Hop Talk

Just a couple of quick links to interesting items that we really liked and, frankly, wished we’d written:

The Zythophile: Pernicious myths and a ban on hops
On tracking down persistent urban beer myths.

First Draft: Shotgun Wedding
Analysis and speculation of the announced merger of Miller and Coors.

I love beer: Portland Recap, Chapter 2
A bicycle tour of Portland.

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My wife and I love Pennsylvania Dutch country. We’ve taken several weekend trips out to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and found the food wonderful (find a place that offers “family-style” dining), the people warm and friendly, and the prices reasonable. Oh, sure, there are a few tourist traps, and as beautiful as they are we just can’t afford a hand-made quilt, but it’s one of our favorite places. It’s also where we first heard about “fainting goats“.

This weekend (April 14-15) would make it an even better time to go. Three inns in the county are celebrating Beer and Pretzel Weekend.

For $250 a couple, you get a guided tour that starts with samples of soft pretzels from a local pretzel maker, then to the Lancaster Brewing Company for a tour and tasting. Then you move on to Intercourse to a hard pretzel factory for a lesson in pretzel-twisting, and then off to Stoudt’s Brewery for another tour and more tasting. The tour ends at Stoudt’s Black Angus Steak House. You can do the tour in a single day or split it into a two-day event. Included in the price are the tours, lectures, tastings, meals, and transportation by van. Lodging is extra, but if you stay at one of the participating inns you get a special gift. This event is open to anyone over age 21.

Tours and accommodations are booked through the three participating inns: Harvest Moon Bed & Breakfast, Artist Inn, and Sheep Hill Bed & Breakfast.

There will also be another weekend in July (13-14) with a final stop at Bube’s Brewery instead of Stoudt’s.

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