Philly Beer Week, Days 2 and 3

The first weekend of Philly Beer Week is over, and I made it through! I think I'm getting smarter about this whole drinking thing because I managed not to have a hangover at any point. So that only took about 20 years.

Anyway, what a great weekend it was! The weather couldn't have been better, and the events I went to couldn't have been more fun. Let's start with Saturday, or Day 2.

Day 2
After getting a very late start, I made it to The Pour House in Collingswood for lunch where they were having a Goose Island Tap Takeover. It was also the Haddon Pub Fest, but we didn't do any crawling. Finally made it in to Philly a little before 5 and headed straight to Varga where they were having their annual block party. Although it was late in the day (the event only went until about 6), we were still there in plenty of time for fun and good beer. There was a DJ spinning great music and everyone was just chilling out, enjoying the beautiful skies and light breeze. The block party ended and then it was a Great Lakes Tap Takeover event. Got to have some of the great beers from Great Lakes before heading to the next destination.

Devil's Den was next on our list. Although there wasn't anything in particular happening while we were there, we benefited from earlier events in the form of rare/new beers. I got a flight, which consisted of Ballast Point Even Keel (an amazing, tasty session beer that's only 3.7% ABV), Reprisal Centennial Red from 4 Hands Brewing, Belgian Tripel from Neshaminy Creek (really liking what these guys are doing!), and a Choco-Latte from Williamsburg AleWerks.

Our Beer Week adventures ended there, but the fun continued as we helped a friend celebrate his birthday.

Day 3

Sunday was another beautiful day. Unfortunately, I had to take John to the airport as he'll be in LA for the week for work. I was sad to drop him off, but luckily I had some Heady Topper from The Alchemist at Misconduct Tavern to look forward to. This was the first I've had of the Heady Topper; it was from a keg and it was honestly awesome. I've heard some say it's a strong rival against Pliny the Younger, and I agree with this sentiment! Next up was a Lavery Oak-aged Lipoard Oir, from Lavery Brewing, which even after the bitter bite of the Heady Topper still came through as a beautiful saison.

The artist at work

 The best part of Sunday was absolutely Mat Falco of Philly Beer Scene getting his head shaved by Casey Hughes. I believe Mat's been growing his hair for 2 years. To the left you can see what Casey had to work through. I don't even have the words to describe how much fun it was to see this happen.
Mat was a great sport, although more than once I'm sure he had to be wondering what he had gotten himself in to.

The end result

Casey did a nice job, although Mat may feel differently. You can see more photos here.

Next up was the Cirque de Sasion at Tapestry. This was a great event for kids and adults. There was face painting, live music provided by Slo & Shakey, men on stilts, hoola-hooping, and an amazing array of saisons. I had the Del Ducato Nuova Mattina. Delizioso!

Making my way north and east, I wound up at Standard Tap where they were having a scratch beer showdown between beer writers Lew Bryson and Jack Curtin. Both used Troeg's facility to brew their beers; Lew's was a Zwickel Licker and Jack offered a Biere de Grouche. It was essentially a dead heat, with Jack beating Lew by just three glasses. (I'll be honest. I didn't stay until the end and I just read online what the outcome was). Having tried both, I'd say they were both winners.

It was an epic weekend, followed by the need for a day off, which is why I won't be posting anything tomorrow about Day 4. My Day 4 consisted of lots of TV time and water. Back at it again tomorrow (Day 5) and am excited for what the night will bring.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Lyford.






                                                                                

Bella Vista Night at Brady's American Pub

This Thursday, December 16th is Bella Vista Night at Brady's American Pub in Feasterville. From 7 - 9 pm you can get special prices on Maduro Brown, Holiday Cheer and Obovoid on draft and Either, Or, Three French Hens, and Yulesmith in bottles. You'll also get free glassware.

Bella Vista is a specialty beer distributor in South Philly. They have some of the best (read: my favorite) beers including those from Ballast Point, The Bruery, Bavarian Barbarian, Sixpoint, Gritty's, and Cigar City.

Three Sheets to the Wind

Luckily, that title doesn't describe how I got last night. Rather, it was a celebration of Ballast Point beers at Sidecar Bar (and is also the name of Ballast Point's barleywine).

Regular readers of my blog know how much I love Ballast Point. Big Eye, Sculpin, Dorado - some of my favorite beers. Last night I got to try a few others, including the Three Sheets, Victory at Sea, and Sea Monster. I also had some great food: fish fry (I forgot how much I loved fried shrimp), mahi mahi tacos, and a margherita pizza. Sounds like I ate a ton, but all were shared around the table.

Three Sheets to the Wind is a barleywine, but it tasted unlike any other barleywine I've had before. It actually tasted more like an IPA. It had a very bitter finish. The other barleywines I've had have been much sweeter, more fruity. This was good, just not what I was expecting.

Victory at Sea is a coffee vanilla imperial porter. It's 10% but doesn't really taste that strong due to the nice balance between roasty coffee tastes, vanilla, and caramel malts. I really liked this one.

The Sea Monster Stout is (duh) a stout. A really, really good stout. Nice, thick, chocolatey, roasty goodness. I actually have a 22 oz bottle of this just waiting for me to drink it at home. Today would be a perfect day for it - snow on the ground, some snow still falling.

Sidecar Bar has a lot of great events coming up, so be sure to check out their site.

My Top 10 IPAs

The other day a friend challenged me to name my favorite IPA (and he's written about his top ten faves, too). In his defense, I'm sure he meant it as a question rather than a challenge, but it's so hard for me to pick my favorite that it feels like a challenge.

After much thought and some scientific calculations of ratings based on aroma, appearance, and taste (okay, kidding about that last part) I've come up with my list of my 10 favorites. I'll caveat it by saying that I obviously haven't tried every IPA out there (yet). And also, some of these may be double IPAs or whatever other category they fall in to, but I'm simplifying it - if it has IPA somewhere in the name or description, it counts. If I've written a review of it, I'm simply going to link to that. If not, I'll give a brief overview - and then thoroughly review it another time. Hey, if it's on the list, it should be on the blog.

10. Victory HopDevil
I've written about the Yakima Twilight, but not the HopDevil. This was one of the first hoppy beers I had, and I can still remember how much I enjoyed it. Victory Brewing is in Downingtown, PA and they produce some fantastic beers. The HopDevil uses American hops and German malts, producing a balanced taste that's not too overly bitter. It has a 6.7% ABV, making it easy to enjoy more than one.

9. Founders Centennial IPA
Hmm, I've written about the Founders Reds Rye, but not the Centennial IPA. I wonder if I've written about any of my favorite IPAs? (Kidding.) This is a really drinkable IPA - even though it does have a 7.2% ABV. It's not overly bitter (even though I enjoy that), but still has the nice hoppy flavor that I so love.

8. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
This is the beer I credit with turning me on to craft beer. And I've actually written about it! You can read my review here.

7. Stone IPA
Wait for it - I've written about the Stone Cali-Belgique IPA, but not the IPA. Wow. This is an eye-opening exercise. I apparently need to do a lot more writing! Anyway, the Stone IPA has a big hop presence, in the aroma, taste and bitterness. This is not an IPA for those that don't like their beers bitter - the hops will get you! But if you do like them, make sure you try this. 6.9% ABV. That makes it almost sessionable!

6. Bell's Two Hearted Ale
Um, right. So, I've written about the Bell's Oberon, but not the Bell's Two Hearted. I'm embarrassed for myself at this point. The Two Hearted is a good beer for hop heads. It's definitely got a hoppy bite to it, but it's balanced well with the malt. It's on the stronger side - 7.1% ABV, but still very drinkable.

5. Green Flash West Coast IPA
Another fave that I've actually reviewed! Green Flash is a fantastic brewery in San Diego, CA. You can read my review of the beer here.

4. Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
I've not only reviewed this beer here, I've sung it's praises to people near and far. It's a great beer that is a must-try for hop heads.

3. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA
I thought the trend was bucked, friends, but (for what I know is the last time) I have to admit that I've written about the Weyerbacher Winter Ale but not the Double Simcoe. Sigh. The Double Simcoe is fantastic. It's brewed using only Simcoe hops, which are known for their low "harshness" levels, allowing brewers to use a lot without creating a harsh-tasting beer. It comes in at 9% ABV, but is so flavorful you'll likely want more than one.

2. Russian River Pliny the Elder
Can't say enough good things about Pliny the Elder. It was one of the first beers I reviewed, and you can read it here. Piney, hoppy deliciousness in a glass.

1. Ballast Point Sculpin
All my internal battling about my favorite IPA has landed me here - the Ballast Point Sculpin. It's just amazing. As I wrote in my review, which you can read here, I'd live in a bottle of this beer if I could. Everything about it is just that good.

Whew, I'm thirsty! Writing about all this fabulousness has me questioning how long I'm going to be able to hold out on a drink today.

But tell me - what do you think of my list? What IPA do you think I'm missing? As I mentioned, I know there are a number of IPAs waiting for me to try them, so let me know your favorites that aren't listed. Doesn't necessarily mean I haven't tried them, but I'd like to hear.

Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale

There are some breweries that, in my mind, seem to be able to do no wrong. Yards, Ballast Point, Russian River are just a few that come to mind immediately. I'm adding Green Flash to that list. I love their West Coast IPA, and I can now add the Hop Head Red Ale to my list of favorites.

The name really tells you what you're getting with this beer. It's a red ale but so much more than just a red ale, as indicated by the addition of "hop head". It's a red ale for those people, like me, who love the hops.

The pour is what you would expect from a red ale - a nice, clear red.

According to the BJCP, the aroma for red ales should exhibit "low to moderate hop aroma from dry hopping or late kettle additions of American hop varieties. A citrusy hop character is common, but not required. Moderately low to moderately high maltiness balances and sometimes masks the hop presentation, and usually shows a moderate caramel character". And the aroma (and taste) is where the "hop head" of this beer really comes through. The smell of hops overrides that of the malt - it's just the way I like it, piney and citrusy.

The taste starts off hoppy, with some nice malt flavors coming in after. This definitely isn't what you would expect from a typical red ale. I guess that's why even the brewers beg the question "Is it red IPA?" I would answer emphatically and excitedly "yes!" followed by "give me another!"

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

It's been a bit since I've posted, but not because I haven't been drinking some great beers! I've been kind of busy with a few other projects, but that's really no excuse. The Phillies making the playoffs - and winning the NLDS! - has given me nothing but good reasons to head out almost daily and I was going to write about some of the different types of beers I've been trying. But I can't stop thinking about the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, so I'm going to have to go with that one.

I've written about the Ballast Point Big Eye IPA before (you can read it here), and Sculpin is - as I like to think of it - the big brother to the Big Eye. (They have another, bigger brother - the Dorado, but that's a review for another day. I'll just say if you see it, get it!)

I had the Sculpin the other night while watching the Phils take the NLDS (can you tell I'm excited about that?). I've had it before, and honestly, I could drink it everyday.

The smell of this beer can only be described as amazing. I want to jump in the bottle and live in there - that's how good it smells. It's all piney and citrusy and tropical-fruity. I would dab it on my wrists and wear it as perfume. (I think you get that I love the smell.)

Okay, so at some point you're going to want to stop smelling it and start tasting it, instead. And you won't be disappointed. This is a bitter beer (which, as we know, means nothing but goodness to me!). You can taste the citrus fruits right away - not surprising given the smell. It's all apricots, grapefruit, mango. But there's also just a enough of a malt taste (ever-so-slight) so you're not completely overwhelmed by the citrus. This is truly a phenomenal beer - and that might not even be a strong enough recommendation.

I just realized I didn't write about the color. Not that it's not beautiful - it is. A nice amber color out of the bottle. But for me the smell and taste is really what sets this apart from other IPAs.

Oh, and one last note - the ABV is only 7%! I know, I know. 7% is higher than a lot of other beers. But believe me, the taste on this will have you thinking it's much higher. I'm just thankful it's not, because I can definitely enjoy more than one (or at least the 22 oz. bottle I got served the other night) without worrying about the next morning.

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

Yummy!!

I thought I'd get right to the point with this one. What a great beer! The Big Eye IPA is brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego. (Side note - I'm going to San Diego in November for the Eagles/Chargers game and now know one place on my must-visit list!)

With an ABV of 7%, it's a bit on the stronger side, but, to me anyway, remains very drinkable.

The pour is a nice coppery orange. It smells as good as it tastes and looks - hoppy, citrusy, piney. Also a hint of caramel malt. The taste is great. Hoppy flavors that start off herbal and turn to citrus, but with a good malt flavor that helps balance the bitterness.

I've had this beer in my fridge for a couple of weeks now. I got it at Bella Vista Distributor when I bought a case of beer. They have an "exchange program" - buy a case and you can exchange one of the beers in the case for one that someone else has left behind from their case. Great idea and good way to try a new brew!