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Erie Brewing Company – June 2019

Erie Brewing Company

Venture north from Pittsburgh and you’ll find a place far more welcoming than Winterfell, and while it may look like North of the Wall when it snows, Erie, PA is a great place that is close enough for a day trip, but just far enough away to seem like an entirely new place to visit.

In one form or another, Erie Brewing Company has called its namesake town home since 1993. Originally opened as a brewpub called Hoppers in Downtown Erie’s Union Station, the brewery-restaurant changed their name to Erie Brewing Co. and became a full microbrewery in 1999, moving out of Union Station and into the equally unique retired Penn DOT emissions testing building. This move made Erie Brewing the first microbrewery in Northwestern PA.

Fast-forward to 2016 and the need for expansion was real. Sadly, it wasn’t financially feasible to expand their current downtown location, so Erie Brewing moved to their current location in Harbor Creek Township.
The Beer
Today Erie Brewing Co. sells their beer both on-site at their brewery as well as via distribution throughout the surrounding area. Thankfully Pittsburgh is a major market for Erie Brewing, which means we typically see all six of their year-round beers including:
– Railbender Scottish-Style Ale
– Derailed Black Cherry Cream Ale
– Mad Anthony American Pale Ale
– Bayfront Blonde-Style Ale
– Misery Bay IPA
– Final Destination IPA

Along with these seasonal beers, we typically see the majority of their seven seasonal beers including:
– Bikini Season Gose
– Cherry Bomb Sour Cherry Ale
– Haze Formation Double IPA
– Soleil Shandy Raspberry Lemon Shandy
– Johnny Rails Pumpkin Ale
– Ol’ Red Cease & Desist Wee Heavy Ale
– Skipper’s Stout Gnarly Coffee Stout

Speaking of seasonal beers, for the first time ever, Erie Brewing is now canning their ubiquitous Soleil Shandy in 16oz “pounder” cans. What’s more, their Derailed Black Cherry Cream Ale is year-round now, making both beers perfect for the start of summer through those hot midsummer days and nights.

Looking at Soleil Shandy a little more, we see a true representation of what this style of beer should be. Shandys are perfect for the summer. They’re light, refreshing, and exactly what you need for a day spent in the sun. The beer comes in at 3.5% ABV and features bright raspberry and lemon flavors with a backbone that’s all beer. Unlike flavored beers, shandys are a blend of fruit juice and lager, done so that you can enjoy beer in the warmer weather without having to resort to anything less flavorful. The flavors of lemon and raspberry and just enough tartness to make you want more while the lager beer stays crisp and refreshing throughout.

Beer on the Bay 2019
What would summer be without beer festivals? Boring, that’s what. To help stave off boredom and lack of beer, Erie Brewing helps host the annual Beer on the Bay event at Liberty Park and Highmark Amphitheater. Along with other breweries and distributors like Vecenie Distributing, the 2-session event is possibly one of the best beer events of the summer. Taking place on July 27th with sessions running 12-3 and 4-7, this is one event you want to make the trip for.

You can find Erie Brewing Co. beers in and around the Pittsburgh area thanks to Vecenie Distributing, so get out there and snag some local PA beer and take those new Soleil Shandy cans wherever you go this summer.