Williamsport, PA (Muncy Bank Ballpark at Bowman Field and Bullfrog Brewing Co.)

Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field

Team: Williamsport Crosscutters

Affiliate: N/A (MLB Draft League)

Ballpark Basics: Head to the town with two historic ballparks!   

 

Most baseball fans equate Williamsport with the Little League World Series. The annual tournament has been held in Williamsport since 1947. However, Bowman Field predates the LLWS by over 40 years. Opening in 1926, Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field is the second oldest ballpark in all of MiLB.    

For a historic ballpark, Bowman Field has gone through a number of changes throughout the years. Extensive renovations took place in 2017 before the inaugural MLB Little League Classic, in which two MLB teams play at Bowman Field during the Little League World Series. This included new turf, new seating, new bullpens, and even renovated dugouts. 

Even with all of the renovations, Bowman Field just exudes a historic feel. The large covered grandstand with the steel trusses, the tiny pressbox, and the neighborhood houses that dot the landscape behind the outfield fences give the ballpark a classic feel. 

Best Spot For Beer:

The main concession stand is on the concourse behind home plate with your typical macro choices. During the most recent renovation the Crosscutters added Logger’s Landing, a new concession and bar area down the right field line where there are four taps with local beers. However, the craft beer stand on the third base concourse has six local options to choose from.  

 

Bonus Ballpark:

While Lamade Stadium gets all of the attention for hosting the Little League World Series (and it is a beautiful ballpark worthy of a visit while in town) make sure to cross the street from Bowman Field to see Carl E. Stotz Field where the original Little League World Series was held in 1947.

Williamsport is a town rich in baseball history.  There aren’t too many places left that you can find one, let alone two historic ballparks. For this reason alone, Williamsport is worth the trip for any baseball fan.     

 

Bullfrog Brewery

Rating: Double

Brew Basics: A Jekyll and Hyde a “tale of two breweries” type of night.

These days, when searching for local craft beer, even a smaller town like Williamsport still had a couple spots to choose from.  We selected the most well-established and well-known of these, Bullfrog. 

Things started off very well.  Bullfrog is eclectic and has a fun vibe. Lots of light wood and black high top tables are about the most tame part of the decor.  From there the colors get loud and fun.  There are shorter purple cloth covered dining tables under glass tops, rope lights, funky 1970’s curtains in various shades of red, yellow and orange, bright green walls, a mirrored bar back, gold tray ceiling, crazily cut wood taps and of course the requisite disco ball.  The quirky building also has good food, with plenty of vegetarian and alternative diet options which adds to feel that you’re finding something unexpected in the small Pennsylvania town.  

Conversation and beers were flowing when all of a sudden the band who had been setting up in the back corner starts playing. The music was blasting, killing all conversation and the music was terrible – to the point that people moved to the other end of the building or left altogether (it’s a small space, there weren’t too many places to escape to).  Even the band themselves noticed and while they had a good sense of humor about it, it didn’t cause them to turn down the amp.

Brew Breakdown:

Fortunately before the night turned and reminded us we are getting old, we had plenty of time to make our way through our sampler. A flight at Bullfrog will run you around $10 and consists of seven different beers of your choosing.  While you drink you can check out their visible brew works, which looked to be made up of nine tanks, five lauter tuns and four fermenters. The flight was brought out in the order we ordered it, so we did our best to arrange and imbibe in appropriate order. True to form, Bullfrog beers are just as eclectic as the brewery itself…

Funny Farmhouse Brut with Blackberries 5.5 ABV – The Brut is a dry version of a regular cider that tastes like champagne but with a tart berry finish.  It smells like the color pink and though it has many similarities to champagne it is not sparkly.  It would be a nice porch drinking beer, but you’d almost have to be more in a wine mood to drink it.

Beach House Wheat 5.5 ABV – A citrus colored wheat ale that has been steeped with pineapple, orange and banana.  Although not usually a big fruit beer drinkers, we found this one to be an easy-drinker.  The bouquet is pineapple and banana, almost no orange.  The palate reflects this as well, and while both start out a bit sweet they are not cloyingly fruity.

Vous et Moi 7.0 ABV Described by Bullfrog as a “rural ale fermented with 100% wild yeast”.  Vous et Moi has a golden ale color and very little smell.  It has a light front and a sour finish that’s lightly tart and lemony without much in between.  It was not very substantial, and our least favorite of our pours.

That Red Ale 6.0 ABV – Syrup colored, sweet, malty and medium filtered.  A light upfront flavor builds to a soft malt taste that is slightly dry.  Nothing special, a standard, drinkable red.

Stout – Strange, frothy but long-lasting head. A good smell that is a mix of tiny coffee and tiny malts.  This is a very thin beer that begins to taste like a stout in the middle, but then finishes bitterly. Overall just a watery stout.

Thistle Missile 8.5 ABV – A Belgian Scotch ale steeped with cognac chips.  The Missile has a caramel or toffee ale color and smells faintly of liquor.  The sip has a grain scotch front and a liquor back and it’s warm going down.  It has a lot going on and was just too much like taking a shot to drink much of.

Edgar IPA 8% ABV – Thin traditional IPA that is gold with no lacing.  A light blended hop aroma lends a pleasant aroma that’s not strong but not faint either.  In fact, it had the strongest bouquet of any of the beers listed here.  Edgar is a hop centered, medium bodied IPA with a floral hop finish.  Light but good, and doesn’t taste high gravity.

 

Bullfrog Brewery

229 W 4th Street

Williamsport, PA 17701

(570) 326-4700