Beer Radar

New beer joints

My next two weekly columns focus on spots that have opened in the city and ‘burbs in recent weeks. Here’s one I haven’t heard any buzz about, yet: The Taproom & Grille (427 West Crystal Lake Ave., Haddon Township).

South Jersey is a notororious beer wasteland where, thanks to unbelievably expensive liquor licenses, the landscape is almost completely Hooterized. The Taproom is looking to buck that trend.

The owners have spent a bundle shaping up the former dairy (last known as RMacs) with new and expanded taps - more than 50 of them. Yes, the majority are devoted to the same, old thing. But you’ll find a nice lineup at the bar to the left of the main entrance.

Check out these taps:

• Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel
• Flying Fish Grand Cru
• Fulers ESB
• Magic Hat Lucky Kat
• River Horse Triple Horse
• Rogue Dead Guy
• Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
• Smuttnose Robust Porter
• Stoudt’s American Pale Ale
• Troegs Troegenator
• Victory Whirlwind Wit
• Lindeman’s Framboise
  
• Capt. Lawrence Smoked Porter

There’s also a fairly decent  bottle selection that includes Duvel, FF, Erie, Mercury, Bard’s Tale, River Horse and others.

The owners seem earnest about expanding craft beer selections. It’s not a Beer Mecca, yet, but you’ll definitely find a very good brew.

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Clearing out the in box

A few cool things on the horizon:

Caribou Cafe (1126 Walnut St., Center City) isn’t always a big player in the local beer scene (despite an often overlooked tap  that currently includes DFH 60 Minute, Bell’s Porter, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin, plus bottles of Frenchy Jenlain, 3 Monts and St. Amand). That’s why it’s nice to see the joint host its first-ever beer dinner, 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 19. The event, called Brews n’ Crus, features a four-course dinner paired with both wine and beer. Most intriguing matchup: Creme brulee served with Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne and Kasteel Rouge. Tix are $55 ($65 door). Info: 215-625-9535.

Both Philadelphia Brewing and Flying Fish are coming out with coffee-flavored ales. PBC Joe Porter is a 5% ABV porter brewed with 50 pounds of locally roasted fair trade Peruvian coffee. It’s available around town on tap at several places, including the Khyber, Monk’s and Brownie’s. FF tweaked its Espresso Porter with a blend of 5 different beans from a local coffee roaster (the previous version used extract from Green Mountain). It’s available in bottles.

For those too lazy to troop up to West Mt. Airy’s Earth Bread + Brewery, brewer Tom Baker is coming down to Center City Thursday night (1/8). He’ll be the guest at Tria Cafe (12th & Spruce, WashWest) from 4-7 p.m. No reservations needed, just show up for specially priced tasters of EB+B beer paired with Calkins Creamery Cowtipper.

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Best of Philly?

NBC10, or whatever it calls itself these days, is running a “Best of the Best of” series, compiling the winners in various “best of” awards. This week, it’s doing the best beer joints of Philly

I suppose beer drinkers should be grateful that a local TV station devoted some web space to the craft beer scene. And you certainly can’t complain about the list of bars it singles out: Teresa’s Next Door (voted No. 1 by Philly mag), the Grey Lodge Pub (Fox Philly), Monk’s Cafe (City Search & AOL) and the Foodery ( Around Town).

My problem is the damn photograph that accompanies the report.

Now I know what you’re saying: Those are some nice taps!

But they’re obviously imported - from Britain, I’d guess from the “Axe the Beer Tax” emblems. Instead of illustrating a story about Philly bars with an actual photograph of a Philly bar, NBC10 grabbed a generic shot from Getty Images.

Lazy or just more evidence of newsroom cuts? Does it matter?

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Brasserie Perrier R.I.P.

Michael Klein is reporting that Brasserie Perrier bit the dust. New Year’s Eve was its last night. I always liked the place - great place for upscale dates and a good steak.

I mention its demise because here’s an opportunity for someone to create a high-end craft beer mecca on Walnut Street. The property already has a very nice bar and its tap system was just upgraded this spring.

What I’d like to see is a swanky Center City restaurant that thinks about beer (not wine) first. Think of a place like XIX or the Fountain or Prime Rib, but with the beer sensibility of Tria Cafe. The kind of place where out-of-town businessmen can pad their expenses, where you’d take your parents for their 25th wedding anniversary, where the chef pairs a plate of sweetbreads with Kwak, where the restaurant critic at Esquire leaves happily and finally writes something about lambic or India pale ale instead of Bordeaux. A maître d’, white tablecloths, superb service and a cellarman who knows how to tap a cask of ale.

Wait a second… What the hell am I talking about? I’d probably get kicked out for not wearing a jacket and tie.

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Get your butt to Devil’s Den

If you missed last night’s book-signing at Devil’s Den (10th and Ellsworth, South Philly), you really missed a helluva Christmas beer tap lineup:

• Stoudt’s Winter Ale
• St. Bernardus Christmas
  
• Sly Fox Christmas Ale
  
• Anderson Valley Winter Solstice  
• Southampton French Christmas
• Dupont Avec les Bons Vouex
  
• Bell’s Christmas Ale
  
• Phila. Brewing Pedro Feliz Navidad  

I mention the list not to rub it in, but to give you the heads up that:

1. All of these beers are likely still on tap today.
2. Devil’s Den has one of the most generous happy hour deals in the city: HALF-OFF all drafts from 4-7 p.m., Monday to Friday.

For those of you with lousy math skills and tight wallets, let me tell you what this means: goblets of St. Bernie’s and Dupont for just $3.75. Or, how about pints of Founders Centennial (yes, the notoriously hoppy IPA that chimes in at 7.2% ABV) for $2.50? I haven’t seen a deal like this since Michel left town and boarded up Cuvee Notre Dame.

Throughout these cold months, Devil’s Den is stoking its welcoming fireplace. The tavern is just a beautiful place to get toasty and toasted.

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New joints

The other night I went bar-hopping to a bunch of places I’d been meaning to visit.

First was Tavern 17 at the Radisson (220 S 17th St., Center City), which isn’t actually new. But it had been at least 6 months since I was there, and I was there to work out details for an upcoming book-signing appearance. Just a heads up for big beer fans: Victory Storm King imperial stout was pouring. By the way, the old coffee shop on the other side of the Radisson lobby is now an acual coffee bar, which is to say they serve booze with the joe.

Prohibition Taproom (501 N. 13th St.) opened a couple weeks ago just a block from the Daily News building. It’s run by the same couple who operate the nearby Cafe Lift, one of my favorite workplace lunch spots. Walking up 13th street on a foggy, damp night, the neon BAR sign looked straight out of a David Goodis novel. I had a plate of fresh, beer-battered green beans ($5) and my first pint of Sierra Nevada Celebration of the year. Also on tap:

• Sierra Nevada Celebration
• Dogfish Head Raison D’etre
• Stoudt’s Winter
• Yards Philly Pale Ale
• Sly Fox O’Reilly Stout
• Dock Street Bohemian Pils
• Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
• Yards ESA (cask)

The Tiedhouse (20th & Hamilton, Franklintown) is the new, quasi “tied house” from Gen. Lafayette Inn & Brewery. My visit here was quick (no food, just a pint of Novemberfest), but it looked like the taps poured pretty much everything Chris Leonard has brewed in the past year. Some nice non-Gen. beers, too - I’ll return soon for a closer look.

Pub & Kitchen  (20th and Lombard, Graduate Hospital section). This is the former Chaucer’s, which was a very good neighborhood bar. P&K is going the gastropub route, with linen napkins and an imaginative menu from Philly mag chef of the year Jonathan McDonald. I enjoyed the sauteed chicken breast and homemade biscuits and gravy with a glass of Yards Brawler. Make your way to the neighborhood today (11/21), and you’ll be treated to the the restaurant’s first Firkin Friday - Yards ESA & George Washington Tavern Porter on cask. Pair them with an outstanding bar menu of duck liver toasts,  white fish “Roll Mops,”  boiled eggs with sea salt;  calamari cocktail;  Oyster Crackers and horseradish;  malt vinegar potato crisp;  pork cracklings;  and marinated olives, just 2 bucks per plate.

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Amazing tap list

Just got back from Teresa’s Next Door (126 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne) and I’ve gotta post the tap list before my scribbled notes become entirely indecipherable. (Note: It was a special Sly Fox night, with brewery Brian O’Reilly in the house.)

From Sly Fox:

• O’Reilly Stout
• Oatmeal Stout (cask)
• Perle Hop IPA (cask)
• Christmas Ale
• 2007 Raspberry Reserve
• Ichor quadruppel
• Abbey Extra
• Saison Vos
• Renard D’Or

My two favorites from SF were the Perle, a meaty, nicely hopped ale that rounded out nicely when served from via the hand pump, and the Abbey Extra, which I’d describe as a Belgian abbey blonde posing as a tripel - hugely flavored with a mellow body and low alcohol. Think Triple Karmeliet, only you can drink it all night.

The rest:

• Hoegaarden
• Lindemans Framboise
• Chimay
• Val-Dieu Tripel
• Maredsous 8
• Van Honsebrouck Brigand
• Van Honsebrouck Bacchus
• Kulmbacher Eisbock
• Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer (!!)
• Founders Harvest
• Lost Coast Double Trouble IPA
• Lagunitas Imperial Red
• Ithaca Cascazilla
• Ithaca 10
• Boaks Monster Mash imperial stout
• Russian River Blind Pig
• Russian River Damnation

Hello? Try to figure how you’d work your way through this list and still make it out the door without resorting to your knees. Just outstanding. In a great moment, I walked to my car with Patrick Mullen from Sierra Nevada and glanced up and noticed that the Boathouse, the fine beer bar from Conshy and Malvern, has opened a third location just a few doors down from Teresa’s. I couldn’t even manage a look at its tap list. We’re talking suburban Wayne, here, folks.

Many of these beers will be gone by you stop by, but fear not. Friday night (11/21), Teresa’s will be hosting a New Holland tasting. And then on Monday (11/24) it kicks off Hoppin’ Frog Week, with big-time brews (including B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher) from the Akron brewery.

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Taste of holiday cheer

I’m lining up appearances (i.e. excuses to drink) in conjunction with the publication of my new book, “Christmas Beer.” Of course, each location will be serving plenty of great seasonal favorites.

Drop in, grab a beer, grab a book. Here’s the calendar so far:

• Thursday, Nov. 20 - Sly Fox tasting at Teresa’s Next Door (126 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne).  6-8 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 22 - Winter Warmers tasting at Jose Pistola’s (263 South 15th St., Center City). 3-6 p.m. Enjoy free samples of Smuttynose Winter Ale, Southern Tier’s Old Man Winter, Buffalo Bill’s Blueberry Oatmeal Stout, Bell’s Winter White, and a free “warm you up” buffet.
• Thursday, Dec. 4-Saturday, Dec. 6 - Portland, Oregon, Holiday Ale Festival.
• Tuesday, Dec. 9 - Christmas beer dinner at Maria’s Ristorante on Summit (8100 Ridge Ave., Roxborough). 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 10 - Book signing at Tavern 17 (220 S. 17th St., Center City).
• Thursday, Dec. 11 - Book-signing at Isaac Newton’s (18 S. State St., Newtown).
• Saturday, Dec. 27 - Philly Christmas Beer Fest at the Penn Museum (33rd & Spruce streets, University City). 1-3 p.m. Buy the VIP tix and get a complimentary copy of my book!

(Note: If you’re a bar owner serving Christmas beers and winter warmers and would like organize a holiday event, drop me a line at joe@joesixpack.net)

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Good idea

For reasons that are too boring to explain, I’m a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers (America doesn’t have one), and as a result I get all kinds of great newsletters and info from England. Something called “The Intelligent Choice: The definitive guide to the cask ale market” just arrived. It’s a fairly in-depth brochure with lots of ideas on promoting the sale of real ale.

I like this one, from Nigel Barker, who runs a place called The Wellington in Birmingham, where cask ale accounts for 75 percent of all sales (including spirits and food). The place moves so much beer, the blackboard beer list over the bar had to be constantly updated; it looked a mess. So, Barker reports, “I got a mate who works in IT to create this system for me. We’ve got a 42-inch plasma screen now that’s linked to our stock-taker and constantly updates the selection. It’s also linked to our website. There are people who have it as their screensaver, and when they see an ale they want to try, they’re straight in here at lunch time.”

I know at least a half-dozen local beer freaks (myself included) who’ve tried to organize updated tap lists at local bars - and all of them ultimately gave up because bar owners don’t want to deal with the hassle. I understand that, but if a bar is going to go to the trouble of updating its list on a chalkboard, why not take a minute to input the info online?

And imagine the database that Philly would have if, say, 50 different bars agreed to update and share their tap lists.

Meanwhile, take another look the ABVs on that Wellington beer list. Not one over 6 percent.

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Clearing off my desk

Here’s a bunch of stuff I’ve been meaning to post - events, web sites, other cool things.

I met Chris Poh during my bike trip to Ommegang. He’s a bartender at the Indian Rock Inn in Upper Black Eddy Bucks County on the Delaware. He’s also the editor of American Public House Review, an excellent web site devoted to tavern culture that I’ve been enjoying lately.  The photos alone are worth the visit.

Sly Fox is running its Oktoberfest tonight. I think its version of the fall beer is one of the very best in America, holding true to the spirit of the original. But what caught my eye about this event is that brewer Brian O’Reilly will be debuting his new Berlinerweisse. What is about Philly and this unusual style? Nodding Head, of course, brews the definitive version, but Dogfish Head and Bethlehem Brew Works it, too.

Beerheads.com is serving FREE BEER tomorrow night (10/25) at the Marketplace at East Falls (3747 Ridge Ave., East Falls), from 5-8 p.m. Yards, River Horse, Oskar Blues, Ballast Point, Lakefront and Iron Hill.

“Does My Butt Look Big In This Beer?” That’s the title of Bob Skilnik’s latest book, a reference with nutritional values of 2,000 worldwide beers, including calorie and carbohydrate contents, alcohol by volume and Weight Watcher Points. More info here.

Tuesday (10/28) is Philadelphia Blue Day. Local taverns will be donating 10 percent of sales to Local 5 FOP for its Survivor Fund. Among the participants: The Institute (549 N 12th St., Brandywine) and The Ugly Moose (443 Shurs Lane, Manayunk).

The Institute is also sponsoring a Police and Firefighters Benefit on Friday (10/31).  Proceeds go to the annual Hero Thrill Show. Tix are just five bucks if you order early.

Also on Tuesday Postponed - new date: Nov. 4th, Devil’s Den ( 1148 S 11th St. at Ellsworth, South Philly) is hosting its first beer dinner. This one features Ommegang, Duvel and Maredsous. Tix for the five-course dinner are $50. Info here.

What Would Jesus Drink? I loved this story from the Associated Press.

Manayaunk has a rep for beer-swilling yutes and suburban wine snoots. I can’t promise you won’t find them at Cooper’s Brick Oven Wine Bar (4367 Main St., Manayunk), but the joint’s beer list is looking pretty good: Troegs, Gaffel, Sly Fox, Atomium, Boulder and Ballast Point on tap; bottles of Dupont, Hitachino Nest, La Chouff, Chimay and Sammy Smith, Voodoo,  Eel River, Stone, Yards, Brooklyn, Dogfish Head and Stoudt’s.

Shiner Beer from Texas forwards a fun story about out-foxing one of the big boys at the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival. Though Austin is best known for Shiner Bock, the festival turned its back on the local beer and instead served Heineken (no doubt after the company shelled out big bucks for vending rights). But that didn’t stop Shiner. It designed beer koozies that looked like Shiner’s distinctive yellow can and handed them out to festivalgoers. Instead of Heineken, it looked like everyone was enjoying Shiner. Pretty smart.

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