Beer Radar

Figure on two weeks till the opening of the Memphis Taproom (2331 Cumberland St. at Memphis, Port Richmond). I stopped by this morning and caught a large crew hard at work, finishing tables, installing lights and - in the case of Leigh Maida at left - actually vacuuming the sidewalk.

Chef Jesse Kimball (right), formerly of Matyson and Lacroix, gave me a peek at the planned menu - it’s much more extensive than you’d expect from a neighborhood tavern. Look for artichokes marinated in IPA, tempura butternut squash, leek fondue, a ploughman’s lunch and lots of vegan dishes. And, in a nod to the neighborhood’s ethnic roots, the Port Richmond Platter features pierogies, potato pancakes and kielbasa from Czerw’s.

But you’re here for the beer, right? Here’s the tentative lineup for opening day (subject to last minute glitches): Philly Brewing Kenzinger, Monk’s Sour Flemish Ale, Yards Philly Pale Ale, Sprecher Black Lager, Victory Whirlwind Wit, O’Reilly’s Stout, Lagunitas IPA, Ace Perry, Poperings Hommel and Nodding Head 60 Shilling on cask.

And what about co-owner Brendan “Spanky” Hartranft (center)? Journalistic objectivity requires me to report that he didn’t actually pick up that broom until I pulled out my camera.

By the way, while Googling Leigh and Spanky, I turned up their very nice personal website. Check it out here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 1:01 pm and is filed under Tavern, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.