June 27th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Tom Kehoe at Yards Brewing tells me he’s going before a neighborhood board in Northern Liberties next week with plans to put a brewpub in his brewery at Poplar & Delaware. He’s thinking of something small with a limited menu.
To me, this is a no-brainer. The brewery is located in the midst of the Delaware Ave. nightclub scene. And, there’s yet another condo tower being built on the river, just across the street from the brewery. While Yards’ main enterprise is obviously a production brewery, failing to add a retail business at the location would be missing the boat. Plus, a brewpub would fit in perfectly in what is one of the best beer scenes in the city (Standard Tap, 700, N. 3rd, Abbaye, Ortlieb’s Jazz Haus, Foodery, Druid’s Keep…).
Meanwhile, there’s notable progress at the brewery. Many tanks are up, more are on the way. The bottling line has been assembled, grain silos are up and many plumbing lines are installed. It’s looking like the first test batches are a few weeks away.
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December 6th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
Jack Curtin is reporting that the operators of Heavyweight Brewing, the South Jersey brewery that closed last year, are planning to open a brewpub on Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy, not far from McMenamin’s.
They’re planning a late-March opening (maybe we can speed ‘em up so they’re pouring by Philly Beer Week).
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December 2nd, 2007 Joe Sixpack
I haven’t had a chance to get out to Pa. Dutch country lately, but I thought I’d pass along the news that Iron Hill’s 7th location opened this week. It’s at 781 Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster across from Franklin and Marshall College campus. Head brewer is Paul Rutherford who you might remember was Larry Horwitz’s assistant up at Iron Hill’s North Wales location.
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October 28th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
Mrs. Sixpack & I rambled through three places that have opened in the last year for our anniversary Saturday night. Here’s a quick recap:
Beneluxx (33 S. 3rd St.) is the new Belgian tavern from Eulogy’s Michael Naessens. You’ve probably already heard about the self-serve glass-washers on the tables. They’re pretty cool, and I think the tap list is now the biggest in the city, with 36 spigots, more than half devoted to Belgians. There’s also lots of wine. Do yourself a favor, though, and try the cheese (the Roquefort was spectacular). In addition to bread, Beneluxx makes a nice gesture to glutenphobes and provides soy rice crackers for your tasting pleasure.
Zot (122 Lombard St.) opened earlier this year to much acclaim; the place even uses a quote from my review in its advertising. But something has gone terribly wrong at this restaurant. The waitstaff is just plain weird (one server said he was forbidden to fill our water glasses more than halfway) and the policies are idiotic (you WILL eat the frites). I could live with that, but the bad news is the food has taken a tumble. The first time I ate here, I thought the mussels might’ve been the best I had outside of Normandy. Big, succulent, full of flavor. Last night they were just pathetic - tiny, overcooked and uninspired. Some of the other dishes (risotto) were lame, but man, if you can’t get the mussels right in a Belgian restaurant… At first I thought it might’ve been an off night, but later I ran into a friend who told me he’d given up on the place after two bad meals in recent weeks. Sad.
Triumph Brewing (117 Chestnut St.) completely took off the edge from our disappointing dinner. The brewpub was celebrating Halloween, so everyone was in costume. Lots of fun (and, in the case of the women, cleavage). The beer was tremendous. My IPA was exactly what I wanted from that style: nothing too over the top, just a firm, assertive hop character balanced nicely with the malt. Mrs. Sixpack, though, enjoyed the best beer of the night: a creamy chocolate stout. Perfect for dessert. When Triumph opened, I worried that - given its suburban upbringing - it wouldn’t hold its own against Old City’s established beer joints. I was wrong. Triumph rocks.
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October 16th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
Just chatted with Ryan Michaels, the ecstatic brewer at McKenzie Brew House (240 Lancaster Ave., Malvern) following his 2-medal showing at the GABF. His Saison Vautour, which won as the best Belgian-style Saison, is pouring at the brewpub as we speak. To answer the big question: It’s his own recipe, not predecessor Scott Morrison’s. Michaels also won bronze for Wee Heavy (10.5%). Both will be bottled and available in time for the Christmas holidays. This is a huge win for this talented, young brewer.
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