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Brew Revue
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| This winter weather makes me want to drink like a wolf. |
Last night's polar vortex has canceled air travel, halted school and made getting to the office impossible (wheeee!). The only thing it hasn't dampened is our enthusiasm for snowy-day revelry. Check out which bars are making the best of it with emergency brunches, dead cheap booze and sledding supplies for lushes.
Pub & Kitchen (1946 Lombard St.) will open at noon today, with $3 bloody marys until 3 p.m.; happy hour from 4-6 p.m. features $3 Yards Brawler and Stoudts Pilsner, $5 glasses of wine and $2 bar snacks. A special menu, including a tempting potato hash with chicken confit and fried farmer's egg ($13) runs all day.
Johnny Brenda's (1201 Frankford Ave.) is running an Emergency Brunch today -- look for tasties from the weekend menu, like homemade tamales with salsa verde, capicolla fritatta and ham and cheese grits.
Every Wednesday all cans of beer are half-price at Good Dog (224 S. 15th St.), plus 25-oz. bottles of Sly Fox Christmas Ale are just $10; all proceeds from that brew will go to Doctors Without Borders' relief efforts in Haiti.
Watch the snow from the loveliest vantage point on the Square at Rouge (205 S. 18th St.), offering $10 Grey Goose martinis, $8 Makers Mark hot toddies and $5 Coronas (for the island-wishful).
P.Y.T. (The Piazza at Schmidts, 1001 N. Second St.) has that aprés-ski spirit with Ski Patrol: Part Deux! Half-priced draft beers and jukebox karaoke sing-a-longs all day.
Skip across the Piazza to The Swift Half (1001 N. Second St.), serving $2 classic cans and $3 Sly Fox cans all day.
The comically oversized Scorpion Bowl at Sampan (124 S. 13th St.) is a fishbowl of a drink -- literally. This mind-erasing blend of rum, gin, white wine and pomegranate juice drops from $24 to $12 tonight from 4 p.m. until close.
London Grill (2301 Fairmount Ave.) opens at noon today with egg, cheese and butcher bacon sammies; growlers and six-packs of pounders ($16) are available to-go for sledders.
Brauhaus Schmitz (718 South St.) has half-priced bottles all day.
Meme (2201 Spruce St.) will be serving homemade hot chocolate, hot ham and cheese sandwiches and bean soup, all for $15, tonight.
James (824 S. Eighth St.) opened at noon today, and will be serving snacks and $2 stouts at the bar, fireplace roarin' all the while.
Meal Ticket boozin' homebase The Khyber (56 S. Second St.) is open all day, and they're serving hot drinks (Russian hot chocolates, hot applejack) for four bucks.
Cantina Dos Segundos (931 N. Second St.) is pouring $3 Bloody Marys all day.
Today and tomorrow, Alfa (1709 Walnut St.) is doing $3-$4 drink specials, lots of snacks, $20 bottles of wine and more. They're also offering survival items like microwave popcorn, gummy bears and condoms. Gummy bears and condoms, yeah! Full rundown on Phoodie.
Sidecar (2201 Christian St.) opened at 10:30 a.m. and will offer their weekend brunch menu till 3 p.m. Business as usual after that.
Mention that snow sucks at Han Dynasty (108 Chestnut St.) and owner Han Chiang will give you 15 percent off your bill.
Noble (2025 Sansom St.) is offering a five-course tasting for $38, plus happy-hour pricing at the bar all night.
Eulogy (136 Chestnut St.) is doing $3.50 Stella, Hoegaarde and Leffe all night.
Tattooed Mom (530 South St.) is offering 50-cent pierogies, $1.50 PBRs and $4 drafts all night.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by beerlass: RT @mealticket: We've gathered some snow-day specials for y'all, check it out! (More on the way; let us know if you've got a good one) http://bit.ly/9MoTBf...
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| Photo | James Saul |
The one-two of coffee and beer couldn�t be more perfect, and Wolaver�s Alta Gracia Coffee Porter takes this unity to an organic, fair-trade (and granola-tastic) level. The beer earns its name from Alta Gracia farm in the Dominican Republic, a fair-trade outlet that produces the beans used during brewing. In addition to the coffee, vanilla bean (also organic) shifts this porter over to the sweeter side, with a massive malty finish derived from a combination of roasted barely and chocolate malts. Serve Alta Gracia Porter with chocolate chip pancakes for a delicious breakfast treat, or pair it with something rich and savory like a curry or stew.
Percy Street BBQ had a keg of this beautiful brew a few weeks back. It didn't last long. Delish.
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| VirtualReinhard |
| Have two of these and try to say Brasserie Ellezelloise. |
Creamy, roasty and blacker than a moonless night in the mountains, stouts are essential winter beers. Nowadays the low-calorie, smooth and dry Guinness of our youth has been vamped up by craft brewers with additions of lactose and oatmeal, infused with coffee or oysters and increasingly, aged in an oak whiskey barrel. Wit these myriad flavors come higher ABVs for a higher-octane experience.
Test your tongue on the 18 stouts on draft right now at Monk's Caf� (264 S. 16th St.). Every New Year's Day, Monk's owners and my employers, Tom Peters and Fergie Carey, stack the taps� with 19 stouts and 1 lambic. This thrills half the guests and none of the bartenders, who scurry back and forth from front to back bar fetching the only non-stout brews on draft as the stout kegs kick, one by one.� It's good fun and an absolute bonanza for dark-beer aficionados.
On draft right now:
- Flying Fish Exit 1 Oyster Stout (NJ)
- Brasserie Ellezelloise Hercule Stout (BEL)
- Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout (JAP)
- Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout (CA)
- Left Hand Fade to Black (CO)
Click the jump for the full, original list, with Tom's descriptions.
� At The Front Bar �
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (New York) � 10.5%abv.� An excellent Imperial Stout.� � It just tastes that way.� Great chance to see how age� alters the taste of this stout. $3.50 / $5.50 REPLACED WITH DARK HORSE TOO CREAM STOUT
Flying Fish Exit 1 Oyster Stout (New Jersey)
Casey Hughes is at it again.� This is perhaps the best oyster stout I�ve ever tasted.� He put a lot of whole oysters (shells, too) into the boil so you really get some of that briney quality.� 7%abv � $3.50/$5.50
Founders Breakfast Stout (Michigan) 8.3%abv.
Made with flaked oats, bitter & sweet chocolate, with Sumatra and Kona coffee.� Lots of coffee in the nose and finish.� Full body.� If this beer doesn�t wake you up, it will put you to sleep.� � $3.50 / $5.50
Furthermore Smoked Irish Dry Stout (Wisconsin)
Medium body.� Lots of roasty flavors & aromas.� Brewed with� peat smoked malt.� Not too smokey. 5.5%abv� $3.50 / $5.50
New Holland Dragon�s Milk Stout Oak Aged (Michigan)� 9%abv. picks up vanilla notes from the oak barrel aging.� A rare keg in these here parts. � $3.50 / $5.50
REPLACED WITH STEAMWORKS BACKSIDE STOUT
Voodoo Cow Bell Imperial Oatmeal Milk Stout (PA)
Full body with hints of bittersweet chocolate & roasted notes from the barley. Very drinkable.� 9%abv � $3.50 / $5.50 R EPLACED WITH D'ACHOUFFE HOUBLON
� At The Back Bar �
Bell�s Expedition Stout (Michigan)� 10.5% abv.� Russian Imperial Stout.� Big, malty body & a warming glow from the high alcohol.� $3.50 / $5.50
Bell�s Rye Stout (Michigan)� 6.7% abv. Aroma of bread.� You can really taste the rye in this.� Rich, yet refreshing.� $3.50 / $5.50
Boulder Beer Obovoid Empirical Stout (CO) This beauty was aged in oak casks.� Medium body.� Picks up just a hint of vanilla from the oak barrels.� A tad of bitterness in the finish (not sure if it�s from hops or the dark roasted malt).� 7.5%abv� $3.50 /� $5.50
Duck Rabbit Milk Stout (NC) the best milk stout I ever tasted.� Rich, creamy, malty & a hint of lactic acid.� Really good s tuff.� 5.7%abv � $3.50 /� $5.50
Hercule Stout (Belgium)� 9%abv. � Named for Agatha Christie�s Hecule Poirot.� This dry stout has that unique Belgian influence that comes from the yeast. Yummy!� $8.50
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout (Japan)� 7.5%abv. espresso beans were added during the boil of this Imperial Stout.� Chocolate notes along with the coffee.� $8.50
Lagunitus Cappuccino Stout (California)� 8%abv
aroma is coffee & cocoa.� Really delicious strong stout.
Be careful, because this can sneak up on you.� $3.50 / $5.50
Left Hand Fade to Black (CO)� 8.5% abv.Export style stout.� Medium body.� Licorise & coffee notes.� This is a very rare keg of this one time brew.� $3.50 / $5.50
Pater Lieven Buffalo Stout (Belgium)� 9%abv. In 1907 "Buffalo Bill's" Circus from the US played on the town square of Sint-Lievens-Esse. This is to commemorate100th Anniversary of that event.� Lots of dark roast notes. � $8.00
Port Brewing Santa�s Little Helper (California)� 9.5%abv.� Russian Imperial Stout. � Lots of chocolate and coffee flavors.� This is way yummy.Be careful, because this can sneak up on you.� $3.50 / $5.50
Stoudt�s Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout (PA)� 9%abv. � rich & creamy with a fair amount of hops.� This is one of my favorites of today�s lineup.� $3.50 / $5.50
REPLACED WITH WOLAVER'S ALTA (COFFEE PORTER)
Terrapin The Dark Side (GA)� 8.5% abv.� an imperial stout brewed with Belgian yeast.� The requisite coffee/chocolate notes with a hint of fruit from the yeast.� $3.50 / $5.50
Wolaver�s Organic Oatmeal Stout (VT)� 5.9% abv.� 100% organic ingredients. � Creamy mouthfeel & medium body.� Healty beer...love the concept.� $3.50 / $5.50
� The Lambic�
Lindemans Framboise (Belgium) A lambic beer infused with raspberry for one of the best dessert beers.� You can smell the raspberry from across the room.� $8.50
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by chrisvisco1: This is why I am fat! No low carb stouts RT @mealticket: Did you know Monk's has 18 stouts on draft right now? EIGHTEEN http://bit.ly/52Obfu...
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| Sapporo |
Wired.com thrills to Japanese megabrewer Sapporo's latest project: Sapporo Space Barley, a beer brewed with grains descended from barley that spent five months in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station.
Russian Academy of Sciences and Okayama University joined forces with Sapporo, who produced just 250 six-packs of the brew to be sold for 10,000 yen ($110) each to benefit educational programs for children.
�This beer will be sold for charity, to contribute to the promotion of science education for children and the development of space science research in Japan and Russia, through donation of all proceeds to Okayama University,� wrote Sapporo in a press release.
Wired.com isn't fooled by all this what-about-the-children rigmarole. They've deduced the real reason behind the project.
Also, what will astronauts drink on future extended spaceflight missions? They can�t take multiple years� worth of beer with them, so clearly they will have to brew it themselves. But what about the hops, you say? Don�t worry, those were launched into space in August. Super Space Beer!� Indeed, according to Sapporo, the space-barley research was done for �the purpose of achieving self-sufficiency in food in the space environment.� Because how self-sufficient could one really be without beer?
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Yards Brewing is commemorating their 15 years in the beer biz (the first beers hit the market in January of 1995) with Olde Bartholomew, the first barleywine they ever attempted some ten years ago. Yards operations manager and general good-time guy Steve Mashington describes the 10.3 percent ABV heavy as such: "It's a real English barleywine --� a great malt backbone, with a good amount of hops in the nose. Hops are present, but not overpowering, with a cool little hop finish. It's dangerously drinkable. The first time I had this, I thought, trouble."
The draft-only brew will be generally released by Yards distributor Muller Beverage early in 2010, but before that comes the Ten Days of Barleywine. Beginning New Year's Eve at the Dawson Street Pub in Manayunk and winding up at the P.O.P.E. on Sat., Jan. 9, Yards will tap a firkin or pin of Olde Bart every day at a different tavern.� Check out the schedule of trouble, after the jump.
Thursday 12/31/09 - Dawson St Pub 5pm - Firkin
Friday 1/1/10 -� Devils Den 1pm - Firkin
Saturday 1/2/10 - Varga Bar 5pm - Firkin (on the handpump!)
Sunday 1/3/10 - Swift Half Pub 1pm - Firkin (plus the Eagles vs the Cowgirls on the bigscreen)
Monday 1/4/10 - Local 44 5pm - Firkin
Tuesday 1/5/10 - Hulmeville Inn 7pm - Firkin
Wednesday 1/6/10� - Standard Tap 6pm - Firkin
Thursday 1/7/10 - Kite and Key 7pm - Firkin
Friday 1/8/10 - Pub & Kitchen 5pm - Pin
Friday 1/8/10 - The London Grill 8pm - Pin
Saturday 1/9/10 - Pub on Passyunk East (POPE) 12pm - Firkin
Its about time one of our Philly breweries put out a barleywine! English style too, I'm excited!
Yay I love Yards! Thanks for the info, Felicia!
Is there a difference between the taste of a firkin on a handpump and a firkin sitting on the bar?
[...] past Wednesday, Yards dropped by Hulmeville Inn with some Old Bartholomew as part of the brewery’s 10 Days of Barleywine tour. (It wraps up tonight and tomorrow; details/locations in What’s Cooking.) Anyways, Yards [...]
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| VanSteenberge.com |
| Daddy dragon is 1.5 Liters |
That Fishtown den of yeasty, bubbly iniquity known as The Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St.) has just released a fresh bottled beer list that trumpets vintage, rare and large format bottles ideal for holiday merrymaking.
Favorites like bone-dry Taras Boulba (Brasserie de la Senne, Belgium) and tarted-up Petrus Oak Aged Pale Ale (Belgium) are joined by a list of cellared bottles to make the geeks weep.� Gale's Prize Old Ale (Hampshire, UK) is the grandaddy in a $10, '96 vintage, but we're most excited about trying an '06 BBBourgondier, a hefty, chewy dark ale touched with spice from the inimitable De Regenboog in Belgium for $14 (read our review of the hard-to-find heavy, here).
If your aim is to impress the boys, why not order up a big bottle of Gulden Draak, the 10.5 percent ABV behemoth that should get even your Grinchiest office mate dancing on tables -- it's 1.5 liters and the opaque, white-painted bottle would make a spiffy lamp once you've drained it. Or you can go for the gold with a 6 liter bottle of St. Bernardus Christmas, one of the few Belgian dark, spiced holiday brews that does not recall a fruitcake, for $300.
Click over the Memphis Taproom Web site to see the complete, new-old bottle list.
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By now local hopheads know The Coffee Bar (Radisson-Warwick Hotel, 1701 Locust St.) serves up an array of interesting craft brews in addition to the usual cappuccini and biscotti. With only ten shopping days left (eep!) until Christmas, you� might need a beer to help you decide between the Designer Snuggie or a super-sized box of Sham-Wow!s for your girl.� Stop by to swill from the new 12 Beers of Christmas, which kicked off on Friday with Ace Pear Cider (a partridge in a...).
Today, Mon. Dec. 14 is "four calling birds", aka Eel River Raven Stout,� an organic heavyweight (9.5 percent ABV) in the Russian Imperial style from California.� Tomorrow, "five gold rings", is the burnished beauty Allagash Triple.� If you are feeling poor after all that consumer activity, remember each featured brew is just $3.� Coffee Bar manager Stephen Stetson adds that though they normally close at 8 p.m. Sun.-Thu. and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., he will be sticking around to accommodate those who wish to enjoy their beer a bit later.
See the full 12 Beers of Christmas lineup after the jump.
| 11-Dec | FRIDAY | 1 | patridge in a pear tree | Ace Pear Cider |
| 12-Dec | SATURDAY | 2 | turtle doves | Bruery Two Turtle Doves |
| 13-Dec | SUNDAY | 3 | french hens | Slyfox Saison VOS |
14-Dec |
MONDAY | 4 | calling birds | Eel River Raven Stout |
| 15-Dec | TUESDAY | 5 | golden rings | Allagash Tripel |
| 16-Dec | WEDNESDAY | 6 | geese a laying | Wild Goose Snow Goose |
| 17-Dec | THURSDAY | 7 | swans a swimming | Duck Rabbit Wee Heavy |
| 18-Dec | FRIDAY | 8 | maids a milking | Lefthand Milk Stout |
| 19-Dec | SATURDAY | 9 | ladies dancing | Stoudts Scarlet Lady |
| 20-Dec | SUNDAY | 10 | lords a leaping | Unibroue Don de Dieu |
| 21-Dec | MONDAY | 11 | pipers piping | Stone Smoked Porter |
| 22-Dec | TUESDAY | 12 | drummers drumming | Victory V-12 |
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: The 12 Beers of Christmas at The Coffee Bar: http://tr.im/HAt4...
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We're only six months away from the roughest, toughest week in drinking challenges (outside of Mardi Gras): Philly Beer Week 2010, June 4-13.
Fairmount brew mainstay Bridgid's (726 N. 24th St.) is celebrating PBW's half-birthday with a series of events that get you in fighting shape for this year's revelry. Tonight (Tue., Dec. 8) and tomorrow (Wed., Dec. 9) offer both drinking and shopping opportunities with Clean Out the Basement Nights. A variety of cellared bottles will be exhumed at deep discounts � stock your friends up with some high-gravs perfect for cold winter nights or just swill on location. Bridgid's is also borrowing Tangier's famous Mystery Beer in a Bag game tonight � $3 nets you a surprise bottle wrapped wino-style.
Eyeball the rest of the schedule after the jump.
Dec 10th - Thursday - Collaboration Night Three special and rare collaborations will be tapped at 9 p.m. ... Stone/Brewdog Bashah Belgian Black Double IPA, Bells/DeProef Van Twee "wild belgian Ale," Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life and Limb American Strong Ale.� Bottles from all of these breweries will also be available ... a truly special night.
Dec 11th - Friday Christmas Vertical Tasting - St. Bernardus Christmas 08 v 09 and Corsendonk Christmas 08 v 09 ... holiday spice and malt at its best.
Dec 12th - Saturday Big American Flavors Vertical tasting - Founders Backwoods Bastard 08 v 09 and Troegs Mad Elf 08 v 09 ... two of the most asked-about beers ... one night to taste two vintages.
Dec 13th - Sunda Our personal favorite day - CLEAN THE LINES days ... have that Totally Unnecessary Drink and help us clean up our Lines after Half Way to Philly Beer Week ... all drafts - all day ... $3 and $4.
Bridgid's also moved their Terrapin reunion beer Multiple Myeloma fundraiser from last Sunday to this SUNDAY! starts at 11am!!!
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| RealBeer.com |
| Original Abbey |
Ommegang, brewed in Cooperstown,� NY, is owned by Belgium's Duvel-Moortgat.� Little wonder, then, that Ommegang's lineup of brews hew closely to classic Belgian lines, especially their first beer, the 8.5 percent ABV Ommegang Abbey.
This sweet and spicy double style, all a-swirl with notes of licorice, caramel and dark stone fruits,� is generally paired with meaty dishes like carbonnade Flamande, roasts or rich cheeses.� On Tuesday, Dec. 8, Cantina dos Segundos (931 N. Second St.) will take on a Belgo-Mexi mashup,� cooking pork belly tacos in the toffee-like dark ale for $1 each, to pair with $3 ten-ounce drafts of the same.� Duvel-Moortgat rep Megan Maguire will be on hand, offering free samples of Ommegang Abbey and generally making merry.�� Party starts at 6 p.m.
Rob Tod, owner of Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine, will visit Philadelphia to make the U.S. debut of the first-ever American spontaneously fermented lambic in a Tria Fermentation School class on Thursday, Dec. 17. Hyped lambic-heads have already sold the class out, a testament to Philadelphia's devotion to the rarest and weirdest of all artisanal beer styles.
Tod is already in Belgium in advance of his beer's big premier at Day of the Lambic festival in Belgium on Dec. 12. Meal Ticket called the man up for the details on the ways and means of America's first homegrown lambic, why it isn't coming to a store near you, and the one ingredient he said they'd never make a beer with, after the jump.
Meal Ticket: What is the name of your new lambic?
Rob Tod: It doesn't have a name yet. Around the brewery we just call it Allagash Spontaneous.
MT: When was it brewed?
RT: The first batch was brewed in December of '07 (see video above). We've done 7 or so batches since then.
MT: What was it aged in?
RT: We used a mixture of used French oak wine barrels, "virgin" barrels and barrels we had aged beer in a few times.
MT: Will this be available as a bottled or draft beer?
RT: It might not be available at all. Every barrel brewed was not usable � say, each batch was seven barrels, and one or two was no good. Then we fruited some of it, so there isn't much right now. This will probably be something you see only at the brewery and for special events.
MT: What kind of fruit did you use?
RT: Some cherries, some raspberries, and I think our brewmaster Jason Perkins did a batch with Maine blueberries, 'cause we always said we'd never brew a blueberry beer. Some of them should be ready about 6 months from now.� [Ed: Philly Beer Week! cough cough]
MT: So you don't think you are going to sell bottles around here?
RT: I don't know if I would ever sell it. I just don't have any plans for it currently. You know, lambic traditions goes back years and years ... these brewers have passed down their methods generation to generation, and we're really just taking our first stab at it. It might even take a year, or 10 years, to get it right. We will have it for special events.
MT: What will you be bringing for the Tria tasting?
RT: A straight, unblended lambic from one batch, one barrrel. It's uncarbonated.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Interview with @allagashbeer's Rob Tod, who'll debut his new lambic Dec. 17 at @TriaPhilly: http://tr.im/GUSz...
[...] when does the beer make its U.S. debut? Tomorrow night according to Felicia D’Ambrosio of the Philadelphia City Paper: “Rob Tod, owner of Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine, will visit Philadelphia to make the [...]
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