Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so here we are with a candymaker interview! 

Have you ever driven past the small Purity Candy building on Rt. 15, between Lewisburg and Williamsport? I have, but I finally stopped, and learned that the candy is terrific. I got an interview with owner/candymaker John Burfeindt. He spills the beans on Purity's history, tells us about Arlene, the woman who worked at Purity for over 70 years, and talks about making black walnut brittle by hand. Literally by hand, with heavy rubber gloves on, because that stuff's hot! 

Then we talk about a central PA staple, the five pound box of frozen haddock. Fry it, bake it, it's meant 'seafood' to generations of locals. I bought my first block and cooked a mighty pot of fish chowder for my in-laws, and I'll tell you about that (and about the Burns Day feast we had, drinking Scotch and reciting poetry; Cathy did a bold rendition of To A Louse.)

What else? I had a beer from Lewisburg's Jackass Brewing that may have changed my mind about the place, and we take a trip on the Central PA Tasting Trail. 

Next episode? Hell, I don't know. Got a lot of 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/

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

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

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

It's "cheesesteak," not "cheese steak," and certainly not "Philly cheese steak"! 

I got an interview with Pat Romano of the We Are Inn restaurant and motel in Philipsburg. Pat's got opinions about cheesesteaks, and Philly roast pork sandwiches, and management, and...Pat's got opinions. He's also going to be opening a new, much bigger place in State College in April. Probably April. 

I talked to Pat because he's from Philadelphia (Norristown, originally), and makes a good cheesesteak. I've seen an increasing amount of talk about cheesesteaks on social media, so I thought Seen Through A Glass should get in on the act. That's right, you're going to get my opinions too! I'll also tell you about a cheesesteak I got off a guy working an outdoor grill during a snowstorm in downtown State College; good times, good cheesesteak!

What else? I tasted a rare single barrel corn whiskey from Liberty Pole Spirits, and I'll tell you where to find a place to cozy up to a fireplace with good food and drink. 

Next episode? I have some ideas about a Valentine's Day episode, we'll see if that pans out. 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)

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

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

Hey, I'm back! And I brought whiskey!

I know, I know, I've been away a long time. Three months? Really? That long?

Well...a lot happened, and I'll tell you about it, but briefly: had to drop everything to deal with wrapping up writing my next book, and then I lost my voice. Yeah, imagine that. 

But I am back, with some stuff on how and why I write whiskey books, including an interview with my old friend Marty Duffy, who is the North American representative for the Glencairn Glass, the official whiskey tasting glass of Seen Through A Glass. I'll also tell you about a massive pan of choucroute garni I made for our wine club dinner back in October.  

Next episode: not 100% sure. Hoping to do an interview that leads into an episode about the West Branch town of Jersey Shore. Fingers crossed. Cheers!

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

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

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

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

The Stone Fence Episode?

Yeah, I'm up against it with this book project. I didn't get the "here's what it's like writing a book" episode done, but then I remembered that I had a recording of the rye whiskey and cider talk I took part in back in April down at Ploughman Cider in Gettysburg (Thanks, Ben!), so I'm finally uploading that. I did it with Dan Pucci, author of American Cider: a modern guide to a historic beverage. We talked about rye, cider, apples, agriculture, history...it was a wide-ranging presentation. It's two hours long, so maybe you want to go to the end first, because...

There's a reminder about two Oktoberfest celebrations in central PA this weekend, Friday October 4th and Saturday the 5th for the Mifflinburg Oktoberfest, and the 5th is Bonshire Brew Works' Pigtoberfest! And on the 5th and 6th, it's the Dutch Fall Fest in Aaronsburg, right next door to good old Millheim: music, food, fun (no beer, but Elk Creek's less than a mile away). Finally, I sampled the Booker's Bourbon "Beam House Batch" 2024-02, and found it to be one of the better bottlings of Booker's I've had recently. 

The next episode will probably include interviews from a visit to Journeyman Distillery in southwest Michigan; I'm going out there to help judge their barrel-aged beer festival. Meanwhile, the two-year mark for the podcast is coming up in November...and we are only 43 downloads away from 20,000! Milestone!!

(And check the Instagram feed for pictures of the Corgi puppies!)

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

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

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

Arrow sound effect from https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/

All sounds (except AI-generated ones!) sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Brookville? Where the hell is that?

As I confess, until about five years ago, I'd never heard of Brookville. But back in July, I got a crash course in it, and it was pretty cool! There's Blackbird Distillery just on the edge of town, where they make their shine from scratch, and I got an interview with co-owner Jennifer Black, and sampled some spirits. But there's more! I had lunch at the Moon Palace Chinese restaurant, and I'll tell you why that's worth noting; I got takeout at Devil's Barbecue, and a great box of candy at The Dan Smith Candy Company. I also went to the Greenberg Cadillac Museum, the "world's largest Cadillac collection." It was impressive, and a tribute to both these cars and the loyalty they inspire. 

I've also got a rundown on the Oktoberfest celebrations in central PA, starting tomorrow, September 21st, through October 10th, so get on it! Finally, I sampled a new "high wheat" bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company, and found it innovative and delicious. 

I am truly unsure when the next episode will be, but I'm thinking about doing an episode on what it's like writing a whiskey book. I mean, I'm in the middle of that right now, so... Meanwhile, the two-year mark for the podcast is coming up in November! 

(And check the Instagram feed for pictures of the Corgi puppies!)

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

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

"Oktoberfest Polka Party" is AI-generated, and I apologize for that; it was short notice. It's available at StockTune https://stocktune.com/free-music/oktoberfest-polka-party-4061-18253

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

Arrow sound effect from https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/

All sounds (except AI-generated ones!) sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Clarion has only 4,000 souls, but it has three breweries. Definitely STAG-worthy. 

Okay, if I'm going to be precise, the third brewery, Lost In The Wilds, is in Shippenville, but that's all of five minutes from Clarion River Brewing and Mechanistic Brewing in 'downtown' Clarion, so I'm going with it. I interviewed the three brewer-owners, all in one beautiful day in July. We talk about the natural beauty of Clarion County and the Cook Forest State Park, too. 

I've got a segment on Pennsylvania Dutch funeral food, too. My mother, Ruth "Sue" Bryson, died in August, which is why this episode is over a month late. We had a proper church funeral lunch after the service, and I'll tell you what we had, and how I cooked the calico beans, and grilled some Ramblin' Poppy sausages for the family get-together we had afterwards.  We had a keg of Tröegs Oktoberfest to drink, so the last of that is What I'm Drinking Today, along with a Von Trapp Oktoberfest; a funeral episode needs two drinks. 

I am truly unsure when the next episode will be. I'm on deadline for a book manuscript, and everything's out the window. Hang in there, we'll get back to normal in October!

(And check the Instagram feed for pictures of the Corgi puppies!)

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

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

"spring-forest-141216" by PianoArmor at https://pixabay.com/users/pianoamor-28628048/

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

Arrow sound effect from https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/

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

Hungry? Thirsty? 

Beer and food pairing isn't as easy as you'd think, but it isn't hard either. I've got some guidelines, a little history of the Great American Beer Dinner, some tips from world-renowned beer educational cartoonist Em Sauter, and an interview from my old pal John Holl, a podcaster, a publisher, a raconteur, and the author of three books about beer and food. It's a fun episode, and I'll take you along to a dinner at Revival Kitchen, the incredible farm to table restaurant in, of all places, Reedsville PA, and tell you how I paired beers with each course. Two pretty good pairings, one flop, and one brilliant success. 

What else? A follow-up with my basement bar and what happened when I invited the band at Elk Creek back for a drink, and an invitation to join us in Millheim at the end of the month for music, fun, food and drink! 

Next episode: a town profile episode, because I know you love 'em! Cheers!

The next episode will be out on July 25th, on schedule. This one was late because my mom went in the hospital, and I dropped everything to go stay by her side. She's better, thanks. See you next week. 

This episode uses these sounds under the following license:

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

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

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

This is not the cider episode I promised you. 

It's better!

I was going to give you a pre-recorded presentation I did at the Ploughman Farm Cider taproom in Gettysburg in April, and some talk about the ciders I had while I was there...but then I went to the PA Cider Fest in Biglerville, and got a much better cider episode. Interviews, tastings, and a whole new outlook on cider and drinks in Pennsylvania. 

What else? I grilled at home for the first time in over a year, and I had to talk about firing up the old Kamado Joe to do some pork tenderloins. Then I had a small problem with that new home draft system...it didn't seem like a small problem, but it was! 

Next episode? I got an interview with my beer writing colleague and old friend John Holl about food and beer pairing. He's done a LOT with it, and you'll learn about it...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)

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

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

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! I asked you who you wanted me to interview, and you said "Give us The Pizza Boy, Al Kominski!" Well, I cannot defy or deny the people, so I went down to Al's of Hampden in Enola on the West Shore and got the interview...and then hung around and visited some more breweries: Ever Grain, Mellow Mink, Sworn, Hemauer, and Liquid Noise.

Next episode? Back in April, I did an Earth Day presentation at Ploughman Farm Cider's Gettysburg taproom on the agricultural aspects of rye whiskey, along with a cider guy talking about the same thing. We'll hear that, plus I'll tell you what it was like at the PA Cider Fest. 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)

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

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

Have you ever had a Maibock?

My old buddy Chip "The Beer Guy" Hanuscik lured me up to Northeast PA with Maibock. He talked FOUR brewers into making one, and dangled that in front of me. I took the bait like a brown trout rising to a Green Drake, and I'll tell you all about it. PLUS: NEPA Pizza! The incredible Sabatini's! Tom Brennan! And a real life Wilkes-Barre kielbassi shop! 

Next episode? THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! I asked you who you wanted me to interview, and you said "Give us The Pizza Boy, Al Kominski!" Well, I cannot defy or deny the people, so I went down to Enola and got the interview...and then hung around and visited some breweries. You'll get what you asked for...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)

"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

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