SUM Beer Tour 2015
For the first post that is not a Christmas-related blog in the new year, I chose to recap (to the best of my recollection and with the help of Untappd) the day that was the SUM Beer Tour. Named appropriately for the families in attendance, my wife, her sister and husband, as well as her parents all decided to take a road trip for the afternoon/evening and hit up a few beer spots in the Harrisburg/Lancaster area. The 6 of us decided on 3 locations to imbibe for the day, all with their own pros and cons.
After a 90-minute trip to the southeast, we arrived in Lancaster. There is lots to do here, including taking in a Lancaster Barnstormers minor-league baseball game when the weather is nice. Since it's winter-time, that wasn't happening today. Onward to the beer!
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| Just realized why I need to come back this summer...Rovey! Hook a brother up! |
Stop #1 was to the Taproom by Spring House Brewing Company. I talked about this place in an earlier post, so I won't do that again. This is the second time we have made the trek to the taproom, both times in the early afternoon. Unfortunately, this time wasn't as memorable. There were lots of people here for a weekday, which was no big deal, but when the bartender appears to be overwhelmed by having to take drink orders from the patrons at the bar in addition to taking tableside orders, we knew it would be a short stay. There were no servers, just the bartender. She profusely apologized for the lack of servers, which obviously wasn't her fault.
We decided to get a sampler to share before moving onward to the next stop. The bartender told us that they didn't have enough glasses to do a full 10 glass sampler either. Between my wife and myself we received 5 samples, while the rest at the table got individual pints (except for the DD of course). We shared the brews together and here's a recap:
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| Love the throwback trays they use here! Not sure where glass #5 got to though... |
1. Atomic Raygun Imperial Red Ale - 3/5 - Bitter and not quite balanced for my liking
2. Lexicon Devil Grapefruit Pale Ale - 3/5 - I hate grapefruit so I'm not sure why I tried this one
3. Big Gruesome Chocolate PB Stout - Always a solid 4/5
4. The Astounding She-Monster Mango IPA (Special keg with Jalapenos) - Strangely good 3.5/5
5. Two Front Teeth Holiday Ale - Lots of cherry flavor 3.5/5
Stop #2 was just a few blocks up the street to the Federal Taphouse. I made it known that when we started this trip, I only had 2 places that I wanted to go, but if we got one of them I would be happy. Unfortunately, Al's of Hampden will have to wait until another trip. Both places have nearly if not more than 100 beers on tap. The list at Federal Taphouse was uber extensive. A chalkboard greets you when you enter the place and they hand you a double sided beer list that you order from by number. Each beer is set up by style here, so you can search for your favorite style and go from there, or you can mix it up a bit and pick a random number (I wouldn't recommend that unless you're feeling lucky though...).
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| Partial list shot...salivation and excitement had already begun...my sister-in-law is in the middle of this photo. She's in awe too! |
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| Choices 1-50...51-99 were on the other side!!! |
Before arriving I was under the impression that you only could order 10-16 oz. pints (depending on style/beer), however we were thankfully mistaken. This place allows you to get 4-5 oz. samples in a flight. The paddle is rather pricey at $12 per flight, but the variety of beers along with the higher ABV of many of the beers I wanted to try was a non-issue for me.
Paddle #1
1. Mikkeller - Santa's Little Helper (2014) - Lots of spices and yeast, perfectly balanced 4/5
2. Sixpoint Brewing - Global Warmer - More IPA-like than Winter Warmer, also OK 4/5
3. Firestone Walker - Pale 31 - Nothing special, but not too shabby either 3.5/5
4. Firestone Walker - Double Jack - Solid DIPA 4/5
1. Mikkeller - Santa's Little Helper (2014) - Lots of spices and yeast, perfectly balanced 4/5
2. Sixpoint Brewing - Global Warmer - More IPA-like than Winter Warmer, also OK 4/5
3. Firestone Walker - Pale 31 - Nothing special, but not too shabby either 3.5/5
4. Firestone Walker - Double Jack - Solid DIPA 4/5
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| Choices 1-50...51-99 were on the other side!!! |
Paddle #2
1. Bear Republic - Grand Am - Expected more from this renowned brewery 3/5
2. Lavery Brewing - Devil Bird (2014) - Flavorful Imperial Porter 3.5/5
3. Sixpoint Brewing - The Crisp - Not bad for a pilsner style 3.5/5
4. HiJinx Brewing - Steal Your Face Stout - New brewery for me, local-ish in Allentown. For a double stout I would have expected a more full-bodied taste. To me, it was a little watered down, and to make sure I wasn't too inebriated I conferred with my brother in law...he agreed - 3/5
2. Lavery Brewing - Devil Bird (2014) - Flavorful Imperial Porter 3.5/5
3. Sixpoint Brewing - The Crisp - Not bad for a pilsner style 3.5/5
4. HiJinx Brewing - Steal Your Face Stout - New brewery for me, local-ish in Allentown. For a double stout I would have expected a more full-bodied taste. To me, it was a little watered down, and to make sure I wasn't too inebriated I conferred with my brother in law...he agreed - 3/5
Stolen/Sampled from my Brother in Law's Paddle:
1. Three Heads Brewing - Tre Kind - Full disclosure, my brother in law didn't tell me what this was and when I realized that it was a triple IPA I was in disbelief. This was so damn smooth it was ridiculous - 4.5/5
2. Red Castle Brewery - Northern Knights - I was the only one at the table who liked this one. Winter warmer style with lots of spices that was balanced very well however...at least I thought so anyway. Lots of cherry and yeast flavors - 4/5
All things considered, this place will be a no-brainer to visit in the future. If I'm even in the Lancaster area again, which I plan on, this will be a pre-requisite to planning the trip. The beer selection was obviously outstanding, the service was great, and the food wasn't too shabby either. From the crab, mac n' cheese appetizer we shared, to the margherita pizza that I devoured myself, this place is a 9.8 out of 10 in my book! The deduction is for the restroom being crazy far away, up a set of stairs, but it makes up for it with some cool art on the walls.
Last stop of the day was in Hershey, at good old Troegs Brewing Company. Upon entering and finding an area for the 6 of us to relax at, my brother in law and I went to the bar area and ordered some drinks. I settled for a Javahead Stout because I hadn't had one in a while and wanted to give it another go. My wife got the Mad Elf. Solid choice for sure! After munching on some popcorn for a while at the table, we all decided that this would definitely be the last of the stops for the day due to time constraints and kids waiting for us at home (don't worry, we had a sitter!). That being said, we settled in for some dinner and another drink before heading back home.
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| Javahead Stout and the rest of the menu at Troegs |
As I've also mentioned in previous blogs, Troegs does a special, tasting room only, series of beers they call Scratch Beers. Scratch Beers #167 (an ESB) and #168 (American Pale Ale) were on tap this evening. Since I had the ESB during a previous trip this month I opted for the APA. I'm not sure if it was the Lamb Burger that I had along with it, but something didn't jive with this beer. I couldn't even put a finger on it, so let's just chalk it up to the Lamb.
Until next beer, or next exciting event that I deem as blog-worthy, I bid you adieu! Happy 2015! Make this year exactly what you want it to become!
