Tröegs Brewery, Hershey

The aromas of chocolate filled the air, but we were there for the beer.

My husband, as a Brit, takes Hershey’s chocolate as an affront to his senses, but we both remarked upon how well the company has apparently invested in the town as we drove through it on our way to find the Tröegs Brewery in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

I’d thoroughly enjoyed the 2019 Mad Elf, among several other brews we could find readily in our local Maryland bottle shops–so I looked forward to see what would be on tap at the mother ship. I was not disappointed. We ordered snacks from the food window–a cheese plate with luscious local cheeses from meltingly soft to cheddary, and a rich beef brisket sandwich for my mate–and then sat at the bar prepared to be delighted.

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Our server took good care of us. I started with a flight ranging from the Nitro Nugget Nectar, to #403 Hazy Pale Ale Scratch Beer, to the Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale, to the fresh First Cut mango-inflected ale, and enjoyed each one–but especially the #403, which hit the right tropical notes without being cloying.

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I then tried the Raspberry Tart Ale and the Blackberry Tizzy Pennsylvania Sour Ale to top off my choices, and both met high standards for each of the fruit-forward styles–particularly the Tizzy. We took a tour through the shop and picked up four 12.7-ounce corked bottles to go: the LaGrave Triple Golden Ale, Jovial Belgian Style Dubbel Ale, Impending Descent Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels, and Wild Elf–a Pennsylvania Wild Ale brewed with cherries.

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Next time we’ll stop for a tour–we can see bringing visiting friends up here for a nice afternoon on the patio, as it’s only 1:45 drive from our house–and enjoy the latest on offer at this hallmark East-Coast brewery.

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