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Autos and Ales: November 4th, 2022

B. Kline — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 11:28:20 +0000

Autos and Ales – Friday, November 4th, 2022 – at the AACA Museum in Hershey, PA

Everyone’s Favorite Friday Brewfest

Its time yet again to get your drink and car fun on. Thats right, its time for the annual Autos and Ales. Everyone’s favorite Friday brewfest! (Also, will most likely be my list big event for a wee bit, since their due to induce Amy on the 9th.)

Last year was an absolute blast. You can read the article for last year’s here:

Autos and Ales – Craft Beer Festival (November 5th, 2021)

It is honestly a great and fun brewfest, encompassing two levels and letting you walk around looking at all of the cars. Everyone is very laid back, theres food in the basement area, band (or bands) playing, and lots of older folk getting ‘their groove on’.

The Details

With 2021 in the rearview mirror, the AACA Museum, Inc. is excited to welcome the return of Autos & Ales, one of the Hershey area’s oldest and most enduring craft beer festivals. Friday, November 4th, from 6 to 10 pm, the event kicks off with live music, food, and dozens of breweries, all within the galleries of our award-winning transportation museum.

Featuring

Regional craft breweries with dozens of craft brewed beers for sampling

Live music by local favorite Smooth Like Clyde

Delicious food prepared by C&J Catering

VIP hour from 6 to 7 pm (VIP ticket holders can remain through the close of the event at 10 pm.) The VIP hour features the debut of our 2022 event’s signature beer and its brewer Englewood Brewing

General Admission access to all breweries from 7-10 pm.

AACA Auto Museum – Autos and Ales

They also have a Facebook event page, which states:

A world Class Automotive Experience with Cars – Buses – Motorcycles & More! Cruise through time as you travel through various exhibitions from the 1890s-1980s! A proud Smithsonian Affiliate.

7th annual Autos and Ales with beer, music, and wings!

http://www.aacamuseum.org/autos-ales/
Autos and Ales (Facebook Event)

Tickets

Make sure you purchase your tickets now, they can be purchased here:

Autos and Ales – 2022 – Tickets

There are three available tickets:

General Ticket: 55$ (7PM to 10PM)
VIP Ticket: 65$ (6PM to 10PM)
Designated Driver: 20$

Participating Breweries

Aldus Brewing
Anchor Brewing
Appalachian Brewing Company
Artiface Ales and Meads
Bald Birds Brewing Company
Beatbox Beverages
Big Bottom Brewing
Big Oyster Brewing
Big Truck Brewing
Boneshire Brew Works
Blake’s Hard Cide
Boom City Brewing
Cellar Works Brewing
Conyngham Brewing
Cox Brewing Company (CBC)
Crook and Marker
Desperate Times Brewing
Englewood Brewing
Fat Bat Brewing
Fat Heads Brewing
Flying Embers
Grateful Goat Brewing Company
Highway Manor
Howling Henry’s Brewing
Howie’s Spiked Tea
Iron Hill Brewing Company
Jackass Brewing Company
Isaac’s Brewhouse
Lebanon Area Fermenters – Home Brew Group
Last Minute Brewing
Lindgren Craft Brewery
Logyard Brewing Company
Mount Gretna Craft Brewery
New Trail Brewing Company
Pilger Ruh Brewing
Press – Premium Alcohol Seltzer
Raven Beer Brewing Company
REHAB – Home Brew Group
Rotunda Brewing Company
Shy Bear Brewing Company
Sign of the Horse Brewing Company
Snitz Creek Brewery
Sons of Alchemy – Home Brew Group
Spring Gate Brewery
Stewart’s Spiked
Troegs Independent Craft Brewing
The Brewery at The Vineyards of Hershey
The Vegetable Hunter
Whitehorse Brewing Company LLC
Winding Path Brewing
Yuengling Brewery
ZeroDay Brewing

Special Commemorative Beer

Every year Autos and Ales likes to make a specialty beer just for the event. Last year they had Snitz Creek Brewery do the honors. This year it will be Englewood Brewing from Hummelstown / Hershey PA. From their Facebook about it:

We try to connect beer and automotive history each year at Autos and Ales through a special transportation-inspired brew crafted by one of our participating breweries. On Friday, November 4th, our friends at Englewood Brewing will debut “Merlette Swan, a Schwarzbier Lager. Head brewer, Jesse Prall, is a Cadillac guy as evidenced by his tattoo and the naming of his beer. The “merlette swan” was a component of Cadillac’s original 1902 logo and has been on and off the company’s crest over the decades. The beer is on its way and promises to be easy to drink and dark like motor oil. Check out the photos from brew day and note the rubber ducky in the tank (Jesse says no swans were available); then get your tickets for this not to be missed annual event!
Autos and Ales – Englewood Beer (Facebook)

Links and Resources

Thanks For Reading

Thank you for reading everyone! Always appreciate everyone stopping by and checking out the blog. Lots of big news going around here at the blog! A big Phillies win last night (7 – 0 !!!) with five home runs last night. What an amazing game that was! That makes the series now 2 – 1 Phillies, as they go into game four tonight in Philadelphia. Citizens Bank Park will be rocking! Also today is Wednesday, so another new episode of Andor, so that means its another Star Wars Wednesday, so another Star Wars themed beer review. (Also, with it being a Phillies game, that also means there will be a Phillies themed beer review. Whew, do I have my work cut out for me today.)

Also, as the norm with November, I do an article a day. My version of NaNoWriMo. So every day in November there will be at least one brand new article. So make sure you are stopping by the blog to check out everything that is going on. As there will be lots of beer reviews, book reviews, hike reviews, and other things to check out here.

And on the homefront even bigger news. We got told yesterday that they will be inducing Amy on the 9th. So looks like Scarlet Emma will be coming sooner than expected! (Original due date was November 22nd.) Things will be getting hectic from the 9th on, thats for sure! I’ll try and fit my writing in around the baby. So bear with us on all things blog related in that time frame.

Also, hopefully I’ll get to see you guys out at the Autos and Ales on Friday. Drew Scott and I will be there, Amy is most likely just going to be DD (designated driver), she might stay, or she might just be dropping and picking us up. Who knows yet. It is after all only five days before the induction.

Well, anyway, as always, thanks for reading, and make sure to root the Phillies on tonight!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

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Book Review: Guardians of the Whills (Greg Rucka)

BKline — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 12:55:00 +0000

Guardians of the Whills by Greg Rucka

Disney Canon

Before jumping into the review of this, let’s delve a bit into the Disney Star Wars canon versus the old (now labeled Legends) Expanded Universe canon. This came out around the time of Rogue One (or soon after) and was made to work with the other similar Young Adult (and Adult and even Children’s) literature to work as a larger ‘tie-in’ with the movie. Disney’s Canon (outside of the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy) is pretty vastly different than the old school Legends canon.

This is primarily due to the sequel trilogy and its involvement and change of everything fundamentally post – Endor. They have brought back some aspects of the old canon and integrated it into the new canon, but obviously tweaked, and altered from its origin. The sects and followers of the Force and Jedi is one such example. In the new canon this is represented over some different various sects, religious or not, and followers.

Fast forward to Rogue One and the kyber crystals being more used in the canon, and here we have the introduction of Baze and Chirut who are former Guardians of the Whills who looked after a kyber temple in Jedha. This is one of the few aspects of the new canon that I actually appreciate over the old, or at least as in addition to the old canon. I think there is a lot of story elements and ideas that they can go with and use this for.

Guardians of the Whills

“The Force is with me,
And I am one with the Force;
And I fear nothing,
Because all is as the Force wills it.“
―The Guardian’s Mantra
Guardians of the Whills – Wookiepedia

The above mantra is the one that Chirut repeats to himself several times throughout the movie – Rogue One, as well as he does in various other books / comics / etc that he appears in (like in the novel Guardians of the Whills).

The Guardians of the Whills, also known as the Guardians of the Kyber Temple, were a religious order that existed at least a few years before the Invasion of Naboo. The Guardians later acted as a resistance group^[1] of monks active in the Jedha City on Jedha during the Imperial Era. They traditionally handcrafted the lightbow, a complicated form of bowcaster native to Jedha, such as the one used by Chirrut Îmwe during the Battle of Scarif.^[3] The Guardians protected both the Temple of the Kyber and pilgrims who visited it.
Guardians of the Whills – Wookiepedia

For more information be sure to check out the Wookiepedia page above. Just be careful, the Wookiepedia is a massive rabbit hole (or insert Star Wars themed animal here, gundark hole? sarlaac hole? etc.) that can literally take you hours to crawl back out of. I’ve found myself doing that. Clicking one article to go to another to go to another, after another, after another. Good luck, and May the Force Be With You to see your way back out.

Book Review

Now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s dive into the book and give it an actual review.

GoodReads blurb:

Baze and Chirrut used to be Guardians of the Whills, who looked after the Kyber Temple on Jedha and all those who worshipped there. Then the Empire came and took over the planet. The temple was destroyed and the people scattered. Now Baze and Chirrut do what they can to resist the Empire and protect the people of Jedha, but it never seems to be enough. When a man named Saw Gerrera arrives with grand plans to take down the Empire, it seems like the perfect way for Baze and Chirrut to make a real difference and help the people of Jedha. But will it come at too great a cost?
Guardians of the Whills (Disney Canon – Star Wars Junior Novel) (GoodReads)

This is a ‘young adult’ novel, or a ‘junior’ novel, its relatively short, it has pictures, and pages that are just quotes at each chapters. Its a smaller square hardcover novel. The little poems or philosophies or quotes we get at each chapter add to the universe and the scant knowledge we have of the various Force followers / sects / etc. Its 234 pages and with the larger font, the smaller hardcover size, and the chapter breaks, etc, its a quick read.

One of the complaints about the movie Rogue One was that the characters come off as flat or more plot device based, or woodish and cardboard; this novel goes a long way to providing some insight, some background, and some added backstory to Baze and Chirrut. Arguably two of the more interesting characters to come out of the movie. (I mean, who doesn’t like a Force monk and his gruff buddy who’s given up his religion?)

In many ways this is a study of an odd – couple that have a lifelong friendship despite (or because of) their differences. Chirrut, ever the space Monk, the tidy one, the philosophical, religious, theologian, the clean, the perfunctory, and blind man of faith is juxtaposed by Baze who is gruff, uncouth, rough, harsh exterior yet with a heart of gold, a man of the streets rather than a man of learning or belief. One who has kept his faith despite all that has happened to him, and a man who has lost his faith due to all that has befallen him and his friend.

Baze and Chirrut act as a form of Robin Hood style do gooders, vigilantes on more of a mission of righting wrongs rather than killing for purpose, but as the Empire starts leaning heavier and heavier on the city, squeezing it for all of their kyber crystals; they find themselves working with Saw Guerrera and forming an alliance they rather not really be making with him.

This is a good strong character heavy and introspective novel on two different and interesting characters; especially for a junior / young adult novel. There is some actual sequences (the various little skirmishes in the streets, some other attacks, etc.), but for the most part, this is a drama that plays out in the heads and actions of our two Rogue One characters (Baze and Chirrut). And its done quite well.

Greg Rucka does a good job of getting into these characters, what makes them tick, their differences, their commonalities, their motivations, and leaves them in a good place for the start of Rogue One. This works as a wonderful set up to the movie for these characters.

My GoodReads Rating: ****
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.83 (as of 11.2.21)
My LibraryThing Rating: ****

The Beer Thrillers and Star Wars

For more Star Wars content here on The Beer Thrillers, check out the following:

So far, so good, with the November day to day posts. Two days done so far, and two completed. Yesterday we kicked it off with a Beer Review of Life Sentence by Tattered Flag. Who knows whats in store for tomorrow – the 3rd – and beyond. Be sure to check back and check in often as we kick off this month of daily posts!

(Today’s was a bit of an interesting one, I had about 90% of the article written before I had to leave for work at 9:15AM, worked 10-7PM, stopped at the local high school to vote, and then came home and finished the article. I’m sure there will be plenty more articles and days like this ahead in this November.)

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Night Shift Still Coming to Pennsylvania After All

BKline — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 02:04:21 +0000

Night Shift Brewing Logo

Well, despite not opening their Roxborough location (Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion into Philly), it looks like Night Shift Brewing will still be coming to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania after all.

They have made a distribution agreement with Penn Beer Distributors to bring their beers into Southeastern Pennsylvania. Penn Beer Distributors used to occupy the Domino Lane building before moving to Hatfield, Montgomery County in 2019. Penn Beer should begin distributing and delivering the Night Shift Brewing beers in mid-November (2020). They currently also distribute for some other big breweries such as Budweiser, Becks, Victory, and Yards.

“Night Shift partners Rob Burns, Mike O’Mara, and Michael Oxton were applying for building permits for a vast building at 401 Domino Lane when the nation began to shut down. “We got concerned with the project,” Burns said. “We didn’t know what the future would hold, and we had to protect the mother ship before we extended ourselves further.” So that project was scuttled, though they officially say it’s “on pause” because they would like to open a plant in the Philadelphia area some day.” (Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer Online.)

The Night Shift Brewers at their Massachusetts Brewery (photo courtesy of Night Shift Brewing)

For the Philadelphia and South Eastern Pennsylvania area this is great news, as Night Shift Brewing is consistently some of the highest quality beers on the East Coast. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, pandemic, and subsequent quarantine and lockdown they had to forego their 10$ Million dollar expansion that was originally going to bring them lock, stock, and barrel into Philadelphia.

You can read more about their cancellation of their expansion here: Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion into Philadelphia.

And you can read The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s online edition news article about Penn Beer Distributors and Night Shift Brewing’s distribution agreement here: Night Shift Brewing is Coming to Philadelphia After All Thanks to New Distribution Deal.

Night Shift Brewing

For more articles on breweries opening and brewery industry news, check out these articles:

And you can also read about some recent brewery closings here:

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Cheers!

-B. Kline