Great suggestion. I just added it to my "visit list". We tend to hit the breweries but I'm sick and tired of suffering with gout so maybe a shift to wine.
TJ sniffs out a Pennsylvania vineyard (now featuring microbreweries :-)
- Thread starter Westtown Willy
- Start date
Thanks for sharing. We have family in Philly that we visit so these will be cool to check out. Good for a day out with the top off.
OP
Yesterday was a two-fer, with my daughter home visiting for a long weekend we hopped in the TJ & went to her favorite winery, Galer Estate, it was my first time there. Another beauty & more historical significance:
In anticipation of this day I fed my sourdough starter on Thursday, got it nice & bangin then mixed a batch of dough on Friday to bake two baguettes Saturday morning to take with us, just delicious with some toppings:
the coolest weather vane
a view from atop the deck
guest room
after a couple hours at Galer we headed about 15 minutes north to one of our favorites, Stargazers, for a round of Chardonnay slushies & a bottle of Gruner Veltliner
Girlfriend and daughter under a persimmon tree, it was over 90 degrees but nice in the shade
what a great day
In anticipation of this day I fed my sourdough starter on Thursday, got it nice & bangin then mixed a batch of dough on Friday to bake two baguettes Saturday morning to take with us, just delicious with some toppings:
the coolest weather vane
a view from atop the deck
guest room
after a couple hours at Galer we headed about 15 minutes north to one of our favorites, Stargazers, for a round of Chardonnay slushies & a bottle of Gruner Veltliner
Girlfriend and daughter under a persimmon tree, it was over 90 degrees but nice in the shade
what a great day
OP
One of our favorite activities is biking on river trails, southeastern Pennsylvania has extensive networks of these connecting towns & counties all accessible by these continuous trails. Yesterday we set out to hit a part of the Schuylkill River Trail in Conshohocken, PA, a town in Montgomery County which abuts Philadelphia. The idea was to ride the trail then return the bikes to the rack & hit the town for some food & drinks.
One of my favorite microbreweries is Conshohocken Brewing Company though I’ve never been to the location in town, only the Rec Room branch in Phoenixville. Anyway, we headed out on the trail yesterday around 1pm & it’s hotter than hell, mid 90s & humid, I was frying each time we popped out of the shaded sections. As we neared the end we happened upon this small inconspicuous sign on the trail, could it be, it seemed like a mirage – a cold tap room with some of my favorite ice cold micro brews on tap, just a perfect way to cap off the ride:
the view of the trail from the deck
I opted to sample the lemon shandy, not usually a fan of those but they had no hefe's on tap & this seemed to match the temperature, it was awesome
didn't get any other interior shots, snagged these online
some information about the trail system from Wikipedia:
The Schuylkill River Trail (/ˈskuːlkɪl/ SKOOL-kil,[1] locally /-kəl/)[2] is a multi-use trail along the banks of the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania. Partially complete as of 2018, the trail is ultimately planned to run about 140 miles (230 km) from the river's headwaters in Schuylkill County to Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia.
Completed portions of the trail include a section from Auburn to Hamburg, a 19.5-mile (31.4 km) portion from Reading to Pottstown, and a 23.2-mile (37.3 km) portion from Oaks to South Street in Center City, Philadelphia.[3]
Large stretches of the trail are rail trails. Parts of it belong to the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile trail system connecting Maine to Florida.
On many maps and street atlases, and on some of the trail's signage, the segment between Philadelphia and Valley Forge is still identified by the older name Philadelphia–Valley Forge Trail.[4]
One of my favorite microbreweries is Conshohocken Brewing Company though I’ve never been to the location in town, only the Rec Room branch in Phoenixville. Anyway, we headed out on the trail yesterday around 1pm & it’s hotter than hell, mid 90s & humid, I was frying each time we popped out of the shaded sections. As we neared the end we happened upon this small inconspicuous sign on the trail, could it be, it seemed like a mirage – a cold tap room with some of my favorite ice cold micro brews on tap, just a perfect way to cap off the ride:
the view of the trail from the deck
I opted to sample the lemon shandy, not usually a fan of those but they had no hefe's on tap & this seemed to match the temperature, it was awesome
didn't get any other interior shots, snagged these online
some information about the trail system from Wikipedia:
The Schuylkill River Trail (/ˈskuːlkɪl/ SKOOL-kil,[1] locally /-kəl/)[2] is a multi-use trail along the banks of the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania. Partially complete as of 2018, the trail is ultimately planned to run about 140 miles (230 km) from the river's headwaters in Schuylkill County to Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia.
Completed portions of the trail include a section from Auburn to Hamburg, a 19.5-mile (31.4 km) portion from Reading to Pottstown, and a 23.2-mile (37.3 km) portion from Oaks to South Street in Center City, Philadelphia.[3]
Large stretches of the trail are rail trails. Parts of it belong to the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile trail system connecting Maine to Florida.
On many maps and street atlases, and on some of the trail's signage, the segment between Philadelphia and Valley Forge is still identified by the older name Philadelphia–Valley Forge Trail.[4]
Nice trip! I can ride from my house to the Art Museum using the Pekiomen Trail then the Schuylkill Trail.
I'm willing to be money that 99% of the forum can't correctly pronouce Schuylkill. Lol
I'm willing to be money that 99% of the forum can't correctly pronouce Schuylkill. Lol
OP
haha yup, or as the expressway is colloquially known, the sure kill
we love all these trails, most often we hit the sections in Downingtown & Phoenixville, trails & microbreweries go hand in hand & we always weave them together; yesterday we got a bit into Philadelphia county on this branch, not really that far at all from Conshy, would've gone further in but the heat was oppressive thus the retreat to the brewery.
OP
been a while but we finally got back on track, made our way to Chaddsford Winery in Chaddsford Pennsylavnia, yet more cultural significance as it's home to the Brandywine Battlefield, for all I know I sipped wine today where then General Washington stood near or during this significant battler of the Revolutionary War. This winery has been in operation a little longer than some I've been to, almost 40 years, I actually worked here temporarily back in high school on bottling days, I don't think I've been back until today:
started off as usual with a couple slushies, not sure exactly what these were, super tart red grapes of some kind but damn they were tasty, after that we cracked the Presage
we grabbed that little table in the lower left corner, few hours just chillin out
just good livin
started off as usual with a couple slushies, not sure exactly what these were, super tart red grapes of some kind but damn they were tasty, after that we cracked the Presage
we grabbed that little table in the lower left corner, few hours just chillin out
just good livin
OP
closed out the year with a return to the winery that kicked this hole idea off last year, it was a chilly day to be sure probably not getting much above 50 but the place is well stocked with fire pits & wood so we spent the afternoon sipping & tossing logs on
afterwards, a happy girlfriend
afterwards, a happy girlfriend