Samantha Crespo 2017-11-17 03:58:29
BEER With tours, cravable eats, and pop-up entertainment, Pennsylvania breweries are destinations in and of themselves. Tour Hershey’s Tröegs Independent Brewing, and then savor the current “Scratch Beer” (experimental microbrews) with anything on the artisanal menu, such as seared octopus with gooseberry salsa. In Yardley, tour Vault Brewing Company, and then sit down to tapas, beer — try the Chinook Pale! — and live jazz. In St. Marys, the Straub Brewery tour shares how five generations of Straubs have perfected the lager. In Parkesburg, a self-guided tour of Victory Brewing Company leaves time for pairing flavorful dishes with brewpub exclusives — perhaps a chardonnay barrel-aged pilsner. At Meadville’s Voodoo Brewery, dip a soft pretzel in house-made beer cheese and sip the Voodoo Love Child — a Belgian-style, fruit-aged tripel. In Pittsburgh, make a Sunday brunch of sizzling corned beef hash and Pious Monk Dunkel at The Church Brew Works, a 19th-century cathedral-turned-brewpub. CIDER Statewide, cider tasting comes with a side of scenery. At Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar at Soergel Orchards in Wexford, stroll alongside the trees — showy with colorful blooms in spring — before hitting the taphouse. The selections crafted here prove there’s more to hard apple cider than straight-up sweetness. Try the Fighting Elleck® for an off-dry refresher. In the “apple capital” of Biglerville, Jack’s Hard Cider is pressed on-site (and sampled heartily) at Hauser Estate Winery. Sip flagship and seasonal varieties, including Fireside Cider spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and vanilla, in the glass-walled tasting room or at events on the patio surrounded by rolling farmland. In Boyertown, reserve a seat at the Table in the Orchard Dinner Series hosted by The Cidery at Frecon Farms. As the sun sets on the orchard, you’ll enjoy a meal prepared by local chefs and paired with ciders crafted on-site, some with heirloom apples. WINE Pennsylvania wine trails create ready-made routes for wandering. In Lake Erie Wine Country, winery-hop by bike. Lake Country Bike organizes group rides and shares maps for DIY trips. (Pro tip: Pack lunch, break at any winery, select a bottle, and picnic in the vineyard.) On the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, plan for seasonal events such as October’s Chambourcin Weekend when wineries host tastings, pairings, and tours celebrating the region’s signature grape. The Mason-Dixon Wine Trail likes a party, too: March’s Tour de Tanks treats guests to production tours and tastings direct from the tank or barrel; November’s Wine Off The Vine showcases harvest-fresh pressings. Bonus: Some wineries double as accommodations. At The Inn at Grace Winery in Glen Mills, skip from your cottage to the tasting room; at Mifflin’s Juniata Valley Winery and Wilson House B&B, cozy up by a fire in the historic stone house with a bottle of Traminette. SPIRITS Here, small-batch distilleries invite spirited explorations. Tour Lancaster’s Thistle Finch Distillery to learn about the local tradition of making rye whiskey. Taste it in a specialty cocktail, such as a Winter Daiquiri, mingling black pepper rye whiskey with house-made rosemary simple syrup and tangerine. In Lebanon, Hidden Still Spirits works its magic inside a century-old cigar factory. Take the tour and linger for thoughtfully crafted food and drinks. (Start with anything off the Mule menu, starring Hidden Still’s award-winning vodka.) Or, tour and chill at the craft cocktail bar and lounge of Philadelphia Distillery in Philadelphia, where the proprietary gin, vodka, and absinthe mix up delightful drinks. At lauded Maggie’s Farm Rum in Pittsburgh, rum’s the thing, distilled from raw cane in the copper pot still you see just behind the cocktail bar. Tour it; then sidle up to that bar for a Maggie’s Farm Fizz of white rum, lemon juice, and simple syrup. MIX IT UP The Art in the Age Tasting Room and Home Bar Supply is the testing space for Philadelphia’s Quaker City Mercantile and the satellite location for New Liberty Distilling. While you’re here, stock up on unique local spirits, shop specialty bar tools, and enjoy a tasting or mixology class. A Happy Traveler 2 oz Art in the Age Black Trumpet Blueberry Cordial 1 oz New Liberty Powderhorn Vodka ½ oz fresh lime juice ½ oz honey Fresh basil leaves How To Muddle honey, basil, and lime juice in cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka, and cordial and shake. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with a basil leaf. UNIQUE SWEETS Across the state, treats infused with beer, wine, and spirits are trending. The results? Intoxicatingly delicious desserts with artisanal and local touches. Alvaro Bread & Pastry Shoppe (Harrisburg) Go for the authentic Italian fare; stay for the handmade gelato (especially the Marsala wine and raisin variety, rich and sweet in the Sicilian tradition) and the amaretto-infused cookies. Nathan Miller Chocolate (Chambersburg) Miller and team fold organic strawberries and cocoa nibs aged with Pittsburgh’s Wigle Rye Whiskey into buttermilk chocolate to craft a Strawberry Rye Whiskey Buttermilk Chocolate bar. Little Baby’s Ice Cream (Philadelphia) Savor scoops of Bourbon Bourbon Vanilla featuring “drunken” vanilla beans or Brown Butter Brawler, made with Yards Brewing Company wort: a nutty extract of malt and grain produced during the brewing process. BEER & DONUTS? YES. ISTOCKPHOTO/SURICOMA Craving more only-in-PA pairings? Check out visitPA’s Happy Traveler Tips YouTube playlist to learn what Hitchhiker Brewing Company’s head brewer sips with his Maple Vindaloo Bacon Candy selection from Pittsburgh’s Just Good Donuts. youtube.com/visitPA
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