Mid State Trail Ale Debut at Elk Creek

Be among the first to try Elk Creek Café + Aleworks Mid State Trail Ale at the 40th Anniversary party for the Mid State Trail. 

On Sunday, July 12th, 2009 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM, the Mid State Trail Association is sponsoring a party in honor of the trail. All are invited to join the MSTA for this mixer and to share experiences on Pennsylvania’s wildest footpath.  A portion of the proceeds from each beer sold will be donated to the Mid State Trail Association.

Mid State Trail Ale is a Northern English Brown Ale, described by brewer Tim Yarrington as a beer with a profile designed for balance in a quote for the Summer 2009 MSTA newsletter, the ‘Brushwhacker’:

“The Northern English Brown Ale style is a rich yet approachable English style ale, brewed with English malt and Fuggle hops. The Mid State Trail Ale will be well balanced, with moderate alcohol content, making it a drinkable and satisfying beer.”

Brown Ales pair well with all types of foods, but I will highly recommend the tofu sautéed with spinach and caramelized onions, any trout dish available or Chicken Liver Toast. Also for sale that day will be the trail map and guide.

Make a day, or a weekend, of it – take a hike and go for the beer!  

The Mid State Trail System (MST) is Pennsylvania’s longest and wildest footpath, suitable for day-hiking and backpacking. It is now more than 300 miles in length, beginning at the Mason-Dixon Line near Artemas, and traveling through the Seven Mountains and Pennsylvania Wilds Regions to end in Tioga County. It travels through the Bald Eagle State Forest, including Harry John’s picnic area, Poe Paddy State Park or R.B. Winter State Park – all within 30 minutes drive of Millheim.

Wolaver Beer at The Wave (Disney Contemporary Resort)

Our first meal at Disney World was outstanding. We went to The Wave at the Contemporary Resort, where I was looking forward to the flight of Orlando Brewing organic ales they advertised on the website. Not that I thought they would be very special – probably not as interesting as some other beers, but more interesting than a regular A-M-C line-up.

As it turns out, The Wave JUST (like, in the last month) changed their organic beer carrier, and it’s now Wolaver ales from Middlebury, VT – the organic line of Otter Creek Brewing Company. Last night on the menu, they had the Pale Ale, Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout.

Hearing this news, I decided not to pay Disney prices for beer I know I have either had or can get elsewhere, but I was pleased to see the quality of beer was worthy of such a nice restaurant.

We chose a lovely wine for the table, which paired well with my “Sustainable Fish of the Day” over edamame stew with cilantro chutney (this was outstanding!)  I enjoyed the multi-grain bread with red wine sea salt butter, and mini-deserts like lemon yogurt sorbet with blueberry compote and chocolate-mint mousse made for a nice finish.

We don’t even go into the parks until Tuesday, and already, it’s simply magical!

Coffee Bender on Demand!

One of my favorite beers will soon be available in cans – and hopefully in our own cellar! Surly Brewing Company, which won’t be able to sell growlers anymore due to some strange Minnesota law that prohibits breweries who produce more than 3500 barrels a year from selling growlers, is moving Coffee Bender into cans.

When we were in Minneapolis last March, we talked to Todd, who said this was a possibility. I’m glad to hear it’s a reality, and it’s reported very well at the Beer News site.

A Librarian, a Barbarian and a Growler of Ale

To compensate for a week of overworking (several missed lunch hours and one 14-hour day), I left the office early on Friday afternoon in search of adventure. And since D was also free, we agreed it should be a beer adventure! We headed north to Williamsport to check out Bavarian Barbarian Brewing Company, which, if you’ve read other postings on this blog, you’ll know has been a site of curiosity for me for months now.

It’s great seeing the neighborhood improving westward on Third Street. The row houses have restored fronts, the old furniture store is now a bright office supply store, there is a gallery and a diner and now…Bavarian Barbarian! It is located directly across the street from CA Reed Party Supplies and there is plenty of on street parking. Look for the metal sign above the entrance door (between Mom’s Deli & Diner and Holy Ghost Carwash), go straight down the hall through the door at the end, into a coat room, and through another door, and walk into the 9000 square foot work of art!

  

I remember this building as a car dealership, but we were told it has also served as a food bank (giving it a great floor structure for the brewery) and alfalfa growing house (supplying a perfect cooling room.) Barbarian Chief Mike Hiller has transformed the space into an attractive and full-functional brewery. His bought-new equipment is organized in straight lines across the far right wall, displayed dramatically with colored theatre lights (Kira offered to turn on the overhead fluorescents for better photos, but I liked it just the way it was!) The brewing area is sectioned off from the tasting area by the clean lines of metal railing and bartop littered with interesting local and beer-related literature. The tasting room space, at approximately 600 square feet, has beautiful yellow-orange walls with a huge Bavarian Barbarian logo painting and a tasteful grouping of memorabilia spanning Mike’s history and his future. There are plenty of comfy chairs, as well as red-topped bar stools in the tasting area.

   

Kira (Mike’s wife) was our host for our very first visit. She was extremely welcoming and took lots of time to share all she could with us. On his ten-barrel system, Mike is currently producing two ales, but plans to expand the line to five and will begin to include some seasonals…all in due time, though.  One of the great things for the visitor/consumer about this being a brewery/manufacturing facility (as opposed to a brewpub with on-site consumption) is that the PLCB will allow tasting sizes up to 12 oz, and that Mike believes this is the ideal size for assessing his product. Beers can be purchased on-site by the growler (and Bavarian Barbarian has a deposit program on their own growlers, so if you don’t want to add another one to your collection, you don’t have to!), sixtels and half-barrel kegs.

The beers are currently on tap in 14 Williamsport locations, and also in Lewisburg. A distributor from the Hazelton area (is it Quality Beverage?) also picked up their product recently. It’s important to note, however, that it sounds like Mike is not committed to using any single distributor just now, rather focusing on the quality of his product and getting it out locally. Another future dream (which I can’t wait to see a become a reality) is the canning of his product. With pioneers like Oskar Blues, 21st Amendment, Sly Fox, Caldera Brewing Company and Surly, it is becoming acceptable to beer drinkers, and it is certainly more friendly to the environment. As Mike was quick to point out, the number of people who come to the Williamsport area to enjoy the outdoors could do so in a safer and more light-weight way with cans. Also, cans cost less in terms of fossil fuel expenditure when transporting (less weight; less surface area), are generally made from recycled material and easily recycled, and don’t require extras such as labeling, adhesives and caps.

Okay, so back to the first visit – Kira was a wonderful hostess and we met one of the investors who had lots of good things to say. We filled a growler, and then headed out.  The reason we couldn’t meet Mike during that visit is that he was at a book signing.  Had I known the book signing was none other than Tom Bailey, author of “The Grace that Keeps this World” and the signing was being held at Otto’s Bookstore – one of my favorite places in all of bookstore world – we would have high-tailed it down there.  Instead, we went to Bullfrog Brewery, where it was very crowded, but we found a spot at the bar where we enjoyed Blue Collar Brown on cask and talked with Steve for quite some time. But what we couldn’t get at Bullfrog was the beer my dad wanted us to fill his growler with.

So…at 7:30 we headed back to the Bavarian Barbarian where we were tickled to see Mike behind the counter! (D whispered to me, in an excited sort of way, “this might take awhile!”) We had a great visit with Mike, keeping him there too long engaged in conversation, and got a second growler filled. He’s a really animated and interesting fellow with a passion for the Williamsport area and for the beer. After meeting him, I hope more than before for success of this brewery. He gives a good name to good beer.

I’ll write about the beers later, and add some photos and links to this post, but for the moment, I need to hit the road for a firkin tapping of Nugget Nectar!

Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks

The so-often-mentioned-by-me “golden triangle of beer” in Central PA has become a trapezoid. That is my official position after spending Saturday night at Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks in Millheim, PA.  Tim Bowser, an owner, joked with me that perhaps it is now more like the Bermuda Triangle, which may be true as people taking the time to visit Selin’s Grove, Bullfrog and Otto’s will be drawn into the center to take in Elk Creek.

The PLCB came through late last Friday, and Elk Creek had a quiet opening.  Sam Komlenic reported the details of his visit and tour to Lew Bryson, but because of a heavy work and vacation schedule last week and my focus on Christmas shopping and Firkin Friday at Selin’s Grove, I wasn’t keeping up on my reading.  I learned about it via text message this weekend, and just happen to be staying less than 30 miles away so I jumped on the opportunity and my parents came right along.

Knowing the area well, I was surprised by the metropolitan flair of this place (the last great restaurant in the area – The Hummingbird Room – closed in 2005.) It’s a few doors down from the quaint Millheim Hotel where, at least when I was growing up, the salad bar is in a claw-foot bathtub (another interesting fact – this circa 1794 hotel is haunted by the mistress of President Millard Fillmore.) It, too is a fun spot to dine, but it’s charming in a small-town kind of way.

From the large windows of the Elk Creek Cafe, I watched at least three Amish horse and buggies pass by the other two restaurants on the main street – Brownies Valley Tavern and The Pizza Shop. Their polished black boxes connected by strong wood and leather strappings to a single horse offered a glimpse of women and children wrapped in blankets and men in suspenders and black dress hats. I challenge you to name another brewpub where you can see that!

Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks is located in the former Equinox Cafe location – it can’t be missed in such a small town, but just in case you decide to visit, the intersection is routes PA-45 and PA-445 (the only stoplight in town) and the address is 100 W. Main Street.  The street view is full floor-to-ceiling windows and the brightness of the interior lights up the downtown. It has a beautiful yellow glow, which reflects off the honey wood floors, and colorful displays artwork throughout the restaurant add an interesting aspect to the otherwise simple decor. There is a real feeling of openness to the restaurant – we weren’t crowded, although the tables were nearly full.

    

We did not sit at the bar, but it looked very nice with the handmade cherry and iron barstools.  The beer menu was on the table, and a chalkboard presentation of the beers and specials was on the wall. The food menu was printed just for the weekend, and I assume this will be a trend, as they feature fresh, local products (seen in italics where I’ve copied the menu at the end of this post.) In addition to “fresh and local”, this place features some of my other favorite buzzwords: organic, smoke-free and vegan. Chef Mark Johnson describes the his preparation style as Nouveau Dutchie Cuisine.

Brewer Tim Yarrington, who was dining two tables away with his family (but I was too shy/polite to interrupt them), has outdone the Penns Valley beer scene with his nice selection of ales. I didn’t ask if there are plans to put on a cask, but heard there are plans to expand the number and variety of offerings. I also am left wondering about the ABVs and IBUs…  Five beers were on tap yesterday, served in 5 oz glasses for $1 or pints for $3.95.  The selections were:

Winkleblink Ale– a light, perhaps kolsch-style, ale named for a nearby mountain. On the map, you will see it as Winklebleck Mountain in the Bald Eagle State Forest (the Mid-State Trail crosses this mountain when hiking from Hairy John’s picnic area to Raymond B. Winter State Park), but because of a lighted tower, the locals know it as “Winkleblink Mountain.”  The name is a bit esoteric, and should they ever look to rename it, let me offer up “Winklebleck Light.”

Great Blue Heron Pale Ale – an American Pale Ale that didn’t quite meet my expectations for flavor. It was lighter in color and lacking in the hop flavor and aroma that I expect in a Pale. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy it – I did – I just didn’t like it enough to indulge in a pint.

Elk Creek Copper Ale – this is the kind of flavor I’m looking for in a session beer. It had a stronger hop profile than the Pale, and the darker color was visually more appealing.  Toffee sweetness complimented the floral aroma.  Elk Creek, by the way, is an important area waterway which once hosted mills and now provides recreation through kayaking and fly fishing.

Brookie Brown Ale– the big surprise of the night! Pop usually avoids browns (too sweet!), but based on the description, decided to try it. His first pint was a mis-pour of the Copper and he had to send it back, so when the Brown arrived looking much like the Porter, we suspected another mistake.  Not so! This did not have the hop aroma or full-bodied roastiness of the porter, but the chocolate and caramel malts kept the flavor strong and the color dark. It was an excellent and atypical brown ale.

Poe Paddy Porter– nostalgia abounded in the name alone, and then we tasted this beer based on Tim Yarrington’s GABF award winning porter recipe. It is a perfect porter – dark, smooth and roasty with an extra hint of hops in the aroma and the finish. It could only be better if only it were on cask…  I had my pint of porter with desert, and it really complimented the bread pudding (a small slice of bread pudding (which didn’t have the taste or texture of old bread!) topped with raisin sauce, citrus zest and vanilla ice cream.) Poe Paddy is a favorite local State Park on Penns Creek and near the Paddy Mountain Railroad Tunnel, which is a favorite Mid-State Trail day hike or bike ride for our family.

Our meals were just as good as the atmosphere and the beer. We started with the chicken liver toast – a lovely pate preparation best shared by the three of us. It was a wonderful treat that melted in my mouth. Pop had the Steak Frites (a pasture-raised grilled strip steak served with steak butter and  a generous portion of fries with aioli.) Nana had the pasture-raised burger, also served with the hand-cut fries. I had the potato-crusted wild Alaskan salmon, which was balanced over roast beet cubes and topped with horseradish sour cream and chives. It was perfect in flavor, but the presentation was lacking (dramatic, yet it looked lonely on such a big plate – a few greens or something scattered on the side would make all the difference!)

Our only real complaint was the waitress assigned to our table. The other wait staff seemed to be very friendly and efficient, but ours was inattentive, extremely soft-spoken, and generally not prepared to work with the public.

Two things I neglected to do is find out a phone number for this place, and whether or not they fill growlers. All of my searches for phone numbers come up with numbers for the Equinox (it rings busy at all times), and two personal phone numbers which I found on things like the State Inspection report. I’ll want to know those things eventually.

If I lived near Millheim, I would visit at every opportunity.  As a beer traveler, I hope to get back as often as possible.

TAVERN TAPAS

• Cream of Broccoli + Parsley w/ Cheddar Soup
• Elk Creek Flatbread + Hummus w/ Kalama Olives (vg)
• Belgian Style Hand-Cut Fries + Elk CreekAioli or Tofu Mayo (vg)
• Olive Salad Bruschetta (vg)
• Mac + Frank + Fontina
• House-Cured Gravlox + Poppy Crackers w/ Dijon Drizzle
• Local Apple, Bacon, Cheddar + Baby Lettuce Salad
• Roast Beet Salad w/ Toasted Caraway Vinaigrette (vg)
• Mixed Baby Greens, choice of Vinaigrettes (vg) 

ELK CREEK ENTREES

• Pasture-Raised Burger + Hand-Cut Fries w/ Elk Creek Aioli
• Roasted Pepper + Marinated Portabella Sandwich w/ Hummus Mayo
• Valley Ham + Swiss on Gemelli Ciabatta
• Fillet of Beef Salad w/ Grilled Gemelli Ciabatta, Mixed Lettuces + Roasted Peppers
• Bucatini w/ Elk Creek Puttanesca (vg)
• Pasture-Raised Grilled Strip Steak + Fries w/ Elk Creek Aioli + Steak Butter
• Butter-Basted Over the Moon Farm Chicken w/ Broccoli + House-cured Hog Jowl + Potato Gnochi 
• Tender Callahan Pork Shoulder + Pork Belly w/ Butter Beans + Roasted Root Vegetable
• Skillet Trout w/ Crispy Potatoes in a Brown Butter, Capers, + Lemon Pan Sauce  
• Potato-Crusted Wild Alaskan Salmon, Horseradish Sour Cream + Chives w/ Roast Beets

Countdown to Christmas – Week 1

The first 7 days on the Advent Calendar of Beer

Dec. 1  – St. Bernardus Christmas Ale in a bottle (Brouwerij St. Bernard)

Dec. 2  – 2007 St. Fillian’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale (aka Barleywine) on Cask (Selin’s Grove Brewing Co.)

Dec. 3  – Bush de Noël – Scaldis Noel (Dubuisson)

Dec. 4  – Razz Merry (Selin’s Grove Brewing Co.) – a brown ale made with raspberries; had it straight up, and also in a 1:2 blend with Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout

Dec. 5  – Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2006 (Anchor Brewing Co.)

Dec. 6  – Samichlaus Bier 2003 (Schloss Eggenberg)  This beer gets a special mention since it is brewed only once a year on December 6.  We drank it to honor this year’s batch.  According to the Guinness Book of Records, it is the strongest lager beer in the world with 14 % alcohol and 32° original extract content.

Dec. 7  – New York Lights Christmas Ale (Brutal Deluxe Brewing)  This is our homebrew, and one of two Christmas beers we brewed in 2007.  This particular beer was brewed during a camping trip at Watkins Glen, and the flavor was enhanced with orange zest, cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger.  Right now, the ginger is a bit overpowering, but we’re hoping it will mellow a bit.  It did have a really nice head and a beautiful amber glow.

Barley’s Taproom (Asheville, NC)

We had some time to kill before we could get into our hotel, so we headed downtown to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria.  It was easy to find parking in the lot just down the hill, which has designated spaces for the public, and a ticket machine to pay for the space with coins, dollars or credit card.  Barley’s is in a 1920’s appliance store – a large open space on the first floor with beautiful old wood, and a terrific large bar.  There are 45 taps total (25 taps on the main level; an additional 20 in the smoky upstairs billiard area), and there are only a few repeats. Barley’s charges no cover for music, and is non-smoking until 10:00 PM. 

We had a very friendly staff member at the bar, who allowed us small tastes of a few things before making our choices, and when we ordered our glasses, we enjoyed the following:

Catawba Valley Whiskey Brown (7% ABV; from Glen Alpine, NC), which had the obvious flavor of whisky coming through, but I also tasted “tootsie roll” and cinnamon, and found it was a reminiscent of Old Chub.  This brown ale is barrel-aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels for six months and cask conditioned for secondary fermentation, then blended with younger beer.

Vortex 1 I³PA from Pisgah Brewing Company (10.8% ABV; 133 IBUs – served in a 10 oz glass), which had the nose of Tang (instant orange beverage), and a nice dry flavor.  There was not a hint of citrus/grapefruit to this beer, made with Chinook and Nugget hops (one pound of dry hops per barrel.)

Catawba Valley Firewater IPA (5.6% ABV), which I don’t recall having much to say about other than, “Hmmm…that’s good.”  It had a memorable copper color and flavor that would make it “almost” a session beer were it not for the alcohol content; it had five varieties of malt and six hop additions.

While finishing off our pints, we overheard a couple asking for “the new beer store”, which we quickly determined was Bruisin’ Ales.  We gave them directions (just down the street), and I shared my digital photos so they would know what to look for.  When they left, we noticed that Nate Merchant (of Hart Distributing) was sitting at the bar doing some work, and we invited him to come down.  It was great to chat with him for just a few minutes and learn about the import, premium and craft brewed beers that can be found in North Carolina, as well as the process of getting them there.  We really appreciated the time he took to explain it all – with the changing laws from state to state, and so many tricks to the industry, it’s sometimes difficult to make sense of it all.

Foothills Brewing Company (Winston-Salem, NC)

A major accident closing I-81 caused us to reroute our trip, and instead we took the slower but more beautiful trip on US 29 to I-40 into Winston-Salem.  D made our lodging arrangements in advance, so we checked in and quickly headed off to dinner at Foothills Brewing Company (we were pleased to learn that the kitchen remained open until 11, and the place would be open until 2 AM with live music.

Foothills was easily located under the towering GMAC building, and right next to a lunch counter with antique pretzel cans (many from locations near our home) lining the window.  Inside, Foothills, which opened on St. Patrick’s Day in 2004, was a large, open space – very warehouse in appearance with a large brick wall, and lots of open seating.  The bar and band area is tucked toward the back, and with the lower ceiling design, the noise, joyful as it may be, was contained to that area.  We were greeted by an extremely friendly fellow named Ben, who we later learned works in distributing to many areas, including Asheville. Our waiter, Che, was an extremely pleasant and helpful fellow.  We didn’t get to meet the Jamie, the brewer, because he’d gone to
Florida.

We ate well, and we drank well.  I had a beautiful salad of greens topped with soft, fried, cashew-encrusted chevre cheese and garnished with oranges, snow peas on a layer of citrus vinaigrette with rosemary.  I should have stopped there, but I also ordered a cup of chili (very thick and meaty…more than my liking, but oh, so nicely spiced!) and unfortunately for my waistline, helped D with this mountain of beer-battered onion rings.  They were thick and creamy – the kind that just melt in your mouth – and served with homemade catsup.  Additionally, he had a wonderful plate of shrimp and grits.  The shrimp was done in a lovely tomato-based sauce, and the grits were creamed with cheese.  It was a spicy yet succulent dish.

Foothills offers a sample tray of the six regular brews, but I knew I didn’t want anything “golden” or a pilsner when there was a double IPA and imperial stout on the menu.  So I created my own sample tray of four ales (IPA, Stout, Porter and Festive (IBA)), then had a 10 oz of the Seeing Double IPA. D had a pint of the ESB, followed by a 10 oz of the Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout (specifics on the beers follow this posting.)

Everything we had at Foothills was enjoyable.  Everything was well done, and the overall experience at this brewpub was notable.  One of my favorite observations was the staff.  Ben and Che were both attentive and knowledgeable wait staff, but it was after we left our table and went to the bar that they really impressed me. 

They don’t just work at Foothills – they are patrons of the place, and enjoy hanging out drinking the local brew after hours.  And knowing we were out-of-towners, they took additional time to come talk to us about the beers, the town and advise us on the next few days of our trip.  They made us feel welcome, not just as new customers, but as new friends to the area.  And it was obvious that they many of the people were good friends and good customers.

The music was pleasant (single guy with acoustic guitar and vocals), the beers were satisfying (Seeing Double was excellent; Hoppyum was worthy of a shirt purchase for me, while D chose the Total Eclipse Stout shirt for the bird/beer combination artwork.)

Hoppyum IPA    6.75%
Total Eclipse Stout    7.0%;  44 IBUs
Rainbow Trout ESB   4.5%;  38 IBUs
Porter – bitterness from roasted malt
Festive IBA   7% – bitterness from hops
Seeing Double IPA   9.5%; 110 IBUs
Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout  10.5% – aroma is flammable!  This beer is smooth with chocolate, but not ovepowering.

Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, Farmville NC

How very lucky for us that Duck-Rabbit was brewing on Friday, and accepted us as visitors!  This crude-on-the-outside building on the edge of town is a sparkling vision on the inside.  The smell of brewing came wafting out the doors, and it was fabulous to meet the friendly guys inside.

Paul (the owner and head brewer) and Ken (the self-described crazy homebrewer and right-hand man) are masters of the craft and extremely personable guys.  They run a great operation, and focus on dark beers.  Paul is a philosopher (formerly a professor, if I understood correctly), and Siebel graduate.  He’s been brewing for 20 years, and worked in Cincinnati and Louisville (Pipkin – now defunct) before opening this facility with a 20-barrel brew kettle.

They can’t sell on the premisis, but pointed us in the direction to where we could purchase Duck-Rabbit products.  But we were offered tastings of the four standard brews.  Here are a few (brief) impressions:

• * Amber – good tasting American amber; high in carbonation
• * Porter – really enjoyable; dark, roasty and a smooth oiliness in the mouthfeel
• * Brown Ale – my favorite of all the ales; full hoppy flavor – made with Amarillo (YUM!) and Saaz hops, it had a fabulous aroma and equally pleasing flavor; not an English Brown, but a hopped-up good ol’ American brown
• * Milk Stout – the subtle sweetness of this stout gave it a bright, lively flavor

We learned that the Brown Ale is made with a process called First Wort Hopping (FWH), which was a new concept to both of us.  It raises the IBU’s without creating an overpowering hop aroma or bitterness, resulting in a more balanced beer.  Perhaps that is the other reason I liked it so much.

We also learned about the seasonals: Barleywine (made with 95% Amarillo hops) in the winter, Rabid Duck Imperial Stout in the spring, Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale in the summer and Baltic Porter in the fall.

I hope to get photos up as soon as we get home…we’ll see if that happens!

Blind Tiger Brewery (Topeka, KS)

The morning was so nice! After a cooling overnight shower, things were greener and extremely pleasant. Tim treated us to his home roasted coffee, and his mom made pancakes for all of us. It was a great time to chat with her, and relax a little.

By 11:30 AM, we were ready to get out to do something, and our first stop was Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant. This place was named for prohibition era custom of exhibiting stuffed tigers in the window to indicate that bootleg alcohol was available. And although they closed an hour early on Monday night, they opened an hour early on Tuesday.