Survivor: Harrisburg Pennsylvania

This weeks selection is an American classic, a remnant from a time when every town and city would have a couple local breweries.  Of course, from the records put forth in this blog, one could argue that time has come again.  Whatever, that was then, this is now and now we are talking about Lancaster Brewery.

The current brewery takes its cues from a brewing tradition that comes from the  backrooms and cellars of inns and taverns as far back as the 1700s.  German immigrants flooded the county with old world beer styles and built a brewing tradition that became famous in it's own right.   A columnist for the Daily Intelligencer in 1868 said, "Lancaster in America occupies the same position that Munich does in Germany in regards to the brewing industry.
 
 Prohibition and the rise of commercial breweries largely wiped out the brewing industry in Lancaster county until the microbrew revolution provided a good enough excuse to dip into old brewing traditions.

That being said... I didn't get to see the brewery itself what with being forced to actually work while travelling.   Stupid job.  Just because they pay all the expenses and give me a paycheck, they think they can monopolize my time with work.  

Whatever. 

I was lucky enough to have a brewpub next to my hotel in Harrisburg, so... you know, close enough.

Celtic Rose:  Very drinkable Irish red ale.  It has a slight berry citrus aroma.  It starts off sweet with notes of berry citrus and caramel.  Pine hops come in later providing a hint of bitterness.

Fest Beer:  There is still time to catch the last of the octoberfest beers before they disappear for another year.  This beer has a very light spicy aroma.  I taste the spice along with the malt.  It moves to herbal hops and finishes quite dry.   

Lancaster Lager: A amber lager reminiscent of Sam Adams Boston Lager.  It has a light sweet caramel aroma and a lot of roasted flavors.  It ends with very light hops in back.

Gold Star Pilsner: If you are one of those people who walk into a microbrewery looking for something like a Budwieser... well first, what the Holy Hell is wrong with you?  Second, you're probably not going to like this.  No aroma really. There's a flash of fruit sweetness detectable right off the top before its engulfed in a mass of pine flavored hops.  The bitterness is pretty big.  Not overpowering, but more than I would expect. 

Amish 4 Grain: You've had a wheat beer, right?  Sure you have.  An oatmeal stout?  Perfect winter beer.  Rye beer?  It's a slowly emerging style, but gaining some rapid ground.  Have you had all of them at the same time?  [Pauses while your mind blows]  The result of four adjunct grains learning to play nice is rather unique.  There is no aroma to speak of.   The flavor has  some fruity strawberry peach sweetness.  That flavor rises and falls quickly leaving pine herbal hops.  

Strawberry Wheat:  One of the things they pride themselves for, as I mentioned earlier, was an adherence to old world traditions including the Reinheitsgebot, a German purity law that states only malt, hops, yeast and water can be used to make beer.  Note that strawberries are not on this list.  It would been a good question to ask while I was at the brewery, but I was busy drinking.  Besides, it I probably wouldn't have gotten an answer and pissed off the bartender in the process, so we'll just leave this as a mystery for now.  This beer had the same caramel sweet aroma I got on the lager.  Sweet, fizzy mouthfeel. Lots of strawberry and floral flavors. 

Country Cream Ale:  I would like to note that lactose, a crucial ingredient for a cream ale is not on the Reinheitsgebot list either.  It has a sweet aroma that made me think of peaches and cream.

The flavor is very bitter with caramel notes and complete with a creamy mouthfeel.  I pick up some floral hops in the back.   It starts off really light and slightly sweet.  

Winter Warmer: A seasonal old ale offering from the brewery.  I don't mention color much, but this beer's transparent dark ruby color is beautiful.  It has no aroma to speak of, but lots of berry chocolate some pine and herbs in the hops.  

Milk Stout: I'm starting to really question their supposed commitment to German purity laws.  Still, this beer has a wonderful coffee toffee aroma, though honestly I like the aroma more than the flavor.  There just isn't a lot there.  Some coffee, roasted barley and a very bitter aftertaste.  For the style.

Hop Hog: The obligatory IPA from Lancaster.  It has a citrus floral aroma with just a hint of caramel.  Amazingly drinkable for a beer containing as many hops as this claims to.  The northwest floral hops are well balanced with the malt and produce something very nice.

I finally get a chance to rest, relax and remain in the same time zone for more then a couple days.  Next week, barring something unexpected I'll be dipping into my bottled beer collection

Until then, Cheers!