Philly Beer (and beyond) Tweetup

When I started writing this blog just over a year ago, I also joined Twitter. I quickly started following - and being followed by - a number of people as interested in beer as I am. Some are homebrewers, some are sales reps, some are bloggers, others just enjoy good beer. Regardless of where their interest (and future passions) lie, we all share a common bond in our love for craft brews.

So after a few months of tweeting back and forth, a few of us decided to (gasp!) meet in person. Needless to say, it was a huge amount of fun and we quickly decided to get more people together. The first "official" Philly Beer Tweetup took place at the end of April and was a huge success. (Okay, a lot of that was personal success in that I met the person I'm now dating there). Regardless, it was a fun day at Varga Bar in Philly, and we knew it was something we wanted to do again. Unfortunately, it took us several months to pull it together, but pull it together we did (or rather, Sarah did) and this past Saturday night saw around 20 Philly beer tweeps - plus one from Florida and two from New York - at Victory Brewing in Dowingtown.

It was a great night, with many fun brews consumed and lots of good food. Most importantly, there was a lot of great conversation - both beer and non-beer related. (For instance, I learned about the free (!) MapQuest app for my iPhone that saved me money on having to go out and buy a GPS unit for my car. Yes, the Maps app that comes with the phone is great, but the MapQuest app talks to you. Much easier than reading directions).

However, I digress.

There are a lot of fun pictures from the night, some of which are here and others that can be found at our resident photographer, Stephen's, Picasa Gallery. And then there's this cool video that Mike shot by putting his camera on the giant Lazy Susan in the center of our table. If you go to Victory and are at the Brewer's Table (as we were) I highly suggest you shoot a video like this yourself.

I'm definitely looking forward to another fun night with this great group of people - and others that I have yet to meet - soon!

My 10 in '10 - an update

I was thinking the other day that we're half way through August. Which means we're over half way through the year. I remember a bright-eyed blogger with the same name as me who wrote her resolutions for the new year in early January. I remember her saying she believed in the power of words, and wanting to make sure there was a chance she would accomplish all that she set out to do before she put it down in writing.

Alas, we're half way through the year and I can say that pretty sure I'm not quite half way through those resolutions. There's one that I'm just not going to be able to accomplish (I ran Broad Street, but most definitely did not set a PR). So I'm going to take a quick stock and see what I think I can do - and what I have done - before the end of the year.

Let's take a quick look at what I said I was going to do, and after, I'll write the chances of it happening:

1. Shoot some webcasts and post them: Okay, I don't have a video camera but I'm sure I have a friend or friends that do that would let me borrow one. There's a chance I'll get this done.

2. Blog more consistently: Since my typical lag between posts has been averaging about a month, I'm going to say that up until now I've fallen extremely short of this goal. But I can do better between now and the end of the year.

3. Volunteer: Well, I did do one day of volunteering. I helped out with the Reading Olympics. And I was very hung over when I did so. I give myself extra credit for that. However, there's more volunteering that could happen before the end of the year.

4. Travel: This one isn't looking so good. I'm hoping I can squeeze a trip in before the end of the year, but so far the farthest I've been from Philly since the new year is Jersey and that's just not the cool destination I had in mind (sorry, Jersey-ans!).

5. Take more advantage of what Philly has to offer: I feel pretty good about this one. I've been to the museum twice. I've gone to places I hadn't previously been to (and not just bars). I've participated in events I hadn't participated in before. Yes, I feel good about this one.

6. Learn how to do more with my Mac: Um, definitely not doing well with this one. But I'm confident I can do something - make a video or learn PhotoShop, something! - before 2011.

7. Spend more time with family and friends: Hmm. I think this one is going pretty well. I've been trying to not spend as much time on my phone when I'm out with friends, but I can say that having recently bought the iPhone (after having a BlackBerry for so many years) is not going to make this one any easier.

8. Run a 1/2 marathon and Broad Street and set a PR in both: As mentioned above, I ran Broad Street but didn't do well at all. There were extenuating circumstances that kept me from training as much as I should have, so we'll just leave it at that. Not sure if I'll get a 1/2 marathon in, but I'm hoping.

9. Try new beers: Yes, I've done this! Just recently I tried a strong ale that I was sure I was going to hate and realized I actually really, really liked it. I've also tried a couple of sours that have confirmed I don't quite like those. During Philly Beer Week I tried a number of Belgian beers that were quite delicious. And I'm sure I'm not done trying new ones quite yet.

10. Figure out what I can do in the beer industry: Well, I've got this one done! I even wrote "Work for a brewery?" and that's exactly what I'm doing. Plus I'm writing for some beer-related sites in addition to writing here.

Okay, so maybe I'm not in as bad a position as I thought I was . Still, it makes me feel good to go back and assess where I am and what I need to do for the rest of the year to make me feel like 2010 turned out the way I wanted it to when it was just starting.

Founders Devil Dancer

A beer review. It's only been - what? Two months or so since I wrote one? The thing is, I've said this before. I'm not so much reviewing beers as I am writing about their tastes. So if you haven't tried a beer and are wondering what it tastes like, you could easily check my blog and see. Of course I'm saying all this in justification of writing about a beer other than the ones I'm selling. It may sound defensive, but it's actually just explanation.

Founders is one of my favorite breweries. I really like the beers of theirs that I've had. Recently someone told me I had to try the Devil Dancer. It's a triple IPA, and it came so highly recommended that as soon as I saw it was available at Hawthorne's, I was there buying a bottle.

The pour is a amber orange. The smell is that of hops - piney and citrusy - which shouldn't be surprising given that it's dry-hopped with 10 hop varieties for 26 days. There are undertones of alcohol, as well, and some sweetness. What came through for me in the taste was a lot of the alcohol (the ABV is 12%, after all) and I think that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. I've had other big beers that don't taste as boozy as this one does. Although the taste was overwhelmingly that of alcohol, I also got some malt sweetness. It just didn't seem to balance it out as much as some other beers I've had.
This is definitely a bitter beer. While I usually don't mind bitterness, that, along with the big alcohol bite, resulted in my not enjoying it as much as I have other Founders beers I've had.

Devil Dancer is a seasonal beer. I may not consider it one of my go-to beers, but I've heard so much about it recently I knew it was something I wanted to try. A lot of other people really like this beer (see above: it came highly recommended) and you may want to grab a pint (or bottle) if you see it while you're out.

I'm a beer rep!

Sigh. I feel somewhat defeated when I sign in here and see how long it's been since I've posted anything. Over a month? There's just no excuse. But I'll make excuses anyway. Part of the reason is that I'm lazy (and honest!). Part is that I've been thinking I want to change up what I write about. Still write about beer (of course!) but in a different way. And I guess that's where I've been getting hung up.

Regardless, I'm writing right now with some great news. When I left my job as a marketing director back in the fall - 10 long months ago - I said I wanted to work in the beer industry. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do, but had an idea I would like to be a rep for a brewery. I started going out (well, I continued going out) and making friends with the people who worked in the industry. I didn't do it to get a job - I did it because they're cool people and I enjoyed hanging out with them. And, of course, I hoped that one day an opportunity would present itself.

That day came a couple of weeks ago. A guy, Rob DeMaria, that I met at an event at the Grey Lodge Pub in February who is opening a new brewery based out of Lansdale contacted me because he was looking for a sales rep. We met a couple of times, talked about the opportunity, and I decided it was the right choice for me. I am officially the first sales person for Prism Beer, and (I believe) the first employee! I'm so super excited about this. It's what I've been saying I wanted to do for months. The beer is really good. And I get to spend my days talking about something I really do enjoy. As they say, do something you love and you'll never work a day again in your life. So here's to me not ever working again.

Philly Beer Week 2010 - Days 5 - 8

Beer Week is drawing to a close, although there are still 2 good days left. What a week it's been! Yesterday was one of the best for me, but I'll get there in a minute.

After staying in Monday night, I was ready to go again on Tuesday. I started with a great event at Smokin' Bettys - Broads & Brews. It featured women owners and brewers from Stoudt's, Dock Street, Flying Fish, and Philadelphia Brewing Company. It was really interesting to meet all these great women, drink their beer (of course), and be able to talk to them about their start in the business.

From there I went to Zavino's Wine Bar (where they also serve beer). Although not part of PBW, I did drink some Dogfish Head. Ended the night at Varga Bar. I know I said before I'd write down all the beers that I had so I could correctly identify them, but I didn't do that at Varga and I honestly can't remember what I drank. I can, however, remember what I sang - a very mumbled version of "Wonderwall" and a very good version of "The Scientist". Suffice it to say it was a very fun night.

Wednesday was pretty devoid of any PBW festivities. I went to a BYO for dinner and had a Sierra Nevada Torpedo. After dinner went to McGillin's, which was the ending point for a bar crawl with local brewers that had been going on. I hadn't gone on the bar crawl, but was glad enough to be there when we were able to get pitchers of the Flying Fish Exit 6 (easily one of the favorite beers I got to try earlier in the week). Was there for the Flyers game, which while a great game, ultimately ended in a Flyers loss and the end of their Stanley Cup run. Still, made for a good evening.

I took Thursday off. Needed time to recharge my batteries. It was well worth it when I was able to go for a run Friday morning and get an early start.

As I mentioned earlier, Friday was a great day and I got to try some really different beers. I went to Monk's for their Belgian brewers lunch. I tried the St. Bernardus Abt 12, Abbaye Val-Dieu Grand Cru, and Brasserie des Rocs Grand Cru. All very different than what I typically drink and all very good. It was really interesting to meet the brewers, too. I love everyone from Belgium that I've met and it makes me more anxious to get there ASAP.

From Monk's, I went to Jose Pistolas for their Weyerbacher lunch (having not eaten at Monk's, it was time for some food). I had the Weyerbacher Verboten (loved!) and the Saison.

After I had my fill of chips and tacos, I headed over to Hawthorne's for a Brewdog meet-the-brewer event. What an event it turned out to be! I got to try two of the most extreme beers out there - the Tactical Nautical Penguin, which comes in at a whopping 32% ABV and the Sink the Bismarck, which comes in at... wait for it... 41% ABV!! I think this may be the strongest beer in the world. I only had a taste of each, but believe me, that's all I needed. I got to also try the Tokyo, which seemed fairly tame at just 18.2%, and the Punk IPA, whose 6% ABV hardly seems worth mentioning. Incredible beers from an incredible brewer.

The day didn't end there. Up next was Supper. Not a PBW event, but great happy hour specials got my attention. 1/2 priced apps (selected ones) and a 1/2 priced featured beer, which yesterday was the SlyFox Pikeland Pils. After a couple of those, headed over to Good Dog, where there was a kick-the-firkin (I think it was a firkin) competition being held. It was a SlyFox bitter vs. a Southampton beer (I don't remember which it was since I didn't have one, but I think that was a bitter as well). I believe my friend got the last SlyFox pour, handing them the win.

Whew! What a Friday! Actually, I wound up going to Continental after for some food, and then my night was officially over.

On tap today? Devil's Den at noon for the Franziskaner/Spaten lunch. Then off to watch the USA in the World Cup. Not sure what - if anything - will come after that, but it's a beautiful day here in Philly and I can only imagine fun times ahead.

Philly Beer Week 2010 - so far

Philly Beer Week kicked off last Friday. The name is a bit misleading in that it's actually 13 days, which only makes it better in my mind.
I've been looking forward to this week for a while now. Last year Beer Week was in March, and I was just getting in to beer so didn't make it to many events. I actually think I only went to one or two. I also know I wasn't trying anything new and exciting.

Not so this year. I went to Opening Tap, which is where the picture is from. Unfortunately I got there late, so missed the actual ceremonial tapping with the Hammer of Glory that I'm holding in my hand in the picture. Maybe next year. I had a great time walking around trying a bunch of beers from local brewers. Saturday saw me at Varga Bar for their block party. I was drinking Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale and Oskar Blues Gordon. I have to admit there were numerous other bars - and beers - after Varga, but because I didn't write the beers down, I don't know what they were.
*embarrassed* but that's just the way it goes sometimes.

Sunday I went to Tria where I had Hoevebrouwers Koekelaring. I'd never heard of it, and certainly can't pronounce it, but damn it was good! Best part was I got to talk with the brewers, a husband and wife team who brew in their home (the picture on the front of the Koekelaring is of their house). Super friendly and definitely know what they're doing when it comes to brewing beer.

From Tria I went to Good Dog for some Magic Hat Blind Faith, which was quite good. I ended the night at City Tap House with Deschutes. It was the first time Deschutes was available in Philadelphia, and the Hop Henge and Mirror Pond Pale Ale were both fantastic. Really looking forward to more of these beers in our area.

Tonight is Monday, and I'm taking a break. There are around 1,000 events taking place over the 13 days and I knew there was no way I would come close to making them all. Obviously. I'll be hitting up a few more tomorrow and will update the blog towards the end of the week with all the fabulous brews I got to try (since I'll be writing them down from here on out).

Founders Nemesis

I know, I know. It's been over a month since my last post. I don't even have a good excuse. Because believe me, I've been drinking plenty of good beers. Right now I'm at home, watching one of my favorite shows (Golden Girls. And if you haven't heard, Betty White is hosting SNL this Saturday. You better believe I'll be watching!), and drinking a Founders Nemesis. I'm having such a good night I wanted to write about it. So here I am.

I picked up the Nemesis a couple of months ago. I knew it was a rare find. Here's why: it's part of a limited-release beer series, of which the 2009 release is the first. Each year's release will be limited, and in whichever style head brewer Jeremy Kosmicki chooses.

The 2009 Nemesis is a maple bourbon barrel aged wheat wine. It comes in at 12% ABV (good thing I'm just having this one). The beer was aged for 9 months in barrels that were in the brewery's storage space 80 feet underground in a gypsum mine.

I have to say when I read the description I wasn't sure I would like it (maybe why I've waited so long to try it?), but it's far exceeded my expectations, and is only getting better as it's getting warmer.
The pour is a nice, hazy orange. The smell is of bourbon, maple, caramel, and vanilla. There's some fruitiness, and a lot of booze, which had me worried. I should have known better than to worry, though. Founders knows what they're doing, and I've never tasted a beer of theirs that I didn't like. Nemesis proves no different. The taste is smooth - a touch of bitterness, and a nice sweet, fruit taste as well. The alcohol is present in a burning sensation, but isn't overwhelming at all. As with the nose, maple and caramel are in there, too.

Overall I think this is a complex beer. It's a sipper, but a sipper that I want to more than sip. It's really, really smooth and delicious. It may not be to everyone's taste. Believe me, I get that. But I have to say I already can't wait to taste the 2010 release.