Road to Emmaus

I took the opportunity this past weekend to give my mom a hug. My Nana just moved out of the house that she has been living in for 50+ years, so I got to see her new apartment (really nice with her friends nearby) and then go to the mall with my folks (Cheeseburger in Paradise has a great menu). Afterwards with my kids in good hands, I went out to dinner with my cousin Brian. Brian is able to find unique beers (we got to share the New England Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Trooper and the Voodoo Black Magic Bourbon Stout the night before) and shares my beer trekking enthusiasm. So we headed out to Pinocchio’s to see what they had in stock. I was happy to be introduced to the concept of being served a pint (The Brewery’s Saison De Lente) while I perused their selection. I was able to find some specialties, including Traquair’s 2020 and Flying Fish’s Hop Scarlet Ale (the Exit 9 in their turnpike series). We were near the city, and we were hungry so we got an address and used Garmin to get to Earth, Bread and Brewery (EBB) in Mt. Airy. The place was packed, but we found two seats at the bar and checked out their menu. EBB specialize in hearth-baked flatbreads, and Brian and I chose to split the Hunter (tomato sauce, spicy turkey sausage, blackened chicken, pepperoni asiago and mozzarella) to go along with the brews. They had several of their own brews (I especially enjoyed their Big G, a pale oat ale made with cheerios) and some guest drafts (such as the Dark Horse Tres Blueberry stout). The food and beer were great, and so was the company. It is great to share the experience with a fellow beer enthusiast. When we finished we headed up the street to McMenamin’s Tavern. This neighborhood bar had an awesome beer selection, highlighted by the Russian River Sanctification, a blonde sour ale. It is strange to leave a brewpub to get an after dinner drink, but I guess that is what we did. It was a great evening, especially since I didn’t have to worry about the kids since they were in good hands. The next day I headed home with the kids. I have always wanted to stop by the Farmhouse in Emmaus, list in Draft magazine as one of the 100 best bars in the US and Bon Appetite magazine. Getting there was a challenge, with Garmin taking us by a torturous route back and forth through the mountains (I’m sure there is some sort of analogy to the Bible’s Road to Emmaus story). The Farmhouse was beautiful and rustic, and did have a decent draft menu (I had the Southern Tier Gemini) to go with their raspberry & apple French toast (delicious). Jessica got the farmhouse eggs and bacon. Jacob got a shamrock shake and mcnuggets down the street later. The bottles selection was impressive, with a lot of vintage beers in stock. I got a Wynkoop Roundhouse barleywine (which was also delicious). It was fun to check the place out and I was glad it wasn’t too far off my beaten path. It was a good weekend, but was good to get home to give my lovely wife a much needed hug. - 5746/10430 "A night of good drinking is worth a year’s thinking." – Charles Cotton