The Station at Reinholds Inn, Reinholds - Bar # 122

You know something bad is about to happen when someone says "Hold my beer and watch this"

Today, the Retired Guys reflected on a couple of decisions made 5-6 years ago that have had major positive ramifications to this day.  1 - We decided to visit every bar in Lancaster County  2 - We promised to never visit the same bar (as a Retired Guys team) twice.  Those two decisions have more than once caused us to visit an exceptional bar that because of distance would never have been on our list of places to go.  Lucky for us, today was one of those great places!

The Station at Reinholds Inn in Reinholds is kind of out of the way if you live right in Lancaster but it is well worth the 30+ minute drive to visit.  Upon arrival, The Retired Guys were a little confused about the proper entrance (geez, you'd think we had already been drinking!) but were graciously saved when a person opened a bar door and told us the other entrance was not yet open.  She asked if we would mind entering through the door she was holding.  Turns out our savior was a lady named Glenda,  not to be confused with Glinda (the good witch) who was to be our bartender for the afternoon.  Glenda, a descendant of Hans Herr, cheerfully answered all of our questions about the bar and provided us with her recommended appetizer of "Fried Green Beans", which were excellent.  The way Glenda was paying attention to details led us to ask if she was an owner of the bar and she answered in the affirmative.

There were only 3 beers on tap of which one was of the "light" variety but as we have learned from our visits to 122 bars, the beer selection, while important, comes second to the social environment that is found at every establishment.  The social environment we experienced with Glenda and Mandy (the bartender starting at 4:00PM) easily superseded any perceived lack of beer selection.

We recommend that any of our readers visit and advise all that we plan to return for a meal experience in one of the well appointed dining areas upstairs or on the deck (see pics below).

To see all the places we have been to or just to view our website click on one of the selections below:

In sequence, most recent to earliest

In order alphabetically 

In a map

Website

Legacy Sports Bar and Grill, Elizabethtown - Bar # 121

If you are a guy you fully understand the need for male bonding.  Along with good friends, the correct atmosphere is a necessity in making the experience a lasting memory.  The Legacy Sports Bar and Grill in Elizabethtown lends itself perfectly for sports watching, man talk and, of course, beer drinking.  The walls are covered in memorabilia from many different sports that includes all of the local favorites.  There are ample TVs viewable from every corner of the bar and dining room.  Ten beers on tap with a complete range from light to lagers to IPAs to Guinness stout are the final ingredients for a great time.

Carrie, our friendly bartender, greeted us with a smile (and who wouldn't?), offered tastings of the brews unknown to us and served our choice of beer in a frosted glass of our choosing.  What a country!  She obviously enjoys her job and made our first impression of Legacy Sports Bar and Grill positive and lasting.  I have to mention that Andrea, the owner, was also very approachable and eager to engage in conversation.  He has a successful enterprise not only for his business smarts, but also his people smarts.

The food all looked and sounded great, but we settled on the Tuesday Special of tacos.  Why?  We are retired and need to watch our pennies.  I will say they were great and worth every penny even to old guys on fixed incomes.

Today was quite eventful as we had to stay a bit longer than usual because of a tornado warning and torrential rain.  I have to say, there are worse places to be stuck during a storm than a bar and Legacy Sports Bar and Grill brought a lot of sunshine into our day 16 ounces at a time.

Until next time, Cheers!

To see all the places we have been to or just to view our website click on one of the selections below:

In sequence, most recent to earliest

In order alphabetically 

In a map

Website

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!

:

To see all the places we have been to or just to view our website click on one of the selections below:

In sequence, most recent to earliest

In order alphabetically 

In a map

Website

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!

To see all the places we have been to or just to view our website click on one of the selections below:

In sequence, most recent to earliest

In order alphabetically 

In a map

Website

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!

 To see all the places we have been to or just to view our website click on one of the selections below:

In sequence, most recent to earliest

In order alphabetically 

In a map

Website

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.

To see all the places we have been to or just to view our website click on one of the selections below:

In sequence, most recent to earliest

In order alphabetically 

In a map

Website

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!



 To see all the places we have been to or just to view our website click on one of the selections below:

In sequence, most recent to earliest

In order alphabetically 

In a map

Website