Be glad that I'm not listing every event of Philly Beer Week 2008. By various counts, there's at least 120 events to as many as 150. Just go over here to the calendar and find something that suits your, uh, taste!
If Philly isn't your thing this March, there might another event or two on this list here. Enjoy!
Fri. 2/29 - Cask Ale Night (Tröegs & Ridgeway) @General Sutter Inn, Lititz, PA (4:30pm-6:30pm; pay as you go)
Fri. 2/29 - Friday Night Tasting (Gritty McDuff) @Beer Yard, Wayne, PA (free)
Fri. 2/29 - Quebec's Finest Cheeses & Beers @DiBruno Bros., Philadelphia, PA (6pm-8pm; $45)
Sat. 3/1 - Smoke-Free Saturday Night @TJ's, Paoli, PA (5pm-close; pay as you go)
Thu. 3/6 - Allagash Night @Barcade, New York, NY (6pm; pay as you go)
Fri. 3/7 - Belgian Beers @The Farmhouse, Emmaus, PA (7pm; pay as you go)
Fri. 3/7 - Friday Night Tasting (Allagash) @Beer Yard, Wayne, PA (5pm-7pm; free)
Sat. 3/8-Sun. 3/9 - Atlantic City Beer Festival @Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ (12pm-4:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm, 1pm-5:30pm; $35/$45)
Sat. 3/8-Sun. 3/9 - Split Thy (Vintage) Brooklyn Skull @Mugs Ale House, New York, NY (11am-close; pay as you go, 5oz=$3.50)
Sat. 3/8 - Beer & Comfort Foods Dinner @General Lafayette Inn & Brewery, Lafayette Hill, PA (6pm; $59.95)
Sat. 3/8 - Brewers Dinner @Cambridge Brewing Company, Cambridge, MA (5pm-7pm; $60)
Thu. 3/13 - Thursday Night Tasting (Magic Hat) @Isaac Newton's, Newtown, PA (7pm-9pm; free)
Sun. 3/16 - 1st Anniversary Party @Blind Tiger Ale House, New York, NY (2pm; no cover-free food!)
Thu. 3/20 - Thursday Night Tasting (Magic Hat) @Isaac Newton's, Newtown, PA (7pm-9pm; free)
Fri. 3/21 - Third Friday Firkin (Standard Ale) @Sly Fox Brewery, Phoenixville, PA (begining at Noon; PAYG)
Sat. 3/22 - Split Thy Skull @Sugar Mom's, Philadelphia, PA (1pm 'til they kick; pay as you go)
Thu. 3/27 - Thursday Night Tasting (Sierra Nevada) @Isaac Newton's, Newtown, PA (7pm-9pm; free)
Fri. 3/28 - Cask Ale Night (Oliver Breweries) @General Sutter Inn, Lititz, PA (4:30pm-6:30pm; pay as you go)
Sat. 3/29 - Annual Open House @Weyerbacher, Easton, PA (12pm-3pm; free)
Sat. 3/29 - Belgian Beer Party @Pizza Port, Carlsbad, CA (10am-4pm, 5pm-11pm; $40/$45 for entry & 8 beer tastings; $1 for each 4oz. tasting thereafter)
Sat. 3/29 - GTV Almrausch Schuhplattlers' Stiftungsfest (Spring Dance) @Cannstatter Volksfest Verein, Philadelphia, PA (7pm-12am; $10/$12)
Sat. 3/29 - Sly Fox R5 Beer Trip @Malvern Train Station, Malvern, PA (12:45pm meet at train; $15 transit; PAYG beers; Contact Corey at Sly Fox for more information)
Friday, February 29, 2008
Beer Calendar: What To Do In March 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
What's On Tap at The Drafting Room in Exton, PA - 2/28/08
The Drafting Room in Exton, PA has a decent web presence and quite a huge reputation preceding them. Their beer turns over quite quickly. So, in the spirit of service, whenever I get to The Drafting Room, I'll post the current tap list.
What's on line as of 2/28/2008?
Allgäuer Büble Bier
Boulder Mojo Risin'
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Dogfish Indian Brown
Left Hand Oak-aged Widdershins
Rogue Charlie 1981
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot [2007]
Victory Scarlet Fire
Wyder's Apple Cider
Victory Hop Devil (cask)
Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout
Legacy Midnight Wit
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Lindemans Framboise
Amstel Light
WDBD
The keen observers among you figured out quickly that I was in New York City yesterday. After an honest day's work, I found it difficult to pass up Alan's tempting e-mail from a couple of weeks ago. It was called Night of the Imperials and that about hit the nail on head. Other than a Lagunitas Pilsner, everything else was big in flavor, big in age, and/or big in alcohol....sometimes all of the above.
So, in about 90 minutes and paired with shrimp cocktail (perhaps not the best pairing with these beers) and a cubano sandwich (better than the shrimp with beer), I indulged in the following: '04 Dogfish World Wide Stout; '04 Dogfish 120 Minute IPA (via The Randal); Blue Point Sour Cherry Imperial Stout; and Captain Lawrence Imperial IPA (cask). A crazy 90 minutes I tell ya. I made the 120 minute last the entire session (does that make it a session beer?) while I sipped on the other three.
As great as the Blind Tiger scene was (and I should've been happy with leaving it at that), I couldn't help but get on the train back to PA with an empty feeling that I missed something great over at Spuyten Duyvil. Even though I was only a few subway stops away from this Brooklyn bar, it wasn't yet opened when I finished with work for the day. So, instead I went directly to Blind Tiger, knowing that I likely wouldn't go back out to Brooklyn (20-30 minutes each way from Manhattan by walking, subway, and walking) to have time for one beer then turn around back into Manhattan. I kept hearing this voice in my head saying "these beers rarely come to the States."
I did the (so-called) responsible thing and caught the 6:30pm out of Penn Station so that I could be home by 8:45pm. Otherwise, I was looking at 10pm or 11pm arrival back home and after being up at 5am to get to NYC, that just wasn't an appealing idea, given it was only Wednesday night. But, that voice is still in my head.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Pictures from Orval
No, they're not my pictures. If I'm lucky, later this year I'll have my own pictures to supply. For now, if you haven't checked out Greg's blog from Luxembourg (and Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and wherever else he wanders), now's the perfect time to check it out. Their trip to Orval looks to be one of the highlights since they've moved across the pond.
These are some of the finest pictures I've seen from Greg and Paula since they've moved to Luxembourg (the cat pictures are a close second).
Enjoy! Thanks Greg & Paula! Envious as usual....
24 Hours in Pittsburgh, PA
This year's installment of the guys hockey and beer trip to Pittsburgh came and went in the blink of an eye. In the past, it's been more like 4-6 guys for the weekend. This year it was yours truly and the Lancaster County Correspondent in all of about 38 hours. Not to say that we didn't make the most of it.
We headed out on Saturday morning and made it from Lancaster County to D's Six Pax & Dogz in the Regent Square area of Pittsburgh (just on the eastern side of Squirrel Hill tunnel) in just over 3 hours. We made it through a few snow squalls in the mountains with no problem and found a little more than an hour to spend at D's and setting up at the hotel before heading over to the Mellon Arena for the Penguins/Kings game at 1pm.
After a couple of dogs and our first pre-noon pints, we headed to the back "cave" at D's to fill up a 6-pack of beers, like Great Lakes and others that can not ordinarily be found in the eastern half of PA. Since the last time we were in Pittsburgh, D's has expanded by I'm guessing at least 100%. The restaurant area is now much more comfortable with some additional seating. The takeout area is a bit roomier and allows customers to more easily get around and find the beers that they're looking for. Plus, they've added a whole room on the front of the takeout area with hightop tables and separate checkout for the takeout customers.
Even though D's is still a bit pricier than 3 Sons Dogs & Suds north of Pittsburgh up in Wexford, D's is now a much more comfortable place to hang out and buy some beers, especially when coming in to Pittsburgh from the east.
On to the hockey game, our ice-side seats were killer. I've never seen a hockey game from right up on the glass, especially in the corner where a lot of the mucking, banging, and fighting starts and finishes. Our friend who works with the team usually hooks us up with great seats somewhere in the arena, but these were one of a kind....or maybe one of a few hundred of a kind.
While visits to East End and Penn Brewing were initially in the plans, they were not meant to be this time around. We went out with our friend and his friend instead to Fat Heads for beers and dinner (every beer trip to da Burgh requires at least one stop in at Fathead's). As you can tell from the picture, the tap list is still as quality as ever, now with the welcome addition of Bear Republic. I did my best to add as many beers to my Frequent Flyer Beer Tour card. One day, I hope to learn just how many points, miles, beers, or whatever I've accrued to this card. Until then, they claim that the computer can not tell even the staff. Uh...
Anyway, after wings and other munchies and several beers at Fathead's, we wandered down the street to a new joint (well, at least new in the sense that I'd never been there) called Smokin' Joe's. I resisted the call of the Beer Union 6-pack shop and only walked out of Fat Heads with a keychain bottle opener. Ah, the willpower at work.
Smokin' Joe's. Now there's a name that tells you what you need to know. No doubt the smoking ban has yet to land in Pittsburgh. While the smoke wasn't oppressive, it was definitely noticeable. Not enough to kill the taste of a DFH 90 Minute as we settled into some darts. Pool tables, music, and a typical South Side type of bar atmosphere was the order of the night here. They claim around 65 taps or so. I never could get a good view of the bar and all of the tap handles spread out around the long bar to confirm, but perhaps they were hiding some taps around the corner. And, though I have a better picture of the chalkboard tap list, I thought the picture here was more humorous as one of our guys took the opportunity to relax against the board. I think I can almost make out some of the beer names...maybe if I hold it up to a mirror!
That about concludes the beer portion of the trip. We got in a good night sleep, poked around the hotel lobby in the morning with breakfast and meetups with some of the Flyers players (they stay in the same hotel), and checked ourselves out of the hotel.We saw the Flyers come up just a bit short against the Penguins in a semi-spirited game. Though, it wasn't quite the cross-state brawl we were expecting. Maybe the Old Time Hockey from the prior day took a bit out of them. But, with the young talent in Pittsburgh, it's certainly good to see the city with an exciting hockey team again packing the arena. Plus, with a new arena on the horizon in a couple of years, the state of hockey in Pittsburgh looks quite favorable in the near future.
We both kept it dry at the game since there really wasn't much decent beer to speak of. The temperarture had dropped into the 10F range, with wind chill, and snow had fallen, so we hit the road and fortunately made a very quick trip home. I'm thinking with a lot of these short trips that I make, I could start a series called "24 Hours of Beer in {City Name Here}".
Oh, somewhere along the way here I neglected to mention our elevator ride with Mario Lemieux. No picture, sorry.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
WWBD
Since I can't drink them all, perhaps the better question is What Should Bryan Drink? After putting in a day of work tomorrow, I'll be somewhere(s) that has the following beers on draft. The clue is in the tag.
I've got my ideas. Your suggestions? Follow-up of What Bryan Did Drink to follow in a following post...follow?
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Speakeasy Imperial IPA
Tröegs Nugget Nectar
Green Flash Imperial IPA
Goose Island Imperial IPA '04
Dogfish Head 120 '05 (via Randall)
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout '04
Chelsea Czar's Revenge '05
He'Brew Rye Cask Jewbalation 11
Southampton Russian Imperial Stout
Black Forest Imperial Pils
Buffalo Stout
Southern Tier Back Burner
Southern Tier Unearthly IPA
Podge Belgian Imperial Stout
Weyerbacher Simcoe
Blue Point Sour Cherry Imperial Stout
Lagunitas Lumpy Gravy
Avery Czar
Captain Lawrence Imperial IPA (cask)
Smuttynose Baltic Porter (Gravity Keg)
Otter Creek Sea Otter Baltic Porter (cask)
Young's Double Chocolate Stout
Stone Ruination
Rogue Double Dead Guy
Rogue I2PA
Rogue Imperial Porter
Sly Fox Odyssey IPA
Dieu du Ciel Rigor Mortis
Dieu du Ciel Aphrodite
Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel
Dieu du Ciel Corpus Cristi (cask)
The Path To Philly Beer Week 2008 - A Profile of Yards Brewing Company
Yards is a Philadelphia story. I'd compare them to Rocky, but I'd probably get lost in the analogy along the way and find myself in a hole from which I could not dig out! But, make no mistake. Yards started as the little guy from the Manayunk and Roxborough neighborhoods and grew into a brewery with beers that are often referred to by outsiders as "the Philadephia beer." Along the way, they took the brewery into Kensington and became even more of a bonified neighborhood brewery by reviving the brewing ghosts of Weisbrod & Hess.
Back in the 90s, I knew the beer (personally, I say) but not so much the people behind Yards. Late in the 90s around the turn of the century, I began to follow the people and places more closely and finally visited the Kensington brewery for the first time just a few years ago. The passion for the beer shown by both the brewers and the consumers was always palpable during visits to the brewery. Rich Wagner's regular presentations about the history of brewing in Philadelphia added yet another element to the allure of Yards Brewing.
For some, after the management split became official in 2007, there were fears of possibly losing a piece of Philadelphia brewing history. Instead, it appears that we will end up gaining instead of losing. I don't doubt that some of this passion will carry over to the new location of Yards on Delaware Avenue. And, during Philly Beer Week, if you don't find yourself drinking a Yards beer at least once, then you must not be drinking beer. Tom and company are making sure that the Yards name will be in front of the beer-loving masses at every turn. Just check out the list of events below.
As you ready yourself for Philly Beer Week 2008, study up on some background notes on Yards Brewing Company and consider yourself lucky to be part of such a vibrant and rich beer region that PBW 2008 will celebrate.
Name: Yards Brewing Company
Location: 901 North Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Phone: 215-634-2600
Monday, February 25, 2008
Celebrator Beer News 20th Anniversary Party - Pictures & A Wrap-Up
 |
| CBN 20th Anniversar |
I guess I can say that I finally accomplished something this past weekend. Here are the pictures I took at the Celebrator Beer News 20th Anniversary Party in Oakland, CA two weekends ago. It was on 2/17/08 at the Marriott & Convention Center. I could have spent more time with notes, but I'll instead let the pictures do the talking. Needless to say, it was a great time and my first major beer festival on the other coast.
But, since you know that I can't leave without sharing at least a few notes, here goes in bullet format, no particular order.
- PubQuest makes some really nice maps
- Special pouring of Russian River Supplication, Pliny the Younger, and Black Valentine
- Hourly pourings of New Belgium La Folie
- Hard to find (on the East Coast) gems of The Abyss, Smoked Porter, & Kona
- Reunion Red Rye released and is very, very nice
- Magnolia Saison de Lily
- Allagash made a splash with the west coasters with the Grand Cru, White, and Tripel
- Devil's Canyon makes a sneaky and good Habanero Ale, mixed nicely with The Abyss
- Does Zydeco ever get old?
- Firehouse with an cask-conditioned IPA, very nice
- Mike White of White Labs, like the blind leading the blind back to the BART station in Oakland, yikes
- Pork sandwiches, rice & beans, caesar salad, pasta, and nachos to fill the belly
- Never thought I'd hear me say a festival was well attended, but the space was too big!
- The Brewing Network is even more fun in person
- Jay Brooks has one of the sharpest beer website t-shirts out there (and some right smart beer commentary as well)
- Learned a little something about Utah's environmentally conscious brewery, Uinta
- Hopman never made an appearance
- Lagunitas SuperFreak (a blend of several styles)
Chris LaPierre of Iron Hill on The Brewing Network's Sunday Session
Lappy impressed the crew during his interview on last night's Sunday Session at The Brewing Network. You would never have known that he was battling a cold and talking via cell phone.
During the (almost) 75 minute interview, they covered wide-ranging topics ranging from lagers to sour beers, from Philly Beer Week to their recent Belgian event, from homebrewing to commercial brewing, and from his experience at Harpoon to continuing education to working in a restaurant-centric environment that just so happens to have an attached brewery. They even covered the topic of dating advice for brewers!
If you haven't dropped in to The Brewing Network before, consider this a good reason to check them out.
Here's a direct link to the downloadable MP3 file. It's almost 100mb, so be sure that you're on a high-speed connection to the Web before clicking the link.
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/dwnldarchive02-24-08.mp3
(description from The Brewing Network's website)
Chris LaPierre from Iron Hill Brewing Company joins The Session this week to talk about their many beers, homebrewing, barrel aging and sour beer. We also talk to pubquest.com, recap Beevo's wedding, taste some listener beer and have a great time despite Justin's nasty hangover and bad attitude. It's another long and fun show where Doc reappears as his old self and age old questions are answered!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Let's Go For A Run - (a little something different to do during PBW 2008)
Philly Beer Week 2008 Is Coming; Here's another way to join in the celebration.
Let’s drink unsurpassed local beers, be merry, and RUN “IN THE PURSUIT OF HOPPINESS.”
We’ll burn a few calories as an added bonus.
Why not have the best of all worlds?
On Saturday, March 8th go for a run with The Brew Lounge and In Pursuit of Ale.
Meet Bryan, Suzanne Woods of In pursuit of Ale, and fellow runners at 11am.
By 11:30am, we'll take off for a run of approximately 5 miles through the city.
Along the way, we'll pass noteworthy beer landmarks, both past and present.
The run will conclude at the new Dock Street Brewery.
Light food and water will be provided at reserved tables when we arrive.
Be sure to bring some cash for beer.
So that we all can start together, please RSVP by March 5th.
This IS NOT A RACE, nor a fast or challenging exercise. It is a FUN RUN to celebrate Philly Beer Week!
There will be opportunity for rest stops along the way, based upon the needs of the group.
** Drop a note to me at beerguys@brewlounge.com and I can provide more detailed information **
Victory Renovations Continuing Apace
But, perhaps not quickly enough for some people! Especially with the April closure looming.
Stopped by earlier for a growler of Braumeister Pils (quite the drinker; go check it out!) and snapped this picture of the new entrance. The new growler filling station seems ready to go and the crowd is still filling the seats.
Victory's website continues to keep pictures and progress updated for us.
The Brew Lounge postponed
It's an absolutely beautiful winter day here today, though not so winter-like with sunny 40 degree weather. I have lots to tell you about my travels in the last couple of weeks and things to come over the next couple.
But, after reading Wilson's latest soul-searching, I've decided to step away from the desk work and go for a run. May even take one of the dogs with me. Some things are just too important and Wilson's posting helped remind me of just that.
So, you'll likely hear more from me later today. But for now, these things will have to wait.
Cheers!
Friday, February 22, 2008
March 12th at TJs in Paoli, PA
As you head into this weekend and make your plans for Philly Beer Week, keep in mind that some of these events will require reservations/tickets. For example, the event that Lew and I are co-hosting with TJs on March 12th requires reservations to be made by March 1st. I know that some of you have already made reservations for this event, and others have said that they will but have not yet. The event is not yet sold out, so if you're planning to go, this weekend could be a good time to make your reservation. This has been a public service announcement...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Savor Good Beer & Food in D.C. - The Pairings
Pairings for the Savor festival in D.C. have been announced and tickets are on sale. If you haven't attended a beer event that focuses on food pairings, this may be one that you don't want to miss. Plus, the added attractions of the nation's capital should make for a nice weekend.
Catching Up - Wish Me Luck
The last week and a half has been quite a whirlwind of activity for me. Starting with the annual guy's hockey weekend in Pittsburgh two weekends ago to the California trip, it's been filled with work, play, and family. Somehow I've managed to pull it all off and not get sick in the process (knock wood?).
Now, final prep for Philly Beer Week is upon me and I've got a notebook full of material from my various stops along the way that I've listed below. Eventually, I'll get to sharing them all with you. In the meantime, I promise to have Toronado and Celebrator pictures out to you by this weekend (can't promise captions, though).
Oh, I guess I'm going to a Flyers game tonight, so I won't be getting much of this work done tonight. Always tomorrow...
Pittsburgh, PA
D's
Fathead's
Smokin' Joes
Los Angeles, CA
Father's Office
Four Points LAX
San Franciso Bay Area, CA
Barclay's
Trumer
Where's Bison?
Jackson Liquors
Bo's BBQ
Toronado
Magnolia
21st Amendment
Celebrator Party
BevMo
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
More changes pouring in at PHL
Now, I'm all for a good glass of wine. But, first they take away a Jet Rock location at Philadelphia's International Airport, now the Independence Pub is also gone. I came back into PHL from SFO (at least they have their own Anchor and Gordon Biersch pubs in the terminal) to find the pub boarded over with banging and such taking place behind to create the new Vino Volo. (Though, who can't be pleased to hear that now Philadelphia travelers will have something to pair with "small plates of cheese and cured meats"? Bryan asks with a smirk)
Say what you will about the occasional dip in quality of beer at these locations, but I'll bet more good was done by serving up quality locally-crafted beverage at these places (especially to out-of-towners) than will a new wine bar. I know that I personally have been responsible for getting travelers to try a Victory Hop Devil (instead of SNPA), a Lancaster Franklinfest (instead of Yuengling Lager), and a Stoudt's APA and Red Hook ESB (instead of Killian's Irish Red). Yards, Flying Fish, and Tröegs also made quite common appearances on PHL tap handles.
Hmph, just need to console myself with this Eisbock while watching the lunar eclipse tonight, dreaming of better beer days hopefully returning to Philly Int'l.
Philly Beer Week 2008 - Events Update
Okay, I can admit when I'm whooped. I'm taking a page out of Jack's book and throwing in the towel. Several of you have passed along appreciation for the spreadsheet version, so I've updated the spreadsheet once more and now I've put it to bed. I count 111 one time events and another 4 events that repeat every day during PBW 2008. If you can't find something good to say about PBW....
If you'd like to use the spreadsheet, use the Open With Excel option to take it out to Excel where you can format it for printing to your heart's delight. At 52% reduction, it fits nicely to two legal size pages for an overview of what's happening each day...though, perhaps a bit small for some of you farsighted folk...so go for 4 pages instead. Get planning, time's-a-wastin'.
If you'd rather use the official PBW calendar, go here. Or, for a nice Google Calendar-based format, head over here.
The Path To Philly Beer Week 2008 - A Profile of Dock Street Brewery
Though these Profiles that I've been doing have not been paid advertisements, this one may sound more like one than any I've done thusfar. Most likely because Dock Street sits fondly at the beginning of my trek along this life with better beer that I've been enjoying.
For those younger of you in the audience, that would be the first Dock Street at 18th and Cherry streets just off Logan Circle and behind the Four Seasons hotel. Memories in the early 1990s include experiencing well-crafted and locally-made beers, drinking my first yard of beer, falling in love with "trio fries" (potato, sweet potato, and dried leeks), and hanging out in the billiards room. Speaking of falling in love (there's a topic I haven't gone to here at TBL in the past!), Patty and I spent several hours at Dock Street on one of our first dates during the 30+ inch snowstorm of January 1996, convinced the snow accumulation couldn't be that bad! Just one more beer and game of pool...
Over the last 10 years, the name has come full circle back to its original owner. Occasionally, a few stray cases of Dock Street beer could still be found on local beer distributor shelves. During the intervening years, it had continued to be contract brewed at FX Matt and Saratoga Springs in New York. Now, the brewery stands in West Philadelphia with restaurant seating that gives all patrons a glimpse into both the kitchen and the brewery. Scott Morrison and company are manning the brew kettles and turning out old favorites like the Amber, Pilsner, and Double Bock in addition to new favorites like the Rye IPA which has generated quite a bit of favorable buzz. And, the pizzas? Surely you've heard about the pizzas that are being dished out of the kitchen. And, oh yeah, the Trio Fries are back!
While I certainly enjoyed Dock Street for what it was back in the 90s, I believe that their new endeavor reflects even better still what craft brewing is about. For anyone concerned about the location, fear not. Drive in from the east and street parking can usually be found between one and two blocks from the brewery. Or, better yet, from Center City heading west, you can pick up the '34' trolley line for $2 cash one way fare (or $1.45 token) and be deposited directly in front of the brewery doors. Walking? Well, just a few blocks to the east of the brewery and you start to get into college campus life of UPenn and Drexel and lots of street life. Any way you go, you'll thank yourself and wonder why you didn't go sooner and when you'll return again.
As you ready yourself for Philly Beer Week 2008, study up on some background notes on Dock Street and consider yourself lucky to be part of such a vibrant and rich beer region that PBW 2008 will celebrate.
Name: Dock Street Brewery
Location: 701 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone: 215-726-2337
Madison Beer Review - Great Beer from a Great State
Got a great package from a great beer guy, Jeff Glazer, who does some great writing about the Wisconsin Beer Scene. Follow this link to get a type of mission statement from him and follow this link to see a nice example of what he does to follow the fabulous Wisconsin Beer Scene. Whether it's beer tastings, beer legislation, or brewery information, MadisonBeerReview.com is a great primer to start before visiting Wisconsin.
I originally thought of introducing you to Jeff's site after I've had a chance to sample his selections that he sent to me. But, my track record of working through beer is not all that great, so consider yourself now in the know. Props forwarded :)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Toronado Barleywine Festival 2008 - The Results
Over 50 barleywines available on draft, 3 come out on top. The judges had their say and placed the Lagunitas, Stone, and Firestone Walker in the top three spots, respectively. Even a keg of Nodding Head Hoptimus Prime showed up from Philly.
By the time we checked into our downtown hotel, took a breather, and found a cab ride to the Haight, the early birds had found their seats and secured tables. We first stopped at Rosamunde next door for some sausage sandwiches to lay the base.
Placemats were laid in front of those who wanted to tackle all 55 barleywines. Other tricks for getting barleywine bang for the buck (well, you didn't save any money, just time) was to bring your own sixpack holder for carrying the tasting glasses...as demonstrated in the picture by Logan, of Three Sheets "fame."
There's a whole slew of pictures from this past weekend. I'll get them all up with some more detail and out to you after arriving home. Jay's already got his batch of pictures up for you to check out in the meantime.
More carousing ensued; check back later for more stories from Toronado, Magnolia, and 21st Amendment on Saturday and the weekend topper on Sunday, the Celebrator 20th Anniversary Party in Oakland.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Toronado Barleywine Festival 2008
If it's February and I smell fresh cut grass, it must be time for the Toronado Barleywine Festival. After hearing about this must-do event for years (figures Jack has some great remembrances about his experiences five years ago and Jay has some nice pictures from a couple of years ago), I finally made it here in a February. After a couple of nice beery experiences in the LA area (Father's Office and Four Points Hotel; that's about all the nice things I can say about the LA area today; more on all that later), I made it up to the Bay Area to meet up with Patty and her sister's family for a decadent dinner of barbecue, beer, and the blues at Bo's Barbecue in Lafayette.
Now, this morning it's time to hop on the BART train and head downtown to our hotel, then the Haight. But, first it's time to listen to the melodic sound of mowers and blowers, breathing in the smell of fresh cut grass while contemplating the weekend over a cup of fresh Peet's coffee.
Dozens and dozen and dozens of strong beers to come over the next 72 hours. Much more to come....stay tuned!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Monk's Beer Dinner 2/12/08 : Lost Abbey
It probably is prudent to begin with apologies to Jack for whom this should in no way be construed as 'rubbing it in'. The adventure to my first Monk's Dinner of the year 2008, a dinner featuring Tomme Arthur's non-incidental beers of Lost Abbey, was highlighted by one of the smoothest trips ever into Philadelphia. That is, on one of the worst weather days ever for a Monk's Dinner. (I won't bother to retell the weather story...read Jack's comments on the topic and you'll get the idea.) How did this all come to be? Funny you should ask...
I left my office desk in Exton at 5:23pm. Drove east on business route 30 to the Paoli train station where I met the scheduled 5:50pm Amtrak train. It was 3 minutes late, but I was in the station by 5:40pm, so no worries there. The train sailed into Philly's 30th Street Station with no delays whatsoever. Actually, arrived approximately 2 minutes early. I high-stepped it up to the next arriving Septa regional rail line, which was just shutting its doors behind me as I hopped on (it's a free ride through Center City from 30th Street Station to Market East Station (a somewhat known secret). Disembarking at Suburban Station, thinking better about ascending to Market Street, and instead walking underground all the way to 16th and Locust streets (an even lesser known secret), I managed to stay dry from the elements in the nasty out-of-doors and arrived at Monk's front step at 6:47pm.
That makes for a trip of approximately 84 minutes from desk to glass-filled hand at Monk's. Oh, the first beer that was thrust into my welcoming hand? A 1999 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot. Sorry, I guess now I've rubbed it in.
On with the show. As reported elsewhere, the dinner and the show was fantastic. Since I'm boppin' my way from southern California to the Bay Area for a weekend of beer ranging from Strong Beer Month, to the Toronado Barleywine Festival, to the Celebrator Beer News 20th Anniversary party and countless other stops in between, I'll need to exercise some brevity in my comments. So, following is a course-by-course listing (not coarse) with random notes (somewhat coarse) for your enjoyment.
Oh, the only drawback of the evening. Returning to the Paoli train station to find my car encrusted in a 1/4" of thick ice and the parking lot in a sheet of slick ice. The plow guys were kind enough to drag the snow and ice from around the car so that I could get around with falling on my tokus while cleaning off the car. Then, I skated home to get a few hours of sleep before my early morning flight.
1st Course
Lost Abbey Red Poppy
~~ Skate Wing with brown butter sabayon
2nd Course
Lost Abbey Cable Car
~~ Cod Fritter & Manchego Cheese Fritter with smoked paprika aioli & romesco sauce
3rd Course
Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi
~~ Chicon with Belgian Endive wrapped with Ardennes Ham then napped with a bechamel sauce
4th Course
Lost Abbey Amazing Grace
~~ Scallops with beer jus
5th Course
Lost Abbey Veritas
~~ Rack of Wild Boar with root vegetable sauce
6th Course
Lost Abbey Angel's Share
~~ Sacher Torte
footnote: the second release of 10 Commandments is coming in May '08
Catching up...
Wow, is there anything that hasn't been said? In a little over 2 days, plus 3 time zone changes, I had well over 100 entries to read through in my Google Reader (that's just the Beer tag alone), plus numerous other Politics, Sports, Fitness, Friends, etc etc. It's truly amazing how the online beer commentary has skyrocketed, even just in the past few months.
Here's some interesting nuggets that my eyes ran across as I caught myself up on the happenings and musings of the beer literati (I'd say illiterati, but unfortunately I can't find anyone worthy of that title today).
In all that I read, one particular sentence really jumped out at me. It was from the Stan's dependably excellent site. ".....not sure what he would have written about....." Perhaps I'm feeling a bit melancholy tonight, but that statement sent a twinge of sadness through me.
Along the way, I also learned of Lew's birthday (great picture, Jay), that someone might actually like Miller Chill (Jeff, let us know if you find anyone who does), if there's anyone who should've taken his dog to this event it's this guy (lol), Mr. Arthur's closing comments on a hot subject (man, I wish I could've stuck around for the Monk's "after party" earlier this week), and that someone seems to like Garrett's book more than I do (it's in my carry-on luggage this week).
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Path To Philly Beer Week 2008 - A Profile of Nodding Head Brewery
Nodding Head is Center City's most fun brewpub...we all nod in agreement and wish that there were more. Thing is, there's a lot of nodding going on in the Sansom Street (or is it