Turkey Hill

No, this isn’t a run to the store to get your favorite ice tea or ice cream, this is a pretty cool trail that overlooks the Susquehanna River. I’ve hiked and walked this trail several times in the past, doing the full trails, and all the encompassing views and parts of the different paths (the Enola Grade, the flat area, etc.), mostly with Ming or with my trusty canine companion Leela, or just by myself even.

This time however, Leela and I and a friend, took the hike up and did just the Overlook Trail, which is just a portion of the Turkey Hill Trail found on AllTrails. There isn’t a specific or technical “Turkey Hill Overlook Trail” on maps or on AllTrails; there is however the Turkey Hill trail, and several conjoining trails that use the name and there is the lower portion that runs along the river. I am calling this the Turkey Hill Overlook Trail because it turns left and takes you to the overlook, and then you can turn right back around and head back down. So basically its a simplified and shorter version of the Turkey Hill Trail, and primarily would be just to climb / hike to the top, get to the overlook and look out over the river, and then back down.

The above screenshot of the AllTrails app shows what one of several possible Turkey Hill trails look like. The red is the followed trail for that particular one. The dotted lines are several other trails that could be also followed. The path we took was from the starting point to where that little tip of a dotted line stick out near the beginning, as that is where it the trail turns up to stand underneath the windmills and be at the overlook to look out over the Susquehanna River.

Ok, enough preamble, lets get down to the hike itself.

The Turkey Hill Overlook Trail

We got to the Turkey Hill Trail parking lot around 3PM or so, parked, let the dog out and got her to do her ‘dirty sinful business’ (as Reverend Lovejoy would say) right away so we could dispose of it before doing the hike. We then started on the path which was pretty despite the fall foliage already being done. As it was also late in the season, there was nobody around either (we passed three people total on the entire trip).

The path is nice and decently wide at the start before you head into the hillside proper and begin your ascent upwards. At this time of year, there was a lot of leaves down which made it a bit slippery (especially on the way back down). The hill up isn’t too excessively difficult or hard to climb, and its not extremely rocky, but there is some moderate difficult spots and some rocks to navigate. At certain points of the year you can see what could be modestly called a waterfall but I would be more inclined to call it a stream running downhill. When we hiked there wasn’t any water flowing down as it had been pretty dry for a bit.

It was a crisp cold day on the hike, with a slight breeze, but it was still nice for the hike, and was beautiful. My hike beer for the trip was Golden Sky by South County Brewing Co.

Beer: Golden Sky
Brewery: South County Brewing Co
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 12
Untappd Description: A session-able but flavorful Blonde Ale, dry-hopped with Citra & Hallertau Blanc. Nice honey malt tones with pear and apple notes. A real crusher!
My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.78 (as of 12.9.21)

The hike up to the top went uneventful with no falls, slips, or spills. Leela was a good hiking buddy up and knew the way perfectly (this wasn’t her first trip). Getting to the top, instead of following the path of the Turkey Hill trail which would lead out over a plain area and down into the Enola Grade, we turned left and went to the overlook underneath the wind turbines.

The view from the overlook area of the Susquehanna River and surrounding area is very pretty, especially on a lovely clear, crisp day like it was. And behind the actual overlook spot are the wind turbines on the top of the hill, which give the whole area an interesting buzzing / helicopter like background noise. The top of the trail, where the overlook itself is; is a nice structure to stand on, with a railing (as you can see in the one beer pic), there is some kind of smaller structure nearby that looks like it at one time housed one of those binocular / telescopic view things (the ones where you put a quarter in them to look through the eye – hole lenses).

Some pics from the overlook and the trail:

The Hike Back Down

The hike back down with Leela was relatively uneventful. Due to the abundance of fall leaves that were down, we did slip a bit every so often, but overall it was a relatively easy descent. Only passed one hiker on the way back down, as it was starting to get closer to sunset on the way down.

All in all, the trip took us a total of one hour and a half. Its a shortened version of the main trail which can take a much longer time, depending on if you take all the different routes and side-trails and other parts of the Enola Grade and Turkey Hill area. It also depends on how long you spend at the top of the hill at the overlook enjoying the wonderful view. I would suggest going in early fall to capture all the fall foliage.

Post Hike

After the hike, we of course had to re-hydrate. So what better way to re-hydrate than to do so at breweries? In the area near the Turkey Hill trail, you have several options. We chose to stop at Columbia Kettle Works in Columbia, and then check out the new River Trail Brewing (formerly Pig Iron Brewing – same building – new owners / brewers) in Marietta. Been to Columbia Kettle Works before and enjoyed every visit there. Food was delicious and the beers on point. River Trail Brewing was leap years ahead and better than the old Pig Iron Brewery that was in the same building. Didn’t get any food there, but the beers were good, especially for a new and starting out brewery. I would recommend both, especially Columbia Kettle Works; I’d say at least stop in and give River Trail Brewing a try.

Thanks For Reading

As always everyone, thanks for reading. We will definitely be doing more hike posts in the future, especially in 2022, I want to go on a lot more hikes (and varied and out of state places too) and want to keep up on writing up a post after each hike. So be on the lookout for that in the future.

For more hike posts from us here at The Beer Thrillers, check out these hikes:

• Hike: Hawk Rock (Duncannon, Pennsylvania)
• Hike: Governor Dick (Manheim, Pennsylvania)
• Hike: Rattling Run – Water Tower (Dauphin, Pennsylvania)
• The Trip to Ricket’s Glen

For more reading and sources on Turkey Hill Trail and the Overlook:

• Turkey Hill Nature Preserve
• Turkey Hill Overlook Trail
• Explore Outdoors: Turkey Hill
• AllTrails: Turkey Hill Trail

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

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!

A Need for Meditation, Solemn Reflection, and Tranquility

There are thousands of reasons to hike. And perhaps one of the biggest reasons is for a sense of alone-ness. A sense of being by one’s self, alone, in the woods, to reflect, to meditate, to be lost in one’s own head. This was my aim today. In the morning we said farewell to Bartley Francis Kaminski, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Palmyra. You can read his obituary here: Bartley Francis Kaminski (1977 – 2021). And you can read my farewell to Bart here on the blog: Farewell to Bartley Kaminski.

I’m not a big fan of funerals (who is?); but they are a necessary ‘part of the process’. Unfortunately in my life, I’ve been to far too many of them. I’ve been pall bearer more than I’ve been a groomsmen. I’ve been to more funerals than I have weddings. I think back to various family members and friends, Mike Drobenak’s, my Great Grandma’s, my Aunt Janet’s, my Grammy’s; last year in February I had two uncles (a Great Uncle on my dad’s side and my mom’s brother in law) both pass away a week apart – and this was before COVID / coronavirus hit.

I grew up with the Hummelstown Cemetery being my backyard (my parent’s backyard connects to it). I walked through it to get to my elementary school every day for school. To say death has been a portion, or thought, or part of my life, might be an understatement. But I also feel like this could be said for so many. Its one of the main leading thoughts for most people. Its one of the driving forces behind all of our decisions. Todd May’s work ‘Death’ is such an extremely good piece of work about death, that is should be read by everyone. Its both philosophical and laymen. Its technical yet beautiful. You can read my book review here on the blog about it: Book Review: Death (Todd May).

So after the conclusion of the ceremony and listening to the bagpipes playing ‘Amazing Grace’ coming to an end, I made my way to my car, and sat for a bit. Needing tranquility, needing to lose myself, I called up my AllTrails app and looked for something close by. I had brought clothes to change into knowing I would need to hike, my hike boots were already in the car, and my current stack of reading books were in the car (my current stack of reading books always travel wherever I go, no matter what).

Governor Dick

I have been to the Tower at Governor Dick easily a dozen or more times in my life. I’ve gone when I was a small child with my parents, I’ve taken my daughters and my ex-wife, I’ve taken my dog Leela, and I’ve gone with Ming. There’s a ton of different routes and paths and trails all leading up to The Tower.

The Tower has gone through some changes over the years, they’ve fully enclosed the top to stop people from rappelling and climbing the walls of the Tower itself as if they were Batman or someone trying to break in or out of a prison. But the climb inside is and has always been the same (to my memory anyway). Claustrophobic, metallic, dusty, dirty, and most likely urine soaked on a platform or too. (Pretty sure that was the case today.)

The view at the top isn’t the most exceptional, but in the Manheim, Mt. Gretna area, its a nice and beautiful view. But its just what I needed for self reflection, meditation, and tranquility. A nice little breeze in the air, a beautiful view, direct sun, and I sat there with my back against the wall, reading, meditating, enjoying the breeze, enjoying the freedom, the sun, the peace, the tranquility, and the aloofness, the alone spirit of it all, letting my thoughts of life, Bart, death, and everything else just wash the stress out of me.

Hiking to The Tower

There is many paths and routes to get to the Tower, and you can start at various spots. Most people now usually start at the Conservancy Building (not 100% of the name of it), but its a lovely little spot where you can go inside (I believe it has re-opened ‘after’ COVID) where kids can go inside and do all manners of activities, as well as get to touch different animal pelts, see pictures, videos, brochures, animal bones, etc, etc, etc.

I took a different route this time. The map from AllTrails shows you the route I was hiking: Governor Dick Tower Trail (map). (Sorry, the screen shot isn’t working due to the way they have the map setup as a changeable feature, it turns it full grey in the screenshot. You can see the route I take when I post my route picture in just a bit.) Usually I can screenshot the AllTrails map, but for some reason, they have it on their website as a changeable piece, and so when you screenshot it, it just turns into a grey block. So, unfortunately, that won’t work for me to screenshot and post here. But from MapMyRun, I do have a copy of my hike, and thats practically the same as the AllTrails one.

Governor Dick Tower Trail

Hike: Governor Dick Tower Trail (Manheim, Pennsylvania)
Location: Governor Dick Park (Route 117 Start Point)
Near: Manheim, Pennsylvania
Length: 2.1 Miles (as per AllTrails)
Elevation Gain: 364 Feet (as per AllTrails) (not counting climbing the Tower)
Route Type: Out and Back
AllTrails Map: Governor Dick Tower Trail (Clarence Schock Park at Governor Dick)
AllTrails Description: Governor Dick Tower Trail is a 2.1 mile out and back trail located near Manheim, Pennsylvania that features a great forest setting. The trail is rated as moderate and is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and nature trips.

Hiking Governor Dick Tower Trail

For this trail to the Tower, you start at a little pull – off along Route 117. Only one other car in the lot which is always nice, lets you know its going to be at least seemingly a relatively empty trail. (My preference anyway.) I arrived around 12:35 – 12:40PM after Bart’s services. Changed and put on my hiking boots and got my backpack loaded up with my books and some waters and Mountain Dews and started on the trail.

And, immediately regretted not having any bugs pray with. The gnats were absolutely… H – O – R – R – I – B – L – E ! Just the absolute worst. Like thick clouds of them the whole way to the Tower. I could swing my hand in front of me, open palm, and I was guaranteed to catch at least three or four of them, and smack another ten to fifteen out of the way. The trail started off as a stone slope upwards towards The Tower. The slope isn’t at too bad of an incline, so its a nice, moderate, relatively easy trail and path up.

Despite the gnats, it didn’t take me very long, maybe 35 minutes at most to reach The Observation Tower. Once there, I climbed up the old metal rungs of the ladder on the upward bound side and made my way to the top. At the top was a couple, sitting, enjoying the view, just holding hands, and I made my way around to the opposite side and sat with my back to the wall of the Tower ladder entrance / exit. I doffed my backpack and pulled out my books. For the next hour or so, I sat here, reading, meditating, thinking of Bart, of life, and of so much more that has been going on with myself, and my family, and just life really in general. In what might possibly have been the craziest years of my entire life – and this is saying something – I just stopped, sat there, read, meditated, and enjoyed the cool breeze at the top of the Tower. The gnats were gone, having left me alone, the sun was hot and shining directly on me, and I felt a very deep, inner sense, full resonating sense, of peace. For once.

Just before leaving and climbing back down, I saw a hummingbird buzz the cage that domes and surrounds the top of the tower. I tried to get a picture, but he flew away too quickly for me. But I did get to see him, buzzing up against the metal, and saw the beauty in his flapping wings. His energy and speed and quickness so evident. His energy reminded me of Bart. I don’t tend to look for portents and omens and all that, or to see signs and stuff, but getting to see the hummingbird did remind me of Bart, interestingly, after yesterday’s viewing and visit, Cliff Plank (current head brewer for Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg) posted on Facebook how he saw an albino squirrel and it reminded him of Bart.

Another couple came up to the top and took pictures and went back down while I was reading. I think it was a daughter in her 20s or early 30s and her father in his 40s or 50s. They both said ‘hi’ and talked about the beauty of the area around them. They have been doing a different hike in a different Pennsylvania county every week, and this was their hike for the week.

While at the top of the tower, the books I was reading were: ‘Death’ by Todd May (I had finished it weeks ago, and you can read the book review here: Book Review: Death [Todd May], but felt like re-reading some passages in the wake of Bart’s passing), ‘State and Revolution’ by Vladimir Lenin, ‘Six Walks in the Fictional Woods’ by Umberto Eco, and ‘The Bomber Mafia’ by Malcolm Gladwell. (I’ll be posting book reviews for each of these in the future.)

Return Trip to the Car

After climbing back down, I hiked back down the slope, taking a slightly different route (the one actually listed on the AllTrails map, which has you take a slightly more scenic route, rather than fully up the rock slope) on my way back to the car. The gnats were present as soon as I got to the bottom of the Tower, and perhaps in even larger numbers. Made it to my car without incident and took off my hiking boots and then drove home, stopping at my parents, getting to see my little nephew and hanging out with him for a bit before he was picked up by my sister and brother in law.

Reflections, Thoughts, and the End

This was a needed hike. My 2021 has gone horribly awry from where I wanted it to go starting in March. And has not been the year I wanted it to be – at all; to say the least. I haven’t gotten to go to breweries like I wanted, and I haven’t really hiked as much as I wanted, or as I had planned. I’ve felt more isolated this year than in past years – including COVID central 2020. This hike was much needed. It was short, it was one I’ve been to many times, and it was on a day where I needed to reflect, to meditate, and to think. It was a recharging of batteries so to speak. A realignment with all things; instead of the Buddha under the Bodhi tree, I was Ben under the Tower’s cage. Maybe not similar, or an apt analogy, but it is how I spent some of my afternoon; reflecting and thinking, about life, about Bart, about death, about the meaning to things (and the lack thereof). Thought about cancer, about my mom’s cancer battles and the fear of it coming back, of losing my Aunt Janet to cancer, of my Great Grandma’s fight against Alzheimer’s and her loss to it, and so many others that I’ve known throughout my life who passed away to some form of cancer or another.

I think of Albert Camus and his absurdism, of Sartre and his existentialism, Kierkegaard and his thoughts about life and everything. These are the moments people need to make time for more. For reflection, meditation, self thought, to examine one’s own inner thoughts and life, to be a bit more Socratic. And thinking of Bart’s service, and of his life, it made me think about how we all need and should be more like him. Outgoing, cherishing the moments with friends, loved ones, living for the moment, helping others, extolling the virtues of those we are proud of, having fun, doing things out of our comfort zones, living life to its utmost potential. Bart did this, and more.

Links

Here’s some links, both on the blog and outside of the blog to various things related to the hike.

Bart:

• Farewell to Barley Kaminski
• Bartley Francis Kaminski Obituary
• Brews and Bands for Bart

Governor Dick:

• Explore Governor Dick Trail (AllTrails)
• Governor Dick Tower Trail via Route 117 (AllTrails)

The Beer Thriller Hikes and Travelogues:

• Hike: Hawk Rock
• Hike: Rattling Run
• Rickett’s Glenn
• 1000 Steps Trail

Measure of a Well Lived Life

• Measure of a Well Lived Life by Arthur Miller (Pocket)

Be safe out there everyone, get vaccinated, love each other, live life to its fullest. Grow each day. Peace, hugs, and chugs.

-B. Kline

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

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!

When I go hiking, I like to enjoy a good ‘hike’ beer, especially at the top or vista point of a beautiful hiking trail. In this case, it was Pinnacle Point in Kempton, Pennsylvania. (Just outside of Hamburg Pennsylvania.) (This beer was also covered in my travelogue about Pinnacle Overlook, Pinnacle Peak, and Pulpit Rock and the hike there, you can check that out here: Pinnacle Overlook, 1787 Brewing Company, and Schaylor Brewing.)

This is another case of beautiful can art. Also, since this was a trail beer, I didn’t have a glass, and drank it straight from the can; like a heathen, a barbarian, an outdoors man, a rogue hiker, a man’s man. …or well, just a person who didn’t feel like carrying around a glass, and hiking for four hours and eight miles carrying a glass that could break, especially while his hiking buddy is a four legged beast that best resembles a wolf on her best days….. (don’t worry Leela, I still love you).

So, this review will be forgoing the “appearance” section, though, I have seen pictures of it on Untappd, and it looks in the pictures I’ve seen, like a light straw colored IPA / saison looking beer, but I won’t go into details, since I did not see it with my own eyes.

For any people familiar with Pinnacle Overlook and the hike there; right before you get to the gorgeous vista of the Pinnacle Overlook, there is a giant cairn. Cairn works… but not really. Most people associate cairns with tombstones and what people would do to bury people in places they couldn’t dig the earth up or make a grave for, so they would dig as much as they could, and then cover them in rocks to keep prey from getting to the remains. But the true definition of cairn is: “a heap of stones set up as a landmark, a monument, a tombstone, etc.” (Dictionary.com Definition: Cairn.) (For more about graves…. you can read my beer review on Shallow Grave by Heretic Brewing …. yay for cheap plugs! I feel like Mick Foley!) Anyway, its right before you get to the overlook, its a giant stone and rock heaped pile. The very first time I went and hiked the trail, I almost thought – this was it. This giant pile, this cairn, this heap of rocks and stones, was it, and this was the “view” and the Pinnacle everyone was talking about. (Pinnacle being the height of something.) Thank goodness I walked past it and saw this gorgeous overlook….

Needless to say, this view is a lot better…. A LOT…. better than just a pile of stinking rocks (or non-stinking rocks). To get to this point, it was about a 3.5 mile hike. (Going back down, since I took a different route, and stopped at Pulpit Rocks, it was another 4.5-5 miles, making it 8-8.5 miles all told of just the mountain, plus getting to and from the car.) So, I camped out here a bit with my dog, Leela, which by now anyone reading the blog regularly has heard of quite a bit or seen in the background of pictures (she’s an 11 year old border collie that is commonly mistaken for an Australian Shepherd, named after Leela from Futurama). I didn’t bring food with, since I was going to visit 1787 Brewing Company in Hamburg afterwards, but I did enjoy my beer on the ledge with my faithful furball companion, and then did the treacherous, very rocky hike back down – which is the Appalachian Trail path.

All in all, if you are ever near Kempton or Hamburg area of Pennsylvania, and love beautiful views, where you can see and feel the turkey buzzards, hawks, and other large birds soaring right past your head, this is definitely a great hike and a beautiful view. From Hershey its roughly a 45-50 minute drive.

Beer: Mutant Temple
Brewery: Strange Roots Experimental Ales
Style: IPA – American
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 5
Untappd Description: IPA dry hopped with Citra.

Since I’m not doing an appearance segment for this beer review, let me just say, I thought this cairn was the perfect picture opportunity for this beer. It looked alien, strange, mutant like, and would be a Hollywood esque temple location; like something filmed for a Star Wars planet or something. Also, the can art for Mutant Temple is phenomenal to, here it is:

Here also, I want to bring up Strange Roots Experimental Ales. According to Untappd, they are a micro brewery out of Gibsonia Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh). They have 394 unique beers with over 102K ratings, and a global average rating of 3.86. The Untappd description reads: “Strange Roots exists at the intersection of farmhouse brewing tradition and creative, locally-driven experimentation. We’re passionate about celebrating our environment through the use of local ingredients, varying fermentation methods and micro flora, and strive to create unique artisan ales inspired by our surroundings here in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains.”

Ok, now lets get back to the beer review.

(Skipping the appearance… sorry folks…. moving right along to aroma…) Coming out of the can you get a very citra hoppy aroma. Not surprising since this is a Citra dry hopped IPA. Citra has probably become the most used hop in America in the past two years, primarily for New England IPAs, and primarily because of that. Its a very juicy hop, and gives off a ton of lime, citrus, grapefruit, some peach, some mango, and tropical fruit notes. Both aromatically and in taste. Due to the proliferation of New England IPAs in the past two years, its market has exploded, usually used in conjunction with mosaic. (Cue up the Hallmark Christmas movies meme of Mosaic & Citra.) This is a strong IPA, but not as potent as most New England IPAs, and its definitely not a New England IPA, but it has a very strong citrus, lime, aroma; some notes of grapefruit and peach and mango.

Tasting this, (out of the can, not from a glass, just for perspective’s sake), this is definitely not a New England IPA; but a classic American / West Coast IPA. But its not full blown hop bitter West Coast IPA. Its nothing like Perpetual IPA, or Hop Slam, or something extremely high IBU or hop heavy. This is smoother, but not New England smooth, its not pure juice, but its still a juicer IPA than most West Coast styled ones. Theres a great deal of hop flavor , and some hop bitterness, but I think its smoothed because its dry hopped, especially with it being dry hopped with such a fruity hop like Citra. You get some earthy hop notes, a bit of pine, a wee bit of grassy-ness, to it, but overall the citra elements kick it into ultra drive on this, and you get a lot of the fruitier, more notable hop tastes from the citra; like lime, citrus, grapefruit, bit of peach, bit of mango, some tropical fruits, and the like, and this rounds it out and makes it a lot more tastier, seems to give it a lot more to the beer. I wouldn’t call it an extremely fruity or floral or juicy IPA or beer, but its got a lot of fruit forward flavors, its still definitely an IPA, there’s still the bite and the hop – ness to it, still some bitterness to it; still a “beer’s beer”. There is a nice body to it, and its got a good mouthfeel, it doesn’t feel too light or weak or watery. It’s also only 5.3% ABV, so thats really not bad, almost in the low regions by most beer standards nowadays. Most IPAs clock in the 6-7.5% range; and DIPAs then going from 7-9%. (Of course, then there’s also TIPAs and QIPAs even nowadays too.) I like the low ABV on this, especially for hiking, and despite picking it up at Breski’s as part of a mix-a-six, I could definitely dig this in a four pack and crush it. Would make for a great mowing beer, or working around the house, or shower beer, something where a nice beer would fit, but you don’t need or want to get hammered or pounded or anything. The Untappd description also lists it at only 5 IBU, but it does (still) have a hop bite and some bitterness. There’s no off flavors or after taste, nothing you’ll be burping up hours later, nothing off, or cloying, just a nice drinking beer. Great for hiking up a hill / mountain with your pooch!

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.93 (as of 12.26.20)

Untappd actually has a checkin spot for Pinnacle Overlook, you can see it here: Pinnacle Overlook on Untappd. I love how for even far to reach hiking places and spots where not even WiFi exists, or I even get internet, there’s still Untappd check-in spots. Thank. Goodness.

Thank you all for reading. 2020 is winding down, and we’re getting near to the end of the year. January 4th will be soon here too, and hopefully Governor Wolfe will be updating the mandates, and letting us get back to drinking and eating indoors at breweries, pubs, restaurants, and bars. In the meantime, get out there and help support local breweries. Support your favorite places, and tip your favorite staff, they all need it! (I know as someone furloughed / laid off / unemployed because of this recent shut down, its a tough time and a tough season, especially with it being the holidays too.) So help out wherever and however you can.

As always, make sure you are taking all the precautions everyone. Stay safe out there, mask up, wash your hands, don’t lick doorknobs, etc.

Cheers everyone!

-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!

Some recent beer reviews:

• Beer Review: The Soft Glow of Electric Sex (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Snow Tracks (New Trail Brewing Co.)
• Beer Review: B-52 (2017) (Cox Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)
• Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Beer Review: Space Broccoli (Other Half Brewing Co.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2016 Gold Medal winner: San Diego International Beer Competition

2016 Gold Medal: Alltech Commonwealth Cup

2017 Silver: Alltech Commonwealth Cup

2016 Bronze: Indiana Brewers’ Cup

2015 Bronze Medal winner: San Diego International Beer Competition

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

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

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

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

2016 Silver Medal: Best of Craft Beer Awards

2015 Gold Medal winner: San Diego International Beer Competition

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

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

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

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

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

The flight I ordered was:

• Beard Crumbs
• Make Mine Irish
• Skull Session
• Son of a Mudder
• Bottomless Coffee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis – Full Articles:

• Day One: Thousand Steps Trail, Juniata Brewing Company, Ghost Town Trail, Levity Brewing
• Day Two: Rock Furnace Trail, Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Riverview Park, Hop Farm Brewing Company, The Meadows Casino
• Day Three: Salt Fork State Park, Southside Brewing Company, Blackhand Gorge, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, Land-Grant Brewing Company, and The Wandering Griffin
• Day Four:
• Day Five:
• Day Six:
• Day Seven:

The Trip to Indianapolis – Recap Articles:

• The Trip to Indy
• The Trip to Indy – Day One Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Two Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Three Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Four Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Five Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Six Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Seven Recap
• Recap and Stats

August (2019) Road Trip Series:

• Going on the Road
• The Trip: Day 1 Recap
• The Trip: Day 2 Recap
• The Trip: Day 3 Recap

Rickett’s Glen (2020) Road Trip Series:

• A Road Trip to Rickett’s Glen
• The Trip to Rickett’s Glen

Monocacy Battlefield Road Trip:

• Impromptu Two-Day Trip to Frederick Maryland
• Road Trip to Monocacy Battlefield (June 19th – June 20th, 2020)

Visiting Reading Pennsylvania:

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

A Road Trip to The PA Grand Canyon:

• Visiting Wellsboro PA and the Grand Canyon

Hiking Hawk Rock

• Hiking Hawk Rock and Visiting Liquid Noise Brewery

Hiking Pinnacle Trail and Pulpit Rock

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

Hiking Around Ephrata Pennsylvania:

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

Hiking Sunset Rocks and Checking Out Maxie’s Brewhouse:

• Hiking Sunset Rocks and Checking Out Maxie’s Brewhouse in Shippensburg Pennsylvania

Other Brewery Hopping Articles:

• Brewery Touring York and Hanover PA
• Brewery Hopping – 12.27.19
• Breweries Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg – 9.6.19

My Article for Breweries in PA:

• Touring Breweries Around Harrisburg

My Podcast About Breweries in Central PA:

• Beers with Strangers – A Beer Thriller in Hershey

Some other brewery tour and road trip articles:

• A Sneak Peak at the New Rubber Soul Brewery in Hummelstown
• A Brewery Tour of Mellow Mink
• Brewery Review: Battlefield Brew Works
• Brewery Review: Cushwa Brewing
• A Trip to Gettysburg and Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Road Trip Snacks (Panther Island Brewing)
• Brewery Review: The Ministry of Brewing
• Beer Review: Esmeralda (Ministry of Brewing)

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

• Beer Review: Dreams of Orgonon (Human Robot)
• Beer Review: Unicorns Stomping on Lanternflies (Saucony Creek Brewing Co)
• Beer Review: Griddle (Funk Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Up the Creek Extreme Ale (Thomas Creek Brewery)
• Beer Review: Hershey’s Chocolate Porter (Yuengling Brewery)
• Beer Review: Dropout (Rubber Soul Brewing)
• Beer Review: Pigtoberfest (Boneshire Brew Works)
• Beer Review: I Voted Today (Tired Hands)
• Beer Review: Super Villain (Urban Village Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Shallow Grave (Nitro) (Heretic Brewing)
• Beer Review: The Growfather (Stickman Brews)
• Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)

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!

So, this was meant to get written a few days ago, but everything kinda turned upside down on its head when Wednesday I got the call that I was going back to work, and officially Friday (July 3rd) was my first day back. I was also switched to swing shift, and our days went from being 8 Hour days to 10 Hour Days. So this post is a bit late in getting up and I apologize for that.

Also, this will be somewhat similar in some of my other travelogue and brewery hopping posts. So if you like reading about me and checking out breweries, I think you will dig this. This will probably not get posted until July 5th, but I’ve started it now on July 4th. I wanted to get it written before going back to work – yesterday – July 3rd, but it just didn’t happen. Friday didn’t quite go as planned, and I didn’t get nearly as much done as I wanted before having to get to work by 5PM for a meeting, and then starting my 10 hour actual work day. Today – July 4th – I start at 6PM, but I’m only going to be writing for about an hour before celebrating 4th of July with my daughters. I got home last night (technically I suppose this morning), ate a little bit, fell asleep, and woke back up at 8AM and then at 10AM, and got a little work done at home and now started on the blog, but hopefully it will – fingers crossed – it will then get finished tomorrow in my time between waking up and going back to work. (I feel like this will become a regular cycle on my new schedule…. work…. sleep…. write…. work…. sleep….) (Its looking like I’m lined up for six to eight days straight at 10HR days…. so, we’ll see how I survive all this.)

Ok, lets get right into this. This travelogue is pretty straight forward. Ming messaged me about any plans upcoming, and I told him I was going down to York for The York Emporium’s book sale. Ming offered to come on with, since he had some errands and chores to do in the York and Hanover areas, thus it was decided, we’d make a whole day trip and excursion out of it. Why not right? It was furlough and we had no plans, so why not? Grab some cheap books, some drinks, hit a state park, have a bit of adventure… why not?

Luckily it didn’t pan out like my trip with my daughters to Monocacy. So it wasn’t one of “those adventures” (sorry to disappoint). This was going to be a pretty straight forward trip. I drive to meet Ming at his place in Mount Joy, we drive down to York, stop at the York Emporium for the book sale, hit a brewery in York, Ming drops some stuff off for a friend in the York area, we go to Hanover to the state park there, hit a few breweries, then head back to Mount Joy and then I would drive home after calling it a day. Straight forward, simple, easy peasy.

Friday, June 26th, 2020, I drove up from Hummelstown to Mount Joy to meet Ming and the two of us headed down to York. First, of course, Ming had to show me the impressive assortment of animals on his property – quails, chickens, turtles, dogs, kittens, quail eggs…. and possibly a dragon, not sure. He gathered the stuff he needed to drop off (mum clippings that he potted and grew) and off we were to York Pennsylvania.

A quick drive down and we got to The York Emporium roughly around 2PM. I’ve been to The York Emporium once or twice before, I believe both prior times were when the store was doing their book sale – just like this time. This year, unfortunately due to the COVID-19, many libraries have announced they aren’t doing their book sales (the Hershey Public Library, one of the biggest in the area has announced their not, I believe Hummelstown’s – which is in October – is still yet undecided), so it was nice to get to a book sale of some sort.

We meandered through the halls and rows and shelves of books. Browsing this section, that section, etc. Philosophy, Civil War, sociology, US Presidents, science fiction, history, the classics, etc. All told, I ended up walking out with a fairly sizeable amount of books – 16 books for myself, and 1 for Ming – for only 52$. Can’t beat deals like that, when hardcover books released typically are 25.99-34.99$ nowadays. After getting back in the car, we jumped a few short blocks over and found us at brewery number one for the day….

We didn’t stay here long, Ming was worried about his parking meter and it running out, but we did enjoy the nice sun, sat out for a pint. I got a pint (in a plastic throwaway cup) of Cherry Lane Strong Ale. It’s a Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9% ABV, 22 IBU, and its Untappd description reads: “Dark Belgian strong ale brewed with tart cherries, dark Belgian candy sugar and trappist style yeast.”

It was tasty, and was a nice strong beer to start the day. I gave it **** on Untappd. It has a global average rating (as of 7.5.20) of 3.59.

Getting back to his car with just two minutes to spare on the meter, we then headed out for his first errand, which was to drop off some of the mum clippings at a friend’s house. I didn’t know this, but Ming explained to me if you cut a decent size branch (or piece) of a mum, diagonally of course, and root it in water and soil for a bit, it will grow to become a full mum in due time. It is amazing how some plants can do that, I know of some, like roses that can do that as well.

After dropping off the flowers, we were on our way to Hanover Pennsylvania, and back to back breweries. The first of which was….

Miscreation Brewing Company. Lovely little brewery on a busy square in the town. Me and Ming sat out for a pint, and were going to get food, but their kitchen wasn’t going to open until 5PM and we were there at 3:30PM. So I ordered a pint of Mediocre Security Blanket.

Mediocre Security Blanket is an Amber Lager by Miscreation Brewing Company, its 5% ABV and has 30IBU. Their Untappd description is simple and to the point: “Amber Lager brewed with Simcoe hops.” I gave it ***.50 on Untappd. As of 7.5.20 it has a global average rating of 3.89.

Before we left, I grabbed a four pack to go (for Cadorus State Park). For 15$, they even let me make it a mixed four pack, so I grabbed 2 stouts, a pale ale, and a pumpkin beer (they only had three options of canned beers). 15$ for a 4 pack is a great deal, especially when you can mix-match it (that comes out to 3.75$ per beer). Many craft breweries tend to be 16-24$ for a 4 pack, so while not as cheap as getting a case of something like Natty Ice for 8-12$, its cheap for the standards. And I much rather spend 15$ for a 4 pack from Miscreation than 10$ for a case of Natty Ice…. any day of the week. That’s for damn sure.

After Miscreation Brewing, we walked around the block and came to…

Something Wicked Brewing Company. Another lovely spot in Hanover Pennsylvania. This time we went inside (they had no outdoor seating as far as I could tell). And here Ming was able to get some food too. The entrance we took led us through a winding, twisting, route into the main tap room and dining area. The hallways we walked through had paintings from various movie franchises. Most notably (to me at least) being the twin girls from The Shining.

For beers at Something Wicked I got two pints while there, Ming as usual, just got water, but for food he ordered tacos which he said were delicious. Claimed they weren’t quite as good as his, but next best thing. So….. take that for what its worth…

The beers I had there were White Wookie and Incessant Debauchery – Curuba.

White Wookie is a white IPA, it is 8.1% ABV and has 109 IBUs. The Untappd description reads: “A Belgian style white IPA double dry hopped with Galaxy hops. Rich hop bouquet with bubble gum hop finish”. I rated it ***.75 on Untappd, and currently (as of 7.5.20) it has a global average rating of 3.62.

Incessant Debauchery – Curuba is a 5.3% ABV fruited sour by Something Wicked Brewing Company. It has 24 IBUs and its Untappd description reads: “The latest in our rotating fruited sour series. It features the puckering flavor of the Curuba (Banana Shaped Passion fruit from Latin America) with a touch of vanilla. This bold passion fruit is our sourest offering yet!” My Untappd rating for it was: ****. As of 7.5.20 on Untappd it has a global average rating of 4.05.

Before leaving I grabbed a crowler of Butt Monkey, which I later enjoyed, sharing it with D. Scott during one of our gaming sessions for his Knights of Nostalgia page. (You can click the link provided there to check it out. We somewhat regularly stream us playing old school NES, SNES, etc, video games. He streams regularly, and I am a guest on his ‘show’. Similar to the podcast him and Esteban [Estey] have that I also somewhat regularly appear on – So a Mexican and a Scott Walk Into a Bar….). I might do a full beer review of this in the future, to be determined (I have so many beers I want to write up reviews for.)

But, a quick summary of it – Butt Monkey is a 5.1% ABV American Pale Ale, it has 26 IBU, and the Untappd description for it reads: “This session Pale Ale is dedicated to all of the Butt Monkeys out there that like to send cease and desist letters to the small guys. Enjoy this crushable beer as you think about those whom you wish ceased and desisted.” I gave it ***.75, the global average rating (as of 7.5.20) is 3.58.

Now with the food eaten – which makes Ming a happy Ming; and beers were drank – which makes me a happy Ben; we were on our way to Codorus State Park in Hanover Pennsylvania. Technically, according to the Wikipedia page on Codorus State Park its located in Heidelberg, Manheim, Penn, and West Manheim Townships in southwestern York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. As the Wikipedia states: “Codorus State Park is a 3,500-acre (1,400 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Heidelberg, Manheim, Penn, and West Manheim Townships in southwestern York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park was created around Lake Marburg, an artificial lake covering 1,275 acres (516 ha), and is named for Codorus Creek, which forms the lake. Codorus State Park is located on Pennsylvania Route 216, 3 miles (4.8 km) from the borough of Hanover.”

Either way, Ming and myself came to kayak, and so that is exactly what we did. Normally we hike trails and do all that kind of stuff, but this time instead of taking a hike like we did for Ricketts Glenn we went kayaking. I’m not much of a water guy; drinking it, swimming in it, boating in it, kayaking in it, etc – just not my cup of tea (or cup of water if you will…… pa-dum-dissss…..) but here we were, and so we were going to do it. I brought along my four-pack from Miscreation Brewing to enjoy while kayaking.

It was a beautiful view, and we had a great time. I learned how to kayak properly without just going in circles like we were on The Simpsons or the Three Stooges. Got to watch the sunset a bit which was gorgeous, and I got to drink a few beers. Plus got a bit of a workout in as well, so can’t complain about that I suppose.

The two beers I had while kayaking were – MBC IPA and Smashed PumpKing Porter.

MBC IPA is an American IPA (relatively a session IPA in this case) thats 5% ABV and 72 IBUs. The Untappd description reads: “West Coast style IPA. Brewed with Chinook and Cascade hops.” I gave it ***.75, and its global average rating (as of 7.5.20) is 3.87.

I think the face of the pumpkin on the can is how Ming looked quite a few times during our kayaking travels. (Needless to say, I was not the best person to do a tandem kayak with.) Anyway…. the porter is a 6.5% ABV and 30 IBU Pumpkin / Yam Beer porter. Its Untappd description reads: “Seasonal Porter brewed with Pumpkin and Pumpkin spices.” I gave it ***.75 on Untappd, and the global average rating for it is 3.53 as of 7.5.20.

After finishing the kayaking we got back in the car and headed back up through York to make a stop and then to get back to Ming’s house in Mount Joy where I originally met him at. Once on the road, I attempted to get a last shot of the sunset.

Its not the best piece of photography, and its not the best picture… but it was too gorgeous of a sunset not to at least attempt getting a picture of it. Plus I was a few beers in by this point, and taking the picture through the car. Either way, let it be known – there was a beautiful sunset that evening. And that I attempted to document it for all of you – my faithful readers.

Coming back up through York we made the last stop for Ming, and I decided (while he was running the mums up to the house) to take a gander at the old Untappd map and see if there were any breweries in the direct vicinity… and lo and behold, just up ahead on the highway was one. So, needless to say, we stopped at Stony Run Brew House. Stony Run was nice, the inside looked beautiful, almost like an Italian Villa style restaurant, reminded me of the old Italian Villa Rosa that used to be on Route 22 in Grantville (where the new Sheetz is at the corner of 743 and 22).

We went in to hit the bathroom and get a table outside. Ordered some nacho chips. I believe we tried to order fries or quesadilla or something else but they were out, so we ended up with the nacho chips. I ordered a flight. I think the only other place that offered a flight (of the breweries we visited on June 26th – Mudhook Brewing, Miscreation Brewing, Something Wicked Brewing, and Stony Run Brewing) was Mudhook Brewing. So two out of four, not bad. But, I didn’t get a flight at Mudhook due to time. Typically when trying out new breweries I like to get flights so I can sample more of their beers and try as much as I can, and then decide what to buy to take home, but given the current environment with COVID-19 and everything, its understandable that many places aren’t doing flights.

They had a few guest taps, one of which was a delicious sour from Weyerbacher. So my flight was three beers from Stony Run Brewing and one from Weyerbacher. My flight was: first from Stony Run Brewing – Blackstrap English Porter, Irish Eyes, Capt. Jack Block – Hell, and from Weyerbacher – the Rico Guave. All were very good.

A quick rundown of the flight:

• Bootstrap English Porter – 5.5% ABV, 31 IBU. “The key ingredient to this moderate strength brown beer is the addition of blackstrap molasses, contributing to its roasty character and bitterness. This Porter goes down smooth and easy.” My rating: ***.75 / global rating (7.5.20): 3.8
• Irish Eyes – an Irish Red Ale, thats 4.2% ABV and 22 IBU (no description). My rating: ***.25, global rating: 3.75.
• Capt. Jack Block – Hell – is a strong Lager thats 6.7% ABV and 20 IBU. Untappd Description: “Strong German Lager, lightly hop and malty.” My rating is ***.75, not enough ratings yet to give it a global rating.
• Rico Guave (Weyerbacher) – Rico Guave is a 9% ABV fruited sour with 25 IBU. The Untappd description reads: “Rico Guave is a 9% sour ale brewed with pineapple and guava. Rich with the tropical notes of pineapple and fruitiness of guava, this pink hued brew is clean and refreshing with a touch of tartness.” My rating was ****, global rating was 3.69 as of 7.5.20.

While at Stony Run it began to drizzle on us a bit, and we could hear lightening and thunder in the distance. After finishing up we headed back to Mount Joy. Where once there, we went over and visited a friend of his who is turning his barn into a bar / rec area for himself and friends and is going to be setting up pinball machines and other kinds of games. I also got to play with a Pug puppy, so just that right there made my day.

Finally it was time to call it a day (well now night) at 2-3AM after Don came home from work. He had started back up at the casino before the rest of us. I myself now started back up at work on the 3rd, while Ming still hasn’t gotten his return call yet. But soon, shortly, he will.

And that was our trip around York and Hanover Pennsylvania. We visited Mudhook Brewing, Miscreation Brewing, Something Wicked Brewing, and Stony Run Brewing. I hope you all enjoyed this brewery touring. Before I got the call back to work me and Ming made a plan to visit the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and Wellsboro PA and visit a few breweries in that neck of the woods (probably New Trail Brewing while up there too). But with me going back to work, that is currently on hold. But rest assured, you will read about it on here when we go.

Ok everyone, cheers, and stay safe, especially as places are reopening. Don’t get lax, still wash, cover your face, and take care of each other. Cheers!

-B. Kline

August (2019) Road Trip Series:

• Going on the Road
• The Trip: Day 1 Recap
• The Trip: Day 2 Recap
• The Trip: Day 3 Recap

Rickett’s Glen (2020) Road Trip Series:

• A Road Trip to Rickett’s Glen
• The Trip to Rickett’s Glen

Monocacy Battlefield Road Trip:

• Impromptu Two-Day Trip to Frederick Maryland
• Road Trip to Monocacy Battlefield (June 19th – June 20th, 2020)

Other Brewery Hopping Articles:

• Brewery Touring York and Hanover PA
• Brewery Hopping – 12.27.19
• Breweries Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg – 9.6.19

My Article for Breweries in PA:

• Touring Breweries Around Harrisburg

My Podcast About Breweries in Central PA:

• Beers with Strangers – A Beer Thriller in Hershey

Some other brewery tour and road trip articles:

• A Sneak Peak at the New Rubber Soul Brewery in Hummelstown
• A Brewery Tour of Mellow Mink
• Brewery Review: Battlefield Brew Works
• Brewery Review: Cushwa Brewing
• A Trip to Gettysburg and Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Road Trip Snacks (Panther Island Brewing)

Codorus Links:

• Codorus State Park (Wikipedia)
• Codorus Park (DCNR Gov)

Breweries Link:

• Six Amazing Breweries to Visit in York PA (Uncovering PA)