Harrisburg Beer Week was by all accounts from everyone I have talked to an unqualified success.

Tierney, Sara, Chelsie and Colleen worked hard and delivered a series of events that were one right after another impressive examples of both their hard work and the state of the craft beer business here in Central PA. I am greatly appreciative of this.

There were too many great events for anyone to attend them all. My personal highlights were the kick off event at ABC and the sublime (717) Collaboration Ale release, Victory Brewing firkins showing up outside their natural habitat, Moo-Duck Brewery tapping their Just for Fun ginger infused Saison, ZerØday debuting the fantastically funky and dry Sasion 28, The Little Big Beer Fest, and the Evolution Brewing party at Sturges Speakeasy.

I got to jump on with the Beer Busters Podcast; that was surreal and fun. I got to see my “beer friends” and to raise a glass with them. It goes without saying that I had the chance to try some fantastic beers. Everything about the week was a celebration in the truest sense.

It’s easy for people to be dismissive of this area and to say “Nothing happens around here.” That is bullshit. There are plenty of great things happening around here. Harrisburg Beer Week was only one example of all the great things happening here. It was a celebration of the great work people in this area doing in just one industry.  It was impressive even to someone who watches closely all that is going on in and around craft beer.

I hope that is one of the lasting effects from this past week. That people were exposed to a new brewery that they had yet to visit or experience. The great lasting effect would be for breweries like The Brewery at Hershey, St. Boniface, Crystal Ball, and Free Will to have earned new loyal customers.

The good news is Harrisburg Beer Week will be back next year around the same time. So the good news is, although it is over we get to do it all again next year.

Cheers!