-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the tenth and last day, June 10.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ Russian River beers never get old do they? Just judge from the lines that are sure to form early for this PAYG event at Local 44.
~ The Cabinet Artisanal party continues from Saturday at Boilermaker to Sunday at Farmers' Cabinet with Terry Hawbaker up from northern Virginia to talk about his beers for the Farmers' Cabinet family.
For the hungry
~ Hawthornes claims to have "arguably the city's best brunch". Paired with beers from Coronado, they might be right.
~ Completely across to another side of town, Sunday morning is coming down to Hop Angel Brauhaus as they host Herr Bryson for a breakfast and discussion all around German beers and foods.
~ It may be sold out, but this is your reminder to mark the calendar for next year's version of the legendary Vintage Beer Brunch at Memphis Taproom.
~ Devil's Den for a Saison brunch. Smashing! (glad to see they have a slick new website too. big improvement!)
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ T.U.D. is no doubt wild, wacky, and unpredictable as the karoake machine fires into high gear and countless stories are retold (and new ones made) at this annual rite of completion to Philly Beer Week at Fergie's.
Possibly under the radar
~ If all goes well, no beer run of mine will ever be under-the-radar again. And, an accompanying music festival. Can't wait!
~ It may be 90 degrees on Sunday, but all the better to dip into some Christmas beers at Doobies.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ My calendar is pretty easy for Day 10. Dock Street. 5-K run is, so far, everything I'd ever hoped it could be. 400 runners will transition into a crowd of many hundreds more as the afternoon heats up with 5 great local bands. The race is sold out, but all are welcome for the live music, which is free of charge!
~ If I'm still standing, Local 44 for Russian River "scraps" will be in order around 6 o'clock or so.
~ And, if I haven't totally gone face down from exhaustion, one last T.U.D. is the annual ritual at Fergie's. Too much fun, so little time.
Philly Beer Week over and out. Enjoy detox/rehab/sleep.
Friday, June 08, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 7 Wrap-Up
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
-->A link to Day 6 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 8 preview
-->A link to Day 8 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the seventh day, June 7, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link to Picasa and my day 7 of PBW wrapped up in pictures.
And, now, some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Somewhere along the way, probably Ommegang BCTC, I was introduced to Kan Jam by someone like Corey Reid from Sly Fox and was instantly hooked. Last year, they used their With Love Beer Garden event at The Four Seasons Hotel to conduct a competition amongst teams that signed up. William Reed (Standard Tap) and I came within a throw of moving on to the finals.
~ This was the year to make amends. And make amends we did. We cruised, undefeated, into the finals for a best of 3 match. We split the first two games by close margins and then got obliterated 21-11 in the final game. No worries, though, as second prize was a case of great Sly Fox canned beers!
~ Otherwise, at The Four Seasons put on another great show of a featured local brewery, paired with their kitchen's food, and hosted outdoors in their lovely courtyard.
~ After fun 'n' games, we made our way up to Kite & Key for a quick plate of fried pickles (yes, again) and Goose Island leftovers.
~ This was just buying time, though, until TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb set 21st/Green ablaze with their rocking tunes from the back corner of The Belgian Café. A couple of leftover De Molen beers and some fine kibitzing with Fergie and others that I hadn't yet seen during PBW '12 (looking at you Chris from Teresa's Next Door and Jill — great to see you both) and a bunch of toe-tapping 'til midnight made for an awesome close to day 7 of Philly Beer Week.
-->A link to Day 6 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 8 preview
-->A link to Day 8 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the seventh day, June 7, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link to Picasa and my day 7 of PBW wrapped up in pictures.
And, now, some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Somewhere along the way, probably Ommegang BCTC, I was introduced to Kan Jam by someone like Corey Reid from Sly Fox and was instantly hooked. Last year, they used their With Love Beer Garden event at The Four Seasons Hotel to conduct a competition amongst teams that signed up. William Reed (Standard Tap) and I came within a throw of moving on to the finals.
~ This was the year to make amends. And make amends we did. We cruised, undefeated, into the finals for a best of 3 match. We split the first two games by close margins and then got obliterated 21-11 in the final game. No worries, though, as second prize was a case of great Sly Fox canned beers!
~ Otherwise, at The Four Seasons put on another great show of a featured local brewery, paired with their kitchen's food, and hosted outdoors in their lovely courtyard.
~ After fun 'n' games, we made our way up to Kite & Key for a quick plate of fried pickles (yes, again) and Goose Island leftovers.
~ This was just buying time, though, until TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb set 21st/Green ablaze with their rocking tunes from the back corner of The Belgian Café. A couple of leftover De Molen beers and some fine kibitzing with Fergie and others that I hadn't yet seen during PBW '12 (looking at you Chris from Teresa's Next Door and Jill — great to see you both) and a bunch of toe-tapping 'til midnight made for an awesome close to day 7 of Philly Beer Week.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 9 Preview
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the ninth day, June 9.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ Oh boy. Gravity-fed casks of JW Lees aged in Port, Sherry, Whisky, and Calvados barrels. This is at Monk's and I did this two years ago when the Calvados barrel was featured. Line up now for this tasty treat that will go fast!
~ Terry Hawbaker is coming up from northern Virginia to show off the beers he's been making for the Farmers' Cabinet family in Philly. It's called the Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse and the event is at Boilermaker, but I'm betting you already knew that, my beer geek friends.
~ If you haven't crossed paths with Hill Farmstead this week, today at Teresa's Next Door would be a good time with around 10 of his beers and a bunch from Grassroots as well.
~ There's a whole lot of Weyerbacher beer rolling out at Hulmeville Inn and that should draw off quite a number of beer geeks to this Bucks County gem.
For the hungry
~ The Trolley Car Diner on Germantown Avenue will get you through the afternoon with beer, barbecue, live music, and prizes.
~ Which category to put this in? If you like to run, this event will certainly help quell your hunger. The Fishtown Beer Runners are conducting a Fried Chicken Beer Run from Philly Brewing Company to American Sardine where a whole lot of beer, fried chicken, and buffet will await finishers. Sounds wild and wacky too.
~ Sour beer for brunch at Standard Tap? Sounds awesome enough to say "yes, please". Lot of brunch items should go nicely with a pleasingly sour beer.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ One day, we men may get a peek into the Ladies Beer Tea to find out just how wild and wacky they get. I hear it's annually a downright good time (and, a sell-out) at The Belgian Café hosted by Home Sweet Home Brew's Nancy Rigberg, but in reality it wouldn't be a Ladies Beer Tea if they let scruffy dudes like me in.
~ Varga's been hosting some wildly memorable events all week. With New Holland should not be any different. Costumes, hats, general lunacy, etc. are encouraged.
~ Fergie's Pub. Motorcycles. Irish Music. Yards beer. Say no more.
Possibly under the radar
~ I haven't featured The Dandelion pub all week. Today seems like as good of a time as any to do so as they feature Fuller's on the handpumps and cheese from Neal's Yard.
~ Homebrew fests usually have good turn out and give attendees the opportunity to drink some of the best non-commercial beer around. Check out Memphis Taproom for just such an event.
~ Got the kids in tow and don't know what to do with them while you still get your PBW fix? Here's something different. The P.O.P.E. is hosting Ommegang and calling it Puppet Theater Kid's Brunch. Sounds like a blast!
~ Bierstube in Old City is hosting Julius Echter, Wurzburger, Schonramer, Köstritzer, and Round Guys. Interesting. Sounds worth a pop-in for one or two.
~ Nodding Head always does something extreme on the second or third Saturday of the month. Here, they say they are "breaking out the mother lode of our secret stash beers" and I don't think you'll want to miss this one.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ The one drawback to conducting an event so late beer week is that you get to stress about it all week long. With my 5-K race at Dock Street just a day away, I'll be in the city to do some last minute prep, getting runners setup, etc. So perhaps I'll pick up an event or two while I'm there, but otherwise I'll be back home in the 'burbs making sure I'm all set to go for Sunday.
~ Since I'll be in University City at Philadelphia Runner, I'm thinking it will be easy to pop in to Local 44 for some De Dolle leftovers from Friday's event.
~ Nodding Head is an almost sure-lock for me as well.
~ And, then a Breckenridge or two if there are still any leftovers from Friday's eventa at Bridgewater's Pub in 30th Street Station before I hop back on the train.
~ Or anything else I might stumble across along the way. But the theme will definitely be moderation as Sunday and the big 5-K looms.
It seems like Philly Beer Week only just began. That, or it feels like it's been going on for weeks. Depends on your perspective, I suppose. Either way, one more day to go before dry island.
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the ninth day, June 9.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ Oh boy. Gravity-fed casks of JW Lees aged in Port, Sherry, Whisky, and Calvados barrels. This is at Monk's and I did this two years ago when the Calvados barrel was featured. Line up now for this tasty treat that will go fast!
~ Terry Hawbaker is coming up from northern Virginia to show off the beers he's been making for the Farmers' Cabinet family in Philly. It's called the Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse and the event is at Boilermaker, but I'm betting you already knew that, my beer geek friends.
~ If you haven't crossed paths with Hill Farmstead this week, today at Teresa's Next Door would be a good time with around 10 of his beers and a bunch from Grassroots as well.
~ There's a whole lot of Weyerbacher beer rolling out at Hulmeville Inn and that should draw off quite a number of beer geeks to this Bucks County gem.
For the hungry
~ The Trolley Car Diner on Germantown Avenue will get you through the afternoon with beer, barbecue, live music, and prizes.
~ Which category to put this in? If you like to run, this event will certainly help quell your hunger. The Fishtown Beer Runners are conducting a Fried Chicken Beer Run from Philly Brewing Company to American Sardine where a whole lot of beer, fried chicken, and buffet will await finishers. Sounds wild and wacky too.
~ Sour beer for brunch at Standard Tap? Sounds awesome enough to say "yes, please". Lot of brunch items should go nicely with a pleasingly sour beer.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ One day, we men may get a peek into the Ladies Beer Tea to find out just how wild and wacky they get. I hear it's annually a downright good time (and, a sell-out) at The Belgian Café hosted by Home Sweet Home Brew's Nancy Rigberg, but in reality it wouldn't be a Ladies Beer Tea if they let scruffy dudes like me in.
~ Varga's been hosting some wildly memorable events all week. With New Holland should not be any different. Costumes, hats, general lunacy, etc. are encouraged.
~ Fergie's Pub. Motorcycles. Irish Music. Yards beer. Say no more.
Possibly under the radar
~ I haven't featured The Dandelion pub all week. Today seems like as good of a time as any to do so as they feature Fuller's on the handpumps and cheese from Neal's Yard.
~ Homebrew fests usually have good turn out and give attendees the opportunity to drink some of the best non-commercial beer around. Check out Memphis Taproom for just such an event.
~ Got the kids in tow and don't know what to do with them while you still get your PBW fix? Here's something different. The P.O.P.E. is hosting Ommegang and calling it Puppet Theater Kid's Brunch. Sounds like a blast!
~ Bierstube in Old City is hosting Julius Echter, Wurzburger, Schonramer, Köstritzer, and Round Guys. Interesting. Sounds worth a pop-in for one or two.
~ Nodding Head always does something extreme on the second or third Saturday of the month. Here, they say they are "breaking out the mother lode of our secret stash beers" and I don't think you'll want to miss this one.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ The one drawback to conducting an event so late beer week is that you get to stress about it all week long. With my 5-K race at Dock Street just a day away, I'll be in the city to do some last minute prep, getting runners setup, etc. So perhaps I'll pick up an event or two while I'm there, but otherwise I'll be back home in the 'burbs making sure I'm all set to go for Sunday.
~ Since I'll be in University City at Philadelphia Runner, I'm thinking it will be easy to pop in to Local 44 for some De Dolle leftovers from Friday's event.
~ Nodding Head is an almost sure-lock for me as well.
~ And, then a Breckenridge or two if there are still any leftovers from Friday's eventa at Bridgewater's Pub in 30th Street Station before I hop back on the train.
~ Or anything else I might stumble across along the way. But the theme will definitely be moderation as Sunday and the big 5-K looms.
It seems like Philly Beer Week only just began. That, or it feels like it's been going on for weeks. Depends on your perspective, I suppose. Either way, one more day to go before dry island.
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 6 Wrap-Up
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
-->A link to Day 5 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 7 preview
-->A link to Day 7 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the sixth day, June 6, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
Just a few pictures to share, so no need to link you out to Picasa for that. See below for a handful of pictures from The Drafting Room and one of the peripatetic Richard Ruch.
And, now, some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ To say I'm exhausted would be an understatement. After two weeks in Belgium (which, surprisingly, didn't take as much out of me as I thought) and spending the last 7 of 8 nights in Philadelphia doing some form of a Philly Beer Week, I needed to dial back, stay closer to home, and not be on a train or in a traffic jam on day 6. From Station Taproom to The Drafting Room to Ron's Original to Flying Pig to TJ's to Teresa's Next Door, quality beer bars are plentiful within a 10 mile radius of my house. Not to mention the breweries like McKenzie Brew House, Sly Fox, Victory, and Iron Hill. The 'burbs, listen up city folk, at least to the west are not such a bad place to be, food- and beer-wise, at least.
~ Contrary to some beliefs, bars not participating in Philly Beer Week are not suffering. It's been interesting to pick up on this sentiment both from pariticipants and non-participants in this year's PBW.
~ Case in point, I began last evening with a quick stop in to one of the western suburbs finest, Station Taproom (directly across from the Downingtown train station). Sean McGettigan, owner, and Chef Tim Smith have been doing what they do so well for over two years. And at this non-PBW session, $3 happy hour pints were being poured from locals like Victory (Ranch), Tröegs (Perpetual), Sly Fox (O'Reilly's), and Philadelphia Brewing (Walt Wit) along side solid out-of-towners like Half Acre (Daisy Cutter), Fullers (cask of London Porter), Stone (Imperial Russian), Hacker Pschorr (Weisse), Alesmith (Nautical Nut), Stillwater (Premium), and Sierra Nevada (Porter).
~ But this all still plays into my becoming-even-more-entrenched-belief that there's not much reason for bars and restaurants outside of Philly to get too greatly involved in PBW, particularly when it requires essentually paying for advertising and perceived access.
~ Sorry to venture off there for a bit into the political end of matters. Won't happen again, I promise...at least until next week.
~ On to The Drafting Room, where a solid crowd gathered early and lasted past 9 p.m. to drink free homebrew (the only legal way to do it at a bar) from friends of Artisan Homebrew and the local B.U.Z.Z. homebrew club based in West Chester, Pa.
~ I should probably get the apology out of the way upfront here to the brewers not pictured below. I approached things, I guess you could say, sort of bass-ackwards and gathered up the three remaining brewers at 10 p.m. and snapped a picture of them behind their tap handles. Earlier with the whole group might have a made plenty of more sense, you think? Nonetheless, the picture below of the three below show that they were still holding up pretty well getting late on into the evening.
~ Since the beers were free, The Drafting Room pulled in local dog rescue organization All 4 Paws (full disclosure — wait, really, do I need to do "full disclosure" for this? — our puppy came to us courtesy of All 4 Paws) and asked all customers who were drinking for free to donate generously to this worthy cause. A few dogs that are currently being fostered, including the very cute and personable Billy-Bob pictured below, showed up to lap up some of the action in hopes of finding their "forever home".
~ No reports yet on the total donations for the evening. From the homebrewing side, eight cornelius kegs were drained, none sucked, all were tasty in their own way, and, for this palate, none were more pleasing than Mike Hamara's (no sucking up here, I promise) Crepuscule with a touch of fruitiness and Brettanomyces and Alric Von Gerbig's Saison Du Bubba which was pleasingly spicy, herbally, and one of the most all-around flavorful beers of the night for me. The IPAs were pretty decent, but yet it wasn't exactly what I was looking for in a beer style on this particular night. Even the Blind Pig from Russian River was not tripping my taste buds the way it normally would. That's the beauty of this thing we call taste, right? It can vary from day to day, based on some things we understand and many others that we likely do not.
~ I had hopes of completing a suburban run with a stop at another non-PBW-sanctioned beer event — that of good food, beer, and people at TJ's in Paoli. And, then the plans would have called for running into a Chimay event at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne and scouring for some leftovers from the previous night's debauchery with Dr. Joel and his New Holland beers. But, alas, sitting outside with Howard (TDR), Mike and Lisa, dogs, and beers on a beautiful evening (it wasn't raining for once!) was all too comfortable. So, the night ended in Exton and a good night it was.
(Richard Ruch, man about Station Taproom, one of the region's finsest kitchen and bar setups)
(BUZZ homebrew club members Chris Clair and Jeff Washeleski to the right of Mike Hamara, owner of Artisan Homebrew in Downingtown, Pa.)
(The Drafting Room was packed for nearly four hours as eight different homebrews poured free of charge with donations going to the All 4 Paws rescue organzation)
(A beautiful night of weather and homebrewed beer brought the people and the dogs outside.)
(Billy-Bob stole a lot of hearts and deserves to be adopted soon from the All 4 Paws rescue organization)
(The first four homebrewed beers on tap at 6 p.m.)
(Mussels, sliders, and homebrewed beer. Perfect combination at The Drafting Room in Exton, Pa.)
(The second four homebrewed beers on tap at 7:45 p.m.)
-->A link to Day 5 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 7 preview
-->A link to Day 7 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the sixth day, June 6, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
Just a few pictures to share, so no need to link you out to Picasa for that. See below for a handful of pictures from The Drafting Room and one of the peripatetic Richard Ruch.
And, now, some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ To say I'm exhausted would be an understatement. After two weeks in Belgium (which, surprisingly, didn't take as much out of me as I thought) and spending the last 7 of 8 nights in Philadelphia doing some form of a Philly Beer Week, I needed to dial back, stay closer to home, and not be on a train or in a traffic jam on day 6. From Station Taproom to The Drafting Room to Ron's Original to Flying Pig to TJ's to Teresa's Next Door, quality beer bars are plentiful within a 10 mile radius of my house. Not to mention the breweries like McKenzie Brew House, Sly Fox, Victory, and Iron Hill. The 'burbs, listen up city folk, at least to the west are not such a bad place to be, food- and beer-wise, at least.
~ Contrary to some beliefs, bars not participating in Philly Beer Week are not suffering. It's been interesting to pick up on this sentiment both from pariticipants and non-participants in this year's PBW.
~ Case in point, I began last evening with a quick stop in to one of the western suburbs finest, Station Taproom (directly across from the Downingtown train station). Sean McGettigan, owner, and Chef Tim Smith have been doing what they do so well for over two years. And at this non-PBW session, $3 happy hour pints were being poured from locals like Victory (Ranch), Tröegs (Perpetual), Sly Fox (O'Reilly's), and Philadelphia Brewing (Walt Wit) along side solid out-of-towners like Half Acre (Daisy Cutter), Fullers (cask of London Porter), Stone (Imperial Russian), Hacker Pschorr (Weisse), Alesmith (Nautical Nut), Stillwater (Premium), and Sierra Nevada (Porter).
~ But this all still plays into my becoming-even-more-entrenched-belief that there's not much reason for bars and restaurants outside of Philly to get too greatly involved in PBW, particularly when it requires essentually paying for advertising and perceived access.
~ Sorry to venture off there for a bit into the political end of matters. Won't happen again, I promise...at least until next week.
~ On to The Drafting Room, where a solid crowd gathered early and lasted past 9 p.m. to drink free homebrew (the only legal way to do it at a bar) from friends of Artisan Homebrew and the local B.U.Z.Z. homebrew club based in West Chester, Pa.
~ I should probably get the apology out of the way upfront here to the brewers not pictured below. I approached things, I guess you could say, sort of bass-ackwards and gathered up the three remaining brewers at 10 p.m. and snapped a picture of them behind their tap handles. Earlier with the whole group might have a made plenty of more sense, you think? Nonetheless, the picture below of the three below show that they were still holding up pretty well getting late on into the evening.
~ Since the beers were free, The Drafting Room pulled in local dog rescue organization All 4 Paws (full disclosure — wait, really, do I need to do "full disclosure" for this? — our puppy came to us courtesy of All 4 Paws) and asked all customers who were drinking for free to donate generously to this worthy cause. A few dogs that are currently being fostered, including the very cute and personable Billy-Bob pictured below, showed up to lap up some of the action in hopes of finding their "forever home".
~ No reports yet on the total donations for the evening. From the homebrewing side, eight cornelius kegs were drained, none sucked, all were tasty in their own way, and, for this palate, none were more pleasing than Mike Hamara's (no sucking up here, I promise) Crepuscule with a touch of fruitiness and Brettanomyces and Alric Von Gerbig's Saison Du Bubba which was pleasingly spicy, herbally, and one of the most all-around flavorful beers of the night for me. The IPAs were pretty decent, but yet it wasn't exactly what I was looking for in a beer style on this particular night. Even the Blind Pig from Russian River was not tripping my taste buds the way it normally would. That's the beauty of this thing we call taste, right? It can vary from day to day, based on some things we understand and many others that we likely do not.
~ I had hopes of completing a suburban run with a stop at another non-PBW-sanctioned beer event — that of good food, beer, and people at TJ's in Paoli. And, then the plans would have called for running into a Chimay event at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne and scouring for some leftovers from the previous night's debauchery with Dr. Joel and his New Holland beers. But, alas, sitting outside with Howard (TDR), Mike and Lisa, dogs, and beers on a beautiful evening (it wasn't raining for once!) was all too comfortable. So, the night ended in Exton and a good night it was.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 8 Preview
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the eighth day, June 8.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ I'm sure a day of barrel-aged beers at Twisted Tail is already on the radar of many a beer geek.
~ De Dolle at Local 44. Sure, he's been around PBW a few days now, but the bottle shop at Local 44 seems like a great meet 'n' greet stop. Plus, have you checked out the bottle shop yet? Geeky meet 'n' greet amongst a geeky retail selection, sounds perfect, no?
~ This could be under-the-radar, I don't know. Fergie's Pub is hosting a Seattle-based night that you just have to read the description to appreciate the geekiness. If you like that geeky sort of thing.
For the hungry
~ Dock Street helps close out With Love Beer Garden for the week. There'll be beer of course, but it's a great place to get your grub on in the courtyard as well.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ "Jukebox roulette" with Varga Bar and 21st Amendment beers (plus, a Fonzie reference) sounds like just enough to be wacky.
~ Can Jam with Sierra Nevada at City Tap House on the terrace? Look out below?!
~ I haven't said a ton about the 'burbs and Iron Abbey is one of the solid ones to the north in Horsham. There'll be all sorts of New Holland beer on this night, plus a costume party. Need I say wild?
~ Friday night seems a little light on the foodie events and heavier on the wild and wacky. At South Philadelphia Tap Room, it's Dan Conway and his Left Hand beer with an event called "Left Hand Arm Wrestling". Need we say more? Could wind up an epic night on Mifflin.
Possibly under the radar
~ Mad Mex has been quietly going about a decent draft list of beers for quite some time now. They've got beer events going on every day of beer week. On day 8, it's Double IPAs which I know will make many of you sit up and pay attention. Check 'em out in University City.
~ If big beers are your thing, but University City is not, you may want to check out Prohibition Taproom and its "HUGE beer event", which I haven't heard much about this week. Have you? Here's a good opportunity to stop by.
~ If you haven't been paying attention, you're likely missing Manayunk's rising star since Doug Marchakitus came and took over the mash paddle a few years back. Grey Lodge plays hosts to a bunch of his beers, including a Flanders Red and its only sighting outside of the brewpub.
Learn something
~ 20% off specialty grains for homebrewing will get you learning something for less out-of-pocket. Home Sweet Home Brew has been running various specials each day of PBW. This would be a good day to get what you need for the weekend brewing project. Have you noticed, too, that they have a nice and new website going on over there too?
~ You know you love Hill Farmstead's beer. You can learn a little something about it as well at Tria's Fermentation School with Shaun Hill.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ I'm pretty darn certain that I'll be taking the night completely off from PBW. Not only will it be good to recharge before the weekend, but I've got a lot of those so-called ducks to make sure are lined up prior to Sunday's big run at Dock Street.
~ Of course, that won't stop me from perhaps taking in some dinner and beer at TJ's. If the right people and beers are there, I may even take to talking about it like it was an event ;-)
The second weekend of Philly Beer Week is just around the corner. Hang in there; we can do this.
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the eighth day, June 8.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ I'm sure a day of barrel-aged beers at Twisted Tail is already on the radar of many a beer geek.
~ De Dolle at Local 44. Sure, he's been around PBW a few days now, but the bottle shop at Local 44 seems like a great meet 'n' greet stop. Plus, have you checked out the bottle shop yet? Geeky meet 'n' greet amongst a geeky retail selection, sounds perfect, no?
~ This could be under-the-radar, I don't know. Fergie's Pub is hosting a Seattle-based night that you just have to read the description to appreciate the geekiness. If you like that geeky sort of thing.
For the hungry
~ Dock Street helps close out With Love Beer Garden for the week. There'll be beer of course, but it's a great place to get your grub on in the courtyard as well.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ "Jukebox roulette" with Varga Bar and 21st Amendment beers (plus, a Fonzie reference) sounds like just enough to be wacky.
~ Can Jam with Sierra Nevada at City Tap House on the terrace? Look out below?!
~ I haven't said a ton about the 'burbs and Iron Abbey is one of the solid ones to the north in Horsham. There'll be all sorts of New Holland beer on this night, plus a costume party. Need I say wild?
~ Friday night seems a little light on the foodie events and heavier on the wild and wacky. At South Philadelphia Tap Room, it's Dan Conway and his Left Hand beer with an event called "Left Hand Arm Wrestling". Need we say more? Could wind up an epic night on Mifflin.
Possibly under the radar
~ Mad Mex has been quietly going about a decent draft list of beers for quite some time now. They've got beer events going on every day of beer week. On day 8, it's Double IPAs which I know will make many of you sit up and pay attention. Check 'em out in University City.
~ If big beers are your thing, but University City is not, you may want to check out Prohibition Taproom and its "HUGE beer event", which I haven't heard much about this week. Have you? Here's a good opportunity to stop by.
~ If you haven't been paying attention, you're likely missing Manayunk's rising star since Doug Marchakitus came and took over the mash paddle a few years back. Grey Lodge plays hosts to a bunch of his beers, including a Flanders Red and its only sighting outside of the brewpub.
Learn something
~ 20% off specialty grains for homebrewing will get you learning something for less out-of-pocket. Home Sweet Home Brew has been running various specials each day of PBW. This would be a good day to get what you need for the weekend brewing project. Have you noticed, too, that they have a nice and new website going on over there too?
~ You know you love Hill Farmstead's beer. You can learn a little something about it as well at Tria's Fermentation School with Shaun Hill.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ I'm pretty darn certain that I'll be taking the night completely off from PBW. Not only will it be good to recharge before the weekend, but I've got a lot of those so-called ducks to make sure are lined up prior to Sunday's big run at Dock Street.
~ Of course, that won't stop me from perhaps taking in some dinner and beer at TJ's. If the right people and beers are there, I may even take to talking about it like it was an event ;-)
The second weekend of Philly Beer Week is just around the corner. Hang in there; we can do this.
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 5 Wrap-Up
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
-->A link to Day 4 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 6 preview
-->A link to Day 6 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the fifth day, June 5, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 5 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
Here, then, are some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Before I get to the blockbuster event at Nodding Head, I thought I'd point out I've heard no accounts of busted events until yesterday. Either everyone I speak with goes to only the "best" events, or most events truly did generate the turnout that most would hope for. Later, you'll read about how I stopped in at Kite & Key and while there, owner Jim Kirk (also on the PBW board) did point out how they were pleased with the additional event screening that apparently took place this year at PBW-central. So, that's good. Except for Fox & Hound, where a few people ventured in to a very sparsely attended cask festival. I can only surmise that this could be an example of an establishment misplaying its target audience. But, moving along...
~ Once I learned that Sean Paxton, The Home Brew Chef, was returning to Philly Beer Week for a second consecutive year, it quickly became clear that I knew where to be for happy hour on day 5 of PBW '12.
~ The format at Nodding Head was much the same as last year. An establishment run by great beer people with interesting beer with creative food being served to a room full of beer loving folks at a reasonable price. Live music was a nice touch this year, though the DJ'ed punk rock last year was fun too. A recipe for success, right? Right-o, you betchya.
~ It was also fun to see a not-so-usual crowd of beer and food geeks in the house. Not that it makes them any lesser so, but when hopping from one event to another, often times the crowd can look a bit of the same (I think you have to experience it to understand where I'm coming from). Here, I knew a handful of people and got to know a few more during this event which turned out to a nice formula.
~ The event flows with so much good karma and, as with last year, it all starts from and is due to the graciousness of the three principals in this event: Curt Decker (owner of Nodding Head and host), Sean Paxton (The Home Brew Chef from Sonoma, Calif.), and Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head). Calagione did his usual meet 'n' greet with nearly everyone in the room and went above and beyond the call even as his back was beginning to fail him as the day wore on. Eventually, he went off to the hotel to rest up a bit (before presumably hitting the town again for late night socializing) but not before shaking a few more hands and posing for a bunch more pictures with fans of his brewery. As you can tell, I really do recommend that you attend a Home Brew Chef event at some point to experience the wonderful intersection of food, beer, and people. Be sure to see the pictures that I've linked to for even more illustrative proof of the story.
~ Everything, and I mean everything went down like a dream, but the two best pairings of the evening that stood out for me were the Foie Gras (poached in Chateau Jiahu) Crostini, which made the Noble Rot taste different and better than I've ever experienced, and the Duck Confit with Crosby Tears. Not far behind, to be fair, was the Coconut Prawns with the Berliner Weisse. ay, ay, ay. Or, as beerbistro's Brian Morin said to me, "He [Sean Paxton] always teaches me something new everytime I see him." High praise.
~ And for those wondering about the beer, here is a quick rundown: Dogfish Head Saison du BUFF; Nodding Head Grog; Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA infused with bitter orange Campari; Nodding Head Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse with fruit and molasses infused syrup; Nodding Head Rascal; Nodding Head Goldihops; Dogfish Head Noble Rot; Nodding Head Crosby Tears; Dogfish Head Positive Contact ["World Premier"]; Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, randallized with cocoa nibs, hazlenuts, and vanilla beans with a splash of Dogfish Distillery's Peanut Butter Vodka Cocktail. Yes, all those beers.
~ After the dinner, I meandered up to London Grill to meet Patty and The Pup, figuring some outdoor dunk tank action (scheduled 'til 9 p.m. supposedly) would still be taking place. But apparently not even at 7 p.m. Oh well, it was a tasty-as-usual Perpetual IPA from Tröegs and off we walked to Kite & Key. Tough to pass up Elysian at The Belgian Café along the way, but alas.
~ The pub was on the downside of its earlier event with Founders, which worked perfectly for us to sit outside with The Pup, with all but two (KBS and Blushing Monk, first to kick) still flowing. So, a Cerise and a Better Half along with some small bites (like the awesome Fried Pickles, perhaps best I've ever had) while having enjoyable conversation catching up finally with owner Jim Kirk made for a great way to close out day 5.
~ Allagash (and at least one Coolship beer) with Rob Tod at Barcade and City Tap House's mondo night with Avery, Bell's, Left Hand, and New Holland both presented strong cases for extending the night by another hour or two, but we live to see another day with PBW '12. Trust you're all holding up well out there.
-->A link to Day 4 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 6 preview
-->A link to Day 6 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the fifth day, June 5, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 5 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
Here, then, are some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Before I get to the blockbuster event at Nodding Head, I thought I'd point out I've heard no accounts of busted events until yesterday. Either everyone I speak with goes to only the "best" events, or most events truly did generate the turnout that most would hope for. Later, you'll read about how I stopped in at Kite & Key and while there, owner Jim Kirk (also on the PBW board) did point out how they were pleased with the additional event screening that apparently took place this year at PBW-central. So, that's good. Except for Fox & Hound, where a few people ventured in to a very sparsely attended cask festival. I can only surmise that this could be an example of an establishment misplaying its target audience. But, moving along...
~ Once I learned that Sean Paxton, The Home Brew Chef, was returning to Philly Beer Week for a second consecutive year, it quickly became clear that I knew where to be for happy hour on day 5 of PBW '12.
~ The format at Nodding Head was much the same as last year. An establishment run by great beer people with interesting beer with creative food being served to a room full of beer loving folks at a reasonable price. Live music was a nice touch this year, though the DJ'ed punk rock last year was fun too. A recipe for success, right? Right-o, you betchya.
~ It was also fun to see a not-so-usual crowd of beer and food geeks in the house. Not that it makes them any lesser so, but when hopping from one event to another, often times the crowd can look a bit of the same (I think you have to experience it to understand where I'm coming from). Here, I knew a handful of people and got to know a few more during this event which turned out to a nice formula.
~ The event flows with so much good karma and, as with last year, it all starts from and is due to the graciousness of the three principals in this event: Curt Decker (owner of Nodding Head and host), Sean Paxton (The Home Brew Chef from Sonoma, Calif.), and Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head). Calagione did his usual meet 'n' greet with nearly everyone in the room and went above and beyond the call even as his back was beginning to fail him as the day wore on. Eventually, he went off to the hotel to rest up a bit (before presumably hitting the town again for late night socializing) but not before shaking a few more hands and posing for a bunch more pictures with fans of his brewery. As you can tell, I really do recommend that you attend a Home Brew Chef event at some point to experience the wonderful intersection of food, beer, and people. Be sure to see the pictures that I've linked to for even more illustrative proof of the story.
~ Everything, and I mean everything went down like a dream, but the two best pairings of the evening that stood out for me were the Foie Gras (poached in Chateau Jiahu) Crostini, which made the Noble Rot taste different and better than I've ever experienced, and the Duck Confit with Crosby Tears. Not far behind, to be fair, was the Coconut Prawns with the Berliner Weisse. ay, ay, ay. Or, as beerbistro's Brian Morin said to me, "He [Sean Paxton] always teaches me something new everytime I see him." High praise.
~ And for those wondering about the beer, here is a quick rundown: Dogfish Head Saison du BUFF; Nodding Head Grog; Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA infused with bitter orange Campari; Nodding Head Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse with fruit and molasses infused syrup; Nodding Head Rascal; Nodding Head Goldihops; Dogfish Head Noble Rot; Nodding Head Crosby Tears; Dogfish Head Positive Contact ["World Premier"]; Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, randallized with cocoa nibs, hazlenuts, and vanilla beans with a splash of Dogfish Distillery's Peanut Butter Vodka Cocktail. Yes, all those beers.
~ After the dinner, I meandered up to London Grill to meet Patty and The Pup, figuring some outdoor dunk tank action (scheduled 'til 9 p.m. supposedly) would still be taking place. But apparently not even at 7 p.m. Oh well, it was a tasty-as-usual Perpetual IPA from Tröegs and off we walked to Kite & Key. Tough to pass up Elysian at The Belgian Café along the way, but alas.
~ The pub was on the downside of its earlier event with Founders, which worked perfectly for us to sit outside with The Pup, with all but two (KBS and Blushing Monk, first to kick) still flowing. So, a Cerise and a Better Half along with some small bites (like the awesome Fried Pickles, perhaps best I've ever had) while having enjoyable conversation catching up finally with owner Jim Kirk made for a great way to close out day 5.
~ Allagash (and at least one Coolship beer) with Rob Tod at Barcade and City Tap House's mondo night with Avery, Bell's, Left Hand, and New Holland both presented strong cases for extending the night by another hour or two, but we live to see another day with PBW '12. Trust you're all holding up well out there.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 7 Preview
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the seventh day, June 7.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ A De Dolle three hour meet 'n' greet at Memphis Taproom with owner/brewer Kris Hertelee after he spends two hours of the same at Monk's Café across town. Beer geeks are all a-flutter and a-twitter as well I'm sure.
~ Capone's, out past Norristown, is throwing an IPA fest of sorts and I get a feeling that many of you will dig that kind of thing.
~ Do people still geek out over Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA? An a bar full of other tasty treats from this Southern California powerhouse? Well, I figured they do and am pointing out Good Dog's event with them.
~ If you missed Goose Island blowout at City Tap House a couple of days earlier, you can catch a repeat performance at Kite & Key tonight.
For the hungry
~ Jose Pistola's is sure doing it up big this year, food events included. This one is with Jolly Pumpkin and one of the best ways to spend lunchtime on day 7.
~ How about the the new Forest & Main from Ambler making their way into Queen Village to team up with the almost-new Kennett Restaurant for an a la carte beer dinner? Sounds like a winner.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Prince. Not the tennis Prince. Not Harry or William. The music. The wonderful, the erotic music of Prince will be celebrated in a birthday tribute to him at The Institute. Erotic quizzo and prizes to boot. Pure awesome-liscious-ness.
~ Pink Floyd and Prism beer at Gunner's Run in Northern Liberties. Sounds just wacky enough to make sense.
~ If it's Hop Angel Brauhaus, then it means it must be a Scoats production. And, if it's a Scoats production, you can bet it's gonna be wacky. How's the event title sound to you? "The Von Stoudt Family Singers Present the Sound of Lager"
Possibly under the radar
~ Traunstein beer from Germany at, where else, Brauhaus Schmitz. I'd tasted this beer at Zum Schneider last year and was quite pleased with it. Now, am even more pleased to hear of it coming to Philly. Don't miss the opportunity to check it out.
~ Grey Lodge is rolling out their pilsner event again and you can bet that they will be some of the best around. Remember, beer week isn't only about the high alcohol, barrel-aged, sensory overload beers.
Learn something
~ For just $25, you get tutored and fed 3 courses of food at Perch Pub. Sounds about as perfect as you could want.
~ Someone's gonna learn something and it will be one of five contestants vying for the crown of Philly Beer Geek 2012. Always a blast for contestants and attendees alike. Wait, is that a Mashington I see amongst the finalists?! Michael Soo, Jesse Andreozzi, Colin Presby, Andrew J. Pope, Christian Mosebach, and Steve Mashington. Judges this year include: Natalie DeChico (PBG '11); Lew Bryson; Rick Suarez; Scoats; and Marilyn Candeloro
And for The Brew Lounge
~ My greedy side might say "more", but in reality, I'm going to The Four Seasons, trying to win a little respect with teammate William Reed at Sly Fox's Kan Jam event (after our disappointing down-to-the-last-throw loss last year), and probably not much more after that.
~ But, if time allows once the fun 'n' games ends at the With Love Beer Garden, I'd love to sneak in a quick visit to Boilermaker for Tired Hands/McKenzie event.
~ Live music courtesy of local rockers, T.J. Kong and the Atomic Bomb, at The Belgian Café would be an awesome way (and not too far from Logan Circle) to end day 7.
This is the tough part of Philly Beer Week— getting through the end of the week and into the second weekend. Stay strong (and thirsty) my friends.
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the seventh day, June 7.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ A De Dolle three hour meet 'n' greet at Memphis Taproom with owner/brewer Kris Hertelee after he spends two hours of the same at Monk's Café across town. Beer geeks are all a-flutter and a-twitter as well I'm sure.
~ Capone's, out past Norristown, is throwing an IPA fest of sorts and I get a feeling that many of you will dig that kind of thing.
~ Do people still geek out over Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA? An a bar full of other tasty treats from this Southern California powerhouse? Well, I figured they do and am pointing out Good Dog's event with them.
~ If you missed Goose Island blowout at City Tap House a couple of days earlier, you can catch a repeat performance at Kite & Key tonight.
For the hungry
~ Jose Pistola's is sure doing it up big this year, food events included. This one is with Jolly Pumpkin and one of the best ways to spend lunchtime on day 7.
~ How about the the new Forest & Main from Ambler making their way into Queen Village to team up with the almost-new Kennett Restaurant for an a la carte beer dinner? Sounds like a winner.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Prince. Not the tennis Prince. Not Harry or William. The music. The wonderful, the erotic music of Prince will be celebrated in a birthday tribute to him at The Institute. Erotic quizzo and prizes to boot. Pure awesome-liscious-ness.
~ Pink Floyd and Prism beer at Gunner's Run in Northern Liberties. Sounds just wacky enough to make sense.
~ If it's Hop Angel Brauhaus, then it means it must be a Scoats production. And, if it's a Scoats production, you can bet it's gonna be wacky. How's the event title sound to you? "The Von Stoudt Family Singers Present the Sound of Lager"
Possibly under the radar
~ Traunstein beer from Germany at, where else, Brauhaus Schmitz. I'd tasted this beer at Zum Schneider last year and was quite pleased with it. Now, am even more pleased to hear of it coming to Philly. Don't miss the opportunity to check it out.
~ Grey Lodge is rolling out their pilsner event again and you can bet that they will be some of the best around. Remember, beer week isn't only about the high alcohol, barrel-aged, sensory overload beers.
Learn something
~ For just $25, you get tutored and fed 3 courses of food at Perch Pub. Sounds about as perfect as you could want.
~ Someone's gonna learn something and it will be one of five contestants vying for the crown of Philly Beer Geek 2012. Always a blast for contestants and attendees alike. Wait, is that a Mashington I see amongst the finalists?! Michael Soo, Jesse Andreozzi, Colin Presby, Andrew J. Pope, Christian Mosebach, and Steve Mashington. Judges this year include: Natalie DeChico (PBG '11); Lew Bryson; Rick Suarez; Scoats; and Marilyn Candeloro
And for The Brew Lounge
~ My greedy side might say "more", but in reality, I'm going to The Four Seasons, trying to win a little respect with teammate William Reed at Sly Fox's Kan Jam event (after our disappointing down-to-the-last-throw loss last year), and probably not much more after that.
~ But, if time allows once the fun 'n' games ends at the With Love Beer Garden, I'd love to sneak in a quick visit to Boilermaker for Tired Hands/McKenzie event.
~ Live music courtesy of local rockers, T.J. Kong and the Atomic Bomb, at The Belgian Café would be an awesome way (and not too far from Logan Circle) to end day 7.
This is the tough part of Philly Beer Week— getting through the end of the week and into the second weekend. Stay strong (and thirsty) my friends.
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 4 Wrap-Up
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
-->A link to Day 3 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 5 preview
-->A link to Day 5 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
Here, then, is my account of the fourth day, June 4, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
Some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ This daily wrap-up will be pretty easy, and brief. I'd considered taking the whole day/night off from PBW considering the first three were filled with plenty of walking, eating, and drinking in addition to work around the house. Tiring for this middle-aged guy ;-)
~ But, with some last-week-details to clean up around Dock Street for my 5-K race, Patty and I loaded Callie ("the pup") into the car and ate dinner at Dock Street. Surprisingly, we were not the only table of people eating outside in the drizzle. Pleased to announce that there are only 15 spots left before we hit our max of 400 registrants for the run. Quite gratifying indeed. And, the course is looking in great shape as of last night.
~ Did I mention that this was the third of four PBW days thus far that it's rained. And, we're not just talking the gentle, pleasant light rain shower.
~ After indulging for the first time ever in a meal at Dock Street that did not include pizza ("fish and chips" is a very good plate of food at the brewery) and a glass each of Johnny Berliner and Summer Session (each quite solid), we moved along down the street for a quick stop at Local 44.
~ I'd figured that the event with the Lavery Brewing Company folks (say it with me: Lav-ree. Not Lave-r-ee) from Erie, Pa. would have been long gone. But, apparently they never showed. So instead I checked out Local 44's adjoining bottle shop on Spruce Street for the first time and took home a bottle of the reportedly-pretty-good Liopard Oir Farmhouse Ale for a seemingly-reasonable $10.50. Looking more around the bottleshop had me homesick for the Lambic prices in Belgium.
~ I understand not long after I left, Tomme Arthur stopped by for a visit in conjunction with the Lost Abbey event that kicked off around 8 p.m. or so.
~ We were so close by that it only made sense to stop in at City Tap House to see what may have remained from the Goose Island event that Andrew from the brewery attended in place of founder John Hall, who had broken something (foot? leg?) in the week prior to PBW and was unable to attend.
~ A surprise was to discover that dogs are permitted on the terrace. GM Andy Farrell added that there will be an upcoming dog-themed event in the next month or so, which will include a "bring-your-own-dog" option.
~ He also shared some details for the new PEnnsylvania 6 (as in: the old Philadelphia phone exchange, PE6) coming later this fall to 12th & Sansom Streets from the same owners that brought us Public House and City Tap House. The location most recently housed the short-lived restaurant Tweed.
~ Hanging out with the pup on the terrace with a Bourbon County Brand Stout and a Juliet was the order of the last stop on our mini tour and we were off to call it quits on our makeshift day 4 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
~ Pictures are too few to bother linking over to Picasa, so here they are for you, as uninteresting as these might be today. Tonight, back in the saddle with a happy hour at Nodding Head at Messers Home Brew Chef, Calagione, and, I'm betting, a bunch of others.
(Fish and Chips, well Trio Fries to be more precise, were excellent at Dock Street. Perhaps the first time I have not ordered a pizza.)
(Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout on the terrace at City Tap House with firepits a-blazin')
(Quite the lineup of Goose Island goodies at City Tap House)
(City Tap House still delivering on its originally-promised theme of being one of the best tap houses in the city)
(From Erie, Pa., the relatively new Lavery is now in Philadelphia, here at the Local 44 Bottle Shop with its Liopard Oir Farmhouse Ale — a spring seasonal — accompanied by some fine Goose Island glassware courtesy of City Tap House)
-->A link to Day 3 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 5 preview
-->A link to Day 5 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
Here, then, is my account of the fourth day, June 4, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
Some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ This daily wrap-up will be pretty easy, and brief. I'd considered taking the whole day/night off from PBW considering the first three were filled with plenty of walking, eating, and drinking in addition to work around the house. Tiring for this middle-aged guy ;-)
~ But, with some last-week-details to clean up around Dock Street for my 5-K race, Patty and I loaded Callie ("the pup") into the car and ate dinner at Dock Street. Surprisingly, we were not the only table of people eating outside in the drizzle. Pleased to announce that there are only 15 spots left before we hit our max of 400 registrants for the run. Quite gratifying indeed. And, the course is looking in great shape as of last night.
~ Did I mention that this was the third of four PBW days thus far that it's rained. And, we're not just talking the gentle, pleasant light rain shower.
~ After indulging for the first time ever in a meal at Dock Street that did not include pizza ("fish and chips" is a very good plate of food at the brewery) and a glass each of Johnny Berliner and Summer Session (each quite solid), we moved along down the street for a quick stop at Local 44.
~ I'd figured that the event with the Lavery Brewing Company folks (say it with me: Lav-ree. Not Lave-r-ee) from Erie, Pa. would have been long gone. But, apparently they never showed. So instead I checked out Local 44's adjoining bottle shop on Spruce Street for the first time and took home a bottle of the reportedly-pretty-good Liopard Oir Farmhouse Ale for a seemingly-reasonable $10.50. Looking more around the bottleshop had me homesick for the Lambic prices in Belgium.
~ I understand not long after I left, Tomme Arthur stopped by for a visit in conjunction with the Lost Abbey event that kicked off around 8 p.m. or so.
~ We were so close by that it only made sense to stop in at City Tap House to see what may have remained from the Goose Island event that Andrew from the brewery attended in place of founder John Hall, who had broken something (foot? leg?) in the week prior to PBW and was unable to attend.
~ A surprise was to discover that dogs are permitted on the terrace. GM Andy Farrell added that there will be an upcoming dog-themed event in the next month or so, which will include a "bring-your-own-dog" option.
~ He also shared some details for the new PEnnsylvania 6 (as in: the old Philadelphia phone exchange, PE6) coming later this fall to 12th & Sansom Streets from the same owners that brought us Public House and City Tap House. The location most recently housed the short-lived restaurant Tweed.
~ Hanging out with the pup on the terrace with a Bourbon County Brand Stout and a Juliet was the order of the last stop on our mini tour and we were off to call it quits on our makeshift day 4 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
~ Pictures are too few to bother linking over to Picasa, so here they are for you, as uninteresting as these might be today. Tonight, back in the saddle with a happy hour at Nodding Head at Messers Home Brew Chef, Calagione, and, I'm betting, a bunch of others.
(Fish and Chips, well Trio Fries to be more precise, were excellent at Dock Street. Perhaps the first time I have not ordered a pizza.) 
Philly Beer Week 2012: The Missed Events edition, Days 1-4
Regrets have been minimal thusfar through the first four days of Philly Beer Week 2012.
Two events, though, that have me wondering what if are the Saison Festival at Tapestry and the annual lunacy of Kite & Key's afternoon antics, this year displayed by way of "Gladiator Games". Until I see video, I'll live vicariously through these pictures.
The intrepid John Doherty sent along these few pictures that he snapped with his new smartphone this past Saturday. You should recognize several characters in this scenes including Philly Beer Regulars, Don Russell (Joe Sixpack), Tom Kehoe (Yards), and Suzy Woods (Allagash). Thanks John.
Check in over here for a complete run-down of much of what I've encountered to date through PBW '12.
Two events, though, that have me wondering what if are the Saison Festival at Tapestry and the annual lunacy of Kite & Key's afternoon antics, this year displayed by way of "Gladiator Games". Until I see video, I'll live vicariously through these pictures.
The intrepid John Doherty sent along these few pictures that he snapped with his new smartphone this past Saturday. You should recognize several characters in this scenes including Philly Beer Regulars, Don Russell (Joe Sixpack), Tom Kehoe (Yards), and Suzy Woods (Allagash). Thanks John.
Check in over here for a complete run-down of much of what I've encountered to date through PBW '12.
Monday, June 04, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 6 Preview
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the sixth day, June 6.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ I can see the geeks lining up now for Stillwater saisons at Hawthornes, new beers from around the world via Shelton Brothers at The Farmers' Cabinet, and Nebraska Night at Eulogy Bar in Old City.
For the hungry
~ Lunch with Left Hand Dan at Jose Pistola's, Calagione at Monk's, or Laura Bell at Khyber Pass would be three fine ways to get your geek juices flowing early in the day.
~ If it's dinner, instead, that you're looking for, look no farther than a $38 four-course meal with Goose Island at Valanni, Hitachino at Pod, the Yards/Feury collaboration dinner at Fork, and a mondo beer dinner with Founders at South Philadelphia Tap Room.
~ But, for all the fancy food out there, don't forget the basics. Like pizza and Tröegs beer served up by Nick Johnson at Kennett Restaurant in Queen Village.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Trevor, from Lagunitas, is a lot of fun and his event at Good Dog holds promise for satisfying this category.
~ Beerfest movie screening at the new Malt House in Mt. Airy? The new place sounds like a neat place to watch a wacky movie.
~ Alien movies and Harpoon beer at Doobies. That sounds kind of wild.
~ An Allagash-themed pie-eating contest at P.O.P.E. That definitely sounds wild and wacky.
~ A monkey and banana-themed night at The Irish Pol. I wish I knew what to say about that!
Possibly under the radar
~ I know how some of you really enjoy the beer from 16 Mile in lower Delaware. If I read the calendar correctly, they're only making one appearance and it's all the way out in Deptford, NJ...at Uno's
~ 2 firkins and a few other taps of Stone Brewing's beers gives you a great excuse to head to Manayunk and Lucky's Last Chance.
~ While in Manayunk, why not stick around for Old Eagle Tavern's cheese pairing with Pennsylvania breweries, Free Will and Full Pint. An excellent reminder that while you geek out about out-of-region beers/brewers, don't forget to celebrate all that we have going on around here as well.
~ Later, back downtown at Fergie's, it's a great chance to meet the personable Wendy Yuengling, who will likely someday be running her family's iconic brewery.
Learn something
~ Forum of the Gods is a cornerstone event of Philly Beer Week, held this year at Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant, and always features interesting characters/luminaries from the world of craft brewing. This year it's Mark Edelson (Iron Hill), Rosemarie Certo (Dock Street), Greg Koch (Stone), Paul Kavulak (Nebraska), and Colby Chandler (Ballast Point).
And for The Brew Lounge
~ Wednesday is sort of an odd day for me. On one hand, it could be a fine day off. On the other hand, it could go a little something like this:
~ Start off with Breckenridge beers and sliders at For Pete's Sake.
~ Mosey over to Kennett to see Nick Johnson doing his Tröegs and pizza thing.
~ And, then, wrap up with either Yuengling at Fergie's or Bell's at St. Stephen's Green.
~ If I stay at home in the 'burbs, The Drafting Room is doing a homebrewing event, very cool. And, Teresa's Next Door is hosting Bobo and Chimay.
~ Or I could mow the lawn. Time will tell.
I wanted to take it easy on you after talking yesterday about what seemed like half the calendar. But that's how Philly Beer Week rolls; just one solid event after another (well, most of them at least).
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the sixth day, June 6.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ I can see the geeks lining up now for Stillwater saisons at Hawthornes, new beers from around the world via Shelton Brothers at The Farmers' Cabinet, and Nebraska Night at Eulogy Bar in Old City.
For the hungry
~ Lunch with Left Hand Dan at Jose Pistola's, Calagione at Monk's, or Laura Bell at Khyber Pass would be three fine ways to get your geek juices flowing early in the day.
~ If it's dinner, instead, that you're looking for, look no farther than a $38 four-course meal with Goose Island at Valanni, Hitachino at Pod, the Yards/Feury collaboration dinner at Fork, and a mondo beer dinner with Founders at South Philadelphia Tap Room.
~ But, for all the fancy food out there, don't forget the basics. Like pizza and Tröegs beer served up by Nick Johnson at Kennett Restaurant in Queen Village.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Trevor, from Lagunitas, is a lot of fun and his event at Good Dog holds promise for satisfying this category.
~ Beerfest movie screening at the new Malt House in Mt. Airy? The new place sounds like a neat place to watch a wacky movie.
~ Alien movies and Harpoon beer at Doobies. That sounds kind of wild.
~ An Allagash-themed pie-eating contest at P.O.P.E. That definitely sounds wild and wacky.
~ A monkey and banana-themed night at The Irish Pol. I wish I knew what to say about that!
Possibly under the radar
~ I know how some of you really enjoy the beer from 16 Mile in lower Delaware. If I read the calendar correctly, they're only making one appearance and it's all the way out in Deptford, NJ...at Uno's
~ 2 firkins and a few other taps of Stone Brewing's beers gives you a great excuse to head to Manayunk and Lucky's Last Chance.
~ While in Manayunk, why not stick around for Old Eagle Tavern's cheese pairing with Pennsylvania breweries, Free Will and Full Pint. An excellent reminder that while you geek out about out-of-region beers/brewers, don't forget to celebrate all that we have going on around here as well.
~ Later, back downtown at Fergie's, it's a great chance to meet the personable Wendy Yuengling, who will likely someday be running her family's iconic brewery.
Learn something
~ Forum of the Gods is a cornerstone event of Philly Beer Week, held this year at Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant, and always features interesting characters/luminaries from the world of craft brewing. This year it's Mark Edelson (Iron Hill), Rosemarie Certo (Dock Street), Greg Koch (Stone), Paul Kavulak (Nebraska), and Colby Chandler (Ballast Point).
And for The Brew Lounge
~ Wednesday is sort of an odd day for me. On one hand, it could be a fine day off. On the other hand, it could go a little something like this:
~ Start off with Breckenridge beers and sliders at For Pete's Sake.
~ Mosey over to Kennett to see Nick Johnson doing his Tröegs and pizza thing.
~ And, then, wrap up with either Yuengling at Fergie's or Bell's at St. Stephen's Green.
~ If I stay at home in the 'burbs, The Drafting Room is doing a homebrewing event, very cool. And, Teresa's Next Door is hosting Bobo and Chimay.
~ Or I could mow the lawn. Time will tell.
I wanted to take it easy on you after talking yesterday about what seemed like half the calendar. But that's how Philly Beer Week rolls; just one solid event after another (well, most of them at least).
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 3 Wrap-Up
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
-->A link to Day 2 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 4 preview
-->A link to Day 4 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the third day, June 3, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 3 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
And now, some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Sunday's calendar had me on the fence from the beginning. Much as I'd like to do something (or many things) every day of PBW, real life and matters more practical — not to mention common sense — often intervene. How's that for a dash of responsibility and maturity through all this madness?
~ I knew stopping in at Standard Tap to support Lew Bryson and Jack Curtin in their Tröegs Scratch Series Showdown was high on my list and the festivities wouldn't be kicking in to high gear until close to 7 p.m. More on this later.
~ I knew not stopping at Tapestry's two-day outdoor saison fest on Saturday could come back to bite me on Sunday. With the nasty weather rolling in and threatening on Sunday afternoon, I opted not to go out of my way for the 30 or so saisons that they were pouring, for fear of being rained out with no other nearby events to duck into. With the rain not developing until after 8 p.m., I'll have to count this as one of my regrets from the first weekend of PBW '12.
~ So what I did do after a successful half day at home with household and outdoor chores (and a can of "lawnmower beer", Lancaster Kölsch) was to hop the train into the City. A late Amtrak found me instead hopping on to SEPTA where happenstance has Mr. Curtin sitting behind me. Oh the humanity.
~ I made my way to my first visit to Boilermaker, sister establishment to The Farmers' Cabinet. Had a glass from their special Bell's 9000 tapping; quite the 180 from the Kölsch had earlier. A mouthful, for sure, but yet a rather balanced mouthful for my liking. Had my first run-in of PBW '12 with Bro. Woody Chandler. Corey Reid made his way on to my third consecutive daily log.
~ After chatting a bit with Dominic Capese from Free Will Brewing (particularly about his awesome Citra Pale Ale), it was off to Monk's in an attempt to try some more of this Funky Buddha beer that I ran into at Devil's Den on day 1. Well, it was an attempt, that's about all it was. This Philly Beer Week for me is not about crowds, it's not about inconvenience, it's not about jockeying with rabid beer geeks for something apparently rare or highly sought-after, it's not about waiting inordinate amounts of time for a beer that stretches the most patient person's tolerance. So we left after 20 minutes of sweating it out in the back room of Monk's. Interesting comment overheard at the bar: "This is why I began Philly Beer Week by saying I wouldn't be doing any Monk's events again until after Philly Beer Week is over."
~ You might not guess where the great beer karma got our mojo flowing again. Perch Pub, formerly Upstares at Varalli. A session beer event where roughly 20 or so quality beers lined the tap tower where all but one were under 5.0% ABV. Anyone wants to quibble the percentage, take it elsewhere. This was a solid event with great beers that anyone should be able to drink all night long run by Steve Schmidt, formerly of High Street Grill in Mount Holly. The guys from Old Forge Brewing were in the house and meeting them was another first for me. Great guys making some pretty decent beer out Danville, Pa. Hope to continue to see more of them, and should, as they mentioned future bottling plans on the horizon.
~ Regrettably, for time, I had to skip The Trestle Inn and Todd Ashman (formerly Flossmoor Station in Illinois) of Truckee, California's Fifty Fifty Brewing. Buddy from Bella Vista was hanging out at Perch Pub also and had me this close to going, but I knew I needed to get to Standard Tap sooner rather than later.
~ The antics that ensued at Standard Tap at the aforementioned Bryson/Curtin event were just what you'd expect from the hyena (Bryson) and the curmudgeon (Curtin). Be sure to check out the pictures. People came from far and wide to support their favorite writers and their beer. In my book, Curtin's scored better in the naming; Bryson's better in the overall flavor and drinkability (and pairing with an awesome softshell crab sandwich). Still, with Matt Guyer buying rounds of Curtin's beer for just about anyone who looked his way, Jack squeaked out a 111 to 108 victory in terms of number of pints sold over the four hour event from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
~ Not much to say about Woody's on 13th Street. On my way to the train, I stopped in for 10 minutes to learn that apparently the work that Heather and Charlie from The Institute have done there at the bar has paid off. Solid beers on tap, brewery schwag on the walls, and a Cigar City French Pale Ale (from an event earlier in the day with the owners of Cigar City and Saint Somewhere) that tasted mighty fine. They've got a handful more of events that has beer geeks taking notice from what I've heard in my informal sampling.
~ And, with that, a tiring, but rewarding, first three days of PBW '12 was in the books.
-->A link to Day 2 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 4 preview
-->A link to Day 4 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the third day, June 3, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 3 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
And now, some brief notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Sunday's calendar had me on the fence from the beginning. Much as I'd like to do something (or many things) every day of PBW, real life and matters more practical — not to mention common sense — often intervene. How's that for a dash of responsibility and maturity through all this madness?
~ I knew stopping in at Standard Tap to support Lew Bryson and Jack Curtin in their Tröegs Scratch Series Showdown was high on my list and the festivities wouldn't be kicking in to high gear until close to 7 p.m. More on this later.
~ I knew not stopping at Tapestry's two-day outdoor saison fest on Saturday could come back to bite me on Sunday. With the nasty weather rolling in and threatening on Sunday afternoon, I opted not to go out of my way for the 30 or so saisons that they were pouring, for fear of being rained out with no other nearby events to duck into. With the rain not developing until after 8 p.m., I'll have to count this as one of my regrets from the first weekend of PBW '12.
~ So what I did do after a successful half day at home with household and outdoor chores (and a can of "lawnmower beer", Lancaster Kölsch) was to hop the train into the City. A late Amtrak found me instead hopping on to SEPTA where happenstance has Mr. Curtin sitting behind me. Oh the humanity.
~ I made my way to my first visit to Boilermaker, sister establishment to The Farmers' Cabinet. Had a glass from their special Bell's 9000 tapping; quite the 180 from the Kölsch had earlier. A mouthful, for sure, but yet a rather balanced mouthful for my liking. Had my first run-in of PBW '12 with Bro. Woody Chandler. Corey Reid made his way on to my third consecutive daily log.
~ After chatting a bit with Dominic Capese from Free Will Brewing (particularly about his awesome Citra Pale Ale), it was off to Monk's in an attempt to try some more of this Funky Buddha beer that I ran into at Devil's Den on day 1. Well, it was an attempt, that's about all it was. This Philly Beer Week for me is not about crowds, it's not about inconvenience, it's not about jockeying with rabid beer geeks for something apparently rare or highly sought-after, it's not about waiting inordinate amounts of time for a beer that stretches the most patient person's tolerance. So we left after 20 minutes of sweating it out in the back room of Monk's. Interesting comment overheard at the bar: "This is why I began Philly Beer Week by saying I wouldn't be doing any Monk's events again until after Philly Beer Week is over."
~ You might not guess where the great beer karma got our mojo flowing again. Perch Pub, formerly Upstares at Varalli. A session beer event where roughly 20 or so quality beers lined the tap tower where all but one were under 5.0% ABV. Anyone wants to quibble the percentage, take it elsewhere. This was a solid event with great beers that anyone should be able to drink all night long run by Steve Schmidt, formerly of High Street Grill in Mount Holly. The guys from Old Forge Brewing were in the house and meeting them was another first for me. Great guys making some pretty decent beer out Danville, Pa. Hope to continue to see more of them, and should, as they mentioned future bottling plans on the horizon.
~ Regrettably, for time, I had to skip The Trestle Inn and Todd Ashman (formerly Flossmoor Station in Illinois) of Truckee, California's Fifty Fifty Brewing. Buddy from Bella Vista was hanging out at Perch Pub also and had me this close to going, but I knew I needed to get to Standard Tap sooner rather than later.
~ The antics that ensued at Standard Tap at the aforementioned Bryson/Curtin event were just what you'd expect from the hyena (Bryson) and the curmudgeon (Curtin). Be sure to check out the pictures. People came from far and wide to support their favorite writers and their beer. In my book, Curtin's scored better in the naming; Bryson's better in the overall flavor and drinkability (and pairing with an awesome softshell crab sandwich). Still, with Matt Guyer buying rounds of Curtin's beer for just about anyone who looked his way, Jack squeaked out a 111 to 108 victory in terms of number of pints sold over the four hour event from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
~ Not much to say about Woody's on 13th Street. On my way to the train, I stopped in for 10 minutes to learn that apparently the work that Heather and Charlie from The Institute have done there at the bar has paid off. Solid beers on tap, brewery schwag on the walls, and a Cigar City French Pale Ale (from an event earlier in the day with the owners of Cigar City and Saint Somewhere) that tasted mighty fine. They've got a handful more of events that has beer geeks taking notice from what I've heard in my informal sampling.
~ And, with that, a tiring, but rewarding, first three days of PBW '12 was in the books.
Weekly Brew Bits Update: 6/4/12
The news around Philadelphia this week, as expected, is dominated thoroughly by Philly Beer Week. I'm not sure where else to direct you for the comprehensive (or close to it) coverage that this link will give to you. Enjoy!
Now, let's see what other news we can dig up around here.
PHILADELPHIA
~ The Brothers Feury (Fork and Nectar) love their beer. They've got another collaborative beer (this one with Yards) ready to go and it debuts this week at their Fork dinner for Philly Beer Week.
EASTERN PA, NJ, DE, AND OTHER NEARBY PARTS OF MID-ATLANTIC
~ Jean Broillet has announced the opening of his long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated Tired Hands Brew Café just outside of Philly in Ardmore, Pa. Reports are that there were enough beer geeks left after all of the PBW events to make opening night a crowded and successful evening. More to come from me on this in the near future.
~ So, yes, this is technically PBW '12-related. But, it's an important back story to the collaboration beer made in Belgium between Iron Hill and Brasserie Dupont. Courtesy of south Jersey's Courier Post.
THE REST OF PLANET BEER
~ I had the pleasure of attending the Sierra Nevada/Russian River collaboration dinner last week at Monk's in Philly, where Brux was being poured for the first time outside of the brewery. Here's a video with Cilurzo and Grossman discussing this much talked about beer.
Now, let's see what other news we can dig up around here.
PHILADELPHIA
~ The Brothers Feury (Fork and Nectar) love their beer. They've got another collaborative beer (this one with Yards) ready to go and it debuts this week at their Fork dinner for Philly Beer Week.
EASTERN PA, NJ, DE, AND OTHER NEARBY PARTS OF MID-ATLANTIC
~ Jean Broillet has announced the opening of his long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated Tired Hands Brew Café just outside of Philly in Ardmore, Pa. Reports are that there were enough beer geeks left after all of the PBW events to make opening night a crowded and successful evening. More to come from me on this in the near future.
~ So, yes, this is technically PBW '12-related. But, it's an important back story to the collaboration beer made in Belgium between Iron Hill and Brasserie Dupont. Courtesy of south Jersey's Courier Post.
THE REST OF PLANET BEER
~ I had the pleasure of attending the Sierra Nevada/Russian River collaboration dinner last week at Monk's in Philly, where Brux was being poured for the first time outside of the brewery. Here's a video with Cilurzo and Grossman discussing this much talked about beer.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 5 Preview
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the fifth day, June 5.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ De Struise at The Farmers' Cabinet. That should be enough to begin the frothing.
~ No Repeat Beer Week is an annual reminder why Memphis Taproom is on every PBW beer geek's schedule for at least one stop during the 10 days.
For the hungry
~ Tacos and Stillwater beer specials at Jose Pistola's. Year-round, they've got some of the city's best tacos. Add the Stillwater beers in to the mix and you've got the recipe of a winning event.
~ I honestly haven't given Ladder 15 much thought over the last couple of years since they opened. An Exit Series beer dinner with Flying Fish could change things.
~ I mention below how Sam Adams brewer, Bob Cannon, will be at City Tap House for lunch. He'll really get his grub on later at night with a beer dinner at Bridget Foy's that looks well worth the $55 price of admission.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Burlesque. Cabaret. Prism. Interstate Draft House. Sounds wild to me.
~ Resurrection Ale House is hosting an event that, let me see if I've got this straight, includes Dogfish Head beer, Trivial Pursuit board games, wigs, vinyl records. And a guy named Sam Calagione.
~ Then, instead of wigs, City Tap House has a bald event going on the same day. Oy, more lunacy for sure. That's after hosting the hirstute Bob Cannon from Sam Adams for lunch.
Possibly under the radar
~ While I could list this event at Molly Malloy's under the food section, I'm wondering if it's not more of an under-the-radar at this point? It's "After Dark" at the Reading Terminal Market, which is pretty cool. Cooler still is that it's Victory, it's Tröegs, it's food, it's Phillies ticket raffles.
~ Eddie Stoudt will be at Brauhaus Schmitz and that just seems entirely appropriate.
~ There is a bunch of sour beers showing up at Eulogy on this particular night. I'm not sure that I've heard anyone really take notice. If you like 'em tart and funky, then you'll want to take notice.
~ Bridgid's is an important, and aesthetically-pleasing, bar in Philadelphia's recent history (i.e. last 20 years) and Narragansett, from Rhode Island, makes some real decent beer. Two great reasons to stop by.
~ Again, another event at one of the country's best train station bars, Bridgewater's Pub. This time, it's an event to help us get to know new local brewers better, Free Will Brewing Company.
Learn something
~ Kennett Restaurant has an event for you that will cover both food and education. You'll learn, you'll eat, you'll drink. Sounds like you'll have a good time as well.
~ A session beer forum. As much as I'd like to squeeze this one (partially to observe whether civility ensues, or not!), it's probably not in the cards for me. But, seriously, the tasting session and the informed and passionate opinions from the panel should be well worth your visit.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ The first stop after hopping off the train should probably be a very dangerous stop. After last year's amazing success with finger sandwiches and punk rock, Home Brew Chef Sean Paxton is again teaming up with Sam Calagione and Dogfish Head at Nodding Head. This time it's a happy hour and once again, it's a can't (or, do not) miss.
~ Too bad I won't be taking any time off from work this year for PBW, because as you can see from above, there are some fine daytime events to check out. Nonetheless, I'll soldier on and continue my day 5 with the dunk tank action at London Grill. A fundraiser and a fun-raiser all in one.
~ Since I'll be just around the corner, Bishop's Collar for an Allagash night with Suzy Woods sounds perfect.
~ If it turns out to be a late night, which is always possible, doing a second Allagash event might be in the cards. This one with the boss-man, Rob Tod, at Barcade for some beer, fun, and games.
~ If I don't close the night with Barcade, then I could see it being on the way home instead in Wayne at Teresa's Next Door where Dr. Joel from New Holland Brewing Company makes his triumphant return to Philly Beer Week after moving to Michigan earlier this year. Charcuterie, cheese, and sour beers will make me feel like I'm back in Belgium all over again. City-folk, you'll want to schelp it to the 'burbs for this one.
Hang in there beer peoples; you've made it halfway through Philly Beer Week, there's no letting up now.
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the fifth day, June 5.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ De Struise at The Farmers' Cabinet. That should be enough to begin the frothing.
~ No Repeat Beer Week is an annual reminder why Memphis Taproom is on every PBW beer geek's schedule for at least one stop during the 10 days.
For the hungry
~ Tacos and Stillwater beer specials at Jose Pistola's. Year-round, they've got some of the city's best tacos. Add the Stillwater beers in to the mix and you've got the recipe of a winning event.
~ I honestly haven't given Ladder 15 much thought over the last couple of years since they opened. An Exit Series beer dinner with Flying Fish could change things.
~ I mention below how Sam Adams brewer, Bob Cannon, will be at City Tap House for lunch. He'll really get his grub on later at night with a beer dinner at Bridget Foy's that looks well worth the $55 price of admission.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Burlesque. Cabaret. Prism. Interstate Draft House. Sounds wild to me.
~ Resurrection Ale House is hosting an event that, let me see if I've got this straight, includes Dogfish Head beer, Trivial Pursuit board games, wigs, vinyl records. And a guy named Sam Calagione.
~ Then, instead of wigs, City Tap House has a bald event going on the same day. Oy, more lunacy for sure. That's after hosting the hirstute Bob Cannon from Sam Adams for lunch.
Possibly under the radar
~ While I could list this event at Molly Malloy's under the food section, I'm wondering if it's not more of an under-the-radar at this point? It's "After Dark" at the Reading Terminal Market, which is pretty cool. Cooler still is that it's Victory, it's Tröegs, it's food, it's Phillies ticket raffles.
~ Eddie Stoudt will be at Brauhaus Schmitz and that just seems entirely appropriate.
~ There is a bunch of sour beers showing up at Eulogy on this particular night. I'm not sure that I've heard anyone really take notice. If you like 'em tart and funky, then you'll want to take notice.
~ Bridgid's is an important, and aesthetically-pleasing, bar in Philadelphia's recent history (i.e. last 20 years) and Narragansett, from Rhode Island, makes some real decent beer. Two great reasons to stop by.
~ Again, another event at one of the country's best train station bars, Bridgewater's Pub. This time, it's an event to help us get to know new local brewers better, Free Will Brewing Company.
Learn something
~ Kennett Restaurant has an event for you that will cover both food and education. You'll learn, you'll eat, you'll drink. Sounds like you'll have a good time as well.
~ A session beer forum. As much as I'd like to squeeze this one (partially to observe whether civility ensues, or not!), it's probably not in the cards for me. But, seriously, the tasting session and the informed and passionate opinions from the panel should be well worth your visit.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ The first stop after hopping off the train should probably be a very dangerous stop. After last year's amazing success with finger sandwiches and punk rock, Home Brew Chef Sean Paxton is again teaming up with Sam Calagione and Dogfish Head at Nodding Head. This time it's a happy hour and once again, it's a can't (or, do not) miss.
~ Too bad I won't be taking any time off from work this year for PBW, because as you can see from above, there are some fine daytime events to check out. Nonetheless, I'll soldier on and continue my day 5 with the dunk tank action at London Grill. A fundraiser and a fun-raiser all in one.
~ Since I'll be just around the corner, Bishop's Collar for an Allagash night with Suzy Woods sounds perfect.
~ If it turns out to be a late night, which is always possible, doing a second Allagash event might be in the cards. This one with the boss-man, Rob Tod, at Barcade for some beer, fun, and games.
~ If I don't close the night with Barcade, then I could see it being on the way home instead in Wayne at Teresa's Next Door where Dr. Joel from New Holland Brewing Company makes his triumphant return to Philly Beer Week after moving to Michigan earlier this year. Charcuterie, cheese, and sour beers will make me feel like I'm back in Belgium all over again. City-folk, you'll want to schelp it to the 'burbs for this one.
Hang in there beer peoples; you've made it halfway through Philly Beer Week, there's no letting up now.
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 2 Wrap-Up
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
-->A link to Day 1 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 3 preview
-->A link to Day 3 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the second day, June 2, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 2 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
Then, for some notes, in no particular order of importance.
~ For only hitting up four events beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday turned out to be a much more exhausting day than might have been expected. But, it was also one of the most beautiful days in the history of Philly Beer Weeks as well. Today, June 3, promises no different.
~ My first piece of advice for PBW revelers and the overwhelming task that is the daily planning of what to attend: Don't over think it. I've been fond of telling anyone who asks how I do it the same thing: Make a list of 5-10 events that look interesting to you, but only insist upon knowing what the first event of the day is that you will do before going to bed the night before. Because, as is typical, at the first event you choose, you're bound to run in to someone with a suggestion, a reminder about a different event that all of a sudden you're off in pursuit of. So setting a strict agenda will almost always set you up for disappointment. Be flexible!
~ So with that plan, I knew that I was hitting up the iconic Reading Terminal Market the refreshingly new Molly Malloy's in the back of the market. They've got a lot planned for PBW '12 and this breakfast with the Evil Genius guys was one of them. We got there early and maybe a quarter of the breakfasts were accompanied by beers, a ratio that I'd expect to only grow as the morning went along. It was also my first time meeting Trevor and Mark from the brewery -- only previously by emails -- and they quickly proved that they're the kind of guys you'll want to have a beer with during PBW and beyond. And, while the beer selection is good at Molly Molloy's, certainly do not overlook the food. The burrito and skillet breakfast specials were just the tasty base I needed to get the day started on the right foot.
~ Then it was up to Johnny Brenda's for a quick glass of cask-conditioned beer (my choice: the Citra Pale Ale from Free Will -- remember a worthy goal for PBW is to find new beers, new local breweries, and new bars) during the Firkin Riot! event. I left before the British Invasion hit the DJ's turntables, but from following tweets and whatnot, I gather that this event turned into quite the happening as the day went along.
~ I then took a siesta to return home for dog duty, grass cutting, writing/picture uploading, and other household chores before returning back to the city for round 2.
~ My trip through 30th Street Station allowed me to catch up on a Bridgewater's "event" (though, to be fair, I'm not entirely sure how much of an event it was, as opposed to putting a new-ish beer on tap) that I missed on Friday due to tight schedules. Staropramen Czech Lager was on tap and a well-made Lager from the Czech Republic could be a home run or.....Well, perhaps it was fortunate that I kicked this keg and got the last ounce of two since it was a bit too malty sweet tasting for my liking. Still, the keg was gone in less than 24 hours, so the beer must've at least garnered enough attention to get through it so quickly.
~ Back to my first point about the weather. Upon my second trip into the City, I decided to eat in to some of the beer event/drinking time by walking from 30th Street Station to Varga. Many of you will appreciate the distance. Some may not. Basically, by descending the steps to the banks of the Schuylkill River, walking along it for several blocks, then making the walk over to Spruce Street, and along Spruce to Varga (passing venerable beer spots like Monk's, Good Dog, Jose Pistola's, and Tria along the way -- could even throw a Fox & Hound in there if you wish, I suppose, since it is along Spruce Street and makes an attempt at serving the good stuff), I created an almost 2-mile walk that showcased the best of Philadelphia's attractive offerings: brownstone residentials; parks (people parks, dog parks, basketball/tennis, etc.); history; sweeping/stunning views; retail; landmarks; and on and on.
~ That leads me to a piece of advice that I've been passing along and tweet-ed out yesterday -- apologies to those many of you that don't give a rat's patooty about Twitter (or even Facebook, for that matter); it's game that many of us play if even we don't give the same rat's tush about it either -- in an effort to offset the caloric intake of many of these events (beer, food, stationary position, etc.), make a point to walk between as many destinations as possible. Sure, you may lose a few minutes here or there, but you'll be burning off some of those unnecessary calories plus you'll be giving yourself the benefit of seeing the City from a whole different perspective.
~ My walk gets me eventually to Varga Bar, where one of the very few recognizable faces (perhaps because he looms head and shoulders above most in the crowd) is the ever-busy (and award-winning) Casey Hughes from across the river at Flying Fish. Here I managed to allow my "schedule" to be thrown out the window as Varga's serious tap list and canned beer offerings paired with the block-weather-perfect weather made it a no-brainer to hang out here for a few hours. Until the Brothers Mashington showed up, that is.
~ My last stop for the second day in a row was a Sly Fox event, this one at Bar on Sansom Street, where sales guys Patrick Mullin and Corey Reid were hosting Team Peggy (the goat) and Simon too from their annual Goat Race and Bock Festival. Peggy Maibock (2012's winning maibock) was on tap for the people and straw and feed were available for the goats, turning Sansom Street into an unlikely farm setting. Quite the curiosity draw for passers-by for sure.
~ And, that's about where the exhaustion factor kicked in. Up at 5:30 a.m. Two train trips into the city and a bunch of healthy walking about was enough to turn me in early -- but not before, of course, dinner and a beer from my hometown local, TJ's, who can call any day of the year a beer event at their top notch suburban pub.
-->A link to Day 1 highlights
-->Look ahead to a Day 3 preview
-->A link to Day 3 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the second day, June 2, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 2 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
Then, for some notes, in no particular order of importance.
~ For only hitting up four events beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday turned out to be a much more exhausting day than might have been expected. But, it was also one of the most beautiful days in the history of Philly Beer Weeks as well. Today, June 3, promises no different.
~ My first piece of advice for PBW revelers and the overwhelming task that is the daily planning of what to attend: Don't over think it. I've been fond of telling anyone who asks how I do it the same thing: Make a list of 5-10 events that look interesting to you, but only insist upon knowing what the first event of the day is that you will do before going to bed the night before. Because, as is typical, at the first event you choose, you're bound to run in to someone with a suggestion, a reminder about a different event that all of a sudden you're off in pursuit of. So setting a strict agenda will almost always set you up for disappointment. Be flexible!
~ So with that plan, I knew that I was hitting up the iconic Reading Terminal Market the refreshingly new Molly Malloy's in the back of the market. They've got a lot planned for PBW '12 and this breakfast with the Evil Genius guys was one of them. We got there early and maybe a quarter of the breakfasts were accompanied by beers, a ratio that I'd expect to only grow as the morning went along. It was also my first time meeting Trevor and Mark from the brewery -- only previously by emails -- and they quickly proved that they're the kind of guys you'll want to have a beer with during PBW and beyond. And, while the beer selection is good at Molly Molloy's, certainly do not overlook the food. The burrito and skillet breakfast specials were just the tasty base I needed to get the day started on the right foot.
~ Then it was up to Johnny Brenda's for a quick glass of cask-conditioned beer (my choice: the Citra Pale Ale from Free Will -- remember a worthy goal for PBW is to find new beers, new local breweries, and new bars) during the Firkin Riot! event. I left before the British Invasion hit the DJ's turntables, but from following tweets and whatnot, I gather that this event turned into quite the happening as the day went along.
~ I then took a siesta to return home for dog duty, grass cutting, writing/picture uploading, and other household chores before returning back to the city for round 2.
~ My trip through 30th Street Station allowed me to catch up on a Bridgewater's "event" (though, to be fair, I'm not entirely sure how much of an event it was, as opposed to putting a new-ish beer on tap) that I missed on Friday due to tight schedules. Staropramen Czech Lager was on tap and a well-made Lager from the Czech Republic could be a home run or.....Well, perhaps it was fortunate that I kicked this keg and got the last ounce of two since it was a bit too malty sweet tasting for my liking. Still, the keg was gone in less than 24 hours, so the beer must've at least garnered enough attention to get through it so quickly.
~ Back to my first point about the weather. Upon my second trip into the City, I decided to eat in to some of the beer event/drinking time by walking from 30th Street Station to Varga. Many of you will appreciate the distance. Some may not. Basically, by descending the steps to the banks of the Schuylkill River, walking along it for several blocks, then making the walk over to Spruce Street, and along Spruce to Varga (passing venerable beer spots like Monk's, Good Dog, Jose Pistola's, and Tria along the way -- could even throw a Fox & Hound in there if you wish, I suppose, since it is along Spruce Street and makes an attempt at serving the good stuff), I created an almost 2-mile walk that showcased the best of Philadelphia's attractive offerings: brownstone residentials; parks (people parks, dog parks, basketball/tennis, etc.); history; sweeping/stunning views; retail; landmarks; and on and on.
~ That leads me to a piece of advice that I've been passing along and tweet-ed out yesterday -- apologies to those many of you that don't give a rat's patooty about Twitter (or even Facebook, for that matter); it's game that many of us play if even we don't give the same rat's tush about it either -- in an effort to offset the caloric intake of many of these events (beer, food, stationary position, etc.), make a point to walk between as many destinations as possible. Sure, you may lose a few minutes here or there, but you'll be burning off some of those unnecessary calories plus you'll be giving yourself the benefit of seeing the City from a whole different perspective.
~ My walk gets me eventually to Varga Bar, where one of the very few recognizable faces (perhaps because he looms head and shoulders above most in the crowd) is the ever-busy (and award-winning) Casey Hughes from across the river at Flying Fish. Here I managed to allow my "schedule" to be thrown out the window as Varga's serious tap list and canned beer offerings paired with the block-weather-perfect weather made it a no-brainer to hang out here for a few hours. Until the Brothers Mashington showed up, that is.
~ My last stop for the second day in a row was a Sly Fox event, this one at Bar on Sansom Street, where sales guys Patrick Mullin and Corey Reid were hosting Team Peggy (the goat) and Simon too from their annual Goat Race and Bock Festival. Peggy Maibock (2012's winning maibock) was on tap for the people and straw and feed were available for the goats, turning Sansom Street into an unlikely farm setting. Quite the curiosity draw for passers-by for sure.
~ And, that's about where the exhaustion factor kicked in. Up at 5:30 a.m. Two train trips into the city and a bunch of healthy walking about was enough to turn me in early -- but not before, of course, dinner and a beer from my hometown local, TJ's, who can call any day of the year a beer event at their top notch suburban pub.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 4 Preview
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the fourth day, June 4.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ Dock Street's big bottles are immensely popular. They're having a release sale beginning at 3 p.m. and I wouldn't expect stock that includes Flemish Red, Super Saison, and Abbey Dubbel to last long.
~ The opposite of session beer night happens at Prohibition Taproom — unless you describe your session as 10%+ beers over two hours or less ;-)
~ Farmers' Cabinet is doing something called "Rare, Obscure, and Legendary beers" which pretty much fits their m.o. You probably don't have to guess very hard how geeky this night will be.
For the hungry
~ Khyber Pass Pub has one of the best pub/bar menus around and on this day they're hosting Uinta for lunch which should prove to be just the lunch that you'll be looking for.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ I don't know how wild and wacky it will get, but when the ladies Woods (Allagash) and Maguire (Ommegang/Duvel) get together for a joint event at Good Dog Bar, there's bound to be plenty of fun...and beer.
~ "Drunken tales of yore" at the Perch Pub with Yards Brewing Company? With audience participation? Oh, yeah, this one could get wacky.
~ Late Night with Joe Gunn at Jose Pistola's defines this category.
Possibly under the radar
~ I'm not sure what to make of the Bella Vista horseshoe tournament. On one hand, "the city's best distributor" (Philly Beer Scene 2012) describes it as being "chill" and "low key". So it could be a pretty quiet, under-the-radar type of event. On the other hand, it is Bella Vista after all, plus they promise to have some beer geek-y brewers from around the country playing in the tournament, giving the hardcore beer geek an easy chance to rub elbows and bend the ear of their favorite brewers.
~ Could an event that features Red Poppy, Schaerbeekse, Saison Darkly, and 15th Anniversary be considered under-the-radar? It's at SPTR's bottleshop Brew just down the street.
~ Italian beers have a somewhat-well-earned rep for being expensive. That may be true and while I don't know how they'll be priced at Alla Spina, this may be one of the larger gatherings of tasty Italian beers in the city to give you the opportunity to try.
Learn something
~ Have already plugged Khyber Pass Pub here, but what the heck, they fall into the "learning" category here as well when the Round Guys Brew Crew come to share their knowledge of sour beers as well as share some of their actual product and other commercial breweries too.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ I don't see The Brew Lounge filling up too much on Monday events. The ones that look most interesting that could fit my timeline are Bear Republic at Kite & Key, 50/50 at Hawthornes, and Goose Island at City Tap House.
And, with that, the hardest day of PBW '12 will be in the books. If you're not taking time off from work (speaking for myself as well), you'll need a gameplan, stamina, and wise choices to get you through 'til the next weekend. Philly Beer Week, It's On!
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the fourth day, June 4.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ Dock Street's big bottles are immensely popular. They're having a release sale beginning at 3 p.m. and I wouldn't expect stock that includes Flemish Red, Super Saison, and Abbey Dubbel to last long.
~ The opposite of session beer night happens at Prohibition Taproom — unless you describe your session as 10%+ beers over two hours or less ;-)
~ Farmers' Cabinet is doing something called "Rare, Obscure, and Legendary beers" which pretty much fits their m.o. You probably don't have to guess very hard how geeky this night will be.
For the hungry
~ Khyber Pass Pub has one of the best pub/bar menus around and on this day they're hosting Uinta for lunch which should prove to be just the lunch that you'll be looking for.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ I don't know how wild and wacky it will get, but when the ladies Woods (Allagash) and Maguire (Ommegang/Duvel) get together for a joint event at Good Dog Bar, there's bound to be plenty of fun...and beer.
~ "Drunken tales of yore" at the Perch Pub with Yards Brewing Company? With audience participation? Oh, yeah, this one could get wacky.
~ Late Night with Joe Gunn at Jose Pistola's defines this category.
Possibly under the radar
~ I'm not sure what to make of the Bella Vista horseshoe tournament. On one hand, "the city's best distributor" (Philly Beer Scene 2012) describes it as being "chill" and "low key". So it could be a pretty quiet, under-the-radar type of event. On the other hand, it is Bella Vista after all, plus they promise to have some beer geek-y brewers from around the country playing in the tournament, giving the hardcore beer geek an easy chance to rub elbows and bend the ear of their favorite brewers.
~ Could an event that features Red Poppy, Schaerbeekse, Saison Darkly, and 15th Anniversary be considered under-the-radar? It's at SPTR's bottleshop Brew just down the street.
~ Italian beers have a somewhat-well-earned rep for being expensive. That may be true and while I don't know how they'll be priced at Alla Spina, this may be one of the larger gatherings of tasty Italian beers in the city to give you the opportunity to try.
Learn something
~ Have already plugged Khyber Pass Pub here, but what the heck, they fall into the "learning" category here as well when the Round Guys Brew Crew come to share their knowledge of sour beers as well as share some of their actual product and other commercial breweries too.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ I don't see The Brew Lounge filling up too much on Monday events. The ones that look most interesting that could fit my timeline are Bear Republic at Kite & Key, 50/50 at Hawthornes, and Goose Island at City Tap House.
And, with that, the hardest day of PBW '12 will be in the books. If you're not taking time off from work (speaking for myself as well), you'll need a gameplan, stamina, and wise choices to get you through 'til the next weekend. Philly Beer Week, It's On!
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 1 Wrap-Up
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
-->Look ahead to a Day 2 preview
-->A link to Day 2 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the first day, June 1, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts and meanderings. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 1 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
And, then, some notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Coming from the western suburbs, Amtrak is always my first option for getting into the city. For many reasons I've stated before, it's an all-around more pleasant, and faster, experience. If SEPTA got involved again with the special, discounted passes like they did a couple of years ago, that may change my mind on some days, but on this Day 1, it was Amtrak to the Broad Street subway.
~ Getting off at Ellsworth/Federal and then walking 4 blocks east to 18th Street, I find myself at the new American Sardine (sister establishment to South Philadelphia Tap Room) in the Point Breeze neighborhood where Scott Schroeder is serving up platefuls of wonderful cheese, including the incomparable Humboldt Fog.
~ Megan Maguire from Ommegang/Duvel USA is doing her energetic thing with a half dozen or so Ommegang beers including Witte, Hennepin, Gnomegang, Art of Darkness, Seduction. What a great way to start the evening.
~ For as "interesting" of a neighborhood as ASB is in, the ambiance is relaxing, the service attentive, and the food and beer varied enough to please many. I'll return for sure. (Plus, for sports fans heading to the south Philly complex, this is a pretty easy stop off the subway line on your way to/from games.)
~ Clouds are rolling in and winds are whipping up, so I make for a block north and seven east to Devil's Den, where the joint is packed with people searching out some new, rare, and otherwise interesting brews on the always-solid beer list at Devil's Den.
~ While I made new friends at ABS, at Devil's Den is where I began to run into numerous friends, both old and new. Case in point, Rich, a friend from college days was there with other beer-loving friends. And, Jordan Fetfatzes from Bella Vista was working as this was actually a "Bella Vista Bash" event. Many great beers. The Funky Buddha brewery (from Boca Raton, of all places!) is new in town and taking it by storm judging by how quickly the very tasty Cranberry Berliner Weisse kicked. Bella Vista Beverage is getting Funky Buddha around town quite a bit during PBW, so be sure to track them down.
~ At this point, the tarp was being taken off the field at the Phillies game, I was between beers, and frankly too hot to stay inside at Devil's Den. So I wandered off to check out Ms. Maguire once again, this time at P.O.P.E (Pub on Passyunk East) to see what this "world's smallest toast" with La Chouffe was all about.
~ Another hot and steamy and crowded place, so I stayed for one La Chouffe. Chatted with Megan a bit more. Got to know Ben Brown from Anchor Brewing (mid-Atlantic rep). And noted why there's little doubt that P.O.P.E. is certainly a top 10, if not a top 5 pub experience in Philadelphia. Period.
~ Made my way north and before catching a cab made an impulse pit stop for my first Pat's Steaks in over five years. Hasn't changed. And, I for one, am perfectly fine with that.
~ Cab deposits me at Fergie's where I had time for a half set from the John Train Band that was rocking out the beats to the beers of Sly Fox. Corey Reid was holding down the fort until Patrick Mullin, and perhaps others, from Sly Fox were due to show up.
~ With a very early morning Saturday looming, the prudent thing was to catch the 10:59 p.m. train westward. But that last Saison Vos hit the perfect spot.
~ What did I learn from my 2012 approach to PBW? That even while the main event, Opening Tap, is taking place with its many hundreds of attendees, there are still many great places to hang out around town with awesome people doing great things with wonderful beers. Isn't that what we say makes the Philly beer scene so great?
-->Look ahead to a Day 2 preview
-->A link to Day 2 highlights
The beauty of doing a Philly Beer Week wrap-up is that there's almost no way in which I, or anyone else, can be wrong in my assessment. After all, with an average of 80 or so "events" a day (and let's be honest, after five years, there are still quite a few questionable "events" on the calendar, but let's move along), no one will or can see it all to render an opinion on how the whole of the day went down.
So, instead, here is my account of the first day, June 1, of Philly Beer Week 2012 based upon my whereabouts and meanderings. To the extent that I have credible second- or third-hand accounts of the day, I'll be including them in each day's wrap-up as well.
First, a link here to my pictures from day 1 of Philly Beer Week 2012.
And, then, some notes in no particular order other than perhaps chronologically.
~ Coming from the western suburbs, Amtrak is always my first option for getting into the city. For many reasons I've stated before, it's an all-around more pleasant, and faster, experience. If SEPTA got involved again with the special, discounted passes like they did a couple of years ago, that may change my mind on some days, but on this Day 1, it was Amtrak to the Broad Street subway.
~ Getting off at Ellsworth/Federal and then walking 4 blocks east to 18th Street, I find myself at the new American Sardine (sister establishment to South Philadelphia Tap Room) in the Point Breeze neighborhood where Scott Schroeder is serving up platefuls of wonderful cheese, including the incomparable Humboldt Fog.
~ Megan Maguire from Ommegang/Duvel USA is doing her energetic thing with a half dozen or so Ommegang beers including Witte, Hennepin, Gnomegang, Art of Darkness, Seduction. What a great way to start the evening.
~ For as "interesting" of a neighborhood as ASB is in, the ambiance is relaxing, the service attentive, and the food and beer varied enough to please many. I'll return for sure. (Plus, for sports fans heading to the south Philly complex, this is a pretty easy stop off the subway line on your way to/from games.)
~ Clouds are rolling in and winds are whipping up, so I make for a block north and seven east to Devil's Den, where the joint is packed with people searching out some new, rare, and otherwise interesting brews on the always-solid beer list at Devil's Den.
~ While I made new friends at ABS, at Devil's Den is where I began to run into numerous friends, both old and new. Case in point, Rich, a friend from college days was there with other beer-loving friends. And, Jordan Fetfatzes from Bella Vista was working as this was actually a "Bella Vista Bash" event. Many great beers. The Funky Buddha brewery (from Boca Raton, of all places!) is new in town and taking it by storm judging by how quickly the very tasty Cranberry Berliner Weisse kicked. Bella Vista Beverage is getting Funky Buddha around town quite a bit during PBW, so be sure to track them down.
~ At this point, the tarp was being taken off the field at the Phillies game, I was between beers, and frankly too hot to stay inside at Devil's Den. So I wandered off to check out Ms. Maguire once again, this time at P.O.P.E (Pub on Passyunk East) to see what this "world's smallest toast" with La Chouffe was all about.
~ Another hot and steamy and crowded place, so I stayed for one La Chouffe. Chatted with Megan a bit more. Got to know Ben Brown from Anchor Brewing (mid-Atlantic rep). And noted why there's little doubt that P.O.P.E. is certainly a top 10, if not a top 5 pub experience in Philadelphia. Period.
~ Made my way north and before catching a cab made an impulse pit stop for my first Pat's Steaks in over five years. Hasn't changed. And, I for one, am perfectly fine with that.
~ Cab deposits me at Fergie's where I had time for a half set from the John Train Band that was rocking out the beats to the beers of Sly Fox. Corey Reid was holding down the fort until Patrick Mullin, and perhaps others, from Sly Fox were due to show up.
~ With a very early morning Saturday looming, the prudent thing was to catch the 10:59 p.m. train westward. But that last Saison Vos hit the perfect spot.
~ What did I learn from my 2012 approach to PBW? That even while the main event, Opening Tap, is taking place with its many hundreds of attendees, there are still many great places to hang out around town with awesome people doing great things with wonderful beers. Isn't that what we say makes the Philly beer scene so great?
Friday, June 01, 2012
Philly Beer Week 2012: Day 3 Preview
-->A link to the Philly Beer Week Index
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the third day, June 3.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ Where the geeks are today? Well, Capone's near Norristown, for starters, I'm sure. 50/50's Todd Ashman will be there as well as several of his highly sought after beers. If you miss him in the 'burbs, be sure to catch him later in the afternoon at the new Trestle Inn.
~ Bell's 9000 at The Boilermaker (Farmers' Cabinet's latest venture) is sure to draw a crowd as well.
~ I'd be surprised if De Molen, from the Netherlands, doesn't draw a packed house as well at The Belgian Café. It should.
For the hungry
~ Iron Hill is getting together with Good Dog Bar again this year (last year's version was awesome) for a Sunday night dinner.
~ Here comes another recommendation for a.kitchen, just off Rittenhouse Square. This time it's a Sunday brunch with Weyerbacher.
~ I like For Pete's Sake Pub, south of South Street and in the shadows of I-95. They're doing a fine-looking brunch with some interesting beers from Sam Adams that look worth checking out.
~ Speaking of "south of south street", Kennett Restaurant is hosting an Allagash brunch.
~ Score another one for the 'burbs, where The Drafting Room is doing a Russian River brunch.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Varga's After Dark party (with Left Hand Brewing) and P.O.P.E.'s Breaking Bad-themed quizzo with Johnny Goodtimes is about as wacky as I can seem to dig up for this Sunday's to-do list.
Possibly under the radar
~ Session beers. Do you love 'em? Do you think it's a fad? Do you care? Most people are hip to the notion that it takes a high level of talent to make a high-quality, flavorful, low-alcohol beer. Perch Pub is having a Session Beer Tap Takeover and featuring a collaborative beer done with Old Forge Brewing.
~ Talking session beers probably have you thinking about the big guy, Lew Bryson. Well he and fellow writer Jack Curtin went off (individually) to Tröegs in Hershey, Pa. to brew their own Scratch beers. Standard Tap is hosting the "showdown" where the best will be determined.
~ I might not typically recommend Fox & Hound, but with the lineup of cask-conditioned beer that they're advertising, it might be the right day to check it out.
Learn something
~ Learning how to make your own sour beer is on the agenda at Keystone Homebrew in Montgomeryville.
~ A beer chemist is coming to The Grey Lodge. Looks like an event that aspiring brewers should attend without question.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ Starting off on E. Passyunk Ave. seems like as good of a place as any to begin. Lots of local brews, particularly newer ones like Round Guys, Evil Genius, Prism, Brewvolution, etc. will be found amongst the fine bar scene that this side of Broad Street has seen develop over the past several years.
~ Walking north should probably take me to Tapestry, where they'll be serving up 20 or more saisons.
~ And then Woody's. Why not? Not that there's anything wrong with that. Heather and Charlie, from The Institute, have been involved here with the beer program for over a year and, in addition to a "cuban-inspired" brunch, there'll be beers from St. Somewhere, Cigar City, and the new Funky Buddha.
~ Maybe, then, my first visit to The Boilermaker for a bit of Bell's. After that, probably gonna call it a weekend and work on a plan for attacking five weekdays worth of PBW events.
If you survive the weekend, congratulations. You'll need to be even stronger for the next five days of Philly Beer Week!
At least a day prior to each day of Philly Beer Week 2012, I'll be posting up a small look into what to expect both in terms of the day's calendar of events as well as key/significant/interesting events as well as where you might likely spot me during the day and/or night.
Here's a look into the third day, June 3.
For the ravenous beer geeks
~ Where the geeks are today? Well, Capone's near Norristown, for starters, I'm sure. 50/50's Todd Ashman will be there as well as several of his highly sought after beers. If you miss him in the 'burbs, be sure to catch him later in the afternoon at the new Trestle Inn.
~ Bell's 9000 at The Boilermaker (Farmers' Cabinet's latest venture) is sure to draw a crowd as well.
~ I'd be surprised if De Molen, from the Netherlands, doesn't draw a packed house as well at The Belgian Café. It should.
For the hungry
~ Iron Hill is getting together with Good Dog Bar again this year (last year's version was awesome) for a Sunday night dinner.
~ Here comes another recommendation for a.kitchen, just off Rittenhouse Square. This time it's a Sunday brunch with Weyerbacher.
~ I like For Pete's Sake Pub, south of South Street and in the shadows of I-95. They're doing a fine-looking brunch with some interesting beers from Sam Adams that look worth checking out.
~ Speaking of "south of south street", Kennett Restaurant is hosting an Allagash brunch.
~ Score another one for the 'burbs, where The Drafting Room is doing a Russian River brunch.
For the wild and wacky and downright different
~ Varga's After Dark party (with Left Hand Brewing) and P.O.P.E.'s Breaking Bad-themed quizzo with Johnny Goodtimes is about as wacky as I can seem to dig up for this Sunday's to-do list.
Possibly under the radar
~ Session beers. Do you love 'em? Do you think it's a fad? Do you care? Most people are hip to the notion that it takes a high level of talent to make a high-quality, flavorful, low-alcohol beer. Perch Pub is having a Session Beer Tap Takeover and featuring a collaborative beer done with Old Forge Brewing.
~ Talking session beers probably have you thinking about the big guy, Lew Bryson. Well he and fellow writer Jack Curtin went off (individually) to Tröegs in Hershey, Pa. to brew their own Scratch beers. Standard Tap is hosting the "showdown" where the best will be determined.
~ I might not typically recommend Fox & Hound, but with the lineup of cask-conditioned beer that they're advertising, it might be the right day to check it out.
Learn something
~ Learning how to make your own sour beer is on the agenda at Keystone Homebrew in Montgomeryville.
~ A beer chemist is coming to The Grey Lodge. Looks like an event that aspiring brewers should attend without question.
And for The Brew Lounge
~ Starting off on E. Passyunk Ave. seems like as good of a place as any to begin. Lots of local brews, particularly newer ones like Round Guys, Evil Genius, Prism, Brewvolution, etc. will be found amongst the fine bar scene that this side of Broad Street has seen develop over the past several years.
~ Walking north should probably take me to Tapestry, where they'll be serving up 20 or more saisons.
~ And then Woody's. Why not? Not that there's anything wrong with that. Heather and Charlie, from The Institute, have been involved here with the beer program for over a year and, in addition to a "cuban-inspired" brunch, there'll be beers from St. Somewhere, Cigar City, and the new Funky Buddha.
~ Maybe, then, my first visit to The Boilermaker for a bit of Bell's. After that, probably gonna call it a weekend and work on a plan for attacking five weekdays worth of PBW events.
If you survive the weekend, congratulations. You'll need to be even stronger for the next five days of Philly Beer Week!
2 writers, 1 brewhouse, 2 taps at Standard Tap
Hey, not my words. That's how Tröegs describes it on their webpage.
Proving once again that the Philly beer landscape is rich enough to include writers amongst the brewers, importers, and pubs, distinguished beer writers Lew Bryson and Jack Curtin each brewed a beer at Tröegs under the long-running Scratch Series umbrella.
Their beers, along with a bevy of other beers from Tröegs will be on tap this Sunday, June 3 at Standard Tap for your decision of whose Scratch beer is better: Lew's Zwickel Licker or Jack's Biere de Grouch. Both are clever names, and based on branding alone, I'd probably give a point to Curtin's.
But, we should taste them on Sunday for the ultimate decision.
Head on over to Curtin's site to check out the fun videos that were made.
~ Link to Part 1
~ Link to Part 2
Proving once again that the Philly beer landscape is rich enough to include writers amongst the brewers, importers, and pubs, distinguished beer writers Lew Bryson and Jack Curtin each brewed a beer at Tröegs under the long-running Scratch Series umbrella.
Their beers, along with a bevy of other beers from Tröegs will be on tap this Sunday, June 3 at Standard Tap for your decision of whose Scratch beer is better: Lew's Zwickel Licker or Jack's Biere de Grouch. Both are clever names, and based on branding alone, I'd probably give a point to Curtin's.
But, we should taste them on Sunday for the ultimate decision.
Head on over to Curtin's site to check out the fun videos that were made.
~ Link to Part 1
~ Link to Part 2
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