Philly Beer Week is so close I can taste it. By now most people who are interested in all the beer related activities have been to the website multiple times. There is something for everyone over the ten day beer lovers dream week. However I noticed a fair amount of the events require a fee. There is nothing wrong with paying for an event, in fact I have my tickets for the Philly Craft Beer Festival on the 1st, but there are a lot activities that are free or simply pay as you go. So if the idea of going to several events with $40, $50, and $60 plus prices was scaring you off fear not there are plenty of Beer Week activities that wont burn a hole in your wallet. Take a look at the first weekend's events.
Friday March 7th
Meet the Brewer: Flying Fish, Casey Hughs
Good Dog
http://www.gooddogbar.com/
7 pm
Meet The Brewer: Sly Fox, Brian O' Reilly
The Standard Tap
http://www.standardtap.com/
5-7 pm
The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous...Again (Sort of)
Grey Lodge Pub
http://www.greylodge.com/
Milwaukee's Sprecher Brewing
Yards Brewing Beef and Beer
The P.O.P.E. (Pub on Passyunk East)
1501 E. Passyunk Ave.
7 pm
Saturday March 8th
Drink Your Wheaties! Wheat Beer Brunch
Grey lodge Pub
http://www.greylodge.com/
11 am-2 pm
a la carte
Join beer writers Lew Byson, Don Russel and Duane Swierczynski for a bunch of wheat beers and pancakes.
In the Pursuit of Hopiness 5 Mile Run
Dock Street Brewery
http://www.dockstreetbeer.com/
11 am
Join Bryan of The Brew Lounge and Suzanne of "In Pursuit of Ale" for a 5 mile city run then beer and food at Dock Street Brewery.
Weyerbacher Tasting
Kunda Beverage
http://www.kundabev.com/
2-5 pm
Free
Meet the Brewer: Yards Brewing
Good Dog
http://www.gooddogbar.com/
7 pm
A firkin of ESA and drinking games. What more do ya need?
Sunday March 9th
Brew You?
Home Sweet Homebrew
http://www.homesweethomebrew.com/
11 am
George Hummel shows you how to become a home brewer. Introductory workshop
R.S.V.P.
Free
Lancaster Brews All Afternoon
Johnny Brenda's
http://www.johnnybrendas.com/
1-4 pm
Specials on Lancaster Brewing's beers
Blue Point Brewing Presents Movie Night
The P.O.P.E.
1501 E. Passyunk Ave.
A double feature, "The Big Lebowski" and "Barfly".
9 pm
Free
Meet the Brewer: Iron Hill, Paul Rutherford
Good Dog
http://www.gooddogbar.com/
A firkin of Iron Hill's best.
Weekday event to follow.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
So Many Festivals So Little Time
Philadelphia's biggest beer celebration is almost upon us. Philly Beer Week is just over a week away and anyone who enjoys great craft and import beer has already been searching websites to figure out what activities to attend during the ten day event. Several blogs and websites have already listed the events in calender form to make it easier for everyone to pick and plan so I am not going to rehash that information here. Instead I want to concentrate on one aspect of Beer Week, THE BEER FESTIVAL. You can call it a festival, a tasting or a sampling event. Hold it in a museum, arena, convention center, zoo, brew pub or local bar but it's all the same. Whether it's 300 plus beers being poured or under 20 it's an event dedicated to the diversity of beer and the people who enjoy it.
Over the past 15 years I have attended multiple festivals in several states. Now I am a little more selective about the ones I attend but when go I never fail to have a great time. Philly Beer Week kicks off an amazing list of festivals that continue through March and into April. The following list shows the events during and after Philly Beer Week. Some of the festivals are local while the others are just a quick road trip away.
Pre Beer Week
March 1, 2008
2nd Annual Philly Craft Beer Festival
Phila Naval Shipyard
Philly Beer Week Events
March 7, 2008
Joe Sixpack's Philly Favorites
The Marketplace at East Falls
7pm-10pm $60
Joe Sixpack (Don Russel) kicks off beer week with samplings from 22 local breweries and brewpubs. Gourmet food is provided by the vendors at the Marketplace.
March 8 and 9, 2008
3rd Annual Atlantic City Beer Festival
The Atlantic City Convention Center
March 9, 2008
The 4th Annual Brewer's Plate
Independence Visitors Center
March 15, 2008
Micheal Jackson: The Man and His Legacy
19th Annual Tutored Tasting At Penn
Chinese Rotunda and Upper Egyptian Gallery
Experts lead a tutored tasting followed by a two hour open sampling session.
March 16, 2008
Real Ale Festival
Triumph Brewing in Old City
Triumph and Yards unite to present 20 different firkins from 20 different breweries. Only room for 300 at this event.
1-4pm, $50
After Beer Week
March 22, 2008
Split Thy Skull 08 Barleywine Fest
Sugar Moms Philly
Pay as you go
Road Trip
March 8-9, 2008
Split Thy Brooklyn Skull
Mugs Ale House, Brooklyn
Pay as you go
March 28-30, 2008
1st Manhattan Cask Ale Festival
Chelsea Brewing Co.
Pay as you go
April 10, 2008
ASN's Ultimate Belgian Tasting 3
Heartland Brewery, Empire State Building
April 26-27, 2008
TAP New York Craft Beer and Fine Food Festival 2008
Hunter Mountain
A BIG trip
April 26, 2008
3rd Annual World Beer Festival
Raleigh, NC
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Head to the Country
While pouring through box after box of my possessions and trying to find a place for everything in the new house I came across a beer newspaper that reminded me of a trip I took last year. On one of my trips back to Pittsburgh Kelleigh and I took an afternoon and drove north on Route 79 to Slippery Rock PA to sample a little beer and food at North Country Brewing Company. I first read about North Country in Lew Bryson's, Pennsylvania Breweries and again when he proclaimed it "Best New Brewpub in Pennsylvania in 2005.".
North Country is located in downtown Slippery Rock not far from Slippery Rock University. The first thing you notice is this place really stands out. The front of the building could have come from a movie set. The bright gold paint along with the Hobbit woodwork meets spaghetti western architecture smacks you in the face in a good way. Don't worry you will never have to circle the block trying to find this place. The whimsical style is continued inside with the split level bar and dinning area. Just looking around the pla
ce you can tell a lot of work went into the detail. Interesting carvings are everywhere in the bar. Unfortunately our trip was slightly rushed because of a family function later that afternoon so I didn't get a real chance to relax and take in everything at a leisurely pace. To get a taste for what was on tap I ordered the large sampler (9 beers). Had I been smart or thought that I would some day start a blog I would of written down tasting notes. With no such insight I have to go from memory and two beers really stood out. The Stinky Hippie, American red and Liquid Love Stout, an American imperial stout made an impression in both taste and name. What's remarkable is this place has t
en plus brews to choose from. Plus there is a cask ale and fruit beer available. Whether you're a beer fanatic or new to craft beer you should have no problem finding something to enjoy. For beer on the go choose from three styles of growlers. It all depends on how fancy you want your beer vessel. My only regrets were I didn't spend enough time at the brewpub and for whatever reason I left without a growler to go.
ce you can tell a lot of work went into the detail. Interesting carvings are everywhere in the bar. Unfortunately our trip was slightly rushed because of a family function later that afternoon so I didn't get a real chance to relax and take in everything at a leisurely pace. To get a taste for what was on tap I ordered the large sampler (9 beers). Had I been smart or thought that I would some day start a blog I would of written down tasting notes. With no such insight I have to go from memory and two beers really stood out. The Stinky Hippie, American red and Liquid Love Stout, an American imperial stout made an impression in both taste and name. What's remarkable is this place has t
en plus brews to choose from. Plus there is a cask ale and fruit beer available. Whether you're a beer fanatic or new to craft beer you should have no problem finding something to enjoy. For beer on the go choose from three styles of growlers. It all depends on how fancy you want your beer vessel. My only regrets were I didn't spend enough time at the brewpub and for whatever reason I left without a growler to go.The north western corner of PA on route 79 is becoming a real beer trail. Hereford and Hops in Cranberry, North Country Brewing, Voodoo Brewing in Meadville along with Brewerie at Union Station and Erie Brewing Co, both in Erie, make for a solid weekend road trip. If time permits on my next trip to the other side of the state I will make it a point to further explore the breweries and beer pubs to the north.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Quest for the BIG case
One look at "What's in my beer fridge", and you can tell that I am enjoying a fair amount of Weyerbacher. The obvious case I just purchased is Big Beers. I have to admit that it is the first case I have purchased in a long time. Most of the time I stock up on bombers or go to a good pick your own six pack place and go wild. Typically this gets a bit costly especially if all of my purchases are done in PA. What sparked me to grab an entire case was an opportunity to get several beer styles and save a little cash.
On Saturday I jumped in the car and asked my GPS to find beer distributors close to home. The Nuvi (my navigating brain on the dashboard) came up with four places less than three miles from my front door. However the place I decided to venture to was a little further out. I discovered the back roads to King of Prussia and made my way to Kunda Beverage. It had been years since I had stopped in and it was great to see that Kunda still offered a nice selection of craft and import beers. After walking around for a few minutes a sign in the back grabbed my eye. On the back wall a hand written banner proclaimed, BLOWOUTS!!!. This of course triggered my money sensible side. Strolling to the rear of the store I found a case of Weyerbacher Big Beers for around ten dollars less than what I would pay in the city. What was a little strange was that the beer came in a plain case that ended up being a Weyerbacher Double Simcoe case turned inside out. The original Big Beer graphics were then glued to the top of the blank case. My only fear was that since the beer wasn't in the original packaging it was dated and less than fresh. However since I hadn't had this case since the Double Simcoe was added and the price was more than comfortable I threw caution to the wind and put down the cash.
After giving a few bottles some time in the the fridge I pulled out a Double Simcoe, poured it into a Dogfish pint glass and was happy to discover the aroma of piney hops flooding my nose. The taste followed the lead of the aroma with pine and citrus (grapefruit) grabbing at the tongue. The alcohol sting upfront mellows with warmth and leads to a slightly biscuit sweet end. Double Simcoe is a solid DIPA, not at the level of Pliny the Elder or Bell's Hop Slam but more in line with Dogfish 90 Minute or Stoudt's DIPA. The rest of the case is equally as impressive The Old Heathen is a roasty near black, Imperial Stout with an abv of 8.0%. Merry Monks' Ale weighs in at 9.3% and is a sweet, yeasty, Belgian style triple with hints of clove and coriander. The final and biggest beer in the case is the 11.1% Blithering Idiot English style barleywine. The deep amber beer gives off a spicy sweet aroma and pours with a thin dissipating head. The taste is of dark fruit with a warm alcohol smack that blends well with the malty character. As much as my hop crazy self loves the Double Simcoe, knowing the outside temperature is hovering around 36 degrees and having patches of snow dot my new driveway dictates the Idiot is the beer to enjoy on the couch in front of the fire. I have enjoyed several bottles from the discount case and no disappointments yet. Overall Weyerbacher has put together one of the best variety cases on the market.
So far my life adventure outside the city is going well. I found a few new beer distributors and revisited one that provided a great case of beer at an even better price. Tie that in with my proximity to some of the best beer bars in the area and It looks like there are more than a few good reasons to live in the land of strip malls.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Moving to the Burbs
It's been a month since I have added anything to the blog. My beer adventure time has been seriously reduced do to the fact that I am moving out of the city. For the past few weeks all that Kelleigh and I have done is fill box after box of our belonging in preparation for the move. Nothing could possibly consume more time and be less enjoyable. All of this means that as of February my greater surrounds change drastically. The city views I've enjoyed for the past 8 years are traded in for strip malls, lawns and the sound of crickets. However all is not bad. This move means I am closer to getting a dog and it places me near one of my favorite beer runs.
The Main Line has many good drinking spots. Three of my favorites, Teresa's Next Door (TND), TJ's Everyday and The Flying Pig, create a wonderful beer lovers trail. For whatever reason anytime I go to all three establishments on the same day I follow the same path. The first stop is always Teresa's Next Door. TND is located on Wayne Avenue just north of route 30 in Wayne PA. The bar is surrounded by small shops, restaurants and other drinking establishments. Teresa's Next Door as the name suggests is attached to Teresa's Cafe. Both establishments share a common entrance. Upon entering TND and taking a spot at the bar it's easy to see why this is a prime beer destination. Even before noticing the taps its hard not to resist staring at the wall of glassware. Every beer is served in it's proper glass. No Belgian Triple in a pint glass here. The draft list consists of 20 plus beers, 2 on cask, with an emphasis on Belgians. National and local craft breweries are also well represented. On my last visit Allagash, Founders North Coast, Bear Republic, Victory, Flying Dog, Troegs, Sly Fox and Dogfish Head were all pouring. If the draft list isn't enough Teresa's has a 100 plus bottle list. Along with the great beer list the bartenders are knowledgeable about what they are pouring which adds to the a good drinking experience. The only downside to Teresa's is at times it's hard to grab a seat at the bar and the noise can reach high levels. That's the price of popularity
The second stop on the beer trail, TJ's Everyday, is west on route 30 in Paoli. The bar has a relaxed sports bar feel. There are large screen T.Vs, a few video games, a large couch, arm chairs, and coolers filled with beer for takeout. That's where the sports bar comparison ends. This place has one serious beer list, actually a beer book. Check the tap list on the overhead black boards behind the bar or explore the bottle list that comes in book form. The book is organized by style, country and region and also list special cellered beers . A few of the most recent beers on tap were, Victory Baltic Thunder, Great Divide Old Ruffian, Left Hand Warrior IPA, and Leffe Brune. TJ's has a good balance of American craft beers, Belgians and other imports. Besides drinking your favorite libation one look at the menu shows you the interesting mix of food and beer. The chefs here know what they are doing with their, "Cuisine a la Biere". Three of my favorite dishes are the Belgian Blonde Burger (doppelbock carmelized onions and boursin), Arrogant Chipotle Chili and the Rauchbier BBQ wings (extra hot). If you are wondering what beer to enjoy with your meal the menu conveniently lists beers that would pair well with each dish. Between the beer, food and special event nights (poker and bingo with prizes) TJ's has the type of atmosphere that can suck you in for hours.
The last stop on the beer trail is The Flying Pig in Malvern. The atmosphere is no gimmicks, no frills just a basic old neighborhood bar. This is the type of place you go to have a drink and hang with a few friends. I have to admit that out of the bars mentioned The Pig is the one I have been to the least. It's probably because of all the food and drink consumed at TJ's that my evenings end there. Also even though they have food I have never ordered any and again I blame that on TJ's. With that said what I have had is the beer. The selection is a good one. The beer list seems smaller than TJ's or Teresa's N.D. but offers a good mix. Avery, Allagash, Weyerbacher, Brooklyn, South Hampton, Southern Tier, Verhaeghe, New Holland are typically offered. I think the next time I do this beer trail I'll make The Flying Pig the starting point to mix things up and get a better perspective on this beer bar.
The Main Line is defiantly not lacking when it comes to great places to enjoy a quality beer. If I had to rank the three stops along the trail TJ's Everyday would hold the top spot. The combination of unique beer choices, beer cuisine, atmosphere and weekly events wins out. Teresa's Next Door is a close second followed by The Flying Pig. Now that I have moved from the city it's comforting to have three beer stops among the strip malls, 24hr grocery stores and generic pizza shops. Welcome to the burbs.
The Main Line has many good drinking spots. Three of my favorites, Teresa's Next Door (TND), TJ's Everyday and The Flying Pig, create a wonderful beer lovers trail. For whatever reason anytime I go to all three establishments on the same day I follow the same path. The first stop is always Teresa's Next Door. TND is located on Wayne Avenue just north of route 30 in Wayne PA. The bar is surrounded by small shops, restaurants and other drinking establishments. Teresa's Next Door as the name suggests is attached to Teresa's Cafe. Both establishments share a common entrance. Upon entering TND and taking a spot at the bar it's easy to see why this is a prime beer destination. Even before noticing the taps its hard not to resist staring at the wall of glassware. Every beer is served in it's proper glass. No Belgian Triple in a pint glass here. The draft list consists of 20 plus beers, 2 on cask, with an emphasis on Belgians. National and local craft breweries are also well represented. On my last visit Allagash, Founders North Coast, Bear Republic, Victory, Flying Dog, Troegs, Sly Fox and Dogfish Head were all pouring. If the draft list isn't enough Teresa's has a 100 plus bottle list. Along with the great beer list the bartenders are knowledgeable about what they are pouring which adds to the a good drinking experience. The only downside to Teresa's is at times it's hard to grab a seat at the bar and the noise can reach high levels. That's the price of popularity
The second stop on the beer trail, TJ's Everyday, is west on route 30 in Paoli. The bar has a relaxed sports bar feel. There are large screen T.Vs, a few video games, a large couch, arm chairs, and coolers filled with beer for takeout. That's where the sports bar comparison ends. This place has one serious beer list, actually a beer book. Check the tap list on the overhead black boards behind the bar or explore the bottle list that comes in book form. The book is organized by style, country and region and also list special cellered beers . A few of the most recent beers on tap were, Victory Baltic Thunder, Great Divide Old Ruffian, Left Hand Warrior IPA, and Leffe Brune. TJ's has a good balance of American craft beers, Belgians and other imports. Besides drinking your favorite libation one look at the menu shows you the interesting mix of food and beer. The chefs here know what they are doing with their, "Cuisine a la Biere". Three of my favorite dishes are the Belgian Blonde Burger (doppelbock carmelized onions and boursin), Arrogant Chipotle Chili and the Rauchbier BBQ wings (extra hot). If you are wondering what beer to enjoy with your meal the menu conveniently lists beers that would pair well with each dish. Between the beer, food and special event nights (poker and bingo with prizes) TJ's has the type of atmosphere that can suck you in for hours.
The last stop on the beer trail is The Flying Pig in Malvern. The atmosphere is no gimmicks, no frills just a basic old neighborhood bar. This is the type of place you go to have a drink and hang with a few friends. I have to admit that out of the bars mentioned The Pig is the one I have been to the least. It's probably because of all the food and drink consumed at TJ's that my evenings end there. Also even though they have food I have never ordered any and again I blame that on TJ's. With that said what I have had is the beer. The selection is a good one. The beer list seems smaller than TJ's or Teresa's N.D. but offers a good mix. Avery, Allagash, Weyerbacher, Brooklyn, South Hampton, Southern Tier, Verhaeghe, New Holland are typically offered. I think the next time I do this beer trail I'll make The Flying Pig the starting point to mix things up and get a better perspective on this beer bar.
The Main Line is defiantly not lacking when it comes to great places to enjoy a quality beer. If I had to rank the three stops along the trail TJ's Everyday would hold the top spot. The combination of unique beer choices, beer cuisine, atmosphere and weekly events wins out. Teresa's Next Door is a close second followed by The Flying Pig. Now that I have moved from the city it's comforting to have three beer stops among the strip malls, 24hr grocery stores and generic pizza shops. Welcome to the burbs.
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