Coffee - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers. Mon, 04 Nov 2024 16:30:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8 https://i0.wp.com/thebeerthrillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-The-Beer-Thrillers-December-2022-Logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Coffee - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com 32 32 187558884 Troegs Brewing is Bringing Back a Fan Favorite – Java Head Stout https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/09/22/troegs-brewing-is-bringing-back-a-fan-favorite-java-head-stout/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=troegs-brewing-is-bringing-back-a-fan-favorite-java-head-stout Sun, 22 Sep 2024 14:10:48 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=15647

Java Head Stout by Troegs Brewing (original logo)

Troegs Brewing is Bringing Back a Fan Favorite – Java Head Stout

A fan favorite is coming back to Troegs Independent Brewing – Java Head Stout! Originally replaced by Grand Cacao back in 2020 as the stout on record at Troegs. One of the most frequent questions at the Troegs General Store has been “when is Java Head coming back” and its safe to say — soon!

No official date on the release or when it will be coming back exactly, but there is details to discuss as it is currently fermenting. First, it will most likely be back end of October / beginning of November, and it will be in 16 oz pounder cans rather than the previous bottles. (Like most beers at Troegs Brewery, they have shifted from being produced in bottles to that of cans.) It will also most likely be a temporary or a once and done release, and not become a seasonal or flagship release, and it will also most likely be a brewery exclusive or near brewery exclusive (perhaps a few local distributors like West Connection Beer Vault and Breski’s Beverages getting it as well).

Java Head Stout

From the original entry at Troegs Brewing’s website:

JavaHead is like a day at Tröegs; it’s hard to tell where the coffee ends and the beer begins. This creamy oatmeal stout is infused with locally roasted, cold steeped coffee to release subtle hints of cocoa, roasted nuts and dark mocha.

Java Head Stout – Troegs Website

Its safe to assume that the beer will be nearly identical to the original brew, but might not be 100% the exact same recipe. However, the original was a 7.5% ABV and had 60 IBUs, and used Chocolate, Crystal, Oats, Pilsner, Roast malts and Cascade, Chinook, Cluster hops.

We will release more information when we have a date and when it will be coming out! So be sure to check back soon!

For More Information on Troegs Independent Craft Brewing

According to Untappd, Troegs Independent Craft Brewing is a regional brewery with 164 unique beers listed (despite their being over 500 Scratches). (A lot of vintage and variants get consolidated into single unique listings as well.) They have 2.4 Million ratings and a global average rating of 3.79 (as of 9.20.24). Their Untappd bio reads:

Founded in Pennsylvania in 1997 by brothers John and Chris Trogner, Tröegs Independent Brewing is driven by a sense of adventure and curiosity. Our brewery has been built by family, friends and kindred spirits who share a love of great beer. Together, we all make Tröegs. You might know our Perpetual IPA, the best-selling IPA in Pennsylvania. Or the dark, malty and crisp Troegenator. You may have come across such iconic beers as Nugget Nectar or Mad Elf in your beer travels. Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to try one or two of the hundreds of experimental Scratch Series beers we’ve brewed over the years. Whether you’re already a member of our extended family or you’re just getting to know our brewery, there’s always something new to discover with Tröegs.

You can find them at the following social media pages:

More Troegs Independent Craft Brewing Related Articles

Troegs Independent Brewing logo

Looking for more Troegs in your diet? Here’s some other Troegs Independent Craft Brewing related articles we’ve written:

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:

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 ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, 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 #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of August 2024.) 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.)

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Troegs Brewing to Release Mad Dreams This Winter https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/09/04/troegs-brewing-to-release-mad-dreams-this-winter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=troegs-brewing-to-release-mad-dreams-this-winter Wed, 04 Sep 2024 15:11:47 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=15661 Troegs Brewing to Release Mad Dreams This Winter

Troegs Independent Brewing – Mad Dreams

Its all a Mad Dream….

For the first time ever, Troegs Independent Brewing is canning Mad Dreams – a combination of Mad Elf and DreamWeaver. A fan favorite in the brewery (and at homes and bars willing to make it), Mad Dreams is a blend of Mad Elf and DreamWeaver. (Other similar concoctions are “Chocolate Elf” which is Grand Cacao and Mad Elf, or Pumpkin Elf; which would be Master of Pumpkins and Mad Elf; and some have done various other ideas over the years like Java Head Stout and Mad Elf, Grand Cru Mad Elf and DreamWeaver, etc.)

Served at the bar either as a 50 / 50 (50% of each) or 60 / 40 (60% Mad Elf / 40% DreamWeaver) for those who want it a bit more ‘cherry’ or ‘higher abv’.

This is the first time though that Troegs Brewing has canned it to go!

Troegs Brewing to Release Mad Dreams This Winter

Exciting news is brewing at Tröegs Independent Brewing in Hershey, PA, as they prepare to launch Mad Dreams, a new variant of their beloved Mad Elf holiday ale. This innovative brew combines the rich flavors of cherries and local honey, resulting in a delightful 50/50 blend of Mad Elf and DreamWeaver wheat. With an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 7.9%, Mad Dreams promises to be a standout in the winter beer lineup, packaged in convenient 12oz cans.

What to Expect from Mad Dreams

  • Flavor Profile: A harmonious blend featuring the sweetness of cherries and the floral notes of local honey.
  • Alcohol Content: 7.9% ABV, making it a robust choice for winter festivities.
  • Packaging: Available in 12oz cans, perfect for sharing or enjoying solo.

As the holiday season approaches, keep an eye out for more details on this exciting release! Tröegs has a tradition of crafting exceptional seasonal beers, and Mad Dreams is sure to become a favorite among craft beer enthusiasts. Be sure to check your local retailers and Tröegs’ distribution channels for availability. Stay tuned for updates on the release date and where you can grab your cans of Mad Dreams this winter!

Mad Dreams vs. Mad Elf: A Flavorful Comparison

Tröegs Independent Brewing’s new release, Mad Dreams, offers a unique twist on the classic Mad Elf ale, making it an exciting addition to the winter beer lineup. Here’s how these two beloved brews differ:

Alcohol Content

  • Mad Elf: This holiday ale boasts a robust 11% ABV, delivering a strong punch that many craft beer lovers appreciate.
  • Mad Dreams: In contrast, Mad Dreams has a slightly lower 7.9% ABV, making it more approachable for those looking to enjoy a festive beer without the higher alcohol content.

Flavor Profile

  • Mad Elf: Known for its rich flavors, Mad Elf is brewed with cherries and honey, complemented by subtle hints of spice. The cherry and honey notes are present but not overwhelming, allowing for a smooth finish with a slight alcohol warmth
  • Mad Dreams: This new variant enhances the original by blending Mad Elf with DreamWeaver Wheat, introducing a refreshing twist. The addition of local honey and cherries remains, but the wheat base adds a lighter, more effervescent character to the beer, making it distinctively different from its predecessor.

Brewing Approach

  • Mad Elf: Traditionally brewed as a once-a-year holiday ale, Mad Elf has become a staple in winter seasonal offerings, celebrated for its complexity and depth.
  • Mad Dreams: As a blend of two existing beers, this variant represents Tröegs’ innovative approach to brewing, showcasing their ability to create new experiences from beloved recipes.

Packaging

  • Both beers are available in 12oz cans, making them convenient for sharing during holiday gatherings or enjoying by the fire.

In summary, while both Mad Dreams and Mad Elf share foundational ingredients of cherries and honey, Mad Dreams offers a lighter experience with its wheat blend and lower ABV. This makes it an excellent choice for those seeking a festive yet refreshing winter beer. Keep an eye out for the release of Mad Dreams to experience this delightful twist on a classic!

For More Information on Troegs Independent Craft Brewing

According to Untappd, Troegs Independent Craft Brewing is a regional brewery with 164 unique beers listed (despite their being over 500 Scratches). (A lot of vintage and variants get consolidated into single unique listings as well.) They have 2.4 Million ratings and a global average rating of 3.79 (as of 9.4.24). Their Untappd bio reads:

Founded in Pennsylvania in 1997 by brothers John and Chris Trogner, Tröegs Independent Brewing is driven by a sense of adventure and curiosity. Our brewery has been built by family, friends and kindred spirits who share a love of great beer. Together, we all make Tröegs. You might know our Perpetual IPA, the best-selling IPA in Pennsylvania. Or the dark, malty and crisp Troegenator. You may have come across such iconic beers as Nugget Nectar or Mad Elf in your beer travels. Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to try one or two of the hundreds of experimental Scratch Series beers we’ve brewed over the years. Whether you’re already a member of our extended family or you’re just getting to know our brewery, there’s always something new to discover with Tröegs.

You can find them at the following social media pages:

More Troegs Independent Craft Brewing Related Articles

Troegs Independent Brewing logo

Looking for more Troegs in your diet? Here’s some other Troegs Independent Craft Brewing related articles we’ve written:

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:

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 ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, 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 #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of August 2024.) 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.)

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Beer Review: Koffee Kake Ale (Victory Brewing) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/01/17/beer-review-koffee-kake-ale-victory-brewing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-koffee-kake-ale-victory-brewing Wed, 17 Jan 2024 16:45:37 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=13584 All the Hype

All aboard the hype train! Choo Choo! C’mon everyone, get on board! So does this live up to the hype? Is it just a novelty beer? Should it be made again? Is it TASTY? Does it taste like coffee cake (or “koffee kake”)? So many questions! Hold on, we’ll get to all of them, settle down! I suggest you grab a beer, relax, and enjoy the review.

I first reported about Victory Brewing and TastyKake setting this up, collaborating, and announcing that it would be upcoming back in October 2023 – Victory Brewing Company and Tastykake Company Team Up for Koffee Kake Ale (October 5th, 2023) – and then, before its actual released, we discussed the upcoming special release at the brewery and its distribution here – Victory Brewing and Tastykake Collab Koffee Kake Ale to be Released on December 22nd.

Immediately the response was pretty overwhelming – “OMG” “whens it coming out” “how can we get it” “that looks amazing” “the Philly in me wants it so bad”, etc. I know Josh of MasterMindX Studios was jonesing for it.

So let’s dive into this and see if it lives up to the hype, shall we?

Beer Review

Beer: Koffee Kake Ale
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
In Collaboration With: TastyKake
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 6%
IBU: 35
Untappd Description: This very tasty collaboration between Victory Brewing Company and Tastykake takes the delicious flavors of Tastykake’s Koffee Kake into a sweet ale with notes of pound cake & cinnamon

 

First, a quick recap of the beer: the Koffee Kake Ale by Victory Brewing Company is a unique collaboration with Tastykake, inspired by the flavors of Tastykake’s Koffee Kake Cupcakes. This blonde ale has a 6% ABV and 35 IBU. The beer has received mixed reviews, with some praising its distinct coffee flavor and its ability to provide a different beer-drinking experience. However, others have noted a bitter or less expected flavor.

Color and Appearance

The Koffee Kake Ale’s golden hue, typical of a blonde ale, and its moderate white head presented an alluring appearance in the glass, setting the stage for the unique flavor journey that was to follow. As I explored this brew further, I couldn’t help but reflect on the diverse range of opinions it has garnered. Some have lauded its distinct coffee-infused taste, while others have found its flavor profile to be unexpected or slightly bitter. This dichotomy of reactions only added to the intrigue of this unconventional ale.

Aroma

The aroma of the Koffee Kake Ale is reminiscent of coffee and cinnamon, providing a sensory prelude to its distinctive flavor profile. This smells like cracking open a bag of Tastykake Koffee Kakes, it is on point, and absolutely nails what it says it is. One of the worst things about some beers is when the label and the smell don’t match up, one tells you they get notes of X and Y, but you smell Z. Thats certainly not the issue here.

Taste

Upon savoring the Koffee Kake Ale, one encounters a blend of flavors that includes prominent notes of coffee, subtle hints of maple, and a touch of sweetness. This unique combination offers a truly distinctive and unconventional drinking experience. This is a type of beer that is going to get a lot of interest and different thoughts, reviews, and comments from people. A lot of people I talked to wished this was a stout rather than a blonde ale to begin with; but personally I think this works well as a blonde ale. Some have lauded its distinct coffee-infused taste, while others have found its flavor profile to be unexpected or slightly bitter. This dichotomy of reactions only added to the intrigue of this unconventional ale. The reviews have a bit mixed to say the least, some finding it surprisingly tasty, while others have mentioned that it brings a different flavor profile than expected. Personally I enjoyed it. It makes for a nice, one off beer. I couldn’t sit and drink the six pack of it all at once, but as a novelty, every once and a while beer, its fun and tasty. You get the notes of cinnamon, coffee, its sweet but not too cloying, its generally a well rounded beer all things considered. Josh (of MasterMindX Studios) who isn’t a big beer person, went out and got it and said he ‘enjoyed it’, that it ‘lived up to its name’ but that he could tell its a ‘gimmicky beer, and a novelty beer, but its not bad’. I think that is probably going to be the summation of this beer for most people.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.61 (as of 1.17.24)

 

In conclusion, the Koffee Kake Ale by Victory Brewing Company is a beer that defies convention and offers a truly distinctive flavor experience. Its collaboration with Tastykake and the unconventional taste make it an intriguing option for beer enthusiasts looking to explore new and unique offerings. Whether you find yourself captivated by its coffee-infused notes or intrigued by its unexpected flavor profile, this ale is undoubtedly one that warrants consideration for those seeking a new, different, unique beer. All in all, its at least worth a shot. The six pack of this at West Connection Beer Vault was 14.99$, so its not an unreasonable price by any means.

 

Other Notable Collaborations

Looking for other Craft Brewery and Corporate World Team – Ups? Then check these out:

Some Articles About Victory Brewing Company

More Information on Victory Brewing Company

The following comes from Untappd. Victory Brewing Company is a regional brewery from Downingtown PA. They have 911 unique beers, and over 2.8 Million reviews, with a global average rating of 3.67 (as of 1.17.24). Their Untappd description reads: Co-founders Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet The story of Victory Brewing Company starts on a school bus in 1973 when fifth-graders Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski stepped aboard, on their way to a new school. The two became fast friends and remained so, even as they grew up and went to college on opposite coasts. Just months out of college, Bill’s appreciation of good beer and access to his father’s home brewing equipment inspired him to explore the hobby. That same year (1985), Bill gave Ron a home brewing kit as a Christmas gift. With that, both Bill and Ron developed their love of the craft, and a friendly rivalry grew between the two. The good-natured competition pushed Bill and Ron to become accomplished.

They have the following social media pages:

Tastykake – Koffee Kakes

Looking for more information about Tastykake and Koffee Kakes? Check out this link here:

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:

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 ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, 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.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Trip to Indianapolis: Day Three: Salt Fork State Park, Southside Brewing Company, Blackhand Gorge, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, Land-Grant Brewing Company, The Wandering Griffin https://thebeerthrillers.com/2020/11/27/the-trip-to-indianapolis-day-three-salt-fork-state-park-southside-brewing-company-blackhand-gorge-wolfs-ridge-brewing-land-grant-brewing-company-the-wandering-griffin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-trip-to-indianapolis-day-three-salt-fork-state-park-southside-brewing-company-blackhand-gorge-wolfs-ridge-brewing-land-grant-brewing-company-the-wandering-griffin Sat, 28 Nov 2020 01:23:00 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=6048
Salt Fork State Park

The subtitle I used for the recap article about Day Three was “I woke up in Washington and ended up in Dayton, how did I get here?” And its pretty accurate. Counting West Virginia (which I was only supposed to be in for all of about six to eight minutes) I traveled in three states and a fair bit of distance. So lets discuss how I got from Washington (Pennsylvania) to Dayton (Ohio) all in one day, and what all I did therein.

Also, before we go on, I believe my picture above of the lake at Salt Fork State Park is an optical allusion (that or maybe I’ve finally fully lost it and I’m going nuts); but to me it feels like if you stare at the picture long enough it looks like the waves are moving. Let me know if you see it… or if I have just lost my marbles. (Maybe its both?)

Day three saw me leaving my hotel outside of The Meadows Casino around 9:30AM, and heading to Ohio. Unfortunately, I have to go through West Virginia to get to Ohio in this part of the region… and that involves me getting pulled over by a West Virginia State Trooper. Sigh. So it goes I guess, but it does suck, and is a needless 190$ expense to add to the total cost of my trip, it also made me a bit later getting to my first stop which was the Salt Fork State Park.

There is a large beautiful lake at Salt Fork State Park, as well as several hiking trails over by the golf course. The lake was gorgeous and so serene, and at 10:30-11AM the park and lake area was completely empty. Just me, some blobby dead jellyfish looking things on the beach, lots of deer footprints, and the sad, quiet, solemn sound of the waves of the lake lapping onto the beach. I sat by the beach for a fair bit of time, just taking in the quiet and solitude, the solemnity of the here and now and the sereneness of it all.

The wooded trails there were nice though easy and not much to see, but they were quiet, serene, and peaceful. The whole place had a very serene atmosphere, a malaise or laze-faire peace and serenity to it all. Seeing nobody in sight pretty much the entire time I was in the state park certainly helped add the elusive nature of the place, like I had stumbled back in time and found a beach and lake and small wooded grove that only I knew about and nobody else ever would.

From here I traveled further into Ohio on my way to Columbus. Stopping briefly at a brewery / winery / restaurant / pizzeria on a hill. The restaurant was called Georgetown Tavern on the Hill; the brewery located there was called Southside Brewing Company. Had a gorgeous view of a vineyard and down an impressive hill.

The pizza was very good, and the beer was refreshing and nice on a beautiful, gorgeous, sunny day.

Blueberry Wheat

Beer: Blueberry Wheat
Brewery: Southside Brewing Co.
Style: Wheat Beer – American Pale Wheat
ABV: 6%
IBU: 30 IBU
Untappd Description: Traditional wheat beer with a hint of blueberry.

It was refreshing, and nice and there was a hint of blueberry. Perfectly acceptable on a sunny day in early November as a quick-stop pint to grab while breaking up the drive through Ohio.

My Untappd Rating: ***.5
Global Untappd Rating: (Only 9 ratings, not enough for a global rating yet.)

Next up, I stopped at Blackhand Gorge. Which was a series of trails on two sides of a main road. On one side, you had a trail along the creek / river which also included being able to walk down into what was the remains of the Erie Canal; and on the other side you had a walk that took you through a rock tunnel and you could also climb to the top of this giant rock plateau. The one side of the river was more of a bike trail that stretched for miles and miles, the other was a hiking trail. Both were very cool, and had numerous spots to stop and take pictures.

The drive to Blackhand Gorge was interesting. At one point on the highway a firetruck was coming up behind me, so I got over for it, and soon after it passed me, its hose came unattached from the top, and followed behind the firetruck like a long kite tail until it eventually completely unattached. The firetruck unaware the entire time kept speeding on. I was making sure to keep a good 10 – 15 feet back from the hose, which was trailing for probably about 20 – 30 feet from the firetruck itself. Once it became unattached and flew back, I had to quickly swerve so it didn’t hit the car, and it nearly clipped the car behind me who was riding my tail pretty aggressively.

After the Gorge it was finally time to head into Columbus. On the way there, I passed the Longerberger Basket building, office, headquarters, what have you. Reminded me of my aunt who used to sell their baskets, as well as my (ex) mother in law who did as well.

Once in Columbus, the first brewery to hit was Wolf’s Ridge Brewing. Parking was about a half block away, and was only 3$ for 6 hours, which for a city, is fantastic. Also, next to the parking lot was Elevator Brewing, where they were working on inside – unfortunately they weren’t open yet, and were still doing the work on the building, so I had to skip them. Wolf’s Ridge Brewing though more than made up for it.

Due to COVID, instead of eating and sitting inside, they turned the alley to the side of their brewery into a make-shift patio with a construction set barrier around the place. I had two full drafts there while reading and talking to an amazing bartender / server. Very beautiful and sweet lady who chatted with me about their brewery, my trip, Indianapolis, Harrisburg, and all kinds of things.

Buchenrauch

The first beer I got was the Buchenrauch. I can’t turn down a Rauchbier when I see it on a menu. I just can’t. Always have to give it a try, just to see how the brewery handles doing such a hard beer style. Luckily (and unsurprising for anyone who knows Wolf’s Ridge Brewing) they absolutely nailed it.

Beer: Buchenrauch
Brewery: Wolf’s Ridge Brewing
Style: Rauchbier
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 20 IBU
Untappd Description:

2016 Gold Medal winner: San Diego International Beer Competition

2016 Gold Medal: Alltech Commonwealth Cup

2017 Silver: Alltech Commonwealth Cup

2016 Bronze: Indiana Brewers’ Cup

2015 Bronze Medal winner: San Diego International Beer Competition

This traditional smoked lager style hails from Bamberg Germany. The name literally means “beech smoke,” which pays homage to the time honored tradition of smoking the malt over beech wood to create the signature smooth smokiness. Mahogany in color and rich in flavors of campfire smoke and crusty bread. Buchenrauch is crisp and savory. The lager yeast and cold aging provide smooth drinkability and will leave you wanting more than just one.

Delicious, lovely beer. Compared to the medals and awards this beer has won, my recommendation means very little, but I do certainly highly recommend it. If you are in the Columbus area, this is worth the stop at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing alone.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.69 (as of 11.27.20)

Dire Wolf

Beer: Dire Wolf
Brewery: Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Company
Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
ABV: 10.4%
IBU: 50 IBU
Untappd Description: 2017 Gold: Beer Army Beer Wars

2016 Silver Medal: Best of Craft Beer Awards

2015 Gold Medal winner: San Diego International Beer Competition

Canis Dirus, or “fearsome dog,” is the scientific name for the Dire Wolf. One of the largest known breeds of wolf, the Dire Wolf went extinct at the end of the last ice age. Similarly, the Russian Imperial Stout was a beer style destined for extinction until craft brewers in America began to resurrect historical styles. Our Imperial Stout is named for the Dire Wolf because it is big, bold, and fearsome. Brewed with copious amounts of oats and brown sugar. Black as night with a dense tan head and chewy texture. Notes of dark chocolate, caramel, and espresso stand against a hefty bitterness to balance this monstrous beer.

Another style I absolutely love – Russian Imperial Stouts (RIS). For any Game of Thrones geeks out there, the name is great too. This was a boozy, heavy, delicious, rich, strong and very powerful beer.

My Untappd Rating: ****.5
Global Untappd Rating: 4.04 (as of 11.27.20)

Sadly, I had to move on and say goodbye to the bartender and the great brewery. I had enough time to hit one more brewery in Columbus before heading out to Dayton, my stop for the night (to shorten the trip for the next day). The second brewery I got to try out in Columbus was Land-Grant Brewing Company. Which was kind of set in a hipster like location, right across the street from BrewDog Ohio. Their ordering system was all on the phone, and was actually a bit of a challenge, as you had to pick your flight of beers all from their online menu which made things a bit more difficult than need be, but I don’t begrudge any breweries right now with strong COVID-19 / coronavirus safety protocols.

At Land-Grant Brewing, I ordered a flight that I had to wolf down pretty quickly to be able to get to Dayton in time for both the brewery there and the hotel and to call it on the day, and be somewhat near Indianapolis for tomorrow. According to Untappd, Land-Grant Brewing is a micro brewery; obviously located in Columbus Ohio, it has 531 Unique Beers, and over 163K ratings, with an average rating of 3.7 (as of 11.27.20). There is no Untappd description for the brewery.

The flight I ordered was:

  • Beard Crumbs
  • Make Mine Irish
  • Skull Session
  • Son of a Mudder
  • Bottomless Coffee
Beard Crumbs by Land-Grant Brewing

Beer: Beard Crumbs
Brewery: Land-Grant Brewing Company
Style: Stout – Oatmeal
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: 42
Untappd Description: Beard Crumbs is a smooth dark stout teeming with notes of chocolate, coffee, and an extra punch of holiday cheer via the addition of carmelized raisins. It delivers the joy of an oatmeal raisin cookie, minus the crumbly clean up.

It’s a festive ale that old Saint Nick himself would love.

This was a fun, tasty oatmeal stout. Ginger, nutmeg, or cinnamon rounded out the chocolate and coffee to make it feel more ‘festive’ and like a Christmas or Thanksgiving beer.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.71 (as of 11.27.20)

Make Mine Irish

Beer: Make Mine Irish
Brewery: Land-Grant Brewing Company
Style: Stout – Coffee
ABV: 8.4%
IBU: 33
Untappd Description: Sometimes a well brewed cup of coffee isn’t quite enough on its own. Sometimes a well brewed glass of beer needs a little something extra to push it over the top. Both benefit from a warming dose of whiskey. For that reason we brewed this hearty Irish Coffee Stout with Stauf’s whiskey-barrel-aged coffee beans, creating a compound of smooth chocolaty stout, roasted coffee, and rich, smoky whiskey. So when you’re craving a beer, a coffee, or a whiskey, might as well make yours Irish.

A good ‘Irish’ coffee stout. Strong and bold and powerful. Good full stout flavor even in a taster, very nice.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.89 (as of 11.27.20)

Skull Session by Land-Grant Brewing

Beer: Skull Session
Brewery: Land-Grant Brewing Company
Style: Lager – Red
ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 15
Untappd Description: This easy drinking Scarlet Lager owes a tip of its cap to a timeless autumn tradition. A chance to clear your mind before Saturday’s main event. This beer draws its ruddy hue from Red X malt, while maintaining a bright, classic balance from the addition of Tettnang and Chinook hops. This is a lager that’s in formation and ready to march.

An interesting lager. A lot going on flavor wise, but still pretty crispy. A fun and interesting take on the lager style. Wouldn’t mind trying some more Red Lagers in the future especially back home; see how other breweries do the style.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.63 (as of 11.27.20)

Son of a Mudder by Land-Grant Brewing

Beer: Son of a Mudder
Brewery: Land-Grant Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale – American
ABV: 6.1%
IBU: 30
Untappd Description: Nevermind the conditions. This Brown Ale’s father was a Mudder, and his mother was a Mudder. This is a true and true American Brown Ale with a subtle hop presence at the turn and toffee, caramel, and coffee notes waiting at the finish line. When they’re calling for rain, dig in deep and grab a Mudder. It’s a sure thing.

I love brown ales, and I think the older I’m getting (ugh, scary thought) the more I’m enjoying them even moreso. This was no exception. Fantastic brown ale that is true to the style.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.6 (as of 11.27.20)

Bottomless Coffee by Land-Grant Brewing

Beer: Bottomless Coffee
Brewery: Land-Grant Brewing Company
Style: Lager – Vienna
ABV: 5%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Perfect any time of day, this easy drinking Vienna Lager gets a rich, roasty pick-me-up from a big old pot of Stauf’s India Malabar Coffee beans—roasted right here in Columbus, Ohio. Grab a stool, get comfortable, and we’ll keep your cup topped-off.

Another interesting lager take. A coffee Vienna lager. Not your normal thought for a lager is coffee. This works really well though actually, and I really enjoyed it, more than I thought I would. I always love it when a beer exceeds my expectations.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.51 (as of 11.27.20)

Sadly, I pretty much had to wolf these beers down and bolt, and couldn’t stay and enjoy the ambiance of the place. In an outdoor patio next door looked like there was a big game of trivia going down. Not sure if this was tied in with Land-Grant Brewing or with the BrewDog from across the street. It might have been a communal area or for just the one brewery. If I had to guess, I would say it was tied in with Land-Grant Brewing or maybe the old school bar nearby too. I don’t think it was tied in with BrewDog. But it looked impressive with a big seating area, a huge screen for the trivia, and a lot of people…. hopefully socially distanced and wearing masks when not drinking.

But, I was off now to my last stop, and had to book it too. I had to get to Dayton, and had to get there fast. I was heading to The Wandering Griffin, a brewery just outside of Dayton (technically considered Beaver Creek, Ohio) and right by my motel stop for the night. From Land-Grant to The Wandering Griffin its a 1 Hour and 1 Minute drive if Google Maps is to be believed. I wanna say I made it there a bit faster than that… but not going to incriminate myself.

The Wandering Griffin (courtesy of their Facebook and media pages)

I get to Dayton (or Beaver Creek) just before shutting down. I sit outside on their patio and enjoy a pint of Oktoberfest (2020). The place had an Applebee’s turned brewery vibe to it, or pick your own chain restaurant type place. Chili’s, Red Robin, Jiffy State, or whatever is local to your area type place. Not taking anything away from the place, it was nice, great patio area, nice bartender / server / worker, and the beer was good too.

According to Untappd, The Wandering Griffin is a brew pub in Beaver Creek, Ohio. They have 41 Unique Beers with 2,400+ ratings and an average global rating of 3.66 (as of 11.27.20). Their description reads: “We are The Wandering Griffin Brewery. We brew some really killer beer. We have lots and lots of room (over 10,000 square-feet) for you to drink our killer beer. Our floor is brown. We also have one really big ass patio. You can drink our killer beer there to. We also make some really killer grub. Did we mention that our beer is really good? We look forward to seeing you soon. Really. Parking? We have the largest parking lot in Dayton. Bring the bus! Brewery, full-service restaurant, beer garden and 3 bars. Great space for your event – large or small! Conveniently located off 675 exit 15 near WSU, WPAFB and Nutter Center.”

I ordered the Oktoberfest (2020), and went out to the patio to sit, it soon started to drizzle slightly, but nothing horribly, and I had a table umbrella over my head, so I enjoyed my pint.

Oktoberfest by The Wandering Griffin

Beer: Oktoberfest (2020)
Brewery: The Wandering Griffin
Style: Lager – Amber
ABV: 6%
IBU: 28
Untappd Description:

Prost! Our 2020 Oktoberfest is brewed using a blend of select German hops, Pale, Munich, and Vienna malts. Together, these ingredients bring notes of freshly toasted bread and a touch of fruit character to the brew. At 6% ABV and 28 IBU, this year’s Oktoberfest is a big yodel to beer’s biggest party…Even if we’re doing it from 6′ apart.
Küss unseren Arsch COVID!!!

I enjoyed it. It was a little weaker than some Marzens – probably because (according to their Untappd page for it) its a Lager – Amber rather than a Marzen, but it was still serviceable, especially after I’ve already stopped at two breweries in Columbus and the one earlier in the day (like a lifetime ago) in Georgetown. Was a nice enough end cap to the day.

My Untappd Rating: ***.50
Global Untappd Rating: 3.63 (as of 11.27.20)

After bidding adieu to the bartender / server I hopped the two blocks over to my motel and finally crashed for the day. Day three in the books. It brought me from Washington Pennsylvania to Dayton Ohio. As I carried my stuff into the motel, it started raining (more than a drizzle, but not hard), my friends at home said it had poured earlier in the day. Fun note – this would be the only rain and “bad weather” on the entirety of my trip. And it was overnight while in Dayton. Can’t say a bad thing about the weather I had in early November while traveling from PA to IN. I got extremely fortunate there. So as Tuesday came to a close, I had another wonderful day on my trip. I went to a State Park, went to another hiking place (Blackhand Gorge), visited four breweries in three different cities of Ohio (Georgetown, Columbus, and Dayton) and pretty much traveled the entire way across Ohio. Tomorrow brings on Day Four and takes me into Indianapolis to finally make it to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library – the reason and purpose for my trip. So make sure to come on back to check in with us here at The Beer Thrillers for that! We still also have Days Five, Six, and Seven to get through! Be sure to come back to read the conclusion to the whole trip!

Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, etc. Make sure to shop craft beer and not just scoop up the Goose Island Bourbon County crap, help the local breweries in these hard times, especially as the virus numbers keep getting higher and higher and shut downs look imminent. Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis – Full Articles:

The Trip to Indianapolis – Recap Articles:

August (2019) Road Trip Series:

Rickett’s Glen (2020) Road Trip Series:

Monocacy Battlefield Road Trip:

Visiting Reading Pennsylvania:

  • A Visit to Reading
  • The Birthday Trip to Reading Pennsylvania – The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

A Road Trip to The PA Grand Canyon:

  • Visiting Wellsboro PA and the Grand Canyon

Hiking Hawk Rock

  • Hiking Hawk Rock and Visiting Liquid Noise Brewery

Hiking Pinnacle Trail and Pulpit Rock

  • Hiking to Pinnacle Overlook, Pulpit Rock, Visiting 1787 Brewing and Schaylor Brewing

Hiking Around Ephrata Pennsylvania:

  • Hiking Around Ephrata Pennsylvania – Pour Man’s Brewing, Black Forest Brewery

Hiking Sunset Rocks and Checking Out Maxie’s Brewhouse:

Other Brewery Hopping Articles:

My Article for Breweries in PA:

My Podcast About Breweries in Central PA:

Some other brewery tour and road trip articles:

Also, be sure to check out some of our other beer reviews in recent history:

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

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Rubber Soul Grand Opening https://thebeerthrillers.com/2020/09/30/rubber-soul-grand-opening/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rubber-soul-grand-opening Wed, 30 Sep 2020 19:44:42 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=4533
Rubber Soul Brewing Company – in Hummelstown Pennsylvania will be having their grand opening shortly.

Amidst the chaos and craziness that was the Presidential Debate, Rubber Soul Brewing made their own waves, announcing last night around 8-9PM their grand opening date. In the town of Hummelstown as well as the Central PA area their announcement might have caused more chaos than was on stage at the Presidential Debate, and at least no one had to shout “OH SHUT UP MAN” or look like they were falling asleep either.

While out walking my dog despite the rain – and even walking past the Rubber Soul Brewery itself – on Facebook, Instagram, and their own website, Rubber Soul posted the official date for their grand opening.

Are you ready for it?

DRUM ROLL

Rubber Soul’s Announcement Photo

The grand opening for Rubber Soul is set for 10.05.20. As per their Facebook post:

“10.5.20 [cheers emoji]”

Simple. Effective. And to the point. They did reply to some comments and elaborate, and posted their website to point out more information. As per their website, their hours will be as such:

  • Monday: 6:30AM – 10:00PM
  • Tuesday: 6:30AM – 10:00PM
  • Wednesday: 6:30AM – 10:00PM
  • Thursday: 6:30AM – 10:00PM
  • Friday: 6:30AM – 11:00PM
  • Saturday: 6:30AM – 11:00PM
  • Sunday: 11:00AM – 9:00PM

They also posted their rules for entering the brewery and drinking and being there (due to COVID-19):

To keep our customers and sOul tribe safe and healthy, please read our general information below. We greatly appreciate your patience during this #COVIDTIME. 

  • Masks are required unless you are seated at your table. 
  • All orders are to be placed from your table by a Refueler (Rubber Soul Server).
  • All onsite beer & alcohol orders require a food purchase.
  • Please respect a 2 hour time limit during peak times.
  • Seating is first come, first serve. 
  • Do not move tables or seating as they are measured out for social distancing. 
  • We are not filling growlers, only 32 oz. crowler cans at this time. 
  • One hour before close we will go to pizzas only. 
  • Children are welcome but must stay seated or in the accompaniment of an adult. 
  • Please no pets. We love them but they make social distancing hard.
  • Our water station is not available at this time. 
  • *If you have experienced symptoms related to COVID-19 or have had exposure to COVID-19 in the past 14 days, please refrain from visiting.

You can check out their website for the latest on their food menu, their beers that will be on tap on their opening day, as well as some pictures. You can also read my article I did back in February detailing the brewery and its transition from former borough building / police station to brewery. A SNEAK PEAK AT THE NEW RUBBER SOUL BREWERY COMING TO HUMMELSTOWN, PA.

Rubber Soul Brewery back in February, 2020

A few days ago, on the blog’s Facebook page I posted some pictures from a dog walk by the brewery, as well as their Untappd menu (screenshot). They have their brewery as a ‘verified venue’ on Untappd so you can keep track of their beer offerings, as well as use their website, which lists the following beers for their opening day:

  • Soul Patch – Pilsner – Czech
  • Fresh Dew – Pale Ale – American
  • Humdinger – IPA – American
  • Soul Searching #1 – IPA – American
  • Garage Racer 2020 – IPA – American
  • Awake My Soul – Porter – Coffee
Screenshot of Rubber Soul’s Untappd Menu

If you have driven or walked by the Rubber Soul brewery the past week or so, you would see groups gathered inside, with the lights and televisions on. They were doing invite parties for different groups, preparing for their big opening, which will take place on Monday, October 5th, 2020.

From walking by it (quite often, as I love walking my dog through Hummelstown, and they are in between my parents and my house, as well as my friend Tony’s is only a few houses down from it through the back alley leading to Railroad Street), they did a tremendous and beautiful job on the building. I absolutely can’t wait to check it out inside, let alone drink the delicious beers.

Donovan Krebs, the brewer for the new Rubber Soul, has worked for some fine breweries in the past, including Levante Brewing, Neshaminy Brewing Co, and others.

His beers will be wonderful for the area and will be well sought after I am sure.

Be sure to check out the article to see the brewery inside and out and to read up on some of the things the brewery will offer: A Sneak Peak at Rubber Soul.

Be sure to check them out sometime Monday, October 5th, 2020. I will be there, thats for sure. I can’t wait to try out their delicious beers and wonderful food! Can’t wait to see you all there!

Rubber Soul – front

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

And check out our beer review of the Tattered Soul collaboration beer between Tattered Flag and Rubber Soul Brewing:

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

Rubber Soul – Parking Lot
Rubber Soul Brewery Hummelstown, PA

Thanks for reading! Can’t wait to enjoy a beer together at Rubber Soul!

-B. Kline

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Beer Review: Gotta Get Up to Get Down (WISEACRE Brewing Company) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2019/11/24/beer-review-gotta-get-up-to-get-down-wiseacre-brewing-company/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-gotta-get-up-to-get-down-wiseacre-brewing-company Mon, 25 Nov 2019 01:03:25 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=1455
Gotta Get Up to Get Down, Milk Coffee Stout by WiseACRE Brewing Company

Always a good idea to do a review… by drinking beer. Like when you brew beer, you need to be drinking a beer to do it. Just laws of nature really. So while I was writing last night’s NewFangled Brew Works: Pils beer review, I was sipping on this, and it was tasting mighty good.

A small beer mail trade package

A few weeks ago I did a local for local beer trade setup through the Home Brew Talk Network. I sent quite a bit of Boneshire Brew Works, Tattered Flag, Troegs Independent Craft Brewing, and Pizza Boy, and received the above from the Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina region.

I had previously had the Adjective Animal by WISEACRE Brewing Company and did a review. And I also had the Crosstown Brewing Company’s Boat Drinks: Pina Colada and did a review as well. I just cracked the Paradise Lost by Southern Prohibition, so you can most likely look forward to seeing a beer review of that in the near future.

Gotta Get Up to Get Down

Beer: Gotta Get Up to Get Down
Brewery: WISEACRE Brewing Company
Style: Stout – Milk / Sweet
ABV: 5%
IBU: 15
Untappd Write-Up: Enormous amount of Metropolis coffee straightens out the milk stout.

Appearance is a black brownish stout. It has the look, taste, texture, and head of a nitro beer. Its silky smooth looking, leaving a very distinct lacing. It has a big brown robust head that has lots of fine to large bubbles and craters along the top. It looks like the krausen in an open fermenting tank.

Aroma is what you would expect of a milk / sweet stout… but with a twist! Very heavy coffee aroma. Powerful, kicking in the front door and requiring things of you, strong coffee aroma. Like that one teacher’s breath first thing in the morning when you were in high school as he yelled at you for being late to class… …but… with a sweet after-smell. There is notes of sugar, lactose, of the roasted malts, notes of a bit of caramel and overall a sweetness that after the upfront smell of the coffee is very interesting, very soothing.

Taste is …whew… a punch and a mixture and a nice gentle hug afterwards telling you everything will be ok again. There is a very weird first sip, but it blends well afterwards. It is super smooth, super bubbly, very much as if it was a nitro. Not quite sure how thats pulled off, especially since its a regular can, no “nitro can” like Left Hand Brewing or Guinness Brewing have released. But there is a cold brew coffee upfront taste that is really strong, and then it just quickly blends and melts into this super sweet, super smooth, super sugary, super lactose, like sweet stout. The two different tastes; the coffee with its bitterness, and the lactose and sugar heavy sweetness combine to make one very interesting stout. Its almost hard to describe in a way just how all the flavors act, blend, concoct, and create a very unique beer. This is definitely one of the more interesting and distinct beers I’ve had in a very long time. I would highly recommend everyone who is able to find WISEACRE beers to try and locate this one; just for its uniqueness and distinct flavor.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75-**** (I legitimately went back and forth on this for this beer, and if I was a “Supporter” on Untappd, and able to use the tenths to rate things, I’d probably rate this anywhere from 3.80-3.95 or so.)
Global Untappd Rating: 3.99 (as of 11.24.19)

As some of you might be aware (those who read the blog consistently); we have recently added a home brewing section. Led by AJ Brechbiel and his Default Brewing. We are very grateful to have him and his fellow brewers who will be offering a lot of sage advice, insights, thoughts, opinions, and lots of other valuable information for home brewers (as well as people who would just like to read about brewing, the creation of beer, etc.) He wrote their introduction today, and you can find that blog posting here: Cheers from Default Brewing!. So be on the lookout for more articles from him and the brewing team from Default Brewing. I have it from a good source (….ok… AJ told me this himself) that he is looking towards writing a big article post each Sunday with occasional smaller blog entries throughout the week on random dates/times. So you will definitely get plenty to read!

So stay tuned everyone, there is a lot going on here at The Beer Thrillers and we hope you sit back, grab a nice cold drink, and enjoy reading what all we have to offer!

-B. Kline

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Beer Review: Rêve Coffee Stout (Parish Brewing Co.) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2019/08/26/beer-review-reve-coffee-stout-parish-brewing-co/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-reve-coffee-stout-parish-brewing-co Tue, 27 Aug 2019 03:48:51 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=479
Rêve Coffee Stout by Parish Brewing Co. (straight from Mississippi).

Coming off the heels of the Lancaster Craft Beerfest I’m back and I think my liver has regenerated enough to begin some more beer reviews. (And slowly push and make a dent into the beer events, brewery activities, and hop harvests posts I need to do as well). This might be a bit of a long blog post, with some ‘non-beer’ related things, but stay with me, and it’ll all wrap up nicely, and tie in with the day as well (I think/hope). Also, lots of pictures in this one, so if you like pretty pictures, then here you go.

Firstly, let me just say that this is an absolutely fantastic beer. Makes me wish I had a lot more of these to power through the day. But, I think most of the activities I did today would have frowned on me drinking (even if it was a coffee beer, …and especially given that the largest activity today was work).

So, starting off the day, it was back to school day / first day of school. My oldest going into Middle School (dear god I’m getting old), and my youngest two entering 4th and 1st grade. So now that I’m officially old, I guess I need to start drinking coffee right?

My beer mail which included beers from Parish Brewing Co. Natchez Brewing Company, and Southern Prohibition Brewing. (I was given two Reve’s).

Following getting all of the girls to their two different schools this morning, and following an extremely long day at work (some days, like roulette days, just makes you want to bash your head against very large solid objects – repeatedly) I stopped at the Hershey Public Library where the Central PA Blood bank was doing one of their blood drives. I cannot urge people enough to donate blood. It is beyond critical and in definite need for all kinds of patients. There is tons of different ways you can check into donating, the simplest is to find a blood drive at various places near you (libraries, churches, restaurants like Papa John’s often sponsor them, even some bars/breweries do). For the Central PA Blood Bank you can check out their website here: Central PA Blood Bank.

Donating blood at the Hershey Public Library

It is relatively easy, not too time consuming (~45 minutes), relatively painless (small prick, some soreness at the spot), but its more than worth it. One bag donated can help up to three patients. And certain blood types are in higher demand than others (though all are in high demand). So please look into donating if you are able to (there is some restrictions due to life style choices, tattoos, locations you’ve visited, medication, etc.).

Once home, I decided to treat Leela (my dog, who you may remember photo bombed my beer review: Beer Review: Boulangerie Imperial Churro (Tattered Flag) ) by taking her on a 2-mile walk around town. It is National Dog Day afterall, and she’s a very good trusty and faithful companion and dog, so why not.

Decided while walking through Hummelstown I would pass by what will soon(ish) become the new home for Rubber Soul Brewing Company, and took a picture, as it looks like their making even more headway on the endeavor.

The future home for Rubber Soul Brewing Company, located on South Hanover Street Hummelstown. As you can see, as of 10PM on 8.26.19, it now has several large holes (facing the parking lot as well as facing South Hanover street).

They are still aiming for a November opening date. So fingers crossed everything goes smoothly and they get set up and running soon. But…. enough of all of this gibbering and jabbering and jibbering and gabbering, and get onto the actual brew review that you clicked on.

Dirty Glass Mafia I suppose? But the beer is good it could have been served up in a petri dish, and still been amazing.

This was just fantastic, and a perfect beer for writing the blog (and probably explains why it got so wordy).

Beer: Rêve Coffee Stout
Brewery: Parish Brewing Co.
Style: Stout – Coffee
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: No IBU
Untappd Write-Up: Collaboration coffee stout between Parish Brewing Company & Rêve Coffee Roasters. Created with Columbia Java blend coffee & Madagascar vanilla beans. Beer: Rêve Coffee Stout
Brewery: Parish Brewing Co.
Style: Stout – Coffee
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: No IBU
Untappd Write-Up: Collaboration coffee stout between Parish Brewing Company & Rêve Coffee Roasters. Created with Columbia Java blend coffee & Madagascar vanilla beans.

From the moment you pop bottle and begin to pour it, you can smell the rich delicious notes of the coffee. Once its done pouring and you smell the beer and swirl it, you get the instant notes of coffee, vanilla, nutty earth notes. It just smells incredible.

Pouring it comes out very dark black, and has a lovely dark brown – golden halo of a head to it, with nice, large bubbles forming out of the top that pop and slowly fade away. There is the right amount of carbonation, and the head lasts just long enough before you dig into this bad boy.

And sipping this is even better. Very strong coffee notes, but with a very rich, smooth, heavy backbone, that actually makes you feel like the 7.2% is lighter than it should be. Not saying its boozy, but it just as a ‘heavyness’ to this that makes you feel and think it should be a higher ABV than it is. This is a strong, rich, decadent beer, but not too sweet, not too decadent, and not too strong. Its in the goldilocks range of being. There is a bitterness with the coffee, but the vanilla covers and masks most of that. There is a nuttyness to it, but it becomes more subdued and subtle as you drink. The coffee gives you a bit of a nice pep and creative boost to really push you to do some writing or doing whatever it is that your doing.

I must say, I am definitely glad I was given two of these in my beer mail trade, because I can’t wait to dive into the second one. Strangely enough, I am honestly considering to say that this might be better than the beer everyone “knows” Parish for – Ghost in the Machine; though this might be just due to my preferred style of beer being stouts and the like moreso than IPAs, but take this for whatever you think its worth, this is a damn good beer and rivals Ghost in the Machine as Parish’s best beer.

I could waver back and forth on the rating I gave it, from a 4.5 to a 4.25, but I ultimately went with a 4.25 primarily due to wanting it to linger a bit more in my mouth after drinking it, and not wanting to come off too much as ‘style bias’.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.27 (as of 8.26.19)

And since this is National Dog Day, I tried to get Leela (a “red” border collie) in the pics, but kind of failed, here’s one of her by my one hop arbor, don’t mind the uglyness of the picture, it was 10:30PM, had to use the flash which I hate, and I had just finished this beer, and she was panting from the 2 mile walk.

Leela, my border collie, named after Turonga Leela from Futurama.

For those of you wondering, she is named after Turonga Leela from Futurama. I have several cats in the house, that have been named after other Futurama characters as well (Zoidberg, Hermes, Fry, Hattie, and Kiff) —- (and yes… thats 5 cats….).

Also, for those wondering, the books in the background are:
* Foxtrot: The Best of Foxtrot vol. 1
* The Joker: Endgame
* Best. Movie. Year. Ever. : How 1999 Blew Up The Big Screen
* Brief Answers to the Big Questions
(Yes, that means I finally finished Master & Apprentice).

If you want, you can always check out my GoodReads and what I have been reading here: GoodReads – Profile – B. Kline.

Alright everyone, I think I’m gonna have another beer, and get to sleep. Oldest will have to be up soon for school anyway and besides, in 18 minutes it’ll be my birthday. I work tomorrow, but who knows, maybe afterwards I’ll have a ‘birthday beer review’. I also have the tons and tons of other event blog posts to do yet, don’t worry, I haven’t forgot! I’m making a mad dash push to get them all done by the end of August, so fingers crossed I do it!

Take care all, peace, love, and donate some blood! You’re not using it all anyway damnit!

-B. Kline

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