Beer Radar

The Google algorithm has decreed

I guess if you say and write it enough times, it comes true. Go to Google Maps and search for “Best Beer-Drinking City in America.”

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6 great beers this week

1. Mojo Risin’ @ Mad Mex (University City) Boulder, Paper, Scissors, today, 8 p.m.
2. Iron Hill Au Ciel @ Johnny Brenda’s (Fishtown) The Trouble with Trippels, Saturday (1/30).
3. Weyerbacher Hops Infusion @ South Philly Tap Room (South Philly) beef & beer, Sunday (1/31), 5-9 p.m. Tix $50.
4. Prism Bitto Honey @ Grey Lodge (Mayfair) Groundhog Day breakfast, Tuesday (2/2), 7 a.m.
5. Kerplunk Imperial Chocolate Stout @ TJ’s (Paoli) Spring House tasting, Tuesday (2/2), 6-8 p.m.
6. Emelisse Russian Imperial Stout @ The Tap & Table (Emmaus) 12% Imports tasting, Thursday (2/4), 4 p.m.

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Help wanted: 84 taps seek tap-yankers

West Philly’s beer scene (or University City, at least) continues to grow. Word arrived that the City Tap House (3925 Walnut St.) expects to open in late February or early March. It’s from the same group that runs the Field House near Reading Terminal and Logan Square’s Public House and Mission Grill.

Andy Farrell, formerly of Bridgid’s, reports he’ll be overseeing the beer program, and he forwards this note from Gary Cardi, one of the owners:

 City Tap House will be providing 84 draft lines with 42 imported and domestic craft beers.  Al Paris will be the Executive Chef and has put together a great looking menu with an rustic bistro style feel.  We will have a large outside seating area with not only table service but fire pits for lounging and cocktails. We are looking to do acoustic music 4 or 5 days a week, and have a very laid back and rustic feel to it all.

 City Tap House is going to be located on Walnut between 39th and 40th on the second floor of the Radian building.  This building is the show piece of University City and we are their premier feature.  Gordon Dinerman, formerly of the Starr Group (Barclay Prime), will be leading the charge as our General Manager.  We are looking to put together a great opening staff.  I’m sure everyone knows somebody who would fit the bill and be an asset to the team, whether it be a server, busser, runner, bartender etc… 

Please have any referrals drop off resumes at the Sterling Building- between 18th ad 19th on JFK, fourth floor, Suite 480.

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Cool gift for the beer geek

At the opening party for the tasting room at Yards Brewing, artist Jen Roder was showing off some very cool jewelry made from recycled bottle caps.  Featuring the logos of many brands, her earrings were a fine example of beer as a work of art.

You can check out her work at rotorcaps.com.

How many of brands can you identify?

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Yards has come miles

I guess you could say Philly has a new brewpub. Technically it’s the “tasting room” at the Yards Brewery on Delaware Avenue in Northern Liberties. But they’re serving beer made on the premises, it has a kitchen, and it’s open every day from noon to 7 p.m. So that makes it a brewpub, right?

I got a look - and taste - at a fine opening reception last night. It’s a large room on the other side of glass wall from the actual brewhouse, with a bar (made from a recycled bowling alley), booth seating, hightops and a pool table. Nothing too fancy - this is a brewery, after all - but it’s decorated nicely. I especially liked the large Ben Franklin Bridge tapestry and a wall-sized collage of Yards beer labels.

Food is basic: chili and grilled cheese sandwiches (with bread made with the brewery’s spent grain). There may be more down the line. In addition to all of Yards’ beers, they’re serving Pennsylvania wine (I didn’t get a look at the brands).

The highlight for me was bumping into Jon Bovit, the guy who founded Yards with Tom Kehoe. Jon left the company some time back and he’s completely out of the beer biz now. The two of us just smiled at how far Yards had come in 15 years - from a tiny garage on Krams Avenue in Manayunk to a 26,000 SF facility in Northern Liberties. The tasting room alone is two or three times the size of that original brewhouse.

“I never imagined this,” Jon said. Me neither.

This is a definite must-visit for any beer lover. If you time it right, you can stop in for drinks before heading into N.Libs for dinner. Or drop by for a tour on Saturday afternoons between noon and 3:30 p.m.

Posted in Brewery | 2 Comments »

AleSmith coming to Philly

Ran into Jordan from Bella Vista Beverage this afternoon, who tells me that he’ll be bringing AleSmith’s brews into the city.

This is another one of those San Diego breweries (Ballast Point, Green Flash, Port Brewing, Stone) that’s a hot item among beer freaks. Speedway Stout is its monster (#18 on RateBeer’s Top 100 list).

Add: It was a busy afternoon (Philly Beer Week organizational meeting), and I shudda let Jordan finish… He adds, via email:

Can you please give the credit to my brother, Chris? He is the one who made and maintained contact with Peter Zein and remain friends today.  This all happened because of our close relationships with Coronado and Ballast Point both in San Diego, members of the San Diego brewers guild and active members in the San Diego home brew scene!

Oh, we also just landed Cascade.. this year’s Gold and Silver Medal winner in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer category: a gold medal for Bourbonic Plague and a silver for Vlad the Imp Aler.

Caldera also from Oregon will soon show its cans out here!

I’m not familiar with Caldera, but Cascade’s arrival here is excellent news. I visited with founder Art Larrance (known primarily for Raccoon Lodge brewpub in Portland, Oregon) during GABF in Denver where those medal winners above and others attracted huge lines (and raves). They’re all oak-aged and lactic-fermented - truly fine brews. The kriek, if I recall correctly, was just outstanding. I imagine these will show up in town in the form of corked 750ml bottles.

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Help wanted

Are you one of those guys/gals who can’t help but offer advice to fellow beer shoppers? Always sneaking up behind some stranger and telling him which beer he oughta be buying?

A Philadelphia beer distributor will pay you to do exactly that. Call it a beer concierge: a professional beer guide.

It’s a part time job, with work on Saturdays and/or Fridays. It’s up to you to negotiate the hours and pay.

For all you folks who frequently email me looking for a way to break into the business, this may be it. You can put your beer knowledge to use and learn a bit about working with customers. And, yeah, I’m sure there will be a free sample or two fringe benefits along the way.

Send me an email if you’re interested: joe(at)joesixpack.net

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Column addition

Last week’s column about milk stouts should’ve included this fine bottle  from River Horse. Only, I didn’t discover it till the day after deadline, when I was shopping for a variety case for poker night.

This was the first I’ve seen an Oatmeal Milk Stout, and River Horse - of course, of course - has nothing about it on its decidedly useless website.

Anyway, I’m drinking it right now. It’s dark - near black, actually - with a smaller head than you’d expect from an oatmeal stout. Mostly burnt malt in the nose. Very smooth mouthfeel, really soft carbonation. Coffee flavors, a bit of chocolate with some dried fruit in the background. Not particularly sweet for a milk stout, and the bitterness is definitely a product of the roasted malt, not the hops. There’s no indication of alcohol on the label, but Beer Advocate says 6.7%, which feels about right.

I just noticed that the neck label says “Oatmeal Milk Stout Ale redux.” So I guess this is a re-issue. Never had it the first time around

This is a really nice beer, especially since it’s part of a variety case that also includes Double Wit, which I think is River Horse’s best beer. If you haven’t tried River Horse lately, give the variety case a try - it was about $32 at my distributor.

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Suburban farmhouse ales

Three things I learned about Saison Vautour in just 5 minutes on the phone with Ryan Michaels, brewer at McKenzie Brew House (Chadds Ford), where I’ll be the guest speaker at their inaugural Belgian Beer Reserve Dinner on Thursday. (Tix are just $39, still available.)

1. Vautour is French for vulture. The guys at the brewery saw a bunch of them flying overhead and decided to name their Saison after them. Saison Vautour has won GABF gold twice in the past 3 years, and it’ll be one of the featured beers at Thursday’s dinner.
2. The current version was made with a touch of Brettanomyces, which gives it just a funky edge.
3. Starting in February, Saison Vautour (which has mainly been available by bottle only) will be on tap year-round at both McKenzie’s locations.

Something else I didn’t know: McKenzie’s is now doing some barrel-aging. We’ll be serving two varieties on Thursday.

Come join me - especially you city-dwellers. This is a great opportunity to get a taste of the very best from a suburban brewpub that’s been making waves with its farmhouse ales for quite a few years.

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Bruce Nichols takes the plunge

One of the city’s longtime craft beer supporters is finally putting himself behind a bar. Bruce Nichols, owner of Museum Catering, will be opening a new location, a beer bar in Society Hill in March.

It’ll be called The Headhouse (122 Lombard St., the former location of Zot).

He describes the style as “global comfort food” with an oyster bar and a focus on the great craft beers from Philly and beyond. It’ll have a event space for parties, plus more than twenty taps on two floors.

Though this will be Bruce’s first bar, it’s certainly not his first foray into great beer. Bruce is the guy who brought Michael Jackson to Philly for the annual tasting at the Penn Museum. (Michael fell in love with Philly and frequently declared it was his favorite beer-drinking destination.)

And, of course, Bruce was one of the founders of Philly Beer Week. He’s also my partner in Philly Beer Fests, which runs a bunch of local beer events.

Speaking of which, the legacy of that Michael Jackson tasting continues in March with one of America’s leading beer experts: Randy Mosher, author of the superb “Tasting Beer.” Here’s the details:

20th Anniversary Jackson Beer Tastings
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Penn Museum
Tutored seatings at 1:00, 3:30, and 6:00
Tickets: $50, $60 at the door if available
Theme: Beer As Art

Each of three one-hour tutored sessions will be followed by two hours of open tasting of more than 100 additional beers and beer-friendly edibles by Museum Catering Company.

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