October 8th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Earth Bread + Brewery (7136 Germantown Ave., Mt. Airy - just up the street from McMenamin’s) is opening softly this week. I stopped in last night and plowed through brewer Tom Baker’s four house drafts.
As he promised earlier, the guy who made his name brewing monsters at New Jersey’s Heavyweight Brewing opened the gates at his new place with a low-alcohol (3.2% abv) mild, Love Your Mother. It was, well, mild - very drinkable but not my cup. It was the next round, a farmhouse ale called Biere d’Earth (5.3% abv), that really had me smiling. It took me back to Heavyweight’s old Biere d’Art - beautiful malt, spicy goodness and just damn delicious. Sedgwick Pale Ale was made with local hops (from an area homebrewer), and it struck me at first as a grudging nod to hopheads - a gesture Tom rarely made at Heavyweight where even his Old Salty barleywine was first and foremost a malt bomb. Nonetheless, this ale sang with a fresh aroma and spicy finish.
Terra Fume is Tom’s smoked wheat ale (4% abv), and it just blew me away. Several folks at the bar reminded me that Heavyweight always had a good rep for smoked beer, though to be honest, the only one I could think of was Cinderbock, a smoked double bock. But where it was the malt that spoke to me in Cinderbock, it’s the smoke that’s doing the talking in Terra Fume. In this beer, wafts of smoke greet you firmly, but then settle in like a warm guest. It’s not overbearing, but the smoke is always there, tickling and amusing. Here is my highest praise for a smoked beer: You can drink more than one, you can drink more than two, you could drink Terra Fume all night.
EB+B pours another 8 taps, all crafts. The list right now: Philly Rowhouse Red, Victory Baltic thunder, Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout, Allagash White, Philly Wheat Wine, Victory Moonglow Weizenbock, One Guy Brewing Oktoberfest and High & Might St. Hubbins Abbey. There’s also a raft of bottles - not a single loser in the bunch.
The joint is beautiful. It’s the first time I’ve visited a bar on opening day where everything was finished; even the artwork on the walls (from the Northwest Artists Collective) was hanging straight.
The bar downstairs is from the old Collins Bar in New York, and it shines beautifully like an art deco masterpiece. There’s a second, quieter bar upstairs with a dining room that seats 85.
The main feature on the menu is bread, though I think the folks in Fishtown would call it pizza. It has that yummy brick-oven flavor with lots of politically correct toppings (don’t ask for pepperoni).
Like the Dock Street brewpub over in Cedar Park, EB+B’s out-of-the-way location (when the hell are they going to finish digging up G-town Ave.?) means that - unless your a lucky local - you’ll have to make the effort to visit. From Center City, head up Lincoln Drive, or save yourself the hassle and take the R7 to Allens Lane.
But the beer, the food and the atmosphere make it worth the trip.
One other thing: EB+B is holding the line on draft beer prices. A 13-ounce draft (just a half-sip less than those bogus “pints” they serve in many Center City bars) is just $3.75. A big, 20-ouncer is just $5.
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September 4th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Just got word that Iron Hill will open its 8th location in Maple Shade, N.J., in May ‘09. This will be Iron Hill’s first foray into Jersey. In fact, it’s just the third brewpub to open in the craft brew-starved region of South Jersey (Tun Tavern in A.C., and Triumph in Princeton are the others).
The executive chef and head brewer have not yet been named. The new location will accommodate 280 guests.
The location is 124 E. Kings Highway (Rt. 41), which is just up the road from the Rt. 38/Rt. 73 intersection near Moorestown Mall.
This isn’t just good news for Jersey. The location is only 10 miles from the Ben Franklin Bridge, making it the nearest Iron Hill to Center City. For city folk who’ve never bothered to hike out to West Chester or Phoenixville, the new location will be a nearby opportunity to try out the region’s most award-winning brewpub.
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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.
Posted in Tavern, Brewpub | 1 Comment »
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.
Posted in Brewpub, GABF | 1 Comment »
