Let My Birthday Weekend Commenceth

Call me a nerd, but Gettysburg is a special place to me for multiple reasons. I was part of the generation that grew up interested in not only the battle, but the American Civil War due to the release of the motion picture in 1993. Combine that with William Frassanito's Gettysburg: A Journey In Time, a study in which famous photographs of Civil War dead are examined and eventually located on today's battlefield. Exhilarating stuff.

Gettysburg is a place that has provided me and the world with years worth of stories. So much happened there that you could read books on the subject for the rest of your life and still not know the stories of all who fought there.

It's also the place in which I had my first legal drink. Said drink was at O'Rorke's Eatery and Spirits on Steinwehr Avenue, named after Colonel Patty O'Rorke of the 140th New York which fought on Little Round Top. My father took me there right at midnight of the 16th that year. I had a rum and coke and much to my disappointment I wasn't even carded. As I embark upon this trip very soon I once again hope to be carded as I finally have a driver's license that depicts someone as thin as I am now.

I also hope to frequent establishments that I've become fascinated with on previous trips. This includes both Appalachian Brewing Company which sits near the first day's field and across the street from one of the more famous photographs in history. I'm almost certain I want to get my hands on some more of its Mountain Lager again. There's also a great burger joint by the name of Blue and Gray Bar and Grill in the town square. I also have plans to meet Justin of Justin's Brew Review at the Dobbin House Tavern, a place also on Steinwehr that I haven't dined at as of yet.

The Dobbin House Tavern on Steinwehr. There at the time of the battle.

I mentioned last week that there are sources untapped. If you're among the few that follow this blog you know I'm referring to the newly established Gettysburg Battlefield Brew Works in the old Monfort farm house. It's owned by a former assistant at rock Bottom at the Waterfront Shopping Complex.

I'm sure I'll be posting plenty of photographs and updates on my Twitter feed as my trip progresses. Tomorrow, I hope to have a special post up about one of my former classmates in high school who's putting on a special beer project here in my hometown of Munhall.

Monday Rant: Pennsylvania - West vs. East

I think that if I can conclude one thing after my trip to the eastern part of Pennsylvania it's that we know how to drink beer in the western part and they know how to eat in the eastern part of the state.

My post last Wednesday described how the town of Gettysburg, its roads and its location were all conducive to great beer and food being all over the town's establishments.

What I proposed is true. There's food ranging from seafood from Maryland, cheesesteaks from Philadelphia and recipes from the Pennsylvania Dutch. There are also numerous craft breweries that have their product around Gettysburg as well. Troegs is just to the north, Roy Pitz out of Chambersburg and Lancaster Brewing isn't too far off either.

The problem is that it looks as if that side of the state hasn't yet caught up with the craft beer revolution that we are currently experiencing here around Pittsburgh. Not to say that our friends out east have no idea what craft beer is, but in the rural areas outside of Philadelphia it looks as if they're not yet ready for it.

This was evident to me by the lack of taps in a few of the restaurants I dined in this past weekend. Yes, of course some of those companies have a presence there. It's just when I head to the Dobbin House Tavern I expect a bigger selection of Troegs other than just the Pale Ale. I honestly expected to find Sunshine Pils all over the place since it's an excellent summer beer and it usually gets hot as hell east of the Blue Ridge.

For the record, numerous beers from these companies are present in bottle. I'm just disappointed in the lack of tap presence.

Aside from that, another thing I've learned is that if they don't have a wide as selection of beer as we do here, they sure as hell know how to eat better than us. After having a cheesesteak made the right way out there, I'll be damned if I ever get one in Pittsburgh again. A cheesesteak with the cheese melted on the grill with the meat as it cooks will always overcome the overrated Primanti's Pittsburgher sandwich.

Where the hell else can you find Shepherd's Pie Potato Skins?

We can't forget about the Dutch cooking either. Where around here can you find anything that resembles the Game Pie or spoon bread at the Farnsworth House Inn? While eating breakfast at the local diner, I ordered pancakes with chocolate and peanut butter chips one morning and cheese danish the next. If you order a danish at Eat n' Park or another similar place around here, the odds are that you're getting an Entenmann's picked up at your local super market.

All Roads Lead to Gettysburg

Tomorrow marks yet another one of my annual trips to Gettysburg National Military Park. Being the history buff that I am, I know that the saying "all roads lead to Gettysburg" held true on those three epic days in 1863. As easy as it was to fully concentrate an army in that day and age, it also appears that the town is also an excellent convergence point of fine beer and food.

McPherson barn along McPherson Ridge on the first day's field.

It gets pretty hot when you're east of the Blue Ridge and after a day of touring/studying some of America's most hallowed ground, you definitely want something refreshing towards the evening.

The town features some of the best period dining in all of Pennsylvania at both the Dobbin House Tavern, which features colonial-style items on its menu, and the Farnsworth House Inn, which gives patrons an 1863 dinner experience.

In terms of food, Gettysburg is in perfect position to dish out recipes from the Pennsylvania Dutch in the north as well as some Chesapeake seafood in the South.

As for beer, Troegs Brewing Company is right up the road in Harrisburg/Hershey. Troegs is arguably Pennsylvania's second most popular brewer, as well as my personal favorite, behind Yuengling & Son and will surely have most of the local bars stocked with many of my favorite brews.

Flying Dog Brewery is just to the South, out of Frederick. We also can't forget that just up Route 30 (or the Chambersburg Pike as we history buffs call it) is Hauser Estate Winery which provides the world with the infamous Jack's Hard Cider.

Appalachian Brewing Company has one of it's microbrewery/restaurants just off of Buford Avenue and right next to the house that General Robert E. Lee designated as his headquarters. There's plenty to eat and drink in Gettysburg.

This week might be somewhat abbreviated in terms of posts since I'm embarking on this trip. I will try to have a beer review for tomorrow's post and will try to document as much as possible the food and drink I come across while out east. Make sure you're tuning into my Twitter feed this weekend while I'm there. I'll also try to incorporate some of what I experience into a post or two for next week.