From a nuclear plant to the brewery with Bill Moore.

Going into an interview with a brewer, I’m starting to find that I always get hit with the unexpected. I always go in thinking I know exactly what they’re going to say and what I’m going to write, but every time it ends up being the direct opposite.  After breakfast with Pat Conway turned into a lengthy discussion on geology, an afternoon drink with Dann Paquette turned into a discussion of art, and lunch with Jim Koch turned into, well a conversation that changed my whole opinion of Sam Adams, you think I would have learned. Well once again I was wrong, but I really shouldn’t have been this time. I’m not sure what I expected when I walked into Lancaster Brewing Co. to meet Bill Moore, but for some reason I wasn’t expecting greatly enhance my history of beer in the Philadelphia area.

The weizen glass is the prefered type for my least favorite beer season – summer. This is the vessel you should use for your wheat ales and hefeweizens, and much like the drink umbrella, there is no need to slap a silly wedge of fruit to accentuate the sexy curves of this glass.

Inspiration for the mind and beer.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." This quote was taken from the Philosophy section of the website for Feed Your Soul Cookies (www.feedyoursoulcookies.com).  Now, their cookies may not be leaving footprints in your hearts, but they will be leaving you with inspiration and of course footprints in your stomach, hungering for more.

Brews in the heart of Amish County.

With Spring in the air, there’s nothing like getting out of the house to travel on country back roads and visit the neighboring locale of Lancaster County. While Lancaster County is famous for its Amish community, beautiful, rolling countryside, farmers markets and Shoofly Pies, beer lovers will find much to delight in, in what is known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

At least ideas to better track and prevent loss.

I’ve always felt that bars are something like a classroom, minus the grumpy teacher. I learn something – a joke, some trivia and something about beer – practically every time I stop for a drink.  A recent stop at a local bar got me to thinking about beer and kegs; specifically, how to identify the beer in the keg.

I went to The Grey Lodge Pub to meet some friends. The tap list included the “MicroStar Mystery Keg”. My initial reaction was to Google the brewery. Then I remembered the last newsletter, The Log, mentioned the “mystery” keg. This keg was at a local wholesaler but the label was gone. All kegs look similar making the type of beer and the brewery unknown.  At $4 a pint, taking a chance on this beer was a no-brainer. I bought “several” pints and was quite happy with my choice; but now I have a dilemma. How do you find a beer without knowing the brewery or name?  Well, I’ll tell you. I don’t know, but I have some ideas.  The inspiration was my EZ Pass transponder.