Flagship February daily feature - Manayunk Monk From The 'Yunk Belgian Tripel

Manayunk Brewing, sitting where the canal meets the Schuylkill River, has been brewing up a storm and weathered quite a few storms (i.e. floods) from Mother Nature herself going all the way back to 1996. That makes it one of Philly's earliest brewpubs. It's a remarkable bout of consistency on Main Street where things can come and go as times and tastes change. And, by the way, fun factoid if you didn't know that Schuylkill translates to "hidden river" and Manayunk means "place to drink".

But I'm not qualified to write about Manayunk; I haven't been there in nearly five years. Really lame on my part, eh? Consider this feature part of my atonement. The last time I was there was for a bit of al fresco dining. The deck dining at MBC in nice weather is worth the visit as much as (I'd imagine) are the brunch menu and sushi menu, the latter making it a unique brewpub visit for sure. Special events are frequent and lately, there seems to be something new always coming out of the brewhouse as they keep up with the times.

Had a chance to find a taste of the Crunch at a recent festival and it's a spot-on chocolate peanut butter porter. I really must make yet more amends for not having been to MBC in a ridiculous amount of time.

Now go click the picture below for a full feature on Manayunk's Monk From The 'Yunk.

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

Disclosure: For this project, I solely created the list of 28 beers featured here on The Brew Lounge. I was in contact with each brewery and neither required nor requested complimentary samples. I purchased today's Manayunk beer at retail.

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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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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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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?

Events of note this weekend.

Regrettably, I'll miss them all. However, you all should help pick up my slack.

Making beer is one thing. How it's distributed and presented to the market is another. The people, the places, as well as the beer all contribute greatly to the success of this industry. It's a primary reason I focus so much on events here at The Brew Lounge.

Check out a few of the best this weekend has to offer.

We've got a couple of festivals. Like at Manayunk Brewery, where I swear I'll eventually get to one of their annual festivals that I undertand are worth the trip. It's on Saturday, April 30 from 1pm-5pm and costs $45.

Also Saturday, at 6pm, Stoudt's is again hosting what has become a nice little festival of its own -- the Battle of the Brewery Bands. The event will have at least five bands playing and costs $30.

Then we have a couple of animal-related events. No, not the human-type of 'animals', the real thing. Like a fundraiser called Firkins for our Furry Friends for P.A.W.S. at Khyber Pass Pub on Saturday from 12pm-8pm, where $20 gets you unlimited fills of cask-conditioned beer.

And, by now, who doesn't know about the legendary gathering of thousands and a couple dozen goats in Phoenixville. It's the annual Bock Festival and Goat Races on the first Sunday of May, it's at Sly Fox, and it's Pay As You Go for a day full of bock beers, goat races, live German music, and loads of outdoor fun.

Then, lastly I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the special release of a beer that I'll be sorry to miss, the Saizanne. It was created by Chris LaPierre and his lovely lady (or maybe the other way around, Suzanne Woods, and her lance romance) and brewed at his Maple Shade location of Iron Hill. The gathering and tasting gets underway at 12pm on Saturday.

Philly Beer Week Collaboration Raffle at McGillin's Olde Ale House

Pictures from the Philly Beer Week Collaboration at McGillin's

De Proef has brewed four Brewmaster's Collaboration Series beers in the past, one each with Tomme Arthur (Port), Jason Perkins (Allagash), John Mallett (Bell's), and Brian "Spike" Buckowski (Terrapin). For the 2011 version, Philly Beer Week Executive Director Don Russell took an idea to Alan Shapiro of SBS-Imports (the annual liaison between the brewery and the American brewers) and the planning of a PBW collaboration beer took off.

According to Russell, it only took a few beers worth of discussion with Alan and then pulling Tom Peters into the conversation to get the ball rolling on this very exciting idea for publicity and fundraising.

It's hard to tell if Mr. Curtin likes this idea or not, but I for one think it one of PBW's more ingenious ideas.

The idea seems to be a win for everyone. ~ De Proef is associated with the original and, arguably, most successful Beer Week ~ a local brewer gets his name attached to the beer and nationwide attention ~ a local beer drinker gets a free vacation and the chance to rub mash paddles with brewing celebrities (or do a lot of grunt work) ~ PBW raises money for its coffers ~ a good reason for a pre-PBW party in November at McGillin's.

Okay, so everything above was written prior to the PBW bash last night at McGillin's. We now know that the winning brewer was Brian O'Reilly from Sly Fox and he'll be accompanied to Belgium in February by Jason Kramer to brew their concept of a porter with Dirk Naudts of the famed De Proef Brouwerij near the town of Gent.

The crowd was almost wall-to-wall in the upstairs room of McGillin's last night and they came from near and far to party and for a chance to win the trip to Belgium.

Brewers were there. Owners, too. Reps, distributors, homebrewers, fans, and other hoperati were as well. "Regulars" from Hulmeville to Grey Lodge to Teresa's Next Door descended upon the historic McGillin's. An early estimate shows close to 1,000 ballots in the ballot box. Final counts and total dollars raised will be available by the end of the week.

Everyone was there, well, except for not only the winning brewer but the winning entrant too, which made for a bit of an anticlimatic ending to the event. Apparently Kramer submitted his absentee ballot via the mail and the system certainly worked out for him.
If you'd like to see a 4 minute clip of the drawing and announcement, check out the video and just picture the joy on Kramer's and O'Reilly's faces.

The competition was formidable amongst the eligible brewers listed below: - Ben Potts (Dock Street) - Bob Barrar (Iron Hill-Media) - Bill Covaleski (Victory) - Bill Moore (Lancaster) - Brett Kintzer (Stoudt’s) - Brian O’Reilly (Sly Fox) - Casey Hughes (Flying Fish) - Chris Wilson (Weyerbacher) - Doug Marchakitus (Manayunk) - Gordon Grubb (Nodding Head) - Jon Carpenter (Dogfish Head) - Rob Pfeiffer (Twin Lakes) - Tom Kehoe (Yards)

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.