Some of you may remember that The Lost Pint started out as a tour company; three years and 43 tours later, things have changed. I have been all around this region and met some great folks too! People from as far away as California, Hawaii and Poland, have been introduced to our history, our culture, and our wine, beer, and spirits, through The Lost Pint. I would drive people around to interesting historical locations, kinda like a field trip, and we would walk a little, talk a little, enjoy beautiful vistas of the Susquehanna River Valley, and of course stop and enjoy local wine, beer, spirits, and food. Times were good at the beginning, then things kinda fell into a slow roll. So, I changed my business plan. Now, The Lost Pint offers custom tour itinerary, that you can do on your own, for $39.
So, why visit us? Pennsylvania is a noted beer brewing state; the BBC recommends Pennsylvania as the place to start for touring breweries in the North Eastern region of the USA! Read the linked article above; they mention Harrisburg! The Lost Pint is headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; I was born and raised here. Pennsylvania produces alot of wine; we rank 4th in the nation. Pennsylvania ranks 6th for number of breweries in the nation. Conveniently, we humans benefit from the geology of this area; Pennsylvania water is excellent for brewing. Water has a lot to do with making quality beer. Central PA has an abundance of limestone and this benefits beer making by adding calcium to the water; yeast need this for healthy strong fermentation. I believe that Pennsylvania’s English and German heritage has also contributed to the proliferation of breweries in Pennsylvania. The Harrisburg-Philadelphia corridor manifests a clustering of quality breweries; there are more breweries in the Southeast region than any other part of the state! The Lost Pint is well positioned to exploit this clustering. The Lost Pint is an educational tour itinerary service that provides interesting field trip style learning experiences that allows you to get-to-know the area and learn about Pennsylvania history, beer, and wine.
Beer and Spirits
I have worked at three different microbreweries, one in Tucson, Arizona and two in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In May of 2017 I studied English Brewing techniques in Sunderland, England at Brewlab. I worked for a while as a distillers assistant at Crostwater Distillery. I also designed and built my personal 1/2 barrel home brewing system. I call my system "The Minimalist." The name is appropriate because the system is a stripped down, bare bones sort of setup that produces excellent results. I have served my beer at Crostwater Distillery in Lewisberry, PA.
Historical Construction
I worked with Sam Mckinney, through the Northern York County Historical Society, to build a stone and brick wood fired baking oven. This particular oven was built on the historic Alexander Shaeffer Farm (Shaefferstown, Pennsylvania) and is an example of a typical 18th century German-style "squirrel-tail" oven. The inspiration for the colloquial name is the oven flue design. The flue exits the rear of the oven and lays across the top of the dome; sort of like a squirrel's tail when sitting in the upright position holding a nut.
Teaching
I spent 3 years teaching Holocaust History, Cultural Anthropology and Middle East History at Central Penn College. It was at this time that I became acquainted with a Holocaust survivor. Hilda had been interned at Auschwitz; she was the only survivor from her family. Hilda agreed to allow me to coordinate a speaking engagement at Central Penn College. This event was covered by 2 local television news stations, several local news papers, and live streamed to the college's YouTube channel.
Writing
I participated in the transcription and editing of “The Civil War Memoir of Sgt. Christian Lenker, 19th Ohio Volunteers” and I have written several short stories concerning Polish civilian experiences during the WW2 era. I had the privilege to interview several women that lived in small farming villages in Poland when German troops from the West and Soviet troops from the East annexed their lands. These women participated in the clandestine Partisan movement that contributed to undermining Stalin and Hitler on the Eastern Front.
Education
I earned an MA in American Studies from Pennsylvania State University. My Master's thesis "Fly, Pigeon, Man; a Diatribe in Exile" documented my year long experience as an expat in Brussels, Belgium, and as a student at the Vrije Universitiet Brussel - Vesalius College. I also studied Architecture at Harrisburg Area Community College, and Art and Geology in Tucson, Arizona at Pima Community College.
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