http://nate.hoppress.com Writings About Beer: Tasting, Brewing, Travel Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:07:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The 6th Annual "Hell With the Lid Off" barley wine festival was held at Kelly's Bar & Lounge on Saturday, Feb. 20 from 4-8pm and Sunday, Feb. 21 from 1-5pm.  Both sessions were sold old, but luckily I was able this year to get my ticket early!  I'd heard and ... http://nate.hoppress.com/2010/02/23/hell-with-the-lid-off/ On Sunday, August 9, several RateBeerians and a few non-RateBeerians met at noon at the Sharp Edge Creekhouse to enjoy a hot summer afternoon on the patio, tasting beer. This was the second 'official' RateBeer Pittsburgh Gathering, long in coming after the first successful gathering in January 2008.  The success of ... http://nate.hoppress.com/2009/10/05/a-great-tasting-in-pittsburgh/ East End Brewing is, at first, difficult to find; particularly if you’re not a native Pittsburgher. It sits on Susquehanna Street, within a rather large run-down warehouse near the train tracks, not far from some dubious-looking houses. It’s in the borderland between the Homewood and Point Breeze neighborhoods, which may ... http://nate.hoppress.com/2007/10/04/an-interview-with-scott-smith-east-end-brewing-co/ One of the great things about living in western Pennsylvania is the availability of solidly crafted microbrews and brewpubs. The bad part, however, is that enjoyment of those beers usually involves getting behind the wheel to get them. In late 2003, I was excited to learn that a new place ... http://nate.hoppress.com/2006/06/22/an-interview-with-bill-kroft-marzonis-brick-oven-brewing/ Lew Bryson: Author, traveler, family man, beer drinker - in search of good beer in Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland. Actually, in search of good beer just about anywhere he goes. An enviable but difficult task! I first met Lew at the State College Microbrewer’s Festival in July ... http://nate.hoppress.com/2005/12/15/an-interview-with-lew-bryson/ Charlie Schnable, an owner and brewer of Otto’s, sat down with me during a Monday afternoon in early June to talk about beer, brewing, and success in central Pennsylvania. I lived in State College from 1998-2003, while attending graduate school at Penn State. For years, I had heard rumors of a ... http://nate.hoppress.com/2004/08/24/an-interview-with-charlie-schnable-ottos-brewpub/