Tröegs Independent Brewing, established in 1996 by brothers John and Chris Trogner, traces its roots back to a shared passion for experimentation and invention that began in their youth. Upon graduating high school, the brothers briefly went their separate ways for college, but their paths converged again when Chris found his calling in microbrewing, and John joined him in the beer adventures at Oasis Brewpub.
After Chris attended brewing school in Europe, the duo returned home and set out to realize their dream of launching a brewery. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania became the home of Tröegs, a name derived from a combination of their surname, Trogner, and the Dutch word for "pub," kroeg.
On July 18, 1997, the brothers celebrated the sale of their first keg, marking the beginning of their brewing legacy. In 2010, they decided to enhance their operations with a larger brewery in Hershey, PA, which opened its doors in 2011. The expansion continued in 2013 when Tröegs introduced limited production of canned beer, accompanied by a refreshing redesign of their packaging and cans, crafted in collaboration with designer Lindsey Tweed from Philadelphia.
The current brewery, spanning approximately 90,000 square feet, is a testament to their growth, surpassing the size of the original establishment threefold. Noteworthy is the inclusion of two brewhouses—one for daily production and a smaller system dedicated to research and development beers, setting Tröegs apart in the craft brewery scene.
During a visit to the brewery, Christian and I experienced the vastness of the place. The tasting room, with a panoramic view of one of the brewhouses, impressed us, as did the outdoor beer garden. Exploring the multi-level brewery, we encountered diverse beer selections, with the upstairs tasting room offering a distinct experience from the bustling downstairs.
The Tröegs flight, featuring four sample beers, showcased the brewery's creativity, including selections from their "scratch" series—an experimental initiative born during the brewery's 10th-anniversary celebration. With a total of 389 beers in this series to date, Tröegs continues to push boundaries with new techniques and non-traditional ingredients.
The self-guided tour and available guided tours provide visitors with insights into the brewing process, emphasizing Tröegs' commitment to transparency. The brewery's gift shop offers a range of merchandise, and customers can purchase 4-packs, 6-packs, cases, crowlers, and growlers to take home.
I decided to not purchase any beer to go since I can get some at my local liquor store. However, if you're not from around the East Coast, best of luck finding any of their beers. I recently found out that Tröegs has a very limited distribution policy. They only distribute their beer to states within proximity, like MD, DE, DC, NJ, NY, VA, CT & MA to maintain beer freshness.
Overall, we really enjoyed our time at Tröegs and already want to go back!
That being said, here is my rating:
Atmosphere - ★★★★★ - The atmosphere at Tröegs was pretty cool! The crowd there was fun and lively, which made up for the packed brewery. I really liked all of the artwork on the wall as well.
Beer - ★★★★ - I really enjoyed their beer, but I think Christian liked them even more than I did! I'm a big fan of their scratch series.
Employees - ★★★★★ - We didn't come into much interaction with the employees since there were a lot of people. But, we never had to wait long to order our beer and the staff we were able to talk to was very knowledgeable and very kind!
Location - ★★★★★ - I wouldn't have been able to pick a better location for a brewery.. It was very spacious with plenty of parking.
Social Media - ★★★★ - The brewery does a good job maintaining their social media platforms and their website is simple, clean and very informative.
Total: 4.6 STARS!
Well, cheers for now!!
Cassidy
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