There's a lot more in Hershey than Chocolate!

Hershey is a company town, named for Milton S. Hershey, the chocolate man who built a candy empire, and a thriving town that's one of the top tourist attractions in Pennsylvania...with a 4th grade education. It's an amazing story, but after I've told you that history, and the history of the big HersheyPark amusement park, we're going to leave chocolate behind, and talk about something I'm much more comfortable with: booze and food. 

So there's an interview with Coty Edwards, the master distiller at Hidden Still Spirits. They're making some really good bourbon, and bottling genuine tequila, too. 

There's also a short interview with Matt Gundrum, director of brewing operations at the resurrected Iron Hill Brewing right there in Hershey (and Philly, and Lancaster, and Wilmington, and Huntingdon Valley). It's a very happy story. 

I visited some fun places in the area, like The Filling Station, and Gary's Bar, Pronio's Market and the Hershey Fresh Market (and little Pikku Piru!), Parkside Hotel, and Tröegs Independent Brewing. 

The next day I made a shortcut batch of stuffed peppers with Cathy's idea assistance, and I'll tell you how that worked; pantry cooking! There's a progress report on the new book (with a new working title: Whiskey: An Illustrated Primer), and a little bit of personal excitement about going to a friend's Juneteenth celebration. 

What I'm Drinking Today is a Heaven Hill Deatsville Edition 13 Year Old Bourbon, aged in a type of warehouse you may never have seen before. Did it affect the flavor? I think it might have...or maybe..."oh hell, that don't work at all." 

Next episode will be about...something. Yup. Again.  

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Destination: The Port of Hollidaysburg!

Landlocked Hollidaysburg sits just south of Altoona. The only waterway is the Beaverdam Branch of the Juniata River, maybe 30 feet wide at this point...a port? 190 years ago...yes! Hollidaysburg was a big canal town at the heart of the Pennsylvania Canal system, where everything from the east came to go west, and vice versa. Hollidaysburg was where the canal boats were broken into sections to be hauled over the Allegheny Mountains on cable-powered rail cars, in an audacious engineering feat called the Allegheny Portage Railroad.

You know we're going to do that history, because I love it, but we're also going to sit down for an interview with Matt Krueger, the owner, brewer, and "Chief Hydroceramic Engineer" at Sugar Run Brewing in nearby Duncansville. I've known Matt for about 20 years, but I didn't know he brewed beer; turns out he's pretty damned good at it! Hear the stories, about birds and beers, and Pickles the Class A Motorhome. 

Then Dirt Road Dave and I hit the bars in Hollidaysburg: Marzoni's Brick Oven & Brewery, Boro Coffee (it's a coffee bar, okay?), Mayfield and The Pipe Room, and Shan Nicole's Irish Pub. Good times, and I'll tell you all about it. I've also got a tease about a possible event this Fall; more on that, probably in August, because right now I'm up to my armpits in book writing and my son's wedding. Busy busy busy!

What I'm Drinking Today is kind of a big deal. It's the first review anywhere of Found North Batch 012, a new blend from a company that's been exploring new frontiers in Canadian whisky. I'm pleased that they asked me to take first crack at it. Spoiler alert: wow.

The Smack Dab In The Centre segment celebrates the opening of ice cream stand season. Let's go get a delicious cone!

Next episode will be about...something. Yup. Again.  

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Some Central Pennsylvania Moonshining History for you!

Prince Farrington was the man to know in central Pennsylvania during Prohibition. With a network of 30-odd stills in ghost towns, stone donuts, and The Florida Fruit Farm, this North Carolina transplant and his perpetually angry wife Martha ran a business that kept whiskey in the glasses of people in Philly, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and reportedly as far away as Toronto. 

But Repeal didn't stop him. He kept on moonshining until the FBI caught him in a Florida fish camp, where he was making a batch of orange brandy!

A rare solo episode of Seen Through A Glass, just me and the mike and a glassful of unorthodox history. Enjoy!

What I'm Drinking Today is a new release from Michter's, a first-ever barrel-strength release of their US*1 Sour Mash Kentucky Whiskey, and it is a doozy. 

The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is, appropriately, about Centre County's two distilleries, Big Spring Spirits and Barrel 21. 

Next episode will be about...something. Something good! 

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Part II of  The Big Valley: Reedsville, and Revival Kitchen!

Reedsville sits at the northern, downstream end of the Kish Valley, where the Kishocoquillas Creek runs down through the Mann Narrows to the Juniata. There in Reedsville, tiny Reedsville, is Revival Kitchen, a surprisingly good restaurant that draws customers from as far away as Wilmington, Philadelphia, and New York...to Reedsville? 

Yes! Which is why I had to interview Chef Quintin Wicks and find out what was going on here! Then I walked around Reedsville for coffee, a women's boutique, ice cream, and some other stuff in this surprising little downtown. 

What I'm Drinking Today is the local soda, Reedsville Creamery's joint venture with our friends at Shy Bear Brewing, a Birch Beer, and my, is it ever good!

The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about chef's table experiences in the Happy Valley, where you can get right into the kitchen!

Next episode will, I think, be about Clinton County's Prince of Prohibition, Prince Farrington, a name from the past that still resonates today. 

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Another episode I've been wanting to do: The Big Valley, the Kish Valley!

The Big Valley is about 45 minutes southeast of State College, an hour from Harrisburg. It's an idyllic rural paradise of farms, markets, restaurants, and small food producers. And the engine that keeps it running is Kish Bank, a local family-owned bank that's been in the Valley for over 100 years. 

Kish Bank is named for the Kishocoquillas Creek, which runs down the Big Valley (and is the reason it's also known as The Kish Valley). The vital nature of the bank is why I decided to interview Greg Hayes, the CEO of Kish Bank, and the great-grandson of the founder. 

Then I toured around the Valley: donuts, Amish stores, butcher shop, winery, and all the friendly people you'll find here. It's a wonderful place, and you should visit soon. 

But there's not a lot to drink there! What I'm Drinking Today is the Proof & Wood Tumblin' Dice Rye finished in Jamaican rum casks, a fantastic experiment. 

The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is all about farm experiences in Happy Valley; it seemed appropriate!

Next episode will be Part II of  The Big Valley, a profile of Reedsville, and an interview with chef Quintin Wicks of Revival Kitchen, an incredibly well-regarded farm-to-table restaurant in this tiny town that draws people from as far away as Pittsburgh and Baltimore. 

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

This episode is not about central PA...but it does have an excellent interview at a pioneering craft distillery that makes one of my favorite American Single Malt whiskies, and some great beer content, so stick around!

Back in October, while I was doing my Midwest tour in support of my new book (American Whiskey Master Class, get your signed copy here!), I visited Cedar Ridge Distillery outside of Iowa City, and interviewed distillery president Jamie Siefert and marketing director Megan Patz. We talked about the history of the place, why they distill their bourbon as wash, in pot stills (and use a mash filter to get there), and about that American single malt of theirs, The Quintessential (which is half of What I'm Drinking Today). 

Then we swing up into the cab of a satellite-guided John Deere combine at Whiskey Acres distillery, and talk to farmer-distiller Jamie Walter about heirloom and new strains of corn.  

I'll take you to a spirits competition I judged in Richmond last month, the First Landing Cup, then head up the Shenandoah Valley to visit Mt. Defiance Distillery & Cidery to get some tasting (and some comeuppance), pick up some cheese at George's Mill Farm, and visit an estate brewery where they grow their own grain and brew some exquisite lagers, Wheatland Spring Farm & Brewery. I wind that trip up with a stop at Cushwa Brewing and Rad Pies in Williamsport, MD for lunch: IPA and The Rickeroni!

What I'm Drinking Today is a STAG first: I had a boilermaker! I started with a snort of Cedar Ridge The Quintessential single malt, chased by a Wheatland Spring Depart triticale lager. Wham BAM drinking!

The Smack Dab In The Centre segment takes you way out on the western edge of Happy Valley territory, to Philipsburg!  

Next episode will be about The Big Valley, Kish Valley, the beautiful oasis of the Plain People in central PA. I've got two interviews lined up, and one of them's another unconventional one. Strap in.   

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

My grandfather bought a nail file in Kane, PA almost 100 years ago. I still have it...but I'd never been to Kane. Turns out I really should have!

Kane, "the star in the forest," is another small central PA town that punches above its weight. There's the iconic Texas Hot Lunch (I interviewed owner Mike Bechakas, and had two of his very, very good Texas Hots), two distilleries, two wineries, a drive-in theater, a great coffee shop, a famously good butcher shop, a wonderful restaurant and a cut-above pizza place...and that's just the usual STAG stuff, there's the whole Allegheny National Forest right there! 

You know I'm kind of obsessed with the whole Texas Hot/Coney Island hot dog thing. Well, to prepare for my interview with Mike, I dove deep into the internet, and found a guy who's even more obsessed...and he's gone way down that rabbit hole and come back with some great history. Check it out here! There's still mystery to it, but this answers a lot of questions.  

There was so much, I did something I've never done before: I interviewed the town's mayor. Brandy Schimp is in her 9th year as mayor of Kane -- she was the Pennsylvania Mayor of the Year in 2024! -- and she did indeed have her finger on the pulse. She actually dragged in a colleague to the interview, so you get a twofer: Kate Kennedy, who's the director of the Kane Area Development Center. They're both Kane natives, and they were very fun to talk to. 

I went out to the Kinzua Bridge State Park and saw the cast-down remains of the mighty railroad trestle, and the skywalk they've made of what's left. Very cool, and even though the skywalk is under renovation right now (it's going to be open for leaf-peeping in the fall), the view and the visitor center is worth a visit.  

Back home, I've got a plug for Riversongs, the annual fundraiser for environmental education here in beautiful downtown Millheim. Since it is Millheim, there's live music from two bands, a raffle, and plenty of good beer. Come on out on March 29th!  

What I'm Drinking Today is the incredibly crisp and refreshing Allagash House Beer, which my old friend and new book collaborator Em Sauter brought me when she visited last week to work on our new book project. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about the wonderfulness of hanging out by a firepit, because it's that time again! I note three Centre County spots where you can do that. 

Next episode will be...something. Look, I have something really good lined up for four weeks from now, but I'm still looking for something for the next episode. I'm working on it.  

So...see you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

In 2026, how do you introduce a man who has next to no online presence? 

Sam Komlenic (pronounced "kom-LEN-ick") is not unknown. He's arguably the foremost historian of Pennsylvania rye whiskey, and has been quoted a number of times in major publications as such. He's been the copy editor of Whisky Advocate magazine for years, well-known at the magazine's WhiskyFest Chicago event. He's been on the board of West Overton Village, where his antique whiskey bottle collection is displayed in the Sam Komlenic Gallery. He worked as a fundraiser for WPSU, public broadcasting in State College, PA for 19 years, making friends all over north central Pennsylvania.

God knows I've mentioned him many times, in articles, books (Sam has been my first reader on every book since New York Breweries until American Whiskey Master Class, and we missed that one only because I got pressed for time). 

He's got plenty to say, and he will in this interview. But this episode will represent one of Sam's largest online exposures. He has no social media accounts; he has no blog, podcast, or Substack. Google his name for images, and you may find a dozen pictures of Sam, at least two of which I've uploaded to the Net. But people want to hear what Sam has to say, particularly about rye whiskey, so I decided to give him a forum. Sam's also one of my best friends, and it was a pleasure doing this. 

I'll tell you about how the Day of Delicious Darkness went, about a place where the rivers run north, and about a new book I just contracted to write! Surprise!

What I'm Drinking Today is a whiskey I shared with Sam, Iron City Distilling Bessemer Rye. It's their first release, and it's a doozy, one of the best young ryes I've had. I look forward to more releases from Matt Strickland and the crew at ICD. 

The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about the Happy Valley PA Geotour, a geocaching journey set up by our sponsor, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau.  

Next episode is about Kane, PA, a "Star in the Forest," and I am headed up there tomorrow to see some woods, and the Kinzua Bridge, and the Texas Hot Lunch, and a place that makes booze out of sunflowers!

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

How about a nice hot bowl of stew?

Stew means a lot to me, and I'll bet most of you like a good bowl of beef stew, or chili, or goulash. Or maybe some ratatouille? How about some good Belgian waterzooi, or a Polish bigos, or a plate of Thai curry? 

A bowl of grits and étouffée at the Elk Creek Café set this episode off, which is why I interviewed Elk Creek chef Jon Forshey about what stew is, and some tips on making better stew, and an added bonus, his memories of his grandmother, "the patron saint of Poverty Hollow." That's where Jon learned to cook, and we'll talk about that, too.

I'll tell you about my own stew journey, how learning to make a good stew really taught me how to cook, and fired me up to learn more. One of the things I learned about was bay leaves, and I'll use my first podcast sidebar to tell you about them. Bay leaves are more interesting and versatile than I realized, used in cooking from Baltimore to Baton Rouge, Germany, Delhi, Manila, and back to the Bay Area!

Then I'll walk you through making my own birthday dinner, a nice pot of Carbonnade Flamande, a Belgian beef stew made with onions and beer, and about the State College pub crawl Cathy and I did while it was simmering at home. 

What I'm Drinking Today is one of the beers I used in the Carbonnade, Ommegang Abbey Dubbel, a rich, spicy old friend from back in the early days of craft beer. 

The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about the new 2026 Happy Valley Inspiration Guide, tons of great things to do in Centre County.  

Next episode might be about Kane, PA, if I can get the interview scheduled in time; the person I'm interviewing has a very busy schedule, but they're the right person for the job. If not, there are other STAG irons in the fire!

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

"Snare Roll" FX by freesound_community on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/users/freesound_community-46691455/)

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

We return to a place we haven't seen since Episode 1, back when I had no idea what I was doing, in order to do Northumberland and Sunbury the right way. 

Northumberland and Sunbury are getting the full treatment they deserve, over three years after I first stumbled through them. History, geography, and of course, a look at some of the more interesting and fun spots in both towns, including Pineknotter Brewing, a pinball bar, and the Squeeze-In, a narrow hot dog joint that's been serving up dogs five seats at a time since 1945 [correction to the podcast, BTW: the Squeeze-In is not 12 feet wide, it's only eight feet wide!]. 

I interviewed Curt and Thad Benner, 4th generation Sunbury natives and brothers, who opened Eclipse Craft Brewing 7 years ago. Curt makes great beer, Thad makes great pizza, and they also have teaberry vodka. Can't beat it! 

What I'm Drinking Today is a 16 year old Tomintoul single malt, and it was wonderfully relaxing. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is a reminder to grab yourself a new Central PA Tasting Trail passport, and start getting your ticket punched for tasty drinks and great discounts. 

Your Uncle Lew also has a little 'love connection' advice about Valentine's Day. No, really, I do! 

Next episode should be a chat with Elk Creek chef Jon Forshey about making stews, and there's a lot more to it than I realized.  

See you in two weeks!

Until then?

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST!

Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

"Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)

All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.