Customer Reviews

PA Breweries: 3rd Edtiion (Breweries Series)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Pennsylvania Breweries is a wonderfully informative book that goes beyond the usual fare, providing the reader with a unique insight into Pennsylvania's rich brewing heritage. Author Lew Bryson describes each brewery and brewpub in vivid detail and his engagingly personable writing style makes you feel as though you are touring right along with him.

The book divides Pennsylvania into six geographic regions, and also includes a section which the author has thoughtfully dedicated to the state's "Old Guard Breweries". The beginning of each regional section contains a wealth of information on items such as the region's history, cultural points of interest, and other available activities. Additionally, each brewery and brewpub entry is accompanied by information regarding local attractions, lodging, and dining spots.

Between the regional sections are segments entitled, "A word about..." which discuss subjects such as ales and lagers, the brewing process, and beer traveling. These sections provide pleasant diversion while adding valuable resource information, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the book.

You won't find point scales or stars (like the, uh, ones above) in this guide as Bryson doesn't attempt to critique every beer sampled. Rather, after discussing the offerings at each stop he recommends one or two beers in particular. In doing so, he subtly drives home the idea that beer traveling is more about the enjoyment and celebration of the brewer's art than it is about grading each offering.

"Pennsylvania Breweries" is a great read and an excellent resource for all beer enthusiasts, from novice to connoisseur. Highly recommended.

After watching a tie-in PBS documentary, I purchased this book for the beer connoisseur in my life. We were familiar with two of the breweries mentioned and found the write-ups to be accurate, so now we're setting out on occasional trips to others in the state. The good news is, many of them have very decent restaurants where the beer can be sampled. One caution: this edition is 5 years old. Do call to make sure the information is current before jumping in the car. A postscript: Mr. Beer Connoisseur has found several local beers that stand up to or even exceed his European favorites.

This book is tremendous, and every state in our union should have one!

I knew there was a microbrew revolution occuring in this country, and especially in my state of Pennsylvania, but I wasn't aware of how quickly it occurred. As much as I enjoy brewpubs, I wasn't even aware of how many were so close by until I bought this book. Now I can find about 10 or so about a half hour drive from me.

This book gives a brief history of all of the breweries and brewpubs in Pennsylvania, and includes hours of operation, styles brewed, tour information, and most importantly--maps!

The only problem with this book is that so many brewpubs are appearing that the book will probably be outdated in a few years. No matter--I'll buy the updated editions. Overall I was very impressed with the book and plan on visiting many of the newer brewpubs in the area to make sure they thrive and are successful enough to encourage others to start their own business.

Pennsylvania Breweries by Lew Bryson

I bought this book last year for my wife's birthday after seeing the author interviewed on PA Books. The author was passionate about beer and infectious in his laugh.

The book is written very much as he is. It is well written and often hilarious. The book covers all the big breweries, small breweries and brew-pubs in PA. The breweries are grouped by region. Interspersed between regional coverage are chapters on the history of beer in America and in PA, local food oddities, differences between ale and lager etc. Each brewery is given a write-up and along with his picks and why he provides a review of the food if applicable, any local bars worth noting, local accommodations, and local museums and other sites of interest. The focus though is on the beer.

What makes this book valuable is PA liquor laws. Beer can only be purchased through local licensed beer stores and then only by the case. This tends to limit your selection as the beer guys will only carry what they can move. So if your taste tends out of the mainstream you are screwed. It also hinders trying new products because who wants to buy a case of something blind. The solution is to buy sampler packs. We have been doing this with PA and some NY beers. Generally Lew's evaluations of beers have been spot on and his book has served as a good guide for purchasing sampler cases.

We have also indulged in "beer tourism". We generally try and add in a brewery or brew pub to all of our travels. We have the third edition which came out in 2005. However you can access his website [...] and look at the updates. This provides a current and update SITREP on all the establishments.

This has been a great educational and touring book. So far we have visited six of the breweries and tried beer from an additional five or six. A great book I wish they had guides like this for every state!

Lew Bryson travels around PA for the latest on PA beer: organized by regions, he reports on breweries & brewpubs..if they changed brewers, equipment, philosophies, etc. What beer they are currently brewing and why. Also a few bars are mentioned in extreme rural areas, and what they are pouring or serving [food].

Lew Bryson's beer-writing style is purposeful and succinct with a deep passion and humor for the subject..its great for short attention spans, he only spends one page or less per business, organized by region [sections of Pennsylvania].

His books are fun, really entertaining..if you ever run into him out and about, he is funny and loves talking beer [I met Lew years ago at Grey Lodge Pub].

Despite a familiarity and history with a lot of the folks he encounters writing this book [a close knit beer industry in Pennsylvania], he spends a lot of time interviewing in order to provide new fresh stories and details [updates] regarding each individual business.

Lew's home state is Pennsylvania, and you can sense a feeling of pride as you read this book [as well as a passion for fixing what's wrong with PA..its alcohol laws]. I love it. Great job Lew!

R Stephens

Within 350+ pages, Bryson whets our appetite for Pennsylvania travel - not only by exploring the abundance of breweries and brewpubs within its borders, but also by experiencing the diversity that makes Pennsylvania a complex reflection of America's melting pot. He compresses the Keystone State's larger metropolitan cities into their own chapters, while retaining the individualism of Pat's Cheesesteaks, the Italian Market, the Carnegie Museums, Three Rivers, and the "almost famous" Primanti's Grille. You begin salivating at the thought of fishing in one of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's many stocked lakes, white-watering the Class III rapids of Pine Creek by canoe, sampling shoo-fly pie in "Dutchie" country, and skiing one of the 30 downhill ski slopes in the grandly curving mountain ranges.

And then there's the beer. As Bryson leads the way on a magical carpet ride across the state, he brings into focus the intimate decisions that shape each featured brewery or brewpub - a brewer's dream, an investment gone awry, the skill of an engineer, and the brash, can-do attitude of the self-directed. His reviews of the beers are upbeat and positive, describing one as "beers that no one's ever made before - or will again" and another with "if you remember the crisp lager beers, they won't change..."

It's difficult to read this book without making a vow to explore every corner of the Pennsylvania brewing scene and the nearby attractions that make for a balanced experience. For those from out-of-state who want a vacation drenched in adventure and diversity, Bryson's book serves as the best all-around travel guide for laying a superb foundation. Those who have lived in Pennsylvania all their lives will be upstaged by Bryson the Great - marveling at his intimate knowledge of every little town, burb, and lakeside retreat; and then taking it one step farther.

Bryson knows the players, and he knows beer. As you connect with the unfolding story of Pennsylvania's rapidly-changing beervana-scape, you begin to see the kaleidoscope of complexity among its finest brewers and/or owners - people like Matt Allyn, Scott Bowser, Gordon Grubb, Sean Casey and Brant Dubovick, and Minnie and Brian Sprague. You want to experience the Sprague Farm and Brew Works, the Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh, the Church Brew Works, Earth Bread + Brewery, and Swashbuckler Brewing Company. And you want to do it now.

For the novice, some of the descriptions of the types of brewing systems or the brewing capacities may appear over-the-top, but Lew does a fine job presenting the times and availability of Tours and Tastings to satisfy that nagging lack of understanding. He lays out local lodging in the area, a key component for any serious brew-seeking hound-dawg. There are even local maps for hard-to-find locations.

Lew's best talent is in dropping little-known gems that pique additional desire to "get there." Tidbits like "...the annual launch of the brewery's [East End Brewing] spring seasonal, Pedal Pale Ale, since 2005 has begun with Scott hauling beer by bicycle to a surprise bar, with free beer for anyone who rides along. That first year, there were about fifteen riders; in 2009, there were more than five hundred!" As I said, you want to get there.

Although Lew Bryson is a master of colorful descriptions, I would love to see this book in color, complete with photos of these breweries and brewpubs - inside and out, of the players, the beer, the landscapes, and the local foods. Take this book with you on every excursion throughout Pennsylvania. Read it several times, study it, share it, and keep it in your car.

I enjoy Lew's books & feel they are a great help in finding local breweries & the like . I only wish he'd be more opinionated about the beers at each place . He's being too much of a Mr. Nice Guy about his " reviews " . Every place you go to is not going to have great beer / food .

This is, without a doubt, "THE" book for any true beer lover living in or, planning on travelling to, Pennsylvania. Even if you're not a beer lover (if such a creature actually exists), the comprehensive lists of other attractions, side trips, lodgings, pubs, restaurants, etc. make it an invaluable travel guide to the state. I'd say the brewers of Pennsylvania, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Tourism, owe Mr. Lew Bryson a huge vote of thanks.

This book was a Christmas gift for my Dad. He is very pleased with it and was pleasantly surprised to find information about even very small breweries. For someone who lives in Pa and loves unique beers, this is a great book to have.

If you are planning a trip to Pa. and want to included good beer destinations this is the book for you.