Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine
It’s a busy busy weekend for us! Tonight is the GK Visual staff holiday dinner, and of course, tomorrow is our Holiday Pop-Up Party at St@rtup Harrisburg. Some space remains, but ticket sales end TODAY.
Saturday, I’m hoping to hit the gym, then the market and HBG Flea with my mom. By night, it’s another holiday party.
We’re back in State College on Sunday for our first Penn State Wrestling match of the season (in the BJC!).
Happy Thanksgiving Eve! As has become tradition, you’re receiving the Weekend Roundup a day early to include tonight’s shenanigans.
I would L<3VE to go see The Dirty Sweet tonight; however, I’m a little intimidated by cooking my first bird tomorrow. If I can get things ready, I’m game, but we’ll see.
Usually, I’m traveling all over the place, but this year Andy and I decided to have Thanksgiving together(!) at home. I’m even contemplating my own “turkey trot” around the neighborhood (Or maybe we’ll just walk the dog?)
We’re sticking around on Black Friday, and on Saturday we’re going to the Penn State v. Michigan State game – Brrrrr.
What a great turnout last night at Susquehanna Art Museum for our final event in the Pop-Up Happy Hour series! It was great to see so many new faces and good friends. Look for a full recap by the weekend!
Tonight, we’re attending a little bottle share with friends, and then while Andy dedicates his weekend to the woods, I’m dedicating mine to wine.
But first — Hope to see your smiling faces on Friday night at Zeroday Brewing Co. for the Marathon Weekend Kickoff Party and “Air Horn One” beer release! Bonus: Food trucks and DJ.
Then, I’m off to Middleburg, Va. for some R&R&W.
This will be a relatively low-key weekend for me. No plans tonight or tomorrow (though who knows?).
On Saturday, I’ll do my usual weekend trip to the gym and the market, but by afternoon we’re State College-bound. I’m excited to finally visit Elk Creek Cafe & Ale Works and maybe something else ahead of the PSU-Iowa game.
Sunday is for Steelers football, but you already know that.
Meanwhile, while you’re relaxing, don’t forget to pick up your Holiday Pop-Up Party tickets! Early Bird pricing was extended through Monday, Nov. 7 only!
Last year, four local women put their heads together in an effort to rectify a grave injustice being perpetrated here in Harrisburg.
Despite boasting a number of critically acclaimed local breweries, the area was not celebrating the barley, yeast and hops concoction with nearly as much fervor as it deserved.
Thus, Harrisburg Beer Week was born.
Returning for its second iteration, Harrisburg Beer Week, which runs the last week of April, looks to build on last year’s momentum.
The founders—Sara Bozich, Chelsie Markel, Colleen Nguyen and Tierney Pomone—have brought in some fresh faces to help make the process of putting on a multi-venue celebration a little easier. But they’ve also stuck with what made last year’s fête so great–a commitment to raising funds to help make the city a better place.
Riding the Wave
Considering the success of last year’s Beer Week, doing it again this year was a no-brainer. And, while 2015 might seem hard to top, the founders didn’t hesitate to assess what worked and what could be improved.
“Our thought this year wasn’t necessarily to top the quantity of events (though that happened), but to fine-tune our key events and encourage venues and breweries to be even more creative,” said Bozich.
The biggest difference, added Nguyen, was they didn’t need to convince anyone that their idea was for real.
“Last year was such an overwhelming success that we are able to focus more on developing our fundraising effort instead of explaining what we’re doing and why,” she said.
Perhaps the best example of this increased energy can be seen in the changes made to one of last year’s best-received events, the Little Big Beer Fest, where brewers compete over who can make the best full-flavored and high-alcohol beer.
“The Little Big Beer Festival is going to be bigger and better,” said Markel. “More breweries, more collaborations and way more beers all created specifically for this event. This year, the breweries are competing against each other to see who can create ‘the crown jewel’ of LBBF as voted by event-goers.”
Expanding the Team
While the core of the Harrisburg Beer Week brain trust remains, the team has grown.
In addition to the four founders, Jimi Werner, Lauren McPherson, Asheleigh Forsburg and Chris Harvey have joined up. The need for more help serves as a testament to the enormity of planning Beer Week.
Werner, lovingly referred to as “intern Jimi,” has become essential for making sure the logistics are dealt with smoothly, although he readily admits that he’s learning as he goes.
“As Beer Week grew, so too did my role,” he said. “I went from running errands and folding shirts to writing our emails and working on social media strategies. That’s not to say I don’t still run errands. Someone has to do the grunt work.”
Harvey has come on board as a liaison with other home brewers. As a member of area homebrew club Sons of Alchemy, he provided the energy behind last year’s successful Battle of the Homebrew Clubs. Harvey now helps Beer Week strike a balance between established professional brewers and those exploring new beer frontiers in their kitchens and backyards.
This year, the competition is moving to FNB Field, a welcome expansion as far as Harvey is concerned.
“I have always envisioned being at City Island,” he said. “It’s an amazing venue, a great meeting spot between the East and West Shore. We will be on the party deck this year and will feature three food trucks, live music and over 50 beers being poured by local home brewers.”
Harrisburg River Rescue
Charity at Heart
Once again, the real heart of Harrisburg Beer Week—beyond celebrating beautiful brews—is raising money for Harrisburg River Rescue. Tony Reigle, who heads up fundraising for the organization, is excited about another opportunity to join as a partner.
“HBW certainly was a unique and innovative way to make deeper connections with the city and community that we serve,” he said.
The partnership also provided very concrete benefits.
“The monies raised during last year’s event were utilized to help offset the cost of building renovations,” Reigle said. “We expanded the bay areas for increased and more efficient equipment and apparatus storage, allowing decreased emergency response time.”
This year, Reigle hopes for an even better return, which would allow the group to expand its presence further.
“We hope to further renovate our building in order to be fully operational as a gathering place for community events and meetings, training center and emergency shelter,” he said.
Bozich is equally bullish on Beer Week’s fundraising ability.
“Last year, we were able to give Harrisburg River Rescue $20,000 and, while I’m hesitant to put out a specific goal number, I feel confident we’ll exceed that substantially this year,” she said.
In all, it seems that Harrisburg Beer Week’s planners are taking the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” to heart, with one small caveat—they aren’t afraid to do some tweaking. From the looks of it, Harrisburg Beer Week will once again bring two great things together: beer and community.
“By looking at our events list already, you can see that people not only ‘get’ it, but have embraced it and have really gone above and beyond to create interesting, fun and educational events that will get people out and about to support their community,” Bozich said.
Harrisburg Beer Week runs April 22 to 30 at venues throughout the greater Harrisburg area. For a full schedule of events, visit www.harrisburgbeerweek.com or the Facebook page.
On Tap
Harrisburg Beer Week is so packed with things to do that it’s hard to single out the highlights. Still, here are some of the major events:
Nate Kresge. Photo by Dani Fresh, www.danifresh.com
If you had the opportunity to check out Harrisburg Beer Week this past spring, you may have made it to Midtown Cinema for a screening of the documentary “Brewed in the Burg.” The one-hour film takes a look at the local craft beer industry in and around Harrisburg.
“Brewed in the Burg” was produced by GK Visual, a “boutique” cinema production house that has been operating for a decade in Harrisburg. Although it created a lot of buzz for the company, the feature film, made in collaboration with SaraBozich.com, really was just a side project.
“We found it interesting to explore the local craft scene,” said co-owner Nate Kresge. “In the film, you’ll see Sara Bozich not only interviewing the professional brewers, but also talking to home brewers, restaurant owners, beer distributors and, of course, the people who drink the beer.”
The company makes its real living creating video and photographic art for political, corporate and non-profit clients, earning more than 60 industry awards along the way. GK Visual has produced television commercials for political candidates and corporations like Penn National Insurance and web videos for non-profits such as Whitaker Center and the Salvation Army.
“Every day is a little different,” said Kresge, who, this year, was selected as a recipient of Central Penn Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40,” which honors young business leaders. “You never know what project you are going to be working on or who is going to walk into the door.”
Talented and Creative
Kresge began his career at Pennsylvania Cable Network and has always been heavily involved in politics, a perfect fit for a Harrisburg-based outfit. When he started the company, the bulk of his work was for political campaigns.
“Little by little, we have added corporate clients to the point where we now are doing more corporate work,” he said. “Next year, when we get into House and Senate races, the political work will really gear back up and take a lot of our time.”
Two years ago, Kresge took on a partner, Doug Metz, and, since then, has hired two additional staff members—Nick Chohany and Sean Purcell. They also work with freelancers.
“Everybody kind of has their own role,” said Kresge. “The nice thing is that everyone is just incredibly talented and creative and, if one of us doesn’t have the ideas to give a client, someone else always does.”
The company’s focus on storytelling follows a trend in marketing to seek out more meaningful ways to engage viewers.
“I think a lot of people are tired of the glossy sell,” he said. “Our videos are very professional and look great, but they’re made without a lot of flashy effects. So, often, I’m just looking for raw emotion.”
The Best Stories
Kresge says that clients come to see him with projects in all stages of development, from barely fleshed out concepts to fully written scripts. He and his staff love to try to help them figure out what they are trying to communicate and who the audience is.
“The biggest thing we’ve found is that it’s more effective to film the people who know the story. We rarely use actors,” he said. “So, we get them on camera, and we’ll just sit down and interview them. Then we’ll kind of chop that up and weave it back together to find what that narrative is. We look for what’s going to appeal to a client or somebody landing on your website for the first time.”
Besides “Brewed in the Burg,” another side project that has gotten GK Visual attention is “What’s on Tap with Sara Bozich,” a Web series focused on highlighting community leaders. Although the series is now in redevelopment, it featured a more informal interview style, with Bozich and her guest often relaxing with a cup of coffee or a pint of beer.
“The goal was to try to film a less guarded, less TV news-style interview,” said Kresge. “I feel this is how we were able to get the best stories.”
GK Visual didn’t receive any pay for either “Brewed in the Burg” or “What’s on Tap with Sara Bozich,” but Kresge says that’s OK.
“To be honest we don’t do much advertising, but we find, when we do these fun projects, people really latch on to them and enjoy them,” he said. “It seems to bring in much more work for us than if I had put our own TV commercial out somewhere.”
For more information about GK Visual, visit www.gk-visual.com. “Brewed in the Burg” will screen next on Sept. 21 at Tellus360 in Lancaster.
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:
Brandalynn Armstrong
There’s an age-old adage about imbibing and gender: Men drink beer and women drink wine. But is this assumption accurate anymore?
On the one hand, even as the culture surrounding craft beer evolves, it continues to feel like a men’s club. On the other hand, we don’t have to look far to find women disproving this dated presumption. Conveniently, I was able to join three of these women at the Federal Taphouse in Harrisburg for a chat about this change in beer culture.
We introduced you to one of the women, Brandalynn Armstrong, a year ago in an article about Alter Ego Brewing Co., which she co-founded with her husband Theo. She was joined by Tierney Pomone, the founder of the craft beer blog, Stouts and Stilettos, aimed at a female audience, and Sara Bozich, a PennLive columnist, the owner and editor of the nightlife blog SaraBozich.com and the host of “What’s on Tap,” a local interview program.
It didn’t take long to witness one of them turning the tables.
Fighting Assumptions
Tierney, who arrived before the rest of us, is waiting at the bar. As I walk in, I see her sitting next to a couple of men in suits, your typical downtown happy hour patrons. They are obviously new to the Taphouse, are intimidated by the exhaustive tap list and are doing a poor job of hiding it. They coolly try to outsource their anxiety to Tierney by asking her what she is drinking.
“Allagash Victor,” responds Tierney.
“Uh… what’s that?”
She proceeds to provide them with an unexpected lesson on Belgian strong ales. After seeing me, she cuts her explanation short, and we relocate to a corner booth, leaving the gentlemen dumbfounded.
“I don’t think they knew what they were getting into,” quips Tierney.
Sara and Brandalynn arrive just as I put in my own beer order, a Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point. Sara orders an Ommegang Belgian Independence Limited Release IPA, while Brandalynn asks for a Collette Saison from Great Divide Brewing Company.
All three women know each other well, so there is no need for introductions. Instead, we get right to heart of the issue.
As co-founder of Alter Ego, Brandalynn has as much to do with their product as her husband. Yet, all too often, she is nagged by the assumption that she’s just along for the ride, or at most, the public relations face of the beer-making start-up.
“True, Theo is the brewer,” says Brandalynn. “But we developed our recipes together. I can brew all of our beers, as well.”
Fittingly, when Alter Ego was asked to join in a beer collaboration with other area brewers, Brandalynn put on her heavy rubber brewer’s boots and got to work.
Tierney Pomone
Tierney, a beer writer and expert, also stays sharp by home brewing. But even being a brewer doesn’t guarantee a man’s respect.
“At a recent home brew event, I asked my boyfriend to come along to help me serve in case I had to step away or go to the bathroom,” says Tierney. “Yet men would come to our booth and ask my boyfriend about the beer, despite the fact that I was the one pouring, and he didn’t know anything about it.”
But for Brandalynn, Tierney and Sara, it is equally important that they take themselves seriously.
“When I was starting my blog,” says Tierney, “I thought a lot about credibility.”
Bloggers often don’t have resumes when they are starting a new venture. Tierney had to believe that what she was writing was worth reading. She had to know she was an expert from day one and not ask readers for permission.
“We have to break down our own assumptions about our role in beer culture,” adds Brandalynn.
For Sara, it has been a little easier.
“I’m lucky because of my experience,” says Sara. “I came to appreciate craft beer on the job.”
Sara has spent many years as the go-to ambassador for Harrisburg social life. As a woman respected for her taste, she was swept into the craft beer scene as it gained popularity.
But all three have had to focus on not buying into the status quo themselves, just as they have had to work hard to convince others not to buy it either.
Sara Bozich
Change Is Coming
Thankfully, the craft beer scene does seem to be taking notice of the changing demographics.
For example, Stoudt’s Brewing Company, located in Lancaster County, was founded by Carol Stoudt, who has earned the nickname “The Queen of Hops.” Other famed craft breweries are adding women to their brew staffs, not just their sales departments.
“Just look around,” says Sara. “Places like Federal Taphouse know they need women if they want
to succeed.”
Tierney recently hosted an “IPA Day” at Sturges Speakeasy on Forster Street. The place was packed, starting at 4 p.m., a testimony to Tierney’s power and influence within the Harrisburg beer scene.
Unfortunately, some men continue to treat beer culture as their territory and women as guests who have to play by men’s rules. Thankfully, women like Sara, Tierney and Brandalynn are doing well to break down the invisible walls that segregate this culture by gender.
And it seems that most men, myself included, are overjoyed to see craft beer becoming more inclusive. I suspect those who aren’t are soon going to find themselves drinking alone.
For more information on what Brandalynn, Tierney and Sara are up to, check out alteregobrewing.com, stoutsandstilettos.com and sarabozich.com, respectively.
This article has been updated with additional biographical information about Sara Bozich.
Maybe it’s been awhile since you last visited Midtown Cinema, Harrisburg’s very own art house movie theater.
That wouldn’t surprise Adam Porter, the cinema’s new director of operations. Since he took the helm a few months back, lots of folks, often people from the neighborhood, have popped their heads in for the first time in years.
“A lot of the local people have made a point to see what’s new,” said Porter. “We’ve been getting rave reviews for what we’ve started.”
So then, what is new? Plenty, as it turns out.
Perhaps most significantly, Midtown Cinema is undergoing a general upgrade, along with a transition from 35mm film to digital projection. The adoption of digital will greatly expand the cinema’s access to film libraries, allowing it to offer themed series throughout the year.
“We’re going to start several series that people can buy packages for,” explained Stuart Landon, the cinema’s new director of community engagement. “We’re hoping to acquire the rights to the films from American Film Institute’s ‘100 Years… 100 Movies’ list, we’re looking at bringing a series of documentaries in, and lastly, a children’s series of Saturday morning cartoons so we can get the younger crowd in here, as well as children of all ages.”
The most dramatic transition will occur from Oct. 18 to 24.
“On top of transferring to digital, we’re going to be upgrading our facilities. The screens, the curtains, the acoustics and the sound system all will be improved,” said Landon. “We’re looking at getting better lighting, as well. It’ll be a really fun week for us with a ton of work to do, and our membership program will be kicking off at the same time.”
Membership will provide customers with discounted tickets, as well as perks including vouchers for free popcorn, gift passes and invitations to VIP events.
Midtown Cinema will keep at least one screen open at all times during the work, holding a mini-festival of B-movies.
“While we’re moving to digital, we’re going to have a whole week of double features at a low cost,” said Landon. “We’d love for everyone to come out and help celebrate our future at the Midtown Cinema, as we show all these fabulous films from the past.”
Porter and Landon have been running the show since June, after owner GreenWorks Development changed management teams.
“It was apparent that there needed to be a team instead of just one individual at the helm,” said Porter. “I’ve known Stuart personally for a long time, and our combined skill sets should result in quite a big change here.”
Porter‘s experience in creating environments suited to customers’ needs has informed Midtown Cinema’s renovation efforts. The team has already begun responding to customer requests through rescheduling the theater’s show times.
“We have loyal patrons, and we’re listening to what they ask for,” said Landon. “Some have asked for earlier matinees, specifically on weekends, and it was difficult for others to get from work to a 5:15 showing. We’re making the adjustments, and have moved our second showings to 6 or afterwards.”
“We want to make it so folks can come to the Midtown Cinema for more than just the movie, using this as a community space,” added Porter. “We want this to be a relaxing, fun and important place to be.”
The cinema café has focused on becoming a destination in its own right, with free wi-fi and an extensive and unique in-house drink menu. “Our fantastic barista Rachel Boone has developed about a dozen signature drinks that are ridiculously fun,” said Landon.
One of Boone’s most popular creations is The King, an Elvis-inspired blended combination of coffee, peanut butter, bananas and bacon. The café has also sourced products from several local eateries, including the Yellow Bird Café, Little Amps Coffee Roasters and Karen’s Krunch.
Community integration also has played a large role in the Midtown Cinema’s new programming schedule.
“We are really excited to be partnering with other local organizations to utilize our open nights,” said Landon.
Recent events include an exclusive screening of Sara Bozich and GK Visual’s new series, “What’s on Tap with Sara Bozich,” and the launch of the theater’s “3rd in The Burg” series, which features a low-cost movie after-party for every 3rd in The Burg.
In the end, the “new” Midtown Cinema aims to be more community-focused, welcoming to patrons and pleasant to visit.
“Independent film is an important resource for the community. You get to hear the voices of filmmakers from all over the world,” said Landon. “We still offer the same quality independent film. Our core value is that those voices can be heard right here in Midtown.”
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, including show times, membership programs and special events, call 717-909-6566 or visit MidtownCinema.com or Facebook.com/ReilyMidtownCinema.
