Beer Radar

Beer Week: The photographic evidence

Stephen Lyford took off from work for the entire week and brought along his camera. Click here to fill in those blank spots in your short-term memory.

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So far this week…

Opening Tap… Haddon Pub Fest… Ladies Beer Tea… 12 separate bars in one day… Smoke ‘em if yous got ‘em… McGillin’s 150th and a ride aboard the Clydesdales.

So how am I going to work off some of those pints? Happy Hour Yoga at Yards Brewery tonight. Loosen up with  me (and Mrs. Sixpack) for the rest of Philly Beer Week.

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The Hammer of Glory

Opening Tap on Friday will be preceded by the vaunted Hammer of Glory relay. What a great way to tune up for the kick-off of Philly Beer Week - here’s the schedule so you can join in the fun.

(And thanks to Scoats of the Grey Lodge, William Reed of Standard Tap, Jennie Hatton the PBW dynamo and all the creative geniuses along the route for pulling this together!)

• 11:10 a.m. – Grey Lodge Pub to Draught Horse Pub (1431 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, 215-235-1010) via Bicycle Convoy
• 12:05 a.m. – Draught Horse Pub to Philadelphia Brewing Company (2439 Amber Street, 215-427-2739) via Horse
• 12:45 p.m. – Philadelphia Brewing Company to Johnny Brenda’s (1201 Frankford Avenue, 215-739-9684) via Kensinger Express Train Kinetic Sculpture
• 1:10 p.m. – Johnny Brenda’s to Yards Brewing Company (901 North Delaware Avenue, 215-634-2600) via Trophy Bike “Bar on a Bike”
• 1:35 p.m. – Yards Brewing Company to Delilah’s Den (100 Spring Garden Street) via Dog-Drawn Wagon
• 1:55 p.m. – Delilah’s to Standard Tap (901 North 2nd Street, 215-238-0630) via Delilah’s Girls
• 2:20 p.m. – Standard Tap to The Foodery (837 North 2nd Street, 215-238-6077) via Zip Line
• 2:35 p.m. – The Foodery to The Institute (549 North 12th Street, 215-765-8515) via Tricycle
• 3:00 p.m. – The Institute to The Belgian Cafe (2047 Green Street, 215-235-3500) via Wheel Barrow
• 3:25 p.m. – The Belgian Cafe to Kite and Key (1836 Callowhill Street, 215-568-1818) via “The Reckoner” Three-Wheel Giant Kinetic Sculpture
• 3:50 p.m. – Kite and Key to Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant (1516 Sansom Street, 215-569-9525) via Hearse
• 4:25 p.m. – Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant to 12 Steps Down (831 Christian Street, 215-238-0379) via Hand Truck Keg Throne
• 5:10 p.m. – 12 Steps Down to Bella Vista Beer Distributors (755 South 11th Street, 215-627-6465) via Running Rocky Look-Alike
• 5:40 p.m. – Bella Vista Beer Distributors to Hawthorne Cafe (738 South 11th Street, 215-627-3012) via Hand Truck
• 5:55 p.m. – Hawthorne Cafe to Varga Bar (941 Spruce Street, 215-627-5200) via “Growler Power”
• 6:15 p.m. – Varga Bar to Brauhaus Schmitz (718 South Street, 267-909-8814) via Varga Pin-Up Girls on Roller Skates
• 6:35 p.m. – Brauhaus Schmitz to Opening Tap (Independence Visitors Center) via Hostess Station “Chariot,” pulled by Dirndl-Clad Waitresses, accompanied by the Fishtown Beer Runners
• 7:05 p.m. – Arrive at Opening Tap
• 8:00 p.m. – Swung by Mayor Nutter to tap the first keg of PBW2010

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Philly Beer Week t-shirts and hats

Here’s the logo we’ve created for this year. Look for shirts and caps at participating bars and at Opening Tap.

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Philly Beer Week Featured Event(s)

As the deadline for bars and breweries to sign up for Philly Beer Week approaches, I’ve been waking early to tackle the job of reviewing and posting events on the calendar. We’ll surpass 500 separate events sometime today, which is just incredible to me.

Here’s a few random, disjointed thoughts…

• I love the sense of humor of bar owners. The Irish Pol’s 40 taps had been the city’s largest list, but this week it was bested by the City Tap House’s 60 in West Philly. As part of beer week, the Pol is running a $4 special on every single beer it pours at “the home of the most taps east of the Schuylkill River.”
• At last count, there were something like 88 brewers attending events. There’s actually more, but we’re listing only one per brewery;  some - like Yards, Philly Brewing, Dogfish Head and Yuengling - are represented by more than one. Among the bigger names coming to town: Jim Koch, Adam Avery, Tomme Arthur, Rob Tod, Phil Leinart, Frank Boon, James Watt, Phin DeMink, Fred Matt, Kjetil Jikiun, Eric Wallace, Brendan Moylan, Jean Van Roy and Simon Poynton. And, yes, Sam Calagione will be here, too.
• If you missed out on getting tix to Belgium Comes to Cooperstown, it’s not too late. Ommegang, which has been a big supporter of Beer Week (thanks Larry and Megan). will be raffling off tickets at several events around town. Find all of their events on the “Breweries” page at PhillyBeerWeek.org.
• We created a new event category: Music. Don’t know why we didn’t think of this earlier, but beer-drinking and live music are a natural. Johnny Brenda’s will host Black Landlord on 6/5. There’s also music featured at events at Prohibition Taproom, the Irish Pol, Bridgid’s, Grace Tavern and Fergie’s.
• Best new beer name for the week: Fatty Boombalatty, from Furthermore. Cracked me up, and Jordan at Bella Vista says it’s dynamite.
• Memphis Taproom is throwing down the keg mallet again with its No Repeat Week, which is to say every keg they tap all week will be a different one. Last year they ran out 128 separate brands in 10 days.
• Looking for something different? Mango Moon (4161 Main Street, Manayunk), the wonderful Thai tapas restaurant, will be featuring some interesting Asian beers throughout the week.
• And, finally, say HELLO!  to the newest participant in Philly Beer Week: Delilah’s. 

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Philly Beer Week promo on 6-ABC

In preparation for Philly Beer Week, FYI did a really nice piece on three great Philly beer stops: The Yards Tasting Room, Atlantis: The Lost Bar & the Wishing Well. Take a look! (Give the video a chance to load.)

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Philly Beer Week Featured Event

I’m a big fan of offbeat events, and there’s nothing more offbeat than Grey Lodge owner Mike (Scoats) Scotese teaming up with beer writer Lew Bryson for a smackdown.

• Scoats and Lew’s Upstate PA Brewery Haul
• Grey Lodge Pub,6235 Frankford Ave., Mayfair
• June 6, 6:00 PM, PAYG

Features brews from Lew and Scoats’s  haul from a very long day trip through upstate PA, picking up interesting sixtels usually not found here in Philly.

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Philly Beer Week update

It’s just 30 days till Philly Beer Week, and traffic at PhillyBeerWeek.org is beginning to pick up. We just signed up our 100th official participant (welcome Resurrection Ale House!) and logged the 200th event.

With two weeks till the deadline for registration by participating venues, those numbers will swell big time. And we’re just a few days from announcing a couple cool, new features at the web site.

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Philly Beer Week Featured Event(s)

Historic Kennett Square, home of one of the area’s most popular annual beer festivals, has jumped into Philly Beer Week with a new event:

• Beers on Broad Street
• Saturday, June 5
• 1-5 p.m., Tix $50

Each brewery will provide 3-4 different beers from their portfolio and will feature at least one “Connoisseur” quality beer that you have come to expect from the Kennett Brewfest.  Here’s the ticket link with more info.

And you can get a head start on the festivities on Friday night (6/4) when Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead Brewery stops by The Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley) for a fun night of food, beer and music.

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Philly Beer Week Featured Event(s)

This one cracks me up: Lord Chesterfield himself will be visiting town during Philly Beer Week. I have no idea what they have up their sleeve, but you can catch the namesake of Yuengling’s famous Lord Chesterfield Ale (and great beer specials) at several locations throughout the week, including:

•  6/9 - Elephant & Castle (Center City) - 5 p.m.
• 6/11 - Draught Horse (Temple U.) - 5 p.m.

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