I’m planning on heading up to Bethlehem, PA from North Carolina in late July to see Megan Moroney with my tween-age daughter and her friend. We will likely be arriving mid-afternoon on a Thursday, seeing the show on Thursday night, and headed home on Friday. Looking for recommendations for a close by brewery (or great craft beer shop) to maybe try a couple of beers and pick up some beer for my hotel and/or to bring back with me to NC. Preferably looking at breweries that do not distribute to NC so I can try some new to me beers that I cannot find easily at home. Bonus points if they are open Thursday afternoon or early on Friday and if they are “family friendly” (meaning that I will be allowed inside with kids in tow and they serve some kind of snacks/food). Also if anyone has any suggestions for places to stop along the drive for a good lunch, I’m listening. I will be driving up I-81 to I-78. Thanks!
I regularly attend the Bethlehem Musikfest (this year its August 1-9) and while there I enjoy drinking the beers at Fegley Beer Works (see link below). I think the beers there are very good. Not something I seek to buy to bring home but I enjoy them while I am there. Cheers! https://thebrewworks.com/
Some suggestions in this thread. https://www.reddit.com/r/lehighvall...in_bethlehem_is_most_likely_to_have/?sort=old
Pizza Boy would be a good lunch stop - it's right off 81 right before you cross the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg. If you like garlic the white pizza is top notch. https://pizzaboybrewing.com/ They have like 100 taps of combined their own beer and other PA breweries. Their own beer is pretty good to great depending on the beer. The Sunny Side Up imperial stout series is very good and reasonably priced for Coffee and/or Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (they have a bunch of variations)
Funny you should suggest that, I have stopped there in the past though it has been at least 8 years. In fact, I stopped there for lunch with the kids on my way to @metter98 ’s wedding. Thinking back on it, I have stopped there for lunch at both the old location and the new location - part of the regular rotation for our trips from Hoboken back down to NC to see family when we lived there almost 13 years ago.
Wishful Thinking 100%. I just moved to the area from Oregon and I was so thrilled to find a place that does lagers and IPAs so well, not mention great Detroit style pizza.
I haven’t been to ABE in quite a while but, looked up this one out of curiosity and put them on my go to list. Fan of a nice head and Lukr tap (thank you Human Robot), I like how they sort of give an FU to the “fill it to the top with a meniscus bead” crowd with: “Foam is Good The cap of foam sitting in the top half of your glass is not just for looks, and is certainly not a flaw. This dense, wet foam is layered with intention on top of your beer, in order to protect the beer from oxidation during the time it takes you to drink it. And don’t worry, we’ve done the math; about 42% of the foam converts to beer. This means that if you let your beer sit for a couple of minutes before sipping, liquid beer will reach the pour line on the glass (10 oz for a half pour and 16+ oz for a full pour). But, we don't suggest letting it sit! Take a big sip and get a mouthful of foam and beer and taste the difference in the pour. This method of pouring originated in the Czech Republic and has been perfected with the incorporation of the Lukr faucet, which allows for dense foam to be poured through a fine mesh screen inside the faucet, and the flow to be controlled by a ball valve. Our draft tower was custom-designed with Lukr during our trip to Czechia in 2023, and we are proud to be pouring a bit of tradition into each glass. In October of 2024, we had the pleasure of hosting Jan and Ondřej from Lukr during their Perfect Pour Mission East Coast Tour, where they visited five breweries including Wishful Thinking, educating staff on proper pouring techniques, traditional styles of pours, cleaning and maintenance of the faucets and glassware, and more. We are now a team of six certified Lukr Tapsters, and we look forward to pouring you a perfect pour during your next visit!”
Bonn Place is very good….Wishful Thinking is the new kid on the block and is lager focused. Country Club leans more to bigger, bolder flavors. Lost Tavern is on the other side of the river and usually has a good variety of styles.
