Stegmaier Porter Where Are You?

As a lover of Stegmaier Porter I've started to ask a few questions. Turns out Stegmaier Porter is a predominantly local beer (i.e. only distributed locally). With that in mind, I started asking myself...other than Lion's Oktoberfest celebration, have I ever seen Stegmaier Porter on tap locally. My answer turned out to be no. So I'll ask all of you. I've seen it in bottles and I know they sell kegs, but has anyone seen it on draft locally (or anywhere else for that matter)? If so when and where?

PS Sabatini's HAS Stegmaier Porter on DRAFT!!!

75 comments (click to read or post):

  1. We have the bottles available in State College at Pletcher's, the Lion master distributor, but, like you, I've never had one on tap or even seen it available other than at the Lion Okto-fest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. In my time as Brewmaster at the Lion, I can't remember that we ever filled kegs of Porter.

    Of course that was at least 14 years ago. My memory may not be accurate and obviously things may have changed since I left.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow how time flies....I did confirm that they do rack kegs of Porter....just not sure where they go.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We rack Steg Porter for a distributor in New Jersey. However, I am not aware of a local tap handle in NEPA.

    If we put it up in sixtels, it may be an incentive for a local bar to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey all,
    Zeno's did Steg porter on draft many years ago, it never pulled numbers like Yuengling Porter does and the spigot was truly needed for the almighty Straub ! I'd do it again though...Dave

    ReplyDelete
  6. Only time I can really remember it on tap was last year's Oktoberfest (and that at only one tent).

    Again, if anywhere, it'd be at Marty's Blue Room - would be my guess.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I see how well Steg Oktoberfest & Holiday Warmer do locally in sixtels...and personally Steg Porter is my favorite (pending the oak aged Holiday Warmer experiment?) so I think racking it in sixtels for the local market would be a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  8. glann kernanahan15 October, 2008 08:58

    Great question. I've been buying Steg Porter for my home unit in Harrisburg for years. It was usually a rare occasion purchase as it was only available in halves (and still took quite a bit of work to get, once they stopped selling at the brewery). However, the lion has been nice enough to rack some sixtels for me too which is much easier to go through on a home unit.

    I often did wonder where all those halves went though. Even looked it up on line once and saw a reference to a bar in plains but that was probably years and years ago.

    If they rack it in sixtels I would try to get some for my home unit.

    I never did understand why a bar wouldnt have it more when it was considerably cheaper than it is now, and sell it at craft prices.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Franklyn Kabacinski15 October, 2008 11:24

    My good friend and proprietor of the Ship's Wheel tavern in Harrisburg used to get kegs of steg porter special order once and a while. They would only rack it in halfs, which was not a problem as we would literally drain one over a weekend. As good as steg porter is in a bottle, draft is sublime. Try Frank's in North Oakland near Polish Hill they usually have it in bottles along with Lion returnable specials. If no luck there try Mission Street bar and grille in the South Side. They might have it. They had Lieb Cream ale on draft once about 4 years ago

    ReplyDelete
  10. it is available @ wachovia arena.. I drank it on Saturday night during the hockey game...

    ReplyDelete
  11. I agree...it makes sense on so many levels for Steg Porter to be a popular, affordable, and satisfying LOCAL beer on tap.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks...I do see it (and buy it) in bottles all the time...my search continues...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Lindo...finally we've found it locally. In your experience have you seen it available for you to buy @ Sabs on draft?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Also, i have a beer book from the mid 70's that talks specifically about bars around the country and what they have on tap. Seems like at that time ('74 ish) there was a decent foothold of steg porter drafts on tap in NYC. They specifically mention the dark at mcsorleys was steg porter and one other place had a house beer that was steg porter, in addition to two other bars that had it on labeled properly.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good stuff JP....I think we're very lucky to have a brewery with such interesting history be local. Good find...I'll have to check that book out.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'll check the title when i get home tonight and post it tomorrow. It's hard to find, i was fortunate enough to find it at powell's in portland and i bought it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. although if the lion is now pasteurizing their sixtels and kegs, there would be very little difference between the drafts and the bottle, no?

    ReplyDelete
  18. As promised, I will be providing a list of all of beers available on draft locally. I should be receiving the list by Monday.

    It is truly great to read all the comments.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anon..personally I much prefer the draft version, although I do like the bottle.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Leo...that would be wonderful. One of my goals with the Lion page on mybeerbuzz is to be able to promote where our local beer loving crowd can find your beers...whether on tap at a local bar or in bottles at a local distributor...Whether the Lion knows it or not, you have a very supportive local beer loving audience that wants to find your products. I'll speak for everyone when I say thank you...not only for the brews, but for participating and interracting with the beer-loving community. We do appreciate it and look forward to more.

    ReplyDelete
  21. right, draft is preferable, but now that the kegs are pasteurized, theoretically it's the same beer, although less chance for light spoilage so should taste the same in keg or bottle.

    I think they started pasteurizing kegs when they went to sankey.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Agreed...but I'm not sure the issue is spoilage at all. I'm also not sure how much of it is the placebo-effect if drinking it in the proper glassware, "fresh" off the tap handle...but many beers taste better on draft. I'll argue that maybe a few taste better in bottles, but many (not all) are better on my palate from the tap. Could be the charging system's contribution to the taste (CO2 or Nitro)...and you see how hand-pumped beers taste different than their normal tap counterpart...and these are essentially the same exact beer. (This is the point where I believe Stingo will jump in and tell us to buy a kegerator!)


    Your homework assignment...Try Atwater Vanilla Java Porter on tap, then drink a bottle and report back.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I just wanted to say, I live down in Southern Chester Cty PA (a few miles fr MD line) and finally broke down and bought a case of Steg Porter last month (when I returned a sixtel of Steg 150). I really like it and will definitely buy again. My distributor said he used to sell a lot of it but sales were down with the Lion's price increases this year.It used to be a great buy for under $20, now it is about $23 where i bought it(Obiviously no one can do anything about the higher costs for indgrdients). I will see a case or two or porter or Steg 150 (lots of Lionshead) on the shelf. In the Lancaster area, prices are cheaper but Lion products are mostly Steg Gold Medeal and Lionshead. Kegs are a little more work to get fr the Lion. I think the nearest master distributor is in Phila. The Lion makes good products but they are hard to find. Anyway, it seems that if I can get Straub, Yuengling Iron City and Stoneys in these parts I should be able to get Lion products.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm always amazed at local beer lovers that have never tried Steg Porter. It's a great porter regardless of the price, and the price makes it even more attractive. When I ask, you'd be surprised how many people don't even know Steg makes a Porter. Now I'm excited to find they sell Porter @ our local hockey arena, and I'm really excited to work with Lion to get the word out. It's a great beer, a great local beer a great affordable local beer....seems people either just can't find it, or don't know it exists. I'm even more excited to see if we can change that.

    ReplyDelete
  25. If this beer (or any Lion product for that matter) can be available in sixtels, I'll buy it.

    There's a German proverb that goes something like "The happy brewer can stand on the roof of his brewery and see the houses of all his happy customers." Drink local.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I agree....we currently buy bottles and as soon as Stingo is done convincing me to buy a Kegerator, Steg Porter would definitely be a beer we'd buy if we could find sixtels.

    I drive by Lion 5 days a week, but I haven't seen Leo or Bob up on the roof yet....but I'll keep watching.

    If it's on draft at the arena, where are they getting the kegs locally?

    ReplyDelete
  27. I agree....we currently buy bottles and as soon as Stingo is done convincing me to buy a Kegerator, Steg Porter would definitely be a beer we'd buy if we could find sixtels.

    I drive by Lion 5 days a week, but I haven't seen Leo or Bob up on the roof yet....but I'll keep watching.

    If it's on draft at the arena, where are they getting the kegs locally?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Rereading this thread, I remember having Steg Porter at Zeno's years ago, and Dave said at that time that they sold much less of it than Yuengling Porter, even though the Steg was a better product and truer to style. Probably the name recognition factor here in State College.

    Since Yuengling raised their porter and ale prices dollars more than lager and premium (even though they were the same for many years), the Steg equivalents are better deals and better products, to boot.

    I, too, am thrilled to hear that Steg 150 won't be going away. I think it's the best thing to come so far from a brewery that makes a lot of great products. I'm also glad that Leo's a part of these discussions. It feels like we're actually being heard at a brewery that many of us love. And, while we're on the subject, thanks to mybeerbuzz for enabling these very open and productive discussions. I hope we have the opportunity to chat over a Stegmaier sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Making a connection to our hometown brewery, having our voices heard, AND seeing the brewery interested enough to respond in interract with us (THANK YOU LEO!) is a wonderful thing, and something I hope we can continue. I'm happy to be a part of that conversation, and I'd love to meet over a Stegmaier some time.

    One of the great benefits of mybeerbuzz has been the beer-networking. I've met brewmasters, bar owners, craft beer distributors, and many many mybeerbuzz.com members. It's always nice to put a face on a name and it's even better to share a pint with the beer loving community.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is fantastic. I realize I'm at a distance on this, but it's always bugged the piss out of me that you can't find The Lion's beers in very many Wyoming Valley bars. I know people drink them; what's the bars' problem? I suspect it's that The Lion can't afford the squeeze that the bigger beers hand out (of course, I'm just kidding about that, because any kind of cash or in-trade inducement to put a beer on tap would be illegal).

    We just have to remember the "BeerAdvocate Phenomenon": just cuz we're excited doesn't mean anyone else is. If no one buys a beer when it goes on draft, it won't be back. It's got to sell to the regulars, and that means POS (even simple stuff) and promotion: Steg Nights? Maybe. But someone's gotta get the word out to the general public if the beloved Liebotschaner and Porter are to gain -- regain -- the place in the Valley's hearts and bellies that they deserve.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I DO see Oktoberfest in a few bars on tap now so things are improving. I saw Holiday Warmer at last year's Split Rock festival, but not at all locally otherwise. I've seen one or two local bars with Midsummer Wit but that's it. (although I'll admit to not really looking for any of the Lionshead beers) I was pleased to find Steg Porter on draft at the Lion Oktoberfest celebration...but something else surprised me even more. Pocono Lager and Pocono Pale Ale on tap. I'm local (drive by the brewery every AM), I'm a beer lover, I frequent most of our beer bars and I thought the Pocono line was either gone, or no longer sold locally. I hope we get to the bottom of this and maybe figure out a way to get more Lion product locally on tap. I'm real curious if it's a) not selling well, b) not being marketed locally by Lion, or c) not getting marketed/distributed well by their distributor.

    I know of an odd distributor issue with Oktoberfest locally and some fairly confusing issues getting a sixtel. I don't want to out anyone, perhaps they will jump in here...but I'm not sure if the problem is with Lion or the consumer.

    Momentum for a product starts locally. I'm happy to see that momentum building but still anxious to see it do even better.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I could write a book on the problems of getting sixtels (outside of W-B but in the PA area). Let's just say it takes a LOT of work and I usually go past the "just give up" stage that would have most people quitting just because I get stubborn and I want to problem solve.

    Regarding getting people to drink it, let's face it, the general public mostly drinks beers because other people drink them. What the lion needs is a critical mass of people (not us, but regular people) ordering their beer. It would help if it would be attractive, popular people that others would want to emulate.

    I think the best thing you can do when you are out and about is buy someone a draft of lion beer, if you've got the extra cash.

    I used to get to W-B more often than I do. I've gone from hitting the beer bars (those are everywhere) to hitting the joints I *know* will have, at worse, steg gold medal on tap, like Dukey's and stan's and a couple other places I know by location and not by name.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks for jumping in anon. We'd love to hear more of the book sometime.

    I agree with making a beer popular. I've been talking about creating momentum for Steg Porter locally, or even getting the word out that it exists in the first place and it's a great porter.

    So do you see the critical mass coming from the regular (non-craft) beer drinkers stepping up to Steg Porter OR the craft-beer drinker recognizing Steg Porter as a quality porter that stacks up well against many craft-beeer porters?? I think the latter is more likely.

    You're preaching to the choir as far as buying people a beer they haven't tried or suggesting a new beer. I found my gateway craft beer that way and I've seen it happen many times for others.

    I'm excited to see how many people ARE truly interested in the Steg/Lion products...and I'm hoping this translates into more availability.

    I know I'll be bending some ears this Fri @ the NEPA beer club split @ Elmer Sudds. I'd love to try Steg Porter on their cask handle sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  34. You truly are a soldier, thank you for your efforts on behalf of all of us. Round on me next time i get to NEPA.

    Obviously the untapped potential is the "regular" beer drinker, just by sheer volume. Jumping to the porter might be a reach, but there's no reason they wouldnt jump on 150 or gold medal or lieb. the porter could come around too, but it would take more of a liberal, open-minded age set, like you find in happy valley and that supports yuengling porter, to set those wheels in motion.

    I think the craft beer sect does recognize steg porter as a quality porter (the beer site ratings indicate as such) but to get that to translate into repeated purchases by that fickle set is tough. There are just so many beers and those guys have such short attention spans that it's hard to reach them on a regular basis as they move on to "the next thing." Still, openings exist for steg porter. I understand the idea to raise prices to "legitimize" the porter with this sect, but I think that also closed a few avenues. I know many people who bought it because of the price/quality. Probably more were doing than there are geeks who are *NOT* buying it b/c of price. Regular joe who might not think he likes dark beer would give it a shot because of price, especially after being turned on to it by guys like us (i've done this many times). The other avenue is locality. The critical mass might come from the appeal of an old historic LOCAL brewery. Mostly it'll take guys like you and me sitting in a bar drinking it and being friendly. I remember being underage in the 80's and at a bar in Reading where all of my friends were psyched about this new beer corona that you drink with lime. I tried it and was put off. I walked down the draft line and saw "yuengling half and half" I excitedly ordered it and by the end of the night about a dozen of my friends were all drinking it. They pretty much all became yuengling drinkers after that. Repeat this story in state college a couple years later but substitute busch for corona. that's what it'll take.

    My favorite steg porter moment was buying a case in central PA of steg porter back in the late 90's and waiting in line as folks checked out with national brand after national brand. I was waiting there and happened to look in front of me to see a hispanic-looking guy about my age (then, late 20's) with a case of steg porter. I HAD to say something and he was a true zealot like us, very excited by the brand. in fact, on his way out, he implored me to "keep drink steg porter" which i thought was both funny and encouraging.

    ReplyDelete
  35. One other thing, There's a bar across from the college, an old bar, has a big stegmaier neon in it- that would be a good place to start. Get the porter in their and run a special on it. Get some of the more adventurous, hipper college kids drinking it and it'll take off. Give it a normally quiet night like WED night and have it the special. Kids will take to it b/c it's different and then other bars will notice that they are pulling such a big night.

    ReplyDelete
  36. For me and many other craft beer lovers, the quality, taste, drinkability and yes price make Steg Porter a good session beer...hell a few years back I took it to the shore and drank it most every day on the beach. I think the guy stepping up may balk at a darker beer. I think may craft-beer lovers simply don;t know about it. I agree that the momentum needs to start locally. Hopefully Lion has the marketing-engine to do that, whether with Porter or one of their other mainstream beers. I know many beer lovers just waiting for some way to embrace Lion's beers in their local bars. It's time...

    ReplyDelete
  37. If by college you mean King's then you'd be talking about Senunas or Gonda's....but I'll confess I didn't notice any Steg Neon...but I'll look again.

    ReplyDelete
  38. When Steve Salitt(sp) owned Elmer Sudds, I made a cask conditioned Steg Porter for him. It was terrific. That was way back in 99 or 96!!!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Steve is a good friend and I remember those days (although not the porter itself). Elmer Sudds still has Steve's original handpump and I know the new owner well enough to know he'd be receptive to the same idea. There are also several other great local beer-bars without handpumps like River St Ale House and Dugan's that would alos welcome the idea of running Stegmaier Porter...in fact Charlie Dugan has had Steg Oktoberfest on tape several times this month. I'd love to see Lion find a way to encourage this connection and make it a little easier for our local beer bars to get sixtels of Steg Porter and other Steg products (and I do NOT mean financially). I unfortunately hear way too many distributor complaints that discourage owners more than is necessary. The local beer industry is stronger than ever so I think the market is ripe for a great local affordable beer to become popular again.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Yes, Senudas. Great old steg light in there from the 50's.

    Remember when yuengling black and tan took off? that was a dark beer and my friends parents started drinkign it. The 16oz cans, soon michael shea's and others were copying it b/c it was so successful.

    Might be a harder sell in W-B where coors light is the norm, but it's not that far a leap.

    I take it to the beach as well. also multiple parties with a half keg. It's the stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Yes...Senunas' or Helen's as we called it back in the day. It's actually moved across the street from it's original home. When King's purchased and rennovated the former Margarita apartments into Alumni Hall, Helen moved across Jackson St to where the old grocery market was. Senunas' is actually pretty nice now and a college hangout for sure. On my last visit (last winter) I was drinking $3.50 PINTS of Sierra Nevada Celebration and $3 PINTS of Hop Devil. They get a few decent macro-micro beers now and do a good business 8-months out of the year. To date myself we used to drink 25-cent Rolling Rock's @ Helen's in my college days. Good place and very fond memories.

    ReplyDelete
  42. While we're talking bars... When I was in Scranton in August, I was GPS'ing through town on streets I'd never been on before, and passed an old place that I think was called the Sun Hotel. It looked interesting, in a funky old joint kind of way. Anyone know anything about it?

    ReplyDelete
  43. I'm more familiar with the Wyoming Valley than the Lackawanna Valley, but I believe you mean Hotel Sun on Cedar Ave. I haven't been in there, but it's my impression it was mitakenly tagged on-line as a brew-pub so it shows up on all sorts of beer-related searches.

    Anyone out there know anything about Hotel Sun?

    ReplyDelete
  44. steg porter is no avaiable on fraft @ sabatinis

    ReplyDelete
  45. I'm HAPPY to report...Sabatnii's HAS Stegmaier Porter on DRAFT!!!

    Thanks Lindo!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Very cool and a great place to have a Steg Porter....Thanks Lindo and Thanks Leo for putting this together. Can't wait to have a draft (and a fraft)....!

    great news guys!

    ReplyDelete
  47. anyone ever been there? From the menu it looks like it's take out only, which isnt a bad thing necessarily.

    Man if i lived in the area i'd be all over take out steg porter pretty much every weekend and some weekdays.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Wow...I was tempted to say "Are you kidding me?", but clearly you're not. Sabatini's is fantastic even without the beer....WITH the beer it is incredible. To put it mildly their pizza and food are legendary...and now with Lindo's beer selection (be sure ot check out their bottle list on the mybeerbuzz Sabatini's page) it's an amazing place...not to mention a place interested enough in their local beer loving community to chase down Steg Porter!

    I've been there many times and you will not be dissapointed...and no it's not take out only...and there IS an even better surprise you'll find when you stop in!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Ok, thanks. I'll make it a destination next time up there. Will skip victory pig...

    ReplyDelete
  50. Well I might have a partial answer to the original question - Stegmaier Porter Where Are You? - the partial answer being not in sixtels apparently - half kegs only. Sorry Lion, but you lost a sale.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Too bad....so details please...where did you try to get it from?

    ReplyDelete
  52. From Plaza Beverage. They were told by someone at the Lion that it's halves only.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Hopefully with enough local interest we can get Leo to consider racking sixtels. I know a few bars and a lot of people that simply can't fit a half in their kegerator.

    ReplyDelete
  54. We are considering Sixtels and most likely will do some. However, it takes some time to brew the beer and package it. Currently, we do not have a porter brew in the system. So I cannot take the halves that are currently filled and turn them into sixtels. I still have not perfected that yet! When we have the sixtels available, I will let you know.

    Thanks for all of your interest and support of your local brewery.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Thanks Leo...that's good news. There definitely seems to be a growing market for beer in sixtels

    ReplyDelete
  56. So what's the report? How was that first half received at Sabatini's??? Any chance for a designated handle for Steg Porter at that location? Sure would like to have one on my next trip through W-B!!

    ReplyDelete
  57. I've heard from a few people in e-Mail & in person who have all said the Steg Portes tastes great on tap. I'll let Lindo respond if he can keep it dedicated, I suspect it depends on how well it sells. I know I'll do my share....

    ReplyDelete
  58. I would like to keep it on as long as it keeps selling... and it is still available.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Ok, that makes sense - moreso than a flat out no. Looks like I'll be making a trip to Sabatini's in the future to give it a go on tap.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Ok.. the response to the steg porter has been fantastic.. first keg just about kicked in 4 days.. looks like it is staying on for a while... time to reorder!! thanks for your support Sabatinis pizza

    ReplyDelete
  61. Excellent news! I'm really glad to hear people love our local Steg Porter.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Not to say I told you so but "I told you so."

    If it keeps up there should be a synergy. Other draft houses will take notice and handles will start cropping up elsewhere.

    Maybe Wilkes-Barre ISNT afraid of the dark after all.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Synergy with our local hometown brewery is exciting for sure...and yes last weekend I did recommend one bar owner watch for Lion product and I have anothe rlocal bar currently running Steg Oktoberfest on tap, that I think would be perfect for Steg Porter. I believe both, however only run sixtels so it will ahve to wait for the next batch of Porter to be brewed and racked into sixtels.

    So did you mean afraid of the dark beer or the dark?

    ReplyDelete
  64. Great, keep up the good work. Dark beer, as W-B is such a coors light town. Hopefully that will be changing.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Thanks...but I'll respectfully disagree that WB is a Coors Light town...lots of great places to buy & drink great (and dark) beers in the WB...It's changing...

    ReplyDelete
  66. If you look at the tap lists/bottle lists of mybeerbuzz members I think you'll find a nice assortment of dark beers available for consumption, so I'm not sure where the idea that W-B is afraid of dark beers comes from. For example, the beer on the hand pump at Elmer's is usually a stout or porter. Sabatini's has Stegmaier Porter readily available, and Dugan's has Rogue's Shakespeare AND Chocolate Stouts among other dark beers. And for home consumption, Plaza Beverage has Founders Breakfast Stout among other tasty offerings. (Apologies to other mbb members, I'm only using examples which I've personally witnessed - with the small exception of Sabatini's which I mean to rectify this weekend.) That said, I think we do quite well in this area for beer (dark and otherwise) - you just have to look a bit harder to find what you want, but therein lies some of the adventure. Salut!

    ReplyDelete
  67. Good call. I've certainly never felt we were an "afraid of the dark" community, but then again I love dark beers and I frequent the bars that serve them....and now we'll be able to get Steg Porter in Sixtels also...

    ReplyDelete
  68. Sent my order in for a Stegmaier Porter sixtel right when I saw the update above.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Haha, sorry, didnt meant to stir a hornets nest here. Up until about 3 years ago I used to go to W-B quite often and hit a lot of beer bars and regular bars and just seemed like the town was controlled pretty much by Coors light, with a few notable (and refreshing) exceptions like genessee and steg. Outside of black rock and elmer fudds the only dark brew I ever really saw was guiness. Compared to other towns like state college and philly where you see yueng porter, black and tan and assorted micro porters/stouts with a large foothold, W-B seemed pale. Glad to read things have changed a bit.

    Just one outsiders empirical evidence, nothing scientific.

    ReplyDelete
  70. No real hornets nest to worry about...I think we're probably sensitive about our beer culture locally. Those of us who travel the beer bars know the culture a little better and we really like being a good beer town and want everyone to know that.

    ReplyDelete
  71. to anonymous my guess is when you used to come to the wilkes barre area u did not know where to go. Fortunately for you, Mybeerbuzz.com will now help you locate real beer bars and restraunts in this area.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Wilkes-Barre not a dark beer town?? May I remind everyone that back in the 1970s and 80s, when porter had become extinct in its British home, the style was kept alive only in the Baltic regions and in Wilkes-Barre and Pottsville, PA.

    Afraid of the dark? Nay, the future of the dark was kept alive in this town! Now go forth to Sabatini's and ensure its continued existence!

    ReplyDelete
  73. Good call Sam....perhaps we can lobby to be renamed....Wilkes-Barre...home of the Porter.

    ReplyDelete
  74. well, sam, i wasnt drinking in the 70's and didnt spend much time in w-b in the 80's so i dont know but i always assumed that the lion's faithful production of steg porter was just that-- production, that the actual beer was going elsewhere to be consumed, like NYC or NJ. Just as it is today when we heard that the steg porter kegs go to a distributor in NJ.

    Although that, thankfully, seems to be changing as now sabatinis and the sports arena is serving the local dark on tap.

    Since I've been going to w-b in the mid 90's i've never seen steg porter in bottles much less kegs, and that includes elmer suds and black rock (or whatever they call it now).

    But if porter was ubiquitous or available in W-b in the 70's and 80's (and not just made there for export) that is great information and I will definitey raise a toast of the dark stuff to the valley!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Just had this on tap at Sabatini's - very enjoyable beer, and one I'll look forward to putting on tap at home.

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a comment...I do moderate each comment so it may not appear immediately...and please be nice! You can also comment using Disqus (below) or even comment directly on Facebook (bottom).