Well ... I made it to a few of the recommended places.
Iron Hill ... decent beer, but thought the food was a bit over priced for what it was.
Dispensing Co ... great atmosphere, but the food was so-so and only had 7 beers on tap (but did have some good local stuff).
Lancaster Brewing... the best of the ones I visited. The beer was great (I liked their Octoberfest the best) and the food was spot on for the atmosphere and price. If I lived in Lancaster, I'd probably spend too much time there
I had some Stoudts in bottles (a double IPA: thought the alcohol was a bit 'hot', and the Octoberfest which (IMO) was much better balanced.
Also tried the Troegenator double bock from Troegs ... nice caramelly notes and deceptively smooth at ~8% ABV. I'll have to try more of their beers next time I'm in PA.
Bummed that it's hard to buy less than a case at a time in PA ... would have liked to hit some bottle shops to explore more local brews.
Thanks for all the recommendations!