Hey Gang, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice as to where to go and what to possibly do on the east coast beer wise. First off I'll be mostly staying in Pennsylvania around Altoona, Johnstown area (in between Pittsburgh and Philly). I already have plans to visit Flying Dog Brewery. Does anyone have any other places they would definitely hit up? Also does anyone know of any awesome craft pubs/inns to stay at around the area? I can't seem to find a whole lot, and I thought there might be more than what I can find. Lastly, are there any events going on that anyone knows of? I'll be there between Sept 23rd thru Oct 3rd, so I thought there could possibly be some Oktoberfest events.
Altoona bar - The Knickerbocker: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8550 Johnstown bar - Tulune's Southside Saloon: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11379 On the route to/from the Flying Dog Brewery is Hagerstown, MD which has a whole bunch of places listed on BA - http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/list?city=Hagerstown&c_id=US&s_id=MD
Marzoni's near Altoona should have some good lagers available and Jean Bonnet is a good bet for a wide selection of local crafts.
x2 on Knicker, x2 on Otto's, you might want to look at Champs in Altoona something like 36 beers on tap mostly craft and there is a Hampton Inn in the parking lot, Oh yes Champs has half off drafts M-F 5-7pm, but I must say I am not a fan of thier food at all.
Checked this via Google because I'm a curious fellow. From Altoona, Flying dog is about 10 minutes closer. I second Troegs simply because they don't make it out to CA, and Flying Dog does.
If you go to Troegs from the Altoona area, you can pretty much hit everything in southcentral along the way, including Al's and a variety of other places in the Harrisburg area.
Wow! Fantastic advice! I can't wait to try the local places in altoona and jtown. I might end up going to Troeggs as well. I'm definitely going to hit up some of those bottle shops along the way. I plan on making the Jean Bonnet my local hang out spot : ) Thanks everyone!
Jean Bonnet is a favorite spot of mine. Great place, cool venue, good food. If you're passing through the Harrisburg area, go to Troegs (actually in Hershey), Appalachian Brewing Company and Al's (OF HAMPDEN, not the other Al's).
As others have suggested, Troegs is the best brewery in PA. And once out by the Hershey/Harrisburgh area, you could hit up the Appalachian Brewing Company and maybe even Lancaster Brewing. If time is limited, I would recommend prioritizing as: 1) Troegs 2) ABC 3) Lancaster Either on your way to Hershey from Altoona or to Altoona from Hershey, you should pass through State College, were you can visit a great pub called Zeno's. I'm not as high on Otto's as some here... if looking for a second stop while in town, I'd instead recommend you check out The Deli (another bar, great lunch stop, about 40 draft lines). I have not yet been to Selin's Grove, but people here on BA are raving about it. If this is a "beercation", and beer destinations are your primary objective, I'd try to swing by there in-between Hershey and State College. While in Altoona, your local options will be the new Champs location (sports bar) and Marzoni's (local brewpub). Neither is a place I'd go way out of my way for, but will certainly wet your whistle if you're in the area and looking for a good beer. If instead/in addition to heading Eastward towards Hershey/State College, you opt to head Westward towards Pittsburgh, I'd recommend swinging through a place in Greensburg called The Headkeeper on your way into town. It's a cool little Tapas bar with a limited but exceptional selection of about 12 taps, and some strong offerings in the coolers along the wall. Two other breweries I have not yet visited but hear good things about are All Saints and Helltown. They're both in or near Greensburgh. I'd check those websites and see if they have any visiting hours/tours. If you take it all the way in to Pittsburgh, your #1 stop should be Fathead's on the South Side. They brew their own beer up at their Cleveland location, and they make some really great stuff. Once there, try the Headhunter IPA. And if Oktoberfest is what you want, Penn Brewery down in Pittsburgh will be celebrating their second weekend of fun the 28th - 30th. A pretty cool event from a historically german-style brewery. Hope this helps!
Definitely go to Selin's Grove. DO NOT MISS. I went there the first week of June and both the food and the beer were awesome. My brother and I made a day of it there. There's a park near by with a gazebo that you can relax in if you want to kill some time between lunch and dinner (AKA: sober up). Troeg's is definitely a good spot to hit up. They opened up a small kitchen late May/early June and the food, while somewhat limited, was pretty decent. They always have some scratch beers to sample and the gift shop is pretty legit.
From the Altoona area I would def recommend a Pittsburgh trip. Fatheads is a must, also East End Brewing as well as D's Six Packs and Dogs, and House of a 1000 Beers. Might also suggest traveling through Slippery Rock on your way to Pitts, there you will find North Country Brewing, one of the cooler brewpubs in PA. Enjoy
Wow! All this helps so much! I can't wait to head there now, only 5 more weeks. Can't come soon enough, need this vacation from work. I'm definitely going to have to head Troegs way since there's so much else I can do too. I'll be staying about a half hour from altoona so I'll definitely be going to those places there too.[/quote]
