Incredibly, the Philly Beer Week (March 6-13) calendar just hit the 500-event mark.
The event that pushed it over the top: Guinness Boot Camp at Tir Na Nog on 3/13. If you hadn’t noticed the list of incoming brewers, the camp will be led by no less of an expert than Fergal Murray, brewmaster at Guinness. He’ll teach you everything about the world’s most popular stout, including how to pour the perfect pint.
Bring your own water.
That is, if you plan on stopping in at the VIP Tap Room in downtown Bethlehem. Here’s the text of a legal opinion from the Pa. Liquor Control Board, following an inquiry from a representative of the bar:
ISSUE:Â This is in response to your e-mail dated February 5, 2009, in which you inquire as to whether or not you may charge for the service of water provided to patrons of your establishment.
OPINION: There is nothing in the Liquor Code or the Board’s Regulations prohibiting a licensed establishment from charging a fee to serve water. Therefore, it would not violate liquor laws to charge a fee for water at your licensed establishment.
It would, however, violate every tenet of common decency.
Sparks’ tattoo is now part of Philly Beer Week’s ad campaign in Philly Weekly. We’ll be paying him residuals (i.e. free beer) for years.
One of the big questions I’ve been getting in the past couple weeks has been: What’s the deal with Opening Tap?
Well, Philly Beer Week has finally found a proper home for the kickoff. We’ll be tapping the first keg and sampling brews from more than two dozen Philly-area breweries in the spectacular lobby of the Comcast Center (17th & JFK). That’s right, America’s biggest beer event will be launched in a spray of foam at Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper.
For those who haven’t been there yet, this is the site of that amazing high-def video screeen you may have heard about. It’s just steps away from Suburban Station, so there’s no excuse for anyone worried about how to get to the festival. Get one of those Philly Beer Week all-day passes and take SEPTA.
The kickoff will feature beer only from Philly-area and Pennsylvania breweries. Many of them will be bringing one-offs, seasonals and other varieties made especially for Philly Beer Week.
In addition to the beer, the festival’s highlight will be the arrival of the Philly Beer Week Keg Hammer of Glory (or Mallet of Wonder, or something like that). Plans are being made to bring the hammer to the festival via a circuitous route from tavern to tavern. More details to come.
There will also be a Philly-style awards ceremony, honoring the brewers behind the beers. And there will be live music and food (at an additional charge, from the vendors at the Comcast Center Market).
My pal Tony Donato will be playing Sunday with his band, The Flathead Gang, at Earth Bread + Brewery in Mt. Airy. No cover & lots of beer - sounds like a plan.
I avoid arguments over lists like Rate Beer’s Top 50 beer bars - after all, everybody has his favorite joint and can make a good argument that it’s the best bar in the world.
Nonetheless, it’s fun to check off the places you’ve visited, and to check out potential destinations. So here’s the supposed top 50 beer bars. The boldface ones are places where I’ve managed to suck down a few over the years; I count 23. Looks like I need tomake my way back to Seattle, or maybe plan a trip to Sweden and Denmark.
How many of these have you visited?
 1. Kulminator   Antwerpen, BELGIUM
2. Akkurat   Stockholm, SWEDEN
3. Oldsmar Tap House   Oldsmar, Florida UNITED STATES
4. Redlight Redlight   Orlando, Florida UNITED STATES
5. Brick Store Pub   Decatur, Georgia UNITED STATES
6. Brouwer’s Cafe   Seattle, Washington UNITED STATES
7. Rich O’s Publick House   New Albany, Indiana UNITED STATES
8. Uber Tavern   Seattle, Washington UNITED STATES
9. Capones Restaurant   Norristown, Pennsylvania UNITED STATES*  Â
10. Spuyten Duyvil   Brooklyn, New York UNITED STATES  Â
11. Volo   Toronto, Ontario CANADA
12. Papago Brewing Company   Scottsdale, Arizona UNITED STATES
13. ’t Brugs Beertje   Brugge, BELGIUM  Â
14. Max’s on Broadway   Baltimore, Maryland UNITED STATES  Â
15. Nederlands Biercafe ‘t Arendsnest   Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
16. Monk’s Café   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania UNITED STATES  Â
17. Moan and Dove   Amherst, Massachusetts UNITED STATES  Â
18. Pivovarsky Klub   Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
19. Ølbaren   Copenhagen, DENMARK
20. Capital Ale House - Innsbrook   Glen Allen, Virginia UNITED STATES
21. Concordia Ale House   Portland, Oregon UNITED STATES
22. Bierproeflokaal In De Wildeman   Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
23. The Rover   Göteborg, SWEDEN
24. Toronado   San Francisco, California UNITED STATES  Â
25. Plan BÂ Â Â Copenhagen, DENMARK
26. Hamiltons   San Diego, California UNITED STATES
27. Falling Rock Tap House   Denver, Colorado UNITED STATES  Â
28. Le Bier Circus   Brussels, BELGIUM  Â
29. The Ginger Man (NYC)Â Â Â New York, New York UNITED STATESÂ Â Â
30. Barcade   Brooklyn, New York UNITED STATES
31. Kaffee de Hopduvel   Gent, BELGIUM  Â
32. The Publick House Brookline   Brookline, Massachusetts UNITED STATES  Â
33. Birreria Paradiso   Washington, Washington DC UNITED STATES  Â
34. The Map Room   Chicago, Illinois UNITED STATES  Â
35. Blind Tiger Ale House   New York, New York UNITED STATES  Â
36. Wenlock Arms   London, Greater London ENGLAND
37. Sharp Edge Beer Emporium   Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania UNITED STATES  Â
38. Flying Saucer Draught Emporium (Fort Worth)Â Â Â Fort Worth, Texas UNITED STATES
39. Hop Devil Grill   New York, New York UNITED STATES  Â
40. O’Brien’s   San Diego, California UNITED STATES
41. Horse Brass Pub   Portland, Oregon UNITED STATES  Â
42. Smokeless Joe   Toronto, Ontario CANADA
43. Andy’s Corner Bar   Bogota, New Jersey UNITED STATES  Â
44. Hop Leaf   Chicago, Illinois UNITED STATES
45. Capital Ale House - Downtown   Richmond, Virginia UNITED STATES  Â
46. Zeno’s Pub   State College, Pennsylvania UNITED STATES  Â
47. Oliver Twist   Stockholm, SWEDEN
48. Chez Moeder Lambic   Brussels, BELGIUM  Â
49. The Happy Gnome   St. Paul, Minnesota UNITED STATES
50. Bierbrasserie Cambrinus   Brugge, BELGIUM
*Capone’s was ranked No. 1 last year.
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