Not much going on early in the week. I did not go out for New Years, I have stayed home and think I have been far better off for doing so. I did make it to midnight but was turning in as soon as the clock struck midnight. New Year’s Eve was a long day, Squeaker’s yearly trip to the vet was at 8:00 that morning. He’s easy to corral first thing in the morning, either on the bed or when he’s waiting for food but if not done right he can be a royal terror. He’s very agile and does not like to be held, though he will lay on my lap for hours at a time if I let him. Go figure. He lost 3/10 of a pound but he has gingivitis and needs to have a tooth extracted. That’ll be done later in January, apparently he is not the only cat who needs it. The other cat goes next week. Hopefully he won’t be as expensive.
With the year over there is always time for retrospectives. I visited 9 states (PA, MD, DE, VA, NJ, WV, NC, SC and TN) and Washington DC. I hit Gettysburg, Catoctin, Antietam. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields, Fort Monroe, Blue Ridge Parkway, Andrew Johnson and Guilford Court House National Park sites during the year. I also visited a lot of breweries in 2019. The list is at the bottom of this page. Whew! Don’t think I’ll be able to top that in 2020.
Thursday took me over to Lancaster for the big Juniata/Lancaster Bible College game. Lancaster Bible’s not that good but Juniata is bad this year and bordering on really bad. Like I am actually shocked that they have won a game this year (they’ve actually won 3). Juniata has never been a basketball power and when I went there they weren’t very good either but they have had some success lately. Pregame stops at Wacker and Lancaster Brewing beforehand. And I needed them. Juniata is really bad. They kept it close in the first half but had trouble at times just betting the ball over half court or turning the ball over with unforced turnovers. They had trouble hitting wide open layups too. It was actually shocking that they they were only down 2 at half and that is more of an indictment of Lancaster Bible. The second half was much different as Lancaster Bible hit their stride, or more accurately Jordan Shewbridge did. He couldn’t miss and Lancaster Bible opened up a big lead. Juniata’s leading scorer (and their only player to hit double digits on the night) got in foul trouble and their second leading scorer took a nasty tumble and was ineffective the rest of the game. This one did mercifully end with Lancaster Bible winning its first ever game against Juniata 75-49.
Didn’t go up to watch York High and Northeastern. Most of the fun activity took place over the weekend. Saturday took me up to State College to watch Penn State play Niagara in hockey. First stop was River Bend Brewing in Perry County, then onto Shy Bear in Lewistown with dinner at Otto’s in State College. The 2020 beer year is off to a good start. First time at River Bend, a farm brewery in Perry County. Easier to get to than what it looks like on the map. I’ll be back since I head this way to go to Altoona.
In the game PSU struck quickly with what looked like a goal that should have been disallowed as a pass was kicked in off of a player’s skate. After review it was allowed, so what do I know. This was a chippy game and escalated when a Niagara player crashed into PSU goalie Oskar Autio who didn’t appreciate it. Then the Niagara coach requested a review to see if his player scored and upon further review he didn’t. PSU netted another goal when 6’7 Nikita Pavlychev knocked one in. Autio made several nifty saves the rest of the way out though a PSU player missed an easy empty netter at the end. PSU wins 2-0.
Headed over on to York College for the Spartan Classic on Sunday. Albertus Magnus took on the Coast Guard Academy in the first game. I didn’t expect much from the Coast Guard but they brought it and stuck with a bigger and faster Albertus Magnus team. They lead most of the first half, which was highlighted by a Marquan Watson tomahawk dunk. The Coast Guard kept it close in the second half but were never able to regain the lead as Albertus Magnus wins 103-95. In the second game York took on former conference foe Marymount. Marymount was staked to an early lead but York clawed back in to take a halftime lead with Jared Wagner giving the Saints a boot to the berries with a buzzer beating 3 at the half. In the second half York stormed out to take a 20 point lead, Marymount closed some of the gap but York rebounded and Marymount never got it under 12. York wins the second game 85-62.
2019 Brewery visits: (* denotes a first time visit)
Boneshire, Hummelstown PA
Gift Horse, York PA
Funk’s, Elizabethtown PA
Otto’s, State College PA
Happy Valley, State College PA
Collusion, York PA
Bube’s, Mt. Joy PA
Moo-Duck, Elizabethtown PA
Liquid Hero, York PA
St. Boniface, Ephrata PA
B.C. Hunt Valley MD
Mt. Gretna, Campbelltown PA
Troegs, Hershey PA
Wyndridge Farms, Dallastown PA
Appalachian, Harrisburg PA
Pizza Boy, Enola PA
Gear House, Chambersburg PA
Roy Pitz, Chambersburg PA
Evergrain, Camp Hill PA
Marzoni’s, Mechanicsburg PA
Harty, Mechanicsburg PA
Victory, Downingtown PA
East Branch, Downingtown PA*
Levante, West Chester PA*
Old Forge, York PA
Golden Avalanche, Kutztown PA
Rockwell, Frederick MD*
Antietam, Hagerstown MD
Guinness Open Gate, Halethorpe MD
Saucony Creek, Kutztown PA
Zeroday, Harrisburg PA
Waverly, Baltimore MD
Stoudts, Adamstown PA
Wacker, Lancaster PA
Cushwa, Williamsport MD
Center Square, Abbottstown PA*
Victory, Parkesburg PA
Market Cross, Carlisle PA
Burd’s Nest, Carlisle PA
Susquehanna, Pittston PA
Olde Bedford, Bedford PA
Railroad City, Altoona PA
Jailbreak, Laurel MD
Flying Dog, Frederick MD
Midnight Run, Frederick MD*
DC Brau, Washington DC
South County, Fawn Grove PA
Gunpowder Falls, Shrewsbury PA
Idiom, Frederick MD*
Right Proper, Washington DC
Legend, Richmond VA
Champion, Richmond VA*
Three Notch’d, Richmond VA*
Hardywood Park, Richmond VA
Wasserhund, Virginia Beach VA*
New Realm, Virginia Beach VA*
Young Veterans, Virginia Beach VA
Reaver Beach, Virginia Beach VA*
O’Connor, Norfolk VA
Coelacanth, Norfolk VA
Smartmouth, Norfolk VA*
Raleigh, Raleigh NC*
Lake Gaston, Fayetteville NC*
Bright Light, Fayetteville NC*
Brewery 99, New Bern NC*
Mother Earth, Kinston NC*
New South, Myrtle Beach SC*
Twisted Spur, Columbia SC*
River Rat, Columbia SC*
New Belgium, Asheville NC*
Wedge, Asheville NC*
Asheville, Asheville NC*
Wicked Weed, Asheville NC*
Bhramari, Asheville NC*
Catawba, Asheville NC*
Twin Leaf, Asheville NC*
Burial, Asheville NC*
Eurisko, Asheville NC*
Yee-Haw, Johnson City TN*
Natty Greene’s, Greensboro NC*
Little Brother, Greensboro NC*
Preyer, Greensboro NC*
Joymongers, Greensboro NC*
Clouds, Durham NC*
Ponysaurus, Durham NC
Fullsteam, Durham NC
Durty Bull, Durham NC
Bull Durham, Durham NC
Foothills. Winston-Salem NC*
Wise Man, Winston-Salem NC*
Fiddlin Fish, Winston-Salem NC*
Incendiary, Winston-Salem NC*
Pale Fire, Harrisonburg VA
Blue Earl, Smyrna DE
Mispillion River, Milford DE
Dogfishhead, Milton DE
Big Oyster, Lewes DE*
Crooked Hammock, Lewes DE*
3rd Wave. Delmar DE
Atlas, Washington DC
Brewer’s Alley. Frederick MD
Olde Mother, Frederick MD
Slate Farm, Whiteford MD*
Independent, Bel Air MD
Alecraft, Bel Air MD*
Bluejacket, Washington DC*
Black Hoof, Leesburg VA*
Black Walnut, Leesburg VA*
Crooked Run, Leesburg VA*
Bike TrAle, Leesburg VA*
Beltway, Sterling VA*
Twinpanzee, Sterling VA*
Heritage, Manassas VA
Calvert, Upper Marlboro MD*
Columbia Kettle Works, Columbia PA
Mudhook, York PA
Death of the Fox, Clarksboro NJ*
Eight and Sand, Woodbury NJ*
Flying Fish, Somerdale NJ*
Spellbound, Mt. Holly NJ*
Village Idiot, Mt. Holly NJ*
Icarus, Lakewood NJ
Rusty Rail, Mifflinburg PA
New Trail, Williamsport PA
River Horse, Ewing NJ
Fair Winds, Lorton VA*
Brew Republic, Woodbridge VA
Water’s End, Woodbridge VA
Battlefield Brew Works, Gettysburg PA
Robin Hood, Bellefonte PA
Vault, Yardley PA
Shy Bear, Lewistown PA
Black Forest, Ephrata PA
Big Bottom, Dillsburg PA
Molly Pitcher, Carlisle PA
Desperate Times, Carlisle PA
Breaker, Wilkes-Barre PA
Gordon Biersch, Washington DC
Lydian Stone, York Haven PA
Denizen’s, Silver Spring MD
3 Stars, Washington DC
Hellbender, Washington DC
Eastern Shore, St. Michaels MD
RAR, Cambridge MD
Burley Oak, Berlin MD
Backshore, Ocean City MD*
Tall Tales, Parsonburg MD
Evolution, Salisbury MD
Warehouse, Hanover PA
Aldus, Hanover PA
Monocacy, Frederick MD
Chesapeake, Annapolis MD
Conyngham, Conyngham PA*
North Slope, Dallas PA
Lancaster, Lancaster PA
The Washington Brewing Co., Washington PA*
Southern Tier, Pittsburgh PA
Mad Chef, East Petersburg PA
Iron Hill, Lancaster PA
Crooked Crab, Odenton MD*
Rumspringa, Intercourse PA
Peabody Heights, Baltimore MD
Union, Baltimore MD
Nepenthe, Baltimore MD*
Brewers Art, Baltimore MD
Pig Iron, Marietta PA
Twisted Bine, My. Joy PA*
Cox, Rheems PA
1787, Hamburg PA*
Weyerbacher, Easton PA
Lost Tavern, Hellertown PA
Bonn Place, Bethlehem PA
Hijinx, Allentown PA
Fegley’s, Allentown PA
Crystal Ball, York PA
Schaylor, Shillington PA
Oatbrook, Reading PA
Something Wicked, Hanover PA
Miscreation, Hanover PA
Sign of the Horse, Hanover PA*
Millworks, Harrisburg PA
Newfangled, Harrisburg PA*
Swashbuckler, Manheim PA
Chatty Monks, West Reading PA
Broken Chair. West Reading PA
Devil’s Eye, Dillsburg PA*
Cold Springs Inn, Mechanicsburg PA*
Yuengling, Pottsville PA
Benny, Wilkes-Barre PA
Stony Run, York PA*
Alesmiths, Red Lion PA*
MexItaly, York PA*
Hell in a Bucket, Wrightsville PA*
My favorite for the year locally was a tie between Gift Horse and Collusion. I can walk to both. My new favorite local spot is Newfangled. It’ll be another good spot before a Bears game. Of the new breweries hit on my trip I liked River Rat in Columbia and New South in Myrtle Beach the best. I was excited to visit River Rat since I played my college rugby as a River Rat and it didn’t disappoint. The most memorable was at Raleigh Brewing where the governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper was there for a media event. Unfortunately I know of at least one brewery on this list that has closed, Coelacanth in Norfolk has shuttered its doors since I visited. The one that I am looking forward to revisiting is Brewery 99 in New Bern. It was just in a renovated garage and hopefully will grow until I can get back there.
