December/January 2011-12

Dec/Jan 2011-12 Letter from the Founder

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By Mat Falco

Letter from the Founder

It seems every time it comes around for me to write this,it revolves around a new year.Last time, it was the beginning of year three of the magazine,a feat that seemed to come incredibly quick. This time around, we’re finishing out 2011 and making plans for 2012; anticipating the mystery of what it has in store. I have to say, 2011 was quite the year. Philadelphia, as a whole, finally seemed to put itself on the map in regards to getting the respect it rightfully deserves. Accolades were given to this great city in a vast array of national magazines, including being named the most cultural city in America by Travel + Leisure. That title was especially awesome, as our craft beer culture was highly touted in that article. It goes to show the positive effect beer can have on a society. It also makes you wonder how this rapidly growing recognition and appreciation for craft beer will affect the industry in the coming year. 2012 could truly become a Mecca-type year for the craft beer movement. Read more…

Weird Beer #16

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The Variety Pack | Weird Beer

Popcorn Pilsner

Wanting to use more local Indiana ingredients in their beers, Sun King Brewery of Indianapolis turned to one of the state’s most renowned exports. Known as the popcorn capital of the world, it only made sense that they would make a popcorn beer. Read more…

The Revival of Rembrandt’s

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By Mat Falco

Bar & Restaurant Reviews

Where cooking with the beer is almost as important as drinking.

With the help of a new chef turned partner, Rembrandt’s in Philadelphia has redefined itself over the last eighteen months. A bar and restaurant that was seemingly forgotten with time, has turned itself around and begun to form a new identity. With Chef Robert Legget, formerly of Cuba Libre in Old City, now at the helm, the beer and
food programs alike have reached new levels. Read more…

Station Taproom

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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By Bobby Clark

Bar & Restaurant Reviews

Sean McGettigan’s junction of great beer and amazing food.

On a corner directly across the street from the Downingtown train station, the menu, tap and bottle list of Station Taproom are just as strong as the exterior’s brick facade. Stepping inside, the bar reveals itself right away. For-sale paintings and stunning, framed photography punctuate the wall space’s warm colors. A bricked archway exposes the kitchen, reminiscent of a family restaurant, maybe your favorite pizzeria. The inviting atmosphere is alive with a hospitable, knowledgeable staff ready to make your visit memorable. Read more…

A New Lease on Life

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By Mat Falco

Features

Otter Creek is brewing better beer the second time around.

Craft beer is a tough business. There are so many great breweries out there that it’s easy to get lost in the fray.

Sometimes you’re on top, but in trying to stay there, things get rushed, growth comes too quick and the business end gets the best of you. Unfortunately, the business aspect of craft beer is as important as any. It would be ideal to imagine craft beer being solely about making great beer and then everything running itself, but sadly it’s not. Good beer will sell itself, but that’s a wave you can only ride for so long before you need a legitimate plan of attack. There are times however, where things don’t always work out for the best and you start on a sad, downward spiral of events that lead to your potential demise. Thankfully, it doesn’t always have to be New Year’s Day to start over. Sometimes it can be out of nowhere and unexpected at 8:30 in the evening on January 8th; a day like any other. Read more…

To Barrel-Age, or Not to Barrel-Age…

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By Ben Potts

Features

Wood. The material that served as fuel for the first fires of early man, used to build what some believe was a vessel that saved all animals of the Earth, and purported by Virgil to have shaped the mighty “Wooden Horse,” that helped the Greeks defeat the Trojans around 1150 BC. Wood has been used for centuries upon centuries by modern day Man with countless uses, so it is no surprise that it has a long history in the production of one of Man’s favorite things – beer.

Although the largely diminished role wood plays in beer making today is much different than it was 100 years ago, wood is once again gaining serious recognition from brewers, the beer geek community, and better-beer lovers everywhere. Originally used more for storage and transport, wood, oak in particular, is now being used to lend its character to some of the most highly revered elixirs being produced around the world. Read more…

D & E Licenses

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By Senator Chuck McIlhinney

Beer Laws

Changes to beer licensing laws could benefit small brewers, retail distributors.

In previous articles, I have addressed many of the dangers posed by allowing beer retail distributors to own multiple retail beer licenses. While this change could make beer purchases more convenient for consumers who only drink beers from the largest breweries, allowing entities such as supermarket chains and convenience stores to own multiple licenses could have a serious economic impact on smaller, locally owned breweries and reduce the variety of different beers available to consumers. However, there are other potential actions the state can take in regards to licensing laws that could provide added convenience for consumers while protecting our small breweries and family-owned retail beer distributors. Read more…

Ultimate Holiday Cheese Plates

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By Paul Lawler

Le Fromage | The Variety Pack

Pairing the best local cheeses with your favorite local beers.

Toma Primavera
What’s a cheese plate without boldness? This one has it in spades. Toma is a washed-rind, raw milk tomme from Cherry Grove, a biodiverse farmstead near Princeton. Let it sit out a good while and a whiff of almonds and cultured butter will hit the air. Taste it and get all that, plus a tang reminiscent at once of briny caper berries and blackberry.
Pairing: Try something on the spicy side like River Horse Belgian Freeze or Philadelphia Brewing Co. Winter Wünder. Going in the opposite direction with a sour or tart beer, such as Weyerbacher Riserva, would work nicely as well. Read more…

An Italian Beer with a Belgian Soul

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By Phillip Pittore III

From the Cellar

Comparing a 2006 and 2010 Italian sour, Panil Barriquée.

With the seasons quickly changing and the festive spirits rapidly rising, the motivation to compare something fun and different seemed intriguing. The perfect style of beer to fit these parameters seemed to me, a sour; an Italian sour to be exact. Read more…

Brewing in Hippie Country

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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By Mat Falco

Beer Travel

Touring through the brewery-filled state of Vermont.

Vermont has quite the impressive beer scene, in fact, it actually has the most breweries per capita in the country. Even little towns seem to have a local brewpub. But, in a land that puts a lot of pride into Ben and Jerry’s and maple syrup, there is nothing little about their presence in the beer world. The largest city in the state, Burlington (the population wouldn’t even fill every seat of Citizens Bank Park) is a great central location to cover some of the best that Vermont has to offer. Within 2 hours, you can hit just about every beer destination worth visiting. (Harpoon is the one brewery that is a bit further out.) Downtown, you have a vast selection of bars and breweries including the Vermont Pub & Brewery. Opened by Greg Noonan in 1988, it was the first brewery in the state and one of the first on the East Coast. Most Vermont breweries credit Greg for paving the way, making Vermont the beer state it is. Read more…

Philly Beer Scene