September 25th, 2009 Joe Sixpack
- Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold @ O’Neal’s (South Street) Great Lakes tasting, today, 8-10 p.m.
- Iron Hill wet-hopped rye pale ale @ Teresa’s Next Door (Wayne) Iron Hill/Duck Rabbit cask night, today, 6-9 p.m.
- Hobrau Oktoberfest ($6 liter) @ Blue Ox Bistro (Fox Chase) 3rd anniversary, Saturday (9/26), 1 p.m.
- La Moneuse Saison @ Veritas (Wilmington, Del.) Oktoberfest, Saturday (9/26), 3-8 p.m.
- Green Flash West Coast IPA @ Isaac Newton (Newtown) Lunch with Lew, Saturday (9/26), noon.
- Stoudt’s Pumpkinlicious @ The Grey Lodge (Mayfair) Night of the Living Peppercorn, Thursday (10/1), 6-9 p.m.
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September 18th, 2009 Joe Sixpack
Just one last heads-up: Today’s the last day to get discounted tix.
Just $40 for the area’s best Oktoberfest celebration. Two sessions tomorrow at the 23rd Street Armory. 25+ fall beers, authentic German biergarten, oom-pah music, slap-dancing and great fun.
Everything you need to know is here.
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September 18th, 2009 Joe Sixpack
- Dock Street Great Pumpkin @ Philly Oktoberfest ‘09 (Center City), Saturday (9/19), 1 & 6 p.m.
- Bullfrog Edgar IPA @ Blue Dog Family Tavern (Chalfont) Craft Beer Loves Philly Celebration, Saturday (9/19), 11 a.m.
- Lectio du Chene @ Devil’s Den (South Philly) Saint Somewhere Brunch, Saturday & Sunday (9/19-9/20), 8-10 p.m.
- St. Feuillien Saison @ South Philly Tap Room (Newbold) Farmhouse Ale Dinner, Sunday (9/20), 7 p.m. Tix: $75 here.
- Leipziger Gose @ Brauhaus Schmitz (South Street) Bavarian Dinner, Tuesday (9/22), 7 p.m. Tix: $45.
- Brewer’s Art Resurrection Ale draft @ Resurrection Ale House (Grays Ferry) opening, Wedneday (9/23), 7 p.m.
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September 16th, 2009 Joe Sixpack
FooBooz polled local writers, drinkers, bloggers for their favorite bars and came up with this fine list. Every one of them belongs in the top 50 - I can’t say there’s a loser in the bunch.
A few observations:
#1 Standard Tap - Remarkable: the No. 1 bar isn’t in Center City.
#2 The Pub on Passyunk East - This is the hipster vote talking. Great place, and lately they’ve been hosting lots of interesting beer events. It’s high ranking is an indication of what I’d recently told a friend: South Philly’s beer scene can now match Northern Liberties’. In addition to POPE, check out SPTR (#7), Sidecar (#8), Royal (#10), Cantina Los Caballitos (#33), For Pete’s Sake (#49), and even Ray’s Happy Birthday (#18), which makes the list for its decidedly retro appeal.
#14 The Grey Lodge - There are an estimated 450,000 people living in Northeast Philadelphia, and this is the only decent bar north of Allegheny Avenue? Cripes, even South Jersey can do better than that. OK, Three Monkeys in Torresdale is pretty decent, but after that the Greater Northeast is w-a-a-a-y behind the curve.
#29 The Khyber - The city’s oldest beer bar seems off the radar these days. Johnny Brenda’s (#13) has supplanted it as the music/beer venue of choice, it seems. Still, I love the Khyber and its el-cheapo lunchtime menu.
#32 Teresa’s Next Door - the highest-ranked suburban bar, and an indication that FooBooz most certainly focused on city types. Nothing wrong with that. The fact is, there are still far more decent beer places in the city than in the ‘burbs. But for those who haven’t ventured beyond City Avenue lately, grab the R5 to Paoli and make a day out of Teresa’s, plus Flying Pig (#45) and TJ’s (#47).
MIA: If you’re tuned into the beer geek channel, the two biggest no-shows here is Capone’s and Eulogy.
The former is way out in the ‘burbs (Norristown), and - despite its ranking by RateBeer.com at one point as the No. 1 bar in the world - is not really a great bar. Its takeout beer selection is phenomenal and Matt Capone runs all kinds of outstanding draft specials. But regardless, it’s is still a suburban family restaurant at its heart.
What about Eulogy? That’s hard to judge. In beer geekdom, there’s been a Monks vs. Eulogy battle going on for years. But I don’t think that’s the case here because other than a handful of beer writers, the poll’s respondents aren’t tuned into that scene.
Others missing: Fergie’s, Triumph Brewery, Abbaye, Devil’s Den, the Institute, Belgian Cafe, Kite & Key, O’Neal’s, Sugar Mom’s, Union Jack’s (whose bottle selection in Manayunk is superb), Earth Bread + Brewery, Flanigan’s Boathouse (Conshy), both Drafting Rooms (Springhouse & Exton), Brownie’s, McGillin’s, The Dive, Old Eagle and Race Street Cafe.
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September 11th, 2009 Joe Sixpack
Terrapin Substance Abuse coffee oatmeal stout aged in Jack Daniels barrel @ Jose Pistola’s (Center City), today, 11:30 a.m.
Saint Somewhere Pays du Soliel draft @ Capone’s (Norristown), today.
Stone 09.09.09 @ Prohibition Taproom (Spring Garden), today, 8-10 p.m.
Newbold IPA @ Philadelphia Brewing Co. (Kensington) with beer historian Rich Wagner on Ortlieb’s, Saturday (9/12), 2 p.m.
Yards Cape of Good Hope IPA @ The Drafting Room (Spring House) Hop Fest, Saturday (9/12), noon.
Wynona’s Big Brown Ale firkin @ Pub on Passyunk East (South Philly) Voodoo tasting, Tuesday (9/15), 7 p.m.
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September 4th, 2009 Joe Sixpack
Monk’s Cafe (16th & Spruce) re-opens tonight. While the Belgian bar’s back room will remain closed, pending further structural repairs to the building, the front bar and dining room are good to go.
The bar shut down for 5 days after a man died and a woman was critically injured when they fell four stories from a fire escape above the restaurant. While the accident was unrelated to Monk’s, the bar was forced to close as the building’s owner repaired a number of licensing violations.
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September 4th, 2009 Joe Sixpack
- ?????? @ Memphis Taproom (Port Richmond) Mystery Beer Weekend, today thru Sunday. Guess 33 beers in 3 days.
- Cliche IPA @ Earth Bread + Brewery (Mt. Airy), on tap all weekend.
- Eliot Ness Vienna Lager @ Mad Mex (University City) Great Lakes sampling, Tuesday (9/8), 5-7 p.m.
- Ithaca Flower Power @ McCrossen’s (Spring Garden) End of Summer Pig Roast, Thursday (9/9), 5 p.m.
- Ballast Point Dorado @ The Khyber (Old City) Ballast Point happy hour, Thursday (9/10), 5-7 p.m.
- Jaw Jacker @ Devil’s Den (South Philly) Arcadia Brewing Night, Thursday (9/10), 7 p.m.
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