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Breweries
Pennsylvania Breweries
A revised look at fifty-three breweries and brewpubs throughout the state of Pennsylvania introduces several new facilities, furnishing updated information on others, discussing the history of brewing in the region, and offering information on tours, food served, nearby accommodations and attractions, and the types of beers brewed. Original.
270 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 29, 2011
I highly recommend this to any Pa. beer geek (or anyone interested in craft beer, for that matter. Or maybe even to all folks interested in beer, period). Lou put a lot of work into this book: there is a detailed article for each of the 73 (yes, 73) breweries found in Pennsylvania. He includes information such as: brewery histories, beer selections, interviews with employees and brewers, brewing systems, local attractions, nearby beer bars and more. The book is organized by geography, and he breaks each section up with insightful interludes.
December 8, 2012
Very helpful. It makes me want to take road trips to see some of these places. My problem is, every beer I like I would want to bring home. We love going to Hershey where Troegs is. Very nice inside and you get to see how beer is made from their tour you can take for free.
January 12, 2008
Super book if you like to travel to different beer places in Pennsylvania - and I do!
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October 4, 20172008-01 - Pennsylvania Breweries. Lew Bryson (Author) 2005. 270 Pages.
I bought this book last year for my wife’s birthday after seeing the author interviewed on PA Books. The author was passionate about beer and infectious in his laugh.
The book is written very much as he is. It is well written and often hilarious. The book covers all the big breweries, small breweries and brew-pubs in PA. The breweries are grouped by region. Interspersed between regional coverage are chapters on the history of beer in America and in PA, local food oddities, differences between ale and lager etc. Each brewery is given a write-up and along with his picks and why he provides a review of the food if applicable, any local bars worth noting, local accommodations, and local museums and other sites of interest. The focus though is on the beer.
What makes this book valuable is PA liquor laws. Beer can only be purchased through local licensed beer stores and then only by the case. This tends to limit your selection as the beer guys will only carry what they can move. So if your taste tends out of the mainstream you are screwed. It also hinders trying new products because who wants to buy a case of something blind. The solution is to buy sampler packs. We have been doing this with PA and some NY beers. Generally Lew’s evaluations of beers have been spot on and his book has served as a good guide for purchasing sampler cases.
We have also indulged in “beer tourism”. We generally try and add in a brewery or brew pub to all of our travels. We have the third edition which came out in 2005. However you can access his website: http://www.lewbryson.com/ and look at the updates. This provides a current and update SITREP on all the establishments.
This has been a great educational and touring book. So far we have visited six of the breweries and tried beer from an additional five or six. A great book I wish they had guides like this for every state!
I bought this book last year for my wife’s birthday after seeing the author interviewed on PA Books. The author was passionate about beer and infectious in his laugh.
The book is written very much as he is. It is well written and often hilarious. The book covers all the big breweries, small breweries and brew-pubs in PA. The breweries are grouped by region. Interspersed between regional coverage are chapters on the history of beer in America and in PA, local food oddities, differences between ale and lager etc. Each brewery is given a write-up and along with his picks and why he provides a review of the food if applicable, any local bars worth noting, local accommodations, and local museums and other sites of interest. The focus though is on the beer.
What makes this book valuable is PA liquor laws. Beer can only be purchased through local licensed beer stores and then only by the case. This tends to limit your selection as the beer guys will only carry what they can move. So if your taste tends out of the mainstream you are screwed. It also hinders trying new products because who wants to buy a case of something blind. The solution is to buy sampler packs. We have been doing this with PA and some NY beers. Generally Lew’s evaluations of beers have been spot on and his book has served as a good guide for purchasing sampler cases.
We have also indulged in “beer tourism”. We generally try and add in a brewery or brew pub to all of our travels. We have the third edition which came out in 2005. However you can access his website: http://www.lewbryson.com/ and look at the updates. This provides a current and update SITREP on all the establishments.
This has been a great educational and touring book. So far we have visited six of the breweries and tried beer from an additional five or six. A great book I wish they had guides like this for every state!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews