The Watering Trough, Mount Joy - Bar # 101

It is the third Tuesday of the month so I (Garry) had the honor of driving to my choice for bar of the day, and it was The Watering Trough in Mount Joy.  I had Google Maps turned on to assist in locating our destination and it was a good thing since there is no identifying sign on the bar itself other than small directional signs pointing us to the door for either "Bar" or "Bar and Restaurant".  A little west of the building is a colorful sign with the Bar name and a promise that this is "The Place for Everyone".

That phrase implied the type of welcome we have become used to at so many of Lancaster County's establishments but alas, it was not to be.  

The bar itself was clean and had plenty of TVs for the sports inclined.  There were 8 beers on draft with 3 of them being of the "light" variety.  Terry and I each had a draft but for our second beer chose to go with a bottle of craft beer settling on a Flower Power IPA.  Our bartender claimed that the bottled beer selection changed frequently so there was no list available for us to peruse and she could not advise what was available without rummaging through the beer cooler.

A couple of patrons who appeared to be "locals" ordered some food and boy did it smell good!  Our bartender advised that the wings offerings were a very popular menu item and she highly recommended them.

It may be the letdown following our visit of the 100th bar two weeks ago or the lead up to Christmas or just a bad day for us and or our bartender but we didn't get the connection here that we are used to.  While it was a little disappointing, I will return at a future date to determine if our experience is the norm at this location.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good beer! 

Commemorating 100 Bar Visits

Check out our under construction website at RetiredGuysBeerAfternoon.com

When Terry and I began our beer consuming excursions there were no specific plans, rules, or goals in place.  As would be appropriate for a couple of laid back retired folks we just wanted to go with the flow.  Natural process of evolution occurred and we decided to give our activity a name and came up with “Retired Guys Beer Afternoon”.  We quickly chose to never go to the same place twice until we have visited every location that serves beer in Lancaster County.  The limitation of Lancaster County occurred only after we visited The Burning Bridge Tavern in Wrightsville.  Once we began to grasp how many destinations were in need of our visitation we modified our agenda from a once a month schedule to every 1^st, 3^rd, and, when available, 5^th Tuesday outing.  We do not go to locations where smoking is permitted.  Plans, rules, and goals were born but as you can see, they remained quite simple.

As of this past Tuesday, after 5⁺ years of enjoying varying styles of beer at bars, pubs, taverns, and breweries we have been to 100 locations!  This is a momentous occasion for us and therefore we have commemorated it by creating a logo unique to the occasion.  More importantly, we are announcing our #1 location, the overall top 5, and a full listing of the 100 locations visited with links to assist our readers in obtaining critical information such as exact location and hours of operation.

We recognize that taste in everything, not just beer, is personal so do not aim to suggest that all readers will find our choices to be in their top 5 but we do heartily recommend that you make an effort to visit as many of the locations listed below as you can.  For the two of us it has been extremely rewarding to show up unannounced at a place where we would not normally go and find the staff and local patrons as friendly and genuinely welcoming as we have experienced.

May the suds be with you!!

Terry and Garry 

Our # 1 location is – Bullfrog Inn - Bart Township

The remaining 4 of the top 5, in alphabetical order, are:

The Cat's Meow - Manheim

Columbia Kettle Works - Columbia

Stanley's Trailside Café - Marietta

White Swan - Lititz

The full list of 100, in alphabetical order:

551 West - Lancaster

915 Café (Now Closed) - Lancaster

Alley Kat - Lancaster

American Bar & Grill - Lancaster

Annie Bailey's - Lancaster

Appalachian Brewing Company - Lititz

Arooga's Sports Bar - Lancaster

Austin Ray Bar & Grill - Lancaster

The Back Page - Leola

The Barn Door - Millersville

Bella Vista Bar & Grill - Columbia

Belvedere Inn - Lancaster

BJ's - Lancaster

Black Night Tavern & Grill - Landisville

Bonefish Grill - Lancaster

The Brasserie Restaurant & Bar - Lancaster

The Brickyard - Lancaster

Bubes Brewery - Mount Joy

Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill - Lancaster

Bullfrog Inn - Bart Township

Bull's Head - Lititz

Burning Bridge Tavern - Wrightsville

Café 24 Hundred - Lancaster

Café Chuckles (Now Closed) - Lancaster

Carlos and Charlie's - Lancaster

The Cat's Meow - Manheim

Chancey's Pub - East Petersburg

Character's Pub - Lancaster

Charcoal's Bar & Grill - Lancaster

Columbia Kettle Works - Columbia

Conestoga Bar - Lancaster

Convention Center Bar - Lancaster

Copper Hill Pub - Millersville

Cork and Cap - Lancaster

The Crazy Tomato - Lancaster

The Creekside Café - Columbia

The Deck at the Dutchmaid - Ephrata

Federal Taphouse - Lancaster

Fiorentino's Airport - Lititz

Firepit Kitchen & Bar - Lancaster

The Fireside Tavern - Strasburg

Forklift and Palate - Manheim

The Fridge - Lancaster

Frogtown Café - Pequea

Funck's - Leola

Highland Pizzeria - Lancaster

Hot Z Pizza - Landisville

Hunger 'n Thirst - Lancaster

Iron Hill Brewery - Lancaster

Iron Horse Inn (Now Closed) - Strasburg

Jack's Tavern - Millersville

Joboy's - Lititz

Joy's Tavern - Mount Joy

La Piazza - Lititz

Lancaster Brewing Company - Lancaster

Lancaster Dispensing Company - Lancaster

Loxley's - Lancaster

Lucky Dog Cafe - Lancaster

Lucky Ducks - Elizabethtown

Mad Chef Brewing - East Petersburg

Mary's Cheers Bar - Manheim

McCleary's Pub - Marietta

Mick's - Lancaster

Mick's - Lititz

The Midway Hotel (Now Closed) - Lancaster

Molly's - Lancaster

Mosby's Pub - Mount Joy

Nick's Bistro - Marietta

The Penguin Hotel & Bar - Stevens

Piero's - Akron

Pour Girls Bar - Quarryville

Prudhommes (Now Closed) - Columbia

Reflections - Leola

River Street Café - Marietta

Root - Lancaster

Roseville Tavern - Lancaster

Ruby Tuesday - Lancaster

Rumplebrewskins - Lancaster

The Sandwich Factory Sports Lounge - Lancaster

Scooter's - Lititz

Shank's Tavern - Marietta

Smith's Hotel - Columbia

Spring House Brewery - Lancaster

Stanley's Trailside Café - Marietta

Station House Tavern - Lancaster

Stubby's - Lancaster

Symposium (Now Closed) - Lancaster

T J Rockwell's - Elizabethtown

The Taproom - Lancaster

The Tiki Barn - Ephrata

Tobias S Frogg - Millersville

Trio Bar & Grill - Columbia

Valentino's Café - Lancaster

Villa Nova - East - Lancaster

Villa Nova - Lancaster

Vinola's - Leola

The Waterfront- Lancaster

White Swan - Lititz

Windoz Grill (Now Closed) - Millersville

Zia Maria's - Denver

Bube's Brewery, Mount Joy - Bar # 100

What a day!  When we started this we never dreamed anyone else would have an interest or care what two retired guys did for entertainment and relaxation.  The world has spoken and we are trying to deliver.  Today was bar #100!!!!

BEHOLD OUR #100 LOGO

Today we ventured to Bube's Brewery in Mt Joy and we were greeted by representatives of the Lancaster Newspaper.  We came to find out that Garry's son, Jeremy, thought that our Tuesday afternoon exploits were newsworthy and also convinced the newspaper of the same thing.  Who would have thunk it?  The interview was pretty cool because we were no longer celebrities only in our minds, but if only for a little while, we were made to feel as if we really are interesting retired guys by the reporter and photographer.  It also made us realize just how special our beer days have become on a personal level and they are much more than drinking beer.

Bube's is a place Garry and I have both been to in the past, but not recently.  The good thing is not much has changed and that is what makes Bube's a successful and comfortable brew pub.  We didn't really get to talk to our bartender much because of the aforementioned media spotlight and that was our loss.  Corey was easy to talk to and very knowledgeable of the beer brewed on site. There were 14 taps with wide ranging styles of beers and I think only one of which was of the "light" variety.  As in most visits we didn't have food, but it smelled very good.  When you put the whole package together; the service, product and atmosphere make Bube's Brewery a place you will want to try.

Until next time, CHEERS!













Piero's Italian Restaurant, Akron - Bar # 99

There isn't a more relaxing way to spend a rainy afternoon, when you don't have a job to go to, than drink a couple of beers with a friend in a friendly pub.  Today the Retired Guy's found themselves in the friendly pub known as Piero's Italian Restaurant in Akron, PA.  From the outgoing bartender, Shannon, to the friendly "regulars" it was a most enjoyable afternoon.

12 beers were on draft with 9 being of the "craft" variety.  We even discovered a beer from the brewing giant Anheuser Busch, Shock Top Twisted Pretzel Wheat, that was surprisingly good.  The other drafts were a very good cross-section including Molson from north of the border.  (Garry's birthplace BTW.)  There was also a wide variety of bottled brews.

If you read the last blog, you know we graced Zia Maria's with our presence on November 15.  We discovered then that Piero's and Zia Maria's are sister establishments.  Both are very comfortable places to relax with good food and friendly staff.  It is obvious that the same successful business template is used at both places.