Written by BIPA contributor Matt Korn (@nheu0509 on instagram)
Lost Tavern Brewery in Hellertown, PA celebrated their two-year brew-niversary on Sunday July 1, 2018 in style…by celebrating all week long.
The party started Wednesday with Couchpota.doh food truck and the release of their first of three-exclusive single keg fruited ciders, “Blackberry/Blueberry Cider”. All three of the fruited ciders were made with local apple nectar from Bechdolt’s Orchard. The combination of the sweetness from the apple nectar paired perfectly with the slight sweet-tartness from the blackberries and blueberries which helped the hump day blues and set the tone for the Anniversary week ahead.
By the end of Wednesday, the Blueberry/Blackberry fruited cider kicked, making way for the next one to hit the tap line, “Pineapple Fruited Cider”. Füd food truck was outside and if that wasn’t enough for a Thursday celebration, Lost Tavern also tapped “Shake the Rust Off”, a Lactose IPA with blood orange and boysenberry. The bitterness from the hops and blood orange blended perfectly with the tartness from the boysenberry.
From what felt like a weekend after Wednesday and Thursday, the Anniversary was just getting started. It was finally Friday! Licensed 2 Grill food truck and the surrounding community continued the celebration with Lost Tavern by filling the inside and outside of the brewery. The Pineapple cider kicked early on Friday, making way for the final highly anticipated cider in the series, “Watermelon Fruited Cider”. The refreshingly sweet watermelon cider was the perfect way to kick off the weekend and battle the summer heat.
Finally! The “2LOST” can release and anniversary glassware was upon us. The crowd started forming early outside Lost Tavern Saturday with the brewery graciously opening their doors, on this 93-degree Saturday morning, to allow the line to gather inside and stay cool.
As a special surprise, “The Scoundrel” was tapped, which is a Key Lime Sour pale ale made with key limes mashed with graham crackers. Beer and soccer highlighted this Saturday morning. The four-year event, the World Cup, was on TV but it could not compete with this once in a lifetime beer. 2LOST started flowing from the tap at 10:00 AM, which gave the crowd a teaser of what they were waiting for since 8:00 AM. This 8.2% DIPA triple dry hopped with Galaxy, Azacca and Mandarina Bavaria hops did not disappoint. The specialty anniversary glassware captured the visual picturesque hazy color of this crushable DIPA. If you happen to have the chance to snag one, get one. During the afternoon, Lost Tavern also had cider slushies to keep everyone cool along with Fired Up Artisan Oven food truck serving up some delicious flatbreads.
Sunday, the official anniversary date, “Ginger Kids in the Hall”, a Session IPA cask conditioned on ginger, mandarin oranges, and Asian sour pears was up. Old Pappy’s BBQ served up some delicious BBQ and as a special thank you, all SWAG was 20% off. Lost tavern continues to put out new beers every week with some surprises. You never know what is going to be created next by their head brewer, Tony. When speaking with Kenny, the Owner and VP of Sales and Marketing, and Rob, the President, they told me that the brewery is all about enjoying the moment. “We (Lost Tavern) are just having fun” said Kenny. It shows in the beers they are putting out. I can assure you, you will never go wrong with one of their staple beers or any of their weekly releases.
What started as a couple people homebrewing in their garage has become a staple in Hellertown, PA, a family-friendly place where you’ll find people laughing, listening to live music, and enjoying some of the best craft beer in the Lehigh Valley. Cheers to your two-year anniversary and here’s to the times ahead. Most importantly, the unbelievable beers that are yet to come!
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