One of the rarest offerings from the Cleveland brewery, Great Lakes Barrel Aged Blackout Stout is released once a year and sells out the same day. Read more…
June/July 2011
Weird Beer #13 Cock Ale
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Apparently, to find some of the most unique beer ingredients, all we had to do was go back in time to old English recipes. That is where you’ll find a good ol’ traditional Cock Ale. Though the earliest recorded recipe is dated 1886, Cock Ales may have been around much longer (perhaps dating back to the 1500s). Despite the length of time this style has been around, it’s hard to imagine anyone has topped the bizarreness of this beer. Read more…
A Taste of the Abbey
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Iron Abbey is the suburbs’ spot for sports, good food and a stellar beer line-up.
There are sports bars. There are gastro-pubs. There are locally focused beer bars. There are import focused beer bars. And then there’s the Iron Abbey, which uniquely manages to balance all four of these, just outside the city in Horsham, neighboring the na’Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse. Read more…
The Eclectic Flavor of National Mechanics
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This former bank has become a focal point for great food & beer in Old City.
Located in an old bank (Mechanics National Bank, thus the name) on 3rd Street, National Mechanics is arguably one of the coolest bars in the city. When you first arrive and walk up the giant stone steps and through the pillars supporting the classic beauty of this building and enter through the massive blood red cloaked wooden doors, you know that you are entering a special bar. But, the beauty and art don’t end at the doorway. Entering the bar, you walk into a huge open room with vaulted ceilings covered in National’s unique sense of art. Styled with an eclectic assortment of dogs stuffed with a mélange of light bulbs and adorned with wigs, along with handmade, mechanical inspired light fixtures and a pair of bathroom sinks unlike any in the city. This multifarious style is only fitting for the type of happenings that go on in this bar. Read more…
One Big Brewerytown
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A look back on the historic legacy of our Philadelphia Beer Scene.
If you stand on the railroad bridge at 31st & Girard and look north, you’ll see homes dotting the landscape where the breweries once stood. But in the distance, you’ll see a large, red brick building with a sign that says, “Red Bell Brewing Company – Welcomes You to Historic Brewerytown.” That’s where the new met the old, however briefly, when Red Bell inhabited the old Poth Brewery and brought brewing back to a neighborhood that was once home to nearly a dozen breweries.
Bergner & Engel was the biggest and the second largest brewery in the nation in 1879. They won two diplomas for their beer at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, and the Grand Prize at the Paris Exposition in 1878. That certainly must have gotten the attention of the old world brewers they competed against. I wish there was a time machine so I could go back and sample their Tannhaeuser and Culmbacher lagers side by side. Read more…
A Joyful and Rewarding Hobby
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Ready to try home brewing? Here is some home brewing 101 to help you get started!
If you are reading this magazine, you are probably someone who enjoys variety in your selection of beer. You may love the bitterness and flavor of the hops in IPAs, but also admire the malty sweetness in a doppelbock. But, did you know that you could create beer at home that is just as good or even better than many craft breweries?
Home brewing as a hobby has been catching fire lately. Finding and buying brewing equipment and ingredients has never been easier, and the Internet is helping to spread brewing information at a rapid pace. If there was ever a time to start home brewing, it would be now. Brewing beer at home can be very easy. The beauty of the hobby is that it can grow with you. While most people start with plastic buckets and some used Dogfish Head bottles, many brewers grow into complex brewing setups and draft beer systems to serve their homemade brew. Many of these systems are built piece-by-piece and batch-by-batch. While having a fancy system is nice, award winning beer can still be produced on a minimal budget and with basic equipment.
This article will guide you through some of the initial decisions when taking up the hobby and walk you through the first brew day. Read more…
Beer Laws
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Pennsylvania’s unique three-tiered alcohol distribution system.
Since the repeal of the National Prohibition Act in 1933, the laws and regulations governing the sale of beer and liquor in Pennsylvania have undergone hundreds of changes. Due to the complexity of the laws and the vast number of new proposals governing the sale of beer and liquor in the state, it is extremely difficult for consumers and small breweries to stay abreast of every issue that affects the beer community. Over the next several issues of Philly Beer Scene, I will explore some of the most important issues, proposals and recent legislative actions relating to the sale of beer in Pennsylvania. Read more…
A Belgian Beauty
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A cellared 2007 and 2010 Ommegang Three Philosophers yields an authentic Belgian flavor.
Being able to cellar a beer for any length of time can be a daunting and oftentimes, tantalizing task. Whether it be an issue of space or just pure impatience, letting that special bottle age six to ten years is not always feasible. This issue, I’ve chosen to compare an Ommegang Three Philosophers 2007 with a Three Philosophers from 2010. Not every beer that you choose to cellar needs to age six or more years to get the most out of it. And, Three Philosophers, in particular, brought out every quality and characteristic of a ten year aged Belgian beer after only 3 to 4 years. Read more…
The Goblet
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Used for centuries, this glass style has been cradled in the famous hands of Snoop Dogg and Jesus. Whether it is adorned with precious gems, or made of wood to hold your favorite craft beer at The Last Supper, you are sure to be big pimpin’ when you palm one of these.
The goblet, also referred to as a chalice, is an excellent choice to show off the fact that you enjoy a great craft beer, and that what you are drinking is worthy of a king. The difference between a goblet and a chalice is that a goblet tends to be thinner walled with a slightly longer stem, where a chalice is much thicker in the walls of the glass and has a shorter stem. It’s tough to pinpoint the exact time period when this style of drinking vessel was created, and although there isn’t one present in the painting of The Last Supper, we do know that Indian Jones found it, and the fact that they can be seen at your local Renaissance Faire confirms that this style is pretty damn old. Read more…
Double Wit & Sharp Chevre
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A pairing of River Horse’s fruity Double Wit & Shellbark’s punchy Sharp Chevre.
The beer is River Horse’s Double Wit out of Lambertville, NJ. To define: this is a Belgianstyle wheat brewed with orange peel, lemon peel, and coriander. But it sure doesn’t taste like many Belgian’s I’ve had. When poured, this thing reeks of fresh squeezed tangerine juice. Belgian hallmarks are there for sure, but these flavors are wearing a Hawaiian shirt at the beach, not garbed in monk’s robes. You get piles of lemon zest, a light herbaceous quality, and a definite post-gulp whop of coriander. But there is also a sweet pleasing, heavy finish at the end. Read more…
