The Beer Thrillers

Black Friday Weekend Trip Day 2

B. Kline — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 11:20:27 +0000

Black Friday Weekend Trip Day 2

So day two of found me waking up just outside of Washington PA and beginning my day with a trip to Oglebay park to hike the Driehorst Trail.

The route for Black Friday Trip Day 2, starting at Oglebay Park

As with the previous day’s route and itinerary – Black Friday Weekend Trip – be sure to take a look at our Instagram account, where it shows the beers and each of the places I visited. (And while you’re there, be sure to follow us. We’d really appreciate it.)

Oglebay Park – Driehorst Trail

My first stop for the day took me just outside of Wheeling, West Virginia for a beautiful little hiking trail as part of the Oglebay Park. There I hiked the Driehorst Trail, as well as walked around the Falls Vista trail, the junction, and around the education center. Absolutely beautiful area and it looked like there was still so much more to see and do there especially for families with children.

Brewkeepers

My first brewery stop of the day was inside Wheeling, WV itself. In a quaint little area filled with antique markets and all kinds of things was a spot called Brewkeepers. People were watching the game on the TV at the bar and had it filled up, so I grabbed a Rauchbier – Scut Farkas – and sat in the back corner and read.

Wheeling Island Casino and Racetrack

On my way to get into Ohio, I crossed off Wheeling Island. Which is pretty much like what City Island is to Harrisburg. And with a casino there, I had to stop. As a former table games dealers any time I see a new casino, I always have to poke my nose in there and just take a look around. While inside I enjoyed an IPA by Big Timer. (And yes, thats the beer name – IPA.)

Belmont Brewerks

My first brewery into Ohio for the year and its near the very end of the year. In Martins Ferry, Ohio, is Belmont Brewerks, and from the sounds of the nearby people its more known for its food than its beer, but both were quite good. I had the Italian Sausage Sandwich for food, and for beer I had their Belmont Stout.

Hightower Brewing Company

Up a winding road in Rayland, OH, after crossing train tracks and death defying turns, you’ll reach Hightower Brewing Company, which had possibly the happiest and nicest brewer / bartender I’ve seen all trip. There I had The Great Punkin Charlie Brown Ale and Stumpdweller English Brown Ale.

Squids Brewery LLC

After this I reached Toronto, OH. Already on my list, but also recommended by the brewer at Hightower Brewing Company, Squids Brewery LLC was a rocking jamming frat party place and atmosphere at 5 PM on a Saturday night at the end of November. I had the Knotty But Nice stout and made my way back into Pennsylvania.

Coal Tipple Brewing

Back into Pennsylvania, I reached Burgettestown. At the Kramer Farms is a little brewery called Coal Tipple Brewery. Inside what looks like it could pass as an Amish road-side greenhouse and novelty shop (ok… not Amish, but maybe Mennonite), was a fabulously delicious Peanut Butter Porter.

Helicon Brewing

Planning on making the brand new Grist House Command Station my last spot I made my way there, but just before reaching there I found Helicon Brewing. Who am I to pass up the chance at trying another brewery? Inside I found myself chatting up sports with a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and another local who seemed to foster the complete Philadelphian style attitude for his Steelers. They also had a delicious Dunkel Lager.

Grist House Brewery – Command Station

Just recently opened (Grist House Brewery Command Station Opening), the Grist House Brewery’s Command Station used to be a missile command site. And boom (see what I did there?) they had me instantly with a Black IPA – Hops of Darkness. And damn was it explosively good. (Ok…. I’ll stop there.) I also got a thing of fries and made my way to my hotel for the night.

Tomorrow will be my last day on the trip and the last day in the area before heading back home. No plans and not quite sure where I’ll end up tomorrow. Planning on possibly Lincoln Avenue Brewery, and maybe the new(ish) Allusion Brewing Taproom. Especially since they won our 2025 Battle of the Breweries championship. But who knows, weather also doesn’t look the greatest, and it is a four some hour drive home.

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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Black Friday Weekend Trip

B. Kline — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 13:42:12 +0000

Black Friday Weekend Trip

Always love waking up the next day in the hotel and writing out about the previous day’s trip. (The Trip – Day 1 recap) (Big Three Day Weekend Trip) I kind of decided on the whim of doing the trip and just pretty much set the compass for West Virginia and then let myself be taken by the whims to get there.

From Sworn Brewing to Washington Brewing

I decided I needed to be away from the area for a bit. Recent stuff just made me not want to be at home anymore and so I figured a trip out for some breweries would help the mood a lot better. I had told Jesse and Amanda I would pop into Sworn on Black Friday so I went there for when they opened, had one of their delicious new stouts, and then I was on my way. Original plan was to make it to Wheeling, but of course, as plans often go with me… they didn’t quite work out. Luckily, this time it was nothing bad, it was just me not quite getting to Wheeling by the end of the time. I made it out to Washington Brewing by 10 PM and figured that was good enough.

You can follow our Instagram to keep up with all of the pictures here – The Beer Thrillers on Instagram.

Sworn Brewing

Started the day at Sworn Brewing in Mechanicsburg, PA. There I had the Conviction of Ignorance (Coconut and Cacao) and I Shoveled Snow for Air Jordans.

Berg Brewing

The next stop on the trip, or I suppose technically the first stop on the trip, was Berg Brewing in Chambersburg, PA. I had the St. Festivus Belgian there.

Cushwa

The route was having me go very near Williamsport…. and well, I can’t go near Williamsport MD without stopping in at Cushwa. I got the Wishing Chair nitro stout and the Bock Lesnar. I also grabbed the meat pizza from Rad Pizzas.

Locust Post Brewery

The next stop was Locust Post Brewery in Little Orleans, MD. I had a nitro stout there as well and then their White Belgium.

Short Story Brewing

Finally got to Short Story Brewing. I originally tried getting there in 2020, but unfortunately the Google Maps hours at the time didn’t have them listed correctly and I was getting there just as they were closing. Glad to have gotten to rectify that problem. The Morgantown location was beautiful, and I had two delicious stouts – Fell Asleep Like This and Broad Shoulders.

The Washington Brewing Company

My final stop of the day was The Washington Brewing Company. Got there with about 40 minutes to spare, and had their PB&J stout which was a perfect night cap before finding my hotel for the night.

Today

Now starts off Saturday and my second day of the trip. Waking up and heading to Oglebay Park to hike and check out some waterfalls, and then to see what breweries are in Wheeling and then travel into Ohio for a bit to hit up a brewery or two there as well. Stay tuned to our Instagram and Facebook to keep updated on the travels!

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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

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A Pennsylvania Craft Beer Thanksgiving: Maple-Brown Ale Glazed Turkey (Featuring Troegs, Victory, and More)

B. Kline — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 23:14:12 +0000

A Pennsylvania Craft Beer Thanksgiving: Maple-Brown Ale Glazed Turkey (Featuring Troegs, Victory, and More)

Thanksgiving at The Beer Thrillers household usually means one thing: yes, the kids are arguing over who gets the wishbone, the pies are cooling on the counter, and the Macy’s parade is droning in the background — but most importantly, a Pennsylvania craft beer is getting cracked and poured into whatever dish I’m cooking. Because if you’re not using local beer in your holiday feast… what are you doing?

This year, we’re going with a full-on PA-powered centerpiece: a Maple–Brown Ale Glazed Turkey, roasted low and slow, basted in a malty, caramel-rich glaze made with one of Pennsylvania’s best fall beers: Troegs’ Troegenator Doppelbock or Victory’s Festbier (both work beautifully and are easy to find statewide). The result is a turkey that’s juicy, glossy, sweet, savory, and unapologetically Pennsylvanian.

Below is the complete recipe, along with a few craft-beer-pairing side suggestions to turn your Thanksgiving table into a full flight of PA brew goodness.

Maple–Brown Ale Glazed Turkey Recipe Card

For More Thanksgiving Themed Articles

See our other Thanksgiving themed articles:

What Did the Pilgrims Really Drink at the First Thanksgiving?
Munching on Some Thanksgiving Leftovers (Amy’s Column Series)
Recipe: Crispy Beer Roast Turkey (using Troegenator)

Maple–Brown Ale Glazed Turkey (Made with Pennsylvania Craft Beer)

Beer Recommendation

Pick one of these PA craft beers depending on your flavor goals:

Troegs Troegenator Doppelbock – Dark fruit, caramel, toffee; slightly sweet.
Perfect for a deep, rich, almost BBQ-like glaze.
Victory Festbier – Clean, bready, slightly sweet malt.
Lighter, more delicate, but still beautifully malty.
Weyerbacher Merry Monks – If you want a more Belgian, fruity twist.

For the recipe below, I’ll assume Troegenator, because very little says “Pennsylvania in November” more than that purple-labeled doppelbock.

Ingredients

The Turkey

1 whole turkey (12–16 lbs), thawed
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
Olive oil or melted butter (2–3 tbsp)

Aromatics (for inside the turkey)

1 orange, quartered
1 small onion, halved
3–4 garlic cloves
Fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage

The Beer–Maple Glaze

1 ½ cups Troegenator Doppelbock (or your PA beer of choice)
½ cup pure Pennsylvania maple syrup
¼ cup apple cider
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
Pinch of salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Prep the Turkey

Remove giblets and pat the turkey dry.
Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and sage.
Rub the turkey generously with olive oil or butter, then coat with the seasoning blend.
Stuff the cavity with the orange, onion, garlic, and herbs.
Place on a roasting rack in a large pan.

2. Make the Beer Glaze

In a medium saucepan, combine Troegenator, maple syrup, cider, soy sauce, Dijon, and brown sugar.
Bring to a simmer and reduce by roughly one-third (about 15–20 minutes).
Whisk in the butter until glossy.
Remove from heat and set aside — it will thicken slightly as it cools.

This stuff smells like caramelized heaven. Resist the urge to drink it.

3. Roast the Turkey

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Roast the turkey uncovered for 1 hour.
Start basting with the beer glaze every 20–30 minutes.
Continue roasting until the internal temperature hits 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh (usually about 3–3.5 more hours).
If the bird is browning too quickly, tent with foil.

Your kitchen will smell like a brewery decided to host Thanksgiving. This is a good thing.

4. Finish & Rest

When the turkey reaches temp, remove from oven and let it rest 20–30 minutes before carving. Brush once more with warmed glaze for that Instagram-ready shine.

Flavor Notes (Because This Is The Beer Thrillers)

A Troegenator glaze gives you:

Deep caramelized sugar from the doppelbock malt
Notes of date, fig, and dark fruit
Rich mahogany color
A slightly sticky, sweet–savory crust
Incredible drippings for gravy

If you go with Victory Festbier instead, the turkey comes out lighter and more bready-malt forward — still spectacular, just less intense.

Suggested Pennsylvania Craft Beer Pairings

Serve your turkey with any of these PA craft beer gems:

Troegs Blizzard of Hops – juicy, bright, seasonal, balances the turkey’s sweetness
Neshaminy Creek Shape of Hops to Come – for hopheads who want bitterness with the rich glaze
Rotunda Cran-Gose (Annville) – tart, salty, and the sleeper hit of the meal
Imprint’s Schmoojee Cranberry variants – dessert in a glass, but pairs amazingly well

Bonus: “Beer in Every Side” Pairing Ideas

Because why stop at the turkey?

Hop-Infused Mashed Potatoes

Stir ½ cup of slightly warmed Troegs Sunshine Pilsner into your mashed potatoes with butter and cream — it adds a grassy, herbal brightness.

Brown Ale Stuffing

Use Lancaster Brewing’s Winter Warmer or Yards Brawler in your stuffing liquid. Absolute game-changer.

Stout Sweet Potatoes

Glaze roasted sweet potatoes with Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter (still PA! still craft-adjacent enough!). Chocolate + sweet potato = chef’s kiss. (If you have any left. They stopped making this two years ago. A good new substitute would be Troegs Chocolate Elf.)

Final Thoughts: A Thanksgiving Made the PA Way

If you’re a regular reader of The Beer Thrillers, you know that Pennsylvania isn’t just a craft beer state — it’s the craft beer state. From the giants (Tröegs, Victory, Yuengling) to the small-town killers (Boneshire Brew Workst, Rotunda, YAH Brew, Sworn Brewing, Sterling Pig, Forest & Main), the Commonwealth knows how to brew something for every season.

And Thanksgiving — with all its comfort, nostalgia, chaos, and warmth — is the perfect canvas to show off what Pennsylvania beer can do in the kitchen.

If you end up making this recipe, send pictures or tag us on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter. And let me know which PA beer you picked — I’m always curious what everyone’s pouring and cooking with.

Happy Thanksgiving, and cheers from The Beer Thrillers!

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server).

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.

Final Call for Rogue Ales & Spirits: Oregon Icon Abruptly Closes Newport Operations & Restaurants Amid Deepening Financial Strain

B. Kline — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:30:20 +0000

Final Call for Rogue Ales & Spirits: Oregon Icon Abruptly Closes Newport Operations & Restaurants Amid Deepening Financial Strain

It’s sobering when one of the craft-beer world’s landmark names draws the curtain early. After 37 years, Rogue Ales & Spirits has stunned the industry and its loyal followers by shutting down its Newport, Oregon, production operations and all associated restaurant/taproom venues seemingly overnight. The move marks a dramatic fall for a company that helped define the Pacific Northwest craft-beer boom—and underscores the harsh remains of a beer market in contraction.

Just this past week we reported on Hell in a Bucket Brewing closing and West Connection Beer Vault closing.

Rogue Ales was a Top 50 Brewery (production size) for the country. Their production facility was located at 2320 SE Marine Science Dr, Newport, OR 97365 (which Google already lists as ‘Temporarily Closed’ just six hours after the announcement).

Rogue Ales Nation (photo courtesy of Rogue Ales and Spirits)

What Went Down

On Friday morning, the team at the Port of Newport was informed that Rogue would be vacating its 47,000-square-foot facility in South Beach—home to its brewery, warehouse, and flagship pub. Immediately thereafter, closure signs appeared at Rogue’s locations in Astoria, West Salem and Southeast Portland.
The financial troublescape is stark: Rogue reportedly owed roughly $545,000 in back rent to the Port of Newport, plus more than $30,000 in local taxes. That kind of liability postures a brewery once ambitious enough to distribute nationally in peril.

A Legacy in the Rear-View Mirror

Founded in Ashland, Oregon in 1988, Rogue rapidly became a cornerstone of the craft-beer revolution. Its Newport relocation in 1989 placed it on the coast, with a workhorse production facility and multiple pub outposts. For decades, it rode the craft-wave, achieving national distribution and resonating with beer lovers beyond Oregon’s borders.

Yet the past few years haven’t been kind. The craft beer sector is grappling with declining sales, rising overheads, labor and supply-chain costs—and even for stalwarts like Rogue, the pressure has mounted. For example, while Oregon’s craft segment shrank by roughly 4 percent in 2024, Rogue’s sales reportedly dropped by around 18 percent. The company tried to pivot—closing its distilling operations and seeking new lease terms—but the pace and scale of contraction appears to have overwhelmed the effort.

Why This Matters for The Craft Beer Community

Symbolic loss: Rogue was part of the “first wave” of craft breweries. Its collapse suggests even established brands are not immune in the current climate.
Distribution ripple effects: As Rogue supplied a wide area, the closure may shake taprooms, liquor stores and beer-buyers who stocked its lines.
Local job impacts: Sources say about 60 people worked at the Newport facility—now abruptly a “closed” asset. *
Regional identity hit: What gets lost when a longtime brand disappears? Part of Oregon’s beer narrative just took a sharp turn.

(Source: The Washington Beer Blog)

What Went Wrong (and Key Takeaways for Breweries)

1. High fixed costs + big production footprint: Rogue’s 47,000 sq ft plant meant large overhead; when sales dip, those fixed costs bite hard.

2. National ambitions amid contraction: Expanding into national channels might spread brand reach—but it also widens exposure to macro‐headwinds. As distribution pressures mount, staying nimble locally may be smarter.

3. Market contraction is real: With declining craft-beer consumption and more players in the field, even successful breweries face margin compression.

4. Lease and tax liabilities escalate quickly: Back rent and tax bills piled up—what may have been manageable when growth was strong becomes untenable when growth halts.

5. Employee risk & abrupt closures: Reports say staff were notified via the company scheduling app and given no severance. Breweries must manage crisis planning—not just for operations but for people.

The Final Pour

As I sit here reflecting on this closure from Pennsylvania, I can’t help but feel a tinge of melancholy. Rogue’s story has been part of the craft beer tapestry, and it’s painful to see the lights go out—not just for the brand but for the people who poured their passion into it, the communities it touched, and the beer culture it helped shape.

For “The Beer Thrillers,” this is both a cautionary tale and a teachable moment. The beer industry isn’t immune to disruption, even for those with legacy. For you, the beer lover, brewer, or blog-writer: let this be fuel—not just for reflection, but for action. Stay aware of your overheads, lean into local, monitor your distribution strategy—and most of all, stay agile.

Raise a pint to Rogue Ales & Spirits—their journey ends today, but the lessons echo onward. May future breweries learn from the rise and the fall. Rogue Ales was certainly one of the early craft breweries I got a taste of in the 2000s, along with Bell’s, Founders, Stone, and the other industry giants of the time. The craft beer bubble bursting and its effects and impacts are certainly being felt across the entire industry in all the different aspects of it, from small to big and from big to small.

Cheers.

For More Information on Rogue Ales

The following comes via Untappd.

They are listed to have 0 unique beers, because Untappd has already moved them to “closed” and has them under “This brewery is no longer in production”. (Not sure why this means they have to set them to 0 unique beers though.) They are listed as being from Newport, Oregon and a regional brewery. They have over 2.7 million check ins, and an average rating of 3.68 (as of 11.14.25). Their Untappd description reads: “Rogue Ales & Spirits was founded in Oregon in 1988 as one of America’s first microbreweries. Rogue has won more than 2,000 awards for taste, quality and packaging, and is available in all 50 states as well as 54 countries. Proudly rooted in Newport Oregon, Rogue’s beers, spirits, cocktails, seltzers and sodas are a liquid ode to Oregon and the endless inspiration that its land, its sea and its people provide. ”

You can follow them on these social media outlets:

Rogue Ales and Spirits – Official Website
Rogue Ales and Spirits – Facebook
Rogue Ales and Spirits – Twitter
Rogue Ales and Spirits – Instagram
Rogue Ales and Spirits – Untappd

Brewery News

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

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Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server).

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.

Hell in a Bucket Brewing Will be Closing Its Doors at the End of the Month

B. Kline — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 22:35:57 +0000

Hell in a Bucket Brewing Will be Closing Its Doors at the End of the Month

Hell in a Bucket Brewing has made the difficult decision to announce the upcoming closure of their brewery. They made the announcement just hours ago on social media. Located currently at 392 E Front St, Marietta, PA 17547, originally located in Wrightsville PA, they recently moved to the Marietta location. (They moved January of 2024.)

Hell in a Bucket Closing Announcement

Announcement

After the death of our founder and partner earlier this year, we have made the very difficult decision to close Hell in a Bucket Brewing Company. Owning and running a brewery and restaurant has been the ride of a lifetime. Thanks for being a part of it with us.

Jeff and Sarah will continue to keep the bar open on a very limited basis to continue (Saturdays and Sundays only) to sell the remaining beer and merch that we still have in stock. Come see us, raise a glass to Matt, raise a glass to the Bucket, reminisce, and take home a few 4 packs.

What a long, strange trip it’s been…indeed

Hell in a Bucket Brewing (Facebook Post)

We would like to wish our condolences on the loss of their founder and partner. He was a wonderful man and great spirit and loved going to nearby breweries and other events. Hell in a Bucket has been a great brewery in the area and will be sad to see them go. Be sure to come out by November 30th, 2025 to see them off one last time. Cheers to a long strange trip!

Hell in a Bucket Brewery

For more information on Hell in a Bucket Brewery, we get the following from Untappd.

Hell in a Bucket Brewery is a microbrewery from Wrightsville, PA. They have 99 unique beers, and just shy of 6,200 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.75 (as of 11.11.25). Their Untappd description reads: “Grateful Dead themed microbrewery and restaurant located in Marietta, PA.”

You can follow them on these social media pages:

Brewery News

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

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Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server).

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.

After a Four Year Run – West Connection Beer Vault is Closing Its Doors

B. Kline — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:31:22 +0000

After a Four Year Run – West Connection Beer Vault is Closing Its Doors

After four years of being one of the top, and greatest premier craft bottle and beer shops in the Central PA area, West Connection Beer Vault is closing its doors. Located up on the Hershey Hill overlooking Hummelstown, between Weiss and what used to be K-Mart and is now a host of other businesses (including a gym and a Tractor Supply), at 1164 Mae St, Hummelstown, PA 17036. They just posted on their social media accounts moments ago about the upcoming closure.

West Connection Beer Vault Announces Closing

Announcement

After a four year run of great beers and even better conversations, The Beer Vault is closing the doors for good in mid, to late January. This was not an easy decision to make and we are very grateful for all the support and friendships we’ve built with our customers and staff over the years. Thank you for being a part of our story!

We will continue to operate as normal through the holiday season and will always bring the best customer service that you have come to expect until our last day. We have stopped selling gift cards and suggest you redeem them before the new year.

Cheers!

Chris & Randy

#supportsmallbusiness

– West Connection Beer Vault (Facebook Post)

The team at West Connection Beer Vault (WC Beer Vault) has been phenomenal and always helpful to us when we’ve gone in looking for beers. Talking and chatting, following up with the beers on social media, etc. And so to them, thank you Chris, Randy, and the rest of the staff for providing so much for the Hummelstown, Hershey, Central PA area.

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Book Review: Atomic Habits (James Clear)

B. Kline — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:21:06 +0000

Book Review: Atomic Habits by James Clear

I finally got around to Atomic Habits, but instead of reading it, I went with the audiobook version — which, for a book about systems, structure, and personal rhythm, actually worked pretty well. James Clear has a smooth, steady delivery that makes the material easy to digest during commutes, walks, or while doing absolutely anything else you’re trying to turn into a “habit.”

Overall, I found Atomic Habits to be a genuinely positive, practical, and well-packaged guide to incremental improvement. Clear excels at breaking down why small changes matter, and the principles — identity-based habits, habit stacking, and reducing friction — are solid, intuitive, and broadly applicable. There’s a reason this book sits on so many bestseller lists and gets recommended endlessly: the content is accessible, actionable, and encouraging without being preachy.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Libby

Libby is a wonderful resource. If you have a library card and a smart phone, you can get access to hundreds, if not thousands, of free audiobooks through the app. Even better, is some very large libraries – such as the Philadelphia Library – offer free library cards no matter where in the world you live and therefore you then have access to their full audiobook library via Libby. I cannot recommend this enough for long car rides, chores at home, etc. Its how I’ve gotten up to nearly 200 books read for the year.

Book Review

This is the book blurb via GoodReads:

The instant New York Times bestseller. Over 1 million copies sold!

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.

Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:
– make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
– overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
– design your environment to make success easier;
– get back on track when you fall off course;
…and much more.

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits–whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

–GoodReads Back of the Book Blurb

That said, I did come away with a bit of skepticism. Not in the sense that the book is wrong, but more that it sometimes oversimplifies. Many of the examples feel polished to the point of being almost too neat, too convenient. Real-life change is often messier than the frameworks suggest, and the book occasionally feels like it’s smoothing the edges a little too much. There’s also an element of repetition — the core ideas are strong, but they’re stretched over more chapters than they truly need.

One of the things I did appreciate, though, was how flexible the methods are. Clear doesn’t lock you into a rigid system or a one-size-fits-all routine. Instead, he lays out principles you can adapt to your own life. For someone juggling work, personal projects, parenting, or whatever else life throws at you, having a modular approach is refreshing. It’s less “follow these exact steps” and more “here’s how habits work; now apply the pieces that make sense.”

The storytelling aspect is also one of the book’s strengths. Even when I found some examples a little too smooth, they’re undeniably memorable. Clear has a knack for weaving in psychology, personal anecdotes, sports stories, and business cases in a way that keeps the material from feeling dry. Listening to the audiobook gave these stories a bit more punch, and it helped keep my attention even during moments where the core message repeated itself.

Where the book fell short for me — and why I hover around a 3.5/5 — is in its depth. It gives you a fantastic overview of habit formation and behavior change, but if you’ve read other titles in this space (Duhigg, Fogg, Newport, etc.), a lot of the ideas will feel familiar. Atomic Habits is an excellent entry point, maybe even the best one, but it’s not necessarily the definitive or final word on the topic. It’s more of a gateway book — a spark that gets you thinking, rather than a deep dive that transforms everything on its own.

Still, for what it aims to be — a motivational blueprint for thinking about how habits shape your life — it absolutely succeeds. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a gentle push toward better routines or who wants a mental model for incremental change. Listening to it rather than reading gave it a more conversational, almost coaching style that I found effective.

In the end, I’d land at 3.5 out of 5. Useful, inspiring at times, worth the listen — even if I don’t think it’s the all-encompassing life-changer some people make it out to be. It’s a good tool, not a magic wand.

The GoodReads overall rating is currently sitting at a 4.32 (as of 11.9.25).

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MILWAUKEE’S PREMIER BLACK FRIDAY™ BEER RELEASE RETURNS FOR A FIFTEENTH YEAR AT LAKEFRONT BREWERY

B. Kline — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 22:23:14 +0000

MILWAUKEE’S PREMIER BLACK FRIDAY™ BEER RELEASE RETURNS FOR A FIFTEENTH YEAR AT LAKEFRONT BREWERY

What has become tradition, hundreds of guests are welcomed by the beloved local brewery, looking to take home four different varieties of their rare liquid, available for one day only.

Black Friday Snakes – 2025

A yearlong planning process culminates into one of the biggest beer release events in Southeast Wisconsin, Lakefront Brewery’s Black Friday™.

“We typically start discussing next year’s Black Friday beer pretty shortly after the current year”, says Luther Paul, Lakefront’s Head Brewer, “with these beers needing several months to age properly in barrels, it’s a year-round labor of love creating the finest liquid we can for those making the trek to see us that day.”

Attendees line up as early as the night before to ensure a chance at their desired allotment of Black Friday™ beer. Many have turned it into a tradition, collecting multiple years of Black Friday™ to share with friends and family over the holidays and beyond. Lakefront will be offering their famous Black Friday Burrito and coffee out of their food truck starting at 6am. Lakefront Brewery co-founders Russ and Jim Klisch will open their doors at 8am when sales begin. “It’s one of my favorite moments of the year”, says Brewery President Russ Klisch, “the excitement outside our doors is undeniable, you have to experience it”.

Warm Hearts Coat Drive

Lakefront will be offering up the following four varieties of their rare Black Friday™ beer to take home:

2025 Black Friday™ Imperial Stout Aged in Great Lakes Distillery’s Still & Oak Black Friday Straight Whiskey Barrels. Sold for $20 each plus tax.

2025 Black Friday™ Triple Black IPA Dry-Hopped with Cascade, Citra, Centennial, and Chinook Hops. Sold for $15 each plus tax.

2025 Black Friday™ Wheatwine Ale Aged in Brandy Barrels. Sold for $20 each plus tax.

2025 Black Friday™ Imperial Coffee & Cacao Nib Stout Aged in Great Lakes Distillery’s Still & Oak Black Friday Straight Whiskey Barrels. Sold for $25 each plus tax.

All varieties will be packaged in colorful 19.2 oz. cans and placed in dynamic individual boxes with no limit to the amount an individual can purchase. Every 2025 Black Friday beer will be available to try at the bar while supplies last. Our gift shop inside will be open with exclusive Black Friday items and other warm-weather garb if your preparations aren’t up to snuff.

A collectible Black Friday souvenir wrapped pint glass will be free for those who purchase a minimum of four Black Friday™ cans.

Black Friday Pint Glass

For the third year in a row, Lakefront is excited to announce the return of the Warm Hearts Community Coat Drive benefiting students of George Washington Carver Elementary. Guests who donate a laundered, gently used coat suitable for youth ages 3 to 14 years will receive one bottle/can of a retro Black Friday™. Guests may donate additional coats with a maximum of 2 bottles/cans per donor over 21. Coats will be accepted conditionally at Lakefront Brewery’s discretion to ensure immediate wearability. They also encourage donors to bring colorful, youth-appropriate items, especially coats for girls and young teen women, giving students the dignity of choice. Gloves, hats, and other winter gear will gladly be accepted as well. All week long, guests can also round up their bill to donate to the school.

Click HERE for more information and an exclusive interview with Head Brewer, Luther Paul.

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Haunted Hops: Five Pennsylvania Craft Beers to Sip This Halloween

B. Kline — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 21:03:36 +0000

Haunted Hops: Five Pennsylvania Craft Beers to Sip This Halloween

As the leaves fall and the nights grow longer, it’s time to dive into the seasonal brews that bring all the thrills of October to your glass. For fans of craft beer and the spooky season, there’s no better time to explore Pennsylvania’s haunted-hops landscape. Below are five beers brewed by PA breweries that lean into Halloween vibes—names, labels, stories and all.

Pennsylvania Halloween Themed Beers (can art is our creation, for their labels see below)

1. Master of Pumpkins (2025) — Tröegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, PA)

Master of Pumpkins by Troegs Independent Brewing

One of Pennsylvania’s most iconic fall-season beers, Master of Pumpkins returns for 2025 with all its harvest-pumpkin glory. The Hershey-based Tröegs brewers source 3,000 lbs of Pennsylvania-grown longneck pumpkins every year, roast and purée them, then brew a rich, spiced ale that leans deep into autumn.

Abram-style: Sweet caramel malt backbone, pumpkin depth, spices (cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg) and at 7.5 % ABV, hearty enough for a brisk October night.

2. Young Pumpkinstein — Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company (Croydon, PA)

Young Pumpkinstein

A fun twist on the pumpkin-beer tradition: Young Pumpkinstein is described as a Märzen-style lager brewed with allspice, candied ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, finishing dry yet spiced.
Specs: 5.2 % ABV, 23 IBU.

3. Michael Meyer’s Lemon IPA — Pizza Boy Brewing Co. (Enola, PA)

Pizza Boy’s Michael Myers Lemon IPA

Here’s a wild card on the Halloween list: a lemon-hazy IPA that uses horror theme branding to good effect. According to its description:

“Brewed with predacious amounts of oat and pilsner malt, fresh meyer lemon zest and a maniacal amount of Amarillo, Mosaic and NZ Motueka hops … Notes of supernatural citrus, blood stained everything, sharp knives and inside-out William Shatner masks.”
It clocks in at 6.66 % ABV.

4. Reaper’s Revenge Blood Orange & Pomegranate Ale — Wallenpaupack Brewing Company (PA)

Reaper’s Revenge by Wallenpaupack Brewing

Lending a hint of theatricality, this beer is tied to a haunted‐attraction experience and embraces the spooky side of fall. While I couldn’t find full specs, its marketing says:

“Just in time for the Halloween season … a beer that not only captures the essence of the season but … embodies the thrilling, hair-raising experience.” (via the brewery)
This beer joins the list to highlight a more theatrical style of Halloween craft brew—bold names, fruit twist (blood orange & pomegranate), an event tie-in. Great content for a blog segment like “Not just pumpkin: Halloween beers that think outside the Jack-O-lantern.”

5. Batch No. 666 — Appalachian Brewing Company (Harrisburg area, PA)

Batch 666 by Appalachian Brewing Company

Bringing classic Halloween flair: devilish name, dark-bronze hue, and a clear “in the spirit of Halloween” tagline. The brewery describes it as:

“Produced with 1,666 lbs of malt along with three 6 lb hop additions. The result is a dark bronze colored brew with tons of flavor, and a delightfully clean finish! Be careful, this one can sneak up on you and take you to the dark side. We’re sorry, the devil made us do it!”
Vintage/specs: Strong Ale / American style, 7.7 % ABV.

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Book Review: A Significant Life (Todd May)

B. Kline — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 01:08:59 +0000

Book Review: A Significant Life – Human Meaning in a Silent Universe (Todd May)

First off, Todd May has quickly become one of my favorite philosophers of the present. I first got acquainted with Todd May via the show “The Good Place”. His first work I read was Death, which helped me a lot with my own understandings, feelings, and thoughts about death. Especially around the time of Bart‘s death, and I remember going for a hike at Governor Dick and reading it. This year through AbeBooks I’ve gone and gotten all of his (affordable anyway, there’s a few ones that are 45$ plus shipping and handling, for used copies) works, and been reading them. Alongside my full read through of William Shakespeare and Kurt Vonnegut this year, I’ve also been doing a (nearly) full read through of Todd May. I am planning on posting reviews of the other works as well.

I feel like this review I leaned a bit more cynic and harsh though, but I think the review stands as it does.

A Significant Life by Todd May

A Significant Life

The following is the back of the book blurb on GoodReads:

What makes for a good life, or a beautiful one, or, perhaps most important, a meaningful one? Throughout history most of us have looked to our faith, our relationships, or our deeds for the answer. But in A Significant Life , philosopher Todd May offers an exhilarating new way of thinking about these questions, one deeply attuned to life as it actually a work in progress, a journey—and often a narrative. Offering moving accounts of his own life and memories alongside rich engagements with philosophers from Aristotle to Heidegger, he shows us where to find the significance of our in the way we live them.

May starts by looking at the fundamental fact that life unfolds over time, and as it does so, it begins to develop certain qualities, certain themes. Our lives can be marked by intensity, curiosity, perseverance, or many other qualities that become guiding narrative values. These values lend meanings to our lives that are distinct from—but also interact with—the universal values we are taught to cultivate, such as goodness or happiness. Offering a fascinating examination of a broad range of figures—from music icon Jimi Hendrix to civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, from cyclist Lance Armstrong to The Portrait of a Lady ’s Ralph Touchett to Claus von Stauffenberg, a German officer who tried to assassinate Hitler—May shows that narrative values offer a rich variety of criteria by which to assess a life, specific to each of us and yet widely available. They offer us a way of reading ourselves, who we are, and who we might like to be.

Clearly and eloquently written, A Significant Life is a recognition and a comfort, a celebration of the deeply human narrative impulse by which we make—even if we don’t realize it—meaning for ourselves. It offers a refreshing way to think of an age-old question, of quite simply, what makes a life worth living.

A Significant Life by Todd May – GoodReads

Book Review: A Significant Life by Todd May

Todd May sets out to offer an answer—rather than the answer—to the question of life’s meaning, a topic he notes is surprisingly underdeveloped in philosophy. Unfortunately, I found the book largely unsatisfying, and often emblematic of what I think of as “classic philosopher pitfalls.”

For one, May devotes a great deal of time summarizing what long-dead philosophers believed about meaning. But if their ideas were wrong—and May clearly thinks they were—why spend so much of the book rehearsing them? When we teach calculus, we don’t trace every mistaken detour taken before Newton and Leibniz; we teach the useful parts. May also shows little interest in what contemporary science—biology, psychology, evolutionary theory—might contribute to the discussion. That blind spot becomes increasingly glaring.

More puzzling still, May defers the most important chapter—the actual core of his argument—until the very end. The result is a reading experience filled with “But what about…?” questions the book refuses to address until it’s nearly over.

He begins by quickly clearing some expected ground: neither the universe nor God can provide meaning. Fair enough, and it’s well-trodden territory, so I appreciated his brevity. But then nearly a fifth of the book is spent recounting what Aristotle (wrong), Bentham (wrong), and Mill (wrong) thought about meaning. Only one-third of the way in does the book finally begin in earnest, when May turns to Susan Wolf’s 2010 work Meaning in Life and Why It Matters. Everything before this feels like padding.

Wolf proposes a now-influential approach to meaningfulness—note: “meaningfulness,” not “the meaning of life”—summed up in her well-known formula:

Meaning arises when subjective attraction meets objective attractiveness.

It’s an intriguing idea, but I never felt May convincingly defended it. I’ll need to read Wolf directly. In May’s gloss, something is meaningful only when you value it (subjective attraction) and others also see its worth (objective attractiveness). He identifies this social dimension with what he calls “narrative values.”

But is this really “objective attractiveness”? It sounds far more like “whatever our society currently approves of.” And societies are often mistaken. What sense does it make to say, “Her life wasn’t meaningful to her contemporaries, but people centuries later think it was”? Meaning becomes historically and geographically contingent in a way that strains the framework.

May insists that meaningfulness and moral goodness are distinct. One can lead a meaningful life that isn’t morally good—and vice versa. Yet his handling of this distinction is unconvincing. At times, the framework produces absurd results:

A devoted Nazi officer could, by this account, have led a meaningful life—steadfastly committing himself to values his society (however horrifically) deemed admirable.

What does “meaningful life” even mean in that context?

Even May seems aware that his theory struggles to deliver the existential weight he wants it to have. He writes loftily that meaningfulness can

“…give heft to our projects… redeem the arc of our lives…”

and that it might

“…address the haunting fear that there is nothing more to our days than being born, dying, and the land increasing.”

He claims it could spare us from looking back on our lives with “desolation.” Yet why should embodying a narrative value like steadfastness produce any of these effects? Why would it add to the world, or redeem anything? The connection is asserted, not demonstrated.

Eventually May even concedes that meaningfulness isn’t necessary:

People whose lives are not meaningful… have not failed in any duty to themselves or others.

And further:

If someone says, “Not interested,” I would have no complaint… I have no argument for why he should feel obliged to express some narrative value.

If meaningfulness is unnecessary and carries no normative force, then what, exactly, is the point of defining it?

Despite all this, there is a small, compelling thread in May’s reflections. He observes:

We find our meaning not beneath or beyond our lives, but within them.

That seems right. Perhaps the problem is that May tries too hard to make “meaning” conduct more philosophical weight than it can bear. The concept raises deeper questions he never touches: What would it mean for a dog or chimp to lead a meaningful life? When in human evolution would “meaningfulness” have begun to apply? If it emerged gradually, doesn’t that suggest a biologically rooted craving rather than a metaphysical condition? And would a non-tribal species ever agree that “objective attractiveness” — i.e., the approval of the group — is essential to meaning?

These questions linger long after May’s framework has exhausted itself, and they are more thought-provoking than anything his own thesis ultimately puts forward.

My rating on GoodReads is *** out of 5. And on LibraryThing it is a 3.5 out of 5.

The overall average rating on GoodReads is a 3.70 as of 10.27.25.

Todd May

As I said earlier, stay tuned for the other books and works of his to be reviewed. I will interlink them all here.

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