The gourd witch brewer is a fascinating and unique character in folklore and mythology. This mystical figure is often depicted as a wise old woman who possesses magical powers and knowledge in the art of brewing potions and spells. The gourd witch brewer gets her name from the gourd, a hollowed-out vegetable often used as a container for brewing potions. In many cultures, the gourd witch brewer is seen as a healer and guardian of ancient wisdom. She is believed to have an innate connection with nature and the spiritual realm, allowing her to create powerful potions and elixirs that can heal ailments, grant wishes, or even invoke curses. These concoctions are made using a variety of ingredients, including herbs, roots, flowers, and various other mystical elements.
These concoctions are made using a variety of ingredients, including herbs, roots, flowers, and various other mystical elements. The gourd witch brewer is not only skilled in the art of brewing, but also possesses deep knowledge of the natural world and the cycles of life. It is believed that she spends much of her time in solitude, communing with nature and studying the energies of the earth and the cosmos.
Two Beer Reviews: Hazy Burd (Ship Faced Brewing) and Pin-Up Girl Basic Witch (Janky Brew Co) at Maxie’s Brewhouse after hiking Sunset Rocks
So tonight’s post won’t be your typical beer review. This will be a double beer review, and even though I’ve done a few of them in the past, this is a bit different than that. I’ve done a couple of multiple beer reviews in the past (typically flights at a brewery), and I’ve done two other articles that were dual (two) beer reviews. They were: Fresh Fest and Trail Day Pale Ale (by Troegs Brewing) and Pineapple Kolsch (Desperate Times) and Dry Irish Stout (Riverbend Hop Farm and Brewing). (Riverbend Hop Farm and Brewery just recently closed their doors which makes that review interesting in hindsight, you can read about their closing here – Riverbend Hop Farm and Brewery Announces Closing.)
Today’s double review comes from Maxie’s Brewhouse in Shippensburg. Its two different breweries / brewers that I’m reviewing (Ship Faced Brewing and Janky Brew Co). Maxie’s Brewhouse is kind of interesting. Its like an agglomeration of home brewers that rotate on their tap list and you can order. A friend of mine – Matt Kauffman – who ran the beer blog TBC (Tribeeratops Beer Club), which was a blog for him and a bunch of his friends, and he began homebrewing and turned it into TBC – Tribeeratops Brewing Company.
When we stopped in, they had a sheet of their draft specials. I’m not sure what their full menu was, or how many different beers or brewers were on tap, but on the sheet they had a 4$ beer from Olde Bedford, a 4$ hard cider, and then some 3$ draft specials from Ship Faced Brewing and Janky Beer Co. I had messaged Matt on my way in, and he told me he no longer brews for them. So I’m not sure what all else they had on tap, but these were the ones they did have on tap for certain. Their Facebook page showed a flight with different beers than I saw on their draft special sheet, so they must’ve had a pretty good variety of beers on draft but I just didn’t see a menu list of them anywhere. You can find Maxie’s on Facebook here: Maxie’s Brewhouse LLC.
Yesterday, I had hiked the Pine Grove Furnace State Park and did Pole Steeple with my dog Leela. Today me and my friend Ming hiked Sunset Rocks and some of the Appalachian Trail and did some of Camp Michaux and the walking tour of it; which is all in Gardners Pennsylvania. Shippensburg was about a fifteen – twenty minute drive from the hike, and I hadn’t been to Maxie’s yet to get to try some of these new brewers, so we hopped over there for our lunch / beers.
On the Sunset Rocks / Appalachian Trail hike my hiking beers for the day were – Green Machine by Boneshire Brew Works and Animal I’ve Become by Ever Grain. Both fridge pulls that were of IPAs that are starting to get up in age (canning for this Green Machine was a bit ago), but both still held up very well and were excellent trail beers.
Animal I’ve Become and Green Machine – my hiking beers
It was a very nice hike, we did about 5 some miles of hiking counting the Camp Michaux walking tour and CCC / POW camp that we walked through, as well as the Appalachian Trail we walked through. The Sunset Rocks overlook view was very pretty, even with the cloudy weather. Temperature wise it was great, hot and sweating when we were hiking, but not too cold or too warm when we were standing still.
I’ll post some pictures of the overlook view, Appalachian Trail, and Camp Michaux at the end of the article if you want to see them. I also have some links for more information about Camp Michaux at the end as well (mainly, because I knew nothing about this camp before we hiked the area, so hopefully this will be informative for other people as well).
But in the meantime, let’s get to the two beers and review them.
First up….. Hazy Burd.
Hazy Burd by Ship Faced Brewing
Beer: Hazy Burd
Brewery: Ship Faced Brewing
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 6.3%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (Blank)
Ship Faced Brewing is listed on Untappd as a nano brewery from Shippensburg, and has 13 unique beers, 199 total ratings and an average rating of 3.76.
This is a bright yellow to golden New England style hazy IPA. Thin white head to it but with nice bubbles and left nice lacing on the glass. Its hazy and opaque with some sediment and floaters. Its light looking and a bit watery looking.
Aroma is pretty hoppy, floral and citrus. No earthy or grassy or pine hop notes. Some creaminess or vanilla aroma but very mild. Mostly floral or citrus hop notes, some peach, mango, maybe faint grapefruit aroma.
This is a pretty solid and standard New England IPA. There’s not a whole extreme lot to discuss, but it is a solid beer. Its a bit watery, a bit papery thin in mouthfeel, but it has good flavor. Its smooth and has either lactose, vanilla, or a lot of flaked oats to give it a smooth / silky taste and slickness to it. Its easy drinking and pretty crushable. No hop bite, no real IPA bitterness, just the juiciness that comes from a New England IPA. Hop flavors are peach, mango, light grapefruit, perhaps a bit of melon rind, no earthy, no zest or citrus, no grassy or pine or bitterness. I can’t say anything bad about this beer, its good, clean, juicy, tastes great, has a little bit of sediment, a little watery and thin, but nothing bad, no off flavors, no bad aftertaste, nothing you’re burping up hours later. This is a perfectly fine and delicious beer.
My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.77 (as of 11.21.20)
Next up is…. Pin-Up Girl Basic Witch.
Pin-Up Girl Basic Witch
Beer: Pin-Up Girl Basic Witch
Brewery: Janky Beer Co
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 30
Untappd Description: Brewed with local coffee and has a dash of pumpkin spice with Tahitian vanilla bean
Janky Beer Co on Untappd is listed as a Contract Brewer through Shippensburg Pennsylvania. With 45 unique beers, 895 ratings, and an average global rating of 3.92. Their Untappd description reads: A one off one of a kind brewery working in Maxie’s Brew Pub.
This was an interesting beer. It looks and doesn’t look like a blonde ale, and doesn’t taste much like one at all. (None of these things are negatives, just statements.) It more reminds me of a pumpkin beer or yam beer than a blonde ale, especially the tastes. The appearance is a hazy, darker blonde ale than normal, with more of a darker golden orange coloring than a lighter yellow to golden look.
Aroma is one hundred and ten percent spice beer, like any pumpkin beer, the spices are overwhelming and all you smell. I couldn’t even smell coffee on this or any distinguishable characteristic of a blonde ale, but got lots and lots of spices. Nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and probably some other spices I’m not really able to distinguish. I don’t think its ‘too much’ but it is a bit overpowering, and I would go as far as saying its definitely more than a ‘dash’ of the spices.
This is an interesting and tasty beer. I got very little coffee but the spices are very overpowering on this. There might be coffee that intermingles and makes the taste of the spices jump out more, but what you take notice upfront and right away is the spices. They really leap out and tackle your tastebuds. This has a stronger and heavier mouthfeel than the New England IPA earlier (Hazy Burd), but its still somewhat light being only a 4.5% blonde ale. Its smooth to drink and has a nice slick, smooth, creaminess most likely from the Tahitian Vanilla Beans, but you don’t really taste the vanilla. This isn’t boozy or heavy, but it also feels heavy, mostly I think because it has a good mouthfeel and the spices, so its more of a sipping beer than one to drink quickly, and I certainly wouldn’t drink a four pack or anything of this at one sitting due to the spices being a bit overbearing. This was an enjoyable beer, a bit overhanded on the spices, (I was burping the taste of this beer for a few hours afterwards), but still a good, well crafted beer that I’d get again.
My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.7 (as of 11.21.20)
Overall both beers were enjoyable. I wish I would have asked about what their full menu was and maybe did a flight or something, got to try more than just the two, but for 6$ the two drafts were not bad. Ming got cheesesteak egg rolls for 8$ and we shared fries for 3$, so not a bad bit of food and drink for relatively low price. (They might want to do a better job of saying what all beers they have than just that special list, maybe it was on a different part of the QR code, not sure.)
If again in Shippensburg, I’ll make sure to stop in. When we were there at 3:30-4, it was empty (we were the only ones in until a couple came in right before we left). They were doing live music in the evening though so I’m sure it would pick up.
The following will be the pictures and the links about Camp Michaux.
Pictures of Sunset Rocks overlook:
Sunset Rocks Overlook at Gardners, Pennsylvania
Pictures of Camp Michaux:
Camp Michaux and Appalachian Trail to Halfway Spring
Links for further reading on Camp Michaux:
- Dave Smith’s History of Camp Michaux
- Hiking Upward – Camp Michaux
- Visiting Cumberland County – Camp Michaux Walking Tour
Tomorrow I will – hopefully – fingers crossed – toes crossed – hopefully – have the first article from the Indy trip done. (No matter what, I will have an article, as I’m still doing my November 30 for 30.) So be on the lookout for that.
Also, be sure to check out some of our other beer reviews in recent history:
- Beer Review: Dreams of Orgonon (Human Robot)
- Beer Review: Unicorns Stomping on Lanternflies (Saucony Creek Brewing Co)
- Beer Review: Griddle (Funk Brewing Company)
- Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing)
- Beer Review: Up the Creek Extreme Ale (Thomas Creek Brewery)
- Beer Review: Hershey’s Chocolate Porter (Yuengling Brewery)
- Beer Review: Dropout (Rubber Soul Brewing)
- Beer Review: Pigtoberfest (Boneshire Brew Works)
- Beer Review: I Voted Today (Tired Hands)
- Beer Review: Super Villain (Urban Village Brewing Company)
- Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)
- Beer Review: Shallow Grave (Nitro) (Heretic Brewing)
- Beer Review: The Growfather (Stickman Brews)
- Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)
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Thanks for reading everyone, hope you enjoyed the ‘dual beer’ review, and enjoyed the pictures from the hike.
I’ll post some pictures of the overlook view, Appalachian Trail, and Camp Michaux at the end of the article if you want to see them. I also have some links for more information about Camp Michaux at the end as well (mainly, because I knew nothing about this camp before we hiked the area, so hopefully this will be informative for other people as well).
This deep understanding of the natural world allows her to harness and manipulate these energies in her potions and spells. In many stories and legends, the gourd witch brewer is sought out by those in need of her services. Whether it is a love potion, a cure for a disease, or protection from evil spirits, she is believed to have the remedy. However, it is said that she only helps those who approach her with pure intentions and a genuine respect for the natural order of things. Although the gourd witch brewer is often portrayed as a benevolent and wise figure, there are also tales of her dark and mysterious side. Some legends speak of her ability to create potions and spells that can bring about great harm and suffering. It is said that her power can be used for both good and evil, and those who seek her help must be cautious in their dealings with her. Overall, the gourd witch brewer is a captivating character in myth and folklore. Whether seen as a healer and protector or a mystical and dangerous figure, she continues to intrigue and inspire the imagination of storytellers and enthusiasts of the supernatural. Her connection to nature and the spiritual realm allows her to tap into the unseen forces of the world, making her a powerful and enigmatic presence in the realm of magic..
Reviews for "Exploring the Symbolic Meanings of Gourds in Gourd Witch Brewing"
1. Emily - 2/5 stars - I was really excited to try "Gourd witch brewer" after hearing so many great things about it, but I was ultimately disappointed. The gameplay was repetitive and the graphics were lackluster. I also found the controls to be clunky and frustrating to navigate. Overall, I was expecting a much more immersive gaming experience, and this game just didn't deliver.
2. John - 1/5 stars - I have to say, I was extremely let down by "Gourd witch brewer". The concept sounded interesting, but the execution was terrible. The game was riddled with bugs and glitches that made it almost unplayable. It also felt like there was a lack of content and depth to the gameplay. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time or money on this game.
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - "Gourd witch brewer" left a lot to be desired. The storyline was weak and unengaging, and the characters felt flat and uninteresting. The gameplay mechanics were also confusing and poorly explained, making it difficult to progress through the game. Additionally, the graphics were outdated and didn't meet the standards of other games in the same genre. Overall, I found "Gourd witch brewer" to be underwhelming and not worth the hype.