June 2011
2 posts
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The MINT - Bethlehem's Shiny New Gastropub
Before the MINT opened, we heard a lot of rumors that it was going to be yet another Italian joint in B-Town (yawn). But then - the sign went up: “The Mint Gastropub.” Woohoo! A gastropub next to our favorite bottle shop? Yes please!
For those of you who are not yet aware of this recently-opened gastropub in Bethlehem, The MINT is located at 1223 West Broad Street - right next to...
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HiJinx Brewing Company: Allentown's New Nano...
We’re always happy to hear about new places opening in the Lehigh Valley that will help to develop our growing craft beer scene. So you can imagine our excitement to learn about HiJinx Brewing Company, a new nano brewery which is set to open in Allentown later this year.
Curt Keck, founder of HiJinx Brewing Company, is no stranger to the world of brewing. He began brewing back in 1995 to...
May 2011
7 posts
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Meet Alexander Clare
If you’re in tune with either the Lehigh Valley craft beer scene or art scene (or both), chances are you know the name Alexander Clare. If you don’t, you should.
Alex is, quite simply, a very cool and talented guy who who is making his mark in both the art world and the world of craft beer. Most of you have undoubtedly been to the Brew Works or sipped a Brew Works beer at some point...
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Beers for the Rapture
Since the rapture is upon us, we figured we’d better swing by Abe’s for one “final” visit and pick up some goodies to share with our friends and loved ones as the end draws near.
As we say our goodbyes and send everyone off with well-wishes (wherever they may be going) we’ll be toasting our memories with a Pretty Things Field Mouse’s Farewell, a 7% ABV Golden...
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Weyerbacher Beerscool Dinner Tonight at Starters...
It’s the third Wednesday of the month and that means it’s time for Beerscool at Starters Riverport! Tonight they’ll be featuring a Weyerbacher Beer Dinner and a rep from the brewery will be on hand to tell you all about their delicious locally brewed beer while you enjoy it! Beer selections include Double Simcoe IPA, Verboten, Blanche, Merry Monks and Blithering Idiot. The...
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Philadelphia Brewing Co. comes to the Liberty...
For the first time locally, Philadelphia Brewing Company’s great selection of beers will be on tap at the Liberty Street Tavern in Allentown. You can stop by tonight from 7:00pm - 11:00 pm for an $8 flight that includes Kennzinger (a Philly favorite!), Pennsylvania Pale Ale, Rowhouse Red, and Fleur de Lehigh. There will also be giveaways - and you know you can always use another...
4 tags
CRAFT BEER EVENTS IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY
There’s always something to do in the Lehigh Valley if you like craft beer! Our events page can help you plan your week around the craft beer scene. Check it out for special events as well as ongoing weekly and monthly events. We update this page as frequently as possible, but if you see something that we’re missing, be sure to let us know!
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Craft Beer Conversion
Despite the exploding craft beer scene throughout the country and the never ending variety of beer styles that now exist, there are still those people out there who claim they “don’t like the taste of beer” or swear by only the standard macros. We know you’ve got at least one of these in your entourage, be it your Appletini-swilling girlfriend or your buddy who...
The Elusive Search for Craft Beer in Mexico City
Guest Post by Laura Nazimiec of gomexicoguide.com
Craft beer can be a lot harder to come by in Mexico City than it is in the Lehigh Valley, especially if you’re not sure where to look. If you’re a craft beer connoisseur, one of the first things you’ll notice when you arrive in Mexico is the limited choice of brews. Restaurants, bars and corner stores all seem to offer the same small...
April 2011
1 post
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CHEDDAR BUFFALO MONSTER CHILI - A Tribute to...
In honor of today’s annual Bethlehem Chili Fest (also known as Spring on Fourth, What’s on Third?), we thought we’d hand over our favorite homemade chili recipe, which of course, includes beer. No messin’ around here folks, this is one big-ass bowl of beer and bison deliciousness. So about 3 weeks from now when you’ve recovered from the gastrointestinal duress you are...
February 2011
1 post
We'll be back - and better than ever!
OK Lehigh Valley, we heard you. Thanks to our loyal fans and supporters of the Valley’s craft beer scene, we will be expanding our staff and will continue to bring you all the best craft beer news the area has to offer.
We’ll be going through some transitions in the upcoming months, so hang in there and please check back often as we update and improve our site, Facebook, Twitter,...
November 2010
1 post
3 tags
Reader Poll: What are Your Favorite Winter...
As the holidays draw nearer and the days get colder, the pumpkin and harvest beers start to fade from the shelves and we welcome the warming, hearty brews of the holiday season. Winter and holiday beers are some of our favorites - indulgent barleywines and spicy ales that tickle the tastebuds as we celebrate the season with friends and loved ones. Before we give you our opinion on what we think...
October 2010
3 posts
8 tags
OctoberPreneurFest - Meet and Mingle with Beer...
This Monday, October 18th, the Lehigh Entrepreneurs Network brings you OctoberPreneurFest, giving you the opportunity to meet and mingle with entrepreneurs in the beer industry. If you like to homebrew, are thinking about starting a brewery, or just enjoy talking about beer, come out and meet others who share your passion. The event will take place in the Steelgarden Lounge in the Bethlehem...
6 tags
Craft Beer at the Keystone Pub
If you haven’t been to the Keystone Pub lately (or ever), it’s about time for you to stop by. Keystone is one more great place to go to check out the Lehigh Valley craft beer scene. Located on Easton Avenue in Bethlehem, they’ve got a quality craft beer selection and offer a $3.50 all-day Saturday microbrew special.
Just to wet your whistle, below is what you’ll find...
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Bethlehem Brewer Chris Bowen Travels to Britian as...
Guest Post by LauraLynne Burtner
Bethlehem beer historian, award-winning home brewer, and extreme brewing enthusiast Christopher Bowen traveled to Burton-on-Trent, England, at the invitation of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to be their guest speaker at an event taking place today, October 1, 2010. Bowen’s address to CAMRA recounts his travel experience and the inspiration behind his mission...
September 2010
4 posts
A Note to Our Tipsters - Who are you?
We love getting any and all new tips about craft beer events, news, and current craft beers on tap! However, we don’t always know who is sending them. We don’t post tips or updates that are sent anonymously and cannot be verified through a bar/brewery/restaurant website, because we want to be sure we are posting accurate information. So for all you anonymous tipsters out there, keep...
7 tags
Featured Beer: Flying Fish Exit 6 Wallonian Rye...
Flying Fish Exit 6 Wallonian Rye Belgian Style Ale was created as a collaboration brew for Phialdelphia Beer Week 2010 with brewers from Stewart’s Brewing Company’s and Nodding Head Brewery. The beer uses locally grown New Jersey rye along with English East Kent Goldings, Slovenian Styrian Goldings and Japanese Sorachi Ace hops to create a unique flavor combination. Golden yellow in...
6 tags
Abe's = Love.
You’ve heard us mention Abe’s six pack shop many times on our website because well, to us, Abe’s = Love. And we love Abe’s. Yeah, sounds sappy. But who doesn’t love to walk into a room to discover rack after rack of rare beers available for purchase by the bottle? Craft beer lovers from near and far come to bask in the glow of the fluorescent lighting, stroll the...
8 tags
The Best Places to Have a Beer After the Allentown...
The “Great” Allentown Fair. The Fair is the kind of event where you check out the carnies, the goats, rabbits and cows, the gut-busting food, and some of the most freakish people from all walks of life and leave asking yourself, “What the hell was that?” Unfortunately, unlike Bethlehem’s mega-fests, the Allentown Fair is pretty much a dry event, unless you want to...
August 2010
3 posts
4 tags
Molly's. Mondays. Microbrews.
Our ongoing quest for craft beer in the Lehigh Valley and a tip from one of our Twitter followers led us to Bethlehem’s South Side to check out a new venue in a familiar location. The former Lehigh Pub (also once known as the Bridgeworks) has become Molly’s Irish Grille. Now under new ownership, the facade of Molly’s still looks like your typical college pub. We admit, we were...
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Featured Beer: Weyerbacher Lima
The newest in the Weyerbacher Brewer’s Select Series, Lima American-Style India Black Ale takes a traditional IPA style and adds dark malts to enhance color and flavor. This well-crafted brew pours an opaque, nearly black color typically reserved for porters and stouts. Very little head. Aroma yields a bouquet of pine, pineapple, and citrus. Roasty, piney, bitter hop flavor with notes of...
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How to Avoid Swill Beer at Fest
It’s that time again - the time when waves of townies and tourists roam the streets of Bethlehem with ale in hand. In the past few days, however, there has been controversy over the exact regulations of the beer laws surrounding Fest. Yesterday, State Liquor Control Enforcement shut down sales of to-go mug fills from local establishments for the first time in 12 years. Many weren’t...
July 2010
29 posts
3 tags
Featured Beer: Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch (Weasel)
We’ve been searching for this beer for quite some time and finally came across it at Abe’s on Thursday. There are some beers out there with strange ingredients, but this one is certainly one of the most exotic - it’s made with weasel poop. Ok, so it isn’t made with the poop itself exactly, it’s made using coffee brewed from beans that have been digested by the civet...
5 tags
Featured Beer: Ambetanterik by Brouwerij Het...
We’ve eyed this beer up at Abe’s a few times and selected it today as our featured brew. The art on the bottle is an oddly intriguing carved wooden statue of a man with enormous feet. This 11% ABV Belgian Stout is just as intriguing. Dark brown with alot of creamy head. Extremely effervescent, it hides the high alcohol content in a blanket of nutty, sweet, and somewhat bitter flavor...
4 tags
BrewWorks Brewmaster Beau Baden talks Arctic...
Click here to watch the video on the WILK Friday Beer Buzz blog >
Click here to learn about the Arctic Adventure >
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The End of History - or the Beginning?
If you follow beer news, you’ve surely heard alot this week about The End of History. The crazy folks at BrewDog have created an ice-distilled, 55%ABV beer that costs in the neighborhood of $800 and is served in a dead squirrel. We’ve seen alot of discussion about this throughout the week, with some heralding the brewers as amazingly crafty, and others calling their newest creation...
3 tags
Latrobe brewery to expand with $7.8M from PA
A $3.1 million state grant and $4.7 million state loan will allow the Latrobe brewery to add a wastewater treatment plant. City Brewing, based in Wisconsin, acquired the Latrobe brewery from Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2007.
Read the full article at post-gazette.com>
3 tags
Beerscool
Tomorrow is the 3rd Wednesday of the month, and do you know what that means? It’s time for Beerscool! Because beer IS cool, but nothing is cooler than sampling new craft beers paired with a 4-course meal. The always awesome staff at Starters Riverport runs this monthly event where beer lovers unite, gain knowledge, and have a great time with other beer afficionados. Chef Danny Adams serves...
4 tags
Featured Beer: BrewDog Hardcore IPA - United...
Golden-orange in color, this IPA has an aroma of citrus and grapefruit. Taste is sweet with a nice hop bitterness, similar to the smell with a hint of pine. Hoppiness coats the back of the throat at the end of each sip. Though we typically prefer American IPAs, this IPA deserves some accolades for having a complexity that far surpasses the typical blandness found in beer produced in the UK....
3 tags
Craft Beer Defined
Beer Journalist Stan Hieronymus discusses the origins of the term “craft beer” in the article Craft Beer: The 1986 Definition.
Read the article on Forbes.com’s Booze Blog >
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Kölsch in a Can
Famed Philadelphia Restaurant Reviewer Craig LaBan reviews one of PA’s finest canned craft beers.
Read the article at philly.com >
Read LVcraftbeer.com’s article “The Case for Craft Beer Cans” >
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Lehigh Valley Beer Society
You didn’t know? The Lehigh Valley has its own beer society. Started and run by local craft beer enthusiasts, the LVBS will resume its activities this Monday, July 19 after a 6-month hiatus. The upcoming meeting will be held at the Liberty Street Tavern at 7pm. New members are always welcome.
So what’s on the agenda? Typically, members gather, mingle and sample 5 different beers,...
Anyone Up For Some Moose Drool?
Asylum’s Ryan McKee gives a rundown of the top ten most nauseating beer names and the stories behind them.
Read the article at asylum.com >
4 tags
Sam Adams Gives Beer Lovers a Choice
For the sixth year in a row, Sam Adams gives beer lovers across the country the opportunity to cast their vote on what will become the newest Sam Adams Brewmaster’s Collection beer. Last year, over 68,000 pariticipants voted at over 1,300 samplings. The winner? Sam Adams Noble Pils. This year, the two competing brews are a Belgian style IPA and an American Rye. The voting events will be held...
3 tags
Beer of the Day: Unibroue Blanche de Chambly
A refreshing Belgian style witbier. Cloudy, pale yellow color. Subtle citrus and coriander aroma. Taste is citrus and wheat, very mild and light. 5.0% ABV.
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Beer of the Day: The Bruery Rugbrod
Three types of rye malt create this malty, nutty sweet rye ale. Dark brown in color. Smooth and creamy without a potent alcohol burn. Would be a great autumn beer to sip fireside but is still delicous in the heat of the summer. 8.0% ABV.
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Pennsylvania: Now Serving Nebraska
PA beer retailers now have another brewer’s craft beer suite to add to their ever-increasing selection: Nebraska Brewing Company. Nebraska Brewing Company is an independent brewery in the Midwest known for it’s high quality, creative craft beers and barrel-aged products. Nebraska Brewing Company has signed a distribution agreement with Shangy’s in Emmaus, and will begin...
5 tags
Beer of the Day: Negra Modelo
Amber in color with little to no aroma. Malty with extremely slight hop flavor. Mexico’s best-selling dark beer. Classified as a Munich style beer by the brewery, but we wouldn’t rate it too highly in this category. Regardless, it is a a clean, creamy and refreshing brew that works well paired with pork carnitas, tamales, or chile verde.
2 tags
PR2 Humanoid Hacked to Serve Beer
Don’t feel like making the long trek from the couch to the fridge for a cold one? Neither did the engineers at Willow Park, who have hacked into the platform of the PR2 robot and to create an artificially intelligent, beer-serving humanoid. A “Beer Me” web app allows users to select their choice of beer and location. The robot, equipped with a bottle opener as well as...
4 tags
Can World Cup Breakfast Beer Pairings Predict a...
CraftBeer.com explores craft beer pairings for traditional breakfast foods in Spain and the Netherlands. Based on the pairings, who do you think would snag the victory?
Read the analysis by CraftBeer.com and cast your vote in the online poll on the upper right hand corner of the page. >
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Beer of the Day: North Coast Brother Thelonious
This Belgian style strong dark ale is malty and sweet with a deep mahogany color. Smells of raisin and plum with flavors of chocolate and clove. 9.4% ABV.
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There's Nothing Like an Arctic Brew
A few years ago, we sat on the roofdeck of a of a second story apartment on Main Street in Bethlehem, drinking cold brews on a hot summer day. Out of nowhere, a man dressed in knickers and a puffy shirt mysteriously wandered into the backyard and asked us for a hose. We’re used to seeing some strange things in downtown Bethlehem, but this was a first. Our interest was peaked. That man, as it...
4 tags
Beer of the Day: Pretty Things American Darling
This American Pale Lager is a nice refreshing brew, nothing too complex. Pale yellow in color. Nice head. A bit of floral hoppiness, Light, clean and crisp. You would never guess it’s 7% ABV.
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Beer of the Day: Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
This saison tastes a bit more sour than expected. Hazy golden color. Spicy and a bit funky. Notes of coriander and citrus. Mild carbonation. 4.5% ABV. For a nice twist on the typical farmhouse ale, try this beer’s darker cousin, Bam Noire, which is a seasonal released in September.
3 tags
Happy 4th of July! Beer of the Day: Anchor Liberty...
This dry-hopped ale was first introduced in 1975 to commemorate the bicentennial of Paul Revere’s ride. Golden-orange hue. Hoppy and slightly sweet with notes of citrus. 5.9% ABV.
CBS news reports on the growing popularity of craft beer.
Click here to watch the video on CBSnews.com>
5 tags
Dogfish Head Gets "Discovered"
Delaware Brewery Dogfish Head, and its founder Sam Calagione, are currently the focus of a new show being filmed by the Discovery Channel. The show, Brewed, will debut in early 2011. Dogfish Head was chosen due to its reputation for creating innovative beers and the charisma of its founder. The six-episode series will be filmed around the globe, as well as at Dogfish Head’s Milton, DE...
3 tags
Beer of the Day: Rodenbach Classic - Belgium
Extremely drinkable Flanders Red Ale from Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V. Red-brown color. Sweet with a tart finish. Notes of cherry and vinegar. Highly carbonated. 5.4% ABV. For an even more complex Flanders Red, try Rodenbach Grand Cru.
3 tags
Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin releasing tomorrow
Stop by the Weyerbacher brewery this Saturday between noon and 3pm for this year’s first taste of Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Click here for the full list of beers on tap at Weyerbacher’s July 3rd Saturday tasting.