October 13th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
People Paper movie critic Gary Thompson, evidently in a foul mood after watching last night’s Phillies playoff loss to the Dodgers, writes in an email, “The worst beer ad in the history of bad beer ads is the Bud Light campaign urging consumers to drink the beer because it is ‘drinkable’… So I guess it’s the perfect dinner table companion for food that is ‘edible.’ ”
I’m not sure it’s the actual worst ad, but that “Drinkability” billboard in the outfield at Dodger Stadium was pretty annoying. (And was that a real billboard or one of those CGIs?)
If you missed the ads, here’s the background on the campaign, which is essentially an effort by A-B to assert - despite what your taste buds may say - that not all light beer is the same.
And, though IÂ hate the term as much as Thompson does, “drinkability” is actually a bona fide beer geek term, defined as “a beer that… invites the drinker to another glass.”
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October 11th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
I counted 17 medals for Philly-area breweries at today’s award ceremonies at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Get the entire list here.
I’ll slice and dice this more in Friday’s column, but for now a few things are striking:
- Iron Hill won gold for its Vienna Lager, a house beer. I’ve written before that the reason brewpubs do so well at this event is that, because of their size, they’re better able to produce unique one-offs that judges love. But Vienna Lager is one of Iron Hill’s daily beers, always on tap. The beer’s recipe was tweaked a couple years ago, and - in addition to this gold - it has also taken a silver at the World Beer Cup. Justin Sproul of IHB’s Newark location gets the props.
- Flying Fish of Cherry Hill, N.J., finally brought home some hardware, a silver for its Belgian Abbey Dubbel, a beer I’ve always felt was under-rated (and a helluva cash bargain). Brewery Casey Hughes was sky high at the convention center; I only wish I could’ve tracked down and high-fived the company’s Gene Muller, who was inspired to found his craft brewery after attending the GABF many years ago.
- Dogfish Head nailed the specialty beer category, a catch-off for any damn thing a brewer can concoct (seems perfect for Sam Calagione). Palo Santo Marron took bronze and Red & White, which might the best beer DFH ever brewed, took gold.
- Home boy Lew Bryson was one of the three Michael Jackson beer journalism award winners, joining past Philly award winners Carolyn Smagalski, Marnie Old and yours truly. Philly: America’s Best Beer-Writing City.
They don’t hand out awards for t-shirts, but Iron Hill deserves something for the one its staff is wearing out here. The slogan on the back declares, “Our beer snobs can beat up your wine snobs.”
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October 10th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
I’m in Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, and I’ll try to post the award winners here on Saturday afternoon. But instead of waiting for me to drag out the laptop, head up to Iron Hill’s brewpub in Montgomeryville (1460 Bethlehem Pike) where you can follow the awards ceremony live on its big-screen simulcast.
Meanwhile, here’s what I’m liking so far:
Upstream Grand Cru. Never heard of this Nebraska brewery, but this tart bottle held its own against the likes of Jolly Pumpkin and Russian River.
Legacy Dear Abbey Dubbel. Love the name, love the sweet malt.
Coors Pre-Prohibition Lager. Philly locals tuned into the NLCS last night on the wide-screens that were strategically perched next to the Coors booth. Someone took a chance and sampled the yellow lager and turned to everyone else, saying, “Hey, this shit ain’t so bad.” It’s true - a Coors with actual flavor!
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October 8th, 2008 Joe Sixpack
Earth Bread + Brewery (7136 Germantown Ave., Mt. Airy - just up the street from McMenamin’s) is opening softly this week. I stopped in last night and plowed through brewer Tom Baker’s four house drafts.
As he promised earlier, the guy who made his name brewing monsters at New Jersey’s Heavyweight Brewing opened the gates at his new place with a low-alcohol (3.2% abv) mild, Love Your Mother. It was, well, mild - very drinkable but not my cup. It was the next round, a farmhouse ale called Biere d’Earth (5.3% abv), that really had me smiling. It took me back to Heavyweight’s old Biere d’Art - beautiful malt, spicy goodness and just damn delicious. Sedgwick Pale Ale was made with local hops (from an area homebrewer), and it struck me at first as a grudging nod to hopheads - a gesture Tom rarely made at Heavyweight where even his Old Salty barleywine was first and foremost a malt bomb. Nonetheless, this ale sang with a fresh aroma and spicy finish.
Terra Fume is Tom’s smoked wheat ale (4% abv), and it just blew me away. Several folks at the bar reminded me that Heavyweight always had a good rep for smoked beer, though to be honest, the only one I could think of was Cinderbock, a smoked double bock. But where it was the malt that spoke to me in Cinderbock, it’s the smoke that’s doing the talking in Terra Fume. In this beer, wafts of smoke greet you firmly, but then settle in like a warm guest. It’s not overbearing, but the smoke is always there, tickling and amusing. Here is my highest praise for a smoked beer: You can drink more than one, you can drink more than two, you could drink Terra Fume all night.
EB+B pours another 8 taps, all crafts. The list right now: Philly Rowhouse Red, Victory Baltic thunder, Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout, Allagash White, Philly Wheat Wine, Victory Moonglow Weizenbock, One Guy Brewing Oktoberfest and High & Might St. Hubbins Abbey. There’s also a raft of bottles - not a single loser in the bunch.
The joint is beautiful. It’s the first time I’ve visited a bar on opening day where everything was finished; even the artwork on the walls (from the Northwest Artists Collective) was hanging straight.
The bar downstairs is from the old Collins Bar in New York, and it shines beautifully like an art deco masterpiece. There’s a second, quieter bar upstairs with a dining room that seats 85.
The main feature on the menu is bread, though I think the folks in Fishtown would call it pizza. It has that yummy brick-oven flavor with lots of politically correct toppings (don’t ask for pepperoni).
Like the Dock Street brewpub over in Cedar Park, EB+B’s out-of-the-way location (when the hell are they going to finish digging up G-town Ave.?) means that - unless your a lucky local - you’ll have to make the effort to visit. From Center City, head up Lincoln Drive, or save yourself the hassle and take the R7 to Allens Lane.
But the beer, the food and the atmosphere make it worth the trip.
One other thing: EB+B is holding the line on draft beer prices. A 13-ounce draft (just a half-sip less than those bogus “pints” they serve in many Center City bars) is just $3.75. A big, 20-ouncer is just $5.
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October 1st, 2008 Joe Sixpack
The playoffs begin this afternoon and the trash talk has commenced. Philly’s Yards and Milwaukee’s Lakefront have put their beer where there mouths are.
No surprise who I think is the better beer city. Read it here or do yourself a favor and pick up the Daily News dead tree edition today. It’s wrapped with wall-to-wall coverage of the Phillies/Brewers series - the perfect thing to dive into with a glass of local brew.
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