Nostalgia - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers. Thu, 07 Aug 2025 21:46:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://i0.wp.com/thebeerthrillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-The-Beer-Thrillers-December-2022-Logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Nostalgia - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com 32 32 187558884 YAH Brew and Cartel Brewing Team Up to Revive Middletown Space with Collaborative Venture https://thebeerthrillers.com/2025/08/07/yah-brew-and-cartel-brewing-team-up-to-revive-middletown-space-with-collaborative-venture/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=yah-brew-and-cartel-brewing-team-up-to-revive-middletown-space-with-collaborative-venture Thu, 07 Aug 2025 21:46:22 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=16550 YAH Brew and Cartel Brewing Team Up to Revive Middletown Space with Collaborative Venture

YAH Brew and Cartel Brewing and Blending have teamed up on the newly acquired space in Middletown – the old Tattered Flag location at 1 S Union St, Middletown, PA 17057. (See our recent article about YAH Brewing acquiring the Tattered Flag space.) (Or the Tower Investments press release on it here – YAH Brew Preser.) Cartel Brewing and Blending has also made expansion growth of their own, by announcing their second locationThe Safe House – coming to Manheim, PA, opening in late Fall / Winter of 2025.

Cartel Brewing and YAH Brew team up over the Tattered Flag location in Middletown

Cartel Brewing and Blending’s Social Media Announcement

The announcement came via Cartel Brewing and Blending’s social media earlier today:

FUN ANNOUNCEMENT:
For the last few months, we’ve been working on a pretty rad joint venture project with our friends at YAH Brew…
We are stoked to announce that we have the keys and begun the next stage of bringing this amazing space back to life in Middletown, PA!
We will launch a multifaceted community space that will allow us to use the brewery for both of our brands as well as our collaborative new brand and taproom. We also plan to create a cooperative production facility for other breweries to share and expand their brewing and canning needs and foresee a distillery brand arising in 2026….
All in all, we can’t be more excited about this project and partnering with Justin and Aimee from YAH Brew. More details to follow in the coming weeks…..

YAH Brew and Cartel Brewing and Blending Team Up

Two of Central PA’s most creative brewing minds are joining forces to breathe new life into a familiar location in Dauphin County — and beer fans have plenty to be excited about.

Back in July, YAH Brew made waves when they announced plans to take over the former home of Tattered Flag Brewery at 1 South Union Street in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The 5,000-square-foot space, which had sat idle since Tattered Flag closed its doors in late 2023 due to rising inflation and labor challenges, is now being transformed into something bold, collaborative, and community-driven.

But the story just got even more interesting.

Earlier today, Cartel Brewing & Blending announced via social media that they’re officially partnering with YAH Brew on the Middletown project — turning the solo endeavor into a full-blown joint venture between two of the region’s most experimental breweries.

“For the last few months, we’ve been working on a pretty rad joint venture project with our friends at YAH Brew,” Cartel wrote in a Facebook post. “We are stoked to announce that we have the keys and begun the next stage of bringing this amazing space back to life in Middletown, PA!”

According to both breweries, the revitalized space will serve multiple purposes: an event venue, a collaborative brewing hub, and a future home for a distilling operation.

What to Expect from the New YAH Brew x Cartel Project

  • Event Venue – The updated venue is designed to host a variety of gatherings, from retirement parties and birthdays to corporate events and wedding receptions. With a large open floor plan and Yah Brew’s nostalgic flair, the space promises a unique, relaxed vibe for private functions.

  • Shared Brewing & Canning Facility – In a move that underscores the cooperative spirit of craft beer, the site will also operate as a production facility for both Yah Brew and Cartel Brewing, helping both brands expand their brewing and canning capabilities.

  • Future Distillery in 2026 – Cartel hinted at an exciting long-term vision: the creation of a new distillery brand housed within the same space. While details are still emerging, this points toward a multi-beverage future for the Middletown location.

A Second Life for a Storied Building

For locals and longtime fans of the Central PA beer scene, the building at 1 S. Union Street holds a lot of history. Once home to Tattered Flag Brewery — a veteran-owned favorite that helped put Middletown on the craft beer map — the space now enters a new era with two ambitious and community-focused breweries at the helm.

This collaboration is more than just a shared address; it’s a symbol of what can happen when independent brewers unite, pool their resources, and think beyond the pint glass.

We’ll be keeping tabs on developments as the project evolves — including grand opening dates, beer releases, and any sneak peeks into the distilling side of things.

Want to Book the Event Space?

Looking to host a wedding reception, retirement party, or company event in a unique beer-forward setting? Yah Brew and Cartel are already taking reservations for the event space. Stay tuned for updates via their social media channels or visit their websites directly.


Follow The Beer Thrillers for continuing coverage of the Central PA craft beer scene, brewery expansions, collaborations, and more. From Harrisburg to Hershey, Lancaster to Lebanon — we’ve got your hops covered.

🍻 Support local. Drink local. Celebrate community.

More Articles about YAH Brew

More Articles about Cartel Brewing and Blending

More Articles about Tattered Flag Brewing and Distillery

Looking to read more about Tattered Flag, check out our articles here:

More Information on YAH Brew

The following comes via Untappd. YAH Brew is listed as a micro brewery from Hershey, PA. They have 93 unique beers and over 6,700 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.85 (as of 8.6.25). Their Untappd description reads: “Production brewery located in Hummelstown, PA. Follow our socials for info on limited releases and festival info so you can enjoy our beer.” (They currently are producing their beer in the Mount Joy location.)

You can find them on the following social media platforms:

More Information on Cartel Brewing and Blending

The following comes via Untappd.

Cartel Brewing and Blending is listed as a nano brewery from Lancaster, PA. They have 183 beers and over 16,500 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.89 (as of 8.6.25). Their Untappd description reads: “Cartel Brewing & Blending is a nano brewery and beer cafe located in Lancaster, PA. Specializing in recipes that embrace classic beer styles as well as progressive recipes, blended beers and flavor exploration.

You can follow them at these social media platforms:

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:

 

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

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

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. 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 also now have a SLACK channel – which acts as a hybrid chat room, message board, Reddit style; workspace and posting area for us. You can hang out with us there and chat about all kinds of things – not just beer, but “off topic” things like movies, TV, books, podcasts, hiking, sports, and more! Join us at: The Beer Thrillers on SLACK.

We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written. The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of 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!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

 

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YAH Brew Expands to Former Tattered Flag Space in Middletown https://thebeerthrillers.com/2025/07/17/yah-brew-expands-to-former-tattered-flag-space-in-middletown/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=yah-brew-expands-to-former-tattered-flag-space-in-middletown Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:35:08 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=16543 YAH Brew Expands to Former Tattered Flag Space in Middletown

Tattered Flag’s Brewery via Google Maps

July 17, 2025

By NAI CIR Press Release – Emma Weikel 717-761-5070 ext 117 eweikel@naicir.com

Middletown, PA – YAH Brew, a bold and fast-growing female-owned brewery based in Hummelstown, has leased the ground-floor space of the former Tattered Flag Brewery & Distillery in Middletown. Known for its pop culture-inspired beer releases, bold styles, and inclusive community spirit, YAH Brew will use the space to expand production capabilities and support growing demand.

This new location complements the brewery’s existing operations, which include a taproom in downtown Hershey, and brewery/taproom and hoagie shop in Mount Joy. The Middletown expansion marks a major milestone in the brand’s continued growth—reviving a well-known local craft beer destination.

Nik Sgagias, of NAI CIR, represented the landlord in the transaction.

The second floor of the building features a 5,000 SF, fully equipped restaurant space that remains available for lease—offering a rare opportunity for a food and beverage operator to join the heart of Middletown’s evolving culinary and craft beverage scene. To view more about the property, head to the website here: https://circommercial.com/properties/?propertyId=1-South-Union-Street-LEASE.

About NAI CIR

NAI CIR, with offices in Lemoyne and Carlisle, is Central Pennsylvania’s oldest and largest exclusively commercial industrial real estate full-service brokerage firm. Founded in 1970, the firm is consistently ranked as the top producing commercial industrial sales and leasing firm by the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal and by Real Capital Analytics. Our team has been honored as a Philadelphia Region CoStar Power Broker for 25 consecutive years.

NAI CIR is the Central Pennsylvania representative of NAI Global, an international organization of real estate professionals with connections across the world. Our transaction and management professionals are among the most experienced and successful in the business, and our platform ensures that our expertise directly benefits our clients.

News

More Articles about YAH Brew

More Articles about Tattered Flag

Looking to read more about Tattered Flag, check out our articles here:

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:

 

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

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

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. 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 also now have a SLACK channel – which acts as a hybrid chat room, message board, Reddit style; workspace and posting area for us. You can hang out with us there and chat about all kinds of things – not just beer, but “off topic” things like movies, TV, books, podcasts, hiking, sports, and more! Join us at: The Beer Thrillers on SLACK.

We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written. The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of 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!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

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16543
YAH Brew to Turn the Old Tattered Flag Location Into an Event Space https://thebeerthrillers.com/2025/07/15/yah-brew-to-turn-the-old-tattered-flag-location-into-an-event-space/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=yah-brew-to-turn-the-old-tattered-flag-location-into-an-event-space Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:20:35 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=16500 YAH Brew to Turn the Old Tattered Flag Location Into an Event Space

While their announcement via YAH Brew Hershey’s social media seems cryptic about its location, astute patrons of both YAH Brew and Tattered Flag can immediately see that this is no mere “Middletown location”. It can be only one location and one play… the old Tattered Flag location. Amy and I were sitting at Boneshire Brew Works, enjoying a Que Sera and the Baron Margarita Gose while eating our favorite Bacon and Thyme pizza when we saw the YAH Brew post – just one minute old, and we immediately recognized the location. On the same day where we announced Appalachian Brewing Company closing their Harrisburg brewpub, a craft beer staple in Pennsylvania, it looks like YAH Brew is tapping into nostalgia and craft beer history and reclaiming an old craft beer hangout and mainstay for the Central PA area and bringing it back. Dipping into their own nostalgia to do so, what perfect news on this day! It was late October last year (2024) when we announced that Tower Investments bought the Tattered Flag location, you can read about that here: Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works Sold to California-Based Tower Investments.

YAH Brew looks to be taking over the old Tattered Flag Middletown brewery location.

The Announcement

The following is the announcement just posted about an hour ago on YAH Brew Hershey’s Facebook page:

Welp…here we go again!
Throughout the year we receive many inquires about hosting private events in our taprooms. As much as we love and appreciate hearing that y’all want to celebrate and create cherished memories in our space, we often cannot accommodate the group sizes or fulfill requests for busy weekend days due to our limited capacity.
We have secured an event space in Middletown that can handle just about anything you could throw at it! Our 5000sqft space welcomes large group events or we can split the space down to fit smaller groups while still providing a top notch experience.
We know this post is going to generate gobs of questions and speculation, at this time we wish to only promote our new event space. You’ll have to wait to hear about any other details, but they will be coming and they are more exciting than you may imagine….
If you are interested in booking your next retirement party, wake, reception, holiday party, or corporate event with us, please contact us through our private event booking page at https://www.yahbrewco.com/taproom-2
While the post is cryptic, like I said above, it is pretty obvious that this is the above bar area of the Tattered Flag brewery location in Middletown, PA. YAH Brew took over the Tattered Flag location in Hershey in 2023; the original Hershey Biergarten that later became the Tattered Flag ‘events’ location and taproom. (YAH Brew to Open in Spring 2023.)
Head brewer for YAH Brew, and husband of the owner, is Justin Hoak who previously was the head brewer of Tattered Flag, leaving to start their own brewery with his wife (owner) Aimee Hoak, shortly before Tattered Flag ended up closing. So it feels like a bit of cyclical loop now with YAH Brew taking over the old Tattered Flag brewery location. Obviously not a whole lot is known, and a lot of information will come out soon, as their post states, their is a lot of speculation about what this new venue will mean for them. This is also their third location in three years. (They also opened their Mount Joy taproom and Hulk’s Hoagies.)
This is definitely a huge step for the YAH Brew brand. While information is short right now, it will be very interesting to see what they make of the 5200 square foot location. Not much is known at this point, also given how California based company – Tower Investments was the previous owner of the location (though they were looking to sell it).  But be sure to stay tuned here as we will bring you all the information we know as soon as it becomes available!

More Information on YAH Brew

The following comes via Untappd. YAH Brew is listed as a micro brewery from Hershey, PA. They have 93 unique beers and over 6,600 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.85 (as of 7.15.25). Their Untappd description reads: “Production brewery located in Hummelstown, PA. Follow our socials for info on limited releases and festival info so you can enjoy our beer.” (They currently are producing their beer in the Mount Joy location.)

You can find them on the following social media platforms:

More Articles about YAH Brew

More Articles about Tattered Flag

Looking to read more about Tattered Flag, check out our articles here:

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:

 

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

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

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. 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 also now have a SLACK channel – which acts as a hybrid chat room, message board, Reddit style; workspace and posting area for us. You can hang out with us there and chat about all kinds of things – not just beer, but “off topic” things like movies, TV, books, podcasts, hiking, sports, and more! Join us at: The Beer Thrillers on SLACK.

We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written. The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of 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!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

 

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RateBeer to Close Its Doors: A Fond Farewell to a Craft Beer Icon https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/12/18/ratebeer-to-close-its-doors-a-fond-farewell-to-a-craft-beer-icon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ratebeer-to-close-its-doors-a-fond-farewell-to-a-craft-beer-icon Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:33:44 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=15820 RateBeer to Close Its Doors: A Fond Farewell to a Craft Beer Icon

In a heartfelt announcement, RateBeer—the beloved craft beer rating platform—has revealed that it will cease operations as of February 1, 2025. For many in the craft beer community, this marks the end of an era.

Joe Tucker’s ‘Thank You’ goodbye note on RateBeer

A Legacy Built on Passion

RateBeer launched over two decades ago, long before craft beer was the cultural powerhouse it is today. At its core, the platform served a simple but ambitious purpose: to connect beer lovers around the globe through shared experiences and reviews. For many, it wasn’t just a website but a digital meeting place—a forum where tasting notes mingled with camaraderie, and where beer geeks became lifelong friends.

Its founder, Joe Tucker, shared his bittersweet reflections in the farewell message posted to the site. “When I started building RateBeer over two decades ago, I couldn’t have dreamed of what it would grow into and become,” he wrote. “Together, we’ve built a close community that helped shape the history of craft beer.”

In 2019 Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev) via their ZX Ventures fully acquired RateBeer. (See more here: ZX Ventures Fully Acquires RateBeer)

Why Does This Matter?

For craft beer enthusiasts, RateBeer was more than just a review site. It was a cornerstone of the craft beer movement. Before social media and apps like Untappd, RateBeer was the go-to source for beer ratings, brewery information, and forums where enthusiasts could trade tips and rare bottles.

The platform’s extensive database, crowd-sourced by thousands of users, served as an invaluable resource for exploring new brews and breweries. Its annual “Best Beers in the World” rankings became a trusted guide for both seasoned beer aficionados and curious newcomers.

The End of an Era

RateBeer logo

As craft beer culture grew and evolved, RateBeer faced increased competition. The rise of mobile-first platforms like Untappd offered faster, more user-friendly interfaces that catered to a new generation of beer drinkers. Despite adapting with updates and features, RateBeer’s influence began to wane.

But its impact cannot be understated. RateBeer played a pivotal role in documenting the craft beer boom of the late 1990s and 2000s. It gave brewers feedback from their most devoted fans, helped foster the idea of beer as an art form, and built a community united by a shared love for hops, malt, and innovation.

Joe Tucker’s Goodbye Note

Hello all,

I have some difficult news to share with you – RateBeer will cease operations as of February 1, 2025.

RateBeer was born and evolved around a core purpose: To provide a place for beer enthusiasts around the world to share their passion and experiences. When I started building RateBeer over 2 decades ago, I couldn’t have dreamed of what it would grow into and become. Together, we’ve built a close community that helped shape the history of craft beer.

Thank you all for your participation. It’s been a joy for me and I hope it’s been for you.

Joe Tucker’s Thank You and Goodbye Note on RateBeer Forums

Preserving Your Contributions

For those who spent years contributing reviews and building their profiles, the site encourages users to download their ratings and reviews by January 18, 2025. The process is straightforward:

  1. Log in to your RateBeer account and go to the “My Profile” page.
  2. In the “My Account” section, click “Compile My Ratings.”
  3. Download your data in a convenient CSV format.

If you encounter any issues, the RateBeer team is still offering assistance via their feedback page.

A Personal Reflection

As someone who’s been immersed in the craft beer world for years, this news hits close to home. RateBeer wasn’t just a website; it was a rite of passage for many of us discovering the world of craft beer. It introduced me to styles I didn’t even know existed and breweries that became staples of my beer journey.

The closure of RateBeer feels like saying goodbye to an old friend. But it’s also a chance to reflect on its incredible legacy. Joe Tucker and the entire RateBeer community built something special—a space that celebrated beer in all its complexity and diversity.

What’s Next for the Craft Beer Community?

The closing of RateBeer underscores a larger shift in the craft beer world. As new platforms emerge and the way we connect evolves, one thing remains constant: our love for beer and the stories it tells. While we say goodbye to RateBeer, the community it fostered will undoubtedly find new ways to thrive.

To Joe Tucker and everyone who contributed to RateBeer’s success: thank you for the memories, the knowledge, and the passion. You helped shape craft beer history, and for that, we raise a glass in your honor. Cheers!

Additional Links

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.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

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

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

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

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

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of August 2024.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

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The Holidays Always Bring On Waves of Nostalgia For Me https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/12/03/the-holidays-always-bring-on-waves-of-nostalgia-for-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-holidays-always-bring-on-waves-of-nostalgia-for-me Mon, 04 Dec 2023 04:52:32 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=13163 The Holidays Always Bring On Waves of Nostalgia For Me

The holidays always bring on a waves of nostalgia for me.  Cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey in Grandma’s roaster and trying our best to mimic her stuffing recipe always makes me smile.  With this feeling it reminded me to finish off my birthday present of the Muppet RAR beers.  I had Part-Ay- Part-Ay, It Wasn’t easy and Kissy Kissy left to celebrate my Birthday and RAR celebrating their 10 year anniversary.

Part-AY Part-AY

The first grab out of the fridge was the Part-Ay- Part-Ay RAR Brewing.  It is described on Facebook as “Our lactose sour base conditioned over Strawberry, Funfetti Cake, and Pastry Cream.”  It is coming in with a 6% ABV and an overall 4.22 rating on Untapped.  That first sip feels like I got punched in the face with strawberries.  When I realized what character this one was in reference too I practically spit it out with laughter.  This sour beer is a party in your mouth.  It made me second guess there wasn’t more berries in this one and I misread. 

 

It Wasn’t Easy

The next grab out of the fridge was the “It Wasn’t Easy” (again by RAR Brewing). And yes, this beer is legit green.  Not the green kind you normally see on St Patrick’s day, but the pastel green version of pink Pepto Bismol. (Almost looked similar to RAR’s “Green Milk“.)  It is described on Facebook as “Our lactose base conditioned over Pineapple juice, Lemon Lime, Coconut, and Pasty Cream.” It comes in with a 6% ABV and a 3.89 overall rating on Untapped.  Alright, alright, alright; I have a little bit of a problem with the Green color.  I have to look away when sipping it.  It reminds me of the purple ketchup that came out in the early 2000s and I couldn’t eat that either.

Heinz – EZ Squirt – Purple Ketchup

A few mornings ago, I was desperately searching through the Disney app for something new for Scarlet to watch so I don’t hit that millionth time watch of Encanto anytime soon.  The Muppet Babies was an option to watch.  I quickly remembered these beers again. The flood of memories from always having this as a part of my Saturday AM cartoon watching.   I thought I’d try to introduce it to Scarlet.  I desperately miss the Muppet Babies when I was a kid and I must find a way to watch those with Scarlet. I just know she’ll love them as much as I did growing up. How could she not?

(See Dinosaur Dracula’s Facebook page for video. I’ll also have more YouTube videos of this below.)

I knew there would be improvement from this gem of technology but am I that old person?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z20LNbJOJtE
Holiday Huggables
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xggrw3l1j2g
1988 McDonald’s “Holiday Huggable Muppet Babies” TV Commercial

The graphics were so different these looked like entirely new characters and where did Summer come from?  I couldn’t watch much of the newer version of muppet babies and Scarlet was busy tearing apart another part of the living room.  I caved and put Encanto on again while Scarlet came and sat in my lap to watch it with me. 

I saved Kissy Kissy for last.  It is described on Facebook as “Our lactose base conditioned over strawberries, cotton candy, Lemon-Lime and Vanilla Ice Cream.”  It has a 6% ABV and comes in with an overall rating of 4.24 on Untapped.  I was afraid with Kissy Kiss and Part-Ay- Part-Ay both being conditioned over strawberries that they would be similar.  But they are entirely 2 different sour beers.  Kissy Kissy is creamy and light while Part-ay Part-ay, like I said above, punches you in the face with Strawberries. 

My favorite of this series is easily Woka Woka Pie. (See my previous article – RAR Brewing Brings the Nostalgia with Muppets Out of Order Series – for more information.) I loved this series because your girl loves sours and the wave of nostalgia.  I am going to recommend all to watch Emmitt Otter’s jug band Christmas.  I read it was on the Disney app and I intend to introduce this one to Scarlet too.  If you are a Jim Henson fan, you will love it. 

  • Drink More Beer!
  • Amy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFGzT91ZQVQ
McDonald’s Holiday Huggable Muppet Babies Ad Number Two

Amy’s Column Series

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

(And please take a moment to fill out Amy’s survey on her ‘Holiday Weekend and Bomber Bottles‘ column.)

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

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

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

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

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

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

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

 

 

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