September 28th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
I’m just getting my legs back from the all-day fest at the Armory on Saturday. It’ll take me a couple days for the post-mortem, but my first thoughts were about the beer itself. Some of the highlights:
-Chesterfield Ale. No, it’s not German, but Yuengling wanted to bring something special. I think they’ve nailed the draft recipe. Exceptionally balanced and smooth. I want to try it side by side with draft Budweiser American Ale when that shows up in town next month.
-Monk’s Fest. I think that was the name - it was one of the Franconian kegs from Shelton. Beautiful malt flavor, almost silky. Possibly the best beer of the festival.
-Yards ESA. We landed the first “official” keg from Yards’ new brewery. I heard someone say it was the best ESA he’d tasted in 3 years. The hops popped nicely and the balance was pretty close to what I remembered at its height. Tom Kehoe, the brewery’s chief, told me he’s still tweaking the dry-hopping. The true test, of course, will be when cask-conditioned kegs start pouring from the handpump at Dawson Street Pub.
-Roy Pitz Ludwig’s Revenge Rauchbier. The guys from Chambersburg are anxious to make their mark in Philly, and this was a very nice shot. Not overly smoky, which is actually a good thing - I could see myself drinking two or three of these in a sitting.
-Schwelmer Bernstein. I screwed up and forgot Bella Vista was sending this new German import to the festival. And I felt bad when I set up their rep in the very last tent. But I hope folks found their way to this beer. Smooth, a little sweet and a very fine, lasting finish.
One passing thought: Has there ever been an American beer festival (OK, outside of GABF) with this many different lagers? We had about 60 different beers pouring through the day, and I’m guessing at least 40 of them were German-style lagers. Spaten, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner, Franziskaner, Victory, Stoudt’s, Brooklyn - the powerhouses were what you’d expect. But Dock Street, Erie, Oskar Blues, Triumph and River Horse all nailed it, too.
As much as I enjoyed the day, the best part was arriving at the Belgian Cafe just in time to see Jimmy Rollins launch that double play. Go Phillies!
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September 25th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Philly Oktoberfest ‘08 is Saturday and tix are still available, online and at the door.
The biggest beer will certainly be draft Spaten, the original Oktoberfestbier. Look for big cups and a limited number of full liters (proceeds benefit Susan Komen breast cancer research).
The smallest beer? Keep your eyes open for a very limited supply of German lagers from Shelton Brothers importers, including Fassla, Monchoff, Weissenoher and Roppelt.
A few other late additions: Roy Pitz Rauchbier, Southampton Pumpkin and Troeg’s Scratch (festbier).
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September 25th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
I was down in South Philly last night scoping out a few new places for next week’s column. On the way up 22nd Street, my car stalled out near the Sidecar Bar & Grille (2201 Christian), which - in spite of the damage this is going to do to my bank account - seemed like a good omen.
I stopped in for a couple innings of the Phils/Braves game and was greeted by this list:
- Pliny the Elder
- Ommegang Witte
- Reading Premium
- Heavy Seas Uber Pils
- Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin
- Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter
- Yeti Imperial Stout
- Weyerbacher House Ale
Unlike the Phils when Coste is in a funk, there wasn’t a weak spot in the lineup. Not really sure what that Weyerbacher was - something light-colored and hoppy. I enjoyed Pliny & Yeti, returned to my car and, magically, it started right up.
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September 24th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
The Phils lost last night, but there is a smile on my face today. Gee, I wonder what Mr. October and the rest of those smugass Yankees fans will do with themselves for the next month?
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September 7th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Tom Peters of Monk’s Cafe was over in Brussels last week where he blended his latest version of gueuze at the Cantillon brewery. This one employed a 700-liter wooden cask of Amarillo-hopped lambic made two years ago by that roaming quintet of American brewers, Tomme Arthur (Lost Abbey), Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River), Rob Tod (Allagash), Adam Avery (Avery) and Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head).
Peters says it’ll be ready to debut during Philly Beer Week ‘09 in March, to be poured alongside the five’s earlier collaboration, Isabelle Proximus. Maybe we’ll even get all five of those guys to be on hand for the occasion.
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September 4th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Just got word that Iron Hill will open its 8th location in Maple Shade, N.J., in May ‘09. This will be Iron Hill’s first foray into Jersey. In fact, it’s just the third brewpub to open in the craft brew-starved region of South Jersey (Tun Tavern in A.C., and Triumph in Princeton are the others).
The executive chef and head brewer have not yet been named. The new location will accommodate 280 guests.
The location is 124 E. Kings Highway (Rt. 41), which is just up the road from the Rt. 38/Rt. 73 intersection near Moorestown Mall.
This isn’t just good news for Jersey. The location is only 10 miles from the Ben Franklin Bridge, making it the nearest Iron Hill to Center City. For city folk who’ve never bothered to hike out to West Chester or Phoenixville, the new location will be a nearby opportunity to try out the region’s most award-winning brewpub.
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September 3rd, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Word from Tom Seefurth, the chef behind that crazy Mama Mia’s Pizza Beer I wrote about last month, is that the brew should be in Philly by the end of September. He cut a deal with Bella Vista distributors and is filling out the state paperwork as we speak.
Speaking of BV, its super, new retail store on 11th between Fitzwater & Catharine, has scheduled an Oct. 5th grand opening. Great news in South Philly.
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