Tag Archives: Brandalynn Armstrong

More Pizza Kneaded: Pie-maker plans triple treat for Midtown

August 27, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Jennie O’Neill and Bow Phrachansiri stand outside the ordering window at Knead Bar Pies inside Zeroday Brewing Co. in Harrisburg.

Fans of Knead pizza, take heart—your pie box is about to runneth over.

Last week, Knead made its first foray outside of the Broad Street Market, opening a second location, with a different style of pizza, within the confines of Zeroday Brewing Co. in Midtown Harrisburg.

And yet another location and concept is in the works, a slice shop. But more on that later. First, let’s talk “bar pie.”

According to Knead co-owner Jennie O’Neill, a bar pie can be defined as being “all about the cheese and the toppings.”

In other words, more of both, compared to the light, airy, slightly charred pie that quickly elevated Knead near the top of the pizza charts locally upon opening in the market’s stone building a year and a half ago.

“We’re doing a very different style than at the market,” O’Neill said. “So far, we’ve had a great reaction.”

O’Neill said that she considered Zeroday as a second spot upon hearing that the owners were interested in adding a kitchen to their craft brewery. What, she asked herself, goes better with beer than pizza?

Zeroday co-owner Brandalynn Armstrong is on board with that.

Customers, she said, long had asked her to expand the menu beyond bar snacks. She had even identified where the kitchen would go—in the snug area between the brewery and Midtown Cinema, where Urban Churn started before outgrowing the space and moving out its ice cream operations.

However, she needed to find the right fit.

The Zeroday owners wanted something that would complement their brews, that would be relatively simple to make and serve and that would be run by people they liked and who cared about their product.

“We wanted to find someone who is passionate about their food like we are about our beer,” Armstrong said.

O’Neill and Armstrong began serious discussions after getting to know one another when they both opened in the Broad Street Market’s stone building.

“It really was a natural fit,” Armstrong said.

Both O’Neill and Armstrong emphasized that the pizza at Zeroday is different not only from the Knead pizza at the market, but different from other styles in Harrisburg—cheesier, gooier, more robust. To that end, Armstrong hopes that customers will not just eat in, but also will take out—ordering through the new Knead “window” and leaving the brewery with a pizza and a crowler or growler of beer.

“It’s pizza, but it’s something unique,” Armstrong said. “You can’t get it at just some place down the street.”

The “bar pie,” though, won’t be the only new pizza in town. Knead also is in the process of taking over the corner storefront space in Midtown that long has been home to Mercado’s Pizza.

The Mercado’s owner plans to retire, said O’Neill, so has put his business, including the beer license, up for sale. After the license transfers and following some renovations, the space will become home to Knead Slice Shop, featuring thick-cut Sicilian and thin-crust New York-style slices and pies.

In other words, Knead will serve a type of pizza similar to the current Mercado’s—and will even keep the tradition alive by staying open for the late-night-slice crowd. But customers can expect to see upgrades to the interior, the pizza quality and the beer selection.

“Were hoping for that classic pizza shop vibe,” O’Neill said. “But we will focus on more of a dine-in experience and will feature craft beers from PA.”

The grand opening depends upon how long the liquor license transfer and renovations take, but O’Neill is hoping for a few months down the road.

So, there you have it—three Knead pizzerias, three different pizza experiences.

“It’s interesting to do different styles from place to place,” O’Neill said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Knead Broad Street is located inside the stone building of the Broad Street Market, Harrisburg. Knead Bar Pies is located inside Zeroday Brewing Co., 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. Knead Slice Shop will be located at 937 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit the Facebook page.

Beer Frontier: On Allison Hill, three men are on track to open PA’s first black-owned craft brewery.

June 29, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Burg in Focus: Harris Family Brewery from GK Visual on Vimeo.

Shaun Harris was watching TV in his Harrisburg home when he caught an episode of “Moonshiners,” a show about illegal whiskey production in the Appalachian Mountains. As he witnessed scofflaws in rural Virginia distill liquor from giant drums of hog feed, Harris thought to himself, “You can do that?”

As it turns out, you can’t. A quick Google search told Harris that brewing liquor in America is illegal without a license. Brewing beer, on the other hand, is fair game. Harris promptly bought a simple home-brewing kit, made his first batch of beer and “was immediately blown away.”

Harris roped his friends JT Thomas and Tim White into joining him for a daylong home-brew session. They brought one of their first kegs to a summer barbeque, where they offered it to a dozen friends with a disclaimer—they didn’t know how it would taste.

“Six gallons were gone in like, 20 minutes,” said Thomas. “People had one and wanted another and another and another.”

Harris describes that barbeque as a light-bulb moment. He didn’t know yet what craft beer was, but he did know that the ingredients and production that went into his keg didn’t cost much.

“Where we’re from, you try to monetize everything—it’s called being a hustler,” Harris said. “We thought, we can do something here.”

That was four years ago. Since then, Harris, White and Thomas started making beer as the Harris Family Brewery, and they just secured a location for a taproom on 13th and Market Streets, in South Allison Hill. They still need to obtain a brewer’s license and retrofit the empty space with brewing equipment and seating, but they’re hoping to sell the first beers over their 10-seat bar in early 2019.

When it opens, Harris Family Brewery will be the first craft brewery in Allison Hill and likely the first black-owned brewery in Pennsylvania. Harris hopes that the business will inject new life into its neighborhood and broaden Harrisburg’s craft beer scene beyond its downtown and Midtown epicenter.

Shaun Harris, Tim White and JT Thomas.

Untapped Potential
The guys at Harris Family Brewing don’t just see their new business venture as a way to do what they love—it’s also an opportunity to bring a new base of consumers into a lucrative market.

Craft beer sales in the United States topped $26 billion last year and account for 13 percent of the country’s total beer industry. But African Americans, who make up 14 percent of the country’s total population, only consumed 4 percent of its craft beer in 2014, according to a Nielsen study.

Mike Potter is the editor of Black Brew Culture, a Pittsburgh-based online magazine dedicated to advancing African Americans in the craft beer industry. Potter said that people of color haven’t traditionally been exposed to craft beer, in part because the industry hasn’t invested in marketing to minority customers.

Craft beer consumption among blacks is on the rise, but Potter said that fewer people of color enter the industry as brewers and brewery owners.

“We’re getting to a point where there are more and more of people of color in craft beer, but they’re not getting the same amount of exposure due to lack of resources,” Potter said. “We’re playing a bit of catch up.”

Since national brewer associations don’t track the demographics of brewery owners, Black Brew Culture keeps its own tally. Potter estimates that people of color own roughly 50 of the country’s 2,800 craft breweries, and he’s certain that Harris Family Brewery will be the first in Pennsylvania.

Harris says he’s used to being one of the only black people at craft beer tastings and breweries. To him, that’s not a problem so much as a sign of untapped potential. Shortly after they brewed their first successful batch of beer, White pointed out to Harris that they would have a niche market for their product.

“I thought, ‘You’re telling me that we have a whole market that doesn’t know there’s a product out there that is this big?’” Harris said. “I say, ‘Let’s open that market up.’”

To that end, their brewery location will be key. Though the brewers initially had their eyes set on property in Steelton, serendipity led them to their spot above a laundromat at 13th and Market. It’s snug, but Harris said they hope to open “a nano-brewery in the truest sense,” meaning that all of the small-batch beer they produce will be sold on site. The space is just big enough to accommodate their current home-brew set up and a 10-seat bar. They don’t plan to serve any food, but do anticipate a busy carryout business once they start selling bottles and cans.

Harris Family Brewing will start small, but its proprietors are already charting plans for growth. They’ll start with an off-site canning facility once the taproom on Market Street takes off. They then hope to distribute their beer across the state and grow their presence through festivals and industry expos. They’ve already sampled their beers during Harrisburg Beer Week and also held a pop-up tasting in Strawberry Square with local event organizer and promoter Sara Bozich.

They’ll also bring kegs to Steelton Community Day on July 23 and will hit the road for the Aug. 11 FreshFest, a black brewing festival in Pittsburgh hosted by Black Brew Culture.

Strangest Industry
If you already own a brewery in Harrisburg, it could be easy to see a new one as competition. But that’s not the case for Brandalynn Armstrong, co-owner of Zeroday Brewing Co. on Reily Street. Armstrong, who’s also on the board of the PA Brewers Association, thinks that expanding the craft beer market into a new neighborhood can only help Harrisburg’s existing breweries.

“Bridging neighborhoods is incredibly important, as long as it’s done through responsible development,” Armstrong said. “And what better way than using craft beer to link our neighborhoods together?”

She and Harris also think that each individual brewery in the city benefits from customers having more options. Harris hopes that Harris Family Brewery will introduce many of its customers to craft beer, encouraging them to “expand their palates” and try other beers in the city.

Harris, who works full-time in corporate IT when he’s not brewing beer, called craft beer “the strangest industry you ever saw—it’s more like kids on a playground than corporate America.”

He’s been shocked by his company’s warm welcome into the local brewers’ network, which he described as more collaborative than cutthroat. Harris Family and Zeroday recently held a joint brew day to develop a collaboration beer, which they’ll debut on July 3 during a screening of “Poured in PA,” a documentary about the statewide craft beer industry.

Harris, White and Thompson learned to brew by watching YouTube videos and have honed their craft through trial and error. They developed some of their favorite recipes through pure experimentation, like when they made a Christmas stout (which they dubbed “Black Santa”) by fermenting the ingredients for fruitcake—currants, raisins, sour cherries and ginger spice.

Now that they’ve secured seed funding for their site and begun renovations, the trio is focused on perfecting their recipes and setting a menu for the taproom. Since they’re playing the long game, they’re already thinking about potential businesses that they could spawn by bringing craft beer to a new neighborhood and customer base.

“In five or six years, I want to look back and say, ‘We blew the scene up,’” Harris said.

Potter agreed that Harris Family could inspire other people of color to pursue careers in brewing or brewery ownership.

“I think it’ll be a huge blueprint for brewers across the country trying to get into the game,” Potter said. “Being the first is a big deal.”

For more information Harris Family Brewery, visit www.harrisfamilybrewery.info or the Facebook page.

February News Digest

February 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

CRW Releases Infrastructure, Rate Plan

Capital Region Water last month announced plans to spend more than $315 million over the next 20 years upgrading the city’s antiquated sewer system, which will bring Harrisburg into compliance with federal guidelines and carry a cumulative 150 percent increase to water and sewer rates.

Known collectively as the City Beautiful H2O plan, the improvements come following years of deferred maintenance to Harrisburg’s centuries-old combined sewer system. CRW says the updates will reduce sewer discharge into natural waterways, enhance sewer efficiency, and improve neighborhoods through the implementation of green storm water management systems.

The improvements also will significantly raise the rate burden for city households. The draft plan includes an extensive affordability assessment that helped CRW set rate projections for the duration of the project. The analysis concluded that many CRW ratepayers have significant financial limitations that preclude aggressive rate hikes.

As a result, CRW decided to seek the lengthiest improvement schedule permitted by federal environmental agencies, giving the authority 20 years to complete the projects. Water and sewage rates are set to increase by a cumulative 150 percent over that time period.

The rate increases will be most dramatic in the next decade, with annual 10 percent hikes projected from 2019 to 2022. After reaching a 106-percent cumulative increase in 2027, rate hikes will level off to just 2 percent a year from 2027 to 2038.

CRW set rates so that an average household will not spend more than 2 percent of its annual income on water, but households earning less than the median income could face significant burdens

“It is anticipated that there will still be affordability issues for some customers within the City, with some customers experiencing wastewater and storm water costs as a percentage of income exceeding 3.0 percent,” the report says.

The draft plan is part of CRW’s response to a partial consent decree it negotiated with the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection in late 2014. Earlier that year, the EPA alleged that sewage runoff in Harrisburg violated the federal Clean Water Act and PA Clean Streams Law.

Like many old cities, Harrisburg has a combined sewer system, in which storm drains connect to the same sewer system as toilets and showers.

When it’s not raining, all the contents of the sewer system flow to a treatment plant on Cameron Street, where they are cleaned and then discharged into the Susquehanna River. But heavy rain can cause the system to overflow, sending untreated water into the river and Paxton Creek.

Under state and federal environmental laws, Harrisburg would have faced financial penalties for those runoff incidents. After a year of negotiations, the EPA agreed to spare the city financial penalties as long as CRW agreed to update its long-term plan for the city’s sewer system.

A public meeting on the proposal is slated for March 1, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Camp Curtin YMCA.

Fight Against Dogfighting

Citing concerns over animal welfare and illegal gambling, Harrisburg is asking its residents to help stop a scourge of illegal dogfighting.

City communications Director Joyce Davis announced last month that Harrisburg obtained a $20,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to launch a public information campaign about dogfighting. So far, city officials have purchased ads on Facebook that explain the warning signs of dogfighting and ways to report it to law enforcement.

Davis said that the campaign did not arise as a response to a single incident or spate of reports. Rather, it seeks to curb an on-going animal abuse problem that also enables illegal gambling.

“We want to stamp this out,” she said.

The issue of dogfighting came to the fore locally in June 2017, when Harrisburg police officers staged a raid on a dogfighting ring on S. 14^th Street. Since then, the bureau has issued charges on three counts of illegal dogfighting in the past year, as well as one count of possession of dogfighting paraphernalia, according to animal control officer William Sandstrom.

If city residents suspect dogfighting, they can call 311 from within city limits to report it. Reports that result in charges are eligible for a $5,000 reward from the Humane Society of the United States.

Zembo Shrine to Sell

The historic Zembo Mosque and Shrine is set to sell after almost one year on the market.

The 65,000-square-foot property at Division and N. 3rd streets will be sold to Arkansas-based TempleLive LLC, which plans to operate the building as a meeting, gathering and performing arts venue, said city communications Director Joyce Davis.

“The goal is to make it a more culturally active space,” Davis said

TempleLive currently owns two Masonic temples similar to Zembo, one in Cleveland and one in Fort Smith, Ark. The company runs both properties as multi-purpose event spaces, according to the venues’ websites.

Mike Brown, vice president of acquisitions for Beaty Capital Group, TempleLive’s parent company, expects the sale to close at the end of March or beginning of April. He hopes the site will be operational by the fall.

Zembo went on the market in February 2017 with a $950,000 asking price. Davis could not confirm the property’s final sale price, which was reportedly reached at a special meeting on Jan. 11.

The deal includes 396 parking spaces adjacent to the building.

Since its opening, Zembo has been home to the Shriners, a fraternal organization affiliated with the Freemasons. The Shriners continue to meet there, but the group’s declining membership, coupled with the building’s high operating costs, forced them to sell the historic property.

Zembo was constructed in 1930 in a Moorish Revival architectural style. The building features interior arches, hand-painted motifs and ornate stone detailing. It houses large meeting rooms and a theater with a 2,500-seat capacity.

Youth Center Approved

The Harrisburg City Council last month approved the expansion of a teen center in North Allison Hill, which will double the facility in size.

Bethesda Mission plans to renovate an old printing plant on Herr Street adjacent to its current Youth Center, adding a full-size gymnasium, classrooms, office space and an event hall with a full-service kitchen.

The result will be a full-service community center with classes and amenities for all age groups, said Cindy Mallow, director of development at Bethesda Mission. The current youth center only serves children and teens.

“We’re hoping to involve families and expand out into the community even more,” Mallow said.

Bethesda Mission hopes to break ground on the $2.8 million project this summer and finish it by the end of 2018, Mallow said.

Bethesda Mission has operated its teen center from a former fire station at 1428 Herr St. since 1990. It purchased the former Kurzenkabe Press facility at 1424 Herr for $275,000 in 2015, according to Dauphin County property records.

The 10,000-square-foot space needs extensive renovations, Mallow said, including an overhaul of its HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems. Contractors will also raise the ceilings to accommodate the gymnasium and construct a connection between the print facility and the youth center.

Since Bethesda Mission announced its plan to renovate the printing facility back in 2015, it has raised more than $1.5 million from the community and private foundations, including $600,000 from the York-based Stabler Foundation.

The expansion will also allow the mission to double or triple the enrollment in its after-school program and summer programs for youth, Mallow said.

“There’s just a need for a place for the kids to go,” she said. “Our center gives them the opportunity to be with other kids and have a mentor.”

Grant Input Sought

Is there a nonprofit that’s doing good in your neighborhood?

That’s one of the questions that city administrators will pose at a public meeting this month, as Harrisburg begins to chart its priorities for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money over the next five years.

CDBG funds are allocated annually to organizations that help build community and stabilize neighborhoods in low- and moderate-income areas. The city received $1.9 million last year and expects the same this year, according to city communications Director Joyce Davis.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which disburses CDBG money, requires each municipality receiving grants to have a “consolidated plan” describing its development priorities and goals.

Harrisburg’s current three-year plan is set to expire in September. Roy Christ, Harrisburg’s director of Building and Housing, said that development projects started during Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s first term require a new plan with a longer duration.

In past years, CDBG funds have supported organizations such as the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Harrisburg, the Latino Hispanic American Community Center and MidPenn Legal Services.

City departments can also apply for grants. Last year, the Harrisburg Police Bureau received $90,000, which paid for a community policing van and helped launch the police cadet program.

For this planning cycle, Christ said Harrisburg hopes to target projects in “tipping point” neighborhoods.

“These are neighborhoods that need a bit of help to bounce back and become self-sustaining,” he said.

City residents can contribute input at the public meeting or through an online survey. The meeting will be held on March 5 at Jackson-Lick Tower at 5:30 p.m.

Strawberry Square Apartments

Harrisburg City Council last month gave the green light to another set of apartments inside Strawberry Square.

Council unanimously approved a land development plan submitted by Brad Jones, CEO of Harristown Enterprises, which will convert vacant office space in Strawberry Square into 13 apartment units. The project will add to the 24 apartments already inside Strawberry Square, the result of a 2016 office-to-residential conversion by Harristown.

It’s also the third project that Jones has put before council just this year, as, in January, council approved two other downtown projects proposed by Harristown: a new office building on S. 2nd Street just off Market Square and a small office-to-residential conversion at 221 N. 2nd St.

Approval came despite recent statements from some council members that they are concerned about affordable housing in the downtown district.

Earlier in the month, Jones defended his pricing structure, telling council that 15 percent of Harristown’s apartment units could be rented by someone with an annual income of just $25,000 to $40,000 a year, while another 40 percent could be afforded by someone with an average income of $60,000 a year.

Council has not proposed any plans to regulate rents in Harrisburg. In January, however, council President Wanda Williams said that she would continue to monitor housing development and advocate for affordable options.

Comp Plan Chugs Forward

The Harrisburg Planning Commission last month made plans to advance the city’s comprehensive plan towards completion, a process that could last into the summer.

City officials and business developers excoriated the plan at a meeting in January, saying it limited the discretion of private property owners. Mayor Eric Papenfuse called the document “unsalvageable” and urged the commission to reject it in favor of a plan proposed by the city.

Last month, though, commissioners hardly mentioned the planning document submitted by the city, except to ask if and when it had been published online.

“We’re moving ahead with our product,” said commissioner Vern McKissick, referring to the document that the commission developed with local architect Bret Peters and his assistants at the Harrisburg-based Office for Planning and Architecture.

The commission will host monthly workshop meetings for the next three months to incorporate public feedback and professional advice into the draft document, which is published online at BeHBG.org. They hope to reengage some of the consultants that Peters hired while drafting the plan in 2015 and 2016.

To do that, however, they’ll need to secure additional funding. They already have $10,000 allotted by City Council in the 2018 city budget, but McKissick said they will likely need more to consult with subcontractors and see the plan to completion. Commissioners will evaluate grants and other funding opportunities at a workshop later this month.

Spradley Chosen for School Board

The Harrisburg school board last month selected Tyrell Spradley, a tax consultant and former city treasurer, to serve an appointed term until 2019.

Spradley replaced Matt Krupp, a board director who resigned in January to serve as Dauphin County prothonotary.

After two rounds of voting, the board picked Spradley over three other candidates: newcomer Mariah Rodriguez and board veterans James Thompson and Kia Hansard.

In his interview before the board, Spradley touted his financial background and his two years of experience working in the district’s accounting department. He said he thinks many of the issues facing the district can be resolved, given the improved fiscal health he has seen since he worked as a district accountant.

“A lot of the issues I see are administrative issues, communication,” Spradley said. “Money isn’t a problem like it was before. We’re stronger now and have a stronger administration.”

Spradley joins the board as it braces for a number of contentious discussions, including the annual budget process and the expiration of Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney’s contract this June. The board must decide soon whether it will renew Knight-Burney’s contract or open an application process in which she may participate.

So Noted

AAA Central Penn last month named Jodie Daubert as its new president and CEO. In this position, Daubert will lead the nine-county club composed of 290 employees serving 11 offices. She succeeds David Meckley, who served as interim CEO.

Brandalynn Armstrong, co-owner of Harrisburg-based Zeroday Brewing Co., has been elected to the Brewers of Pennsylvania board of directors. The trade association works to protect and promote the brewing industry in the state.

Excel Interior Concepts & Construction last month announced two new hires. Thomas Fogie joined the Lemoyne-based company as project coordinator, and Alicia Mirando came on as designer.

The Harrisburg Senators last month signed a two-year extension with the Washington Nationals, their player development agreement now extending through 2020. The Senators are the Nationals’ AA-affiliate Minor League baseball team. Separately, the Senators announced that Dan and Michael Schwab, co-presidents of Harrisburg-based D&H Distributing, along with their sister, Amy Silfen, have joined the team’s ownership group as minority owners.

S&T Bank has named Jeffrey Scoutelas as vice president, private banker for central Pennsylvania region. Scoutelas, a graduate of Lynchburg College, has 12 years of private banking and management experience in the area, said the company.

Changing Hands

Berryhill St., 2155: L. & D. Sandoe to M. Macas & C. Pulla, $55,500

Boas St., 1826: Z. Weist to S. Henry, $59,900

Brookwood St., 2448: Wilmington Savings Fund Society to HT Properties LLC, $35,500

Capital St., 907: A. Sheaf to E. Ashenfelder, $148,000

Capital St., 1200: 8219 Ventures to R. & C. Steele, $76,000

Croyden Rd., 2951: K. & M. Zinn to A. Smith, $70,000

Derry St., 1433: A. Vaughn to Aum Investments LP, $32,000

Derry St., 1901: L. Nguyen to T. Nguyen, $150,000

Derry St., 2022: M. Khatoon to A. Saeed, $30,000

Emerald St., 226: C. Shokes to HBG Rents LLC, $210,000

Forster St., 1815: Blackscotch LLC to C. Burke, $50,000

Green St., 914: P. Vanitem to C. Williams, $138,900

Green St., 1401½: C. & C. Kellar to R. & F. Armetta, $80,000

Green St., 1623: S. Vemula & M. Chada to B. Golper & J. Wu, $132,000

Green St., 3118: US Bank NA Trustee & PA Housing Finance Agency to Hawk Vesta LLC, $65,750

Hale Ave., 436: M. Davis to J. Sayed & S. Sherin, $40,000

Hanna St., 103: S. Brown to DLK Properties LLC, $63,500

Harris St., 434: Alta Reo LLC to B. Parfitt, $83,000

Herr St., 1001: Harsco Corp. to Capital Region Economic Development Corp., $505,000

Hanover St., 1312 and 1283 & 1285 S. 13^th St.: Y. & C. Lee to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $50,000

Hoffman St., 3131: G. Hanslovan to O. Perry, $63,000

James St., 1315: J. Brinks & C. Wise to S., J. & N. Kindler, $95,000

Kensington St., 2101: Nationstar Mortgage LLC to HT Properties LLC, $48,500

Kensington St., 2103: PA Deals LLC to L. Myers, $65,900

Lawton St., 1416: M. Maloney to J. Foote & R. Tompkins, $429,500

Luce St., 2365: T. Nguyen & H. Truong to M. Phan, $30,000

Maclay St., 332: S. Hite & L. Ware Jr. to JTA Consulting Group LLC, $51,000

North St., 1836 & 1838: Reyart Properties to B. & R. Lomax, $72,000

N. 2^nd St., 1404: Tang Liu Realty LLC to C. Albers, $121,000

N. 2^nd St., 2323: M. Horgan & CR Services Inc. to A. & A. Mathew, $147,500

N. 2^nd St., 3118: P. & M. Rowan to D. Inghilterra, $203,000

N. 2^nd St., 3303: C. Myers to J. Myers, $90,000

N. 4^th St., 2735: S. Patrick to T. & L. Lydell, $107,900

N. 6^th St., 3111: R. & S. Hopkins to C. Morel, $62,000

N. 13^th St., 142: J. Forsyth LLC to 37 Estate LLC, $41,000

N. Front St., 1125: D. & J. McEnany to RMK Management Group LLC, $233,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 301: W. Cohen to W. Krenz & P. Meehan, $135,000

N. Front St., 3029: Pumphouse Partners LP to BXF Real Estate LLC, $450,000

Penn St., 1324: D. Stridacchio to S. Olsen, $117,000

Penn St., 1715: BencMarq Holdings LLC to Fratelli Property Investments LLC, $116,000

Race St., 568: R. Hunter to E. Fultz, $157,968

Rolleston St., 1239: G. Neff to J. McCloud, $45,000

Seneca St., 330: J. Runion to M. Saldana & R. Zavala, $87,500

S. 14^th St., 1418: R. Scott to City of Harrisburg, $52,000

S. 14^th St., 1422: G. Neff to City of Harrisburg, $48,500

S. 14^th St., 1424: C. Gamble to City of Harrisburg, $45,000

S. 14^th St., 1433: Z. Owens to City of Harrisburg, $51,000

S. 14^th St., 1440: G. Neff to City of Harrisburg, $51,000

S. 19^th St., 850: S. & N. Fulginiti to City of Harrisburg, $60,000

S. 23^rd St., 616: R. Bowers to D. & N. Gonzalez, $89,900

S. Front St., 601: A. Poindexter to R. & L. Firestone, $174,900

State St., 1504: A. Sandoval to 77 Estate LLC, $37,000

Susquehanna St., 1612: K. O’Neill & PA Housing Finance Agency to T. Weaver, $146,500

Susquehanna St., 1723: G. Neff to J. Hirt, $104,000

Valley Rd., 2308: L. & N. Eikenberry to Bean GST Trust II, $218,000

Washington St., 103: R. Bray to Q. Tran, $32,000

School of Bock: Yes, you can “major in beer” as HACC, local breweries team up for a certification program.

November 30, 2017 | by Robert Naeye

Burg in Focus: HACC Brewing Science Program from GK Visual on Vimeo.

If you love bold and flavorful beer like I do, the Harrisburg metro area is the place to be. Every few months, a new brewpub opens up, giving beer aficionados a multitude of options.

The craft beer craze has spread so far and deep that it has even caught the attention of academia, including, locally, HACC.

In the summer of 2015, HACC President John Sygielski emailed the college’s director of continuing education, Abigail Peslis, instructing her to look into the craft brewing movement.

“Our college president is extremely innovative and forward thinking, and he said I should check into this, but that I had no need to respond,” recalled Peslis.

Sygielski’s message found the right audience. Peslis is herself a craft beer fan.

“When I had an opportunity to delve into that industry, I grabbed the bull by the horns,” she said.

Peslis called Dan LaBert, executive director of the Brewers of Pennsylvania, the major brewing guild in the commonwealth. He told Peslis that such a program was exactly what the state’s brewing industry needed and connected her with a number of local experts.

She next called Zeroday Brewing Co., which had recently opened just a block down Reily Street from her Midtown office. Zeroday co-owners Theo and Brandalynn Armstrong eagerly expressed interest in helping HACC develop a program in brewing science.

“It’s almost like the stars aligned,” said Peslis. “There was a need for a trained workforce because the brewing industry was exploding.”

In less than a year, HACC’s Brewing Science Certificate Program was educating its first cohort of students. The goal is to make the program sufficiently robust so students come away with all the foundational skills they need to enter the brewing industry’s workforce. But HACC wants the program to be short enough that students can complete it within a year.

Peslis involved local breweries to develop the curriculum. These included Zeroday, Tröegs Independent Brewing and Appalachian Brewing Co. (ABC).

“This program was absolutely created for the local central PA region,” Peslis said.

Full Spectrum

Today, six local brewers provide instruction and expertise: Zeroday, Tröegs, ABC, Boneshire Brew Works and the Millworks, all based in the Harrisburg/Hershey area, and Old Forge Brewery in Danville. The students also visit Sunny Brea Hops, located just outside of Carlisle, to learn more about the high-quality hops used for craft brewing.

“We do a lot of hands-on learning, so our students visit all of those facilities,” Peslis said. “Our students get the full spectrum of everything.”

In return, HACC gives local brewers qualified applicants to join their teams and to raise the standards of brewing in general.

Anybody who is 21 or older can enroll in the HACC program. No background in brewing or biology is required.

Earlier this year, the first cohort of 11 students, ranging in age from 21 to 60, completed about 250 hours of coursework and earned their certificates. They took evening classes in a wide range of topics relating to the brewing business, including safety, sanitation, culinary math, marketing and microbiology.

And, most importantly, the students selected a style of beer to brew, worked with vendors to choose the ingredients, and brewed it from scratch. With guidance from Zeroday, they decided to brew a coffee oatmeal stout, a popular winter beer.

“The students got hands-on experience and recipe design,” said Brandalynn Armstrong. “They got to have some fun and get their hands dirty.”

But as Armstrong is quick to point out, the program is not just about brewing good beer.

“We asked students to think: How are you going to sell the beer after you make it?” she said. “So, we added a marketing component.”

The students had to look at their product from a business angle and come up with a name, a sales strategy and a pitch. Several local brewers and restaurant owners judged different names and decided upon HACChiato (like a macchiato from Starbucks) because the stout contained coffee and milk. The students even worked with an attorney to make sure the name was commercially viable and didn’t infringe upon any copyrights.

HACChiato was unveiled at a launch party at Zeroday. More than 300 people came that day to taste the beer, including Sygielski.

“The stout turned out very lovely,” Armstrong said.

Cutting Edge

Peslis said that it’s essential for local brewers to recognize the credentials that the students receive. And thanks to HACC’s partnership with the Brewers of Pennsylvania, the program guarantees that all graduates can receive a 40-hour volunteer internship at a local brewery.

Some of the recent graduates plan to start their own breweries. Others are mainly interested in brewing better beer at home. And one of the recent graduates is now the tasting room manager at Tröegs.

“They are moving into nice roles in the industry,” Peslis said.

Marc Michaud of Carlisle is one of the home brewers who recently graduated. He was the one who came up with the name, HACChiato. Michaud found out about the program from his wife, who thought he would be interested.

“I wanted to at least be a little better than what I was doing at home,” said Michaud, who did his internship at Molly Pitcher Brewing Co. in Carlisle. “It was a great experience. I learned a lot of different things, a lot more on the business side of brewing than I thought, which was awesome.”

Michaud recommends the program to anyone who is interested in going into the industry, who home brews or who just likes beer and wants to learn more about the industry.

The program is currently educating a second cohort of 13 students, who will graduate in February. At the time of this writing, the students had not yet decided what style of beer to brew, but their HACC brew will be available at Zeroday around the time they graduate. HACC plans to can the 2018 beer, which means the students will have to come up with catchy artwork, as well as a name.

The program has made several changes since last year and will continue to evolve to remain cutting-edge, Peslis said.

“It was nice being a part of creating that program with all the guidance and amenities of HACC,” said Zeroday’s Armstrong. “For us, it was really awesome to be part of it.”

The next HACC Brewing Science Certificate Program runs from May 2018 to February 2019. The cost is $4,500, which includes all books and materials. To learn more about the HACC program, visit www.hacc.edu.

Burg Blog: Credit Is Due

April 25, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Who should take credit for the resurgence of Midtown, which includes the beautiful space that is now home to st@rtup Harrisburg?

Last weekend, some good friends from Washington, D.C., came up to Harrisburg for a visit.

They’d been here before, but not in awhile, so I took them on a little “renovation” tour—the historic buildings that had been rehabbed and reoccupied since their last visit.

We walked through st@rtup’s glorious new space at 3^rd and Boas, then checked out H*MAC, had a drink in the Millworks. I showed them the buildings now occupied by the Susquehanna Art Museum, modernrugs.com and Zeroday Brewing.

Later, thinking about it, it struck me that not once did I utter the words, “Eric Papenfuse.”

I mention this only because all four challengers for the mayor’s office have, to varying degrees, built their campaigns around giving the sitting mayor the credit (or perhaps the blame, I’m not quite sure) for the dramatic redevelopment of Midtown Harrisburg over the past few years.

I’m not here to defend Papenfuse, as TheBurg does not endorse candidates. But I am here to defend reality, as I believe that credit for the transformation of Midtown should go to the people who deserve it.

Now, Papenfuse, as a businessman, is among that group. His Midtown Scholar Bookstore helped anchor redevelopment at the heart of the neighborhood ever since it opened at N. 3^rd and Verbeke. He subsequently bought and renovated the buildings that house the LGBT Center and Yellow Bird Café and is completing renovations of three buildings on the 1400-block of N. 3^rd Street. Those are solid contributions.

However, he should not be the sole recipient of the honors or arrows, depending upon your perspective, of what has become of Midtown Harrisburg.

Recognize also Josh Kesler, who, through enormous risk and millions of dollars, gave us the Millworks.

Recognize also John Traynor who, through enormous risk and millions of dollars, gave us H*MAC.

Recognize also Zachary Nitzan, who through enormous risk and millions of dollars, is giving us the modernrugs.com buildings.

Recognize also developers like GreenWorks, Brickbox, WCI, Lift Development and the Vartan Group, which all have completed major projects in Midtown.

Recognize also small business owners like Ruth Prall, Adam Porter, Adam Brackbill, Ivan Black, Samra Alic, Theo and Brandalynn Armstrong, Steph and Ammon Perry, the vendors in the Broad Street Market and many others who have given Midtown vibrancy, customers and a resurgent economy.

Now, there are two significant things that Papenfuse, as mayor, has tried to do in Midtown that are worth noting. The first was the creation of the Broad Street Market Task Force, whose recommendations, I hope, will help the market further its progress and secure its future. The second was his attempt to close down the Third Street Café, a battle that has been criticized simultaneously for attempted gentrification and for ignoring troubled bars in other neighborhoods (you may notice a contradiction there). So, yes, he tried, but failed, in an effort spanning two years and counting.

Owners of the Third Street Cafe show their preference for mayor and City Council.

Meanwhile, Papenfuse’s detractors have ignored where priorities and money actually have been focused during his term: the LED streetlight project (citywide), the multi-modal project (several neighborhoods), the MulDer Square project (Allison Hill) and the sinkhole project (South Harrisburg).

Years ago, a friend, now deceased, warned me not to get my hopes up for Midtown Harrisburg. Then in his 70s, he told me he had seen the neighborhood do a two-step forward, almost two-step backward routine too many times.

I wish he had lived to see this day, that he could have shared a drink with us last weekend, as I believe that Midtown has finally reached a tipping point, a place of sustainable progress.

In this heated election season, it’s important to understand how that happened. It didn’t happen because Papenfuse waved a magic wand and showered the neighborhood with money. It happened because developers took extraordinary risks to restore this and that building, then business people took extraordinary risks to open this or that restaurant, brewery, shop. Ignoring that reality is a profound disservice to those who have actually rebuilt Midtown Harrisburg.

I would like to be charitable and believe that candidates have honestly confused correlation with causation or simply don’t understand how business or development work. However, it’s election season, and charity is hard to come by, especially when giving credit where credit is due.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Disclosure: TheBurg’s publisher, Alex Hartzler, is a principal with WCI Partners.

Another Round: Let’s all toast the return of Harrisburg Beer Week.

March 31, 2017 | by Ann Beth Knaus

The craft brew scene has been bubbling over in recent years, with several new breweries and tasting rooms popping up throughout the midstate.

So, just when beer lovers didn’t think it could get any better, along comes Harrisburg Beer Week, which runs the last week of April. The event promises high-end connoisseurs and weekend beer warriors alike more events, new brewers, an expanded homebrew battle and the opportunity to take classes in the art of beer-making.

And did I mention drinking beer?

Now in its third year, Harrisburg Beer Week, the brainchild of Sara Bozich, Chelsie Markel, Colleen Nguyen and Tierney Pomone, has helped to promote local beer tourism by drawing visitors to the capital area for a chance to imbibe, celebrate, learn and support charity. From its inception, the event has grown greatly in participants and customers.

This year’s event features several new kids on the block, like a mini golf outing on City Island, as well as the usual fan favorites, such as the Little Big Beer Fest and Battle of the Homebrewers. And, throughout the week, there’s no end to the beer pairings, tap takeovers, brewery collaborations and firkin nights.

Dizzying Array

The fun starts on April 21 with a VIP kickoff party in a new venue—the historic Pennsylvania Room of the Harrisburg Transportation Center. But, even if you can’t make it there, numerous local bars, restaurants and breweries will host their own celebrations on that first night.

The next day is PA Flavor, the longstanding festival that matches our state’s homegrown food with natively brewed beer. One participant will be HACC, which developed a certificate in brewing science program last year, and Beer Week will help showcase the results.

“HACChiato, created by the students in our Brewing Science Program, will be spotlighted in collaboration with Zeroday Brewing Co.,” said Abigail Peslis, director of corporate and business services at HACC. “Additionally, we will hold mini brewing education sessions—‘Brewing Abridged’—on April 25, instructed by local brewing experts.” The classes will be held at HACC’s Midtown campus.

Next-door neighbor Zeroday will play host to a dizzying array of events. Its biggest event, “Freaky Friday” on April 28, is a switcheroo that will transform Zeroday’s tasting room into Carlisle-based Molly Pitcher Brewing Co., while Molly Pitcher makes over its tasting room into Zeroday, with each brewery’s respective libations on tap at the other place.

“This is the first year something like this has been done,” said Brandalynn Armstrong, Zeroday co-owner and Lindsay Lohan stand-in.

Zeroday also will feature a collaboration brew with Molly Pitcher Brewing Co. and Middletown-based Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works. The brewers worked together to design the recipe for the beer—“Marketing Gimmick,” a juicy, hopped saison—but will be brewing the same recipe independently with an official release on April 26 at the Midtown Tavern in Harrisburg. The new beer will be available for sale in the breweries’ tasting rooms, and guests will receive a punch card that is included in the Harrisburg Beer Week brochure. Customers who visit all three breweries during the week will get a specially printed, 32-ounce growlette.

“We really want to encourage travel to all three places,” Armstrong said.

Rich Heritage

Once again, Harrisburg River Rescue is the beneficiary of Beer Week proceeds. The organizers hope to top last year’s windfall of $40,000, which was double the inaugural year amount, to improve the rescue’s facility.

To that end, Garlic Poet in New Cumberland will offer tickets to its exclusive Chef’s Table Beer Dinners. These dinners will provide guests with the opportunity to eat and discuss the beer-making process, as well as meet Executive Chef Kurt Wewer.

The Garlic Poet’s sister restaurant, Grain + Verse Bottlehouse, located right next door, features more than 300 different craft beers. The unique bottle shop will hold a number of events, including the first-ever Tröegs beer trivia night, featuring a limited scratch beer to be tapped at the start of every round of trivia. Tröegs’ very own Ffej Herb will emcee the event.

“We have a rich heritage of producing beer in Pennsylvania, and this week celebrates it,” Wewer said.

Some new sponsors and features have been added to this year’s roster. Among the sponsors is Weis Markets, which will host events in the pub of its new flagship store on Valley Road in Hampden Township. Among the new events: the inaugural Mini Golf outing on City Island (hint: both putters and beer may be involved).

One of the most popular annual events, “The Battle of the Homebrewers,” has moved and expanded. It will be held April 23 at the Broad Street Market. Market vendors will be open during the competition, and 35 home-brewers are slated to participate for top prizes. Attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass to sample the brewers’ creations and will be treated to live music.

“Beer Week is a wonderful addition to the area, and the organizers are truly dedicated to making Harrisburg a cooler, more worldly place,” Wewer said.

Harrisburg Beer Week runs April 21 to 29. For more detailed information and a full listing of Harrisburg Beer Week events, visit www.harrisburgbeerweek.com.

Author: Ann Beth Knaus

Brewed in the Burbs: Business is hopping at Harty Brewing Co.

April 29, 2016 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Photo by Waxman Photography.

In recent years, a small community called Walden has taken shape just off the beaten path among the rural roads of Silver Spring Township.

The charming, “New Urban” neighborhood was specially designed by Charter Homes for the convenience of residents, with parks and shops offering everything from apparel to salon services to pet grooming to dining, all within walking distance.

Lauren Ishaq and Michael Harty live in a nearby neighborhood and would often visit the development to dine at the popular eatery, Sophia’s at Walden. When Ishaq learned that an 848-square-foot space was available within a stone’s throw of the restaurant, she set the wheels in motion to fulfill a dream.

Harty smiles as he bustles about, hauling in supplies from Scotzin Brothers and listening to Ishaq tell the simple story that launched the business.

“I fell in love with this space, and Michael was a home brewer and I said, ‘Hey, by the way, we have a meeting with Charter Homes in two weeks.’”

It’s not as if the couple didn’t have enough on their plates already.

In addition to parenting three children (Leah, 9, Jackie, 7, and Jordan, 3), Ishaq was attending school full-time, and Harty (still) works full time as an operations supervisor at Three Mile Island.

Something had to give, so, for Ishaq, it was school, a decision she has yet to regret. The businesswoman said she loves every minute of what she’s doing now, which is tending to front-of-the-house duties, while Harty brings his passion to the back of the house.

“For me, brewing doesn’t feel like work,” he said. “It’s far away from my serious and technical day job.”

It took the couple about a year and a half to go from concept to reality, and they opened their doors to the public in February.

“When you lease a space with Charter Homes, they have to approve your style, so it fits in with the community,” said Ishaq. “I found ideas on Pinterest, took pictures and presented the design team with my ideas.”

The interior fits into the “industrial chic” category, with varnished, reclaimed wood, rustic pendant lighting and a brick back wall that is reminiscent of an old “ghost sign,” emblazoned with the Harty logo done in white paint.

During the planning stages, Ishaq reached out to others in the brewing business like Brandalynn Armstrong, who runs Zeroday Brewing Co. in Harrisburg.

“Getting into the male-dominated industry is overwhelming, so it was easier for her to talk to a female with real-life experience,” said Armstrong. “They make a really good product and are set up to meet both their expectations and those of the community. So, it makes sense that they will be very successful.”

The taproom seats about 30, with bars overlooking floor-to-ceiling windows. The main bar faces away from the street, and that’s where Ishaq dispenses beer, wine and cider to her customers. A chalkboard lists the day’s offerings. During my visit, the roster included an American Pale Ale, an India Pale Ale, an Oatmeal Stout, a New Zealand IPA, Big Hill cider and a variety of wines from the Allegro Winery in York County.

As for food, Ishaq offers just hot dogs and chips, preferring to concentrate on the libations. For customers who prefer something a little more substantial, she has that covered.

“We’re partnering with Sophia’s at Walden,” she said. “The customer places their order, we call it in, and their staff walks it over.”

Owner Sophia Nelms said the arrangement is working out well.

“We’re a BYOB, and they’re getting ready to can their beer, so the customer can bring it here too, which will be nice,” she said. “We want them to be successful, so, between their great beer and our great food, we mix together nicely.”

Harty’s friend Chris Harvey, who also homebrews, said that Harty’s chemical engineering background has served him well in turning out a quality product.

“That really sets the bar on how great a brewer he is. They’ve created a unique, special place, which works well in the community,” said Harvey, adding that the atmosphere promotes socialization, meeting people and making new friends.

The couple said that business has been brisk and outside seating will soon be available. For now, hours are limited to Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, 6 to 11 p.m., and Saturday, 1 to 11 p.m., a schedule that enables them to strike the right balance between work and family.

“People have been so receptive,” said Ishaq. “I really do feel blessed.”

Harty Brewing Co. is located at 146 Walden Way, Mechanicsburg. For more information, visit www.hartybrewco.com or their Facebook page.

Pizza, Beer, Tolstoy: Grain + Verse brings culture to the humble pie.

December 30, 2015 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Kurt Wewer wears his heart on his chef’s sleeve, making it easy to determine where his passions lie.

The 30-something Harrisburg resident is happy to share his thoughts on the many things that interest him: exceptional food, craft beer, great music and classic literature. It then becomes obvious that Grain + Verse is aptly named.

Located inside the Clarion Hotel off Limekiln Road in New Cumberland, the casual restaurant focuses on pizza, calzones, panini and small bites just right for sharing. Craft beer aficionados, wooed to the place by the siren song of 300-plus beers that take up an entire wall, have been flocking to the establishment since it opened last spring.

“We are constantly rotating stock, and, if you’ve heard of it, well, we likely have it,” said Wewer about beers with such diverse names as Funky Monkey Wild Ale, Monkshine Belgian Blonde and Wewer’s current favorite—Sassamanash Cranberry Ale, a witbier-style quaff from Rivertowne Brewing just outside of Pittsburgh.

“Sassamanash is the native American word for cranberry,” Wewer explains.

Creativity Inside

When you first set foot in the spacious restaurant, you’ll hardly know where to first fix your gaze.

Chalk renderings of Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Edison, matched with pithy quotes encouraging indulgence, demand attention, cleverly steering the eyes to daily specials listed on butcher paper on a wall-mounted roll. Nearby is a selection of board games ready for play, along with a life-size Jenga game, an oversized Connect Four game and the ever-popular foosball.

Much of what Wewer has used for the décor has been repurposed or “upcycled.” So, whether you call it rustic or industrial chic, all he knows is that it seems to work. People enjoy the space, from the wooden cable spools he acquired and refinished into tables to the reclaimed wood from a mushroom barn that he used to frame out the windows. Wewer is nothing if not self-sufficient.

“I had a limited amount of money and knew how to do all these things,” he said, describing how he first had to remove all the nails in the spools, once used by an electric company. “So many nails.”

Little touches add visual appeal, like varnished bottle caps set in the middle of the spool tables.

With décor choices and implementation complete, Wewer set his sights on the cuisine.

“I have creativity inside of me that I need to get out,” he said.

Using that creativity, he put his own riff on dishes like pizza, adding literary names to his unique pies.

“Catcher in the Pie,” for instance, is a margherita pie with toasted barley; “Lord of the Pies” pops with flavorful pepperoni and hop sausage; and “As I Lay Pie-ing” puts a gourmet twist to the humble peasant fare, adding bacon and truffle marmalade, Millwood Farm’s blue cheese, Cascade hop sausage and hop-marinated local mushrooms.

During my visit, I tasted the popular “Jekyll + Hyde,” made with malt-braised pork, capicola, homemade pickles, shaved red onion, Keswick Tommenator cheese and house sauce. Of course, the question that was uppermost in my mind was—pickles on pizza?

Fear not folks, the ingredients work in perfect harmony to create a flavorful composition that keeps you yearning for that next piece.

Decadent & Delicious

Brad Moyer, general manager at Scotzin Brothers in Lemoyne, said that Grain + Verse filled a void in the area.

“We needed a central location for really awesome food and beer, and no one does it with an artisanal and passionate twist like Wewer.”

As for his favorite dish, Moyer opts for the Cubano sandwich, which he says pairs well with practically any of the beers, whether stouts, IPAs or even sours.

Brandalynn Armstrong, owner of Zeroday Brewing Co. in Harrisburg, vouches for Wewer’s cooking chops.

“I call him the kitchen karate kid,” she said, laughing.

The two collaborated on a firkin that came about one night when she was enjoying a cocktail at the Garlic Poet restaurant next door (which Wewer also oversees) and mentioned that she enjoyed the flavor of an Italian cherry liqueur called Luxardo.

“He suggested that it would go well with our chocolate hazelnut sweet stout, and we tapped it at Grain + Verse,” said Armstrong, who’s a big fan of the sour beer pickles Wewer makes. “They’re delicious,” she said.

As for her favorite dish, one memorable evening, Armstrong had the opportunity to try a duck egg/foie gras pizza. “It was decadent and delicious,” she said.

Wewer is committed to using as many local ingredients as possible. Besides Zeroday, he works with area purveyors like Keswick Creamery, De Glae Organic Farm, Hope Springs Farm, Hidden Hills Dairy and Strites Orchard, to name just a few. And he can’t say enough about the produce from the Steel High aquaponics program.

“I use a variety of ingredients from them—arugula, bok-choy, basil, cucamelons—very vibrant stuff,” he said. “Kids are in there every single day, nurturing it.”

As for the future, you get the idea that this isn’t Wewer’s swansong—for a restless, creative mind, there are always more verses on the horizon. He hints at an expansion, but only time will tell.

Grain + Verse is located at 148 Sheraton Dr., New Cumberland. For more information, call 717-317-3044 or visit www.grainandverse.com.

Ho-Ho Hops: A special holiday brew in every stocking.

November 30, 2015 | by Julie Vitto

There was a time (not long ago) when a “holiday beer” meant drinking the same old Bud or Coors, but on Christmas day.

Not any more.

Today, nearly every brewer releases a special seasonal brew or two, and December is the high point for releasing—and sampling—these inventive quaffs. Couple that with the explosion of craft breweries in central Pennsylvania, and you have the makings of a very happy holiday.

So, sit back, pour yourself a cold (or not-so-cold) one, and enjoy these seasonal gifts from a few of our local breweries, all within about 30 minutes of Harrisburg, where a visit this month means something special in your glass.

Zeroday Brewing Company

Since opening in April, Harrisburg’s Zeroday Brewing Co. has featured numerous limited releases, and now comes its first winter seasonal beer, the small-batch Grievance holiday ale.

Grievance takes on notes of cherry and toasted coconut from months of conditioning in Elijah Craig bourbon barrels. This spiced winter warmer is flavored with cinnamon and split Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans and decks the halls at about 9-percent ABV.

“Boozy and warm, like the holidays in a bottle,” said Brandalynn Armstrong, who runs Zeroday with husband Theo.

Grievance is available in 750-milliliter corked and caged bottles as a limited release. It will also be on draft at the brewery throughout the month of December. Take a growler or crowler (can + growler = crowler) of Grievance to this year’s Festivus party, and you’ll be uniquely prepared for the inevitable “airing of grievances.”

Zeroday Brewing Co., 250 Reily Street, Harrisburg; 717-745-6218; www.zerodaybrewing.com

Tröegs Independent Brewing

When it comes to sheer variety, Tröegs sets the standard in our region for holiday beer. And, this year, the Hershey-based brewer has something even more special for those folks who wait all year for December to arrive.

“We’re actually giving our Anthology packaging a complete overhaul beginning with Anthology Winter this season,” said Jeff Herb, the marketing communications coordinator, who explained that the packaging now reflects the brewery’s new, artistic beer labels and logos.

Some of the product inside also has changed.

The Anthology Winter Sampler now includes the flagship, year-round Perpetual IPA, as well as the Tröegenator Double Bock, the winter Hop Cycle seasonal Blizzard of Hops and, for the first time outside of the brewery, the small-batch Chocolate Stout from the Scratch Beer Series.

At 7.5-percent ABV, the flavorings in the pale gold Perpetual IPA are bold and throw punches of citrus, pine and tropical fruit. As a nice contrast, the 8.2-percent ABV Tröegenator Double Bock is bronze in color and has intense notes of caramel, chocolate and dried stone fruit.

Available between November and January each year, the Blizzard of Hops Winter IPA is brewed to celebrate the year’s hop harvest. It’s a deep golden pale ale at 6.4-percent ABV with bright hoppy citrus and pine notes. And, for the first time, Tröegs will be packaging it in 12-ounce cans.

Also included in the sampler is the Chocolate Stout from the Scratch Beer Series at 7.1-percent ABV. The stout is a nice caramel, chocolate and vanilla-flavored alternative to all the hop action in some of the other beers.

Of course, we can’t forget about Mad Elf. At 11-percent ABV, the ruby-red Belgian ale is flavored with cherries, honey and cocoa with notes of cinnamon, clove and allspice. This guy isn’t part of the sampler. He stands alone.

Tröegs Independent Brewing, 200 E. Hersheypark Dr., Hershey; 717-534-1297; www.troegs.com

Market Cross Pub & Brewery

Two winter seasonal brews are on tap at the Market Cross Pub in downtown Carlisle this year. And one of these is offered in three different versions.

“Try all three, but not in the same sitting, unless you’ve got a few hours to kill,” said the pub’s General Manager Ashleigh Corby.

This brew is called the Excalibur Imperial Stout and clocks in at about 9-percent ABV. Corby said the differences between the three versions are striking, even though they’ve all been brewed with the exact same ingredients.

One version has been aged for a year in an oak bourbon barrel, while another has been aged for a year in a non-oak cask. Finally, a young, non-aged version of this honey oatmeal imperial stout is on tap at the pub.

The second holiday beer on tap is the Pub Porter at 5.5-percent ABV. This mild porter is dark brown with a ruby glow and flavored with hints of chocolate and caramel. Here, you can try it tapped on nitrogen or “nitro” for a smoother, creamier experience.

Market Cross Pub & Brewery, 113 North Hanover St., Carlisle; 717-258-1234; www.marketcrosspub.com

Brewery at Hershey

This year, the Brewery at Hershey is celebrating with two holiday beers.

First up is the Naughty & Spiced holiday Scottish ale, a hefty winter warmer fortified with seasonal spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and orange zest. Released early last month, this one clocks in at 8.4-percent ABV.

“I brew this every year, and it’s definitely one of my favorites,” said brewmaster Ryan DeLutis.

Also up for grabs is the Bourbon Mean Cup o’Stout, the brewery’s first-ever bottle release. This coffee oatmeal stout was brewed with an exclusive coffee blend from Mean Cup in Lancaster. The collaborative batch was aged in West Virginia Smooth Ambler bourbon barrels for five months and comes in at a milder 5.8-percent ABV. It was released at the farm in 22-ounce bombers on Black Friday and has a limited run of 1,200 bottles.

DeLutis said he usually brews this stout in December for release in January but got hold of the barrels and changed plans. It’s a good thing for us, because everything about this beer sounds amazing.

This holiday season, the Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey will feature its holiday beers and wines each weekend with live music and festive decorations, along with special deals and discounts for bringing in Toys for Tots donations.

Brewery at Hershey, 598 Schoolhouse Rd., Middletown; 717-944-1569; www.vineyardathershey.com

Moo-Duck Brewery

In central Pennsylvania, Moo-Duck Brewery is rarity indeed—a place you can visit from downtown Harrisburg without a car (and hence no designated driver), as it’s located directly across the street from the Elizabethtown train station.

The brewery is offering up two holiday beers from its experimental Off the Rail series for December. First on deck is the Candy Cane Stout at 6.5-percent ABV. Dark and minty, this all-grain American stout is flavored with chocolate, caramel and peppermint.

Up next is the winter warmer, Better Than A Lottery Ticket Holiday Ale. It’s an imperial brown ale flavored with orange peel and holiday spices and comes in at 7.5-percent ABV.

Husband-and-wife team Mike and Kristen Brubaker, who just celebrated their brewery’s first anniversary, always offer six to eight unfiltered, all-natural and unpasteurized beers. Be sure to ask about their rotating “charity brew,” from which 50 cents goes to a charitable organization. Yet another reason to raise a glass this holiday season.

Moo-Duck Brewery, 79 S. Wilson Ave., Elizabethtown; www.mooduckbrewery.com

Suds Summit: Soak up brew culture, flavor at the first Harrisburg Beer Week.

March 31, 2015 | by Andrew Dyrli Hermeling

It’s funny how, sometimes, everything comes together.

When I started covering Harrisburg’s beer scene almost two years ago, I focused on finding those interesting little stories that sometimes get missed in small cities like ours. While most beer writers focus on trendier and larger places, like San Diego or Chicago, I turned my attention to the incredible people pushing beer culture forward here.

A couple working to open a brewery in Midtown. A local homebrew supply store in Lemoyne. Women who were making an impression in a predominately male culture. A group of ambitious Harrisburg homebrewers.

All of these stories felt like Harrisburg’s best-kept fermented secrets. Well, starting on April 24, Harrisburg Beer Week is intent on letting these secrets out.

Years in Planning

Harrisburg Beer Week is the brainchild of Sara Bozich along with the writers from Stouts and Stilettos, Tierney Pomone, Colleen Nguyen and Chelsie Markel.

I first met Sara and Tierney when I was writing my article on the women who stand in the front of Harrisburg’s beer culture. And considering that all of the organizers for Beer Week are women, I fear I may have undersold their leadership.

I caught up with Sara at the Federal Taphouse in downtown Harrisburg to get a sense of this latest venture.

“Tierney first mentioned the idea for a beer week a few years ago,” says Sara. “But we first started organizing last summer.”

Most of the planning took place in Sara’s home, but it didn’t take long for their energy to become infectious.

“Once we got Appalachian Brewing Company on board as a sponsor, things started to roll,” notes Sara. “But, it took a lot of education to sell the ‘beer week’ concept.”

That’s because this isn’t a typical daylong beer festival, where you pay to spend a day sampling beer (and get a little tipsy in the process). Instead, this is a week jam-packed with different types of events, all centered on the love of fermented grains.

Something for Everyone

Of course, if you are just looking to try some new, local beer, Beer Week will feature a number of tap takeovers and firkin nights at area bars.

In dozens of events, Pennsylvania’s most renowned and successful brewers will descend upon various watering holes, offering specialty brews, complimentary drink ware, specially designed food pairings, and opportunities to meet the minds behind the beers. While such an amazing concentration of special beer nights is reason enough to get excited, there are a number of unique events that require special attention.

The first big event is not a new one. PA Flavor, a yearly Pennsylvania food-and-beer pairing, will be held at the Farm Show Complex on April 25.

The next day, the Sons of Alchemy brew club will host the Battle of the Homebrew Clubs at the Federal Taphouse downtown. Area homebrew clubs will be fighting it out, offering their best and most adventurous beers to determine which club is truly the best in the area. Attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass, and tastings will be paired with both live music and light fare food.

Pizza Boy Brewing Co., in a partnership with Kint Beverage Concepts, will host a “Beer Science” night on April 28, featuring informative and interactive presentations on various beer styles, the perfect glassware and the perfect pour. If you can’t make it then, there will be a repeat presentation at ABC’s Abbey Bar the next day.

For those looking to expand their knowledge of craft beer, Harrisburg Young Professionals, along with the Brewery at Hershey, will present a class on craft beer concepts led by brewmaster Ryan DeLutis at Café 1500, also on April 29.

Brandalynn and Theo Armstrong, whose Zeroday Brewing Co. will debut in April, will host a screening of “Beer Wars,” a comical profile of the beer industry, at the Midtown Cinema, with three showings from April 29 to May 1.

Sara herself will moderate the first Pennsylvania Women in Craft Beer Conference on May 1 at JPL Creative. Featuring Brandalynn Armstrong, along with Irena Bierzynski from Victory Brewing Co., Sandy Cindrich from Penn Brewery and Valerie Delligatti from Tröegs Brewing Co., this event will explore the continued leadership of women within beer culture.

The week will wrap up with the Little Big Beer Fest, which will feature “big” beers from around the midstate. Hosted by ABC, this exploration of boozier beers will also include light food and a commemorative tasting glass.

Drink for a Cause

While spending a week enjoying central Pennsylvania’s vibrant beer scene is wonderful on its own, I should highlight the real beneficiary.

Sponsorship profits, along with the proceeds of individual events and merchandise sales, will benefit the Harrisburg River Rescue. In the end, Harrisburg Beer Week wants to be about more than the area’s beer scene. The organizers want to leave a positive mark on the whole community.

“We knew we wanted to do a charity, and we wanted to keep it local,” says Sara.

So, you get to enjoy fabulous beer while also giving to a great cause. That’s worth a toast.

Harrisburg Beer Week runs April 24 to May 2. For more details and event schedules, go to harrisburgbeerweek.com.

Hop Highlights

Harrisburg Beer Week features scores of beer-related events over a seven-day period, so make sure to check the schedule online before heading out. A sample of the bigger events includes:

Kickoff Party, Appalachian Brewing Co., April 24, 7 p.m.
PA Flavor, State Farm Show Complex, April 25, 1-5 p.m.
Battle of the Homebrew Clubs, Federal Taphouse, April 26, 1-5 p.m.
“Beer Science,” Pizza Boy Brewing Co., April 28, 1-4 p.m., and Appalachian Brewing Co., April 29, 4-7 p.m.
Craft Beer 101, Café 1500, April 29, 6-7:30 p.m.
“Beer Wars” film, Midtown Cinema, April 29-May 1, 7 p.m.
Pennsylvania Women in Craft Beer Conference, JPL Creative, May 1, 5-8 p.m.
The Little Big Beer Fest, Appalachian Brewing Co., May 2, 2 p.m.

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