A beer festival at Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle in Doylestown

Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle Beerfest (link to the full gallery of pictures)

It was called Eat & Drink Local and the beer festival at the Mercer Museum/Fonthill Castle on 8/17 certainly lived up to the name. It was a celebration of local food and beer (a wine and a rye whiskey thrown in for good measure as well) for 200 ticketed attendees under a large event tent on the grounds of Henry Mercer's former home and current museum that houses items from daily life in pre-Industrial Revolution America.

In fact, it was a great venue at which not only to drink locally-produced beers, but beers that most had never heard of before that night. Even I was stumped on a couple of the new guys that were set up to pour their beers.

There were the big guys (relatively speaking, of course). Weyerbacher, McKenzie Brew House, and Victory were pouring recognizable names like Imperial Pumpkin, La Fling, and Summer Love, respectively. Keystone Homebrew was also in attendance pouring a handful of beers and a wine from members of their club.

Then there were the recently new or about to be new Bucks County breweries. Round Guys (Lansdale), Free Will (Perkasie), and Vault (Yardley) are all names that are beginning to become a bit more recognized around the area at festivals and watering holes alike.

Then there the really new guys, some of whom are still looking for that special location to call home. Outta Hand Brewing and Great Swamp Brewing were two that frankly had me stumped. Prior to heading out for the festival I'd done a bit of sleuthing around to find that Outta Hand doesn't have much info at all about them floating around online. They're a couple of home brewers (Matt Kennedy and Joe Moran) with big dreams and over at Carolyn Smagalski's site there's a reference to them and a Steve Bischoff. I cleared up that he has absolutely no relationship with the brewery. They were quite frank in saying that they actually have no clue who he is. So if anyone knows Bischoff, you might like to tell him that if anything that ever goes bump in the night at Outta Hand, it will be blamed on him. It's just easier that way!

Great Swamp, though, is a little farther along with their plans. David Johnson is in the process of securing capital and a location somewhere along Broad Street in Quakertown to open his place to serve his beers to the public.

This was a unique festival in a few ways. The representation of mostly all very local breweries was one. The demographic was another that made the festival quite unique. With rough estimates at over half of the attendees coming from the museum's membership base, the average age skewed slightly older and certainly did not resemble the typical beer geek festival. Yet, in what really should not be all too shocking, this diminished in no way the thirst for new and interestingly tasty beers.

Here is one area that many folks in the business of selling beer should learn well from in formulating marketing plans. As craft beer continues to take a greater foothold in the consciousness of beer drinkers, we may be surprised by just who the future demographic might be comprised of. For example, while chatting with the McKenzie Brew House guys (Ryan and Nate), a couple likely pushing into their late 70s approached and asked about the beers and got their samples. They were conversant enough to ask questions about the beer and brewery that they previously knew nothing about and appeared happy with what they tasted. Not exactly the young hipster demographic that often comes to mind at beer festivals, right?

Goes to prove that you never know where you'll find your next beer enthusiast — and to never judge a book by its cover. But, that lesson goes back decades doesn't it? And, applies to much more than just beer.

A couple of goodies for you Homebrewers out there

This first one takes a bit of planning for the next couple of months leading up to Philly Beer Week.

The second should get your beer geek juices flowing but requires you to act a bit faster.

This first one will give you a chance to showcase your award-winning Homebrew in a competition hosted by Triumph Brewery in Philadelphia during Philly Beer Week. If you don't care for Facebook, here's a link directly to the entry form.

Keystone Homebrew has long been a fixture in the homebrewing scene of the northern city suburbs and up into the Lehigh Valley. They've conducted all sorts of events around wine making and beer brewing.

Now they've pulled off what seems to be a major coup of an event. All the beer geeks surely know of Urbain Coutteau from Belgium's De Struise brewery. Now homebrewers will have the chance to learn directly from Coutteau and brew a beer with his guidance.

Enough from me, go read the details over at Keystone Homebrew.

And....get brewing!

Philly Beer Week 2010: Day 7 Wrap-Up

Link to Day 7 Pictures

Link back to Day 6 ----- Link forward to Day 8

I took some time off work on Thursday (the first and only such occurrence during this year's PBW) since I had TBL Admin work to do related to the Amazing Beer Race I'm conducting on Sunday. I kept it to the straight and narrow with my appointments until I was crossing town from east to west (next destination: Local 44) and I punched up the iPhone app to ask it what was occurring and closest to my location....voila--the Dunk Tank for charity at London Grill.

I walked down 23rd street over an hour after the festivities had begun. Steve Mashington from Yards and Casey Hughes from Flying Fish had already been giving his dunking(s), but plenty more awaited Dan Conway (Left Hand) and Eric VanZile (Ithaca). Dogs were barking (the ones from PAWS that wanted to be adopted, money was being raised for Alex's Lemonade Stand among other charities, and great beer was being poured outside (like Yards Saison, Flying Fish Exit 6, and a few others).

I hung out long enough to pay my respects once again to the Hammer and do a bit of informal meet 'n' greet. Then, before finally heading to Local 44, I felt it prudent to stop in at long ago hang out Tavern on Green (currently The Belgian Café) to see Megan Maguire doing her own meet 'n' greet thing with her stable of Ommegang and Duvel beers. BPA, Triple Perfection, Duvel Green, Abbey Ale were just a few of the draft and bottle selections that she had pouring.

Had a pleasant conversation with a couple of guys who had just finished up their run for the day. We talked about the beautiful intersection of great tasting/craft beer and running. Maybe I'll see one or both of them on Sunday for my Run. It was just one and done as I still needed to make my stop at Local 44.

At Local 44, the draft list impressed as always, but what I was really there for was a one-year-old bottle of the timeless Orval beer. My lunch never happened earlier in the day, so I figured that provided I didn't want to be a wreck at the Philly Beer Geek Finals, I'd better put some food down there with my beer. And, food at Local 44 (or Memphis or Resurrection, for that matter) never disappoints.

This time it was a Falafel sandwich, quite possibly just about the last thing I'd picture myself ordering at Local 44. But, boy would that be a mistake. A tasty and satisfying sandwich, especially with a little siracha sauce drizzled over it. And, the Orval? Just as perfect as you'd expect this beer to be. Mostly dry, crisp, slightly dry and funky. A perfect beer a warm afternoon.

Then, it was off to gather Patty up at 30th Street Station and head out to Manayunk Brewery & Restaurant where I was to be announced as an "illustrious judge" and some nonesense about how great and helpful "my spreadsheet" was! But so far only one person has taken Jack to his advice for buying me a beer because of it. Even Jack last night reneged on the (at least) two beers that he owes me. What's going on around here anyway?!

Instead of trudging up the hill to Dawson Street (an old underage--sshhh--college hangout..I think the statute of limitations has worn out, yes?) to meet Jack and Carl for dinner, we ate out on Manayunk's patio amongst all the pretty and cool happy hour peoples. Some sushi, some pizza, and a Bills Pils. Not too shabby.

It was time to head upstairs just before 8:00pm for the introductions. Five judges, Six contestants. Two women and Four guys being judged by a motley crew of...well, motley Lew maybe?? Lew definitely tried to steal the show from the contestants as Jason Harris and Carolyn Smagalski tried their best to reign him in (occasionally) and contestants tried to keep straight faces.

There was a round of lightning trivia, stump the judges, blind beer tasting, open-ended/vague questions, and local beer philosophy. Through it all, two contestants stood head and shoulders above the rest. Steve Hawk and Kate Stewart wowed the crowd and us judges with their knowledge, quick wit, and composure...and a little bit of showmanship as well. Steve finished solidly in first place representing Hulmeville Inn and Kate in second for the Iron Abbey of Horsham. The others had flashes of brilliance and represented Philadelphia well with their mastery and geekerie of beer.

But, in the end, we judges convened outside on the patio for yet one more beer and a quick confirmation that the other four judges felt the same as I. The only question was to whom to award third place. We threw up a quick and hokey tie-breaker but it didn't change the outcome, so we left them tied for third.

And, with that a few hearty souls wandered back to Dawson Street and Patty and I slipped back to the Schuylkill Expressway to head home for the dogs.

As you head into the last 3 days of PBW...the iPhone has been updated earlier this week...now boasting "Same amount of beer, less head.....with Minor stability and performance enhancements." Sounds like a good thing.