Weekly Column - The Beer Thrillers

This Isn’t a Short Story (Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Review)

AmyMWolfe — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 15:59:46 +0000

This Isn’t a Short Story

Tickets to the Harisburg Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy sounded like a perfect date night with the blog master. We really had no idea what to expect. I was just excited that the Harrisburg area was getting a pop-up experience.

The email confirmation advised us to “dress in your most ravishing cocktail party attire.” I worked all week and we have a 2 year old toddler, you’ll be lucky if I wear pants! But I decided on a nice sweater and some makeup should pass.

On the way to the speakeasy we reminisced about visiting the Edgar Allan Poe Museum on the Viginia Trip (refer VA stuff here) Then we compared the drinks listed on the website so what readings we thought they would be paired with. We guessed The Tell – Tale Heart and The Raven; two of the most famous Poe writings. It was hard to guess 2 more, maybe The Fall of the House of Usher and The Cask of Amontillado.

(See our Instagram Post about the Museum Here: The Beer Thrillers at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum – Instagram Post)

(See our Travelogue Article here: Visiting Richmond Virginia, Seeing the Sights, the Breweries, and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum)

A Review of The Edger Allan Poe Speakeasy

We arrived at the Civic Club of Harrisburg off Front Street. I knew parking would be a pain and I circled the block twice hoping to find some street parking. There were cars parked in spots that definitely were going to get ticketed as we saw a meter maid making their rounds. I saw a few folks parking in the small lot and unfortunately had to walk in a bit of mud to get into the mansion.

The setting of the Civic Club building, built in the early 1900s, added to the atmosphere setting up the evening. We waited in the downstairs area with a group of people. We then had our tickets scanned one at a time and ushered up a flight of stairs. One snaffoo, we had bought the 10pm showing tickets and not the 8pm that we showed up for. I was so embarrassed, mom brain was at it’s worst. The 2 cast members scanning tickets were so gracious and insisted they could still accommodate us.

As soon as your ticket was scanned you were handed your first drink on your way up the stairs. The Pale Blue Eye – A classic twist on a Traditional Collins. According to the menu on site is a “citrus and blueberry infused vodka, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and simple syrup. Topped with a pale blueberry eye.

Entering the Grand Ballroom on the second floor we are greeted by a stage and rows of chairs. I quickly felt like I was in entering a high school assembly and quickly took my seat as people kept entering behind us. I checked before we got here and all the tickets were sold out, so this showing had +2 as well because of our timing goof.

D’oh!

The Drinks

The Edger Allan Poe Speakeasy menu at the venue. (Photo courtesy of Jesse.)

The website and the drink menu at the location had 2 different descriptions for the drinks. That was fine since they were all great, but it was just a little confusing. Thankfully a friend took a pic of the menu at the location (see photo to the left of Jesse’s picture of the menu at the venue). The lemon drink with an “eye” in it (it was really an unripe blueberry floating around) really tasted like minute maid lemonade mix to me. When we entered the room it was light enough to see but the lights were a shade of purple.

After everyone was seated the lights turned red and the MC for the evening who did the introductions and the dialog between readings was young, vibrant and playful. She made some funny jokes and some around us were pre – gaming before this event. Which added to the lightheartedness of the evening. Overall providing a greater environment and theme to the proceedings.

There were lots of different interpretations on the attire recommendations. Some folks were playing the part of dressing for the occasion in some “old timey” looking outfits. One gentleman, who was sitting in front us wearing a bowler hat apologized immediately and assured us he wouldn’t be wearing it during the show. As the show started, he put on a beret hat.

(L: Pale Blue Eye, C: The stage built for the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy actors, and R: the host and MC of the show)

After our playful MC introduced herself and set the “stage” for the evening the first actor came out onto the stage. The lights were red, and it created an ambiance about the room. The first reading was an abridged version of the Tell-tale heart. The actor has a sinister laugh about him and seemed to captivate the audience. I couldn’t help myself. I mean the tone of the room was still lighthearted, here to have fun type of crowd. I kept visualizing in my mind the Tell-tale heart episode of The Simpsons

https://www.tumblr.com/canwehaveapooldad/178462780002

We had our drinks finished before the end of the reading. It was then I was hoping for cocktail like tables in the room. I didn’t feel like sitting there in a seat, school assembly style, holding my drink. The first reading was over, and the actors went up and down the rows of seating with busboys trays and collected the cups. I was at the end of my row, so I was responsible for grabbing and passing everyone’s cups. This first round was easy.

(The Tall Tale Heart)

Shortly after another set of actors were going down the rows with large trays filled with the next drink. The name that was given was different than I remembered from the website. It wasn’t until after I saw my friend Jess post the drink menu did, I realize they were different.

(See Our Instagram post – The Beer Thrillers at the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy – Instagram Post)

The following is the website and event’s pages menu items and showing of the drinks for the event. You can find the website here: Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Experience.

(Descriptions and pictures courtesy of the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Experience website.)

Jessica Blouch’s photos in a gallery:

The Show Goes On

They were handing out “The Cat’s Meow” – A twisted version of Poe’s favorite brandy milk punch. The menu describes it as “Aged bourbon meets with fruity brandy, accompanied by vanilla cinnamon milk, sweet cream and maple syrup.” This one was delicious.

Poe’s Twisted Milk Brandy Punch

We should have figured this one might be a reading. There were two black cats at the Poe Museum when we visited (in Richmond, Virginia – see our Instagram Post here) as well as many references in the museum about The Black cat.

(See our Instagram post: The Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, VA)
(See our Travelogue: Visiting Richmond Virginia, Seeing the Sights, the Breweries, and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum)

The friendly MC came out to introduce the next reading but without giving any hints away, I think we already knew it would be the black cat because of the drink’s name. The lights in the room changed to blue and a different actor came out and gave an abridged version. He also gave a great reading. He moved up and down the aisles, feeling a bit more interactive with the crowd.

We were finishing our drink, we both enjoyed it very much, as the reading was ending. Before I knew it I had all the empty cups and I was ready for the busboy tray to collect our used cups.

The next drink was the Nevermore -Quoth the Raven, Drink-some-more! It is described as Fresh lime juice, peach and orange blossom infused vodka, simple syrup, and crushed charcoal. Topped with a dehydrated lime. We knew this reading would happen. Our top 2 guesses were Tell-tale heart and The Raven.

Quoth the Raven Nevermore

The actress for this abridged version of the Raven was portrayed by our cocktail waitress. By this 3rd reading you are feeling like you are hanging out with a bunch of friends; you have just passed drinks back and collected empty cups and you are being entertained. Every single person the took on multiple roles in the staffing of the Edgar Allan Poe speakeasy pop up were friendly, joyful and entertaining.

This reading was done before we were done with our drinks, and the busboy trays were coming down the aisle. Like I said about not wanting to be stuck holding my cup, I quickly downed what I had left of my drink. Not everyone in my row was as daring to swish it down and then you are stuck with cups under seats.

The next drink was Cocktail of Red Death – Our Spirited Nightcap is to Die For. It is described as Fresh squeezed seasonal fruits, raspberry infused vodka, cranberry juice, 100 proof vodka and fresh lime juice. This was tasty but I was unsure about the dried flower looking thing floating in it.

The Cocktail of Red Death

This masque of the red death happens to be one of our guesses. A different actor comes out onto the stage wearing a mask and you guessed it, the lights turned red. This actor did another excellent portrayal while wearing a large mask. The MC wrapped us up for the evening, encouraged tipping and escorted us out and down the stairs. Thank goodness you dropped off your empty cup on your way out the door and I didn’t have any other responsibilities for the evening.

The Red Mask

We ran into some friends outside, and we quickly departed as attendees of the last show of the evening were starting to pile in.

At first, I thought this would be a once and done type of experience but now that we are about a month out, I’d attend another Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Pop Up.

Drink More Beer (….or cocktails at a Pop Up Speakeasy)
- Amy

(Editor’s Notes: This article is long overdue to come out. Every time we tried to get it posted, things went awry. First, us getting terribly sick at the beginning of February, then life being busy with me getting a new job, Scarlet starting daycare, and then our trip to the Kennett Brewfest. But here it is, and yes, it is a large article, coming in at nearly 3000 words all told — I think with my editor’s note it will hit over 3000. We debated about splitting it up into two articles, but decided it was best just to leave it as is. We can always change it in the future if people think that would be best. I will add my two cents that we both really enjoyed the show. The readings were interesting, they were new and ‘updated’ versions of the stories, shortened and changed to fit more of our time than anything else. The drinks were good, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Milk Brandy Punch, especially because I don’t like milk. It was full and sold out for every showing, and we ran into several people we knew, like Gabe and his wife, Amy’s friend Jesse and their friends, and several others. Everyone seemed to have a good time coming out of the show and afterwards, as well as during it. They are touring and doing lots of shows. It was funny how it popped up on our Facebook feeds right as the time we suggested it to each other, so it made for a great date night and escape from work and stress. The night was dreary and rainy and fit the mood and vibe perfectly, and along the riverfront it added all to the atmosphere. If you are able to see them out, I would highly recommend it.)

Amy’s Column Series

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Fall Beers

AmyMWolfe — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 13:35:31 +0000

Javahead Stout by Troegs Independent Brewing on Halloween night

All the flavors of fall – Let’s do this!

Those cold nights and warm days are here. Leaves are changing colors, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s time to dig into the flavors of the fall and taste all the deliciousness. I love making big pots of stews in the fall. A fan favorite is Chili! You normally can find some chili cook off events. Here is the beer that would pair well the best. And we are first going to talk about some spicy chili. The kind that burns a bit. It is going to pair well with stouts, porters, and amber ales. It’s the perfect time of year for this.

Its Stout Season Now

I’m a sucker for an amber ale but I just had the most amazing stout. There have been 2 times recently we have gotten to taste the Mari by Ever Grain Brewing Company. It comes in at a whopping 14.6% ABV according to Untapped. It has a 4.26 overall rating and it is described as “a rich and decadent stout aged in a variety of bourbon barrels for over 16 months. We then conditioned it with behemoth amounts of coconut, cocoa nibs, vanilla and for a little added joy, toasted almonds.” The balance of flavors would be crazy but they would complement each other beautifully.

(Check out Amy’s article about Winter Beers.)

Our flight of beers at Bald Birds Brewing

Pulled Pork and Beer at Bald Birds Brewing

Then if you prefer your chili on the milder side, you want to go with a more mild beer; something like a cream ale, amber lager, or honey beer. We most recently had the “Kenya Dig it” from Bald Birds Brewing. (Kenya Dig it was a coffee cream ale we got a full pint of, along with Ben’s flight. On Ben’s flight we had two delicious stouts – Birds Reserve and Grand Bald Eagle.) It paired so nicely with the delicious pulled pork over fries when we visited last month.

But this will similarly go with another meaty dish. If the focus is on the beef instead of the spice this will be a dream combo! Kenya Dig It is a coffee cream ale, always an interesting combination. The Untappd description for it is: “Our second collaboration with Valerio Coffee Roasters, we chose a smooth, refreshing Cream Ale as a launchpad for their light-roast Kenya AA coffee. Expect the familiar crushable Cream Ale crispness, with a mellow aroma and extra kick from the coffee.” The coffee cream ale has a 3.78 Untappd rating and is 5% ABV.

There is also the Dig It cream ale by Bald Birds Brewing as well.

Dig it is described as Light, mellow, and smooth, our cream ale is superbly refreshing. Brewed with American 2 row Barley, American ale yeast, and hops from the Pacific Northwest, Dig it! Is the perfect anytime beverage. According to Untapped it is a 4.5% ABV and has a low overall rating of 3.13.

These fall days remind me of my grandma’s homemade chicken corn soup. I mean the kind with the homemade rivals. I’ve tried to duplicate it, she did it perfectly. Also, lots of places, especially churches, have the good homemade chicken corn soup. Make sure to take some home to pair it with an Amber ale or an IPA.

So like I said, I am a sucker for an amber ale. I can’t resist the 409 by Moo Duck Brewery. This brew is a nice smooth amber that compliments the flavors of a chicken corn soup perfectly. It might feel a bit heavy if you are enjoying a chicken corn soup with those homemade rivals. It’s the homemade rivals I can’t duplicate from my grandma’s recipe. The 409 is described on Untapped as “A tribute to the famous PSU football coach and his 409 victories. Featuring victory malt, the bready malt character is blended nicely with just the right amount of hops.” 409 is at a manageable 5.5% ABV.

Now onto my favorite; pumpkin roll. I’ve loved pumpkin roll since a friend’s mom used to bake pumpkin logs every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I really miss those pumpkin rolls. I missed them so much I found an older woman to bakes them out of her home. She also wins me over with chocolate PB rolls, red velvet rolls and fruited ones too. But I love sticking to a classic pumpkin roll. We picked up a Fiddlehead Imperial IPA when we were traveling through Ithaca NY at a gas station. This reminded us of the tall boys we see back home from Troegs and Voodoo Ranger.

The sweetness of the pumpkin roll will balance well with the hoppiness of the Fiddlehead. It is a sneaky 9% ABV but wonderful to relax with any sweet desert at the end of your day.

There are so many more fall flavors to talk about, but I’ll end here, what are you favorites?

The first Mad Elf of the season with Grandma SueAnn

Drink More Beer
- Amy

Amy’s Column Series

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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!

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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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 #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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Sweet ‘n’ Savory

AmyMWolfe — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:07:47 +0000

Being Able to Find the Perfect Mix of Sweet and Savory Feels Like a Miracle

Being able to find the perfect mix of sweet and savory feels like a miracle. This necessarily doesn’t mean that it must include something spicy but that is always an option.

I’ve been told recently that spicy doesn’t have to be scary, so be daring with me if you tend to shy away from the heat. But I won’t be doing that this evening, ha!

Homer drooling over a hamburger

I’m writing on here about paring foods from time to time. One thing I get stuck on is either find flavors that are matchy or find flavors that are complimenting but different. One random night after work. Ya know, when your exhausted but just need some sort of nourishment. We grabbed Pillar of Beasts from 3 Floyds Brewing at West Connection Beer Vault (we had picked this up in a mix a six, alongside several others, including the recent pumpkin beers I had with Grandma SueAnn) to have with burgers and onions from the grilled and garlicky sauteed green beans.

It. Was. Amazing.

I legit wasn’t picking this out on purpose. It was an evening where we grabbed beer and some food to shove down our tired gullets to try to make it through the week. First of all; barleywine. It’s a favorite so we knew we couldn’t go wrong. It was the perfect combo of sweet and savory. The flavors mixed so well until I realized they were all gone.

This comes rocking in at a 13.7% ABV according to Untapped. This definitely qualifies as a BIG DAMN BEER! #BDB

Homer Drooling over beer and food

Pillar of Beasts has a 4.21 overall rating (on Untappd) and is described as “Our latest Barleywine Ale brewed with Salted Caramel, vanilla beans, and cocoa nibs then aged for 12 months in bourbon barrels. Taste the scrumptiousness.” You can see our post on Instagram about the beer here: Pillars of Beast – The Beer Thrillers on Instagram. (Please be sure to give us a follow on Instagram. Thank you!)

Pillar of Beasts by 3 Floyds Brewing with dinner

Pairing the sweet barleywine with a savory burger and garlicky green beans was one of the best decisions I’ve made since I decided to date the creator of The Beer Thrillers.

Drink More Beer!
- Amy

Amy’s Column Series

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

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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 #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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Pillar of Beats by 3 Floyds Brewing (photo courtesy of Untappd)

It’s Pumpkin Time! (Grandma SueAnn and Amy Review Zombies and Double Zombies are People Too and Braaaiins!)

AmyMWolfe — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 13:44:58 +0000

It’s Pumpkin Time!

So…. a couple leaves have changed color on the tree in our front yard. So…. it’s technically not too early, right? I can talk about pumpkin spice now? They were the first ones I saw in the store and I had to grab a couple for me and Grandma SueAnn to enjoy. (See: A Beer Review by Grandma SueAnn [Beer Review: Braaaiins! by Spring House Brewing Company].)

We were shopping at the local Weiss and I saw it on an end-cap and I had to have it. Braaaiins by Spring House Brewing Company. I grabbed the 4pack with the approving nod from the boyfriend. I could hardly wait long enough for them to chill. Grandma SueAnn was in agreement; kicking our pumpkin beer drinking season off with a loved classic was the way to go. The first pumpkin beer of the year, near end of August, and I had to grab it!

Braaaiins! by Spring House Brewing

Once chilled this pumpkin ale is the perfect beer to kick off Autumn with. It is described on Untapped as “our pumpkin ale is brewed with generous amounts of real pumpkin blended into the mash. The subtle fresh pumpkin flavor is enhanced by the addition of a touch of traditional autumn spices and sweet dough, thus creating a beer with an orange amber color, warm pumpkin aroma, a bold malt center and a crisp finish. We are proud to offer you a balanced and delectable fall treat. Suitable for zombies.” It has an 8.5% ABV so I isn’t anything to mess around with. It has an overall rating on Untapped of 3.70.

Zombies are People Too by New Trail Brewing

On another occasion we swung into West Connection Beer Vault in Hummelstown (find West Connection Beer Vault on Facebook). Amongst the mix of six we picked out were two from New Trail Brewing. (We also scored a fantastic Barleywine by 3 Floyds Brewing – Pillar of Beasts. See Ben’s beer review of that here: Beer Review: Pillar of Beasts by 3 Floyds Brewing.)

Zombies Are People Too and Double Zombies, two pumpkin beers from the mid – Central PA brewery up in Williamsport. They clock in at a 5.7%ABV and an 8.5% ABV respectively. My first instinct was to see if Grandma SueAnn could tell the difference between the two New Trail pumpkin beers. (Because who better to try out new pumpkin beers with than Grandma SueAnn?) Yes, the Double Zombies has a higher ABV but Double Zombies is also supposed to be packed with, according to Untapped “twice the strength, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin spice.” Grandma SueAnn thought she tasted just a bit more spice to Double Zombies but she happily helped me drink both pumpkin beers.

Overall though we enjoyed both of the New Trail pumpkin options. In the mid-state (Harrisburg area) you can find them at your different beer distributors and bottle shops like Breski’s Beverages, West Connection Beer Vault, Brass Rail, Bradford Village Beer and Soda, as well as at your grocery stores like Wegmans, Weiss, and Giant. You might even be able to find them in some gas stations like Rutters, WaWa, or Sheetz. So be on the lookout and the hunt!

Check out our Instagram post about the pumpkin beers: Pumpkin Beers on The Beer Thrillers @ Instagram. (And be sure to follow us on Instagram at: https://instagram.com/the_beer_thrillers).

Both are wonderful beers for this time of year and will definitely get you into that fall and pumpkin season feeling!

Drink more beer!
- Amy

Double Zombies by New Trail Brewing

More Pumpkin Beer Reviews by Grandma SueAnn and Amy

Looking for more pumpkin beer reviews by Amy and Grandma SueAnn? Then check these out:

More New Trail Beer Reviews

Amy’s Column Series

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.

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

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 #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!

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.

At the Fuzzy Few Festival: A YAH Brew and a Schmidt’s Sausage

AmyMWolfe — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 01:00:22 +0000

A YAH Brew and a Schmidt’s Sausage (with Kraut)

A YAH Brew and a Schmidt’s Sausage (with Kraut) at the Fuzzy Few Festival

This delight was enjoyed Saturday August 17^th, the last day of the Fuzzy Few Festival in Hummelstown, PA. This event has morphed since it’s inception over 55 years ago. It felt like much more of a community supporting community. (See our Instagram post from the Fuzzy Few Festival.)

I also spent every single night with an Alzheimer’s Association table setup. I shared information and resources for those who shared concern or were going through a situation involving dementia or Alzheimer’s impacting their lives. We also invited folks to join us at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s event on Saturday November 2, 2024 at City Island. (Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Harrisburg Area Walk.)

The Fuzzy Few Festival ran from August 12th until August 17^. Most evenings the crowd walking around to play games and connect with local organizations died down by 9pm. Most everyone had pulled up a lawn chair and was enjoying the free nightly concert. A free event for the community is a gem to find. (See our article on the Fuzzy Few Festival 2024.)

With a wonderful donation from Troeg’s beer (last year, in 2023 – the Fuzzy Few Festival had the beer garden located inside the basketball court’s caged in area) it was nice to see a “beer garden” not far from where concert goers were enjoying their evening. I mean if a community event is fundraising and providing free entertainment, why isn’t it busier here?

There still seems to be a stir amongst some former supporters of the carnival. The move from out of state rides and game providers to come into our town seems to be the main complaint. Although the need for volunteers is always so imperative and more dire.

(Volunteer for the Fuzzy Few Organization.)

YAH Brew continues to be a community supporter. With events like the “Benefit for CJ” and several collaboration beers to benefit local nonprofits. It would be great to see many more communities supporting communities. I can guarantee I’ll be continuing to support YAH Brew and Schmidt’s Sausage; and definitely the Fuzzy Few Organization. (Shout out to Justin for dropping the beer off to me on Saturday night. Megan and Dr. Barisch were hanging out at the Alzheimer’s tent with me, discussing the Bicycle Criterium in Hummelstown, and I sent them over to Justin to talk about Hummelstown and to enjoy YAH Beers.)

Drink more beer
- Amy

Fuzzy Few Festival

(Editor Ben piping up here)

The Fuzzy Few Festival was another fun year. Amy and her mom worked dueling stands / tents at the event. Amy had an informational booth for the Alzheimer’s Association, while Grandma SueAnn had a stand selling magnets with the donations and money raised going to the Walk to End ALZ events.

I helped set up with Amy on Sunday morning before work (Sunday the 11th). Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I was able to attend the event, mostly to help keep an eye on Scarlet (who loved running around, and especially loved playing in the Duck game’s water).

Two of my older daughters got to come and hang out with us on Thursday and absolutely cleaned house at the dime pitch. (We landed the Appalachian Brewing growler, but with no cap, and no real interest in growlers anymore, we let another lay claim to it).

All in all it was an absolutely fantastic event. My parents had a good time when they visited (my dad enjoyed getting to see the final performance of Pentagon), Grandma SueAnn said she sold a good number of magnets, and Amy got to help provide people with critical information about the Alzheimer’s Association.

Amy’s Column Series

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.

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

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 #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!

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.

Happy Birthday to Amy

AmyMWolfe — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 17:46:14 +0000

Happy Birthday to Amy

Join me in wishing Amy a happy birthday! Today is the anniversary of her 28th birthday! (And no, I will not be saying what anniversary that is!)

This is our third year getting to celebrate Amy’s birthday here at The Beer Thrillers. (Amy’s Birthday) and (Happy Birthday Amy). Here’s to many, many, many, many more years of her here at The Beer Thrillers!

I would love if everyone out there today could host up a Big Damn Beer (10% or greater) (#BDB) in Amy’s honor, and enjoy it with friends and family, in celebration of her birthday. She is very beloved here, and we want her to feel extremely special.

Its a struggle getting to keep up with the site and everything with all of her obligations as mother to Scarlet (who at 21 months old is running rough-shod over everything), as well as all of the work she does for the Alzheimer’s Association. She is extremely proud of her work, and we are extremely proud of her. She is very hard working, helping out tremendously both as a writer, editor, and doing all kinds of other things here for the site and blog. We love you Amy! Happy Birthday!

Celebrate

So in honor of Amy, please grab a 10% or higher beer – a Big Damn Beer – a #BDB – and check out one of her articles below, or celebrate with friends and family. There’s nothing more that Amy loves to do than enjoy a beer or two with family. (In fact, we’ll be doing that tonight as part of her birthday celebration).

Thank you to Amy, and thank you all for coming along and wishing her a Happy Birthday!

Amy’s Column Series

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.

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

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 #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!

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.

Sworn Brewing a Year Later – A Sit Down with Jesse and Amanda

joshdoncevic — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 16:13:35 +0000

Sworn Brewing (photo courtesy of Sworn Brewing Company)

Sworn Brewing One Year Later

Its been just over a year since we visited Sworn Brewing in Mechanicsburg, PA and got to hang out with owners Jesse and Amanda. As we came to see them about their grand opening and pick their brains about the new brewery, this time we came to pick their brains one year later on. On the verge of their first anniversary, their one year anniversary, we stopped in – Josh, Amy, and myself (Ben), to take a seat with them, outside in the gorgeous (super) sunny weather.

(See: Getting Sworn In – A Sneak Peek at Sworn Brewing Company)

Just like we did with that article, we are breaking down this article as well, taking a look at it from the perspectives of Josh, Amy, and Ben; with each of us writing a section. (As a preview of how we did it, here’s a look back at the Getting Sworn In article):

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 Sneak Peek at Sworn Brewing Company

And just like with that article, I’m going to let Josh start things off, then we’ll tag Amy in, and then I’ll wrap things up.

Josh – Getting Sworn Into Dedication

Token to Midnight by Sworn Brewing Company

On a very warm, sunny and oddly rainless day in Central Pennsylvania, Ben, Amy & myself sat down outside of a little brewery nearing its one year anniversary with two of our friends to discuss how far 365 days have brought them. Those two friends are the husband and wife team that run Sworn, Jesse & Amanda Mills.

While drinking in their company and beer, we learned a thing or two about what happens to a brand new brewery that was set up and dedicated to providing excellent craft beer. Wait a second, has it actually been a year already? Almost from the day the brewery launched back in August of 2023, the writing team of Ben, Amy, and myself have been jonesing for Sworn’s one year anniversary. Why? Because when Jesse & Amanda invited the three of us to sit down with them just before their official opening, we all felt a similar sense that whatever this new brewery was going to be, it was going to run roughshod over everyone’s expectations. And that’s just what’s happened.

In a repurposed garage, then catering outfit, now burgeoning micro brewery nestled behind Atlantis Pools on E Trindle Road, Sworn has become the destination that beer nerds clamor for parking spaces four days a week. As mild-mannered and laid back as brewmaster Jesse aims to be, his beer and patrons tend to be the exact opposite when it comes to speaking to an incredible talent located in Mechanicsburg. A constantly rotating beer list should be an indicator there’s been no shortage of foot traffic when the doors are open, but that’s really just a fraction of the story.

From the outset, the mission statement is a simple one for Sworn: Make the best beer possible and keep that promise. Period. And how does one do that, you might ask? While there are many ways to answer this question, I can really only think of two answers. One, be Jesse Mills. Two, and on a more serious note, keep batches small and pay absolute attention to even the smallest of details. But that’s the everyday vision. When pressed for the five and ten year plans, Jesse gave us an answer with real gravity to it. Five years out, there is no plan to expand the brewery. You may scoff, but this is on purpose. In fact, everything about Sworn is purpose driven and calculated. In a time where breweries seem to be closing as fast as they open, a level headed approach to a new business is what’s needed. Not spending money on things that only look fancy, yet ultimately do not add to the bottom line is something that the Mills have avoided and intend to keep it that way. Ten years out … admittedly, ten years out is a long way to look, but if the past year is any kind of template for the success Sworn has achieved, then the years to come are bright indeed.

From opening the doors for the first time, pouring at the Hoppy Valley Brewfest, to collaborating with some of PA’s biggest and best breweries, Sworn is here to stay. Happy One Year Anniversary, Amanda and Jesse. Forever may your fermenters be full and your lines be long.

Amy – Getting Sworn Into Quality

Sworn Brewing Mexican Lager

Am I too much when I tell you I am writing my article about Sworn Brewing company while wearing my Sworn Brewing company shirt? It’s seriously a comfy shirt. It’s not your regular T-shirt that after a few good washings softens up, it was a well-made T shirt. I could live in this T-shirt.

Every time I am walking into Sworn, I think of the 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!”

I still remember quoting this a year ago and we are delighted to celebrate the 2 years of Sworn Brewing Company. Each time I see how quickly their beer kicks or a standing room only Friday night I can’t clap hard enough, and I can’t wear this comfy T-shirt any more proudly.

Every aspect of Sworn Brewing company embodies this level of quality in all their products. When Sworn Brewing posts a beer was just tapped you need to leave your house immediately or you aren’t going to get to taste it. Jesse

brews the beer in manageable smaller quantities, it keeps the impeccable quality on point.

We sampled several different brews they had on tap during our visit last month. They are probably long gone by now. But you’d also hope that, so the beer is always fresh. I also tried a glass of the house made non-alcoholic

cream ale. It lasted maybe 30 seconds in front of me. Having non-alcoholic options is inclusive for whatever the reason. (See: I’ve Missed Drinking A Lot.)

On our visit we also enjoyed some of the beloved queso. This house made queso is the perfect pairing with Sworn beer. I do believe the boyfriend understands this is a must order each time we frequent Sworn. It seems natural to wonder why they aren’t expanding and growing? The question stemming from Jesse and Amanda was “why?” And the obvious, they won’t let the level of quality decrease in the slightest. Why not consider how detail oriented their attempt at brewery perfection is?

Ben – Getting Sworn Into Craftsmanship

Sworn Brewing

I get to see Jesse and Amanda fairly often at work, and when I get the chance I break away and stand around chatting with them for quite a while. We talk shop, the business, the industry; we brainstorm ideas like creating a tap handle out of an old PlayStation or NES controller for their “Gamer” series of beers. Amanda will tell me how we need to start up a podcast – which we do – and which we are constantly planning on doing – and we get to chatting about new beers at my work, as well as at their brewery, etc.

The biggest thing we would discuss is how we needed to do a follow up article for them. Discussing their one year mark. How everything has changed – or nothing has changed. (And in that year, a lot has and hasn’t changed.) We’ve gotten to stop over at Sworn’s brewery in Mechanicsburg several times in the course of the year, we’ve gotten to hang out with them at the Hoppy Valley Brewfest, they’ve grown in what they sell for beer, for drinks, for merch, and even doing crowlers and growlers.

Speaking of growlers… we come to the one (and seemingly only) regret Jesse really has of their first year of operation. When asked, and prodded about what he would change; he said he would go back and not sell those growlers. (But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.)

Amy and I arrived about 5 – 10 minutes after Josh, who was already a stout deep; we joined him and then Jesse and Amanda outside in the beautiful sunny patio area. Over the past year I’ve become horrible with checking into beers on Untappd, even going full brewery visits without checking into beers, but throughout the course of our time there in the late July days, we (between myself, Amy, and Josh) got the entire board of beers. And that list ran the gambit from a stout, to IPAs, to pale ales, a Mexican lager, and a sour. All were – as always – fantastic.

Some of the various topics we discussed were things like collaborations. Like their recently completed collaboration – Storm the Field – with Troegs Independent Brewing, Antifragile Brewing, and Warwick Farm Brewing. We discussed how they were going to do a collaboration with Adroit Theory and then it didn’t quite work out. The nuances to collaborations are a very tricky thing.

This brings me back to how once again, just like in previous times we’ve done interviews with people, Amy, Josh and I, like to take a non-journalistic approach of ‘chatting’ and ‘hanging out’ rather than note taking, writing down, jotting every last thing said, quoting and using tape recorders and such. We much more prefer an open, relaxed, fun style of chatting and then going through our recollection to make our articles (when we do these sneak previews or sit downs with brewers and breweries, like we’ve done with Couch Brewery, Mellow Mink Brewing, Lindgren Brewing, Beerded Goat, etc.)

One of the many things we discussed over and over was Untappd. Amanda certainly has some strong opinions and thoughts on the app. We discussed the pros / cons to it – as a whole, for the industry, as well as to Sworn Brewing in particular. Jesse told us about how they reached out and approached him about making their brewery a “verified venue” because of how well Sworn Brewing was doing.

Amanda getting frustrated at the kegging cleaner at Collusion Tap Works (photo courtesy of Sworn Brewing)

Jumping back up to the discussion on collaborations, we discussed their Clayton Bigsby beer (if you know, you know), a collaboration with Collusion Tap Works. Its a black kolsch. Jesse and Amanda both discussed their love for Collusion Tap Works and for Jared, and their working agreement with them (mostly Amanda begrudgingly discussing how she has to go there to clean kegs).

Some of the most interesting parts of the discussion was listening to Jesse talk about the art and the craft of brewing beer. How much he loves their small model, getting to do so many new batches (they are already past 100 batches for the brewery, and Jesse himself is over a thousand commercially and professionally). Jesse absolutely loves his small system, his model of making beer the way he wants to, the designs and recipes that he wants to, and being able to just constantly tweak, to constantly update, to constantly fiddle with everything to the way he wants. Like an artist sculpting. Or a painter painting. And he very much views this as an art, his art. He gets to craft it, near daily, making the batches he wants, with the recipes he’s worked on and the brewing system he created.

Jesse and Amanda

There are many things to say, but looking back over our pictures, and this one grabs my thoughts on it, is that I really wanted to point out is the dedication and enjoyment, and love that these two have for what their doing. Jesse obviously loves the brewing process, brewing, crafting, honing his beers. But they both love doing this. They genuinely enjoy running the brewery, talking to guests, sitting there and hanging out with people, chatting about beer, with beer, to people. They both have an extreme passion for the business, for the quality, for the art, for the beer, for what it means to people, to the community, to what it means for everyone. These two love getting to work with and for the people of not just Mechanicsburg, but all the people who visit their brewery. Who have taken home crowlers and given them to friends or tasted them with their friends. Nearly every single person that walked into that brewery on July 18th, knew Jesse and Amanda, they shook hands, hit fists, clapped shoulders, etc. Bantered with each and every person. Watching them with the people coming into their humble brewery, you can see why they do this, why they continue to do this, and why they want to continue to do this. Plus, I think it lets them keep giving their daughter (part time bartender) enough crap every day. (What parent wouldn’t want that?)

Throughout the course of our chat, we enjoyed the full menu, while Jesse and Amanda enjoyed their lager, we joked, we chatted about the past year, how crazy it all felt just a year ago sitting down to chat about the place to be, and how its ‘grown’ in that year. Grown being a relative term really. The brewery and the building itself is the same size, but there are so many differences. The patio area outside is bigger, theres a larger area to make food, and something that Jesse wants to do much more of. Theres the sense of how its grown in popularity, in community, and in spirit. We joked about things they could do or would do or would not do with the building and the area, we joked about things from their opening like the black drop down ceiling tiles, etc.

Funnily enough there isn’t much of anything Jesse wants to change, or even grow, in the sense of ‘getting larger’ materially. He enjoys his size, his location, their heartbeat of a brewery. They enjoy just what they have, not wanting to get ‘too big’ or to ‘outgrow’ themselves. We talked about satellite and second locations, and discussed how this doomed or severely hurt many other breweries. We discussed some financials of the industry and Sworn itself, but generally this was a dog best left to sleep. I think the biggest thing we could say as a takeaway is contentment in this aspect. They are secure, happy, and content with the creation, the situation, the brewery; not content in a “resting on their laurels” kind of way, but content in what they created, a happiness brought on by all the hardwork, sweat, and straight up work in the brewery; a contentment more born on satisfaction and not wanting to destroy whats already there. Progress will be made obviously, but not for lack of reason, lack of logic, lack of strategy and idea. Progress for Sworn will be in an essence a tactical idea.

Moving back to the beer aspect of our conversation, we chatted and discussed styles. We talked about IPAs, hazy and west coast, we talked about saisons, lagers, we talked about stouts and porters. Basically we covered the spectrum of craft beer, and how Jesse loves to brew and try them all. The challenge of coming up with new recipes for different styles is always forefront, but a challenge Jesse looks forward to, a challenge he wants and in almost an aspect its something that drives his brewing edge, his creativity. He keeps him a younger man in a sense. (Which I’m sure Amanda appreciates.) But that spark of creativity and wanting to try different approaches, different styles, different recipes, is the genesis and main thrust of The Gamer series. Jesse’s version of research and development, his system to test out new recipes and methods and variants, “what if I change this hop or tweak this grain bill”, etc.

The area around the smoker and cooking area for Sworn Brewing

Amy took the above picture of the ‘food prep’ area at Sworn Brewing, the smoker and outdoor grill area. And of course had to grab a shot of the award that Jesse won. Later in the conversations, Jesse talks about how awards and things like the Untappd stuff and tournaments and medals don’t appeal to him, so of course we had to poke at him, and mention how he “prominently displays this award”. (He promptly then removed said award, in a bit of a good natured huff.) When visiting the brewery, make sure you look for this award and point it out to Jesse.

Speaking of things that annoy Jesse, we would be amiss if we didn’t mention the stickers bearing his likeness. There is a sticker of Jesse’s head. And needless to say Jesse loves that this is a thing (maximum sarcasm involved here). We have discussed using the image for panties, as well as pasties, and other sorts of merchandise and memorabilia. One can only hope one day we’ll be able to buy Jesse themed pasties and panties from Sworn Brewing. (The ball is in their court.)

Wrapping This Up

We are fast approaching the 3500 word mark, and its best we get this wrapped up. As always, we had a wonderful time visiting. And even more so, we had a fantastic time chatting with Amanda and Jesse. They are absolutely phenomenal people to get to hang out with, and pick their brains about beer, the industry, brewing, everything really. They really are wonderful people, and its a blast getting to spend time with them, and getting to be at their brewery. And they don’t make bad beer either, so thats certainly a plus.

I can’t say enough great things about them, Sworn Brewing, and am constantly recommending the brewery to people that come into my work or that I meet out. The community aspect is top notch, and the place is welcoming, the beers are good, the food is great, and the vibe is perfect.

We are so happy to see how well they are doing, and wish them a Happiest Anniversary. One down, many more to go! (Here’s to revisiting this article and writing about their 50th anniversary!)

I want to again thank Amanda and Jesse for inviting us out and having us chat with them and getting to not just write the first article but this second article as well. I want to thank Josh and Amy as well for writing and helping craft this article. We visited on July 18th, and we wrote our portions somewhat from there, some in increments, but mostly in the later more recent time, so any errors and mistakes are due to our faulty minds, especially since “we had a few that day”.

I do want to apologize for some of the tardiness of this article, it was originally intended to get prepared and finished around the 10th of August, but real life (four daughters and all) tends to get in the way, and this article is just a mere 10 days late. My apologies.

I want to give one final shout of: “WHOOOOOO DEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY” to fully wrap this up.

More Information on Sworn Brewing Company

The following comes via Untappd.

Sworn Brewing Company is a nano brewery from Mechanicsburg, PA. They have 121 unique beers, and over 9,100 ratings, with a global average rating of 4.19 (as of 8.20.24). Their Untappd description is currently blank.

You can find them at the following social media platforms:

Some Articles Written by Josh

If you are looking for more articles written by Josh, check these out:

Amy’s Column Series

For More Articles from Ben

All Of Us

Seen Through a Glass – Season 2, Episode 31: Let’s Talk Beer (our interview with Lew Bryson)

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.

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

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 #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!

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.

Grilling and Beer’ing

AmyMWolfe — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:58:27 +0000

Ben grilling hot dogs for his daughters and drinking Blackbird by Martin House Brewing Company (an old beer review)

A follow up to my column just the other day – but what is your favorite item to grill and beer to wash it down with?

Here are some recommended combinations!

Recommended Beers and and Grills

The go to grill favorites is the hamburger and the hot dog!

Gemballa by YAH Brew

Starting with the classic Hot dog you should stick to a lager or Hefe. These will balance nicely with the saltiness of a hot dog. We would recommend the Gemballa from YAH Brew. Their lager never disappoints. It comes in with a 4.6 ABV and goes down easily.

(Gemballa – YAH Brew)

The second classic to pair with a Hamburger would be a pale ale or depending in spiciness at wit beer. Depending on the burger a richness in flavor will pair perfect with a lighter beer. Especially thinking you’ll be outside enjoying this delight. We are reaching for the Sunshine-N-Bananas by Sworn Brewing company. It is the perfect Hefeweizen. It is also refreshing on a hot day like today!

(Sunshine – N – Bananas – Sworn Brewing)

I am the kind of girl that likes to have cheese on her burger. Depending on the type of cheese you use you won’t be changing the palate all that much. You can stick with the same as the hamburger or try the Two Brewers American IPA by Lydian Stone Brewing Company.

Two Brewers by Lydian Stone Brewing

(Two Brewers – Lydian Stone Brewing)

Gordon Ramsay – STOP

I can’t help myself, but I need to grill some onions too. Now if you can get the onions to caramelize. God help me I feel like I am turning into Gordan Ramsey. Cheeseburger with grilled onions would rock with an amber lager. The malty sweetness can complement the caramelized onions perfectly. It would go perfectly with Sweater Weather by Liquid Noise Brewing company. This Brown ale was everything I hoped it would be and more. It comes in at a 5.5 ABV and also compliments those caramel coconut girl scout cookies well too!

And since we have grilled onions let’s pair a beer with a grilled sausage. (Or as Amy likes to call it – SAUSEEEEEEEEEEGE) (I pulled back from deciding on using a Ramsay Bolton sausage .gif here… I think we might all agree its best not to have that imagery in our heads.)

(Stick Head Pils – Boneshire Brew Works)

Stick Head Pils by Boneshire Brew Works

A sausage will pair with a dry pilsner. There are so many kinds of sausage but if you go with a regular Italian sausage a dry pilsner will bring out those Italian flavors. We would recommend a STICK HEAD PILS Pilsner by Boneshire Brew Works. I must warn you this pilsner is very crushable but at 5.5 ABV it isn’t too scary.

What Are You Grilling and Beer’ing?

I’d love to hear what other grilling and beer combinations you try out. Let us know what you’re grilling and what beer you’re having with it!

Drink more Beer!
Amy

Amy’s Column Series

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

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.

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

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.

There is Something About Those Back Patio Beers

AmyMWolfe — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 02:38:23 +0000

A collage of some of our recent Patio Beers (as seen on our Instagram page)

There is Something About Those Back Patio Beers

There is something about those out back patio beers. Wait, it’s too damn hot out today for that. We will be having this evening’s beer inside!

Henry Hill laughing in the Goodfellas

While I was pregnant with our daughter, Scarlet, Ben took his first crack at hardscaping a patio area off the back porch. I’ll spare you the details, but it was a long daunting process that quickly got out of hand. I mean, nothing goes as simply as you hope but, when it involves a large hole in the ground and 10 feet on concrete it gets crazy. No, this isn’t the start of a mob movie!

You can understand when Ben finally finished the original plans for the patio, we were very grateful. Even on humid evenings we have been grabbing some patio time with a beer since early in the year. The little spot that was created to find peace and relaxation needs a beer to go with it.

(As always – you can check out our Instagram to see all of our beer pics, adventures, behind the scenes photos and videos, reels, memes, and links to some of our other articles and maps, hike pictures, board game pictures, and all kinds of things.)

The latest brews we have enjoyed together are Idiom Brewing out of the Blue on July 1, Heavy Seas Hazy Cannon and Tropicannon on July 1 , Idiom Brewing Emotional Rollercoaster July 4^th, Last Thursday 11^th Schnitz Ale Brewery Boozendorf ale.

Each time it feels like a major relief to relax outside with a well-crafted beer and finish out the day. Especially being able to chat and vent about a stressful day with a friend or the love of your life. The patio beer also counts if you are alone though. This is the beer that when you finish you feel refreshed. Given the time of year patio beers are normally fruity or light.

No matter where you live or frequently hang out, grab yourself a “patio beer”, preferably from a local craft brewery and relax!

This wasn’t our patio but we did have beers in a “patio” at Boneshire this past Friday (The Beer Thrillers at Boneshire Brew Works – Instagram).

Ben had the AuZealand and I had the Flying Hawaiian. And yes, we had these in the parking lot picnic table area. It still counts as part of the patio beer discussion. This isn’t like Cheers but each brewery we tend to write about should make you feel like you belong. Like it’s your 3rd home.

We also enjoyed a patio beer at YAH Brew Kolsch for CJ June 30^th (Benefit for CJ) (The Beer Thrillers at YAH Brew – Instagram). It’s a small patio outside of Yah Brew but it continues that vibe of feeling welcome at the neighborhood watering hole.

Some of our other fav patio spots to have a beer: Sworn Brewing, Cold Spring Brewing Company , Wolf Brewing, Boneshire Brew Works, Ever Grain Brewing’s open patio area, Troegs Brewery’s patio and beer garden; and honestly there’s so many more – too many to even begin to list really! But here is some pictures from the different places.

Sworn Brewing

Beer at Sworn Brewing’s Patio

Cold Spring Brewery

Wolf Brewing

Scarlet at Wolf Brewing

Beers at the Patio at Home

Amy Out

Thank you for reading down our bit of memory lane and viewing some of our patio beer pics. Ben wants to do even more with the patio in the future, including building a paver based bar, as well as an outdoor brick oven (a pizza oven). He also wants to set a block up of cement to take the handprints of the girls as well as our dog Leela.

Thank you for joining us today, and make sure to join us on our Instagram page, please follow us on there, we are hoping to hit 1K followers by the end of summer!

Drink More Beer
Amy

Amy’s Column Series

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

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.

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

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.

Benefit for CJ (YAH Brew)

AmyMWolfe — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 01:45:24 +0000

Benefit for CJ Flyer

Benefit for CJ at YAH Brew (Hershey)

The Benefit for CJ Facebook Event

Quick shout out links:

CJ Corbin

On June 22 CJ Corbin was in a bad accident. The other driver ran a red light and hit CJ while driving his motorcycle. The other driver is only getting charged with a traffic violation but that is another story for another time. CJ has lost part of a leg because of this accident.

My next question is how can I help? No matter what the situation I think to myself; what am I capable of doing to change this terrible outcome? I feel this is where my passion for working for a nonprofit comes from. One thing that has me obsessed with the brewery community is the unwavering support your local breweries support the community.

It reminded me of all the support and help for the Hemauer family – Helping the Hemauer Family.

(See our Instagram from the other day for pictures of when we were at YAH Brew to drop off the raffle basket on Thursday night.)

Benefit for CJ

The Callahan Kolsch from YAH Brew (100% of proceeds went to CJ)

This is a brewery community. It was no surprise that YAH Brew was going to be holding a fundraiser for CJ, also part of their kitchen staff. The event was held on Sunday June 30^th from 3 pm – 8 PM.

While attending the event we overheard friends of CJ’s worrying about how he is handling this. What I can gather; from looking around in the short time I was at the brewery; is that CJ has a very large community rallying behind him.

According to the YAH Brew Facebook page Performance Foodservice donated over 20 lbs of brisket, rolls slaw and BBQ Sauce. 100% of the sales of that food would go to CJ. The food was sold out by the time we got there at 6:20 PM.

The basket Grandma SueAnn made for the silent auction.

There was a monumental feeling of support in the air as we enjoyed our beers. Our own Grandma SueAnn put together a silent auction basket to help out the cause. They had several silent auction items all from other local breweries and businesses.

There is a Go Fund Me Page to help with CJ’s care – GoFundMe: Support for CJames’ Recovery (PennLive’s Article about CJ’s Crash). The goal has been increased on the page since they have surpassed the goal and as of the time of writing this article is over $13k.

Baskets for the silent auction at YAH Brew for the Benefit CJ event.

We got a strong feeling that this may be the first of other fundraisers for CJ. If it involves the love I felt for the community this evening, count us in!

Drink More Beer!

Amy

Wrap Up

Editor Ben notes: After the event ended, and the clean up began, we got to talking with Justin and Aimee about CJ, the event, how their Mount Joy location is doing, how their all doing with all the stresses and headaches and everything going on, as well as Hummelstown happenings, and so much more. With just ball park numbers, and not getting the exact specifics and everything, but from the various forms of donations tonight – food purchases, straight up cash donations, the silent auction purchases, tips to the guest bartenders, as well as the sales of The Callahan Kolsch; they raised roughly over 7,000$ today for CJ. As well as whatever was also donated via his GoFundMe page which there was QR codes for at the brewery.

All in all, the event was a complete and total success. Justin did also mention that The 1762 Tavern at The Warwick Hotel will likely be doing a fundraising event in the near future for CJ as well, with 20% of all sales during that event (or that day) will be going towards CJ’s medical bills.

The outpouring of support from the community has been incredible, with baskets for the silent auctions coming in from friends and family, as well as breweries such as Troegs Independent Brewing, Lancaster Brewing Company, BierHall Brewery, and more.

Beers We Enjoyed

We both of course immediately got The Callahan Kolsch (20 oz) to start off the evening. While they wrapped up the silent auction, I walked down to Jersey Mike’s to grab a cheesesteak for us to enjoy while having the beers, and then once I got back, we got another round of beers. Amy got a second Kolsch, while I got the Go, Ninja, Go! collab that YAH Brew did with Country Club Brewing and Weathered Souls Brewing (the stout I wanted to try at their Mount Joy soft opening but was unable to).

YAH Brew

For more articles about YAH Brew, check these out:

For More Information on YAH Brew

As per Untappd – YAH Brew is a micro brewery from Hershey, Pennsylvania. They have 63 unique beers and nearly 4,000 ratings with a global average rating of 3.87 as of 6.30.24. Their Untappd description reads: “Production brewery located in Hummelstown, PA. Follow our socials for info on limited releases and festival info so you can enjoy our beer!”

You can find them on the following social media platforms:

Amy’s Column Series

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

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.

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

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.

Weekly Column - The Beer Thrillers

This Isn’t a Short Story (Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Review)

This Isn’t a Short Story

A Review of The Edger Allan Poe Speakeasy

The Drinks

Jessica Blouch’s photos in a gallery:

The Show Goes On

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

Fall Beers

All the flavors of fall – Let’s do this!

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

Sweet ‘n’ Savory

Being Able to Find the Perfect Mix of Sweet and Savory Feels Like a Miracle

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

It’s Pumpkin Time! (Grandma SueAnn and Amy Review Zombies and Double Zombies are People Too and Braaaiins!)

It’s Pumpkin Time!

More Pumpkin Beer Reviews by Grandma SueAnn and Amy

More New Trail Beer Reviews

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

At the Fuzzy Few Festival: A YAH Brew and a Schmidt’s Sausage

A YAH Brew and a Schmidt’s Sausage (with Kraut) at the Fuzzy Few Festival

Fuzzy Few Festival

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

Happy Birthday to Amy

Happy Birthday to Amy

Celebrate

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

Sworn Brewing a Year Later – A Sit Down with Jesse and Amanda

Sworn Brewing One Year Later

The Set – Up

Josh – Getting Sworn Into Dedication

Amy – Getting Sworn Into Quality

Ben – Getting Sworn Into Craftsmanship

Wrapping This Up

More Articles About Sworn Brewing Company

More Information on Sworn Brewing Company

Some Articles Written by Josh

Amy’s Column Series

For More Articles from Ben

All Of Us

Brewery News

Thank You For Reading

Grilling and Beer’ing

Recommended Beers and and Grills

What Are You Grilling and Beer’ing?

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

There is Something About Those Back Patio Beers

There is Something About Those Back Patio Beers

Sworn Brewing

Cold Spring Brewery

Wolf Brewing

Beers at the Patio at Home

Amy Out

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

Benefit for CJ (YAH Brew)

Benefit for CJ at YAH Brew (Hershey)

CJ Corbin

Benefit for CJ

Wrap Up

Beers We Enjoyed

YAH Brew

For More Information on YAH Brew

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading