XIV. Yards (★) Toured March 15, 2011

From Brooklyn to Pottsville to Downingtown to Philadelphia, all in one day! By the time we got into the city where the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was born and raised, we were too tired to even really drink beer anymore.

Beer (★) - The beer at Yards is split into their Founders (Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale, General Washington's Tavern Porter, and Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce Ale) and their Core (Brawler, Love Stout, Philadelphia Pale Ale, and India Pale Ale). In terms of taste, nothing really stood out.

Brewery (★.5) - It is kind of impressive that a place so small in the middle of Philadelphia produces 20,000 bbls a year, but considering the unavoidable high demand of beer in a big city, this is almost expected. The best thing the place had going for it was how transparent it was -- literally, you could sit at the bar, and look at the fermentation tanks

Tour (★) - The guy pretty much just took us to the center of the brewery room and said, "Here it is." But we were so tired, we didn't quite care.

XIII. Victory (★★★★.5) Toured March 15, 2011

From Brooklyn to Pottsville to Downingtown -- that's where Victory Brewing Company was located and, kudos to a UW-Madison alumnus connection, I was able to pencil us in for an exclusive tour. Of course, I brought with me a six-pack of Spotted Cow as a thank you. 

Upon entering the building, first thing we saw was the massive 300-seat restaurant with a 60-foot-long bar. What was especially fantastic was how the tops of German brew kettles were used as decorations. 

To start off our exclusive tour, our guide bought us a round of beers to sample: the Whirlwind Witbier (a light Belgian beer that was irrelevant to my taste buds), Scarlet Fire Rauchbier (a smoked beer that smelled like a bacon campfire), Yakima Glory (a dark IPA  in which ensued a battle between American hops and dark roasted malts), Storm King Stout (a dense and full beer with dark chocolate flavor), Hersbrucker Pils (a delicious German Pils with a lot of earthly aromas), and, my personal favorite of theirs, the Hop Wallop, which I took a full glass of with me for the rest of the tour. 

Beer (★★★★) - The two German-taught owners do a good job of mixing German tradition with American craft experimentation. What Victory beer is especially noted for is their prominent use of hops. They use whole flower hops for their beer, which they think imparts better flavor and aroma -- and I think I agree. 

Tour (★★★★★) - As we were taken through the massive brewery, my eyes glazed over. Everything was so expansive, yet so clean and so very welcoming. It was my first time ever entering into a hop room; the fact that I got to rub my hands in whole flower hops and dip my nose into that mouth-watering smell blew my mind. I felt like there was nothing off-grounds. I was impressed by how okay it was that we were wandering through the brewery with beers in hand, including our guide. Overall, it was an absolutely amazing experience. 

Brewery (★★★★★) - The place opened in 1996, when Bill and Ron took over the previous Pepperidge Farm building and turned it into a brewery and restaurant. Back then, they produced 2.5K bbls; in 2010 they produced 62K bbls, and by the end of 2011 they will put out 100K bbls to 30 states. They use American and German hops, German malts, and 40+ yeasts to brew up their beer. And it seems like they take great care to make sure their employees and customers are happy. According to our tour guide, the name of the brewery originated with the owners saying, "It'll be a victory if we ever get this off the ground." Well, if you ask me, I think you Bill and Ron are vic-vic-victorious! 

Just because I can't stop ranting about how much I enjoyed Victory Brewing Company, here are some additional pictures with captions: 

This was the latest addition to the brewery -- a tank so big, they had to lay it sideways.

Drinking so much delicious beer made us hungry. We ordered sweet potato fries, which were divinely delicious. Why is it that breweries always have the best food? 

This was most certainly one of the coolest things about Victory -- they had an automatic growler filler! What a brilliant idea! I want one... 

We had to give the automatic growler filling machine a test run. My friend and I each bought ourselves a growler of the Hop Wallop. The tight seal kept our beer fresh and carbonated for the rest of our trip.

XII. Yuengling (★★★.5) Toured March 15, 2011

From what I heard, this was THE brewery of the East Coast. The Midwest had its Miller and Budweiser while the East had its Yuengling, located in the small and cozy town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. 

Beer (★) - The beer selection of Yuengling is simple: a traditional lager, light lager, porter, lord chesterfield ale, premium, light, and black & tan (40% premium + 60% porter). So, need I say it, I didn't really find anything that tickled my fancy, albeit their lager was pretty darn alright (which makes up over 70% of their market according to our tour guide). Let's be honest, though, it isn't the beer quality that's most impressive about this brewery -- it's the history. I think the reason most people drink Yuengling is because of the tradition associated with it. 

Tour (★★★★★) - Our tour guide was a firecracker. She knew a great deal about Yuengling, and there was a lot to know about the 181 year old company. She took us up and down through the brewery, to the bottling line, and ended the tour with tastes of everything on tap. The Germans on our tour even gave their seal of approval on Yuengling's bock beer. 

Brewery (★★★★.5) - It was in 1829 that the 23 year-old David G. Yuengling, a German immigrant, opened his brewery. Ever since, the brewery has made great strides to grow and flourish alongside America's development. In 1985, fifth-generation owner Dick Yuengling took over and brought the company from 127K bbls to 230K in eight years. Currently, they produce 600K bbls a year in Pottsville and distribute to 12 states down the east coast. The brewery in Tampa, which was opened in 1999, has a capacity of 1.5 million bbls. So, as of 2009, Yuengling produces more than 2 million bbls of beer a year. But from all the pictures and postings I found around the brewery, I don't think the place is just about hard work; I think they also know how to have some fun... like when they shipped their "Winner Beer" to the White House the day Prohibition was repealed (note: it takes 24-28 days to brew beer).