More Beer Week? Nope Just Another Day @ Capone's

The biggest week of beer ended almost 2 weeks ago and life in Philly is back to normal.  Lucky for us normal means plenty of opportunities to have more amazing craft beer.  Today Capone's unleashes the taps with a monster draft line up.  Since it is only here on a trial basis Deschutes Hop Henge has gotta be the hot beer of the day. However with Sculpin, Stone IPA (Dry Hopped), Brooklyn Buzz Bomb and Petrus Aged Pale it won't be the only highly sought after draft.  Hopefully Deschutes is taking notice of the stir it's caused in the market and the trial period quickly turns to more beers headed to Philly on a regular basis. Start 11:30am, PAYG

What's Pouring @ Capone's

Ballast Point Sculpin "Nice And Fresh!"
Deschutes Hop Henge "Experimental Imperial IPA"
Stone IPA "Dry Hopped"
Lancaster Kolsch
Green Flash Le' Freak
North Coast Old Rasputin "On Nitrogen"
Petrus Aged Pale "Great Sour Beer"
Spring House Diabolical Dr. Wit
Spring House Goofy Foot "Summer Wheat Beer"
Brooklyn Brew Master Reserve Buzz Bomb Ale "Braggot Mead"
Great Lakes Erie Monster IPA
Southern Tier 2X IPA
Roy Pitz Watermelon Lager
Port Brewing Shark Attack
Victory Summer of Love
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
Brassiere Saison Dupont
Weyerbacher Kilo "Limited Draft Release"
Weyerbacher Verboten
Weyerbacher Merry Monks
Stillwater and Oliver Ales Channel Crossing Volume 1
Stillwater Stateside Saison
Stillwater Cellar Door"Belgian Bitter"
Steenbrugee Tripel
Dogfish Head Sah'tea 2009
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Ayinger Brau-Weisse
Founders Porter

Odell Brewing Company @ Capone's

We are headed into the final weekend and I have been dealing with a cold for the past few days.  Great timing. Unfortunately I've missed many events on my can't miss list. Since physically I feel somewhat better I have my sights set on Capone's for Meet the Brewer with Odell Brewing Company.  Tagged as one of the best breweries in Colorado they are making their east coast debut. The beers are here on a trial basis which is all part of deciding if PA gets the opportunity to pour more in the future.  Looks like we have to make a good impression. Definitely a good reason to drag myself to a bar stool and partake in the afternoon festivities.  Besides we all know the healing benefits of a good pint.  See ya there. Cheers

Capone's
2-4pm, PAYG
Odell Drafts
90 Schilling
IPA
Saboteur Brett Barrel Brown Ale
Woodcut 4 Oak Aged Lager

Call Him Mr. Inspiration or Mr. Promo

Does this guy love beer or what? Hot off Thursday's big Lancaster Brewing Night and celebrating the inspiration of Shoefly Porter Matt Capone is bringing in Brian Boaks the owner/brewer of Boak's Beer for a Saturday promo. Brian will be at Capone's from 6:00-10:00pm with 3 beers on draft and one bottled: Monster Mash Russian Imperial Stout (aged 1 year), Monster Mash, Abbey Brown (Belgian Strong Dark Ale) and Three Blind Monks (12oz bottle).

Reach for the Summit

On Tuesday the 9th a bit of the Midwest heads to Philly. Capone's is having an early week promo featuring Summit Brewing Company. The St. Paul Minnesota brewery was founded by Mark Stutrud in 1986 before most people even heard the term craft beer. Currently they are listed as the 16th largest craft brewery by sales volume in the U.S. according to the Brewer's Association. The promo runs 11am-1am, brewery reps will be on hand 5-8pm and Summit bottles (ESA, IPA, ESB and Extra Pale Ale) and drafts (Great Northern Porter) are $1.00 off.

Also
Check out Capone's on Thursday for a complimentary Belgian beer sampling from 6:30-9pm.

Thursday is Beer and World Series Night

With The World Series happening tonight who really needs a special activity to get them out of the house and down to their favorite beer spot. Just pick the place that has the best viewing options and a great beer list and head out. If you need help just refer to the long list of bar options on the right side of this blog. I don't want to play favorites but if you live out here around Audubon Capone's works and of course TJ's is a short drive.

The other day I had someone suggest Chap's Taproom and Sports Grill. Surprisingly this place is only 5 minutes from my house and somehow I haven't managed to stop in. When I first clicked on their website I was worried about all the BudMillerCoors specials but they do have some decent crafts and imports. They even have Microbrew Night every Wednesday when they take $1.00 off all micro pints. Since, "sports bar" is in their name I am guessing TVs are in abundance and they do have the NFL Ticket and MLB Extra Innings so it maybe worth a look.

Still want a Thursday is Beer Night activity? Check out Suzanne Woods suggestion for tonight.

Where Ya Watchn' the Game

I mentioned a few posts back that Phillies Phever had taken hold of this Pittsburgh fan in a big big way. Again I don't pretend to be a huge baseball fan but I haven't missed a game in weeks. I don't know how anyone who calls Philadelphia home could ignore the NLCS, especially after the last game. If for some reason the Philadelphia sports world has passed you by now is your chance to catch up and possibly see a bit of sports history. Tonight the Phillies have a chance to clinch their spot in the world series with a win over the Dodgers. Everyone knows how much this town wants to celebrate a winner so what better place to watch the game than your favorite watering hole surrounded by baseball fans? I am just trying to figure out where to plant my butt for a baseball filled evening. I have an early morning tomorrow so I have to keep it close. Unfortunately that means no trip into the city. It comes down to Capone's or TJ's, although it sounds like there should be a good gathering at Victory. Wherever you decide to watch do it with a good beer and cheer like there is no tomorrow.

GO PHILLIES!!!

Thursday is Beer Night

I need to make this Thursday beer listing a regular posting. Yet again Thursday night kicks off a weekend of beer around Philly. In the city the Good Dog is tapping a firkin of Dock Street's Rye IPA tonight at 7:30. Stop in and taste real, fresh beer. Across town at Triumph Brewing get your fill of local music and beer. Starting at 5pm $10 gets you 10 acts and one beer. Besides Triumph's house beers look for Flying Fish and Sly Fox. Head to the burbs, specifically Norristown, to Capone's for a night of samples. Yes, a little free beer. Bob from the Brewers Guild will pour Allagash White, Abita Purple Haze, Great Divide Samauri and Rogue Hazelnut Brown. It all happens from 7:30-10pm.

Thursday is Beer Night

Is Thursday the new Friday? We should all be so lucky, but for beer seekers the weekend starts early with two feature nights. The Drafting Room in Exton is having a Clipper City Heavy Seas Night. A firkin of Loose Cannon Hop 3 Ale, along with Hang Ten Wiezen Doppelbock, Peg Leg Stout and Uber Pils will all flow at 6pm. Capone's Restaurant in Norristown is having an indoor Summer Fest with all the accoutrements. Matt has put together a menu of BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken, Black Angus hot dogs, Black Angus burgers, steaks, summer salad, corn on the cob, homemade coleslaw, macaroni salad, baked beans and watermelon. Oh yeah almost forgot the beer. The owner/brewers from Roy Pitz Brewing out of Chambersburg PA are stopping in after 5:30. Two of their beers, Watermelon Lager and White Horse Hefeweizen are on tap. Also look for Cricket Hill Brewing's Colonel Blide's Extra Special Bitter, Breakfast Summer Ale, East Coast Lager, American Ale and Hopnotic India Pale Ale. The festivities include give aways, so wear your flip flops and summer gear (please no tank tops). It's all pay as you go.

One Lucky Weekend

Thursday June 12th
The beer weekend starts today, Capone's is hosting a Southampton Publick House night. Southampton is located on the South Fork of Long Island and they have been brewing award wining beer since 1996. Matt Capone has put together a fantastic line up of their beers and the taps start pouring at noon. Starting at 5pm assistant brewer Spencer will be making the rounds and discussing his creations. So save the time and the tolls and relax with a bit of the Hamptons in Norristown.

Southampton Publick House

Irish Dry Stout

Scottish Ale

Maibock

Russian Imperial Stout

Imperial Porter (2006)

IPA

Secret Ale

Cuvee Le Fleurs

ABT 12

Helles Lager

Double White

Friday June 13th

"So do you feel lucky?" Well ya should because Friday the 13th means that it's time for the Grey Lodge's 17th Friday the Firkinteenth. Probably the most uniquely timed and named beer event ever created. The concept is simple 7 random firkins will pour at any time and a new one is tapped when one kicks. So what is a firkin? A firkin is a size of cask (10.8 US gallons). OK but what is a cask? A cask is a type of barrel that is typically placed on the bar (it's small) and dispensed using gravity or a hand pump. Cask conditioned ales tend to have more hops, sugars or wort added when barreled to create a secondary fermentation in the barrel. A natural carbonation takes place and the beers are usually served at a higher temperature than typical draft beer. These are some of the freshest beers available and often brewers bring out very interesting and hard to find offerings. Class dismissed. All the festivities begin at noon.

Grey Lodge Friday the Firkinteenth

(list from Grey Lodge website)

Appalachian Hoppy Trails IPA
Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA
Bells Two Hearted Ale
Clipper City TBA
Dock Street Satellite Stout
Dock Street Rye IPA
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA
Flying Fish Hopfish, dry hopped with Simcoe,Amirillo and Chinook.
General Lafayette Wayside Summer Ale,
Iron Hill (North Wales) Ironbound APA. "We'll dry hop it with something cool....."
Iron Hill (West Chester) Scottish Ale. 3.6% abv
Ithaca Flower Power IPA (pin) and Oaked Nut Brown (pin)
Lancaster Amish Four Grain
Legacy Dear Abbey Dubbel
Nodding Head IPA
Philadelphia Special Blend
Porterhouse Weizen Bock or Hoppy Lager
River Horse Special Ale, easy drinking British style amber ale, 4.5% abv
Sly Fox Standard Ale
Stoudts Black Eye PA
Troegs Sh#tless Hopback. Nick says he is going to dry-hop the sh#t out of it.
Victory Hop Wallop
Weyerbacher Hops Infusion
Weyerbacher Old Heathen

Capone's, It's Criminal Not to Stop

It's a little over a week into the new year and I find myself already falling behind. I wanted to put this post up during the last week of December but with the holidays and traveling it kept getting pushed to the side. So before the year gets any older it's time to shout about Capone's restaurant. Capone's is located on Germantown Pike in Norristown and is a must stop for anyone who enjoys great beer. If we all think about what makes a great beer place there are a few things that show up on any list. You want a good tap selection, great bottle list, beer events and comfort food. Well Capone's covers it all and they do it very well. From the outside it looks like your standard local family restaurant. Walking in the front door doesn't do much to change that impression. The bar almost runs the width of the building with tables on the opposite side of the room near the front window and along the sides. The locals are in place on bar stools, televisions are overhead, macro beer specials are listed behind the bar and a dinning room is viewable through an archway on the back wall. But a close look at the tap handles tells you this place isn't just home to the Bud/Miller/Coors monster. A few of the beers pouring were Troeg's Mad Elf, Bear Republic Racer 5, Victory's Baltic Thunder and Founder's Breakfast Stout. If your having a hard time deciding what to drink Capone's allows you to order a sampler. Then there's the bottle selection. If you didn't notice it on your way in you will know it once you read the bottle list. This place has a treasure in the back of the building, a bottle shop.



The bottle shop is accessible through the restaurant or from the outside on the left rear corner of the building. The selection is nothing less than amazing. Many of the beers are extremely hard to find anywhere else in eastern PA. The small space holds some of the best offerings from breweries across the country as well as around the world. On any given visit you can find Founders, Bell's, Avery, Three Floyd's, Middle Ages, Hair of then Dog, New Holland, Stone, Russian River, Olfabrikken, Otto's, Fort Collins, Rock Art, Left Hand, Hoppin' Frog, East End, Voodoo, Breckenridge, Port Brewing/Lost Abbey and Mikkeller just to name a few. Of course the local craft beers are all there along with a solid selection of Belgians. Any of these beers are also available to enjoy in the restaurant.


Another plus at Capone's is the food. I can only speak for what I have had in the bar, but it never disappoints. When I come here it's typically to enjoy the liquid offerings but a night of beer with no food is not a good night. The standard bar fare is done well. The Buffalo wings are spicy, crisp and a good size and the burgers are large and flavorful. At some point I will make sure to explore the menu and actually eat in the dinning room.

Finally, what really makes this a beer destination are the monthly brewery events. A few of the events from last year included owners, brewers and reps from Bell's, Russian River (My first taste of Pliny the Younger and Elder and a growler of each for The Beer Fridge), Allagash, Boulder, Legacy, Penn, Flying Fish and Founders. These events are always a great way to taste a wide range of beers from the participating brewery and to talk a little shop. So whether its for a beer event, comfort food, to find a unique bottle, or enjoy what's on the ten taps make sure that Capone's is on your short list of great beer destinations.