October 31st, 2007 Joe Sixpack
Pretty slow in Roxborough. So far, I’ve had exactly two kids pound on the door (I’m handing out M&M’s). That’s equal to the number of stink bugs I found crawling on the living room wall this afternoon. Yawn…
Thankfully, UPS delivered a case to my door today (even though the LCB still insists it’s illegal and Brown insists it doesn’t ship beer in the state). It was packed with two different HeBrew 12-ouncers, which don’t turn me on much, plus two I’d never encountered before: Monkshine Belgian Style Pale Ale from Four+Brewing, and King’s Peak Porter from Uinta Brewing. Both are Salt Lake City breweries. Not too shabby and I’m glad I’m getting a chance to taste ‘em. You’d think the Mormon state’s brews would be about as exciting as Mitt Romney since state law considers anything over 4.0% ABV as “liquor.” But when I was out in Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, everyone was talking about another Utah brewery, Redrock, which took home five medals and was named Large Brewpub of the Year. Unfortunately, by the time I got over to their table at the GABF, all their beer was gone.
OK, I’m going to give the trick-or-treaters another 30 minutes, then I’m heading down to Old Eagle.
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October 30th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
Attention bar owners: you won’t attract the group if the prize among your taps is Miller Lite. Philly Weekly looks at Sly Fox rep Suzanne Woods and her ladies-only beer-drinking group, In Pursuit of Ale. It’s all about empowerment and women choosing the beer they like, not the one their boyfriends drink.Â
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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 27th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
Why they pay Steve Mashington the big money at Yards: “You can’t make beer without hops and barley…” Fox News reports on the rising cost of beer ingredients.Â
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October 26th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
My look at Sam Adams and its support for homebrewing is posted. And don’t forget to check out New Stuff, including a pair of over the top bottles that’ll set you back a day’s pay.
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October 25th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
This is Dogfish Head’s beer board at the Great American Beer Festival. Notice, the off-centered brewery was pouring NOTHING under 10 percent alcohol. No wonder it attracted the biggest crowd at the fest.
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October 25th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
The New York Times reported yesterday on the phenomenon of real ale in the Big Apple. Philly locals have been enjoying it for years. And here’s one more place where you can find freshly tapped casks: The Standard Tap (2nd & Poplar, Northern Liberties) is now tapping a firkin every Wednesday night. I missed last night’s (Legacy Brown Eyed Girl), but, after taking the night up for Halloween, a cask of Yards will be on the bar, on Nov. 7.
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October 25th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
Speaking as a guy who grew up on Velveeta and Stroehmann’s, it comes as a bit of a surprise that American cheese these days means more than just petroleum-based yellow stuff wrapped in cellophane. Author Jeffrey Roberts, the folks from DiBruno’s and dairy farmer Trent Hendricks set me straight for a piece I wrote for today’s Daily News food section.
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October 24th, 2007 Joe Sixpack
I was up in New York yesterday with the Greater Phila. Tourism & Marketing Corp., promoting Philly Beer Week to several 7th Ave. magazines. They seemed extremely interested in our local beer culture; here’s hoping we get a little ink.
Coincidentally, we ran into the editor responsible for that Travel & Leisure mag story that rated Philly the ugliest city in America. She was extremely apologetic and said something like, “What we really meant is that you’re the 25th most attractive.” Whatever. I advised the GPTMC it should launch a new tourism campaign: “Visit Philly - You Never Looked Better.”
Also stopped in at the relatively new Blind Tiger in Greenwich Village and had a glass of Defiant Farmhouse. I also enjoyed a pint of pale ale from a freshly tapped firkin that the spacey barmaid claimed was from Chelsea Brewing. But she didn’t seem to know much more than that. FYI: Blind Tiger is across the street from Murray’s Cheese, the DiBruno’s of NY.
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October 22nd, 2007 Joe Sixpack
As part of Philly Beer Week, March 7-16, the city has declared itself the best beer-drinking city in America. Here’s the evidence in no particular order.
There are 13 states where you CAN’T buy Samuel Adams Utopias: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, Oregon, Washington.
Yes, you read those last two states correctly. In Oregon and Washington - the vaunted home of the American craft beer renaissance, where they boast of more breweries per capita than anywhere in the world, where trendmeisters in Seattle and Portland can’t stop gloating over award-winning ales - it is illegal to buy Utopias because it is too strong (27% ABV).
Say what you want about Pennsylvania’s goofy beer laws, you can buy it here. The folks from Oregon and Washington oughta pick up a bottle when they visit next March.
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