WILK Friday BeerBuzz–30 Mar 2012 (The Bruery Orchard White & Black Orchard)

I’ve been asked more than once by friends and family, “what beer should I take to a party as a gift for the hosts?”  Many times the question seems simple enough, but what most people really want to know is more along the lines of, “what beer can I take to a party that won’t offend anyone, but will impress everyone?”  Well today we have that beer.

I chose The Bruery Orchard White because it is a style that most people won’t be offended by, but still a 1st class beer that even a hardened beer lover will appreciate.  Orchard White is a Belgian-style witbier, and while the wheat-based flavor can be mild, the added coriander, orange peel & lavender make it complex enough that both new and experienced beer lovers will appreciate the taste.  The nose has plenty of interesting flavors like gingerbread and cinnamon and the bottle-conditioned higher carbonation brings an almost champagne-like mouthfeel.  All in all a very interesting, but simple brew.

As a bonus, I also brought in a bottle of The Bruery Black Orchard.  This beer is the darker sibling of Orchard White, using dark wheat malts and substituting chamomile for lavender.  You’d be amazed at how many more similarities there are with these beers, especially when you see how different they look side by side.

Check out The Bruery Orchard White (and Black Orchard) and see for yourself.

Thanks

to Nancy, John, & Joe for yet another fun Friday. 

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. 

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.

Friday BeerBuzz–The Teaser 30 Mar 2012

Last week we had a funny milestone at The Friday BeerBuzz.  We welcomed Johnny, Jon Dave & Matt from 3 Guys & a Beer’d into the studio…and I knew going in it would be fun.  No notes and Four guys sharing one microphone with several beers.  What could possibly go wrong?  Thanks guys….lots of fun for sure.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: Figuring out this weeks beer is pretty Black & White….or should I say One is Black and our beer is white?!

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com).

WILK Friday BeerBuzz–23 Mar 2012 3-Guys & a Beer’d Malarky & Ladder Dive w/Johnny, John & Matt

WILK Friday BeerBuzz 23 Mar 2012 3 Guys & A Beer’d w/Johnny Waering, Jon Bronson & Matt Zuk

Back in Nov of 2009, my pal Johnny Waering held his 2nd annual tasting event, and he and friends Jon Bronson, Dave Oakley & Matt Zuk brought out a Pale Ale & IPA that they were testing, and after a few beers talked about their “plan” to open 3 Guys & A Beer’d.  In May 2011 Johnny updated me on their progress, and slowly but surely they worked out all the details and opened their doors just weeks ago.

Beginning with their Wheat the People & Ladder Dive Rye IPA the guys have slowly been getting their beers out to the public and showing up in more and more local bars.  Coming to us from Carbondale, PA, the guys have been brewing, testing and building their brewery at 10 Enterprise Dr…and yes part of the build process lead to a ladder dive and a pretty serious wrist injury for Dave…resulting in Ladder Dive Rye IPA.

We sampled their initial offerings a few weeks ago and really enjoyed what the guys were brewing, but with St Patrick’s Day falling in March, we wanted to premier their new Malarky Irish Red Ale on today’s show. Lots of interesting flavors going on here, and what I suspect was a pretty heavily consumed brew over the last few weeks. We also enjoyed Ladder Dive Rye IPA and really enjoyed that one too….an of course the story behind it is painful and funny (Sorry Jon.) Check out 3 Guys & a Beer’d Brews at any one of the 14 locations Johnny had memorized (thanks Johnny). Something we didn’t get on the air was the new upcoming Chocolate Porter the guys are experimenting with…so stay tuned for details.

Thank you Johnny Waering, Jon Bronson & Matt Zuk from 3-Guys & a Beer’d

, Nancy, John, & Joe for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.

Friday BeerBuzz–The Teaser 23 Mar 2012

Last week we shared some great Barley Creek Brewing beers with lead brewer Joe Percoco.  It was fun sampling with Joe and exciting to hear what’s coming next for Barley Creek.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: This week we’ll be bringing on some brewers that are just opening their doors but who’s beers we’ve sampled in the past!

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com).

WILK Friday BeerBuzz–16 Mar 2012 Barley Creek Brewing Super Hop Triple IPA w/Joe Percoco

Barley Creek Brewery has been a craft-brewing fixture in Northeastern PA for as many years as I can recall.  I can remember visiting 10-years ago after a summer hike at Big Pocono State Park and stopping by after skiing at Camelback…and it seems like it’s just always been there…but boy have things changed.

For those that aren’t aware of Barley Creek Brewing Co, it’s located right on the access road to Camelback Mountain and just minutes off Rt. 80 @ Tannersville.  You’ll not only notice the Pint Size Park with a regulation whiffle-ball field, horse-shoe pits & bocce courts, but also lots of outdoor space.  If you visit during winter, my favorite attribute will stand out….the Ted Benson designed timber frame restaurant & bar.  No matter when you visit Barley Creek, your likely to be going for the same reason I do…the beer.

Today on the Friday BeerBuzz we were joined by Barley Creek’s new lead brewer Joe Percoco.  Joe has a really strong home-brewing background and he was nice enough to show me around Barley Creek a few weeks ago.  We sampled quite a few Barley Creek Beers…and I have to say Barley Creek looks and tastes great.  This is a great new beginning for craft beer at Barley Creek and I love what Joe & Matt are doing with their beers.  With so many different beers on tap they definitely have something for everyone, including the hard core craft beer lovers.

It was tough to choose just one or two beers for the show, but I wanted to feature something unique, so the choice of Super Hop Triple IPA was an easy one.  Joe tells me this beer is loaded with hops and that wonderfully hoppy flavor is prominent in the nose and on the taste buds.  This brew also has a nice subtle malty backbone and lots of body…and don’t forget it’s a BIG 13% ABV.  Joe was nice enough to also share his wonderful Imperial Cocoa Porter with us and not only is this beer loaded with chocolate notes but it’s just begging to be aged in some bourbon barrels.  With other beers on tap like Dark Lager, Scottish Session Ale, and Double Mocha Latte Stout…I’m excited for what will be coming next for Barley Creek under Joe’s lead.

Thank you to Joe Percoco from Barley Creek Brewing

, Nancy, John, & Joe for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.

Friday BeerBuzz–The Teaser 16 March 2012

Last week we welcomed Artie Defoyer, master brewer from Appalachian Brewing Co to help us sample some great ABC Brews.  ABC has several locations nearby to choose from and LOTS of different beers you can try…so get out there and visit one of the ABC locations near you.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: This week we’ll have YET ANOTHER great local brewmaster cross the creek join us in the studio!

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com).

WILK Friday BeerBuzz–9 Mar 2012 Appalachian brewing Co Hoppy Trails IPA w/Artie Tafoya

One of the most under-sung local breweries is not only just an hour or two down the road, but they’ve recently opened THREE other locations….and their beers are starting to show up more on the craft-beer shelves of Northeastern PA.

I first started visiting Appalachian Brewing Co (ABC) over 10 years ago, and I was surprised even back then at the number of beers they produced and the wonderful brewery/brewpub they had. Located just down the road from the Harrisburg Farm Show complex, ABC is housed in a 3-story brick building with it’s history tracing back to 1890. The brewery is visible form the bar, the food is always fantastic, and upstairs they have a surprise. The Abbey Bar, located on the 2nd floor of ABC features over 50 Belgian beers in bottle & on draft as well as the fresh handcrafted ABC brews, so it’s a wonderful place to visit.

We were honored to have ABC master brewer Artie Tafoya join us today. It was interesting to get Artie’s insight on the expansion of ABC into Collegeville, Camp Hill & Gettysburg PA. It was also fun to talk about the increased visibility of ABC brews in our market as well as others…but perhaps most fun was sampling ABC beers with Artie. 

We chose to sample and feature Hoppy Trails IPA. This is a classic IPA and it is loaded with hops, but balanced nicely with an subtle increase in malt. At 6.2% ABV it’s a little stronger than a typical Pale Ale or Amber, but the flavor and body make it a really wonderful beer. Artie was nice enough to share his insight on Hoppy Trails IPA as well as the other beers we sampled and I was particularly excited to learn that Hoppy Trails is now the newest member of ABC’s year-round beers.

Thank you to Artie Tafoya from Appalachian Brewing Co

, Nancy, John, & Joe for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.

Friday BeerBuzz–The Teaser 9 Mar 2012

We celebrated show # 100 of the Friday BeerBuzz last week and it was a lot of fun going back to our roots, and simply enjoying a great beer with the Friday BeerBuzz team. Of course talking Pirate all day helped too but Van Steenberge Piraat was wonderful so be sure to try it for yourself.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: Our brewmaster for Friday’s show will be joining us from a large and every growing LOCAL brewery..or should I say breweries?!

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com).

Friday BeerBuzz 2 Mar 2012–The Video Piraat

WILK Friday BeerBuzz–2 Mar 2012 Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat

We’ve had an amazing time on the Friday BeerBuzz and we have literally had guests join us for the last 27 SHOWS!!  So it was nice today to simply sit down with the Friday BeerBuzz team and enjoy a great beer. 

Today I chose a beer that only recently hit our area.  It was originally a draft-only release, and gradually we’ve seen more and more bottles reach our shores….which is very good news.  Our beer today was Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat.  In case your missed the reference on the label above, Piraat is Dutch for “Pirate” and after you try this one it may just steal your beer-booty.

Piraat is a Belgian/Flemish Style IPA, but if you’re expecting a traditional British or West-Coast style IPA, you’ll be surprised…but surprised in a good way.  This is a Belgian/Flemish style IPA which means there is significant hop presence, but the Belgian yeast imparts that bready/yeasty flavor we’re more accustomed to tasting in a Saison.  Piraat comes to us from Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Belgium, and it is a BIG 10.5% ABV, so there is a lot of boozy/alcohol flavor but I’d describe it more as “warming.”  Try this one for yourself…it’s readily available at Krugel’s Georgetown Deli & Beer and affordable in 4-Packs too.

Thank you to Mrs. BeerBuzz,

Nancy, John, & Joe for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.