Sneak Peek - The Beer Thrillers

Local Time Brewery

B. Kline — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 17:05:00 +0000

Local Time Brewery located in Holly Springs, North Carolina

Local Time Brewery

Recently Local Time Brewery reached out to us asking us to write about them. Normally I do this when we can visit the brewery and talk to the brewers and hang out (like we’ve done with Sworn Brewing and The Beerded Goat Brewery lately), but unfortunately Local Time Brewery is a pretty long haul from The Beer Thrillers HQ. Local Time Brewery is located in Holly Springs, North Carolina. (Its just a 7 hour and 4 minute drive…. thats all.)

But, I did take a look over their stuff, and their social media, and I do enjoy helping out small breweries, especially ones just starting out and doing good things for people and the community. So I wanted to still write about them and give them a shout out and get them some recognition and give people a heads up about them.

Local Time Brewing

If you do want to visit Local Time Brewing – and I recommend it – you can find them at 300 S Main St Ste 204, Holly Springs, NC 27540. A wonderful Main Street location in beautiful Holly Springs.

Their hours are:

Monday	3 PM – 10 PM
Tuesday	3 PM – 10 PM
Wednesday	3 PM – 10 PM
Thursday	3 PM – 10 PM
Friday	2 PM – 11 PM
Saturday	12 PM – 11 PM
Sunday	12 PM – 9 PM

They are open plenty of hours for you to be able to stop in. They are relatively new but with so many hours thats a great sign. According to their Facebook page they also allow outside food and pets are welcome.

Hops at Local Time Brewery (photo courtesy of Local Time Brewing Facebook page)

Boarding Pass Pilsner

Local Time Brewery is partnering with Children’s Flight of Hope with Boarding Pass Pilsner. This is a great cause and its wonderful to see the brewery helping and participating and giving back to their community through charities such as this.

Children’s Flight of Hope

CFOH is dedicated to providing vital medical flights for children in need, including our 4 year old ‘passenger’ Kipley of Conway, Arkansas. Kipley receives treatment in Philadelphia for Tay-Sachs, a rare genetic neurodegenerative disease for which there is currently no cure.

Boarding Pass Pilsner

Partnering for a Cause

In partnership with IBM, we’ve been actively raising funds for Children’s Flight of Hope (CFOH) throughout the summer.

Now, with the release of our Boarding Pass Pilsner, we’re excited to elevate our efforts even further. This collaboratively brewed crisp pilsner embodies the essence of community and was designed exclusively for Hops for Hope, a fundraising channel of CFOH.

As we approach the main Hops for Hope fundraising event – a family-friendly festival on September 16 in North Hills – where breweries from around the region will showcase their creations, we invite you to be part of this meaningful journey. Join us at our area fundraising events, attend the main event in Raleigh, contribute directly to CFOH through online donations or when settling your tab, or simply grab a Pils in the taproom!

Every donation directly supports CFOH and bolsters our friendly competition among 29 other corporate and brewery teams, all united in the shared goal of making a difference.
Local Time Brewery – Boarding Pass Pilsner

If you wish to donate on your own – you may do so here: “Donate to Children’s Flight of Hope“.

Check Them Out

If you are in the Holly Springs area of North Carolina, or find yourself commuting through, or looking for a new brewery to travel to – give Local Time Brewery a stop and a glance and a check out. Local brewery, local people, small business, with community ties and helping out charities. Why not give them your patronage and check them out?

For More Information on Local Time Brewery

The following information comes from Untappd. Local Time Brewing is a micro brewery from Holly Springs, North Carolina. They have 19 unique beers, and just shy of 1,000 ratings. They have a global average rating of 3.83 (as of 8.23.23). Their Untappd description is blank.

You can find them on the following social media pages:

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Getting Sworn In: A Sneak Preview of Sworn Brewing

joshdoncevic — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Head Brewer and Co – Owner Jesse Mills greets Amy, Josh, and Ben at Sworn Brewing Company to give The Beer Thrillers a sneak peek of the brewery.

Getting a Look at Sworn Brewing

This is going to be a long post about the soon to be brewery – Sworn Brewing Company coming to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Josh, Amy, and I (Ben) got to come out and visit Jesse and Amanda at Sworn Brewing and get to hang out for a bit and check out the place in a behind the scenes look.

Firstly, I want to say sorry for it taking so long to get this article out. It has been super hectic here at The Beer Thrillers HQ, and with all of us writing this article. We had a crazy busy weekend – and busy week – when we got out to visit. (Saturday – Amy and I were in Vandergrift celebrating Allusion Brewing Company’s Battle of the Breweries Win; Sunday – a friend of mine invited me to go with to Philly to watch the Premier League games, and then Monday – Amy, Josh, and I got to visit Sworn Brewing Company.) (And this was all on top of the other stuff we had going on, most of which is articles you can find on here.) (Speaking of that – you can read the Allusion Articles here: Allusion Brewing Company Celebration Party and An Alluring Trip Out To Vandergrift For Allusion Brewing Company’s Appreciation Party.)

I have also been very busy with our “Futurama Monday” – which has been a new blog article as well as new YouTube video essay each Monday.

This is also Josh’s first time jumping back in and writing with us since 2021. So welcome back Josh! Good to have you back buddy!

So before I hand things over to Josh, I’ll give a quick set up to this, and then we will go from there.

The Set – Up

Amanda and Jesse are married and co – owners of Sworn Brewing Company. Jesse is also head brewer. We heard about them opening up their new brewery in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and I reached out to Amanda when I saw a post of hers’ on one of the beer groups. We locked down a meeting date – July 24th, 2023 – and all set to go. So Josh, Amy, and myself met with Amanda and Jesse and got a walk through and a sneak peek look at the upcoming brewery.

For this article, I’m going to let Josh start us off, then switch over to Amy, and then I’ll wrap things up and conclude the article. Please let us know in the comments section what you think of this, and if you like how this article looks and reads. (Josh and I did a similar article when we got a behind the scenes look at Mellow Mink – and Amy and I did similar with a sneak peek of The Beerded Goat).

Getting Sworn In – A Behind the Scenes Look at Sworn Brewing Company

The entrance to Sworn Brewing Company in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Oh … hey there. It’s that other beer nerd that used to do beer reviews. Long time no see, right? An even longer time since I’ve written a review, let alone been here to co-author a brewer interview. Perfect time to come back, right? Thought so. I could waste your valuable time reading more drivel or I could just cut to the chase. Probably best if I just got stuck in about the visit Amy, Ben, and I had at a small brewery called Sworn Brewing Company located off East Trindle Road.

Sometimes one just needs to let opportunity in when it knocks, lest one be left out in the cold, so when the chance to visit a brand new, not yet open, brewery came across my notifications, I may have had to invite myself (okay, who am I kidding, I totally invited myself) to check the place out and get to know the new face. Truth be told though, Jesse Mills is no new face in the brewing scene. He knows his way around a Fermenter and Brite tank as he’s got some serious chops, having been in the business for over a decade. An excellent starting point and will make for great conversation. Upon arrival, I’m greeted with a quaint location tucked behind the Atlantic Pools and slot in near a black Subaru WRX STi (don’t worry about the car bro, we’re here for beer). Ben and Amy haven’t yet arrived, but no harm I figure, I’m early so I’ll just walk in and introduce myself. Step through the glass door with a small sign denoting what was once a catering business is now a brewery and step into a remarkable little place. I’d never have guessed that Jesse and his wife Amanda had been working tirelessly for a month prior to put the place right. A month? Wait … *checks notes* … yep, a literal month since the spot was purchased, did the new owners turn the key and renovate the inside. And what a transformation they’ve done. The floors still bear the character of tire prints from being a garage and then the spots and spills of a catering hub, but they are as clean as ever, given the elbow grease put into them. A corrugated metal and Australian wood bartop adorn the rear quarter of the space, adding function, form, and beauty. The walls were painted dark to add an air of comfort and warmth, and the overhead Edison lights help to drive that feeling home. Even with the place 80% complete, I feel immediately welcome, as if this brewery has been here forever. Jesse is gleefully explaining how things will look when Ben and Amy finally walk through the door. FINALLY! We can get down to business and talk shop with the rightfully excited owners.

Sworn Brewing Company Patio

There’s something beautiful in watching someone who is passionate about their field of expertise talk about what makes them happy. In the few hours we spent with Jesse, I don’t recall ever seeing the mile wide smile leave his countenance. His joy was infectious and I know I’m not the only one that feels this way. The brewery is small on purpose, not because droves of people aren’t invited, but because a personal, individual approach is more easily achieved. Customers aren’t going to be seen as a number, but as friends or family. While that will come off as a negative to some, personally I see it as their greatest strength. In keeping things small, the beer will only benefit from this approach because scaling production up means many of the nuances and subtleties are glossed over or don’t have the chance to be experienced. I could go on and on about what was discussed, but there are two other authors waiting for me to finish gushing over the splendid time and laughs shared, so I’ll button up and discuss one of the liquid libations afforded to our visit.

Sworn Brewing Tap List

One such drink was called “Dreams Debunked”. This pineapple and strawberry kettle sour sits low on octane and high on enjoyment. With the outside reaching deep into the 80’s (and 90’s the week after), this sweetheart of a sipper could function quite nicely as a break from midday chores or a sweet treat at the end of the summer’s day. Tropical waves wash over your sense of smell and suddenly the absence of sand beneath your feet becomes apparent. You’re still in Central PA, but your nose is on a beach (lucky devil). Honestly, I could have lived in the nose of Dreams Debunked, but not tasting it would have been a disservice to our hosts, so … bottoms up! As in the description, so too on the tongue does pineapple show up first. And it does so in a very dominate fashion, almost to the point where I questioned if strawberry was included. Almost. You see, there was a bit of a time element to this tart concoction and not enough of it had elapsed. There was plenty of time left in our visit, which meant there was plenty of time to get acquainted with our hosts and this beverage. Good thing too, as the more my taste buds became used to the liquid, so too did more flavor notes appear. The once king pineapple had abdicated its throne to allow its equally tart and sweet partner time in the limelight. The bottom third of this sample is glorious, almost jammy (or marmalade for our Commonwealth constituents) strawberry. The flavors and fruit mentioned in the description are, in fact, present and accounted for. All it needs is a little time and patience. Speaking of time and patience, Sworn Brewing Company is not yet open, though the target is set for September. I’ll be honest, I can’t wait to get Sworn in. How about you, Amy?

Josh

Dreams Debunked by Sworn Brewing Company

Sworn To a Good Time at Sworn Brewing

It was just a few weeks ago The Beer Thrillers gang was invited for a sneak peek of the new Sworn Brewing company and taproom. Owners Jesse and Amanda Mills were there to show us their second home. The minute you walk in you can tell these 2 have poured their heart and soul into opening this nano – brewery.

I mean that type of passion should be evident by this quote from their Facebook page “We will strive to make sure the highest quality items we can get our hands on will be used in every single process. Everything that comes out of our taps, every single small batch of beer that we make will go through a rigorous quality control process. If it does not meet our standards, it will never be consumed by the customer. We are not here to cut corners, we are here to make sure we can provide you with the best possible experience that you deserve, what the craft brewing industry deserves!”

We also got the sense of feeling pretty comfortable like they were trying to create a second home for us and the rest of our beer drinking friends. Well actually, there are plans to accommodate our liquor and wine drinking friends as well, stay tuned. Jesse Mills adds using local distilleries and wineries is very important to him and the rest of the Sworn family.

When they served us our first taster of beer Amanda has put down some chips with queso and some salsa as well. The queso and salsa were house made and intentions of putting it on the menu were also discussed. Both Amanda and Jesse started talking about the same passion about these ingredients as they did about the beer they just served us.

Chips, queso, salsa, and Dreams Debunked

But let’s back up a second. We were given a taste of the Dreams Debunked fruited sour with Pineapple and Strawberry. This lightly fruited sour has an ABV of 4.2% and lightly dances on the tongue. The fruit is not overpowering in anyway. What excited me the most was the pairing of the smoked queso along with the Dreams Debunked.

Dreams Debunked by Sworn Brewing Company

Homer Drooling Over Dreams Debunked

The smokiness of the queso with the salt from the chip paired with the sweet from the Dreams Debunked also helped accent the two different flavors. When I first started drinking DD I tasted strawberry by the end and including the queso I tasted the pineapple.

Jesse also commented, when they are setup and ready, they will be making fresh bread to go along with the house made queso as well as other items for dipping.

Happy Hump Day!!!!

So… We hung up some lights and made some bread for a test run we are more than excited to share additional details as we continue to progress. Opening date info is coming soon just a few more items to complete
Sworn Brewing Company – Facebook Post About Bread

(Photos courtesy of Sworn Brewing Company’s Facebook Page)

Sworn will be welcoming food trucks to go along with their beverage pairings.

Don’t let the unyielding passion for high quality products steer you away thinking it is a serious crowd. When you walk into the bathroom you are greeted with a picture of Mr. Jones above the toilet and as you would turn to use the toilet or hopefully walk towards the sink to wash your hands you are greeted with a picture of Craig Jones the Movie Friday.

Jesse and Amanda are giggling right along with us as they tell us they can’t wait to hear the first customer walk in there and bust out laughing from seeing the pictures.

This is your place to hang out and for everyone wanting an excellent product, welcoming atmosphere and something relaxing and not so serious. We can’t wait to add this spot to our frequent stops.

A Look Behind The Sword at Sworn Brewing Company

As I said at the top of the article, discussed getting to meet with them, and we did get to on Monday – July 24th. Amy and I dropped Scarlet off at my parents after Amy came home from work and then we were off to Mechanicsburg. Hit a little traffic on the bridge, but got there in no time.

Josh beat us there, but we were immediately greeted by Amanda and Jesse. Both super awesome and wonderful people. They showed us around the place, talking about the brewery’s past – as a catering business (twice over) and a car shop.

It was great listening to their plans for the building itself. They discussed the bar top, the wood of it, the corrugated steel for the outside of it, the epoxy used on the wood, etc. The attention to detail is incredible with Jesse.

The story of them trying to pain the tiles of the ceiling for the bathroom was hilarious, and thus why only the bathroom has the black tiles and not the whole brewery.

Jesse is very focused on his beer and discussed his past brewing experience – both professionally and as a home brewer. The brewing system at Sworn Brewing Company is going to be a 1 BBL system. Not much bigger than home brewing for Jesse. He said he prefers it this way – it lets him be more precise, dialed in, and make the exact beer he wants.

With Jesse and Amanda we got to discuss a great number of topics big and small. From the brewery itself, to past brewing experiences, to consumer experiences, to new breweries in the area – and old breweries in the area – to competitions in brewing, to traveling for beer (Vermont, New Hampshire, The Answer, etc.), we discussed beer groups and beer blogs – both good and bad – online, Untappd, and the other factors that will play into how successful a brewery is.

Amanda and Jesse are very community focused. They love their location, love Mechanicsburg, and want to see both thrive. They live in Dillsburg which didn’t have any good locations suitable for them, so they opened up shop on Trindle Road.

Dreams Debunked (photo courtesy of Sworn Brewing Company’s Facebook page)

Dreams Debunked was absolutely amazing. A wonderful, delicious sour. From this alone – I know I can’t wait for the brewery to open up and get to try the rest of that tap list he’s preparing.

The brewery itself is very inviting. With the roll up bay door and the entrance leading you right to the bar, with all of the available seating (including a table reserved for their parents at all times – complete with LEGO Flowers), the entire place is just very homey.

Sworn Brewing Company (photo courtesy of their Facebook page)

Listening to Jesse and Amanda discuss their plans for the future – with food trucks, home made bread, the world renowned hot dog vendor that they know personally, and so much more – it will be fantastic. This will certainly be a great boon to the town and the brewing community in the area.

Jesse Mills comes with a great brewing background, having home brewed, and brewed professionally. He’s beaten some great local breweries in home brewing competitions, as home brewed with a group and worked with Derek Markel, and professionally brewed with Sign of the Horse Brewing.

(Plus rumor is that they are Bengals fans… so I mean… right there they gotta be good folk right?! Can I get a Who Dey?!)

This is what we love about the small breweries. Seeing how much they support, impact, and help out communities. And knowing that your money is going to a family that loves what they do, and wants to give back to their community, want to grow in their craft, and support their family and friends.

Congratulations to Jesse and Amanda Mills, we cannot way to come back for Sworn Brewing Company’s opening – and many more times in the future after that.

B. Kline

Sworn Brewing Company

For more information on Sworn Brewing Company, you can find them on the following social media pages:

Josh, Amy, and I

Again – I want to reiterate that Josh, Amy, and I (B. Kline) greatly appreciated the opportunity to come out and get to check out Sworn Brewing Company. It was a wonderful time getting to hang out with wonderful people and we can only help this gets them more attention before their opening. If you are reading it – I cannot recommend that you stop out and visit them enough.

Look for them to be having announcements about grand openings, soft openings, and more around the beginning of September.

Josh

We welcome Josh back after a hiatus of writing. At the end of this article I will post a link to Josh, Amy, and Ben’s most viewed articles. But for now, check out his Beer Review of Ghost in a Machine by Parish Brewing Company.

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:

Author Articles

Amy’s Weekly Column Series

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

Brewfests with Anxiety (Amy’s original weekly column start)
I’ve Missed Drinking (A Look at Non Alcoholic Beers)
Beer and Pretzel Review: Legends and Lore (St. Boniface Brewing Company) and Garlic Parm Pretzels (Pretzels.com)
Peanut Butter Eggs, Easter, Beer, and YAH Brew’s Shimmy Shake (Beer Review)
Cox Brewing Company: Back to Their Roots
Amy’s Day Off
It Was All A Dream (A Visit to YAH Brewing)
Just Another Weekend (A Hike at Saint Pete’s Trail and Hares Hill Brewing)
I’m Pretty Darn Lucky (Happy Mother’s Day)
Ready to Kick of the Summer
Beer Review: Beer Devil IPA (Niagara Brewing Company)
World MS Day
Have you ever picked a beer based on the can art?
Happy Father’s Day
What is Your Summer Time Go To Beer?
Holiday Weekend and Bomber Bottles
Baby’s First Ffej
We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company
Beer Review: Pocono Punch (Barley Creek Brewing Company)
You can find all of Amy’s articles here: Amy’s Archive of Articles.

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

Josh

Some of Josh’s beer reviews:

B. Kline

Some of Ben’s articles:

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.

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.

A Sneak Peek at The Beerded Goat Brewery

B. Kline — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 16:46:26 +0000

The Beerded Goat Brewery

As we reported a few weeks ago – The Beerded Goat Brewing Company Has Taken Over the Old NewFangled Brewery – and tonight is their grand opening.

They were gracious enough to invite us out (thanks Jason and Brian) to their brewery to do some tastings and to check out the place.

Before we get into the tastings and discussing the wonderful, and amazing beers, let’s first talk about the brewery. Newfangled Brewery closed their doors back in August of 2022, leaving Union Station lacking a brewery, a restaurant, and a big central hub for people to meet and gather.

Since that time, Union Station has only grown. Shawn Grant’s BBQ that he was running out of Newfangled Brew Works right before they closed, moved across the street and became Nomad Pizza. Several other businesses have opened across the street from the old brewery, and the community itself has grown larger.

Located at 8001 Union Station Blvd Harrisburg, PA 17111, in the former home of Newfangled Brew Works as part of the development of “Union Station” off of Union Deposit.

The Beerded Goat Brewery – exterior. Previously the front of the brewery, will now be the back of the brewery. (8001 Union Station Blvd.)

The brewery sits as the center hub for the Union Station development and community. It is a huge spacious building with a large attached restaurant that will be used in the future. Currently the old Koda restaurant will be sitting empty, but it will be used in the future (more on that later in the article).

The Beerded Goat Interior

Mural in the doorway leading into the (old entrance of the) brewery

We were invited out to come hang out with Brian, the head brewer, at 5:30 PM. We arrived a bit early (5:14 PM to be exact) and drove the neighborhood a bit to see how different it was when I was last out (when Newfangled Brew Works closed).

We then entered from used to be the main entrance of the brewery – the entrance facing Union Station Blvd. (Jason later explained to me that this will become the back of the brewery, and will not be a usable entrance for patrons to come in. Where the back entrance, and the large parking lot is will become the new main and only entrance into the brewery.)

Inside The Beerded Goat Brewery

Once you enter the brewery, you get a true scope of just how big the place is – spoiler: its huge. There is a ton of floor space, ton of seating, and a long bar as well. In the back wall there is already some games – SkeeBall and basketball games as well as a golf simulator game. They have also added a fireplace that wasn’t there before, and removed the old hastily put together stage.

Now enough about the interior and the building, lets get to what everyone here really wants to know about…. the beer!

The Beerded Goat Beer

The aftermath of our tasting

Amy and I introduced ourselves to Brian, the head brewer, who then took us over to the bar. He was willing to sit with us and talk about all of the beers, as well as give us a tasting glass of each beer down their entire tap list (as well as a pour of their bottled beer – Sure Thing).

We discussed the brew house, how the equipment is the same from Newfangled Brew Works. That to alter, change, or add and / or remove anything would be just too much effort, money, and would have to change a lot of set up and plans.

Amy and I decided we wouldn’t take a picture of each beer. We also didn’t bring a notebook for quoting and writing down things, wanting to keep the whole preview and discussions more informal and fun and upbeat. No need to get tied up in quoting and getting exactitudes.

Brian, Amy, and I went down the list of their beers on draft, as well as their mead, and a bottle of their Sure Thing. Brian also pulled us a ‘sneak peek’ at a barrel aged stout that will soon be available at the brewery. All the while we chatted, discussed the brewery, how the soft openings went, the barrel system, and more.

The Beerded Goat Beer Taplist (front)

The Beerded Goat Beer Taplist (back)

As you can see above, they have a wonderful wide arrange of styles. Brian discussed with us that he prefers the more traditional German styles, preferring the Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Laws) and maintaining that – to a degree. Obviously in today’s climate of craft beer, thats not a perfect solution, and no longer completely sustainable for any brewery to use that as their full emphasis (thus why you will see a Hazy IPA on the menu).

Starting right down the list, the first we got to taste was Yingstling Light. Brian explained to us this is the basic of basic beers – in so far as this is your “beer that tastes like beer”. This is the Miller Lite, the Coors Light, the Bud, etc, for your dad and grandpa and others who only typically drink macro.

Brian said it was also their best seller on the soft opening nights. Which makes the most sense, as Brian stated – it’s not going to be the highest rated on Untappd, but its going to be the most sold.

Yingstling Lager is a 4.5% ABV Lager – American Light beer. The Untappd description reads: “Beer flavored beer. Enough Said.” And there is no IBU listed for this beer.

Next up was Easy Mold. A very drinkable, light, delicious Kolsch. Easy Mode is a 5.25% ABV (no IBU listed) Kolsch; the Untappd description reads: “Brewed with Weyermann floor malted Pilsner, and a touch of Vienna and wheat malt. Hopped exclusively with Hallertau Mittlefreuh and fermented cool with a classic Kolsch yeast. Soft and gentle with subtle white grape esters”

This was a very tasty, delicious beer. We discussed Brian’s previous brewing experience – working for River Bend Brewery, Liquid Noise Brewing, and Mount Gretna Brewing. He also still loves to home brew and does so quite often. Shows just how much passionate he is about brewing, that he is basically doing it in his free time as a hobby.

The cocktail menu at The Beerded Goat

Brian told us he doesn’t like Hefeweizens. Stemming from his time at River Bend where they made that continuously. So instead, he has an American Wheat – that is definitely not a Hefeweizen. It’s called “Don’t Got Time for Bananas”. This is a 5.25% ABV (no IBU listed) American Pale Wheat beer. The Untappd description is: “Brewed with Pilsner and wheat malts. Hopped in the kettle with Centennial hops and fermented with a clean American ale yeast. Soft and pillowy mouthfeel with a strong citrus backbone. This is NOT a Hefeweizen.”

The Standard was up next, and Brian joined us for this one. This is one of his favorites he said. Its a Czech Pilsner, and it was very crisp, very delicious. Its a Pilsner – Czech / Bohemian that clocks in at 5.3% (no IBU listed) with an Untappd description of: “Brewed with 100% Weyermann floor malted Pilsner and hopped with 100% Check saaz. Spunded for natural carbonation. Crisp, clean, and crystal clear. Mild grainy notes of soft honey balanced by an assertive and refreshing bitterness. This is the Standard.” It was a slightly hopped up version of a Pilsner, but when I say “slightly” I mean – “slightly”. With it being spunded, it had a wonderful carbonation, and was downright delicious.

Next up was the Hazy IPA. A style Brian says he doesn’t really enjoy making, but understands you should always have one on tap anymore. He said a perfect world for him would be all German style beers with only one IPA on tap – once per year. They currently have two on tap at The Beerded Goat, but both are worlds apart different.

Wizard Circle is a Hazy New England IPA that comes in at 6% and is extremely fruity and pillowy. Wonderful light body to it with a wealth of flavor and fruit notes. The Untappd description is: “Brewed with Pilsner, oat and wheat malts with a touch of honey malt. Kettle hopped, dry hopped, and double dry hopped with Simcoe and El Dorado. Fermented on passionfruit. Soft, juicy, and tropical.”

The McMule is a dry cider and is an “Irish take on a Moscow Mule” as Brian would describe it. Amy’s favorite non – beer drink is a Moscow Mule so this was completely up her alley. The McMule is a very dry, crisp, ginger and lime cider. Its a Cider – Herbed / Spiced / Hopped according to Untappd and is 6.5%, the Untappd description reads: “Cider infused with fresh ginger and lime.”

We saved the barley wine for later (W. W. A. M. B.) and next went to the Double IPA – a west coast styled IPA called Bitter Trends.

Bitter Trends is a 8.1% ABV Double IPA (west coast style); Untappd description reads: “Brewed with Pilsner malt and corn sugar for an ultra dry and simple beer to showcase the hops. Hopped in the kettle, dry hopped and double dry hopped with Columbus, Mosaic, and Strata. Notes of dank tropical blueberries and mangoes with a solid bitterness to pull it all together.” This had super strong notes of mango and light notes of blueberry. It absolutely blew us away, and for not liking the style, Brian joined us in drinking it, and Amy and I agreed this was Top 3 for the night.

After this, we got to try Brian’s first try at a Dortmund Lager. And he certainly nailed it on his first try. The Dortmund Lager – Expat Lager – was wonderful. Clocking in at 6.3% it is a bit higher for lagers, and one of the higher beers that The Beerded Goat offers, but not out of the realm of “crushable”. The Untappd description reads: “Golden colored lager brewed with Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts. Hopped with Hallertau Mittlefreuh. A solid balance between maltiness and bitterness.”

We got to discuss with Brian styles and what he was looking at for the brewery. This is a good point to mention that he wanted to mainly focus on lower ABV beers. Other than the mead (9%) and the barley wine (12%), the rest of the beers were around the 5-6% range. The highest being 6.3% and 6.5%, and the others being mostly 5, 5.25, and 5.3%. He wants an atmosphere where people can sit, hang out for a while, and drink several, rather than have one that they’ll sip on the whole time.

Next up we got to try the mead. And this was another phenomenal drink. Its lactose, its sugary, its sweet, its strawberry – which isn’t usually particularly a flavor I enjoy but here it worked so well. It reminded me of a candy I had as a kid that I couldn’t name or think of, and Amy and Brian were no help on that end either, but I feel like its on the tip of my tongue. Brian wants to do regular releases of the mead but in different flavors, peach, chocolate, peanut butter, marshmellow, etc.

This particular one was lactose, strawberries, and Madagascar Vanilla. Its called Milkshake Mead and clocks in at 9%. The Untappd description reads: “Mead brewed with lactose, strawberries and Madagascar vanilla beans. Sweet and decadent.”

Next up was a Nitro Porter. So as you can see, they are really hitting all the different styles here. Mead, cider, nitro, dark, light, heavy, low end, etc. Which is wonderful. Amy and I often discuss how great it is to see breweries with full varied lists, rather than “IPA, IPA, Hazy IPA, Hazy IPA, Milkshake IPA, Sour, Sour, Fruited Sour, Seltzer, Pastry Stout”.

The Nitro Porter is called Heroes and Villains. It is an American Porter, and does clock in a bit higher at 7.2% on the scale, but the Nitro makes it so smooth you won’t even notice it. (Speaking of that though – the Bitter Trends is also deceptively smooth for an 8%, so be careful with that bad boy as well.) Heroes and Villains Untappd description reads: “Brewed with a base of Pilsner malt and a blend of English crystal and chocolate malts. Dark brown with ruby red highlights and creamy tan head. Notes of roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Served on nitro.”

Finally it was time for the barleywine. One of my favorite styles. Titled “W. W. A. M. B.” What does that stand for? Why it stands for “What Would Angry Mark Brew”. And knowing Mark… this certainly fits the bill. It is a delicious barley wine, and while I might be slightly biased about styles and likes, this certainly fits the bill for what makes a good barleywine a good barleywine. Coming in at 12% its going to be a sipper rather than a crushable, but thats the point of it, and you’ll appreciate it. It’ll make for a great night cap to sit by the fire while reading your Canterbury Tales or Nietzsche. The Untappd description reads: “Brewed with Maris Otter malt and house made golden syrup. Hopped with East Kent Goldings and rested for many months in a Laird Apple Brandy Barrel.”

We discussed the brew system they have in place. They are going to keep it primarily all in house, with a few kegs going out to select and hand picked bars and locations. The system is set up for 40 barrel but he will be only brewing 20 barrel at a time, for ease, and to keep the kegs in house moving more smoothly. (40 barrels is a lot to move in house, and would limit the amount of styles and variations they could have on tap then. Would also hinder things from a business perspective as well.)

Brian then busted out the stout that will soon be coming on for everyone This was called Pit Master Stout. An English style stout barrel aged in Hidden Stills bourbon barrel. The Untappd description reads: “A collaboration with our friends at Smoked Bar and Grill in Hershey, English style stout aged in a Hidden Still bourbon barrel. A bit hit of bourbon on the nose with toasty notes of molasses and vanilla carry thing through the finish.”

A bottle of Sure Thing at The Beerded Goat Brewery

There was a couple a bit down from us at the bar doing some tasting with another crew member of The Beerded Goat Brewery. So we all split a bottle of the Sure Thing at the bar. Sure Thing is sold in 750ml bottles and will be available for both in house consumption and to go.

The Sure Thing is a collaboration with Cassel Vineyards. It is a wonderful 5.5% Farmhouse Ale, bitter, complex, sour, a whole host of flavors. Its wonderful. And makes for a great dinner beer in lieu of a wine. The Untappd description reads: “Mixed culture Farmhouse Ale Aged I red wine barrels with raspberries and apricots.”

Brian

(Check out our YouTube video here: Brian at The Beerded Goat.)

I want to take this opportunity to express Amy and my gratitude to Brian for taking the time to talk with us, hang out with us, and drink some amazing beers. Dude went above and beyond chatting with us about all kinds of things from small things to big things, from the brewing process, to the building, to his personal likes and dislikes and everything.

He is certainly a “back of the house” kinda guy, and you can tell he’s much more comfortable in the brewhouse than out front dealing with folks, but he did a marvelous job, and was very cool and a wonderful guy to hang out with. We spent about an hour and a half drinking the beers which is a wonderful amount of time. We can’t say enough thank you’s to him for that.

The Kitchen

After leaving the bar area, and saying goodbye and thanking Brian, we went to say our goodbyes to Jason, the gracious host who invited us out for the evening. Amy ran into an old friend and chatted with him while I got to talk to Jason for a while and pick his brain about the building, the business, and the location.

For a bit we talked about the old Taco Truck that was there when it was Newfangled Brew Works. He showed me the kitchen and how it looks and hows it going to operate as a ‘pop up kitchen’ for the restaurant. We chatted about the soft openings and how they went and how it helped get the kinks outs.

He discussed having Nomad Pizza on hand for the brewery as well. And how in the future he wants to utilize the Koda restaurant space for a steak and seafood restaurant to run with the brewery.

Jason certainly has big plans and its great to see them. He has a vision and wants to carry them out and really bring them home.

The big thing that Jason keeps circling back to is “community”. He wants this brewery to be the center of the Union Station community, and not just the Union Station community, but the whole area even. The Union Station development sits as a great straddle point for Nyes Road, Locust Lane, and several other big roads. Its also a big development with lots of houses.

Jason discussed the food menu as well a bit, and it looks wonderful and I really think the guests will love it. He said his head chef is amazing and has created some wonderful foods that he greatly enjoys.

The Patio

The Outdoor Patio area at The Beerded Goat

There is an outdoor patio at The Beerded Goat. Jason wanted me to emphasize one thing though – while it is accessible from outside; no one will know your there until you make yourself known. So don’t expect service until you come inside and let people know. Also, be respectful with your pets. While The Beerded Goat will be a dog friendly brewery, you still need to be respectful with them, and mindful of how they interact with others.

Grand Opening

Tonight is the Grand Opening of The Beerded Goat. They will be fully opening their doors at 5 PM for the masses. Please come out and visit them. Remember to park in the big parking lot in the back and come in through that entrance.

Their Grand Opening is at 5 PM tonight – July 13th, 2023. They are located at 8001 Union Station Blvd Harrisburg, PA 17111.

Lets Wrap This Up

Whew… this article took me far longer than I thought it would! And that goes to show how great of a time we had at The Beerded Goat. I can’t wait for their opening tonight! If you have the chance, you definitely need to be checking them out.

We didn’t get to sample food, and we won’t be able to make it out tonight, but I know Amy and I will be out soon and we cannot wait. But from the beers we had, this place will be an absolute must stop for anyone in the area.

I started this article last night – didn’t get too far, but figured I’d have it finished by 10 AM, and here it is noon, and I am wrapping it up. Whew. It was a blast to get to talk to Jason and Brian and learn about The Beerded Goat. We had a wonderful time, and I can’t say thank you enough to both of them for inviting us out, taking the time to chat with us, and for hanging out. It was a pleasure.

For More Information on The Beerded Goat

First, check out our previous article here:

The Beerded Goat Brewing Company Taking over the old NewFangled Brewery

Secondly, check them out at Untappd here:

The Beerded Goat – Untappd

They currently don’t have much information on themselves out there in the social media world, and Untappd is pretty scarce on them so far. (Heck, I haven’t even checked in the beers from last night, going to be doing that soon after this article is up.)

But you can also find them and follow them on Facebook here:

The Beerded Goat – Facebook

Tours and Visits

To see and read some of our other articles about special tours and visits to breweries we’ve gotten as part of the blog, you can check them out here:

A Sneak Peek of Rubber Soul Brewing Company
Brewery Visit: Mellow Mink
Brewery Tour: Couch Brewing
A Sneak Peek of The Beerded Goat Brewery

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

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Cheers.

-B. Kline

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The Beerded Goat Brewery