Index + Wrap-Up of Flagship February Beers [Philadelphia edition]

Weeelllll, that was the longest 28-day month ever! I made 28 PDFs to accompany 28 posts that featured 28 flagship beers after getting in touch with 28 breweries and putting my lips on 28 beers. 14 beers were consumed at the brewery and 14 were consumed at home. Every brewery had personal input, but I had 12 in-person conversations and 2 phone conversations to aid in building the profiles. It was more than 28 beers, as you might imagine, because some got left by the wayside, but the work was put in and I wouldn't trade a day or a beer for any of it. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've been so proud to be part of a group undertaking such as this in the beer industry.

See below for the full inventory and all the links to the individual beers and features. The style breakdown is as follows: IPA/DIPA (6); German-/Czech-style Pilsner (4); German-style Lager (3); Amber/Pale Ale (3); ESB (2); Porter (2); Stout (2); Barleywine (1); Belgian-style Dubbel (1); Belgian-style Tripel (1); Kolsch (1); Saison (1); California Common/Steam (1)

And hopefully you didn't miss the real reason this all got started -- FlagshipFebruary.com. While I featured Stoudts Gold here on Feb. 21, that was also the date where my full story about the Stoudt family and the Stoudts Gold Lager was featured amongst 27 other beer writers from around the world. Our project was to bring attention to the "beers that got us here". There was representation from Europe, South America, and North America. It was an incredible honor to be listed amongst them.

Go read up on the tag-team finale posting from Stephen Beaumont and Jay Brooks, the two primary guys behind the organizational undertaking that it was to corral 28 writers for 28 consecutive days.

Then let's meet up for a beer and we can talk more about the past, the present, and the future of great beer.

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Fri. Feb. 01, 2019  -   Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel  -   [Link to my Flying Fish feature]
Sat. Feb. 02, 2019  -   Conshohocken Puddlers Row ESB  -   [Link to my Conshohocken feature]
Sun. Feb. 03, 2019  -   Second District Bancroft Beer  -   [Link to my Second District feature]
Mon. Feb. 04, 2019  -   Love City Lager - [Link to my Love City feature]
Tue. Feb. 05, 2019  -   Tired Hands SaisonHands  -   [Link to my Tired Hands feature]
Wed. Feb. 06, 2019  -   Victory HopDevil  -   [Link to my Victory feature]
Thu. Feb. 07, 2019  -   Yards Extra Special Ale (ESA)  -   [Link to my Yards feature]
Fri. Feb. 08, 2019  -   Iron Hill Pig Iron Porter  -   [Link to my Iron Hill feature]
Sat. Feb. 09, 2019   - Neshaminy Creek Trauger Pilsner  -   [Link to my Neshaminy Creek feature]
Sun. Feb. 10, 2019   - Crime & Punishment Space Race IPA  -   [Link to my Crime & Punishment feature]
Mon. Feb. 11, 2019   - Yuengling Black & Tan  -   [Link to my Yuengling feature]
Tue. Feb. 12, 2019   - Root Down Bine IPA  -   [Link to my Root Down feature]
Wed. Feb. 13, 2019   - Manayunk Monk From The 'Yunk  -   [Link to my Manayunk feature]
Thu. Feb. 14, 2019   - Lancaster Milk Stout  -   [Link to my Lancaster feature]
Fri. Feb. 15, 2019   -  Tröegs HopBack Amber  -   [Link to my Tröegs feature]
Sat. Feb. 16, 2019   - Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner  -   [Link to my Dock Street feature]
Sun. Feb. 17, 2019   - La Cabra Hipster Catnip IPA  -   [Link to my La Cabra feature]
Mon. Feb. 18, 2019   - Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot  -   [Link to my Weyerbacher feature]
Tue. Feb. 19, 2019   - Workhorse Vienna Lager  -   [Link to my Workhorse feature]
Wed. Feb. 20, 2019   - 2SP Baby Bob Stout  -   [Link to my 2SP feature]
Thu. Feb. 21, 2019   - Stoudts Gold Lager - [Link to my Stoudts feature]
Fri. Feb. 22, 2019   - Free Will The Kragle IPA  -   [Link to my Free Will feature]
Sat. Feb. 23, 2019   - Sly Fox Pikeland Pils  -   [Link to my Sly Fox feature]
Sun. Feb. 24, 2019   - East Branch Der Bach  -   [Link to my East Branch feature]
Mon. Feb. 25, 2019   - Philadelphia Brewing Kenzinger Beer  -   [Link to my Philadelphia Brewing feature]
Tue. Feb. 26, 2019   - Sterling Pig Big Gunz Double IPA  -   [Link to my Sterling Pig feature]
Wed. Feb. 27, 2019   - Anchor Steam Beer  -   [Link to my Anchor feature]
Thu. Feb. 28, 2019   - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale  -   [Link to my Sierra Nevada feature]

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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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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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Writing this ship, Part I (California, part 1)

(Before I delve into the beginnings of my travel notebook from the last nine months or so, if you don't know what's behind this, you may wish to check back on what I wrote earlier this week.)

A week to Costa Rica in February 2012 may have been the beginning. Two weeks to Belgium in May 2012 may have taken me to the edge.


But, what likely began my fall from this beer writing habit was my one week in northern California last July. The backlog of e-mails not dealt with, RSVPs not responded to s'il vous plaît, my writings of beer and people and stories found along the way in Costa Rica and Belgium not written about all went permanently on the back burner when I arrived in San Francisco in early July.

I crashed. I didn't burn, but it was definitely the most significant crash I've had in the 90 or so months that I've been doing up this gig.

What ensued after this July trip last year only compounded matters and I haven't been quite right (write) since.

It's all good, though. Remember, as I said in the preceding post, my day job comes first and that's why I was in the Bay Area. Once the day job closes for the day, though, the night job of beer exploration begins.


Not a whole lot to discuss during the week while I was in the city. A few good beers around town at the typical spots from Magnolia to Toronado to 21st Amendment. Each highly recommended, in case you didn't know, each for different reasons, for your Bay Area beer travels. There was much more to talk about from my meanderings during my entry and exit weekends around the region.

The first days brought a visit with Jay Brooks and his beautiful family as well as a gastronomical visit with Sean Paxton and his equally beautiful family. These are guys whom you should track when exploring the northern California region. Paxton for his gastronomically-incredible food and beer events delivered under the name The Home Brew Chef and Brooks for his solidified stature as one of the most knowlegable industry voices with plenty to say and share on his Brookston Beer Bulletin.


Of course, when heading up into their neck of the woods, the trip would not be complete without a visit to Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa. This time, for me, a visit that included a sampling of as much as this 220-pound frame could handle, the excellent pizza, the beer bites and drew bites, and (during my return visit the following day) an equally excellent performance on stage by Midori and Ezra Boy.


I procured a full growler of Row 2 Hill 56 from the pub to bring back to my downtown hotel room during the week and that worked out quite nicely. Glad to see this very good homage beer to their hop growing farmers appearing from time to time on the draft board. At that point, I'd had it once previously at a Monk's Cafe dinner in Philly where Vinnie Cilurzo and Brian Grossman hosted a joint Russian River/Sierra Nevada dinner so I knew of the beer's solid profile.


Wandering around Sonoma County also brought my first visit (believe it or not) to Lagunitas Brewing Company. Intoxicating (that can be taken many ways, ha!), to say the least. What might have been a one hour visit turned in to almost three; it's that kind of place. It's close enough to Highway 101 that if you're trekking north to Santa Rosa, you're cheating your true beer self if you don't make the stop in Petaluma. And, if you're with family or others that have no interest in the brewery and its outdoor beer garden, the Petaluma Outlet Mall might be a pleasing alternative.


My meanderings also brought a visit to Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastapol for a couple of fine lager-based beers (from a co-founder of Gordon Biersch, natch), a light bite, and some outdoor live music and a bakery visit to the nearby Wild Flour Bread Bakery and their awesome sticky buns.


These sticky buns made their way back into the City with me and served as excellent breakfast bites each morning of the week.

After a week's worth of day-jobbing in and around the City, the second Saturday presented me with the opportunity to check out the lauded BreastFest beer for charity festival at the scenic Fort Mason overlooking Alcatraz, Marin County, and the Golden Gate Bridge. I said plenty about the festival in a piece over at After Hours, so head over there and check it out if you have previously not.

There's plenty more to say about California in parts 2 and 3, so I'll leave the Golden State until such time.

The more I think of it, I wonder if going to Germany on a two-week cruise with Stephen Beaumont in October 2010 might have been the original tipping point. More on that to come....some day. I promise...I think...maybe.

Until then.....

Cheers!
Bryan

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Weekly Brew Bits Update: 1/2/12

As you begin to come out of your holiday craze and daze, here are some things that you may have missed along the way.

~ Tired Hands continues to make progress...progress that is rapidly picking up pace. Before we know it, there'll be a new opening. This one, in a location desperately needing one. Note to self: get back to Ardmore. Link here back to previous pictures on The Brew Lounge or Link here to new ones from the brewery's Facebook page.

~ But, while Tired Hands and others continue to trudge through their pre-opening construction "fun", Iron Hill has plowed quickly through the last few weeks and opened their ninth location in Chestnut Hill for soft opening dinners this past week. I'll have a few more pictures posted separately here in the next day or so. Until then, go and check out their Facebook photo page and prepare for a grand opening to the public this coming Wednesday, January 4.

~ Have you caught my column over at The Washington Times Communities recently? I took a stab at a Top 10 Brewers list and a Top 10 Craft Beer Themes of 2011. A Top 10 Beers list is coming soon; stay tuned.

~ Jay Brooks uncovered a Philadelphia History of Beer poster. I love these kind of illustrative capsules. Go check it out.

~ In last week's wrap-up post, "KL" commented about progress at Bucks County's Free Will Brewing and Neshaminy Creek Brewing. If you missed it, check back via this link.

~ 2011 left and not a minute too soon. I didn't find anything noteworthy about New Year's Eve to link you to, so let's get on with 2012.

The Session #51: Beer and Cheese

Background
The monthly roundtable of beer writers/bloggers that is The Session is convened the first Friday of every month. A different host announces a theme of their choosing each month and plays the role of host and gatherer of submissions on the topic. (For a history of all Sessions, check out Jay's compilation of monthly wrap-ups.)

This month, May 2011, Jay Brooks took the helm. He announced the topic of 'Beer & Cheese: The Great Online Beer & Cheese-Off', which of itself is a worthy subject for sure. But, he went the one extra step (perhaps in an effort to lure the likes of me back in to the fold after many, many months of absence from The Session) and set out a few specific rules for playing along. See, I haven't participated in this monthly project since somewhere in the early months of year one or two. This topic, though, is one that I couldn't refuse given the two tasty subjects and the added degree of difficulty.

I chose to not only share with you the tasting results from the group of eager and willing participants I gathered, but to also use this as a sort of guide to running your own beer and cheese tasting. Hopefully, there are some points in here (both in my successes and oversights) that you can take away as learning points as did I.

(the tasting table prep)The Session "rules"
Jay asked all who would participate to go out and buy three cheeses. He named three cheeses that should readily be found in most major markets across the States, thus ensuring a somewhat level playing field for all involved. The first two were no problem for me, Cypress Grove Chevre's Humboldt Fog and Maytag Dairy Farm's Blue. The third, Widmer one year-aged Cheddar, I've seen plenty of on store shelves, but when I went to the cheese display this particular time, I came up empty. In fact, finding a one-year old aged cheddar to my liking from Wisconsin proved to be way more difficult than I would have imagined. So, I opted for Carr Valley's Snow White Goat Cheddar (cloth-bound and cave-aged six months) as a close approximation. Next to this cheese on the shelf was another that caught my eye, the Apple-smoked Cheddar also from Carr Valley.

Here are short manufacturer descriptions for each:
Carr Valley Apple Smoked Cheddar, $10.50 per pound
La Valle, WI
Made in a 12# wheel. This white cheddar is apple smoked and then hand rubbed with paprika. It has a light smoky flavor that balances very well with the paprika. This cheese won 1st Place at the 2005 American Cheese Society in its category, 3rd Place at the 2006 World Cheese Competition, and 3rd Place at the 2006 American Cheese Society Competition.

Carr Valley Snow White Goat Cheddar, $16.60 per pound
La Valle, WI
A creamy white Goat Cheddar Cheese made in 38# wheels and cave aged for 6 months. Took 2nd Place at the 2007 American Cheese Society Competition and 2008 Best in Show at American Cheese Society.

Cypress Grove Chevre Humboldt Fog, $22.99 per pound
Arcata, CA
Our signature offering, Humboldt Fog® is an elegant, soft, surface ripened cheese. The texture is creamy and luscious with a subtle tangy flavor. Each handcrafted wheel features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and a coating of ash under its exterior to give it a distinctive, cake-like appearance. An American Original!

Maytag Dairy Farms Blue, $14.90 per pound
Newton, IA
Made from cow's milk. It has been produced since 1920's when the Maytag's founded their family farm and began producing cheeses. Maytag Blue has a crumbly texture and it reveals a very spicy flavor. The period of curing and maturing takes six months.

After procuring these cheeses from our local Wegmans store, the next step in the game was to taste the cheeses paired with beers of my choosing — ones that I thought might pair well with each cheese. I could do this tasting solo or get others to participate. I wanted to keep this somewhat under control so Patty and I invited over just a couple of neighbors.

Beer and Cheese tasting preparation
I put together a tasting notes page for each of our participants. On one hand, I wanted to get enough feedback that I would somehow incorporate into this writeup of the cheeses and beers. But, on the other hand, I didn't want the form to be so "geeky" and so overwhelming when what I really wanted was for people to sample and enjoy without feeling too stressed by what I was asking.

To prepare for the gathering and tasting, while it was all about the beer and cheese, obviously there were other things I needed to worry about as well. If you prepare your own beer and cheese tasting, here are some things that you may also find handy to keep in mind.

Things like:

sufficient tasting area around the table for beer, food, glassware, writing, etc.

small sampling glassware

water glasses, and extra water for rinsing, if desired (dump bucket also, if so)

napkins

tasting notes forms and pens

tools like knives, spoons, cheese spreaders, etc.

crackers with very little flavor as a palate neutralizer between beers/cheeses

small snacks of food that might include nuts and fruits

The Session at The Brew Lounge
It's also important to choose a good day and time to conduct the tasting. Many will say that the palate, like much of the rest of the body, is more receptive and perceptive earlier in the day. Weekends, for some, can be less stressful as opposed to weeknight scheduling. This, however, does not typically accommodate well when trying to schedule a group of people. We took the opposite approach and chose a Wednesday night around 9 p.m. to undertake this little project.

Selecting the beers was fun. My goal, as you'll see on the tasting notes form, was to ask that each participant definitely drink the one beer that I suggested with each cheese. I also put a variety of other beers on the table so that any of them could be tried with any of the beers. I attempted, for the most part, to choose beers that I already had on hand in my cooler and that any of you readers — no matter your location — would have a good chance of finding either across the Philadelphia region or the country.

Each person would then make notes on the following for each beer and cheese:

What does it smell like?

What does it taste like?

Comments about the pairing.

A ranking within the beer/cheese pairing category.

An overall pairing ranking.

Like I said, I didn't want to get into an overly scientific analysis and therefore constructed the form to hopefully be as least intimidating as possible. Check it out the form below (click for larger view).

(the Tasting Notes form)The Session, Lessons Learned
As I might have expected, while I did get good feedback on all forms, we all reached a breaking point eventually. It could have been due to any of the following reasons that you might want to consider if you're throwing your own beer and cheese tasting party.

I was distracted by the Philadelphia Flyers playoff game that I had on the TV in the background. Music would have been the better choice, particularly given the final score!

There was too much clutter on the table. It was all necessary, but the table that we used on the sun porch was too small.

At the same time, I had too much beer and cheese on the table. In hindsight, I might instead have chosen to put a small hunk of each cheese on individual plates and maybe even pre-poured the recommended beers. That way, extra bottles and cheese could have been moved off to a side table for later additional servings.

This was my first such structured tasting, with notes/forms and whatnot, so this was a learning experience for sure.

(the chosen 4)The Session, Results
To the results, beer-man! What you'll see in the following notes are a compilation from all of the tasting comments without identifying individual names (to protect the innocent?).

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Humboldt Fog: Paired with Brasserie Dupont Saison

Pairing judgement: The beer had notes of citrus rind like lemon and grapefruit; other fruit notes like apple and pear. Some honeysuckle and pepperiness as well. The cheese was smooth and tangy, but not overwhelmingly so. Notes of grass, butter, mineral, and fresh milk house buttercream. The cheese was nearly the unanimous favorite and the pairing was fairly well-received with comments about the prickly carbonation that lifts the cheese's creaminess off the tongue...to the nice balance between the beer's fruitiness and the cheese's creaminess.

Other pairing notes: The Orval did not have enough punch to stand up to the cheese. The Alaskan Smoked Porter was a pleasant surprise with its smokey creaminess blending nicely with the cheese's creaminess. The Sierra 30th Anniversary was a bit overpowering for the cheese as it muted some of the cheese's more dominant flavors. And, lastly, the Maui Bikini Blonde Lager also surprised with its Meyer Lemon-like and clean flavors that brought out even more of a French butter-like quality in the cheese.

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Maytag Blue: Paired with Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Barleywine

Pairing judgement: It seemed that almost no one was up for the sharp tartness of the Maytag Blue. I was surprised by this as I am one that can really pack away mouthfuls of this cheese. But, not on this particular evening; I found the tartness too much for my liking. Others found the same tartness, the same acidity as I along with some flavors of peat moss and "spicy mud". The barleywine and its molasses, port, caramel, and cork characteristics made for a beer that all enjoyed, but the intended pairing was an afterthought. Though, one did comment that the mellowness of the beer provided a nice offset to the tangy sharpness of the cheese.

Other pairing notes: No one attempted another pairing with the Blue, but I can imagine that a soured beer may provide a nice complement to the cheese.

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Apple-smoked Cheddar: Paired with Alaskan Smoked Porter

Pairing judgement: I only picked up this cheese because I saw the word "apple-smoked" and thought, "hey, I have one last bottle of '05 Alaskan Smoked Porter...let's give this a try". Most enjoyed the cheese with its fire pit, cedar plank, paprika, sweet bologna, apple, smoked salmon, and burning leaves characteristics. And, most enjoyed the beer and how its mellowed a bit over the years while still retaining its pleasant leathery, wood, and also burning leaves flavors and aromas. All agreed that smoked next to smoked, though, did not do so well together.

Other pairing notes: A recurring secondary pairing that pleased a few of us was the Dogfish Indian Brown which really did not go well with the other cheese from Carr Valley at all. Here it provided molasses, caramel, and bitter hoppiness that provided additional depth to the pairing that the Smoked Porter could not. Very pleasing.

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Snow White Goat Cheddar: Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Pairing judgement: I realize that this cheddar did not really measure up to Jay's request for a one-year-old (or more) cheddar from Wisconsin. I got the Wisconsin right...but this one was aged six months. I thought it might add a couple of points for being cloth-wrapped and cave-aged, but nonetheless, the pairing did not work. The cheese was nice, and the beer is mighty fine and worked well with the apple-smoked. But, the grassy, earthy, burlap, somewhat gamy/goat-y properties of the cheese were overpowered by the hoppiness of the beer.

Other pairing notes: The cheese only worked for a couple of us, therefore the only one alternative pairing that was attempted was with the Maui Bikini Blonde Lager. This one worked better than the DFH beer, but still not stellar. Even though it's a hoppy beer, the 21st Amendment Bitter American might be a combination I should have tried instead.

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Also on the table, but not tried, were: 21st Amendment Back in Black IPA; General Lafayette 275th Anniversary Barleywine; Ommegang Gnomegang; and Scaldis Noel.

This was a lot of fun. I think I put the right amount of preparation into the tasting night and am anxious to work out a couple of the finer points where I came up short as I mentioned earlier.

Thanks to Jay Brooks for facilitating this and I'll do my best to reconvene in two weeks for another go-round.

(Humboldt Fog, far and away the most popular)

To Pliny with Love

Back to my Bay Area brothers one more time this week.

Go stop by Jay Brooks' website where you'll see one local band's expression of love for Gaius Plinius Cecilius Secundus.

In the Northeast, of course there's "(We're Drinking) Bitches Brew". But, it got me to wondering if any Philly-based beers have earned such props on the music scene?

Philly Beer Week 2010: Comprehensive Coverage

Here we go 'round again. Philly Beer Week 2010. Bigger and Better than ever? Now in June. This was interesting to observe with the change in calendar and I'll have more on that aspect later.

With close to 1,000 "events" reportedly scheduled (and, yes, more on that later as well) across the Philadelphia region, there was promised to be something for just about anyone looking to have a good beer to toast the merits of the Philadelphia Beer Landscape from June 4th-June 13th. Lucky for us, the Landscape doesn't change or "go back" to anything different after June 13th....well, okay, perhaps with a bit less volume and intensity.

This page here will serve as my repository for all things Philly Beer Week 2010. My own notes, pictures, and wrap-ups. But, not one man, woman, or even a group could cover the whole thing, so I get by with a little help from my friends and link out to other perspectives down below. Let's get started!

The Brew Lounge Wrap-up and Pictures
Friday June 4 - 6/4 Wrap-Up - 6/4 Pictures
Saturday June 5 - 6/5 Wrap-Up
Sunday June 6 - 6/6 Wrap-Up - 6/6 Pictures
Monday June 7 - 6/7 Wrap-Up - 6/7 Pictures
Tuesday June 8 - 6/8 Wrap-Up - 6/8 Pictures
Wednesday June 9 - 6/9 Wrap-Up
Thursday June 10 - 6/10 Wrap-Up - 6/10 Pictures
Friday June 11 - 6/11 Wrap-Up
Saturday June 12 - 6/12 Wrap-Up - 6/12 Pictures
Sunday June 13 - 6/13 Wrap-Up - 6/13 Pictures

Insights from other Prodigious Online Presences during PBW '10
Suzanne Woods, The Beer Lass
~~ Eating and Drinking her way through PBW '10
~~ A hilarious insight into sales rep chatter during PBW '10
~~ Do you know the way to Saint Nobodyville?
~~ Suck it Up: It's only Day 2
~~ Pre-PBW'10 Picks

Jack Curtin, The Liquid Diet
~~ Back to the future to the past, before the wrap-up in the beginning
~~ His wrap-up, briefly
~~ Notes #4, though I couldn't find #1, #2, or #3
~~ In which He gives credit to me, but mostly to Mrs. Brew Lounge
~~ The Crawl that Was or Was Not

Helene Roper, The Philly Beer Girl
~~ Days 5-8
~~ The Beginning

Don Russell, The Joe Sixpack
~~ A prelude on 5/13/10
~~ Philly Beer Geek wrap-up

Jay Brooks, The Bay Area Brookston (sorry, I made that up)
~~ Look who Came to Dinner
~~ Go Hammer, Go Hammer...don't hurt 'em

Lew Bryson, The Laugh
~~ A bit of This, That, and The Other...pick a posting for yourself and see

Phoodie.Info
~~ Lots of content, mostly in the form of "their PBW picks"

Hammer of Glory video
~~ Head over to a Facebook video for a fun video of the rollicking tour that the Hammer took on Day 1

A Guy named Steve Lyford
~~ took off the whole week, took a lot of pictures, and finally hardly any have his extended arm in the foreground! Good stuff and amazing dedication, check 'em out

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