| Aldus Brewing Company 555 Centennial Avenue | Hanover, PA 17331 (717) 634-2407 www.aldusbrewing.com |
Owner Jason Mininger and head brewer Jeff Groves started brewing at Aldus Brewing Company in July 2014. The doors to the brewpub, located in the brewery building at 555 Centennial Avenue in Hanover, PA, opened in October 2014.
The building was home to the original Snyder’s factory. If you don’t already know, York County is known as the Factory Tour Capital of the World. Snyder’s of Hanover is a snack company based in Hanover known for their various snack products, especially their pretzels.
Jason, originally from Philadelphia and a graduate of Kutztown University, was a former IT specialist and graphic designer who did work for big names like Apple and the Baltimore Ravens. While he was making good money, he wasn’t happy. He was, however, a very happy homebrewer and with encouragement from his wife, he decided to brew beer for a living.
Jeff, a Purdue University graduate, responded to an ad Jason put on brewingwork.com for a head brewer position. Jeff hadn’t homebrewed at all prior to joining Aldus, but he brought plenty of hand-on professional brewing experience. He had been working at Lafayette Brewing Company before moving from Indiana to brew at Aldus.
Originally the pair had planned to open as a production brewery, but the pub helps to keep the lights on. The pub seats about 40 people and serves up food like pizza, hummus, chips and salsa, guacamole, all beef hot dogs, and a roast pork sandwich with provolone and roasted peppers.
As I took a seat at the bar at Aldus Brewing Company, the first thing that caught my eye was the bar top. The 36 gauge copper was acid washed creating a beautiful copper and turquoise color bar top.
Through a garage-like door, the brewing area, complete with an 8.5-barrel system, can be viewed from the pub area. Visitors can saddle up to the bar near the brewing area or sit at one of the tables in the back.
Mitch, the bartender, Tigers fan, and all around nice guy, served me a flight of the 4 beers that were currently on tap.
- American Blonde Ale – 6% ABV, 20 IBU smooth, easy drinking light ale brewed with American, English and German malts and American hops and fermented with German yeast. Not too hoppy or too malty, this beer is easy-drinking.
- Olde Factory IPA – 7% ABV, 77 IBU IPA that celebrates the citrus, pine and tropical fruit aromas of hops. This IPA boasts bold bitter notes and a well-balanced malt backbone.
- Wee Dame Wee Heavy Ale – 8% ABV, 30 IBU smooth and complex malt forward dark amber brew with notes of cocoa, subtle hop notes and a sweet, smoky finish.
- Knot Session IPA – 4.9% ABV, 55 IBU light and bright spring-inspired IPA with notes of lime and pineapple and a subtle malt presence.
American Blonde Ale is the flagship beer and one of Jason’s homebrew recipes. American Blonde Ale is currently available in bottles to go, and Olde Factory Amber and Wee Dame expect to be available in bottles soon.
Wee Dame was served through a Randall filled with San Roque Colombian coffee beans from Philadelphia-based coffee roasters La Colombe. The coffee added flavors of black cherry and chocolate.
Beers can be purchased in tasting flights of 4 samples for $7.50, half pints for $2.75, or full prints for $4.25. Growler fills range from $12 to $20, and Pennsylvania red and white wines are available by the glass.
Artwork of Aldus Manutius hangs in the pub. The 15th century Italian printer and publisher was the inspiration for the name of the brewery. He invented italic type, established the modern use of the semicolon, and developed the modern appearance of the comma. He also introduced the format for modern paperback books.
Aldus Brewing Company is producing some solid, easy-drinking brews. The pub is comfortable and welcoming. In fact, we spent over an hour there chatting with our new friend and fellow beer lover, Chris at the bar. We enjoyed sipping beers and chatting about breweries, baseball, and hockey.
When you visit, off-street parking is available in front of the building in the lot located at the corner of Granger Street and Centennial Avenue. The pub is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 3 to 8 PM and on Saturday from noon to 8 PM.
