Woman On The Scene

Play With Your Food

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading ...

By Suzanne Woods

August/September 2011

A Sensory Education from Monell.

Warning: this article may contain terminology that you might not even try to pronounce in your own head.

When we describe beers consumed, we might use words such as, “bittersweet chocolate, chicory or grapefruit.” What we’re really doing is describing how the beer smells. The majority of what you think you are tasting, is actually what you are smelling. Combine the taste, the aroma, and the mouthfeel and you’re now talking about the overall flavor of the substance. Read more…

Blonde Bombshells of Summer

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

By Carolyn Smagalski

June/July 2011

He sat back, fixated on that lean, bronze body – a little lighter than bronze, actually. His mind whirled, sucking in every detail of this glamorous sex object, beaded up with sweat and wrapped in a fluffy white swirl of the finest gossamer lace. Women wanted to be her, while men wanted to be with her. Gutsy, flirtatious and quenching. Crisp in the mouth, with a streak of danger that announced her rebellious and satiating nature, reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe, the classic bombshell blonde. Read more…

Secondary Fermentation

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

April/May 2011

Before they were brewers.

Christopher Walken tamed lions, Gwen Stefani whipped up blizzards at Dairy Queen, while Queen Latifah salted fries at Burger King. Jerry Seinfeld sold light bulbs over the phone. He’s now the world’s highest-grossing comedian.

Some of our favorite brewers were setting up sprinkler systems and inputting codes on Apple IIc’s before they got bit by the homebrewing bug and embraced the thrill of risk and reward by changing careers. They decided to turn a hobby into a paycheck. Or should I say, hopeful paycheck.

One of Philadelphia’s favorite breweries wouldn’t exist if Tom Baker didn’t pull the plug on his career in computer programming after 11 years and start Heavyweight in 1999. His wife Peggy, also a programmer, and Baker closed Heavyweight in New Jersey and opened Mt. Airy’s Earth Bread + Brewery in September of 2008. Read more…

From Intercourse to Climax

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

By Carolyn Smagalski

February/March 2011

Take a titillating journey of climactic proportions and arrive at beer euphoria.

In 2008, Nicole Courides had just graduated from Rider University in central New Jersey and thought Intercourse was something she wanted to share with more than a handful of colleagues. Public Relations were her forte. “I took a trip to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster County,” said Courides, “and fell in love with Intercourse.” Peppered with her journalistic creativity, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a love of beer, she founded Intercourse Brewing Company. As she stroked her plans, they firmed up; but she soon realized that “Intercourse was a dry town,” and she would need to move to the decadence of the cities to create her first foursome of beer – one with all the pleasures from Mount Joy Light to Bareville Pils, and onward to Paradise Pale and Blue Ball Porter. Her beer mats set the mood with such phrases as “Right now, I’m having Intercourse,” and “I’m ready for more Intercourse.” Read more…

A Year of Beer!

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading ...

December/January 2010-11

With 2010 coming to a close, Suzanne Woods takes us through the scene’s most memorable events.

January
The year was off to a good start. You could finally get your groceries and a growler to go. Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting, opened for business and houses the Cold Point Pub, serving beer as well as wine. A young man rescued 12 days after the Haiti earthquake that shook and crushed the poorest city in the Western Hemisphere, shares that he survived on beer and biscuits until his rescue. Read more…

Traversing (and Tweeting) Part II

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

By Suzanne Woods

August/September 2010

The beer scene of Michigan and beyond, continued.

DAY FOUR

We headed north to the Traverse City Beer Fest. This would be only the second festival in seven years in which I had been a guest without singing the song behind the booth for five hours. Traverse City is covered with breweries (and cherries). Right Brain, Shorts, another Blue Tractor, and now another Jolly Pumpkin Brewery and Distillery are there. It rained all day. It was quite cold. Usually, I am anti-flip flop. It was the first time all year I wore them. I was freezing and I was still feeling the wrath of the Hop Cat. They had a great rock-a-billy band with a lead singer that kept all the gents away from the beer booths for a while.

Traversing (and Tweeting) Part 1

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

By Suzanne Woods

June/July 2010

The beer scene of Michigan and beyond.

Besides day trips to New York, or work-related trips, I realized in August of last year I hadn’t taken a real vacation in five years. I decided to go to Michigan. Yes, Michigan. I had been enjoying the beers for years. I remember my first bottle of Bells Double Cream Stout at Ten Stone in 2004. I remember the first time I had ever heard of Aaron Morse’s blueberry stout out of Marshall.

Ladies of the Kettle

(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

By Suzanne Woods

April/May 2010

Starting women’s homebrew revolution, one batch at a time.

In The Naked Pint, Hallie Beaune and Christina Perozzi share, “In Medieval times, it was not unusual for the women to be the primary brewers of the household and town. In some cases even master brewers. The Brewers Guild formed and gained power after the 1300’s at which point women were then rarely allowed to be certified brewers.”

From Bar Keep to Key Keeper

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

By Suzanne Woods

February/March 2010

How familiar faces shaped our beer scene.

They were friends. Some were mentors. The elders were teaching the youngsters the ropes. The youngsters were teaching the elders not to be so jaded.

The barkeeps of the late 90s are the foundation of the great pub culture we have today. There’s a group now spread throughout the city running their own bars— but reflect back on a time when they were all working under one roof at Philly’s original beer bar. Khyber’s alumni include Marc Sonstein, Meghan Wright, Kurt Wunder, Casey Parker, Brendan Hartranft, Chris Morris and many more. On the other side of town, there were a few guys — Tom Peters, Fergie Carey and James Fernandez — keeping 15th Street lively. Read more…

BYO-Beer

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading ...

By Suzanne Woods

December/January 2009-10

Local BYOBs to pair your favorite food & brews.

I remember my first 750 ml. It was 2001. I was visiting a college friend for the first time in Boston. Denise had graduated a semester earlier than I. Craft beer on almost every corner in State College kept me as a Nittany for a semester longer than most of my peers. Thus, it had been some time since our last outing. She had already settled into her first post-grad job as a dietician in Beantown. She had an apartment in the city, and her new Boston friends. I felt intimidated or inferior somehow. But Denise knew I liked beer, and I was immediately comforted by her suggestion of going to Bukowskis, a divey beer bar. She said, “We’re going to drink a bottle of La Fin du Monde.” La what? We sit at a table and the server comes over to us with a big bottle that appeared to be wine. My-oh-my, what do we have here? She tells me the translation means “end of the world.” I appreciated the fun fact, but it was the beginning of a whole new one for me. Sharing a bottle of beer with her and her new companions that day imparted a sense of immediate community and kinship.

Philly Beer Scene