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Wyndridge Farm pops into Lititz

By Michael C. Upton on September 19, 2018

… and they’ll be back!

They all asked about you / Down on the farm.

The cows asked, the pigs asked / The horses asked, too. ~ “Down On The Farm,” Little Feat

As far as I can tell there’s no barroom server named Linda Lou (like in the song quoted above), but there were plenty of libations to be had on a Lititz farm over the weekend.

Wyndridge Farm of Dallastown took over Kissel Valley Farm (near the Lancaster Airport at 645 E. Oregon Road) and created a pop-up beer and cider garden. Festivities, which include live music, food trucks, and “farm-crafted” beer, cider, and sangria, kicked off this past weekend and will run every Saturday and Sunday until Oct. 7. Admission is free, and beverages are purchased per pour.

Wyndridge, recognizable by its iconic scarf-wearing fox logo, has been producing ciders from Pennsylvania apples for several years and recently branched out into the beer market. For flagships, brewmaster Pete Koelsch has created Barn Dog Imperial Porter, Handsome Bull DIPA, and Farmhand Lager, all of which can be found at the pop-up event. The most popular pours over the weekend were the berry sangria made with Wyndridge cider, a mojito cider, and the Farmhand Lager.

“We also had our (new) tropical Berliner Weise,” said Wyndridge Farm President Steve Groff after the event’s opening weekend. “And we had great weather.”

A group of friends enjoys a “beverage circle” at a recent pop-up event at Kissel Valley Farm in Lititz. (All photos courtesy of Wynridge Farm)

The Strasburg native is excited to have his product gain a foothold — even if temporary in Lancaster County.

“The growth that is happening in Lititz and Lancaster is incredible. It’s a great opportunity in a great community I know well,” said Groff. “If this goes well maybe next year there will be an opportunity to do something on a longer scale.”

Groff said Kissel Valley Farm — not to be confused with surrounding businesses brandishing the Kissel name — can accommodate more than 2,000 people. He approximates 500 people visited the pop-up beer and cider garden each day this past weekend.

“This is not a festival. We are open to the public, it’s free admission, and we’re hoping to push that information over the next week,” said Groff. “We have food trucks and two music blocks each day.”

The entertainment schedule for this weekend includes the acoustic pop sounds of Mark Lentz and a sure-to-be rockin’ appearance by Stu Huggens and the Black Hats on Saturday.

Windridge Farms has cute fluffy animals on its hard cider labels. They pride themselves on not using candy-like sweetners. The result is a fresh, clean, semisweet apple cider.

Acoustic one-man act Dennis McCaughey kicks things off on Sunday followed by the bluegrass act Troy Engle and Southern Skies. Engle, a Glen Rock native, is a Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, studio musician, and composer who has performed with Patty Loveless, Buddy Jewell, and The Isaacs.

Look for food from The Dog House Grill (specializing in jumbo, loaded hot dogs, gourmet burgers, and Italian sausages); Savory’s Pumpkin Funnel Cakes (‘nuff said) on Saturday; and BUZZ (the former downtown Lancaster quick-eats spot gone mobile), Baron von Schwein (yummy pork), and Bricker’s Famous French Fries on Sunday.

A full list of upcoming entertainers and food truck offerings can be found at wyndridge.com/crafty-beverages/beer-garden.

Cheers and thanks for reading!

Michael C. Upton is a freelance writer specializing in arts and leisure. He welcomes comments at somepromcu@gmail.com and facebook.com/SomebodiesProductions.

According to their menu, Wyndridge Farms’ Laughing Crow IPA i”s crafted with a generous amount of quality hops that brings balance to the sweet malts contained inside. The result is a harmony of floral hops mixed with caramel-tinged malty goodness. This IPA wil make you crow a little louder.”

You can’t go wrong with a chocolate lab, thought Steve and Julie Groff, owners of Wyndridge Farm Brewing. Barn Dog Chocolate Vanilla Imperial Porter’s popularity has proved them right. “The Barn Dog is dressed for success,” says Vincent Reedy, creative director of Holberg Design, which collaborates with Wyndridge on their packaging. “He looks a cut above the rest in his suit.”

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