This year is shaping up to be another big one for the beer scene in Pennsylvania, and brewery taprooms are awash with an embarrassment of riches for those eager to taste something a bit different.
In fact there are so many brews to recommend that narrowing it down to just a few is a mammoth task, so here’s a brief and certainly not definitive list of tipples to try if you’re a thirsty person who’s heading to PA in 2024, or you’re a taproom owner looking to stock up on beverages that will go down a storm with customers.
Got Ghosted – Meyers Brewing
As well as being a staple of Philly’s craft beer ecosystem, Meyers Brewing is noteworthy for recently opening a new taproom in NJ, complete with mini golf to enjoy if you make the trip.
Of all its home-grown creations that deserve your attention, Got Ghosted is the most on-trend and appealing, as well as being one that’s recently become available in canned form once more, so you can take some home with you after tucking into a few pints in person.
This is a robust yet quaffable IPA, with that unfiltered, hazy look that’s been all the rage for a while. And unlike some of its comparable contemporaries, Got Ghosted doesn’t skimp on the juiciness at the expense of an all-out hops hit – so it won’t overwhelm anyone looking for an easy summertime sip.
Meanwhile, for bars and retailers looking to stock beers like this that will definitely click with customers, working with a beer distributor that has its ear to the ground regarding craft products is a must.
Hawley Hefeweizen – Wallenpaupack Brewing Co.
Recently ranked in the top spot for European-style wheat beers at the 2024 PA Farm Show Beer Competition, Hawley Hefeweizen comes from a brewery that’s well worth visiting if you’ve got a free weekend. Perched close to the shores of Lake Wallenpaupack, the company that shares its name has a wonderful on-site brewpub where this beer is a flagship offering.
As you’d expect, wheat is high in the mix on this one, and you’ll be getting that good old combo of banana crossed with clove on the nose and the palate. It’s also a great choice for those who are not enamored with bitterness in craft beer – although with a 5.1% ABV it is certainly a drink that requires a little restraint to enjoy, given how easily it goes down the hatch.
Adventure Slippers – Zeroday
Ok, so imperial IPAs aren’t for everyone, and definitely need to be savored rather than swallowed in one go. However, Zeroday’s kookily-named offering that’s currently on tap at its flagship venue in Harrisburg could create more than a few converts thanks to the fact that it sits at the fruitier end of the spectrum than some of its hardcore counterparts.
The stars of the show here are the trio of hops sourced all the way from New Zealand, which combine to deliver the kind of citrus kick you’d expect from any IPA, but also manage to muster up a bit more underlying interest in the form of red fruit flavors that dance alongside these. As long as you’re prepared to take it slow, this 7.5% zinger will go along with whatever you’ve got planned for the evening.
Final Thoughts
The truth is that you can’t go wrong if you pick beverages from tried and tested breweries based in PA. The frontrunners continue to smash it out of the park this year, and establishing strong relationships with distributors in your region will get you in on the ground floor with brands big and small.