A prelude to Philly Beer Week 2016 - t minus 3 days

Gonna keep this really simple, fun, and visual for you today. This is the result of me simply scrolling and picking from amongst thousands of photos. They represent just a smattering of out-of-town guests that have come calling on Philly Beer Week. No order in these pictures, no captions, no rhyme or reason, but just one request please. I've had a couple occasions recently where I've found my pictures popping up around virtual beer hall. Want an original of one and permission to use it? Just ask. It's always worked well in the past. Thanks in advance for the courtesy.

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Good Friends We've Lost Along the Way

Be still sad heart and cease repining; Behind the clouds the sun is shining, Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life a little rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary. ~ Longfellow

In the deeply personal side of the beer industry, a few notable losses occurred this year. This is not meant to be a complete list, so if I've overlooked someone please feel free to contribute via the comments section below.

In January, the former CEO of the Beer Institute, Jeff Becker, passed away after a tough battle with cancer. In his role, he served as a strong industry voice for legislative change and is represented nicely in a 2007 interview with Andy Couch. Posthumous tributes can be found at Lew Bryson's blog and Crouch's as well.

William ("Billy") Pflaumer, former owner of the legendary Schmidt Brewery, passed away of heart failure in late May. The link I had to the Philly.com site no longer works, but I tracked down a lengthier review of his life and his work at the brewery at the New York Times.

At the end of November, the Philadelphia beer and restaurant community was dealt a major loss when we all learned of Bruce Nichols' passing after a short bout with Leukemia at the age of 62. His contributions to Philadelphia's food and beverage landscape were remarkable and most recently were recognizable to many through his role as a co-founder of Philly Beer Week. Much more can be read, and seen through pictures, courtesy of: ~ Carolyn Smagalski ~ Jack Curtin, via Beer Yard ~ Tom Peters, close friend and co-founder Philly Beer Week, at Monk's Café (text of Tom's memorial was copied/saved here at The Brew Lounge) ~ Jay Brooks ~ Philly.com

Good friends we have, oh, good friends we've lost---Along the Way---So Dry your tears I say ~ Bob Marley

A Toast to Bruce Nichols

Not much to say about Wednesday night other than THANKS to Tom Peters and his Monk's Café and Megan Maguire and her Duvel beer for putting on just the right event last night at Monk's for a nice cross-section of Philadelphia Beer looking to raise a toast to our friend and recently departed Bruce Nichols. It had just the right tone and after Tom decided with a heavy heart against canceling the event, I think it turned out to be just what everyone seemed to need in the early days after the sad news. We wound up the night over at Devil's Den for a cozy wood-burning fire that you could smell from around the corner and some tasty dinner (oh, and a few nice barrel and smoke beers too), which provided for the perfect end to a bittersweet night.

Bruce Nichols, RIP

(Out of many pictures of Bruce, this is one of my favorites--at the Philly Beer Week 2009 installment of Zythos America. Here he's pictured at right of Tom Peters from Monk's and Chris Bauweraerts from d'Achouffe.)

I was just commenting the other day how 2010 has been remarkably light of deaths within the craft brewing industry. Then, out of nowhere, today comes this absolutely devastating news of the passing of Bruce Nichols. I will add nothing more than a brief mention of my own personal experience. I find it so interesting the unique personalities of every one in the craft brewing industry. We are all so uniquely different. In every encounter and beer with Bruce, I found his trademark personality to be one of patience, kindness, and genteelness. And now, I'll pass you over to the Monk's Cafe website where Tom Peters nicely memorialized his dear friend. (Since it may not stay up there forever, I will also paste Peters' comments below.) Update: Jack Curtin has posted a more formal notice of Bruce's passing on the Beer Yard website. It, too, is worth your time.

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I lost a good friend today and so did the entire Philadelphia beer community. Bruce Nichols lost his battle with leukemia. Bruce was president of Museum Catering Company and co-founder of Philly Beer Week. Bruce was a voice of reason, always calm and had an innate ability to bring people together. Bruce, myself and Don Russell organized the first Philly Beer Week with the help of many bars, restaurants, distributors, brewers, etc. Bruce was always a driving force behind the Philly beer movement. He was also adept at keeping us crazy beer people organized and on-point. Philly Beer Week would have never happen without his ideas and positive energy. Bruce is the person that brought famed beer writer, Michael Jackson, to Philly, way back in 1991. Bruce Nichols hosted Michael at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology for a "The Book & The Cook" event. That single beer event drew more people than any 10 food events combined. Thus began the real emergence on the Philadelphia beer culture. Bruce & Michael combined for seventeen annual beer events, each more challenging than the previous. Bruce really helped push the boundaries of beer culture in Philadelphia. We are all thankful and grateful to all that Bruce has done for us. Bruce will be missed by all who were close to him and the beer community has lost a good friend and champion. I raise a glass to your life. Goodbye, my friend. - Tom Peters, 11/30/10

One good thing leads to something better?

Zot was a good place, albeit a place I'd only been to twice. Is it because of the neighborhood's identity crisis of late? Were there management missteps that brought Zot's operations to a close last year? Or was it the competitive Philadelphia market...in both the pub/restaurant industry as well as, more specifically, Belgian beers? I don't know the answers to most of these questions. At this point, though, it's time to move on. In the first half of March, Philadelphia Beer Week co-founder and president of Museum Catering, Bruce Nichols, and partner Madame Saito plan to open 'The Head House' in the former location of Zot (122 Lombard Street)...just off, you guessed, Headhouse Square just north of South Street...where all the hippies meet. According to Profile Public Relations, The Head House will be "a restaurant and beer bar with more than 20 craft taps and beer-friendly foods located on Philadelphia’s historic Head House Square. The Head House will also become a new location for Museum Catering with a private event space to accommodate up to 100 people on the restaurant's second floor. The Head House will serve dinner seven days a week and is slated to open in March. More details will be available as the opening nears." Provided the estimated opening date is pretty close to the actual, I'm betting there'll be at least an event or two worthy of stopping by during Philadelphia's Beer Week in June 2010.