March 17th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Sunday - It’s over. I’ll admit, I coasted on the last day and only attended the final beer dinner at Monk’s Cafe. Owner Tom Peters and chef Adam Glickman, as expected, pulled out all the stops with dishes from previous Michael Jackson dinners:
- Scallop w/ Duvel burre blanc. Duvel
- Smoked sweetbread dumpling w/ truffle sabayon. 3 Fonteinen Oude Gueuze.
- Foie Gras & Port Salut cheese phyllo with apple compote. Grottenbier.
- Pan-seared red snapper with watercress sauce. Saison Dupont.
- Roddenbach Osso Bucco with spring vegetables, duchesse potato. Rodenbach Grand Cru.
- Belgian chocolate ckae, mini blood orange cheesecake. Westvleteren 12.
Tom had several of the diners speak about their memories of Michael, which was a nice tribute. I pointed out how Philly (and I, personally) had benefited from Tom’s long friendship with Michael. The city’s unparalleled Belgian city is at least partly due to Tom’s efforts to host Michael on many occasions with spectacular beer dinners.
Also on Sunday, Mrs. Sixpack attended the Belgian Cafe Yak Fest (otherwise known as the Ladies Beer Tea). Here’s what us guys missed:
- New Belgium Eric’s Ale.
- Pancake topped with smoked duck, shrimp croquette, summer roll, fried mussels. Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux.
- Tea sandwiches. Slaapmutske Triple Nightcap.
- Chocolate mousse tarts, grilled fruit kabobs, sugar cookies, lemon bars. Rogue Chocolate Stout & Lindemans Framboise.
Y’know, that doesn’t exactly sound like chick beer…
Anyhow, all that’s left to PBW is empty kegs and post mortems. After 10 solid days of beer-drinking, this will be my dryest St. Paddy’s Day since 1973.
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March 16th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Friday - Michael Jackson Tribute. Pretty decent crowd at the Penn Museum, highlighted by Tony Forder on the pipe, and Carolyn Smagalski at the dais.
Saturday - First a quick interview with Glen Macnow on WIP, then off to the 19th annual Tutored Tasting at the Penn Museum. With Michael Jackson gone, I led a panel featuring Tom Dalldorf of Celebrator News, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Tom Peters of Monk’s Cafe in a tasting of beers influenced by the Beer Hunter. All three sessions were sold out, which is probably more of a tribute to the actual beer than the presence of any of the speakers. Nonetheless, the crowds seemed appreciative of our chats - especially the background to Dogfish Head’s new Palo Santos, aged in the brewery’s new 10,000 gallon wooden vat. What caught my palate on the floor: a quadruppel from Triumph, a double bock from Climax and Bob Grossman’s homebrewed barleywine (aged since 2001, I believe).
Today - Philly Beer Week wraps up. I’m going to take it easy and attend only the final Michael Jackson dinner at Monk’s Cafe. And, yeah, I’ll probably get sucked into a bit of carousing later on.
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March 13th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Wednesday: Finally, my lousy cold has broken and I had a chance to really enjoy all the fun. I was honored to formally open Johnny Brenda’s new dining room with a terrific tasting menu from Paul Kimport:
- Crispy oyster with saffron with O’Reilly’s Stout.
- Grilled octopus bruschetta with Phila. Brewing Walt Wit.
- Venison & sweet potato mash with Troegs Nugget Nectar.
- Molten chocolate with Victory Storm King.
Afterwards, JB’s co-owner William Reed and I headed into Center City to catch up with the brewers’ pub crawl, which had settled into its final stop at McGillin’s Old Ale House. The joint was absolutely packed and I was happy to find a seat next to David Buhler, the brewer from Seattle’s Elysian who told me he’s here for the entire week. Yards brewer Steve Mashington Flying Fish brewer Casey Hughes (wearing a bizarre “Baby Mash” t-shirt that he printed up for the crew) told me there were crowds at each of the previous six stops. “Really, I thought the whole thing might end up being just me and some friends doing some bar-hopping,” Mashington told me. “We walked into Misconduct, and there were 50 people waiting for us.”
McGillin’s did a heroic job pouring $2 mugs of 7 different local brews, including Iron Hill’s new standard, Vienna Lager.
Tonight, I’m at Jose Pistola’s with a Bitter Bite, then hopefully onto the Philly Beer Geek contest back at Johnny Brenda’s.
Meanwhile, here’s a link from Bernard Scally, erstwhile reporter at the Roxborough Review. He caught the mayor tapping PBW’s official first keg, then dropped in at my Monday night double bock tasting at Dawson Street. (I’m dutybound to report, however, that he bailed after “only” 5 of the 9 bocks.)
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March 11th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Monday - Double Bock Bonanza at Dawson Street. The place was jammed, owner Dave Wilby covered the pool table with goodies from Rieker’s, and the beer poured ALL night. We went through nine - yes 9 - different double bocks. I don’t know how anybody was standing. Had to be the longest tasting I’ve ever led: 4 hours non-stop.
The two favorites were, not surprisingly, Ayinger Celebrator and Schneider Aventinus, with good words for Lancaster Double Bock.
Tuesday - A light day for me: no formal tastings or dinners. I thought I’d be able to relax and enjoy reading all the Gov. Spitzer stories. (Best line I’ve heard so far about the guv’s fondness for high-priced hookers: “$31,000 for sex? My whole wedding didn’t cost $31,000, and I’ve been getting laid for 5 years.”)
But I nearly forgot I’d committed to an hour on Marty Moss-Coane’s Radio Times on WHYY, so I had to hustle downtown. Craig LaBan from the Inquirer joined me and we had a good time talking about beer on public radio. I know a lot of folks have mixed feelings about Craig’s coverage of the beer scene, but as much as it pains me to throw a compliment to the competition, the guy does write about it seriously as part of Philly’s dining scene. Among other things, it’s a sign of how far beer has come in this town. (Remember, when I started writing Joe Sixpack 12 years ago, it was partly a tabloid reaction to the Inquirer’s status as a snobby “wine” newspaper.)
After the radio show, I caught up with Marty Jones from Oskar Blues in Colorado, for lunch at Monk’s. It was his first visit to Philly since he was 10, and he was absolutely blown away by the beer scene, from Jose Pistolas (which he couldn’t stop raving about) to Standard Tap. Just before we left, Adam Avery showed up, but I didn’t get much of a chance to chat - he headed to the back room for one of those Tuesday afternoon massages that Monk’s provides for its employees.
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March 10th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Sunday - I’m still shaking off a lousy cold, so I could handle only one event: the 4th Annual Brewers Plate. The fest was moved this year to the Independence Visitors Center because organizers were looking for a bigger venue. The place was packed crazy nonetheless. I never did make it to the back of the long hall, so I completely missed a few breweries, including Troegs and Phila. Brewing.
But I heard no complaints about overcrowding and folks were raving about all the good food.
The only real complaint I’ve heard so far about Beer Week (other than some screwups with the Daily News pullout guide) is that there are too many events. I don’t get that one; it’s like saying the party was crappy because there was too much beer. The only people who should gripe about the number of events are brewers (and maybe distributors) who are being stretched thin. But it’s only 10 days, and they’ve bucked up pretty well, if you ask me. Â
The rest of you? Get out there and start drinking!
If you’re confused about all the selections, join me tonight at the Dawson Street Pub tonight with a raft of double bocks. That’ll set you straight.
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March 9th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
John Taggart, who shot the cover photo on my book, stopped by the beer fest on Friday with his camera. Here’s a nice slide show.
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March 9th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
My apologies for not posting this earlier: Here’s where I’ll be for the rest of Philly Beer Week.
Sunday - Brewer’s Plate.
Monday - Double Bock Bonanza at Dawson Street Pub.
Tuesday - To be decided - probably hitting as many “Meet the Brewers” as possible.
Wednesday - Paired tasting at Johnny Brenda’s.
Thursday - A Bitter Bite at Jose Pistola’s
Friday - A Tribute to Michael Jackson
Saturday - Michael Jackson tutored tasting at Penn Museum
Sunday - Real Ale Festival.
Monday - Rehab.
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March 9th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Saturday: Slow day. I’ve got a lousy cold. Just one event: a book-signing at the Grey Lodge with Lew Bryson. Tom Kehoe and Steve Mashington of Yards, who both worked the festival the night before, make it up to Mayfair, too. One guy shows up with a seal from what looks like a 100-year-old wooden keg from the old Hohenadel brewery in East Falls.
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March 9th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
I intended to start this on Friday, but the pace of events and a lousy cold have pushed things back. So on this cold, sunny Sunday I’ll try to catch up.
Friday, 7 a.m. - The first day of PBW starts off early when I find myself behind the bar at London Grill, pouring a pint of Phila. Brewing’s Kenzinger for a promo shot on Fox-29. A live interview follows in which host John Anderson implies it might be a little early for drinking beer.
11 a.m. - After heading back home for a breather, I get a call from my publicist - now CBS-3 wants to do an interview down at the Manayunk Brewery. The camera guy is working alone and asks the questions, too. The taping last 20 minutes - that night, about 15 seconds make it onto the air.
1:30 a.m. - I promised my partners I’d be at the Marketplace at East Falls by 1, but now I’m on the side of the road in my ar, doing a phone interview with CNN.
2:00 p.m. - Five hours till Joe Sixpack’s Philly Favorites and just 2 kegs are on site at the Marketplace at East Falls.
3:00 p.m. - A reporter from a Chinese news agency arrives from Washington, D.C. Yo, buddy, we tell him - you’ve got a long wait till there’s any beer.
5:00 p.m. - We finally start clearing tables and chairs and hang the banners. Shackamaxon Catering shows up and is all business. About half the 23 promised kegs are on site.
6:00 p.m. - An hour before showtime and we’re missing 3-4 kegs. Everyone’s running around looking for handtrucks and serving tables.
7:00 p.m. - I get a call from someone on the mayor’s staff to meet out on the loading dock. Uh, the mayor’s running late, he tells me.
7:05 p.m. - I grab the mic and tell the crowd, “This is Philly, we don’t need no stinkin’ mayor to drink beer. Philly Beer Week starts now!”
7:25 p.m. - Two TV news crews are shooting video, a van full of 15 out-of-town beer writers just showed up, there’s a guy dressed up like Ben Franklin (no, not Woody), 23 breweries are pouring my favorite beers, the band is starting to rock… and Mayor Nutter is in the building. You’ll pardon my smile - it was a great moment. We hustle Tom Peters of Monk’s Cafe, Bruce Nichols from Museum Catering, Jeff & Lisa Baskins from the Marketplace and the mayor onto the stage for the official opening cermony. I tell the mayor we couldn’t wait for him and he tells the crowd that, since he hadn’t formally announced the start of Philly Beer Week, they were all going to start drinking all over. Big roar. Then Nutter surprises everyone with a formal city proclamation that officially declares Philly Beer Week, reading it like he’s a standup on Leno. He caps it off by tapping a firkin of Yards ESA with two blows with his hammer. Ninety seconds later, there’s a pint of leaving a beer ring on the proclamation - classic Philly.
The rest of the night is a whir. Lots of signed copies of my book, lots of beer (the Iron Hill Russian Imperial Stout mixed with Bananas Foster from Shackamaxon was a killer), lots of friends, lots more beer, and a final cleanup. Philly Beer Week was underway.Â
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