LANCASTER / MOUNT JOY, PENNSYLVANIA

Brewers Tim Mc Mullen and Doug Binkley service stone-bricked Old Victorian Mount Joy landmark, BUBE’S BREWERY, with stylistic integrity, using different yeast strands for diversification. Along the countryside inside a haunted hotel with dank Catacombs, old wooden beer barrels, and Medieval-looking caverns, patrons enter Bube’s through a lantern-lined yellow barn door. Walked in through inconspicuous side door with family late morning, December ’05.

Since initial visit, Bube’s added a Biergarten, wood-furnished Bottling Works tavern and elegant dining space called Alois (named after the 19th century German brewer that once regaled this historic venue).

Reasonably priced sandwiches, burgers, and beef-pork-seafood entrees get catered to small wooden-tabled back dining area while brew tanks consume the bar area where a fine bottled selection and handcrafted brews please quaffing habitue.

Bube’s Red Ale, an Irish-styled mainstay from an old recipe, retained an apple-citric-wafted soft-hopped buttery nature.

Grassy raw-grained floral-hopped grapefruit-embittered Kolsch, robust fig-fronted grape-nutty hop-sharp Dunkelweizen and darker-than-usual fruit-bruised dry-hopped IPA satiated the senses on all levels.

Mild banana-ripe clove-dusted vanilla-sweet Hefeweizen had fuzzy, summery vibe. First tried Appalachian Pennypacker Porter here (reviewed in Beer Index).

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After leaving Liquid Hero, drove 20 minutes east to revisit Bube’s (May ’13), discovering five more libations at the tree-lined back deck. A serene stone-paved patio featuring canopied open air tap bar, bamboo shoots, water fountain and ivy truly captured the exotic feel of a mystical Jurrasic Park setting. An old steam boiler next to the covered smoking section (with billiard table) added to the charmingly quaint countryside rusticity.

Taking a seat at the raised deck below the hop vines, my wife and I share Mediterranean Pizza (with feta-cheesed olive and ham). I also try haddock fish tacos and Jack Daniels-whiskeyed pecan pie (with whipped cream and chocolate chips).

This early afternoon’s beer fare tends towards the lighter side, perhaps complementing today’s summery sunshine. The lightest offering, Aloise Pre-Prohibition Pilsner, maintains a polite herbal lemon tea-like frontage to its corn-sugared wheat backdrop.

Easygoing California Common Steam Beer captures a chocolate-soured fig-dried appeal. Slick Black India Pale Ale renders a barren chocolate-licorice wisp.

Honey-like Cooper Shed Red spice-hopped its toasted caramel malt spine well. And Blue Moon fans will prefer White Hermit, since its coriander-spiced orange peel tartness, white-peppered citric hop spritz and corn syrupy creaminess resemble the mainstream fave (despite a teensy smoked beechwood snip).

www.bubesbrewery.com