Spirits: On Tap: Lancaster Brewing Company

Small-town breweries may be rare these days, but brewmaster Christian Heim and his partner, John Frantz, are doing their best to keep Lancaster Brewing Co. alive. Heim, who studied brewing in Chicago, arrived in Lancaster in the mid-’90s, drawn by the water (less chlorine + more minerals = good suds) and the region’s history, which is surprisingly ale-soaked, given its sober Amish rep. German immigrants first brought lager to Lancaster in the mid-1800s, and its endless fields of grain soon earned the town the nickname “The Munich of the U. S.” By the time Prohibition rolled around, there were 14 local breweries for the feds to shut down. Today, Lancaster Brewing is the only brewery in town, and it’s on a roll: The Hop Hog IPA, Strawberry Wheat and Milk Stout all won first-place prizes at A.C.’s Beer Festival last year. Find them tapped at the Flying Pig in Malvern.