Last week was a fairly busy beer week in Philadelphia. There were activities almost every night and two new beer spots opened on Thursday. It took me until Sunday to get to the Tiedhouse but I did make it to the opening night at Earth Bread + Brewery.
After an adventurous drive from Trooper to Mt. Airy via Germantown Avenue I walked in the front door around 5:30PM. The place was already lively. The seats at the bar were taken and the side tables were filled with pizza lovin' beer drinkers. Thankfully the place has a second floor where the main dining room is located along with a second bar. I have no problem standing so I found a spot near the bar on the main floor and started working my way through the house drafts. Owner/Brewer Tom Baker does four house beers; Love Your Mother Mild Ale 3.2% abv, Biere d' Earth Farmhouse Ale 5.3% abv, Terra Fume Smoked Wheat Ale 4% abv and Sedgwick Pale Ale 5.8% abv. There is also a good craft/import list and 8 guest beers on draft available in 13oz or 20oz pours. If you are looking for a macro sorry your out of luck there's not a bad beer on the list. Before tasting each I would of guessed I'd favor the pale ale but to my surprise the farmhouse was my winner. The fruity, peppery beer had a light mouth feel and finished slightly bitter. I'll make sure to investigate this style more often.
The restaurant offers a small menu dominated by specialty flatbreads/pizzas that are created in the domed wood fried oven. I ordered two pizzas a pesto and a sausage. The ingredients on both were fresh and the taste was amazing. You can really tell the difference in a well made pizza. If I had to pick a winner the pesto comes out on top with it's creamy mozzarella mixed with potato and the perfect balance of seasoning. Mmmmmmm garlic. There are six specialty pies to chose from or you have the option of creating you own from a list of ingredients.
If the opening night is any indication of how EB+B will do then there are good times ahead for Tom and Peggy. We all hope that the Germantown Ave road project will soon come to completion so that there is no difficulty getting to the brewery. Even with the construction if you are a fan of good beer and pizza it's more than worth the mild run around. Better yet if you live in the city simply hop the train to Mt. Airy and don't worry about the trip at all.
1 comment:
Love Your Mother Mild Ale
ABV: 3.2%
Aroma: Sweet tinge
Colour: Light copper golden
Taste: Moderate-high carbonation. Medium-light body. A nice caramel followed by a spikey carbonation to break it up, and finishes with a faint bitter. It's like a nice mild bitter or ESB. A little less carbonation would be good. My fav but gets extra points because I really like how it's low alcohol but still has a nice flavor to it. Could drink many during a hot day or when chilling with friends during Mon Night Football action (if EBB had a TV.. which they dont).
Biere d’ Earth Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 5.3%
Aroma: Sweet floral hops.
Colour: Similar in colour to the Mother.. light copper but maybe 1/2 shade darker.
Taste: Get a peppery spice up front.. A prickly carbonation… some toffee sweetness… grassy lemon zest dry bitter in the back. At times it's almost pilsnery. Subtle and shifting. Very interesting.
Terra Fume smoked wheat ale
ABV: 4%
Aroma: Definite Mild Smokiness
Colour: Golden Orange
Taste: Get popped with a smokiness up front that gently fades and it finishes relatively clean. Smoke is mixed in well and is not overpowering. Probably the best smoke beer I've ever had.
Sedgwick Pale Ale
ABV: 5.8%
Aroma: Weird ginger or jasmine or lemon peel aroma.
Colour: Slightly cloudy orange brownish. Fizzy one finger head.
Taste: A floweryness, quickly followed by a growing bitter. It's a weird almost tonic water type bitter, with a citrus zest mixed in. Say they use locally grown hops, so wonder if they got their water from the Skuykill river. A strange pale ale indeed. My least fav of the bunch but appreciate the attempt at something different.
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