The Brew Lounge: Urban Village Brewing

Showing posts with label Urban Village Brewing. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Upcoming anniversary weekend at Urban Village

Been one year already since Urban Village Brewing Company opened in Philly's Northern Liberties neighborhood, the day before Philly Beer Week 2017 kicked off. Then, they had a car crash through the front door, unintentionally getting their name all over the news. But, the beers were already making a name for themselves. A few personal favorites included the very distinctive Beets by J Berliner Weisse (3% and full of bright red beets), Rye Bread Rye IPA (7.5% and spicy to match the name), and Oatis Oatmeal Stout (7% nice and solid stout). The Beets by J made a reappearance at Brewer's Plate in March and I couldn't have been more pleased, one of the standouts of the evening.

And here we are a year later. When I first saw notice of the anniversary party, and especially that it runs for the entirety of the weekend, I figured it'd be easy to slide it in between hopscotching between other events. When, will be the question. There's a can and bottle release on Friday, though, with my schedule and little interest in carrying bags with me, I think I'll leave these to the rest of you, maybe stopping in for a quick Birthday Beer draft prior to Opening Tap just a few blocks away. But, the Pig Roast on Saturday (with or without rain, no matter!) sounds like a good bet.

Urban Village Brewing To Celebrate One Year With Weekend-long Party And Three New Beers

3 Full Days and 3 Special Beers … Plus a Pig Roast!

Philadelphia, PA (May 24, 2018) – Urban Village Brewing Company in Northern Liberties is celebrating their first year of business and brewing with a bang. The brewery and restaurant known for their playful beers and naturally leavened pizza opened its doors on June 1, 2017. Since then, co-owner and head brewer Dave Goldman has brewed over 1,000 barrels of beer while his partner, Tom Revelli, has overseen the service of thousands of meals, family-friendly brunches, monthly beer runs, a freak U-Haul accident that inspired the popular Wrong Way IPA and even a once-in-a-lifetime Super Bowl viewing party.

To celebrate a year of highs, Urban Village is throwing a three-day party from June 1st to June 3rd, which will include all day celebrations complete with a pig roast and special offerings of limited edition beers.

In addition to the festivities, three brand new and ultra-rare beers will be available for the big birthday. Birthday Beer will be available on tap from Friday, June 1 to Sunday, June 3. The Belgian Golden Ale was brewed with orange and juniper and fermented with Belgian Abbey yeast and aged in Spanish sherry barrels that were last used by neighboring New Liberty Distillery to finish their rye whiskey. Birthday Beer packs a punch at 10% ABV and there will be 48 bottles available for purchase at Urban for $20 each. A remainder of beer will be bottled and aged for future landmark celebrations. Similarly, Dime Piece, a 10% ABV barrel-aged Belgian Quad will be available in limited quantities of bottles over the weekend for $20 each. This Belgian Quad was brewed exclusively with PA malts from Deer Creek in Glen Mills and aged in New Liberty’s Dutch Malt bourbon barrels.

Super Villain is a hazy IPA made with lots of oats and milk sugar. It’s double dry-hopped with Motueka, Vic Secret and Mosaic hops and the result is a sweet, juicy beer with citrusy, fruit and floral aromas. Super Villain will be canned and available on June 1 at the brewery for $15/four-pack and distributed to beer stores in the region the following week. Only 250 cases will be canned and distributed.

General manager and co-owner Tom Revelli says, “We were lucky enough to be immediately accepted by the community and our neighbors and want to show our thanks the only way we know how: with killer food, great beers and big block party. We’re thrilled to celebrate year one and toast to many, many more.”

Follow Urban Village on social media to stay informed: @urbanvillagebrewing on Instagram and facebook.com/urbanvillagebrewing.

About Urban Village Brewing Company
Urban Village Brewing Company is a Philadelphia-based brewpub located in the neighborhood of Northern Liberties and founded by Landmark Americana’s Dave Goldman and Tom Revelli. This one-off concept offers tank-to-table craft beers brewed on site and brick-oven fired pizzas and artisan bread specialties prepared with natural, yeast leavened dough.

© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2018. 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

Friday, May 18, 2018

Landmark Americana making a new mark in New Jersey

Good crew behind Landmark Americana and its lively bar/restaurant atmosphere. Been to the West Chester and the University City locations. Done pretty well mixing in the craft beer as well, though if my recollection holds up, the city location excels beyond the West Chester spot. The same management team was behind the opening of Urban Village Brewing Company last year in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia. They already are in NJ (southern) and have now announced that later this year, they'll be pushing up into northern NJ, specifically just outside Trenton. Announcement follows:

On May 8th Landmark Americana Tap & Grill hosted a sneak peek celebration to unveil plans for its newest location at Campus Town at The College of New Jersey. Founder Dave Goldman and local elected officials, as well as members of TCNJ administration, were on hand. The fifth Landmark Americana will feature a combination of entertainment with a sports bar atmosphere, boasting an impressive lineup of 40 taps featuring local craft brews, HDTV screens, and delicious pub fare. Landmark Americana will be bringing approximately 70 full and part-time jobs to the location. The 9,200 square feet location will open in Campus Town, which was developed by the PRC Group, and plans to open early Fall 2018.

Monday, June 05, 2017

Urban Village Brewing Company now open in Philadelphia

(Co-owners Tom Revelli and Dave Goldman with backdrop of the tasteful and comfortable decor at their Urban Village Brewing.)
Gonna try to rattle off some new activity that has added another level of complexity to covering Philly Beer Week than ever before. Regardless that these new breweries are not officially a part of Philly Beer Week (for the uninitiated, this entails paying sigificant fees to the organizing entity behind PBW), I say "covering Philly Beer Week" because their entries to the scene simply adds more to be checked out at the same time as trying to absorb some of PBW '17. Plus something related I've heard this past weekend is that beer lovers are interested in using the timing of PBW to check out new establishments, whether or not they have any official events going on, part or not of the official PBW. Probably, most would agree, a good thing. And, all a part of "a rising tide"?

Following this entry will be a few words on the Roy-Pitz Barrel House and Crowded Castle, both also having opened in the past week. Reminds me that I need to check the project status on Root Down, Neshaminy Creek, Triple Bottom, Point Breeze and the one-that-may-not-be-quite-yet-public in Downingtown. Not to mention the new announcements of planned outposts for Iron Hill in Rehoboth Beach and Conshohocken Brewing in Phoenixville and Havertown. Thirsty much?

(Well-made beers such as the Space Station Experimental present themselves quite nicely.)
But first up is Urban Village Brewing Company in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia. I've only got so much time to get to sharing here during PBW, so I will drop some salient words and a bunch of pictures to get you started, the rest is on you until I make my next visit for a more comprehensive review.

(A wide spectrum of flavors in the beer and food options at Urban Village should keep guests happy.)
On May 31, there was a soft opening (the third, and last, this one included media) prior to the official June 1 unveiling to the public. What I found was an impressive selection of pizzas and other foods that make for a great beer-drinking session in the extremely comfortably appointed bar and dining area. Views into the brewhouse, across the four-sided bar, into the kitchen of Chef Chris Davis, and of streetside activity from the firepit-side outdoor lounge all contribute to the open, airy, and comfortable atmosphere.

(A variety of pizzas, salads, sourdough based sandwiches, mussels, and small plate delicacies comprise the well-conceived menu.)

(Pizza a strong focal point at Urban Village.)
The beers ranged quite friendly in ABV from 3% (Beets by J Berliner Weisse) to 9.7% (Tyson Imperial Stout), where the median ABV settled in at a perfect 6.0%. The Beets by J is a must-try with a noticeable but not offputting flavor (for those that are somehow not fans of this wonderful root vegetable). Be sure also to check out the Space Station Experimental (a Belgian-German mashup pictured above), the tropically-addictive Citra Pale Ale, the smooth Oatis Oatmeal Stout, and the decadent Tyson Imperial Stout. Some of the malt bills are sourced from local malt houses, Deer Creek (Glen Mills) and Double Eagle (Huntingdon Valley).

Co-owner Dave Goldman is nearly a one-man show in the brewhouse for the time being, but that may not last long depending upon the thirst of the crowds as word gets out and the weather continues to improve. If you recognize his name, it's likely because he's also behind Landmark Americana with a four locations around the Philly region. For now, he's enjoying being in the brewhouse and finally getting this new venture up and running. His co-owner partner, Tom Revelli, is the fermentation scientist behind the pizza and bread dough naturally-fermented on site.

If you've fallen behind in ticking off the new Philly-based brewery openings (Brewery Ars, Chestnut Hill, Evil Genius, Second District, Wissahickon...did I miss any?), it's nice to see one in a different neighborhood. Until my next visit, enjoy a few more pictures here and get yourself there to check it out in person.

(At the center of the brewhouse.)

(Making optimal use of not an overly large brewing space, five fermenters and ten brite tanks are pumping out enough to have a dozen beers on tap at once.)

(Stacked brite tanks serve up the bar's draft beer.)

(The fermenters visible from the Piazza at Schmidt's.)

(Yeah, behave!)

© 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