4 Days of Philly Beer Week(end)

All the Best Weekends begin before Friday
While I continued to make the argument that the last 11 days contained over 50 "events" and could be considered the March substitute for the real Philly Beer Week, the "official" Philly Beer Week(end) kicked off on Friday.

Not content to wait, we joined the Rob Tod traveling party when it stopped in at Teresa's Next Door on Thursday night. The caravan apparently had been sticking pretty well to its schedule after having already conducted a brunch in the city at Jose Pistolas and then an early happy hour free tasting at Beer Yard.

(Group photo of TND staffers with Rob Tod of Allagash...courtesy of Andy Dickerson's camera, photographer undisclosed)
We showed up about half way through Rob's two hours at TND before he headed off to Craft Ale House. Since I missed out on taking my own picture, Andy forwarded a copy of the flannel-themed picture that they took earlier during the visit. Funny how, I no sooner get home and see that Jack already has a posting about the event that he didn't attend. Somehow, he just "phoned it in" and a copy also wound up in his inbox.

Funny, I have so much to learn from this guy. To not even attend the event, to be waiting perched by the computer at home for the incoming, and to have some blurbs posted about it before the event even ended is a true testament to this man's greatness (and the telecommunications age, too, I suppose). Once again, big name, big bucks.

(Here an Allagash, there an Allagash...)
So I did have one of my own pictures to add to the pile and to prove that I was indeed there. The tap list. Kind of boring I'm sure (that of the non-action picture, that is), but it does prove to be quite a nice picture of more Allagash than I'm sure just about anyone has ever seen. Oh...and the Bourbon Black? Very, very nicely done where the bourbon is noticeable but does not play the leading role.

Presumably, all went just about the same, save for a few less drafts, at Craft Ale House where Rob rounded out his day before turning in for a 7:30am flight back to Maine where he was due back at work Friday morning. All in a day's work for a Rock Star Brewer.


Friday was about good beer, but a little farther away from Philly Beer Week(end) than originally intended
Friday was an interesting day where I didn't participate in anything remotely PBW(end)-related. But, just being out with something to drink that I can share with you should count for something. But, first things first. A workout at the gym after work at the office. Dishwasher shopping at King of Prussia Mall. Which is my lead-in to...

Remember how I've said that every neighborhood should have an "Earth Bread + Brewery"? Well, that goes for malls and brewpubs too. Every mall should have a "Rock Bottom Brewery + Restaurant."

Of course, going to the mall and not stopping at the award-winning brewpub is just simply not an option. But, we opted not to dine there. Instead, we sat the bar where Patty had the Liquid Gold (hefeweizen...not too estery, nice.) and I had what probably is my favorite beer of their's: the Prussia Pride IPA. Better yet, I had the cask-conditioned version.

What a nice, nice experience. I love IPAs like this. Relatively low ABV (compared to the big boys ahead of me later in the weekend, this one, I believe, clocks in just over 6%) and a great balance of hops and malt. We sipped our beers while we decided on dinner at Legal Sea Foods. Out popped the phone to make a reservation through OpenTable...ah, yes these wonderful digital days!

There's not much beer-y to report from Legal Sea Foods. They do have something from Harpoon and Sam Adams of course. I say, of course, because they're a New England-based company. But, in addition to the less adventurous beers, our waitress mentioned the new Noble Pils from Sam Adams. It's one that I had to pass up at Chicago's O'Hare airport because I spent too much time flirting with Matilda (come to think of it, I haven't yet shared that story with you).

Noble Pils. Very nice and clean and crisp and just what I want a Pilsner tasting like.


Saturday's alright for fighting...with wind, rain, and hordes of beer geeks (only some of whom wore green)

(Jim Kirk and Jake Hampson, Kite and Key owners, offer me the first glass of the firkin)
Then came the big day: Saturday. Once Patty and I decided that we would drive to the city together (after much debate about drive, train, together, separate), we strolled in to Kite & Key at 11:01am just in time for Jim Kirk to hand the first glass of Johnny Cask 75 Minute IPA (oops, that's not the officially registered name) to me. And, with that, Philly Beer Week(end) was officially underway.

(Don't often see this many Dogfish draft outside of the brewpub)
The first bus showed up less then 30 minutes later and from what I could tell, this bus thing was pretty well organized. At each place we stopped, we seemed to see the buses every 20-30 minutes. Over 200 people had signed up ahead of time on the website and another 100 or so bought bus passes day-of. Good thing, these buses, because with the weather pouring down cats and dogs, cabs were in very high demand and with parking, you certainly wouldn't want to walk very far.

(By noon, the bar at Kite and Key was beginning to teem with the anxious and exuberant)
After a dip into Bear Republic's Apex (please, don't tell anyone just how very good this beer is. please, let it continue to fly under the radar away from the uber-geeky hop beers), we headed out to Brauhaus Schmitz. When we left Kite & Key, they were nearing seated capacity and the excitement level seemed to grow by the hour.

Finally, this would be my first visit to Brauhaus Schmitz, after hearing scores of good reviews from others. Anyone who's already been there knows that Doug and Kelly have pulled off a very good beer hall at 7th and South Streets. We grabbed a table and met up with our niece and dozens of other beer bus expressers.

(Doug Hager, Brauhaus Schmitz co-owner and Craft Beer Bus crier)

(The comfortable brick and wood bar at Brauhaus Schmitz)
We figured after a couple of DFH and Bear Republic beers at Kite & Key, that a stop at Brauhaus Schmitz for a solid lunch a relatively lower strength beers would be a wise idea before heading off to Sidecar's Double IPA event.

(A Strammer Max sandwich and potato salad is the kind of dish at Brauhaus Schmitz that anyone out for a day of beer drinking in Philly should have partaken in)
Good idea, indeed. The size of the sandwich platters and the quality of the food, I'm figuring, makes a meal here one of the best values in the city. Patty's pork sandwich and my Strammer Max (Open faced ham and Emmenthaler cheese sandwich topped with a fried egg), both with a healthy heaping of German potato salad on the side were just what we needed. Going perfectly with my sandwich was the new beer from Stoudt's, the Karnival Kölsch. Michael Perleman, brewery rep, sat with us and did the same with beer and grub. Eric VanZile stopped by to talk about this, that, and the other (Ithaca Brewfest keeps moving up our list of events to try...this year gets more likely each time I talk with Eric...twice in the past week.)

(Eric VanZile, Ithaca rep, stops by for a little Gemuchlicheit at Brauhaus Schmitz)
The buses came and the buses went, each dropping off a dozen or so partygoers. The Kölsch went down real nice and easy, with a noticeable but definitely subdued fruitiness in the finish. Very mild on the hops too. This should be crowd-pleaser, particularly as the weather warms through the spring into summer.

(A pretzel and mustard to get things started at Brauhaus Schmitz)
A firkin of Stoudt's maibock on the bar was a not-to-miss beer as well and served well as an opening beer before we ordered. In between, I couldn't refuse a Schlenkerla Fastenbier on draft. What a great beer, provided noticeably smoked malt beers are your type of thing. They need to be your type of thing, because the memory of the smoke still hung with me even after a couple of double IPAs at Sidecar. To close out our visit, I opted for another glass of the Kölsch, this time in the smaller and lovelier Lorely glass. The rest of the beer menu at Brauhaus Schmitz is a good study in German beer, with a nice dash of Belgians thrown in the mix as well.

(One of my favorite diminutive beer glasses....I didn't take it home with me...honest)
Next up, as my comments thusfar have alluded to, we headed cross town to Sidecar at 22nd and Christian streets. This was only my third visit to Sidecar, but the experience was much the same; Or maybe that's because each time I've gone it's been for a "special event." Let's see, once for Sly Fox, once for New Holland / Arcadia, and now once for a piece of their weekend-long double IPA fest. Crowded, loud, great beer, fun. Nothing wrong with any of that I suppose?

(I would argue that living the High Life includes the beers on the list and not in this bottle pictured. And "champagne of beers"? I'm thinking I'll take DeuS instead?)

(How many IPA lovers can fit in a sidecar?)

(Nice List. Ssshhh.)

(Adam Ritter chats it up with a couple of midday customers.)
The day prior they had Pliny the Younger on tap, fresh from its banishment from the PLCB's website of registered brands. The sixtel kicked in under 45 minutes according to co-owner Adam Ritter, who was helping to man the bar on Saturday afternoon keeping folks thirst for hops sated with the likes of Pliny the Elder, Southern Tier Gemini, etc.


Philly Beer Week(end) hit the 'burbs too
We only stayed for around an hour before heading back out to stop in and remind our dogs that we love them. Then it was off to The Drafting Room. Why, you ask? Well, there was another gathering of hops-crazed beer groupies and it seemed like the right thing to do. The crowd had been thicker, but it was still standing room only when we arrived. The usual antics were being poured and discussed, but one little thing bears mentioning.

A new beer was introduced to me and I'd like to ask a favor of you. Don't tell anyone about this "Belgian IPA" from the next door Netherlands, of all places, called Emelisse Double IPA. This could be in the running for top 10 new beers introduced to me in 2010. I'm busy with getting this and other things done, so I won't bother to try and research this to find out more of what this is all about. But, in the meantime, I've given you fair warning that it's at The Drafting Room for a couple of more days, best guess. Don't be surprised to hear of me stopping back in there by midweek for one more taste. It's not cheap, but the good stuff rarely is. Like I said, let's keep this to ourselves.

So after some good times, good beers, and good laughs Patty and I decided that The Brew Lounge didn't need any more material for one day. But, as some days tend to go, a text message from a good friend came in when we were just a couple of miles from home. "You guys around? We're at the Pig." Seeing this as an occurrence involving these friends that rarely happens, we kept the wheel of the car straight, called the dogs and told them to hold on for another hour or so, and headed up the hill into Malvern.

The craft beer story ends there. Of course, there's the usually decent draft and bottle list at the Flying Pig. And the usual antics that can only be seen and heard at establishments like the Pig. But, this was off the Philly Beer Week(end) radar, the number of beer geeks in the house was very evidently low, but that all worked out just fine.

All in all, Philly Beer Week(end) proved to be a nice March tune-up. Exploring the city in nasty weather (recall the Nor'easter on 3/8/08, the first Saturday of the first Philly Beer Week?) Just like you remember the bars you went to in the big nastly blizzards, or things that happened during hurricanes, etc. Everyone will remember riding the bus around the city on Saturday, swimming into the Brewers Plate on Sunday, et cetera and whatever you did and wherever you went.


Bringing the Week(end) to a smooth landing
Unfortunately, though, there's a bit of collateral damage that occurs on weekends such as this. Something had to give...fall by the wayside. In this case, I was disappointed to have skipped the first annual cask ale festival at General Sutter Inn. They had 22, or 23, casks of "rare and interesting" beer. Patty could tell you how many times on Sunday I said, "I've changed my mind, I'm going to General Sutter."

They wouldn't disclose a list ahead of time. Don't know if that had anything to do with the current PLCB debacle, or otherwise. In any case, between Paul Pendyk and Alex Hall running the event, I can't imagine it being anything other than a wise choice of an event to attend this weekend.

I closed out the weekend with a bowl of my homemade scallop and potato chowder. I'll have a word or two to say about that under a separate posting.

Enough about my comings and goings. WHAT ABOUT YOU? Your turn. What did you do/see/hear this weekend? Share...

Wanna know One More Thing about The List?

1 More Thing? How about when The List doesn't change---not one period, one misspelling, or one umlaut---the date at the top of the webpage still changes. Either automagically or by human hands I'm not sure. That's the case between yesterday and today.

See, I've got a little process that I put together that compares the list every day and identifies additions, deletions, and changes. Through yesterday, since last Monday there have been 135 additions and 9 changes to the list. Between yesterday and today, not one single change; yet the date could lead you to believe otherwise.

Maybe I'm the only one that thought that if the date changed, that implied that something in the list changed. I've heard people refer to the integrity of the list before something along the lines of "the list is kept up-to-date because there's a current date at the top." So, maybe I'm not the only one who might have been a bit misled.

I realize that it's a "registered brands...as of MMM DD, YYYY..." list, but still. Oh, on similar topic, I wonder if the Nugget NectOr kicked at The Drafting Room yet? (that was NOT a typo, just check The List and you'll see what I mean)

You didn't think I could get through the weekend without more mention of this Great Fiasco, now did you?! There was just way too much chatter during Philly Beer Week(end) to not have something yet more to say. Back to your regular programming.

Closing Thoughts for what has been an Exhausting Week

It's been a busy week of Talking About Beer, how it gets distributed and how it is sold in PA...now it's time to step back and drink a few during this thing called Philly Beer Week(end)

I've worked in several capacities in the industry of banking and finance, regulatory as well, in my career. Long enough to be able to ask the questions of why and how. Long enough to never have received good answers. Perhaps because most people I'd asked were too entrenched and too busy profiting from their aggressive and irresponsible greed. And the regulators? Always too willing to back down and turn a blind eye. These last couple of years, we've seen the fruits of this recklessness and laziness come home to roost. I should stop; this isn't a forum where my day job should cross over in to.

But, there is a parallel in the story that's begun to unfold here in Philly over the past week.(I like the chronology that BeerNews.org put together...though, I want to go on the record as not being the one spreading speculation that this was all due to Pliny the Younger haves and have-nots.) From retailers to wholesalers to suppliers, many organizations are profiting from the continuing growth within the craft segment of the beer industry. More shortcuts have been taken as time goes by in an effort to get product to market as quickly as possible and to get the biggest share of the pie along the way. Some of these shortcuts are conscious decisions and others are unconscious. Some of these are educated gambles, whereby those involved hope not to get caught, based on the historical prosecution of law offenders (read: lack thereof).

This week in Pennsylvania, some of this was exposed (if this is the first you're hearing of this, you may wish to go back here and catch up). Publicans who are taking product, sometimes on the word of the wholesalers, that may or may not be legit in the eyes of the law and turning it around as quickly as possible to demanding customers (i.e. the ravenous beer geeks). While these guys are some of the last in line that I'll refrain from focusing too much blame on in this fiasco, they do bear at least a bit of responsibility for knowing whether product is legally available for sale in the State or not. I'm not talking 'Duvel' versus 'Duvel Golden Belgian'. More like, are Goose Island or Captain Lawrence, the manufacturing breweries registered...period? Have they ever been? Are they even in the process of gaining registration?

So we take it up a level to the wholesalers...remember, keep following the money. The wholesalers, as liaisons between suppliers and retailers, should bear much more of the responsibility here than the retailers. Even if it is ultimately falling on the brewery/supplier to do the actual registration and fee payment, the wholesalers that are bringing the product into state and ultimately distributing it should know exactly what's been registered and what has not. When it's not, through their contractual relationships with breweries/suppliers, I believe it's incumbant upon them to carry out, if nothing else, an ethical responsibility to ensure that the products of the breweries/suppliers are on the up-and-up.

Take, for example, Vinnie Cilurzo's statement of "...being a mom-and-pop organization...some things slip through the cracks..." That's understandable, of course. But, where was the wholesaler to say something to the effect of "...we notice that this one or that one are not registered with the State...is that true? or is it a clerical oversight at the State?..." Breweries only have X number of brands to manage (across many states, understandably...but still, just X brands). I like Scott Smith's (East End Brewery, Pittsburgh) statement earlier this week where he said, and I'm paraphrasing here without going back to double-check: "...I make a lot of brands...often in small quantities...when I ship them out, I have a form to fill out and a $75 check to write...I send it in...it might be a pain, but it's really not a big deal..." Still, wouldn't it be nice to know your wholesaler/distributor has your back in case you forget?

And then we follow the money in a different direction...to the government. They want their cut too. In our Control State that is Pennsylvanis, and likely always will be, this is how it works. They get sales tax at the end of the cycle, but they also get application/registration fees upfront too. Basically, it amounts to an administrative fee for allowing a brewery's product (each individual brand name, in PA...another point of valid argument) to be brought into the State and then getting listed on their Holy Grail of a Registered Brands List.

Ah, and if I haven't made any points yet throughout this thing (I don't know, what do we call this thing today? A Diatribe? A Rambling Diatribe?), here's my Point.

This List that we speak of? This is the List that I referred to last week as "...I have never put 100% faith in...the website source for licensed brand registration in Pennsylvania...never put confidence that...getting it right on every line of roughly 3000 beers."

Today, we learn from the intrepid Joe Sixpack---after he clicked on the Privacy Policy link at the bottom of the PLCB's webpage---that regarding this List, the PLCB's position is that it can not be relied upon and should not be used for legal enforcement purposes. Unfortunately, this does not surprise me. This List turns out to be just a list...one that is processed and maintained by human eyes and fingers, and subject to whatever degree of accuracy that PLCB management deems sufficient.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm as sympathetic as the next when it comes to entry- or barely entry-level data clerks. There's not much motivation to get things 100% correct. But, where's the management in this picture? When things break down in a system as they have in this case, it's easy to point to this small part of the system or that one that isn't/wasn't working as well as possible.

Often times, though---take for example "scandals" in the military, religion, the school system, etc. (how's that for 3 big ones?!)---it's much more useful to begin from the top. Go up the chain and hold those accountable for defining the system, running the system, and enforcing the system. Often times, as we follow the money again, it's those that stand to financially benefit the most from "the system."

Here in our story about the beer industry and the making and distributing of its product, we have Pennsylvania and around 20 other Control States. That means that the State is "in charge" of determining what can be sold and how it can be sold to consumers within its state lines. It means that it defines the rules (that they've now begun to admit may be outdated and ripe for change), it oversees the rules (with information, apparently as we're learning, that they are admitting can not be relied upon by any parties affected by it), and it enforces the rules (by police that appear to not have sufficient information or communication from the overseeing agency).

Lew, I think the case has been set up adequately to be presented to Harrisburg. Control State, if we must. 3-tier System, not going anywhere anytime soon I'm sure. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, though, The System is Broken and Must Be Fixed. We've learned, thank you, that the ball gets rolling April 13th. In what direction, how far, and how fast all remain to be seen.

The One, The Only, The Beer Hunter

Over the past couple of week, I've been clearing out a bunch of links, videos, and the like that I've been saving around here for a rainy day. Guess I'm motivated to give you yet one more here with the impending drenching we're due to get this weekend.

As if this week hasn't been busy enough with "that other story," maybe it just feels good to give you an easy one here.

Looks like we've got another big screen must-see for the beer-loving world. Philadelphia, undoubtedly, plays a role. Our old friend, Mr. Michael Jackson as the one, the only, The Beer Hunter.

Weekly Beer Calendar Update: March 11th-March 17th

The "official" Philly Beer Week(end) is upon us and this weekend coming up offers way more events than any one of us can handle, I promise.

So, have at it. Do something fun, the weather's getting pretty nice around here and if you're not feeling spring fever yet, then you just might not be alive. (Check that. Since I first wrote this, the weather for this weekend looks downright miserable...subtracting from the reasons you have for not taking in an event or two from the list below.)

**Here's comes the BIG DISCLAIMER. Given the recent and extraordinary regulatory environment in Pennsylvania, I can't vouch for what will be available at these various events and what will not. I made no effort to contact any or all of these establishments. Most of these events and their details, I've left in the original state. In some cases, I've taken some license and edited if anything seemed particularly and glaringly "out-of-place." Otherwise, there still may be some events that have their particulars modified in order to still put on an event, even if not as originally scheduled. If you're really all that concerned, you should contact the establishment personally before showing up with expectations that may fall short. END DISCLAIMER**

Check out the entire March 2010 calendar over here.

If I'm missing any that you feel should be on here, let me know.


No such thing as 'just a taste'
@Beer Yard, Wayne, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - An Afternoon Tasting with Rob Tod (3:00pm-5:00pm; Free tasting samples from Allagash as he continues his whirlwind one day tour through Philly)
@Beer Yard, Wayne, PA--- Fri. 3/12 - Friday Night Tasting (5:00pm-7:00pm; Free tasting samples from Southampton)

@Craft Ale House, Limerick, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Last Call with Rob Tod (8:00pm-10:00pm; PAYG as Rob Tod finished his day with Craft Ale House, you, and a bunch of his Allagash beer)

@Devil's Den, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 3/12 - Bethlehem Brewing Night (7:00pm-9:00pm; PAYG for treats from Brew Works like Hopsplutely Tripel IPA, Bagpiper's Scotch Ale, Amber Lager, Steelgaarden Wit)

@Exton Beverage, Exton, PA--- Fri. 3/12 - Friday Night Tasting (4:00pm-6:00pm; Free tasting samples from Flying Dog)

@The Foodery, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Free Tastings (6:00pm; Free tasting samples from Penn Distributors' lineup including Rogue John John, Ithaca Ground Break, Long Trail Coffee Stout, Dominion Millenium, and Gale's Prize Old Ale)

@Grey Lodge Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 3/12 - Furthermore Night (5:00pm-7:00pm; PAYG for loads of their very unique beers on tap and in bottle)

@Hawthornes, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 3/16 - Sam Adams Sampling (5:00pm-7:00pm; Free tasting samples of the new additions to their family)

@Pickering Creek Inn, Phoenixville, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Craft Brew Night (PAYG for a night of Flying Fish)

@Teresa's Next Door, Wayne, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Allagash Extravaganza (5:00pm-7:00pm; PAYG for a whole lineup of Allagash including Firkin of Black, Firkin of Curieux, same Curieux batch on CO2 also, Allagash White, Confluence, Double, Triple, FOUR, Interlude, Hugh Malone, Odyssey, Bourbon Black, Victor, and Fluxus)


Express? Maybe more like a Craft Beer Crawl....this'll take a while
@Brauhaus Schmitz, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Stoudt's Debut of Karnival Kölsch (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG)
@Devil's Den, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Fermentable Love Fest (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG for Ommegang, Duvel, and great cheeses...not so sure about the Duvel at this point)
@Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Stout Brunch (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG)
@Jose Pistolas, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Ithaca Brewing Brunch (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG)
@Kite & Key, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Around the Clock with Dogfish Head (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG for 60 Minute, 90 Minute, 75 Minute (firkin), 120 Minute, Pangea, Midas Touch, and Red & White)
@Standard Tap, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 3/12-Sun. 3/14 - Big Wood Weekend (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG for big and tasty treats from the wood, smoked and otherwise)
@The Institute, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Bam Bam Bill's Barleywine Bonanza (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG for big barleywine and similar beers like Ballast Point, Weyerbacher Insanity aged in bourbon barrels, Otter creek, Victory Old Horizontal, Stoudt's Old Abomindable, Yards Old Bart, Rock Art, and Flying Dog Horn Dog)
@The Sidecar Bar & Grille, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 3/12-Sun. 3/14 - IPAs Greatest Hits (11:00am-7:00pm; PAYG for 3 days of big, bad IPAs, DIPAs, and beyond)


These Exit 16 releases may not happen, but here's the original schedule in case they do
@McGillin's, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 3/15 - Flying Fish Exit Series Release (6:00pm-8:00pm; PAYG for the rollout of Exit 16, a Wild Rice Double IPA)

@Standard Tap, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 3/17 - Flying Fish Exit 16 Firkin (6:00pm; call to determine if this event is still on)

@Swift Half Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Flying Fish Exit 16 Firkin (7:00pm; ditto Standard Tap)


And, speaking of firkins, casks, and those types of goodies
@General Sutter Inn, Lititz, PA--- Fri. 3/12-Sun. 3/14 - Big Cask Ale Festival (12:00pm-10:00pm; PAYG, no entry fee for 20 rare and delicious cask-conditioned beers)

@Good Dog, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Sly Fox Firkin (7:00pm; PAYG for a firkin of Gang Aft Agley)


I'm tired of categorizing, so these all get lumped together...some elite company here
@Grey Lodge Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Feats of Strength & Weakness (8:00pm-11:00pm; PAYG for a night of fun 'n' games with Participants from the following breweries: Lancaster, Flying Fish, Philadelphia Brewing, Left Hand, Stone, Stoudt's, Tröegs, Roy Pitz, Sly Fox, and Yards. Feats of Strength may (or may not) include: High Striker, Suduku, Putting green, 1 liter Mass holding, Trivia, Tree Pose (or other yoga pose), Spelling Bee(r))

@High Street Grill, Mt. Holly, NJ--- Tue. 3/16 - St. Patrick's Day Eve with Yards (7:00pm; PAYG for mussels, Yards' prizes, Porter, and IPA on tap)

@South Philadelphia Taproom, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Lefthand Arm Wrestling and Tap Takeover (6:00pm; PAYG for feats of strength and Chainsaw (Double Sawtooth), 400lb Monkey, Polestar Pilsner, and more)
@South Philadelphia Taproom, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 3/12 - Can't Get Enough of Founders Night (4:00pm; PAYG for Pale, Reds, Rye, Porter, Dirty Bastard, Breakfast Stout, and Double Trouble all on draft and bottles of Triple Dancer and Imperial Stout)

@The Drafting Room, Exton, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Double IPA Fest (12:00pm; PAYG for all the big boys including Bell’s HopSlam, Russian River Pliny the Elder, Brooklyn Blast, Emelisse DIPA, Southern Tier Gemini, Drafting Room 15th Anniversary, Founders Double Trouble, Manayunk California Dreamin’, Spring House Behind the Gates, Breckenridge 471, Brew Works Hop’solutely, and a firkin of Tröegs Nugget Nectar)

@Nine Participating Bars, Phoenixville, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Phoenixville St. Patty's Pub Crawl (PAYG)


Here we go again, more beer, more food, mo' better
@Barclay Prime, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 3/15 - Brooklyn Beer Dinner (6:30pm-9:30pm; $125 for a 6-course meal paired with Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyner Weisse, Local 1, Local 2, Dark Matter, and Black Chocolate Stout)

@Devil's Den, Philadelphia, PA--- Sun. 3/14 - Bell's Beer Brunch (10:30am; PAYG for a delicious brunch and HopSlam, Oarsman, DeProef/Bell's Van Twee along with others)

@Hawthornes, Philadelphia, PA--- Sun. 3/14 - Beer Geek Brunch (12:00pm-2:00pm; $20 per person for the Beer Brunch Buffet, Beers are pay as you go. RSVP required!)

@Iron Abbey, Horsham, PA--- Wed. 3/17 - Celtic Beer Dinner (7:00pm-9:00pm; $40 for a 5-course meal paired with Curim Celtic Wheat, Harpoon Celtic Ale, Duvel Green (maybe), Smithwick's Irish Red, Great Lakes Conway Irish Ale, Guinness Stout, and Sly Fox Gang Aft Agley)

@Jose Pistolas, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/11 - Allagash Beer Brunch (12:00pm-2:00pm; PAYG for brunch with Rob Tod)

@Swift Half Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/13 - Iron Hill Beer Dinner (with Paul Rutherford of the Lancaster location) (7:00pm; $55 for a 4-course meal paired with Biere de Mars, Rye IPA, Strong Scotch Ale, and Oompa Loompa Stout)

@Teresa's Next Door, Wayne, PA--- Sun. 3/14 - Stone Brunch (PAYG for a very special brunch with no less than five special rarities from Stone)

@terra Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 3/16 - Victory Beer Dinner (6:00pm & 9:00pm seatings; $55 for a 5-course meal paired with Prima Pils, Hop Wallop, Helios, V-Twelve, and Storm King Stout)

@University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, PA--- Sun. 3/14 - Brewer's Plate (4:00pm(5:00pm)-7:30pm; $55/$65/$115 for one of the area's best food and beer events in the opinion of The Brew Lounge)

Just a mere handful of suggestions for this Weekend

In a weekend of so much to do here in the Philadelphia region, if under the threat of something really, really super-terrible-bad(!), here's what I'd recommend that you check out...if you asked. No favoritism at play here, just a recognition of some of the most interesting that the region has to offer.

Thursday===Rob Tod and his Allagash beer is loosed on the city and the suburbs --- great reason to start your weekend early as Rob makes no less than 4 stops from city to the 'burbs.

Friday===City=Firkins at Varga (Flying Fish) Rural=Cask Ale Festival in Lititz, near Lancaster --- This brings together Alex Hall (NYC) and Paul Pendyck (General Sutter Inn, et al) for the first of its kind in charming Lititz

Saturday===Craft Beer Express around Philly --- choose the bus and do it all day. or meet up with the revelers along the way at a place of your choosing. How can you go wrong? Just stay out of the way of that "other green bus." In the suburbs, try the Imperial IPA Fest at The Drafting Room

Sunday===Brewers Plate --- one of the regions premier beer and food events. I've written about it several times in the past (in 2006, in 2007, in 2008, in 2009) and it really doesn't get much better than this. As of yesterday, less than 100 total tickets remain. This will almost certainly sell out prior to the event.

Monday===Wanna make a long weekend for yourself? Check this out Brooklyn Beer Dinner at Barclay Prime

Have you asked lately, "What Happened to Scott Morrison?"

I get this question every few weeks or so. Well, well, well. The answer lies not in a brewery somewhere between Reading and Chester. The answer, at least next week...St. Patty's Day to be exact, can be told at World Café Live in Philly.

Now, shame on me for going out on a limb here without confirming with The Dude himself; I assume this is one and the same former brewmaster from McKenzie Brew House. The one that's been on a bit of a hiatus for, oh, the last couple of years or so.

Yup, my events e-mail from World Café Live tells me that: "Lager lover, ale enthusiast, and brewmaster extraordinaire Scott Morrison hosts a St. Patty's Day beer dinner at World Café Live."

How about that? Check it out for yourself.

Carol takes NYC

Haven't talked much with you about Blind Tiger in NYC and their (almost) weekly beer promotions. Come to think of it, I haven't been to one myself in quite some time. This would be a great reason to stop in...I can't make it there tomorrow, but maybe you can. Carol Stoudt...Beer...Blind Tiger...NYC in beautiful weather sounds like the makings of a great night.

This Wednesday March 10th @ 4:00PM, the Blind Tiger is proud to be hosting Stoudt's Brewing Company. Carol Stoudt will be on hand to answer questions, laugh at jokes, and just be Carol Stoudt.

From Alan at Blind Tiger---

---

"One quick note about Carol – besides being wonderful, she is one of the pioneers of the craft beer movement. She is one of the first people to give a brewery a face, a personality, a real tangible connection with the people that enjoy its products. There was actually a time where people didn’t know the names of brewers or founders - to most they were just people that worked at a company. There was no real craft beer community but rather people passionately making something and people passionately buying something. Thanks to innovators like Carol, the dimension of community/familiarity that this art form (I hate calling it an industry) needed to blossom has now gotten to the point that it not only binds together makers and consumers but also reaches out and educates the soon-to-be craft beer enthusiasts.

Okay, now the list…
Stoudt's Pils
Stoudt's Gold
Stoudt's American Pale Ale
Stoudt's ESB
Stoudt's Fat Dog (Imperial Stout)
Stoudt's Double IPA
Stoudt's Belgian Triple
Stoudt's Fest (Märzen)
Stoudt's Winter Ale
Stoudt's Quad
Stoudt's Kölsch
Stoudt's 1860 IPA
Stoudt's Maibock
Stoudt's Old Abominable (Barley Wine)
Stoudt's Gemutlichkeit Ale (German pale ale)
Stoudt's Bock
Stoudt's Imperial Pumpkin
Stoudt's Peppercorn Pumpkin
Stoudt's Hoperator"

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry at Resurrection Ale House TONIGHT (3/9/10)

Here's a great way to support the Resurrection Ale House Family tonight ANNNNDDD drink of one of my favorite beers of the moment.

Suzy has the full set of details over at The Beer Lass.

The weather looks nice for a cross-town walk to RAH at Grays Ferry/Catherine (you urbanites) or a train ride into the city (you suburbanites) to hang with some great people, eat some fine food, and drink some tasty beer. You'll feel better in body and spirit if you do...promise :)

The Story of the Year (to date) in Philadelphia

I take back what I said yesterday when I said that there was not much worthy chatter out there. Turns out most of us must have been enjoying the beautiful weather around the Philadelphia area. Since then, every one has settled back into their desk chairs (at home, or I'm presuming at work!!) and...

...our local ABC affiliate got in on the story during tonight's 6 o'clock newscast; though, I'm not so sure about the "cool and secured cellar" comment.

...Don Russell/Joe Sixpack has done some more of the investigative work that he's good at.

...Lew Bryson's blog about the inner- and never-workings of the PLCB and the associated posting on this topic has mushroomed to over 20 comments while...

...Jack Curtin's site seems to be the place to be heard. As of this afternoon, he's logged over 50 responses to his initial posting...including weigh-ins from Nancy Barton, Mark Haynie, Chris LaPierre, Leigh Maida, Steve Mashington, and Jeff Miller.

...and my posting from yesterday has accumulated a handful of quality comments.

...According to the Facebook event status for tonight's Exit 16 release party at McGillin's, it has been cancelled due to an abundance of caution.

The conversation is really rolling now; let's not let go of this. Unlike the evening news, I suspect that we'll be tracking this one for quite some time.

Some Tasty Links

Pizza, wings, cheesesteaks, and beer?! Great concept by a talented local homebrewer named Mike Ingrassia. A comprehensive, yet easy-to-read blog of some of the Philadelphia area's most tempting food and drink.

How do you as a craft beer drinker make decisions about other food and beverage that you put into your body? Joel Armato, of New Holland Sales fame, has put a lot of thought into this and how it intersects with everything from agribusiness to local business. A thought-provoking must-read.

That's it for the linky-link promotion today. If you have anything else you think is worth sharing with the class, please feel free to drop it in a comment below or a private e-mail to me.

Cheers and Good Eats!

A Beer Run at Dock Street, A Cask Event at TJs, A Perfect March Saturday

I normally don't tend to jump too deeply in to the political and controversial fray around here. Every once in a while, extraordinary circumstances practically demand that I do so. I may not always be the most qualified to do so, and I attempt confine my commentary to where I don't sound like a complete idiot.

That being said, I jumped in to something deeper than the kiddie end this morning. It's a fun way to write occasionally, but I couldn't continuously keep up that particular controversial type of writing for too long. It's just not me. I prefer, as I'm sure you know after almost five years, to focus on the positive and accentuate all of the good that happens in this wonderful world of craft beer, with a particular emphasis on both the beer and the people who make and sell it. There are enough other places that you can catch up on cutting, timely investigative reporting that turns over the good, the bad, and particularly the ugly in the industry.


(For 15 runners, it was a chilly start in the shade at Dock Street, but, uh, just what is exactly is Kevin doing behind that bush?)

So, back to the good stuff. And this one's more personal. As you probably were aware, I conducted the first of three lead-in runs to Philly Beer Week yesterday. As in past years, I've teamed up with Dock Street Brewery in Cedar Park (west Philly) to serve as the base for the runs and a great excuse to drink of their great beer and eat of their fresh and creative pizzas.

Rosemarie Certo and her staff continued to be the generous hosts again yesterday. A group of 15 runners took off for a short run down to and around (University of) Penn (sylvania...not Penn State for you out-of-staters), looping back to 50th and Baltimore. The weather could not have been more agreeable and the post-run nourishment could not have been better.


(Renourishment took place over a Dock Street-themed quiz after a 6K run around West Philly/University City.)

From a Bohemian Pilsner to Bubbly Wit (a consensus favorite) to Man Full of Trouble Porter and Sexy Beast stout, there was a flavor and weight of beer for every palate. Is there anyone who doesn't think that the name change to Sexy Beast was a very, very good choice? I love the name and the connotation better than that of Sexual Chocolate.


(A solid crowd kept the bar area comfortable, but busy, all afternoon until the evening dinner crush came. A successful day from start to finish at TJs.)

My wingwoman, Tracy, and I made our way back out to Paoli at TJs where we met up with her hubby, Mr. Sierra Nevada/Patrick Mullin, and a gaggle of very well-behaved and approving fans of cask-conditioned beer. Though, mind you, there was a chance for misbehaving since, if my count was correct, there were only two beers under 8% ABV. While it would have been nice to have a couple of more "sessionable" cask beers, the ones that were featured certainly packed a whole wallop of flavor to go along with the booziness.


(8 casks sat atop the bar at TJs in Paoli, PA)

This type of event, where all of the traditional tap lines were shutoff and the bar was lined with gravity-pouring kegs, was a first for TJs and from all accounts was a huge success. They were looking forward today to polishing off the last drops of what was pouring yesterday and they've saved one, the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous, for the big event on March 20th.


(Student, Rob, and Teacher, the talented Mr. Richard Ruch, joined forces to conquer the casks at TJs.)

So ends a stellar weekend full of events. Think this weekend was a classic? Just wait until next weekend, that of Philly Beer Weekend. Good times, my friends...good times!


(Jeff Miller, proprietor, and Patrick Mullin, Sierra Nevada Sales, marvel at the elaborate cask setup...or maybe Patrick just wanted the first glass of the Rye IPA.)

Shut up about your Pliny the Younger*

Well, Sunday morning is not as easy as I thought it might be here today. I'd caught wind of a still-unfolding story involving the city's Memphis Taproom, Local 44, and Resurrection Ale House beer bars at the beginning of this weekend. I thought "wow" at the time and wondered how big this might get.

I won't go as far as to say I saw this coming, but I saw something like this coming. Things have been relatively quiet, peaceful, and amicable for sometime now. It was only a matter of time as more consumers, retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers are vying for what they see as a piece of the lucrative pie that is non-industrial/macro beer.

Add to this gnawing feeling the growing awe and angst that I've felt around all of these ridiculously hyped beers...HopSlam, Pliny the Younger are just two beers that we could start the conversation with. Lest I sound like a hypocrite, if you read here closely enough you likely know that I have a case of Monk's Blood, of Nugget Nectar, a six-pack of HopSlam, and bottles of Consecration in my personal inventory. I like drinking the interesting stuff as much as anyone, but I will refuse to throw elbows for it...now, more than ever.

With all of this in mind, I'd been tossing around, for the past few weeks, the formulation of an article themed around the idea that the percentage of good guys (and ladies of course) in the work of "craft" beer has been dwindling. Not rapidly, mind you. And dwindling more at a glacial pace, and not the kind of global warming glacial pace, but I think you see what I mean. Don't get me wrong, there are still way, way more good guys at all levels of the business, but with more hands reaching for more money, something's bound to give.

From my first-hand (and sometimes first-and-a-half hand) experience and anecdotal evidence, Consumers want more beer...and the more rare, the more "exotic", the more we want it, right? From the other end, experienced talented Brewers/Suppliers and up-and-coming Brewers/Suppliers are battling to make beers that are the most interesting and demanded by the Consumers. And, they are making products that Consumers have never even dreamed they might want or like. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing.

But, in the frenzy to raise revenues and get their products out to and seen by an ever-widening and growing market of beer drinkers, Suppliers use Distributors to get their product to the Consumers. Wrapped around all of this is The Law. The Law written by legislators, overseen by an agency, and policed by a badge and gun. Most of whom I would challenge in their understanding, particularly, of the wide world of beer as we know it in regions like Philadelphia.

So how did this debacle at Memphis Taproom/Local 44/Resurrection Ale House get to this point? Only a few know 100% for certain. Some of the conjecture floating around attempts to center the discussion solely on Pliny the Younger and the inability for some to get it on their tap handles while the MT-44-RAH family of bars apparently have three. Fair? Unfair? I suppose that comes down to whether you like Brendan, Leigh, and what they are doing and have accomplished...or not.

And while I have a hard time getting my head around someone "ratting out" these folks for a keg or two of PtY, it may well have been the tipping point. Seriously? Would you risk your reputation on a $300 keg (or whatever PtY is costing bars nowadays)? Is the future of your bar really dependent upon getting a keg of PtY for a couple of hours? Is the hassle really worth it? I'm hearing more from folks on the retail end of things that the hassle of such things is getting less and less worth it....more on that to come.

What I'm increasingly more convinced of comes down to more of a conversation about envy. Jealousy of what these two have accomplished in a remarkable amount of time. (in case it's important to you, I should point out that I do not have a personal relationship with either Brendan or Leigh...simply a friendly professional one as a result of what I do here at The Brew Lounge.)

If you're the type of bar owner, though, that would do such a thing (and, yes, I'm going out on a limb without solid proof, that this was the anonymous tipster workings of a competing bar owner) then you fall into the category that I described earlier as a growing, albeit minority, people who do not have the best interests of the industry at heart. Are you not getting the beer geek cred/hype that you think you deserve? Then, I'd venture to suggest that you're not doing your job year-round to earn this. Getting a keg of PtY does not earn you a year-round reputation as a destination beer geek bar. And, do you really want the beer geeks? You know they can't sustain you year-round, right? You want a solid, diverse crowd. Once again, to risk completely alienating the beer geek crowd that you think you may want over a keg of PtY seems utterly foolish. That's why I'll continue to bring this back to a more personal and jealous angle of how/why this story is continuing to unfold.

Oh, The Law, in this case? Ha, I barely touched on their involvement in this. But, our friend Lew Bryson has done an admirable job of covering this area for quite some time now and has a well-construed synopsis of what has transpired this past week. Go and read it; it beats the heck of what I'm writing here.

The only two cents I would add on this topic, since I'm not sure it has been said letter for letter, is that before the PLCB and The Law go attempting to clean other's houses, they better make damn well sure that their's is first in order. That may be some interpretation of a parable, I'm not sure.

My point there is that I have never put 100% faith in what so many will adamantly point to as the website source for licensed brand registration in Pennsylvania. Is it what retailers and distributors should be able to point to with faith that the list is accurate?...sure! Even though there's a date at the top of the webpage, I've never put confidence that the fingers that type the entries on the list are getting it right on every line of roughly 3000 beers. Cynical? Perhaps. Reality in today's culture of less-than-concerned-with-100%-accuracy where all kids get a prize? Maybe.

From a Retailer's point-of-view, doing their homework, I believe, comes down to taking the PLCB's word (on their website) for what is registered and what is not. But, more importantly, working with the Distributor whose role it is to honor contracts as the prudent middleman between suppliers and retailers? At some point, retailers have to, I believe, fall back on what should be the distributor expertise in brand management for their market. Naive? Perhaps.

And, from the Supplier's perspective, it may sound like a lot to ask, particularly for smaller operations, but I firmly believe that breweries have to take responsibility for where their product winds up. I don't necessarily mean each retail account and the gray and black markets. Rather, I mean on a state-to-state, distributor-by-distributor, market-by-market basis. I believe that, once again as the market and brand "expert", the Distributors need to fill their role responsibly, but the brewery/Supplier needs to understand the State, its laws, etc. related to where their beer is sold. Thoroughly...inside and out. Sorry, it's just too important to neglect.

Finally, I urge you to become better versed in the distribution of alcohol. Don't take what I spill out here as anything close to gospel. I don't have the right answers and I surely have a lot to learn of my own. Though, I've yet to come across anyone who has all of the right answers and can speak definitively on these laws and the enforcement of them. There is way too much rumor-mongering and here-say taking place without much substantiation. This story is a complex one and one that deserves to be dealt with in fact and not supposition and half-truths.

Breathe....I said to myself that I would keep this to just a few paragraphs, but I had a difficult time sleeping last night and a lot becomes more clear during sleepless nights.

Agree? Disagree? I'm sure there are (and I have already been engaged in deep, lengthy, interesting, and thought-provoking discussions at Dock Street and TJs yesterday) many flavors of varied opinions on multiple sides of this complex story.

I don't know where this is all going, as I am surely no expert on the intricacies of beer distribution laws and politics. But, one can only wonder what this may portend for Philly Beer Week.

Oh, and maybe now's a good time to remind all to DRINK LOCAL...it's a bit less complicated.

* The title of this posting is loosely inspired by the well-formed title of a well-written blog: Shut Up About Barclay Perkins and can be construed in a few different ways as to what I really mean by it. And you could stand to be correct in each way.

A couple of videos in case you find yourself looking for a few minutes to kill this weekend...then, get offline and go enjoy the outdoors

I keep things like this on hand for times when I may not visit with you for a couple of days. Depending how the rest of this weekend goes---from my Beer Run at Dock Street and the Cask Event at TJs today, to a still-unplanned tomorrow---you may not hear from me again until Monday.

So, until then, check out these couple of videos that have been around for a little while that you may not have happened across yet. The first features Sam Calagione at a Google event (part of a series, apparently, that I still really haven't checked out) and the second shows Lew Bryson and Greg Koch (Stone) road-trippin' through California on their way to a Home Brewers' Fest.

Hope you all enjoy what looks like a weekend just about anywhere east of the Mississippi.

Reflections as 40"-plus melts slowly away

Snow Business like the Bar Business
Venturing out to Iron Hill's BCtWC event last month after the first of two 20"+ dumpings of snow fell upon eastern Pennsylvania and watching my inbox fill up with notices that 'this bar' and 'that restaurant' were staying open no matter what got me to wondering.

Wondering why it is so important to stay open and ask employees to come out to work on days such as this. Surely they have more important things to be concerned with, right?

Wondering why patrons want to go out so badly to a bar in this weather. In all liklihood, if the bar closes it won't be much more than 24 hours before it reopens, right?

Wondering why we can't break from the norm once in a while and just stay put. I suppose that almost sounds like an outdated, an antiquated, way of thinking given this age of always being connected, always on the go, never willing to put the status quo on hold even for a little while.

I'd been pondering this and asking around informally these questions during the last few weeks. I noticed that Kirsten Henri of Grub Street Philadelphia had done the same in the City.

Out here in the Burbs, I've got a few tidbits to share with you from local proprietors. You'll hear their opinions on the situation directly; let us know if you agree or disagree or have different thoughts on the topic. And, hopefully, this will comprise the last significant mention of snow-related opening, closures, and the like for the year 2010.

I'd asked for observations that might span from the light-hearted and humorous to the more serious. I'd expected to get answers from the goofy ("we had a snowball fight between the employees and the management....") to the more sobering ("we had an issue with a collapsed roof") or something to that effect.

Generally, what I got was a determination to get back to business as usual as quickly as possible. Of course, that makes sense if you understand that these folks are not in the business of being closed. Every meal of the day that a restaurant is closed is a meal's worth of revenue lost to the business...plus potentially lost food that can no longer be used the following day. So, it makes sense that proprietors with the resources to open (employees who live down the street within walking distance, the business is located in a walkable/urban area, etc.) would make every reasonable effort to open. Gary Fry's comments about the ancillary costs of snow (plowing, salt, lost parking spots, etc.) were revealing as well.

Unlike in the City, there really were not any "snow specials" to speak of that would entice customers to come out during either of the big snowfalls. Unless you count Iron Hill's annual Belgian event that went off anyway (you may recall from my posting back here that we showed up as well). But, from those that stayed open, it was evident that people like to get out....to keep from being cooped up, plus just the adventure of snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, or 4-wheel driving for a bite and a beverage is worth a memory or two as well from what has turned out to be a record-breaking winter here in the Philly area.


Here's what I found, in their words.

Gary Fry, Craft Ale House, Limerick, PA---
"My approach was, "I'll believe it when I see it", and boy did we see it.

We closed early on Friday night (Feb 5), for the safety of our staff, our customers and ourselves. We told our staff that we would make "the call" in the morning.

I was in denial that it would actually add up to something. Then on Saturday morning my wife and I made the call to close for the entire day. It was an extremely stressful and agonizing decision for us, being in business for just over a year, and to lose a full Saturdays worth of business. We then called everybody on our staff and told them that we were closed, we posted an update on our website, BlogSpot, and on our outgoing voicemail. None of our staff could make it in, so we couldn't serve people anyway. We were finally able to relax and accept what was happening. Now the only thing was that we had no food in our house, so we called around and found out a local bar/restaurant near our house was open, so I shoveled out and off we went.

This past Wednesday (Feb 10): It was much easier on us this past time to make the call. We were not going to lose out on a busy Saturday, and I was welcoming the time off just so my wife and I could chill out ourselves.

After each snow fall, we were busy with people that had cabin fever and just had to get out. I had people pull up on their snowmobile, some hiked and some snow shoed here.

Not only did we not have any money coming in on any of these days, but the plowing fees were ridiculous. Now the snow mounds are so big they are taking up spaces on my parking lot, and every day they melt, I have to go out and salt the streams of water so nobody slips and falls on them in my lot. This will go on for a while until the snow is gone."


Jeff Miller, TJs, Paoli, PA---
"We were open during both of the snowfalls. Was it worth it? Probably not. Sales on Saturday & Wednesday were 30% of the regular number. However, I come from the mind set that if you can, you should open the doors. We have several staffers that have 4WD, including Terri & I. We also have three employees that live literally right across the street. Everyone else we told to stay home. So we were able to open without putting anyone in jeopardy. And when it snows again...yes, TJ's will be open!"


Mark Edelson, Iron Hill, 8 locations---
"We look at a couple of things -
1. Can we safely get enough employees into work to operate the restaurant? In many instances, we have employees who live within walking distances or short drives to the restaurant. If they are close, we may even consider coming and picking them up. Not always popular, as everyone likes a good snow day.
2. Are we in a location where customers will show up? Restaurants like West Chester, Phoenixville, and Media, we have a lot of customers who live close by. In Newark, WC and Lancaster, we have a significant student population within walking distance as well. North Wales and Wilmington customers can't walk to us.

In some locations, customers living close by are grateful that you are open. They just like to get out for a while. In some cases, like WC, there was a power outage in some of the neighborhoods and people just came up to hang out and stay warm.

In the latest snowfall, West Chester and Lancaster were full. Media had some business. Not much for the other restaurants, if we opened at all. Delaware loves to declare a State of Emergency and keep everyone off the roads until they get around to clearing the roads. Keeping people off of the roads for 48 hours isn't good for business.

We didn't run specials. People are just glad we are opened where we can."


Brian O'Reilly, Sly Fox---Phoenixville & Royersford, PA
"Both restaurants were open for 4 or 5 hours in the middle of the day with limited food and staff. The customers that came were very grateful to be able to get some food and beer.

We had a similar plan for the first storm and it seemed to have more success. I'm guessing 4 times the sales. The last storm was a little too aggressive I guess?"


Howard Weintraub, The Drafting Room, Exton, PA---
"Whenever large snow is predicted we always inform staff to call before they consider heading into work. I usually do not like to make decisions until I actually see the snow come down. In theory, it would be great to be open, but what I wrestle with is the following:

Am I going to ask some staff to get here in rough conditions, and most likely they do not have 4 wheel drive vehicles? So we get a skelton staff here and offer a limited menu, and the traffic is quite limited. In other words, does a foot to a foot and a half in snow really drive people out to have a meal? Sure, we could get some bar activity, but is that activity worth all the stuff to be open? For example, the West Coast Beer promotion was better than I thought with the predicted snowfall. But, as the snow continued to fall the crowd slowly dwindled. I think if we are open for those storms, we probably would have closed early anyway."

And so it begins...

Last night was the official unofficial kick-off to the unsanctioned beer week (all lower-case) of March. Mr. Nick Johnson (of Tröegs if you're new around here) was celebrating his 29th birthday and as of a late hour was still on fairly good behavior. But, perhaps the effects of the shots really hadn't settled in yet. Or maybe he thought he should dress it up a bit for the Wayne crowd.

Dunno, but good times had all around by a who's-who crowd of Nick's friends and family from within the beer world and out.




Some lively discussion was held on topic of said beer week and Beer Week. In the end, we all agreed that the next 10 days or so will be packed with close to 50 events around the Delaware Valley and should prove to be just as much fun and debauchery as any other given beer week in the region. They don't call us the Best Beer-Drinking City/Region in the country for nothing.

Go forth and check out The Brew Lounge's March Calendar if you have any doubts.

Weekly Beer Calendar Update: March 4th-March 10th

We've been fond of saying 'round these parts that Philly reallly doesn't need a dedicated Beer Week simply for our own sake. We live and breathe great beer and related events year-round. So when the official Philly Beer Week moved to June this year, many said "fine, okay...but, that won't stop us for doing what we do (and then some!) in March anyway." Or something like that.

Case in point, the first half of March is overflowing with options if you wish to get out on the town and enjoy good beer with good friends. Check out the list below and if it's not enough for you, just wait until the second week of March. Remember, though, spend your beer budget wisely, June's PBW will be here before you know it.

Check out the entire March 2010 calendar over here.

If I'm missing any that you feel should be on here, let me know.


No such thing as 'just a taste'
@Beer Yard, Wayne, PA--- Fri. 3/5 - Friday Night Tasting (5:00pm-7:00pm; Free tasting samples of Ithaca's Flower Power, CascaZilla, Cold Front, White Gold, Groundbreak Saison, White Gold, and maybe a few surprises)

@Devil's Den, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - First Firkin Thursday (5:00pm; PAYG for March's selection of Sly Fox's Chester County Bitter)
@Devil's Den, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 3/10 - Lancaster Brewing Night (7:00pm; PAYG for a wagonful of Lancaster brews including Hop Hog IPA, Winter Warmer, Polestar Pilsner, and Strawberry Wheat)

@The Foodery, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Free Tastings (6:00pm; Free tasting samples of favorites from Victory Brewing)

@Hawthornes, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 3/10 - Victory Beer Sampling (6:00pm-8:00pm; Free tasting samples of favorites from Victory Brewing)

@Hulmeville Inn, Hulmeville, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Firkin of Exit 4 on the 4th (6:00pm-8:00pm; PAYG of Flying Fish's gold medal winning Exit 4...gravity-poured from the bartop)

@Iron Hill Brewery, Media, PA--- Fri. 3/5 - Firkin Fridays of March (5:00pm; PAYG for Rudolph's Return)

@Isaac Newton's, Newtown, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Brewery Promo Night (7:00pm-9:00pm; PAYG for a bigtime lineup from Unibroue)

@Sly Fox, Phoenixville, PA--- Fri. 3/5 - Incubus Friday (all day; PAYG for this First Friday Tripel tradition)

@Tap and Table, Emmaus, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Jolly Pumpkin (4:00pm; PAYG for at least 2 kegs of something from Jolly Pumpkin)

@The Abbaye, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 3/10 - Sly Fox Beer Sampling (7:00pm-9:00pm; $10 gets you unlimited pint glass refills on Sly Fox Beers!! O’Reilly’s Stout, Seamus Irish Red, and Abbey Extra)

@Triumph, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Brewer's Reserve Barrel Tappings (6:00pm; PAYG for a March selection of Nuit de Folie)
@Triumph, New Hope, PA--- Fri. 3/5 - Brewer's Reserve Barrel Tappings (6:00pm; PAYG for a March selection of Uber Pilsner)


Haven't had a Beer Fitness event on this calendar for too long a time
@Dock Street, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/6 - The Amazing Philly Beer Race (11:30am; free to run, PAYG for food and drink)


Somewhere I heard that Beer and Food go well together
@Amada Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 3/8 - Stoudt's Beer Dinner (6:00pm; $65 for a reception and a 5-course meal featuring Stoudt's Oktoberfest, Bock, Double IPA, Fat Dog Stout, and Old Abominable Barley Wine)

@The Irish Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - DiBruno Bros. & Victory Beer & Cheese Tasting (6:30pm-8:30pm; $35 for DiBruno Bros. Cheese, Yards Ales of the Revolution, and the ambiance of The Café)

@McGillin's, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 3/8 - 150 Minutes for 150 Years (7:00pm; $45 for Tom Kehoe, a hearty buffet dinner, and colorful stories about McGillin's)

@Old City, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 3/6 & Sat. 3/20 - Craft Beer & Artisanal Cheese Tour (3:30pm-5:30pm; $45 for a couple of hours where a fun and knowledgeable food & beer pro will introduce you to 8 Craft Beers in one of the city’s best microbreweries, and a decadent tasting of 4 Artisanal Cheeses in a boutique cheese shop.)

@Parc Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 3/9 - Yards Beer Dinner (6:00pm; this dinner is currently sold out)

@Spinnerstown Hotel, Spinnerstown, PA--- Wed. 3/10 Rescheduled from 3/3 - Meet The Brewer Series Presents… (Chimay) (7:00pm; $60)

@Tap and Table, Emmaus, PA--- Tue. 3/9 - Hitochino Beer Dinner (7:00pm; $60 for sushi and tempura before the dinner, then a 6-course meal featuring Hitachino beers including White Ale, Ginger Beer, XH, Commemorative Ale, Expresso Stout, Red Rice)

@Tria Café, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 3/9 - Breaking Out: B.United Presents Italian Prison Brews (6:30pm-8:00pm; $50 for beer made by prisoners at The Pausa Café Social Cooperative in Italy. We’ll taste their brews along side international rarities from B. United’s unmatched portfolio.)

@Union Barrel Works, Reamstown, PA--- Wed. 3/10 - Wine Dinner (6:30pm; $45 for a 5-course meal where beer may be substituted for wine)


Beer and Movies, I would have never guessed
@Memphis Taproom, Philadelphia, PA--- Sun. 3/7 - Oscar Night: Jeff Bridges (8:00pm; PAYG and come out to show your support for Jeff Bridges winning the Oscar for best actor. All draft beer will be just $4 in his honor. The Memphis abides.)

@The Institute, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Ithaca Brewing & Yelp Movie Club Nite (7:00pm-9:00pm; PAYG for this, the first yelp movie club meeting, as we feature Ithaca Brewing's Apricot Wheat and Ground break American Saison. There will be free popcorn and after intense voting the first movie chosen is Bad Education. Pints are just $3.50)
@The Institute, Philadelphia, PA--- Sun. 3/7 - 2nd Annual Oskar Blues Pajama Party (7:00pm; PAYG and come dressed in your favorite PJs, and watch the Academy Awards with us! We will be pouring 2 great brews from the Oskar Blues Brewery: Dales Pale Ale and Gordon Double IPA. Only$3.50 per glass/pint all night! Those of you who come dressed for the occasion get free candy and popcorn.)


Fun 'n' Games, events with a twist
@McGillin's, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 3/8 - Flying Fish Exit Series Release (6:00pm; PAYG for the PA-debut of Exit 16, a Wild Rice Double IPA)

@Sly Fox, Phoenixville & Royersford, PA--- every Wed. through 3/10 - St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp (5:00pm; PAYG to get in shape for St. Patty's Day)

@Teresa's Next Door, Wayne, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Nick's Birthday Blowout ('til Nick says it's finished; PAYG, gifts optional!)

@Varga Bar, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 3/9 - March Madness Kick the Sixtel (9:00pm; PAYG to partake in the battle royale of Victory Mad King's Weisse versus Flying Fish Exit 4)

@Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, PA--- Thu. 3/4 - Raise the Roof, Rock the House (5:30pm-7:30pm; $35 for a good cause. Habitat for Humanity of Chester County and Victory have once again teamed up for this fundraising event. Tickets include a selection of Victory beers, food, live music, and a silent auction)


I changed my mind, Teresa's Next Door gets their own section
@Teresa's Next Door, Wayne, PA--- Fri. 3/5 - Ithaca Night (PAYG for Le Bleu by the glass. White Gold, Excelsior '12', Ground Break, and Cold Front will be on tap as well.)
@Teresa's Next Door, Wayne, PA--- Sat. 3/6 - Tomme Arthur Day (PAYG for Lost Abbey and Port Brewing beers including: Angel's Share; Older Viscosity; Red Barn; Devotion; Ten Commandments; Santa's Helper; Gift of Magi; Hop15; Wipeout; Serpent Stout; and Moonlight Lager. Tomme Arthur not included)
@Teresa's Next Door, Wayne, PA--- Tue. 3/9 - Sierra Nevada Glissade (PAYG for one of Sierra's newest)


Any these guys get their own section too, just because I wanted to save some of the best for last
@Blind Tiger Ale House, New York, NY--- Wed. 3/10 - An Evening with Carol Stoudt (4:00pm; PAYG for 21 of Stoudt's classics, big dogs, and rare treats)

@TJ's, Paoli, PA--- Sat. 3/6 - All Cask-All Day (all day, all night; PAYG for 12 casks: Heavy Seas Hang Ten; BrewDog Paradox Isle of Arran; Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12; Tröegs Nugget Nectar; Stone Ruination; Stone Sublimely Self Righteous; Ballast Point Sea Monster; Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale; Dock Street Rye IPA; Coronado Red Devil; Voodoo (TBA); Bell's (TBA))

I'm not usually prone to Twitter-like outbursts

But if I were, it'd go something like this...

"Gang Aft Agley--Handpump--Sly Fox P'ville--must have this incredible beer before you die. Like it "regular"? You'll love the handpump; everything a beer should be."

guess I'd need to find a few characters to drop; probably why I don't Twitter.

Join Me Saturday will be a great day for a Run and a Beer at Dock Street

The weather really looks to be cooperating so far. Saturday is due to be breaking in to the mid-40s when we do a short run from Dock Street to Penn and loop back. Remember the idea here is that: - you'll earn points for coming out this Saturday - there will be chances to earn more points during runs in April and May (tentatively, 4/3 and 5/8) - the "big run" will be 6/5 during Philly Beer Week where even more points will be available to earn by participating in a run, challenges, and other fun activities. - an after-party will be at Dock Street on 6/5 where prizes will be awarded based upon total points earned over the previous three months So, what do you say? Let's run this Saturday! Drop an RSVP to me now

Beer Dates in History: March Anniversaries

770 years Leffe 15 years Boundary Bay Triumph Brewing The SandLot Brewery at Coors Field

Life comes full circle at Dock Street

From the late 80s to twenty years later...from Center City to Cedar Park...some things change, some stay the same, and others feel like we've never left. (Pieces of Dock Street Brewing History: Eric Savage; Chris LaPierre; Victor Novak; Jon Holland) (Then and Now: Ben Potts and Victor Novak) At Dock Street, memories for customers and employees linger alike. This past weekend, past and current employees descended upon Dock Street Brewery at 50th and Baltimore in West Philly for a reunion brew. A homecoming of sorts. (standing: Eric Savage; Rosemarie Certo; Bill Moeller; Victor Novak; Ben Potts; Justin Quinlan Crouching Brewers, not-so-Hidden Talents: Josh Ervine; Chris LaPierre; Jon Holland) (A lot of conversation around the Dock Street logo/mascot and wondering where "the pose" came from...Victor attempts to demonstrate) Bill Moeller, of Dock Street consulting and Schmidt's brewing fame to name a couple from his storied brewing career, attended. As did former employees Chris LaPierre, Eric Savage, Josh Ervine, and Jon Holland. Victor Novak flew in from southern California where he brews for TAPS. He still brews the original GABF award-winning Cream Ale (1992) that he did here in Philly as a brewmaster in Dock Street's early days. He says that it's his TAPS location's top seller. He was surprised when talking with Don Russell recently that there was not more of a presence (or any!) of this beer style in Philadelphia. Thus began the conversation about coming back to brew one with current Dock Street brewer, Ben Potts. I showed up near the end of the brew day as they were cleaning up. George Hummel of Home Sweet Home Brew joined me for an hour before former employees began to show up and really start the party. (Victor said he was coming back East to work, but I must have showed up too late for that.) (Chris LaPierre, circa 1998-ish, after a cross-country cycling tour) Memorable pictures, some of which should and will go undocumented(!), were poured over; Old stories were retold for the umpteenth time as those things typically go; Many good beers were consumed. And so it goes... (Bill Moeller talking shop and showing others the way around a brewhouse) (Chris LaPierre, Rosemarie Certo, Victor Novak) Look for the cream ale to make an appearance within a month. Perhaps even a stray keg or two out to southern California for a special appearance at Victor's bar. For as much as Dock Street looks to the future, it's nice to see them with a tight line still tied to the past. The camaraderie was evident in the people and in the beer. But, in this case, it was much more certainly about the people than it was the beer. (Then and Now: Rosemarie Certo; Victor Novak; Ben Potts) (Back row: Eric Savage; Sam Cohen; Josh Ervine; Chris LaPierre; Andrew Kratz; Victor Novak Front row: Tracy Librizzi Ervine; Amy St. John; Mindie Weiner; Jon Holland) (Can you make out an original stain on Lappy's uniform near the pocket? Sheesh, when someone says "I'll never wash this again"...this is some sort of extreme length to take this to!)

Philly Beer Weekend, March 2010---Get on the Bus

UPDATE: Here's a link that I should have included to the Johnny Brenda's calendar page where you can purchase your all-day bus tickets. Tell 'em The Brew Lounge sent you; they like when you do that sort of thing.

I'll put aside my snarkiness for a moment and recognize that Philly Beer Week, the organization, has coalesced and observed the market momentum from bars and their customers that have demanded a March-based Philly Beer Week. Screw St. Patty's Day and the thought that it was a viable excuse for moving PBW to June; I don't think many were "buying that". (oops, sorry, that sneaky snarkiness is back...get thyself back).

So, here's what 8 enterprising establishments in Center City Philly have put together for us all on March 13th. The idea is pretty simple. Pick a bar to start at; it doesn't matter where. I'm thinking if I jump in on this idea, I may find myself at Brauhaus Schmitz, for example. I need a good reason to (finally) visit for the first time.

Buses will be running continuously for 8 hours from 11am-7pm, picking up those that have paid their $15 for unlimited rides on the bus, and dropping riders off at any of the 8 bars along the way. No rules how long you must stay at each location or how many you must visit. But, with the bus option, getting around has never been easier.

Here's the rundown of events, as if you couldn't read them above in the official flyer:

~ 2nd Annual Stout Brunch at Johnny Brenda's
~ Standard Tap's Big Wood Weekend
~ The Institute will be pouring a beastly-good line up of Barleywines all day
~ Brauhaus Schmitz will feature Carol Stoudt's newest creation "Karnival Kölsch" as well as many other great Stoudt's and German beers
~ "Around the Clock" with Dogfish Head at the Kite and Key where you can get 60, 90, and 120 minute IPA on draft along with other DFH surprises.
~ Devil's Den is pairing Ommegang, Duvel, and cheeses in addition to their usually well-stocked beer inventory
~ Jose Pistola's has put together an Ithaca Beer Brunch
~ and, Sidecar Bar & Grille has a little thing going on that they call a Double IPA event...what am I saying? nothing little ever happens at Sidecar