Lancaster PA

I'll put in a plug for my hometown, Lititz. Within an easy one block walk you'll find the St. Boniface tied house, Collusion brewing, and the Bulls Head. The first two are very solid breweries and the latter is a world-class beer bar with a dozen well curated taps and a wonderful t.v. free atmosphere. Most of the breweries in Lancaster opened after I had kids so I'm way behind on the beer scene. Plenty to do, have a great time!

 

Wacker
Mad Chef
Columbia Kettle Works

There's also Spring House

 

Sorry to be a downer, but personally I don't find a ton in Lancaster (brewery-wise) to write home about. I'd put three of them a small cut above the rest, however:

St. Boniface: been around for a while, well-rounded, have locations both for dining (Tied House) in Lititz and a brewery in Ephrata.
Mad Chef: similarly well-rounded and decent location/food.
Our Town: fairly new, located in Lancaster city, and seem to focus more on IPA-centric stuff.

That being said, Lancaster does have a few top notch beer bars and shops... Bull's Head, The Fridge, and Hunger N Thirst are my favorites.

 

Lancaster Brewing has been around for about 25 years and has decent food. A lot of beer snob will turn their noses up at Lancaster, but it's a local classic that is worth a stop if you're in the area.

 

Agree, most of the beer I drink was not made in Lancaster. But there are places with a combination of good beer, food, and atmosphere that make for a great time. Mad Chef is one of them.

 

Does Ephrata count? If so, I hear Pour Man's Brewing Company has a nice lager program, However, I personally have not tried any.

https://pourmansbrewingco.com/home

 

We've really gravitated to Cartel. Love that place. Small, unassuming room with maybe 10-12 on tap. A few hazy types, but a good variety of styles. I believe they've recently started offering paninis in house, but not sure on that.

Our Town is also a good one.

Mad Chef is nice too. I actually like their food more than their beer, and I think their beer is pretty darn good.

And yes, Bulls Head, Hunger, and the Fridge. All totally worth a stop.

 

St. Boniface and Pour Man's get my vote and Lancaster Brewing is worth a stop just because.

 

I'll also throw in Raney Cellars in Millersville. Been there twice; they have a well-rounded draft list and the beers are solid.

Lancaster Brewing has good beer on tap, but for some reason their packaged versions are often "off" in some way or another. Really wish they'd fix that.

 

As an infrequent visitor to the Lancaster area, I was happy to read some of the input here. Went to the 'Places' forum to find more content on Mad Chef but there was only one review and just a few ratings. If you feel strongly about an establishment why not take advantage of that Forum?

 

I know its probably too late but its an easy walk between our town, Columbia kettle works 2nd gear, and spring house.

Can also pick up some craft cocktails along the way if that's your thing.

Other than that I'd second the raney cellars vote.

 

Paging @woodychandler

The mayor of Lancaster...

Prosit!

 

Mayor of Lancaster, 2017 general election[7] Party Candidate Votes %

Democratic Danene Sorace 4,804 72.44%

Republican Cindy Stewart 1,490 22.47%

Independent Tony Dastra 149 2.25%

Independent Zac Nesbitt 69 1.04%

Independent John "Woody" Chandler 68 1.03%

write-ins 52 0.78%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Lancaster,_Pennsylvania_mayoral_election

Well, he did ‘beat’ candidate write-ins.

Maybe next time? ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

Cheers!

 

No next time, sadly. I have been an active candidate in two mayoral elections & one for School District of Lancaster (SDOL) school board, all without success. Now, by dint of my employment with USPS, I am forbidden from running for public office. Oh well.

 

I'm here! Present and accounted for! I live within a few blocks of The Fridge, Cartel, Tattered Flag Barrel House & OTB + I am off Tuesdays & Wednesdays so if the O/P wants to CANnect, he CAN & may do so with me directly.

Beer shopping? My weekly go-to is the Friendly Greek Bottle Shop as well as less-frequently to Reiker Bottle Works & even less so to the Beer & Beverage Shoppe because I tend to empty my wallet in there.

Places I went yesterday for Veterans' Day: Iron Hill, Big Dog & Tattered Flag.

Places I'd be willing to visit with a ride: St. Boniface & Pour Man's, both in Ephrata.

More? Get in touch with me!

 

Had no idea Tattered Flag opened a spot in Lancaster or that Big Dog was a Thing. So thanks for those tips. I'm really falling behind getting to all of these local places.

 

Greetings! Making the trip to Lancaster next week and would love updated recs of breweries. Going to be staying in what looks like the Willow Valley / Willow Street area and want to keep it within that general area (within 5 miles or so) as free time will be limited. Enjoy any style so long as they are done right. I generally start by research by looking at the top rated breweries in the area on Untappd and here's what show as the Top 5
- Raney Cellars
- Cartel
- Our Town
- Mad Chef
- Big Dog

What do locals think or those who have been in the area recently? Also, any good shop nearby to pickup some local beers during the stay. TIA!

 

Mad chef is my top pick, I'd check out Cartel when the BBQ food truck is there. Beer and Beverage shoppe on Roseville road is a great place to find beer to take home. Have a great trip!