Tröegs Brewing Company

September 30, 2008
Mostly, this is just a tasting room with a gift shop. They have a nice bar where you can get free samples of their regular beers plus any seasonals or specials they happen to have. The tours are usually packed on Saturdays. One thing that may help with this is that it appears that they are expanding the tasting room. They blew out one of the back walls and made a larger seating area with more tables and stools. They added a cooler and plan on selling cold six packs and singles in the near future.

August 23, 2008
beer tour, 08/16/08. I’ve been trying to get to Troegs for a while, and finally managed to arrive in time for the tour. Prior to tour, was given the opportunity to sample several of thier beers, including a November seasonal, Mad Elf. While all the beers were well made, my favorite was the Dead Reckoning Porter, a very thick, viscous, flavorful beer which I enjoyed so much, I bought a case of it to take home! The brewery tour was excellent, hosted by John Trogner, who gave a great presentation, explaining how Troegs got to where they are today. It’s easy to see how Troegs has achieved thier success...in addition to leading the tour, John served patrons, sold beer and washed glasses while still finding time to answer questions about beer and brewing....seems like a down-to-earth guy.

July 7, 2008
Stopped in on my way out to Philly. Walked in a no one even acknowledged my presence. The folks working at the time were about the most boring and completely void of info. I tried to get some conversation going but basically got yes and no answers. They have a few things on tap, regular line up stuff with two of the Scratch series brews. Another downer is PA law requires you to buy an entire case. I’d skip it next time for sure.

April 19, 2008
This place is a can’t-miss if you’re coming to Harrisburg. Troegs is quickly becoming the most popular brewery in the region. Their beer is excellent. The shop/tap room is pretty big but gets REALLY crowded on a Saturday, as does the beer tours. The staff is very helpful and always willing to take the time to answer your questions. All of their regular beers are on tap as well as whatever seasonal is available at the time.

February 29, 2008
Very big on the outside and had a pretty large tasting room / merchandise shop. Guy was really nice and we had some samples and filled a growler. At the time we were there we got a Hoppy Dream sample which is the Dreamweaver/HopBack mix and was very good. Very busy, I am sure it is busy all the time. Ring the bell and enter for some samples. A must visit if you are in the area. Great beer.

January 23, 2008
Basically a little gift shop in the front of the industrial-feeling brewery. Still a fun place. There’s a small bar where they’ll generously pour free samples and sell growlers. I drank some Scratch 4 and it was mighty tasty. Cases of their brews are available, as well as lots of other merchandise.

January 19, 2008
I stopped in for one of their 2pm Saturday tours. Very personable tour led by one of the Troegner brothers (owners). Informative, yet to the point. They have a nice little thing going on there in Harrisburg, PA. All their regular beers on tap in their tasting room/gift shop. They also have the current seasonals on (in my case Nugget Nectar and Scratch #7). It was quite crowded...I would say at least 100 people. So crowded they decided to do the tour in two groups. Only downside was they do not do mixed cases (due to PA law). I walked out with a keg of Nugget Nectar and case of Scratch #7 though.

November 25, 2007
I was actually surprised at how large and packed this place was on a Saturday afternoon, but we evidently had gotten there right after a tour. The tasting room area itself is quite large, and there were probably 80-100 people. The left side is a merchandise section with glassware and t-shirts. The back wall was lined by stacks of Troeg’s cases: Scratch 6, HopBack, Pale Ale, and some of their other standards. Quick line and free tastings of everything they had on tap (all the cases, plus Scratch 5). Nice experience overall, but it would have been better to have made the tour beforehand. Don’t expect a quiet, quaint little brewpub on a Saturday afternoon.

September 29, 2007
Great place, but I wish they had better hours. Closing at 5pm on weekdays makes it difficult to visit. But I did end up visiting this past Friday, and I was fairly impressed. I like the location set a little off from town, I like the building, and the way the taproom/giftshop is set up, a little like Great Divide, where locals and friends of the brewery seem to hang out and drink in the afternoon. So I visited on the day that Scratch 4 was released, and got to try it on tap, and it was pretty darn good. Picked up a case, talked up some of the Troegs folks, and left feeling like more of a fan of this brewery than I had been before. I’m more likely now to seek out and try new and rare Troegs beer, simply because I like the way they operate.

March 4, 2007
Went for a tour after trying a few of their beers around town. Ambience - hey... it’s a working brewery. No food, of course, but the beer tasting was free and the tour informative and personalized by one of the owners. Beer quality a notch above Appalachian, although both are worthy. I’m a Colorado guy who is glad to find good beer in PA.