About 2-1/2 years ago we visited Union Barrel Works for the first time. (Actually, it was exactly 2-1/2 years ago.) If you are a regular follower of this blog you may wonder if we have ever done a repeat before and I can tell you that yes we have but only once. In that case as well as this it was because of a change in ownership.
As old retired guys we can be somewhat reluctant to change our ways and so we did not embrace this trip as eagerly as is the norm. To compound those feelings, on our way we were delayed by upwards of 15-20 minutes at a railroad crossing and then we encountered another delay due to ongoing highway construction, again about 15-20 minutes! We were beginning to think that this was perhaps a bad decision. Turns out any of those negative thoughts were flat out misplaced because our visit to the UBW Brewery in Reamstown was well worth the distance including the forced delay.
Upon entry to the Brewery we met Chasy who represents half of the husband/wife ownership of this entity. She explained how they came to buy the establishment and how they are constantly trying to improve so as to keep their loyal customer base as well as bring in and keep new customers. They have been at it for over a year now and see the business growing at a pace they can manage.
As you readers know, we go mainly for the beer but we also enjoy sampling the food. The beer that we sampled was excellent! There were 10 "normal" beers on tap accompanied by 2-3 rotating beers that are available for only short periods. Chasy convinced me to try their "Sour" and I have to admit that I liked it enough to finish the sample (first sour ever that I could tolerate). I generally favor IPAs and Lagers but may have been able to enjoy about 6oz of that sour. Truly, our adventure over the past few years has expanded both of our palates for beer. Each of the full glasses that we drank were excellent examples of great brews and we were both sorry that we forgot to bring our empty growlers along so as to take some home.
The appetizers we sampled were excellent as well. We tried the fried pickles and the huge pretzel. As mentioned, both were great but the beer mustard that accompanied the pretzel was possibly the best mustard ever tasted by this writer. I would return for another shot at the beers and the food but would not be disappointed if upon arriving found out that only the mustard was available! We are both looking forward to a return visit to try a full course meal with beer of course some evening in the next month or so.
UBW Brewery is a bit of a ride from our home base of Lancaster but well worth the time. If you go, be sure to bring along a DD (Designated Driver) so that you can safely enjoy a few beers and don't forget your growler to take some home to enjoy the next day or two.
To see all the places we have been to, just click on one of the selections below:
