In honor of our special guest, this Tasting Room was held at Fork in Old City, Philadelphia. For almost two decades now, Fork has been one of the premier restaurants in the city, winning an array of accolades including numerous “Best of Philly” awards. They also offer a small, but well crafted beer list including their house brew, Victory Fists of Feury.
Our Notable Guest
Our special guest is head chef of Fork, Terence Feury. Terence is a highly regarded chef and won this past year’s “Best Chef of Philly.” Terence is also an avid homebrewer and beer lover and collaborated on a rosemary saison with Victory and his brother Patrick, Chef of Nectar, called “Fists of Feury.” This brew can be found exclusively at both Fork and Nectar in Berwyn, PA.
From The Scene
Megan Cloonan moved from Lancaster, PA to Philadelphia mainly for the beer scene. When not working in the restaurant business, she spends most of her time searching out great bars in the area with her fiance.
 Weyerbacher Riserva
4 out of 5 stars
This American Wild Ale is fermented with Brettanomyces yeast and aged with red-raspberry puree in Oak barrels for over 1 year, then bottle conditioned in champagne bottles. ABV: 11.4%
Ter: 3 – Wine-like nose, very sour. Raspberry, over the top fresh fruit flavor.
Meg: 4.5 – Very sour raspberry nose, the tart really hits you in the mouth. This is an extreme sour beer for sour lovers.
Mat: 5 -Total smack in the mouth with sourness. I love it!
Neil: 4 – I’ve had Riserva in the past…it was good. This is awesome..incredible sour.
Mel: 4.5 -Sour nose, rosy color, extreme sour. I had this on Thanksgiving & it was great.. |
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 Founders Double Trouble
3.5 out of 5 stars
Hops have got you coming and going. Pungent aromatics up front paired with a malt balanced backbone and a smooth bitter finish. ABV: 9.4%
Ter: 4 -Super citrus hop nose, toasty light color. I would suck down 3 and be wasted!
Meg: 5 – Nose is incredibly floral & hoppy, taste is over-the-top bitter and hoppy, for true hope heads only!
Mat: 4 – Surprisingly smooth. Extremely sessionable. This is a dangerous beer.
Neil: 2.5 – Super hoppy. But finishes clean, solid but not my normal style.
Mel: 2 – Too hoppy, but doesn’t remind me of a double IPA. |
 Hof ten Dormaal Blond
4 out of 5 stars
From Belgian brewery Hof ten Dormaal, their Farmhouse Blond Ale is a full-bodied brew that is hugely-effervescent and yeasty, pouring a hazy-golden color topped off with a pillowy white head. ABV: 8.0%
Ter: 3.5 – Very effervescent, skunky smell, but great flavor, grassy, lemony.
Meg: 4 – Skunky nose, typical Belgian blonde taste, very carbonated. Nice body, excellent mouthfeel, nice floral/yeast taste.
Mat: 4 – Not the best aroma but flavor is deep and complex. And, mouthfeel and carbonation are perfect.
Neil: 4 – “Ode de Heiny”- really offensive nose- deceivingly
fantastic flavor.
Mel: 4 – The nose is deceiving- but it has some great, sweet flavor, good body. |
 Terrapin Wake ‘N’ Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
4 out of 5 stars
Black as night, this coffee stout is thick, rich and full of real coffee flavor. Brewed with the Terrapin Wake-n-Bake coffee blend created by Terrapin & Jittery Joe’s Coffee. ABV: 8.6%
Ter: 4 – Rich coffee. Choco-chewy light spice, delicious.
Meg: 4 -Thick & dark beer, tastes like the perfect union of coffee and beer, delicious stout.
Mat: 4 – Coffee & chocolate work together amazingly. This should replace coffee at breakfast.
Neil: 4 – Pepper on the nose- really heavy body. Chocolate finish.
Mel: 4.5 – Coffee nose- espresso flavor. I might be experimenting on some cocktails with this beer! |
 Breckenridge Pandora’s Bock
3.5 out of 5 stars
This bock features a unique caramel nut malty complexity with a hint of hoppy goodness, pouring a rich mahogany color and releasing a wealth of flavor. ABV: 7.5%
Ter: 3.5 – Malty, but not crazy. Light and doesn’t taste like a 7% beer.
Meg: 3 – Light body & tastes like toasty nuts, slightly fruity, do not taste the 7%, very watery for a bock.
Mat: 3.5 – No bock characteristics, surprisingly sessionable & light bodied. Sweetness and maltiness almost absent.
Neil: 3 – Beautiful color. Sweet…really mild and sweet. ABV is deceiving, doesn’t seem like a bock though.
Mel: 3.5 – Really light, I don’t taste the 7% at all, barley tastes like beer… |
 Dogfish Head My Antonia
3.5 out of 5 stars
A collaboration beer between Sam Calagione and Leonardo DiVencenzo at Birra del Borgo, brewed with pilsner malt and continually-hopped Noble and West Coast hops. ABV: 7.5%
Ter: 3.5 – Nice and hoppy, malty for a pils. Smooth.
Meg: 4 – Light crisp, slightly hoppy & floral, tastes like a light version of 60IPA, very smooth & very enjoyable.
Mat: 4 – Really well done. Extremely smooth throughout. Great hop and malt balance.
Neil: 4 – A lot of malt in the nose. Extremely smooth, solid throughout. Not as dramatic as other releases.
Mel: 3 – Hoppy- bitter upfront, smooths out at the end. |
Sixpoint Sehr Crisp Pilsner
3.5 out of 5 stars
One of the initial offerings from Booklyn’s Sixpoint Brewing Co.’s new series “Sixpoint Crisp Lagers,” this brew is described as “bold and crisp with honey malt and peppery hop tones.”
ABV: 5.5%
Ter: 3 – Slightly bitter. Straightforward.
Meg: 3 – Nice carbonation, bready, very light finish, slightly spicy.
Good session beer.
Mat: 3.5 – Very clean, mild bitterness in background. Great session beer.
Neil: 3.5 – Really mild & crisp with traditional notes.
Mel: 3.5 – Citrus nose, fresh & easy to drink. Not bitter, which I like. |
Widmer Drop Top Amber Ale
3 out of 5 stars
A creamy, flavorful Amber that’s smooth and easy to drink. Drop Top is fermented by an American Ale yeast to produce beer with a clean flavor and fruity aroma. ABV: 5.0%
Ter: 3 – Strange fruitiness, light and kind of refreshing.
Meg: 2.5 – Tropical fruit nose, drinks more like a summer beer. Very sour aftertaste & light body.
Mat: 2.5 – Extremely light bodied with stringent tropical fruit sourness.
Neil: 3 – Really fruity and super light in the body.
Mel: 3 – Not much nose, very light, surprisingly fruity with floral flavors. |
 Anchor Steam Humming Ale
3 out of 5 stars
Brewed for Anchor’s founding 113 years prior, Humming is brewed with Nelson Sauvin, a very rare and unusual hop variety. This pale ale is a blend of wonderful flavors and aromas. ABV: 5.9%
Ter: 3.5 – Herbacious, crisp pale ale. Thumbs up.
Meg: 3 -Nice fruit nose, smells interesting, tastes a little malty,
fresh, similar to pale ale.
Mat: 3.5 – One of the better offerings from the brewery.
Neil: 3.5 -Nice aroma and a touch of alcohol. Smooth hops.
Mel: 2.5 -A little bitterness, not a big fan. Doesn’t “wow” me. |
 Sixpoint Righteous Rye
3 out of 5 stars
This beer uses a proportion of rye in the mash which lends an unmistakable sharp and distinct flavor. Seasoned with pungent American hops, this beer is our designated “beer drinkers” beer. ABV: 6.5%
Ter: 3 – Good hop and heavy rye. Kind of bitter.
Meg: 3 – Rye nose & slightly malty, medium body & extremely bitter finish, not something I would drink again.
Mat: 2.5 – Definite rye flavors & nice bitterness from hops. Lack of carbonation takes away from a great beer.
Neil: 3 – Very dry & roasty. The rye comes through greatly.
Mel: 2 -Too bitter for me. Light in the beginning, but the bitterness takes over. |
 Stillwater Existent
4 out of 5 stars
Stillwater describes their American Farmhouse Ale as, “Deep & dark though deceptively dry, braced by a firm yet smooth bitterness and accented with an earthy hop and mild roast aroma.” ABV: 7.4%
Ter: 4 – Dark! Coffee, roasty, toasty malt. Light bodied and refreshing..
Meg: 3.5 -Smells very roasty & matly, tastes very light, almost like a stout taste with a saison body.
Mat: 3.5 – Very unique. The dark roastiness is like no other saison/farmhouse I’ve had.
Neil: 3.5 – A black saison, body of a light saison but with rich roastiness.
Mel: 4 – Like a light stout- roasty, a good sweetness, low carbonation, tasty. |
Redhook Eisbock 28
3 out of 5 stars
Eisbock 28 is an ice processed winter warmer, aged for months at temperatures well below freezing and is a deep gold color and has a smooth and malty flavor with bittersweet complexities. ABV: 11.0%
Ter: 3 – Sweet, malty extract.
Meg: 3 – Very crisp, caramel & raisin nose, tastes incredibly sweet, vanilla, caramel, slight fruit flavors.
Mat: 3 – All caramel and too one dimensional.
Neil: 3.5 – Sweet, matly nose- lot of caramel- nice alcohol warmth.
Mel: 3 – Sweet nose, caramel start with that strong alcohol finish. As I keep sipping, I think it’s too sweet. |
The Final Picks
Terence’s Final Pick: Founders Double Trouble. An enduring classic. I like the style, would love to drink a couple and see what happens.
Megan’s Final Pick: Weyerbacher Riserva. I am a huge sour beer lover and this one fulfilled my need for extreme sourness and enjoyment!
Mat’s Final Pick: Weyerbacher Riserva. I just love sour beers and this is the extreme sourness I always hope for.
Neil’s Final Pick: Dogfish Head My Antonia. This is solid; fundamentally and seemingly non-extreme to the Dogfish norm blew my mind.
Melissa’s Final Pick: Hof ten Dormaal Blond. Surprised me with its great flavor! They need to work on the nose, but if you can get past that, this is a great spring beer.
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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