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I just attended one of my first beer events!

Today I’m headed to the Draught Horse Pub & Grill on Cecil B. Moore Ave, near Temple University. They’re hosting the Big Boozie Beer Bash featuring a ton of hard to find beers with most above 10% ABV. I’m looking forward to trying the Canadian Breakfast Stout from Founders Brewing. That has been a major white whale since I first found out about it. Sorry Philly, I’ve been looking to feature some of your beers but there are apparently none on the list. So I’m stuck with New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Dogfishhead, and Founders. What a shame. Got three samples for the cover charge. 1st one was the Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout. What a lovely, rich, smokey beer. 2nd sample was the Avery Tweak imperial stout. And for my third, I got Dogfishhead’s 120 Minute IPA. That’s been on my try-list for some time. If you want my full thoughts, follow my Untappd. They were all amazing. It’s a pity that this event didn’t get as full as I would have thought. I spoke with the manager and he men...
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Beer Events

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This past weekend, the Kimmel Center for the Arts hosted The Brewer's Plate festival which brings breweries, distilleries, wineries and chefs/restaurants from around the region together in a setting that focuses on pairing food with alcohol. The event featured brews from a plethora of local breweries including 2SP Brewing, 2nd Story Brewing Co., Evil Genius Brewing Co., Philadelphia Brewing Co., Yards Brewing Co. and many more. Food came from local Philadelphia establishments such as Bar Hygge, City Tap House, Iron Hill Brewery, Sancho Pistola's and more. Tickets were available for $50-65 dollars and the event went on throughout Friday evening.
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Good Bar and Brews Eats

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Brew pubs and breweries, especially in Philadelphia, have a reputation for serving up classic bar food. Most places have their standards like wings, burgers and pizzas but Kraftwork  in Fishtown has a menu that is diverse and fresh. I got the Kraftwork Burger with Toasted Garlic-Herb Fries and a salad. The other meal pictured is their Banh Mi with Roasted Pork Belly sandwich. The burger was juicy and delicious and paired well with their brews on draft. They have an extensive draft list that draws from local breweries like Yards, Victory and Vault, as well as favorites from around the US like Founders and Avery.
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Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Color of Beer - Color of Philly

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What's one thing that you automatically associate with certain beers? Well, it's really the first thing you see when you get something on draught or pour yourself a can or bottle. The color of beer can change drastically depending on the style and the ingredients. This was an IPA (right) from Earth Bread + Brewery  , and it was good, not too hoppy and kind of floral. But notice the color. It's a light golden color, with yellow and orange tones seeping through. Just like with other beers, its color gives you a hint about how it will drink. In my experience, lighter beers will drink lighter, with more fruity and floral flavors. IPA's can seek up on you with the hops though, make no mistake. There's still a bitterness lingering there, and this one was mild on the hops.  That's the thing about beer. In Philadelphia, there's so many breweries with different styles to try. Each different style will have its own natural color and that makes for a vibrant drin...
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Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Philadelphia Brewing History

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When I was at  Earth Bread + Brewery  in Mount Airy a couple of weeks ago, I saw some very cool historical posters of Philadelphia breweries circa late 1800's. It was super eye-opening to view the sheer amount of breweries open during the 1800's in Philly. The first poster lists 57 (57!) breweries scattered around the city in places like Fishtown, Brewerytown (fitting), and even around my college, Temple University. I was intrigued by this and I had to find out more. So I hit Temple's Paley Library and checked out a book called Philadelphia Beer : A Heady History of Brewing in the Cradle of Liberty by Rich Wagner. I highly recommend it, it's a very informative read. In it, Wagner takes you through the history of the brewing industry in Philly. He starts with the evolution of Philadelphia as a true brewing city, noting (most likely) that America's first porter, and first lager, were brewed in Northern Liberties. It's a great, comprehensive read on the history...
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Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Fellow Beer Nerds

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I met Chris when I was checking out 2nd Story Brewing Co. on Chestnut St. in Old City. Like me, Chris is a college student in Philadelphia who is psyched about the amazing beer scene in this city. I caught up with him as he enjoyed a Barn Burner, one of 2nd Story's seasonal brews, a winter warmer style with spices. He said he was excited about the variety of brews he's found in the city because he's recently gotten away from drinking the large, commercial breweries and gotten into craft stuff. I recommended he check out Evil Genius Brewing in Northern Liberties; they've got a crazy variety of everything from IPAs and ales to stouts and porters. Meeting like-minded people is one of the best things about this hobby. It seems that most people who go to breweries have a vested interest in beer, whether they're knowledgable or not. And if they're new to drinking craft, they want to learn about new styles and try new flavors. Thanks for the chat, Chris.
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Upcoming places to visit

This project is getting harder than I thought. Over the course of the last two weeks, I've researched and thought about all the breweries, brewpubs, and craft beer bars that Philadelphia has to offer and narrowed it down to a few. Luckily, I've been to some already. Philly Mag had compiled a list of the 2016 winners from the Great American Beer festival, which can be found here . Two emerging breweries that I will be trying are Evil Genius Brewing Co., over in Northern Liberties/Fishtown, and Crime & Punishment Brewing in Brewerytown (how fitting). Evil Genius has gotten some attention recently for inventive beer names, such as "New Phone, Who Dis?," a caramel macchiato porter, or "Bye Felicia," a passionfruit IPA. Crime & Punishment also has an interesting variety. I'm eager to try both, and see what these two Philadelphian breweries have to offer.
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Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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