Flagship February daily feature - Tired Hands SaisonHands

Today's featured Flagship Beer of February comes from one of the Philadelphia region's most sought after breweries of at least the last 5 years. In my travels around our country's beer world, the reference brewery question I hear most often when I mention where I hail from is, let's say 8 out of 10 times, Tired Hands.

Owner Jean Broillet made his way from Weyerbacher through Iron Hill before deciding to strike out on his own, choosing Ardmore as home to his long-percolating plan for Tired Hands. And the beer fans quickly caught on to the brewery's frequent releases and mind-bending names that accompanied the flavorful and unique beers - most of them either yeast-driven or hop-focused - that boosted the Tired Hands name and cachet.

Today, the Tired Hands family includes the original Brew Café, Fermentaria, the General Store, The Dispensary, and, as of just this last week, the announcement of an intended satellite in the Kensington river ward neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Saison has long been one of my most dependable, year-round, go-to styles. For my personal palate, both in the glass and when paired with foods, its versatility and complexity rarely disappoints. This Tired Hands version fits the bill perfectly and is the only saison from a local brewery to make this list of 28 as a Flagship.

Now click the picture below for a full feature on Tired Hands SaisonHands.

If you're just jumping in during the middle of this and want to know what this is all about, link back here to see the Flagship February overview as well as an ongoing list of all beers I'm featuring during the month of February.

Disclosure: For this project, I solely created the list of 28 beers featured here on The Brew Lounge. I was in contact with each brewery and neither required nor requested complimentary samples. I purchased this beer at Tired Hands when visiting for an afternoon session with friends.

---

---

© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2019. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

---

---

Beer News You Should Know - continued

In addition to the newsroll I sent up for you yesterday, here are two that I omitted from the January/February timeframe and one that just hit the wire this week.

Tired Hands - From the sounds of things, the lines are exactly what you'd expect them to be at Tired Hands. But, good news for those that want a non-growler package of THBC beer to go that holds up nicely in a can — and pounders at that. Must find my way into a few of these gems myself in the very near future. [Link to Philadelphia Magazine/Foobooz]

Tröegs - Hershey is so darn lucky to have Tröegs that I would consider moving there if only for the brewery, not to mention the couple dozen other great reasons. After 4+ years growing into this new brewery (after moving from Harrisburg in 2011), Tröegs is ready to expand again. This new addition will be called Splinter Cellar — love the name — and hopefully it will come with some additional parking space! [Link to Tröegs' blog]

Ship Bottom - The Delaware County Ship Bottom brewery has been making some respectable size waves the last few years from the modest brewery in Wallingford. Plans to move the brewery to its naming inspiration — Long Beach Island, NJ — are nearing completion and the Beach Haven shore point will be an even better destination for it come this June. [Link to Philadelphia Business Journal]

---

---

Beer News You Can Use, 10/31/2014

For your consumption, here's a mashup of what I've read, what I've heard, and what I've tasted in the past week. As I mentioned last week as I began to revitalize this feature, the primary focus will be on the greater Philadelphia region first, extending outward as it seems interesting or necessary.

Beer "of the week"
Another canned option of a beer in the 5% ABV range has presented itself to me as a potential yearly occupant of my cooler. Not only does the Otter Creek Overgrown Pale Ale come packaged in a can bearing an image of old friend (from Dogfish Head days) Mike Gerhart, the liquid inside is quite perfect for everything that the fall brings: bonfires; tailgating; post-yard work sessions; post-exercise rehydration; and end of season picnics.

In fact, the first can of the case I purchased helped chase down some crack-and-eat crabs spread across the table a few weeks ago. It's hop-forward but in a citrus, sweet, and only slightly bitter way. This can be a crowd-pleaser for seasoned beer lovers and newbies alike (my test case confirms this).

Openings
I've enjoyed the Mad Mex's in Pittsburgh, State College, and University City (Philly). In the hoopla of finishing the manuscript a few months ago, I must've missed the opening in Wynnewood, just across Philly's western city line. [Mad Mex]

Closures
If you read this when it "publishes" around 1 p.m. today (Friday Oct. 31), you should likely find me at Nodding Head for a long lunch helping them drain some kegs prior to shutting down business on Sansom Street later tonight. This condition is only expected to be temporary as the brewpub begins its relocation efforts elsewhere in the city.

It's been a great run in Center City, but I think I speak for many that look forward to owner Curt Decker, brewer Gordon Grubb, and the entire crew establishing something new and even better in one of the city's lauded neighborhoods. Here's a link to a trip down memory lane at Nodding Head with some words, pictures, and videos.

Coming Soon
A bit more current is the opening this coming week of City Tap House near Logan Circle in the former home Dock Street. [City Tap House]

And coming a bit further down the pike is the SawTown Tavern, part ownership coming from Mike "Scoats" Scotese of The Grey Lodge and Hop Angel Brauhaus. [Jack Curtin]

Interesting reading
This is just as germane, if not more so, today as it was over three years ago. The only one I can't really get behind is number ten. [Ding's Beer Blog]

I can vouch, as I think many can, for Calagione's continued relentless and passionate hands-on pursuit of great beer at Dogfish Head. [Dogfish Head]

Major Announcements
The arrival of the brewhouse in Ardmore means that Iron Hill is creeping toward opening its eleventh location in the next couple of months. [Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant]

Upcoming Events
This weekend sees a bunch of beer events around the region. A couple of big ones stick out. One in the city at Bishop's Collar (Sun.) and one just outside the city in Hulmeville at the Hulmeville Inn (Sat.)

---

---

Tired Hands, Construction Update #5

(FarmHands and HopHands, two Tired Hands beers that you should be seeing plenty of and enjoying plenty)

Tired Hands is so close to opening that you can smell it. Literally.

Owner Jean Broillet is readying eight beers for tap lines that will flow his tasty brew house creations on opening day. The opening will be rather "soft" with a grander opening coming in June.

My last stop prior to heading off to Belgium came two weeks ago when he and his crew were sanding wood floors, brewing beer, and awaiting the last inspection which should be coming any day now and for which all signs point to an opening day before the end of the month.

Here are a few pictures from my last visit at the beginning of May. I'll look forward to seeing you there in June.

(Signs of progress and creativity are all around Tired Hands Brewing Company)

(In the cold box with HopHands on makeshift tap)

(The first floor bar and tap tower)

(The first floor bar)

(Second floor being turned into a very comfortable space)

(From the second floor staircase looking down on the first floor bar)

(At work on Foliage)

(Broillet channeling his creativity circa 2006 in the foothills of the Adirondacks)

Tired Hands, Construction Update #4

Follow this link to Google+ and 20 more pictures

As is the way with many new breweries today, Tired Hands has worked the social (and free) media quite well to its advantage.

Owner Jean Broillet has kept up via a website/blog and Facebook with details and pictures of his progress from various assistant brewer/cellarman/server positions to owner of a barn-kept brewery to proud proprietor of a suburban brew cafe, due to open (pending final inspections, of course) sometime around the middle of May.

Jean posted two days ago just how very close he is to opening the doors of his dream to share with all.

I'll be away during that time and Broillet mentioned that he won't be able to hold back the opening until I return, so I stopped in this past weekend for a last look. Though, with the Cricket Lane festival on 4/28, I may yet get one more last look with even more final-looking pictures to share with you.

To keep this brief — I know how many of you snicker in my attempts to do so — I'll leave you with my impression that this will be one of the Philadelphia area's most comfortable meeting places for socializing amongst friends, noshing on small plates of honest food, and downing some high-quality beers - particularly Saisons.

Jean and his core team (Collin Farrell- (mostly) of Iron Hill and Manayunk fame, Jeff McCracken- recently departed Manayunk Brewery after a few years of solid service helping turn around their reputation, and Colin "The Magick Man") have all been working tirelessly at creating a very warm, comfortable, and inviting space.

This should be no where more evident than in the second floor space, with plenty of exposed brick and ceiling, handcrafted tap handles, and repurposed barn beams and staircases in a bar area that might have turned out to be double the original anticipated size. Once finished, I think many of you will agree that this is the perfect hideaway from the troubles of the outside world.

They've also been brewing up a storm in the rear of the long cafe space with the "typical" Chico-based fermentations taking place on the first/main floor and the "funky Saison"-based fermentations being secluded in the basement where all kinds of wonderful things can happen. They've just brewed the 10th batch of beer, Tabel ("a riff on a wit bier and brewed with lemon verbena and green peppercorns") and also have a batch of FarmHands Saison bubbling away in the brewhouse.

Tactile will be served at the Ardmore festival on the 28th, so you'll have one more chance to try this beer before you'll have the pleasure of sitting at his cafe on Ardmore Avenue. Jean describes the Tactile as an "exceedingly aromatic rye-based pale ale". I had a chance to try it at the 2nd anniversary party of Station Taproom in Downingtown, Pa. just this past weekend and I think that many will find this to be quite a pleasant and refreshing 5%-ish beer. And, if you define your session (yes, you're allowed to do that all by yourself — I'm an Oxford Comma guy too, whatchya gonna do?!) in the 5% range as I do, then you'll be likely to see many of these disappearing over the course of a night spent at the future Tired Hands.

Enough for now. Check out the pictures. Follow Tired Hands as they come down the home stretch and welcome them to Ardmore.

Oh, yes and that one more thing (Columbo reference?). If you want to get in on the ground floor and say that you were a part of getting Tired Hands up and running, Jean mentioned that Believer's Club memberships are still available to those that wouldn't mind being a part of the club, receive its benefits, and drink beer at a prepaid discount. Check out the link with all the details.

Weekly Brew Bits Update: 2/27/12

February may only have 29 days, but even for the dead of winter, there was no shortage of beer news to share. Here's a bit more from the last week of the month.

PHILADELPHIA
~ Lew Bryson, Senator McIlhenny, and a roomful of beer lovers discussed evolving legislation at Yards on 2/9. Philly Beer Scene's Mat Falco was there and shared audio from the event.

~ While we're on the topic of Yards, BeerNews.org has an interview with Yards' Tom Kehoe and the recently-dismissed operations manager, Steve Mashington. They discussed the phenomenal growth and plans at the brewery over the past few years.

~ Chris LaPierre, Philly Beer Week 2012's collaborative brewer from Iron Hill, has blogged some words and pictures from the big brew day over at Brasserie Dupont in Belgium.

~ About Philly Beer Week, wish I'd written this, but then again I wasn't there. Great piece by this beer guy Craig LaBan ;-)

EASTERN PA, NJ, DE, AND OTHER NEARBY PARTS OF MID-ATLANTIC
~ "The end result is an elegant and succinct brewery/cafe space, with floor drains in every room, that can comfortably house one hundred and eleven people enjoying a glass of Saison." That's a quote in a recent blog post from Jean Broillet, owner of the soon-to-be Tired Hands Brewing Company in Ardmore, Pa., a place that from that quote makes me very anxious to be paying customer there.

~ Evil Eye PA. They're calling it a sessionable IPA and, at 6%, it'll be pushing that boundary a bit for some. None the less, these new suburban Philadelphian brewers, Luke Bowen, Trevor Hayward, and Mark Braunwarth, at Evil Genius are contracting their beers out of Four Horseman in South Bend, Indiana and if you've seen any of their beer around the area, share with the group please.

~ I've still got a few more spoonfuls of chili to work off from yesterday's Chili Challenge at Victory. They've got all sorts of fun planned to coincide this year with the brewery's 16th anniversary. A new one I learned of was the new Chocolate Lager, brewed in collaboration with nearby Eclat Chocolate in West Chester, Pa. This beer won't last long, so get yourself to the pub soon and try this delicious beer.

~ How about one more bit from Victory? Matt Krueger is still raising money to fight the good fight against cancer. Here's a way that your contributions can benefit you. Do the right thing.

~ Female fans of great beer continue to band together in appreciation and support of their favorite beverage. The West Chester Beer Ladies group continues to grow and now they'll be brewing a beer at the West Chester location of Iron Hill. On Wednesday, in two days, they'll be gathering at Iron Hill to toss back a few beers, announce the collaboration brew, and hear from guest brewer, Whitney Thompson, of Victory Brewing.

THE REST OF PLANET EARTH
~ One last blurb from SF Beer Week comes in the form of a 15 minute long video wrap up of Celebrator Magazine's anniversary party, which every year is a Bay Area Beer Highlight. (Philly Beer Week shout-out at 10:40)

~ And in other northern California news, for those of you that love the behind-the-scenes type of stuff and Pliny the Younger too, you'll probably like this video shot during the initial brewpub release of PtY.

~ Must not be much of a man, if twisting a cap makes him feel like one. Loser. Keep drinking the swill and puffing the chest.

~ And, while you're at it Einstein, keep rubbing your nose grease and boogers and sticking it in your beer to kill the head. Thanks, Mr. Sixpack for an informative article. Or you could treat your beer and pour it properly to begin with.

Welcome Tired Hands to Ardmore

Click Here For All New Pub Opening Updates

Easy now, don't let the title fool you; Tired Hands Brewing Company is not yet open for business in Ardmore, Pa.

However, today marked a significant step forward as Jean Broillet and Julie Foster officially settled on and took possession of 16 Ardmore Avenue as the future location for their "brew café" endeavor.

Which is to say that beginning tomorrow, all hell breaks loose. Work begins to transform the space (two floors and a "back yard") into their vision for a community spot serving beer and light snacks just off of Lancaster Avenue and a few extra steps from the Ardmore stop of the don't-call-it-the-R5 regional rail train station.

Those of you savvy with the beer scene around Philadelphia know that as Jean has been "phasing out" of his current position at Iron Hill Brewery (where they've been quite gracious in keeping him on as he openly laid the groundwork for his new business plans), he has been brewing up batches and making it available around town. His saisons/farmhouse ales are garnering quite a bit of favorable buzz even before going into full production.

You may recall an event that he coordinated with me at Johnny Brenda's something like 6 weeks ago. He's also been partnering with Birch Run Hills Farm's cheese program and working closely with DiBruno Bros. in Philly.

Collaboration brews in Philly as well as across the Atlantic. Beer dinner at Station Taproom and special events like at Earth Bread + Brewery.

Patty and I lived in Ardmore, albeit closer to Haverford Road and the college than Lancaster Avenue, for just shy of 18 months. However, it would have been less than a mile uphill walk from our house and I could have imagined us stopping in frequently for light bites, social meetups, and growler fillups.

As many Philadelphia locals know, the city is a mecca of great beer, as is farther west into Montgomery and Chester counties. The "closer" Main Line has always been a bit of a void for better beer options.

Tired Hands should help to change that. Celebrate tonight, but not too much, tomorrow and every day after will be filled with lots of hard work to make the dream a reality.

Click Here For All New Pub Opening Updates