Panthers out, Villanova Final 4

OUCH!!! My Pitt Panthers just lost a heartbreaker to Villanova. I'm sure I'll get an earful tomorrow. I also get to scrap just about every bracket I still have. My only cosulation is my second favorite team moves on and the Big East is all that.

GO NOVA!!!

Winning Big, Drinking Small: Anchor Small Beer

While Villanova was burying Duke I decided to break away from my usual high hopped beers and take in something more on the session side. At the beginning of the year I stated that I would broaden my horizons and give more styles that fall under session beers a real chance. I know that some have been preaching low abv for awhile but I've had a hard time putting down my big flavorful sometimes extreme beers.

Earlier in the evening while at Bishop's Collar watching Pitt survive Xavier I had a Russian River Consecration and a Bells Hop Slam. Knowing I had to still drive back to the burbs for the second half of Nova/Duke that was it for the high octane. Once out of the city and comfortably on a bar stool at Brother Paul's I scanned the draft lineup for something less potent. Anchor Small seemed to be the perfect choice.

The Anchor Small is described as a second run on Anchor's Old Foghorn mash.

We make our Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale from the rich first runnings of an all-malt mash, and Anchor Small Beer is our attempt to duplicate the "small beers" of old by sparging that same mash: sprinkling warm water over the Old Foghorn mash after the first wort has run off, thereby creating a second, lighter brew from the resulting thinner wort. Technically, both beers are "ales" because they are made with top-fermenting yeast

The first thing I noticed about this 3.3% beer was the color. I don't know if I was expecting a macro pale yellow but I was pleasantly surprised to see a deep golden beer with a decent head. There wasn't much of an aroma but some sweet malt did come through. For me that was the good side. When it came to taste this beer took an odd path. I couldn't place it at first then after a few more sips I realized what it was, tea. It was actually a combination of light breakfast tea and a biscuit malt taste. Not at all what I was expecting. From there the flavor headed to a sharp bitter somewhat astringent end. Overall the beer had a watered down quality, however the big hop bitterness did provide some character. This was my first small beer so I'm not sure how Anchor's stacks up against others. I just hope other versions of the style offer a better taste profile. I've had several of Anchor's beers, most recently while in San Francisco on their brewery tour, and enjoyed most of what they offered. The Small Beer wasn't available then. Now that I've had a chance to experience a pint I know it's not what I am looking for when it comes to a low abv beer.

So far in my quest to find a craft session beer I really enjoy: Nodding Head's Ich bin ein Berliner Weisse (3.5%), PBC's Kenzinger (4.5%), General Lafayette's Lafayette's Escape (1.9%) and Three Floyd's Gumballhead (4.8%) are all favorites. I do love my big beers but will continue to make it a point to sample session drafts. After all who could go through life only drinking DIPA, Imperial Stouts and Barrel Aged beers? Hmmmm, probably me.

Futbol and Beer!!! Not Football and Beer: Iron Abbey

Horsham gets a new pub and it's heavy on futbol and great beer. The Iron Abbey, located at 680 North Easton Road, is scheduled for a soft opening on Friday March 27th (invitation) and a grand opening on April 3rd.

Soccer fan rejoice you will have the opportunity to watch the best players in the world and select from over 200 beers with 24 on draft.

We will be showing all live English, Scottish, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish games along with the Champions League/World Cup Qualifiers etc. We are also very excited about the new Philadelphia soccer team and wish them much success!

More futbol info here.

It will be interesting to see what kind of soccer crowd they get. After all the World Champion Phillies are getting ready to start their season, the Flyers are headed to the playoffs and the cries of E-A -G-L-E-S...Eagles aren't that far off. Something tells me that soccer may end up taking the back seat in its own bar.

Im Feelin' Younger

I haven't been one of the lucky ones who has had the chance to taste the latest batch of liquid gold sent from Russian River. Just like Pliny the Elder, the rare Pliny the Younger has taken Philadelphia by storm and hop fanatics, BAers and craft beer lusters have gone to tracking down and consuming the Imperial Ale as soon as it pours. Pliny the Younger, Pliny the Elder, Consecration and other Russian River favorites are so sought after that most places putting them on draft make sure to spread the word, turning their tappings into events. Events, of late, that I've unfortunately missed

During the final Sunday of Philly Beer Week a brunch at Local 44 was a Russian River love fest. Pliny the Elder and Younger, Blind Pig IPA, Consecration, Damnation, and Salvation were all scheduled to pour. I was in Pittsburgh. Somehow I also managed let Younger sneak by at Memphis Taproom. It happened again last Saturday when TJ's got it's R.R. groove on along with some KBS from Founders. I spent the afternoon working. However at least I was able to catch some details about the day here. I am sure there are a couple more places I am forgetting but it's obvious I've dropped the ball more than once. Now with the weekend fast approaching I have my eyes set on Capone's for a bit of Younger on a Sunday morning. I won't miss it this time. I do have to admit that I am probably more interested in the Consecration (very appropriate for a Sunday) than the Younger. My sour urge is still dominating my hop side and I can't seem to get off the barrel aged beer high. Truly I'm just glad to have another chance at both.

So is it worth all the searching, running around and hop hype. Sure, Younger is a great beer. Is it the end all, be all of hops, water, malt and yeast? Probably not, there are just too many great beers of various styles for me to say one is the best (that also goes for Westy 12). Is Vinnie Cilurzo a brewing rock star? Yeah, who in the Brett Pack isn't? Will I get out of bed early Sunday, jump in the car, drive to Capone's and wait for Matt to open the doors? You know it. Don't laugh I know some of you will be right there with me in the parking lot, frothing at the mouth and staring at your watch until it's go time. Just embrace the hype and enjoy it along with the beer.

Capone's

Next Draft Beer promo: Will be Sunday March 29th. Open at 10am. Beers will be Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger, Consecration & more !

Devil's Den

1 Year Late Grand Opening. April 1st, 7:00pm. Pliny the Younger plus beers from Dogfish, Founders, Boulder and others.

Teresa's Next Door

Russian River Brunch. 6 R.R. on draft Blind Pig, Pliny Younger and Elder, Consecration, Damnation and Salvation. 11am April 5th.

Union Jacks on the Manatawny

Easter Hopfest April 11th, 1:00pm Younger and Elder plus about 13 other hop heavy beers.

Drafting Room

Hop Fest 5, April 25th, 12pm, Exton. Russian River is on the list. Younger, Elder or other ???

Johnny Cask Has Entered the Building

No Cask Kevin doesn't have competition but here is a beer he may want to try. Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA is debuting Thursday (3/26/09) at 7:50pm during a live "Simul-Cask" (get it) event at select locations in NY, Philly, Boston and Rehoboth Beach. The beer is a blend of 60 and 90 Minute IPAs with a whole leaf cascade dry-hopping session. After hopping the beer is then placed in firkins with fresh yeast and maple syrup. Mmmmmm sounds like the makings of a nice breakfast beer. Pancakes and a pint anyone? More here.

Philly

Standard Tap 901 N. 2nd Street (2nd & Poplar)
Monk's Belgian Cafe (our Philly chica Wendy will be here) 264 S. 16th Street (16th & Spruce)
Memphis Taproom 2331 E. Cumberland Street
Devil's Den 1148 S. 11th Street
Grey Lodge Pub 6235 Frankford Avenue

Boston

Deep Ellum 477 Cambridge StAllston, MA
British Beer Company 6 Middle St.Plymouth, MA
Sierra Grill 41 StrongNorthampton, MA
The Ale House 37 Friend St. Amesbury, MA
The Dive Bar 34 Green St Worcester, MA
Red Bones 55 Chester St.Somerville, MA 02144

NYC

Barcade (Dogfish's Sam Calagione will be in the house!) 388 Union Avenue BrooklynNY 11211
Blind Tiger 281 Bleecker StreetNew York, NY 10014
Lazy Boy Saloon 154 Mamaroneck Avenue White Plains, NY 10601
East Village Tavern 158 Avenue C New York, NY 10009

Downtown Bar & Grill 160 Courts Street Brooklyn, NY 11201

and Dogfish Head Brew Pub Rehoboth Beach, DE

Craft Beer Radio @ Philly Beer Week 09

Jeff Bearer of Craft Beer Radio made his way from Pittsburgh to take in all that was Philly Beer Week o9. In his travels he interviewed a couple beer folk from the area and recorded several events. Click below and check it out at Craft Beer Radio.

CBR Interviews
CBR Interview with Joel Armato (New Holland Brewing)
CBR Interview with Joe Gunn & Casey Parker (Jose Pistolas)
CBR Interview with Tom Peters (Monk's Cafe)

CBR Events Covered
The Session Beer Project with Lew Bryson
The Brewers Plate
Anchor Brewing Dinner
Patrick Jones Triumph Brewing and Drexel Culinary Class

Finally Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh!!!

If the Hofbräuhaus can have delays in opening their doors I can have delays in getting the info out. I spent the last 5 days in Pittsburgh, caught the soft opening (grand opening is planned for April 29) of the Hofbrauhaus and then had a small computer glitch that prevented me from getting this post up. Now I am back in Philly, the problems are solved and the pictures and video are here.

Miami, Vegas and Newport have theirs now it's Pittsburgh's chance to show its dirndl and lederhosen. Hofbräuhaus has opened its doors to a huge facility on the South Side. The sounds of clinking liters, Bavarian songs and the whine of the German accordion all filled the grand hall as people celebrated with true German spirit. For a second you could almost believe you were in Munich. The amazing 400 plus capacity grand hall with its stage, three sided bar and heavy wooden tables and benches placed end to end is only part of the new facility. A smaller quieter main dining room is at the front of the building and in back is a still under construction 600 person beer garden. My seat for most of the afternoon was at the well serviced bar in the shadows of two huge gorgeous gleaming copper brewing kettles. To get the full flavor of Germany I ordered 3 of the 4 main beers on draft and the Hofbräuhaus Würstlteller.

The main house beers (liter $7.75, 1/2 liter $4.50) were all on: Premium Lager 5.2 %, Hef Weizen 5.4 %, Light 3.8% and Dunkel 5.5%. A bartender said that the first seasonal, a Maibock 7.2%, would be on in April. I skipped the Light, quickly tossed back a Lager and thoroughly enjoyed the Dunkel and Hef Weizen. The Dunkel was by far the stand out for me. The bready aroma, sweet malty taste with hints of chocolate and caramel all made for a seriously too easy to drink beer. If I didn't have to drive I would of man upped and gone for a full liter. The Würstlteller ($13.49), a sampling of grilled sausages, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut came out only minutes after ordering. The mettwurst, bierwurst, and bratwurst were perfectly cooked, snapped when pierced with a fork, were juicy and well spiced. The only downside was the sauerkraut lacked any cabbage crunch and was heavy on the salt. I certainly wont slam them on the first day for having a slightly off plate. My guess is the food will improve with time. I'll hold real judgement after they have been up and running for awhile.

The Hofbrau experience was a good one. There is a line between an authentic German restaurant and the Disney version. Never having been to Germany my guess is even though Hofbräuhaus has its roots in Munich it still knows how to market the right aspects of the German experience to an American audience. The atmosphere may seem a bit canned but it's all in good fun. With Max's Allegheny Tavern (537 Suismon St 412-231-1899), Penn Brewery (now that they have a lease) and the addition of the Hofbräuhaus, finding good German food and beer in Pittsburgh is easier than ever. Prost!!!

Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh is Open!!!

Yes it is St. Patrick's Day and I am wearin' the green but I still have thoughts of the opening day of the Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh on my mind. Yesterday, after numerous delays, the new location on the shore of the Monongahela river on the South Side had its soft opening . I spent a majority of the afternoon, on a bar stool in the beer hall, taking in the German festivities, along with some very tasty wurst and a beer or two. My hopes were to share a bit of the experience however a small technical problem is going to delay the posting of pictures and video. I am still in Pittsburgh but hope to have the problem solved in a day or so.

Philly Smoking Ban Lifted: Smoke 'Em if You've Got 'Em

You'll get tossed for lighting up in most Philly bars however today at Yards Brewery, starting at 11am and running until around 6pm, smoke is the rule for Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em. Over 20 smoked beers from the US and Germany, local Bar-B-Q, cigars from Holt's, an amateur Bar-B-Q contest and hot jazz all take over the brewery for this one of a kind event. $15 gets you a glass, food and your first beer, then the rest is up to you. Any gathering that includes great beer and lots of meat over flame is a place I can call home. Time to release the inner carnivore.

Participating Breweries:
Yards Brewing Co.
Triumph Brewing Co.
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Sly Fox Brewing Co.
Stoudt's Brewing Co.
Allentown/Bethlehem Brew Works
Roy Pitz Brewing Co.
Stewart's Brewing Co.
Flying Dog Brewing Co.
Stone Brewing Co.
Oskar Blues Brewery
New Holland Brewing Co.
Left Hand Brewing
Spezial
Aecht Schlenkerla

Me a Beer Geek? Blame it on the Ops.

Philly Beer Week can bring the true inner geek out in any craft beer lover. It happened to me last night. After spending the early part of the evening at The Grey Lodge enjoying some fantastic beer from Voodoo Brewing and Dark Horse (I need more Double Crooked Tree) I met up with friends at Tria Cafe at 18th & Sansom. My friend Ed asked me to trust his beer choosing abilities, which I did, and soon I was sharing a bottle of Brooklyn Black Ops. Bourbon aged beers are my weakness and this on did not disappoint.

The Black Ops is a Russian Imperial Stout aged for 4 month in bourbon barrels and fermented with champagne yeast. The pour was jet black with a two finger deep tan head. Hints of bourbon worked through the upfront aroma of chocolate and roasted coffee. Although on the boozy side the bourbon stayed subtle and never took over. Oak, some dark fruit and vanilla all started to appear as the beer warmed. Since I wasn't at home, kicked back in my leather chair by a fire I was glad to be sharing this bottle. I highly recommended you get to Tria before it's gone.

My geek moment of the night happened after my last sip of Ops. The power of the bourbon aged treat moved me to convince Kelleigh to drive over to the London Grill so I could shake hands with Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewing. My guess is the 11% was part of the motivation. Of course I wasn't the only one waiting to bend Garrett's ear with questions about food and beer pairings. However I may of been the only one to take an empty bottle of Black Ops from Tria, bring it to London Grill and have him sign it. This beer geek has no shame?

Happy Happy Joy Joy: Beer Week Begins

Finally it's here, Philly Beer Week. We all have our list of can't miss events and know which beers and brewers will be where and when. Make sure to grab a copy of Philadelphia Weekly if you want to put all the beer info that's fit to print in your ale soaked hands. The way-to-handy pull out covers the massive swirl of activity over the next 10 days. Just try not to hurt yourselves. Remember it's that old marathon not a sprint thing. Cheers!!!

This pretty much sums up how I feel this morning!!!

Now for Something Really Different

In the jumble of Meet the Brewer nights, beer and food pairings, bar crawls, keep the glass events and hop centric gatherings, Philly Beer Week will offer up some truly unique events that may cause you to raise an eyebrow. This year it looks like beer has been combined with numerous activities to give us all an opportunity to consume our favorite fermented beverage in new ways and under various conditions. Here are a few of the unique offerings.

Beer Workout

Beer and exercise don't always go hand in hand but this year there are some activities that will get your heart pumping and put a bit of sweat in your pint. Yum!!

Dock Street & BrewLounge Scavenger Run
Sat 03/07/09
10:00am
The 5 mile hunt starts at the brewery and ends with a free buffet for the racers. Prizes will be awarded.

Le Philly Tour de Brew
Sat 03/07/09
10:00am
A challenging 60 mile ride with brewery stops. Roll out from Yards and cruise to General Lafayette Inn & Brewery, Iron Hill Brewery N. Wales, Manayunk Brewery and finish at Yards.

Run and Drink w/Adam Avery & Brian O'Reilly
Mon 03/09/09
3:00pm
5K Run through Fairmount Park with the brewers and a pint or two back at Bishop's Collar.

The Brewery Bike Ride
Sat 03/14/09
11:00am, PAYG
A casual ride and some cool brews. 5 Brewery stops: Nodding Head (start), Dock Street, Yards, Phila Brewing Company, Triumph.

Food & Brew

The two work even better together when you toss in an interesting twist.

Lew Bryson's Wheat Beer Breakfast of Champions @ The Grey Lodge Pub
Sat 03/07/09
9:00am, PAYG
"Pitch the juice and give me the good stuff" A bunch of wheat beer, a full breakfast menu and Lew.

Ladies Beer Tea @ The Belgian Cafe
Sat 03/07/09
2:30pm, $30
Sweet treats and little sandwiches accompanied by great beer. No dudes allowed.

Polish Pigout w/Yards Brewing @ Bridgid's
Sat 03/07/09
9:00pm, PAYG
Join Tom and the gang from Yards. Drink Grodziski Smoked Wheat and take on the challenge of a Kielbasa eating contest. Meat good!!!

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em @ Yards Brewery
Fri 03/13/09
11:00-6 or 7pm, $15
20 plus smoked beers from the USA & Germany, great local Barbecue, music, cigars and more. More meat, more good!!!

Meet the Brewers: Roy Pitz & Scotch Egg Eating Contest @ The Whip Tavern
Sat 03/14/09
2:00pm, $25 contest fee
Meet Ryan and Jesse, eat Scotch Eggs and have a chance to win $250 in cash. What's a Scotch Egg?

A Song and Dance with My Beer

Sure drinking is entertaining enough but why not add a bouncy tune to kick it up a notch.

New Holland's Burlesque Show @ P.O.P.E.
Sat 03/07/09
11:00pm, PAYG
Live show and New Holland beers on draft.

Left Hand Rock Band Tournament @ P.O.P.E.
Sun 03/08/09
9:00pm, PAYG
Rock the game, drink a bunch of Left Hand Brewing's best and have a chance at some cool prizes. Thank you Philly!!! We love you!!! Good Night!!!

Brother Thelonious Late Night Jam @ Time
Tues 03/10/09
10:00pm, PAYG
Enjoy Brother Thelonius Belgian Style Abbey and a bit of jazz. This is an open jam session. Help support the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz.

Weed Ales & Phish Phans Gathering @ TJ's
Sat 03/14/09
12:00pm, PAYG
Hang with other Phish Phans and partake in beer with a certain green theme.

This is just a partial list of some of the incredible happenings in the upcoming week. For more details click here.

Sooo Close: Philly Beer Week 09

On this day after our big late winter smack down the thought of beer runs rampant through my mind. We are only a few days away from the start of Philly Beer Week and I am still coming to grips with the fact that I can't get to every event I want to attend. With the sheer number of activities nobody can. I've been marking the calender and clinching my fist every time I put a huge star next to a must attend event only to find another activity happening at the same time. With that said I certainly wouldn't want fewer events. Having the opportunity to choose from hundreds of amazing gatherings over the 10 day period is what makes it all so great.

The big change for me this year will be a wider focus on the burbs. Sure I'll trek into the city, but the beauty of the situation is there are some great listings for places in the land of 24 hour supermarkets and cookie cutter restaurants. So in my better late than never countdown to the best beer week ever I'll post some of the stirrings in the burbs along with unique events around the city.

There is no place better to start than close to home, very close: Capone's in Norristown and Brother Paul's in Eagleville. Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows Capone's is always on my beer trail. On the other hand I am looking to get a bit more familiar with Brother Paul's in the upcoming week.

CAPONE'S

224 W Germantown Pike Norristown, Pa 19401

03/06/09
Meet the Brewer: Fred Karms of Hoppin' Frog
Bottles and drafts of Hoppin' Frog starting at 11 am with Fred in the house at 6pm?

03/08/09
Meet the Brewer: Patrick Rue of The Bruery
Come out to enjoy the beers of one of the west coast's best Belgian Style brewers. Complimentary samples 10:30am-1:30pm.

03/09/09
Meet The Brewer: Spencer Niebuhr of Southampton Publick House
Talk to the brewer and drink the beers from this solid Long Island brewery. Tap time is noon, PAYG.

03/10/09
Meet the Brewery Rep: Oskar Blues
Archie from Oskar Blues will have 11 drafts pouring with some limited barrel-aged varieties. 11:30am, PAYG.

03/11/09
Meet the Brewer: Old Dominion Brewing
Chat with the brewers and taste the 5 year old Oak Barrel-Aged Millennium. 5pm, PAYG, taps open at 11:30

03/12/09
Meet the Brewer: Chris Wilson of Weyerbacher
Keepin' it local with this meet and greet. Great drafts and some barrel aged limited edition beers. Taps open at 11:30am.
Meet the Brewer: Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing and Lost Abbey.
Tapping at 3pm.

03/13/09
Bob Gura of Global Brands Guild @ 8pm
New releases on draft and complimentary samples of rare bottles.

03/14/09
Meet the Brewer: Rob Todd of Allagash 5pm.
Taps open 11:00am

BROTHER PAUL'S

3300 Ridge Pike Eagleville, PA 19403

03/06/09
Meet the Brewery Rep: Victory Pint Night with Steve German and a mystery Victory Brewer
7:00 PM

03/10/09
Anchor Brewing with former Phillies Announcer Andy Musser
A special Anchor beer was brewed for the event. 7pm

03/11/09
Meet the Brewers: Todd Haire & Matt Cowen of Magic Hat.
7pm

03/12/09
Meet The Brewer: Bryan Selders from Dogfish Head
7pm

03/14/09
Kick the Keg Night
Brewery prizes and specials on Beer Week beers. 7:00 pm