DBR’s Guide to Philly Beer Week 2016 – (June 3rd – June 12th)

philly-beer-week-pbw-400 As a stay at home dude that takes care of two kids and works a full time job, I naturally found myself with far too much time on my hands. Trying to fill the empty void of my days, I decided to go through every single Philly Beer Week event advertised to this point and figure out the best of the best. These are the ones that will rouse me off the couch to give-up my meaningless days soaking up bon-bons and day time soaps (my condolences if your old enough to understand the stereotypes I’m referencing).

My methodology was to focus on uncommon, rare or fantastical beers that aren’t your everyday drinkers. While taps taken over by Tröegs, Victory, Tired Hands and the avalanche of other great local brewers have their place, that stuff is practically flowing from the faucets around Philly.

This list is what I have up to May 24^thand will continue to evolve. While I limited my search to publicly announced events, I’m sure plenty of the best beer bars in town will hold back details in an effort to reward the regulars and surprise those lucky enough to stop in. Hopefully, I’ll be adding some of the missing biggies soon (my thirsty beer eyes are on YOU Capone’s, TJ’s and Strangeloves).

If you know of an event I missed, give me a heads-up and I’ll add it. Also, if you like your beer bourbon-barreled and don’t mind heading out of the city proper, it looks like June 10th is your best bet. Sour drinkers have a bunch of worthy events, but June 3rd and June 8th are made for you. Happy hunting!

June 3rd

Gose Gone Wild Event – 11:30am
- Brauhaus Schmitz (718 South Street) – 10 rare German Goses, the land that pioneered the style. It’s a gamble as there are no specifics, but you can hang out in worse places than a traditional beer hall brimming with the best of German imports.
- Sour Beer Event – 12:00pm
  - Bottle Bar East (1308 Frankford Ave) – Another vague event lacking specific beers, but more than 16 taps of sour beer is practically guaranteed to have something worthwhile.
- Sour Flight & Bottle – 5:00pm
  - BeerLOVE (714 S. 4^th Street) – Yet another sour event, but the opening day is dominated with Kick the Keg events to make way for the Beer Week beers to flow. This one has at least a list of breweries.
- Bullfrog Tap Takeover – 7:00pm
  - Jon’s Bar and Grille – (300 South Street) – While Bullfrog is local, this is worth noting as several Grrz will be on tap, which is a barrel-aged sour that regularly goes for $40ish a bottle. I enjoy Grrz, but can’t say any I’ve had have been quite worth that cost, so what better way than tasting by the glass.
June 4th
- Firestone Walker Brunch – 11:30am
  - Fergie’s Pub (1400 Ramada Dr.) – The worth here is probably questionable in the Philly area where Firestone makes a decent showing. For those that don’t get it often, this is worth it for the Bretta Rose and Sucaba alone.
- Dinner with Weyerbacher – 6:00pm
  - The Industry (1401 E Moyamensing Ave) – Another local brewery event, but day two is a little thin on events and the Woodford Reserve Insanity is worth trying.
June 5th
- Nothing new of note, but most of the events from the 3^rd and 4^th continue.
June 6th
- Kane Tap Takeover – 11:00am
  - Uno Pizzeria – Hamilton NJ (225 Sloan Ave) – Odd location, but plenty of beers to make this worthwhile. Just north of Trenton makes this a haul for Philadelph-ites and questionable to include in a “Philly Beer Week”, but the taps are intriguing enough make this worth hitting.
- Lost Abbey/Port Takeover – 5:00pm
  - Jon’s Bar and Grille (300 South Street) – Co-founder and brewer Tomme Arthur will be in attendance for this pretty extensive taplist.
- Omme’Gash is’t Alla’gang – 5:00pm
  - Good Dog (224 S 15^th St) – Great bar that always has some goodies stashed. Even if only a few of these beers tickle your liver, there are bound to be a few bottles on hand worth a try.
- Founder’s Dinner – 8:00pm
  - South Philly Tap Room (1509 Mifflin St) – Whether it is worth the $100 buy in for a multi-course dinner is up to you, but plenty to like for Founder’s fans. I’d avoid that Mango Magnifico at all costs though.
June 7th
- The Maine Event – 11:00am
  - Uno Pizzeria – Hamilton NJ (225 Sloan Ave) – Again, pretty far out from Philly to be easily accessible, but if you don’t mind traveling or are already out that way, a slew of good beers from two of Maine’s best, Maine Beer Co. and Allagash.
- Too Many Cooks Beer Dinner – 6:30pm
  - Sancho Pistola’s (19 E Girald Ave) – Another pricey beer pairing dinner at $125, but I would absolutely be there if I was able. 9 chefs, 9 courses, and 9 beers. Pre-purchase tickets via email (caseywayneparker@gmail.com) or phone (267-324-3530).
June 8th
- A Handful of New Beers – 11:30am
  - Brauhaus Schmitz (718 South St) – If you’re adventurous and don’t mind taking a shot on 5 random German beers, I can think of a worse way to spend your lunch hour.
- Get Your Pucker On – 12:00pm
  - Bainbridge Street Barrel House (625 S 6^th St) – While lite on specific beers, there are several unique and quite expensive sour brewers that are worth stopping in.
- Firestone Walker Tap Takover – 7:00pm
  - Good Dog (224 S 15^th St) – This is one that would get my sour drinking ass off the couch as I’ve been wanting to try Firestone’s sours for quite some time. With minor effort, I’ve had two, but never this many at one location. For those that attend, I’m totally jelly.
June 9th
- 2-2-2 Firestone Walker – 3:00 – 5:00pm
  - Teresa’s Next Door (124 N Wayne Ave) – Wait, $2 pours of Parabola? Kids love road trips, right?
- Bell’s BBQ – 5:00pm
  - American Sardine Bar (1800 Federal St) – I wasn’t even aware that an alternate version of Hopslam existed. Rare Bell’s and BBQ? Just might have to head into the city after that Parabola.
- Jack’s Abby Takeover/Cornhole – 7:00pm
  - Jon’s Bar and Grille (300 South Street) – Not really a spectacular beer list, but enough that people new to Jack’s Abby may want to mosey in and get a nice variety of styles.
June 10th
- Big Wood Annual Tap Takeover – 11:00am
  - Uno Pizzeria – Hamilton NJ (225 Sloan Ave) – I don’t know what is going on at the Uno franchise in Hamilton NJ, but they are absolutely killing it. If only it wasn’t so far…or near Trenton.
- Best Dark Beers of the World – 11:00am
  - Via Marconi Pizza Pub (190 Forty Foot Road) – From the events listed so far, this is the one that gets my black, bourbon soaked heart to keep squeezing that blood through my system.
June 11th
- NJ Only – 11:00am
  - Uno Pizzeria – Hamilton NJ (225 Sloan Ave) – A tour of NJ Beers are one location. Why not.
- All Day Wood – 11:00am
  - Strangelove’s (216 South 11th St) – The list of Strangelove’s events is up, but the draft list is still pending. Chances are this is going to be a quality event.
    - Beers: Wood aged and sour beers

IPA Day – 12:00pm
- Taproom on 19th (2400 South 19^th St) – Another so very vague event, but the lack of advertised high profile Philly Beer Week IPAs has forced me into including this hail mary. Not sure if there is a precedent for this event, but could be worth stopping by.
  - Beers: IPAs of some sort

Barrel-Aged and Big Beer – 12:00pm
- Bainbridge Street Barrel House (625 South 6^th St) – A mix of regular and eclectic breweries might make this an event worth attending. I’m reaching here.
  - Beers: Anderson Valley / Hardywood / Lakefront / Weird Beard / Cloudwater

June 12th

Nothing new of note, but most of the events from the 10^th and 11^th continue.

New Additions

All Day Wood – June 11th- 11:00am
- Strangelove’s (216 South 11th St) – The list of Strangelove’s is up, but the draft list is still pending. Chances are this is going to be a quality event.
  - Beers: Wood aged and sour beers

KBS Draft Vertical ’12-’16 – June 4th- 12:00pm
- Capone’s (224 E Germantown Pike) – If you like KBS, well here ya go.
  - Beers: KBS 2012 / KBS 2013 / KBS 2014 / KBS 2015 / KBS 2016

IPA Draft War – June 9th- 12:00pm
- Capone’s (224 E Germantown Pike) – Nothing specifically stellar (Elder?), but sometimes sheer quantity should be celebrated.
  - Beers: Port – Citrus & Piney / Green Flash – Imperial IPA / Alpine – Hoppy Birthday / Alpine – Nelson / Sixpoint – Puff / RR – Blind Pig / RR – Pliny the Elder / Dogfish – Alternate Take / Sierra Nevada – Hoptimum / Great Lakes – Chill Wave / Firestone Walker – Double Jack / Heavy Seas – Double Cannon / Port – Glenn Pain in the Ass / Stone – Delicious / Drakes – Hopocolpyse Blood Orange / Epic – Mosaic / Bear Republic – Mach 10 / Bear Republic – Hop Shovel / Left Coast – Hop Juice / Funk – Citrus / Captain Lawrence – Cutting Glass / Free Will – Kragle / Gigantic IPA / Avery – Maharaja

Sour Draft Event – June 10th- 12:00pm
- Capone’s (224 E Germantown Pike) – A couple goodies and semi-rare sours here.
  - Beers: RR – Supplication / RR – Consecration / Lost Abbey – Cuvee De Tomme / Lost Abbey – Red Poppy / Boon – Oude Kriek / Bear Republic – Cuvee De Bubba / Goose Island – Halai / Mikkeller – Spotan Watermeleon / Wakefield – Stush Pineapple Habenaro / Wicked Weed – La Bonte Fig / Free Will – Beer Week (When Doves Cry)

Bourbon Barrel – June 11th- 12:00pm
- Capone’s (224 E Germantown Pike) – Rather less than great, especially for Capone’s. Given the brevity of this list, I’m guessing that there may be a few surprises.
  - Beers: Allagash – Curiex / Deschutes – Abyss / Boaks – Wooden Beanie / Breckenridge 25th – Rum Barrel / Founders – KBS 2016 / Laughing Dog – Dog Father / Flying Dog – Gonzo Barrel Aged / Hoppin Frog – Colorado Whiskey Aged Boris / Port – Older Viscosity 2014

June 3rd

June 4th

June 5th

June 6th

June 7th

June 8th

June 9th

June 10th

June 11th

June 12th

New Additions

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