Chris "Lappy" LaPierre, RIP. 1971-2024

There's a lot going on here, so I'll lead off with a summary of what you'll find below.
- Personal reflection
- Google Photos gallery   [jump to below]
- interview on The Brewing Network in 2008 just prior to the inaugural Philly Beer Week   [jump to below]
- interview on Basic Brewing Radio/Video in 2013 during the National Homebrewers Conference   [jump to below]
- Lappy's personal "diary" riding from Philly to Cooperstown in 2008   [jump to below]
- Iron Brewer event in Maple Shade in 2010   [jump to below]
- Dock Street reunion day in West Philly in 2010   [jump to below]

I’ve been procrastinating and dreading this since Sunday morning. Not that it hasn’t been on my mind constantly. It’s a form of writer’s block perhaps. Or just me obsessing over paying tribute best I can to an amazing guy. I swear I used to bang out posts here with ease; this has been the toughest beyond the shadow of a doubt.

It was a beautiful and casual Sunday morning routine of breakfast, pet duties, coffee, Olympics….and then one call and text, then another, and another….and lunch was barely made.

Of the numerous ways in which I’ve covered the beer industry since 2005, one where I took some of the most satisfaction, and dare I say some enjoyment in a strange way perhaps, was the year-end post honoring those in the industry who left this earthly life during the year.

There were times when a passing hit pretty close to home and times when the passing was unexpected. I’m not sure that anything has hit more close to home or has been as jarring as this one. I, and many of you, have used words and phrases like gut-punch, blindsided, devastated, gonna take a long time, sickened, makes no sense, etc.

This has taken every day of this week to write, re-write, organize, re-organize and I’m still not gonna get it as right as I’d like.

Sunday was an afternoon filled with talking with others and gathering up photos and links to share. Since then the words I would use here in this space to accompany the pictures were continuously being jumbled and fumbled around. But it’s time to get this out there for you to continue working through all the emotions along with me.

Chris LaPierre was a trusted and supportive colleague, an industry professional, and above all a genuine friend to hundreds, if not thousands. I’m certain he’d respond with a kind of honest humility that said “…oh, come on, I don’t know about that”.

And as many of you know, he was an extraordinarily avid cycling enthusiast and advocate. He used to bike from the Iron Hill location in West Chester when he worked there to Malvern where he often let me know he’d be allotting enough time to hang at The Flying Pig for at least a beer or two before the train back into the city if I wanted to stop by.

And, similarly, he was one of those texts/calls I’d frequently make when coming into Philly for one of my city walkabouts. “You around?” “Wanna meet somewhere for a beer?” “You at ‘the office’ today?” My lingering regret will be that in our last texting earlier this summer he asked if we’d come over to the Fishtown Tavern to meet him and others.

Our mutual friend from Madison, WI and I had been out all day walking and drinking the city. I had a train to catch and our friend was headed back to the hotel, so we declined….. even though we were only a mile away at Yards. I’m comforted by knowing, however, that they were able to get together the following day which was more important than me being there as they hadn’t seen each other in years.

By now, you’ve probably seen countless social media posts from individuals and organizations that were emotionally stunned by his passing but even more affected by how he touched their lives. I’m going to list out a bunch of ways that I personally would describe him here. Thing is, I’ve seen some form of nearly every attribute I list here mentioned by more than one of his friends.
- friendly and fun
- patient and gracious with his time, way more gracious than most anyone I’ve ever known

- humble and self-effacing, but serious as needed
- curious, well-studied, wise, but never condescending in what he knew that you didn’t
- interested and interesting

I’m just kind of freewheeling this here and feel like I'm spinning out, so I think that’s about where I’ll leave it for now. I’d like to go out by sharing some of the content that I’ve collected along the way. And I’m sure there will be much more sharing to take place on Sat. August 10 when I’ve just learned that Iron Hill will open their Center City Philly brewpub to a memorial event for Lappy open to the public.

Pictures

I've put up a gallery of pictures on Google Photo. If my datestamps are accurate, they range from 2007-2020. They are at beer events, dinners, competitions, and festivals. They are with a wide variety of people and friends and, I believe capture the essence of what made Chris unique. If there are any that you'd like more context for -- dates,  places,  names, etc. -- just let me know.

Interviews

I have two pieces of evidence to submit here that demonstrate Lappy’s selflessness and willingness to go over and above. If I needed a quote. If I needed a picture. If I needed contact information for someone. If I needed a second set of eyes on something for accuracy before I published. I'm not mentioning this to enhance a guy’s legacy, I truly cannot recall ever hearing him brush me off and not enthusiastically help get me what I needed as quickly as possible without leaving me hanging or brushing me off.

In 2008, I’d spent some time at the Celebrator Magazine anniversary event in the San Francisco Bay Area and mentioned that anytime they’d like some help getting an East Coast/Philly guest on their show to reach out and I’d be happy to help. Less than a month later, I get a call at something like 3 p.m. eastern time that there was a last-minute cancellation for their live Sunday night show (beginning at 8 p.m. eastern). Could I help? I called Lappy and gave him a rundown of the format and he said without hesitation that he’d be happy to. He was on the air at 9 p.m. on a work night for a little more than hour talking about himself, Iron Hill, the industry, homebrewing…handling it like the pro he was.

Check it out at this link to the Brewing Network's archive (a 75-minute in-depth conversation beginning at 50:20)

Then, in 2013, the National Homebrewers Conference came to Philly. The guys from Arkansas at the excellently produced Basic Brewing Radio & Video reached out and asked about the city and region and I suggested I show them around. I picked them up on a weekday morning and had them out to Iron Hill’s Maple Shade location at 8 a.m. for our first stop of the day where Lappy, naturally, said “of course! wait, what time? yeah, sure I’ll be there, it’ll be fun!” He proceeded to show the team around, provide plenty of samples, and give a interview.

Check out the audio interview here at this YouTube link (a 33-minute full-length interview beginning at 9:04) and a short video here at another YouTube link (a 1-minute segment beginning at 1:42)

Cycling

Now, I’d like to share with you one of my most favoritest things I think I can imagine I’d ever done in my little space of the beer world. The year was 2008 and the event was the annual Belgian beer blowout weekend-long festival at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. Lappy and 5 others decided August was the perfect month to set off on a 6-day bike ride from Philly to Cooperstown for the festival.

Well they did and they provided me the exclusive host platform to chronicle their journey in near-real-time format. Each night, Chris would gather photos taken and the words he’d written about their experience. The next best thing to being along on the ride (though, honestly, how many of us could’ve done even one day!?!) was following along with their adventure. I almost felt childlike in my anticipation of how each day’s story would be told. Here’s a bit of Lappy’s journalism degree at work on display for us, ha!

So check out these two links — one as they were getting ready to set off and one that serves as a “directory” of Chris' journal entries and pictures from each day.

Miscellaneous

Here are two last things I’d like to share with you from my years of covering the beer scene. First there was the Iron Brewer event that Iron Hill conducted each year with Lappy’s guidance. This link focuses on 2010 in New Jersey.

And, finally, there was Dock Street where Lappy cut his teeth back in the 90s. Dock Street’s position is securely cemented in Philadelphia's craft brewing history beginning in the 80s and Lappy moved up from server to brewer there. Through the years, they’ve had a number of locations and quite a number of brewers pass through its doors.

Back in 2010, they hosted a reunion of brewers at the West Philly location. It wasn’t necessarily a public event, but they brewed, they drank, they reminisced and I was honored to have been informed to stop by, participate, and help to document the significant day. Here's a link to my feature on the event.

When you think of the Dock Street and Iron Hill brewing families that Lappy was a member of in Philly (not to mention Harpoon in Boston), you think of the number of years in operation, you think of all the brewing and other staff that he interacted with, you think of how the industry has exploded more than 10x over since he started out, it makes you appreciate just how many he has taught and inspired along the way of passing mash paddle from brewer to brewer. It makes the outpouring of love and gratitude we've all been seeing on the social networks not that surprising at all.

RIP Lappy. Thanks for the beers and the cheers. We raise our glasses to your short but immensely impactful life now and look forward to that time when we can do it together again.

 

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2024. 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

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In Memory of Jack Curtin, part 5: "Stockbrokers Gone Wild" or "IPO guys turned loose in the world of IPAs"

[Click the picture for access to a 6-page PDF version of the article]

<<<--- Back to Part 4

A link for you to head off to Part 6 --->>>

Alrighty, this is where things really get good in this look back on the life of Jack Curtin as seen through his beer writing. The '90s were mostly a mess, a confusing mess. As I came of (legal) drinking age in the early '90s, I searched out different and great-tasting beer, particularly that of the local nature. Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner was one of the first I'd find along the way. Drank plenty of Red Bell and Independence as well, and not so much from the Ortlieb's brewery.

I was simple-minded in those days; I wanted to find it and drink it. I didn't care so much about the business aspects. Here in Philly, there was plenty of business relationships and dealings and it was downright confusing. It wasn't until the 2000s when I began digging deeper into was happening behind the brewhouse and the front-of-the-house facade, eventually beginning my own writing/blogging in 2005. The people, the places, the relationships, and of course the beer all inspired and informed my own writing. Curtin was a good example for me to watch.

That's why this article was so important to me (and, hence, some of the highlighting you'll see in my scanned PDF version of the article above). Jack, as clearly as could be expected of anyone...even on the inside!, lays out the people, the brands, the places, and the maniacal business dealings that enveloped much of the local beer scene in the 1990s of Philadelphia proper. It helped give me perspective and background into my own understanding of the local scene.

If you weren't around back then, you should find this extremely useful in understanding some of the mess, but you'll also find some names that you'll recognize as still part of today's beer scene. That's enough from me, now it's your turn. Have it at. It'll take you some time to consume it all. It's only six pages, but it's chock full of people and information that is so fascinating to me and, I'm trusting, to at least a few of you as well.

So this article was written for the Summer 2006 edition of American Brewer, which specializes in the reporting the "business of beer". Again, my primary M.O. here with this series comes in two flavors—to honor Jack's work and to create a place where key articles can be found in the great wilds of the internet for future readers. I don't know that this type of detailed article that I'm sharing with you today can be found elsewhere. But, I don't claim to be all-knowing (though, Google should be, right?!), so please correct me if I'm wrong.

As mentioned before, please feel free to comment your own memories and share around your social networks. Enjoy and Cheers!

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Stockbrokers Gone Wild
The improbable tale of Mr. Grape Juicy Juice and Mr. Enjoy It While You Can and how they nearly destroyed Philadelphia craft brewing as they blundered through the 90s.
The second dumbest thing Jim Bell, CEO of the Red Bell Brewing Company, ever said to a reporter, he said to me during an interview in 1995, as he explained his initial conversation with his brewer, Jim Cancro, when they were setting up the brewery: "I suggested that he come up with something like Budweiser, because that sells so well." The dumbest thing Jim Bell ever said? A year or so later, he famously told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he preferred drinking Grape Juicy Juice to his own beer.

Neither of those memorable quotes take the grand prize for Stupidest Thing Said By A Brewery CEO in the early days of Philadelphia's craft brewing renaissance, however. That honor was garnered by Bob Connor of Independence Brewing Company, who at least got points for style. He gave this profound advice to the world in two-foot high letters during a half million dollar billboard advertising campaign: "Independence-enjoy it while it lasts."

Bell and Connor were the poster boys for a stretch of beer madness which almost destroyed Philadelphia's incipient craft brewing industry in the '90s. Seriously, these guys screwed things up so royally that I once suggested to Tom Kehoe and his then partner, who were struggling to keep tiny Yards Brewing afloat amidst the madness, that they ought to quit brewing to become brokers and go foul up the stock market just as a "sauce for the gander" gesture.

To be fair, though, at least an honorable mention for that unholy era needs must be given Henry Ortlieb, scion of a famous local brewing family, who arrived late, came up fast on the outside, and was a prime player at the end when everybody ran right off the cliff like cartoon characters, hung in the air momentarily and then went crashing down. It was one helluva grand finish, admittedly, an everybody-gets-into-the-act implosion which might most accurately be described as an epic...well, we don't use that sort of language around here but, it begins with "cluster".

1995 until early 2002 in Philadelphia was a time of phantom brewpubs, debt-buying-debt financial maneuvering, outlandish (and often pure fantasy) news releases dutifully printed in their entirety by unquestioning local business pages and millions of dollars tossed to the winds, leading eventually to hapless innocents getting caught up in the web of the guilty during the great comic fiasco that ended it all, the saga of what came to be known as the "Your Name Here" Brewpub.

There's a great book begging to be written telling the whole story (hint, hint, should any publishers be reading), but there aren't enough pages to do the deed here. best I can offer is a freeform riff about a pair of clueless IPO guys turned loose in the world of IPAs, stockbrokers gone wild who grabbed onto what they thought would be a cash cow and proceeded to mindlessly slaughter it before the can-you-believe-this? eyes of unhappy investors and bemused competitors.

When the dauntless duo arrived on the scene, craft brewing in Philadelphia was represented by two brewpubs, the Samuel Adams Brewhouse, an extract brewery which had opened in late 1989, and Dock Street Brewery & Restaurant, which opened in 1990, building on the success of the contract-brewed ale it had been selling in the region since 1987. Red Bell came along in 1993, after Cancro, a civil engineer and homebrewer, approached Bell, whom he'd met when both were lifeguards, about developing a brewpub. When that proved to be unworkable, they formed the brewing company and began contract brewing their first beers, Red Bell Blonde and Red Bell Amber, at The Lion in Wilkes-Barre. They were a disaster-much of the problem, it should be noted, the result of dreadful quality control in the packaging rather than the nature of the beers themselves. The brewery also launched a dreadful ad campaign for the Blonde label which featured some long-forgotten and offensive sexual innuendos, offending a good segment of population, certainly the female half. Red Bell was forced to withdraw from the market for several months to get its act together.

Independence was launched when Connor saw what Bell was doing and decided to emulate his former cohort. He hired award-winning brewer Bill Moore away from Stoudts and they too began by trying to secure various downtown locations for a brewpub. When that failed, Independence opened a production brewery in Northeast Philadelphia in February 1995, releasing their first beers, Independence Ale and Independence Golden Lager, that spring, at just the time as Yards was coming to market with its soon-to-be cult favorite cask-conditioned Extra Special Ale.

Early on, prospects for both newcomers seemed favorable enough, since both had decent plants and quality brewers. Indeed, Moore was a brewing superstar: during a run of slightly more than five years at Stoudts, he had a hand in producing 14 GABF medal beers. His position as the founding brewer paid early dividends for Independence (where he was working with 40 barrel JVN brewhouse, high speed bottling line, automated kegging line, and the tankage to support its 25,000 barrel annual capacity) as he garnered GABF Gold for his Franklinfest and Bronze for his Golden Ale in 1996 and another Bronze for Franklinfest in 1998. He also got World Beer Cup Medals for the same beers in those years, a Gold and two Bronzes. It was in the afterglow of the 1996 medals that Connor took the company public with a $6 million offering, an achievement that the frustrated Bell never managed to match.

Cancro began earning props too, as his brewing skills matured once Red Bell acquired the former P.A. Poth Brewery in Philadelphia's old Brewerytown section and got a 40bbl system up and running in the spring of1996. Plus, while Moore was a one-man show, Cancro had some impressive backup. He was assisted in the early going by Brandon Greenwood, fresh out of the famed Herriot-Watt brewing program in Scotland (before he left, Greenwood formulated Red Bell Wee Heavy, which might well be the most fondly remembered beer from those days), and Bob Barrar, who is today a virtual "medal machine" for Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant at both GABF and World Beer Cup, first plied his trade at Red Bell, staying until the bitter end.

Connor's plan for Independence was to build the largest plant he could and then "grow into it". As a result, while Moore's first run of beers were impressive — I can remember being blown away by my first pint of Independence Ale — most of them were immediately dumbed down to try to appeal to the mass market such growth plans demanded. Contract brewing was also part of the original concept. Independence opened with a contract to produce a house beer for Dave & Buster's a big local sports and entertainment bar, and later did "gimmick" beers for a few accounts, among them Nittany Ale, a beer for Penn State fans packaged in an extremely expensive and hard-to-get blue bottle, and Blue Hen Lager, targeted for Delaware consumers. The brewery later bought both brands outright. They made beers for Reading's short lived Pretzel City and, in a missed opportunity, had conversations with nearby Stoudts, who wanted to leave The Lion (Maryland's Frederick Brewing won that contract).

Then a new general manager brought in from the West Coast shut down contract brewing, saying that the brewery wasn't big enough to handle outside brands because of all the business they were now going to develop. A 1997 newspaper story reported in due course that Independence was about "to purchase three breweries: a regional, a local, and a nationally known brand out of the Pacific Northwest." None of it happened, unless you count the purchase of Gravity Ale, an extract beer that enjoyed some brief popularity, from the failed American U-Brew on-premises operations in Philadelphia, as the "local" purchase. I refuse to, if only because, according to reports, Connor bought it primarily because he admired its advertising campaign. Not surprisingly, the new GM was gone rather quickly.

On the other hand, Red Bell looking to be on the move in 1996-97 — if you weren't looking too closely. They created the first ever brewery and pub in a professional indoor arena at the First Union Center, home to the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers. They formed a partnership with a venture capital company to create a downtown brewpub at the Reading Terminal Market, right across from a new Convention Center. Unreported and unnoted at the time was that both those facilities had only 10,000bbl [sic] brewhouses, which meant that copious amounts of beer would have to be produced somewhere else, presumably the Brewerytown plant. Those sorts of details, and other pertinent information, were not always available from Red Bell, which was unhindered by all those pesky reporting requirements that Independence labored under as a public company. Not that "information" wasn't proffered; Jim Bell periodically announced soon-to-be-forthcoming new Red Bell brewpubs in news releases that were dutifully printed verbatim. The centerpiece for his mostly-fantasy business blueprint, which quickly became a standing joke among beer cognoscenti, was the never-fulfilled promise of a pub to be built in State College, home of Penn State, "any day now," or the corporate-speak equivalent.

Henry Ortlieb joined the developing circus when Poor Henry's brewpub and brewery opened in the former bottling house of his family's historic brewery in 1997. With the backing of private investors, he installed both a 60,000bbl [sic] brewhouse and small pub system and was counting on his family name (which he couldn't use at that point because Stroh's owned it) to make him a player. But Poor Henry's quickly proved to be of the same ilk as the stockbroker-created companies, an entity spending other people's money at a rate that would give a congressman pause.

In 1988, Independence announce that it would merge with Pittsburgh Brewing Company (who wanted the public shell that Independence provided) and later that it would partner with Capitol City Brewing to create a center city brewpub. Red Bell's pub at the Reading Terminal Market was ready but the brewery was tied up in a serious dispute over cost overruns with its financial partner, GS Capital, a conflict which left the pub standing unused for months and would eventually get Red Bell tossed out of the whole deal by a bankruptcy court. Undaunted, Jim Bell announced that he'd open a downtown brewpub at the same site where Independence and Cap City efforts had already collapsed and, what the heck, maybe merge with Pittsburgh since that Independence deal had also fallen through. Oh yeah, they were also going to acquire The Lion in a hostile takeover. None of those things ever happened.

That same year, Dock Street founder Jeffrey Ware decided to sell his company, a move which turned out to be the tipping point. A group of Ware's original backers took over the pub and changed the name to Dock Street Brasserie. Licensing rights for the contract brews were, according to one inside source, Independence's for the taking, on a handshake agreement, until Connor went to the pub one night, imbibed a bit too much, and started talking about how he'd do things differently. Whether that happened or not, the fact is that Henry Ortlieb ended up with the rights, something nobody saw coming. He started brewing specialty draft versions at his own plant and continued making the flagship Amber Ale at F.X. Matt. That lasted about a year before he ran out of money.

As a new century dawned, GS Capital, now the owner of a functioning brewpub with no knowledge of the business and reduced to selling beers from other local micros and even some mass market brews, contacted those new owners of Dock Street (the pub), some of whom formed a separate group and took over running the pub. Down came the Red Bell sign and up went Dock Street, giving the city three distinct entities simultaneously bearing that name: the original pub, the new pub, and the bottled product. In fact, there were actually four Dock Streets, if you count a "brewpub" at the airport which was part of the Terminal operation and also changed its name. That was three too many as far as Jeffrey Ware was concerned, since he only sold licensing rights to the name only for a single pub, his original one, and because Ortlieb, on the fast track to Chapter 11, was no longer producing beer. Ware took the former to court for copyright infringement and regained the Dock Street brand rights at a sheriff's sale.

Independence had been delisted by Nasdaq in 1999 and its brewhouse sold at auction in 2000, but, by golly, Bob Connor still owned the name and he licensed it to the Terminal owners. Here's the deep thinking behind that deal: "The Independence logo is the same shape as the Dock Street signs," pub sales director Suzanne O'Brien told Philadelphia Daily News beer columnist Don Russell when it was announced. At this point, by the way, Connor and Ortlieb had formed some sort of partnership to contract brew their beers (apparently they did at least one batch of Nittany Ale at Jones in Pittsburgh) and they were telling us that there would be both Red Bell and (original) Independence taps at the pub. Never happened.

Have I mentioned that, in its death throes, Independence attempted to save itself by offering to buy Catamount for $900,000? That the original Dock Street re-renamed itself, cleverly enough, Dock Street-The Original and that it began morphing into a dance club called The Mermaid at nights during that incarnation before the ignominy ended with its demise a few months later? That, with an $11.5 million loss on the books, Jim Bell resigned from Red Bell in 2002 right after the State shut down the brewery because of an $80,000 tax debt? That once new management paid off that tax debt, one of those oft-promised Red Bell brewpubs did finally open in the city's Manayunk section, fumbled along for a while without making any beer, then finally made its only batch of wort and closed two weeks later?

Maybe next time. For now, here's how it all turned out...

The Independence Brewpub (in one last blast from the past, or maybe just out of habit, they announced they were going to change their name yet again to the Reading Chop House in May 2002, but that never happened) is an established center city watering hole and tourist attraction, selling all the beers brewer Tim Roberts can make and buying the rest from outside. There is still a Red Bell Brewpub at what is now called the Wachovia Center, but in name only. It is essentially run by the food concessionaire, Aramark, and the majority of the beers are brewed at F.X. Matt, while a few specialty ones are brewed on premises by whichever local brewer or assistant brewer is willing to do the job (for what is reportedly a quite decent fee). The beer is not well cared for (to put it politely) and the location may soon become just another arena bar. Cases of Red Bell Philadelphia Lager still appear on shelves now and then, though it's not clear who actually owns the brand (perhaps F.X. Matt is slowly working down the massive debt it was left with when Ortlieb's went under). A company formed by Rosemarie Certo, Jeff Ware's wife, has resumed contract brewing Dock Street Amber and Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner and is rumored to be looking for space for a small production brewery in the city.

Jim Bell and Bob Connor are gone from the scene. Henry Ortlieb died in a tragic boating accident in Costa Rica on July 4, 2004 and his second brewing venture, Ortlieb's Brewery & Grille in Pottstown, shuttered a few weeks later. Bill Moore, following stops at Sly Fox and Ortlieb's, has resurfaced as brewmaster at Lancaster Brewing Company. Jim Cancro has returned to his engineering career. Brandon Greenwood (after helping found Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant in center city and a brief stint at The Lion) is now at High Falls Brewery in Rochester, holding the title of Technical Brewer. Bob Barrar, as noted earlier, is with Iron Hill, serving as head brewer at the chain's Media, Pa. pub.

And Yards, the tiny little brewery without high powered investors and public offerings and grandiose schemes to take over the world? Yards will celebrate is 11th anniversary this year, a respected and almost beloved institution which proudly claims the honor that both Red Bell and Independence craved but never earned: Philadelphia's brewery.

© Jack Curtin and Liquid Diet Online, 2006.

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GOT ALL THAT? 😲

<<<--- Back to Part 4

A link for you to head off to Part 6 --->>>

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2020. 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

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Flagship February daily feature - Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner

This one is as Flagship as they come in the city of Philadelphia. Leading the charge into the micro/craft beer revolution in Philly, and really let's not kid ourselves, at that time the country, Rosemarie Certo (and her husband at the time, Jeff Ware), unveiled Dock Street to the beer-drinking public in 1985 with the Bohemian Pilsner as part of the trio of original beers. It was second out of production after the Amber Ale. For me, it was a few years later, in the early 90s, along with Amber and Illuminator Doppelbock, that my first tastes of Dock Street beers were enjoyed.

The pub's suave style on 18th Street where they were originally located certainly fit the neighborhood of Center City accounting and law firms and high-end hotels. The complimentary billiards table in the back room was worth the extra couple bucks for the on-premises made beer. And, some well-known names have been associated with that brewhouse including Chris LaPierre, Will Kemper, Nick Fennell, Eric Savage, Vic Novak, and Bill Moeller.

The new location, est. 2007, to me fits who Dock Street is, or maybe better put, who they were meant to be. In a converted firehouse in a part of West Philly that has seen gentrification encroach at a somewhat slower (and therefore more welcome?!) pace compared to other hot neighborhoods in the city, Dock Street is a welcoming come-one, come-all brewpub (or, in their words "...a progressive and eclectic counterculture and a mixture of race, creed and background) that focuses on solid beers and food, particularly the pizzas and, thank the almighty, Trio Fries which have survived the move to West Philly. If you're an 18th Street original, you know what I mean.

Brewers that have touched down at 50th and Baltimore have included Scott Morrison, Vince Desrosiers, Justin Quinlan, and Ben Potts. Today, the brewery's award-winning ways continue under Mark Russell. The last one was at the Great American Beer Festival in 2017 for Man Full Of Trouble Porter. The family feeling at Dock Street is not just stemming from the "kids" involvement in the business (son, Sasha, has been involved in brewing and daughter, Renata, whose title includes marketing, sales, and business development), but Marilyn Candeloro, VP, has been around for almost ten years and, with her hands seemingly in most aspects of the business, feels a bit like family too.

Showing their inclination to grow, they've opened the adjacent Cannery & Lounge next door for something of a hidden getaway drinking session that includes their beers as well as craft cocktails and draft wine. Next up (maybe in late summer/early fall if things progress as hoped and planned), will be a South Philly outpost on Washington Avenue. Call it Dock Street South for the time being.

Love me some Rye IPA and Prince Myshkin. And, others from their always evolving beer menu. For example, act now and you too can have an excellent Altbier named Passive Specificity. But, for an all-day drinker, it's BoPils for me. For the nostalgia and for the love, still, of a great beer.

Now go click the picture below for a full feature on Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner.

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. Today's beer was provided to me by the brewery while I was at Dock Street to chat about the beer and the business.

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© 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

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2 favorite beers from August 28 - September 3

All honors from this past week go to Dock Street, a Philly original still doing it and doing it well more than 25 years since first opening on 18th Street.

(Rosemarie Certo, owner, surrounded by the Dock Street team celebrating their 10th anniversary on 50th Street.)
~ Common Sense Lager (4.9%), by Dock Street Brewing Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
    Where has this California Common Lager been? Or maybe where have I been? This toasted malt lager starts strong and cleans up nicely, making it one heckuva easy drinker. Very well done, this one deserves to make a regular return to the draft list at Dock Street.

(A winner both on tap and in the 16 oz. can. Hope to see this one-off somewhere down the road again.)
~ nicethings IPA (6.4%), by Dock Street Brewing Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
    It wasn't until I was told that this was a collaboration beer that I recalled being introduced to the local rap star behind this beer, Chill Moody, by Dock Street's Marilyn Candeloro during Philly Beer Week. Thing about this IPA is that it is, indeed, very nice. Straight ahead IPA that 1) proves IPAs don't need to be (overly) hazy to be very good and 2) the Mosaic hop is a mighty tasty hop. Had it on tap with a Flammenkuche (because, well, you know) and then thanks to Certo for sending a can home with me for further inspection.


Click back here for an index of all beers that I've covered in the past.

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. 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

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July 2017: Beer News update, part 2

Catching up on some news around here on the last day of July, basically just so I can uphold my promise to deliver two news round-ups per month.

~ This time, nothing controversial. [Link to Home Brewers Association]

~ Very pleased to see history not be forgot. [Link to Philly Voice]

~ Nice story about gypsies settling down. [Link to New York Times]

~ In this month's acquisition/investment news. [Link to Brewbound]

~ Hold that thought; one more. [Link to Beer Street Journal]

~ Guess this explains why my media credentials never arrived. [Link to CNN]

~ This answers my question about what a Fishtown Brewpub is. [Link to Foobooz/Philly Mag]

~ And, finally, if you like beer and you like the Philadelphia Eagles....[Link to The 700 Level/Comcast Sportsnet]

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. 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

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5 favorite beers of last two weeks (June 5-18)

Had a bit of a post-PBW hangover (plus a day job conference) last week, so I never quite got around to sharing with you the best beers I encountered in the previous week. Three were encountered during Philly Beer Week. The other two were featured samplings that I included at my book signing appearance at the Antietam Farmers Market in Reading, Pa. this past weekend.

(Dark as night, drinks easily during the day.)
~ Baby Bob (6%), by 2SP Brewing Company (Aston, Pa.)
    At my book signing in Reading, of the seven beers I took for sampling (perhaps with the exception of the 17.1% Avery Mephistopheles), none other was as captivating as the Baby Bob. People seemed as curious about the name as they were the liquid itself. As an acknowledgement to brewer Bob Barrar's award-winning ways with his Russian Imperial Stout, this smaller Baby Bob is a roasty, easy-drinking American Stout.

(Delivers a Windfall of flavorful enjoyment.)
~ Windfall (6.1%), by Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine)
    Peaches. Tart. Brett. That's perfect enough description. Encountered during a visit to Tria Taproom from Allagash's owner Rob Tod, this is the second beer of theirs that went overboard in impressing Philly Beer Week-goers earlier this month.

(Can they can the IPA at Dock Street? Golden idea.)
~ Golden IPA, by Dock Street Brewing Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
    The last day of Philly Beer Week has several usual suspects. Fergie's. Local 44. And Dock Street. In past years at Dock Street, you could count on my Beer Runs. The brewery's Music Festival. This year, they only recently opened the new "Cannery + Lounge" in an adjacent property behind the brewery on 50th Street. They took a quieter route to ending PBW this year. With two canned releases. Summer in Berlin and Golden IPA, both in 16-ounce cans. The IPA hit all the right notes for me. Then again, with the Mosaic, Citra, Simcoe, and Amarillo all-star hops with just a touch of haze (not cloudiness, mind you), I wouldn't have expected anything less out of Mark Russell's brewhouse.

(Solid sour from one of Philly's oldest craft/micro brewers.)
~ Cuvée de Yunk (5%), by Manayunk Brewing Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
    In a Facebook post during Philly Beer Week, I'd mentioned something about "...being honest...should be paying more attention...." To Manayunk Brewery, that is. And, it took this spectacular apricot sour at Strangelove's during a cross-town walk on a 94-degree last day of PBW to remind of that.

(One of the region's best and most consistent pilsners.)
~ Trauger Pilsner (4.8%), by Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company (Croydon, Pa.)
    No doubt it's the Hallertau and Tettnanger noble hops in this German-style Pilsner from one of Bucks County's finest that made this another fan favorite at my book signing event....and also after the power-washing project later in the day. In case you wonder how much a favorite this is of my own, as well, look no further than my home kegerator which has seen more than one of these sixtels pushing up beer through the taps.

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. 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

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April 2017: News update, part 2

A variety of brews news, much of which was picked up in just the last few days. The first one, though, might be a bit dated for a few of you. Grab a beer and enjoy. Cheers!

~ If you ever wondered what happened to Patrick Jones, former brewer at Triumph in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood. [link to Northwest Indiana Times]

~ Just got this e-mail yesterday. I really like the sound of it and will need to look further into it. [link to Artisanal Imports]

~ Philly Beer Scene Awards for 2017 are now open for voting. [link to Philly Beer Scene]

~ Tony Forder from Ale Street News weighs in with astute observations from the annual Craft Brewers Conference. [link to Ale Street News]

~ I can only speak about half of these. I've got some more work to do! [link to Visit Cumberland Valley]

~ Very cool article about Wegmans, Sly Fox, and friend Ned Foley's Two Particular Acres. [link to Wegmans]

~ Something new and shiny in West Philly. [link to Dock Street Brewing Company]

~ Taking in the super-sized NFL Draft spectacle on the Ben Franklin Parkway? Here are some drinking options. [link to Philly.com]

~ Insights to the state of the industry from longtime analyst Peter Cherpack. [link to The Full Pint]

~ And before all this CBC went down in DC, Jim Koch from Boston Beer let this out into the wild for our consideration. [link to New York Times]

~ If I was going to Pittsburgh's Craft Beer Week, I'd definitely be studying up on this from Bob Batz. [link to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. 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

Local beers to drink this week during Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia

With nearly 150 events confirmed to take place during the next week during Craft Brewers Conference/World Beer Cup in Philly, there's no shortage of places to go and things to drink around town. Industry professionals will be hunkered down at the Convention Center (unless of course they have a good excuse to sneak away) and consumers will be chasing them and their beers at bars all around the city.

I've been keeping a running list of confirmed events over here via this link.

But, what about the local brewing scene? I haven't done an exact calculation for how many of these events are focused exclusively on out-of-state - some licensed just for the week - but my unscientific calculation shows a very large percentage.

So what about our local breweries? I put together a list. I know, I know. Another list. But this one I believe will help you more than the average internet list of things.

Check out the list of Top 20 beers for visiting conference-goers to find when in Philly during the next week. And, if you're here already, you're in luck and have a head-start on everyone else. Remember, too, to use PhillyTapFinder.com for up-to-date draft lists.

Philly Beer Week 2014 is underway

(Looking like they just won the World Series, consumer and Dock Street fan, Daniel Neuner, catches overjoyed head brewer Justin Low after their winning names were announced.)
Not to suggest that Philly Beer Week is not a year-round endeavor for many around the Philadelphia region, but if there was any question of when it begins, it was surely answered yesterday at The Field House.

For the fourth consecutive year, Philly Beer Week has raised awareness and money for itself by conducting a raffle whereby one winning individual gets an all-expense paid trip to Belgium to brew a "Philly Beer Week beer". As part of the prize, he or she gets to take along their favorite local brewer.

Past brewers that have benefited from their fan bases include Brian O'Reilly (Sly Fox) with Belgian brewery DeProef, Chris LaPierre (Iron Hill) and Brasserie Dupont, and Chris Wilson (Weyerbacher) who brewed with the highly-regarded Brasserie de la Senne in Brussels.

This year, beer enthusiast Daniel Neuner won the raffle and chose Justin Low from Dock Street for the brewing excursion that will result in a beer collaboratively brewed at Brouwerij Dilewyns with head brewer Anne Catherine Dilewyns. I think this has worked out extremely well as Dock Street continues today to carry on its twenty-five year tradition (albeit with a short "break" in the late 90s) of representing the Philadelphia brewing scene.

The beer will make its debut at the annual kickoff to Philly Beer Week, "Opening Tap", and be available at events all around town during Philly Beer Week 2014 scheduled to run from May 30 to June 8.

The Field House served as a spacious venue to host the attending brewers from 25 local and regional breweries and the fans that came out hoping to win the grand prize. The drawing went off without a hitch for both Neuner and Low yesterday compared to November 2010 when the 2011 PBW collaboration trip was raffled off at McGillin's and neither the brewer nor the winning consumer was in attendance.

Gift box prizes were also raffled off, one of which was awarded to Mrs. Brew Lounge herself. See below for a picture of all the "swag", including some of the liquid kind from the relatively new Saucony Creek in Kutztown, Pa., that came with the prize box.

So there you have it. We now know who will be brewing what with whom over in Belgium. The dates have been locked in and Philly Beer Week 2014 will be here and gone before we know what happened to the next six months.

(Brewers being introduced with Fegley's (Bethlehem) Brew Works' Josh Bushey on the mic.)

(Brett Kinzer from Stoudt's taking his turn during brewer introductions)

(Tom Peters of Monk's Café and ("free beer for") Sparks, technical mastermind behind PBW.)

(Tom Kehoe, the main man behind Yards, always good with getting a rise out of the crowd. Here, during brewer introductions.)

(Jim Kirk, PBW board member and co-owner of Kite & Key, kept a close auditor's eye on the raffle entries as Andy Farrell, managing partner of City Tap House, drew the winning ticket.)

(Tom Peters, with assistance from Sparks, reveals the grand prize winner.)

(Daniel Neuner, left, and Justin Low (Dock Street) react to their winning names being announced during the Philly Beer Week grand prize raffle at The Field House.)

(Justin Low of Dock Street and brewery fan Daniel Neuner recreate their winning moment.)

(Justin Low, left, of Dock Street, and Daniel Neuner are going to brew Philly Beer Week's 2014 beer in Belgium.)

(from left: Sasha Certo-Ware of Dock Street; Tom Peters of Monk's Café and PBW board member; Justin Low of Dock Street; Daniel Neuner, 2014 Philly Beer Week grand prize winner.)

(The third box prize raffle was won by Mrs. Brew Lounge and contained a generous bevy of beer goodies from Artisanal Imports, Bell's Brewery, Devil's Den, Dogfish Head, Nodding Head Brewery, Philadelphia Brewing Company, Philly Beer Week, Philly Beer Scene, Saucony Creek Brewing Company, Smuttynose, and Stoudt's Brewery.)

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The 2013 Inquirer Brew-vitational Awards

(Welcome to the 2013 Inquirer Brew-vitational Awards. I was in the right place.)
As a judge in this year's Brew-vitational Awards, I'm a bit more inclined to write about them than I would have been in the past.

See, I'm extremely proud of the outcome, not because the results were nearly in line with my own personal scoresheet, but because of the strong showing of all the breweries and their submissions.

I was most pleased with the Pilsner category. Allow me to explain. (And stick around for the pictures at the end.)

As I mentioned in the judges interview, Pilsners have a special place in my heart dating back to the Pilsners of the early 90s from Dock Street and Stoudt's. I can drink the big over-the-top in every way (hops, alcohol, esters, coffee, fruit, etc., etc.) beers with the best of 'em and enjoy them all day and night long.

But, at the beginning and end of it all, I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the brewers that can nail a Pilsner with the perfect profile and refreshing balance of malts, noble hops, and clean finish. As most brewers will attest, it's not the easiest style to master.

Here in the Philadelphia region, which seems to generously extend from south-central to northeastern Pennsylvania and even over in to south Jersey and maybe even northern Delaware on an occasional day, we have an ever-growing reputation for brewers with an expert knack for consistently cranking out top-notch Pilsners.

Think Dock Street, Lancaster, Sly Fox, Stoudt's, Tröegs, and Victory for starters. These days, you may have heard of some solid Pilsners coming out of the newer Neshaminy Creek (I named them one of the most memorable of 2012) and Gunpowder Falls (out in York County I told you about a couple of months ago).

We had a bit of a lively discussion after we submitted our individual judge's scores where I, and a few others, took the position that "imperial" Pilsners had no place in the Pilsner category that we were judging.


(You can see a video of how some of the tasting/judging went down via this link.)

My thoughts and comments went along the lines of the following:

• On the topic of Pilsners, I've continued to think about it and remain steadfast in my belief that while the Imperials entered were above average beers, in a region where we have such high quality Pilsners being turned out, there's little reason in my mind not to exclude nontraditional versions. Just as there are Double IPA fests and competitions (with so many in the style crowding the market more than ever) to distinguish them uniquely from "regular" IPAs, I think we can look at judging Pilsners separately from Imperial Pilsners.
• After conversations I've had in different parts of the country in the days just since the competition tasting, I'm more convinced than ever of the pride we should have in our German/Czech/Bohemia brewing roots and the quality that current brewers have carried on. Folks in other parts of the country, both hardcore and average beer geeks, don't seem to be experiencing the same level of quality and appreciation in Pilsners as are we.

I'd sent these follow-up notes to Craig LaBan as we reflected upon the judging results. It was the second bullet that really sent me to further reflection. Every opportunity I had to share my judging experience from Atlanta to San Francisco to Los Angeles with supposed appreciators of better beer just could not completely wrap their heads around the idea that Pilsners could be interesting enough to judge a whole panel of them, not to mention that in the world of beer geekery, Pilsners are just not interesting enough. (Unless it's a hot summer day and you just want to chug something alcoholic and on and on with the seemingly endless canned, and stereotypical, responses.)

Well, I think I've put more than my two cents out there on the topic of Pilsners. It was a true treat and a monumental challenge, to say the least. My approach was to quickly sniff and then sample a small taste to see if I could discard any immediately strictly based on any obvious aroma or flavor flaws. There were none. Well done, my local brewers. Well done, indeed.

Lest you think I've gone off the rails from my earlier comment, I likewise could not have been more pleased with the New Beer category. Did I name a 10% beer a best-of? I sure did. It was bursting with all the wonderful flavors that I mentioned in the video. My praise, while a bit effusive, was genuine nonetheless. There were some wild sensory rides from some of the beers in the various categories and the top three were well-deserved of their finish place.

By the way, did I mention the results? You may have already read up on the final results. Here they are below, with my judged ranking in parentheses.

Pilsners
  Tröegs Sunshine Pils (1st in my finals round and 1st in my preliminary round of Pilsners)
  Victory CBC Tettnang Pils (3)
  Dogfish Head My Antonia (4)

New Beers
  Weyerbacher Riserva (1st in both my preliminary judging of "special/barrel-aged" and in the final round of New Beers)
  Tired Hands HandFarm (3)
  Free Will Rapunzel (4)

Now, for the visual evidence. Don't waste time, though, looking for photographic evidence of the elusive ringleader of this competition, Craig LaBan. He played the role well in guiding us through the competition and the approach. But, publishing photos of the longtime (hard to believe, fifteen years now) food journalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer would not have been the prudent thing to do if I wish to be considered for future similar gigs, now would it?

Big cheers to all of the winners and bring on Philly Beer Week 2013.

(First up: the Pilsner category of ten.)

(Then, speciality/barrel-aged.)

(judges seated, from left: Dan DeLuca, Natalie DeChico, Steve Wildy, Andy Rich, and William Reed standing)

(Pizza Brain provided the perfect intermission.)

(Pizza Brain up close.)

(Then the Belgian-style category, oh my.)

(Discussing the scores amongst half the judges seated, from left, Dan DeLuca, Natalie DeChico, Steve Wildy, Andy Rich.)

(This looks like a beer sampling/judging.)

(Final round in the New Beer category.)

(Coming down the home stretch. In addition to those judges already mentioned at the right table, William Reed and Tara Nurin at the left table.)

(the top 3, from left, in the Pilsners category.)

(the top 3, from left, in the New Beers category.)

Random videos of music and beer

For some reason, videos taken recently did not upload cleanly to YouTube, therefore I had to do a bit of techie magic which I don't even pretend to understand. But, here they are finally. Doing the file conversion process was a slow process, but it seems to have worked. I've got some more that I'll work on in the coming week or so. Think Belgium.

Enjoy this interlude, a work-killer if you happen to be trapped at your desk on this fine Friday.

Belgium Comes To Cooperstown, 2012
~ During the tasting session of the annual BCTC festival, Sly Fox's Patrick Mullin and Corey Reid coordinated a special, timed opening of the brewery's Ichor Quadrupel. It went over quite well. [Link to Sly Fox/BCTC video]

~ Much later in the evening, art lit up the night in the form of fire dancing and Brothers Past on the concert stage. Not hard to jam with these guys at all; I want to see more of them in the future. See if you agree. [Link to Late Night at BCTC]

Breastfest
~ Going back over a month, I'd referenced the 80s hard rock/metal band, Metal Shop, that played at the awesome Breastfest charity beer festival in San Francisco. Here's a clip of their version of a Whitesnake classic. [Link to Metal Shop at Breastfest]

Philly Beer Week
~ Going way back, all the way to Philly Beer Week in June, the video quality may be so-so (that may even be generous), but the audio will illustrate what a solid band and local treasure Hoots & Hellmouth is. They played after the Philly Beer Run at Dock Street's Music Fest. [Link to one video of Hoots & Hellmouth and then a link to a second video]

Enjoy, then get back to work!

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Philly Beer Week 2012: How's your planning coming along?

Come this Friday, we'll be three weeks away from the kickoff of the fifth annual Philly Beer Week celebration.

Come this Sunday, the annual Philly Beer Run will take place at Dock Street will be four weeks away.

I'm proud to organizing this run once again with Dock Street Brewery and urge you to head over to the race registration website.

If you don't run, you can volunteer. If you'd rather do neither, come on out after 2 p.m. anyway to cheer on the runners and to see a music festival that has gathered quite a bit of praise over the past few years as one of Day 10's most celebrated event.

Now, if you're ready for a fun chuckle, you can check out this little bit of promotion courtesy of Philly Beer Week and Jose Pistola's Casey Parker.

Dock Street and Four Seasons Hotel are en fuego with Caliente Golden Ale

Now I shouldn't suggest that the latest in the series of collaborative brewing between the hotel's kitchen and the West Philly brewhouse is overly spicy.

Layered right through the beer, though, is a noticeable pepper spice kick that catches you ever-so-pleasantly in the finish. A bit more noticeable, in my opinion, than the last beer they did together, the Truffled Old Ale, which was a delight all of its own but a bit more subtle.

And that has been the common thread between the first two beers in this seasonal collaboration series, a deft balance of potentially strong flavors that still allows the beer to first and foremost be a beer.

Last night, the hotel at Logan Square hosted Dock Street to unveil the new Caliente Golden Ale. Rosemarie Certo (owner), Scott Morrison (brewer), and Marilyn Candeloro (sales, marketing, and public relations) were all on hand to share the new beer and its background.

The beer, at roughly 7.5%, gets some of its ABV kick from the highly fermentable blue agave nectar which leaves barely any hint of sweetness. The pepper heat comes from Guajillo and Ancho chiles on which the beer "rested" for a few weeks.

For the release event last night, the kitchen whipped up some perfect accompaniments in the form of a citrusy shrimp ceviche and adobo chicken soft tacos.

Fifteen cases are available at the hotel where I suggest you stop by for a try. At $14 per 750mL bottle, it is quite the reasonable offer and you get to experience one of the city's finest hotel restaurants/bars.

More of this second beer made it through production than the first, so if you care to try it on draft, Dock Street will have a limited amount of it as well at its 50th/Baltimore location.

You'll want to get this one while you can, because the third in the series — the summer seasonal — is just around the corner.

They're not ready to talk publicly about the brew yet, which gets underway this week. But, I've got some inside scoop where I'm safe to say that it should turn out to be a refreshingly flavorful beer (and, dare I say the word "session" without giving too much away?) perfect for a hot summer June 8 release during Philly Beer Week at one of the planned Four Seasons beer garden/brewery promo events.

Weekly Brew Bits Update: 1/30/12

Again, quite a bit to share with you, so let's get right to it.

PHILADELPHIA
~ I took the easy way out with my most recent article at The Washington Times. Eight brewery and importer reps that you're used to hearing from at the bars weighed in with their thoughts of the 2012 beer season. Definitely worth the read, once again, if no other reason than to let 'em know at TWT that you like reading about good beer. Thanks, as usual, for the support.

~ Dock Street has a seasonal collaboration with and on display at The Four Seasons hotel off Logan Circle. Many of you may not recall that 18th Street was the original home of the brewpub way back in the late 80s and have come together with their old neighbors to showcase a very delicious (read my thoughts via this link) Truffled Old Ale.

~ Special of the Week, just gonna quote verbatim: "Come to Manayunk First Friday (6-9pm) and enjoy deals all down Main Street, anywhere you see the red flag! Here at Manayunk Brewery enjoy a free pizza buffet, and 1/2 off two of our favorite Sushi Rolls: Manayunk Roll and Main Street Roll.

~ Here's an interesting idea about bar closing times and city revenue in Philly. I wouldn't exactly say the streets are "clean" at 2 a.m. Plus, I'd love to see someone try to measure the marginal drunkenness. I need to hear more, but can't believe the going from a 2 a.m. close time to 3 a.m. will wreak that much more havoc in the bars and on the streets. And, don't tell me the after hours clubs are open. They're all private (right?) plus not usually the "scene" that most are comfortable in.

~ File along with a grain of salt, for sure. Thanks to Jack Curtin for slogging through the lists at RateBeer.com to discover which the raters deem worthwhile around our great beer-drinking region. Check it out, discuss, try not to argue about it.

EASTERN PA, NJ, DE, AND OTHER NEARBY PARTS OF MID-ATLANTIC
~ If you follow @TroegsBeer on Twitter, you'll see that Nugget Nectar is wrapping up production in Hershey and getting ready to hit the streets. Nicely spaced from the Bell's HopSlam release this year, beer geeks should have just recovered from their excessive slobbering in time for the February release of this hoppy treat.

~ Our own world-renowned, Lew Bryson, has reinvigorated his blogging ways. He obviously has sensed a void since I slowed things down around here. Either that, or he figured if he's making a show chronicling the American Beer Blogger, that he should do as he says. :-D That, for us all, will be a very good thing. He's out in Pittsburgh for a couple of days, but this posting here about Victory's Dark Lager is a good reason you should be reading along over at his blog. Here's another link for his notes on the new Delaware spot, Ernest and Scott, and a bit from London Grill.

~ Speaking of Delaware, our old friend, Ben Potts played the role of Silent Bob in this video (I kid, you know) where Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione discusses the highly-anticipated Noble Rot. Look for it on shelves soon. Thanks, as usual, to BeerNews.org for the link and the perpetual flow of, uh, beer news.

~ There have been some new happenings at General Sutter Inn. Did you know that the Sutter has a bit of a very cool new look in Lititz, Pa.? Now, when you've partied like a rock star at a cask festival or at the Bulls Head Public House next door, you can sleep it off like a rock star.

~ The inimitable, inevitable, and unavoidable Richard Ruch has struck again. This time with a fun and informative video (approx. 10 minutes) that he passed along. It shows the trip he took with Victory (Bill, Ron, and others) back in '07 to Germany and the Czech Republic. Has me looking even more forward to this week's Tettnang dinner at the pub.

~ Thanks to Ken who dropped a note to remind of the under-the-radar development up in Doylestown. The other end of the R-5 train line gets so much attention. Here in Doylestown, they're readying operations at Doylestown Brewing Company and even have an appropriately-named R-5 Lager. An IPA and a Light are also in the works for a February opening. Check 'em out and congratulations to the northern 'burbs on an ever-improving beer scene.

THE REST OF PLANET EARTH
~ After meeting "Chipper Dave" a few years back at GABF (and touring around Colorado), I've had his well-maintained Fermentedly Challenged on my blog reading list to stay abreast of beer news around his home state. Here, in this Bull & Bush article, I found the tableside dry-hopping unique enough to share with you.

~ I don't know why I seemingly continue to find this stuff interesting. Sure, binge drinking can be a problem. But, the wild definitions and the excessive hand-wringing, I'm not so sure. Anyway, here's a rebuttal to some material that I've linked to the in the past. If you're not up-to-date, don't worry. Main message: binge drinking is very, very bad and based on the definition, most of us do it…and, more frequently than you might imagine.

~ And, then. Oh yes, and then. Perhaps the biggest beer news story of the week centered around the craft segment pioneer, Sierra Nevada. The Chico, Calif.-based giant (and I mean that in the most craft-loving way) announced that they settled on North Carolina for its future eastern operations. So much has been written about this that I'll merely link to Sierra Nevada's press release posted on its website. And here is one video from Fox Carolina that nicely wraps up the announcement.

The next question on many's minds is: What of New Belgium's and Stone's plans to do something similar? Lew Bryson has also written of potential plans for New Belgium in Philly. In my own pea brain, the jury is still out on the hows and whys of this being a smart move.

In the meantime, have I mentioned that I've already got Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye IPA in my Top 10 beers of 2012?