CulturAle Press

ZerØday Brewing Firehouse IPA, Harrisburg, Pa.

Date:  January 28, 2018

The Story–In the late 18^th century the Pennsylvania state legislature decided to flee the unhealthy environs of Philadelphia and moved the capital to Lancaster.  A few years later in 1812 John Harris Jr. donated four acres of land along the picturesque Susquehanna for a new capitol and Harrisburg has been the state capital

It’s been a center of craft beer since the mid 90s when Tröegs and Appalachian opened within a short walk of each other.   Appalachian remains; Tröegs has moved on to its showpiece in Hershey, but a host of newcomers have filled the void and the beer in Harrisburg is better than ever.

Theo, the founder, took five months to hike the Appalachian trail which passes not far away.   Zeroday takes its name from a hiker’s log–a day off from the trail to relax.  Comfortable tables and a long bar provide good opportunities to enjoy that day off, and the beers might make you consider taking another day off tomorrow.  The tap room feel is pretty typical of the new wave of modern small breweries.   Located in a long unused space that had housed a bit of the local theater and a plasma donation center, it’s open and cheery and squeaky clean.

The brewery bar has twenty taps, but demand had been such before our midwinter visit that less than half of them were in use.  They had put the Firehouse Ale on tap even though the plan had been to pour it exclusively at the relatively nearby Firehouse restaurant.

Most of the beers were simply excellent, but the star of the crown, was the Firehouse IPA, a 6% dank-in-your-face hop head’s dream.  Some fruit and a firm foundation gave it enough balance for Ellie to steal some of Bob’s second pint of it, and if the brewery hadn’t closed at midnight, Bob might have been drinking it until dawn.

Unlike many of the beers we list here, there’s a very good chance it will still be available when you get there, though you might have to visit the Firehouse to find it.   The Firehouse, by the way, is one of the oldest of its kind in the state and matches its exceptional decor with a wide range of well-prepared foods.

The Beer—  DANK!   Sweet malt with some soft citrus but planks of pine and a richly dank enveloping finish.  A hint of lemon peel as it drinks and just a touch of heat-spice (hops? alcohol?) leads into a chewy, slightly toasty and echoing dankness.   Ellie liked its excellent meld with late herbs

Value — Excellent.   This was one of our top rated beers from 2018.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 For a couple of weeks, we’re presenting some fun towns to explore and have a beer.   There’s all within a few hours drive if you live in the Mid Atlantic.  Most are near enough a place to stay that you can walk back to your room.  We’ve found these in researching out first US Beer publication: Brews and Snooze-– Breweries you can visit and walk back to a fine place to spend the night.  Look for it later this year.

Did you miss our Ten Beers for the New Year?   Links are below.

Jailbreak Coffee Dusk Till Dawn, Tröegs Mad Elf Grand Cru, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Boulevard Manhattan They’re Cask Still Ale, Ommegang Game of Thrones Series: Mother of Dragons, Lickinghole Creek Carrot Cake Imperial Amber Ale, Colbitzer Heide-Brauerei Schwarz, Lickinghole Creek One Lion Imperial Stout, Founders Dank Wood,  Stone Woot Stout.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”