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Benefit for CJ (YAH Brew)

AmyMWolfe — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 01:45:24 +0000

Benefit for CJ Flyer

Benefit for CJ at YAH Brew (Hershey)

The Benefit for CJ Facebook Event

Quick shout out links:

CJ Corbin

On June 22 CJ Corbin was in a bad accident. The other driver ran a red light and hit CJ while driving his motorcycle. The other driver is only getting charged with a traffic violation but that is another story for another time. CJ has lost part of a leg because of this accident.

My next question is how can I help? No matter what the situation I think to myself; what am I capable of doing to change this terrible outcome? I feel this is where my passion for working for a nonprofit comes from. One thing that has me obsessed with the brewery community is the unwavering support your local breweries support the community.

It reminded me of all the support and help for the Hemauer family – Helping the Hemauer Family.

(See our Instagram from the other day for pictures of when we were at YAH Brew to drop off the raffle basket on Thursday night.)

Benefit for CJ

The Callahan Kolsch from YAH Brew (100% of proceeds went to CJ)

This is a brewery community. It was no surprise that YAH Brew was going to be holding a fundraiser for CJ, also part of their kitchen staff. The event was held on Sunday June 30^th from 3 pm – 8 PM.

While attending the event we overheard friends of CJ’s worrying about how he is handling this. What I can gather; from looking around in the short time I was at the brewery; is that CJ has a very large community rallying behind him.

According to the YAH Brew Facebook page Performance Foodservice donated over 20 lbs of brisket, rolls slaw and BBQ Sauce. 100% of the sales of that food would go to CJ. The food was sold out by the time we got there at 6:20 PM.

The basket Grandma SueAnn made for the silent auction.

There was a monumental feeling of support in the air as we enjoyed our beers. Our own Grandma SueAnn put together a silent auction basket to help out the cause. They had several silent auction items all from other local breweries and businesses.

There is a Go Fund Me Page to help with CJ’s care – GoFundMe: Support for CJames’ Recovery (PennLive’s Article about CJ’s Crash). The goal has been increased on the page since they have surpassed the goal and as of the time of writing this article is over $13k.

Baskets for the silent auction at YAH Brew for the Benefit CJ event.

We got a strong feeling that this may be the first of other fundraisers for CJ. If it involves the love I felt for the community this evening, count us in!

Drink More Beer!

Amy

Wrap Up

Editor Ben notes: After the event ended, and the clean up began, we got to talking with Justin and Aimee about CJ, the event, how their Mount Joy location is doing, how their all doing with all the stresses and headaches and everything going on, as well as Hummelstown happenings, and so much more. With just ball park numbers, and not getting the exact specifics and everything, but from the various forms of donations tonight – food purchases, straight up cash donations, the silent auction purchases, tips to the guest bartenders, as well as the sales of The Callahan Kolsch; they raised roughly over 7,000$ today for CJ. As well as whatever was also donated via his GoFundMe page which there was QR codes for at the brewery.

All in all, the event was a complete and total success. Justin did also mention that The 1762 Tavern at The Warwick Hotel will likely be doing a fundraising event in the near future for CJ as well, with 20% of all sales during that event (or that day) will be going towards CJ’s medical bills.

The outpouring of support from the community has been incredible, with baskets for the silent auctions coming in from friends and family, as well as breweries such as Troegs Independent Brewing, Lancaster Brewing Company, BierHall Brewery, and more.

Beers We Enjoyed

We both of course immediately got The Callahan Kolsch (20 oz) to start off the evening. While they wrapped up the silent auction, I walked down to Jersey Mike’s to grab a cheesesteak for us to enjoy while having the beers, and then once I got back, we got another round of beers. Amy got a second Kolsch, while I got the Go, Ninja, Go! collab that YAH Brew did with Country Club Brewing and Weathered Souls Brewing (the stout I wanted to try at their Mount Joy soft opening but was unable to).

YAH Brew

For more articles about YAH Brew, check these out:

For More Information on YAH Brew

As per Untappd – YAH Brew is a micro brewery from Hershey, Pennsylvania. They have 63 unique beers and nearly 4,000 ratings with a global average rating of 3.87 as of 6.30.24. Their Untappd description reads: “Production brewery located in Hummelstown, PA. Follow our socials for info on limited releases and festival info so you can enjoy our beer!”

You can find them on the following social media platforms:

Amy’s Column Series

Since getting back to writing for the blog after a short hiatus, Amy has started up a weekly column style writing for the blog. You can find these articles here:

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Tapping into Heritage and Hope on Maui

paulrkan — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 01:22:50 +0000

Lahaina – Royal Capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom

“Our Lahaina!”

“Our Lahaina!” My sister’s text hit me like a shovel to the back of my head. The town was gone. Just gone. Although my sister and I grew up on the island of Oahu, home to Honolulu and Waikiki, we had walked down Front Street of Lāhainā just before the onset of the pandemic. It was my final evening in my home state after visiting every brewery on four different islands as part of my book, Hawai’I Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise.

We strolled down the streets of the first capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi under the shade of a 150 year old Banyan tree the length of a street block, eventually making it to the stonewall as the waves of the Pacific lapped against it. The fire has wiped out the shops where we browsed and the restaurant where we ate dinner. The Banyan tree might survive; the stonewall is now remembered for where people leapt over it to seek refuge in the ocean from the firestorm.

Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, meaning the death toll will climb above the current number of 114. Over 2000 buildings no longer exist. Those were homes, churches, museums and businesses. Among the businesses that have been lost are breweries.

The beautiful and peaceful view from Maui

“Maui deserved good beer” is what Garrett Marrero, the president and CEO of Maui Brewing Company, said during the interview for my book when I asked why Maui was a good place to start his brewery. He has been one of the strongest community members leading the recovery efforts. His brewery locations all survived. The same cannot be said of Waikiki Brewing Company’s Lāhainā location. Kohola Brewing Company was also completely destroyed. I remember its taproom vividly—the small bar near big warehouse doors is where I chatted with two tourists from Wisconsin about the travels for my book. A cool driftwood coffee table was off to the side. The photos Kohola posted on Instagram of their ruined brewery make me queasy. I can’t bear to remember it that way. And, as a one-time brewery owner, I can empathize with how much of the hard work and love of Kohola’s owners and staff put in to create a special place.

View from Maui Brewing’s patio

Kohola

Kohola Brewing Company

“Kohola” is the Hawaiian word for humpback whale and whales dive deep then inhale as they resurface. I have no doubt that Kohola and Maui as a whole will breathe and resurface.

We can help. For Kohola Brewing Company, they have a link on their Instagram page to support their staff. Maui Brewing Company has started a national, international “Kōkua” brew, a beer with a recipe that Maui Brewing designed and supplied. “Kōkua” is Hawaiian for “extending support and cooperation.” Any brewery can participate. Encouraging your local brewery to participate would be great. Buying the beer when it’s released will likewise help; 100% of the proceeds will go to charities.

For me, I kōkua by supporting the Maui Humane Society and Art Supplies for Lāhainā. As Maui resurfaces, animals and art can help it breathe again. I hope you’ll find some way to kōkua Maui, too. Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much).

Paul R. Kan

Donate to Maui wildfire relief; get a free book. Paul is offering to send a free copy of his book, Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise, to anyone who makes a donation of any amount to help Maui relief. It’s on the honor system, and people can e-mail Paul at paulrkan@gmail.com, after they’ve made a donation to provide their address. If you’re looking for a beer-related way to support, Maui Brewing has a relief fund that is soliciting donations.

(Please also read Paul R. Kan’s other article about Hawaii and beer here: From Central PA to the Pacific: A Beer Lover’s Hawaiian Journey An Interview with Alexander B. Gates.)

Paul grew up in Hawai’i and knows its unique culture, traditions, and history. He is the author of Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise, which the North American Guild of Beer Writers awarded second place for Best New Book of 2021. He currently lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Paul R. Kan Articles

The following are articles that Paul R. Kan has written here for 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!

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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The Craft Beer Industry Needs to Change

BKline — Tue, 18 May 2021 11:25:17 +0000

This won’t be like most of our articles here on The Beer Thrillers; sadly this won’t be uplifting, or happy, or about how great the craft beer industry is. Hopefully, it will be optimistic by the end, and a voice for change, and hope in the future, that things will be better. But the verdict is out on that. Many times in the past there have been ‘voices for change’ that have been silenced, quieted, ignored, or had their names and reputation ran into the mud.

Hope and change is why this article is even an article. It’s why Brienne is using her Instagram page (@ratmagnet) to shed a light on a very dark corner of the craft beer industry. The beer industry in general.

This will be an uncomfortable conversation. But its one we need to have. Frankly, its one we needed to have far too many times in history, and even more frankly – it’s one every industry needs to have.

It’s a difficult and uncomfortable conversation we need to have with ourselves, with our friends, co-workers, bosses, customers, people of authority, people without a voice; flat out – all people. It’s one of those “THEE CONVERSATIONS” that is talked about, said that it’s talked about, and told to be talked about… but isn’t talked about.

I will give the warning here – this article may be triggering. It will discuss sexism, it will discuss sexual harassment, gender control and gender power, and this all might be troubling to many people, especially those who have been traumatized and lived through this, those who soldiered on and hid their PTSD and their experiences.

I will also be a bit more open, and discussing things that are maybe a bit more personal here, than I have in any other article or post or piece here on the blog. I think this is all relevant, I think it needs to be discussed, and I want to make this discussion happen.

We Can… We Should… We Need To Do Better

This is almost a phrase that is brandied about too much, too often, and thrown around too light heartedly, or without even relevance or reverence. “Men need to do better.” Fair, and true statement. But it doesn’t mean anything. Everyone needs to do better, all the time. Period. We all do. I do. We all do.

Firstly, we are all humans (unless you are a robot reading over this, or an intelligent alien species hacking into my blog, or an evolved Cat in the future), and thus prone to being… well, human. Prone to mistakes. Errors of judgment. Moments of weakness. And propensities of the nature of greed, lust, evil, and all that entails. We are also, prone to ignorance, to not understanding, and to not learning.

One of the biggest crimes after big momentous events, is our unwilling to learn. To see the lesson. To grow. To become better. To examine ourselves. The first person we all need to hold accountable is ourselves. If we can’t do that, if we can’t hold our own heads up, our own esteem up, our own egos up, if we can’t look ourselves in the mirror, if we can’t examine our characters down to the core, then there is no victory in holding the elite, the owners, the businessmen, the workers, the powerful accountable. Even the lowliest serf must first hold himself accountable before he can hold the King accountable.

That is not to say at all that the King shouldn’t be held accountable, far, far, far from it. It means change begins at home. It means that we must be the change we wish to see. This doesn’t give the King slack, or an ability to get off, oh no, he must be held accountable as well – in fact he needs to be held accountable far more than that lowliest serf. Those with power have the responsibility of that power. In whatever form they control and wield it. Be it ownership of a business, be it an authority figure (our leaders, our politicians, our clergy, our philosophers, our social workers, our business owners, our voices), be it a role model, be it a parent.

This also goes for all people. All backgrounds, all creeds, all colors, all philosophies, all thoughts, doctrines, dogmas, all genders, all loves, all faiths, all practices, all people. Plato said that at his trial Socrates stood in front of the tribunal and said: “An unexamined life is not worth living.” And this has become one of the most famous phrases in history, and for good reason. We must examine ourselves daily. All of us. We have all wronged in the past. But if we don’t examine these wrongs, we have no place to grow, if we just give cop out apologies and a non-comital “sorry” and “I won’t do it again”…. what do we do when it happens again? And again? And again?

To be human is to grow. Who we are at 56 is not who we were at 25 or 10 or 5. And that’s because of growth, one of the most powerful agents of the universe is change. Time is change and change is time. But if we are stagnant, and unchanging in time, if we don’t accept our flaws, don’t accept the wrongs we made, and assume ourselves at the point of infallibility, then all is lost right there and then.

I Can’t Believe This Still Happens in 2021

This is another phrase I abhor. And especially in this context, and especially by who utters it the most (men – specifically probably white men in this context). You know who says this? The naieve, the blind, the ignorant, the man who doesn’t want to believe, or the ones who just want to look better on the Facebook page of their female friend. “Oh my gosh, I had no idea this happened in 2021 still! Shouldn’t we be beyond this?! In this industry no less?!?!” (And yes, that is almost verbatim a comment I’ve seen, by a man.) The ‘fake’ or ‘disingenuous’ incredulity.

Its demeaning, and it downplays, and it lessens the impact.

Because you know who does believe this still happens in 2021? Women. Women or who are being sexually manipulated, women who are being harassed at work, women who are being told they can’t do this or that because they are, or might, or never will be pregnant (and yes, women can be belittled at work for NOT being pregnant or wanting to be pregnant just as much as they can be belittled at work for BEING pregnant).

You know who also knows this still happens in 2021? All of us. Deep down, we all know its still going on. We’re not truly surprised when we hear on the news about how this or that celebrity did this or that horrible thing. When so and so had an affair or when so and so turns out to be a behind the scenes creepy producer. We know that 2021 is not different than 2020 in this regards or different or better than 2015 or 2004 or 1995.

…But it can be made to be different.

I would put money on people saying “Its 2005, how can this still be going on?” or “This still happening in 2005? I thought we were beyond this! Better than this!” in 2005. And I bet they said the same thing in 2000. And 1990. And 1980. Etc.

So lets work at actually becoming better.

We All Make Mistakes, So Let’s Learn

What are mistakes but ways to learn and grow? Thats the entirety of the point of them. To learn, to grow, to become better and understand ourselves, our world, our errors, our flaws, our strengths, our weaknesses, and everything in between, so that tomorrow we are better than we are today.

I was in Middle School when I was taught by a teacher to do three things every day: One thing to make the world a better place, one thing to make yourself a better person, and one thing to make someone else better. And over the years since, I’ve heard this same dictum in different ways. Things like, do one thing to make yourself more intelligent, more spiritual, more helpful each day; or make your local area better, make yourself better, make the world better; or do one thing to grow your body, one thing to grow your spirit, and one thing to grow your mind each day. And all of these takes boil down to one thing – making things better. January 1st doesn’t need to be the only day we set goals and try to achieve things and become better. I should be a better person on May 5th, than I was on May 4th. On August 29th, I should be better than I was on August 28th, and August 27th, and June 15th.

I know I make mistakes. I think back to my high school years and middle school years (late 90s / early 2000s) and I would certainly be by no means considered “woke” if people heard my verbiage or actions back then. I would barely be considered more intelligent than pondscum to be honest (and some might consider be still in the neighborhood of pondscum intelligence to this day really). I know I still make mistakes (there’s a reason I’m discussing hiking and reading more than beer on my blog lately). But this is how life is for all of us. We need to grow and learn from these mistakes.

We need to better ourselves. We need to hold ourselves to accountability, and we need to proclaim the wish to do so, so everyone knows, so they see it, and so they hold themselves accountable, so they examine themselves, so they better themselves.

Why are we having this discussion?

Maybe I should have started this article with this. The background, the story behind the story, the reason for this article. I believe most already know it, especially those reading this article. But for those who don’t, I want to discuss it here and now. I felt it rather more poignant discussing the need to change before launching into this. I’ve been somewhat vague and nebulous above about things, but after giving the history and the discussion in this segment, I’ll move onto the more specifics of it.

I was first made aware of the story of “Brienne’s Story” by Aaron Gore, a craft beer writer and friend on Facebook. he posted a GoFundMe for lawyer and court fees and money for Brienne due to people attacking her over her Instagram page.

As Vinepair’s article today states, Brienne Allan (a professional brewer) asked for women’s first hand accounts and stories of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. And she has received thousands of messages in response. Here is a small snippet by Beth Demmon at Vinepair about this:

What started last week on Tuesday, May 11 as an offhand request for women’s stories about experiencing sexism in the beer industry on a personal Instagram page has escalated into a mass callout of craft beer industry members across the world, sending shockwaves across the industry.
Thousands of messages — and counting — sent to brewer Brienne Allan (who goes by the Instagram handle @ratmagnet) include accusations against some of the beer world’s most lauded brewers and breweries: Shaun Hill, founder and brewer of Hill Farmstead; Jean Broillet, co-founder of Tired Hands Brewing; Jacob McKean, founder of Modern Times Beer, as well as Lord Hobo Brewing Company, Union Beer Distributors, BrewDog, and many others. Some allegations accuse brewery owners of complacency toward a toxic work culture under the shroud of progressivism; while others directly accuse individuals in the industry of sexual harassment, assault, and more.
Beth Demmon – VinePair Article: “Sweeping Accusations of Sexual Assault, Rock Craft Beer Industry”

This also comes on the heels of some other big news in recent weeks regarding BrewDog and and Yards and how they have treated female employees.

Brienne’s Instagram Homepage

Brienne, using her Instagram page (her handle is @ratmagnet) has eight stories that you can click through and read detailing the sexual assaults, harassments, abuses, and other horrible things done to women and other people of minority and gender flux. Her about page reads:

“Brienne
THESE STORIES ARE NOT MINE AND I DO NOT VOUCH FOR THEIR ACCURACY. Click the link to report www.brewersassociation.org/brewers-association-code-of-conduct“

She has eight stories with numerous posts in each on her Instagram page. I suggest reading through them all to get an idea of the scale and scope and size of this all. To see how many people have / are / will be affected by all of this. This is certainly not something to be taken lightly.

Several people and organizations have weighed in, with their comments, thoughts, and opinions about the current landscape and the recent news.

Breweries in PA Facebook Page

Typically we begin every Monday with something lighthearted to start the week. But today that does not feel appropriate.Over the weekend a very bright light was shined on discrimination and gross misconduct occurring in the craft brewing industry across the country. And a few prominent Pennsylvania breweries were named directly.We have no knowledge if the stories being shared are true or not, as all involved parties have not weighed in. But regardless, that does not make anyone’s experience of injustice any less valid. So we wanted to take the time this morning to acknowledge these stories, but more importantly stand in solidarity with anyone who feels they have been mistreated, victimized, or faced any other discrimination.Better yet, we must all work with one another to make this industry a shining example of the good that can be done through small businesses. We are working hard ourselves to make a positive impact throughout the industry, and we hope you all have the same goal in mind. We must not let acts of discrimination simply be justified as “playful banter.” Every person, regardless of gender, race, or age, should feel welcomed in the craft beer community, and we all play a part in achieving this.
Breweries in PA Facebook Page

Hannah, head brewer at Naked Brewing in Pennsylvania, made a very poignant and inspirational post on Facebook as well. One I thought that was so thoughtful and needed to be read by all, I asked her if I could use and share here on the blog, and she has graciously allowed me to post it here:

Hannah’s Facebook comments

I have been very quiet since the recent reports of sexual misconduct, assault, harassment and discrimination have surfaced, and there’s a reason for that:⁣⁣
𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. ⁣⁣It is not because I don’t believe them. It is not because it is something I wish to ignore. Believe me, I fucking wish I could ignore it for even 5 minutes, but that’s just not how it works in my brain. ⁣⁣For warriors of abuse(I use that term over victim or even survivor because I AM a fucking WARRIOR), seeing, hearing, reading, listening to these accounts, can be hugely, hugely, hugely triggering. Memories and things that I had pushed way down below have quickly bubbled to the surface like a noxious gas bubble and are permeating every part of my life. The anxiety has been debilitating. I am *barely* holding my shit together. ⁣⁣For now, those things that have happened to me, the things that I have experienced, I have chosen to keep them private and not share within a public realm. Many people do know of the things I have experienced. I reported them many, many times to the organization that I worked for at the time (Note: not currently). There is written documentation. There are people that will read this and wonder if it’s them that I am referring to. And if you have to ask yourself that, then the answer is probably YES. There are people that have been the offender who have worked tirelessly to learn how to be a better person. They have atoned. And while it does not absolve them from the things of the past, I have been able to forgive *some* of them (but not all. Some of you still have A LOT of fucking work to do). ⁣⁣One of the biggest reasons that I am currently choosing to not publicly disclose specifics, is because of the lack of 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐇.
You may read this and say “but I’m here! I support you!” And while yes, I know that that is hugely true, is it enough?!? I don’t know. ⁣I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW. But I know that once it comes out publicly, you can’t put it back.
⁣𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩. ⁣𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝. ⁣𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. ⁣𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭… 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝗪𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄.
Every single one of those people is still employed. And I have had to deal with and process those things for years. YEARS. ⁣⁣⁣Telling my stories (because yes it is plentiful) puts me back to a place of having to relive it. While I am currently reliving them, and then remembering even more that I suppressed, it is very different to have to relive it on a public stage. I’ve already lived it on a semi-public stage and saw just how much victim blaming and shaming happened, and I’m not sure that I am in a place to do that again in the present time. We can talk all day long about being an ally and an advocate and speaking up when you see something, but until there is more 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐇, I’m just not ready to blow open the experiences that I have had. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣I applaud people for doing this. I applaud those that are speaking up and sharing. I applaud those that are allies and advocates. But…It’s tough y’all. 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒. They might not be okay. That’s the kind of support in the aftermath that we all need. Oh. And empathy. Have some. Please. ⁣⁣⁣This is all I have for now. Take care of yourselves. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬. *If you have nothing positive or supportive to contribute to this post, then please kindly keep scrolling and save your keyboard warrior bullshit for another time. PleaseAndThankYou*
Hannah’s Facebook comments

Aaron Gore’s post on his Facebook:

Aaron Gore’s post and link to Brienne’s GoFundMe for Legal Fees.

Please help support the legal fund for Brienne. Some of the people who have been getting called out repeatedly for sexual harassment and assault in the stories she has been reposting are threatening legal action. While they may not have any legal case, that doesn’t mean that they cannot destroy her financially regardless.For us to keep having these hard conversations and continue to weed out the toxic elements of the craft beer community and work toward the ideals we say we believe in, we have to be willing to protect the people who shine a light on stuff like this.
Aaron Gore’s Facebook post

Brienne’s GoFundMe can be found here: Help Brienne with Legal Fees. As of 10:30PM (5.17.21) they are currently up to 12,900$ of the 15,000$ requested. You can click the link above to go and donate.

Where do we go from here?

Firstly, having this conversation is important. Its hard, its difficult, its awkward, its uncomfortable, but it needs to be made. And it needs to be remembered, and it needs to not be muted. It needs to be kept to the forefront. Just like our conversations on racism, our conversations for LBGTQ+? and our many other important conversations. It needs to be remembered, it needs to be ongoing, and it needs to be forefront.

Looping back around to the start of this article, we need accountability. In ourselves. In our businesses. In the breweries in question. We can define what happens with these breweries with our money, with our voices, and with our conversations. We can hold those mentioned accountable. We can require and request they speak up, defend or correct themselves. And we can then handle ourselves accordingly in light of how they handle the situation.

Teach and learn. Discussions and classes and lectures, meetings, etc. Many universities, schools, offices, and businesses offer chances to learn of diversity and to do training, specifically for diversity training, or other similar styled programs.

Teaching isn’t something just relegated to those already in the business. This needs to be taught in the home, to kids growing up; of all persuasions, it needs to be taught to the youth and the elderly. It needs taught wherever and whenever it can be. Every moment of every day, every interaction, everything that happens, is an opportunity to learn. To grow. And thats what we – as humans – as people – need to be doing.

Familiarize yourself with what sexism is. What sexual harassment is. What sexual abuse is. Just like racism, we all think we know what it is. “Bad words” and people saying they hate Group X, but thats not all it is. There’s so many more insidious forms of it. So many different ways to discriminate that we don’t see or might not know of. Especially for those who never been discriminated, abused, harassed, or prejudiced against. Your blinders are there and you cannot see them is no excuse for allowing it to happen in front of you over and over.

Familiarize ourselves with who and what has been mentioned and how they reacted. Are they lashing out? Attacking? Are they defending? Or are they growing, learning, becoming better? Are those who were found guilty still in power? Still in control? Still in ways able to manipulate, abuse, coerce, control, or harass; or are they still able to empower those who still do these despicable things?

Stopping it. When we see it, when we hear it, when we witness it, when we hear others speaking of how they saw it; we need to stop it. We need to listen to those victimized, we need to offer our ears and hearts to them, and we need to help stop it when we see it. The rude comments, the jokes, the harassments, the abuses, we need to stop it from happening in the first place.

Anyone who has gone to AA or to a therapist, or anything similar, can tell you that the first step is to admittance. Denial is a huge problem for anyone with an addiction, an issue, or a root problem. Denying there is a problem, either in yourself, or in the industry, or with the issue at large (in this case sexism) at all is denying the story of others, denying their tales, their lives, their experiences.

Personal

I find this all very personal, and we all should, everyone one of us. Everyone regardless of who we are, what we are, when and where we are, should find this personal. You don’t need to even think in terms of “my mother” or “my sister” or “my wife” or “my daughter”, think of it merely in terms of “Her Name” or “This Person”. This is how personal it needs to be. That we are don’t have to personalize it more than it is, because it is already this personal to us as a human race.

But, we still do, and I do, I think of my daughters. I have been blessed with three daughters. They love going on me to trips, hiking, visiting battlefields, going to great restaurants (they love eating good food), and they have enjoyed going to me in safe settings of breweries. Especially my middle child. She is on a quest and learning as she grows, just like the rest of us. She has a lot of struggles with herself, with people, with life, (don’t we all?). She is having a lot of questions as she journeys through life and navigating young life and where she is in and what she is in it. She loves going to breweries with me and learning aspects of the science behind it. She is my homebrewing partner in crime and helped me with an IPA batch and loved the brewing aspects of it. The science behind it is a science she can get behind herself, its not just figures and equations in a notebook, its something she can do and touch and help, and its not the theoretical or hypothetical, its more of the real. And she also sees how brewing, just like cooking, is an aspect of creativity, and this touches her very artful soul. She’ll be turning 12 just this week, and I think of her future.

If she pursues a job in this field – or any field – do I want this kind of work environment for her? Do I want this for my other daughters in whatever fields they get into?

The answer is obviously no.

One of the many quotes I go back and over with as a father, and I’m not sure of the source, but the quote is: “Look at yourself in the mirror, is this the type of man you want your daughter to marry. If not, change it.”

I think of the many industries that have been “MeToo’d” and how this past few years, this past decade, has been a massive wake up call for men, and for those in power, (specifically white men), and how much needed change and reform has happened, or begun, and how it needs to continue.

I feel like we are on a precipice, and we could easily teeter-totter over either side. We could go backwards and regress, we could mute the conversations, and hide ourselves up in towers or cabins or dark holes. A Texas politician is trying to stop teachers from discussing racism in the classroom. That is how you mute a conversation. That is how you defeat the conversation, defeat the change, defeat the progress. We need to tip to the other side, and progress, to better ourselves, to better humanity, and we can’t do that as individuals. We can’t do that as people who don’t help those less fortunate or different or voiceless or unable to help themselves. A team is only as good as their weakest link; and there is no weaker link in humanity than those unwilling to help or hold up or foster growth in their own colleagues, friends, relatives, and common folk.

At the end of the day, this is all a story about us. About us as people, about how “we need to do better”. How “we can’t believe this is still happening in 2021”. This is a story of hope and change. Optimism can still flourish, and in fact, needs to. We need to see how these conversations we are having, as troubling as they are, are going to affect and offer change, and make the world better; not just for women, or for minorities; but for all of us.

I look at my daughters, I look at my female friends, I look at myself, and I want a better world for all of us. Thats the personal of this. Thats the personal it should be for all of us. Look in the mirror. Do you want a world where you could be discriminated at – for your gender, for your race, for your creed, for your looks, for your philosophies, religions, likes, dislikes, etc?

I think to my own work and my job. The casino industry is certainly no alien to the world of misogyny. Much like the craft beer industry, it is a white man’s power world. I see how customers and co-workers treat the female co-workers. How they stare, and oggle, and make comments. I see how my own co-workers oggle the guests and call out “craps game” when a pretty woman walks by. I see how the girl in the tight pants gets talked to and treated differently than the man or the woman who is older. I’ve seen guests yell at the younger female dealers more than they would yell at a man because they think they can get away with it. Calling them all the most despicable names that they would never utter to anyone else; and this is someone they met for the first time and only dealt with for five minutes. Just yesterday I witnessed an older man (late 60s or older) screaming at one of the servers and calling her a “f***ing liar” over five dollars and following her around until security came over to him and escorted him out of the building. I’ve seen players and guests try and touch the female dealers and managers, small touches to their shoulders or thighs, or even worst touches to their backside and more.

This is why we need this change. Why we need these conversations. It needs to get put out there and blown up. It needs to be the issue that it is.

So I have hope, and optimism for the future. I have hope that in two months, this isn’t just forgotten about and swept over and moved on from. But that this conversation stays in the forefront, and that we continue to learn from it. To grow from it. For all of us to become better for it all. Lets look to the future when we’re all people, together, equal, productive, and happy, together.

I would like to thank Hannah and Aaron for reading over the article and allowing me to use their quotes and for their help. I cannot express enough, how much I suggest everyone read the Instagram stories, the Vinepair article, the GoFundMe page, and the other resources that are popping up. I believe this is a real conversation we need to be having across all landscapes and all fields and businesses. In families, in work, in places of worship, in philosophy centers, and in schools. I remember just a few years ago there would be beer labels with ‘boobs’ or cleavage or sexualized women, with beer names like “Panty Dropper” or “Hike Her Skirt Up” and other “rapey” sounding beer names (the theory being, once she was drunk, she was easy), and its good to see the industry has progressed from this at least. There is still some names out there that are ugly, names that I’d hate to take my daughters to the brewery and they see it up on the tap list, and worst to order it in front of them (needless to say I wouldn’t order it). We are making progress, albeit slowly, and in spurts and jumps rather than a straight continual line, but progress is being made, we just need to make sure it continues.

I thank you all for reading this very long post. I think its one we needed to make, and one I needed to write. With my mood being really down lately, and seeing this, and it hitting home, knowing how guys can be. Worrying about my daughters growing up in the world, wanting only the best for them, in all of their endeavors, and all the choices they make.

Knowing how charged this can be, please keep the comments section civil. I would appreciate if names are not used in the comments section, and we try to remain respectful, polite, and cognizant that this might be read by people you are talking to / about / from. I do have the ability to delete and block commenters, and will not hesitate to do so.

Again, thank you everyone for reading. With the new mandates in Pennsylvania changing, and places opening up more, please be careful, and hopefully soon we’ll be sharing a pint at the bar. Cheers!

-B. Kline

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

Mad Elf on the Shelf Fundraiser

BKline — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 04:40:00 +0000

Mad Elf Fundraiser

With the latest spat of mandates and changes by Governor Wolfe for Pennsylvania breweries, restaurants, and bars, around fifty (50) front of the house employees at Troegs Craft Brewing have been laid off. On top of that several others have taken wage cuts to help the brewery out during these times.

So to help these employees out, a GoFundMe page was started by Alle Confair. You can find the GoFundMe here: Mad Elf Fundraiser – GoFundMe to Help Troegs Employees.

https://www.gofundme.com/static/js/embed.js

Front of the house employees at Troegs Brewing

The fundraiser was posted and started today. They are looking to make 25,000$ for all of the employees as a whole. (Edited: As of the morning of 12.16.20, they are up to 2,225$ of the 25,000$ goal.)

You can read the description on the GoFundMe here:

“Come one, come all,

Help raise some holiday cheer;

Your local Tröegs beertenders are facing their worst fears.

As the corona-virus continues to take,

It is our turn to give back to those who are at stake.

A small token of faith can make a big change,

Especially for those suffering with no wage.

Let us locals pay it forward to make someone’s day,

Together we have the power to save another’s holiday.

Let us propose a toast from afar,

Until we meet again across the Tröegs bar.

Cheers from our Mad Elf on the Shelf!

Please consider making a donation to those who heavily rely on service tips for their income and livelihood. As the hospitality industry continues to suffer extreme hardship, all we can do is try to find ways to support each other. Thank you and Happy Holidays from ours to yours!

Graphic Design by: Caroline Voorhis
Instagram: cv_designs”

We here at The Beer Thrillers know several people in the above picture, as well as several other employees at Troegs Brewing, I myself have been temporarily furloughed until January 4th as well. So we here know how hard and difficult of a time this, especially with the holidays, and the New Year, and the uncertainty of the pandemic and the virus and everything going on. This is a very scary and uneasy time for so many people.

So we are hoping if you are reading this, you are able to donate, or at least share and help where you can. Thank you!

Cheers everyone, and lets remember, we are all in this together! Help your local breweries during these tough times at the holidays!

Happy Holidays.

-B. Kline

Mad Elf Fundraiser

Pilger Ruh Brewing Needs Your Help

BKline — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 02:00:00 +0000

The new home of Pilger Ruh Brewing

Pilger Ruh Brewing is currently looking for your help. They have finally found the location for their future home, in Pottsville Pennsylvania, they just need your help to get this dream up off the ground and get those taps flowing.

As with any older building, its going to need a lot of renovations, innovations, changes, and modifications to get it turned into a thriving business… let alone a bustling brewery. Which is one of the great thing about craft breweries – turning old buildings into brand new beautiful rustic but modern restaurants and breweries. Look at how Rubber Soul has turned the old police station (borough office building) in Hummelstown into their brewery. Or how Tattered Flag renovated their old building in Middletown. Its a common theme for many breweries; take an old building in a town they like, and renovate and modify it to meet their needs. It preserves the building, gives the brewery a unique look, helps the town, and helps the brewery. Seems like a win all around right?

Right.

So let’s help out Pilger Ruh Brewing get the money they need so they can do the same in Pottsville!

How can you help? Well, its really simple. Similar to a GoFundMe page, they have a indigogo page. You go there, donate what you can, and it all adds up. Want to help Pilger Ruh Brewing out and help them hit their goals and meet their dreams? Click here to donate: Pilger Ruh Brewing IndieGoGo Page.

Pilger Ruh Brewing

Why should you help out?

Well…. firstly, you would be helping a brand new brewery start up. You would be helping brewers, community members, friends, and family meet their dreams and achieve their goals. And secondly… you’ll get some perks out of it too!

Some perks include: free t-shirts, hoodies, limited edition glasswear, tickets to conventions, discounts on mug club memberships, getting to name some of their fermenters and tanks, brewing with them, hats, and getting to name some of their beers.

Thats a lot of incentive just right there to help them out.

Want to read their story? (You can go to their IndieGoGo page to read it) or read the following:

“Pilger Ruh Brewing is a new craft brewery coming to Schuylkill County PA! The whole dream started three years ago in the summer of 2017 when owners Tyler Budwash, Anthony Deppen, Conlan Budwash, along with friends Matt and Alex started brewing together. We quickly joined the beer festival circuit and received great reviews from consumers all over the state. Our brewery has over 14 years of combined brewing experience and we plan to bring great local beers of all styles to Pottsville PA in 2021! Co-Owner Tyler has been homebrewing since 2013, started the Schuylkill County Brew Fest, and has been to over 250 different breweries in the US, a graduate of Kutztown University where he has a BA in Political Science. He currently lives in Schuylkill County with his 2 children and girlfriend Corine. Co-Owner Anthony Deppen has been homebrewing since 2017, world traveled professional wrestler, currently lives in New Cumberland PA with his wife Cassidy where they are expecting their first child in November 2020. Head Brewer Conlan Budwash has been the assistant brewer at Snitz Creek the last 4 years, worked at Troegs Brewing Company the last 5 years, lives in Pine Grove, and graduated from the Brew Science course through HACC.
We started this campaign to help raise some money to cover additional renovations to complete our taproom and gain some extra working capital upon opening. (we aren’t asking for a lot). Getting this brewery off the ground has been financially challenging for us, but we have faith that we can make this work no matter what the situation is. Instead of asking for money outright, we want to offer you a number of different options where you gain something as well. No matter what you decide to give we are very appreciative of you for that and each and every person that has supported us on this journey.
Our goal is to raise at least $25,000 to complete our renovations (floors, walls, bathrooms, reinforcing the basement etc). As we said earlier, we want to offer you something for helping us. Some of the perks we have lined up are limited edition glasses, shirts, deals on mug club memberships, naming tanks, brewing with us, exclusive beers, hoodies, hats, free tickets to events ran by us and more! We set our goal a bit higher than we wanted to, so no matter what amount we reach, ALL proceeds will be going into getting the taproom ready for early next year.
The brewery plans to be very community oriented, which is why we chose to move our operations to Pottsville PA. We want to bring something new to the area and help it gain more traction and give back to the community as much as we could. Five years ago there weren’t any actual craft breweries in Schuylkill County, now after we open there will be technically six. Anyone that has had our beers over the last 3.5 years knows what to expect when we open, and that’s quality beers. Our beers have been speaking for themselves at each and every event and we plan to continue that quality when we open next year.
We are aware that starting a new business comes with a ton of risks, especially when it comes to beer. I mean we could fail in a year and be gone, but we will not let that happen because we cannot fail and we will not fail. We chose the not so expensive route for all of our equipment, we bought things that made sense with our budget, not dropping thousands of dollars to look good or buy huge name brands. This project has been trying to get off the ground for 2 years now, we were unable to obtain funding from quite some time before we were able to save up a lot of our own money and gain a small SBA loan for our equipment. Unfortunately COVID19 set up back a few months with getting our plans and permits ready, but we are now ready to go. We’re very happy to be in the situation we are in now and want to finish up renovations so we can open and start paying back all of our debts. Every last penny will be going towards the brewery, whether it be our glassware or something as small as a floor mat.
If our perks aren’t something you’re interested in you can still help. We would greatly appreciate you sharing our Facebook page and inviting all of your friends to like it. Give us a Like on Instagram, tell all your friends and family about us, and when we open come say hi!
Thank you!
-Tyler, Tony, and Conlan”

The building’s location is 213 N. Centre Street in Pottsville, PA. They have quite a few renovations they need to do to make the building into a brewery. Namely flooring, walls, reinforcing the basement, drainage, ditches, new bathrooms, etc.

Their current goal is 25,000$. As of posting time (9.23.20 – 10PM) they are up to 3,468$. So there is a ways to go, and every penny will help add up!

You most likely have met, known, or heard of Pilger Ruh Brewing, or the Budwash brothers from the various events and brewfests. They are typically a staple at the Litiz, Mount Hope, Lancaster, and Schukyll Brewfests (they actually run the Schukyll Brewfest). They are also usually seen at Ffej of July, at the Kegs and Eggs at Rotunda, and many other events, brewfests, and charity events. They have been working at Troegs Brewing and Snitz Creek Brewery, behind the scenes things, and as of now, brewing for Snitz Creek. You can also find their own Pilger Ruh beers on tap at the Snitz Creek Annville (the old Funck’s – right next to the Fort Indiantown Gap Cemetery) location.

I’ve gotten to know all three quite well over the years, from different events, from the Central PA Whalerz, from Tyler’s love of the civil war, all three’s love for professional wrestling (Anthony Deppen is actually a professional wrestler – Tony Deppen – who wrestles for promotions such as Ring of Honor [ROH], amongst many others), and their collaborations with Tattered Flag.

They are all a bunch of great dudes, so let’s help them make this happen. The world needs more great beers and more great breweries and brewers. So lets band together and help them out!

You can follow them on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can read our interview with Tyler Budwash here. Brewer Interview Series: Tyler Budwash.

Some beer reviews of their collaborations:

So let’s get this done guys! Donate now!

Donation Link: Pilger Ruh Brewing IndieGoGo

The future home of Pilger Ruh Brewing

Links:

Lots more stuff happening here with the blog. Look for an interview with Scott Smith (of East End Brewing) soon. An interview with a Cape May brewing scientist. More beer reviews. A Poconos trip soon. (Finally!) The YouTube Video. Highway Manor’s Opening. And lots more. So be sure to stay here and check it all out. So be sure to follow, like, subscribe, and follow us on our social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Thanks!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Brewery Event: Bottle Share (Tattered Flag)

BKline — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 15:31:53 +0000

Tattered Flag and Breweries in PA’s Bottle Share (February 8th, 2020).62+ Tickets were ‘sold’. Packed house down in the brewhouse of Tattered Flag. (Thats me in the red Pizza Boy shirt, and my friend D. Scott to my left.) (Photo Courtesy of Chad Balbi – Breweries in PA).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A cache of the beers at the bottle / can share. Photo courtesy of Justin Hoak.

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

The beer share at Tattered Flag. Photo courtesy of Justin Hoak.

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

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

The description on Untappd for it reads:

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

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

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

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

Harris Family Brewery Start-Up Go Fund Me

Shaun Harris posing at the end of the bottle share. Photo Courtesy of Harris Family Brewery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Kill Shot from the Beer Share at Tattered Flag hosted by Tattered Flag and Breweries in PA. (Photo courtesy of: Chad Balbi)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lancaster Brewing Company’s Spiced Gingerbread

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

Lancaster Brewing Company’s Mexican Lager

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

Intemperance by Tree House Brewing

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

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

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

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

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

California beer mail.
California beer mail

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

Tattered Fag and Breweries in PA’s February 8th, 2020, Beer Share – the final kill shot.