The Brew Lounge: Philly Beer Week 2017

Showing posts with label Philly Beer Week 2017. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

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.

© 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

Wednesday, June 07, 2017

Philly Beer Week 2017: Where we (I) stand

(Click above for a full gallery of pictures from the first half of PBW '17)
Some of you (at least those of you that hold me to my word, which is almost always completely dependable) have noticed that I haven't stuck to my original plan. Preview postings, wrap-up postings, full coverage.

Even though, in addition to Opening Tap and the Hammer of Glory Relay, I've stopped in to 14 "events" around PBW during the first six days (while taking Monday "off"). But, for a variety of reasons that I won't waste your time critiquing or psychoanalyzing, I haven't done my typically thorough pre- and post-game analysis.

There are five days remaining in this year's Philly Beer Week. You can expect to see me somewhere, sometime each of these days except for Saturday. My itinerary changes almost on a daily basis, for reasons I may touch on in my post-week wrap-up. What I can suggest is that you could likely see me tonight at the Carton event (Tir Na Nog), Firestone Walker event (Good Dog), Ommegang Game of Thrones event (Misconduct), Captain Lawrence event (Sancho Pistola's), Allagash event (at either Tria Taproom or Jose Pistolas'), and/or post-lunch Two Roads/De La Senne beers (Jose Pistola's).

What I will do is wrap it all up when it's over. Until then, keep calm and try to maintain a healthy schedule of beer events and I'll see you along the way. Cheers!

Tuesday, June 06, 2017

4 favorite beers of last week (May 29-June 4)

In my continuing series of the best beers I've had in the prior week, you may not be surprised to learn that in the past week, they were all encountered during Philly Beer Week. A couple of them, you may never (or, at least, not soon) see again.

(Pick Your Own was enjoyed at an excellent event with Allagash and Fat Head's at the P.O.P.E. It's very dark inside. Given that, I'm happy enough with this picture, much happier with the beer itself.)
~ Pick Your Own (6.4%), by Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine)
Fruit rules this sour ale. Raspberries, Cherries, Strawberries, and Blueberries. It was in an "oak foudre with Lactobacillus and Pediococcus for two years". That worked out very well. A beautiful color and so much flavor. Exactly what you'd expect. Hoping to hit up at least one more event with Allagash during remainder of PBW to have another encounter or two with this beer.

(This beer was only recently completed and shipped over to Philly just in time for Philly Beer Week and, here, at a Monk's Cafe lunch with the owner/brewer.)
~ Simplex (4.5%), by Brouwerij De Ranke (Dottignies, Belgium)
In essence, this beer gets its name from being a "simpler" XX Bitter. If you're familiar with that 20+ year old standard-bearing beer from De Ranke, I'm betting you'll love this Simplex as well. My hunch is that it's the Hallertau Mittelfrüh and the low alcohol that has me hooked. So far, I'm three glasses into this beer and hoping for many more.

(Had this beer at both Opening Tap and at Varga during the last week. Yet still don't actually have a picture of the beer. Well, though, this one is of Kristen Madgitz from the brewery's sales team about to hand one to me. So that counts.)
~ Lot 215 IPA, by Evolution Craft Brewing Company (Salisbury, Md.)
According to the description, this begins with the base Lot 3 IPA and then incorporates smoked cedar and spruce tips, smoked dried cherries, and a dry hopping menu of Chinook, Citra, and Columbus. And that's exactly what you get. Very interesting.

(This sturdy, bready, yet easy-going delicious lager was presented at one of the highlight events of PBW thus far. From left, Brian O'Reilly, Bill Moeller, William Reed.)
~ Northern Liberties Lager (5.8%), by Sly Fox Brewing Company (Pottstown, Pa.)
Brian O'Reilly (Brewmaster, Sly Fox) has collaborated the last ten years with William Reed (proprietor, the hyper-local Standard Tap and Johnny Brenda's) and this year they took it to another level. This recipe was sourced from Bill Moeller's (Schmidt's, Ortlieb's, et al) father's beer recipe journal, circa 1910. After making adjustments, based upon modern day measurements (alpha acid, etc.), they crafted the most solid lager I've enjoyed thus far during PBW '17. During the release brunch event at Standard Tap, the 91-year-old Moeller was on hand and captivated the audience with decades of Philadelphia neighborhood and brewing stories. Get this one while you can at the brewery, or at either Standard Tap or Johnny Brenda's.

Thursday, June 01, 2017

Philly Beer Week 2017: Day 1 & 2 preview

If I'm being honest, I should share with you that I don't have a ton of structure going into this year's PBW and how I plan to consume and cover it. In the past, I've attended 25-35 events during the ten days that is Philly's imperial week long celebration of all that is good beer. That seems to have worked plenty well to support my ability to report fairly upon it.

As in the past, I'll attempt to share with you a day in advance what looks interesting to me on the calendar and what I will be shooting to attend. I'll do my best, then, to wrap up what I've encountered along the way. You can feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken, but I've been the only single independent source of PBW coverage in all ten years. (You could begin with 2008, if you'd care to check.) If I may allow my pride to proceed me just a bit here, yeah, I'm a bit proud of that.

THURSDAY
Moving along, what looks good today? You can bet on seeing me at Monk's Cafe, where Niño Bacelle from Brouwerij De Ranke will be talking beer and sharing some new beers with the prix fixe four-course, six-beer lunch.

Then, I'll be looking to intercept the Hammer of Glory at a few stops along its way, while I meander the city in the general direction of Opening Tap. I'm thinking maybe Varga, Fergie's, Time, Craftsman Row Saloon, and Standard Tap, or some combination thereof.

Opening Tap will close out the day for me. It's typically a great concentration of local beers and local folks, plus the culmination of the day long Hammer of Glory tour. Plus, Casey Parker and his band - Welcome To My Face - will be on stage, along with others, for our audio entertainment.

If I have any gas left in the tank, sauntering over to Sancho Pistola's (Coppertail and special flatbreads), Bottle Bar East (Free Will and other special tappings), Garage (special tappings), or Barcade (special tappings) would seem to be the best way to close out the first day.

FRIDAY
Tomorrow (Friday), day 2 of Philly Beer Week, may be a rest day early in the schedule, sort of like an early bye week, for me. Partly because I'm not a fan of a Thursday start (though, I preferred March as well, but look where that got me) and partly because the weekend of Saturday and Sunday events await.

If I was to venture out, I'd love to stop by Victoria Freehouse (Scotch Egg event), Jose Pistola's (Weyerbacher brunch), or Brü Craft & Wurst (Captain Lawrence and some special food menu items).

More likely what may happen with me is that I'll stick close to home and check out the collaborating brewers from 2SP and De Ranke at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne.

And you?

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Philly Beer Week 2017 set to kickoff tomorrow

(Fergie put on quite a show in 2016 during the HOG tour stop at The Belgian Cafe.)
The first day of Philly Beer Week is upon us. For the first two years, it was on a Friday in March. The following seven, it was a Friday in June. This year, the tenth anniversary of PBW, it's a Thursday. Tomorrow to be precise, if you haven't been following along closely enough.

Leading up to the Opening Tap kickoff again is the Hammer of Glory tour around the city. From the organization behind Philly Beer Week - Philly Loves Beer - here's a bit of background and the precise schedule of HOG movement around town. The weather looks nearly as perfect as could be asked for to kick off the annual celebration of great beer in Philadelphia. I'll be out there checking in around town and at Opening Tap. Will you?

The official mascot of PBW, the Hammer of Glory (HOG) is a custom, hand-forged keg hammer that travels throughout the region and across the United States as an ambassador for Philadelphia beer throughout the year. Starting in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, June 1 the HOG will be passed Olympic torch-style from venue to venue along the HOG Relay, a day-long, beer-fueled carnival that visits various bars, breweries and restaurants. Conveyances have included a festive mix of the weirdly absurd (ziplining from atop Standard Tap, for example, or escorting the HOG to Yards Brewing in a DeLorean) and insanely practical (ascending 51 floors to take in the majestic views from SkyGarten, then leading a cavalcade of motorcycles at TIME). This year’s HOG Relay will be sponsored by SugarHouse Casino and revelers can jump on and off their double-decker bus by purchasing a $10 ticket (click here). The HOG Relay will stop at the following venues:

*This schedule is subject to change

9:00 a.m., Hop Angel Brauhaus, 7980 Oxford Avenue
9:33 a.m., SawTown Tavern, 4717 Princeton Avenue
9:56 a.m., Grey Lodge Pub, 6235 Frankford Avenue
10:24 a.m., Bonk’s Bar, 3467 Richmond Street
11:02 a.m., Philly Brewing Company, 2439 Amber Street
11:31 a.m., Evil Genius, 1727 North Front Street
12:00 p.m., Saint Benjamin, 1710 North 5th Street
12:33 p.m., London Grill, 2301 Fairmount Avenue
12:52 p.m., The Belgian Café, 601 North 21st Street
1:30 p.m., Billy Penn, 1429 Walnut Street
1:46 p.m., Jose Pistola’s, 263 South 15th Street
2:07 p.m., Garage Passyunk, 1231 East Passyunk Avenue
2:35 p.m., Varga Bar, 941 Spruce Street
3:03 p.m., Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
3:25 p.m., Opa & Drury Beer Garden, 1311 Sansom Street
3:39 p.m., Tiki, 102 South 13th Street
3:53 p.m., TIME, 1315 Sansom Street
4:16 p.m., Craftsman Row Saloon, 112 South 8th Street
4:59 p.m., El Camino Real, 1030 North 2nd Street
5:13 p.m., Heritage, 914 North 2nd Street
5:27 p.m., Standard Tap, 901 North 2nd Street
5:50 p.m., Yards Brewing, 901 North Delaware Avenue
6:13 p.m., Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Avenue
6:27 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Avenue
6:41 p.m., Garage Fishtown, 100 East Girard Avenue
6:59 p.m., The Fillmore, 29 East Allen Street

Monday, May 29, 2017

Quick update on the Philly Beer Week 2017 schedule of events

The PBW organization tweeted a very nice compliment my way this past weekend. But I still must point out the perennial issue of event planning deficiencies served up via the website and/or mobile app for the some of us (or from what I've experienced/heard year in and year out...a lot of us) that want/need to plan.

Therefore, as I've done in each of the previous nine years, I've got a spreadsheet-atized version of what's out on the official PBW website. In this case, as of this morning. It will be the last time I update the spreadsheet. Frankly, all events should be planned well in advance of now, but that's a different issue.

I think many of you know me well enough that I don't do this in competition with PBW, rather as a way to supplement. It's proven wildly popular (in one year, being downloaded nearly 15k times). In my experience, people want the best information in an easy-to-use format. I'm just trying to help with that.

After de-duping the master events list and removing brewery entries that duplicate the host bar's entry, there are 552 "events" on the official PBW calendar as of this morning. I've not passed judgement on what I think most will agree barely qualify as a special event and events that have absolutely no description.

Also, I've not attempted to fix incorrect times of events. Did you know that the general admission for Beers Under The Big Top is due to begin at 1:30 a.m.? Or that there are 28 events that begin at Midnight, and one at 4:20 a.m.? My guess is that's not true and only a way to game the calendar and get listed earlier in the results (sort of like putting the event name in all caps to draw yet further attention).

Nevertheless, I've tidied up the list of 552 events into a spreadsheet and I'm happy to share it once again.

Drop a note to me at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com if you're interested in receiving a copy of it.

The daily tally, by the way, as of this morning is as follows:

21 - Thu. 6/1
59 - Fri. 6/2
55 - Sat. 6/3
50 - Sun. 6/4
52 - Mon. 6/5
57 - Tue. 6/6
55 - Wed. 6/7
64 - Thu. 6/8
54 - Fri. 6/9
49 - Sat. 6/10
36 - Sun. 6/11

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Weekly Beer Event Calendar Update: May 25 - May 31

Ready to close out the month of May? Ready for Philly Beer Week?

As you review the listings, don't forget Philly Tap Finder. They host an impressive listing of event draft lists to help better inform your beer event scheduling.

Click through here for a look at the full monthly calendar of beer events around the Philadelphia region.

Allentown, Pa.

Sat. 6/3; 1 p.m.-5 p.m. — PBS39 BrewFest at Coca-Cola Park [We expect to feature craft beers from 40 brewers and distributors, local and beyond. And, of course, will include great live music and local vendors. Proceeds from the Seventh Annual PBS39 BrewFest will support PBS39 programming. $5-$50]

Ardmore, Pa.

Thu. 6/1; 6 p.m.-8 p.m. — Go Nuts for Doughnuts Multi-Tap at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant [Iron Hill Brewery and Benchwarmer”s Coffee and Doughnuts come together to create four unique doughnuts paired with four unique beers. $PAYG]

Bethlehem, Pa.

Thu. 6/1; 5 p.m.-8 p.m. — Charity Cask Night at Bethlehem Brew Works [Entire proceeds from special cask sales will be donated to Center for Animal Health & Welfare. $PAYG]

Croydon, Pa.

Sat. 6/10; 12 p.m.-7 p.m. — 5th Anniversary at Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company [More Info about beer lineup, anniversary beer, food trucks, etc, will be announced shortly. $PAYG]

Harrisburg, Pa.

Sat. 5/27; All weekend — BeerFest at ArtsFest at Civic Club Garden [We have partnered with the fine folks at Ever Grain Brewing Co. to bring a beer garden to Artsfest. $TBD]

Sat. 6/17; 2 p.m.-7 p.m. — Harrisburg Brewers Fest at Locust & Third Streets [Sampling of beersfFrom up to or approximately 40 breweries. $10-$50]

Lancaster, Pa.

Tue. 6/6; 7 p.m.-10 p.m. — Calypso Caribbean Beer Dinner at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant [Join us on the patio for five Caribbean themed courses from Head Chef Anthony Beaner paired with five delicious beers by Senior Head Brewer Tim Stumpf. $65]

Media, Pa.

Thu. 5/25; 5 p.m.-7 p.m. — Long Trail Tasting at Pinocchio's [A night of beers from Long Trail. $PAYG]

Newark, Del.

Thu. 5/25; 7 p.m.-9 p.m. — Burgers ‘n’ Brews: Shake Shack x 2SP at Shake Shack [Join us for a guided tasting of 2SP Brewing Company beers expertly paired with four rounds of Shake Shack burgers, event-only specials, and beer milkshakes. $35]

Philadelphia, Pa.

Thu. 5/25; 5 p.m.-8 p.m. — Beer and Bees Fundraiser at Second District Brewing Company [We're hosting an event to educate attendees about protecting our bees and other pollinators, and as a fundraiser for the non-profit environmental group, PennEnvironment and their “Save the Bees” campaign. As part of this effort, we've created a one-time-only, limited time beer brewed with honey sourced from local bees. $PAYG]

Thu. 5/25; 6 p.m. — Beer Dinner at Bar Hygge [Details to follow. $TBD]

Fri. 5/26; 5 p.m.-7 p.m. — Ommegang Tasting at Beer Love [Ommegang will be in house pouring samples of some of their finest beers. $Free]

Fri. 5/26; 5 p.m. — Friday's Sixtel: North Country Belgian Raspberry Sour Porter at Grey Lodge Pub [We can't find a good description of this beer anywhere online. But who cares, it sounds awesome. $PAYG]

Fri. 5/26; 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. — Final-ly Friday Free Beer Tasting at Trolley Car Diner [Tasting samples of beers from Conshohocken Brewing Company. $Free]

Sun. 5/28; 3 p.m.-10 p.m. — Memorial Day Bash at Garage-South Philly [One of Philly's hottest new restaurants, Res Ispa, will be #indacart and Brooklyn Brewery will be in house with beer, specials, games, and fun. Beach attire is encouraged. $PAYG]

Thu. 6/1; 6 p.m.-10 p.m. — Opening Tap for Philly Beer Week at The Fillmore [The official opening event and night for Philly Beer Week's 10th anniversary. $15-$92]

Fri. 6/2 through Sun. 6/11; All day and night — Philly Beer Week at Hundreds of establishments across the Philadelphia region [Celebrate Philadelphia as America’s Best Beer-Drinking City with a ten-day festival. $Varies]

Tue. 6/6; 6:30 p.m. — Funk, Sole, and Rock & Roll at World Café Live [Funk Brewing Company and Sole Artisan Ales are two of the top new breweries in Pennsylvania. What better way to enjoy their rare and innovative beer than accompanied by performances from Swift Technique, Johnny Showcase, and The Dead Flowers. $10 + $PAYG]

Sat. 6/17; 12 p.m.-5 p.m. — Beer Camp On Tour at Penn's Landing [This summer, Beer Camp on Tour takes over Penn’s Landing with hundreds of craft beers, the city’s best food trucks, live music and good times. $40-$75]

Reading, Pa.

Thu. 5/25; 6 p.m.-10 p.m. — Stone Beer & Fish Taco Pairing at Liberty Taproom [With May and summer finally here, we welcome Taproom favorite Stone Brewing company back for a citrusy and hoppy seafood pairing. $PAYG]

Rio Grande, NJ

Thu. 6/1; 5 p.m. — Weyerbacher & Cape May Brewing Co. Collaboration Takeover at Rio Station [We are happy to have both Weyerbacher and Cape May Brewing Co. taking 7 of our taps. They are bringing together their awsome brewers to make a collaboration brew, Paradise 160 India Pale Lager. $PAYG]

Sellersville, Pa.

Tue. 5/30; 7 p.m.-10 p.m. — Stone Beer Dinner at The Horse Tavern & Grill [Four courses of food perfectly paired with four great beers. $40]

Wayne, Pa.

Fri. 5/26; 6 p.m.-8 p.m. — La Trappe and Teresa's Pay It Forward at Teresa's Next Door [Five La Trappe beers wil be pouring with all of the proceeds going to the Kyle Ambrogi Foundation, a local charity. $PAYG]

West Chester, Pa.

Sat. 6/10; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. — Ride The Rails at Boxcar Brewing Company [Come out for an event to remember as we board 1930’s style train cars and head down the historical West Chester Railroad to Glen Mills picnic park. We provide the food (a rockstar spread), Boxcar beer (all of our best brews), and live music. $25-$50]

Sat. 6/10; 12 p.m.-7 p.m. — H.O.P. Party at Levante Brewing Company [Bring five non-perishable food items or more and we'll hook you up with a free pour for helping other people in need. $10-$45]

Sat. 6/17; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. — Ride The Rails at Boxcar Brewing Company [Come out for an event to remember as we board 1930’s style train cars and head down the historical West Chester Railroad to Glen Mills picnic park. We provide the food (a rockstar spread), Boxcar beer (all of our best brews), and live music. $25-$50]

Sat. 6/17; 12 p.m.-5 p.m. — West Chester Craft Beer Festival at Charles A Melton Arts & Ed Center [We're going to have an amazing line up of breweries and beers. Food trucks, artisan vendors and beer. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Charles A Melton Arts & Ed Center. $5-$50]

Monday, May 22, 2017

A Taste of Philly Beer Week 2017 (June 1-11)

Photo credit: Philly Loves Beer
According to the official website, we're told that Philly Beer Week 2017 is only ten days away. Yes, you read correctly. This year it begins yet a day earlier to further imperialize our Beer Week. Thought it about time to check out the schedule and see what's a-happening this year and whether it's worth, as they suggest, taking any time off from the ol' day job.

An undertaking the size of Philly Beer Week and the required organizational skills - coordinating many establishments and their hundreds of events across 10 er 11 days - is not for the faint of heart. Communicating everything the PBW-going consumer needs to know should be of paramount importance. Without them (well, both the consumers, and the details), what is there?

The calls have already come in to the Brew Lounge hotline and I'm happy to report back that I'm here again, for the tenth year, to spreadsheetatize your PBW schedule to supplement, complement, improve upon the official website calendar of events.

I took an early look and, as of earlier this morning, Mon. May 22, here's a quick recap of what can be found out there for our beer-going ways. Remember, this schedule, as it does every year, will change right up until the opening bell, er Opening Tap, and then somewhat bewilderingly throughout almost every day of PBW. Your best bet is to depend upon the official PBW website, app (when it arrives, and failing all else, checking with the establishment. (p.s. no spreadsheet to share quite yet, just some keen observations)

- 406 unique "event" listings
- 70 unique establishments

Number of events currently listed by day
   Thursday, 6/1 - 14
   Friday, 6/2 - 40
   Saturday, 6/3 - 46
   Sunday, 6/4 - 37
   Monday, 6/5 - 36
   Tuesday, 6/6 - 42
   Wednesday, 6/7 - 41
   Thursday, 6/8 - 44
   Friday, 6/9 - 36
   Saturday, 6/10 - 42
   Sunday, 6/11 - 28

Regarding the establishments
   ~ 62 of the events are at a Uno location
   ~ 23 of the events are at one of the "beer gardens"
   ~ 22 of the events are at a Whole Foods store/pub location
   ~ 4 of the events listed are related to the Hammer of Glory tour
   ~ 2 of the events listed are for the Beer Under The Big Top event
   ~ 1 of the events is the Opening Tap
   ~ Of the remaining 292 events
      ~ 15 are at Jose Pistola's
      ~ 12 are at The P.O.P.E.
      ~ 12 are at Teresa's Next Door
      ~ 11 are at Grey Lodge Pub
      ~ 11 are at Lucky's Last Chance in Queen Village
      ~ 10 are at Bait & Switch Seafood
      ~ 10 are at Eulogy Belgian Tavern
      ~ 10 are at Good Dog Bar
      ~ 10 are at Hop Angel Brauhaus
      ~ 10 are at Johnny Brenda's
      ~ 10 are at El Camino Real
      ~ 10 are at The Victoria Freehouse
      ~ 10 are at Lucky's Last Chance in Manayunk

Regarding the events
With only 10 days to go, even though much may still be added to the calendar, if forced to pick an event each day, here's what looks good to me (in case you were asking!)
   Thursday, 6/1 - Niño Bacelle of Brouwerij De Ranke at Monk's for lunch followed by the Hammer of Glory Tour and capped off with Opening Tap at The Fillmore
   Friday, 6/2 - Official PBW Uptown Beer Garden
   Saturday, 6/3 - It's A Firkin Riot! at Johnny Brenda's
   Sunday, 6/4 - A Devil's Den version of Free Will Sour Sunday
   Monday, 6/5 - Omme-gash, it's All-gang at Good Dog
   Tuesday, 6/6 - New Kids On The Block at Standard Tap
   Wednesday, 6/7 - Sierra Nevada Beer Camp beers at Clarkville
   Thursday, 6/8 - 2SP and Bagby Beers at Cinder
   Friday, 6/9 - Modern Times & Hermit Thrush featured tappings at Jose Pistola's
   Saturday, 6/10 - Wayne Music Fest with Teresa's Next Door, Tröegs, La Cabra, Rusted Root, Huffamoose, Mason Porter, Ben Arnold, and more
   Sunday, 6/11 - A Nodding Head, Curt Decker, Coppertail brunch at Memphis Taproom

Welcome Newcomers
And unless my eyes (and memory) deceive me, here's a list of newcomers to this year's roster that may be worth checking out during PBW. (not passing judgement, just listing 'em)
   ~ Bait & Switch Seafood
   ~ Chick's
   ~ La Cabra Brewing Company
   ~ Pizzeria Stella
   ~ Tiki

How's that to kickstart your thirst for great beer and Philly Beer Week 2017, the tenth edition?

Friday, February 03, 2017

February 2017: News update, part 1

Nobody can cover all the news and you guys seem to really be digging these news updates. I'll keep doing 'em until you say stop...or there's no more news to report.

~ Those of you that have been to Hawaii or are daydreaming about an upcoming vacation, you'll be glad to know this. [link to Maui Brewing Company]

~ He's one of ours, you know? [link to New York Post]

~ Like what these guys have done in Manayunk; nice to see them pop up in Queen Village. [link to Passyunk Post]

~ Great first hand look at Philly Goes To Belgium with 2SP for Philly Beer Week 2017. [link to Draft Magazine]

~ Seems like a pretty nice score for Baltimore County. [link to Baltimore Sun]

~ This is, imo, one of the less controversial, and more welcome, lists. Nicely done. [link to Food And Wine]

~ Interesting times at Green Flash, as I think about visiting Virginia Beach. [link to The Full Pint]

~ Been a fan, as many are, of Mitch Steele for quite some time. Here's what he's up in an attempt to make 'Lanta hotter. [link to Hop Tripper]

~ Huh. Color me surprised...again. [link to The Town Dish]

~ Will put this on my list for when I'm in Pittsburgh later this month. [link to The Full Pint]

~ Haven't known quite what to make of Red Star in Exton. Here's something new they've got going on. [link to The Town Dish]

~ Great story of a collaboration to make a grabbable beer. [link to Denver Post]

~ And here's what happens when you mix your politics with your business. [link to Sacramento Bee]

~ Speaking of the government, while we likely won't see any homebrewed beer at 1600 Pennsylvania, beer is on the mind of the Smithsonian and it will be fun to track this project. [link to Brewers Association]