The Hill, Ephrata - Bar # 120

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, That's as good as they're going to feel all day."  Frank Sinatra

Every now and then you find yourself enjoying a Really Special moment.  You can't put your finger on a single event that causes it because there are so many things going on that are just right.  That was the experience today of the Retired Guys when we visited The Hill (aka The Hill Top Inn) in Ephrata.  

It started when we were joyously greeted by Christina, our bartender, as we walked through the entrance door.  As we sat and ordered our beer someone walked up to the other Retired Guy and asked if he was "Terry".  Turns out there were a couple of retirees from New Holland who frequent the local bar on Tuesdays and the conversations about the "Glory Days" began.

We interrupted the lively discussion so we could order an appetizer and that was when Christina proved to us she was a step or two above normal as a bartender/restaurant representative.  She agreed with our selection of homemade Vietnamese Spring Rolls then highly recommended that we try the also homemade Spanakopita (Greek spinach rolls).  Both appetizers were so good, I would recommend you visit The Hill just to sample them!  Thanks Christina!

The Hill has 12 beers on tap of which only two are of the light variety.  Both Retired Guys were able to satisfy their discerning tastes with the selection at hand and would suggest that any beer drinker would be able to find something they like.  Also, there was a wall of very special bottles of Tequila available for the more snooty crowd!

To return or not return?  Very easily answered --- RETURN!

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Helen's Corner Bar & Restaurant, Leola - Bar # 119

Beer doesn't make you fat. It makes you lean.....against bars, tables, chairs, walls.

Four and ½ months after Helen’s Corner Bar & Restaurant in Leola closed this past February without explanation it reopened under new management represented by Joseph Margolis and Chean Wu, also current owners of an Asian restaurant in Ephrata.  Helen’s is open daily from 8:00AM until 2:00AM so you can grab a beer really early or really late and anytime in between!

Today the retired guys were well taken care of by our bartender Michelle who advised us that Helen’s has been reopened for a little over a month and in its resurrection is now a non-smoking bar.  For a non-smoker like myself there is a detectable aroma still lingering from over 30 years of smoke exposure; however, it is clearly extremely light and definitely not repulsive so for non smokers this should not be an issue.  

Helen’s has 8 beers on tap with 2 being of the light variety.  The full bodied beers represented a nice geographical as well as taste mix so even a discriminating beer drinker should be able to find something to satisfy their taste.  If not, there is also a generous mix of bottles/cans in the "TO-GO" refrigerator from which to choose.

For eats we sampled a couple of appetizers and thoroughly enjoyed the spring roll and egg roll made available to us.  These items are clearly influenced by the new owners who added them to the menu as they have done in their Ephrata restaurant.  If the appetizers are indicative of the rest of the menu it is easy to plan a return for a full meal to accompany a couple of glasses of beer the next time around which should come in the near future.

By the way, as this is a five Tuesday month, we get to do this one more time in August - Woohoo!

Until next time....bottoms up!

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Primanti Brothers, Lancaster - Bar # 118

There is a new sheriff in town when it comes to sports bars and it is Primanti Brothers.  From the moment you walk in, the TVs and memorabilia on the walls say this is where you want to watch a big game.  There is even a mural with images of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other local sports heroes.  It would have been understandable to stay with a theme from their Pittsburgh roots, but they also tastefully included some of the local favorites in the décor with Philly area, Penn State and Baltimore.

Seeing a sampling of the food tempted us to order one of everything on the menu.  The pizza looked like it was from a typical mom and pop pizzeria and the sandwiches were, as you would expect, Primanti Brothers signature product.  Garry and I tried the fried pickles and they were great!

With 24 taps there is a very good selection of styles of beer that are served in 16 and 22 oz. chilled glasses.  Eric, our bartender, was very personable and seemed to enjoy his job.  He is a great guy to converse with and is a proud father of a Manheim Township baseball player.  Really, the entire staff seemed energetic and happy to be working for an established and successful Pittsburgh icon.

Primanti Brothers may be the new guy, but they are by no means new at being successful.  In spite of just recently opening, things appeared to run smoothly with many happy patrons.  Treat yourself and go have a taste of the Burgh right here in Lancaster.

Until next time, CHEERS!

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St Boniface Craft Brewery, Ephrata - Bar # 117

A woman is like beer. They look good, they smell good, and you'd step over your own mother just to get one! - Homer Simpson

Today the Retired Guys ventured north to Ephrata in order to experience the offerings at St Boniface Craft Brewing.  We left a little later than usual today because St Boniface opens only at 4:00PM, about an hour later than we are used to starting.  As it was, we were anxious to get there and arrived a little before official opening time and Sara, our bartender (and part owner) for the afternoon, graciously allowed us to enter early.  After a little bit of discussion with her she warmed our hearts by sharing that she had read about our bar hopping exploits in the paper back in January.  It does continue to amaze us that our story was so well received in the area!

At the bar there were 19 taps each of which poured a nice cold glass of an on site manufactured brew.  As the driver for the day I had to limit my beer intake based on alcohol level (ABV) but, lucky for all of us, many of their brews are available in a 6 pack or a 12 pack mixed case.  Each beer style is also available in a nicely sealed 32 oz growler can so no one is left wanting and has no excuse for over indulging at the bar.  Terry, as passenger was not limited as far as intake goes and he took full advantage!

St Boniface recently completed an outdoor seating area which is far enough away from the road to limit noise from the forever moving traffic.  The area is clean and tables are nicely spaced relative to each other.  As is our practice, we had an enjoyable appetizer and by enjoyable we mean both in flavor and price.

While writing this blog I remembered a "pearl of wisdom" I once shared with my sons who were teens at the time.  They were told that no matter what it is you are using or consuming, someone somewhere is trying to improve it.  The brew master at St Boniface has proved me right in the case of beer not just from when he started this operation 7 years ago but on an ongoing basis as new brews are added throughout the year!  We definitely expect to return in the near future.

Until next time, cheers!

One last thing - I encourage you to spend some time at the St Boniface website.  They provide a nice history of their operation and while not bragging, tell a very good story about hard work and success.

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Wacker Brewing Company, Lancaster - Bar # 116

A wonderful benefit of living in an older city such as Lancaster, is that rich history is around every corner.  The Retired Guys walked straight into some Lancaster brewing history today at the Wacker Brewing Company.  It is not the original site of the brewery founded in 1853, but it's an old brick building that adds to the historical appeal of being part Lancaster's brewing past.

Michael, our bartender and the Wacker Brew Master, was very personable, willing to talk beer, whiskey and trail hiking.  There are 6 Wacker brews on tap with a range of styles to fit most any beer lover's taste.  No light beers!  The food is basically appetizer type food, but we do not go to a historic brewery for gourmet food.  We go for the beer and found craft beer much to our liking. Today the combination of history, Michael and very fine beer made for another successful leg of our quest.

Until next time, Cheers!



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Rosie's Tavola, Mount Joy - Bar # 115

"Education is important but Beer is importanter"

Today we returned to Mount Joy, PA where the Retired Guys found the one year old Rosie's Tavola, a business dedicated to an Italian Dining experience. Well, as anyone who follows this blog regularly knows the Retired Guys are dedicated to the Beer tasting experience.  We were not disappointed and in fact were thrilled to have found a new eatery to return to at some near future date.  (As an aside, I'm beginning to think that Mount Joy has more bars per person than most areas in Lancaster County!  Consider this borough for your next bar crawl.)

When we entered Rosie's we were greeted happily by Shay, our bartender for the afternoon.  I think that inside Shay was a little nervous as she explained today was her first time having responsibility for the bar.  On the outside she showed no signs of nerves getting the upper hand and was remarkable with her attention to us while she also dealt with some serving responsibilities on the restaurant side.  "So what ?" you might say "how hard can it be to serve beer?"  Agreed, but she also made a couple of cocktails for the first time that garnered compliments from her customers.....Way to go Shay!

As I said earlier, this is primarily a restaurant so it had a small selection of draft beer (4) but all were of the craft variety and a very nice mix to easily satisfy most people seeking a good brew.  We also tried an appetizer highly recommended by Shay.  The Charcuterie Plate was excellent in flavor and the quantity served was more than enough to feed both Retired Guys and in the process obviated the need for dinner later.  We were advised that most of the food served here is prepared on site and is both fresh and tasty.  Dinner reservations are highly recommended.  Next time I get the urge for Italian food, this will be my first selection.  I'll go for the food and get to enjoy the beer!

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Brady's, New Holland - Bar # 114

There is an auto dealer ad that says it is worth the drive to New Holland.  Well, it is also worth the drive to New Holland for a beer and some pretty darn good food.  Brady's on Rt. 23 just west of New Holland is in a "strip mall", but when inside you forget what's outside.

Katie, our bartender, greeted us cheerfully and seemed to know a bit about beer and could hold a conversation about what is good, popular and the taste trends of the public.  There are only 4 beer taps and that is a little short compared to today's mammoth number of taps at some pubs, but with Troegs and New Belgium belonging to 2 of them we were happy drinkers.

Our appetizer of choice was the sampler and it was a dandy!  Wings, mozzarella sticks, potato skins and jalapeño poppers were all done very well and had Garry and me both commenting that dinner later was really not needed.  If you go I would recommend the wings be sriracha  and bourbon.  It was fantastic!   Thank you Katie for the heads up.

All in all another great day of enjoying beer with a friend and discovering another gem of a watering hole in Lancaster County.  The food and the pleasant staff combines to make Brady's a destination to put on anyone's list.

Until next time, CHEERS!

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