My beer weekend officially started and ended on Thursday night. Because of a full weekend of running around dealing with the purchase of a new house, Thursday was the only day to catch any beer activity. This meant, unfortunately, I had to miss the
Brewers' Reserve Black and Tan Cask event on Saturday at
Iron Hill. I am sure I'll have to miss more events since the next few months are only going to get crazier with the big move fast approaching.
Thursday night's suburban beer trek started early at
Capone's with
Dogfish Head. The beer lineup brought out one
of the largest crowds I've seen at the bar. Anytime it's just after 5:00, you do two laps of the parking lot and end up grabbing a spot next door you know there is something serious happening inside. Once I managed to swoop into a seat at the bar I heard someone refer to the evening as, "beer Christmas". In a way it was; you just don't see that many Dogfish high abv creations all on draft at the same time.
Theobroma, 60, 90, 120, World Wide Stout, Raison D' Etre, Palo Santo Marron, Indian Brown and to top it off the 90 Minute flowing through
Randall. The only beer under 6% abv was the
Festina Peche. All those beers under the tree on Christmas morning would spark any beer fanatics Yule Log. As much as I wanted to kick back and try them all I refrained knowing I had a long drive ahead of me.
My long, dark, wet, winding drive took me to
Ortino's Northside for a meeting with
Dr. Joel and
Cask Kev for a few of
New Holland's finest. I have been reading
The Grain Bill forever but this was the first time I had a chance to talk with Joel. It was great getting the chance to enjoy a
Cabin Fever with the Northeast Ambassador of all things New Holland. From the sound of it he has a busy schedule of spreading the word about the brewery. Michigan brewers have been making a big push into PA, especially in Philadelphia, and New Holland offers up some excellent choices. If you want to enjoy a few and learn a little more about New Holland, Joel has two appearances this week you shouldn't miss. The first is
Dragon's Milk Night at
The Institute from 7-9:00pm and then on Thursday
Sidecar Bar is hosting
Soul Power. An evening of soul music, food and New Holland beer. The good times roll at 5:00pm. It looks like New Holland will make Thursday night another great early start to the weekend.
warm neighborhood feel. The place is fairly small, dimly lit and was filled with a nice mix of people listening to the smooth sounds of New Holland's Soul Power Night. Kelleigh and I grabbed a table ordered drinks, food and had the chance to talk with Dr. Joel for a few minutes before dinner arrived. If you have the opportunity to bend his ear, do it. He is passionate about beer, New Holland and offers up some choice stories. As my first beer arrived I promised myself (and Kelleigh) a three beer limit for the evening. With so many beers available this wasn't an easy 
promise to keep. Since it was a New Holland Beer promo I made sure to enjoy a Cabin Fever (my favorite seasonal brown), Mad Hatter IPA and for dessert Dragon's Milk. My only regret was not tasting The Poet. My word is bond and I stuck to my limit. I'll rectify missing The Poet by getting a mix case of New Holland this weekend. Once our dinner arrived I dove into the savory meal so quick that I forgot to get a shot of the plate. Trust me it looked incredible. We each had BBQ short ribs, greens w/bacon, cheese grits, steamed string beans and 
sweet potatoes w/pecans. My only gripe; the sweet potatoes were a bit bland. My preference is a little more brown sugar. Everything else passed the home style cooking test. Our empty plates were proof of that. The Sidecar Bar and Grille is an inviting neighborhood corner bar that knows zestful comfort food and quality beer. I just need to find a way to return more often. 
Tonight at the South Philadelphia Tap Room experience Philly's first keg of Troeg's Mad Elf 2008. The joyous 11% holiday brew starts pouring at 6:30pm.
of the largest crowds I've seen at the bar. Anytime it's just after 5:00, you do two laps of the parking lot and end up grabbing a spot next door you know there is something serious happening inside. Once I managed to swoop into a seat at the bar I heard someone refer to the evening as, "beer Christmas". In a way it was; you just don't see that many Dogfish high abv creations all on draft at the same time. Theobroma, 60, 90, 120, World Wide Stout, Raison D' Etre, Palo Santo Marron, Indian Brown and to top it off the 90 Minute flowing through Randall. The only beer under 6% abv was the Festina Peche. All those beers under the tree on Christmas morning would spark any beer fanatics Yule Log. As much as I wanted to kick back and try them all I refrained knowing I had a long drive ahead of me.
Head promo. Matt starts the afternoon off right and continues through the day pouring 9 Dogfish beers. I have never seen 60 (6%abv), 90 (9%abv),120 (20%abv), W.W. Stout (18%), Palo Santo (12%abv) and Theobroma (10%abv) all on at the same time. To top it all off Randall the Enamel Animal makes it's appearance on the 90 minute. As you can tell from those abv percentages this is not a session beer event (check below for that one). I suggest hiring a designated driver for the night.
