Pumpkinfest at The Institute

Last year, Jo and I attended the pumpkinfest at the Devil's Den which while fun mostly ended up with me trying two and then heading out since the list wasn't super interesting. While I never expected attending a pumpkinfest to be a yearly event, guess we've made it so after this past Saturday. This year we went to The Institute which had a very extensive list of pumpkin beers and a full pumpkin menu. The list numbered around 24 beers but the bar only has 16 taps so it meant that to try everything I wanted to on the list I had to be lucky. And, for the most part, I actually was although I did miss out on a couple. Gives me something to look forward to next year!

Bella Vista takes over Devil's Den

Ahh, Philly Beer Week finally begins. I put up my schedule the other day and so far I've kept to it pretty well. While this post is going to concentrate on the Devil's Den event, my first beer of beer week was actually at the Kite & Key. It was the Troegs Scratch 42, Razzmadizzle, a chocolate raspberry dubbel as far as I know.

Bavarian Barbarian Headbangerz Brown Ale

After resting a little from our New Years trip, Jo and I opened the growler of Headbangerz Brown Ale we got at Bavarian Barbarian brewery.

It had a sweet and malty nose with some bready notes.  Very inviting if you like sweet browns like Jo and I.  Tastes a little nutty, some sweetness. No hops to be found.  Mouthfeel is pretty great, nice thickness.  A little caramel started coming out as it warmed up.  Reminded me almost of a Belgian Dubbel but without the Belgian yeast.  We both really enjoyed this one and it's yet another Bavarian Barbarian beer I've liked.  If it was available in bottles around here we'd definitely pick some up.  Mike, the brewer, is aging some of this in some bourbon barrels and I can't wait to see how that turns out.  Most likely delicious.  If you're ever in Williamsport definitely stop in, say hi and have a beer.

New Years Central PA Brewery Tour - The Beginning

For New Years, Jo and I decided to visit a few Central PA breweries that are too far to comfortably reach in one day.  Our original plans followed a different route but due to closures and odd hours, we ended up driving this one.  It looks sort of dumb as it crisscrosses itself, but that's the best we could do.  If Selinsgrove brewery was open and Berwick Brewing opened before 3, the route would have made a lot more sense.  Ah well.

The first place we visited was Old Forge Brewing in Danville.