Grand Opening This Friday

This Friday is the grand opening of Other Half Brewing Company’s Philadelphia location. Located at the previously used brewery of Goose Island.

Just an hour ago, Other Half posted on their Instagram the above picture with the below quote:

Alright, Philly, let’s do this! We’re beyond thrilled to finally open our doors this weekend, starting this Friday at 3pm. We’ll be slinging your favorite OH brews with tasty bites from the kitchen ‘til 10 pm. We will have 20 lines of OHB beers, and plenty of cans and bottles to go. ⁠
⁠
We’re ramping up to being fully operational as fast as we can. This weekend we’ll be open Friday 3-10, Saturday 12-9, and Sunday 12-8. We will be closed Monday and Tuesday next week and reopened Wednesday-Sunday hours to be announced next week. ⁠

Other Half Philly (Instagram)

So set your calendar and set your Google Maps for 3PM Friday – February 18th, 2022 for 1002 Canal St, Philadelphia PA 19123.

July Announcement

The announcement of their opening is very welcome news. They had been rumored to be moving into Philly for a while, and had made the announcement of their moving into the Goose Island Brewery back in July 2021. With the initial hope of a late Winter 2021/early winter 2022 opening.

You can read some articles from when their announcement was made in July 2021:

• Philadelphia Voice: Brooklyn-based Other Half Brewing to take over former Goose Island location in Fishtown
• Visit Philly: New & Coming-Soon Craft Breweries in Greater Philadelphia

At the time of their announcement, the COO and co-founder of Other Half – Andrew Burman was quoted talking about Philadelphia:

Philadelphia has a long & robust brewing history and when the opportunity presented itself to open an Other Half location here – in between our DC and NYC breweries – we couldn’t pass it up. The bones of the space are great and over the coming months, we’ll refresh the indoor and outdoor areas and work on sourcing food partners.  

Our team is really excited to join the city’s dynamic brewery and restaurant communities and we look forward to opening Other Half Philly’s doors and sharing some of our signature IPAs and other site-specific brews later this year.  

Andrew Burman (co-founder of Other Half Brewing Company)

Other Half Beer Reviews

Please check out these Other Half Beer Reviews we’ve done in the past:

• Beer Review: Cream on the Inside, Green on the Outside (Other Half Brewing Co.)
• Beer Review: Space Broccoli (Other Half Brewing Co.)
• Beer Review: All Together (Ever Grain Brewing and Other Half Brewing Co.)

The Beer Thrillers Traveling to Philly

We are hoping to get there Friday for their grand opening (if not Friday, maybe Saturday). So if you are there, be on the lookout for us. Despite the loss, I might be rocking my Bengals hoodie still, or my Boneshire Brew Works hoodie.

In the meantime, make sure to check out our other articles on Brewery Openings, Expansions, and more:

• Midwest Coast Brewery Opening
• Brewery Opening: Howling Henry’s (Hummelstown)
• Brewery Opening: Highway Manor (Camp Hill)
• Brewery Opening: Rotunda Brew Pub (Hershey)
• Is JB LoveDraft’s Opening a Brewery?
• Tattered Flag at Hollywood Casino – Grantville – Opening Their 5th Location
• JB LoveDraft’s Grand Opening (Mechanicsburg)
• ZeroDay Opens Their New Tap Room (Harrisburg)
• Victory Brewery Fire and Explosion (Kennett Square)
• Sign of the Horse Brewery is Expanding in Hanover (Taking Over the Old Miscreation Brewery)
• Brewery Tour: Couch Brewery (Pittsburgh)
• Brewery Visit: Mellow Mink (Mechanicsburg)
• A Sneak Peak at the new Rubber Soul Brewery (Hummelstown)
• Rubber Soul Grand Opening (Hummelstown)
• VooDoo Lancaster Closing
• River Bend Hop Farm and Brewery Closes
• Grand Opening of Hemauer Brewing (Mechanicsburg)
• Rally Point Tap Room Opening – Cox Brewing Company – Elizabethtown
• Spigot Brewing Closes
• Full Pint Brewing Closes
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion
• Mikkeller Brewing NYC Closes Permanently
• Pilger Ruh Brewing Needs Your Help (Pottsville)
• Official BBQ (Pizza Boy Secondary Location) (Rutherford)
• Aslin Beer Co. Now Ships to Pennsylvania
• Boneshire Brew Works to Open Second Taproom in Harrisburg (Harrisburg)
• Aslin Beer Company Confirms Expanding to Pittsburgh
• Rural City Beer Company Coming to Beamstown PA
• Grand Opening of Forest and Main’s New Brewpub
• New Bells-gium – New Belgium Owned Company Buys Bell’s Brewery
• Human Robot Expanding to Jenkintown
• High Road Brewing Company Coming to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania in Summer 2022
• Brewery Openings – Archives

Thanks For Reading

Thank you for reading everyone. This is certainly exciting news. I am a big big fan of Other Half Brewing, and can’t wait for their opening and can’t wait to get there!

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

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Cinderlands Beer Co. has announced that they will be opening their third location – this one in Wexford, Pennsylvania. They announced on their Facebook page earlier today:

This will be their third location. Wexford is roughly (depending on traffic) 23 – 27 minutes (depending on final location in Wexford; and according to Google Maps).

Cinderlands Beer Company already has two locations currently running in the greater Pittsburgh area. One location is the Cinderlands Warehouse. This opened in May 2019 in the Pittsburgh Strip District. The technically oldest of the two locations, is their Cinderlands Foederhouse in Lawrenceville. This was their original location, but was originally a tap room, and they re-did it, renovated it, and made it into their Foederhouse in December 2019.

This marks their third opening / changing / renovating / expansion in under two years time (though, the Wexford location won’t be opening until 2021). This is fantastic news for Cinderlands Beer Co and fans of their wonderful beers. I got to stop out at their Cinderlands Warehouse location in August 2019 with my daughters on a trip, and loved the beers I had.

According to Untappd – Cinderlands Beer Co has 203 unique beers, 72K+ ratings, and has a global average rating of 3.91 (as of 12.9.20). Their Untappd description reads: “A Craft Brewery & Scratch Kitchen located in Pittsburgh, PA”

For more information on Cinderlands Beer Co and their expansion, you can check out their following social media platforms:

• Website – Cinderlands
• Facebook – Cinderlands Beer Co
• Instagram – Cinderlands Beer
• Twitter – @Cinderlandsbeer
• Blog – Cinderlands Blog
• Untappd – Cinderlands Beer Co

As always everyone, thanks for reading. Speaking of Pittsburgh, be sure to check out the new article we wrote about the upcoming Pittsburgh museum on beer – BREW – The Museum of Beer. Or our new article on Hop Culture being bought out by Untappd / Next Glass. As always, be sure to get out and support your local breweries in restaurants, this year has been a year of uncertainty, but right now we are in even more uncertain times, (here in Pennsylvania especially) as there is constant talk from every corner on which day, when / if , what / if, etc, about new mandates, restrictions, lock downs, or quarantines. So while you can, support your local small breweries and restaurants so they’ll still be here after the pandemic.

Please follow us on our social media platforms below, and also make sure to check out other expansions, openings, and closings, and brewery news with the links below. Thank you all for reading. Cheers!

-B. Kline

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!

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

• A Sneak Preview of Rubber Soul Brewing (Hummelstown)
• Midwest Coast Brewing Opens (Chicago)
• Rally Point – Cox Brewing Taproom Opens (Elizabethtown)
• Boneshire Brew Works to Open Second Taproom in Harrisburg (Harrisburg)
• Irv’s Pub Rebranded as Rotunda Brewing Pub (Hershey)
• Official BBQ (Pizza Boy Secondary Location) (Rutherford)
• The Grand Opening of Hemauer Brewing
• Pilger Ruh Brewing Needs Your Help (Pottsville)
• Highway Manor Brewing Co. (Camp Hill)
• Grand Opening: Rubber Soul Brewing Company (Hummelstown)
• Tap Room Opening: Howling Henry’s Brewery (Hummelstown)
• Little Fish Brewing Extending into Dayton
• Levity Brewing Expanding Taproom and Opening Second Location in Altoona
• BREW – The Museum of Beer
• Cinderlands Beer Co is Expanding Into Their Third Location

You can read about more brewery closures here:

• Stoudt’s Brewing Closing
• Crystal Ball Brewing Closes
• Voodoo Brewery Lancaster Closes
• Spigot Brewing Closes
• Full Pint Brewing Closes
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion
• Mikkeller Brewing NYC Closes Permanently

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020, marks the final day of Cox Brewing Company‘s current location and brewery and taproom. But its not the final chapter for the veteran owned brewery.

Their new taproom has been in the works for a while now and despite all the difficulties of 2020, it is finally due for its grand opening on September 4th, 2020, at 5:00 PM. The new taproom is located at 50 Veterans Drive in Elizabethtown.

As per Cox Brewing Company’s website there is some rules to visiting the new taproom on opening day (primarily due to COVID-19 guidelines by the state), a brief summary is here:

“Briefing: When you plan to visit, please enter through the main entrance (not the patio door) and as always, please wear your mask while not seated at your table. Anyone who has dined out recently knows that any customer who wishes to consume alcohol on premises must also purchase a meal. Being neighbors with PizzAtown makes this very easy.

Customers can go order their meal at the PizzAtown counter or use their smart phone to order take-out online and eat it at your table with your pint or flight. This will ensure the state guidelines are being met, it’s much appreciated! Check out this article from Breweries in PA on visiting protocol.” (Cox Brewing Company’s Website).

The new taproom is a big step up for the veteran owned brewery. The new taproom is set-up to be a much bigger improvement upon their old location. As per their website, the new tap room will boast: ““the new space will have a 20-foot bar, a dedicated stage for live music, a bunker, outdoor patio, and delicious menu options on the property from our friends at Pizzatown.”

The ‘old’ facility in Rheems is closing on Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 and was the home base for the brewery for the past several years. I (B. Kline) had gotten to visit it a few times, once being their 2nd Anniversary party, which was a complete blast. The old Rheems location was a garage and was an intimate, Cheers like place where people knew everyone, and everyone knew everyone, much like many hometown breweries in the Central PA area. It will be missed, but the new location looks to be offering a lot that the old place could not and will be a massive step up for the brewing company.

The old location was the home base since 2015, and has served the brewery well. Cox Brewing Company started in 2015 and has been located there since the beginning. Cox Brewing Company is a veteran owned brewery and in the five years since they’ve opened, as been one of the highly regarded Central PA breweries, making some extremely delicious beers over the years.

Their Untappd page reads: “Cox Brewing Company (CBC) is a veteran-owned brewery located in Elizabethtown, PA in the village of Rheems.”

On opening day (Friday) the beer lineup for Rally Point (as per their website on 9.1.20) looks to be as such:

• Liberty Lager
• 82nd Amber Ale
• CH-47 IPA
• Fat Cow Coffee Porter
• Cryo Citra
• Tropic Lightening
• IP-X
• Clockwork Oranjse
• The Big Red One
• SR71
• Worthog Wit
• 17022

An impressive lineup for their opening day that I can’t wait to personally dive into. They will be offering flights and drafts on Friday, so you will definitely be able to get your fill! I know I’ll be there Friday, and can’t wait.

Cox Brewing Company on their Facebook page posted the following about their last day in Rheems tomorrow – September 2nd, 2020:

“Just a quick reminder we’re open tomorrow in Rheems for our last night up on the hill. We’ll be pouring take-out only. There will be an off-premises location open if you decide to hang out for a bit. #veteranownedandoperated, #gratitude#community#goodtimes#rheems ##CBC#elizabethtownpa#coxbrewingcompany#craftbeer#customerexperience#pabreweries#pacraftbeer#pabreweries#drinklocal#coxbrewingcompany#cbc#lancastercounty#veteranowned“

The hours for the new location will be:

• Wednesday – Thursday: 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
• Friday: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM
• Saturday: 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM
• Sunday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• (Monday and Tuesday: Closed)

For more information, you can follow Cox Brewing Company on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. As well as check out their personal website – Cox Brewing Company Homepage.

For more information: Grand Opening: Rally Point, September 4th. (Breweries in PA)

Be sure to follow us here at The Beer Thrillers by clicking the subscribe and follow buttons below. Leave any comments you wish, we always love hearing from you all and will respond. Let us know if you are planning on coming out tomorrow for the Rheems’ location’s last day or if you are coming out Friday for the grand opening; I’m (B. Kline) planning on stopping out both days.

Make sure also to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as our YouTube page which will be starting up shortly. You can find the links for these at the top of each page on our blog here, as well as a link to our Facebook group as well.

And make sure to check out the other grand openings, closings, and brewery news pages as well to keep up to date.

Cheers everyone and hopefully see you in E-Town on Friday!

-B. Kline

Boneshire Brew Works is moving into Harrisburg. While always been a part of the Harrisburg beer scene, their physical tap room and brewery has been kind of on the periphery and outskirts of Harrisburg proper. The brewery itself is located on Derry Street next to the 717 Armory and Blue Smoke BBQ food truck, as part of a small outlet mall that includes Marino’s Pizza, Signal 5 Crossfit, and Everest Spice. The address being: Boneshire Brew Works, 7462 Derry St, Harrisburg, PA 17111.

But now, they are moving into the city proper. The city that they’ve helped and worked on so much through events like Harrisburg Beer Week and sip @ soma and 3rd in the Burg, and other great events like brewfests and Beers and Bacon. The city that has loved and embraced Boneshire Brew Works so much, is now fully accepting them into the capital itself.

As reported yesterday – Monday July 13th 2020 – on The Burg’s website, as well as on our Facebook page, and then later on PennLive and with an interview Alan Miller did with Breweries in PA – Boneshire Brew Works will be setting up a taproom on 3rd Street in Harrisburg.

As quoted from The Burg’s press release on the brewery’s expansion: “On Monday, Harristown Enterprises announced that Boneshire would open a tasting room in the SoMa neighborhood on S. 3^rd Street in space that had been the location of Sip@SoMa.

‘We are a small brewery that focuses on providing an opportunity for community gathering, and we think Boneshire and SoMa are a perfect fit,’ said Alan Miller, majority owner of Boneshire, which is based in Swatara Township.

In early 2019, Harristown opened the snug, 25-seat Sip@SoMa in a first-floor storefront as an interim measure until it could attract a brewery to the location. Since then, breweries from around PA have used the 12-tap system to serve their beer on a visiting, rotating basis, often in conjunction with 3^rd in the Burg, though the COVID-19 pandemic has put a halt to that undertaking.”

Harrisburg is a vibrant and large city with a diverse culture and many tourist opportunities and attractions. The capital of Pennsylvania, it sees many people coming from all over to visit annually. Located along the Susquehanna and near towns of Hershey and Hummelstown, it provides a lot of entertainment options for visitors. From museums to the waterfront, from bars to restaurants all over the city, there is much to see, eat, drink, and do in Harrisburg. Harrisburg currently has a few other craft breweries – ZeroDay Brewing and The Millworks are the two largest, but there is also a small craft brewery in the vegan restaurant – The Vegetable Hunter.

The sip @ soma location has been a prime target for craft beer and has been a vital part of the craft beer scene in the Harrisburg area. Sara Bozich, a regular planner, and part of the creation of Harrisburg Beer Week regularly (well, regularly pre-COVID-19) hosted ‘block parties’ there, offering a variety of craft breweries and craft beer – but one staple that typically was well represented at the block parties was Alan Miller’s Boneshire Brew Works.

According to Harristown Enterprises: “Boneshire expects to open its SoMa tasting room in spring 2021. It also will continue operating from its main location on Derry Street outside of Hummelstown.

‘Having a dynamic, local craft brewer like Boneshire take over the space is exactly what we’re looking for in the neighborhood,’ said Brad Jones, Harristown’s president and CEO.”

Alan Miller is very enthusiastic for the growth. As well as he should be. Expansion is the key to much of the craft beer scene. Growing, maintaining quality, growing, maintaining quality, is the key to success. You can look at other local breweries like Troegs Independent Craft Brewing or Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery, and see how their growth has led to more growth. Troegs Brewing originally started in Harrisburg on Paxtang Street and has since moved to Hershey, just outside of HersheyPark on HersheyPark Road, growing to become one of the largest producers of beer in Pennsylvania (behind Yuengling Brewing and Yards Brewing). Likewise, Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery has grown to several additional locations – Gettysburg, as well as the old Hershey Biergarten and soon to Lancaster. Growth can be difficult for some breweries, and there is usually a small bit of a ‘adjustment period’. Breweries like Rotunda Brewing Company expanded in recent history from a small little bottle shop and near home-brewery size equipment, to a 7 Barrel System, as well as opening a second brew pub in Hershey. There was a small window of time for them that was an ‘adjustment period’, but after that small blip and bump, they’ve maintained that quality they were known for before hand, and now providing it on a bigger scale, and to more people – which is ultimately the goal of all craft breweries and craft brewers. Alan being no exception to that.

Alan is an extremely smart brewer and knows what he is doing. I, personally, think he will have no difficulty with the adjustment and addition of the new taproom, due to open in Spring 2021. The new tap room won’t be adding any additional brewing size capacity to Boneshire Brew Works, but will be providing a second location to have their beers on tap. This will likely mean a quicker turn-over for their production though, so Alan will probably have to spend more time brewing to meet the demands of two locations as well as wherever else their kegs are shipped, and if they further their market by moving cans into beer distributors.

From The Burg’s press release, Alan had to say: “We love the feel and vibe of the SoMa area in Harrisburg, and we have been involved in the SoMa block party since day one and are excited to have a permanent place in the neighborhood.”

This is certainly an interesting time for brewers, not just in Pennsylvania, but the world over, as the coronavirus – COVID-19 is still working its way through the human population. A difficult time for brewers with a lot of uncertainties. Hemauer Brewing recently opened their doors during the pandemic, and Wolf Brewing Co, has had their opening pushed back a bit due to the pandemic as well. Likewise, Rubber Soul Brewing in Hummelstown which was due to open back in late May / early June, still has yet to open, and is looking to open tentatively late July / early August.

The tap room is typically described as ‘intimate’. Its small, and cozy, relaxed, ‘intimate’, but will feature a vibrant tap list. The seating is only 25, which is rather small, but will work well for Boneshire Brew Works. The current tap system has 12 taps, and will thus be able to cover the full spread of Boneshire Brew Works’ beer menu, as well as possibly other ‘guest taps’ if they so choose to do. (As per their licensing, Boneshire Brew Works can have guest taps for craft beer from any Pennsylvania brewery.)

The current location for Boneshire Brew Works (their brewery) is 7462 Derry Street Harrisburg PA. The tap room’s location will be 13 South 3rd Street Harrisburg PA.

For additional information, you can check out these sources:

• Boneshire to tap into city market with a tasting room in downtown Harrisburg (The Burg)
• Dauphin County brewer to open tasting room in Harrisburg (PennLive)
• Meet The Brewer Series – Breweries in PA’s interview with Alan Miller

For more articles from The Beer Thrillers on Boneshire Brew Works, check out:

• Boneshire Brew Works 3rd Anniversary Celebration
• Beer Reviews:
  * Beer Review: Sunburst
  * Beer Review: Dillston
  * Beer Review: Good Walk Spoiled
  * Beer Review: Road Less Traveled
  * Beer Review: AuZealand 2.0
  * Beer Review: Caucus Race 6.0
  * Beer Review: Harrishire (with Harris Family Brewery)
  * Beer Review: Tried and True (Mango)
  * Beer Review: Iscariot
  * Beer Review: S’mores Lazaris
  * Beer Review: The Hog
  * Beer Review: Blue Hippo
  * Beer Review: Pandemic Pils
  * Beer Review: Long Tongue Liar w/Cherries (Barrel Aged)

Brewery Openings and Expansions:

• Rotunda Brew Pub Opening in Hershey
• Grand Opening of Hemauer Brewing in Mechanicsburg
• A Sneak Peak at the New Rubber Soul Brewery in Hummelstown
• Midwest Coast Brewery Opening in Chicago
• Official BBQ and Burgers Becomes Pizza Boy’s Secondary Location in back of Rutherford

Definitely excited for the opening of this tap room. It will be great for the residents of Harrisburg, it also shows off the hard work Alan Miller and his co-owners / partners have been putting into Boneshire Brew Works, it will also be great for the craft beer scene in Harrisburg to feature another great craft brewery, and will be great for craft beer enthusiasts in Harrisburg; as well as be great for Boneshire Brew Works. Hopefully soon, in Spring 2021 I will be sitting and having a drink (or two, or three) with some of you at the new Boneshire Brew Works taproom!

Until then – cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

In more sad news, during these ‘dark’ times, we have (even) more unfortunate news. Not quite on the level of the Full Pint Closing or Crystal Ball Closing or Stoudt’s Announced Closing, but Night Shift has announced their canceling their expansion into Philadelphia. This is disappointing news for many; especially Pennsylvanians and Philadelphians.

Back in August 2019, Night Shift Brewing announced they were going to be pushing into Pennsylvania; with a Philadelphia brewery and complex. In August 2019, they posted on Instagram: “2019 has been a wild ride. Thanks to all our thirsty fans, we opened Lovejoy, launched coffee, and today announce our new Philadelphia brewery. With an Everett expansion also in the works, that’s three new brewhouses in 12 months! Hard to believe this all started with a 15 gallon homebrew kettle. Love y’all.”

Sadly though, time has not been kind to Night Shift Brewing. Where 2019 was a wild ride, 2020 has been an even more wild ride, and particularly an unpleasant and nasty one. (For them as well as the industry a whole; and to be honest, for pretty every human on the face of the Earth at this point.) So, unfortunately, the plans for the Night Shift Brewing complex in Philadelphia will be no more.

In a press release this morning, Night Shift announced that they were canceling their expansion into Philadelphia.

“It is with great personal sadness that we at Night Shift Brewing have made the incredibly hard decision to cancel our Philly expansion project. 

For over four years, we worked to find our second “forever home” and plant roots in our hometown. Last year, signing that lease agreement for our space in Roxborough, PA was an absolute high point. We were more excited than ever, and the early welcome we got from Philadelphians exceeded our wildest expectations. We couldn’t open it fast enough.” They announced in their Press Release.

They have cited COVID-19; the novel coronavirus and the pandemic as being the main impetus for this cancellation and halting of their growth into Philadelphia. “It wasn’t meant to be. The COVID-19 pandemic shook our business to the core, and obviously almost everything outside of it. We’re lucky that we’re still in operation and able to see ourselves coming out of this crisis intact. But pushing forward on our Philly project has become too dangerous, threatening a potential collapse of NSB if we don’t pull the plug now. So, hard as it is, that’s what we’re doing.” Stated Night Shift co-founders Rob Burns, Mike O’Mara, and Michael Oxton.

This is disappointing news to be sure, as their production facility was expected to brew roughly 60,000 barrels of beer; bringing their capacity total up to 100,000 over their three different locations. In comparison, in 2018 Lord Hobo brewed 37,800 barrels, Tree House brewed 44,300, and Jack’s Abbey brewed 49,000 barrels. Night Shift is still expected to break the 40K mark this year despite COVID and despite not opening the Philly location.

You can read more about their announcement from their page itself: “Philly News – Night Shift Brewing.”

SOURCES:

(Announcement of Expansion)

• Night Shift Brewing Looking to Expand Into Philly (Boston.com)
• Boston’s Night Shift Brewing coming to Roxborough with 130,000-square foot facility (Philly Voice)

(Announcement of Cancellation)

• Philly News Update (Night Shift Brewing – Press Release)
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion (Breweries in PA)

For more information on other breweries that have closed in recent months, you can check out our articles on Stoudt’s Brewing, Full Pint Brewing, and Crystal Ball Brewing.

• Stoudt’s Announces Closing
• Full Pint Announces Closing
• Crystal Ball Closes

We have also covered several brewery openings in recent months as well.

• A Sneak Peak at Rubber Soul Brewery Opening in Hummelstown
• A Grand Opening for Hemauer Brewing
• Midwest Coast Brewery Opening
• Rotunda Brew Pub Opening

Thank you for reading everyone. Please check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, and please hit the subscribe and follow buttons on those various platforms as well as here on our blog. Thanks and cheers!

-B. Kline

Firstly, let me thank Jamie for inviting me out to tour the upcoming future home of Rubber Soul Brewing. Since hearing about the old police station being bought and being turned into a brewery, especially with the name of Rubber Soul attached to it, I’ve been very interested and keeping a close tab on things. With this being practically right in my backyard and being Hummelstown’s first brewery, I’ve been super hyped and excited for it. I would often walk my dog (or my parent’s dog) by the brewery and take a look, occasionally snapping a few pictures as they make changes, or on the drive back from dropping my oldest daughter off at the middle school I take a cut through the alley next to it to take a gander at the building and the modifications being made to it, as I head back home. Rubber Soul is starting up their marketing and ramping up for their soon-to-be-opening, you can find them on the various social medias now (after a bit of a hiatus due in part of the switch-over in ownerships). Their website is: Rubber Soul Brewing Online. They are also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The current building, as best as I’m able to research is roughly a hundred years old. It is located right across from the old clothing factory that is now the Olde Antique Shop and the Rita’s. Behind both of those (when looking from the brewery) is the town’s oldest park – Herbert A. Schaffner Memorial Park (or as anyone from the town will know it and call it – Boro Park). Heading from the square, following South Hanover Street, passing the brewery you will come up to the Lower Dauphin High School and out to 322. The brewery is really centralized and pretty much right in the hub of the town, but also, just a bit outside that hub. Its about three blocks down on Hanover Street from the square of Main Street (and pretty much the center) of the town. Main street of Hummelstown links Hummelstown directly to HersheyPark Drive (though technically at the Boro Restaurant Main Street becomes Waltonville Road) as well as 322 at the opposite end (passing by Hoss’s). South Hanover street directly becomes Middletown Road and Vine Street leading towards Middletown and in the opposite way becomes Grandview which will lead out to Rt. 39 near the end of South Hanover Township.

The building was previously used as the main office space and police station for the town. Having grown up in the town, as well as my father, who for many years was a softball and baseball coach for Hummelstown, we both remember many baseball and softball signups in the building; as well as several council meetings to discuss important town events like in recent history the idea of M&H Railroad continuing again and the Revitalization Program several years back.

They are working strongly on keeping the building the same, but also renovating it and making it look brand new. To give it both a new and an old vibe is not an easy task, but in the long haul, will be an appreciative decision by many Hummelstown faithful as well as brewery visitors. A theme for many breweries and brewpubs is to create a rustic feel, sometimes having to do it from a modern warehouse or pre-exisiting building. Here, the building already has a built in rustic and old time charm to it. Lots of additions are being made to the interior of the building (obviously needed for a brewery and a restaurant); while outside the only major addition will be the front deck at the entrance. The front is still going to be looking primarily the same, just a few changes. Obviously as mentioned there will be a deck now on the front around the entrance area, but besides that – they’ve removed the tree that used to be out front as well as the brownstone small wall that was used as the signage for the borough building. The notable other changes to the exterior of the building is now large garage doors on both of its sides, as well as a new roof, new paint job, and a ventilation system for the restaurant and brewery.

The parking lot itself will be getting an upgrade and a few additional spaces will be made once the building is complete itself. Also, the borough has stated that the alley that runs connecting South Hanover Street to Railroad Street (and to the alley that runs from High Street to the end of the building behind the brewery) will now become one way – from the direction of South Hanover Street. This is something that should have been done a long time ago, and one of the few problems the town has – with its massive series of alleyways; most of which are two-way, often causing problems and near collisions. It is far too hard of a pull-out onto South Hanover Street from that alleyway as it is, let alone once the brewery is built.

On top of the parking lot that is currently already there and with a few additional spaces being created; there is also plenty of public parking. Across from the street primarily is Rita’s Parking, but next to the Boro Park Pavilion there is a long row of public parking spaces. There is also side streets of Division and Poplar.

Parking most likely won’t be an issue once the place is up and running. It might be cramped, and a little bit of walking involved, but parking overall won’t be as big of an issue as residents are thinking. The owner has assured me that their website and Facebook pages will have diagrams of where to park, as well as a poster inside the foyer of the brewpub. The biggest concerns is patrons parking in the lot designated for Rita’s or on South Hanover Street itself, or even back through the alley leading to Railroad Street where there is a church and cemetery parking lot.

At noon on the 26th, I met Jamie, head of marketing for the new Rubber Soul. I walked over and came in the backway through the alley (Acacin Alley) that connects to Railroad Street. She led me through one of the side garage doors and we entered the building. The construction and work on the building was in full swing as we entered, with the guys only finally taking a lunch break shortly before I left at 1:30PM.

We took a walk through the building, discussing and looking at various parts of the building, different aspects and features of the brewpub. I also took some pictures (often forgetting to get pictures of things, as a photographer I am not), and they will be uploaded here in the blog. (Jamie has also told me she’s constantly taking pictures and updates and will be sending them along to me.) We entered near the back of the building where the kitchen is going to be. On top of having a PA Brewing License, they also have a Restaurant License. Meaning in preparation for the build, they had to have a full kitchen meeting the requirements thereof. This, also allows them a lot of freedom with aspects to what they can serve.

With their full restaurant license, this allows the brewery to have a full kitchen as well as serve what they like. Currently the plan isn’t to go super heavy restaurant (ie. no steaks, lobsters, etc.), but more small restaurant feel, but also a little bit above and beyond a brewpub. Some things I was told will be on the menu will be brick oven pizzas, fries, and small plate meals.

We took a walk through the kitchen and emerged out in the open seating area, but first, from the kitchen area, I snapped a quick picture of the bar area from the bartender’s side of things. Once we were out in the main sitting area, we discussed the brewery’s layout for guests. Starting with the above mentioned bar, it will be rather large and and will be able to seat 16-18 guests. The top of it will be copper, giving it a very interesting look compared to most wooden bars in the area – and at most breweries in general. The seating area of the brewery sounds really exciting. There is going to be a fireplace along the right hand side wall (from entrance) with a couch on each side of it. There is going to be one long table running in the center from near the bar. After this there will be several movable tables, some at one height and others at another height. To the right of the entrance will be area that can be kind of roped or cordoned off for small gatherings or parties like birthdays, work events, etc. The capacity is 80 people.

While we were standing in the main central area of the brewpub she showed me around to the various walls, features, and ideas she has planned for the looks and aesthetics of the brewery. Facing the brewery from South Hanover Street, (visible in some of the outside pictures of the building) you’ll notice a deck attached to the front of the building. The deck is not huge by any standards, but will be able to seat a few around bistro tables. Once fully built and the planks are down, and the railing is up, it will probably look bigger than it does now. I would estimate seating on the deck will probably be about 12-15, with more able to stand along the railings. The old glass door is going to be taken off, and replaced with a large wooden door. Once inside the little foyer, there will be waist-height / chest-height boards for people to stand at and drink while waiting for a table, also against the wall will be the merchandise for sale.

Taking two steps in, past the foyer, if you look to your left will be a mural. (Not yet drawn; though I was shown the preliminary sketch on Jamie’s phone.) The mural looked very cool and will be a wonderful addition to this blank space. And it will be very representative of Hummelstown, showing iconic parts of the town. The mural sketch depicted the Duke Street bridge, the iconic arch at the center of the town with a hop riding a bike through it, leading into the writing “REFUEL YOUR sOul”. The mural was also going to be notable for the bike basket sticking off the wall and there being a tire swing that people can take a picture on. But probably the coolest thing about the mural is that its going to be drawn by kids from the Lower Dauphin Middle School. Lower Dauphin is the school district that covers Hummelstown, East Hanover, South Hanover, Londonderry, and Conewago Townships. The high school is right down the road from the brewery, with the Middle School over on Quarry Road where the new police station is.

The corner where the mural is going to be is planned to be more of a ‘family seating’ area. With possibly games and smaller tables, and coloring areas for children. This is going to be a family-friendly brewery and restaurant, serving all kinds of people, from singles at the bar, to business workers, to families large and small. Perfect for the type of town that Hummelstown is.

Once you turn around and look up at the entrance, you’ll notice a new built-in indoor roof over the entrance. Providing a bit of a rustic look and a neat aesthetic. The roof / awning looks nice over the foyer and will provide a nice look to the room. We discussed then appearances of the brewery. With the running poles in the roof, the plan is to hang half-cut tires with plants growing out of them to provide some greenery to the mostly browns and rustic colors of the brewpub. Over by the bar, there will be one or two televisions. The plan is to not overload the place with TVs making it like a sports bar, but allowing one or two for some to watch the game while the remainder enjoy their social time together. Over at the bar, instead of doing a chalkboard with the tap listings, the plan is to use Untappd and have a digital screen board. This is becoming more and more popular with bars and restaurants and especially breweries as it allows them to update things instantly, and correctly, and helps guide people to the proper check-ins so people aren’t accidentally checking in the wrong beers. Untappd is a very powerful social media tool for breweries. Instead of a normal monitor though, here the plan is a tall vertical screen.

From here, we then walked back to the back of the house.

Walking back to where the cold box is located, behind the bar and near the kitchen. This will be the storage area for the kegs, cans, bottles, whatever all they will have. Currently they are planning on having 12 taps. Also, with the restaurant license, they’ll be able to serve a full bar listing, cocktails, wines, as well as out of state beers (if they so choose). Jamie did mention doing a few cocktail style drinks, rum and cokes and things like that, along with some local wines, but the emphasis will still obviously be on Rubber Soul brewed and made beers.

We then made our way to where the tanks, fermenters, mash tun, etc, will all go in. The brewhouse. It is going to be a 7 barrel system which will be the perfect size for them starting out here in Hummelstown. Currently no plans to do distribution on the level of what the old Rubber Soul did, but enough to keep the brewpub hopping, and possibly sell some out to local bars in the surrounding area. The equipment is going to be setup behind the bar with a plexiglass or glass between guests and bars, like a large window, so guests can see the equipment and see when workers are working on the newest batch of their favorite Rubber Soul beer. A lot of breweries have the equipment in view of patrons, and it seems very popular, people love watching the brewing process, and seeing the big tanks, and seeing where there beer is coming from. All of the equipment is straight from the brewery in Salisbury, Maryland, from when they bought the old Rubber Soul. With the equipment comes the recipes, and other smaller minutia. They are hoping to get the tanks moved in sometime during the first week of March. They were working on the ducting and sheet metal to get the area ready while I was there.

We then walked up into the office that they are working on for Jamie. This gave us a full view of the brewery from the top floor. This had to be built completely from scratch because there was no upstairs or second floor to the building. Currently the window is open, but there will be a two-way glass window put in. The view overlooks the entire brewery though much of it is obstructed by the coldbox. The kitchen and the brewhouse will be fully visible, as well as some of the bar and the sitting area. This is strictly personnel only though. But it did provide a great view of the whole brewery.

We came back down and discussed the future of the new Rubber Soul. There is a definitive distinction here to make; this is a NEW Rubber Soul. They have the same name. The same equipment. The same recipes. But it is a NEW Rubber Soul. This isn’t disparaging the old Rubber Soul. There’s no point to that, and its not the intention of anyone involved. But there is a clear distinction to make that the two are separate and that this is a new brewery for most intents and purposes. They will do a few of the old staple recipes, but, the brewer also has a lot of plans for new beers as well.

The new headbrewer has an extensive resume that consists of Levante Brewing, Manayunk Brewing, and Neshaminy Creek Brewing. He is well experienced, comes with a great resume, and knows how to brew good beer. But he also knows, that no matter what he does, the beer won’t ever be the exact same as the old Rubber Soul. Firstly, its been quite a while since the originals were brewed, that people’s own time, perception, and memory of them won’t align. Plus the bias factor for those who loved the originals. And even on a technical level, the water supply of the Hummelstown / Hershey area is going to be different than that of the Salisbury Maryland area. So there is obviously going to be differences, but he is going to try his hardest on making the best beer, the most consistently great beer, and a beer that gets people wanting more, wanting to come back to the brewery, and enjoying a pint with friends and family.

Because ultimately thats the goal of the new Rubber Soul Brewery. To be “Thee Humelstown Brewery” (just with a recognizable name, and one that has more cache and interest and fame than that of restarting with a new name, which was an option). The gameplan is to be the hangout, the place to visit, the stop in for Hummelstown. For something for residents to be proud of, and say “This great beer was brewed here in town!”

The property is zoned Residential / Commercial. Which gives them some opportunities as well as a lot of restrictions. But ultimately, the biggest thing is, their commitment to being a good steward of the building and to their neighborhood. They plan on respecting the parking spaces of nearby residents and business owners, with signs and diagrams of where to park on their website, Facebook, and in the building as well. Another big concern for them is noise control, and respectability of people behaving in the area. This won’t be the place to get drunk and trashed with your ‘bros’. This will be a nice, respectful, and respectable brewpub and restaurant. They are planning on closing no later than midnight, with some nights a bit earlier. When, if, they do live music indoors, they are planning on low-key, one man acoustic elements, and earlier in the day, and with all doors closed. They are already planning on doing events with the Boro Park across the street, as well as the Hummelstown Winter Fling, Taste of Hummelstown, and the Arts and Crafts Festival in Hummelstown.

We also discussed upcoming events. They are already planning on having a pre-opening event for the upcoming Harrisburg Beer Week; their first time getting to participate. Other events their looking forward to are the Mount Hope Renaissance Faire brewfest, as well as Lancaster’s Brewfest, and Lititz Brewfest. Possibly also in the future the Little Big Beer Fest during the Harrisburg Beer Week.

Marketing is going to be a bit different for the new Rubber Soul versus the old Rubber Soul. They are going to keep the tires as a theme, but phase out the biking and bicycling. Feeling it inauthentic since nobody who works for the new Rubber Soul is a biker and with no real biking trails in the town, they are phasing to more of the tire looks and “refueling your sOul” as their motto.

There is lots of last bits of information to also shoot out here. Firstly, their hours are looking to be 6AM to Midnight most days, with some exceptions, and obviously this will be hammered out closer to their opening. Why opening so early? Well, this isn’t going to be just a restaurant and a brewpub, its also going to have a little coffee cafe to it. Elementary Coffee from Harrisburg is going to be bringing in some equipment and will be selling coffee, lattes, etc, starting around 6. This is becoming a popular trend with microbreweries not just in the area but as a whole. Other small bits of information; the alley adjacent to the brewery – Acacin Alley will become a one-way alley, leading from South Hanover Street to Railroad Street. Also – a sneak peak at a future beer name: sOul Patch. Thats all I was given, no idea on the style, or what it is, just given that as a future beer name, so little bit of spoilering and teasing there.

Lastly, a tentative timeframe for opening. Jamie and I talked about how setting a hard-fast opening date is a huge gamble, so we’re not going to be announcing a definitive opening date. But I can give a time-table. The game plan is May. Preferably early May, but most likely middle of May. With a series of soft openings leading up to the main unveiling. This comes with a lot of fingers crossed, as things can always happen, but here’s to hoping for the best and that it all goes smoothly from here on out.

I would also be remissed if I didn’t mention that they are currently starting the hiring process for kitchen and bartending staff. Bartenders, baristas, kitchen workers (dish tank, bus boys, servers, etc.), if you have any interest, you can get ahold of them through their Facebook page currently to apply. Their website also has a built-in job application. Rubber Soul Brewing Home Website.

I again, would like to thank Jamie for the opportunity to come out and check out the facility. I know the whole town (as well as the whole local craft beer scene) is on pins and needles waiting for any and all news on their opening. So this was a great joy to get to walk around and find out whats going on. This looks to be a perfect fit for Hummelstown and the brewery.

In the coming weeks leading up to the opening, I will be posting regular updates, from both my own walks by, as well as any pictures or videos Jamie gives me to pass on. And of course, once they open, I’ll be visiting regularly and doing beer reviews as well as a full brewery review most likely at their grand opening. I know I can’t wait!

For those new to the blog, thanks for checking us out, and welcome. This is The Beer Thrillers, ran by me – B. Kline, with writers J. Doncevic, and AJ Brechbiel, as well as contributors – D. Scott, Let Us Drink Beer Blog, and others. If you are interested in following us, you can click the subscribe here on the site if you have WordPress, and you can enter your e-mail into the form at the bottom to get updates.

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I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that The Beer Thrillers does articles on a variety of topics. Beer Reviews (like Troeg’s Scratch 400, Boneshire Brew Works’ The Hog, Sunburst, Dillston, or S’Mores LazaRIS, Hill Farmstead’s Florence, Troeg’s Fuzzy Nudge, Tattered Flag’s Fatum Series Pink Guava, Iron Hill’s Scrooge IPA, Tree House’s Sap, Autumn, Intemperance, Julius, Haze, and Doppelganger. South County’s Sundrifter and Painting with Light. Some multiple beer reviews like Pineapple Kolsch and Dry Irish Stout, flights from places like the old Hershey Biergarten which included Dark Skies by New Trail, one from Black Gryphon involving a host of New England state breweries, and more by me – B. Kline. J. Doncevic also has done a fair amount of beer reviews as well such as – Rotunda Brewing’s Mango Guyabano, Adroit Theory’s Colonization, Yellow Bridge’s Northmont, Burley Oak’s Miami Vice JREAM, Parish’s Ghost in the Machine, and BAREBottle’s Ekuanot’s Astronaut. Our contributor and collaborator Let Us Drink Beer has also done a few beer reviews as well such as Creature Comfort’s Koko Bunni and Wild Leap’s ETA IPA), we also cover openings of breweries such as Rotunda’s Brew Pub Opening, and Midwest Coast Brewing Company’s Opening; as well as (sadly) closings like Crystal Ball’s and Stoudts Closings; brewery and beer events like Allison Feeney’s For the Love of Beer book event, Tattered Flag’s Bottle Share, Boneshire Brew Works’ 3rd Anniversary Celebration; brewery tours and visits such as the behind the scenes one we got at Mellow Mink (where we also reviewed their Scarlet Sunrise), and brewery reviews of Battlefield Brew Works and Cushwa Brewing (Let us Drink Beer has also done a brewery review for us of Variant Brewing; you’ll even find a book review or two like our review of Allison Feeney’s PA Brewery book – For the Love of Beer. AJ Brechbiel of Default Brewing is one of our writers for home brewing and he discusses his home brew group Default Brewing – Cheers from Default Brewing, Meet Default Brewing. We also have travelogue posts like Brewery Hopping 12.27.19, my article for Breweries in PA – Touring the Surrounding Areas of Harrisburg, that can also be found here on the blog at Breweries Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg (9.6.19), The Trip Day 1, The Trip Day 2, and The Trip Day 3.

So as you can see there’s plenty to check out here on The Beer Thrillers and we are adding new content nearly daily. So please sure to check back with us and keep reading with us. We are constantly bringing new content, and even new writers, so we encourage you to check us out and stay up to date with us.

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Cheers Everyone!

-B. Kline

This is a monumental beer, and a monumental achievement, and it was released on a monumental day. This is Troegs Independent Brewing’s 400th scratch beer on their scratch system. Not their 400th beer released in total, just their 400th scratch. A very significant feat, and given the improvements they’ve made to their scratch system (and upgrades in general to their brewery) I don’t think it’ll take us long at all to get to Scratch 500. I know I personally can’t wait.

Just like I’m finally publishing this article on a significant date (2.2.20, palindrome day, Groundhog’s Day, Super Bowl LIV Sunday), this beer was released on a significant date – January 16th (2020). January 16th is known as “Prohibition Day”.

Let’s take a quick look at the history of it, from our favorite historical perspective news source – Wikipedia:

In the United States, after the battle against slavery was won (and even prior to it with the 1851 Maine law), social moralists turned to other issues, such as Mormon polygamy and the temperance movement.^[11][12][13]

On November 18, 1918, prior to ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment, the U.S. Congress passed the temporary Wartime Prohibition Act, which banned the sale of alcoholic beverages having an alcohol content of greater than 1.28%.^[14] (This act, which had been intended to save grain for the war effort, was passed after the armistice ending World War I was signed on November 11, 1918.) The Wartime Prohibition Act took effect June 30, 1919, with July 1, 1919 becoming known as the “Thirsty-First”.^[15][16]

The U.S. Senate proposed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 18, 1917. Upon being approved by a 36th state on January 16, 1919, the amendment was ratified as a part of the Constitution. By the terms of the amendment, the country went dry one year later, on January 17, 1920.^[17][18]

On October 28, 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act, the popular name for the National Prohibition Act, over President Woodrow Wilson‘s veto. The act established the legal definition of intoxicating liquors as well as penalties for producing them.^[19] Although the Volstead Act prohibited the sale of alcohol, the federal government lacked resources to enforce it.

Prohibition was successful in reducing the amount of liquor consumed, cirrhosis death rates, admissions to state mental hospitals for alcoholic psychosis, arrests for public drunkenness, and rates of absenteeism.^[5][20][21] While some allege that Prohibition stimulated the proliferation of rampant underground, organized and widespread criminal activity,^[22] two academics maintain that there was no increase in crime during the Prohibition era and that such claims are “rooted in the impressionistic rather than the factual.”^[23][24] By 1925, there were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasy clubs in New York City alone.^[25] Wet opposition talked of personal liberty, new tax revenues from legal beer and liquor, and the scourge of organized crime.^[26]

On March 22, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Cullen–Harrison Act, legalizing beer with an alcohol content of 3.2% (by weight) and wine of a similarly low alcohol content. On December 5, 1933, ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment. However, United States federal law still prohibits the manufacture of distilled spirits without meeting numerous licensing requirements that make it impractical to produce spirits for personal beverage use.^[27]

Source: Prohibition in the United States (Wikipedia)

And thank goodness that madness has ended. Not going to go into the politics of it all and not really going to discuss the politics of the time (or now) as I like to keep this blog readable for all. But I think everyone reading this blog can agree on this one thing – Prohibition was a bad idea.

So thankfully that horrific time is over, and thankfully its now 2020, and we can enjoy fantastic and wonderful beers like this Scratch 400 from Troegs. (See how I segued that? Like a champ!) And this really is a wonderful and tasty brew from Troegs, regardless of the significance behind the numeration. If this was Scratch 1, 400, 69, or 285, it wouldn’t matter, it’d still be a great drink.

I started this article up on the night of January 16th after my date night with my youngest (six at the time, just now turned seven the other day). But this was written during the blog’s getting ready for the Mellow Mink article going live, and so I pushed it back, and figured today’s important numerical (2.02.20 – palindrome day!) significance would be a more meaningful time to publish this. (I wrote the beer review then, everything else being written now.)

So, February 2nd, 2020, Groundhog’s day seems like a very appropriate time to be posting this article. And heres another segue – I wouldn’t mind if this was the beer I was drinking if I had to be stuck on a time loop on Groundhog’s Day.

So, in honor of Punxsutawney Phil lets move on and review this beer!

Beer: Scratch 400 – Pre-Prohibition Lager
Brewery: Troegs Independent Brewing
Style: Lager – American
ABV: 4.3%
IBU: None listed
Untappd Write-Up: For our 400th Scratch beer, we’re turning back the clock for a pre-Prohibition lager, and we pulled a few extra levers to let our house lager yeast shine. For starters, we included blue corn grown in Imler, Pa., in the malt bill. Blue corn, floury and high in protein, lowers the free amino nitrogen in the wort, which elevates the esters of the yeast. We also open fermented this beer, an old-world technique we use for every batch of DreamWeaver Wheat. This also helps to bring out the yeast flavor. A session Troegenator? We like the sound of that. We taste: notes of corn, dried stone fruit, and subtle caramel and nuttiness.

A session Troegenator might be a great way to describe this. Far lighter, thinner, definitely lower ABV (only 4.3% !) and certainly less heavy then Troegenator. But that doesn’t take away anything from this beer though either.

Appearance is a beautiful chestnut, light brown, clearish hue. This is finely filtered, there’s no particles, no sediment, no haze, no dankness, nothing opaque, just a nice fine, well crafted, well brewed lager. Its not completely see through, but it has definite clarity and is somewhat transparent. It has a fine head with diverse bubbles, and the head retention is strong, it also leaves beautiful lacing on the tall boy glass that Troegs serves this gorgeous beer in.

Aroma is wheat and corn heavy. You get almost an acorn smell, a very heavy farm field to it (in a good way, not in a knee-deep in ‘cow patties’ kind of farm field smell). A nice rainy day aroma where you can smell the wheat, barley, grass growing. Something only a ‘good ol’ local boy’ might be able to rightly describe to you, and even then it wouldn’t be precise. This is a more subtle beer smell then some of those big macro Lagers that just have that stale, old, unwanted beer smell. The smell most of us grew up on smelling off grandpa’s breath at the family reunions and parties. Whereas this smells homely, crafted, and far better.

This is what Yuengling should pretty much be. An old fashion style, old fashion created, and old fashion lager. Germanic pride in the glass right here. Its malty, its corny, it has a bit of a nutty taste, its kind of heavy on the palate but also a bit thinner then say the Troegenator, it does still have a full body to it, and despite its only 4.3% ABV its still a hearty beer. It does have an ending sweetness to it, nothing cloying, but a fine stickyness that hangs to your palate and tongue. Nothing in a bad way about that, it just provides a nice ending sweetness. The open fermentation, the house yeast strain, and the PA home grown blue corn, definitely gives this a flavor all to its own. A uniqueness to it thats not going to be reproduced outside of using these exact means. I get notes of acorn, corn, nuttyness, malt, some sweetness from caramel malts, maybe kind of a plum like note to it, wrapping up all very nicely. This is a fine tasting brew I wouldn’t mind them possibly tweaking a bit, or keeping even as is, and releasing yearly on January 16th (or approximate) as a small seasonal run. It would most likely do well, and could have a catchy name like “Prohibition Lager” or “America’s Lager” or “Before The World Went Crazy Lager”. Eh, who knows about good names, actually, you know who does? Ffej, with his Fuzzy Nudge. Now thats how you name a beer! Either way, what I *DO KNOW* is that this is a fine tasting beer, that won’t last much longer at Troegs, and was a very significant beer for them, and for all of us fans of Troegs and fans in the Central PA area. So make sure you stop by Troegs brewery, drink up, and enjoy before its gone!

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.82 (as of 1.17.20)
Updated Global Untappd Rating: 3.83 (as of 2.2.20)

To read up even more on Scratch 400, you can check out Derek Markel’s excellent article over at ItsABrewLife: Troegs Scratch #400 & Beyond. ItsABrewLife is a wonderful blog written by Derek and Chelsea Markel. They are wonderful writers and a great influence on the scene in Central PA. She’s one of the co-founders of Harrisburg Beer Week, and he is an accomplished homebrewer who makes some delicious beers. So definitely pop over there and read this excellent article.

Here at the blog, we’ve been super busy as always. I’ve been writing nonstop it seems in the last few days. Beer reviews for This Is The Way by Broken Goblet, my series of Tree House beers – Sap, Autumn, Haze, Julius, and Doppelganger. Our beer review of Scarlet Sunrise by Mellow Mink, as well as our visit to Mellow Mink. The sad news of Crystal Ball’s Closing in York PA. Beer review of Hill Farmstead’s Florence. Also been doing several podcasts, LOST Seasons 1 and 2, LOST Seasons 3 and 4, Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian, and possibly soon one on the final season of BoJack Horseman. We also have much more content coming out, more beer reviews, visits to breweries, openings, an article on Liquid Noise opening in Marysville PA, an article on the progress of Rubber Soul opening in Hummelstown PA, and much more. So please be on the lookout for all of that great content. Click the follow here. Use the RSS feed to follow us or enter your e-mail, or if you already have a WordPress account, you can sign right up with that (probably the easiest way to get our blog).

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As you can see in the pictures here, this was my daddy-daughter date night with my youngest. She absolutely loves Troegs. She loves the smell of the brewery (as does my ten year old) as soon as we get in. I picked her up from an after-school function. Took her to the Hershey Library, she picked out two books, and then we had dinner at Troegs. We read her books, she devoured her fries (which, by the way, Troegs has some of the absolute best fries ever) and I enjoyed Scratches 399 and 400. Both were fantastic beers, and Mara had a great night. The laid back atmosphere of Troegs is a nice family-friendly place, that all three of my daughters love coming to. If you are ever in the area, and never been here, I highly recommend it. Yes it gets pretty full in the summer time and with lots of kids from the park, but its still worth at least a one time visit.

And as always, we greatly appreciate all of you, our fine readers. Thank you so much for stopping in, checking us out, and giving us a read. We hope you liked what you read and choose to stick around and check out our other articles. We have tons of stuff here on the blog, from beer reviews, to home brewing stuff with Default Brewing, to some guest writing from LetUsDrinkBeer’s blog and their contributions, to brewery reviews, beer events, even some book reviews, and much more.

Final note, tonight’s the Super Bowl, or technically as everyone who isn’t the NFL has to call it “The Big Game”. San Fransisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs. It should be a good game. I am going against the grain, and thinking it’ll be low scoring, and I’m predicting San Fran 21 to Kansas City’s 10.

So you heard that here folks, that as of 9:42AM, I, B. Kline, predict this as your Super Bowl LIV Final Score:

San Fransisco 49ers: 21
Kansas City Chiefs: 10

Leave your thoughts, comments, score predictions, and other esoteric antics (call back to the podcast!) in the comments section. Love to hear from you all. We greatly appreciate all the feedback we get. It means so much to us! Cheers, and thank goodness that ground hog saw no shadow! Spring is clearly on its way, rodent meteorology for the win!

-B. Kline