By Milli Thornton. Photos Copyright © Brian Williams & Milli Thornton.
Titusville, Pennsylvania is known for the discovery of petroleum in the 1850s, resulting in the birth of the modern oil industry. Tourists also flock there to ride the OC&T (Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad) to nearby Oil City, Pa.
Our visit to the Drake Well Museum to see the first-ever oil derrick happened on a Sunday in mid-May. Not yet scenic train season, Titusville was like any other small town on the slowest day of the week: dead.
We were hoping for some liquid refreshment and a light snack. Brian grabbed his Blackberry and Google-Mapped Titusville. He said, “Two blocks from here is a brewery.” I took in the downtown vibes as we passed—vacant lots, empty shops, a closed-on-Sundays realty with a tattered awning—and doubted his information. But there it was! The Blue Canoe Brewery & Restaurant. An oasis of promise.
The hummus plate was yummus!
Smooth in texture and made with the best German Pilsner malt. No corn or rice are used in making this lager. We use American Saaz hops and a Southern German yeast from Munich.
Being a dark brew kinda guy, Brian went for the Heavy Kevy Scotch Ale.
Made with only the best and most expensive Scottish pale malt. A nice blend of Belgian Biscuit and English roasted barley to add color and softness to a malty sweet nectar of brewing experience.
We were impressed with the tray of frost in which to keep our beers cold.
Hevy Kevy Scotch Ale and Flashlite Lager
We didn’t get to see the brewers in action, but part of the brewery was visible on the main floor near the front door. (The rest of the brewery is in the basement.)
Fancy finding a brewery in downtown Titusville
We also enjoyed the boisterous names for some of the other beers:
Distorter Porter
Crazy Rye
Dubbel Trouble
Polish Thunder
Joe’s Electric Bill Amber Ale
Five stars for small town surprises. The Blue Canoe was delicious and fun.
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Milli Thornton
Milli Thornton (aka Milliver) is the author of Fear of Writing: for writers & closet writers. She is owner of the Fear of Writing Online Course, where her mission is to put the fun back into writing. Milli blogs at the Fear of Writing Blog and coaches writers individually at Writer’s Muse Coaching Service.
Nice pit stop on a fun trip. I love the frosted tray to keep your beers cold – I’ve never heard of anything like that. 🙂
I like an ice cold unfiltered wheat beer myself on a hot California summer day. I don’t suppose any of those boisterous names include that?
The murals on the side of the Blue Canoe building look very well done. You couldn’t miss that brewery if you wanted to!
catherine
Yeah, those frosted trays. I had not seen those before either. I wanted to research them but not sure what they’re called.
I didn’t find any wheat beers on the Blue Canoe web site but I did find this:
Big Sky Special
Made in honor of our friend Bill and his voyage through that Montana area. His time spent and his appreciation of good people, life, food, and of course Beer! This is a 350-year-old yeast from a monastery in Belgium, malt from France and Belgium with American hops. I call it an American Belgian-style Pale Ale. Soft coriander and citrus tang runs lightly over the tongue and a soft citrus aroma lifts from the malty background.
Bottoms up Milli – Sounds like good grub and beer. I enjoyed your article.
Looks like a place to go back to when things are jumping too!
Thanks for visiting, Ronald. Wish we could share a brew with you when Ernie the banjo player and his guitarist friend are performing in what they affectionately call The Blue Canoe Folkgrass Band. Sounds like a bit o’ fun.
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Super beer stop! I could really see the town through your words.