Growing Hops: Collection of Posts

I'm gathering all the "growing hops" posts here. I'll put a link to this post over there on the right to make it easier to find. In the list of links below you will find pictures of hops plants as they grow in my backyard from rhizomes to full bines!. I also have notes on how I built a trellis and plan to grow, harvest, dry and finally brew beer with the hops cones. I have never done this before so let me know if you have any suggestions :-)


2007 Hop Season

Pictures after 5 Weeks

3 Feet after 3 Weeks

Welcome back little fellows

2006 Growing Hops

• The rhizomes are here!
  
• Site cleared and soil prepared.
  
• Web Resources
• Growing Hops Plan
• Day 1: Cascade Rhizomes Planted
• Day 7: Chinook, Willamette & Hallertau Planted
• Day 17: It LIVES!!! - 1.5 inches
  
• Day 20: Three Days Growth - 3.5 inches
  
• Day 22: Watch them Grow - 5 inches
  
• Day 26: 10 inches
  
• Day 29: 14 inches
• Day 35: 26 inches
• Day 38: 34 inches
• Day 39: 37 Inches
• Day 41: 46 inches
  
• Giving the hops something to climb!
  
• Day 45: 67 inches
• Day 48: 75 inches
• Day 49: 80 inches
  
• Day 54: 90 inches
• Day 57: Timelapse Video
  
• Day 151: Harvest Time

If you're interested in where I grow these hops, we are in Southeastern, Pennsylvania.

Beer Tasting: Smuttynose S'muttonator

This is double bock style lager from Smuttynose in Portsmouth New Hampshire. This "big beer" (in more ways than one!) found its way to our tasting review via a variety case of bocks.

Have you tasted this beer? Let us know what you think. As a suggestion, try to keep the review as brief as possible for each of the following: appearance; smell; taste; mouthfeel; and drinkability.

Appearance
Adam: deep cherry wood
Bryan: substantial head; leaves some serious lacing

Smell
Adam: smells like a maibock with lager nose, along with sweetness
Bryan: pleasant aroma of sweet malt; not significant though

Taste
Adam: not like all maibocks with bitterness and some alcohol
Bryan: definitely a "big beer", alcohol presence for sure; bitterness noticeable in back of mouth

Mouthfeel
Adam: carbonated and coating
Bryan: mild carbonation paired with big malt and medium hop profile gives you a mouthful of treats

Drinkability
Adam: hey it is good, I think it lives up to its name which is awesome by the way
Bryan: yes, this is a good example of a bold American bock (hm, an "imperial", dare I say?!)

Seconds?
Adam: I didn't put that in my notes, but, I think it is safe to say I would drink Bryan's if he didn't want it
Bryan: oh yeah!

Book Notes: The World Guide to Beer by Michael Jackson

The World Guide to Beer by Michael Jackson
First Published in 1977
This copy published in 1987
Hard Cover
John, a friend, found it at a garage sale.

I've just thumbed through this so far and read a few pages. Ok, if you want a good beer book that provides an honest treatment of the subject you found it. Mr. Jackson's writing is superb. I love that his voice shows through so well. Not to mention his ability to convey a mountain worth of detail about every aspect of beer known to man. (can you tell I enjoy this book?) Then there's the illustrations and the images. I want to go to these places! This is a great coffee table book. I could spend hours just thumbing through it looking at the pictures. (picture me with beer and stupid look of awe while reading it) Seriously, check it out. Looks like you can get older prints for next to nothin'. I'll have to compare the new version to the old at some point.

As a side note...If you haven't checked it out yet, you should jump over to his website, Beer Hunter. I've learned alot from it. Recently I read about bock beers there. He's also made some appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His most recent one even caused a bit of a stir ;-)

NOTE: I'm reading more and more of the book. I love this thing!

Beer Tasting: Legacy Hedonism

This is a red ale from Legacy Brewing in Reading, PA. This beer was sampled on draft at Flanigan's Boathouse in Malvern, PA. Legacy has created quite a stir with this beer, especially in the packaging and marketing of it. We're sure you already know what we mean by saying that.

Have you tasted this beer? Let us know what you think. As a suggestion, try to keep the review as brief as possible for each of the following: appearance; smell; taste; mouthfeel; and drinkability.

Appearance
Adam: dark amber orange with thin head of islands
Bryan: solid copper; tinge of orange; lumpy remnants of the head stick around for a while

Smell
Adam: home brew, grassy, hops with whisky barrel nose present;
Bryan: citrusy, fresh hops

Taste
Adam: whisky malt sweet
Bryan: somewhat bitter (think between a pale ale and IPA)

Mouthfeel
Adam: coating
Bryan: consistent; a bit carbonated, lively throughout

Drinkability
Adam: nothing to stop me
Bryan: a good drinking beer; not complicated

Seconds?
Adam: yes
Bryan: just one more would be enough; not interesting enough to drink all night

Beer Calendar: What to do in June 2006

Here's just a sampling of upcoming events over the next several weeks mostly in the Philadelphia area that look interesting to check out. Let us know if you think you might be heading to one of these events or have been to one of them in the past.

Mon. 6/5 - One Brewful Night with Lew Bryson @Bricco, Harrisburg, PA (6pm-???; $49)
Tue. 6/6 - 666: The Mark of the Beast vs. The Mark of the Beer @Grey Lodge, Philadelphia, PA (all day; pay as you go)
Sat. 6/10 - Beer and Dessert Tasting @Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA (1pm-2:30pm; $30/$35)
Sat. 6/10 - 15th Annual Microfest @Stoudt's, Adamstown, PA (12pm-4pm; 7pm-11pm; $26)
Tue. 6/13 - Belgian Beer Dinner @ Monk's Cafe, Philadelphia, PA (7pm-11pm; $60)
Fri. 6/16 - Friday Night Tasting (Harpoon) @Beer Yard, Wayne, PA (free)
Sat. 6/17 - Harrisburg Brewer's Fest 3 @Downtown Harrisburg, PA (12p & 5pm; $30/$35)
Mon. 6/19 - Meet the Brewers (Yard's) @Bridgid's, Philadelphia, PA (5pm-???; pay as you go)
Sat. 6/24 - 10th Annual Craft Brewer's Festival @USS New Jersey, Camden, NJ (1pm-5pm; $25)
Thu. 6/29 - Beer & Grilled Foods Dinner @General Lafayette Brewery, Lafayette Hill, PA (7pm; $59.95)
Fri. 6/30 - Friday Night Tasting (Troegs) @Beer Yard, Wayne, PA (free)

What Have We Been Up To?

Here at The Brew Lounge, you may have noticed we've taken a couple of well-deserved days off from the work we get paid for as well as posting articles to this site. But do not fear, we have still been drinking good beer all in the name of research. Just last night, we made it through the remainder of Adam's mixed Bock case of beers with the Augustiner and Hofbrau interpretations.

You've likely also been following the progress of the hop plants, which are coming along just nicely in the few days of warm weather that we've had here in the northeastern part of the U.S.

And, check back over the next few weeks and you'll find reviews of brewpubs and beer bars from Bryan's trip to Boston. The stops included: Redbones BBQ; John Harvard's; Cambridge Brewing; Boston Beer Works; Linwood; Brasserie Jo; Willimantic Brewing; Harpoon; and visits with Andy Crouch and Todd Alstrom.

Growing Hops: Watch them Grow

See what happened next -> Day 26: 10 inches

Thursday Evening ------- Saturday afternoon

Well here's the cascade again. 1.5 inches in two days. Nice! I'm laying off the Miracle Grow as Chris suggested ;-)

See what happened next -> Day 26: 10 inches

Beer Tasting: Sly Fox Pikeland Pils (can)

This is a pilsner style lager from Sly Fox in Phoenixville, PA. This 12 ounce can was one of two styles initially canned by Sly Fox. Our previous review of the Phoenix Pale Ale can be found here.

Have you tasted this beer? Let us know what you think. As a suggestion, try to keep the review as brief as possible for each of the following: appearance; smell; taste; mouthfeel; and drinkability.

Appearance
Adam: straw in color, foamy but fades fast
Bryan: very clear, pale, golden color; thin head fades quickly to just a very thin ring

Smell
Adam: stinky canned beer smell, let it breath and the hops come through...ahhh thats better
Bryan: nothing remarkable; just a hint of noble hops

Taste
Adam: good hops profile, nothing like a macro would taste
Bryan: something like a traditional lager but with a tad more flavor; though leaves just a slight harsh aftertaste; not offputting, but noticeable

Mouthfeel
Adam: clean, carbonated, crisp
Bryan: very light, thin, easy on the mouth; not much carbonation

Drinkability
Adam: I agree with Bryan
Bryan: it does appear to be a good hot weather, chugging beer

Seconds?
Adam: I could drink plenty of these
Bryan: eh, maybe while playing softball or working around the yard; enjoyed the Phoenix Pale Ale in the can a bit more

ADAM: I really need to say something here about the whole can thing. I mean it looks like a macro, initially smells like a macro in a can....but, it cleans up real nice to the nose and the palate. There is something psychological about the can thing. It isn't Green Light or Schaefer...heheh. I have a taste aversion to cans!!!! I can't help it. Ok...Ok...I'm feeling better now. Repeat after me, "Can not all bad. Sly Fox can beer good."

I don't know its gonna take a while...I think.

Holiday: Happy Memorial Day!

For me and probably most people where I grew up Memorial Day meant a picnic, opening the pool and a trip to the cemetery or some other memorial. It is an unofficial start to summer. Here's some info on Memorial Day here in the U.S.

Um...isn't beer is usually served at picnics! See I had to tie it in somehow. This is a beer site after all. Well, I'm going on my daily walk down to the hops plants. I wonder how much they grew in one day. I think Bryan and I are going to try to taste the rest of those bocks I have in the fridge. Can't wait to hear what happened in Boston :-)

Growing Hops: Three Days Growth

See what happened next -> Day 22: Watch them Grow - 5 inches

Sorry for the fuzzy picture. I need to get better with my camera on these close shots.

Just about two inches of growth over three days, Monday evening to Thursday evening. There are three shoots coming up on this Cascade Hops plant. The others are doing ok as well. Overall I think half of them have broken the surface. Again I have been watering them with Miracle Grow almost daily.

See what happened next -> Day 22: Watch them Grow - 5 inches

Brewing Beer: Growing Hops Plan

See what happened next -> Day 1: Cascade Rhizomes Planted

Moon on the day the trellis was constructed.
What?! Does that seem strange? Hey, I needed a picture ;-)

Have you noticed that Bryan is away? Does it seem like there are less well written Brew Pub posts? Not to worry, Bryan will be back from Boston soon. I think he'll have lots to write about too.

Ok, so the hops are in the ground and growing. Here are the other tasks I think I'll need to do during the growing season, 120 days or so.

• Water them moderately with Miracle Grow every day. (Decided not to do that as per Chris. He said it didn't promote good root development)
  
• Maybe put some short stakes in to start the plants on.
• String the thin steel cable between the posts.
• Drop the stringers from the cable for the hops to grow up.
• Not sure how many I'll need. Probably will be more than one bine (yes, bine) per plant.
• Perhaps prune some of the extra shoots. (wait and see how many grow)
• Train the hops plants on the stringers as they grow.
• Watch them grow. Explain what they are to everybody with such excitement that they wish they never asked ;-)
• Decide on how to dry the hops. (in sun, near humidifier, make a hops drier)
• Harvest when the cones are ready.
• Dry the hops cones.
• Store them (how?)
• Brew!!!

I'm sure there will be more to add. Hmmm...are you thinking what I'm thinking? This might be time consuming :-) I guess we'll see if the excitement will wear off after the first day...er year. By the way I'm trying to be realistic. There might not be much of a crop this year. Hopefully I'll get enough for a batch of beer. That would make me happy.

See what happened next -> Day 1: Cascade Rhizomes Planted

Beer Tasting: St. Bernardus Abt 12

This is a quadrupel style Belgian from Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV in Watou, Belgium. The 22 ounce bottle was purchased from Beer Yard in Wayne, PA in December 2005. It had been stored at approximately 45F until 6 hours prior to consuming when the temperature was raised to approximately 54F.

Have you tasted this beer? Let us know what you think. As a suggestion, try to keep the review as brief as possible for each of the following: appearance; smell; taste; mouthfeel; and drinkability.

Appearance
Adam: mossy medium brown with islands of bubbles in head (what does that mean? :-)
Bryan: freshness date of 4/8/09; dark brown with deep ruby highlights; thick head, slowly dissipating to a lumpy, inconsistent head and some serious lacing
Nate: caramel amber, cloudy, with a thick foamy pillow of off-white head. Nice lacing.

Smell
Adam: yeasty with tinge of spice
Bryan: pleasing sour aroma; a whiff of orange, like grand marnier(?); a note of molasses; not much else but some alcohol tickling the nose
Nate: sweet with cotton candy, caramel, and nice maltiness. There's a bit of hops coming through and a tang of wet canvas sourness.

Taste
Adam: savory, would be great with a meal, not sweet, like a meal in itself really
Bryan: sour, alcohol, orange
Nate: is sweet, but not sickly sweet like many hi ABVs can be. Caramel, candi sugar, ripe plums, and deep maltiness. Nice bitter in the finish, and you can taste the alcohol

Mouthfeel
Adam: softly carbonated, stands up well at room temperature
Bryan: carbonation levels keeps this soft beer alive from start to finish
Nate: medium-heavy watery body with smooth carbonation

Drinkability
Adam: slow and steady wins the race, again would work well with a meal, not as good on its own
Bryan: yes it is; esp. as it warms from the 50F that we started at; this is a very soft, smooth beer that's deceivingly easy to drink, especially as it gets closer to room temperature

Seconds?
Adam: brother Bernardus, may I drinkith another? And please pass the roast beef.
Bryan: Yes, but the earlier Avery (Reverend) and the follow-up Rochefort (10) trumped this beer. This is a very decent beer, but not the greatest, from my point-of-view....there, I said it!

Nate's Overall: really nice quadrupel and one to savour.

Growing Hops: Web Resources

See what happened next -> Growing Hops Plan

Here's a list of the links I used while I was contemplating growing my own hops. I'm sure you can find them with Google just like I did, but, here they are all ready to go for you. Not too shabby really. I also referred to the instructions from Northern Brewer which were very good.

Zymurgy: In the Backyard: A gardner's guide to homegrown hops
http://home.netcom.com/~dluzanp/backyard.htm

Northern Brewer has a PDF of their instructions
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/Hi-Res/hop-rhizomes.pdf

Freshhops
http://www.freshops.com/

Their information page
http://www.freshops.com/garden.html

Oregon State University
http://hop.oda.state.or.us/extcr104.html

Seven Bridges Coop
http://www.breworganic.com/tips/growing-hops.htm

Rate Beer: Homebrewer's Guide To Growing Your Own Hops
http://www.ratebeer.com/Story.asp?StoryID=186

Patrick's Hoppy Home Page
http://home.netcom.com/~dluzanp/

See what happened next -> Growing Hops Plan

Iron Hill Brewery in Phoenixville, PA - Construction Update 5/16/06

Click Here For All New Pub Opening Updates

Hm, not much seems to have changed in this picture in the past 6 weeks. Though, well-placed sources indicate that the project is moving toward an end-of-July opening. We'll see...

Click Here For All New Pub Opening Updates

Growing Hops: It LIVES!!!

See what happened next -> Day 20: Three Days Growth - 3.5 inches

Back on May 6th Bryan and I planted the Cascade rhizomes. Well the first one pushed through the surface yesterday. I'm so proud. Only seven more to go...heheh. This was Monday's picture. I'm going to post pics from today too. Now there are four sprouts from two rhizomes :-)

See what happened next -> Day 20: Three Days Growth - 3.5 inches

Beer Words: Beer Belly

I was going to post a picture of my belly, but, well you know why I didn't...heheh. I just like to say it, "beer belly". Tonight I searched around the internet for "beer belly". I was shocked! It seems that there is no direct correlation between drinking beer and the beer belly. (it must be true if its on the web right!?) Of course there are some theories about indirect correlations. One is that you are more likely to eat high calorie and fatty foods when you drink a beer. I could see that. Nothing like some hot chips from Blairs with a Hop Devil. Another theory deals with the public perception or rather mis-perception. For instance how many times have you seen a big bellied guy with a beer in his hand on in the media? That type of image is what possibly helps us associate beer drinking and the proverbial beer gut. Nice image huh?

This is all very interesting. I'm not a doctor and I don't have the answers, but, I think I'll have to chalk this one up to, "You learn something new everyday." Today I learned that it isn't so simple to link beer drinking and a beer belly.

Anybody care to "weigh in"? ;-)

Beer Tasting: Stoudt's Blonde Double Mai Bock

This is a maibock style lager from Stoudt's in Adamstown, PA. This 12 ounce bottle was generously donated by our friend Dennis, who fortunately lives just a couple of miles from the brewpub. The bottles were stamped with a freshness date of 7/16/06.

Have you tasted this beer? Let us know what you think. As a suggestion, try to keep the review as brief as possible for each of the following: appearance; smell; taste; mouthfeel; and drinkability.

Appearance
Adam: orange straw
Bryan: very clear, pale, golden color; large inconsistent head; fades slowly

Smell
Adam: typical ale yeast & some hops
Bryan: faint lager aroma

Taste
Adam: sweet tang fading to a bitter
Bryan: very clean; typical lager flavor; nothing special; just a touch of bitterness

Mouthfeel
Adam: well carbonated
Bryan: mildly carbonated; just thick enough to take notice

Drinkability
Adam: something slowing me down...not sure what it is
Bryan: served colder (in the mid-40s) is better; I'm not quite sure what "double "means in this brew

Seconds?
Adam: maybe
Bryan: I could do one more, but that's it; unfortunately, it's not as memorable as the times I've had it on draft

Beer Travels: Marzoni's and Stoudt's

I did stop at both Marzoni's and Stoudt's. I hadn't been to either of them before. Of course again I was a bit skeptical of Marzoni's for the same reasons I was skeptical of JBC. Again I was proven wrong. :-) I'll write it up. Ummm...I should probably finish the Otto's post first though . Oh yeah, Stoudt's...I have had their beer many...many times and today's experience was outstanding. By the way Bryan was right. The Double Blonde Maibock is better on tap.

So...we're bringing the American Craft Beer Week to a close. Thanks to my wife and family for supporting me and coming with me to some of the stops especially the ones we hit today :-)

American Craft Beer Week: Sunday 5/21/06

Haven't been in touch with Bryan. I'm eager to hear what today brings for him. As for me, I'm coming home today. I'll stop at Marzoni's and Stoudt's on the way home. I'll post updates later.

BRYAN's EDIT: Just a quick note to mention that on Saturday I stopped by Redbones BBQ (highly recommended for food, beer, atmosphere, and fun times) in Somerville, MA and John Harvard's just off of Harvard Square (recommended for decent beer and fun atmosphere).

Then, on Sunday, to wrap up ACBW Cambridge Brewing Co. (highly recommended for beer, food, and atmosphere....and cask Tuesday's perhaps?!) in Cambridge, MA and Boston Beer Works (recommended for a wide variety of their beers, but most especially their baseball atmosphere) across from Fenway Park were the next victims on The Brew Lounge traveling tour.

Of course, like Adam said, more to come on all of these establishments later.

American Craft Beer Week: Saturday 5/20/06

Well, it looks as if The Brew Lounge is traveling in opposite directions on this, the sixth, day of ACBW. Adam is heading west and likely to stop off at Stoudt's in Adamstown, PA. While Bryan is heading north to Boston by car. So, that will open up many possibilities. Though, he may not get to a brewpub until he gets to the Boston area, where he may check out Watch City in Waltham or Cambridge Brewing near MIT.

The week is almost complete. We hope you've had as much fun celebrating ACBW as we have ;-)

American Craft Beer Week: Friday 5/19/06

Last night brought us on somewhat of a surprise visit to John Harvard's in Wayne. Thanks to Patty's colleague Wendall, we "rediscovered" John Harvard's. (He goes to the one in Media, PA quite a bit.) Both of us agreed that, in our minds (feeble as they are), John Harvard's has always just sort of "been there." I don't believe I've ever been JH's more than 5 times (in a few different locations).

But, there's recently been a little buzz around this one here in Wayne. The buzz grew especially after John Rehm won a gold medal for his Alt beer at last year's GABF. So, after meeting John last night (and sharing in some of his bottled Bourbon Sue, ahem!) and other beer celebrities (you know who you are, don't you?!) and having a blast, Adam and I both agreed that we will be making more frequent visits to John Harvard's in the future (almost sounds like a separate review by itself, eh?)

So, what's in store today? Good question..... Perhaps a Weyerbacher tasting at Beer Yard, Troegs tasting at Exton Beverage, a return trip to John Harvard's for the cask-conditioned Scottish ale, or a jaunt to Victory for a reprise of the Tripilsner. Hm, gotta pack for Boston too!

What are you doing to celebrate?

Beer Glassware: Growler Collection

Growlers. How many people know what growlers are? 10 years ago? 5 years ago? My guess is that in the past couple of years, the phenomenal growth of craft beer and brewpubs has contributed to the public awareness of beer growlers. Or, at least they've seen one.

So, what have we done here? If you look to the right-side of this page (you will probably have to scroll down a bit), you may have noticed that we added an area with some pictures and a link to Flickr.com where we have created a group of growler pictures. They are all linked together with "tags." As we collect more growlers over time, we will add them to the group of growler pictures at Flickr.

We would like to ask you to do the same, if you are so inclined :) Take a picture of your growler(s) and upload them to Flickr. (This is very easy to do.) Then, make sure to add at least a couple of tags: "growler", "brewlounge" too. This way, anyone who ever clicks on the Flickr link at our site will see a group of growler pictures from us and all of our readers. Check to see how we've already done this with our pictures.

Hope this all makes sense. Keep checking back for more good beer reading and fun beer pictures. And, most importantly, drop us a note with any questions or comments.

American Craft Beer Week: Thursday 5/18/06

So, here at The Brew Lounge, we've decided to celebrate ACBW even if the brewpubs we go to don't know what it is ;-)

Last night included the excellent Hopalicious at Iron Hill in West Chester and Sierra Nevada's new Ruthless Hefeweizen and Torpedo Ale at the Drafting Room in Exton.

Tonight, I'm thinking about a quick stop by McKenzie Brew House, maybe to check out their new IPA on tap. Then, it sounds as if our friend Matt may stop by with a few bottles of Immort Ale from Dogfish Head.

What are you doing to celebrate?

Beer Tasting: Avery The Reverend

This is a Belgian-style quadrupel from Avery in Boulder, Colorado. The 22 ounce bottle was purchased from 3 Sons Dogs & Suds in Wexford, PA in March 2006. It was stored at approximately 45F until 6 hours prior to consuming when it was brought up to approximately 54F.

Have you tasted this beer? Let us know what you think. As a suggestion, try to keep the review as brief as possible for each of the following: appearance; smell; taste; mouthfeel; and drinkability.

Appearance
Adam: no head, thin ring, not unusual for the style
Bryan: pours a very smooth burnt orangish-brown brew; very little head leaving just a thin ring

Smell
Adam: HOLY BEER! malty candied fruit
Bryan: peachy sweet, bit of spicy pepper

Taste
Adam: HOLY BEER! even lives up to the nose with a slight peppery finish
Bryan: for me, the optimal taste comes out when it's just a bit on the cooler side; overall just a very nice balance of malt, hops, and soft fruit and alcohol flavors

Mouthfeel
Adam: Man I think I'm warming up after the first sip, smooth, slight carbonation
Bryan: very smooth and a bit sticky upfront, just a small kick of carbonation in the middle, and some bitterness in the end

Drinkability
Adam: as you wish Reverend
Bryan: so very barcalounger-drinkable, the alcohol is just present enough without blowing you away

Seconds?
Adam: oh yeah, but Bryan said it was all gone...hmmm
Bryan: I would drink this until I was physically unable to drink anymore ;-)

American Craft Beer Week: Wednesday 5/17/06

Last night was a fun trip through Phoenixville,PA to see the construction progress at the future Iron Hill, to pay respects to the now-deceased Destiny Brewing Co., and to stop at Sly Fox for their Warrior IPA, Maibock, and some to-go beer (bottle-conditioned Saison and canned Pikeland Pils).

If anyone reading this runs a member establishment of the Brewer's Association, please tell your staffs about American Craft Beer Week. Two days and three breweries into the week and, man, are we getting some quizzical looks when we bring up the subject of ACBW!

While we at The Brew Lounge certainly do not need a special designated week to get excited about this great industry, we thought that this might be a fun week to help promote great beer. Or, are we just being a bit naive, and everyone who is already "in the know" finds this to be a bit blase and pedestrian of a promotion?

In any case, we are heading over to the Drafting Room in Exton tonight for a visit from Sierra Nevada and their new Torpedo Ale. An amped-up Celebration? We will see (and taste!) They are also bringing along a Hefeweizen, Summer Lager, Pale Bock, and Bigfoot Barleywine. Nice selection, eh? This is all in addition to the Drafting Room's normally great selection of tap lines.

And, if there's time, perhaps a quick swing over to the Iron Hill in West Chester.

What are you doing on this third day of ACBW?

Brew Pub Review: Johnstown Brewing Company

Click Here For All Brew Pub & Beer Bar Reviews

It was a rainy Friday evening when I visited Johnstown Brewing Company, JBC. We were there for dinner and to see how this brew pub stacked up. I snapped a few pictures and quickly ducked inside to get out of the rain. The building has been around for over one hundred years under various ownerships Cambria County Country Club, Ye Olde Country Club, Bethlehem Management Country Club and a few other restaurants before becoming the Johnstown Brewing Company (not to be confused with a now defunct brewery under the same name).

As you walk in you notice there are steps leading down to the Pub appropriately referred to as The Lower Works. The dining areas that we are interested in tonight are on the this floor however along with a second bar presumably for those waiting for a table. At the hostess station I noticed a glass case with lots of JBC merchandise including pint glasses, growlers, various shirts and even a model train car with the JBC logo on it. Our hostess, Susan Lovette, introduced herself as one of the co-owners and quickly made us feel at home. I asked about a tour. She promised to bring her husband and co-owner around when we were done eating. As we worked our way to the table and sat down I couldn't help but notice all the steel mill memorabilia. It was bursting from the walls and ceiling. There were hard hats from almost every conceivable mill worker position.

Wow all that just in the first five minutes...whew! We were seated promptly and I eagerly looked over their beer selections. Since this was a rare visit for me I decided to taste all the offerings and order a sampler which included nine different beers and one house rootbeer. We tried them all from light to dark. Here's the full list with my favorites first:

Incline Plane Ale - Wow, what an IPA. Maybe a double IPA. This was one of their seasonals and by far the best beer of the night. In fact I brought home a growler of it :-)

Steel Worker Stout - An American Stout with an awesome roasted grain profile that isn't too thick and is quite drinkable.

South Fork Dam Beer - The more daring of the two lighter looking beers here. Do you like bitter, nutty and dry lagers? This one is for you. (I hope I didn't confuse it with Flood Light in my notes.)

Those three stole the show, but, the rest were respectable as well:

Flood Light
White Hat Pale Ale
Lovett Brothers Irish Red
1889 Amber
Stone Bridge Brown Ale
Hefly Springs Raspberry Wheat

I was very impressed by the variety, quality and sheer number of beers on tap. I honestly didn't go there expecting anything great. Remember I grew up about twenty-five minutes away and most of my family and friends drank a popular macro beer like I.C. Light. Just for the record, I do drink I.C. Light with my Dad when visiting. Looking back, I guess Rolling Rock or Straub was as close to different as you could get. So, imagine me with a huge smile on my face when the nine samples appeared before my eyes spanning from light yellow to amber to almost black. :-) Our meals were very good if not a little pricey. Our server was pleasant and attentive.

Soon Ralph Lovette appeared and introduced himself. He told us of the building's history and of how they decided to get into the brew pub business after visiting the Weeping Radish in North Carolina. We walked through the upstairs to the pub downstairs. Wow! What a great little nook to hang out in. Again steel mill memorabilia surrounded you from the wooden patterns used in making steel molds to accident report blackboards to mill safety signs. There's a sizeable bar here with a huge wall of mug club mugs as a backdrop. Next time I visit I'm hanging out downstairs. We meandered our way around to the brewing room. It was definitely small, but, organized well with the fermenters on a scaffold above the brewing equipment. Adjacent to that room was the cooler where all the kegs were kept. Here's a picture of Ralph and I standing in the brewing room. You know I really enjoyed talking to Ralph. He seemed to have a good perspective on the history of the area and seems to know what he wants to do with this brew pub.

Ok time for a wrap up. After the tour I purchased one of their growlers filled with Incline Plane Ale. In the process I met Sharon & Ralph's daughter who happened to be sitting at the upstairs bar. All in all JBC and the Lovette's made an great impression on me. I only wish I lived a little closer. Good food, good beer and a wonderful steel town theme make it a required stop for any beer lover! I'll be stopping every chance I get.

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American Craft Beer Week: Tuesday 5/16/06

What are you doing to celebrate? Here at The Brew Lounge, we chose to recognize the second day of ACBW by:

- hm, making a trip over to McKenzie to try the IPA that Adam had yesterday (or the English Ale)
- or maybe a driving a few more miles to Sly Fox in Phoenixville to pick up a 6-pack Pikeland Pils in cans

Adam, have any plans to suggest for tonight?

ADAM : Maybe I'll see you up at the Sly Fox. :-)

The Brew Lounge is going to Boston, MA

The Brew Lounge is on the road again. This time the Boston beer market is on the agenda. I've been to Boston many times before and still have not been to a game at Fenway Park. That may finally change.

My (better) beer drinking escapades in Boston began in 1992 at Boston Beer Works near Fenway Park. So, I may be able to kill a couple of birds with one stone this time. (The Yankees are in town to play the Red Sox at Fenway....oh yeah!) There have also been several other beer joints that I've been to in the past and will try to get to again. Then, there are some new ones that I will attempt to hit this time as well. Patty and I will head up there on Saturday May 20th and I will be staying through Thursday for work. So, that's something like 5 nights total, including a couple of weekend days.

My questions to all of you are: Take a look at my list below, would you highly recommend or not recommend any that I have listed?; Are there any quality spots that I have missed?; Do any of you live in the Boston area and want to meet up for a barley and hops beverage?

(alphabetical listing)
Definites
Beer Works/Fenway
Brasserie Jo
Cambridge Brewing Co.
Red Bones
The Linwood Grill
The Publick House
The Good Beer Guide to New England book launch at Harpoon Brewery

Outside Chance
Harpoon Tour
Mike's Restaurant
Penguin Pizza
Rudy's Cafe
Sam Adams Tour
Watch City Brewing Co.

American Craft Beer Week: Monday 5/15/06

What are you doing to celebrate? Here at The Brew Lounge, we chose to recognize the first day of ACBW by:

- stopping by Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA
- purchasing a case of their Ten Years Alt
- bringing home a growler of, hm let's see, maybe Tripilsner or Whirlwind Wit (the outcome will be revealed at a later time!)

UPDATE: As per Ray Daniels, Director, Craft Beer Marketing, Brewers Association you have to visit the actual breweries so the Festival at Iron Hill, Media, PA is out of the question for some quick points.

EDIT: OK Bryan, how many points do you have in the Great American Brew Tour? I have one point so far. Stopped over at McKenzie Brew House for an IPA. I wanted to try the English Ale, but, I was pressed for time.

BRYAN EDIT: 2 points for Bryan. Victory's Tripilsner in the house and tasting like a lager with backbone! Might have to do a review on this one :)

Beer Sites: Basic Brewing Radio

I'm sure this will not be news to many of you. However, in the spirit of spreading the good word and reciprocating James' support, it's worth a quick note here about the great work that Basic Brewing Radio is doing in the realm of homebrewing.

James does a weekly podcast focusing on various aspects of the brew at home hobby. Occasionally, he will bring in a guest for an interview. Particularly interesting and outstanding was his recent episode of 4/27/06 in which he interviewed Stan Hieronymus.....excellent insight into the world of Belgian beers as only Stan can do. Also, Adam and I gleaned some good information about growing hops (which if you follow us closely, you know was a project that we recently embarked upon) from the 4/6/06 episode.

Plus, completely from a self-centered point-of-view, he mentioned Brew Lounge on his most recent 5/4/06 episode and we've been getting some decent referral traffic from that.....nice bump! Thanks James and keep up the great work!

p.s. Remember!! You do not need an iPod to listen to podcasts. If you don't have a portable music device, just simply go to the website and simply listen to the mp3 file through something like Windows Media Player, Quicktime, or something like it on your PC.