Beer Radar

Dawson Street reopens

Manayunk’s original craft brew bar, the Dawson Street Pub (Dawson and Cresson streets), officially re-opens on Thursday (8/21); don’t tell anyone where you heard it, but you might be able to sneak in a day early. The joint has been completely renovated (new bar stools!) with a new kitchen and dining and outdoor patio table service.

The beer? A new draft system with 12 taps and 3 beer engines, and 100+ bottles in the fridge.

A formal grand re-opening is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21.

Dawson Street is one of Philly’s classic neighborhood taverns. It’s been a huge supporter and leader in the local beer scene for 20 years, it’s the only place to hear live music in Manayunk, and it’s just a great place to take a load off your feet. My kind of bar.

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Why it’s spelled “I-g-g-l-e-s”

Philly.com carries a piece by the Inky’s Peter Mucha on new anti-tailgating regs at Giants Stadium (brought on by reports of rampant drunken harassment of women), who also checks in with officials at the Linc to confirm that there won’t be any changes this season in Philly. Mark Donovan, Eagles senior vice president for business operations, is quoted: “We said repeatedly that we are very supportive of tailgating and we know it’s part of the experience of going to an Eagles game.”

And what about harassment of women in Philly? In the comments section, one fan explains:

What I liked about this article is that it confirms that Eagles fans are smarter than NY fans. It seems that NYer’s sexually herass their female fans instead of just going to a strip club after the game. Your there to watch a football game, if you want to see mellons then leave early and go to the strip club like Philly fans do.

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Homebrew silver

Fred Kline of Coatesville is Pennsylvania’s sole medalist in the annual American Homebrewers Association national competition. He won a silver for his weizen.

I asked Fred a question that’s always puzzled me: Why is it that American craft brewers - capable of making pretty much any beer style in the world - have such a tough time with Bavarian-style hefeweizen? Fred’s view:

“…In my humble opinion, there could be a few factors.  By the way, I agree with you on that.  Some of the local Micros do a decent job (Royal Weisse of Sly Fox and Victory’s offerings) although they seem a little less bold and restrained.
1.  The Germans may do decoction mashes in their sleep at this time.  So they are set up to do this efficiently, grabbing a great malt flavor from the grain to accent the Hefe yeast where as I don’t think most American breweries are set up to really do a decoction efficiently.  It’s easier to get accolades from a hoppy  or big beer, which I also enjoy very much as well.
2.  The Germans let the yeast be powerful giving big banana and clove while staying balanced.  They’re just the experts at the right fermentation temp, yeast strain and pitching rate etc. to get the most.  I bottle mine right after the primary is done to capture the most fresh might of the yeast.
3.  Maybe a lot of our breweries still possess a mentality that because a Hefeweizen is considered a light, refreshing summer type of beer, they error on the lighter side of the spectrum to hit a broader market.  The Germans have been drinking good beer a couple of centuries long than us.  Their palates expect bold, complex grain bills.

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Mark your calendar

With the malware problems on my site (I’m supposedly OK now, says Google), I was reluctant to add events. But there’s plenty of stuff on the agenda, so here goes:

Wednesday, Aug. 13 - Beer Dinner at Maria’s Ristorante on Summit (Summit & Ridge, Roxborough). This is my local Italian joint and it’s their first beer dinner. I love their food and I’m absolutely ecstatic that they’ve finally discovered craft beer. Info: 215-508-5600.

Thursday, Aug. 14 - Homebrewed Live & Local. Triumph Brewing (117 Chestnut St., Old City) hosts a night of local beer and local music. The $10 cover gets you 10 different acts, one free beer plus $3 Triumph & Flying Fish drafts all night. 5 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Saturday, Aug. 16 - Beer Fest at the Ballpark. The  Phils are on the road this weekend, but the suds will be flowing during the first ever Beer Fest at the Ballpark tomorrow. The event, with 18 local breweries, features a bizarre keg pyramid contest in which the winner will be served at McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Ballpark for the rest of the season. Tix: $30/$40 door. 3-7 p.m. Info: www.mcfaddensballpark.com.

Tuesday, Aug. 19 - Belgian Family Brewers Beer Dinner. Yet another local restaurant is getting into beer dinners. This time it’s Valanni (1229 Spruce St., Center City), with a dinner featuring Kasteel, St. Louis, Brigand and Gouden Carolus. Tix for the five-course dinner are $55. Info here.

Friday, Aug. 22 - Beer & Cheese. Philadelphia Brewing rolls out some special brews for this tasting at DiBruno Bros. (1730 Chestnut St., Center City). In addition to its regular lineup, enjoy a new seasonal wheatwhine and a cask of Dean’s bourbon-barrel old ale. Info: 215.665.1659.

Thursday, Aug. 28 - Yappy Hour. Tavern 17 (220 S. 17th St., Rittenhouse Square) provides an opportunity for you to share a beer with your best friend. No, not that loser who mooches your smokes - your dog! Bring your mutt from 5-7 p.m. Portion of sales benefits the Pennsylvania SPCA. 

Aug. 29-31 - Mystery Beer Weekend. Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St., Port Richmond) hosts a weird guess-the-beer event with $10 flights of three beers. Owners Spanky and Leigh say, “The winning ballot with the most correct beers filled in will win a beer-filled prize package (not to mention bar-wide fame and a their name engraved on a trophy we picked up at a recent yard sale for a buck).”

Thursday, Sept. 11 - Meet the Brewer. Rich Fleischer, firefighter and brewmaster for Hook & Ladder Brewing, will fight the flames with a few cold ones at McGillin’s Old Ale House (1310 Drury St., Center City).

Saturday, Sept. 13 - Beer Olympics. Twenty four-person teams are set to compete in an annual pentathlon of beer-related events at Manayunk Brewery & Restaurant. Events include blind tasting, beer pong and flip cup. Registration is $50. Info here.

Sunday, Sept. 21 - Bike Fresh, Bike Local. The bike ride (25-, 50-, 75-mile routes), supporting the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, starts and ends at Victory Brewing in Downingtown. Details here.

Monday, Oct. 6 - Chimay tasting. Enjoy three classic Chimay styles at Morton’s, Philly’s classic steakhouse. Tix: $45, includes appys. Benefits Make a Wish Foundation.

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South Philly scene

I’m hearing lots of noise in South Philly, and I’ll be writing at length about new developments soon. To me, the most exciting news is the plans for not one, but two big-time sixpack-to-go shops (beer by the bottle, not case).

The folks behind South Philly Tap Room have said they’ll open Bierista, an 800-bottle shop at 15th & Mifflin. Meanwhile, I just got off the phone with Chris Fetfatzes of Bella Vista Beer Distributor who tells me he has plans to open a 1,200-bottle shop at 11th and Fitzwater.

Bella Vista is already building a massive, new beer warehouse on 11th Street, where it’ll re-locate its operation in September or October. After it vacates its current facility, the plan is to convert part of the building into a bottle shop under a second liquor license. “The two businesses are separate, but they’ll complement each other,” Fetfatzes told me. “You’ll be able to try out a single bottle or, if you like it, walk across the street and buy an entire case.” 

I realize out-of-staters scratch their heads in astonishment at what we have to go through here to buy bottled beer. But in Pennsylvania, this amounts to a revolutionary convenience.

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USA… USA… !!

After a mere 132 years, Anheuser-Busch has finally put the Budweiser label on an ale. My sample arrived today in a handsome package with the proper glassware and a bit of press info.

The cover letter signed by brewmaster Eric Beck says that “Budweiser has defined the American-style lager, yet no single ale recipe has emerged to define the American-style ale - grown from domestic barley and hops, brewed in the American tradition, and appealing to the new American palate. We believe we have found that beer in the new Budweiser American Ale.”

Let’s deconstruct that statement.

Budweisier has defined the American-style lager… Twenty years ago, I would’ve conceded that point. Nobody sold more beer than Budweiser. True, its recipe was based on a European style, but it was tweaked and lightened enough (thank you, rice) to be a different, wholly American lager. From the end of Prohibition to 1980, when you said beer, you probably meant something very much like Budweiser. But today’s prototypical American-style lager is not Budweiser. It’s Bud Lite - much lighter in body, flavor, aroma, everything.

Yet no single ale recipe has emerged to define the American-style ale… Probably true. And that’s a good thing. The marvel of the craft beer is the variety of flavors manifested by dozens of distinct styles of ale. Pale ale, amber ale, India pale ale, barleywine, stout, porter, abbey ale. The fundamental character of American brewing today is that our beer can not be defined by one, single style. Our brewers are not hemmed in by Old World conventions that dictate the flavor of, say, a German lager or an English bitter. They’ve evolved, and so has the palate of many beer drinkers. Indeed, you might even say that if it weren’t for that growth, for the willingness to embrace a variety of flavors (say, something other than run-of-the-mill American industrial lager), there would be no such thing as Budweiser American Ale.

Grown from domestic barley and hops… So now the origin of the ingredients defines “American?” First of all, provenance is a wine conceit. Second, not even the UAW toes that line any more. The good news, though, is that this is an all-malt beer - no corn and rice, domestic or otherwise.

Brewed in the American tradition… With: downsized workforces; reduced health insurance coverage and underfunded pensions; outsourced customer service; tax breaks for its millionaire owners; non-existent federal oversight; disregard for environmental regulations; and foreign ownership.

And appealing to the new American palate…  I can’t even imagine what this empty claim means. Most Americans still eat at McDonald’s, still buy white bread, still drink Bud Light. If there’s anything “new,” it’s the fact that America’s biggest brewery has finally conceded that there’s a small but growing segment that enjoys fuller, fresher flavors from local producers. But Anheuser-Busch can never be small or local, and it would go out of business if its products weren’t aimed at more mainstream tastes.

So, how does this stuff taste?

No one who favors the pale ales from, say, Yards or Smuttynose, is going to drink Budweiser American Ale. I’m assuming it’ll be priced to compete against Sam Adams, but even there it falls way short in overall character and flavor. It pours bright, more red than amber. It’s not as crisp as Budweiser, but it has a clean finish. Though it has been dry-hopped with Cascades, its nose carries only a mild hop aroma. I get only a little of the fruitiness of a standard pale ale and surprisingly (given its color) very little malt. The hop flavor is noticeable but, at a reported 28 IBUs, is on the low side for an amber ale. I’d define the flavor as lowest common denominator - but since we’re talking ale, that means it’s far more distinctive than the usual fizzy yellow water. The big disappointment for me is body; it just feels thin and overly filtered, as if A-B’s tastemasters can’t believe Americans will drink something that isn’t as over-processed as Coca-Cola.

Look for it on tap in mid-September, and in bottles by Sept. 30. I doubt it’ll be a bust like Miller Lite’s craft beer debacle. But it won’t be Michelob Ultra, either.

But, hey, here’s a bonus. You know how when forget you’ve got half a bottle of regular Bud left, and it turns lukewarm and tastes like piss? Budweiser American Ale still actually tastes OK above 50 degrees.

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On the road

I’m climbing onto my bike tomorrow for a 350-mile ride up to Cooperstown, N.Y., for the huge Belgian beer fest at Ommegang. Six Philly beer/cycling freaks are making the trip, leaving from the Art Museum steps at 9 a.m.

I probably won’t have time for dispatches, but my column will be posted in the usual place next Friday. Stay tuned - there’s lots of news brewing on the local scene, including a HUGE Oktoberfest in September.

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Best of Philly

Philly Beer Week has been named the city’s Best Event by Philadelphia Magazine.

Wait till they see ‘09.

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General troops into town

Look for General Lafayette bottles at your favorite distributor this week - just saw a big stack of ‘em at Bella Vista (11th and Fitzwater), priced at $41 per. Abbey Blonde and Chocolate Thunder (!) are in stock, Abbey Brune is coming soon.

The beer is brewed under the name Barren Hill Brewing Co., located at the Gen. Lafayette Inn & Brewery.

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Yes, there’s beer in Jersey

I haven’t gotten a hold of a copy, yet, but “New Jersey Breweries” by Lew Bryson and Mark Haynie debuts this month. A few weeks ago, I lamented the dirth of quality beer bars in South Jersey, so I asked Lew about hidden gems. Here’s his reply:

Unfortunately, Antone’s Tap in Cranford, one of the best, just changed hands and has become JAFSB — Just Another Fucking Sports Bar. Bummer.
 
Everyone knows about Firewaters and Cork, so I’m leaving them off the list as too easy. Andy’s is on there because your readers probably haven’t gotten that far north.
 
We talked about why NJ is such a beer dead-zone, and the thing folks kept saying was the outrageous price of a liquor license. It keeps most licenses in the hands of deep-pocket people with a plan, and the plans are for high-volume turnover. Not beer bar plans. 

 
Cloverleaf Tavern (395 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, 973-226-9812) was actually short-listed for Cheers Magazine’s Landmark Beer Bar for 2007, remarkably observant of them. It was jaw-dropping when I walked in; some bottles that would draw stares in Philly, and a solid 16 taps, and servers who actually knew what they were talking about. Neat, clean, bustling, but not so busy as to be annoying. A recommendation from Cricket Hill owner Rick Reed.

Andy’s Corner Bar (265 Queen Anne Rd., Bogota, 201-342-9887) is the beer bar everyone thinks of in NJ, and they’re right. It’s not big, it’s not particularly easy to find, and it sure as hell ain’t pretty, but these guys really know their beer, and they get some rare drafts in. Great atmosphere, good regulars.

Helmer’s Café (1036 Washington St., Hoboken, 201-963-3333) is one of those hidden gems, an excellent German-themed cafe on the attractively cosmopolitan main drag of Hoboken. Well-kept German (and Belgian!) drafts, delicious German food, and no fakey cuckoo-clock-kitsch Germanness.

Fitzgerald’s Harp ‘n Bard (363 Lakeview Avenue, Clifton, 973-772-7282) was a shock: who would’ve expected anything but plastic Paddy from the name? One of the best tap selections I saw in the state, in a very plain, “authentic Irish” setting (meaning they keep it clean but it’s all about the drink), and some of the best prices, too, especially on Wednesdays, when drafts are discounted.

Tap Room at Somerset Hills Hotel (200 Liberty Corner Road, Warren, 908-647-6700) is a somewhat overstuffed hotel lounge, but the beer program is quite serious: gotta love a place that has a dedicated rotating Ommegang tap and an “IPA of the Month.” A very beer-savvy manager is making this place a destination.

The Warrenside Tavern (511 Route 173, Bloomsbury, 908-479-4513) is way out in the beautiful country north of the Ship Inn (which would be very close to the top of my list for beer places in NJ, but it’s a brewpub…). The taps are okay, but the 200+ bottles are amazing in a place that looks so unassuming and backwoodsy. This is old NJ, and on a fall day, it’s tough to beat getting here.

Finally, you know I hate chains, but thank God for The Office. This chain of beer bars in central NJ keeps many parts of the state from being dead zones. Chain atmo, yes, but they respect the beer, and even do cask in some locations.

 Tellingly, the book launch is on this side of the river, at the Grey Lodge, on July 27th. As Lew notes at his blog, “there’s always been a lot of NJ drinkers there, and Scoats will have plenty of NJ beer on hand.”

Indeed, the one thing I’ve come to appreciate about New Jersey is that, while it lacks beer bars, it doesn’t lack beer freaks. I’m constantly running into total beer heads from Jersey at Philly bars - people who would absolutely support quality beer joints at home if someone had the wisdom (or balls) to devote tap handles to something other than BudMillerCoors.

The price of beer licenses is an issue, but it’s not an excuse. If New Jersey bar owners gave a shit about their community, if they cared about something other than siphoning money from the local economy, they’d offer at least one tap of a local craft beer. 

Are you a Jersey bar owner? Be honest: Outside of ignorance and greed, is there some reason you can’t squeeze a single hoppy ale into that lineup of fizzy yellow lagers? Do you really think you’d lose a buck if you switched that Heineken tap to, say, Flying Fish or Climax? If you don’t know about local beer, do everyone a favor and educate yourself.  

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