My wife’s family has a traditional pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving so that all the kids can be together, and then go off to the in-laws for the actual date of the holiday. We all meet up in Maryland, and since there’s a heavy Pennsylvania contingent in the family, including a few people who I knew were into good beer, I decided to email them ahead of time and make sure they got some good stuff to bring. This paid of very handsomely as I ended up getting goods directly from two of the top breweries in the state – Troegs, in Harrisburg, and Iron Hill, in Lancaster. I represented with some good stuff to share as well, and the holiday was all the better for it.
The Troegs “Scratch” Series beers have been on my radar for a while but I didn’t get to try any until I had a few samples at the Ommegang “Belgium comes to Cooperstown” event over the summer. Hitting the brewery, my wife’s Uncle picked up two growlers of the Scratch 15, a Coffee Oatmeal Stout, and a case of 12oz bottles of the Scratch 14, a Saison. Two of my favorite styles of beer, and two typically great renditions from one of my favorite breweries. Troegs produces a wide range of beers, from an incredible Double Bock to a killer Hoppy Pale, and everything in between. The Scratch Beers, like the “Unplugged” series from New Glarus, are brewing experiments or older recipes that the brewers felt like busting out. They periodically brew and package these beers in kegs and bottles, and make them avaiable at the brewery only, for the most part. The Scratch 14 is a beautiful, cloudy Saison with a heady amount of yeast sitting at the bottom of the bottle. It pours with a rocky big white head, and is very bubbly and delicious — spicy, fruity, and all the right notes you want in terms of body and heat. Troegs dabbles in so many styles that you’d think they would mistep more, but there’s only one or two of their brews in total that I don’t truly enjoy. Scratch 15 was a popular entry in the series, as big Stouts tend to be in the Craft Brew World. A Coffee Oatmeal stout poured from a Growler is a beautiful thing, as the fresh creaminess of the beer wasn’t lost or trapped beyond my reach. A dark brown beer with a tan head and a wonderful coffee aroma, 15 is a smooth and delicious beer I could drink a lot of. Good thing I have another growler of it in my fridge.
Iron Hill is another brewery whose wares I hadn’t sampled until I was at the festival in Cooperstown. With several locations around Delaware and Pennsylvania, Iron Hill’s outpost in Lancaster is where my Thanksgiving supply came from, in the form of two growlers. Iron Hill keeps a rotating Belgian on tap at all times, which I think is fantastic, and this time of year it’s their Abbey Dubbel. In addition to the Dubbel, the Seasonal draft was a Saison, a cool complement to the Troeg’s version, and a Saison fest in the early Winter is always a treat. Iron Hill’s Dubbel is a mahogony, deep and rich brew with a lot of dried fruit and bright citrus going on at the same time. Comes on strong but finishes very smoothly, a controlled, well-executed, drinkable beer that I would love to have a regular supply of. Iron Hill’s Saison is a bit more intense and Earthy thank Troegs’, although pouring clearer and having a more focused palette overall. Fruity, Peppery, and intense, and also quite drinkable.
Four great selections brewed with care in Pennsylvania — we gotta do this more often!
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