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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Molly's Pub, Lancaster - Bar # 113

If ever a neighborhood bar rose from the ashes of bad ownership, management and publicity, Molly's Pub has certainly pulled it off.  Looking at the physical interior it is still the same place, but that is where the comparison should end.  Kyle, the bartender, has a welcoming and engaging personality that invites conversation and makes you feel like a regular patron.  Molly's is back and worth the support of the community.

With today's huge number of tap handles at most bars, Molly's 8 taps initially seems insufficient.  However, when you combine the range of beer styles available on tap with the large selection of bottled beer there is something for everyone.  The appetizer we selected was at the suggestion of Kyle and it was a perfect compliment to a glass of beer.  Bacon and cheddar boxty is potato pancakes with, you guessed it, bacon and cheddar cheese and a green onion dipping sauce.

While there we had the pleasure of meeting Phil, the owner/chef, who came out of the kitchen to introduce himself because he remembered seeing our news article in LNP.  Very nice man who genuinely wants to have not just a successful pub/restaurant, but also be a good neighbor and a positive addition to Lancaster's restaurant scene.  If anyone can bury the negative immediate past that was Molly's, Phil can do it!

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Catalina's On Orange, Lancaster - Bar # 112

“Beer is the liquid version of Photoshop” – source unknown

Today the Retired Guys ventured out to Catalina’s On Orange in downtown Lancaster for the second day of their Grand Opening event.  Catalina’s is occupying the space once filled by La Piazza restaurant.  (Note, the failed La Piazza in Lancaster is not the same as the successful La Piazza in Lititz and should not be confused with it).

The new owner of Catalina's, Louis, greeted us as we entered the establishment and thanked us for coming.  The current owners of this establishment did a great job of minimal renovating and wisely chose to keep the very decorative brick wall as a backdrop to the bar.  The bar is in the lounge section of the building and has a menu distinct from that found in the pizza shop up front.  There are 24 beers on tap of which 22 are of the most enjoyable “craft” variety ranging from Ales to IPA’s and the heartier stouts.  In the foreseeable future 4 more taps will be added to the bar.  

Our bartender for today was a young man named Ángel who didn't care how we pronounced his name, assuring us he has heard all versions.  We asked him how his mom called him and he said sometimes it isn't so angelic!  Anyway, Ángel took great care of us and freely offered us a sample of any of the draft beers we were curious about so we didn't have to commit to a full glass of something we would end up disliking.  He went on to explain that plans for the future include creating a rooftop lounge as well as an expanded lounge in the basement.

It should be noted that Louis is very knowledgeable of the beers he has on tap and recommended a couple of IPA's that neither Terry nor I had sampled before.  They were both very good but our favorite clearly was Rubber Soul .  If you're an IPA fan, definitely give that one a try! 

In keeping with our tradition of trying an appetizer, we chose the empanadas and were glad we did.  The selection came with two good sized empanadas, enough to satisfy each of our late afternoon cravings for something more than liquid destined for our belly!  Based on the flavorful appetizer, we both agreed we would gladly return to sample more of the food from their menu.

Catalina's is new and likely will experience some growing pains while they settle in. Be patient. We believe they will become a popular spot in Downtown Lancaster in the near future.

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Union Station Grill, Columbia - Bar # 111

The "Retired Guys Beer Afternoon" train rolled into station number 111; the Union Station Grill in Columbia to be exact.  The charm of a 117 year old building is hard to describe, but the history of the building surrounds and welcomes you.

The basic facts of the bar area are 10 beers on tap, two light beers, and 42 bottle varieties to choose from.  There is dining directly adjacent to the bar with two other dining rooms and an outside patio.  The patio is a newer addition and looks to be a great venue to enjoy an outdoor brew.

Our bartender was Britany who was very outgoing and eager to promote the many positives of the Union Station Grill.  She knew her products and offered samples when confused old guys couldn't make up their minds.  Britany has the perfect personality for her profession.

In keeping with our newest extension of afternoon beers, we tried an appetizer.  Crab dip with pita bread was the choice on the recommendation of Britany and it did not disappoint.  The Tuesday special is steak, shrimp and fries and is a popular choice of the locals.  This is definitely a venue worthy of a return visit.

Until next time, Cheers!



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