The Brew Lounge: Philadelphia

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Thursday, August 01, 2024

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.

© 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

Wednesday, June 01, 2022

Philly Beer Week, you can't quit us. June 3-June 12, 2022.

(TLDR? - Well, shame on you, but go ahead and Click Here anyway) 😎

It took me 364 days to get my first Brew Lounge posting of 2021 out there in the wild. Only took me 5 months here in 2022! What does that mean? Oh, likely not much. However, just because I haven't been writing about the beer scene doesn't mean it still doesn't interest me.

So then what do we have here? Why, it's Philly Beer Week, back in action in 2022. The older ones of you likely know of my work at this time of every year (except, 2008 and 2009, the first two years of PBW, when it was during 10 days in early March) covering the people, places, sights, sounds, events, and antics of our beloved imperial beer week.

Included in my annual coverage leading up to and summarizing in post mortem each year's beer week was an Excel-based schedule that aimed to make an easy-to-use utility for beer lovers to use in navigating the hundreds of events across both the city and suburbs.

This year, PBW appears to be gaining some steam and ready to kickoff this coming Friday (yup, in two days). But with resources reportedly running low over at PBW HQ, the schedule of events has been left up to social media and each event coordinator's diligence in posting and promoting events.

All that being said, can Philly Beer Week quit us, its thirsty fan base? Perhaps not, but it seems I can't quit PBW either! I've done the legwork to scrape and claw my way through Instagram (the apparent most popular platform for advertising events this year), Facebook, Twitter, and individual establishment websites.

Use this link to find the spreadsheet of events that I've compiled for your perusal. It's already helped me determine what I might do and hopefully has the same result for you. And, who knows, maybe I'll even see at an event or two.

p.s. Did I miss something? If a new flurry of events pops up in the coming days (which is quite likely if the past behavior is any indication), I'll update the spreadsheet. Let me know at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2022. 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

Thursday, September 17, 2020

In Memory of Jack Curtin, part 6: "The 1995 Project"

[Click the picture for access to a 26-page PDF version of the 6-part series, The 1995 Project (including comments)]

<<<--- Back to Part 5

Fitting that this 6th entry in my Jack Curtin-In Memoriam series is a 6-part series of Curtin's — The 1995 Project. Actually, it was part of my decision to run this series. On Facebook, Don Russell (aka Joe Sixpack) made passing reference to Curtin's writing during this era. Turned out I had printed copy of all 6 installments of The 1995 Project that had been used during his retirement party last year.

Unlike other tribute pieces I've put up here for Jack, there's no way that I'm retyping 26 pages of his words. However, if you click the picture above, just as with the other re-postings of his past work I've done here, you can download your own entire PDF version of the original if you prefer. I'll lead off below with his verbatim Introduction and then will type out a few significant bits and bytes from each of the Project's parts. Also, you should read my comments after Part 6; they're quite excellent, if I do say so!

Really, there is great stuff in these 6 parts of The 1995 Project. It's both informational, historical, a great reference document, and at the same time entertaining. When I first introduced this project a couple weeks ago, just days after his death, that last attribute was a hallmark of Jack's that I pointed out as somewhat rare. If I could've weaved in that missing element of entertainment to my reality/fact-based writing, I might've made something of myself and my own writing.

This was exclusively blog content, best I'm aware, and not published in any of the typical beer rags.

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

The 1995 Project: Introduction "1995 is a six-part Liquid Diet special report which harkens back 15 years to the dawning of Philadelphia's craft beer culture. I asked an array of local beer luminaries to recount for us what they were doing in December 1995 and the story is told in their own words."

"You will hear from the near-legendary Jim Anderson again for the first time, I believe, in over seven years. You will be reminded, as I was, of a long forgotten small sandwich shop/delicatessen chain which might have been the first true "good beer" retail outlet in the region. You will learn of a publican who was once a brewer created the first ever Philadelphia sour/wild yeast beer in a long-gone brewpub...and that some of it might still exist. You will read about the astonishing list of nearly 70 beers that Don Russell consumed in California in the summer of '95 as part of his plan to make his editors allow him to become "Joe Sixpack". You will discover how, when why and where the famous Monk's Cafe Duck Salad was born. You will, I hope learn things you never knew before and, if you're old enough, perhaps remember something long forgotten. Both those things happened to me."

"I have edited the reminiscences minimally, mostly to make them conform to the overall editorial approach. There are some overlaps, there will sure be those who have differing memories about the times and the facts. I invite corrections, additional information, and discussion from readers. There is a larger purpose to all this and Getting It Right is as much my aim as providing what I hope is some fascinating commentary on our shared past."
-----------------------
from Part 1, the Promoter: "Being a Better Beer fan in Philadelphia December 1995 was as exciting as things get. We were on the verge of this great positive shift, microcosmic of what must be going on in Russian and China now, fifteen years later. It was all happening very quickly. To those of us on the ground, it meant that the things we wanted were finally coming to us. Carefully planned trips to Old Bay and Stoudts were turning into impromptu gatherings at Dock Street Brewery & Restaurant or Samuel Adams Brew House." (Jim Anderson)

from Part 2, the Publicans: "It was nice to have Sundays off. Many Sundays were spent over in Tom's house in Collingswood It was usually Aimmee Prozan (who bartends at Nodding Head still), James Fernandes (now our managing partner at Grace Tavern), and me, visiting Tom & Barbara. I was such a city rat back then I thought that Tom lived in the country. He had a fridge paced with brewed goodies in his garage and it was very educational, although I will admit that I would forget most of what I learned until the next time. We explored many different Belgians and also a fair amount of American craft beers, especially from the West coast. I do remember trying beers from Anderson Valley, North Coast Brewery, Anchor beers, and much more. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in bottle was our 'Budweiser' back then. One Sunday, late in the evening we all were famished (read that as you will). Tom has some duck breasts in the fridge. I thought we were going to fry them and eat them on Kaiser rolls. No, Tom worked his magic and cooked the duck perfectly, served it on a salad with goat cheese, spiced walnuts, and raisins with a vinaigrette. This was the first appearance of the famous Monk's Cafe Duck Salad." (Fergie Carey)

from Part 3, the Founders: "1995 was my first winter in Manayunk. Back then I was driving a Nissan 300z, I almost killed myself trying to navigate the Polish Alps of Philadelphia. Within a week, I was driving a Isuzu Trooper. The window of the brewery and the door was always steamed up from the boil kettle so it always seemed really cold outside. I worked on Thanksgiving after an early dinner so I could have off Black Friday. Jon and I were invited to the Dawson Street Pub Christmas party/dinner seemed like a good fit. We came out with our first Christmas beer, a dark mild, in one liter flip-top bottles and it had a red and green label, and we gave it out to bar owners, friends, and the press." (Tom Kehoe)

from Part 4, the Brewers: "I was racking a Bock beer out of a grundy under the tutelage of Phil Markowski at the Brewer Bier House in Merrimack NH. When I unhooked the hose improperly, I was thrown across the cellar by spraying bock beer. It took me an hour to clean up the mess, all the time under the assumption that when Phil found out I would be let go. He never came by during that hour. After all was put away, and I had washed half my body and my hair in the bathroom sink, I found Phil and told him the news. He laughed and simply said, "I bet you won't do that again." I worked extra hard for the next few weeks thankful that he had given me a free pass." (Brian O'Reilly)

from Part 5, the Ladies: She and husband George Hummel were perhaps the ultimate enablers of dreamers hoping to create a new beer culture via their Home Sweet Homebrew shop. "I remember that 1995 good beer was almost like a secret society—a small interconnected polygot of those of us with an esoteric appreciation of these weird hard-to-get beers that defied any real classification, and like the burgeoning appreciation for interesting foods and cuisines, set us all apart from the mass approach of even the hard to obtain, yet often unexciting, imports. The willingness to try something that hadn't been attempted before (draft Belgians, anyone?) germinated in the late 90s, and the idea that anything was possible. Startling to think that the ensuing generations, those that have never known a world without craft beer, were barely entering their teens then, and really don't have an appreciation of how this current bounty came about." (Nancy Rigberg)

from Part 6, the Enablers: "I'm usually a bit reticent about discussing events 15 years past, as beer memories tend to get a bit fuzzy (as in, nobody really 'defected' to Sugar Mom's, but several friends worked at both bars). I really just have a mathematical formula, thus - "Jesus Lizard + Old Crustacean + Guided By Voices + Fullness (1/2 Fuller's ESB, 1/2 Guinness) + fascinating co-workers and friends/customers = Khyber Pass Pub." (Chris Morris)

© Jack Curtin and Liquid Diet Online, 2010.

<<<--- Back to Part 5

© 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

Thursday, September 10, 2020

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!

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.

GOT ALL THAT? 😲

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Wednesday, September 09, 2020

In Memory of Jack Curtin, part 4: "Celebrating Michael Jackson, again"

[Click the picture for access to a 2-page PDF version of the article]

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This unofficial memorial continued yesterday with a look back on the life of Jack Curtin as seen through his beer writing in an article he'd written about Michael Jackson in Philly in 2000. Today Jack takes us forward to summer 2007 with an article he wrote, again for Celebrator Beer News and again about Michael Jackson in Philly.

This time, however, it was during a transitional period between The Book & The Cook and the dawning of Philly Beer Week in 2008. It was simply entitled "Michael Jackson in Philadelphia.". When he re-posted it in 2016 on his Liquid Diet blog, in his setup he referred to the motivation for re-publishing it as only Jack could -- "an Internet search turned up a source I can get behind...me".

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

Michael Jackson in Philadelphia
17 years on, Michael Jackson's annual March visit marked both an ending and a new beginning for the Philadelphia craft brewing community
Call it the beginning of the beginning.

Michael Jackson was back in Philadelphia for his annual visit March 9-11 to host his 15th straight beer dinner at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology that Friday night, his 17th straight tutored beer tasting at the same venue on Saturday and his ninth straight Belgian beer dinner at Monk's Cafe Sunday night. For the first time, however, Jackson's appearances were not under the aegis of the long-running The Book & The Cook, a ten-day celebration of food and drink which has been a local staple since 1985. The loss of the venue for the culinary fair which helped pay most of the bills led B&C to postpone its events until this fall, and maybe longer.

Interestingly, it is the beer community, which was for all too long the ugly stepchild of the event in the eyes of the organizers (despite Jackson's tutored tastings being the largest draw year in and year out), which shrugged off the loss and kept right on keepin' on. Not only did Museum Catering Company and Monk's do the same events they'd always done, Bruce Nichols of the former and Tom Peters of the latter are part of a group of beer industry movers and shakers who've announced that March 2008 will see the advent of Philly Beer Week, a ten-day extravaganza based in the city and spread across the entire region from Rehoboth, Delaware to Princeton, New Jersey and into central and northeastern Pennsylvania to Harrisburg, Adamstown, Easton, and beyond. When Jackson returns next year, his events will be part of the kick-off weekend for this major sanctification of beer's place at the table and in the culture.

The Friday night dinner at the Museum may have been the last since it might not be carried over into Philly Beer Week, Nichols said. If this was the swan song, it was a good one. A three-course meal of mixed green salad, beef filet with a shallot demi glace and saffron risotto and Expresso semifredo was accompanied by a dozen beers, four of them at the opening reception and the others served with dinner. The eclectic nature of the brews poured was represented by the presence of Hoptimus Prime, a double IPA brewed for the local Union Jack's chain of pubs by Reading's Legacy Brewing, to the hard-to-find Brasserie Artisanale Dieu du Ciel from Montreal to O'Callaghan's Irish Breakfast Stout, a creation of local homebrewing guru George Hummel. These were accompanied by familiar labels from locals Dogfish Head, Nodding Head, Stoudts, and Victory and from Arcadia, Avery/Russian River, Blue Point (NY), and Port Brewing.

A new wrinkle at the Saturday Tasting (once again, a 1500 seat sell-out for the three session) was Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione acting as an interlocutor of sorts for Jackson's presentation and helping to keep things moving along. The theme for the day was Extreme Beers; the first of eight beers poured was Allagash White, which, while a grand brew, doesn't quite for that category. No matter how the definition of what is and what is not extreme is bended and twisted these days to try and match various agendas, there's just no way to come up with one that matches Allagash White. End of sermon. You can decide about the "extremeness" of the other beers on the docket yourselves: George's Fault (Nodding Head), Peche Mortel (Brasserie Artesinale Dieu du Ciel), Cassis (Iron Hill), Hop 15 Double IPA (Port Brewing), Old Horizontal (Victory), Red & White (Dogfish Head), and Collaboration, Not Litigation (Avery/Russian River).

A fun moment came when Sam asked Michael for his opinion of the trend toward excessively hopped IPAs and received an answer he probably didn't want. "I never thought they could make a beer which was too hoppy for me," quoth the Bard, "but they're getting close." Another came at the end of the two-hour beerfest which follows each session in the Museum's Chinese Rotunda. I got to clang the gong ending the first of these, an honor which felt both wrong and right, hating to end everybody's fun but enjoying the hell out of the great booming clang I'd created. Does enjoying these sorts of things make me evil?

Sunday night at Monk's was special. You got The Man, you got The Venue, you got The Beer. It was all good. THe theme this year was saisons and farmhouse ales and the beers poured were Ommegang Ommegeddon, Vapeur Saison de Pipaix, Fantome Bis Bon Bon, De Ranke XX Bitter, Saison Dupont (shocker!), Blaugies La Moneusse, and Moinette Bruin. Chef Adam Glickman and his staff were up to the task as usual, whipped up an appropriate feast which was highlighted by Belgian Endive wrapped in Ardennes Ham, an extraordinary County Pate, and an incredible pan-seared Red Snapper with watercress sauce. Michael was in full-digression mode, telling stories of his early days as a teen-age reporter, recounting trying to answer the unique question once posed by a gaggle of Glasgow soccer hooligans ("Are you a Protestant Jew or a Catholic Jew?") and quoting Dylan Thomas and Woody Allen along the way.

Hey, I love that stuff. I can figure out the beers on my own, but the stories...? Priceless.

© Jack Curtin and Liquid Diet Online, 2007.

YES, JACK! The stories that come with the beers are indeed priceless.

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Tuesday, September 08, 2020

In Memory of Jack Curtin, part 3: "Celebrating Michael Jackson"

[Click the picture for access to a 2-page PDF version of the article]

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A link for you to head off to Part 4 --->>>

This unofficial memorial that looks back on the life of Jack Curtin as seen through his beer writing got off to a great start last week. Thanks to the many of you that have followed along thus far, sharing and commenting on the first couple pieces that I put up. Follow this link where you'll find more about my motivation for this series, which quite honestly still continues to evolve as I work through this largely on the fly. (I know Jack, no doubt, would be impressed, ha!)

In today's entry, I take you back to an article he wrote for the April/May 2000 issue of Celebrator Beer News. It was entitled "The Book and The Cook 2000: Roasting Michael Jackson in Philadelphia. Baste Gently, Do Not Stir, Do Not Bruise". When he re-posted it in 2015 on his Liquid Diet blog, he referred to it as his "first Celebrator Beer News story ever" and one that he "decided was worthy of second-time-around treatment".

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

The Book & The Cook 2000
Baste Gently, Do Not Stir, Do Not Bruise

They came to praise Caesar, not to bury him. About as impressive a list of beer industry luminaries as you're ever likely to see except inside any Denver bar during GABF gathered in Philadelphia March 3 to ostensibly "roast" Michael Jackson, but more pointed remarks have been expressed at a typical Quaker meeting than were hurled at the world's most foremost beer writer during a three-hour banquet at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology.

Oh, there were the expected jokes about excessive beer consumption and the sometimes less than perfect mental state that such admirable activity can result in at the end of a long workday, plus a bit of gentle chiding about a wardrobe that even he acknowledges is somewhat eccentric, but most roasters understandable inclinations to express their affection and appreciation for all that Jackson has done for the brewing industry around the world turned the evening into a lovefest rather than a full-scale ribbing. "I expected this to be more of an ordeal than it turned out to be," said the Great Man with characteristic understatement at evening's end.

The Michael Jackson Roast marked the tenth anniversary of Jackson's participation in The Book & The Cook, Philadelphia's annual celebration of food and drink. Jackson hosts a Friday night dinner at the Museum and a day-long series of tutored tastings there the following day during the final weekend of B&C each year. Recently, he's also added a Sunday evening dinner at the city's best beer bar, Monk's Cafe, to his schedule and this year's event was an historic all-lambic feast. The Museum, an extraordinary setting for a celebration of extraordinary beers, holds some of the oldest references to beer in the world, written in Sumerian on cuneiform tablets (proceeds from the Friday dinner benefit the Museum's Sumerian Dictionary Project), and houses a variety of beer-related artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia.

Celebrator Beer News publisher/editor Tom Dalldorf served as master of ceremonies for the event and got in some of the evening's best shots, at both the guest of honor ("We have carefully chosen the order of speakers according to who works best sober, slightly buzzed, or totally blotto. Michael, of course, will speak last.") and the roasters themselves (American Brewer publisher Bill Owens was introduced as "The Andy Warhol of beer."). He also obligingly wore a kilt, thus making himself the, you should excuse the expression, butt of as many jokes as was Jackson.

Most speakers' comments centered around a first meeting with Jackson or his impact on their brewing lives. Anchor Brewing's Fritz Maytag recalled the early days "when I thought my brewery was the only interesting small brewery in the country and how wonderful it was I found out Michael thought that as well." And All About Beer's Dan Bradford noted that "beer writers can only follow Michael Jackson, there is no other model. He created the vocabulary and the content of what we do."

Oliver Hughes of Dublin's Porter House Brewing Company, Ireland's first brewpub, remembered how local journalists, no matter what they were told, regularly reported that his Oyster Stout "made you good between the sheets" and how he and his staff groaned one afternoon when told a journalist was on the line, until informed "he says his name is Michael Jackson." I have never seen our brewer move so fast before or since," laughed Hughes. Ale Street News' Tony Forder remembered when Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium was blessed by a Cardinal in New York and "Michael suddenly became less digressional, more coherent, even remembered names," before presenting him with a pair of Saint Michael undershorts flown in from England.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation by Sam Calagione of Delaware's Dogfish Head Brewery, who offered a short story in the style of Raymond Carver ("Michael told me last year that Carver was his favorite American writer") about Jackson's life in an alternate universe wherein he passes a sobriety test in very impressive and very funny fashion.

Other roasters included freelance beer writer Stephen Beaumont; Vanburg and Dewulf's Don Feinberg; Merchant du Vin's Charlie Finkel; Anthony Fuller of Fuller, Smith, and Turner brewery in London; Malt Advocate's John Hansell; Brooklyn Brewery's Steve Hindy; Beers International's Richie Stolarz; Dr. F.G. Hoepfner of Germany's Privatbrauerei Hoepfner; Carol Stoudt of Stoudt's Brewery; and the aforementioned Owens.

© Jack Curtin and Liquid Diet Online, 2000.

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Friday, August 16, 2019

Staying local at Monk's

I've been at this thing for almost 14 years now, officially on the record, that is, with The Brew Lounge, etc. These Monk's dinners which were once a standard, reliable nearly on a monthly basis for a while, are much more infrequently spaced out during the year. But, the excellence remains.

So while Monk's has maintained its standing in the city's (and country's) beer scene, there's just one thing I can boast as having improved on my end - the pictures. Well, actually, I suppose I have nearly nothing to do with it. It's all in the technology. Think about the St. Feuillien dinner that I referenced the other day that dated back to my first piece here in September 2005. No smart phones. And digital cameras were just growing up.

The pictures never did neither the food nor the beer any respect. I think this batch here from Tuesday night earlier this week at Monk's shows just how far we've come in this area. But, I digress...as is my tendency. Tom Peters kicked off the dinner in everyone's favorite back room at Monk's by thanking all who came and the local food and beer providers behind the dinner's all-local theme.

In the past, the local beers to select from were much less in number and, well, some in quality. That number, as we all know, as skyrocketed and the choices are limitless, except for some still with quality issues which can be discussed elsewhere.

For this meal, Tom and his team settled on an excellent lineup that included Sterling Pig Shoat Pilsner to begin the evening, followed by Second District's Rustic AF, Brewery Techne Haiku, Tired Hands Gatherer, and Yards Bourbon barrel-aged Thomas Jefferson Porter. Stoudts rounded out the meal pairing its new Sauer Sauce with the dessert course. Peaches, baby!

I've gone on for paragraphs in the past carefully detailing each course and yada, yada, yada. But, since I've lost any rhythm that I used to have here with regular postings, I'm just gonna get these pictures out to you of each course and pick a winner. Not one pairing disappointed, not even in the least. But when forced to pick my favorite of the evening, it had to be the sweet and savory Bone Marrow Bread Pudding (with apricot and pluots) served along with Brewery Techne's Haiku, which had been kettle soured with Montmorency Cherries. Think about that for a second and then go to your kitchen and see what you can round up for dinner tonight. Cheers!

(Shoat and Cantaloupe Gazpacho)

(Rustic AF with Jersey Golden Tilefish)

(Haiku with Bone Marrow Bread Pudding)

(Gatherer with Organic Chicken)

(Washington Porter with Birchrun Blue and Finger Lakes Gold Reserve cheese plate)

(Sauer Sauce with Peach Ice Cream & Shortcake)

© 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

Monday, August 12, 2019

Back to Monk's Cafe for dinner

Let's see if this thing still works. In all probability, I put too much "material" on social media that could instead make for better-reading blog posts here. But I'm beyond apologies; it's the way these days, it seems.

Enough hand-wringing. Let's talk about Monk's Cafe. Let's talk about how tomorrow, Tues. 8/13, will not only be the day that would mark my father's 96th birthday (!), it will also mark exactly 13 years and 11 months since I got things going with my first post here on The Brew Lounge.

It happened to be an epic beer dinner at Monk's with Dominque Friart and her St. Feuillen brewery in Belgium. By all accounts, it was the typically excellent beer dinner that Monk's had been and is known for in pairing foods and beers. My writing, on the other hand, was a bit raw now in hindsight. But it led to better writing, networking, embedding myself in the industry, writing for numerous print and online outlets, including my Beer Lover's Mid-Atlantic 416-page book covering the best of the region.

I bring this up because tomorrow night sees Monk's putting on another display of carefully considered beer and food pairings -- this one, featuring all things local on the plate and in the glass. Beers to be featured will come from Brewery Techne, Second District, Sterling Pig, Stoudts, Tired Hands, and Yards.

Beer dinners had reached, oh five or so years ago, the point of being a dime a dozen. Everyone wanted a piece of the action, though the best stood out head and shoulders above the rest. Some of the most usual suspects doing it well, like Monk's and all Iron Hill locations, have let these special, fixed price dinners mostly fade from the event calendar. At least, let's say, they're no longer held on a regular basis. Suppose it's just a sign of today's consumer preferences, but I'll still miss them and helps me look even more forward to what awaits at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

I was in the back room at Monk's this past Saturday late night for the dessert course of a progressive dinner around the city. The pecan pie and Firestone Walker Parabola had me instantly anxious to return in three nights. If I do things right, you'll be able to check back later with my breakdown of Tuesday evening's tastes, sights, and sounds.

Monday, June 03, 2019

Philly Beer Week the 12th hits its stride early

The first three days of Philly Beer Week 2019 are in the rear view mirror. I concur with the feedback I heard from many on both sides of the tasting tables that the 2300 Arena as a venue worked well for Opening Tap, utilizing both indoor and outdoor (under I-95) space to facilitate the flow between tasting tables and other amenities like axe throwing, photo booth, food, and live music. Other than not being easily accessed by public transportation, save for a couple bus routes that could get you in the vicinity, the feedback was positive.

Here's a gallery of pix that I collected along the way.

According to the official events calendar on the PBW website, there are 259 events remaining in the next 7 days. I took some time to de-dupe and remove recurring events, we're a bit closer to 200. Here are a few highlights that jump out to me and where you may see me partaking.

Mon. June 3
  ~ I'm not doing anything official today, but let's say for argument sake I was, I might have brunch with 3 Floyds at Jose Pistola's, then quaff some quality beverages with The Beer Lass at City Tap House, help Matt Satten and Varga raise some charitable funds for the Chemowarrior cause, see who brews the best homebrew at Jose Pistola's, and then maybe drive out of the city by way of Hop Angel for some German beers from the source and German-style beers from Sly Fox. Instead, unless I take a wrong turn and wind up in Philly tonight, it's on to Tuesday planning.

Tue. June 4
  ~ Not sure I can handle the crowd expected at Monk's for the Maine event. I'll check it out, but be ready to move on because there'll be oysters at Johnny Brenda's, oysters and clams at Bru, hungry hippos at Memphis Taproom, and chocolate at Iron Hill. Blume is hosting Burley Oak, Capone's has Hidden River, Jose Pistola's is featuring The Rare Barrel, The Belgian Cafe brings the brewery formerly known as Draai Laag, and The P.O.P.E. is pairing The Futurist and 2SP. The Grey Lodge is hosting a pretty clever sounding Jersey event and the feature spotlight event of the night discusses the intersection of package art and beer.

Wed. June 5
  ~ Now things get really interesting. Crossing the midway point puts on a solid showing of events on days 6 and 7. In the suburbs, Capone's is doing double duty bringing in a local (Imprint) and an out-of-towner (Zero Gravity) to feature on Wednesday. Back downtown, Second District Brewing is hosting a CBD beer dinner which sounds mighty enticing, not to mention relaxing. Goats are not on the menu but will be making an appearance at Bar. The goats of Sly Fox's Goat Races, that is. King Pin is another annual ritual not to be missed. It happens quickly at Standard Tap, so be sure not to miss it. Up the road a bit at Memphis Taproom are three heavy hitters - Lawson's, Industrial Arts, and LIC Beer Project. Finally, there's a dose of beer and religion at Fergie's. But the devil is not be outdone where, over at The Belgian Cafe, we can close out the night with "Late Night with the Devil" that brings together Duvel and La Cabra. Hey, that's another goat reference!

Thu. June 6
  ~ Food events are catching my eye on Thursday's slot in the calendar. Pierogies at Grey Lodge. Pork at Royal Boucherie. Ice Cream at Iron Hill. As for beer features, we'll find Jersey-based breweries at Brickwall, Pizza Boy at Bottle Bar East. And, 3 Floyds at both Barcade and Tria Taproom. If you want some smarts with your beer, check out the Jeopardy fun at Evil Genius.

Fri. June 7
  ~ Despite the best intentions, I've still never made it to the annual event at Good Dog featuring Sly Fox and pinewood (sorry, canwood!) derby car racing. I even have two from when I was a Cub/Boy Scout as a yute. Maybe I can modify them and bring them along. Otherwise, a bunch of featured breweries sound interesting to check out including 2SP and a barrel full of collaborations (Varga), Tired Hands and Equilibrium (the P.O.P.E.), Lawson's (Jose Pistola's), and The Alchemist (Teresa's Next Door). TND, that is, if I missed The Alchemist earlier in the week at Monk's.

Sat. June 8
  ~ One of the few events with perfect attendance since 2008 - Ladies Beer Tea - is happening again at The Belgian Cafe. I'll leave that one to the ladies; it's almost always a sellout and I expect it will again this year. I, instead, will look for my liquid refreshment and frivolity at some combination of Tria Taproom (for an Almanac-themed event), the P.O.P.E. (Rar Brewing and friends), City Tap House-Univ. City (Grateful Dead themed fest), and a brunch at Blume that could start the whole day. They're featuring "blenderies" (did I just make that up? nope. just googled it.) including The Rare Barrel, Referend, and Form. Blume is the rebranded Cinder. There's also a Dunk A Trump event at El Camino Real and, let's just say, I did very well at that challenge (for ALCU charity of course!) and may feel even more motivated this time around. Then, also, back in the 'burbs near home is where Teresa's Next Door and Troegs will play host to their annual beer garden during the Wayne Music Festival.

Sun. June 9
  ~ For the last day of beer week, the past has typically presented Russian River at Local 44, Music Fest at Dock Street, or running events that I coordinated. Sometimes the TUD at Fergie's if staying out that late made sense. Now, a new standard seems to have emerged and it's just a few miles from home for me. La Cabra (winner of this year's PBW collaboration brew with Duvel) is again hosting the Suburban Love festival, complete with 10 other suburban breweries. Last year was excellent and I expect no different this year. If I do make it into the city, Sour Sunday at Devil's Den with Free Will is carving out its own place on the annual PBW events calendar.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Rest up tonight Hammer of Glory, your big day is tomorrow

(HOG shenanigans in 2017 with Allagash's Rob Tod, Suzy Woods, and Katie Tella)
Remember that detailed itinerary for the Hammer of Glory I referred to the other day? Found it. Thanks to Mr. Scoats and Ms. Dowd for forwarding along to me.

25 stops in 9 hours. Looks like we'll finally get a break in monsoon season and a great weather day to kick off PBW 2019. Can you keep up?

Stop #1 10:00-10:13 AM Hop Angel Brauhaus 7980 Oxford Avenue [event listing link]
Stop #2 10:43-10:56 AM Grey Lodge Pub 6235 Frankford Ave [event listing link]
Stop #3 10:58-11:11 AM Chickies & Petes 4010 Robbins Ave [event listing link]
Stop #4 11:31-11:44 AM Bonks Bar 3467 Richmond Street [event listing link]
Stop #5 12:02-12:15 PM Philly Brewing 2440 Frankford Ave
Stop #6 12:33-12:46 PM Evil Genius Lab 1727 N Front St [event listing link]
Stop #7 12:56-1:09 PM Garage Fishtown 100 E Girard Ave [event listing link]
Stop #8 1:10-1:23 PM Johnny Brendas 1201 Frankford Ave [event listing link]
Stop #9 1:33-1:46 PM El Camino Real 1030 N 2nd St [event listing link]
Stop #10 1:50-2:03 PM Standard Tap 901 North 2nd Street [event listing link]
Stop #11 2:17-2:30 PM Yards 500 Spring Garden St. [event listing link]
Stop #12 2:56-3:07 PM BRU 1316 Chestnut St. [event listing link]
Stop #13 3:08-3:19 PM Tradesmans 1322 Chestnut St. [event listing link]
Stop #14 3:21-3:34 PM Time & Bar 1315 Sansom St.
Stop #15 3:35-3:48 PM Fergie's 1214 Sansom Street
Stop #16 3:58-4:09 PM Varga 941 Spruce Street [event listing link]
Stop #17 4:21-4:34 PM 12 Steps Down 767 S. 9th Street [event listing link]
Stop #18 4:41-4:52 PM Chick's 1804 Washington Ave [event listing link]
Stop #19 4:59-5:10 PM Devil's Den 1148 S 11th St [event listing link]
Stop #20 5:16-5:27 PM Garage Passyunk 1231 E Passyunk Ave [event listing link]
Stop #21 5:34-5:45 PM POPE 1501 E Passyunk Ave
Stop #22 5:55-6:06 PM Pistolas Del Sur 1934 E Passyunk Ave [event listing link]
Stop #23 6:13-6:24 PM 2nd District 1939 S Bancroft St
Stop #24 6:34-6:45 PM Brewery ARS 1927-29 W Passyunk Ave [event listing link]
Stop #25 7:00 PM Opening Tap - 2300 Arena 2300 S Swanson St [event listing link]

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Time to get back on the Philly Beer Week wagon

I could not have been more proud of the work I did during Flagship February. So much so that I left it up here for the last three months while I collected myself and tried to determine where to go next. Well, I drank some good beers here, there, and everywhere. Did my social media bit and wrote some for Ale Street News.

Now it's time to move on to Philly Beer Week, the 12th edition. (The official website says 11th, but who's counting?! All those beers apparently make it difficult to keep track.) It kicks off this coming Friday, May 31. And while I don't believe for a second that there will be "nearly" 200 establishments putting on 2,000+ events during the 10-day stretch (quoted from the press release), what I do believe is that there will be plenty of opportunities to drink newly released beers, OG beers, regular beers, weird beer, go to some familiar joints and some new spots, meet some fun people, and have some memorable times while doing it. As of this evening, there are 303 events (up from 210 on May 22 and 258 two days ago) listed on the official calendar, though that number does include some duplicates, a bunch of recurring daily events, and even some without an establishment listed.

I have yet to determine just how much PBW 2019 my personal and professional lives can handle, but it will be able to handle, at least, the first three days. In my honest and humble estimation, no one other independent beer writer has covered each of the 11 previous years of PBW. Content from some of the early years contain still some of my most trafficked content. In that spirit, I continue again this year. Here's what I have on my mind and where you and I might cross paths if you choose to do the same.

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FRI. MAY 31

(the Hammer of Glory will, once again, be making it's trek around the city on the way to Opening Tap. once I track down a detailed itinerary I'll be able to determine if/where I'll cross paths with it.)

Philly Beer Week Kickoff - 2 p.m. - Uptown Beer Garden
  ~ they're advertising a Sly Fox Bay 6 Pils Keller Pilsner and that seems like a mighty fine place to start

Beer Week Begins with Burley Oak - 4 p.m. - Interstate Draft House
  ~ I typically only see Burley Oak when passing through on the way to/from OBX. And I really like Interstate as a neighborhood hang.

Ommegang Kickoff Happy Hour - 4 p.m. - BRÜ Craft & Wurst
  ~ I've done this "kickoff" event for a beer or two from Ommegang and that usually goes quite well, so I'll do it again. Plus, they're scheduled to be pouring the Duvel/La Cabra collaboration, so that could turn out to be my first taste of it.

Fonta Flora Debuts in PA - 4 p.m. - Monk’s Cafe
  ~ a spectacular brewery that I've had the pleasure of only from a distance and when traveling in NC. This could be way too crowded for a quick stop, but I'll give it the ol' college try.

Yards Brewing “The Chinook Of Mormon” - 5 p.m. Good Dog Bar
  ~ Brotherly Suds is back and seems like a nice quick stop on the way from Monk's

Toppling Goliath Launch - 6 p.m. - BRÜ Craft & Wurst
  ~ just had a few King Sue's when up in NYC last week. Renewed my interest in this event. Maybe some will be on tap while I'm there for Ommegang earlier in the day and can double-dip? Something has to drop from this overly ambitious afternoon list; hope it's not this.

Opening Tap 2019 - 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. - 2300 Arena
  ~ way down yonder in South Philly is where this year's Opening Tap will be held. Should be interesting as the most remote venue since 2008 when the official kickoff was held in East Falls. Always a great sampling a beer, music, and fun.

Post Opening Tap Party with Pat Finnerty's Live Band Karaoke - 10 p.m. - Fergie’s Pub
  ~ because Fergie's. because upstairs. because the party ain't over until you get to Fergie's.

Opening Tap After Party with Allagash and Rob Tod - 11:15 p.m. - Pub on Passyunk East (P.O.P.E.)
  ~ of course, the description says 10 p.m., the event posting says 11:15 p.m., either way, it's Allagash, the P.O.P.E., and Tod. Tough to beat as a close-out for Friday night. Unless it's off to the back room at Monk's...hhmmm.

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SAT. JUNE 1

Hair of the Dogfish Head Brunch - 11 a.m. - Fergie’s Pub
  ~ if I don't make it to Fergie's the night before, brunch on Saturday with DFH would be a great way to begin.

It's A Firkin Riot! - 11 a.m. - Johnny Brenda’s
  ~ can't say I've ever missed this fine event in past years so I don't think I'll pick this year to break the pattern

The Referend Comes To Interstate - 11 a.m. - Interstate Draft House
  ~ I could see the Burley Oak on Friday falling victim to logistical issues in my travels around the city. But, I've heard a lot of good stuff about Referend in NJ, so I'll try not to miss this one.

Urban Village's Birthday Party - 11 a.m. - Urban Village Brewing Co
  ~ I did this last year to kickoff of the first Saturday and that went quite well, so I have it at the top of my list again this year.

Root Down Brunch - 11 a.m. - Standard Tap
  ~ one of my favorite suburban breweries at one of my favorite city restaurants. book it.

Heavy Medals - 2 p.m. Iron Hill - Center City
  ~ the new IH location is central to so much, including the trains, so this event seems like the right time to pass through here.

Dog Day Afternoon - 1 p.m. - Pub on Passyunk East (P.O.P.E.)
  ~ Fat Head's has a track record of dog-related events and bringing in KOP's Workhorse brewery and Lord Hobo too to make it even more of an event with Morris Animal Refuge, one of the city's finest.

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SUN. JUNE 2

Puppy Pageant - 12 p.m. - Devil’s Den
  ~ I wonder if my 8-month-old pup is ready for this?

Roy-Pitz Sour Sunday & Barrel House 2nd Anniversary Party - 12 p.m. - Roy-Pitz Barrel House
  ~ these guys are part of a growing beer destination neighborhood and this kind of event is a good time to check them out.

Sunday Funday with Singlecut, Burley Oak, Referend, Tonewood, Une Annee, Brix City - 12 p.m. - Memphis Taproom
  ~ Memphis perennially hosts some of PBW best events. Case in point here.

Yards Dunk The Brewer - 3 p.m. - Garage – Passyunk
  ~ fundraiser for PAWS and dunk tanks. hard to say no to that.

Brunch Bingo with Firestone Walker - 12 p.m. - Brickwall Tavern
  ~ don't even need to hear what FW beers are being poured. count me in. the bingo is almost secondary.

Cider Sunday - Meet The Owners & $5 Drafts - 2 p.m. - Blume
  ~ do I dare make room in PBW for a cider event? I know, it doesn't make sense, being beer week, but I'll roll with it. I like the ones that are being poured.

Allagafternoon - 4 p.m. BRÜ Craft & Wurst
  ~ because you can never have enough Allagash.

2SP Brewing Presents Industrial Arts Brewing Co. - 5 p.m. - Good Dog Bar
  ~ haven't had a run-in with IA and Chief in much too long, so Good Dog seems like a good place to rectify that

New York Breweries Bring-Your-Own-Vinyl Takeover w/Singlecut, Foreign Objects, Barrier, and more - 7 p.m. - Prohibition Taproom
  ~ let's see what vintage vinyl I can dig up for this. solid breweries represented too.

Late Night In Brussels with De La Senne, Oxbow & Liquid Riot - 9 p.m. - Monk’s Cafe
  ~ oh my, this almost warrants a hotel room.

A Late Night In Brussels Part Duex - 10 p.m. - Jose Pistola's
  ~ if Monk's didn't do me in, Pistola's most certainly will.

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