I will in Pottsville Thursday into Friday and was wondering if there is any good bottle shops near there? And if there are any local beers worth checking out .
Are you going to the Yuengling Brewery? It's a large brewery and a lot of BA members don't give it much credit, but it's one of the coolest brewery tours I've ever attended. They take you down into the caves that they used during prohibition and show a lot of history of the brewery.
Agree with the posters above, if you are in Pottsville and you're a fan of beer, you need to go to Yuengling.
I work for a distributor and as a company we are going to the Yuengling brewery. I'm just not familiar with any of the local beers and wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations and were to get them around that area.
I'm originally from Pottsville, lived there for 20+ years before moving to NJ a few years ago. The craft beer scene is limited to one good bar in the downtown called Hucklebucks. Not open every day of the week but they rotate their craft can/bottle selection regularly, with the occasional craft on draft. Exceptionally good selection considering the state of every other bar within 20 miles. Also this place is a "hole-in-the-wall" to the extreme and does not do beer-to-go last I checked. Bottle shop-wise there's not much to speak of. There's a Weis Market north on Route 61 not very far from Yuengling Brewery (>5 minutes, >1 minute from the mass production brewery). They have a reasonable selection, mostly Pennsylvania beers as far as craft goes, but some of the big craft guys like Victory, Founders, and Bell's. There's a mix a six section, too, but it's nothing too special (they include things like Landshark in the selection). A slim selection of larger-format craft bottles, but they have plenty of 40's if you're into that kind of stuff. Maybe if you're lucky you'll stumble upon a diamond in the rough, but not likely. In general the beer selection is "safe" for them to carry, as most of the Pottsville and "Skook" crowd is not too much into craft beer yet and prefers their Yuengling Lager and Bud Light. If you find something too good to be true, be damn sure to check the date because some of their craft is past prime. When you are actually going to the brewery, don't be afraid of the hills but mind the one way streets. Get on Center Street somehow and turn onto Mahantongo Street. If you can't find a spot on the street, park in the lot across from St. Patrick's church. The church is less than a yard away from the brewery. Wear closed-toed shoes, ya fool. I love where I'm from but the true craft beer scene is just too upsetting. Hope all this info helps.
I agree with the Yuengling tour. Are those underground coal fires still going? I guess they will never go out.
Yep. Mother grew up in Mt. Carmel, just down the hill. I get by there about everyother year. A big coal seam and a slow low O2 burn.
My wife's parents and grand parents grew up in Wilkes Barre. I think the coal fires and slag piles have been around for 75 years.
