Beck’s Ice Cream in The Avenues feeds your sense of discovery about York County, Pa.
This was the outside/in view of Beck’s Ice Cream in December 2008. The York, Pa., Daily Record/Sunday News photograph is taken from the Roosevelt Avenue side of the window. This photograph came soon after longtime owner Jerry Beck came back to the store after selling it in 2002. Previously, he had operated this York City landmark in The Avenues section of York since 1979. (See additional photograph below.) Also of interest: ‘Lady Linden’, of York’s Avenues neighborhood, gets full makeover and York-area full of memory-spawning landmarks and Lighthouse marks site of landmark Dover Township soft pretzel stand.
This blog attempts to feed viewers’ sense of discovery about York County.
That came to mind when I discovered a neat piece of York County at Beck’s Ice Cream in The Avenues section of York County.
Draft root beer, no doubt homemade.
A couple of weeks ago, a lunchmate at Beck’s, an iconic York County eatery, introduced me to the beverage. I didn’t imbibe then but came back a few days later for the express purpose of testing it out… .
The server pull a single tap on the counter near the ice cream and out foamed the brown drink. I plunked down $1.70 and nursed the drink for 20 minutes.
It had a different taste from the carbonated, bottled stuff you get all over, even homemade approximations like Stewart’s.
It was definitely root beer, and sported a slightly fermented taste, which I understand is distinctive to the brews that Pennsylvania Dutchmen have been making in their cellars for years.
It was delicious.
I went back for a second round – it was free – and asked for a half glass. The froth took up fully one-third of the glass, and the server said it would settle to the amount I requested.
But here’s the best part.
Beck’s serves its root beer in a frosted mug. The refill, too.
Where can you order root beer in a frosted mug nowadays?
Discovery accomplished.
Beck’s ice cream has been an icon of York County for decades.
Also of interest:
– All York Town Square posts from the start. Then use “find” function on browser to search for keywords.
– Of course, you can always search for York Town Square posts on Google. For example, when you search for yorktownsquare and the Avenues, you get this.
*Photos courtesy York Daily Record/Sunday News
