Grist House Craft Brewery - The Beer Thrillers

Missile Site Turned Taproom: Grist House Command Launches in Collier Township

B. Kline — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 22:02:26 +0000

Missile Site Turned Taproom: Grist House Command Launches in Collier Township

You ever walk into a room that’s heavy with history? That’s the vibe when you step into Grist House Command, the newest spot from Grist House Craft Brewery, tucked inside what was once a Cold War-era Nike missile command center in Collier Township. This isn’t your typical craft beer launch—it’s a full-on story, a place where aviation relics meet hazy IPAs and dog-friendly patios.

Grist House Command

From Military Mission to Malt Mission

Originally built in 1957 and activated in 1960 to guard Pittsburgh from aerial threats, the massive bunker—known as PI-62—sat quietly on one of the highest points in Allegheny County for decades. Now, it’s being reborn, with the heart of a brewery beating where a radar once blinked.

Grand Opening: September 6–7

Clear your calendar: Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., marks the grand opening, followed by a Sunday session from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Expect to walk into something that’s equal parts blast from the past and cutting-edge craft beer haven.

What’s On Tap (Literally and Figuratively)

A 30-barrel brewhouse right on-site—hello, more core favorites and adventurous new brews
Four bars, each pouring from 24 taps—yes, that’s 96 taps total waiting to be conquered
Indoor seating for around 140, plus three dog-friendly decks to accommodate up to 300 patio-loving patrons
A full kitchen dishing out family recipe–inspired fare that pairs just as well with conversation as it does with the suds
History on display—glimpse photos, signage, and memorabilia from the bunker’s military days, where former service members are encouraged to drop by and reminisce over a pint

Why This Spot Matters

Co-owner Brian Eaton, along with partner Kyle Mientkiewicz, took over the property back in 2018, and today their vision is turning one of Pittsburgh’s hidden high-ground pieces into a landmark—beverage-style. While Grist House’s Millvale location started life in a repurposed slaughterhouse back in 2014, this new command-post-style taproom is something else—a bold next chapter with 30,000-barrel potential per year, compared to the current 2,500.

This place isn’t just beer-adjacent history—it’s built on it. And in a beer market that’s pretty crowded, there’s no better way to stand out than by honoring the past while embracing the present.

Thanks for reading, friends! Can’t wait to see you there—dog in tow, glass in hand, ready to cheers history.

See Our Other Articles on Grist House Brewing

Grist House Shipping Statewide in Pennsylvania
Grist House Brewery Will Be Taking Over the Taproom at Freedom Farms Farmers Market
Grist House Beer Market Launching at Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg
Missile Site Turned Taproom: Grist House Command Launches in Collier Township

For More Information on Grist House Brewing

The following comes via Untappd.

Grist House Craft Brewery is a micro brewery from Pittsburgh, PA. They have 284 unique beers and over 255,000 ratings, with a global average rating of 4.00 (as of 8.19.25). Their Untappd description reads: “Grist House Craft Brewery is located in the heart of Millvale, PA just minutes north of downtown Pittsburgh. Family owned and operated, we strive to produce high quality beer that is delicious and easy drinking. Plenty of outdoor seating, and a brand new Taproom, this family and dog friendly space is ideal for day drinkers and happy hour go-ers, or for those who just want to enjoy a great atmosphere with their pint. Cheers! ”

You can find them at these social media outlets:

Grist House Craft Brewery – Official Website
Grist House Craft Brewery – Facebook
Grist House Craft Brewery – Instagram
Grist House Craft Brewery – Twitter
Grist House Craft Brewery – Untappd

Brewery News

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

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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 May 2025.) 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!

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Grist House Beer Market Launching at Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg

B. Kline — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 02:31:22 +0000

Grist House Beer Market Launching at Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg

Grist House Beer Market Launching at Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg (photo courtesy of Grist House’s social media)

Grist House Craft Brewery of Millvale is bringing its signature brews to Butler County with a brand-new taproom at Saxonburg’s beloved Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market on West Water Street. This exciting expansion officially opens its doors on Saturday, February 15, 2025, marking Grist House’s third dynamic location in the region. In a one-of-a-kind partnership, Grist House is teaming up with Pocha by Kye‑Won, a Korean-style eatery known for its authentic comfort food. Diners can expect a mouth-watering fusion of hearty Korean dishes and Grist House’s expertly crafted beers—served in a cozy indoor taproom or the heated patio outside.

The origins of this collaboration trace back to a successful 2023 pop-up event at Sprankle’s, which inspired both parties to seal the deal. Marketing manager Christie Massari explained, “Our pop‑up was so well‑received, we decided to make it permanent”. The new space includes an eight-seat bar, a dedicated keg storage room, and newly installed restrooms—renovations courtesy of the Sprankle family.

Opening Hours & Offerings

Launch Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025, from 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Regular Hours:
- Wednesday–Saturday: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Beverages: A rotating tap list featuring Grist House favourites and curated batch cocktails.
Food: Genuine Korean bites from Pocha by Kye‑Won, include dumplings handmade by a Korean grandmother in the kitchen

What the Team Said

Kyle Mientkiewicz, Grist House co-owner: “We’re honoured to be part of this exceptional opportunity … we can’t wait to see where this partnership will take us.”
Brian Eaton, co-owner: “We are thrilled…bringing a shared passion for great beer and food, creating something truly special.”
Kye‑Won Doyle, Pocha chef/owner: “I want everyone walking through the doors to feel like they’re eating at my dining room table.”
Doug Sprankle, Market owner: “From the new tap system to expansion of the kitchen… this corner of our Market will surely lift a glass and give a toast to a fine local craft brew!”

Brewery News

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

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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Grist House Brewery Will Be Taking Over the Taproom at Freedom Farms Farmers Market

B. Kline — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 23:15:40 +0000

Grist House Brewery at Freedom Farm Farmers Market

Grist House Brewery Will Be Taking Over the Taproom at Freedom Farms Farmers Market

As we noted at the end of 2023, North Country Brewing Company is closing their taproom – the Corn Crib – at Freedom Farms Farmers Market. Their last day operating the Corn Crib will be on February 29th, 2024. Well we learned today who will be taking over that spot, and its going to be Grist House Craft Brewery. The Freedom Farms Farmers Market is located at 795 Pittsburgh Rd, Butler, PA 16002.

Grist House Craft Brewery, from Millvale, is opening a new taproom in Butler, PA at the Freedom Farms Farmers Market on Route 8. They are dubbing it the “Grist House Beer Crib”.

The tap room will open in March, possibly early March. North Country Brewing’s “Corn Crib” will be operating its last day on February 29th, and the new “Grist House Beer Crib” can then soon take over. Grist House Craft Brewery will be bringing their extensive tap list to the location, and will be using the existing indoor space as well as outdoor space at the venue.

The Announcement

Grist House Craft Brewery took to social media to make their announcement earlier today:

Grist House Brewery’s social media announcement

Grist House Craft Brewery
10 Sherman Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15209
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GRIST HOUSE
BEER CRIB.
GRIST HOUSE CRAFT BREWERY TO TAKE OVER TAPROOM AT FREEDOM FARMS FARMERS MARKET
Pittsburgh, PA, February 9th, 2024-Grist House Craft Brewery, currently based in Millvale is bringing their beer north by opening a new taproom location in Butler, PA at the Freedom Farms Farmers Market located on Route 8. The taproom will officially open for business in early March and will offer customers an extensive tap list of Grist House beers, a unique indoor space, and a large outdoor area to enjoy. This location will bring a new Grist House experience to the Butler County community.
The space formerly known as the Corn Crib will be rebranded as the Grist House Beer Crib. Along with the taproom, the building is also home to Freedom Farms Farm-to-Fork Kitchen and the Freedom Farm Farmers Market.
Freedom Farms is an evolving family business of local farmers, bakers, and chefs, working together to provide the highest quality food in western PA. While farming continues to be a tradition and profession of the King family, they never fail to innovate and look to the future. Their innovation shines through in their local partnerships and farm events which are held for the community.
Tim King, owner and partner of Freedom Farms, states “We are really excited for this new partnership between Freedom Farms and Grist House. There are lots of similarities between our two businesses, which will prove to be symbiotic. At the end of the day, together we serve good food and good beer, and that’s tough to beat!”
Everyone at Freedom Farms and the entire Grist House team looks forward to offering this unique experience to all our respective fans in Butler County and beyond.
For more information please contact: Christie Massari
Grist House Craft Brewery 814-881-4602
christie@gristhouse.com
###
“The new Grist House Beer Crib will be a welcoming place for all to come and enjoy a delicious handcrafted Grist House beer along with a mouth watering meal from Freedom Farms Farm-to-Fork Kitchen.” said Kyle Mientkiewicz, co-owner of Grist House.
Opened in 2014 in Pittsburgh, PA, Grist House Craft Brewery has strived to bring the best quality craft beer to the folks of Western Pennsylvania. Along with great beer Grist House also sets out to offer a fun and unique experience, both indoors and out! Offering wide variety of incredible beers and cocktails, weekly can releases, and brewers who love to experiment, there is always something new to discover at Grist House.
Brian Eaton, co-owner of Grist House, expressed enthusiasm about the new location, stating, “We are excited to be working with the King family and Freedom Farms on this unique opportunity and can’t wait to put the Grist House touch on this awesome space.”
Freedom Farms is a family-owned business in western PA, made popular by GACTV’s show “Farm Kings” which aired in the early 2010s. In addition to growing a variety of produce and raising livestock, Freedom Farms offers live events which are loved by the community. The beautiful farm also serves as a classy wedding venue. While the King family works in many areas of business ranging from food to local entertainment, one thing remains consistent: the high level of quality and care.

Grist House Brewery – Facebook Post

Grist House Beer Crib

Look for the Grist House Beer Crip to be opening early March. The Freedom Farms Farmers Market is also home to the the Farm to Fork Kitchen as well as the Freedom Farms Market, a fresh market with vendors selling vegetables, fruits, etc. This certainly makes it a nice visit and stop, you can get groceries, a beer, and then a nice farm fresh meal as well.

The new Grist House Beer Crib will be a welcoming place for all to come and enjoy a delicious handcrafted Grist House beer along with a mouth-watering meal from Freedom Farms Farm-to-Fork Kitchen.

-Kyle Mientkiewicz, co – owner of Grist House Craft Brewery

The location is a wonderful way to expand and diversify the Grist House brand, letting more people experience their beers and get a chance to try their wonderful extensive list of offerings.

We are excited to be working with the King family and Freedom Farms on this unique opportunity and can’t wait to put the Grist House touch on this awesome space.

-Brian Eaton, co – owner of Grist House Craft Brewery

The Freedom Farms Farmers Market is a wonderful collection of fresh market vendors, all looking to provide the finest foods for their guests and customers in Western PA. Its comprised of local farmers, bakers, chefs, vendors, and all sorts of people working and selling their goods.

We are really excited for this new partnership between Freedom Farms and Grist House. There are lots of similarities between our two businesses, which will prove to be symbiotic. At the end of the day, together we serve good food and good beer, and that’s tough to beat!

-Tim King, owner of Freedom Farms

See Our Previous Article

See our previous article about North Country Brewing Company leaving Freedom Farms Market here:

North Country Brewing is Closing the Corn Crib at Freedom Farms Farmers Market

For More Information on Grist House Craft Brewery

The following comes via Untappd. Grist House Craft Brewery is a micro brewery from Pittsburgh, PA. They have 285 unique beers and over 232,000 ratings, with a global average rating of 4 (as of 2.9.24). Their Untappd description reads: “Grist House Craft Brewery is located in the heart of Millvale, PA just minutes north of downtown Pittsburgh. Family owned and operated, we strive to produce high quality beer that is delicious and easy drinking. Plenty of outdoor seating, and a brand new Taproom, this family and dog friendly space is ideal for day drinkers and happy hour go-ers, or for those who just want to enjoy a great atmosphere with their pint. Cheers!”

You can follow them on these social media pages:

Brewery News

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

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

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

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

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

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!

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.

Exploring the Thriving Pittsburgh Craft Beer Scene

B. Kline — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 16:08:01 +0000

Exploring the Thriving Pittsburgh Craft Beer Scene

One of Pittsburgh’s Iconic Yellow Bridges

Nestled in the heart of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh has emerged as a vibrant hub for craft beer enthusiasts. With a rich history, a strong sense of community, and a commitment to quality brewing, the Steel City has become a must-visit destination for beer lovers from around the world. In this article, we delve into the flourishing craft beer scene in Pittsburgh, highlighting the breweries, events, and unique flavors that make it a true beer lover’s paradise.

A Historic Foundation

Iconic Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s brewing tradition dates back to the mid-19th century when German immigrants settled in the city, bringing with them their brewing expertise. This legacy laid the foundation for the city’s craft beer renaissance that began in the late 20th century. Today, Pittsburgh is home to a diverse array of breweries, each with its own distinct style and personality.

Breweries Galore

(Some of the breweries in Pittsburgh.)

The craft beer scene in Pittsburgh offers an impressive array of breweries, ranging from small, intimate taprooms to large-scale production facilities. Some of the standout breweries include Grist House Craft Brewery, Dancing Gnome Brewery, East End Brewing Company, and Brew Gentlemen. These establishments have gained widespread recognition for their innovative brewing techniques, high-quality ingredients, and commitment to pushing the boundaries of flavor.

There is roughly 75 breweries in the Greater Pittsburgh area. In a directional order, here are most of the breweries:

Sly Fox Brewing
Penn Brewery
Voodoo Brewery
Southern Tier
Allegheny City Brewing
412 Brewery
War Streets Brewing
Four Points Brewing
Fat Head’s Saloon
Helltown Brewing
Aslin Beer Company
Bonafide Beer Co.
Cinderlands Brewery
Burgh’ers Brewing
Eleventh Hour Brewing
Church Brew Works
Trace Brewing
COVEN Brewing
Two Frays Brewery
Lolev Beer
Hop Farm Brewing Co.
Arboretum Trail Brewing
East End Brewing
Hofbrauhaus
Cellar Works Brewing
Acclamation Brewing
Invisible Man Brewing
Yellow Bridge Brewing
Quinn Brewing
New Crescent Brewing
Unity Brewing
Conny Creek Brewing
Devout Brewing
All Saints Brewing
Four Seasons Brewing
Lincoln Avenue Brewery
Abjuration Brewing
Cobblehaus Brewing
Helicon Brewing
Altered Genius
Coal Tipple Brewing
Petrucci Brothers
Beaver Brewing Company
Strange Roots Experimental Ales
Grist House
Dancing Gnome
Hitchhiker Brewing
Necromancer Brewing
Aurochs
Mastic Trail Brewing
Old Thunder Brewing
The Leaning Cask Brewing
Full Pint
Dented Keg Brewing Company
Stick City
North Country
ShuBrew
Union Brothers Brewing
Missing Links
Butler Brew Works
Recon Brewing
Inner Groove
Insurrection AleWorks
Headley’s Brewing
Mindful Brewing
Spoonwood Brewing
Golden Age Beer Co
Brew Gentlemen Beer Company
Pittsburgh Bottleshop
Firewhistle Brewing
Rusty Gold Brewing
Bloom Brew
Washington Brewing Company
Levity Brewing
Noble Stein Brewing
Allusion Brewing Company
Yellow Bridge Brewing

Unique Flavors and Local Ingredients

Pittsburgh’s craft brewers are known for their creativity and willingness to experiment with different ingredients, resulting in a wide variety of unique flavors. From hop-forward IPAs and rich stouts to refreshing sours and barrel-aged delights, there is a beer for every palate. Many breweries in the area also source their ingredients locally, collaborating with nearby farms and businesses to showcase the region’s agricultural bounty.

Community and Collaboration

One of the defining characteristics of the Pittsburgh craft beer scene is the strong sense of community and collaboration among brewers. The city’s breweries often come together to create special collaborative brews, host joint events, and support charitable causes. Beer festivals and tasting events provide opportunities for enthusiasts to sample an extensive selection of local beers while fostering a sense of camaraderie among brewers and attendees alike.

Events and Festivals

Pittsburgh’s craft beer scene truly comes alive during the various beer festivals and events that take place throughout the year. The Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week, held annually, showcases the city’s breweries, highlighting their craftsmanship and dedication. Additionally, beer enthusiasts can enjoy events like Fresh Fest, the nation’s first Black beer festival, which celebrates diversity in the brewing industry.

Fueled by Hops has hosted several brewfests in the Pittsburgh area.

Beer Tourism and Beyond

The allure of Pittsburgh’s craft beer scene extends beyond the city limits, attracting beer lovers from across the region and beyond. Visitors can embark on brewery tours, guided tastings, and even beer pairing dinners, immersing themselves in the local beer culture. The city’s vibrant neighborhoods, rich history, and thriving food scene further enhance the overall experience, making Pittsburgh an ideal destination for beer tourism.

Brewery Taprooms: A Welcoming Experience

Pittsburgh’s craft breweries are more than just places to enjoy a great pint. Many of them boast inviting taprooms that offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere for beer enthusiasts. These taprooms often feature stylish and comfortable spaces where patrons can relax, socialize, and learn about the brewing process. Engaging with knowledgeable staff members and fellow beer lovers creates an environment of shared passion and appreciation. Whether you’re a seasoned beer aficionado or new to the craft beer scene, the taprooms in Pittsburgh provide an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the local brewing culture.

Craft Beer and Culinary Delights

The craft beer scene in Pittsburgh extends beyond the breweries themselves, as the city’s vibrant culinary landscape embraces the art of beer pairing. Many local restaurants and eateries collaborate with breweries to curate exceptional food and beer experiences. From gastropubs serving up creative dishes infused with craft beer flavors to establishments offering meticulously crafted tasting menus with perfectly paired brews, Pittsburgh’s culinary scene takes pride in highlighting the city’s craft beer offerings. Exploring the city’s craft beer scene is not just about the liquid in your glass but also about the delectable flavors that complement and enhance the overall experience.

Supporting Local and Sustainable Practices

Pittsburgh’s craft breweries are deeply committed to supporting local businesses and practicing sustainability. Many breweries source their ingredients from nearby farms and suppliers, promoting a farm-to-glass approach that emphasizes freshness and supports the local economy. Additionally, several breweries prioritize eco-friendly practices by implementing energy-efficient systems, recycling programs, and water conservation measures. These efforts showcase the industry’s dedication to not only brewing exceptional beer but also contributing positively to the community and the environment.

Pittsburgh’s Thriving Craft Beer Scene

Pittsburgh’s craft beer scene continues to captivate beer enthusiasts with its rich history, diverse breweries, unique flavors, and strong sense of community. From the welcoming taprooms and immersive beer and culinary experiences to the commitment to supporting local businesses and practicing sustainability, the city’s craft beer culture offers a multifaceted and enriching journey for visitors and locals alike. With each sip, Pittsburgh reveals its dedication to craftsmanship, innovation, and the art of brewing, ensuring that the city remains a vibrant and thriving destination for craft beer lovers for years to come.

With its deep-rooted brewing history, dedication to quality, and a tight-knit community of brewers, Pittsburgh has firmly established itself as a destination for craft beer enthusiasts. From the diverse range of breweries and unique flavors to the collaborative spirit and exciting events, the Steel City’s craft beer scene continues to evolve and captivate. Whether you’re a seasoned beer connoisseur or simply looking to explore new flavors, Pittsburgh’s craft beer landscape is sure to impress and leave you thirsting for more.

With so many great breweries to check out: Sly Fox Brewing, Penn Brewery, Voodoo Brewery, Southern Tier, Allegheny City Brewing, 412 Brewery, War Streets Brewing, Four Points Brewing, Fat Head’s Saloon, Helltown Brewing, Aslin Beer Company, Bonafide Beer Co., Cinderlands Brewery, Burgh’ers Brewing, Eleventh Hour Brewing, Church Brew Works, Trace Brewing, COVEN Brewing, Two Frays Brewery, Lolev Beer, Hop Farm Brewing Co., Arboretum Trail Brewing, East End Brewing, Hofbrauhaus, Cellar Works Brewing, Acclamation Brewing, Invisible Man Brewing, Yellow Bridge Brewing, Quinn Brewing, New Crescent Brewing, Unity Brewing, Conny Creek Brewing, Devout Brewing, All Saints Brewing, Four Seasons Brewing, Lincoln Avenue Brewery, Abjuration Brewing, Cobblehaus Brewing, Helicon Brewing, Altered Genius, Coal Tipple Brewing, Petrucci Brothers, Beaver Brewing Company, Strange Roots Experimental Ales, Grist House, Dancing Gnome, Hitchhiker Brewing, Necromancer Brewing, Aurochs, Mastic Trail Brewing, Old Thunder Brewing, The Leaning Cask Brewing, Full Pint, Dented Keg Brewing Company, Stick City, North Country, ShuBrew, Union Brothers Brewing, Missing Links, Butler Brew Works, Recon Brewing, Inner Groove, Insurrection AleWorks, Headley’s Brewing, Mindful Brewing, Spoonwood Brewing, Golden Age Beer Co, Brew Gentlemen Beer Company, Pittsburgh Bottleshop, Firewhistle Brewing, Rusty Gold Brewing, Bloom Brew, Washington Brewing Company, Levity Brewing, and Noble Stein Brewing, (Whew, that was quite a mouthful!); you certainly won’t go bored in Pittsburgh!

A Series of Craft Beer Articles

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

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

Some Pennsylvania Brewery Reviews

Thank You For Reading

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

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

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

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

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!

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.

Grist House Shipping Statewide in Pennsylvania

BKline — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 22:45:00 +0000

Grist House PA Beer Shipping (photo courtesy of their Facebook page)

Earlier today Grist House Craft Brewery announced that they will be shipping statewide in Pennsylvania. Adding yet another fantastic brewery to a growing long list of breweries shipping statewide in Pennsylvania. Soon it’ll be easier to list the breweries NOT shipping than the ones shipping.

They posted on their Facebook page at noon today:

“You have asked and it’s finally here! We are now shipping Grist House beer anywhere in Pennsylvania!

We’ve been working on this for a long time now, and we are so excited to be bringing Grist House to craft beer lovers all over the state!

Visit gristhouse.com/shipping for more info.”

In just the past week several breweries have announced shipping within or into Pennsylvania. If there was one thing that has been a good that has come out of 2020, its the increase in shipping for beer and beer services.

Grist House Craft Brewery is a micro brewery located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to Untappd they have 185 unique beers and a global average rating of 3.99 with 150K ratings. Their Untappd description reads: “Grist House Craft Brewery is located in the heart of Millvale, PA just minutes north of downtown Pittsburgh. Family owned and operated, we strive to produce high quality beer that is delicious and easy drinking. The brewery is loaded with character, from our taproom overlooking the brew system, our all-season deck and spacious outdoor seating area, to our tap handles hand crafted by a local blacksmith. We invite you, your friends and family to come enjoy a pint with us.”

As always everyone, get out there and enjoy some great local craft beer, or get some shipped to you from a small time great like Grist House or Tattered Flag or The Veil or Aslin, and enjoy a delicious pint of great craft beer.

Cheers!

-B. Kline

For more information check out:

Brewery Openings, Closings, Shipment News

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

Breweries Shipping in and into Pennsylvania:

Tattered Flag Supply Drop Shipping Statewide
Imprint Begins Shipping Statewide
Aslin
Helltown
The Veil
Gristhouse

Brewery Closings:

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, 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!

BREW: The Museum of Beer – Is Set to Launch Their Online Exhibit

BKline — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:16:00 +0000

Earlier today I was contacted by Deborah Stueber, the Director for Community Relations for BREW – The Museum of Beer. I messaged her back, an she sent me the press release for their upcoming launch of their online exhibit about Pennsylvania beer history. I was just out in Pittsburgh on my Trip through the Area to Indianapolis on the second day of my trip. I was in Pittsburgh as well, back in August with my daughters on the second day of my trip that took us from Elk Country, to Kinzua Bridge, to Pittsburgh, to Bushy Run, to Flight 93 Memorial, Johnstown Flood, and to home. There is certainly no dearth of breweries in the greater Pittsburgh area, some exceptional ones in fact. Many iconic ones too. You have breweries like Couch Brewery, The Church Brew Works, Dancing Gnome, Hitchhiker, Cinderlands, Penn Brewery, Hop Farm Brewing, ShuBrew, Grist House, Yellow Bridge, Southern Tier (PA), Round About Brewery, Allegheny Brewing, Eleventh Hour, Strange Roots, East End, Iron City, etc, etc, etc, (the list goes on and on). We’ve covered many here on the blog (make sure to check around to see our beer reviews, brewery reviews, and trips into Pittsburgh).

So this is a perfect place for a museum dedicated to the history of beer. (Just wish it was opened when I traveled through!) And this will definitely be a stopping point in a future visit to Pittsburgh.

BREW: The Museum of Beer

The main presser reads: (dated December 3rd, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): “Brew: The Museum of Beer’s plans to launch an exhibit on the Story of Beer in Pennsylvania in a downtown storefront were temporarily stymied by Covid-19 but, inspired by the creativity and perseverance of the region’s breweries and restaurants, Brew is forging ahead with an online exhibit of the Story of Beer in Pennsylvania. Supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the exhibit showcases the legacy and significance of Pennsylvania beer, from the origins of Penn’s Colony through the significant craft beer scene today.”

BREW: The Museum of Beer Artist Rendering (found at their website)

The event looks extremely interesting, as a person very interested in the history of beer (and history in general), as well as craft beer, and specifically Pennsylvania and the role beer has played in the Keystone State, this event looks very very very interesting to me, personally, as well as I’m sure it is to many of our readers out there.

The exhibit will include:

Video interviews with many of Pennsylvania’s brewing pioneers, brewers, historians, and collectors
An updated and expanded interactive map of all of Pennsylvania’s breweries as presented by BREW Museum (including pending breweries)
A searchable list of the breweries and brewers who have won awards at Great American Beer Festival in the 21st Century
A beer quiz to test your knowledge of Pennsylvania craft beer – the first 25 participants to finish (and score) will receive a prize

SEE – Pennsylvania’s 2020 GABF Award Winners.
SEE – Pennsylvania’s 2019 GABF Award Winners.

ZOOM QR Code

The presser continues: “To kick off the exhibit, Brew will have live presentations via Zoom by Brew founder Joe McAllister, brewer Paul Young, and special guest, Lauren M. Churilla, Curator, McCarl Coverlet Gallery and Lecturer of History at Saint Vincent College, who will be speaking about the first Benedictine brewery in the U.S. and the controversy it engendered in Latrobe, PA and around the world. The presentations will commence at 7:00 on Tuesday, December 15 and the exhibit will debut immediately thereafter. Once the site is live, the QR code below will take you directly to the exhibit site.”

So be sure to mark your calendars for December 15th (Tuesday) at 7:00PM (EST Time) to be able to visit the exhibit and attend the live zoom. Once its live, the QR code will be usable and will get you access.

The museum for BREW – The Museum of Beer has tons of information and links and ways you can help and support the museum, by donating or by buying merchandise. You can visit their site here: BREW – The Museum of Beer.

You can also follow them on their social media pages:

Check them out, and be sure to like and follow them on their social pages to stay abreast of when their museum opens, when there will be new virtual tours or exhibits or interviews with brewers and brewery workers and brewery news. Check out their available merchandise and see if there’s anything to your liking, and help donate to get this great project up off the ground.

About Brew: The Museum of Beer – Brew: The Museum of Beer is a widely-anticipated Pittsburgh-based museum dedicated to the fascinating, 10,000-year-old story of beer, spanning beer’s role in the origins of civilization to the diversity and aspirations represented in the contemporary craft beer movement. Brew will be a must-see 50,000-square-foot complex capable of accommodating 400,000+ visitors per year. Aside from unique beer artifacts and exhibits, the multi million-dollar museum will also include a 300-seat brewpub, state-of-the art interactive technology, a large event space, gift store, and Beer Hall of Fame. The size and scope of Brew will be comparable to Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I would like to thank Deborah Stueber for reaching out to me and sending the press release for the exhibit and their online opening.

As always everyone – thanks for reading, and visiting the blog. Please be careful and stay safe. Support your local craft breweries, as this week or the next, there might be new mandates, restrictions, and hardships pressed upon breweries (and bars, and businesses, and restaurants in general). So do what you can to help support each other. Give to food banks, give your time at shelters, do whatever you feel comfortable and able to help support your fellow man right now. We are all in this together – as much as that is a cliche, it is the truth. This week or the next might end up being very difficult for many of your favorite small breweries and businesses, be sure to support and show your support, so that they can stay open once this is all over.

-B. Kline

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

You can read about more brewery closures here:

Beer Review: All Together (Ever Grain and Other Half Brewing)

BKline — Thu, 14 May 2020 13:57:00 +0000

All Together by Ever Grain Brewing Co. (Partnering in ‘collaboration’ with Other Half Brewing Co. and many other breweries for this project.)

Many of you have probably heard of the ‘All Together’ project, started by Other Half Brewing Co. As soon as I heard about it, I had to immediately find the first brewery in my area to do it and get one; that first one in my immediate area turned out to be Ever Grain Brewing Co. Unfortunately I missed out on the 4pk of it, but I did get in time for a crowler (or two) of it, and I was informed that the crowler sales would go towards the project, just as the 4pk sales did.

I will be posting links to several other sites and sources about this here in this beer review / article, and I highly recommend you checking them out, and I also highly recommend checking out whatever ways you can have of donating.

Here is a direct bit from the Other Half Brewing Co.’s website on their official beer release version of theirs:

A world wide collaboration hosted by Other Half, Stout Collective and Craftpeak to support the enormous amount of hospitality workers laid off during this difficult time. We are donating 100% of our proceeds to the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. We brewed this recipe with 2-row, oats and carapils and then hopped it with a beautiful blend of our hand selected Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Cascade. We intentionally kept the recipe simple so that every brewer that wants to do it can do it. Keep an eye out for versions from over 500 breweries worldwide all working to help others in need. Visit alltogether.beer for all the details and a list of breweries involved. Collect them all 🙂 Brewed in Rochester.
Other Half Brewing Co.

Many breweries jumped on board, and you can find some lists of who all is doing it on a few other sites, such as Craftbeerdrinking and Hopculture.

Craftbeer.com’s article (All Together Collaboration – Beer to Help Hospitality Workers) lists: Non Sequitur Beer Project, Side Project, Southern Grist, Mikerphone Brewing, Fifth Hammer Brewing, Modist Brewing, Outer Range Brewing Co., Industrial Arts Brewing Co., and obviously Other Half Brewing Co.

The All Together Beer website, a site designed for this and set up for this project, has a wealth of information on the project. I highly recommend checking this out. You can find the recipe, you can find ways to donate, and if you are a brewery, you can also find a way to jump aboard and become part of the project, as well as print out labels, and get ways to promote the beer for yourself as well. At the bottom of their page, they have a map and a running tally / statistic. There is 824 breweries that have participated, in 50 states (of the United States of America), and in 53 countries. That is amazing and just phenomenal! 824 breweries is insane! And every state, and 53 countries helping out, is just downright awesome. I don’t care how you slice it, breweries helping people, will always be awesome, and I will always gladly do what I can to help support that.

There is a map, that you can zoom in and see what breweries are doing the project. So being a Central PA native, I had to zoom in on PA and see who all is jumping aboard, and here is a list of many that are:

(in no particular order)

Saucony Creek Brewing Company
Robin Hood Brewing
Shy Bear Brewing
Hidden Stories Brewing Co. LLC
Rotunda Brewing Company
Ever Grain Brewing Co.
Fourscore Beer Co
* Collaboration with: Prototype Brewery and Meadery and Wolf Brewing Co.
Shabby Deck Craft Brewery
Suburban Brewing Company
Voodoo Brewing Company
Hitchhiker Brewing Company
Grist House Craft Brewery
Roundabout Brewery
East End Brewing Co.
Dancing Gnome
11th Hour Brewing
Whitehorse Brewing
Four Points Brewing
Sly Fox Brewing Co.
Lost Tavern Brewing
Birthright Brewing Co.
Angry Erik Brewing
Naked Brewing Co.
Free Will Brewing
Imprint Beer Co.
Well Crafted Beer Company
Ten7 Brewing Company
Brothers Kershner Brewing Company
Bald Birds Brewing
Rebel Hill Brewing Company
Stickman Brews
Brewery ARS
Odd Logic Brewing
Second Sin Brewing

And that’s just the list of Pennsylvania breweries! And just the ones mentioned so far. Who knows if more will do it (hopefully). And thats also just one state out of fifty, and one part of a country out of fifty-three countries. So there is obviously a lot more breweries doing this! Some big names too like Equilibrium Brewing in New York are on board as well. So there is definitely a lot of momentum and weight behind this movement and project, which is absolutely fabulous! Keep up all the great work breweries!

Another link with information can be found at Hopculture: Hopculture – Other Half’s All Together Beer Project for Hospitality Workers.

Now we got all of that behind us, the whys, the hows, and the whats of this amazing and great beer. Lets get into the beer itself!

All Together by Ever Grain Brewing Co.

Beer: All Together
Brewery: Ever Grain Brewing Co.
Collaboration: Other Half Brewing Co.
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: None Listed
Untappd Description: We are proud to be apart of this open-ended beer collaboration masterminded by Other Half Brewing Co. 100% of our proceeds are going to Hospitality Assistance Response of Pennsylvania.

Some of the various breweries listed what they changed of the recipe or adjusted, if they swapped hops or malts or added adjuncts. Ever Grain’s Untappd listing doesn’t state any changes. So I’m assuming its near identical to the recipe given by Other Half Brewing. You can find their recipe on their All Together website, and you can click here directly for the recipe. I also saved a copy of the recipe, and I’ll post it here as well:

Other Half All Together recipe.

So this is what I’m assuming Ever Grain did, just on their system, with possible minor tweaks along the way.

Firstly – appearance is beautiful orange. It has that lovely New England IPA look to it. Golden orange juicy appearance to it, like pouring into a tall pint glass your morning OJ (not… the killer… or running back… but the drink); but this time with alcohol added! (Double win!). It has a little foam head to it that is light and fluffy with dispersed bubbles.

Aroma is pound for pound sound for sound pure hoppy juicy, citrus, fruity, and delicious smelling. Just cracking this open and pouring it already has my mouth watering and ready to drink it. I got notes of citrus, grapefruit, passionfruit, orange and tangerine, with a bit of zest or lime to it at the end. There isn’t any west coast IPA notes to be found in this, no evergreen tree, no earthy notes, no forestry like notes, all pure New England typical hop aromas and notes. The dry hopping really brings them out to the forefront.

Taste is phenomenal, and sadly makes this beer go waaaaaaaay too quickly. Me and my friend D. Scott drank two crowlers of this, way, too, quickly, while doing one of our Knights of Nostalgia sessions. I think we finished our crowlers in about fifteen minutes each. Which, thankfully this is only 6.5% so we weren’t rocked from basically pounding 32oz., but this was also just too delicious to even set down. It is very juicy, very dank, very delicious. Its both fruity and citrusy, with notes of grapefruit, passionfruit, orange and tangerine. Theres a bit of a lime / lemon twist at the end, but very subtle, barely noticeable, but there is definitely a citrus vibe to this that goes with the fruity juicy nature of the beer itself. And like I said, at 6.5% its not too heavy or overwhelming, even in a 32oz crowler; or if you get a 4pk of this, (4 x 16 = 64oz) you could probably handle a 4pk in an evening and be fine for work the next day. (Work…. work…. I vaguely recall work….). The mouthfeel is also very nice, its not too thick, not cloying, or heavy, or watery thin either, its just the right level of consistency and feel on the tongue. This is definitely an easy sippable beer or a quick quaffer. Which, obviously, I was pretty quick with mine, but your mileage may vary. Knowing also, that 100% of the proceeds is going to the Hospitality Assistance Response of Pennsylvania, also makes this just so much tastier and drinkable.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.26 (as of 5.14.20).

Cheers everyone. Hopefully you are all making it through this quarantine and lockdown relatively safe, sound, and mentally safe and sound. If you are looking to donate for hospitality workers, there is links here in this article, and the All Together Beer link has thee most information on that. As well as information if you are a brewer, home brewer, or commercial brewer looking to make the beer as well. So please check that out here: All Together – Beer – We’re All In This Together.

As always everyone, thanks for checking out the blog, click the like, the follow, the subscribe, and share, and do all those other cool things to help us out. We greatly appreciate it, and love all of our readers. Stay safe and healthy, and make sure to drink up lots of All Together to help our favorite bartenders! They are going to need it. Even when we re-open, things will be tough for them for a while, and probably dealing with idiots not wanting to follow CDC guidelines and the such will be all the more difficult for them. So please, help them out. Cheers!

-B. Kline

All Together by Ever Grain Brewing Company

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.

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