham dinner.

Desperate Times Brewery

Desperate Times Brewery is one of our favorite little “local” breweries. (Local in the sense that Carlisle is a little out of the way from Hummelstown, but not too incredibly far.) I’ve gotten to go three times there – once with my daughters and twice with Amy. The food has always been wonderful, the service and staff always pleasant and on point, and of course the beers have always been great. We’ve picked up cans of their beers several times at Breski’s Beverages or West Connection Beer Vault, and I’ve even had a beer or two of theirs at the Harrisburg Senators games. (See Beer Review: Pineapple Kolsch)

If you are in the Carlisle area, they are located right next to the Carlisle Fairgrounds in a pretty building (you can’t miss it). It was formerly a John Deere Tractor Dealership.

The food is authentic German wursts; bratwursts, sausages, kielbasas, etc. If you enjoy the German authentic food, you will one hundred percent love their food. Its all on point, its delicious, and the wonderful beer from Desperate Times Brewery washes it all down excellently.

Beer Review

The Black Forest Schwarzbier by Desperate Times Brewery

Beer: Black Forest Schwarzbier
Brewery: Desperate Times Brewery
Style: Schwarzbier
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 24
Untappd Description: Slightly toasty with moderate malt character balanced by hip bitterness

It’s a rare delight to stumble upon a brew that can transport you to another place and time with just a sip. Desperate Times Brewery’s Black Forest Schwarzbier is precisely such a brew, offering a dark, mysterious journey into the heart of Germany’s storied Schwarzwald, or Black Forest, with each glass.

Appearance:

The pour is a mesmerizing event in itself, with the beer cascading into the glass like a nocturnal stream, settling into a deep, opaque sable that’s nearly as dark as the forest it’s named after. A robust, tan head crowns the brew, lingering with persistence and draping the sides of the glass in intricate lacing as it leisurely recedes.

Aroma:

Bringing the glass closer, the aroma beckons with whispers of roasted malts, dark chocolate, and a hint of coffee. There’s an earthiness there too, reminiscent of a forest floor after a rain, with subtle undertones of dark berries and a wisp of smokiness, as if catching the scent of a distant campfire.

Taste:

The first sip is both robust and remarkably smooth, a testament to the craftsmanship behind this Schwarzbier. The flavors mirror the nose closely, with the roasted malts leading the charge, unfolding into layers of bittersweet chocolate and cold brew coffee. Mid-palate, there’s a delightful surprise of dark cherry and blackberry, lending a slight, refreshing tartness that balances the malt’s richness. The finish introduces a gentle hop bitterness, just enough to cleanse the palate, accompanied by a lingering smokiness that ties each sip back to the imagery of the Black Forest.

Mouthfeel:

Medium-bodied with a smooth, almost velvety texture, the carbonation is moderate, ensuring the beer remains both refreshing and satisfyingly rich. Despite its dark demeanor, there’s an elegance and ease to its drinkability, making it suitable for both contemplative sipping and social enjoyment.

Overall Impression:

Desperate Times Brewery’s Black Forest Schwarzbier is a masterful homage to its namesake, capturing the essence of the storied German landscape in liquid form. It’s a beer that demands attention, not just for its depth of flavor but for the experience it offers—a journey through the shadows of the Black Forest, with each sip a step deeper into its enchanting embrace.

Ideal for those chilly evenings when the wind whispers tales of distant lands, this Schwarzbier pairs beautifully with hearty meals, yet possesses the grace to stand alone as a sessionable marvel. Whether you’re a staunch devotee of dark beers or a curious wanderer in the vast world of craft brews, the Black Forest Schwarzbier by Desperate Times Brewery is a voyage worth embarking upon.

This tastes wonderfully right off the first sip. This has that wonderfully roasty, somewhat bready, malty taste. (I feel like we’re adding a lot of Y’s to words, but thats kind of how describing tasting and beer notes are. Just bear with us on it all.) The roast and the malt perform excellently here with the Black Forest. This feels like a deep and heavy beer, but its also very light and airy at the same time, and coming in at 5.2% its not knocking you on your keister or anything like that either. On a cold, dark, wintry night, it feels and just hits right. It feels like its giving you a more heavy warming up beer but at the same time being light and not too heavy.

My Untappd Rating: ****

Global Average Untappd Rating: 3.75 (as of 2.15.24)

More Information on Desperate Times Brewery

The following comes via Untappd. Desperate Times Brewery is a microbrewery from Carlisle, PA. They have 50 unique beers and over 27,000 ratings, and a global average rating of 3.71 (as of 2.15.24). Their Untappd description is currently blank.

You can follow them on the following social media platforms:

• Desperate Times Brewery – Official Website
• Desperate Times Brewery – Untappd
• Desperate Times Brewery – Facebook

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.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

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

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

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

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. 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!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

We’re due for snow – and I mean S-N-O-W – on Saturday. (Of course we are, the Farm Show kicks off tomorrow – Friday, so of course we would be getting snow.) Winter Lager is the epitome of winter time for me. This dates back to one of the earliest craft beers I got into, and felt like now is as good as any time to dive into and pick it apart for a healthy beer review.

History of Winter Lager

Samuel Adams Winter Lager has a rich history, having been first brewed in 1989 as one of Samuel Adams’ initial seasonal beers, alongside Octoberfest. This early introduction marked the beer as a pioneer in the realm of seasonal craft brews. Brewed in the style of a Bock, the Winter Lager is designed to be more malt-forward and darker than other popular lagers, setting it apart as a distinctive and flavorful option for the winter months.

Over the years, Samuel Adams has continued to refine and enhance the Winter Lager, ensuring that it remains a beloved and anticipated release each year. The beer has evolved to incorporate elements that capture the essence of the winter season, such as the addition of cinnamon and orange peel, further enhancing its festive and comforting character. This commitment to quality and innovation has solidified the Winter Lager as a staple in the Samuel Adams lineup, and a favorite among beer enthusiasts seeking a well-crafted and seasonally appropriate brew.

The Winter Lager’s enduring popularity and consistent evolution are a testament to Samuel Adams’ dedication to creating exceptional seasonal beers. As one of the brewery’s signature offerings, the Winter Lager continues to delight and inspire beer lovers, making it a cherished tradition for many during the winter season.

Beer Review

Beer: Winter Lager
Brewery: Samuel Adams
Style: Lager – Winter
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 22
Untappd Description: For the first time in 31 years, we’re updating the classic Winter Lager recipe to make it crisper and brighter. It’s the same iconic beer, with a wintery remix. Crisp Bock with citrus and spices, lager brewed with orange peel, cinnamon, and ginger.

Appearance

Samuel Adams Winter Lager presents itself as a beer of distinction. As it is poured into a glass, the deep ruby-brown color immediately captures the eye, evoking the rich hues of the winter season. The beer’s clarity and the way it reflects light contribute to its visual appeal, setting the stage for the sensory experience to come. Topping the beer is a generous, creamy head that lingers, enhancing the beer’s presentation and inviting the first sip. The combination of these visual elements makes the Winter Lager an enticing choice for those seeking a beer that embodies the spirit of the season. The appearance of a beer is often the first interaction a drinker has with the brew, and Samuel Adams Winter Lager excels in making a memorable first impression. The deep, inviting color and the well-formed head speak to the care and craftsmanship that have gone into creating this beer. Whether enjoyed in a cozy setting or shared among friends, the Winter Lager’s appearance sets the stage for a truly enjoyable drinking experience.

Aroma

The aroma of Samuel Adams Winter Lager is a prelude to the sensory journey that awaits. As the beer is brought to the nose, a delightful blend of scents emerges, creating an inviting and comforting atmosphere. Notes of malt, spice, and a subtle hint of citrus intertwine, evoking the warmth and cheer of the winter season. This complex aroma invites the drinker to take a moment and savor the anticipation of the first sip, promising a beer of depth and character. The Winter Lager’s aroma is a testament to the artistry of the brewing process, as it skillfully weaves together various elements to create a harmonious olfactory experience. The interplay of malt, spice, and citrus hints at the beer’s flavor profile, offering a glimpse of the richness that is to come. This carefully crafted aroma adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the beer, making it a true pleasure to engage with before even taking the first sip.

Taste

The first sip of Samuel Adams Winter Lager reveals a tapestry of flavors that reflect the artistry of the brewing process. The beer’s rich and full-bodied taste immediately commands attention, enveloping the palate in a warmth that is characteristic of the season. A harmonious blend of maltiness and a subtle bitterness unfolds, creating a complex and satisfying drinking experience. The initial burst of flavor gives way to a smooth and lingering finish, leaving a lasting impression of the beer’s well-crafted character. The Winter Lager’s taste is a testament to the brewery’s commitment to quality and innovation. The careful balance of flavors, from the robust maltiness to the nuanced bitterness, showcases the expertise that has gone into creating this exceptional brew. Each sip reveals new dimensions of the beer’s taste, making it a delight to savor and explore. Whether enjoyed on its own or paired with a hearty winter meal, the Winter Lager’s taste is sure to leave a lasting and positive impression.

Mouthfeel

Samuel Adams Winter Lager offers a distinctive and satisfying mouthfeel that enhances the overall drinking experience. The beer’s full-bodied nature imparts a sense of substance and depth, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a beer that can stand up to the rigors of the winter season. The smooth and creamy texture further contributes to the beer’s comforting character, enveloping the palate in a luxurious sensation with each sip. The Winter Lager’s mouthfeel is a key element in its appeal, adding to the beer’s overall sense of warmth and satisfaction. The beer’s 5.6% ABV and 22 IBUs contribute to its well-balanced and comforting character, further enhancing the beer’s overall appeal. The interplay of alcohol content and bitterness creates a sense of harmony in the beer’s profile, ensuring that each sip is as enjoyable as the last. Whether sipped slowly to savor the beer’s complexity or enjoyed more casually, the Winter Lager’s mouthfeel is a defining feature that sets it apart as a beer of exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

Overall Impression

In conclusion, Samuel Adams Winter Lager is a beer of distinction, perfectly suited for the winter season. Its rich flavor, warm aroma, and full-bodied nature make it a wonderful choice for those seeking a comforting and well-crafted brew. The beer’s careful balance of maltiness and bitterness, coupled with its smooth and satisfying mouthfeel, ensures that each sip is a delight to the senses. Whether enjoyed in a cozy setting or shared among friends, the Winter Lager is a testament to the brewery’s expertise in creating seasonal brews, and it’s a great option for beer enthusiasts looking to savor a distinctive and satisfying lager during the colder months.

My Untappd Rating: ***.5
Global Untappd Rating: 3.53 (as of 1.4.24)

Some More Articles About Samuel Adams

• Sipping on the Edge: Exploring the Top 5 Highest ABV Beers
• Craft Beer in the Early 2000s: A Golden Era of Innovation and Growth

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.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

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

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

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

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. 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!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

Craft beer enthusiasts are witnessing a resurgence of lagers in the beer industry, with Pennsylvania breweries leading the charge. This revival is partly due to the low-calorie and low-carb movements, but primarily because of the brewers crafting delicious options themselves.

The Lager Love in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania breweries are known for their flavorful, clean, and crisp lagers and pilsners. Berwick Brewing Co., for instance, often has a double-digit number of lagers on tap, leading the charge for lager love. Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. has been showing its lager love for a full decade, while Tröegs Independent Brewing has thrown almost everything they have behind a lager brand.

Pittsburgh Brewing Company, in collaboration with Giant Eagle and Food21, has produced Harvest PA Helles Lager, a beer made with Pennsylvania-grown and produced Allegheny Mountain Malt and Pennsylvania hops. This collaboration brings awareness to the endless brewing opportunities within Pennsylvania. To work in Pennsylvania’s vibrant bars, it is important to have a Pennsylvania bartending certification. This certification ensures that individuals are well-versed in the state’s alcohol regulations, responsible serving practices, and the art of mixology. Enrolling in a reputable institution like the Pittsburgh PA Bartending School can provide valuable training for a successful career in the dynamic beer bar industry. 

The Art of Brewing Lagers

Brewing lagers is an art that requires time, precision, and a delicate balance between malt, hops, and yeast. The first lager brewed in America was in Northern Liberties in 1840 by John Wagner, who brought lager yeast from his home in Bavaria. This first American lager predates the pilsner by two years.

The lager has long been an underdog in the craft scene. However, with the IPA craze slowing down, lagers are taking their rightful place in the pantheon of craft beers. Brewers are making space for a revival of well-made lager styles.

The Future of Lagers

In the current hazy climate, lagers are sometimes overlooked. However, Sly Fox Brewing Company and 2SP Brewing Company have collaborated to create Dog Will Hunt Hoppy Lager, a beer that presents the best of both worlds. The simple goal behind the collaboration was to make something that the brewers at both 2SP and Sly Fox would want to drink and, in turn, would be well-liked by fans of both breweries.

In Conclusion

The rise of craft lagers in Pennsylvania breweries is a testament to the evolving tastes of beer enthusiasts and the innovative spirit of the state’s brewers. As more breweries experiment with lagers and consumers continue to appreciate the nuanced flavors of these beers, the future of craft lagers in Pennsylvania looks promising. Whether you’re a seasoned beer connoisseur or a casual drinker, there’s never been a better time to explore the diverse world of Pennsylvania lagers.

A Series of Craft Beer Articles

This is just one of several in a series of over arching ‘craft beer’ related articles. Several alone in a ‘flagship’ series. In the next few weeks there will be some more that come out as well. I would like to have this general level of different ‘craft beer articles’ that everyone can kind of jump to and read and use for informative purposes, and give a better understanding for the other articles on the site.

Some of these articles are about definitions (like “What is Craft Beer?“) and others are about Craft Breweries in general like the Top 50 Producing Craft Breweries, etc.

• The Battle of the Breweries (2023) Winner Is
• Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies in the United States (2023)
• Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies in the United States (2023)
• What is Craft Beer?
• I’ve Missed Drinking (A Look at Non Alcoholic Beers)
• The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Beer: A Guide to the Best Non Alcoholic Brews
• Best Non-Alcoholic Beers For 2021
• Craft Beer 101: Your Guide to the World of Small – Batch Brewing
• How to Build Your Own Homebrew: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Beer Enthusiasts
• Brewing a Traditional Lithuanian Farmhouse Beer – Keptinis
• Human Robot – Milko Pour – A Look at Milk Pours
• Hemp and Beer – Happy 4:20 Day
• Map of Maine Breweries
• Map of New Hampshire Breweries
• Map of Vermont Breweries
• Sipping on Tradition: A Guide to Craft Beer Flagship Beers
• Discovering the Best Independent Breweries with Beer Drop Craft Beer Subscription Service
• Breaking Down the Buzz: The Health Benefits of Craft Beer
• Craft Beer Styles: Exploring the Wide World of Flavor
• May the Fourth Be With You (2023) – Star Wars and Craft Beer
• Zelda and Craft Beer
• From Philly to Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania’s Top Craft Breweries You Must Visit
• Craft Beer Styles: Exploring the Wide World of Flavor
• How Does Beer Affect Studying? Understanding the Impact of Alcohol on Academic Performance
• The Rise of Hazy IPAs: Exploring the Juicy Trend in Craft Beer
• Unlocking Flavor and Branding: The Rise of 19.2-Ounce Craft Beer Cans
• The Rise of Craft Lagers in Pennsylvania Breweries

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.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

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

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

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

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. 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!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

If you would like to help keep the blog running soundly and smoothly, you may donate to us to help us keep the costs of the blog to a minimum. We greatly appreciate it. Thank you. (Clicking this link will take you to the page to make a donation. Thank you very much for helping us stay afloat!)

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

That Time Again

Ahhh…. its Christmas time again. That time of year where we put on TBS and just let it loop ‘A Christmas Story’ on repeat for 24 hours straight. Where even babies fresh from the womb can spout every line from the movie. Talk of ‘frag-il-e” and “the soft glow of electric sex” or singing the song at the end of the movie that now comes off as pretty insensitive, or sticking your tongue to a cold metal pole, or the myriad of other quotes and lines from the movie…. the most common and obvious one of course being:

“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” (Or some variant of it therein.)

It was exactly a year ago today I did another Christmas themed beer (gee, go figure, on Christmas Eve) – and it was also ‘A Christmas Story’ themed beer. Beer Review: The Soft Glow of Electric Sex (RAR Brewing). Maybe this will become a yearly tradition; doing an ‘A Christmas Story’ themed beer each year.

I know there’s no shortage of beers themed on ‘A Christmas Story’, so it won’t be a problem. (I could probably do a 25 days of Christmas leading up to Christmas day with just beer reviews based on this movie alone. If I was able to get beers from all across the country – or world.)

Intellectual Property Shenanigans

Something I’ve been wanting to write up, but as a very large article, for quite some time now is ‘intellectual property’ in the craft beer industry. I feel like its a very big topic that really needs to get explored (and yes, I know many have explored it in the beer writing world, but I haven’t, and I would like to).

I know I use a lot of intellectual property related beers for my beer reviews, partly because their more fun to write, partly because their easier to make a bigger article around them, partly because its easier to get them noticed and recognized and gets people to click the articles – in a similar fashion to why the beers are named what they are – to drum up attention and notice.

If there’s two beers – everything seems identical between them when reading the description (same hops, same malts, same ABV, same IBU, same brewery), but one is a Star Wars, or Simpsons, or Futurama, or Seinfeld, or whatever reference, and the other is a more generic sounding name “The Cold Lantern IPA”; I’m going with the “The Lower Human Horn” IPA. Just out of sheer recognition, namesake, and name value. Its an old school tactic, one that’s been done since advertising began.

And I’ll admit to being burnt a few times in the past over this. With clear cases of beers that were probably bad or ‘less than good’ and so they were given a pop culture or nerd culture reference or name just to sell or to move kegs or to attract some kind of attention.

So this is certainly something that will need addressed. Especially in the way some breweries are so proud of their Cease and Desists and treat it almost like awards to flaunt around. Its an interesting flex. “Here’s a piece of paper that nearly cost us a ton of money all because we drew a likelihood of Homer or Bart Simpsons nearly spot on to the T of the character on TV… ha ha ha…. had to change a bunch of labels and change the beer names on these….”. Seems like a lowest denominator type flex, but to each their own, or as the cool kids say nowadays ‘whatevz’.

Beer Review

Beer: You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!
Brewery: Eight and Sand Beer Co.
Style: Lager – Red
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: This brand new red lager greets you with light caramel, honeycomb candy and citrus followed by a hint of pepper at the finish.

Eight and Sand Beer Company is a brewery out of Woodbury New Jersey. According to Untappd they are a micro brewery with 172 unique beers and a total of 56,105 ratings. They have a global average rating of 3.77 (as of 12.24.21) and their Untappd Description reads: We’re two buddies from South Jersey that are fully devoted to quality craft beer brewed with patience, brewed with care, and brewed with our local community in mind. The phrase “Eight and Sand,” was used to wish train crews a quick and safe journey and we felt it a fitting name for our brewery!

This is a fruitier smelling lager. You can certainly tell its a lager based on nose alone, but there is definitely a lot more going on with it. You get a strong good whiff of grapefruit, rind, and a honeyed sweetness, emboldened with some caramel notes.

Appearance is a pretty dark red see through, translucent, uncloudy beer. Not unlike some amber ales, this is right down that vein, just with a much more frothy head to it. It left fantastic lacing on the glass as it went down, and it was a wonderful frothy head with nice interspersed bubbles.

This is a pretty tasty beer from beginning to end. Thoroughly enjoyable all throughout with nothing bad or horrible about it. A fruitier, juicier lager, you get lots of different notes. And much better than plain or typical lagers that are ‘lesser quality’. I do overall feel this was just lacking a little ‘something’ to make it better. Perhaps it was because I expected more out of it due to the pop culture reference on it and knowing that it needs to be ‘real good’ to justify itself and its usage of the reference and intellectual property and to dispel my idea that sometimes beers are named after things to push and sell them, I dunno. There is a lot to like about this beer though. It has a very good flavor profile, and it has a lot going on with it that I do like. And I was a bit hesitant and worried about the ‘grapefruit’ mentioning, as I am not a fan of grapefruit. There is a good amount of honeyed candy, with some fruity notes and citrus elements behind it, I also get a lot of sweetened caramel and that really adds to the flavor. I don’t taste any pepper despite what the Untappd description reads as. There’s enough going on to keep you busy as you drink it, and at 6.5% its not a super light lager but its also not a booze fest either. Despite all the flavors and everything, it felt a little on the watery / thin side, surprisingly for its appearance and for the more full flavors, I was actually a bit curious how this was, especially given its appearance looking so full and rich – with that big frothy head to boot. All in all its a good beer, its nothing super crazy to write home about, but it is tasty, original too, with interesting flavors, just a bit on the watery side, and just not fully grabbing me – worth a try, but not worth a four pack.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.65 (as of 12.24.21)

Pop Culture / Nerd Culture Beer Reviews

Like I said earlier, we have covered our fair share of popular culture and nerd culture references and themed beers here on the blog. Certain breweries do a lot of them so you’ll see their names pop up more often. If you enjoy these themed beer reviews, check out our extensive list here:

Star Wars:

• Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)
• Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing)
• Revenge of the Fifth / Cinco de Mayo
• May the Fourth Be With You
• Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet Brewing)
• Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)
• Beer Review: The Mangolorian (Brewery Fire)

Rick and Morty:

• Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

• Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

• Beer Review: Game of Thrones: My Watch Has Ended (Omnegang Brewery)

The Simpsons:

• Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)

Back to the Future:

• Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

• Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

A Christmas Story:

• Beer Review: The Soft Electric Glow of Sex (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out! (Eight and Sand Beer Co)

Pro Wrestling:

• Beer Review: Broken Skull – Stone Cold Steve Austin’s IPA (El Segundo Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Macho Man (Couch Brewery)

Matrix:

• Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

• Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Seinfeld:

• Beer Review: Jon Voight’s Car (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Airing of Grievances (Black Flag Brewing Company)

Other:

• Beer Review: Super Villain (Urban Village Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Pixels (Seminar Brewing)
• Beer Review: Villeinage (Elder Pine Brewing and Blending)

Thanks For Reading

This was a bit of a late post, but it was a long day. And sorry for not throwing in a ton of references or GIFs and really doing the whole thing up into a big extravaganza. Woke up early this morning to do last second cleaning and preparing for my girls to come over, then ran and donated blood (which took forever due to a lady passing out, and what normally takes 25-35 minutes ended up taking an hour and 15 minutes), and then we celebrated Christmas a day early due to my having to work tomorrow. Celebrated with my girls at my house, then went over to my parents and celebrated with them and my sister and brother in law and son. Then had to run to my ex-wife’s church to take my youngest so she could sing in the choir for their Christmas Eve service. So its been a long day. But it was nice to finally get home, relax, unwind, watch A Christmas Story (yearly tradition obviously), have a few beers (I followed this beer up with Z. Morris by Black Flag – just to keep pop culture references going).

Merry Christmas to everyone tomorrow. Feliz Navidad.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday and are able to enjoy it with their family and friends. Be kind to each other out there, be safe, Omicron is still looking out there, but enjoy your time with your family. Just take precautions. Hopefully this will be the last Christmas where its all a worry and by Christmas 2022 we are back to having everything to normal (…then again, I said that this last Christmas too) – (but lets hope and have some optimism).

We’re winding down the year here on the blog and gearing up for a huge 2022 here at The Beer Thrillers. I’ll cover it more in our end of the year recap and our look forward to 2022 posts, but theres lots of big things on the horizon here. (Podcasts, videos, home brewing – guides, videos, etc; streaming, etc.). So definitely subscribe, like, comment, and follow us, to be on top of it all.

Cheers and Merry Christmas, Happy Festivus, and Happy New Year!

-B. Kline

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Happy 4th of July America

Happy 4th of July America, and everybody. Its time to blow some stuff up! ‘Merica! *Insert Screaming Eagle Sound* Its fourth of July 2021 and its time to celebrate better, its been an interesting year, and an even more interesting two years, here at The Beer Thrillers, in America, and across the globe. So if there’s a time to celebrate with dads in New Balances and jean shorts, with tall white socks, and grass stained shoes, barbecuing, with some nice ‘dad beers’, this is it.

So looking around the Hummelstown, Hershey, Harrisburg, and Middletown area, let’s see what are some of the best “dad beers” around. For that, I’m talking lagers, pilsners, kolsches. Think Bud Lite, Coors Lite, Miller Lite…. but a thousand times better. A helluva better. Craft beers, good craft beers, well, created craft beers, rather than that ‘water’ (to use the most generous term that I could).

So, let’s break it down by category, and see what all we got in the area!

Lagers

These are your ‘lite beers’, nice easy drinking beers, light, crisp, and tasty.

But interestingly enough, starting off our list we start at Rubber Soul Brewery in Hummelstown, with a Dark Lager.

Distorted Soul

Beer: Distorted Soul
Brewery: Rubber Soul Brewing Company
Style: Lager – Dark
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Brewed with roasted barley and chocolate malt. Roasty, crisp and refreshing.
Untappd Rating: 3.94 (as of 7.4.21)

Next up we travel into Harrisburg for the Hellsbender Defender by ZeroDay Brewing Company. They’ve recently reopened their new taproom, and they have a larger expanded taproom listing now.

Hellsbender Defender

Beer: Hellsbender Defender
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Company
Style: Lager – Helles
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 15
Untappd Description: This golden lager is brewed to the traditional German style. It is pale in color while being a little fuller in body than other light lagers. The use of German noble hops gives a slight bitter flavor, which is rounded out by a touch of malty sweetness. This balanced lager is a favorite beer among our brewers who get really excited to share it with you each Spring.
Untappd Rating: 3.73

Moving on to Hershey, right next to the famous Hershey Park Amusement Park; which sadly is not doing their annual fireworks show this year (second year in a row) (either due to COVID-19 still, or due to cost cutting measures, or who knows what); is Troegs Independent Brewing Company. One of the largest breweries in the state, and one of their flagship beers happens to be one of the best lagers you can find.

When in Doubt Helles Lager

Beer: When in Doubt
Brewery: Troegs Independent Craft Brewery
Style: Lager – Helles
ABV: 4.3%
IBU: 21
Untappd Description: When in Doubt is all harmony. It begins with a single note, a clean and delicate pilsner malt reminiscent of freshly baked bread. Tradition hops add hints of wildflower and subtle bitterness, and our crisp lager yeast pulls it all together. In the end, this refreshing Munich-style Helles is greater than the sum of its parts and – when in doubt – always a good call.
Untappd Rating: 3.57

Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be as many lagers in the area, but there is definitely a lot of pilsners. So lets jump right into another dad favorite!

Pilsners

First up on our tour of pilsners, is starting again right in Hummelstown at Rubber Soul Brewery.

Soul Patch

Beer: Soul Patch
Brewery: Rubber Soul Brewing Company
Style: Pilsner – Czech
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 31
Untappd Description: Czech style Pilsner that is clean, crisp and refreshing. Earthy with a little spice with the Saaz hops. Imagine that perfect day and the bead of sweat across your brow. You need something to cool off with…something light but has that body! Get your razors out boys. It’s time for a Soul Patch.
Untappd Rating: 3.69

Staying in Hummelstown, we are moving over to Howling Henry’s on 2nd Street. Despite the name being LOLAGER, its a pilsner (German).

Lolager

Beer: Lolager
Brewery: Howling Henry’s Brewing
Style: Pilsner – German
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 15
Untappd Description: This session pilsner is light in body, flavorful, very refreshing, and clean finishing. If you need an easy drinking beer H2B has it with this offering. Easy, and fun session beer that will not weigh you down.
Untappd Rating: 3.37

Swinging into nearby Middletown, we have Basic Dad Pilsner by Tattered Flag.

Basic Dad Pilsner

Beer: Basic Dad Pilsner
Brewery: Tattered Flag
Style: Pilsner – Other
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: No IBU
Untappd Description: PA Preferred, gluten reduced Pilsner made with local Double Eagle pennyback pils, hoppped with ahtahnum. Light and biscuity with a crisp finish.
Untappd Rating: 3.47%

Heading to the outskirts of Harrisburg – Rutherford to be exact – we come across Boneshire Brew Works which has Stickhead Pills.

Stick Head Pils

Beer: Stick Head Pils
Brewery: Boneshire Brew Works
Style: Pilsner – German
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: A Crushable Pilsner. Drink it up!
Untappd Rating: 3.83

On February 8th, 2020, Tattered Flag and Breweries in PA co-hosted an event at the Tattered Flag Brewery in Middletown PA. It was a ticketed event and promoted across Tattered Flag’s social media and Breweries in PA’s social media (their Facebook page and their Facebook group). Tickets were free. Welcome to all that were to come out. According to Justin (brewer for Tattered Flag) 62 tickets were given out. Myself and my friend were two of those tickets, and so let me take you through the event.

Let’s back this up a bit from the time of the event. Starting with the event itself. It was first announced near the beginning of the year. Luckily it was a Saturday I was able to get off from work (a rarity in my case). And my friend D. Scott was also off and along for the idea. So, the premise of the event is simple – bring 2-3 (or more) beers. Everyone who comes to the event, does so, and once the event is underway you place your beers in the corresponding coolers (IPA, Sours, Wheats and Kolsches, Stouts), and then after everyone has grouped up, you start cracking beers and sampling and moving on.

The premise is simple and neat. Anyone whose ever done a beer / bottle / can share or swap at home with friends, its the same premise just on a much larger scale. (A 62+ person scale that is.)

Leading up to the event my friend stopped at Breski’s Beverage and picked up a four-pack of larger beers to bring with. He grabbed Thief Share (2016) by Strange Roots Experimental Ales, Blue Farm (2017) by Free Will Brewing Co, a German Chocolate Cake Stout from a brewery I’m drawing a blank on, and New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk (2019).

I had set up to do a beer trade with a guy from Eureka California. We were both set to send our packages on either January 31st, or February 1st. (I sent on 31st and showed proof.) He unfortunately, kept saying he would get to it… and get to it….. and he kept NOT getting to it…. and NOT getting to it. Finally, he promised he would expedite it next day to make up for its tardiness…. and I get a message from him “Sorry, it’d be 200$+ to expedite, so I sent it regular. Sorry it won’t be there in time.” …..Massive annoyance and disappointment on those fronts. So at last second, I had to figure out what I was bringing.

Unfortunately I had just ran through my cans from Tree House brought home by my friend D. Arndt. If I would have known…. I would have brought the Sap, Autumn, Julius, Haze, or Doppelganger I had. So I likewise stopped at Breski’s Beverage and picked up some beer for the event. I got Grimm Artisanal Ale’s I Still Love the Old World (2018), Lickinhole’s Virginia Black Bear, Clown Shoe’s Coffee Sombrero, and Trial by Wombat (mainly for the name and picture).

Saturday morning comes and I do my typical morning chores and errands and take Leela (my border collie) for a run. D. Scott is Ubering to Tattered Flag, and I’m going to meet him there. Planned to get there at 10:40, but ended up getting there closer to 10:50 with our tickets and my beer and meet him just inside the door. He shows me the beer he’s bringing and we go over our small sample size. At just a bit before 11AM, Justin comes through and tells everyone to follow him down into the brewhouse.

Since 2018 I’ve done some volunteer canning work with Tattered Flag – though recently they’ve stopped using volunteers now that their employee force is big enough to keep it all done in-house, so I’m quite familiar with their brewhouse and back of the brewery operations and location.

At the time, there’s not too many people yet. Maybe 15-20. Justin goes over the rules. (Big rule: don’t touch any valves. Little rule: throw your trash away. Big rule: DON’T TOUCH ANY VALVES. Little rule: put your beers in their appropriate tubs.) They had bussing tubs with a label for each: IPA, Sour / Saisons, Wheats / Kolsches, and Stouts. Bigger bottles were kept in the front or where room was for them.

The guys from Breweries in PA introduced themselves. And then we were off to the races (…or beers). Talked with the lady from Breweries in PA and she was saying how the Dayman can was the last “known in the wild” can to exist, due to them getting hit with a Cease and Desist from Disney. And we talked about Disney with recent news, and how past places have gotten hit with some C & D’s.

After sampling Dayman, and then Nightman, I saw a lovely looking Smoked Porter big bottle. Unfortunately I forget the name of it, and it appears I never checked it into Untappd (something I didn’t do too good of a job of). (Just like pictures, unfortunately I took no pictures of the event either, so I have no pictures of my own, and had to try and remember the beers I tried for Untappd later on.) So whoever brought the big bottle Smoked Porter, I’d love to know what it was. ….but also… oh boy that carbonation! As soon as I popped the cap on it, it just gushed. Foam everywhere, so much so that I had to set it down under the table over the grate, it just wouldn’t stop, for a good solid 2 minutes it kept going. (So yes, I apologize for being ‘that guy’, but….. it wasn’t my fault!)

Me and D. Scott kinda hovered over the Stouts area. Talked to Justin and his girlfriend Aimee, about recent events with Tattered Flag, as well as Hibrewnation that took place, as well as the upcoming Prototype Brewery and Meadery and the Prototype Invitation Brewing Event.

After a few more samples, me and D. Scott headed back into the caverns a bit, where there was more space, as by now we were likely up to about 40+ people in attendance. And out by the brite tanks and fermenters it was getting pretty crowded. After a bit, the guys from Breweries in PA brought a few of the bussing trubs out into the side-room where we used to do the labeling for Tattered Flag’s canning run. They brought out a few beers of each type as well and so there was now a more mixed variety in the different areas.

While in the side-room, I branched out a bit from my stouts and sours and had a few IPAs. Bearded Iris’ Homestyle, Psycho Simcoe by Three 3’s, Ex Novo Brewing’s Spirits of the Dead, and Double Luv by East Branch Brewing. Hanging out, talking with D. Scott and some of our fellow drinkers in the area, we also cracked open the Black Tuesday (2017) by The Bruery, which was amazingly fantastic. While discussing the ridiculously high ABV on it (19.5%), one of the guys talked about the beer he brought from Nimble Hill, a Maple Stout in their Mysteria Series, that was a 25%. I’ve always been a huge fan of big ABV beers…. so my ears and eyes and nose, and mouth, all perked up. The kind gentleman went back and got it and brought it out. After a bit of a struggle getting the cork off of it, we each drew a good sample size of it (and I won’t lie and say I didn’t have two samples of it).

The description on Untappd for it reads:

MAPLE SYRUP STOUT
This super limited creation is an off shoot of Turbo Diesel.
But instead of using hops, we added a few gallons of maple syrup and a dash of molasses and fermented it to the limits.
The result is a thick dessert stout with a strong maple syrup and imperial stout finish, followed by hearty warming from the 25% abv. Served without carbonation for a smooth and velvety finish.

It was smooth, dry, but with an amazing maple syrup flavor. Tasted like drinking a maple syrup wine. It was pretty much fantastic. And the nice 25% ABV to it, certainly didn’t hurt. I would like to throw a shout out to Ryan Haraschak. Fantastic, gorgeous gem to bring to the bottle share! Kudos my man!

We also tried a gentleman’s RIS Homebrew that was wonderful as well. And somehow, quickly, we realized we were approaching the end of the time for the bottle share, so me and D. Scott went back by the fermenters to try some of the beers still over there.

While hanging out there, and chopping on some tortilla chips, the Harris Brewery guys came in. Got to talk to Harris guys for a long time about their upcoming brewery, black culture in brewing and craft beer, Allison Hill, the impact their hoping to make, the old Coke-Cola building / factory on the corner of 19th and Derry, the obstacles their having to overcome for their brewery, their GoFundMe vs. the Kickstarter, and much more. We also drank from their growler of their collaboration with The Vegetable Hunter which was fantastic. If you would like to support the Harris Family Brewery, and add to their GoFundMe you can do so here:

Harris Family Brewery Start-Up Go Fund Me

As the time dwindled down, we quickly tried to sample a last few beers. There was an Intuition Ales that I tried with a large dragon on it (wax sealed originally, no idea on the name), as well as two Hegemony Anniversary Beers from St. Boniface. Also back to back Black IPAs; one from Pour Man’s Brewing – Black Market, and the other from Heavy Seas – Night Swell. Also tried the 2SP and WaWa coffee stout – Winter Reserve. As well as a last sampling of the Candy Hearts by New Trail Brewing.

As it wrapped up, they told us to take anything we wanted that was unopened. Seeing my Lickinghole Virginia Black Bear unopened I grabbed that, as well as an IPA from Mainstay Brewing and one of the bakeries from The Bruery. My buddy grabbed a couple and we put them in the six-pack holder and took them out to my car and then came back in to use our free beer and food discount.

Tattered Flag with the (free) ticket, being the gracious host was giving one free pour with the ticket as well as 10% off food. D. Scott got an order of loaded chips, and I got Because I Was Inverted (Chocolate Covered Strawberry). His free drink was either the Custardy Tropic Like Its Hot or the Custardy Black Crumble. We had also sampled these in cans during the bottle share.

My list of beers sampled (that I was able to record on Untappd) was:
* Nightman (Stable 12 Brewing Company)
* Schmoojee Strawberry Orange Banana (Imprint Beer Co)
* Bible Belt (2019) (Evil Twin Brewing)
* Frucht: Fruit Punch (The Bruery Terreux)
* Churro Sombrero (Clown Shoes)
* Autumn Friend (Forest & Main Brewing Company)
* Spirits of the Dead (Ex Novo Brewing)
* Psycho Simcoe (Three 3’s Brewing Co.)
* Black Tuesday (2017) (The Bruery)
* Maple Stout, Mysteria Series (Nimble Hill Brewing)
* Double Luv (East Branch Brewing)
* Kriek Marriage Parfait (2015) (Brouwerji Boon)
* Black Market (Pour Man’s Brewing Company
* Night Swell (Heavy Seas Beer)
* Pack & Brass Coffee IPA (Wallenpaupack Brewing Company)
* I Still Love the Old World (Grimm Artisanal Ales)
* Bourbon Barrel Aged Hegemony Anniver7ary Reserve (Blue Wax) (St. Boniface Craft Brewing Co.)
* Bourbon Barrel Aged Hegemony Anniver8ary Reserve (Blue Wax) (St. Boniface Craft Brewing Co.)
* Cold Pro (Union Craft Brewing)
* Winter Reserve Coffee Stout (2SP Brewing Company / WaWa)
* Candy Hearts (New Trail Brewing Co.)
* Homestyle (Bearded Iris)
* Custardy: Blackberry Crumble (Tattered Flag)
* Custardy: Tropic Like Its Hot (Tattered Flag)
* Thief Share (2016) (Strange Roots Experimental Ales)
* Blue Farm (2017) (Free Will Brewing Co.)
* Gingerbread Crunchee (Other Half Brewing Co.)
* Double Vice Coffee Porter (Grist House Craft Brewery)
* Chili Nelson Hazy Habenero (The Vegetable Hunter)
* Winter Wassailand (The Vegetable Hunter / Harris Family Brewing)
* Dayman (Stable 12 Brewing)

These are the ones I remembered / checked-in on Untappd anyway. There were so many more I didn’t get to try, some I definitely wanted to. I saw some Aslin cans, I believe 4th Anniversary Sours, that I missed out on, as well as a few Other Half’s and similar. In the comments – for those of you who went – I’d love to see what you brought, had, and what was your favorites.

This was a fantastic event. I’ve been to some friend / home beer bottle / can shares, and its always a blast. Passing around beers, sampling, and talking about beer and just hanging out with good people. The craft beer community is an exceptional and diverse community and its so great to talk to so many different people. Bottle shares are like mini-brewfests in a way, sampling a ton of different beers from different places / breweries that you most likely won’t get into contact with. Its not a bad way to kill a Saturday morning, thats for sure.

My favorites that I got to sample were: Black Tuesday (2017) by The Bruery and the Nimble Hill Maple Stout Mysteria (the 25%). D. Scott said his favorite was also the 25% Maple Stout as well as the Custardy: Blackberry Crumble.

It was great of Tattered Flag to put up some of their own beers in the share, a great gesture on their part. Also, humorous note, I think I did see a Blue Moon in one of the tubs, not 100% sure though, but I think I did. Kudos to whoever brought that. I did think it’d be funny to bring a single Coors Light bottle or Miller Lite High Life bottle and sneak it in, but didn’t know how it’d go over.

As you can see from the kill shot, there was a ton of great beer brought in, and sampled and served. Breweries from all over Pennsylvania, as well as numerous other big breweries like Other Half, Bearded Iris, Aslin, Dogfish Head, Brewery of Omnegang, Grimm Artisanal Ales, as well as some homebrew, and some heavy PA hitters like Free Will, Tattered Flag, Strange Roots, Imprint Beer Co, Dancing Gnome, Troegs Independent Craft Brewing, and New Trail, and even upcoming brewery Harris Family. It was a wonderful and diverse selection, bottles, bombers, growlers, crowlers, cans, and even wine bottles.

Interested in reading some reviews of beers from some of these places, you can check out my beer blog: The Beer Thrillers. We’ve reviewed beers from Tattered Flag like: Should Have Put Him Into Custardy, Inexplicably Juicy, Pink Guava, Fatum Series: Member Berries, and more. New Trail’s Broken Heels. Broken Goblet’s This Is The Way, Burn Them All Away. Boneshire Brew Work’s The Hog, Dillston, Harrishire (with Harris Family), Sunburst, Good Walk Spoiled, Road Less Traveled, and more. Wolf Brewing collaboration with Tattered Flag – Imperial Churro and collaboration with Imprint – Wolf Prints. Rotunda Brewing’s sWheat Tarts: Mango Guyabano and Juicy Fruit. Troegs Independent Craft Brewing’s Fuzzy Nudge, Coco-Nator, and Scratch 400. You can check out our brewery visit and recap (and review) of Mellow Mink and their Scarlet Sunrise. Or our brewery reviews of Battlefield Brew Works and Cushwa Brewery. Or the recent, unfortunate news of the closings – Crystal Ball and Stoudt’s.

You can also read our other article on Breweries in PA: Touring the Breweries that Surround Harrisburg. (Also located here: Breweries Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg.)

We are currently listed on FeedSpot’s Top 100 Beer Blogs at #9, and have been there for a few weeks now (moved up from #11). (If you would like to write for us, you can contact us through our contact page. Or if you would like us to write for you.)

You can check us out on Facebook as well as Twitter. Or just search for us – Facebook – The Beer Thrillers – and on Twitter – @thebeerthriller.

The blog is ran by me – B. Kline, and mainly written by me, but other writers for the blog include J. Doncevic, AJ Brechbiel (of Default Brewing). We also have Let Us Drink Beer Blog do some contributions as a guest writer.

I also do podcasts with D. Scott and Esteban – So a Mexican and a Scot Walk Into a Bar… where we discuss beer, pop culture, movies, TV shows, and much more. Always hilarious and always insightful, so make sure to check that out as well.

(Ok, that concludes the article for Breweries in PA. The rest from here on out, is just for the Beer Thrillers faithful and my blog only. Its also a little more personal and detailed than the above, so keep reading if you want to hear more.)

So as per usual with me, after the beer share event, my night didn’t end. It was about 3:30-4PM by the time we finished up at the Tattered Flag bar. Way too early to call it a day. Being in the area, we decided to check out the Lancaster Brewing spot off of Eisenhower Boulevard in Harrisburg. Neither me nor D. Scott had ever been there. And this checks off a “new brewery location” that I want to do each month. (January was Liquid Noise Brewing, so February will be Lancaster Brewing, and hopefully March – before they close up – will be Stoudt’s.) Its funny that neither of us have ever been here to this location. Its so close, and we’ve jumped and hit all of the Harrisburg breweries numerous times before.

While there we met up with friends D. Arndt, Youngblood, and Youngblood’s girlfriend. I did a flight, D. Scott got a draft of their eggnog, and I have no recollection of what the others got. My flight included:
* Jam Series #22 Mexican Style Lager
* Jam Series #21 Gingerbread Spiced Brown Ale
* Lancaster Lager
* Jam Series – Track #20 Eggnog Blond
* Jam Series – Track #19 Chili Smoked Baltic Porter
* Winter Warmer

All were pretty tasty. I enjoyed the Smoked Porter the most with the Spiced Gingerbread coming in second. Wasn’t a huge fan of the eggnog blond, but I’m not a fan of eggnog so kind of knew that going into it. Drew loved his, but then again, he’s a huge eggnog fan. So mileage may vary on that type of beer.

Finally around 730-8PM or so we left and went to D. Arndt’s house, where we hung out with him and his fiance Kat and his dogs (the one of which is a Corgi named Indiana Bones). While there he had a can of Intemperance by Tree House which was absolutely delicious.

Look for me to be adding the Intemperance to my series on Tree House. Also, most likely tonight Doppelganger will be going up to finish what was originally the series. But now, with the addition of Intemperance, the series will be going from 5 to 6, making it a nice easy and sensible six-pack. Makes sense for a beer blog (a beer blog making sense?!), I like it.

So, this was supposed to be written and was supposed to go up Sunday, the 9th. But… work was crazy, as it was a ticket promotion give-away and we were swamped there, and afterwards, I was supposed to go to D. Scott to watch the Oscar’s (and drink the remaining of the beer share beers), but… Haley forgot the crowler of Rotunda Brewing Company’s ‘Beautiful Trauma’ that I got her, so I had to swing back to work and then deliver it to her at Irgo’s Tavern. Where I then proceeded to stay and play pool with several co-workers until 1AM. So obviously… no posting that night.

Then Monday I did go over to D. Scott’s and we watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (finally got around to seeing it, fantastic movie, and Tarantino is still just as good as he always was). So once again, no blog posting Monday. But, last night I did start this, and sadly, only after editing, getting to finish it this morning. Sorry for the delay in things, but I rather edit and make sure I like the way blog looks, and that there’s no misspellings or grammar problems or anything (though I’m sure one or two will still sneak through). There’s two ways to write:

“You either write sober and edit drunk, or write drunk and edit sober.”

I also finally got that California beer mail Tuesday. Looks like some delicious brews to drink down and dive into and review for you all.

So definitely expect to see some beer reviews come out of that 10-pack. There’s a lot of tasty ones (I am super looking forward to the Chocolate Donut porter.)

Blog news – I am going to be trying to get 2 blogs up a day for the next few days to catch up some of the beer reviews I’m behind on. Fingers crossed anyway. This blog post is also going up on Breweries in PA’s website, so you’ll be able to check it out there (albeit abbreviated). Once its live, I’ll come in and edit this to include it here.

Tomorrow (Thursday, the 13th), I have yet another funeral to go to. This time my Uncle (mother’s brother in law) passed away. (Last Thursday was a funeral for my Great Uncle, my father’s Uncle.) In the evening Funck’s in Palmyra is doing a tap takeover for New Trail. I might be stopping out for that (might not, depends on time). New Trail makes some great beers, so I’d love to check it out.

Some beer reviews that are due up are Doppelganger and Intemperance, New Heights I Cannot Tell a Lie, Boneshire Brew Work’s Anagnorsis, Revision’s Pete’s Stache, Rivertown’s Triple Belgian, and much more. So be on the lookout for a lot of beer reviews coming at you in the upcoming days.

Like I said earlier in the post (mainly for the Breweries in PA page), please check out our Facebook, Twitter, and other social medias, and please click follow, like, subscribe, both on those platforms and here on the blog itself. You can enter your e-mail at the bottom to get notifications immediately whenever a new blog post hits the internet, and we’d greatly appreciate it. We also love it when you use the ‘rating’ at the bottom so we know how we are performing, and click the LIKE down below as well. Also, even more importantly, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, feedback. So leave us a comment, or two, or three, or forty-four. I try to respond and reply as quickly as I’m able to. And if you ever want, you can contact us at our contact page and leave me a message.

Thanks everyone so much for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed it, and if you were at the event, hopefully you had as much of a blast as I did (and D. Scott). (Which speaking of, be on the lookout for some new podcasts on LOST Seasons 3 & 4, Fullmetal Alchemist, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and potentially / possibly / hopefully BoJack Horseman.)

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

Want to take a trip with us? A journey along Harrisburg? C’mon, it’ll be fun. You get to hang out with me, and my buddy, and we basically do nothing but chat about Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Coen Brothers movies, how we were so disappointed by the sequel trilogy, about the blog, about the podcasts, we run into other friends, chat with bar patrons, and generally have a good time.

So why not join us? We hit several stops in the Harrisburg area. Not as many as originally wanted, and not all of the places we wanted, but we jumped around, had some fun, and called it a day and were happy. So no complaints there! Can never be upset with a day out with friends, beer, and no stress. Plus…. we got to pet a baby corgi… so there’s that too!

I have written a bit, here on this blog, and for Breweries in PA, as well as the Let Us Drink Beer blog about the breweries around Hershey and Harrisburg and Hummelstown Pennsylvania. Mostly recap articles on the locations, taps, places, atmosphere, beers, etc. The bigger – main article can be found here: “Breweries Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg“. The blog post that is primarily a link to the Breweries in PA article with a few bits of new information can be found here: “Touring Through the Breweries that Surround Harrisburg“. The actual Breweries in PA article is here: “Breweries Around Harrisburg (BiPA)“. And of course, the last article of the series, the larger one yet – that also delves into the breweries of Hershey PA can be found here on the blog Let Us Drink Beer: “Breweries Around Hershey and Harrisburg PA.” I do guest work and contribute to the Let Us Drink Beer blog, so make sure you check them out and my other articles there, like my review of the Pretoria Fields Collective Walker Station Stout. (I also did a review of it here for my blog: Walker Station Stout. For more information on Let Us Drink Beer’s Blog and to just check them out, their blog home page can be found here: “Let Us Drink Beer“.)

Lets start off with the pre-adventure details. First off, the events of this day occurred on December 27th, 2019. A Friday – and my day off (my days off are Thursdays and Fridays for now, before they change soon after the new year). Having worked the week, including Christmas, and spending the night of Christmas with family, and then spending Thursday with more family, Friday was a day for me and friends. I still got some crucial stuff done pre-noon, I finished reading a chapter book with my youngest daughter, I got the Autumn beer review blog up, did some minor editing on the Sap Beer Review and The Hog beer review (website formatting changes) and I walked my dog. So, noontime, dog home, I shower up, and head out to Boneshire Brew Works to meet up with Drew for the first leg of our trip.

(A final in-line, late note, just before publishing this, instead of listing the beers with the brewery we had them at, I decided to put them at the end, categorized by brewery / location and gave bare-bones information from Untappd on them. I’ll leave my rating with them as well, but not go into a full break-down beer review of them. So if you wish just to see what Drew and I drank, you can jump to the end of the article.)

As anyone who knows me and has read this blog, Boneshire Brew Works is typically home base of operations. Its about three-five minutes from my house, right by Rutter’s, right off of Nye’s Road and on Derry Street. Close enough for my friend Drew to meet us there, and its also not too far out from where Dan lives (near Breski’s Beverage). A lot of other friends are close by too, from the Hummelstown, Middletown, and Harrisburg areas. Even from Hershey – its not a stretch of a drive. So its always a great place to meet up; plus the beer is superb, the atmosphere is nice, the bartenders and beertenders all know us, and its just a great place to hang out.

I got there about five minutes before Drew, and ordered the newest beer on the menu – The 2019 Holiday Reserve. A tradition now, at Boneshire, its always a glorious beer to end the year on. One of a handful of great NE-IPA style beers in the area, its usually one of the best, and always fantastic straight from the tap. And this year’s was no exception. After Drew gets there he orders the same, and we spend a good twenty minutes nursing our first beer of the day at lunch-time while discussing the intricacies of Star Wars; including The Mandalorian’s season finale (which had just dropped that morning), as well as how bad Rise of Skywalker was and the sequel trilogy as a whole, how bad the prequel trilogy was, how there’s now more bad to good movies in the Star Wars canon, how some of the books fit into the movies, etc.

We also talked about the next jump on the tour – The Vegetable Hunter, about them teaming up with the Harris Family, and other things beer related in the area. We discussed maybe checking out the BBQ place that is home to Pizza Boy’s secondary location; but decided to skip it, and decided to skip Newfangled Brew Works since with Drew, thats basically home number two. I’ve been to The Vegetable Hunter one time, but quite a long time ago, soon after they added the mini-micro-nano-brewery part to it. So I settle up the tab with James behind the bar, talk a bit about heading on some brewery jumping, and then we’re off to the city proper.

Now, it should be noted, number one, I am horrible at getting to any place. I’ll get there. No doubt about it, but it won’t be right, will consist of wrong turns, driving on one way roads, and being a bit late…. but I’ll get us there. And case in point was getting here. Next thing we know, we’re crossing the bridge and the river and turning around on Erford Road and heading back, finally finding a parking spot in front of the restaurant turned brewery.

I don’t know much about The Vegetable Hunter unfortunately. I do know its a super tiny micro / nano – brewery, and I know that Tim Myers is the head brewer. He is also the head brewer for River Bend Hop Farm – you can check out a review of their Dry Irish Stout I did. I was there at their brewery a year ago (on the 28th, it came up in my ‘memories’). Fantastic brewery and facility and the beers were great. Tim definitely produces some great beers.

I’m not vegan or vegetarian, and neither is Drew. So we didn’t order anything to eat. (Not saying you HAVE to be vegan or vegetarian to eat there, but its more likely to appeal to those who are.) Not sure if they do flights of beer there or not, I think they might, but the two kids behind the food counter who were finishing up an order for the family that was in the place eating (six or seven people with a small child) and doing a lot of cleaning (dishes / glasses) didn’t mention it. We each ordered a pint. I ordered the Brother of Thor! and Drew ordered Today’s Tom Sawyer. Their on-screen board listed only four beers. But their Untappd app lists six. I have also heard (after the fact) that they have an upstairs. Not sure if that was open when we got there or not, but they probably have more taps up there.

Brother of Thor! was tasty and delicious. Drew also said the Today’s Tom Sawyer was also good. Both are IPAs and were neither super hoppy or super bitter, but also not NE-IPAs. We would both recommend them to anyone traveling in the area. Can’t say anything about the food (sorry), but we both enjoyed our beers, the relaxed, hipster, like atmosphere, and overall thought it was a pleasant time there. We didn’t stay long, (not long enough to use our full hour of parking meter time – 3$, right in front of the restaurant), but we enjoyed our beer, and chatting, and stayed for probably twenty – thirty minutes.

After leaving, we decided the next stop would be The Millworks, since its close by. Did a few turns here and there and parked next to the Market. And went inside to the Millworks, which even at 2:30-3PM was pretty full with the bar nearly packed (luckily found two seats together) with lots of people eating.

Sidled ourselves up to the bar and plopped down. Ordered myself a flight, Drew ordered a pint, and got himself the brisket pizza. Drew typically always does pints rather than flights, and I typically will do flights whenever possible – to try as much as I can. Especially if its a venue I’m not likely to get to all that often.

My flight consisted of Winter Saison, Cherrywood Rauchbier, Kiwi Berry Gose, Triple IPA. Drew ordered the Market Day Session IPA.

Once we ordered and he ordered his food, the pizza arrived pretty quickly. I enjoyed the Saison, the Rauchbier was a nice, smokey, malty tasty drink, the Gose was a little bland, and not quite as interesting as I’d hope, but the Triple IPA made up for it and was very tasty, juicy, and hoppy. Drew enjoyed his Market Day IPA (I had it once before and found it enjoyable myself).

Drew said the brisket pizza was delicious. While here, we discussed various ongoing TV shows that we are still watching and looking forward to of upcoming seasons, like Fargo, HBO’s Righteous Gems, and of course still The Mandalorian. We broke down Coen Brothers movies, like A Serious Man, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and talked about how interesting it was for that show to be made (the Fargo show). We also talked about upcoming podcasts including me and Esteban doing one about LOST, a show which Drew had never watched.

While closing out and debating how far to stray from Harrisburg and getting texts from Dan Arndt that he’s getting off work and wants to jump in on the festivities, the bartender pointed out that it was 4:15PM and that The Sturgis Speakeasy was doing their happy hour from 4-6. So since Dan usually likes to meet up at ZeroDay when in the city, we figured we’d stay local, hit up Sturgis, then meet him over there. So off we were to a “pit stop” on the brewery tour.

A hop skip away from The Millworks we found ourselves good parking beside The Sturgis Speakeasy and headed in. They had a nice tap list including several noticeably good beers, quite a few New Trail Brewing Co. beers on tap, and a pretty good bottle and can listing. Drew asked for one of the bottles on the list and was told they just sold out, and so he then settled on the New Trail Porter – Sunset. I ordered the NE IPA Goggles from New Trail which everyone has been raving about in various Facebook beer groups I’m in.

You can’t go wrong with New Trail, they seemingly haven’t made a bad or even mediocre beer yet (at least that I’ve had). I’ve had several from them before – Broken Heels, Double Broken Heels, Corvus, and I believe a sour of theirs that name eludes me at the moment. Goggles was another fantastic New England style IPA, this time a Double Imperial New England IPA. At 8.8% ABV it does give you a good punch and with the large pour at Sturgis it was really good. For my second beer I got the Porter, which was a very nice chocolate porter. Not too overpowering, not too heavy chocolate, pretty much just the right amount. A nice mixture of flavors and complexities to keep it tasty.

On the background TVs was an English Premier League soccer (or “football”) game. A roar went up at one point from the denizens of the bar as the one team scored, and me and Drew talked about my years playing and coaching soccer. Also discussed Christian Pulisic a bit and how I grew up knowing the family due to his father – Mark Pulisic – and his days playing for the Harrisburg Heat. Christian is a great kid, and Mark was a great player, coach, and all around guy. His wife (and Christian’s mom) Kelly is also a wonderful person. So its so great to see the family achieve so much success. Hopefully it also translates to the US Men’s Team finally getting better and possibly winning a World Cup some day (obviously not the next one…. ….since we didn’t even qualify….. ugh……). Side note here: if you ever want to discuss soccer – make sure you see Owen, bartender for Boneshire Brew Works, the men has forgotten more about soccer (due to concussions) than most people will ever know. Plus he’s a great dude, especially after a few.

Nearing our end at the speakeasy a nearby bar patron started chatting us up about local Harrisburg politics, and all kinds of manner of other things. Now, me and Drew will often get chatty about politics, philosophy, religion, etc – but only with ourselves, and more quiet, …and usually when we’re a lot more drunk. We tend to not jump into these kind of conversations with people we don’t know, because well… you never know how the conversations are going to go, and typically we like to follow the bar rule of “No Religion. No Politics. No Gender.” discussions. But we allowed him to talk to us about it, and we stayed neutral and listened. (Always remain neutrality when listening, always the best case scenario.)

We paid up, said goodbye to the friendly bartender lady who was very nice, and chatted to us a bit about The Mandalorian (noticing a theme with our day yet?), as well as Netflix and other TV in general, thanked her for the good beer, and we were on our way to ZeroDay.

We park back behind Midtown Cinema and head into ZeroDay. Finding a spot at the bar we jump up, Drew orders the Financial Panther, and I get myself a flight. I also try their hard seltzer, one of the first craft brewery hard seltzers I’ve had. And I just have to say…. the style does nothing for me. No White Claws for me, no Truly Hard Seltzers, just… nope. White Claws mean no Laws is BS and I stand by it. I’ve never been a fan of carbonated water or seltzer to begin with, so making it slightly alcoholic doesn’t do enough for me. The first time I tried a hard seltzer was at Ffej of July this year from Karl Larson’s group. This was my first time trying it from a craft brewery.

My flight consisted of: Accidental Fluffer, Grievance, Smooth Metal, Mister Bubz, North St. Stout, and ZeroDay Dunkel. With an additional taster of plain Automatic Refresher (the hard seltzer).

We hung out inside for about fifteen minutes before our friend Youngblood and his girlfriend arrived. After about another five or so minutes Dan arrived, but had to stay outside because he had his corgi with him – Domino Thunderthighs. And yes, thats its actual name, and yes, the dog is totally a babe magnet and the most adorable thing since Baby Yoda – The Child. So we went outside and hung out at the picnic table, and watched the slow human avalanche of people finding out theres a nine month old corgi outside as they all came out to pet him and either go back in or head to their cars. Even the bartenders took turns coming outside to pet the dog.

Outside was a nice brisk evening, and we stayed out there til 9PM. Youngblood does stand up comedy work for various places, so we chatted some about that, his upcoming shows, some bits, we talked with Dan about his work (lung respiratory nurse), talked about our jobs (Drew as bartender, me at the casino, etc.), we talked about dogs (my border collie Leela and my new pitbull / black lab mix – Tink), Dan’s two dogs the corgi Domino Thunderthighs and his other dog Indiana Bones. Dan talked about his latest trip with his fiance Kat at Tree House Brewing Company where he brought back the beers I’ve done reviews of – Sap and Autumn. Talked about the places we stopped at today – Boneshire Brew Works, The Vegetable Hunter, and The Millworks. Talked about local breweries in general, places like Iron Hill, Troegs, Moo-Duck, Cox Brewing, The Vineyard and Brewery at Middletown, and Spring Gate.

We got into our normal shenanigans and revelry and had a good time hanging out together. Killing an afternoon / evening. At about 915 or so, we discussed evening plans, I had to take Drew back to Boneshire Brew Works for him to get his car and I was gonna head home, Dan, Youngblood, and Youngblood’s girlfriend were going back to their apartment after Dan dropped off his dog. As usual partings go, we cleaned up and took our glasses back in, gave our goodbyes to each other, walked to our cars and left. Knowing we’ll all be doing this again in a few days most likely, just chilling, relaxing, hanging out, having a good time, and drinking beers at places like ZeroDay or Boneshire or Troegs or at bars like Chick’s, Sturgis Speakeasy, The Manor, Gin Mill, The Boro, Warwick Hotel, etc. There is few things on this planet that are better than hanging out with friends, having fun, laughing, not being stressed by life or cares and just taking care of each other through communal friendship and just being with each other as we drink and bond. Its easily one of the best things about craft breweries is the communal nature of the small local craft breweries. The atmospheres and the venues and the way it brings people together to talk, hang out, have fun, and drink good delicious beers. Not even macro beers at big time bars can deliver the same kind of intimate friendship and kinship that craft breweries can give you, just based on the structure of how different the two are.

After we departed, took Drew back to Boneshire Brew Works and let him get his car. It was 9:45PM and Boneshire was soon closing for the night. Made our safe returns and trips, and had ourselves a fantastic trip basically over Harrisburg and the suburb of it a bit. We got to drink at Boneshire Brew Works, The Vegetable Hunter, The Millworks, The Sturgis Speakeasy, and ZeroDay Brewing. Had great beer, Drew had some great food, lots of great conversations, lot of fun, and much laughter. Was a fantastic day, and a nice leadup to the end of 2019 and the end of a decade and to the start of a new year, new decade, and certainly many more adventures.

As a final note before listing the beers, I started writing this up Sunday December 29th 2019 early in the morning before work, had to go to work, wanted to finish it after work, but had a retirement party for a co-worker at Thoroughbred’s, and after that it was late and I was unable to finish it. So I am now finishing this up (started at 5:30AM when I woke up, and now finishing it at 7AM). And since its December 30th now, I can safely say to Drew happy birthday, as the old man is now 35. So in his honor, make sure you listen to some of his podcasts and mentally give him a shout out and happy birthday.

And now onto the lists!

Boneshire Brew Works:

Beers:

• 2019 Holiday Reserve
• The Hog

Beer: 2019 Holiday Reserve
Brewery: Boneshire Brew Works
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: None
Untappd Write-Up: What we have here is a small Christmas miracle! This year’s batch of Holiday Reserve is a NEIPA brewed with 12 varieties of hops and copious amounts of Flaked Oats, Wheat, and Barley and clocks in at 8.5% abv. This batch is brewed with Apollo, Cashmere, Columbus, Simcoe, Warrior, Motueka, Amarillo, Azacca, Lemondrop, Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic. This NEIPA is sure to please everyone for the holidays.
My Untappd Rating: 4.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.98 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: The Hog
Brewery: Boneshire Brew Works
Style: IPA – Triple
ABV: 9.8%
IBU: 51
Untappd Write-Up: Our collaboration with Muggers of the year 2018-2019. Mike Luckovich and Dan Ploch dreamed up this big hoppy fruit forward IPA. Brewed with Simcoe, Amarillo, Zythos, and Citra hops.
My Untappd Rating: 4.50
Global Untappd Rating: 4.16 (as of 12.30.19)

The Vegetable Hunter

• Brother of Thor!
• Today’s Tom Sawyer

Beer: Brother of Thor!
Brewery: The Vegetable Hunter
Style: IPA – American
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 27
Untappd Write-Up: Hoppy IPA with the Viking/Norwegian yeast strain Loki.
My Untappd Rating: 3.50
Global Untappd Rating: 3.67 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Today’s Tom Sawyer
Brewery: The Vegetable Hunter
Style: IPA – American
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 70
Untappd Write-Up: West Coast IPA – Slappin’ da bass hops! Nugget, Equinox, Citra, Amarillo, and Columbus hops.
Drew’s Comments: Good, hoppy, tasty.
Global Untappd Rating: 3.45 (as of 12.30.19)

The Millworks

• Market Day Session IPA
• Winter Saison
• Cherrywood Rauchbier
• Kiwi Berry Gose
• Triple IPA

Beer: Market Day Session IPA
Brewery: The Millworks
Style: IPA – Session / India Session Ale
ABV: 5%
IBU: 30
Untappd Write-Up: Light body, hop forward ale. Orange-golden in color. Floral and citrus in the aroma and flavor. Restrained bitterness that is noticeable but not overwhelming. Easy drinking, lower alcohol session ale.

Malts: Pale, Vienna, Cara Pils

Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Chinook, Crystal
Drew’s Comments: Tasty, crisp.
My Untappd Rating (from previous time): 3.50
Global Untappd Rating: 3.66 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Winter Saison
Brewery: The Millworks
Style: Farmhouse Ale – Saison
ABV: 7.9%
IBU: 30
Untappd Write-Up: Medium body, dark spiced farmhouse ale. Deep mahogany in color, lightly spiced with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, and french oak chips. Fermented with spicy belgian saison yeast.
My Untappd Rating: 4.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.69 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Cherrywood Rauchbier
Brewery: The Millworks
Style: Rauchbier
ABV: 5%
IBU: 20
Untappd Write-Up: Classic Rauchbier brewed with local PA Cherry Wood smoked malt. Mild smokiness balanced with sweet bready malt
My Untappd Rating: 3.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.87 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Kiwi Berry Gose
Brewery: The Millworks
Style: Sour – Fruited
ABV: 4%
IBU: None
Untappd Write-Up: PA Preferred beer brewed with Deer Creek Malt and 350 lbs of Kiwi Berries from Threefold Farm
My Untappd Rating: 3.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.81 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Triple IPA
Brewery: The Millworks
Style: IPA – Tripel
ABV: 11.5%
IBU: 80
Untappd Write-Up: Full bodied IPA brewed with Amarillo, El Dorado, and Idaho 7 hops
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.96 (as of 12.30.19)

The Sturges Speakeasy

• Goggles
• Sunset

Beer: Goggles
Brewery: New Trail Brewing Co.
Style: IPA – Imperial / Double New England
ABV: 8.8%
IBU: None
Untappd Write-Up: Goggles is a Hazy Double IPA focussing on some of our favorite hops. Brewed with a mixture of wheats and oats. Heavy handedly hopped with Galaxy and Citra. Goggles is excessively fruity and dank.
My Untappd Rating: 4.50
Global Untappd Rating: 4.21 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Sunset
Brewery: New Trail Brewing Co.
Style: Porter – Other
ABV: 6%
IBU: None
Untappd Write-Up: Sunset is a Chocolate Porter brewed with layers of dark and chocolate malts, rested on Cacao Nibs from Ghana. Expect a rich porter layered with deep chocolate flavor reflecting both dark and milk chocolates. Brewed for the early winter sunsets and long dark nights.
My Untappd Rating: 4.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.67 (as of 12.30.19)

ZeroDay Brewing

• Automatic Refresher
• Financial Panther
• Accidental Fluffer
• Grievance
• Smooth Metal
• Mister Bubz
• North St. Stout
• ZeroDay Dunkel

Beer: Automatic Refresher
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: Hard Seltzer
ABV: 5%
IBU: 0
Untappd Write-Up: Hard Seltzer brewed for you! We brewed a blank Hard Seltzer and provide the flavors for you to add how you please!
Global Untappd Rating: 3.87 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Financial Panther
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 47
Untappd Write-Up: Inspired by the hard work it takes to not only make the beer, but the prowess required to run the business, we are excited to release Financial Panther, our newest IPA double dry hopped with copious amounts of Motueka from New Zealand. With notes of crushed lime and bright citrus, it’s sure to start your weekend right.
Drew’s Comments: Had this before, second favorite from ZeroDay behind Mango Hab
My Untappd Rating (from previous time): 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.77 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Accidental Fluffer
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: Malt Liquor
ABV: 6.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Write-Up: A Zeroday holiday classic, Accidental Fluffer is one of our most creative libations. Peppermint flavor and aromas shine in this malt beverage from the addition of pounds of candy canes in the fermenter. This fresh, minty characteristic is complemented by a sweetness derived from a light grain bill, milk sugar, and copious amounts of Marshmallow Fluff.
My Untappd Rating: 3.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.36 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Grievance
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: Winter Warmer
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: 15
Untappd Write-Up: (Blank)
My Untappd Rating: 3.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.83 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Smooth Metal
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: Red Ale – Other
ABV: 7.3%
IBU: 50
Untappd Write-Up: Smooth Metal showcases a balance between a smooth caramel malt backbone and an assertive floral hop bitterness. The American grown Nugget and Cascade hops provide a classic hop character for this full-bodied ale. Smooth Metal is soft spoken at first, but definitely has a lot to say.
My Untappd Rating: 3.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.65 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: Mister Bubz
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: Dunkelweizen
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 16
Untappd Write-Up: Our dunkelweizen is brewed to the traditional German style. This dark wheat ale (“dunkel” means “dark” and “weizen” means “wheat” in German) is a wheat-based beer with dark malt components. While the malt supports a smooth backbone, the yeast is what shines in this beer. Banana and clove aromas and flavors really standout in this dark brown easy-drinking wheat beer.
My Untappd Rating: 3.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.46 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: North St. Stout
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: Stout – Coffee
ABV: 8.3%
IBU: 5
Untappd Write-Up: A vanilla-latte inspired Stout brewed in collaboration with the Elementary Coffee Co.
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.98 (as of 12.30.19)

Beer: ZeroDay Dunkel
Brewery: ZeroDay Brewing Co.
Style: Lager – Munich – Dunkel
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 20
Untappd Write-Up: Light in body, dark in color, this Munich Dunkel brings forth notes of roasted malts and chocolate.
My Untappd Rating: 3.50
Global Untappd Rating: 3.45 (as of 12.30.19)

Hopefully you enjoyed this travelogue of our jumpings and hoppins around of Harrisburg. Was a fun day for us, and we do this somewhat often (less now as we get older though). Hopefully there will be more articles like this in the future of more different / diverse places like Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, etc. I’m looking forward to 2020 and hoping it has a lot more great breweries in store!

For some other articles and beer reviews and brewery reviews, you can check out these past written articles:

• ZeroDay Beer Review
• The Millworks Beer Review
• November Recap
• Cushwa Brewery Review
• Battlefield Brew Works Brewery Review
• Official BBQ and Burgers – Pizza Boy’s Secondary Location
• The Trip Day 1
• The Trip Day 2
• The Trip Day 3
• Going On The Road
• Midwest Coast Brewery Opening
• Rotunda Brew Pub Opening
  

As always, there is tons of things to see, read, and do here on the blog. You can also head over and listen to the podcasts me and my friends – Drew, Esteban, Dan, Andrew, and Andy all have done and created. We talk about beer, movies, pop culture, TV, you name it. You can see the podcast listings here: So a Mexican and a Scot Walk Into a Bar…

Please help us out with word of mouth, share, like, comment, re-tweet, re-blog, whatever works for you. We love to hear from you guys, so please leave a comment. There is still time to get in what you think was the best beer or breweries of 2019, as I’m hoping to have that article fully done and up before the end of 2019. Fingers crossed!

Thank you for reading this long, rambling, blog post. I know its a bit different than some of our past articles. I’m looking to try and expand what all this blog has to offer, so there’ll be tons of different times of articles to read in the future. Not just beer reviews, but brewery reviews, beer related book reviews, home brewing articles, hop growing articles, beer event reviews, news, brewery opening news, travelogues, and so much more!

I have a packed schedule coming up. Looking like at the end of the day on New Years Day I’ll be doing a LOST podcast, Seasons 1 and 2, and then on January 2nd, me and Josh are traveling to Mellow Mink to do a write-up and have some fun with the head brewer Matt Miller. So be on the look out for that. That should be lots of fun!

I also just want to give a shout out – we just hit 100 Followers on Twitter. Thank you all so much for subscribing and following us on Twitter! If you aren’t following us already, you can click here: The Beer Thrillers on Twitter and follow us. That way you won’t miss any great announcements, pictures, and updates! You can also follow us on Facebook at: The Beer Thrillers on Facebook. Thank you everyone!

As always, thank you everyone for reading, and cheers, and Happy New Year!

-B. Kline