Link to Day 9 Pictures (Google/Picasa)
Did, Saw, Heard: Caught up with some more of my local friends. Paid a visit to Iron Hill in Phoenixville. It seems like weeks ago since Patty, Paxton, and I sat down for an Iron Hill Dinner at Good Dog. For lunch, it was 6 barrel-aged beer samplers, all brewed by head brewer Tim Stumpf, with a Fish Taco and chit-chat with brewer Tim Stumpf, and co-owners Mark Edelson and Kevin Finn that got my Saturday off to a great start. The Chardonnay-aged Honey Saison, likely my favorite with the Bourbon Tripel and Cabernet Dubbel very close seconds. Also met Ed Garrett from the Harrisburg area who had come to "town" to sample some PBW events. Later saw him at.....
.....The Drafting Room, where a deliciously aromatic glass of cask-conditioned Hop Stoopid from Lagunitas was being poured from the bartop. Two homebrewers, a Foley and a Clair were also at the bar...not on it....not at least while I was there. Anyone doing the Russian River brunch today at TDR might want to first inquire if there is any Hop Stoopid left. It's a great example of a hop-forward beer that shines on cask.
Then it was off to Teresa's Next Door to see what the Main Line JazzFest was all about. Can't say that I was all that impressed by the show of vendors and the music (which was very good otherwise) that was masquerading as Jazz.
But, impressive was the lineup of Tröegs both at the bar and setup in the cafe, which served as a bit of a respite from the outdoors. Cask-conditioned HopBack Amber is another beer that shines beautifully from the firkin and played a nice accompanying role to the BBQ sampler platter that we got. Ribs, Chicken, Brisket, and Pulled Pork on a platter with Collard Greens, Fries, and Deviled Eggs left us more than satisfied.
Oh, and the De La Senne Tarus Boulba and a run-in (finally!) with Exportation helped with the satisfaction as well.
The Exportation? If you haven't heard of it, it's the Tröegs version (done at Russian River, no less) of Exporter that our local beer heroes brewed at Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp last year. With it's brett-y funk, the porter, I believe, tastes even better than the original brew.
Missed (according to others):Well, there's no doubt that I missed Phreddie and the Phunks at Nodding Head. If I hadn't missed the train, and if the doom and gloom reports (double-verified) of the Schuylkill Expressway traffic nightmares had reared their nasty heads, I'd been there for sure. But, I suppose I've been rewarded with enough smooth trips on that sorry-excuse-for-a-major-highway-entrance-to-a-major-city that I was due for one of these letdowns.
Capone's blowout sounded like something else I should have stopped in at. For as close to home as it is for me and for the nice job that Matt Capone continues to do for the industry, it's a shame I didn't get there during PBW. Still, big props to Matt and his team for putting on some of the most talked about events during PBW '11.
Today, Day 10: Time is running short here this morning. It's time for me to head off to the City and get the 4th Annual Philly Beer Run underway. It's the return this year of Dock Street to Dock Street format. Dock Street (the actual street in Society Hill) to Dock Street (the actual brewpub in West Philly).
Nearly 75 have RSVPed. Let's see how many show, given the moderately crappy weather.
No matter, after I distribute awards, we'll all stick around for the 3rd Annual Dock Street Local Music Festival.
Then, maybe on to Local 44 to see what Russian River "scraps" are left after the geeks get done ripping through there in the morning and early afternoon.
By the time I get cleaned up, we'll make the gametime decision as to whether a trip to the T..U.D., or even a T.U.D. in and of itself, is still necessary.
Party on PBW people!
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