Second Sin Brewing - The Beer Thrillers

Craft Beer and Election Day: Sipping Democracy in 2024

B. Kline — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 16:00:13 +0000

Craft Beer and Election Day: Sipping Democracy in 2024

Liberty Ale by Anchor Steam Brewing – a truly patriotic brew.

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, craft breweries across the nation are once again tapping into the political spirit with creative, election-themed brews. These special releases not only celebrate our democratic process but also provide beer enthusiasts with unique flavors to savor while awaiting election results. Let’s explore some of the most interesting election-inspired craft beers you can enjoy this November.

Pliny for President: A Hoppy Contender

Russian River Brewing Company, known for its iconic Pliny the Elder, has been “running” Pliny for President every election year since 2004. For the 2024 election cycle, they’ve developed a new recipe that’s sure to win over hop lovers:

Style: Triple Dry-Hopped IPA
ABV: 7%
Flavor Profile: Strong notes of stone fruit, tropical flavors, citrus, pine, and resin
Availability: Multiple batches throughout 2024, starting December 12, 2023

This special brew showcases Russian River’s commitment to both quality craft beer and engaging with the political process in a lighthearted way.

(See our beer review on Pliny the Elder.)

Bipartisan Brews: Uniting Beer Lovers Across Party Lines

Beer and Patriotism

Several breweries have created beers that playfully reference both major political parties, allowing drinkers to enjoy a cold one regardless of their political leanings:

The U.N.I.T.Y. by 1310 Kitchen & Bar (Washington, D.C.)

This election special, named after Queen Latifah’s song, aims to bring people together over a shared love of craft beer.

Purple Patch’s Sherry Week Specials

Coinciding with Election Day, this Filipino restaurant in Washington, D.C. offers $8 or $10 pours of specialty sherries, providing a sophisticated alternative to beer while watching election coverage.

Politically Charged Pints

Some breweries use their beers to make more direct political statements or engage voters:

The 270 Challenge at Royal Sands (Washington, D.C.)

This clever promotion ties into the electoral college:

Offering Blue, Red, and Purple themed drinks
If 270 drinks are sold by the end of the night (representing the electoral votes needed to win the presidency), the entire bar receives a round of shots
Starts at 5 p.m. on Election Day

Responsible Drinking on Election Day

While these election-themed beers add a fun element to the political process, it’s crucial to remember the importance of responsible consumption, especially on Election Day. Many bars and restaurants are offering special promotions to encourage civic participation:

Dirty Water (Washington, D.C.): 10% off for showing your “I Voted” sticker
Midlands Beer Garden (Washington, D.C.): $5 beers all night while showing election results on all TVs
Whitlow’s (Washington, D.C.): $5 Bud Light drafts and $8 Front Porch Rocker Teas

Craft Beer’s Role in Political Engagement

The trend of election-themed craft beers highlights how the brewing industry can play a unique role in political engagement. By creating these special releases, breweries:

Encourage political awareness and participation
Provide a common ground for people with different political views
Add a touch of levity to what can be a tense political climate

Voting Themed Beers

Second Sin Brewing’s “I Voted for Kang” and “I Voted for Kodos”

Second Sin Brewing released two beers – “I Voted for Kang” and “I Voted for Kodos”.

I Voted Today by Tired Hands

I Voted Today – Tired Hands

Brews and Ballots: How Beer is Shaping the 2024 Election

As the 2024 election approaches, craft breweries are tapping into the political zeitgeist with creative, election-themed beers. This trend has been fueled by recent high-profile moments connecting politicians and beer culture.

Vice President Kamala Harris made waves during her appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” by cracking open a can of Miller High Life. This strategic choice not only connected her with everyday Americans but also highlighted Wisconsin’s brewing heritage, a key swing state in the upcoming election, Harris’s beer moment has inspired local breweries to consider creating their own “High Life” themed brews for Election Day parties.

Meanwhile, Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance went viral with a campaign video featuring him holding a six-pack of Old Style beer. His catchy tagline, “Make Six Packs Great Again,” tapped into the cultural significance of beer in American social life. This clever marketing could inspire breweries to create limited-edition beers that play off political themes during election seasons.

The concept of “beer polls” has also gained traction, where voters express their candidate preference based on who they’d rather share a drink with. Recent polls suggest more voters would prefer to have a beer with Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, showcasing how beer can be intertwined with political likability.

Savvy breweries are capitalizing on this trend by creating special labels or events themed around these findings. As Election Day approaches, craft beer enthusiasts can expect to see more politically-inspired brews hitting the taps. Whether you’re toasting to democracy or drowning your political sorrows, there’s sure to be a craft beer that speaks to your political palate. Just remember to drink responsibly, especially before heading to the polls!

Conclusion: Toasting to Democracy

Whether you’re celebrating a win, commiserating a loss, or simply participating in the democratic process, there’s likely an election-themed craft beer to suit your taste. As you enjoy these creative brews, remember that the true spirit of Election Day lies in exercising your right to vote and participating in our democracy. So raise a glass to the American political process, savor the craftsmanship of these election-inspired beers, and most importantly, make your voice heard at the ballot box. Cheers to democracy and great craft beer!

You can find lots of fun Instagram posts of people decking themselves out in gear and regalia for the voting and for the drinking, like Stouts and Stilletos Instagram post. Obviously also; there’s just a ton of vitriol and political annoyances on Instagram as well (albeit far less than on Facebook or Twitter) so be weary. Also, as always, beer and Instagram tends to lean towards a lot of “posting for the algorithm” of women in revealing outfits, so be forewarned about that as well.

As you gather with friends and family to discuss the issues that matter most to you, let these craft beers serve as conversation starters. Each sip can spark discussions about policies, candidates, and the future of our nation. Supporting local breweries not only enhances your voting experience but also strengthens community ties. Many breweries are hosting events that encourage civic engagement, offering discounts for those who show their “I Voted” stickers or organizing watch parties for election coverage. This Election Day, take a moment to reflect on the power of your vote and the role that craft beer plays in fostering community spirit. The act of voting is a celebration of freedom and choice, much like selecting your favorite brew from a diverse tap list. So whether you’re sipping an IPA with friends or enjoying a stout while watching the results roll in, remember that each beer has its own story—just like each voter has their own voice. Let’s raise our glasses not just to the beers we love but to the democracy we cherish. Cheers! Cheers to democracy and great craft beer!

(PS: We voted today. Was number 200 at 8:30 AM at our small town voting district. You can check out our Instagram to see our ‘I Voted’ Post.) (Instagram: The_Beer_Thrillers)

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Voting:

Beer Review: I Voted Today (Tired Hands)
Some Beers to Enjoy After Voting
Craft Beer and Election Day: Sipping Democracy in 2024

Philosophy:

Philosophy and Craft Beer: A Confluence of Thought and Taste

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.

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

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Untappd: Top 10 Breweries in Pennsylvania for 2023

B. Kline — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 16:39:38 +0000

The Top 10 Breweries in Pennsylvania for 2023 (As per Untappd)

Every year around this time of year its fun to take a look back to see what breweries got the most check – ins, what breweries had the most visits, and what breweries are trending up (versus those trending down or even outright closing).

This data was compiled up to December 9th, 2023 at 11:59:59 PM EST.

Yesterday we posted the Top 10 Breweries in Pennsylvania for 2023 as per Perplexity AI. You can read that article here: The Top 10 Breweries in Pennsylvania as Per Perplexity.

Top Ten Breweries in Pennsylvania

Here’s the top 10 breweries in Pennsylvania, in list form, as per Untappd check ins and ratings:

Other Half Brewing Company – Philadelphia, PA – 4.23 Rating
The Referend Bier Blendery – Kutztown, PA – 4.20 Rating
Imprint Beer Co. – Hatfield, PA – 4.16 Rating
Fermentery Form – Philadelphia, PA – 4.15 Rating
Hidden River Brewing – Douglassville, PA – 4.13 Rating
Dancing Gnome Brewing – Pittsburgh, PA – 4.11 Rating
Tired Hands Brewing – Ardmore, PA – 4.10 Rating
Warwick Farms Brewing – Jameson, PA – 4.09 Rating (Tied)
Antifragile Brewing – State College, PA – 4.09 Rating (Tied)
Brew Gentleman – Pittsburgh, PA – 4.09 Rating (Tied)
Second Sin Brewing – Bristol, PA – 4.09 Rating (Tied)

Positions 8 – 11 are tied for 8th.

How it Works

Untappd uses a weighted ratings system. They average the number of check ins and the average rating of each of the beers rated for the breweries. Non – rated beers act as a nothing (not a zero nor a five). You can read more about Untappd’s weighted rating system here – Untappd weighted rating system.

Breweries on the Outside Looking In

There are five breweries that just missed the cut, that are nearly on that Top 10 (or in the case of this year due to the ties – Top 11) list, and they are:

Mechanistic Brewing – Clarion, PA – 4.07 Rating
Aslin Beer Company – Pittsburgh, PA – 4.07 Rating
Fourscore Beer Company – Gettysburgh, PA – 4.06 Rating
Abjuration Brewing – Pittsburgh, PA – 4.05 Rating
Human Robot Beer – Philadelphia, PA – 4.05 Rating

There are so many good breweries in Pennsylvania, that its crazy to even dwindle the list down to 10, 11, 15 or 16 as we did here today.

Some Recent Lists About Top Breweries

Some recent lists about top breweries:

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies in the United States (2023)
Pouring Excellence: Pennsylvania’s Top Craft Breweries of 2023 (June 15th, 2023)
From Philly to Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania’s Top Craft Breweries You Must Visit
The Best Pennsylvania Breweries for Summer Beers
Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies (2023)
The Top 10 Breweries in Pennsylvania as Per Perplexity
The Top 10 Breweries in Pennsylvania for 2023 (as per Untappd)

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

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

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

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

Some Beers to Enjoy After Voting

B. Kline — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:52:51 +0000

I Voted

Some Beers to Enjoy on Election Day

So you just got done voting, and what do you do now – especially if you are given the day off by work? Well drink of course! So lets take a look back at three “voting” themed beers we’ve reviewed.

I Voted for Kodos by Second Sin Brewing

I Voted for Kodos by Second Sin Brewing Company

Beer: I Voted for Kodos
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 6.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: I Voted For Kang and I Voted For Kodos, conceptually, are like two peas in a pod. They both started with the same base of 2 row malt, Malted Oats, and light Crystal. Both are supported with Galaxy and Idaho 7 hops to round out their flavor profiles.

See our beer review here: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company).

I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)

I Voted for Kang by Second Sin Brewing Company

Beer: I Voted for Kang
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 6.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: I Voted For Kang and I Voted For Kodos, conceptually, are like two peas in a pod. They both started with the same base of 2 row malt, Malted Oats, and light Crystal. Both are supported with Galaxy and Idaho 7 hops to round out their flavor profiles.

See our beer review here: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company).

I Voted Today (Tired Hands Brewing)

I Voted Today by Tired Hands Brewing

Beer: I Voted Today (Simcoe and Chinook)
Brewery: Tired Hands Brewing Company
Style: Pale Ale – American
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Brewed with American two row barley and malted wheat, hopped with an enthusiastic dose of our very favorite American hop, Simcoe, and fermented with our house ale yeast. This batch was double dry hopped first with more of our beloved Simcoe, then again with ultra classic and punchy Chinook. 5.6% abv. Notes of sparkling orange drink, Meyer lemon, fresh cut grass, dank green stuff, and a beautiful piney bitterness to finish it of.

See our beer review: I Voted Today (Simcoe and Chinook) (Tired Hands Brewing).

Get Out and Vote

Make sure you get out to vote today! In most places the polls end at 8 PM, so you have plenty of time yet to get out there and vote. Its your Civic Duty afterall!

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

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

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

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

Second Sin Beer To Open Their Second Taproom

B. Kline — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 16:26:04 +0000

Second Sin Beer Announces Second Tap Room

In a ‘thinly veiled’ ‘announcement of an announcement’ the other day, Second Sin alluded to an announcement for today (Friday, September 8th, 2023). Well, they delivered on that announcement… and drum roll….. the announcement is: Second Sin Beer is opening a second tap room.

I feel like this could easily be a tongue twister. How many second tap rooms could a Second Sin open if a Second Sin could open second tap rooms?

Second Sin Beer Company just moments ago on Facebook and their other social media platforms made their announcement.

Second Sin Beer Announcement

Second Sin Beer’s Second Tap Room (photo courtesy of Second Sin Beer – Facebook)

The announcement:

We haven’t kept it much of a secret over the last couple years that we’ve been on the lookout for a second taproom location. Through many fits and starts in several different areas, we’re very excited to finally announce that we found our spot! We hope to have our taproom at 17 N State St in Newtown open by the end of the year!⠀

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It took a while to find a place that fit our needs, and we think this spot will be a great addition to the Bucks County beer scene – an inviting space to come and enjoy a pint of Second Sin beer.⠀

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Follow along with us as we post updates on our progress on social media. Finally, it almost goes without saying that we couldn’t have done this without the undying support of the people that love our beer. Fret not, our taproom and brewery in Bristol will remain open. This will be a chance for us to get our product in front of a lot of new people, and expanding the Second Sin family. Cheers!⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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#craftbeer #beer #drinkinbucksco #secondsin #beernerd #beerlover #visitbuckscounty #visitphilly #breweriesinpa #drinklocal #buckscounty #newtownpa #secondlocation #taproom #morebeer
Second Sin Beer – Announcement

In just 9 minutes of their announcement, its already been commented on 19 times, gotten 9 shares, and has over 57 reactions.

You can find them on Google Maps here: 17 N. State Street, Newtown PA.

Second Sin Beer Articles

Wanting to read more about Second Sin Beer Company? These are some of the articles we’ve written:

Our Second Sin Brewing Company Articles

We’ve done several articles about Second Sin Brewing Company here at The Beer Thrillers. We’ve reviewed several of their beers, as well as covered some news. You can find out more below:

Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace (Second Sin Brewing Company)
Beer Review: Kolsch (Second Sin Brewing Company)
Beer Review: Dragged Into Sunlight (Second Sin Brewing Company)
Matrix Monday at Second Sin Brewing Company
Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)
Second Sin Brewing Company Is Celebrating Their 3rd Anniversary Tomorrow (11.23.22)
May the Fourth (2023)

For More Information

For more information on Second Sin Brewing Company, you can check out their following links:

As per Untapped – Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Bristol, PA. As of 9.8.23, they have 294 unique beers and over 28,000 ratings, with a global unique rating of 4.09.

Brewery News

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

Thank You For Reading

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

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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

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

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

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

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Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace (Second Sin Brewing Company)

B. Kline — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:38:02 +0000

The Phantasm Menace by Second Sin Brewing Company

Hop Harvest

First, let’s jump back a couple of weeks (alright… all the way back to Tuesday July 26th), and a fantastic package came from our friends at Second Sin Brewing Company while I’m cutting and picking a few of my Chinook hops here at The Beer Thrillers Headquarters (or Bender Braus Brewery). Wasn’t a full hop harvest day, was just a gentle pickings and cuttings of some of my Chinook and Cascade Hops and getting a gallon bag of Chinook hops. But it was the first of the year and the start for the year for my hop harvest.

Second Sin Delivery

There is absolutely nothing better than beer mail. Especially when it comes as such a great gift from Second Sin Brewing Company! They had just announced the release of The Phantasm Menace, a Star Wars themed IPA using Phantasm powder, and I knew I was going to need it for 1) drinking reasons, 2) for Star Wars reasons, 3) for blog reasons, and 4) for Star Wars TV show day beer drinking and reviewing reasons on the blog…… ok, let’s just be honest with ourselves here — for drinking reasons that I could justify by saying “I’ll review it for the blog”.

Since I wouldn’t be able to get out to Bristol Pennsylvania before they sold out of it, I reached out to the devoted fans of Second Sin Brewing at the Facebook group – Disciples of Second Sin – and asked if anyone could hook a Star Wars beer loving nerd up with a can or more, either for trade or for sale (on the down – low if for sale of course). Thats when Mike Beresky personally reached out to me.

Mike Beresky is one of the owners of Second Sin Brewing Company and went out of his way to not only hook me up with a sweet package, but all on their own dime, initiative, and care. Completely above and beyond and totally unanticipated but very (very, very, very) much appreciated!

Second Sin Brewing Company Beer Delivery

So needless to say I was completely ecstatic while out trimming, cutting, and picking hops when this fantastic delivery gets dropped off here at Casa De Kline (or The Beer Thrillers HQ). Not only did he hook me up with two ‘The Phantasm Menace’, but also two of their ‘Kolsch’ and two of ‘Dragged into Sunlight’ (both of which have reviews that are getting published shortly), as well as a sweet glass to top it all off.

Once again then, let me give a huge shout out to Mike Beresky and Second Sin Brewing Company. I can’t wait to get out to the brewery and give them a huge thanks, hopefully it’ll be by the end of the year (which means hopefully before the end of November, because most likely after Scarlet Emma is born, the traveling to breweries will slow down for a bit).

Second Sin Brewing Company

Speaking of Second Sin Brewing Company, let’s talk about the brewery itself before we get into the beer review. From Untappd:

Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Bristol, Pennsylvania. They have 244 unique beers with 22, 393 ratings and a global average rating of 4.09 (as of 9.21.22). There is no description of the brewery listed on Untappd.

Their social media pages are:

Their brewery location on Untappd: Verified Venue – Second Sin Brewery.

Other Second Sin Brewing Company articles we’ve written are:

Star Wars Day

While of course its not THEE Star Wars Day (May the Fourth), it is a “Star Wars Day” here on the blog. Which means – its the day of a new episode of Star Wars TV released. We’ve done in the past, a new beer on each episode’s release of The Book of Boba Fett and the Obi-Wan Kenobi shows. Today is the premier of Andor (the Cassian Andor show) on Disney+.

Unlike in the past where I did a separate beer review for each episode, I’m going to do just one for today despite Disney+ releasing the first three episodes of Andor today (9.21.22). (One, it would be a bit much to do and have three different beer reviews to go today – and secondly, I would run out of Star Wars themed beers in no time.)

My understanding of the Andor show is that its a full season, but kind of broken up in three episode arcs. Which kind of explains why they decided to release the first three episodes as a bundle on the day of the premier. (They did this similarly with the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, which they released the first two episodes at once. Although, that was slightly different, and was a direct straight run of a show.)

I will come back to discussing the show, with spoilers and such after the full beer review. If you wish not to be spoiled, make sure to skip that area of this beer review blog post. And now, without further delay, lets get to the beer review……..

Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace

The Phantasm Menace by Second Sin Brewing Company

Now that we’re finally at the beer review, let’s dive right into this delicious juicy beer!

Beer: The Phantasm Menace
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: IPA – New England / Hazy
ABV: 6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: This beer is our first foray into using the new hotness in brewing – Phantasm. Phantasm is a powder made from dried wine grapes that are high in a chemical compound called thiols. There’s not enough room to go into it here, but suffice it to say thiols can be transformed by yeast into fruity, tropical flavors and aromas.

We paired that with some high thiol hops – Blanc, Crystal, Chinook, and Ekuanot – to amp things up and see what this new product can do in our Hazy IPAs.

The Phantasm Menace by Second Sin Brewing Company (post hop picking)

Let’s start with the coloring of this beautiful beer. Golden hue, hazy, definitely a New England IPA through and through. It has a warm golden straw coloring that is opaque and looks beautiful. This is a wonderfully beautiful looking beer, keeping with the style completely. A great pillowy light, airy foamy head, left great lacing on the glass, and maintained its coloring throughout. Little to no sediment on the bottom with the entire beer poured into the glass. As you can see in the first pic it looked good during the day, and then when I had the second one later in the evening, it looked just as good at dusk and evening.

Aroma is fantastic as well. That great hop aroma that is so lovely and inviting with New England IPAs. It has that “just picked right off the hop vine” smell to it. The Chinook hops are the powerhouse of the aroma with this beer and I feel that the phantasm powder is just such a major boost to it, like steroids or hops on crack. Just lifts and boosts the hops aroma and flavor so much more. This has a great pine resin, woodsy, earthy aroma that gets added to it by a grapefruit and even grape fruit nose. The chinook and the crystal hops are certainly the leaders here, with the blanc hops adding their own distinct aromas as well.

Ok… time to put it all together and the true test of a beer…. and …. (sips… followed by deep sip….) wow – this is a delicious beer! When I want to describe a quintessential New England IPA to someone, this would be the beer I would give them to drink. This has everything you could ask for in a New England IPA; and probably even more. I am becoming more and more addicted to that phantasm powder in beers. Amy and I were even discussing it with the Fourscore Beer she reviewed – Phantomania (Beer Review: Phantomania by Fourscore Beer Company) – back in February before she became pregnant. We were looking at other beers that have used the phantasm powder and to do an article on that. The powder really brings out the smells, tastes, the flavors, the aromas, all of what makes hops… well… hops, but pumps them full of steroids basically. Its like taking the 120 lb kid in middle school and getting him pumped up and letting him loose in the WWE as a 280 lb monster of a wrestler. As for the hops, it has an earthy, woodsy, pine, pine resin, somewhat west coast IPA like taste; but it does get a drier finish most likely from the blanc hops (possibly because of the phantasm powder, but I contribute it to the blanc hops). There is certainly fruity notes and flavors, namely grapefruit, grape skin, there is a light lime lemon touch to it. There is a bit of a tropical hint to it all, I don’t think its super strong or overpowering, but its certainly there and noticeable, this could be from the yeast and thiols, from the Eukanot hops, and all in all the combination therein is probably the answer. I will just repeat that I absolutely loved the beer, it was downright tasty, delicious, quenched my thirst, and certainly made me want to go for the second can. The 6% low level ABV for the beer also makes it a nice steady day beer, not super sessionable or crushable but certainly not knocking you off the bar stool either.

Last but not least, we can discuss the can art. A simple red can art with a nice drawing of Darth Maul, and a great pun of a name (The Phantom Menace to The Phantasm Menace).

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.1 (as of 9.21.22)

Andor

Spoilers alert. Klaxon sirens. Spoiler alert. I will be discussing some spoilers after this.

Disney+ released the first three episodes of Andor this morning (Wednesday, September 21st, 2022). And I am absolutely over the top about the show. If you squint… it looks and feels like Star Wars. Its refreshing, promising, and nice to see; a change of pace really. Unlike Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian and the horrid ‘The Book of Boba Fett’, this feels like a gritty, adult, sci – fi show that happens to be set in the Star Wars universe. Its nice seeing that the only characters who have appeared before in Star Wars films will be – Cassian Andor (Rogue One), Saw Guerra (Rogue One, The Clone Wars, Rebels), and Mon Mothma (Return of the Jedi, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, The Clone Wars, Rebels).

Star Wars Explained – Is Andor The Best?

Its almost like a William Gibson version of what Star Wars could be. Its gritty. Its dark. Its real. Its beautifully shot. But all in a different way to how other Disney offerings have been. Where the sequel trilogy felt like a bad version of new Star Wars, like an addition, a poor man’s add on to the Star Wars universe; or The Mandalorian which feels like its a love letter written by fanboys to other fanboys; or The Book of Boba Fett which was just a horrible show through and through; to Obi-Wan Kenobi which was a hit or miss interesting take on an intimate drama set in Star Wars but also felt… somewhat unnecessary and with some poor scenes that didn’t make sense.

This, feels like its Star Wars, but NOT Star Wars. There’s no lightsabers. There’s little connection to other source materials, but all in a good way. (At least to me anyway.) These three episodes were done very well, with a tightly woven story arc. Which is what the season / series seems to be aiming for – three episode arcs that will tie together as a full story leading up to Rogue One; leading up to the Rebellion’s beginnings; leading to in essence to A New Hope.

Star Wars Explained – Andor Review

Be sure to check back here with the blog next Wednesday for another Star Wars themed beer review, and more discussion about Andor!

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Lord of the Rings:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Phillies:

Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thanks For Reading

As always, let me say thank you everyone for reading. Also, a huge (HUGE!) shout out to Mike Beresky of Second Sin Brewing Company for the great package and beers! Thanks so much!

Sorry for getting this review out late in the day, but time runs out on us all. Worked yesterday 11 to 7, and was hoping to have most of this finished (writing over from my beer notes, adding things, discussions, etc.) so I could just add the Andor parts in the morning. But post work, we stopped at Home Depot to pick up supplies for the baby room (Scarlet Emma will be here before we know it!) as well as everything I need to finish the back patio. Then when I got up this morning at 5AM to watch the show, time slipped away, and had to do a lot of chores about the house and only got two episodes of the three finished, and didn’t get to finish up the article. Then I worked 10 – 6 today at the casino, and we stopped for groceries afterwards, and now I’m finally got episode three watched and got to finish the article.

I hope you all enjoyed it. And can’t wait to look forward to seeing you guys here at the blog for our Game of Thrones Sundays as well as our Star Wars Wednesdays. Please be sure to check out the site and leave us any feedback or comments you have.

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

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

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The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. 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!

Matrix Monday at Second Sin

BKline — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 11:36:50 +0000

Second Sin’s two beer releases for today – the Red Pils and the Blue Pils

Enter the Matrix

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more.
Morpheus – The Matrix

A moment inscribed in all the brains of every 80s and 90s kids / teens growing up. A movie that blew our collective brains clear out of our skulls while we were in high school or middle school. …..And it’s back. This time – for a cash grab. Well, sort of, who knows? Maybe the movie will be fantastic. Maybe it’ll replace how bad the trilogy ended. Who knows. Lets keep our fingers crossed on Wednesday when Matrix Resurrections hits movie theaters and HBO Max that it blows our brains once again.

So… do you want to take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill?

Second Sin’s Matrix Monday

Today, in celebration, anticipation, and hopefully getting all of us 80s and 90s geeks and kids who lost our brains in and because of the Matrix, Second Sin is hosting ‘Matrix Monday’. Announced on December 15th, that they will be hosting Matrix Monday at their brewery today – December 20th, 2021.

Their initial Facebook post showed the poster of the two new Pilsners they are releasing with a brief intro to what the event will be:

Join us at the brewery on Matrix Monday (12/20/21 at 5pm) for this double release and see how deep the Pilsner Rabbit Hole goes.#craftbeer #beer #drinkinbucksco #secondsin #beerstagram #instabeer #visitbuckscounty #visitphilly #breweriesinpa #drinklocal #buckscounty #candrop #matrix #lager #pilsner #thechoiceisyours
Second Sin – Facebook

Second Sin’s Facebook poster

Yesterday they provided a bit more information on today’s event in another Facebook post:

You taste the Blue Pils, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe you had a delicious Italian Pilsner. You taste the Red Pils, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the lager rabbit hole goes.⠀⠀
We’ll be open at 5pm for Matrix Monday. Stop in, enjoy these two releases, and catch up on the original trilogy before the new movie is released. Both beers will be available for preorder starting at noon tomorrow.⠀
⠀#craftbeer #beer #drinkinbucksco #secondsin #beerstagram #instabeer #visitbuckscounty #visitphilly #breweriesinpa #drinklocal #buckscounty #supportlocal #matrix #redpill #bluepill #lager #pilsner #thechoiceisyours #downtherabbithole
Second Sin – Facebook

Second Sin – Facebook’s Matrix Monday event

Both the Blue Pils and the Red Pils is listed already on Untappd. Their descriptions are:

Beer: Blue Pils
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: Pilsner – Italian
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Blue Pils – Italian-Style Pilsner – Unfortunately, no one can be told what an Italian Pilsner is. You have to drink one for yourself…but I guess we can try. This beer starts with a simple, clean Pilsner base that is gently dry hopped twice with Halltertau and Loral, for a lovely floral hop character that is a nice change of pace from our other hoppy offerings.

Beer: Red Pils
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: Pilsner – Other
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Red Pils – American Dry Hopped Pilsner – As unbelievable as some (us included) may find it, there are people out there that don’t like lagers, and more specifically, pilsners. Well this one is for them. We start with a crisp Pilsner and hop it in the kettle and dry hop with Hallertau Blanc, Citra, and Mosaic for a twist on a great style. If you’re a hop head that doesn’t really care for lagers…Drink the Red Pils, and we’ll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Second Sin Brewing Company

Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery located in Bristol, Pennsylvania. According to Untappd they have 196 unique beers and have a total of 16,657 ratings (as of 12.20.21). They have a global average rating of 4.09 and they made the Pennsylvania Top 10 Untappd Breweries for 2021 list. You can find them on Facebook here: Second Sin Brewing Company’s Facebook Profile. Their brewery is located at 1500 Grundy Lane, Bristol PA.

We have reviewed two beers from them in the past:

So What Will It Be?

Will you take the Blue Pill and wake back up in your bed in the morning? Maybe a slight hangover. Maybe not. And go about your day as if nothings ever been changed and not knowing about the true reality behind it all….. or…. do you take that Red Pill and dive deep into the Pilsners, the Lagers, and the myriad of other beers that Second Sin has to offer?

OR…

Do you have both? And then continue to have every other beer Second Sin has to offer at their brewery?

See you today for Matrix Monday at Second Sin to find out!

For More Information

Trailers:

Official Trailer 1:

Official Trailer 2:

The Extended Official Trailer:

Thanks For Reading

This is probably the first post I’ve done with this many YouTube clips or videos embedded. Hopefully all that coding junk and HTML and javascript and WordPress and other high – falutin techy sounding words all work out right. Fingers crossed. Don’t want the Matrix to break down on us now do we? (See…. see what I did there? Get it….?)

Anyway, thanks for reading as always. Always love to hear from you guys. Will you be going to the Matrix Monday event today at Second Sin Brewery?

2021 is just about wrapped up and things are getting a bit busy and hectic around here at The Beer Thrillers headquarters. But 2022 is really looking to be an exciting year. (Finally after the last two years!) Lots of new and exciting things here, and a pretty varied and wide range of things will be happening. (More beer reviews, more beer travels, more travelogues and brewery reviews, podcasts, board game and card game streaming, more video game streaming and meet ups, book reviews, hikes and hike reviews, and lots and lots more beer and brewery news and notes.) We will also be pumping up our home brewing next year and will be doing a lot more articles and news and notes on that as well (with home brewing videos too!). Also hop growing, and all kinds of other things. So 2022 is really looking to be fun and exciting! I can’t wait!

For more links to some of our stuff, check out our archive pages:

As always though, thanks for reading. Let us know what you thought of this article, of Second Sin Brewing, of The Matrix, etc. Are you looking forward to the new movie? What did you think of the original trilogy? Excited for it all or just ‘bleh’ to it? Let us know!

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)

BKline — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 03:10:00 +0000

I Voted for Kang by Second Sin Brewing Company

There is nothing better than coming home from a seven day road trip to finding a beer mail package on your front step. I want to give a big shout out to Steve Orbanek for the beer mail! Very very very very very grateful and thankful for this.

Being a typical kid of the 80s and 90s I grew up on The Simpsons. Simpsons, Seinfeld, Conan O’Brien, The Angry Beavers, Ren and Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Animaniacs, were the primary sources of my comedy as a young boy growing up. This has evolved and grown into many more options – from comics like Peanuts, B.C., Fox Trot, to late night talkshow hosts – Conan O’Brien, David Letterman, Johnny Carson, to more shows like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, BoJack Horseman, Futurama, South Park, Rick and Morty, to stand up comedians like George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, to dark humor writers like Kurt Vonnegut; I could spend all day prattling on with a list of my comedic ancestors and inspirations and roots, but there is probably no bigger defining factor to my humor than The Simpsons. Early season Simpsons. Seasons 1-9 Simpsons. The Conan O’Brien episodes, the Treehouse of Horror episodes, the absurdism, the Sideshow Bob episodes, etc.

When quoting things it will come from one of three sources: 1) Simpsons / Futurama, 2) Seinfeld / Curb Your Enthusiasm, 3) Literature. And in that order. And I know which will be recognized…. and its not when I quote from group three.

Hanging out with friends, drinking at the bars, breweries, or home (especially now – at home) with buddies, the endless quoting of early Simpsons, the “that reminds me of X episode” comparisons, etc. “Remember that time X” or “this could have been something The Simpsons did” or when watching a show or movie “they are clearly ripping that from The Simpsons”, etc.

The Simpsons are a form of cultural identity, especially for people of my age. The mid-late 30s to early 40s. We grew up on a steady diet of Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, Futurama, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Captain Planet, Rocko’s Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy, Doug, The Angry Beavers, Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, etc. Our lives were viewed through the prisms of animated comedy and action. Our adolescence we spent learning why yellowed people with spiky hair and only four fingers on each hand were so much funnier than the people around us, their lives wackier, their antics ratcheted up a notch above the normalcy of our boring mundane lives.

As is a common theme on the blog here, if I have access to a pop culture beer to review – you best bet I’ll be reviewing it on here. There’s a long list of them (and I’ll put it at the end), from Star Wars, to Simpsons, to Seinfeld, to Turtles, to even a beer from Space Balls. If I have a chance to drink it, I’ll review it.

Previously I did – I Voted for Kodos, and this is the companion beer to that. I highly recommend giving that a read when you are done here as the two beers are companion beers and are meant to go together.

So, lets discuss KANG. As per the Simpsons Wikia:

“Kang Johnson is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Kodos) of the series. He is a Rigellian from Rigel 7. He and his sister Kodos are continuously try to take over Earth and are usually seen attacking Springfield. He usually appears in Treehouse of Horrors but either him or Kodos have been seen in other episodes such as “The Springfield Files” and “Gump Roast” Kang and Kodos have a lot of space weaponry at hand and have their own spaceship. They speak the Rigellian language, which, by coincidence, is identical to English. Although they look identical, Kang has a deeper voice than Kodos. He is the featured character on the on the Season 14 DVD/Blu-ray box set as well as the iTunes cover.”

Kang and Kodos from CITIZEN KANG

The Citizen Kang segment from Treehouse of Horror VII is one of the best segments from Simpsons / Treehouse of Horror altogether. Lots of great quotes, lines, gags, and an outright funny segment. And despite being about Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, it still holds up well, especially the jokes about third parties and Ross Perot and people not wanting to vote third party.

Homer revealing Kang and Kodos

It all seems almost prescient of our last two elections, alien vs. alien and still nobody voted third party. Sorry Gary Johnson (2016) and sorry Jo Jorgenson (2020). …or Kanye West (2020)…. seems people rather vote for aliens.

Homer Revealing Bill Clinton and Bob Dole to be Kang and Kodos

There is one thing though, that I am looking for in a President, and that is his stance on twirling….

Twirling Towards Freedom

Regardless of your political stance, there is one thing we can get together on and agree on – and thats that these beers from Second Sin Brewing Company have been top notch. (Unfortunately) I never had anything from Second Sin Brewing Company before the two beers – I Voted for Kodos and I Voted for Kang. They both absolutely blew me out of the water, and I can see why they are a Top 10 PA Brewery for 2020 according to Untappd. I have quickly added their brewery as a ‘must visit’ on my list of breweries to check out for 2021.

Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Bristol Pennsylvania, located at 1500 Grundy Lane, the former site of Broken Goblet Brewing. (Broken Goblet has since moved on to a new location – they are also a very heavy pop culture referencing brewery, with a Gritty beer, several beers about the Eagles, and of course the popular This is the Way – Mandalorian beer). According to Untappd, Second Sin Brewing Company has 138 unique beers, and over 7.5K ratings with a global average rating of 4.07 (as of 12.5.20). (There is no description on their Untappd page.)

I Voted for Kang

However, don’t let anyone tell you that these candidates are the same…oh, no. Kang is primarily hopped with the tropical and fruity Citra, while Kodos is loaded with dank and melony Mosaic.

Appearance looks very similar to that of I Voted for Kodos – a bright orange, hazy, dank, cloudy, opaque New England IPA. Like darker orange juice. This is a beautiful looking beer. Rich foamy head and left lovely lacing on the glass. Great carbonation from the can.

Aroma is a tropical hop blast. Large notes of tropical hop nose on this that you can smell as soon as you crack open the can and start to pour. This has the staple New England IPA hop combo of Mosaic and Citra to give it that punch of tropical, melon, juicy / dank hop aroma. The Galaxy and Idaho 7 hops accentuate this nicely and provides a very hop forward nose.

Taste is where there’s the bigger difference in comparison to I Voted for Kodos. While its similar in taste, there’s a notable difference (for me) – there’s no ‘kick’. I found there was a bit of a kick to the Kodos beer. Almost like a spice kick, but with a hop twist. This is much more smooth, much more juicer, much more dank, and easier drinking, and downright crushable. This is nothing to say against the I Voted for Kodos. That was a terrific beer and I loved it and drank it down just as easily, but I feel that I Voted for Kang is probably smoother, juicier, and therefore more crushable. The mouth feel on this is wonderful too, its heavy but not cloying, its not too heavy, but just right, the silky smoothness of it works well too and makes it an enjoyable drink. There is no hop bite or hop bitterness, and its a typical and well crafted New England IPA in that aspect that its pure flavor and taste. The combo of Mosaic and Citra (see insert of Hallmark meme that has been going around and around and around on beer groups on Facebook lately) works well here. Sometimes you just can’t beat a trusted and well done hop combo, and this proves it. This is tropical, with a bit of zest, some melon, a bit of peach, a good dose of mango, and the wee faintest hint of melon rind, pine, and passionfruit. There is no off flavors, nothing acidic, nothing cloying, no bad or awkward aftertaste, nothing lingering or off putting – this is just a very well crafted, well made New England IPA that goes down easy and smooth and is extremely tasty and drinkable. Both of these beers (I Voted for Kang and I Voted for Kodos) has sold me on Second Sin Brewing Company, and hopefully anyone else who has tried these it has sold them on the brewery as well, because these were phenomenal beers and they certainly deserve the praise they’ve been getting.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.22 (as of 12.5.20)

Out of the two, if hard pressed – I would pick I Voted for Kang over I Voted for Kodos. But thats an extremely close call, and both are extremely delicious beers.

Happy Repeal Day everyone. Make sure you go out and support a local craft brewery and drink some beer!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Ok, lets break down some of the nerdy pop culture beers I’ve reviewed:

Star Wars:

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

Beer Review: Game of Thrones: My Watch Has Ended (Omnegang Brewery)

The Simpsons:

Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Pro Wrestling:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Other:

Seinfeld:

Beer Review: Jon Voight’s Car (RAR Brewing)

Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)

BKline — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 13:04:00 +0000

Don’t Blame Me…. I Voted for Kodos

As with everything, if I can push the blame off me (yet still take credit when I can), I will… so let me be the first to say: I voted for Kodos (Kodos Johnson to be exact), so you can’t blame me.

In one of the funniest bits from The Simpsons as a whole, and from the various Treehouses of Horror, the Citizen Kang segment from Treehouse of Horror VII. For the uninitiated, Kang and Kodos are aliens (Rigellians) from the planet Rigel 7. They appear (sometimes as main segments, sometimes as just cameos) in every Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons. The episodes; especially through the first years; are humorous parodies and looks at different horror movies, thrillers, or cultural cues. In later years they’ve begun to parody just about anything popular at the time.

We Must Move Forward, Not Backward, Upward, not Forward, and Always… Twirling, Twirling, Twirling Towards Freedom

Each Treehouse of Horror episode is broken down into three segments or acts. In Citizen Kang (which is the third act of Treehouse of Horror VII – season 8), Kang and Kodos abduct Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and basically steal their identity and ‘body snatch’ them and replace them with themselves. This ends up leaving people with no real chance of voting, because…. who can vote third party? (Sorry Ross Perot.)

Twirling… Twirling… Twirling

Should you ever see two combatant politicians hold hands as they walk around town… you should immediately know something is up. Could you imagine Donald Trump and Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton holding hands? Or Bush Jr and Al Gore? Or anyone with Putin? Not likely. So always be leery and on the lookout for tell tale signs like this. Also – if your politician tells you that you need to always be twirling… twirling… twirling towards freedom…. most likely he’s an alien in disguise… or a former cheerleader and gymnast who got stuck at a podium and is crying out for help.

Twirling Towards Freedom

Having grown up on a steady diet of Simpsons and pop culture and now in my fast becoming late 30s (le sigh) once I heard of these two beers being released (I Voted for Kodos and I Voted for Kang) by Second Sin Brewing Company; I got all the feels and the nostalgia and member-berries and had to have them. Like all of the Star Wars beers I’ve reviewed, I had to also get ahold of these to review as well. Luckily, from the brewery itself, I was alerted to the fact that there’s a Facebook group for Second Sin Brewing called Disciples of Second Sin. Since it was unlikely I would make it to Bristol PA before they were sold out, I was trying to trade / buy from someone who lived in the area and could ship or bring closer, and luckily Steve Orbanek contacted me with the hookup. So big shout out to him and major props and huge thank you’s go to Steve Orbanek for the hookup and to Second Sin Brewing for alerting me to the group.

When I got home from my Indy trip, the package was on my doorstep which was all the cooler as a nice return gift. Steve even threw in a third beer for me (for free) for a future beer review, so I’ll keep you all in suspense and just say that you all will get a bonus beer review soon thanks to Steve.

Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Bristol Pennsylvania. According to Untappd they have 138 unique beers and a global average rating of 4.07 (as of 11.26.20). Their Untappd description is blank.

I Voted for Kodos by Second Sin Brewing Company

However, don’t let anyone tell you that these candidates are the same…oh, no. Kang is primarily hopped with the tropical and fruity Citra, while Kodos is loaded with dank and melony Mosaic.

Steve was kind of enough to trade me both I Voted for Kodos and I Voted for Kang; so be on the lookout soon for the second of these two reviews (as well as the bonus beer that Steve sent). I started with Kodos (primarily just for the “don’t blame me I voted for Kodos” line).

Appearance is a very golden New England IPA look, hazy, opaque, no sediment, bright golden brew. This looks like a slightly darker and heavier looking orange juice. It has a foamy, creamy, white head, with great carbonation, and varied and diverse bubbles; and left a beautiful lacing on the glass.

Aroma is a bouquet of hops, a buffet of hoppy smells, like diving your nose right into a bag of the good stuff. The galaxy, Idaho 7, and Mosaic hops create a wonderful hop aroma, heavy, dank, melon, some grapefruit, stone fruit, some citrus, and a whiff of pine. Some peach, some passionfruit rounds out the cornucopia of hop aromas and mouth watering smell.

Now lets get to the fun part of this… drinking this beauty. And hmmmmm is this tasty. It is a dank, juicy, New England IPA, with a lot going for it. It has an interesting mild ‘spice’ kick, subtle, but you get it as you drink, its an interesting note that adds to the beer. The primary flavors though come from the blend of hops used – Galaxy, Idaho 7, and Mosaic. Strong flavors of the stone and tropical fruits, a heavy dose of peach and passionfruit, light grapefruit notes (which could also provide a bit of the kick too), and the faintest lingering taste of sticky pine and a small dollop of earthy notes and tones (faint, ever so faint, but slightly discernible). This is a smooth drinking beer too. It has just the right mouthfeel and texture, and slick and smoothness to the drink. A four pack of this could easily be crushed sitting out, or mowing, or reading, or hanging out with friends, or even sitting around a campfire. At 6.7% its a good buzz inducing beer that won’t knock you right out either, so its perfect to sit around with friends or mowing. The hop blend is really wonderful here, the peach, to passionfruit, to citrus, to melon, and melon rinds, with the hint of grapefruit, pine, wee bit of kick at the finishing touches, leaves a great taste in your mouth, and makes this just a delicious brew all around. This was my first beer by Second Sin Brewing, and I am totally sold by them, and can see why they have a 4+ average rating. This is smooth, silky, nice mouthfeel, not watery, hoppy, dank, juicy, and with a blasting amount of flavors. This is just a well crafted beer through and through.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 4.19 (as of 11.26.20)

Thank you everyone for taking the time out on Turkey Day – Thanksgiving – to give this a read. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, either with friends, family, or with your own small(er) gathering this year. This is certainly a different Thanksgiving for most of us than we’ve been used to. It has been quite the challenge this year, but hopefully everyone can stay safe, healthy, and have a happy Thanksgiving, as we push towards the end of the year and the merrier time of the year.

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

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For more info on Kodos:

The Trip to Indy – Day 7 Recap: There and Back Again – A Drunk Hobbit’s Tale (WhiteHorse Brewing LLC, Gearhouse Brewing Company, Rubber Soul Brewing)

BKline — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 04:30:00 +0000

Cucumber Falls at Ohiopyl State Park

Started the day waking up in Morgantown West Virginia to the full cacophony of noises one can only hear at an Econo Lodge at 5AM. After getting situated, getting gas, mountain dew for the drive, basic necessities, I made the hour and a half trek to Ohiopyl Pennsylvania. There I made landfall in the state park at 10:30AM.

I started at the parking lot by the Cucumber Falls (pictured above) and took the long yellow trail. It was about 6 miles out and back to get to Flatrock and then Cascade Falls. (I’ll post pictures of them in the full recap.) This was a more difficult hiking trail than some I’ve done on the trip. The Meadow Run rapids and the Cascade Falls were equally beautiful.

There was a few other things to do in Ohiopyl, but since this was my last day, and by 3PM (the time I finished the hike), I figured it would be best to head home. It was roughly a 2.5-3 hour drive home, so I wanted to get moving. If I took the turnpike (and selected tolls) on my Google phone GPS maps whatever, it was going to be 2 hours and 15 some minutes (plus stops). If I did no tolls, it had me drop into Maryland just below the Mason-Dixon line and then come back up and be 3 hours and 34 minutes. Or something like that (don’t quote me on it exactly, I didn’t write it down).

But, I didn’t take either of these routes. I wanted to at least try a brewery in the area, since I most likely won’t be in this area again. So the closest, most local brewery, was Whitehorse Brewing LLC in Berlin. So off I went. Forty minute or so drive there.

Whitehorse Brewing LLC

I was a bit surprised by this place, because it looked like a typical development / suburban house and garage. (And I’m pretty sure it was, just converted into a brewery.) Inside was the brewer and a bartender and they were extremely nice, generous, and talkative about the area. I got an Apple Butter Cream Ale and enjoyed it outside by the fire before moving on.

Instead of driving for 2-2.5 hours straight home, I decided to break it up and hit another Pennsylvania brewery I hadn’t been to yet….

Gearhouse Brewing

Gearhouse Brewing in Chambersburg. I’ve heard nothing but good things, and know the brewers and many people who frequent it, unfortunately, getting down to Chambersburg hasn’t been in the cards until now. So I stopped there, had a flight, a delicious hamburger, and then it was ontowards home.

Sort of.

Earlier in the day my friend Drew texted me saying if I was home by 5 he’d be at Rubber Soul; well that didn’t work out, but my mom had wanted to go to Rubber Soul to try their Italian Wedding Soup (as did I; being a huge huge huge fan of Italian Wedding Soups), so I drove to my parents place, and we walked over to Rubber Soul for dinner.

Rubber Soul flight

And while I was gone, they had released four new beers I hadn’t had yet, so I got a flight of the beers I’ve missed (enjoyed all of them by the way, especially the blueberry pomegranate IPA and the sticky stout). Showed mom the pictures of my trip, the museums, the waterfalls, etc. Discussed how her grandmum (pure 100% Italian) made wedding soup, and my mom even went so far as to say this was her favorite Italian Wedding Soup she’s had not made by her family. Which for her would be extremely high praise.

Finally got home, and got to be reunited with my dog who I hadn’t seen since Sunday morning when I left. My ex-wife took good care of her, but she was still so super eager to greet me and take another walk that she basically pulled me the entire way.

Leela at home

The above picture doesn’t do justice to how excited she was to see me, and I have to say the feeling was very mutual. I sure missed my pup.

After taking her for a long walk, came home to see that I had a beer mail package from a buddy out in Bristol PA.

Beer Mail

We did a trade 2 cans for 2, and he threw in the extra – 12 oz can of Dulachan by Lavery – for me to review for the blog, free of charge. Thanks Steve! So be on the lookout for all three of these being reviewed soon.

Well, it is 11:30, and I am exhausted and its been a long seven day trip and I can finally rest and sleep in my own bed, so that is exactly what I am going to do.

Goodnight everyone and cheers, and thanks for following along on the trip!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(in no particular order)

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

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

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

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

All Together by Ever Grain Brewing Co.

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

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

Other Half All Together recipe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-B. Kline

All Together by Ever Grain Brewing Company