Philly Beer Scene February/March 2012

Issue 17 | february/march 2012 | www.phillybeerscene.com

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Crafty Weddings A Beer-Infused Special Day

twitter effect How Social Media Shapes Beer Vegan Beers

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Iron Hill Label Art

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Dining Out BYO’s and Bottle Shops

Coffee Beers

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Free!

Take One 1

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Contents February/March 2012

64 sections 8

On the Scene Beer events in Philly’s beer scene.

10 The Variety Pack Mat Falco, John Goerl, Joe Gunn, Andrew Loder, Tara Nurin, Brittanie Sterner & Two Guys On Beer

16 Woman on the Scene Mystery Beers

By Carolyn Smagalski

32 Beer Travel Portland, OR

By Nikki Volpicelli

35 Not beer RHUBY

By Kris Kitts

37 Le Fromage

Yellow Springs & Voodoo Brewery

By Paul Lawler

18 Fun With Beer

38 From the Cellar

Bottle Cap Bingo

By Neil Harner

‘00 & ‘11 Brooklyn Monster

By Phillip Pittore III

20 homebrewer’s corner Café y Cerveza

40 Beer Law Liquor Privatization

By Senator Chuck McIlhinney

23 hop culture

60 Bar & Restaurant Reviews

Hallertau Hops

By Joseph Bair

Unique beer destinations for a pint and a meal in and out of the city.

By Mat Falco & Neil Harner

24 Cooking With Beer Scotch Egg

64 the Tasting Room

26 Tunes & Brews

12 Beers reviewed by our panel with special guest: George Hummel & Nancy Rigberg

David April

By G. W. Miller III

28 discovering craft beer First Craft Beer Memories

By Kevin Dragone

31 Brewmasters

68 Directory Find craft beer near you!

74 Beer Events Local happenings in the Philly beer scene.

Justin McCarthy of Magic Hat

By Steve Hawk

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48 features

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The twitter effect How social media has influenced our beer scene.

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Craft Beer Bliss How to incorporate a passion for craft beer into your big day.

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Bottle Shops & BYOs Where to grab your own & bring your own.

Best Beer Selection on South Street

3rd & South

Street •

Take Out 6

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great food great beer• 20 drafts outside dining est.1978

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Pack ne: 21 s & 5-59 Gr 2-13 o w 90 ler

Holiday Cocktail Hours & Catering Happy Hour from 5-7 Quizzo: Wednesday @ 7:00 Holiday Gift 6 packs available

Text “jonsbeerclub” to 72727 for keg release parties & specials! february/march 2012

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meet the founders Mat >> mat@beerscenemag.com Favorite Beer of Late: One of the great sours I had at Stewart’s Brewing Co., or the new McKenzie Brew House in Devon.

Best New Place Visited: Barcade is a great addition to the city. Iron Hill Chestnut Hill is up there. Plus, there are new places like Ulysses in DE and American Sardine Bar in South Philly; making it a tough choice.

What You Are Most Looking Forward To In 2012: NEW BREWERIES! Holy crap, it looks like we’ll have almost a dozen new breweries by the end of the 2012. Forest and Main should be up and running by the time you read this!

Highlight of the Holidays: January 3rd, probably. It’s nice to have it all behind us and the normalcy of life return.

Beverage of Choice When Not Drinking Beer: Coffee. I’ve become hooked and kind of snobby about coffee. Love a quality Americano.

Does Neil Harner Really Exist? Not sure, never seen him outside the Tasting Room.

Neil >> neil@beerscenemag.com Favorite Beer of Late: I’ve been drinking Dogfish Head Faithfull Ale a lot.

Apparently after the last issue, a few people tracked down some bottles for me.

Thanks friends!

Best New Place Visited: Yeah, I don’t get out much.

What You Are Most Looking Forward To In 2012: Taking a trip to New Hampshire and Vermont to check out some of the beer scene up north.

Highlight Of The Holidays: Getting my Miller Lite drinking Uncle to drink Victory Lager all night long on Christmas Eve. And he liked it! It was a Christmas Miracle.

Beverage of Choice When Not Drinking Beer: I’m a sucker for Captain Morgan. When my sweet tooth is kicking I go after a good old Captain and Coke.

Does Neil Harner Really Exist: Fuck you, Mat. (See “Best New Place Visited”).

founders

Mat Falco & Neil Harner Art Director

Melissa Cherepanya Executive Editor

Alicia Eichelman Director of photography

Gina Aquaro Contributing Editors

Joseph Bair, Johnny Bilotta, Chef Adam DeLosso, Kevin Dragone, Collin Flatt, John Goerl, Joe Gunn, Steve Hawk, Paul Lawler, Dave Martorana, Senator Chuck McIlhinney, G.W. Miller III, Tara Nurin, Phillip Pittore III, Carolyn Smagalski, Brittanie Sterner, Nikki Volpicelli & Lori Zaspel Contributing Artist

Andrew Loder Contributing photographers

Alison Dunlap, Artistic Imagery Inc. & Shannon Manley Web Designer

Amanda Mitchell graphic designers

Sarah Coale & Nick Less intern

Kris Kitts

Philly Beer Scene is an eco-friendly publication which is printed with soy based inks.

Philly Beer Scene is Designed & Printed in the USA. Philly Beer Scene is a BrewStudio Marketing & Advertising Publication. Copyright © 2012 BrewStudio Marketing & Advertising, LLC. Philly Beer Scene is published bi-monthly by BrewStudio Marketing & Advertising, LLC. 4432 Bristol Road, Suite 1B, Oakford, PA 19053 Phone: 215-478-6586 For subscription inquiries please visit us on the web at www.phillybeerscene.com

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Letter from the Art Director We hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that in no time at all it will be Valentine’s Day, which is why we thought it was all too appropriate to provide you with a guide to some of the best bottle shops and BYOs in and around the city; for dinner with your significant other, or just a night out on the town with friends and family. And, for those of you who may be popping the question this Valentine’s Day season, we also have a feature on how you can incorporate your love for each other and love of beer into your very own craft beer wedding!

And, we know, we know, St. Patty’s Day is also right around the corner. To put it in perspective, we again enlisted our comical friend and man who has seen it all, Joe Gunn, to give his St. Patrick’s Day breakdown in “I On Beer- Erin, Go Home.”

Our other feature this issue is “The Twitter Effect” which encompasses social media in the scene. It may not be something you have ever considered, but the social media boom has in many ways impacted how, when and where you drink some of your favorite brews. At Philly Beer Scene, we know firsthand just how important social media is to all aspects of the industry, which is why we are bringing you a feature on how status updates and 140 characters have influenced the scene as it stands today.

One regular feature that has been an intense point of discussion for our readers is “Beer Law.” If you want the chance to have your opinion heard, join Senator Chuck McIlhinney and Mat Falco on Thursday, February 9th at Yards Brewing Co. for an open forum on beer laws and possible amendments to these laws.

Finally, we know it’s cold, but warm up with a beer! Make sure to get out and about and visit some of the great craft bottle shops and BYOBs in your area, not to mention the newest and upcoming breweries including Forest & Main in Ambler, Iron Hill Chestnut Hill, McKenzie Brew House (Devon), Round Guys Brewing (Lansdale), Free Will Brewing Co. (Perkasie), and more. If you’re looking for the latest info on all these great places, check them out on Facebook & Twitter!

Cheers, Melissa Cherepanya Art Director, Philly Beer Scene

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On the Scene

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Philly Beer Scene’s Candid Photos from the Fun and Exciting World of Craft Beer 1. Rob DeMaria and Matt Mihalovich of Prism Brewing

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Co.celebrate the bottle launch of their flagship beer, Bitto Honey IPA at North Wales Beer.

2, 3 & 4. Beer lovers enjoying the many beers being poured at the first ever Valley Forge Beer Festival in Oaks, PA. 5. Mark Weinmann of Great Lakes and friends showing off their free Great Lakes pint glasses at Revolution House in Old City.

6. Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Scott Morrison tapping a firkin of 75 Minute IPA to commemorate the opening of Scott’s new bar Ernest & Scott in Wilmington, DE. 7. Owners Mark Edleson and Kevin Finn are joined by Chestnut Hill township leaders for the inaugural pour at the new Iron Hill in Chestnut Hill.

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The Variety Pack

Artisan Beer Gary Monterosso’s guide to “Savoring the World’s Finest Beers.”

By Tara Nurin

When Cicerone-certified beer educator and media commentator Gary Monterosso isn’t leading workshops at festivals, hosting his Internet show, “Still Crazy After All These Beers,” or endorsing brands like Stella Artois and Spaten, he’s teaching computer skills to middle schoolers in South Jersey. Clearly, he’s good at explaining things to audiences that are distracted, disinterested, or drunk.

If we cautiously assume that readers of his user guide, Artisan Beer: A Complete Guide to Savoring the World’s Finest Beers, are none of these, we can confidently assume they’ll easily follow his clear and patient teacher’s voice.

Artisan Beer is written for the novice to the advanced-intermediate student.

Personal anecdotes, pictures, widely-spaced type and a manageable 148-pages make

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this soft-cover primer a quick read that can be studied cover-to-cover; intentionally, to answer a particular question; or in passages pulled at random.

Organized into chapters like “How Do I …” and “Twenty Things You Always Wanted to Know About Beer but Didn’t Know Who to Ask,” Artisan Beer introduces beginners to basics like, ‘What should I know before I go to a beer festival?’ (Hint: don’t wear a white T-shirt). While a more advanced reader might skim such paragraphs, the book’s history lessons, interviews with cult beer personalities and recommendations for homebrewing and cellaring will fill in many knowledge gaps.

What makes this book most useful is its versatility as both a textbook and a reference guide. In the chapter on food pairings, for instance, Monterosso first summarizes pairing concepts with case studies and quotes from luminaries Marnie Old and Garrett Oliver. He then lists specific suggestions and concludes with in-depth explanations (plus recipes and examples) on matching grilled foods, cheeses and desserts. These recommendations are specific enough for a reader who’s rushing to buy drinks for that night’s BBQ and philosophical enough for said hostess to understand the process in a way that will allow her to later replicate or vary it on her own.

Monterosso packs his book with resources for further study, from websites, books and periodicals, to an annotated roundup of his top 24 beers. And, he offers frequent reassurances to students that their tastes and ideas are as valid as anyone’s… like a good teacher should.

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rare find:

Rogue Voodoo bacon maple ale

A collaboration with famed Oregon bakery Voodoo Doughnut, this brew is made with a baker’s dozen worth of ingredients including applewood smoked bacon and maple syrup used in one of Voodoo’s signature doughnuts.

Rogue Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale is available exclusively in limited Oregon locations and through their website.

The Variety Pack

A Bottle of Iron Hill: The full experience. by Brittanie Sterner Iron Hill isn’t a production brewery. They only bottle stronger styles that age well, or seasonal beers infrequently available on tap.

For the most part, the bottled beers are only brewed and identified by style. This includes their Russian Imperial Stout, Saison, Abbey Dubbel, or English Barleywine, all of which are labeled in solid colors with smallish text. Very streamlined, minimal, and not much to look at. Because the beer itself is characterized only by style, whether Belgian, German or British, the label is kept simple. And because the bottles are only sold on-premise at their brew pubs, a punchy label that stands out on a shelf probably isn’t a huge marketing concern.

Sometimes, a beer gets to be special. When Iron Hill brews a unique beer that goes beyond a standard style, artist Jeff Schaller has total reign over his kitschy, pop-inspired labels. Given the qualities of the beer: type, style, and ABV–he applies his painterly and whimsical aesthetic to an often handmade label, procuring something totally individual.

For Honey Do Wit, (Honey, do it!), he did the BIC® pen-inspired drawing of an over-tasked husband on an actual sheet of notebook paper, then folded it up and photographed it. In the Smokin’ Blonde label he used the “true blonde” saying to good use, matching the beer’s all natural ingredients with a photograph of his daughter’s Barbie, which he collaged into a mixed media piece. The image features a window that looks out to where sausages are being grown. It’s not uncommon for Schaller’s work to have that kind of permissible innuendo, and combined with his use of borrowed text and explosive colors, the labels are like shards of pop culture that beg for an “a-ha” moment. Winter Wheat Wine-Oh! actually uses the opening text from “Frosty the Snowman,” and it’s a paint-by-number that he designed.

The collaboration has also resulted in some pretty amazing designs that go beyond the bottle. For FE Fifteen Anniversary Ale (at one percent of alcohol for each of their 15 years), Schaller used the

cultural standard of giving either crystal or a watch for a 15th wedding anniversary. The numbers are Roman numerals, as they’d be on a nice watch, and he suggested that Iron Hill served the beer in accompanying crystal glasses. For the Triple Bock, Schaller photographed a goat and turned it into a 3D image. 3D glasses are given out with the sale of the beer.

That is what we call fully experiencing a bottle of beer. Luckily, it will stay special, since they don’t make too many of them.

D-LITE By Andrew Loder the doc said i’ve got Cenosillicaphobia, which is a fear of Empty glasses.

What?! That’s ridiculous. What do you Do when you finish drinking?

Forget I asked. finish drinking?

Right. Maybe you should just order another beer.

www.phillyxdesign.com february/march 2012

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The Variety Pack Irish Car Bombs. For those of you proud Irish Americans that look forward to drinking your weight in these things every year, you should know that’s there is a small group of people that find them kinda offensive – every single person on the island of Ireland. Funny thing about real-life Irish Car Bombs is that they’ve killed hundreds of Irish people. Throwing one up through your nose seems tacky at best.

Like us on

Green Beer. I can’t even…

“Kiss Me I’m Irish.” No thanks whore.

I on Beer Erin go home.

208 Sanhican Drive (RT.29) Trenton, NJ 08618 www.solarhomebrew.com joe@solarhomebrew.com

(609) 252-1800

Beer List & Events Listed at www.FWOT.com 107 W. Ridge Pike • Conshohocken, PA

610-828-6191

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Craft Drafts 14 Beers on Tap And don’t forget to check our

AWARD WINNING

Chicken Fingers & Wings

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By Joe Gunn

Barring stupid leap years, I’m completely oblivious to my Irish heritage for 364 days a year. For one day a year, I’m completely embarrassed, ashamed, and humiliated by it. I hate St. Patrick’s Day. Even though I have Irish roots and personally profit from the day greatly, I’d love to cancel the whole f ’n thing.

It’s the time of year when dudes that normally drink shitty beer, get adventurous and drink shitty Irish beer for awhile, then go on a strong 20 bottle binge of Miller Lite to cap the day. It’s like a younger New Year’s Day crowd, with much more cultural embarrassment. The great writers in history couldn’t adequately describe my hatred of St. Patrick’s Day in under 600 words, so I probably can’t either. I’ll just give you an idea of what drives me the craziest.

The Legend. St. Patrick is celebrated

because he banished all of the snakes out of a country scientifically proven to never have snakes. Now that those National Geographic nerds busted that myth, can everyone begin to cool out? This “religious” holiday turns Center City Philadelphia into a Jersey Shore episode. Does he even really deserve that big of a day? I’m sure he was a nice guy and all, but is he really worth getting roofied over? Maybe you should pretend you’re Irish for a day and spend the day at church or a dog track.

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Any girl that’s wearing this shirt is most likely a very sweet girl from the ‘burbs out for a day of fun. Until around 2:30 in the afternoon. This is around the time the Stoli Razz Kamikazes kick in and you start seeing girls stumbling into traffic and shit. In a couple of hours, the guys they’re with will try to start fights with the cars that almost run these chicks over. Not with the drivers, the cars. Besides, who kisses anymore?

Freakin’ prude whores.

Cheek Stickers. Like you’re some adorable

USC cheerleader or something. Sorry girls, and the predictable funny guy of the group, they’re just a little too cutesy for me. I understand that they will make for great cell phone pictures on Facebook, but there’s a decent chance you get accidentally pregnant in the next few hours, and you don’t want to conceive looking like a fool. It leads to weird kids, like redheads.

Whiskey. Whiskey and I have never really

gotten along, but even I feel bad for the abuse it takes on SPD. I know for a fact that I’ll see somebody this year, take a shot of Jameson, almost puke for a second, and then puke in a beer. Could be a guy or girl, anywhere between the ages of 21 and 60. The teary eyed apology is always good for a laugh though. I’ve also actually seen whiskey cause people to have fake Irish accents which they swear they brought back from Ireland when they spent 2 weeks there in 1996 and it comes out when they drink.

Anyway, stay in, it’s the worst.

The Variety Pack

--16 AMERICAN CRAFT-BEERS ON TAP MEXI-CREOLE GRUB

Ask Two Guys On Beer Have a question about craft beer you need an answer to?

E-mail tgob@beerscenemag.com to get your questions answered.

To learn more about Two Guys On Beer, visit www.twoguysonbeer.com.

Which country drinks the most beer?

- Mike K., Philadelphia, PA It depends on who you ask. In terms of a per-capita consumption (latest data is from 2004), Czech Republic is currently in the lead with 158.6 liters. That’s just over 3 liters per week per person–including infants!

If you were to distill all the beer consumed into pure 100% ethyl alcohol, a World Health Organization (WHO) study from 2005 puts Palau at 8.68 liters of pure alcohol consumed per capita in the form of beer. But it only counts those over 15 years of age. Must mean their beer is quite strong.

In terms of raw consumption, the winner appears to be China. The latest available data puts them at consuming 28.64 BILLION liters of beer per year. True, that means the per-capita consumption is only at around 30 liters per person per year, but it’s still an impressive number.

I want to support breweries that are eco-friendly. Any recommendations?

- Jay R., Manayunk TONS! This is not as well-known to the general public but “green” breweries are very common in the industry.

When you think about it, brewing beer does not generate all that much waste. Other than crappy macro beer, that is.

If you support Sierra Nevada Brewing, you are already on the right track. They won the 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Green Business of The Year” Award.

The brewery solar-power recycles its restaurant’s cooking oil into bio-diesel for its delivery trucks and recycles all its spent brewing ingredients in some fashion. Great Lakes Brewing is also one of the greenest breweries. Pat and his team use waste from their restaurant and brewery

as compost for their farm which provides produce and grain back to the brewpub. They even use out-of-date promotional material as heat and send their spent grain to local farmers as feed. We believe plans are in the making to install solar cells to decrease the company’s carbon footprint even further.

Some more green breweries of note: Yards, Long Trail and Brooklyn Brewing.

How big are macro-breweries vs. craft breweries?

- Scott S., Bucks Co., PA These are fun numbers, because it’s really quite impressive. Overall, beer consumption was down in 2010 by 1%. But in the first half of 2011, “craft beer” saw a 15% increase in sales! Good stuff for the small guys, right?

Well, yes and no. There are currently 1,700+ breweries in the U.S. and growing. It’s an impressive number, and unmatched since the late 1800s. But the small guys are REALLY small.

In fact, all together they only account for 7% of the total U.S. beer market. But don’t disparage too much– that’s way up in the past decade. However, the macrobreweries still control 93% of the U.S. market. Current trends see that continuing to change, but by a percent a year or so at best.

To put it in even more depressing terms, AnheuserBusch InBev, a foreign-owned company, had a 55.4% market share in the U.S. last year. The single largest U.S. owned brewery, Sam Adams, which some consider “craft” and others don’t...? Less than 1% market share in 2011.

How’s that for big?

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The Variety Pack time, so one of my personal goals this year is to start making a little free time here and there. I just bought my first home, so hopefully I can find some time to spend in it. Outside of that, a vacation wouldn’t be too bad.

PBS: Stone has put a lot of beers through the market, between their anniversaries, vertical epics and collaborations, not to mention the rare oneoff casks that grace Philadelphia. What’s your all-time favorite Stone beer?

Lee: The impossible question. I would have to pick a few: ‘07-’09

Vertical Epic Ales, 10th, 12th & 15th Anniversary Ales, Stone Smoked Porter and anything on cask. Sorry, that’s the best I can do.

PBS: What’s your go-to beer/brewery when not drinking Stone?

Lee: I don’t think I have one go-to brewery; there are too many

good ones these days. I’m a fan of beer if it’s good and I’m lucky to live in the best beer city in the world. I’m drinking a New Holland in the picture if you must have an answer.

Meet the Scene: Lee Marren He’s always on the scene, now learn more about Lee Marren, Stone’s Mid Atlantic man of sales.

Interview By Mat Falco

PBS: There’s been many so far, but is there a brewery that you would really like to see Stone collaborate with?

Lee: Yeah, we have done a bunch of collaboration beers so far, and

I have been fans of all of them. The ones that pop into my head are Bell’s, Great Lakes, Founders, Avery, Russian River and Three Floyds. There are a few others, but we may or may not already be doing something with them...

PBS: Focusing on pushing a West Coast beer, what is your take on the local brewery scene and do you think the constant flow of new (non-local) breweries is good for it?

Lee: First off, I love the local beer scene we have here in Philly.

Anyone that knows me would tell you that. I think a town should support their local brewers and local everything for that matter. I know I do. I also feel that there is plenty of room for non-locals as well, but it’s really the city that determines that. If the beer is good, it will sell, and I think people in and around Philly know enough about beer to know what is good and what is not.

PBS: Between the likes of the Mashington brothers and yourself, there’s some rising concern that gingers are starting to overpopulate the industry.

What is your take on this?

Lee: As a proud ginger, all I can say is–deal with it people! We’re

Philly Beer Scene: Before joining the most arrogant brewery in the world, what were your ambitions in life?

Lee Marren: Since I was young, I had always planned on opening

my own bar/grill. I was born and raised in the business, so I guess it just seemed natural to me. I was actually very close to pulling the trigger on my own place before I was hired at Stone, but [I] started to get a little jaded and was happy to get a chance to come back to the brewery side of things.

PBS: Covering a very large, multi-state territory, free time is probably nonexistent, but if it ever becomes available, what do you enjoy doing?

Lee: Covering PA, DE, MD, D.C. & VA does take up most of my

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taking over. The bad news is–it’s not just us. There’s also Mark from Great Lakes and Casey from Flying Fish (whether he admits it or not).

PBS: What has been your best experience so far working in the craft beer industry?

Lee: Everything! I get paid to do what I used to do outside of work and

I get to travel to do it. Between the people I meet, the places I see and the cool events I get to set up and attend, there’s not much to dislike.

PBS: You were once quoted as saying Greg Koch hates Philadelphia… is this really true?

Lee: Quite the contrary, Greg loves Philly, I think he hates me.

If he didn’t have to work with me when he came into town, he’d probably be here all the time. Can’t really blame him.

The Variety Pack

Beer for Vegans What is really in there?

By John Goerl

At its simplest, beer is a combination of water, hops, yeast, and malt. While a vast array of other ingredients can be used to liven the taste (pumpkin, chili peppers, love), there are other ingredients that are used for more subtle properties, often for larger scale production. These other ingredients, mostly additives, are not typically listed on labels. So for those who are particularly mindful of what they consume, beer may slip past the radar.

This can become especially frustrating for vegans – those who avoid all animal products based on ethical, dietary, or environmental principal. These super-charged vegetarians already have to forego a lot, and adding beer to this list would certainly not be doing anyone a favor. The good news is there already exists several lists of these furtive animal products, and ways to avoid them.

First, there is the more obvious category of ingredients used for flavoring. These “special” ingredients are usually hard to miss, as they are most likely used in the name. Examples include Blue Moon’s Honey Moon and Lancaster Brewing Company’s Milk Stout.

The more challenging are the products used as additives and during the filtration process. Here are some of them: Animal based clarifiers: Often referred to as ‘finings,’ they are used to refine or modify the appearance of a brew when it is being processed and filtered. Finings include isinglass (dried fish bladder), gelatin (from skin, connective tissue, and bones), and casein (found in milk).

Foam control: Used for head retention, glyceryl monostearate and pepsin are both potentially derived from animals.

Insect-based dyes: Some breweries may use dyes that consist, among other things, of a variety of insects to color their beer.

Because there are no requirements for breweries to disclose the use of animal products, it may be difficult to determine if

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your favorite brew is vegan or not. There are several resources online, including barnivore.com and vegan-vanguard.com.

It is also possible to make assumptions based on the region where the beer was produced.

While not entirely reliable, most beer made in the United States, Germany, and Belgium can be considered vegan. Conversely, beer from Ireland and the United Kingdom is often made using cask treated styles, and are therefore more likely to contain the aforementioned finings.

These are by no means hard fast rules. If you are truly concerned, your best bet may be to contact the brewery directly. That way, you can rest easier knowing that your cold one did not come at the expense of a living being.

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Woman on the Scene

sensual &seductive? want

Add a Mystery Beer.

By Carolyn Smagalski

If I could live the greatest sexual fantasy in the world, it would combine the romance of beer and chocolate on Valentine’s Day with the seductive lust of oysters and stout by the time we rolled into Fat Tuesday. Cupid always seems to ignite subtle titillation with those potent little arrows. How easy is it to cave-in to one’s natural desire for the sensual and hedonistic with each stab of infatuation from that innocent-looking cherub?

Any high-caliber beer lover knows there is no escaping seduction which touches the skin and nourishes a sinuous body.

It’s like Kilty Pleasure and Intercourse wrapped together: two luscious beery diversions in one short Philly road trip.

Seduction Day sets the stage with a little nudge from The Beer Soap Company’s pampering cleansing bars, made of world-class beer like Young’s Double Chocolate Stout or Delirium Tremens Strong Pale Ale. My personal favorite infuses Brooklyn Red Lager into the formula, a beer locally crafted in New York. Brooklyn Red is drenched in palm and coconut oils, Theobroma cacao butter, and essential oils of Cedarwood and Patchouli. Aromas of vanilla, smoky incense and jasmine cast a seductive spell.

As you enjoy your body dip, drench your tongue with the boozy espresso flavors of Man Full of Trouble Porter or the chocolate and cherry essence of Sexy Beast Imperial Stout from Dock Street.

As an evening kickstarter, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in nearby Delaware stands equipped to further the intoxication with Tweason’ale, a tantalizing aperitif.

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Like most Extreme Beers in the DFH portfolio, Tweason’ incorporates a lot of muscle into this crisp, dry palate-pleaser.

Crafted with dark sweet sorghum syrup and Buckwheat honey, this alluring ale delivers an earthy, fruit-tart flavor from the addition of strawberries grown at Fifer Orchards, a 2400-acre farm estate in central Delaware. As an added bonus, Tweason’ale is gluten-free, by nature of its ingredients, and sinks you into gentle euphoria with only 6% alcohol.

Oskar Blues of Colorado wants to share in your pleasure with Old Chub Stick, a 15 SPF lip balm made with Old Chub Scottish Style Ale, oils of macadamia and almond, beeswax, cocoa, and other essential oils. We know that men don’t read instructions, but the ladies will notice the details, “Twist the knob and rub the chub.”

Twisting into sensory pleasure is easy to do with a first course of beer and DiBruno’s Brothers Gourmet Artisanal Cheeses. DiBruno’s has four locations throughout Philadelphia, providing an easy avenue for a beer and cheese pairing.

Ash covered Valencay, a chevre cheese from the Loire Valley in France, makes an effortless pairing with Stoudt’s Kölsch Style Ale, crafted of red wheat and Hallertau hops. If you crave a funky, earth-touched cheese-and-beer duo, Epoisses de Bourgogne cow cheese will coat your throat with its soft, creamy texture while Voodoo Love Child from Meadville scrubs the palate with its 10.5% heat, aged on passion fruit, raspberries and cherries.

A spicy edge lingers with the ardorinducing piquancy of Curacao orange

february/march 2012

peel, coriander, and imported exotic zest.

Preparing for the heat of pleasure takes calculated practice, and nothing quite completes the “appetizer” as well as oysters paired with stout. Blended with subtle traces of brine in the shell, oysters bring out the full flavor in a good stout, whether it be the original Oyster, Russian Imperial, or Oatmeal styles. And nothing merges as well as a Brewer’s Reserve or Specialty Brew – an inviting mystery beer whose character gains strength and roundness from cellaring. Exceptional… memorable… aged in earthiness.

Indulge in flavors from your personal cache with a bottle of Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout, crafted by Flying Fish Brewing Company of Cherry Hill. Light and creamy in the mouth, this dense, onyx refresher hits a power play with roasted malts, chocolate and coffee, accented by a briny edge and touch of anise. Tiny

by Weyerbacher stands firm as another well-matched option, a Belgian-inspired Imperial Stout of 11.8% ABV. The decadence of molasses, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, French roast coffee and a myriad of spices complements oysters in an unexpected way, while heat builds throughout your body, sending mild pulsations down your spine.

With so much intensity, a palate cleanser from the Bent Spoon in Princeton prepares you for the main event. You may find such delights as Peachy Nugget Nectar Sorbet or Golden Honey Monkey ice cream – but don’t pass on the Weyerbacher Caramel Heathen if it’s on the menu.

Slip down to the cellar at the Farmers’

Celebrating 20 Years!

2801 Fairmount Avenue Philadelphia

215.978.4545 londongrill.com

Cabinet in Philadelphia for your choice of at least 5 artisanal styles, hand-crafted by brewer Terry Hawbaker. These Mystery Beers are aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels or French oak seasoned with white or red wine. French Country Ale with Brett and Lacto is an able temptress when married with a light entrée of Wild Striped Bass. If Lamb Roulade is your pleasure, whet the palate with D’Rye Field Stout, a Belgian Dark Ale with indecent layers of caramel and fruit, like a merging of sex-atmidnight with Farmhouse Ale. Simply speaking, the experience is orgasmic. If a spicy smoker is your style, delve into Rauch-N-Roggen, layered with breadiness, herbal accents, clove and peat. Savor the atmosphere.

For the grand finale, indulge your lover with milk chocolate and lightly whipped cream, drenched in Rapture, a 6.7% Wild American Ale from Weyerbacher. Fermented and aged in pinot noir wine barrels, the tart flavors of cranberry, cherry, raspberry and wood dance with provocative effervescence, while lingering like an ancient Bacchanalian feast on the tongue.

Snow Days Make Great Brew Days!

Home of George Hummel, author of “The Complete Homebrew Beer Book”

Fermenting Philly’s Beer Renaissance Since 1986!

2008 Sansom Street | Philadelphia (215) 569-9469 www.homesweethomebrew.com

february/march 2012

17

Fun With Beer

Bottle Cap Bingo Start collecting those bottle caps!

By Neil Harner

Bingo is one of those fun games seemingly reserved for small children or the elderly. Perhaps the problem with the game is the limitation of being locked into B-I-N-G-O and a series of numbers. To make it a bit more interesting, create your own Bingo cards using a collection of bottle caps from various brewers throughout the world. You won’t necessarily be playing for the B-I-N-G-O, but five in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally and you win! You can also have prizes for the winners, like nice bottles of beer from your cellar, or make this a fun drinking game where everyone who loses has to drink.

what you need

The Philly Beer Scene Bingo Card PDF printed for the number of players playing (up to 4), found with this article on phillybeerscene.com.

180 bottle caps, which is six bottle caps from 30 breweries. Yes, it will take a while to collect. But going out and getting 30 six-packs can’t be that bad, right?

A bag of blank caps from your local homebrew shop.

2 plastic bags (Ziploc®, grocery bag, etc.)

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The setup

how to play

Step 1: Separate caps into two bags. The first bag with 30-caps, one from each brewery.

This is the bag the Bingo-caller will use to call out brewery names. The second bag will be for everyone else to pull their caps.

Step 1: Every player marks the free center space.

Step 2: Give a Bingo card to each player.

Step 3: The players mark the space if they have the matching cap on their Bingo card.

Step 2: The Bingo caller pulls a brewery cap from their bag and calls it to the players.

Step 3: Have each player reach into the bag filled with the majority of caps and pull out 24 caps without seeing the breweries they’re selecting.

Step 4: Once a player has five in a row marked, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, they call out “Bingo!”

Step 4: Each player places the caps on their card in any placement they’d like, only leaving the center space empty for a free space.

Since the caps aren’t adhered to the board, make sure you aren’t playing with a bunch of card rearranging cheaters!

Step 5: Give each player 24 blank caps.

These will be used to mark the filled spaces.

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19

Homebrewer’s Corner

Café y Cerveza Coffee and beer–is there anything humankind loves more than these two beverages? By Lori Zaspel Experts in each respective field spend an inordinate amount of time perfecting the craft of growing, processing, brewing, and preparing each beverage. But in combining the two for the ultimate in libations – the coffee beer – questions remain. There’s a world of roasts, origins, and price ranges to choose from, so how does a homebrewer who specializes more in the beer aspect than the coffee know where to begin? In lieu of conducting experiments that could cost one a great deal in time and potentially undrinkable beer, a team of experts on each side, in cahoots with Philly Beer Scene, gathered to find some of the answers to these age old questions.

The beer.

The beer itself was prepared by Brett Mullin of Brew Your Own Bottle (BYOB), a homebrew supply store in Westmont, NJ, and Barley Legal homebrewer, Jim Fish.

Mullin chose a simple stout that wasn’t particularly surprising on its own, but would serve as a good base for other flavors to stand upon. Stouts are a common coffee beer choice, as well as porters. “They’re a little bit bolder than other beers, sometimes a bit sweeter, too,” says Mullin. “The bitter of the coffee balances out with the sweet of the stout or porter.”

The coffee.

Coffee, much like beer, is a casual interest that can spiral into a chasm of learning.

The more you learn, the more there is to learn. The experts at One Village Coffee, roasted in Souderton, PA and found in your local Whole Foods, helped guide this experiment through the many options. Woody Decasere, chief roaster at One Village, prepared a selection of their very best, a range not unlike what one might find in any coffee shop: French roast, espresso, and a couple of single origins (meaning a coffee which comes entirely from one region of the world, sometimes even one farm; see sidebar for more on the specific coffees used). And our control, the most readily available and cheapest: a bag of ShopRite Whole Bean Classic Blend which costs a whopping $2.50 for a 1-lb bag, on sale.

Stout recipe: 10 lbs. of Maris Otter ½ lb. roasted barley ½ lb. chocolate malt ¼ lb. Black Patent 1 lb. flake barley 3 ounces of East Kent Goldings hops 1056 American ale yeast/WLP001 yeast/SAF Ale 05 -- Chico-strained

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The experiment.

While this motley crew of intrepid discoverers were not entirely scientific, pains were taken to treat the various coffees equally, so as to highlight their strengths and weaknesses in a fair manner. Each coffee was coarse ground and cold-brewed, which means precisely what it sounds like: brewed without hot water.

In this case, four ounces of each ground coffee was combined with 32-ounces of filtered, room temperature water. This mixture was allowed to brew for 24 hours and then triple-strained for clarity. Our goal was the strongest brewed coffee possible, in hopes that the coffee flavor would still be apparent once diluted by the beer. The resulting 16-ounces of each cold brewed coffee was added to the six stouts. When they arrived at the tasting site, each was identified only by a number for blind tasting by our group of experts.

The results.

They were not what anyone expected.

Attempts were made to stifle preconceived notions, but it would be dishonest not to reveal that every coffee expert suspected that they would be able to pick out the “control coffee” (ShopRite), as well as identify their own favorites between the other mixtures.

Each could have been identified easily if offered as pure coffee; imagine the Yirgacheffe and the Costa Rican as not unlike a lager and a porter side by side. An expert would taste the difference immediately. However, the addition of the beer changed everything known about the original coffee. It made up for deficiencies in some cases, and masked other flavors in unexpected ways. While each coffee beer did indeed taste unique, not even the most refined coffee palates amongst the tasters was able to pick out the ShopRite brand coffee in the final products.

Even more surprising was the fact that some enjoyed that product above other beers that held high-quality coffees within.

Some generalizations can be drawn: Go blond. Avoid darker roasts like espresso or French roasts. In our experiment, these resulted in a more bitter beer with a small

range of flavors; definitely not the most exciting of the bunch. “The coffee flavors were too ‘in front’ with the darker roasts,” says Decasere. “The lighter roasts resulted in subtler, more complex notes when combined with beer.”

Be economical (if you must). You can splurge on a coffee you love and it will create a unique flavor palate in the final product, but a delicious coffee beer is not contingent upon spending big money. There are plentiful reasons you should spend the extra money for hand-crafted, quality roasted beans, however: organic farming practices which better the earth; fair compensation for farmers who grow and process the coffee bean; and receiving a fresh product created by artisans who take pride in their work which will make “leftovers” into quite a treat.

Think outside the box. Tasting the full range of what coffee beer has to offer is one of the great mysteries this experiment began to unravel. For instance, after our official experiment, Mullin did his own experiment combining the leftovers from all six coffees into one milk stout: “It was 10 times better than anything we tasted at the experiment; [those beers] couldn’t touch the milk stout.”

Keep an open mind. “I had hoped I would be able to tell [the coffees] apart, but the beer covered up some of the noticeable notes of the single origin coffees,” said Decasere.

“Some of them were clearer than others, but not as much as I had expected.” Even if you brew your coffee beer with your everyday java, you might be shocked by what flavors are highlighted once all the ingredients are mixed together. Decasere, a roaster who tastes cup after cup of his wares and is intimately familiar with their nuances, was still shocked by some of the outcomes.

While these results are not wholly conclusive, that may in fact be promising for the homebrewer. This experiment indicates that all manner of delicious coffee can create an equally delicious homebrewed coffee beer.

So go out into the world, support your local homebrew stores and specialty coffee roasters, and happy brewing.

More About the Coffees Nordico Espresso – Medium to medium-dark roast blend designed specifically (but not exclusively) for use with the espresso brewing method; notes of berry, creamy cocoa, and smooth nuttiness.

French Roast – Dark roast blend; deep and smoky with notes of chocolate, vanilla and peppercorn. The French roast is a blend of Indonesian and Latin American beans.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe – A light roast, single origin coffee; washed process; flowery and aromatic with a tea-like body. One Village’s Yirgacheffe is grown in the southwest corner of the Ethiopia by the Oromia Cooperative at an elevation of 6,000 feet above sea level.

Bali Natural Kintamani – A medium-light roast, single origin coffee; natural process; notes of sweet watermelon, chocolate, and citrus.

Costa Rican Pepe – A light roast, single origin coffee; pulp natural process; honeydew and stone fruit with a clean finish.

ShopRite Whole Bean Classic Blend – 100% whole

Arabica beans. No further information was available.

February/march february/march 2012

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May 22 World CafĂŠ Live Hosted by Joe Gunn 22

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beersceneawards.com february/march 2012

Hop Culture

Hallertau Hops A brief background on Hallertau hops.

By Joseph Bair

Hop growing chronicles began in 736 AD in the Hallertau district of present day Bavaria. The dire effects of the 2008 worldwide hop crisis marked the first year the Hallertau region was second in production to the Yakima Valley in Washington.

All hops grown in the Hallertau district are considered Hallertau hops; it is a region instead of a specific hop variety; Just as Hersbrucker hops are harvested around Hersbruck, likewise Spalt hops are grown near the town of Spalt. The geographical appellation for hops is not as legally defined and as exact as French wines, so it can become capricious.

However, it is packaged and sold as Hallertau anyhow. All the generic named Hallertau hops still have that distinctive spicy German taste.

The delicate aroma hop Hallertau Mittelfrüher, (translates to midwife: hops were once used as a calmative during child birth) is the variety associated with the famous noble hop of Hallertau district or “landrace cultivar.” Hallertau or Hallertauer, which were once synonymous with the Mittelfrüher variety, may not be that variety at all. Homebrew gardeners know that Hallertau Mittelfrüher has problems with Verticillium wilt, which wiped out many Bavarian harvests.

To add to the name dubiety there are Hallertau Hallertauer, Hallertau Hersbrucker and Hersbruck Hersbrucker. The names of the aroma varieties of Hallertau hops grown in that region are Hallertau Mittelfrüher, Hallertauer Brewers Gold, and Hallertauer Tradition. Since the Hallertau district is a major hop growing region it also grows Hersbrucker Spät, Spalter, Spalter Select, and Perle, among many, many more.

The prevailing United States beer that made Hallertau Mittelfrüher famous is Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, which rode that unique spicy taste on its flagship recipe to become the biggest American-owned beer company in the United States. If Sam Adams brings back the Hallertau Imperial Pilsner or homebrewers make clones, you can feel your tongue fizz with 12x the amount Hallertau Mittelfrüher put into Sam Adams Boston Lager®.

february/march 2012

23

Cooking With Beer

Beer For Breakfast: Scotch Egg Farm fresh eggs wrapped in Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale Breakfast sausage, white corn grits & Victory Storm King Syrup. By Chef Adam DeLosso

Scotch Egg Ingredients:

Yield: 4 ea 6ea farm fresh eggs 12oz. breakfast sausage 6oz. bread crumbs 6oz. all-purpose flour Salt and pepper to taste

Weeknights on The Comcast Network at 5pm and on NBC Philadelphia Nonstop weeknights at 6pm and 8:30pm

Directions:

• Bring 4qt. of water to a boil.

• Add 4 ea eggs to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.

• Remove eggs from boiling water and shock in ice water.

• Peel shell off egg once the egg is cool.

• Beat the two remaining eggs for breading process.

• Roll egg in flour, beaten egg and bread crumbs.

• Fry egg at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Chef Adam DeLosso is part of Garces Catering, a new division of the Garces Restaurant Group, which includes Chef Jose Garces’ eleven restaurants in Philadelphia, Chicago and Scottsdale with more in the works for 2012. Prior to Chef DeLosso’s position at Garces Catering, he was Chef de Cuisine at

Victory Storm King Syrup Ingredients:

Yield: 4oz.

1qt. Victory Storm King 4oz. Maple Syrup 1gram Sassafras

Garces Trading Company. The Scotch Egg recipe is featured on the brunch menu at Garces Trading Company as well as the breakfast menu for Garces

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and reduce to 4oz. of liquid

Catering.

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Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale Breakfast Sausage Ingredients:

Yield: 3lbs.

2lbs. Pork shoulder 1lb. Pork Fat 1pint Philadelphia Pale Ale 19 grams salt 19 grams sugar 1.75 grams white pepper 1.75 grams ground ginger .5 grams mace Directions: • Cut the pork into 1” dice.

• Partially freeze the meat and grind through 3/8” die.

• Combine with other ingredients, mix until sticky.

White Corn Grits Ingredients:

1 cup white corn grits (Anson Mill coarse grain) 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk 3 Tbsp. butter Salt and pepper to taste Directions:

• Combine grits, heavy cream and milk in a heavy bottom sauce pot.

• Bring to a slow simmer and cook for 2 hours on low.

• Finish with butter and season to taste.

Creative Pub Fare & A Brew With a View At Philly’s New Roost Overlooking the Avenue of the Arts

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february/march 2012

25

Tunes & Brews

The Soul-Spinning Beer Runner The guy giving the tours at the Philadelphia Brewing Company is a gospel aficionado. By G.W. Miller III David April listened to DJ Billy G spin T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner and other blues legends on Hatboro’s WRDV-FM and he was inspired. He became so excited that he stopped by the studio and told the station manager, “I want to play 50’s R&B and black gospel music.”

Surprisingly, the station manager replied to the 26-year old white boy raised in Virginia, “OK. We’ll let you give it a shot.”

That was in 1992 and April, who gives tours every Saturday at the Philadelphia Brewing Company and is the co-founder

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of the Fishtown Beer Runners, has been spinning gospel and R&B music at the station ever since.

In January, he celebrated his 20th anniversary on air. In honor of the milestone, he and Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Dean Browne brewed up a batch of “Holy Smoke” rauchbier.

“I’m not really a religious person,” April says. “It’s really more about the musical journey. I want to understand the music and where it came from.”

While growing up in Missouri and Virginia,

february/march 2012

April, now 46, was surrounded by music.

His father played big band and classical music all the time. His sister, who is 10 years older, listened to popular black music of the 60s, like The Ohio Players and James Brown.

April tried to discover the influences of musicians, so he tracked the origins of the music. When he discovered R&B from the 40s and 50s, he asked himself, “Where the hell have I been all these years?”

He became obsessed with that soulful, funky, blues-based music created by the likes of Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke, James Carr and Philadelphia’s own Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters.

“It all seems to come out of the church,” April says.

Now, he works to preserve that sound, introducing people to the roots of American music. He’s visited senior centers and played for them and he’s DJ’ed clubs and events around the region.

In addition to his radio show, April also hosts a gospel brunch on the second Sunday of every month at Johnny Brenda’s, an event he jokingly refers to as “hipster church.” As DJ DNA, he spins The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Harmonizing Four and other gospel legends, and occasionally even brings in quartets to perform live.

“We wanted to do things during brunch that add more depth to our music offerings,” says Paul Kimport, co-owner of Johnny Brenda’s.

“And David really brings a crowd.”

For the first gospel brunch, held on Easter in 2010, the restaurant was packed. April’s radio listeners came by, as well as the crew from the brewery and a bunch of the beer runners (the Fishtown Beer Runners are a club that meets every Thursday for a jog from April’s house to a bar).

“It was like the segments of my life coming together,” says April.

For his dedication to gospel and R&B music, April has been recognized by the R&B Foundation and the African American Museum, which honored him with a “Living Legends Award.”

“Something about the music just resonates with me,” April says. “It makes me want to move.”

4417 Main St.

Manayunk, PA

215-482-7242

www.KildaresPub.com december february/march 2011/january 2012

27

Discovering Craft Beer

How I Discovered Craft Beer Reader Kevin Dragone describes his discovery of craft beer. If you have an interesting story about discovering craft beer, send it to us at discovery@beerscenemag.com.

This is my story of how I found true love with a great set of cans. My friends, I’m talking about craft beer.

Once upon a time, I was a bachelor in my early twenties, scouring Philly bars, hoping to find love. Fridays, I’d find myself bar hopping in Manayunk, drinking either mixed cocktails or light beer. Little did I know, I’d find true love in my own backyard.

I was asked by my buddy to attend his sister’s softball fundraiser. When I got there, I was handed raffle tickets as part of my contribution. Thank goodness there was a bar there. I found myself passing the time with the light and fizzy. During that time, I heard my number was drawn and I had won a prize! But what could it possibly be?

When I went to claim it, they handed me a Sly Fox gift card.

At the time, my goal, being of the drinking age, was to drink cheap and find a gal. Places like Sly Fox just didn’t offer the atmosphere for a bachelor. But hey, I had a gift card, I figured, what the heck? I’m not paying for it. So I left the house thinking I’d be back in a couple hours with a slight buzz.

I arrived there and looked at the chalkboard.

I had no idea what I should order. For starters, I knew the Sly Fox in Phoenixville didn’t have a full service bar, so no cranberry and vodkas for me. And their selection of beer was their own, so no light beer either. That’s when a Sly Fox regular, sitting a couple of stools next to me, started to break down the proper way to enjoy a REAL beer.

It was the holiday season then and I noticed selections like Oatmeal Stout and the Christmas Ale. Odd. I never saw these at the nightclubs. My newfound friend began to explain how to enjoy a true beer experience.

I didn’t know there was a proper way to drink anything, let alone beer. I figured sip

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it or chug it to get the job done. With these beers, that wasn’t the case and it had me very intrigued.

I went through the gift card that evening; I covered my tab, my new friend’s tab and became a regular there. I would look for Sly Fox everywhere I went and started to broaden my horizons, trying IPAs and pilsners wherever I could find them. Then, I started going online and researching for bars that strictly served craft ales and had a solid selection.

Shortly thereafter, I began catching on to pub crawls and other beer events. I was sold.

Years later, I started dating a girl who I converted into craft beer. Even a few of her friends broadened their horizons. We all

february/march 2012

would frequent Sly Fox, Bistro on Bridge and The Pickering Creek Inn. All bars notorious for craft beer and in our hometown.

Passion for craft beer led me to become involved with Phoenixville’s drinking scene. I’ve even helped organize a pub crawl of my own and recently launched a blog, beer-snobs.com, an outlet to make new friends and share the experience of craft beer. I wouldn’t say I’m the most knowledgeable when it comes to beer, but I want to learn as much as I can.

In the end, I didn’t just discover craft beer, but this whole new world. To think, it all began at a middle school softball fundraiser.

I’m currently single again, but hey, craft beer and I live happily ever after. Cheers!

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CAFE

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Mon - Sat 11-11 & Sunday 11-10

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Downingtown

West Chester

Valley View Shopping Center 4936 Pennell Road • Aston, PA 19014 • 610-494-4500

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St. Patrick’s Day Saturday March 17th 1116 OLD YORK ROAD ABINGTON, PA 215 887 8500

Brewmasters

Life’s Detours Can Lead to a Dream Job Just ask Justin McCarthy, head brewer at Magic Hat.By Steve Hawk How does someone from Exton, PA end up as the head brewer at Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company, one of the biggest breweries in America? If you’re expecting a well-laid plan, you’ll be disappointed, as Justin McCarthy’s journey has been a combination of twists, turns and unexpected events.

It began in the fall of 1999, when Justin, an avid-skier, decided on the University of Vermont for his higher education. He soon realized there is truth to the old saying, “not all 18 year olds are ready for college” and he took his first step “off-course” by leaving school. However, Justin liked Vermont and he wanted to stay. He immediately set out to find a job, willing to do anything that would bring home a paycheck. He applied anywhere and everywhere, from a flower shop to a coffee house, until another lucky misstep changed his course again.

One day, Justin received a message relayed by his roommate that Magic Hat Brewing Co. had called about a possible opening.

He went to the address he was given and completed an application, only to learn he was at a company that sold vacuum cleaners.

Upon returning home, he called the brewery to unravel the mix-up and was told they had never contacted him. This mistake turned out to be a real door-opener, as he managed to get an interview and then an entry level position gluing boxes on the brewery’s bottling line.

While working at Magic Hat, Justin developed a real passion for the beer industry. He was intrigued by the rich history of brewing, loved the science behind it, and developed a bond with his co-workers. Before long, three years had passed and he had learned many facets of the brewing process, having worked all over the brewery from transferring and filtering lines to filling kegs.

Justin’s story could have ended there. He was well on his way to a career at Magic Hat, if he had stayed the course. But he was still driven by adventure, so when his friends invited him to travel across the country in a used RV, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

The group eventually ended up in Oregon and he once again found work at a successful brewery, Rogue Ales in Newport. He worked both with filtration and in the cellar room; jobs that were very familiar to him. As successful as he was, he missed Vermont. So he packed his bags and was soon back among his friends at Magic Hat. Here is where the twists and turns finally end. Over the next seven years, Justin’s career at Magic Hat continued to advance. His first

major promotion was to lead brewer, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the brewhouse. In the fall of 2010, when the company was purchased by North American Breweries (NAB), he took over as head brewer, the position he holds today.

There may have been detours along the way, but the end result is a job that Justin absolutely loves; he works in what is considered one of the best states for brewing and the camaraderie with other breweries is very strong. He also has a great relationship with his co-workers, saying, “It’s like going to work with your best friends every day.”

Additionally, Magic Hat is known for much more than just great tasting beer. Its innovative branding, labeling and marketing create a virtual beer “experience” for its customers. This is particularly true of its eclectic seasonal blends, which give the team unlimited creativity.

It’s easy to understand why Justin thrives in this environment.

There is nothing Justin enjoys more than talking about the beers he creates. If he could interact with every customer face to face, he would probably do that. For the time being, he settles for creating videos that are posted on magichat.net. Maybe there’s a reality show out there for him in the future, but that would be another detour, wouldn’t it?

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Beer Travel

Microbrew Mecca: Portland, OR Take a trip to the Pacific Northwest’s “Brewtopia.”

By Nikki Volpicelli

It’s raining right now, hard. The sun is hidden behind sheets of clouds that make guessing the time of day impossible. It’s bleak, it could be anywhere from noon to nine at night. It could also be somewhere smack dab in the middle of the day, a time when nine to fivers meet over amber lagers and those who are unemployed continue to drink. During this time of day, it doesn’t matter about the rain or the cold or the fact that you’ve yet to see a ray of sunshine this week. None of that matters, because what Portland lacks in bird chirping weather, it makes up for in bar chatter and the lovely adult drinks that keep it flowing. Rogue is hands down the best known Oregon brewery; its influence is national, with bars pouring Dead Guy Ale from Portland to Philly. Here in town, the beervolutionaries try their hand at hard liquor at the Pearl neighborhood Rogue Distillery and Public House. Oregon Single Malt Whiskey is distilled using Rogue Micro Barley Farm Risk malt and a shot of it goes for about $9 a pop. Hazelnut Spice Rum is made from toasted Oregon hazelnuts (one of the cash crops of the state) and free range coastal water.

Last year, the Newport, Oregon based company married Portland’s iconic Voodoo Doughnut shop and created a Bacon Maple Ale, brewed with real, applewood-smoked bacon. The gluttonous brew was packaged in hot pink 22 oz. bottles and made to taste just like

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Portland’s signature pastry, the Maple Bacon Bar, which is literally a donut glazed with maple icing and topped with two to three crunchy slabs of bacon. Beer and food nerds were in hot pursuit, buying stock in the stuff so that getting your hands on one of these rare bottles was the equivalent of finding Willy Wonka’s golden ticket.

Closing in on the Willamette River is Cascade Brewing Barrel House in the Southeast Industrial District, the sudsy protégé of Art Larrance, co-founder of Portland Brewing and the Oregon State Brewer’s Festival. Inside, the bar is crowded with small goblets holding different levels of different blonde, amber and chocolate colors. If you’re lucky enough to snag a stool you’re either nerding out with a notebook full of tasting notes or cradling your post-shift drink. You don’t come here if you don’t know what you’re doing; this barrel-aged sour ale house is the only one of its kind in Portland.

Four barrel fronts stare out at you with four taps each, with labels like “Royal” and “Cranberry” and “Winter Gose.” Two separate barrels are reserved for the Spiced Fruit Blend and the Shrieking Violet Blueberry, a wine colored, candied pie-like sour ale.

Cascade’s 2010 Kriek Ale was voted the #1 sour ale in America by the New York Times. It’s like a cherry Warhead in a glass, tart with hints of cinnamon sugar and drinking vinegar. This is not everyone’s beer, but it is everything a sour ale should be, and most everything else at the Barrel House is just another variation of that sentiment.

In Portland, you could spend a year over shot glass sized portions of craft beers, and you should. But Portland isn’t only about what’s in your glass; it’s also about who’s pouring it. The brewers, bartenders, baristas and cocktail creators in this town are different; no matter how considerate you are about what you’re consuming, they will always care more. This city is home to local and organic and fair trade everything. Start a conversation with your server, you may learn that what’s in your drink was harvested streets away at one of the city’s farming co-ops or that the oak stout sitting in front of you spent the last year aging in a barrel in the basement. It’s the attention to detail and the carefulness of the people here that keeps Portland warm, intriguing and inviting no matter how many fat, cold rain drops fall from the sky.

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Not Beer

From Past to Present Art in the Age’s newest spirit gives an historical recipe a modern twist.

By Kris Kitts

As far as local collective Art in the Age (AitA) of Mechanical Reproduction is concerned, 1771 was a very good year. Just outside Philadelphia, famed botanist and horticulturist John Bartram received America’s first rhubarb seeds from Ben Franklin. Bartram put those very seeds to tasty use in a garden tea recipe which included beets, carrots and lemons, amongst a bevy of other ingredients.

Fast forward to the present, where Art in the Age is stepping in with a new addition to their line of historically-influenced spirits. AitA’s RHUBY draws upon Bartram’s 200-year-old garden tea recipe to create a wholly unique rhubarb liquor. AitA says there’s nothing like it on the market – and there hasn’t been since the tea’s creation two centuries ago.

RHUBY is the third in Art in the Age’s line of historically and locally-inspired spirits. Their first, ROOT, draws upon Pennsylvania’s pre-prohibition love of root tea and its non-alcoholic cousin, root beer. SNAP, the line’s second installment, is an inspired take on Pennsylvania Dutch lebkuchen - better known as ginger snaps. AitA suggests each spirit is wonderful not just on its own, but also as part of any number of drink recipes available on their website, artintheage.com.

ROOT, SNAP, and RHUBY, while released in limited quantities, are available in the area and Art in the Age is more than willing to assist in the search. AitA’s website allows users to search for the spirits locally, in addition to allowing them to purchase online in states where it is legal to do so.

There’s no doubting the uniqueness of Art in the Age’s RHUBY and other historical spirits. In what it refers to as a “troubling epoch of commodification, [and] standardization

of reproduction”, AitA

is definitely breathing

some fresh air into the

spirits market.

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Le Fromage

Red Leaf & Voodoo Brewery Enjoy the natural complements of earth and fruit. By Paul Lawler Al and Catherine Renzi run something of a nanobrewery of the cheeseworld. Operating on just eight acres of land with a small herd of goats, the Yellow Springs Farm cheese output is tiny, and very, very special. The Renzi’s business is not just dairy, they also are passionate about native plants and run their farm based around purposeful, conservationminded agriculture. If you manage to find them down their winding road in Chester County, you’re sure to be taken by the Walden-esque beauty of the farm; a stone barn that houses the cheese room, a historic springhouse overlooking a pond and wetland, and floppy-eared goats amidst over 200 species of native plants.

All this makes for amazing limited run cheeses. Some are washed with or aged in black walnut liquor from walnuts grown on the farm, another features a rare variety of regional saffron harvested just a few weeks a year, while others still rely on the farm’s unique herbs for an imprint.

My current muse from them is Red Leaf, a semi-soft, earthy little puck. Naturally, this one is aged in Sycamore leaves that have been soaked in red wine. This gives the cheese an unmistakably fruit-forward boozy character. However, that flavor subsides, giving way to earthy notes that bring to mind wet leaves on a hike.

The perfect beer for a cheese that’s a winey walk in the woods? Gran Met, a boozy tripel from Voodoo Brewery in Meadville, PA. Unlike the cheese, Gran Met is not so layered. It’s all about the candied booze and overthe-top cantaloupe and grape. It’s pairing that really pushes things, kind of like 90s glowstick raver meets naturalist on the tongue. What you get is a Pop Rocks, milkshake collision of earth and fruit, and it’s sweet fun for all parties involved.

There are only a few places you can find Yellow Springs’ cheeses. One is by subscription to their unique CSA, a bi-monthly installment program where you receive the greatest hits of their cheeses. Delivery points for the program include Victory Brewing in Downingtown (where they are also on the menu) and the Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal.

The Fair Food Farmstand is also the only place where you’ll find their cheese available by the wedge, including the Red Leaf.

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From the Cellar

A Monster in the Cellar Comparison of a 2000 Brooklyn Monster with a 2011 Brooklyn Monster.By Phillip Pittore III Reminiscing about my fascination with beer and my love for anything new, I couldn’t help but recall my first encounter with barley wine.

The year was 2000, and my best friend and I purchased a case of Brooklyn Monster Ale. I remember the excitement surrounding the possibility of not only trying it, but knowing we could cellar it, and reap the rewards many years later.

My first impression was unforgettable. Without question, and I wasn’t alone in my judgment, it was one of the worst beers I had ever tried. Disappointed, we filed that case deep within the cellar, only to joke about it every year since.

Having compared many Belgian beers in this column, I knew it was time for something different. I knew what needed to be done. The beer I had scoffed at for 12 years, the beer I personally ensured stay hidden in the depths of the beer cellar, was to be brought to light.

This issue, I focus on the comparison of a Brooklyn Monster from 2000, with a Brooklyn Monster from 2011. While still skeptical, I was somewhat surprised and pleased with the results.

Upon first glance, the discernible difference in appearance was the color. The 2011 Brooklyn Monster had a clear, amber hue. The 2000 vintage, on the other hand, was very cloudy and dark brown.

The 2011 bottle showed a bit of carbonation, while its predecessor had little to no carbonation whatsoever.

Surprisingly, the aroma from the 2011 Monster did not yield much of anything. This was very unusual. However, the 2000 yielded subtle nuances of plums, dark fruits and a very recognizable quality that was reminiscent of most of my other cellared comparisons.

The first sip only supported this.

The vintage Monster had hints of raisins, caramel and toffee notes.

There was a distinct citrus taste on the back end. And as expected, was very boozy. This tasted like many other cellared beers I’ve compared over the years. Considering this was an English barley wine, I was quite impressed. The 2011 had hints of chocolate and was overly hopped, which competed with the barley instead of complementing it. The burnt taste was something I couldn’t overlook.

Something worthy of note was the viscosity from the 2000. When peering through the glass from the side, there appeared to be a very thin gelatinous layer across the top. In the wine industry, this is referred to as a wine with legs; it’s usually indicative of a wine with higher alcohol content. It was at this moment that I realized how much I really loved the cellared version of this beer.

As the 2011 warmed near room temperature it became very booze forward. At one point, it reminded me of a shot of vodka. These qualities were exactly what turned me off 12 years earlier. However, the vintage Monster engulfed everything I love in cellared beer; the aroma, the aged Belgian characteristics and the mouth-feel.

In retrospect, a beer I thought to be awful turned out to be quite good. With a little luck, and a few years of aging, the rewards outweighed the risks; yet another valuable lesson in cellaring beer.

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Beer Law

Liquor Privatization Privatization push would not affect most beer sales laws. by

Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R-Bucks and Montgomery)

The Pennsylvania House Liquor Control Committee recently grabbed newspaper headlines across the state by passing a liquor privatization bill that would set up a new system for the sale of wine. Unlike past proposals that would completely eliminate the current state monopoly on wine and liquor sales, the amended version of House Bill 11 would leave this system intact while allowing private companies to compete with the LCB. Rather than closing state Wine and Spirit stores, the proposal would set up a parallel system of wine sales by private businesses.

While the bill would mark a stark departure from the current state-run system, the privatization plan would not include a dramatic overhaul of the state’s current beer sales system. Retail beer distributors would be allowed to purchase an enhanced license to sell wine in addition to beer. The plan would also allow retail distributors to sell six-packs and permit hotels, restaurants and bars with a retail license to sell cases of beer (as I noted in the last edition of Philly Beer Scene, this small change could benefit small brewers and beer retailers alike). Grocery stores that currently offer beer sales in a separate facility would also be eligible to purchase the new enhanced license to add wine sales.

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Companies would also be allowed to purchase a wholesale wine license for $100 million, allowing private companies to compete with the state store system on a broader scale. The bill also included a number of measures to help state liquor stores better serve customers, including extended hours of operation, additional Sunday sales locations, greater flexibility in pricing and the option to provide a coupon and reward program for customers. Several of these measures to benefit consumers have also been introduced in legislation that has passed the Senate and House in the current legislative session and could become law in the near future.

There is a popular misconception that liquor privatization plans would allow consumers to pick up a six-pack or case of their favorite microbrew at a local gas station or supermarket (in recent columns, I have explored why beer sales in supermarkets and convenience store chains are a bad idea for small Pennsylvania breweries due to shelf space restrictions and anti-competitive practices of larger brewing companies). The current privatization plans under consideration by the General Assembly would do nothing to affect current laws that prohibit a single entity from holding multiple beer sales licenses, and I’m sure that our small brewers are very thankful for that.

Senator McIlhinney represents the 10th Senatorial District, which includes parts of Bucks and Montgomery Counties, in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

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the

effect

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How Social Media

SHAPES BEER

By Brittanie Sterner

Illustrations by Andrew Loder

‌times several thousand simultaneous tweet flutters per minute.

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In the four-tiered relationship between brewer, distributor, bar, and consumer, good beer is discussed. It’s how we create hype around a brewery’s imagination and the way it lands on our palates again and again. It’s how we give feedback to get what we want out of a product. Back in the day, these conversations buzzed around tables at craft beer fests and slowly worked their way outward by word of mouth into the small community of alternative drinkers.

Now, they’re hashtagged, traveling with gentle rapidity into the craft world and far beyond. Since Facebook and Twitter are great for both brewer and consumer, using social media is like having your beer and drinking it, too. But the big question is whether it’s helping or hurting. Is it an extension of the beer conversation, or is it a replacement?

“It’s just one more layer,” says Dogfish Head co-founder Mariah Calagione, social media guru at the brewery in Delaware. She tweets whenever she has a chance.

The company has nearly 72,000 followers and growing.

“From the get-go in 1995, we would go to beer festivals instead of spending lots of money on ads. We’d pour beer and talk to people. [Twitter] is just another way to continue the conversation.”

Dogfish is actually doing more beer fests than ever; the only difference is that consumers now have a beer in one hand and an iPhone in the other. The idea of an unheard-of craft is reaching more palates, making it less and less obscure. Brewers can have more timely and immediate relationships with consumers, no matter where they are. Calagione recounts receiving a tweet once that read, “I’m at #Dogfish Brewpub and I haven’t seen my waiter in a while.” She tweeted back, asking what he was wearing, then called the restaurant and had the waiter at the table in minutes. The tweeter praised the excellent service for all to read. #Score for Dogfish.

The timeliness of social media benefits relationships in the industry. At PhillyTapFinder, the city’s craft beer locater, consumers can post or text Tap Tips about just-tapped kegs, adding public responsibility to the convenience of accurate information. For their involvement, they get points that earn them beer swag. Customers are even encouraged to send photographs of chalk board draft lists,

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which a lot of bar managers do daily. As the social recognition gets stronger, more people go to bars they haven’t heard of.

Social media deepens that connection, as well. While tweets about the events at Barry’s Homebrew Outlet in Philadelphia reach a growing audience, it’s the ability to follow up with existing clients that co-owner Nick Less is interested in.

“It’s about having a longer and more detailed dialogue,” he says.

It provides a win-win situation: Barry’s Homebrew sales benefit and clients can grow more knowledgeable through the exchange.

This is especially helpful for someone brewing at home. Real-time tweeting from the basement while homebrewing invites a larger community’s influence. Suddenly, beer is more personal and connected. And, with digital platforms where anyone who drinks beer can add their voice, niche crowds like homebrewers are coming into the light.

Even more apparent are the once-invisible distributors, who’ve joined the conversation.

At Joe Canal’s Outlet in West Deptford, NJ, beer manager Jay Rose uses Facebook to update links to Beer Menus, a site that tracks the outlet’s changing growler list.

“Social media has grown our craft exponentially, without a doubt,” he says. Soon after he created a profile for the store, a Facebook representative switched him to a business page which tracks demographics for free. Not only was the distributor now a part of the conversation, he could see who was talking.

Subconsciously, Rose uses the knowledge of who his readers are– mostly guys between the ages of 25 and 40–to shape his language.

He talks casually and makes friends, a very personal way to market.

Sitting around talking (or tweeting) about a beer is more nuanced and interactive than watching a beer commercial. Plus, you can tweet drunk. No one notices the dropped letters.

Weyerbacher in Easton, PA is one of few local breweries that doesn’t pay much attention to tweeting. Web and office manager Bill Bragg limits most of Weyerbacher’s social media use to their Facebook. His thought is that too much Twitter language makes the conversation less intelligible.

“Always speak in complete sentences, but keep it casual,” he says, which is why Facebook works for them. Yet, they’re one of the few breweries that shows reservation when it comes to social media.

“If our demand exceeds our supply, what would be the point of any communicative advertising? You can’t sell the beer you

on that goddamn Twitter.” That raises the question of whether beer don’t have,” he explains. Weyerbacher is an example of a small will die young. Will social media constrain drink enthusiasts to microbrewery that can only produce so much, and its size is able those who’ve graduated from college in the last decade? to remain at what Bragg calls a “grassroots-style operation.” The “We’ve attracted more craft beer drinkers because of social media, purpose of social media doesn’t apply as much to them, since more but they vary in age like you wouldn’t conversation would mean brewing more beer that they’re not equipped to Real-time tweeting from believe,” says Jeff Lavin of the Hulmeville Inn in Hulmeville, PA, a tavern that make. Bragg brings up Budweiser as an the basement while homeserves a rotating twenty drafts. Lavin example of how macrobreweries have tweets the updated draft list whenever the opposite problem. There is so much brewing invites a larger something new comes on, often while more propaganda out there, yet there’s community’s influence. managing at the bar, and the customers still too much Bud to go around.

Suddenly, beer is more now expect accuracy.

Weyerbacher doesn’t have a multimillion “It’s all part of keeping everyone dollar budget therefore, they have no personal and connected. educated,” he says. He describes the need to expand to a clientele of that size. bar’s eclectic crowd as, “Red necks, But without utilizing social media district attorneys, 21-year-olds drinking Miller, and 21-year-olds to nurture their fan base, is Weyerbacher missing out on the deeper drinking craft.” Some of whom jump at the tap of a rare keg. relationships that other craft breweries are cultivating?

“You see guys running down the street in Hulmeville, their ties “I don’t think a craft brewery needs to have a personality behind flopping in the wind. And they aren’t super young guys,” he says. it,” Bragg says. “It’s nice when people can connect personally with It’s not surprising to know that most of them are chasing a beer the brewery, but I don’t think that makes or breaks us.” they got wind of via social media. “Younger people do follow social For the breweries who have invested that sort of energy in social media more, but beer lovers follow it because they love beer,” Lavin media, there exists a loyal following that gets stronger all of the summarizes of the Hulmeville crowd. So how is the vaguely-aged time. But, there are crowds that might never jump on board. Jay Rose notes that at the growler station in Joe Canal’s, there’s a hearty crowd of beer tweeters using social media to talk back?

“They’re brutal. Every event has to be better than the last… population of men over fifty who want to know what’s on draft [and] you could have a rare beer that’s just as good three months before they come into the store. He always tells them about the later, but they’re over it.” Maybe the immediacy of being able to daily posts, and he says their frequent response is, “I’m not getting

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taste good? The changes may not be all that definitive, and it’s a possibility (though doubtful) that Twitter may even fade out. But what we tweet now is certainly impacting the beer community’s mentality. There’s something about the anonymity of the internet, and the temptation to immediately respond to a comment, that invites a harsher rating. Or maybe it just makes us feel like we should be more critical because other people are; we’re probably a lot less mean in person.

Despite the threat of encouraging beer-snobbery, there is no doubt that social media also makes beer more approachable. It stands as a great resource for deepening our actual knowledge of craft beer, not to mention also finding out where to get it.

There are even instances of when social media helped to facilitate the goodwill in beer lovers. When Red Cross employee Gloria Huang accidentally tweeted about Dogfish on her company’s Twitter instead of her personal account last February (with the hashtag #gettngslizzerd), Calagione responded with a stream of remarks with the same hashtag, re-tweeting the mistake and asking for Red Cross fund and blood donations. And people gave them. A pint pun even got around: “Show us you donated a pint @redcross today & we’ll buy you a pint of @dogfishbeer #gettngslizzerd,” the Flying Saucer bar in Austin tweeted. What was at first an internet faux pas turned into a beautiful collaboration between beer and blood.

There’s something about the anonymity of the internet, and the temptation to immediately respond to a comment, that invites a harsher rating. Or maybe it just makes us feel like we should be more critical because other people are; we’re probably a lot less mean in person. contribute our ideas about a beer just makes us anticipate the next bigger, better, boozier thing.

Our power to give an opinion whenever and wherever, and from behind a screen, might be creating a sense of critical entitlement. It might be making us snobs.

Having a place to be opinionated doesn’t necessarily make us more knowledgeable. Lavin jokes about the expectations of elitists: “I’m gonna have to sell this place soon. I’m always out of ideas.”

He raises a good point. What’s going to happen to events and recipes as feedback grows more and more critical? Will the competition turn craft beer into a hot mess of wild experiments that don’t even

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If Twitter and Facebook can help weave the beer community into the world in positive ways, maybe it doesn’t matter that beer drinkers might also use the platforms to broadcast puffed-up opinions. Critical consumer feedback can even serve as a gateway for brewers to tweak and tighten their methods, try new things, and ultimately take the craft industry farther. Maybe social media is just that kind of double-edged sword. At any rate, it’s making beer more popular. And isn’t that the idea–for everyone to drink good beer?

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Craft Beer

eBlissf

Tying the knot without the bad banquet beers. By Neil Harner

T

he enjoyment of craft beer for most has transcended just sitting back and enjoying a beer from time to time.

For many, the diversity and artisanal aspects of fine beers–whether local or from around the world–has become part of a lifestyle. You may have a nice sessionable local brew at home after a long day of work. Maybe you enjoy a nice spicy and

earthy saison with dinner. Or perhaps, you celebrate a victory by breaking out a finely aged bottle from the cellar. No matter what the event, there’s always a craft beer that pairs appropriately with the occasion. So, it’s only natural that after the question’s been popped (and hopefully, she said “yes”), that when you’re planning the big day, you include your favorite craft beers as part of the celebration, rather than the common macros and watered down liquor found in the wedding hall.

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Stephanie & Eric Pettersson, married June 4, 2011 at Stoudt’s Brewing Co.

The Engagement Party & Rehearsal Dinner

So how does one go about incorporating their beer lifestyle into their special day? Sure, it’s easy enough to have a few kegs of craft at your selected reception venue. Or, even if they aren’t willing to tap your selection, at the very least, they should be abe to keep a few six packs cold for the bride and groom behind the bar. But, if you and your soulmate have a true affinity for fine crafts and imports, chances are, this just simply isn’t enough. The good news is that in a region where craft beer has become a rich part of the culture, there are many ways that a newly engaged couple can plan to include beer as part of their wedding celebration.

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The engagement party and rehearsal dinner are great opportunities to incorporate beer to kick off the long road ahead to planning and having the wedding. And perhaps, it’s a great opportunity to compromise on just how far you go in having beer invade your wedding, if you find yourself in a relationship where only one person is the fanatic.

Since these festivities are generally limited to immediate family and the selected bridal party, there are a number of great restaurants which provide seating for large parties and offer an excellent selection of beer. Now generally, these locations wouldn’t be large enough to facilitate an entire wedding reception, but they would be great for these occasions. A few in the area, which offer great food and an incredible beer list, include any of the Iron Hill Breweries, which have private party rooms; Yards Brewing Co., which offers its tasting room for private parties and can be catered, too; or the Iron Abbey in Horsham, PA, if you’re looking for a more diverse selection of craft and

import beers. If the budget is tight, a great option is to have your event at one of the area’s many BYOBs. You’ll save a substantial amount by bringing cases of your own selection.

Save the Dates & Invitations

If you’re going for an all-out beer theme, you might as well tease your guests of the overindulgence of craft beers they can anticipate.

Beer Coasters – Custom beer coasters are a great way to promote the festivities. If you have a friend who’s savvy with design programs, chances are, they can come up with something pretty cool for you. Printing the coasters isn’t terribly expensive either, although they need Stephen & Megan Moore’s to be ordered in bulk. Just doing a Google Craft Beer Wedding search for “custom beer coasters” gives you many printers that can produce the coasters for you for just a few hundred dollars. And, what do you do with homebrew contest and historical tour of the grave sites of many early all of the extras since you’ll have 1000 or more? Use them at the 20th century beer barons buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in wedding to add flare to the tables or bundle them up as one of the Bala Cynwyd. Although Episcopalian, Reverend Kirk offers a great wedding favors your guests can take home with them. deal of flexibility in the ceremonies he offers. He can do ceremonies A Bottle of Beer – Start by saving enough beer bottles for your formally or informally. He can present a very religious ceremony or invitations. Scrubbing and washing bottles isn’t fun, but it will more casual and non-denominational ceremony. But most of all, save you some money. The other option is to buy empty and clean he helps and supports his couples through the wedding process and bottles from your local homebrew shop. Then, create your custom bottle label. Generally, a beer label is about 3.5”x 3” in size. Again, provides a great deal of ease to an occasion that without a doubt, if you have a friend who is design-savvy, they could do this for you. can be stressful to prepare for.

But you can also use programs like Microsoft Word and setup your document for creating labels and design something simple by using The Venue Whether you’re having a traditional church wedding and only nice fonts. Print your labels on nice paper and use rubber cement looking for the perfect craft beer reception venue, or looking for to apply them to bottles. Cap them with blank caps and a capper found from a homebrew store. Or, if you plan on featuring a specific a space that can accommodate both the ceremony and reception, there are great locations throughout the region which offer plenty brewer, drop by the brewery or write them an e-mail. Most would of space for weddings, large or small. be happy to send you some of their caps and even their neck labels Stoudt’s Brewing Co., Adamstown – Stoudt’s has been doing to help you out. To ship, make sure you use plenty of bubble wrap since these are fragile. And, the best box to ship them in are 3” x 12” beer weddings probably longer than the rest. Their facilities are well suited for large weddings. They have an extensive catering menu Kraft mailing tubes found on uline.com.

Bottle Caps – For a simpler invitation, get pre-designed templates and plenty of great opportunities for photo ops around the brewery or in Stoudtburg Village, the neighboring shops and dining complex that are simplistic and not overly ornamented. Make sure they are designed and inspired by old Europe, with German-like architecture, either fitting your wedding colors or are neutral. To add a simple brick roads, gardens, and fountains. piece of flare, use a hot glue gun to adhere a bottle cap of one of Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown – Victory offers both casual the featured brands to an area of whitespace on the invitation. and more formal dining in their private party space that is very reasonable in cost. They can best accommodate medium-sized Wedding Officiant weddings ranging in size from 70 to about 100 people. Their staff If you’re looking for someone to perform your ceremony who is is incredibly attentive and always makes sure glasses are filled with a craft beer lover much like you and your future spouse, look no their wide variety of beers on tap. In addition to photos from around further– Reverend Kirk T. Berlenbach of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Roxborough is your guy. Reverend Kirk not only enjoys the restaurant and exterior, there are several farms and parks in the area perfect for photos. An especially endearing location is the Mill craft beer but brings together members of his congregation to participate in a homebrew club at his church. He is also the organizer at Anselma along the Pickering Creek and is only 10 minutes from the brewery. of the annual “Beer Barons to Homebrewers” event which is a

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Triumph Brewing Co., New Hope and Philadelphia – Whether looking in the suburbs or in downtown Philadelphia, both of these Pennsylvania Triumphs feature upstairs banquet facilities that are modern and overlook the brewery’s fermentation tanks. The facilities can accommodate upwards of 200 people with several buffet dining options. The New Hope location offers many different photo opportunities throughout farms and parks in the area or along the rustic Delaware River. The downtown Triumph provides diverse locations from Love Park, to the hustle and bustle in the streets of Philly, or the quaint styling of Old City, to the more picturesque and park-like atmosphere of Penn’s Landing along the Delaware River.

Manayunk Brewing Co., Manayunk – Much like Triumph, Manayunk Brewing Co. offers an upstairs banquet facility that is modern, clean, and private, overlooking Main Street Manayunk.

The loft-styled space can accommodate up to 150 people and offers packages for cocktail receptions, seated service, or buffets. For photos, the brewery sits along the Schuylkill River and the beautiful landscapes of Fairmount Park are only a few miles away.

The Cake

Why not have a chocolate cake made with a nice, luscious, dark stout? Or a spice cake made with a hoppy IPA? Challenge the baker you’re working with to incorporate beer into their cake recipe.

When they’re decorating it, have them use hops and grain-like patterns the same way they would other flowers by piping or painting on

fondant. Or, if you want a more earthy and rustic looking cake, incorporate real, whole leaf hops as a decorative element. The only thing missing would be a craft beer cake topper, which can be quite hard to find. Neat, crafty ideas may include finding blank, miniature beer bottles and painting them like a bride and groom. Or, seek a bride and groom figurine toasting with a pint glass in hand.

Flowers and Favors

Beer bottles of diverse shapes and sizes including growlers, bombers, or even typical 12oz. bottles with their labels, make awesome centerpieces and decorative elements for flowers. If you’re going for a more rustic vibe, leave the flowers aside and fill the bottles with stalks of dried wheat. For candles on the table, fill the bases of clear candle holders with various roasted malts below a tea light candle.

If you have a friend who is a homebrewer (or you yourself are a homebrewer) have a special beer made for your guests to take home and enjoy. Bottle it and label it as a tribute to your ceremony and offer it at the door as your guests leave. If having your own beer made isn’t an option, perhaps a custom pint glass? A single color graphic on a glass to commemorate the occasion can be as cheap as $1 per glass, depending on quantity and where you go.

Seek a local screen printer or search the web to get the best deal. If the budget is tight or you want to do something simple and easy, create little bags of chocolate covered pretzels.

D A I LY C R A F T B E E R & F OO D S P E C I A L S

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Beer

Obviously, no beer-themed wedding would be complete without the beer. Unfortunately, it’s likely that many of your friends and family members do not share the same love and passion for beer that you do. There are likely many macro-drinkers, many winos, and probably a handful of people that prefer their fruity mixed drinks. Although the wedding is your special day, you do have an obligation to make sure there’s something for everybody. If you’re going to keep wine and liquor as an option, that should cover most of the challenge. If you’re getting married at a brewpub or brewery, you’re going to be limited to whatever they make and can offer.

If you are getting married at a facility that will give you options on the beers you serve, make sure you have a beer for everyone, not just something extreme that you and your other craft beer compatriots will appreciate. A staple is Victory Lager. This is a great substitute for your macro American light-lager drinkers. Then, keep the rest of the beers on the sessionable side. Remember, the festivities are long and there will be plenty of drinking. Too high of an ABV, especially for the inexperienced, can have disastrous consequences.

And finally, replace your champagne toast with a nice, easy-going beer that everyone can appreciate. Toast your new marriage with a mild Belgian-style saison or a slightly sweet and delicate blonde.

Picking your toasting beer is actually the best part of planning because it gives you an excuse to hit your favorite bottle shop and

pick a bunch of nice, higher end bottles to taste to find the perfect match for you and your new bride or groom. Forget freezer burnt cake, once you’ve decided on your celebratory beer, make sure to pick up an extra bottle to age for your one year anniversary.

These are just some of the ideas to fill your special day with craft beer bliss. There are plenty more venues in the area and creative ideas you can incorporate into the festivities. The most important thing is to have fun and share in this special occasion with your friends and loved ones. To all those recently engaged or married, congratulations and good luck!

happy hour monday - friday 5-7 pm 1/2 priced drafts & tapas menu

COME WARM BY OUR FIRE WITH A CRAFT BEER

brunch sat & sun 10:30am - 3pm 17 rotation craft beer drafts & 150 bottles!

Thurs. February 9th, 7pm- Arcadia Brewing Meet & Greet February (Date TBD)- Dogfish Head Tap Takeover Sat. March 10th- Craft Beer Express with favorites from Shanngy’s For more events & specials visit our Facebook page!

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215-339-0855

1148 - 1150 South 11th street - Philadelphia, Pa 19147 DECEMBER february/march 2011/JANUARY 2012 2012

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By Collin Flatt

eer is a better partner for food than wine. It’s just that simple. For far too long, wine professionals have extolled the virtues of perfect pairings, while dismissing that beauty of the same union between beer and food. Granted, our beer selection has grown significantly in the past decade or so to include new styles, new flavors, and a focus on creating a higher quality product, which has a lot to do with it. But, a piece of that puzzle is also the stigma that beer is a working-class drink, not one for the palates of the elite. Locally, The Wine and Beer School of Philadelphia often holds competitions where people judge which sommelier does better work pairing food with wine, and it’s always a good time. Until the brewers show up. I’ve yet to see a tussle where the brewer and his beers have lost to crushed grapes even once.

The PLCB is responsible for confusing laws, ridiculous store hours, high prices, and limited selection, but the difficulties surrounding that all-knowing governing body have spawned to great things for Philly: the birth of the BYOB, and the craft beer bottle shop.

Here’s a list of the bottle shops you shouldn’t miss, and the places to eat once you’ve bought all of your malty treasures.

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THE FOODERY THE FARM AND FISHERMAN THE SHOP: THE BOTTLE SHOP 1837 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA The lovely ladies of The Bottle Shop, Gena Montebello and Michele Aquino, have put together a fantastic collection of brews at competitive prices. More than that, they’ve carved out a niche with their hangout space that has tables and chairs set up like a clubhouse, complete with plasma TVs and foods for snacking. Expect an old-timey popcorn machine, rotating hot dog warmer, and more nuts than the Adult Video News Awards.

After purchasing a nice crown and cork bomber, you should head to Fond, located at 1617 East Passyunk Avenue. Fond is owned by Chef Lee Styer, one of Philly’s best young chefs, who honed his skills for years at Georges Perrier’s Le Bec-Fin. While the atmosphere is slightly frou-frou, Styer’s personality is anything but. Fond’s menu is modern French and American, and sports the city’s best sweetbreads, which you shouldn’t miss.

THE SHOP: THE FOODERY 324 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA

THE OTHER BYOB: KANELLA 1001 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA

The Foodery is the go-to bottle shop in Philly for rare selections. While there isn’t a ton of space in the Pine Street store (their 2nd and Poplar location is larger), you’ll come across the largest collection of odd European craft beers from Belgium, Denmark, France and newest hotspot, Italy.

You sour fans will find a home here, too, as The Foodery doesn’t fear the funk. The local selection is plentiful, but be prepared to pay out the nose for your entire order.

Kanella is the most underrated restaurant in Philly. Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides is an outspoken and supremely talented chef, bringing the flavors of his native Cyprus to Spruce Street. He’s a master of game meats, Mediterranean grains, and the legendary Dips of the Day.

THE BYOB: 943 943 S. 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA

New-to-the-scene, chef Josh Lawler opened The Farm and Fisherman very recently, but it’s already become a critic’s darling in a short amount of time. Lawler’s menu is heavy on the meats, but his vegetarian options are something to behold. Get the Bloody Beet Steak, a huge red-streaked mess of a veggie that resembles the finest dry-aged beef, cooked in pan jus, salt, and butter.

Located right in the heart of the Italian Market, 943 is home to a blend of Italian and Argentinian cuisine. Very reasonable in price as far as BYOBs go, they offer an array of small plates perfect for group dining and sharing. Be sure to try the pulpo and empanadas before finishing with a simple, yet extremely satisfying skirt steak.

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THE BYOB: FOND 1617 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

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THE OTHER OTHER BYOB: FARM AND 1120 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA

FISHERMAN

THE CRAFT BEER OUTLET THE SHOP: PINOCCHIO’S 131 East Baltimore Pike, Media, PA

THE BYOB: LA NA 33 West State Street, Media, PA

THE OTHER BYOB: FELLINI’S CAFE 106 West State Street, Media, PA

Pinocchio’s in Media recently expanded their beer experience, and as such, it was just named Best of Philly 2011 by Philadelphia Magazine. Pinocchio’s now has 23 rotating draft lines, but also has a ridiculously huge selection of bottles in their beer garden. While there are heavy local leanings, Pinocchio’s still has a big selection of import goodies, and rare one-offs.

La Na is a seriously amazing Thai-French fusion spot near Pinocchio’s that is a little bit pricey, but has some Old World classics that shouldn’t be missed. Go-to dishes are the Cornish Game Hen in Grand Marnier reduction and yellow rice, and a new spin on classic crab cakes in a saffron herb sauce.

For starters, go with the Tulip Dumplings, stuffed with chicken, crabmeat, and shrimp in soy vinaigrette.

Not to be confused with the other Fellini Cafe in Philly, Fellini’s is a privately owned restaurant and an institution in Media. The staff breaks out into song every once in a while, but the portions are huge and the food is impeccable.

THE SHOP: THE CRAFT BEER OUTLET 9910 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA The Craft Beer Outlet is a bit out of the way for city denizens, but is the spot for those who live in the Greater Northeast.

The shop is massive with an unparalleled selection (Plenty of rare Russian River, Lost Abbey, Evil Twin, Bruery, etc.) and has a 6-tap growler filler on the premises. The staff is an intense bunch who really know their goods, and there’s a tasting area available, too. The prices are on the high side, but it’s a small price to pay for a store this good.

THE OTHER SHOP: THE SIX PACK STORE 7015 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA One of the originals in the craft beer scene, The Six Pack Store has been selling great craft beers by the bottle since 1997.

They may not have the largest selection when compared to some of the newer places, but there are more than enough options to put together some fine dinner pairings. There are even a few beers on tap for growler fills. Plus, owner Ray Swerdlow is usually on hand and more than willing to share a story on the roots of the beer scene in Philadelphia.

THE BYOB: SWEET LUCY’S SMOKEHOUSE 7500 State Road, Philadelphia, PA It’s not a two minute walk, but everything is driving distance in the Far Northeast. Sweet Lucy’s is about an eight minute drive from The Craft Beer Outlet, and is one of the city’s unsung heroes in the world of BBQ. Craig LaBan thinks they make the best BBQ chicken in the city, and their ribs are the real deal, with an intense smoke ring of flavor. If you’re making the trek to the Northeast for the selection of beer at The Craft Beer Outlet, you must make a stop here before heading home.

THE OTHER BYOB: MAKIMAN SUSHI 7324 Oxford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA While there are a glut of also-ran sushi joints in Philly and the ‘burbs, Makiman really brings good stuff to the table. Their fish is fresh and tasty, of course, but they’re very creative and think outside the box with their specialty rolls. Go for the Cap N’ Crunch (kani, cooked shrimp, tempura flakes, and cucumber) or the Yellow Stallion (torched yellowtail surrounding spicy tuna and roe).

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ZEPPOLI

BREW THE SHOP: BREW 1900 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA

THE BYOB: CIRCLES CONTEMPORARY 1516 Tasker Street, Philadelphia, PA

Across the street from the popular South Philly Taproom is owner John Longacres’ Brew. Splitting space with Ultimo Coffee, Brew’s beer selection is loaded with local favorites, American craft heavyweights and a few from across the pond.

But, they have the best per bottle price of any shop in the area, which puts them high on the list as one of the best in town.

Currently the trendiest of all the South Philly hole-in-the-wall joints, Circles is the reigning Thai food champ in Philly. Every critic loves this place, and it has a long list of regular diners. Don’t sleep on this gem, and order the pumpkin curry, the mango sticky rice, and the lemongrass soup while you’re there. We had one of our favorite meals of last year at this fantastic BYOB.

ASIAN CUISINE

THE SHOP: JOE CANAL’S 1075 Mantua Pike, West Deptford, NJ

THE BYOB: ZEPPOLI 618 Collings Avenue, Collingswood, NJ

When it comes to beer selections in NJ, it really doesn’t get any better than this Joe Canal’s. People in Jersey looking for something special know this is the top destination. They also have a growler station with eight rotating lines at some of the best prices going (A 64 oz. growler of Allagash White is only $11). The staff is knowledgeable and love talking beer. Good luck walking out with only a couple bottles for dinner, though.

Zeppoli is the biggest culinary surprise of 2011. The shiny, new BYOB from longtime Vetri vet Joey Baldino, is dishing up some unfamiliar Sicilian cuisine that we’ve yet to explore, but the critics are all really digging it. Since Italy is the new hotspot for craft brewing, pick up a couple before you go over the bridge for the Tagliatelle al Limone and the Rabbit Pizzaiola, which are two menu highlights.

THE OTHER SHOP: HOPS AND GRAPES 810 North Delsea Drive, Glassboro, NJ

THE OTHER BYOB: BLACKBIRD 714 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ

It’s a bit of a hike, but the crew at Hops and Grapes make it worth the trip. The prices are Wegmans cheap, and the store has top shelf cheese, wine, and liquor as well. The store is heavy on the crown and cork bombers, so this is the spot for you aged barrel beer and sour fanatics. Those who can’t make decisions will love Hops and Grapes, too, as they are big on the mix-asix, and discount folks who go that route.

While it might be overkill to shove more Italian down your throat, we must mention Blackbird. Chef Alex Capasso has made quite the name for himself in a seriously crowded field of chefs. And, he was just named a candidate for the James Beard Award. If you stop by, go with the gnocchi.

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Bar & Restaurant Review 60

A Bar and Music...

With Craft Beer Croydon’s Dog and Bull delights with a daily roster of musicians and wide selection of craft beers.

By Neil Harner

If you’re the type that likes to drink and eat, be sure to grab a bite before stopping at Croydon’s Dog and Bull Brew and Music House, since you’re sure to be there for the rest of the night while you sit back and enjoy the musical stylings of diverse musicians from Philadelphia and the ‘burbs.

The Dog and Bull in Croydon, PA is named after the historical Dog and Bull in Croydon, UK. The UK Dog and Bull is the oldest pub in Croydon which dates back to at least 1595. At one point, there was a brewery next door, so the pub acted as a taproom serving the beers produced by its neighbor. Rebuilt in the 18th century, the building is also the oldest on Surrey Street. It is only fitting, being in Croydon, that such a tribute to a classic and historical beer destination would stand.

Although they’re lacking cuisine, the Dog and Bull offers a clean, easy going, and unpretentious local bar vibe which welcomes a wide range of people, from beer lovers of all ages to common neighborhood bar-goers. There are always good tunes playing, even if there isn’t a musician or band. The staff is kindly, and of course, they consistently serve up good beers.

Offering nearly 100 reasonably priced beers including a dozen drafts, you’ll find some of your typical every day beers, along with a wide selection of Philadelphia’s finest locals and many seasonal or one-off releases like Stone’s 11.11.11, Port Brewing’s Santa’s Little Helper Bourbon Barrel, or Pretty Things Saint Botolph’s Town; there is something for everybody. The Dog and Bull even offers a full bar of liquors and wines in case you’re visiting with a non-beer drinking buddy.

Be sure to make your planned stop between 8pm and 9pm, which is generally when the day’s musician begins their opening set. Every day there is planned musical entertainment by a wide range of talents. And, if you think you have what it takes to entertain the bar, pop by at 9 o’clock on Tuesdays for Open Mike Night with Angel.

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If the Dog and Bull not having a kitchen is a turn-off to you, be sure to check out their website frequently, as the new kitchen is currently under construction with food service expected to arrive in mid-February. Or, if you’re hungry, you can always order pizza or sandwiches and have them delivered to the bar. The bar offers free Wi-Fi and space for private parties. The Dog and Bull is located at 810 Bristol Pike, Croydon, PA 19021.

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& present

1st Annual Battle of the Homebrew Shops Round 1: Session beers

• No higher than 4.5% ABV • Submit 2 12oz. bottles OR 1 22oz. bottle to your homebrew shop with all information by March 3 • All submissions judged by PBS staff and homebrew shop owners

Round 2: Coffee beers (NO stouts/porters!)

• Round 1 winners compete in Round 2 for judgement on June 10 • One Village Coffee will provide each participant with 1lb. of whole roasted coffee beans • Submit 4 12oz. bottles or 2 22oz. beers by June 8 • Round 2 beers judged based on creativity, use of coffee, and overall quality

Prizes

1st place

• One Village Coffee Prize Pack ncluding everything you need to brew the perfect cup of coffee at home.

• Philly Beer Scene Prize pack including swag, beer, and an opportunity to be featured in the magazine as a guest judge or featured homerewer.

• $75 Perch Pub gift card

2nd place

• Philly Beer Scene Prize pack including swag, beer, and an opportunity to be featured in the magazine as a guest judge or featured homerewer.

Finals on Sunday, June 10 at Perch Pub in Center City, Philadelphia at 5:00 p.m.

Brewers encouraged to bring samples to share with fellow entrants Winners announced that night

Participating Homebrew Shops

CUSTOM GROWLERS AND BEER STEINS! • Handcrafted with your logo!

• Durable ceramic with air tight seal.

• Keeps beer fresh and colder longer • No light can penetrate to spoil the beer.

A unique collectable for micro breweries and homebrewers • Personalized for weddings and special events • Each growler is a hand signed work of art • Wholesale and retail • For more info and examples see our website!

Romanick Pottery \\ Newark, DE

Call: 302-738-8038 See shop owner for more rules and details.

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www.romanickpottery.com

Kennett Restaurant is helping to revive the Queens Village Neighborhood. By Mat Falco Trying to recreate a piece of history that stood as a cornerstone of the Queens Village area of Philadelphia for 62 years, Johnny Della Polla and Ashley Bohan reopened Kennett Café, now under the name Kennett Restaurant, just over a year ago. Closed in 1986, new life has been brought to the classic Queens Village café.

Located in what used to be home to the Lyon’s Den for a number of years, Della Polla and Bohan took their experience in the restaurant industry to turn the Lyon’s Den into a vastly different type of eatery. Remnants of the Lyon’s Den are now unrecognizable as Kennett brings a whole new feel to South 2nd Street. With a focus on local and sustainability; Queens Village is now home to a much more fitting restaurant.

Food may be slightly at the forefront in this rustic, dimly lit, yet comfortable bar, but the beer list is far from taking a back seat. Offering fifteen beers on tap as well as one on hand pump, the draft lines are filled with a well-chosen list of American craft. Favorites such as Ithaca Flower Power and Allagash White are regulars, while offerings from breweries such as Avery, Ommegang and Southampton rotate through the remaining taps. Della Polla’s Yards’ roots are also clearly stated, as you are certain to see a couple options from one of Philly’s most beloved breweries.

Love Stout is a constant on the nitro-line and Kennett is almost a guaranteed destination for Yards’ increasing amount of one-offs and specialties. Beyond the beer,

they also offer a cocktail menu they strongly stand behind.

They may not be hand cracking ice and offering a selection of hundreds of spirits, but the cocktails are creatively done and can stand side by side against most.

As for the aforementioned kitchen, Chef Brian Ricci is putting out what has been a very well-received menu. The food is focused on fresh, locally sourced edibles. Ranging from a lamb burger (served with fingerling potatoes or collards- no fryer here) to green curry roasted chicken, the entrees are creative and satisfying, yet not over the top and overwhelming. It’s still bar-friendly, but most likely a lot better than your corner watering hole. Kennett also boasts a wood-burning oven which is putting out a selection of artisanal-style handcrafted pizzas. If that’s not enough to entice you, Chef Ricci is also making his own charcuterie, perfect for snacking on with some quality beers. Overall, the menu is short, simple, and focused, but that doesn’t make decisions any easier as everything is delicious.

Between the drastically improved atmosphere, the creative dinner menu fit for a family dinner or quick bite at the bar, and the well-chosen and locally favored drink menu, Kennett has brought a new light to the old Lyon’s Den on South 2nd Street. With For Pete’s Sake only a block away, this little corner of Philly is working towards becoming a destination for beer lovers, as well as the perfect stop on your way to the South Philly Ikea. Kennett Restaurant is located at 848 South 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19147.

Bar & Restaurant Review

Bringing a Piece of History Back to South 2nd Street

february/march 2012

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The Tasting Room How Philly Beer Scene Reviews Beer Every issue Mat, Neil & Melissa, from Philly Beer Scene, get together with a notable guest and a member of the scene for a small, private, tasting session called the “The Tasting Room.” Approximately a dozen beers are chosen that are new, seasonal or just interesting.

Rather than presenting an overly-detailed single perspective review, “The Tasting Room” serves to be a brief written account of key points made between the tasters. Each taster designates a rating from zero to five stars, justifying it in their own way. The scores are then averaged and always rounded to the nearest half star for a final rating.

Star Gazing Stay Away From This Beer A Drinkable Beer But Not Worth Seeking Out An Average Beer A Pretty Decent Beer Worth Drinking Anytime If You See This Beer, Order It You Better Go Out And Find This Beer Now

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phillybeerscene.com

february/march 2012

One of the oldest beer bars in Philly, London Grill recently celebrated their 20th anniversary. Known for serving quality food and beers, as well as an extensive spirits list, London has made quite the name for itself.

It was only fitting to hold our Tasting Room here with our distinguished guests who’ve been fortunate enough to have had many a beer here since the beginning and witnessed London grow with the beer culture in Philadelphia.

Our notable guests Homebrewing in Philadelphia is almost synonymous with George Hummel and Nancy Rigberg, our featured guests for the Tasting Room. George and Nancy’s shop, Home Sweet Homebrew, has been equipping the people of Philadelphia with homebrew supplies since 1986, well before the craft beer revolution began. Some of the country’s most renowned brewers, including Sam Calagione, got their start at Home Sweet Homebrew. George is also a respected author with regular columns in Mid-Atlantic Brewing News and recently released his book “The Complete Homebrew Beer Book.”

Southern Tier 2X Stout

North Coast Brother Thelonious =

Double Milk Stout from New York’s Southern Tier is

A rich and robust beer. For every bottle sold, North

brewed with lactose sugars, 2 varieties of hops and

Coast makes a donation to the Thelonious Monk

3 types of malts. ABV: 7.5%

Institute of Jazz in support of Jazz education.

ABV: 9.3%

Geo

3

Tan head, thick mid-mouth. Dry tannin finish.

Belgian-esque, bouquet- sweet candy apple middle.

Geo 3.5 Drying finish.

Nan

2

Dry & creamy, but thin for their double milk stout, not interesting.

Nan

Mat 2.5 Not what I expected. Weird, dry finish. Not what you Neil

3

4

Sweet, caramelly, warming; sneaky strong.

Very solid abbey ale. Warms you up a bit but still very

would think of 2X milk stout.

Mat 3.5 smooth for ABV. Nice night cap beer.

Really sweet up-front but cuts quick & dry – okay.

Neil 3.5 Sweet, nice medium body, finishes nicely.

Mel 3.5 Sweet & creamy, not bad, but not amazing.

Mel 3.5 Sweet, malty. Pretty standard, but good.

Tröegs Pale Ale

Widmer Brothers Pitch Black IPA

Tröegs Pale Ale is aggressively hopped with

Widmer Brother’s wants you to embrace the

Northwest Cascades and balanced with crystal

dark side with their take on Cascadian dark ale;

malts to create a hoppy, copper-colored crisp ale.

providing a rich, toasty malt flavor and a

A classic American Pale Ale. ABV: 5.4%

complex herbal aroma. ABV: 6.5%

Wow, hops! Malty up-front into a long, lingering hop finish. Can I have more?

Geo

2

Nan 4.5 Typical Tröegs nose of hops. Chewing on a hop cone

Tastes like an over-hopped porter, doesn’t get off the fence.

finish.

Nan

1

Inoffensive, not really an IPA at all. Malty.

Mat 4.5

Beautiful IPA aroma. Smells hoppier than it tastes! Just a great pale ale. Start canning this!

Mat 2.5 Not hoppy, not roasty. Wrongly named but nothing

Neil 3.5

There is nothing bad you can say about this pale. It’s solid & a staple.

Neil 2.5 nothing bad.

Geo

5

Mel 2.5 Lots of hops in the nose and beer. Not my favorite.

wrong with it.

Little hops, little malt, little body. Nothing exciting-

Mel

3

Sweet nose, flat, lacks body–which I guess makes it drinkable? Approachable?

Forest & Main Tiny Tim

Fifty Fifty Eclipse

One of Forest & Main’s flagship brews. This rich,

This version of Eclipse is the award winning Imperial

malty beer is full of caramel and toffee notes, and

Stout aged six months in barrels previously holding

finishes smooth for an easy- drinking pint.

Four Roses’ Single Barrel; a rich beer with hints of

ABV: 3.5%

vanilla & coconut, perfect with dessert. ABV: 10.0%

Geo

3

Butterscotch and toffee, light body, tannin in finish lacks middle.

Big Bruiser! Woody, boozy, tan head, big flavor, licorice Geo 4.5 Huge wood nose. Big bourbon taste. Worthy of imperial stout name. Very warming.

Great mouth feel. Making me question my dislike for bourbon beers. One of the best I’ve had in a while.

& dry fruit.

Nan

3

Toffee aroma; pleasant quaff.

Nan 4.5

Mat

3

A little heavy on the toffee flavors but still lots of flavor for such low alcohol. A very promising new brewery.

Mat 4.5

Neil

3

Really toffee-like with slight nuttiness. Easy drinking.

Neil

Mel

2

Malty, roasty nose, toffee flavors- bitter finish.

Mel 3.5 Great with dessert.

4

Intense imperial stout, bourbon & vanilla- dried fruit.

Sweet vanilla & bourbon, nice body & a smooth finish.

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Brùton Stoner

Leffe Brown

A strong ale with a deep gold color, produced with

Brown is an authentic abbey beer with a delicate

a blend of malt barley, wheat and rye and candied

taste of vanilla and clove and a full aroma of toffee

sugar added during cooking. ABV: 7.5%

and caramel. ABV: 6.5%

Nice English Brown for a Belgian. Certainly not the edgiest Belgian out there.

Geo 4.5 Citrus, malty, zesty middle. Dry finish, summer fun.

Geo

Nan 4.5 Hazy, very lemony, lots of citrus notes. Almost no

Nan 3.5 Caramelly, toasty, tasty brown ale. Good session

carbonation. Really good food beer.

Mat 3.5

4

Belgian.

Very citrusy, refreshing. Nice dinner beer. A bottle you’d bring to a BYO.

Mat 3.5 Solid brown ale. Belgian yeast adds nice depth to the Neil 3.5

Mel 3.5 mellows off in finish.

Neil

4

Citrus on the nose and well across the palate – is it summer?

Mel

3

Citrus & fruity nose. A little too sweet to have more than one, but lots of citrus flavors; grapefruit, orange.

roastiness. Good body.

Sweet, nice body, Belgian qualities & subtle roastiness pair nicely.

Nice dimension with a roasty nose. Sweet, then

Anchorage Bitter Monk

Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel

Anchorage Bitter Monk Belgian Style Double IPA is

Würzburger Hofbräu’s Julius Echter Dunkel is a

unique in style and aged in French oak Chardonnay

traditional dunkel weiss, pouring brown in color

barrels with Brett. ABV: 9.0%

with an overall smooth finish. ABV: 4.9%

Geo

4

Lacks hop aroma, Brett evident. Hop flavor balance is nice.

Geo 3.5 Banana clove, some cabbage, fizzy.

Nan

4

Funky aroma, very attractive. Subtle, drinkable.

Nan 1.5 Good color, thin body, not a lot of flavor. Not exciting.

Smells like the perfect beer. Amazingly well-balanced for crazy style. Very drinkable.

Mat 2.5 Very one-dimension and not exciting.

Nice nose, mild flavor, not overkill- easy going for funky.

Neil

Sweet & hoppy nose. Very approachable, but different.

Mel 2.5 is a lack of body and carbonation.

Mat 4.5 Neil

3

Mel 3.5 Little sweet, little sour, little bitter.

3

Really light & refreshing. Just enough subtle roast & caramel to separate from a weiss.

Pours a lot of head, which is deceiving because there

Uinta Hop Notch IPA

De Proef K-O Blond

Uinta’s Hop Notch IPA is bold and refreshing. This

Imported by the Shelton Brothers, K-O Blond is a

IPA combines an abundance of hops with a smooth

Belgian Ale made with pure malt and hops for an

malt profile to make it a “hop notch” brew.

“alcoholic punch.” ABV: 10.0%

ABV: 7.3% Geo

4

Piney nose resin- nice balanced beer. Nose made me expect more bitterness.

Nan 4.5 Hoppy & resinous nose, great flavor. Very fresh. Nicely balanced with malt backbone.

66

Geo

3

Nan

4.5

Malty- like cotton candy that’s caramelized pear drops.

Funky aroma. Another sneaky, tasty treat from Shelton Bros.

Not the hop bomb you’d expect from the nose, but a very solid IPA. A nice step up for Uinta’s 12oz line.

Mat 3.5 Not a blonde, but very drinkable for 10%.

4

Delicious nose, nice, well-balanced hops & malt.

Pretty clean finish.

Neil

4

Really malty – awesome cotton candy taste. Doesn’t come off as 10%.

3

Hoppy nose, not as bitter as expected- but it is good.

Approachable for a rookie IPA drinker.

Mel

4

Smooth & full of body, tasty, malty.

Mat

3.5

Neil Mel

phillybeerscene.com

february/march 2012

The Final Picks After some long discussion and debate over the twelve craft beers that were sampled, our panel is ready to reveal each of their favorite

17

Weird Beer #17

Blackbird AKA The Twitter Beer

picks for February/March.

George’s Final Pick: Tröegs Pale Ale. This was exactly what I expected and wanted from this beer. And fresh!

Nancy's Final Pick: Brùton Stoner.

Great beer to share with friends over dinner – very food friendly.

Mat’s Final Pick: Anchorage Bitter Monk. Surprised how much I liked this. Never thought a double IPA would barrel-age so well.

Neil’s Final Pick: Uinta Hop Notch.

I’m happy to see an awesome Uinta 12oz. option.

Melissa’s Final Pick: K-O Blond. It just stood out to me – it’s approachable and drinkable, but clean and smooth.

In 2009, Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, CO. set out to create a truly unique and very limited offering; a collaboration of epic proportions; one that was formulated in its entirety by the brewery’s Twitter following. Everything including style, color, strength, body, and hop character were derived from polls and suggestions. The outcome was a robust Schwarzbier, with a fantastic balance of smoke and malt.

Once the beer was complete, their Twitter followers were polled to determine the name. Some of the names that were voted on included Darkside, Hashtag Schwarz, Fail Whale Black Ale, and Blackbird-which ultimately was the winner.

When the beer was done being brewed, Odell took it one step further and had the artists and designers within their following offer designs to be used for tap handles. These designs were posted in a poll as well, to determine which artwork would ultimately represent the Blackbird.

The final beer with all the details was released on May 6, 2009 at a tapping party located at the brewery. This unique beer was only offered for a limited time to commemorate the ultimate collaboration.

february/march 2012

67

Directory

Philadelphia Center City Bars & Restaurants

BAR 1309 Sansom Street The Black Sheep 247 S. 17th Street theblacksheeppub.com Blue Bear Tavern 215 S. 11th St bluebeartavern.com Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse 1823 Sansom Street cavsrittenhouse.com Cherry Street Tavern 129 N. 22nd Street Chris’ Jazz Café 1421 Sansom Street chrisjazzcafe.com Coffee Bar 1701 Locust Street intoxicaffeineation.com Cooperage 123 South 7th St cooperagephilly.com Dandelion 124 S 18th St thedandelionpub.com Devil’s Alley 1907 Chestnut Street devilsalleybarandgrill.com

Jose Pistola’s 263 S. 15th Street josepistolas.com

Tangier 1801 Lombard St tangier.thekalon.com

Ladder 15 1528 Sansom Street ladder15philly.com

Tavern 17 220 South 17th Street tavern17restaurant.com

Llama Tooth 1033 Spring Garden llamatooth.com

Tavern on Broad 200 South Broad Street tavernonbroad.com

McGillin’s Old Ale House 1310 Drury Lane mcgillins.com

Ten Stone 2063 South Street tenstone.com

McGlinchey’s 259 S 15th Street

TIME 1315 Sansom Street timerestaurant.net

Misconduct Tavern 1511 Locust Street misconduct-tavern.com Molly Malloy’s Reading Terminal Market 1136 Arch St mollymalloysphilly.com Monk’s Café 264 S. 16th Street monkscafe.com Moriarty’s Pub 1116 Walnut Street moriartyspub.com Perch Pub 1345 Locust Street perchpub.com

Doobies 2201 Lombard Street

Prohibition Taproom 501 N. 13th Street theprohibitiontaproom.com

The Farmers Cabinet 1113 Walnut St thefarmerscabinet.com

Pub and Kitchen 1946 Lombard St thepubandkitchen.com

Fergie’s Pub 1214 Sansom Street fergies.com

Resurrection Ale House 2425 Grays Ferry Ave. resurrectionalehouse.com

Finn McCools 118 S. 12th Street finnmccoolsphilly.com

Sansom Street Oyster House 1516 Sansom Street oysterhousephilly.com

Good Dog 224 S. 15th Street gooddogbar.com Grace Tavern 2229 Grays Ferry Ave gracetavern.com The Institute 549 N. 12th Street institutebar.com

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Trestle Inn 339 N 11th St Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tria 123 S. 18th Street 1137 Spruce Street triacafe.com Valanni 1229 Spruce Street valanni.com Varalli 231 S. Broad Street varalliusa.com Varga Bar 941 Spruce Street vargabar.com Westbury Bar 261 S. 13th Street westburybarandrestaurant.com Woodys 202 S 13th St woodysbar.com Brewpubs

Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant 1516 Sansom Street noddinghead.com Retail Beer

Slate 102 S 21st Street slatephiladelphia.com Smiths 39 S. 19th Street smiths-restaurant.com Smokin’ Bettys 116 S. 11th Street smokinbettys.com

phillybeerscene.com

Colney Delicatessen: 2047 Chestnut St Food & Friends 1933 Spruce Street The Foodery 324 S. 10th Street fooderybeer.com

february/march 2012

Latimer Deli 255 South 15th Street

Falls Taproom 3749 Midvale Ave

Monde Market 100 S 21st Street

Flat Rock Saloon 4301 Main Street

Homebrew Supplies

Home Sweet Homebrew 2008 Sansom St. homesweethomebrew.com Fairmount Bars & Restaurants

The Belgian Café 2047 Green Street thebelgiancafe.com The Bishop’s Collar 2349 Fairmount Ave. thebishopscollar.ypguides. net Bridgid’s 726 N. 24th Street bridgids.com Jack’s Firehouse 2130 Fairmount Ave jacksfirehouse.com Kite And Key 1836 Callowhill Street thekiteandkey.com London Grill 2301 Fairmount Ave. londongrill.com McCrossens Tavern 529 N 20th St North Star Bar 2639 Poplar Street northstarbar.com Rembrandt’s 741 N. 23rd Street rembrandts.com St. Stephen’s Green 1701 Green Street saintstephensgreen.com Retail Beer

Old Philly Ale House 565 N 20th St Manayunk Bars & Restaurants

Couch Tomato Cafe 102 Rector St thecouchtomato.com Dawson Street Pub 100 Dawson Street dawsonstreetpub.com

Jake’s and Cooper’s Wine Bar 4365 Main Street jakesrestaurant.com

Hop Angel Brauhaus 7890 Oxford Ave hopangelbrauhaus. blogspot.com Lucky Dog 417 Germantown Ave McMenamin’s Tavern 7170 Germantown Ave.

Kildare’s 4417 Main Street kildarespub.com

Mermaid Inn 7673 Germantown Ave themermaidinn.net

Lucky’s Last Chance 4421 Main St luckyslastchance.com

Trolley Car Dinner 7619 Germantown Ave. trolleycardiner.com

Manayunk Tavern 4247 Main St manayunktavern.com Old Eagle Tavern 177 Markle Street oldeagletavern.com T. Hogan’s Pub 5109-11 Rochelle Ave. The Ugly Moose 443 Shurs Ln theuglymoose.com Union Jack’s 4801 Umbria Street Brewpubs

Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant 4120 Main Street manayunkbrewery.com

Brewpubs

Earth Bread + Brewery 7136 Germantown Ave. earthbreadbrewery.com Iron Hill Brewery 8400 Germantown Ave ironhillbrewery.com Retail Beer

The Beer Outlet 77 Franklin Mills Blvd.

Brewers Outlet 7401 Germantown Ave mybrewersoutlet.com Craft Beer Outlet 9910 Frankford Ave. craftbeeroutlet.com The Six Pack Store 7015 Roosevelt Boulevard thesixpackstore.com

Retail Beer

Doc’s World Of Beer 701 E. Cathedral Road World Wide Beverage Co 508 Green Lane North/Northeast Bars & Restaurants

Campbell’s Place 8337 Germantown Ave. Daly’s Irish Pub 4201 Comly Street The Draught Horse 1431 Cecil B. Moore Ave. draughthorse.com The Grey Lodge Pub 6235 Frankford Ave. greylodge.com

Northern Liberties/ Fishtown Bars & Restaurants

700 700 N. 2nd Street the700.org The Abbaye 637 N. 3rd Street Atlantis: The Lost Bar 2442 Frankford Ave. Barcade 1114 Frankford Ave. barcadephiladelphia.com Bar Ferdinand 1030 N. 2nd Street barferdinand.com

Directory Blind Pig 702 N 2nd St blindpigphilly.com Cantina Dos Segundos 931 N 2nd Street cantinadossegundos.com Port Richmond Pourhouse 2253 E Clearfield St portrichmondpourhouse. com Druid’s Keep 149 Brown Street El Camino Real 1040 N 2nd Street bbqburritobar.com

Retail Beer

The Foodery 837 N. 2nd Street fooderybeer.com Global Beer Distribution 1150 N. American Street globalbeerphilly.com Homebrew Supplies

Barry’s Homebrew Outlet 1447 N. American Street barryshomebrew.com Old City Bars & Restaurants

Bierstube Tsingtao 206 Market St mybierstube.com

Gunners Run 1001 N 2nd St

Brownie’s Irish Pub 46 S. 2nd Street browniesirishpub.com

Interstate Draft House 1235 E Palmer St interstatedrafthouse.com

City Tavern 138 S. 2nd Street citytavern.com

Johnny Brenda’s 1201 Frankford Ave. johnnybrendas.com

Eulogy Belgian Tavern 136 Chestnut Street eulogybar.server101.com

Kraftwork 541 E. Girard Ave. kraftworkbar.com

The Irish Pol 45 S. 3rd Street theirishpol.com

Memphis Taproom 2331 E. Cumberland St. memphistaproom.com

The Khyber Pass Pub 56 S. Second Street thekhyber.com

Murphs Bar 202 E Girard Ave North Bowl 909 N 2nd Street northbowlphilly.com North Third 801 N. 3rd Street norththird.com Silk City 435 Spring Garden Street silkcityphilly.com Standard Tap 901 N. 2nd Street standardtap.com Breweries

Philadelphia Brewing Co. 2439 Amber Street philadelphiabrewing.com Yards Brewing Co. 901 N. Delaware Avenue yardsbrewing.com

Mac’s Tavern 226 Market Street macstavern.com National Mechanics 22 S. 3rd Street nationalmechanics.com Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant 120 Market St philadelphiabarand restaurant.com Plough and The Stars 123 Chestnut Street ploughstars.com Q BBQ & Tequila 207 Chestnut St Qoldcity.com Race Street Café 208 Race Street racestreetcafe.net

Revolution House 200 Market St revolutionhouse.com Sassafras Café 48 S. 2nd Street sassafrasbar.com Sugar Mom’s 225 Church Street myspace.com/sugarmoms Brewpubs

Triumph Brewing Co 117-121 Chestnut Street triumphbrewing.com Queens Village/ Bella Vista Bars & Restaurants

12 Steps Down 831 Christian St. 12stepsdown.com

5775 York Road Lahaska, PA. 18931 215-794-9373 www.porterhousepub.com

Proudly Serving:

Brauhaus Schmitz 718 South St. brauhausschmitz.com Bridget Foy’s 200 South Street bridgetfoys.com The Dive 947 E. Passyunk Ave myspace.com/thedivebar For Pete’s Sake 900 S. Front Street forpetessakepub.com The Headhouse 122 Lombard Street headhousephilly.com Jon’s Bar & Grille 300 South St jonsbarandgrille.com Kennett 848 S 2nd St Philadelphia, PA 19147 Kennettrestaurant.com Manny Brown’s 512 South Street manny-browns.com New Wave Café 784 S 3rd Street newwavecafe.com O’Neals Pub 611 S. 3rd Street onealspub.com Percy Street Barbecue 600 S. 9th St percystreet.com

check out what’s

happening at:

www.montellas.com

16 Beers on Tap Featured Draft Beers: Land Shark Lager Long Trail IPA Rogue Dead Guy Stella Artois Anchor Steam Victory Headwaters Over 20 Craft Beers To Choose From

TUESDAY NIGHTS: $2 LandShark Lager Pints $2.99 Burger and Fries Trivia 9pm DJ Every Saturday 25 S. Broad St. Lansdale, PA. 19446 215-855-3900

february/march 2012

69

Directory Royal Tavern 937 East Passyunk Ave. royaltavern.com Southwark 701 S. 4th Street southwarkrestaurant.com Tapestry 700 S. 5th St tapestryphilly.com/ Tattooed Mom 530 South Street facebook.com/tattooedmomphilly

Sticks & Stones 1909 E Passyunk Ave The Ugly American 1100 S. Front Street uglyamericanphilly.com Watkins Drinkery 1712 S 10th St Retail Beer

Beer Heaven 1100 S Columbus Blvd Bell’s Beverage 2809 S. Front Street

The Wishing Well 767 S. 9th Street wishingwellphilly.com

Brew 1900 S. 15th Street brewphiladelphia.com

Retail Beer

The Bottle Shop 1837 E Passyunk Ave bottleshopbeer.com

Bella Vista Beer Distributors 738 S. 11th Street bellavistabeverage.com Hawthornes 738 S. 11th St hawthornecafe.com

Society Hill Beverage 129 Washington Ave University City/West Bars & Restaurants

South Philly Bars & Restaurants

2nd St Brewhouse 1700 S 2nd St American Sardine Bar 1801 Federal St americansardinebar.com Birra 1700 E Passyunk Ave birraphilly.com Cantina Los Cabalitos 1651 E Passyunk Ave cantinaloscabalitos.com Devil’s Den 1148 S. 11th Street devilsdenphilly.com Lucky 13 Pub 1820 S 13th Street lucky13pubphilly.com Pub On Passyunk East (POPE) 1501 E. Passyunk Ave. pubonpassyunkeast.com

South Philadelphia Tap Room 1509 Mifflin Street southphiladelphiatap room.com

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Tria Wine Room 3131 Walnut St bibawinebar.com The Blockley 38th & Ludlow Streets theblockley.com City Tap House 3925 Walnut Street citytaphouse.com Fiume 229 S 45th St La Terrasse 3432 Sansom Street laterrasserestaurant.com Local 44 4333 Spruce Street local44beerbar.com

Brewpubs

Dock Street Brewing Company 701 S. 50th Street dockstreetbeer.com

Suburbs Bucks Co Bars & Restaurants

Becker’s Corner 110 Old Bethlehem Rd Quakertown, PA 18951 Blue Dog Tavern 4275 Country Line Road Chalfont, PA 18914 bluedog.cc Bobby Simone’s 52 East State Street Doylestown, PA 18901 ilovebobbys.com Brady’s 4700 Street Road Trevose, PA 19053 bradys-pub.com The Buck Hotel 1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA 19053 thebuckhotel.com Candlewyck Lounge Routes 413 & 202 Buckingham, PA 18912 Chambers Restaurant 19 N. Main St Doylestown, PA 18901 Green Parrot Restaurant Pub & Patio 240 N Sycamore St, Newtown, PA 18940 greenparrotirishpub.com Honey 42 Shewell Ave. Doylestown, PA 18901 honeyrestaurant.com

Mad Mex 3401 Walnut Street madmex.com

Hulmeville Inn 4 Trenton Road Hulmeville, PA 19047 hulmevilleinn.com

Midatlantic 3711 Market St midatlanticrestaurant. com

Isaac Newton’s 18 S. State Street Newtown, PA 18940 isaacnewtons.com

World Cafe Live 3025 Walnut Street worldcafelive.com

Jamison Pour House 2160 York Road Jamison, PA 18929 jamisonpourhouse.com

phillybeerscene.com

february/march 2012

Maggio’s Restaurant 400 2nd Street Pike Southampton, PA 18966 maggiosrestaurant.com Manny Brown’s 25 Doublewoods Road Langhorne, PA 19047 manny-browns.com Maxwell’s on Main Bar & Restaurant 37 North Main St. Doylestown, PA 18901 momsmaxwellsonmain. com Mesquito Grille 128 W. State Street Doylestown, PA 18901 Newportville Inn 4120 Lower Road Newportville, PA 19056 newportvilleinn.net Pasquale’s Sports Bar 9087 Mill Creek Rd. Levittown, PA 19054 Puck 14 E. Court Street Doylestown, PA 18901 pucklive.com Spinnerstown Hotel 2195 Spinnerstown Road Spinnerstown, PA 18968 spinnerstownhotel.com Springtown Inn 3258 Rt 212 Springtown, PA 18081 springtowninn.com TJ Smiths 1585 Easton Rd Warrington, PA 18976

Brewpubs

Triumph Brewing Co 400 Union Square New Hope, PA 18938 triumphbrewing.com Retail Beer

B&B Beverage 3670 Sawmill Road Doylestown, PA 18902 bandbbeverages.com Bailey’s Bar & Grille 6922 Bristol Emilie Rd Levittown, PA 19057

The Beer Store 488 2nd Street Pk. Southampton, PA 18966 Bensalem Beer & Soda 1919 Street Road Bensalem, PA 19020 bensalembeer.com Bound Beverage 2544 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA 19020 Stephanie’s Take-Out 29 S. Main Street Doylestown, PA 18901 stephaniesrl.com Richboro Beer & Soda 1041 2nd Street Pike Richboro, PA 18954 geocities.com/richborobeer Trenton Road Take Out 1024 Trenton Road Levittown, PA 19054 trentonroadtakeout.com Trevose Beer & Soda 550 Andrews Rd Langhorne, PA 19053 Homebrew Supplies

Tony’s Place Bar & Grill 1297 Greeley Ave Ivyland, PA 18974 tonysplaceivyland.com

Wine, Barley & Hops Homebrew Supply 248 Bustleton Pike Feasterville, PA 19053 winebarleyandhops.com

Uno Chicago Grill 198 N. Buckstown Road Langhorne, PA 19047

Chester Co

801 Neshaminy Mall Bensalem, PA 19020 unos.com 1661 Easton Road Warrington, PA unos.com

Bars & Restaurants

The Drafting Room 635 N. Pottstown Pike Exton, PA 19341 draftingroom.com Epicurean Restaurant 902 Village At Eland Phoenixville, PA 19460 epicureanrestaurant.com

Flying Pig Saloon 121 E. King Street Malvern, PA 19149 Half Moon Restaurant & Saloon 108 W. State Street Kennett Square, PA 19348 halfmoonrestaurant.com High Street Cafe 322 S. High Street West Chester,PA 19382 highstreetcaffe.com The Pale Horse 29 E. Gay St. West Chester, PA 19380 palehorsepub.com Pickering Creek Inn 37 Bridge Street Phoenixville, PA 19460 pickeringcreekinn.com Rams Head 40 E. Market Street West Chester, PA 19382 ramsheadbarandgrill.com River Stone Cafe 143 W Lincoln Hwy Exton, PA 19341 riverstonecafe.com Ron’s Original Bar & Grille 74 E. Uwchlan Ave. Exton, PA 19341 ronsoriginal.com Side Bar 10 East Gay St West Chester, PA 19380 sidebarandrestaurant.com Station Taproom 207 West Lancaster Ave. Downingtown, PA 19335 Stationtaproom.com TJ’s Everday 35 Paoli Plaza Paoli, PA 19301 tjseveryday.com Brewpubs

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant 130-138 Bridge Street Phoenixville, PA 19460 3 W. Gay Street West Chester, PA 19380 ironhillbrewery.com McKenzie Brew House 324 West Swedesford Rd Berwyn, PA 19312

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• Singles or mix and match 6 packs • Over 1200 beers in stock • 2 beers on tap for sampling 8 South Union St. • Lambertville, NJ 08530 • 609-397-0273 Store Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9-9 • Fri.-Sat. 9-10 • Sun. 9-8 Follow us on Facebook at wonderful world of wine/beer

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71

Directory 451 Wilmington-West Chester Pike Chadds Ford, PA 19342 mckenziebrewhouse.com

JD McGillicuddy’s 690 Burmont Rd Drexel Hill, PA 19026 mcgillicuddys.net

Sly Fox Brewing Company 520 Kimberton Road Phoenixville, PA 19460 slyfoxbeer.com

Oakmont National Pub 31 E. Eagle Road Havertown, PA 19083 oakmontnationalpub.com

Victory Brewing Company 420 Acorn Lane Downingtown, PA 19335 victorybeer.com Retail Beer

Exton Beverage Center 310 E. Lincoln Highway Exton, PA 19341 extonbeverage.com Waywood Beverage Co. 624 Millers Hill Kennett Square, PA 19348 waywoodbeverage.com

Quotations 37 E. State Street Media, PA 19063 Teresa’s Next Door 126 N. Wayne Ave. Wayne, PA 19087 teresas-cafe.com UNO’s Chicago Grill 3190 West Chester Pike Newtown Square, PA The Whip Tavern 1383 Chatham Rd Coatesville, PA 19320 thewhiptavern.com

Homebrew Supplies

Artisan Homebrew 128 East Lancaster Ave Downingtown, PA 19335 artisanhomebrew.com The Wine & Beer Barrel 101 Ridge Road Chadds Ford, PA 19317 Delaware Co Bars & Restaurants

2312 Garrett Bar 2312 Garrett Rd. Drexel Hill, PA 19026 Azie 217 W. State Street Media, PA 19063 Brother’s 157 Garrett Ave Rosemont, PA 19010 Flanigan’s Boathouse 118 N. Wayne Ave. Wayne, PA 19087 flanboathouse.com Flip & Bailey’s 900 Conestoga Rd Rosemont, PA 19010 flipandbaileys.com Frontier Saloon 336 Kedron Ave. Folsom, PA 19033 frontiersaloon.com

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Brewpubs

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant 30 E. State Street Media, PA 19063 ironhillbrewery.com Retail Beer

Back Alley Beverage 2214 State Rd. Drexel Hill, PA 19026 backalleybev.com Beer Yard, Inc. 218 E. Lancaster Ave. Wayne, PA 19087 beeryard.com Civera’s 2214 State Road Drexel Hill, PA 19026 Pappou’s Pizza Pub 415 Baltimore Pike Morton, PA 19070 Pinocchio’s 131 E. Baltimore Pike Media, PA 19063 pinbeer.com Township Line Beer & Cigars 5315 Township Line Road Drexel Hill, PA 19026 townshiplinebeerand cigars.com

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Firewaters 1110 Baltimore Pike Concord, PA 19342 firewatersbar.com

PJ Whelihan’s 799 Dekalb Pike Blue Bell, PA 19422 pjspub.com

Brew Your Own Beer & Winemaking Too! 2026 Darby Road Havertown, PA 19083

Flanigan’s Boathouse 113 Fayette Street Conshohocken, PA 19428 flanboathouse.com

The Saloon Bar & Grill 2508 W. Ridge Pike Jeffersonvile, PA 19403 thesaloonbarandgrill.net

Montgomery Co

French Quarter Bistro 215 Main St Royersford, PA frenchquarterbistro.com

Side Door Pub 3335 County Line Road Chalfont, PA 18914

Swarthmore Beverage 719 South Chester Rd, Swarthmore, PA 19081 Homebrew Supplies

Bars & Restaurants

Baggatawny Tavern 31 N Front St Conshohocken, PA 19428 baggtav.com Blue Dog Pub 850 South Valley Forge Rd Lansdale, PA 19446 bluedog.cc Broad Axe Tavern 901 W. Butler Pike Ambler, PA 19002 broadaxetavern.com Cantina Feliz 424 S Bethlehem Pike Fort Washington, PA 19034 cantina feliz.com Capone’s Restaurant 224 W. Germantown Pike Norristown, PA 19401 caponesdraftlist.blogspot. com Chadwicks 2750 Egypt Rd Audobon, PA 19403 mychadwicks.com Chap’s Taproom 2509 W. Main St. Jeffersonville, PA 19403 chapstap.com Craft Ale House 708 W. Ridge Pike Limerick, PA 19468 craftalehouse.com East End Alehouse Salford Square 712 Main Street Harleysville, PA 19438 ortinos.com/east_end_ alehouse.htm Fingers Wings And Other Things 107 W. Ridge Pike Conshohocken, PA 19428 fwot.com

february/march 2012

Gullifty’s 1149 Lancaster Ave. Rosemont, PA 19010 gulliftys.com Iron Abbey Gastro Pub 680 N. Easton Road Horsham, PA 19044 ironabbey.com Little Ortino’s Restaurant 800 North Main Street Schwenksville, PA 19473 ortinos.com Lucky Dog Saloon And Grille 417 Germantown Pike Lafayette Hill, PA 19106 theluckydogsaloon.com Lucky Lab 312 N. Lewis Rd Royersford, PA 19468 luckylabtavern.com Mad Mex 2862 W. Moreland Rd Willow Grove, PA 19090 madmex.com McCloskey Restaurant 17 Cricket Ave Ardmore, PA 19003 Mccloskeystavern.com Oreland Inn 101 Lorraine Avenue Oreland, PA 19075 Ortino’s Northside 1355 Gravel Pike Zieglerville, PA 19492 ortinos.com/northside Otto’s Brauhaus 233 Easton Road Horsham, Pa 19044 ottosbrauhauspa.com

Tonelli’s 278 Easton Rd Horsham, PA 19044 tonellispizza.com

Breweries

Prism Brewery 810 Dickerson Rd North Wales, PA 19454 prismbeer.com Sly Fox Brewing Company 312 N Lewis Rd Royersford, PA 19468 slyfoxbeer.com Retail Beer

Beer World 1409 Easton Ave Roslyn, PA 19001 beerworld-roslyn-pa.com

Union Jack’s 2750 Limekiln Pike Glenside, PA 19038

Capone’s Restaurant (takeout) 224 W. Germantown Pike Norristown, PA 19401

Uno’s Chicago Grill 1100 Bethlehem Pike North Wales,PA 19454 unos.com

Domestic & Imported Beverages 485 Baltimore Pike Glen Mills, PA 19342

Village Tavern 511 Stump Road North Wales,PA 19454 villagetavernpa.com

Epps Beverages 80 W. Ridge Pike Limerick, PA 19468

The Wet Whistle 300 Meetinghouse Road Jenkintown, PA 19046 Whitpain Tavern 1529 Dekalb St Blue Bell, PA 19422 Brewpubs

Appalachin Brewing Co 50 W 3rd Ave Collegeville, PA 19426 abcbrew.com Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant 1460 Bethlehem Pike North Wales, PA 19454 ironhillbrewery.com Forest & Main Brewing Company 61 N Main St Ambler, PA 19002 forestandmain.com McKenzie Brew House 240 Lancaster Ave. Malvern, PA 19355 mckenziebrewhouse.com Rock Bottom Brewery 1001 King of Prussia Plaza King of Prussia, PA 19406 rockbottom.com

Flourtown Beverage 1114 Bethlehem Pike Flourtown, PA 19031 Frosty Caps 1745-47 Old York Road Abington, PA 19001 Hatboro Beverage 201 Jacksonville Road Hatboro, PA 19040 hatbev.com Michaels Deli 200 West Dekalb Pike King of Prussia, PA 19406 Michaelsdeli.com Home Brew Supplies

Keystone Homebrew Supply 435 Doylestown Rd. (Rt. 202) Montgomeryville, PA 18936 599 Main St Bethlehem, PA 18018 keystonehomebrew.com Weak Knee Home Brewing Supplies North End Shopping Ctr Pottstown, PA 19464 weakKneehomebrew.com

New Jersey / Delaware Bars & Restaurants BBC Tavern and Grill 4019 Kennett Pike Greenville, DE 19807 bbctavernandgrill.com

Jug Handle Inn 2398 Route 73 Cinnaminson, NJ 08077 Madison Pub 33 Lafayette Street Riverside, NJ 08075

Blue Monkey Tavern 2 South Centre St. Merchantville, NJ 08109 bluemonkeytavern.com

McGlynn’s Pub 8 Polly Drummond Shopping Center Newark, DE 19711

Chelsea Tavern 821 N Market St Wilmington, DE 19801 chelseatavern.com

108 Peoples Plaza Newark, DE 19702 mcglynnspub.com

Cork 90 Haddon Avenue Westmont, NJ 08108 corknj.com Deer Park Tavern 108 W Main St Newark, DE 19711 deerparktavern.com Domaine Hudson 1314 N. Washington St Wilmington, DE 19801 domainehudson.com Dublin Square 167 Route 130 Bordentown, NJ 08505 dublinsquarepubs.com Ernest & Scott 902 N Market St Wilmington, DE 19810 ernestandscott.com The Farnsworth House 135 Farnsworth Ave Bordentown, NJ 08505 thefarnsworthhouse.com The Firkin Tavern 1400 Parkway Ave. Ewing, NJ 08628 www.firkintavern.com Geraghty’s Pub 148 W. Broad Street Burlington, NJ 08016 geraghtyspub.com High Street Grill 64 High Street Mount Holly, NJ 09199 highstreetgrill.net Homegrown Cafe 126 E Main St Newark, DE 19711 homegrowncafe.com

Mexican Food Factory 601 W Route 70 Marlton, NJ 08053 themexicanfoodfactory.com Nomad 905 N Orange St Wilmington, DE 19801 Pour House 124 Haddon Avenue Haddon Twp, NJ 08108 Taproom & Grill 427 W. Crystal Lake Ave Haddonfield, NJ 08033 taproomgrill.com

Brewpubs Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant 710 S. Madison Street Wilmington, DE 19801

For a chance to win

147 E Main St Newark, DE 19711 124 E. Kings Highway Maple Shade, NJ 08052 ironhillbrewery.com Stewarts Brewing Co 219 Governors Place Bear, DE 19701 stewartsbrewingcompany.com Triumph Brewing Co 138 Nassau Street Princeton, NJ 08542 triumphbrewing.com Breweries Flying Fish Brewing Company 1940 Olney Avenue Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 flyingfish.com River Horse Brewing Co. 80 Lambert Lane Lambertville, NJ 08530 riverhorse.com

US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/PhillyBeerScene PHILLY

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win weekly prizes all of February and March including gift cards, swag, and a guest spot in the Tasting Room.

Details on PhillyBeerScene.com/blog

Two Stones Pub 2-3 Chesmar Plaza Newark, DE 19713 twostonespub.com

Twin Lakes Brewing Co 4210 Kennett Pike Greenville, DE 19807

Greenville Wine & Spirits 4025 Kennett Pike Greenville, DE 19807 wineandspiritco.com

Ulysses 1716 Marsh Rd Wilmington, DE 19810 ulyssesgastropub.com

Retail Beer Avenue Wine & Spirits 2000 Delaware Ave Lowr Wilmington, DE 19806

Hopewell BuyRite 222 Rt. 31 S. Pennington, NJ 08534 hopewellbuyrite.com

UNO’s Chicago Grill 225 Sloan Avenue Hamilton, NJ

Canal’s Discount Liquors 10 W. Rt. 70 Marlton, NJ 08650

Hops And Grapes 810 N. Delsea Drive Glassboro, NJ 08028 hopsandgrapesonline.com

1162 Hurffville Road Deptford, NJ

1500 Route 38 Hainesport, NJ 08060

2803 S. Rt. 73 Maple Shade NJ unos.com

5360 Route 38 Pennsauken, NJ 08109

Washington Street Ale House 1206 Washington Street Wilmington, DE 19801 wsalehouse.com World Cafe LIve at the Queen 500 N Market St Wilmington, DE 19801 queen.worldcafelive.com

2004 Mount Holly Road Burlington, NJ 08016 joecanals.com Route 73 and Harker Ave Berlin, NJ 08009 canalsofberlin.com Frank’s Union Wine Mart 1206 North Union Street Wilmington DE 19806 FranksWine.com

Monster Beverage 1299 N. Delsea Drive Glassboro, NJ 08028 Red White and Brew 33 High Street Mount Holly, NJ 08060 redwhitebrew.net Total Wine and More 2100 Route 38 Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 691 Naamans Road Claymont, DE 19703

J & D’s Discount Liquor 430 N. Broad St Woodbury, NJ 08096

1325 McKennans Church Rd Wilmington, DE 19808 totalwine.com

Joe Canal’s 1075 Mantua Pike West Deptford, NJ 08096

Veritas Wine & Spirit 321 Justison St Wilmington, DE 19801 veritaswineshop.com

3375 US Rt. 1 Lawrence Twp, NJ 08648 305 N. Rt.73 Marlton, NJ 08053 joecanals.com Kreston’s Wine & Spirits 904 Concord Ave Wilmington, DE 19802 krestonwines.com

Wonderful World of Wine 8 South Union Street Lambertville, NJ 08530 wonderfulworldofwines.net Home Brew Supplies BYOB 162 Haddon Avenue Westmont, NJ 08108 brewyourownbottle.com How Do You Brew?

203 Louviers Drive Newark, DE 19711 howdoyoubrew.com Keg and Barrel Home Brew Supply 41 Clementon Road Berlin, NJ 08009 Princeton Homebrew 208 Sanhican Drive Trenton, NJ 08618

Walker’s Liquor Store 86 Bridge Street Lambertville, NJ 08530 Wine Works 319 Route 70 W Marlton, NJ 08053

february/march 2012

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Beer Events

Beer Events

For more events, visit phillybeerscene.com

February Thursday, February 9th Open Forum with Senator Chuck McIlhinney Yards Brewing Co. 901 N. Delaware Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19123 Arcadia Brewing Meet & Greet Devil’s Den 1148 S. 11th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 Manayunk Night City Tap House 3925 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104 Friday, February 10th Czech Your Beer- Staropramen Night The Grey Lodge 6235 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19135 Lunch with Clown Shoes Jose Pistola’s 263 S. 15th St., Philadelphia, PA 19102

Sunday, February 19th Winterfest 2012 Chameleon Club 223 N. Water St., Lancaster, PA 17603

Saturday, March 10th Craft Beer Express Various Philadelphia Locations craftbeerexpress.com

Saturday, February 11th Beer Lovers Dinner Allentown Brew Works 812 W. Hamilton St., Allentown, PA 18101

Thursday, February 23rd German Microbrew Showcase The Farmers’ Cabinet 1113 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107

Sunday, March 11th Brewer’s Plate National Constitution Center 525 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19106

Tuesday, February 14th The Beers of Winter Monk’s Cafe 264 South 16th St., Philadelphia, PA 19102

Saturday, February 25th 8th Annual Beats, Beers & BBQ World Café Live 3025 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104

Wednesday, March 14th Drink Philly Brew & Chew Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse 1823 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA 19103

Wednesday, February 15th Cigar City Brew & Chew Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse 1823 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA 19103

Monday, February 27th Joe Gunn’s Quizzo Jawn Jose Pistola’s 263 S. 15th St., Philadelphia, PA 19102

Wednesday, March 28th Tröegs Takeover w/ Nick Johnson Fingers Wings and Other Things 107 West Ridge Pk., Conshohocken, PA 19428

Dogfish Head Limited Release Party Jamison Pour House 2160 York Rd., Jamison, PA 18929

Wednesday, February 29th Insane VIP De Molen Dinner & Festival The Famers’ Cabinet 1113 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107

Great Lakes Beer Dinner Jamison Pour House 2160 York Rd., Jamison, PA 18929

Thursday, February 16th Yards Promo Night Brady’s American Pub 4700 Street Rd., Trevose, PA 19053

Dogfish Tap Takeover Fingers Wings and Other Things 107 West Ridge Pk., Conshohocken, PA 19428

Friday, March 30th & Saturday, March 31st Atlantic City Beer Fest Atlantic City Convention Center 1 Convention Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ 08401

March

April

Friday, February 17th Lancaster Brewing Co. Sampling w/ Joe Sixpack Bell’s Beverage 2809 South Front St., Philadelphia, PA 19148

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Saturday, March 3rd Philly Craft Beer Festival Philadelphia Naval Yard (Former Naval Airstrip) Philadelphia, PA 19112

february/march 2012

Thursday, April 5th Brews & Bowties The Ethical Society of Philadelphia 1906 S. Rittenhouse Sq., Philadelphia, PA 19103

Mark “Jamaican Me Crazy” Anderson

Mark “Freaky” Graner

Johnny “Boom-Boom” Tats

John “Hat”

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february/march 2012