Passport and Pints

I rang in my 26th birthday alone at an Irish pub in Florence, Italy with some random Euro footie game on the telly playing. The kind Italians at the bar bought me several shots of various Italian liquors and who was I to complain as a girl on a budget? I also managed to lock myself out of my room, having to endure an awkward walk of shame down to the front desk in only my nude-colored skivvies (arm pressed to my chest for modesty) and explain that I mistook the main door to my room for the toilets, burning an image into the young man's mind that he is unlikely to forget for quite some time... happy birthday to me! Aside from the unintentional exhibitionist start of my birthday, I'd say it was a fun exploratory day. The weather was a bit wicked with winds literally shutting down parts of the city, including schools. Our group was unable to visit the Colosseum as initially scheduled due to the weather, but we are going to reschedule to visit before we leave the city. We still had...

Today was a free day following a short walking tour through Florence. I made quite the day out of visiting as many museums as I could, seeking out the Statue of David, the Uffizi Gallery, the Museo Galileo, absorbing as much of the city as I could as I walked around. It felt so calming, thrilling, mesmerizing. Afterwards, I took my time picking out a few brews from the local  Pam  grocery store to enjoy a nice hot bath to rest by tired tootsies before venturing out for a pre-birthday brew. Gold Stern Premium Beer by Brouwerij Martens: a smooth lager with a mid-range rating, nothing too fancy Oettinger Pils by Oettinger Brauerei: perhaps because I stopped ranking quite some time ago, I'm a tad objectively in my remarks that for such a refreshing and simplistic beer, unTappd offers it such a low ranking.. Oettinger Hefeweißbier Naturtrüb/Weissbier by Oettinger Brauerei: not too shabby; good brew to enjoy in a hot bath In heaven there is no beer. That's why we drink ours here. ...

 Fun fact: my last semester of my undergrad, I had credits to fill so I could be considered a full-time student as I only required one or two classes to satisfy my major and minor so I filled my schedule with Spanish I, Latin I, and Italian I classes....then answered an entire Italian oral exam in Spanish. Thankfully, my Italian professor knew I was also taking other languages (my minor was actually in German Language) so she allowed me to retake it after I took a few deep breaths to mentally "switch" my brain to the correct romance language, making sure not to answer in French as I have several years of that  under my belt. phew It is truly amazing what the brain is capable of processing and in former years of language study, I've always envisioned that little toggle switch in my brain for changing languages. Mind you, I'm not proficient in the least, albeit I work on keeping up my language skills with Duolingo to keep vocabulary and grammar fresh. Your brain is a m...

 Birra Moretti L'authentia, ricetta dal 1859 - la birra de Yuengling in Venezia. Per human tendency, one compares new with what they know. After trying and thus seeing Birra Moretti's brewskis all around me, I'd equate it similarly to a Yuengling (I'm a central-PA gal after all) albeit a bit smoother in taste. Interestingly enough, Yuengling was founded before  Birra Moretti - gotta tie in that good ol' history lesson in there. Italy is renowned for its fines wines, exquisite fashion labels , and pasta so fresh you swear you can feel your taste buds perform jumping jacks in ecstasy. I felt as though my beer-venture might be one in vain but was pleasantly surprised in my findings. Similarly to US supermarkets, the local COOP grocery store proved to be invaluable in finding new brews to find in single bottles and cans. As a traveler, trying local cuisine and immersing in the culture, interacting with locals to truly get a better appreciation for a new location - th...

 Hey now! Hey no-ow! If you are a 90s baby like I am, Lizzie McGuire running about with Paolo crosses your mind when you think of Rome. Venice, Florenze, Pompeii, Rome, and Sorrento for my 26th birthday...hey now, hey now!! But first, a few pre-flight brews since that's my special defense against pre-trip jitters and getting through long travel journeys. I have horrible flight luck so I'd say a few brews to calm my nerves are well deserved. It also helps with sleep and sets a tasty tone for the trip. I've found airports also have quite the eclectic selection of brews as they want to keep a variety under their belt in anticipation for the many different palettes traversing through their restaurants. Little secret - for as much traveling as I've done, both domestic and international, I get insanely wild jitters the minute I set off at the airport. I blame it on my bad luck at airports: numerous delays, missed flights, missed connections, cancelled flights, crying in term...

By name alone, this name could mean so many things, among them a few highly ambiguous double-entendres but those close to the Harrisburg area would know this to be a rather newish venue offering live music and baller club nightlife. Maybe I don't even need to mention the potentially sexual inferences to which this could  refer, but if you're like me, your sense of humor can go dark all too quickly. Perverted minds will be perverted....yet I digress per usual. If you've come this far, I trust you have come to become accustomed to little side notes and if you don't know me on a more personal level, you may not realize the internal struggle it has become not to type every single aside I have with myself in my little noggin before I hit that orange Publish button . I'm trying to be as concise as I am in my professional life but with more creative flair, I swear. It's a balance. Where were we? Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Club XL - there we are. Reel it in. Reel.It....

Okay, maybe we're not talking actual  Greece nor any Biblical references, but Yorgos offers a sliver of Grecian touch with that homey feeling of family as is traditional Greek life. This Mediterranean golden gem is tucked away in Lancaster, PA on the corner between North Queen Street and West Orange Street. The menus are flavorful without that standoffish, pretentious smugness you may come to find in other areas trying to "globalize" the community through means of different foods and culture...aka authentic, tasty freakin' food. Alas, this is not a food blog, but a b e e r blog (albeit I love both). Upon entering the downstairs bar, it was rather difficult to decide which brew I wanted to try as they offer a revolving variety of local brews on tap as well as some go-to staples such as Yuengling. Side note: Yuengling is more like the Miller or PBR of Pennsylvania, in that it's usually on draft at a bar and if it's the "fanciest" draft on tap, you k...

Giant Food Stores, as I've mentioned before,  or , if it's your first time visiting, I'll reiterate because I do love a long-winded narrative....they have an interesting array of mix-a-six units for sale which is an increasingly more efficient way to try new beers without the commitment if one only frequents a particular Giant Beer Garden every month or two because they all offer their own variety with varying rotations of styles and specific beers. Summer Blonde by River Horse Brewing Co.: a light beer with a refreshing aftertaste and, as the name suggests, a solid candidate for a summer brewski The Blondie by Owl's Brew Radler: this blondie had a little bit more body than the prior albeit still light enough to be enjoyable for summertime Oktoberfest by Sly Fox Brewing Company: I haven't met an Oktoberfest I haven't liked yet and this one did not disappoint. While Sam Adams Oktoberfest holds a special place in my heart, Sly Fox does not disappoint ...

Tonight is about new beginnings, a truce of sorts. My former SO and I had a reconciliatory date on which to discuss, eat, and try new beers, something which he also enjoys from time to time. I'm going to pompously take credit for expanding his hoppy horizons outside of the limited taste range of Coors Light and Corona. Of all the styles outside of what I consider party beer or piss water, he hovers towards a dark porter or stout, something I totally was not expecting. Tonight we chatted over only two rounds with our dinner of burgers and Tr ö egs Beer-style BBQ sauce at Smoked Restaurant which boasts of many  delicious bites and beers. As a personal favorite of my prior supervisor, I've eaten here quite a few times for celebratory meals and tonight is no different as we celebrate my new car and new apartment, and to working on our halted relationship. Blackberry Jacuzzi by Mispillion River Brewing Company: ultra sweetness abundance without being too sickly sweet tow hich...

A new flavoring for me: pumpkin and pumpkin spice beers. There may be split reactions to this: either I'm not "extra" or I've finally caved to the frenzy...but man, have I realized that I have missed out on a whole world of brew flavors. I've been all too naive in thinking that they tasted like straight pumpkin, for which I'm not overly gaga. There real break-through stars of these brewskis are the spices and who knew there were so many various spices in pumpkin pie? As someone who does not eat pumpkin pie, certainly not I. Heck, I also avoid the Charlie Brown great pumpkin movie, albeit that's more of a longtime dislike and distrust of Charlie Brown and his goody-two shoes act. I said what I said. The past few weeks have been spent off the radar to allow my heart necessary time to heal plus contend with the influx of work as the office approaches busy flu season. Along with the hectic work season, I've also managed to pick up a cold from the ce...

Tap, draft, bottle, can....the first two are the same, I realize, but the terminology can be daunting for a newbie. Fun fact: my first few times at the bar, I hadn't realized "tap" and "draft" meant the same darn thing (don't judge - 20 year old American girl in an English pub many moons ago). The means of serving can alter the taste, albeit more subtlety than the means of production, which lends itself to the different "styles" such as IPA, APA, porter, lager, etc. Some of the terms may seem inherent, such as a "sour" is quite tart, but some may seem more confusing. This is what I enjoy about trying so many different beers and diving into this world of beer. It's rather titillating as someone who thoroughly enjoys learning. In the past few days I've been able to branch out a bit on tastes, brewies, towns, and flavors. With a broken heart a girl's gotta throw herself into something new - in the name of science and know...

Yesterday consisted of a good time spent with good friends - and also another day of recovering from this weekend as I'm finding with age, comes an exponentially longer time of recovering from simply staying up an hour later. Many extra hours of being awake were experienced this weekend, so you can only imagine. A hot bowl of grownup mac & cheese served as dinner with a flight before me as the accompaniment. The Millworks in downtown Harrisburg, not to be confused with The Mill in Hershey, has a solid selection of brews on tap as well as a variety of delicious menu items which makes it incredibly difficult to ever choose what I want to eat or drink on any given visit. If you, like me, never truly gave up childhood staples such as grilled cheese, mac & cheese, hot dogs...I'm salivating thinking of lunch for tomorrow already... I implore you check out this venue if and when you're in town. The Biergarten, as viewed from The Millworks' website For the ...

I've been relatively oblivious to the mix-a-six selection at the Beer Zoo distributor located not more than 5 miles away from my apartment. Trust me when I say I've been negligent as they have quite the array of brews just waiting for the tasting, but my self-assured butt always  went to the full six-packs, ready to commit to something new like I had no cares in the world for my money or taste buds. This has been a game-changer - not just my epiphany in the store, but for self realization that I am too narrow-minded at times and need to s l o w  d o w n in life and take better time to notice my surroundings as one can often miss a beautiful occurrence or can nestled in full sight. While most of these were old-time goodies, they were what I needed, the familiarity and nostalgia of tongue-friendly tastes. With the breakup still raw, my ever beer-lust (play on words for beer + wanderlust) need some friendly tones for comfort. My mind was into trying new things, but my heart w...

Please note - I do not promote drinking as a solution nor way to avoid your problems. I simply enjoy the tastes of trying a new brew and collect those "tastes" through means of logins and ratings in the Untappd app (let's be friends there!). I do not endorse drinking away your sorrows . Now that my disclaimer is out of the way - particularly in regards to recent events in my life, i.e. work stress and relationship constraints - we shall peruse through the mix-a-six I had referenced in the last post. As my exhausted and emotionally-drained butt was too lazy to waddle over to the fridge to list out the beers I had chosen whose names I could not recall due to aforementioned reasoning, you'll be proud to know that I took the time to jot down some notes while I enjoyed over the past few days. I know what you're thinking - oh my, 6 berrrrs which equates to 2 berrrrs per night. Holy moly, me oh my, this girl is either sad or has serious self-control to limit to 2 del...

Tuesday nights are for the girls. For the past few months, this night has been the reserved week night as it was the night that typically worked best for most, if not all, of our schedules at any given moment. With waves of nausea and general stress from the overbearing workload at work, I was contemplating skipping out on this one. However, sometimes being with your girls is exactly  what is needed to pick you up out of the slump. Tonight was also emotionally overwhelming as my boyfriend and I split - a great jolt of a shock which only added to the tumultuous waves of anxiety and uncertainty. With these two factors in play, I ditched the mountain of paperwork that in all reality was not going to be accomplished anyways. In lieu of sad, lonely night, a singular pint and a long talk with my gal pals ensued. On the docket tonight was a hoppy Line & Anchor, an IPA on draft by Tattered Flag. Tattered Flag tends to aim for the hops lovers, not that I'm complaining. I believe...

Lame title for a not so lame venue. Tellus 360 is more  than simply an Irish pub with a few stages. Nestled in downtown Lancaster, the venue boasts multiple stages with a plethora of live bands, gigs, dance nights, and a lends itself to being that quiet, old-man Irish pub that old crotchety spirits like myself yearn for during the week... If you check out their website - which I've so conveniently provided above with a hyperlink - you can virtually explore as well as check out any upcoming acts or events. The Speakeasy in the basement provides a cozy atmosphere conducive for acoustic performances and intimate serenades when no one else is around...yes, personal experience on both accords. As this sheltered beer enthusiast is learning, sky bars are becoming increasingly popular among large cities and emerging artsy hubs such as Lancaster. Curious to hear if any of my readers have any favorites they recommend as I'm always jonesing for an adventure to quench the insatiable...

JB Lovedraft's is my go-to for Tuesday night karaoke - they also host Thursday night for those with a preference for the hard rock jams not so often appreciated at the more traditional karaoke events. DJ Damion will hook you up and will show you a whole new world. I digress... In conjunction to JB's on Harrisburg's eventful 2nd Street, I'm thankful for Jimmy John's late night hours and the ease of grabbing an Uber ride to and from the sandwich heaven. If you're an IPA lover, those hops will catch up to you and you'll be making the stumble over to "John-John's." Tonight called for an array of various new brews ranging from local to the Seven Kingdoms. Evil Genius hails from Philly and has some of the most creative names I've seen. Most have heard of the "Sweet Baby Jesus" Porter - I'm only not a fan because porters don't agree with my stomach. Turtle Power was on the docket for me tonight and that's exactly how I ...

After a long week of work, a night out with my beau and girlfriends was highly deserved. I consider myself lucky to have such a tight-knit group who are all such strong, independent, driven women who also have a yearning to get together with pure intentions of a good time and new brews. For this occasion, we were on a mission: to try the exclusive, limited quantity concoction brewed by The Vegetable Hunter, their Purple Reign IPA. This IPA is not just another dart thrown at the proverbial brew wall of trying to twist the traditional IPA - this has been done by many breweries, some with success and some not so much, as I'm sure I'll be touching upon in future posts. No, they took the general "what makes a good IPA" and threw in glitter. You read that right, glitter . This particular brew was purple  with glitter . Visually, this was not quite what was advertised - think typical Amazon order rather than a Wish order. The coloring was definitely there and glitter...

Mix-a-Six variety packs are quickly gaining popularity across Pennsylvania, particularly in grocery stores. In southcentral Pennsylvania, Wegman's was one of the first in the area to offer the $11.99 mix-a-six, opening up the doors to try new beers without the full $6-7 investment for a full pint at the bars not offering flights or having to suffer through a full six-pack of a less than enjoyable beer. The Giant Food Stores have a decent rotation of what they offer for new brews to try out of the beer garden. What helps in this "rotation" is the infrequency at which I check their selection - guilty. I've tried so many different ones and while they do have some real treats, I find I have to do my own rotation of venues for the true "new" experience since I've cleared Giant's newbies on numerous occasions *cue shrug emoji* In this particular trip, I went for beers that were a bit wheatier (spellcheck is telling me this is not  a word, but work with...

As with many flavors in this world, beer as a whole is an acquired taste - diving deeper, as those more experienced with a brewski beyond Coor's and Miller Lite would know, there are many styles within the world of beer. Sours, IPAs, lagers, stouts, imperials, porters, etc. are a mere handful as many of these have their own subcategories as well with variants based on additives and the craftsmanship of the brewery itself. In the past week I've tried some truly interesting flavors - all logged in my handy dandy Untappd app account**. There are a plethora of craft brews which have cropped up around the country in the past several years, many of which are just in my backyard waiting to be explored and conquered. There are two local breweries in particular to which I'm partial: Boneshire Brewery in Harrisburg and Tattered Flag Brewery in Middletown. Both feature a vast array of interesting flavors. Boneshire is a BYOF, or Bring Your Own Food, and features an ever-changing...