Lost Tavern

Local Brewers Collaborate Earlier than Planned

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Eight minutes earlier, to be precise. When two of our favorite local breweries come together for a collaboration beer, we get pretty damn excited. The intrepid minds behind Bonn Place of Bethlehem and Lost Tavern of Hellertown got together and released Eight Minutes Early, a full bodied double cream ale with vanilla, cocoa, and Monocacy Creek Coffee served on traditional draft or nitro. On its own, it is rich and smooth with a strong coffee backbone brewed with the rare and difficult to find Souther Star hops from South Africa. However, this beer shines brightest when each brewery introduced their own unique twist to a cask version with variations aptly named Fire and Ice. Bonn brewed the Fire version which introduced cinnamon and cayenne peppers to finish it off. The additions really round out the beer and add some kick. The spice is subtle but builds slowly on the palate and after a couple sips you will notice a pleasing burn.

Lost Tavern brewed the Ice cask, which added spearmint and peppermint to the original brew. This one is truly unique and complex akin to a peppermint mocha coffee. You can definitely skip that piece of gum for the ride home.

To try both cask varieties, you’ll have to visit both breweries, so be sure to plan ahead. While you are at Bonn Place, also give the Nice Item Northeast Pale Ale a try. It’s a cloudy and dank pale ale loaded with hoppy goodness and represents a rare departure from Bonn’s typical English-style beers. At Lost Tavern, be sure to also check out the recently released Udderly Lost – a toasty, chocolate-forward milk stout.

Check them all out at Bonn Place and Lost Tavern and let us know what you think! It’s always a blast to have a beer and chat with Sam from Bonn and Tony of Lost Tavern. And don’t forget – it’s BYO pink flamingo at Bonn Place, so follow the flamingo link to find the cheesiest lawn ornament to add to Sam’s burgeoning collection.


Check out our other posts featuring our favorite local (and not so local) breweries here!

Cheers,

Mike and Bethany

Lost Tavern Brewing Company

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“Baby Stout” – my adorable 5 oz pour

As you may have surmised from our last post, Mike and I recently bought a home in Hellertown, PA. Home ownership has been incredibly rewarding thus far, and we really thought that our new life in Hellertown couldn’t be better. Little did we know that our newfound passion for nesting was, in fact, missing something. What was it missing, you ask? A local craft brewery in walking distance, obviously.

We then truly hit the jackpot when Lost Tavern opened their doors on Main Street in Hellertown only a few weeks after we signed mortgage papers. It is quite literally around the corner from our home – the walk is just long enough to help you justify that extra pint of Seeker IPA (I’ll burn it off on the way back!) but just short enough to be doable in nice weather.

The decor of the brewery is fantastic – it has an industrial-yet-cozy feel with both indoor and outdoor seating and a wide open front door. The Bethlehem area is steeped in steel history, making industrial decor particularly trendy around here.

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So shiny and new!

This brand new brewery was founded by four men who are ever-present on the brewery floor. The owners are well-informed, warm, and clearly beer geeks who are often found chatting with customers and running the taps with their bar staff. You might even catch one of the owner’s precocious sons scurrying around if you’re lucky. The brewery name has an interesting history in itself; Dutch settlers would typically establish a tavern as one of the initial community hubs in our local area, though Hellertown’s first tavern has been lost in history.

While Lost Tavern is not planning to serve food themselves, they have taken the initiative to bring in food trucks as well as connect with a local Italian restaurant to provide guests with food options. Mike and I were lucky to be there when Old Pappy’s BBQ was serving up pulled pork sandwiches and wursts – it was an excellent pairing with Lost Tavern’s beer offerings. They are also featuring live music and are actively involved in our local community. You really can’t beat it.

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Beers come in many sizes – perfection!

They have an impressive beer selection for their initial offering. On tap so far has been The Seeker (IPA), Double Seeker (You guessed it – double IPA), Edgewick Ale (English-Style Pale Ale), Grace (American Wheat), Oddfellow (Saison), Silent Partner (Oatmeal Stout), and Cider (American Hard Cider). We sampled all of the beers and were impressed by their drinkability and unique flavor profiles, especially for a first offering. The Double Seeker was a big standout – it packs a strong hoppy hit with plenty of richness and body to back it up. The Edgewick Ale stood out from other pale ales due to a sweet, almost caramel maltiness paired with a mild hoppy bite. Grace is a light-drinking summery beer that is perfect for their patio. I was also excited for the Cider as it’s made with apples from one of our favorite local orchards, Bechdolt’s, which is only 3 miles from Lost Tavern. I haven’t been a big hard cider fan in the past due to their typical dry and almost effervescent mouthfeel, but Lost Tavern’s cider was very flavorful and juicy. I also have to pay homage to whomever photographed their beer for their website – you really should check it out there rather than looking at my sub-par pictures.

We are stoked to have this gem right in our community and can’t wait to see what they have in store next. Support your local breweries!

Cheers!
Bethany