Favorite Beer List of the Week (No List Addition)

As you can tell from the photos the Favorite Beer List of the Week comes without a draft board photo.  The one in the background doesn't count. Blame my poor skills as a photographer for that little goof. However, those of you who attended this year's one and only Friday the Firkinteenth at The Grey Lodge can vouch for the awesome cask line up. Thirty firkins set to pour throughout the day with 7 on at a time.

I managed to arrive around 40 minutes after the 9am start time and after a short time standing slid into a comfortable position at the bar.  Unlike the last Firkenteeth I attended it took longer than 30 minutes for the first cask to kick. Somewhere near the three hour mark the final drops of Dock Street Summer Session were poured as a joyous crowd cheered the changing of the brew. Unfortunately with limited time it was my one and only cask kicking experience of the day.

For those of you who couldn't make it to the great Northeast this year, mark your calenders now. Your next chance is May 13, 2011. 

Friday the Firkinteenth There and Here

Google Friday the Firkinteenth and as expected info for The Grey Lodge springs onto the screen. However if you look close you'll notice a little something going on in Baltimore. T-Bonz Grille & Pub in Ellicott City is doing their own Firkinteenth. Not at the level of what's going on in the great Northeast but still a nice little collection of cask ales.

T-Bonz Casks
Oliver's Bishop Breakfast

Old Habit Brown Ale
Jacobs Summer Celebration
Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter
Tbonz 33rd Street Ale

As for The Grey Lodge's Friday the Firkinteenth 9am is go time for the only time this year.  Seven casks will flow from the bar top, being replaced as they kick.  Expect around 30 over the course of the day. To make sure we all survive the early rise the opening menu will offer several goodies so that breakfast isn't only served in a glass. Cheers!

The Grey Lodge Casks
Arcadia IPA Ale

Arcadia Whitsun Ale
Cricket Hill Colonel Blide (English bitter)
Dock Street Summer Session
Dogfish Head 75 Minute India Pale Ale
Flying Dog Raging Bitch
Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale (Citra hopped)
General Lafayette IPA
Iron Hill Pig Iron Porter
Lancaster Amish 4 Grain
Lancaster Milk Stout
Manayunk Specialty Ale (black IPA)
Manayunk Specialty Ale (gold ale)
Nodding Head Seasonal Ale (hoppy golden ale brewed with Belgian yeast)
Philadelphia Select Ale (farmhouse ale)
Prism Bitto Honey IPA (naturally carbonated with fresh local honey)
Riverhorse Hipp-o-Lantern
Six Point Righteous Ale (rye)
Sly Fox Chester County Bitter
Sly Fox Standard Porter
Stillwater Stateside Saison
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
Stoudts Scarlet Lady ESB (oaked)
Stoudts Abbey Triple ( blended with Double IPA)
Troegs Hopback Amber (dry hopped with bravo)
Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter (dry hopped with bravo)
Victory Limited Ale (English bitter)
Victory Limited Ale (single hopped citra pale ale)
Weyerbacher Autumnfest
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale (dry hopped with citra)

Happy Friday 13th (Firkinteenth) @ The Grey Lodge

You all know the drill by now.

1. Head to the Grey Lodge

2. Find a favorable spot in the crowd

3. Check out the firkins on the bar

4. Get your beer

5. Drink

6. Be social

7. Repeat steps from #3

20+ Firkins tapped 7 at a time.

Noon-9pm (while they last)

Final step

Give a huge thanks to Scoats!

Oh So Lucky Weekend: Friday the Firkinteenth

Love was in the air this past weekend and so was the smell of cask beer pouring at the Grey Lodge Pub. This past Friday was the first of three, of this year's Friday the Firkinteenths. The cask ale event always brings in swarms of real ale fans to the northeast pub to drink some of the freshest beer available. Last year was my first FTF experience and I couldn't wait for my second go around. The only change I wanted to make this year was to arrive early enough to secure a seat at the bar. I know some of you like to work the crowd but I was looking for more of a lazy day of sampling versus swimming through the masses to get a beer. Arriving just after 11:00 I found my spot at the bar and flexed my drinking muscles for the first wave.

Scoats tapped the first keg around noon to the cheers and clicking cameras of real beer fans. The masses had every reason to be happy on the supposed most unlucky day of the year. The beer line up was great from go. A few stand out for me were the California Dreamin' Double IPA from Manayunk Brewery. It was shocking if only for the way it looked in the glass. The overly cloudy orange color made it look more like juice than beer. The grapefruit hop quality came out quick along with a nice sweetness that lead to a slightly bitter finish. For a DIPA it seemed almost too easy to drink. The tapping of Nugget Nectar caused the biggest frenzy. I don't know the actual time it took to finish the firkin but there may of been a point where no other beer was being poured. It seemed as if every arm was reaching out for the hop bomb. As quick as it arrived it was kicked. Even though I loved the Nectar my favorite beer of the day was The Bruery's Saison De Lente.

The Bruery is located in Placentia, CA just outside Anaheim and thanks to Bella Vista their beers are starting to pop up in the Philadelphia market. I haven't had a ton of saisons but Saison De Lente is a good one. The beer is citrusy with earthy character, grassiness, some light funk from the Brett and drinks dry and crisp. It was one of those beers I could lounge back with and drink all afternoon. I know at 6.5%abv it's no session beer however if you have been drinking heavy winter beers and tipping back Double IPAs like me Saison De Lente is a nice switch. I've already circled The Bruery events at Capone's and Devils Den during beer week.

Meet the Brewer: Patrick Rue of The Bruery 10:30 AMCapone's 224 W Germantown Pike Norristown, Pa 19401
Details
When: Sunday, March 08, 2009 10:30 AM
Price: $PAYG
Come hang out with one of the newest Belgian-style American brewers, Patrick Rue. He will have on hand some of his finest

Devil's Den Bruery Night & Firkin Tapping 7:00 PM Devils Den 1148 S. 11th Street Philadelphia, Pa 19147
Details
When: Monday, March 09, 2009 7:00 PM
Price: $PAYG
We will be tapping a firkin of Saison De Lente, the spring

seasonal of The Bruery from Orange County, Calif.

As expected Scoats did another fantastic job with the event. Because I am always out the door before 5:00pm I never get to experience the after work crowd. I would love to hear what it's like at the Grey Lodge later in the day. Since the next Friday the Firkinteenth is during Philly Beer Week expect an even bigger turn out. Scoats has already posted the details and the event will start at an earlier time. Getting a seat at the bar maybe a bit more challenging. Good luck.

Get Lucky Three Times with Friday the Firkinteenth

I just caught the current list of firkins for Friday the Firkinteenth at The Grey Lodge Pub and I am ready to grab a bar stool now. If your not familiar with the event it's a cask ale beer festival that takes place on Friday the 13th. Only the calender determines when the event will happen each year. This year we get a maximum three opportunities (Feb, Mar, Nov) to enjoy real ale. Last year was my first experience and I hope to make two of the three this year. The second FtF in 09 coincidentally takes place during Philly Beer Week. For a great description of the event and a quick video click here. The current draft listing for the event is below

(From The Grey Lodge Pub website)
February 2009 Firkinteenth Details

updated as of 11 February 2009
tapping begins at noon.
Number of firkins looks to be 20, which is a little less than usual.
7 firkins will be pouring at any time (except when we get down to less than 7), tapping a new one as one kicks. The order of the casks will be random, but hey there should be no stinkers in the line-up.

Current Cask List (likely to change, it always does):

Blue Point Oatmeal Stout
Bruery Saison Lente
Dock Street oaked/dry-hopped Man Full of Trouble Porter
Flying Fish XPA
General Lafayette ESB
Iron Hill (North Wales) Bourbon Porter
Iron Hill (West Chester) TBA
Lancaster Winter Warmer
Manayunk California Dreaming
Nodding Head TBA
Philadelphia Brewing Joe
Philadelphia Brewing Philabuster
River Horse Hop Hazard
River Horse vanilla something or other
Sly Fox Seamus Irish Ale
Stoudts Scrawny Dog
Troegs Nugget Nectar
Weyerbacher Hops Infusion
Victory Bags Packed Porter
Yards Bourbon Love Stout

So Lucky

The past weekend started early and ended up being a good beer weekend. It all started on Thursday night with the Southampton Publick House event at Capone's. The beer started pouring at noon, but I didn't get there until 5pm. The bar was filled with the normal locals who have no idea what Southampton is, the dedicated Beer Advocate crew and the rest of us beer aficionados. Matt Capone had 11 Southampton beers on and Spencer, the brewer/promoter, was on hand answering questions and expanding our Southampton knowledge. Of the beers I tried the standouts were the Imperial Porter and the smooth, malty ABT 12, a Belgian style quad that I paired with a large bowl of mussels. Who needs a trip to Belgium with that combo? Spencer mentioned that I had made a mistake not trying the Russian Imperial Stout but I had reached my limit. Capone's continues to bring some of the best beer and brewers to the area on a regular basis. Anyone who is beer minded should look forward to Matt's next promotion.


The bigger of the weekend activities was the Friday the Firkinteenth gathering at the Grey Lodge pub in Northeast Philly. The firkins were pouring at 12:00pm and the bar was already elbow to elbow. I was lucky enough to get in good with a group of people who had seats at the bar and from then on had no problem getting refills all afternoon. The event is unique since it is only held on Friday the 13th and firkins provide most of the beer consumed. The list of beers was stunning (see last post) and having them from a firkin reminds you how truly different fresh beer tastes. I survived the first 5 hours and made it through several tappings. The beers sampled were, Flying Fish Snake Dog IPA, Stoudt's Black IPA, Sly Fox Standard Ale, Flying Fish Hopfish, Victory Hop Wallop, Ithica Brewing Flower Power, Iron Hill Scottish Ale, Nodding Head IPA, Weyerbacher Old Heathen, Philadelphia Brewing Co. Special Blend, Dock Street Satellite Stout, General Lafayette Summer Ale, River Horse Special Ale, and Clipper City Loose Cannon. Fortunatly Scoates and his crew gave the choice of a pint or a smaller 4 ounce pour. The smaller pour made all the sampling possible. To choose a standout among that line up was difficult but since I am still ridding my hop wave Hopfish and Flower Power both topped the list. Each smelled like liquid hops. The Flower Power poured pale orange with almost no head. The aroma was huge floral hops and the taste was citrus and pine. A biscuit maltiness arrived in the middle and the finish was bitter. The Hopfish was more of a surprise. This one was far different from the bottle version. Compared to the bottle the hops on the fresh beer were very pronounced and didn't fade. A slight malty sweetness also stood out. If I hadn't seen the firkin I wouldn't have guessed it was Hopfish. Unfortunately I had to leave the bar at 4:30 so I don't know what the evening festivities were like. I am sure with such a great start Friday the Firkinteenth was a huge success with those coming in after work. The only bad thing is the next Friday the thirteenth isn't until next year.