Just one last heads-up: Today’s the last day to get discounted tix.
Just $40 for the area’s best Oktoberfest celebration. Two sessions tomorrow at the 23rd Street Armory. 25+ fall beers, authentic German biergarten, oom-pah music, slap-dancing and great fun.
Philly Oktoberfest ‘09 is shaping up nicely. I’ll post later about the beer we’ve got lined up, but first the entertainment.
We’ll be hoisting mugs and tapping toes to the sounds of Heimat Klaenge, which translate roughly as “Music from Home.” It’s a six-piece band that you might’ve heard at other Oktoberfest celebrations, including at the sadly departed Ludwig’s Garten.
They’ll be joined by GTV Almrausch Schuhplattler, an outstanding German folk dance group. They’re talented and a lot of dizzy fun.
The festival is Saturday, Sept. 19th, at the 23rd Street Armory in Center City - all indoors with two sessions. We dropped ticket prices this year and added more port-o-johns. Tickets available here.
So grab your lederhosen and dirndls… it’s time to roll out the barrel!
One of my favorite local buildings is the Mercer Museum, that strange-looking, concrete castle up in Doylestown. The place is packed with all kinds of hand tools - the kind of stuff that Roy Underhill uses on “Woodwright’s Shop.”
Which makes it a fitting location for the brewing historian Rich Wagner to offer a presentation on early Philadelphia brewing techniques. It’s part of the 4th Annual Brew Night program on Friday (8/14) @ 6:30 p.m.
The evening will also feature a tutored tasting with Keystone Homebrew and Yards Brewing. Tix: $27. Call for reservations: 215-345-0210, ext. 123.
From last night’s kick-off to the 150th anniversary of McGillin’s Old Ale House. (Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon for the Courier-Post.)
Going into last night’s party, I had been a little worried that this crew might’ve breached the keg of the tavern’s new 1860 IPA (brewed by Stoudt’s) before Honest Abe and I could have our way with it. But the firkin we tapped last night was still virgin and spectacular.
This firkin was actually oak-aged, and it gave me an appreciation for the ale that old Pa McGillin must’ve been pouring back in the 1800s. It showed mellow woodsy notes which complemented the earthy Amarillo hops, then it finished with a soft, creamy vanilla caress.
And, yes, that’s a bottle of the IPA that Abe is holding. Owner Chris Mullins, who was strangely absent from the event, advises that bottles will be available for sale at local distributors this fall, pending label approval.
Here’s more photos from the Courier Post of last night’s fun. There are many more events coming as part of the anniversary, including book readings by local authors who’ve written about McGillin’s. The full lineup is here
And if you missed last week’s column, here’s my ode to McGillin’s and its wonderful history as an authentic Philadelphia original.
(I filed this for today’s Daily News)
LET’S JUST TAKE a sec to thank the heavens we have a president who thinks it’s a good idea to settle differences over a beer.
Beer is America’s go-to drink when it comes to hashing out differences. Our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution over tankards of ale in Philadelphia’s taverns. And I’m pretty sure they couldn’t play the Super Bowl without Budweiser.
So bringing beer back to the presidency is a good thing.
And, given the stakes - the great racial divide - I’d say they need a lot of a good thing. One or two polite lagers served in Michelle’s White House crystal just ain’t going to get the job done. Check the brass knuckles at the door, sit down and plow into a case or two of cold ones.
Sure, someone’ll call the other guy a name, and he’ll tell him where to stick it. But as someone once said, the beer goes in and truth comes out.
Will that settle their differences? Maybe not. I’d be happy if they can just agree on how much to tip the pizza guy.
As for the beer itself - Bud Light for the president, Blue Moon for the cop, Red Stripe for the prof - well, to each his own.
But let me tell you a quick story about how a couple of guys I know in the beer business once settled a dispute.
The two - a pair of brewers named Adam Avery, of Colorado, and Vinnie Cilurzo, of California - discovered a few years ago that they were both bottling a beer with the same name.
Now, they could’ve hired lawyers or gone on TV to gripe. Instead, they grabbed their bottles and poured a little from each into the same glass.
Incredibly, the two beers together tasted better than either one of them alone.
It was so good they decided everyone should taste the mixture, which is now ingeniously labeled with both their logos and called Collaboration Not Litigation.
Mr. President, Professor Gates, Officer Crowley - pour your beer into one glass and give it a guzzle.
Just don’t spill it on the damn rug, ’cause Michelle will kick your butts.
A cool beer, a warm puff of smoke… I’ll be pairing great beer and handmade cigars tomorrow at B&B Cigars (7920 Germantown Ave., Chestnut Hill). Duck Rabbit & 3 Habanos, Troegs & Tatauje Havana... and more. Crack open a bottle and light up, from 5-8 p.m.
Stop by and take a few drags.
Info: 215-242-6776
The lousy weather failed to put much of a damper on yesterday’s N.J. Brewers Guild festival aboard the Battleship New Jersey. The event was held under a tent, so while everything was a bit soggy, the turnout was very good and the beer was excellent. The biggest complaints I heard came from the brewers themselves; because they had arrived early to set-up their gear, most of them were forced to unload their trucks in a downpour.
The payoff, as I said, was tremendous beer. I always look forward to this festival because most of the breweries that attend are not local, giving me an opportunity to sample foreign brews without actually traveling. I think this year might’ve been the best, with an outstanding range of both classic styles and unusual varieties. And with all honesty, I tasted only one disappointing sample: a crappy fruit beer from a brewery whose name I’ve already forgotten. Meanwhile, here are my highlights:
Saturday is the last full day before the summer solstice, and it’s packed with more beer events than I’ve seen since Beer Week. Sunday is Father’s Day, providing a perfect opportunity for everyone to sleep it off.
The stars must be in perfect alignment. Check out Saturday’s events:
Noon & 5 p.m. - Harrisburg Brewers Fest . 40-plus brewers in downtown Harrisburg. (Sold out)
11 a.m.-8 p.m. - 2nd Street Festival in Northern Liberties. Food, music and suds from the neighborhood’s many great beer destinations. 60 vendors, bring the kids. PAYG.
11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - Saison Lunch @ Johnny Brenda’s (Frankford & Girard, Fishtown). 10 Saison/ Farmhouse Ale/Biere de Gardes plus traditional brunch with French country specialties. PAYG.
Noon-3 p.m. - Southern Tier Beer Lunch @ High Street Grill (Mt. Holly, N.J.). Four courses paired with the beers of Southern Tier, including Cherry Saison. Tix: $45.
Noon-6 p.m. - 6th Annual Asian Festival @ Penn’s Landing. I doubt there will be much in the way of beer, but there’s plenty of Asian food. Wash it down with a cold one in nearby Old City. Free.
1-5 p.m. - Garden State Craft Brewers Guild Festival aboard the USS New Jersey, Camden waterfront. 16 Jersey brewers. Tix $40, available here.
1 p.m.-midnight - Wheat Beers of Summer Festival in the beer garden @ Blue Ox Bistro (7980 Oxford Ave., Fox Chase). 20 different wheat beers PAYG, $4/glass.
1-11 p.m.- One-year anniversary of the Institute (12th & Green, above Spring Garden). Primo taps (Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout, He’brew Lenny R.I.P.A. Aged in Rittenhouse Rye barrels) with free buffet (till 3 p.m.). PAYG.
3 p.m. - BBQ @ the Ballpark. Beer from Sly Fox and River Horse, food from Sweet Lucy’s. (Sold out.)
Still thirsty? If you’ve got room for more, join City Food Tours’ Craft Beer & Artisanal Cheese tour in Old City on Sunday afternoon. Tix ($45) here.
You may remember that glorious 350-mile cycling ride local beer enthusiasts took up to Brewery Ommegang last year for Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. (Note: that’s not me and I didn’t ride with nearly that much beer.) The folks who led the ride, Jeff Appletans and Lara Marek, are doing it again this summer, and you can join them.
The tour begins on Saturday July 25th and arrives at the brewery Friday, August 1st for the VIP Dinner and two nights of camping on the brewery grounds. It’s a bit of a grind, but yours truly managed it after just 6 weeks of training. There’s great food and beer and very comfy hotels every night and, the ultimate payoff is, without a doubt, one of the top 3 beer festivals in America.
The price will be $1250 (double occupancy + $400 for single), which includes accommodations and most dinners and breakfasts (alcohol & lunch not included) PLUS VIP tickets for the Belgian Beer festival along with 2 nights camping. Transportation of camping gear & clothing to the festival is provided, and with return transportation for you and your gear back to Philly. You will also receive a DVD video diary of the trip as well as a cycling jersey.
For more info, drop jeff an email: bicycleja at yahoo.com
In the meantime, check out this itinerary that Jeff sent along.
There are still a few tix left for tomorrow’s walking tour of Northern Liberties. We’ll be dropping into some of the great bars and restaurants of the neighborhood while exploring its incredible history as the city’s original workplace.
The tour is brought to you by First Person Arts Edible World program, which promotes the art of documentary and story telling.
Northern Liberties was the city’s first real expansion beyond its Old City core. Its history reminds me of Sim City, as if it were set up from the start to keep all the crappy industrial uses - mills, tanneries, smiths - separate from the housing. I’ve been using the fantastic Workshop of the World website for my research and have learned some amazing history. Did you know, for example, that Disston Saws (which I’d always associated with the Tacony neighborhood) actually started out at Front & Laurel (that weird intersection beneath I-95)? At one point in the 1850s, the manufacturer had more than a quarter-million square feet of building space.
And, of course, there were breweries. Schmidt’s and Ortlieb’s were the two largest, but there were many others, as beer historian Rich Wagner has taught me. Most notably, it’s at American & Poplar streets where the first American lager was brewed.
I lived in Northern Liberties in the mid-1980s, which was kind of a period of transition from its deeply Eastern-European roots to a burgeoning neighborhood of rehabbed condos, bistros, bars and soaring real estate prices. The only decent beer back then was at Ortlieb’s and Liberties, but my crew tended to throw darts at Dave’s (now Abbaye) because Yuengling was something like $2.50 a pitcher.Today? You might find a single pint of Lager (or more likely Kenzinger) for $2.50. The neighborhood has undergone a remarkable evolution, beginning mainly with Standard Tap and 700, and now extending up to the brand new Piazza at Schmidt’s.
Tomorrow’s tour will touch on all of this, from the earliest days of the neighborhood, through its grand industrial history, to its current standing as one of the city’s best beer destinations. We’ll enjoy great beer and food at the new Swift Half, Standard Tap, the Foodery, 700 and Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus.
The tour runs from 2-5:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 ($65 for members of First Person Arts), or $140 per couple, and that includes all food and drink. The event raises funds for First Person Arts’ many other programs. You can order them here.Â
Join me! Maybe I’ll even show you where, one night 25 years ago, I set my rooftop deck on fire and scared the hell out of all the neighbors.
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