I’m climbing onto my bike tomorrow for a 350-mile ride up to Cooperstown, N.Y., for the huge Belgian beer fest at Ommegang. Six Philly beer/cycling freaks are making the trip, leaving from the Art Museum steps at 9 a.m.
I probably won’t have time for dispatches, but my column will be posted in the usual place next Friday. Stay tuned - there’s lots of news brewing on the local scene, including a HUGE Oktoberfest in September.
Philly Beer Week has been named the city’s Best Event by Philadelphia Magazine.
Wait till they see ‘09.
Look for General Lafayette bottles at your favorite distributor this week - just saw a big stack of ‘em at Bella Vista (11th and Fitzwater), priced at $41 per. Abbey Blonde and Chocolate Thunder (!) are in stock, Abbey Brune is coming soon.
The beer is brewed under the name Barren Hill Brewing Co., located at the Gen. Lafayette Inn & Brewery.
I haven’t gotten a hold of a copy, yet, but “New Jersey Breweries” by Lew Bryson and Mark Haynie debuts this month. A few weeks ago, I lamented the dirth of quality beer bars in South Jersey, so I asked Lew about hidden gems. Here’s his reply:
Unfortunately, Antone’s Tap in Cranford, one of the best, just changed hands and has become JAFSB — Just Another Fucking Sports Bar. Bummer.
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Everyone knows about Firewaters and Cork, so I’m leaving them off the list as too easy. Andy’s is on there because your readers probably haven’t gotten that far north.
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We talked about why NJ is such a beer dead-zone, and the thing folks kept saying was the outrageous price of a liquor license. It keeps most licenses in the hands of deep-pocket people with a plan, and the plans are for high-volume turnover. Not beer bar plans.Â
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Cloverleaf Tavern (395 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, 973-226-9812) was actually short-listed for Cheers Magazine’s Landmark Beer Bar for 2007, remarkably observant of them. It was jaw-dropping when I walked in; some bottles that would draw stares in Philly, and a solid 16 taps, and servers who actually knew what they were talking about. Neat, clean, bustling, but not so busy as to be annoying. A recommendation from Cricket Hill owner Rick Reed.
Andy’s Corner Bar (265 Queen Anne Rd., Bogota, 201-342-9887) is the beer bar everyone thinks of in NJ, and they’re right. It’s not big, it’s not particularly easy to find, and it sure as hell ain’t pretty, but these guys really know their beer, and they get some rare drafts in. Great atmosphere, good regulars.
Helmer’s Café (1036 Washington St., Hoboken, 201-963-3333) is one of those hidden gems, an excellent German-themed cafe on the attractively cosmopolitan main drag of Hoboken. Well-kept German (and Belgian!) drafts, delicious German food, and no fakey cuckoo-clock-kitsch Germanness.
Fitzgerald’s Harp ‘n Bard (363 Lakeview Avenue, Clifton, 973-772-7282) was a shock: who would’ve expected anything but plastic Paddy from the name? One of the best tap selections I saw in the state, in a very plain, “authentic Irish” setting (meaning they keep it clean but it’s all about the drink), and some of the best prices, too, especially on Wednesdays, when drafts are discounted.
Tap Room at Somerset Hills Hotel (200 Liberty Corner Road, Warren, 908-647-6700) is a somewhat overstuffed hotel lounge, but the beer program is quite serious: gotta love a place that has a dedicated rotating Ommegang tap and an “IPA of the Month.” A very beer-savvy manager is making this place a destination.
The Warrenside Tavern (511 Route 173, Bloomsbury, 908-479-4513) is way out in the beautiful country north of the Ship Inn (which would be very close to the top of my list for beer places in NJ, but it’s a brewpub…). The taps are okay, but the 200+ bottles are amazing in a place that looks so unassuming and backwoodsy. This is old NJ, and on a fall day, it’s tough to beat getting here.
Finally, you know I hate chains, but thank God for The Office. This chain of beer bars in central NJ keeps many parts of the state from being dead zones. Chain atmo, yes, but they respect the beer, and even do cask in some locations.
 Tellingly, the book launch is on this side of the river, at the Grey Lodge, on July 27th. As Lew notes at his blog, “there’s always been a lot of NJ drinkers there, and Scoats will have plenty of NJ beer on hand.”
Indeed, the one thing I’ve come to appreciate about New Jersey is that, while it lacks beer bars, it doesn’t lack beer freaks. I’m constantly running into total beer heads from Jersey at Philly bars - people who would absolutely support quality beer joints at home if someone had the wisdom (or balls) to devote tap handles to something other than BudMillerCoors.
The price of beer licenses is an issue, but it’s not an excuse. If New Jersey bar owners gave a shit about their community, if they cared about something other than siphoning money from the local economy, they’d offer at least one tap of a local craft beer.Â
Are you a Jersey bar owner? Be honest: Outside of ignorance and greed, is there some reason you can’t squeeze a single hoppy ale into that lineup of fizzy yellow lagers? Do you really think you’d lose a buck if you switched that Heineken tap to, say, Flying Fish or Climax? If you don’t know about local beer, do everyone a favor and educate yourself. Â
It’s like Christmas morning here at Sixpack Central. My publisher, Rizzoli/Universe, just delivered an advance copy of my next book, above. Of course I’m biased, but it looks absolutely fantastic. I’m postively psyched and it’s still, what, 163 days till Xmas!
The official release date of “Christmas Beer” is Sept. 23rd. You’ll be hearing much more about it in coming weeks.
Business Week picks up on a theme I explored two weeks ago on the InBev acquisition of Anheuser-Busch. While many in the U.S. are in an uproar about the so-called loss of American institution, it’s important to remember that A-B is not just an American corporation. It’s a world player with investments around the globe.
Thus, while InBev obviously wanted the Bud brands in its portfolio, it was also undoubtedly eyeing A-B’s overseas business. Especially in China, the world’s largest beer consumer.
Before the merger, according to BW, InBev had been lagging as the No. 5 brewer in China. It was faring so poorly, it couldn’t even work up a sponsorship in next month’s Olympic games. By acquiring A-B, - which, in addition to its own Chinese breweries, also owns the giant Harbin brewery plus a 27% stake in Tsingtao - InBev leaps to top of the pile.
Coming soon: Bud Red - it’s Budweiser, now with even more rice.
This just in -Â this year’s winner at the annual Nodding Head kegfest: Triumph Saison.
And, yes, there was rampant cheating.
Spent an hour or so at the Khyber (2nd and Chestnut, Old City) Friday afternoon and it occured to me I could’ve spent all day there. Check out this taplist:
 Wow. Honestly, if you went into a bar and found just ONE of these beers on tap, you’d be happy.
On the off-chance that a couple of these are kicked by the time you read this, the on-deck list includes Middles Ages Beast Bitter, Victory 10 Year Alt, Brooklyn Summer and Long Trail Double Bag.
Great values in beer is the topic, and just to cut to the chase, here’s the dollar-stretching sixpack:
Having taken a shot at the Jersey beer scene a few weeks ago, this week’s column also points out the savings on the other side of the Tacony-Palmyra. It may be a beer bar wasteland, but South Jersey is the place to go for cheap singles and sixpacks. Here’s some of my favorite takeout stores:
The World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut St., University City) is hosting a pretty cool series of beer dinners in August. It’s three shows featuring the jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter and his trio, along with dinner by chef Matt Babbage and beer. Dinner is $40 and tix to the show are $18. Or you can go a la carte and enjoy free beer samplings from 7-8 p.m. each night.
The dates:Â
Info: 215-222-1400 or here.
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