Beer Appreciation Events & Reports
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Philly Craft Beer Fest, March 1, 2008
  Another 5000 beer fans attended the Philly Craft Beer Fest at the Navy Yard on Saturday March 1st. BeerAppreciation was there - handing out our beer "field guide" with information about beer styles, flavors, food pairings and local brands. While Shane worked the booth taking votes for "best beer" at the event, Peter spoke in the lecture area about the future of craft brewing. Special thanks to Patrick and his helpers from Triumph Brewing and Trevor and fine Lagunitas folks for keeping us sustained throughout the long day! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Whole Foods SuperBowl Beer Tasting, Devon, PA February 8, 2008 Brewtopia Beer Festival, New York City, I played the "Challenge the Beer Guy" game - seeing if the Brewtopia attendees could stump me on a beer question (no math! no physics!) Dogfish Head Intergalactic Bocce Tournament, Milton, Delaware, September 28 - 29, 2007 Our theme was the New England Patriots coaching staff ("If you can't win, cheat") though apparently we didn't cheat enough to get past the second round. Philly Craft Beer Fest, Philadelphia, PA, March 3, 2007 The winner was Magic Hat’s Vanilla Porter. Oskar Blue’s great Scotch Ale in a can, Old Chub, was a close second. BeerAppreciation LLC participated in the two of the largest U.S. beer events GABF was all you would expect, with reportedly over 40,000 attendees over four nights, hundreds of brewers and thousands of beers to sample. I participated on the brewer side thanks to the support of Manayunk Brewing and BeerAppreciation supporter Chris Firey. I had the pleasure of pouring tastes of Manayunk’s fine brews for hundreds of beer enthusiasts and others seeking different beers to drink, and hung out with the beer cognoscenti. The brewing community is a fraternity and of nice people, and brewers are proud of what they create. It was wonderful to see Philadelphia area brewers win a number of awards – Iron Hill, Mackenzie’s, Stewarts, Rock Bottom from King of Prussia, Bethlehem Brew Works and DogFish Head. I was surprised, though, to find that the brewers were generally not at their booths on the GABF floor; volunteers did most of the sample-pouring. In some cases they were prepped by the brewers, in other cases they had little knowledge of the beer or brewery they fronted. I also learned that the awards and tasting process can be a crap shoot. Assuming the beer is good, the difference between winning and losing depends on how the beer tasters feel at that moment. During the Alpha King tasting I witnessed a taster sniff his glass, throw his head back, wrinkle his face and say, “I taste cat urine,” while others reveled in the “fresh grapefruit.” Some tasters steadfastly ranked the sample based on how close the beer matched the definition of the style, regardless of whether they liked the beer. The Great American Beer Fest is something special to be part of. The spectacle and the total focus on beer is a great experience for all beer fans. If you can hook-up with a brewery that can spare you a pass, you can hang-out at brewer-only events, and that’s worth it for sure. Thanks again, Chris! If you attended this event, please send me your comments. The Brewtopia event at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan was another great experience, though decidedly different from the GABF. With BeerAppreciation associate Paul Leonard, I hosted a booth, The Brewtopia event was mostly a social event for New York City beer appreciators and attracted a younger crowd than did the GABF. The Philadelphia-area beer appreciator would find it worthwhile to attend Brewtopia for an evening next year. In the few moments I wasn’t staffing the booth, I wandered over to Dogfish Head to sample the 90 Minute IPA, to Legacy to for the Midnight Wit, and to the North Coast Brewing booth to taste their amazing “Thelonius Monk” Belgian ale. If you attended this event, please send me your comments . Lew Bryson’s lecture on “Pennsylvania Brewing” at Beer Appreciation Class Featured contributor to the Malt Advocate and Ale Street News and author of Pennsylvania Breweries guide, Lew enthralled the class with his stories about his active participation in the nation’s beer culture. He related how when he first finished his book, Pennsylvania Breweries, he vowed he would never write another book like it again. Now in its third printing, Pennsylvania Breweries has been joined by Lew’s successful books, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Breweries and New York Breweries. (Secret fact—Lew thinks that the quality of a brewery’s restrooms should be considered when rating the brewery experience, but his editors nixed the idea. “It really is important,” he explained earnestly.) Rich Wagner’s Beer Appreciation Class presentation on the History of Prohibition in Philadelphia Rich Wagner from Pennsylvania Brewery Historians gave a private lecture to the class on the heritage of brewing in the Philadelphia area, and how at least a few local breweries survived during the time of Prohibition. Some breweries switched to soft drinks or “non-alcoholic malt alternatives,” while other breweries closed and never reopened. Rich shared period photographs of the old breweries and period beer labels with references to alcohol crossed out. After a fascinating lecture, he joined the class for a tasting of some older style local brews including Victory Lager. Learn more about Rich and the Pennsylvania Brewery Historians at his website and catch one of his presentations at Yards Brewing and other local venues. Gullifty’s March Beer Menu Madness What happens when you combine Beer Appreciation, the NCAA basketball tournament and the Main Line's best bottle selection? The winning beers and contestants were announced at Gullifty's Elite 8 Beer Tasting Event on April 5. The tasting, hosted by yours truly, featured Chimay Red and Blue as well as Sam Smith’s Stout and Pilsner Urquel. The deserving winner was Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue). For full brackets, please see Beer Menu Madness Bracket link. Gullifty’s and Beer Appreciation plan on making it an annual event. Join us in February 2007! Tour and tasting with John Rehm at John Harvard’s Brew House in Wayne, Penn. The fall 2005 Beer Appreciation class had a memorable beer experience with John Rehm, brewmaster at John Harvard’s Brew House in Wayne, Penn. John toured the class through the brewery – from the mill room to the brewing tanks, the cold room and finally the fermenting tanks. He described the challenges of brewing a seemingly plain but high quality light American Lager (“there’s no where to hide any faults,”) and his passion for using only the freshest and purest ingredients including exotic imported malts and fresh fruit. John’s complex and tasty Alt Bier, which exemplifies his dedication to perfection, was recently awarded a gold medal at the Great American Beer Fest in Colorado. After the tour, our class was escorted back to the private room for a special tutored tasting of 10 (!) of John’s wonderful brews. Along with sipping the award winning Alt Bier, the class tasted apricot and pumpkin ales, a dry Irish stout, the ever reliable pale ale and his killer IPA, “Bitter Insanity.” John Harvard’s kitchen pitched in with some great food to keep us on an even keel throughout the tasting. John saved the best and most exotic for last — his cask conditioned wheat wine, a deceptively smooth but powerful (over 10% ABV) wheat beer brewed in the barley wine style. This very special beer will be available to the public at John Harvard’s in Wayne in January. John was a great host. In sharing his passion and knowledge with the Beer Appreciation class, he went above and beyond. Recently he has also begun brewing at John Harvard’s in Springfield, Penn. Contact him at mainlinebrewer@beer.com. John Rehm and John Harvard’s make remarkable freshly brewed beers accessible to all beer appreciators in the Philadelphia area. Thanks for everything and continued success, John! Class presentation by Chris Firey from Manayunk Brewery and Synergy Brewing For the fall 2005 semester, Beer Appreciation invited Chris and his assistant, Frank, to come to the class and talk about Chris’s successful career in beer, and the business of brewing and the beer industry. Chris is recognized as one of the brightest lights in the Philadelphia region brewing scene, with experience brewing at Victory Brewing Co. and now at the Manayunk Brewery. Chris traced his roots from home brewing to forming his own home brewing equipment store in the 1980s. He attended brewing school in California and became a brewmaster, then pursued a concept of creating a software and portal for brewers. He was eventually attracted to Victory Brewing in Downingtown because of their reputation for inventive and successful craft brewing, and his desire to learn more about running a brewery. After a couple of years there, eager to make more of his own recipes, he moved to Manayunk Brewery. He shared with the class the challenges of competing with the big, commercial breweries, and spoke of the camaraderie among craft brewers in our local area. Chris and Frank shared a few of their delicious brews with the class – including a stellar, wet hopped Harvest Ale, and fine dry pumpkin ale. The signature Schuylkill punch was consumed eagerly by the class as Chris talked about his new project – Synergy Brewing. Synergy Brewing will brew primary for restaurants and bars that want to sell their own branded custom brews. Chris already has letters of intent from a number of prospects, and recently purchased all the brewing equipment he needs from the defunct Valley Forge Brewery. Best of luck, Chris, on your new endeavor. Contact Chris at netzymurgy@yahoo.com . Beer Dinner at the Oakmont National Pub in Havertown, Penn. On June 28, another great matching of beers and food All had a great time as I gave away t-shirts and other beer paraphernalia to those who answered the beer trivia questions. The grand prize winner walked away with a wall-sized Young’s bar mirror. Brendan suggested that we may do another special beer dinner this fall. I will keep you updated.
Gullify’s 30th Anniversary Beer Fest Gullifty’s in Rosemont continued their anniversary celebration week of events with their first Beer Gaarten beer fest. The open tasting featured local brewers Victory, Sly Fox and Legacy; and local distributors Kunda, Gretz, InBev, Global Brewers and Diageo-Guinness. Steve German of Victory offered his now classic brews (and insights) from nearby Downingtown including Hop Devil and Golden Monkey. Tim Ohst of Sly Fox brought his Irish Stout and American Pale. Bill Moore of Legacy favored the crowd with their ultra-hoppy Triple H (“Heavy Handed Hops”). Some of the over 30 beers offered by the distributors to the happy crowd included Ommegang, Stoudts, Stella Artois, Smithwick’s, Fuller’s, Erdinger Weiss, Hoegaarden, and Chimay. More than 150 beer tasters enjoyed the warm breezes and delicious grilled food in Gullifty’s outdoor “beer gaarten” — including the first organized outdoor beer bottle ring toss. A check in the amount of $2,500, representing the proceeds of the event, was given to the Bryn Mawr Fire Company. Kudos to Gene Johnson and his daughter, Tiffany, for putting together such a classy event. Beer Appreciation helped organize the beers provided and distributed a tasting card to all participants, which included a list of available beers and a place to rate them for future reference. I thank all who participated and hope that this will become an annual event. See Gullifty’s web site for more information about this and other events plus photos. Tom Peter’s Belgian Beer Tasting at Beer Appreciation Class On March 31, 2005 Tom Peters graciously hosted a Belgian beer tasting for the Tom needs no introduction to knowledgeable beer fans. He is a leader in the beer culture of the Greater Philadelphia region and a world-renown expert in Belgian brews. He manages Monk’s Café, named by Michael Jackson, (a.k.a. the Beer Hunter) as one of the three best beer bars in the United States. Tom also works with the Nodding Head Brewery and the recently established Grace’s Tavern. He was named a Knight of the Brewery Mashstaff of Belgium for his accomplishments promoting Belgian beer in the U.S. Tom began the tasting with Monk’s Sour Ale, a Belgian sour beer he helped select for export to the U.S. when the highly regarded Rhodenbach became unavailable in the States. After regaling us with the history of lambic and sour beers, Tom served as a contrast the strong, golden Duvel ale. Did we know that when poured properly, the bottom of the robust and rocky head should exactly bisect the Duvel logo on the goblet glass? Or, that the glass was shaped to allow the lucky imbiber to sip the golden liquid right through the frothy Belgian lace? Well, we do now! Interesting stories and beer history followed as we tasted Saison Dupont, a farmhouse ale brewed at the brasserie Dupont much like it has been for decades; Westmalle Triple, the original and archetypal Belgian Trappist Triple style ale; and the malty, potent Rochefort 10. We cleared our palates with Italian bread, and then possibly fouled them with hunks of Chimay-washed Trappist cheese that beautifully complemented the Rochefort. Tom concluded with Lindeman’s Kriek Lambic, a sweet, fruity Belgian to which cherries are added during fermentation to balance the sourness of this spontaneously fermented ale. It was a wonderful class, and I thank Tom for his generosity and uniquely insightful remarks about some of the world’s greatest beers. As he left, he said, “Next time we should focus on one just Belgian style and really do it completely.” Next time…? We hope so! Manayunk Brewing Company Tour and Tasting with Brewmaster Chris Firey When Chris Firey and the Manayunk Brewing Company agreed to host the Beer Appreciation class, I hoped for something more in-depth than the average brewpub tour. Chris and Manayunk went over-the-top! They gave us an hour backstage in the brewery with Brewmaster Chris and included a complimentary special beer tasting and a food platter. Chris gave us a brewmaster’s in-depth view of every phase of the brewing process from the choice of recipes to the art of yeast management and carbonation control. He patiently explained why he chooses only imported grains and two-row over six-row grain exclusively, “The kernels are just meatier.” Did we know that boiling the wort at a slightly reduced temperature results in a beer that is drier and less malty? We do now! We were wowed by the information and delighted in tasting a nicely hopped Dunkel Weiss, a biting American Pale Ale and a well-balanced ESB. Chris left his position at the highly regarded Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown for the freedom to develop his own recipes. I especially enjoyed his seasonal feature barley wine—it’s a personal favorite. Thanks to Chris and Manayunk for their support and courtesy. And best wishes to Chris on his journey into marriage in May! Celtic Beer Dinner held March 29 On Tuesday, March 29, Annie's Café in Ardmore, PA held a Celtic beer dinner that featured pairings of beer and food from Ireland and Scotland. Participants thoroughly enjoyed the Celtic-inspired four-course dinner that was specially prepared by Chef Luke and beautifully presented. Each course was coupled with Irish and Scottish beers.
The menu featured: Lamb and barley broth paired with Harp Lager and McEwans IPA Black & white pudding over greens with bacon dressing paired with Smithwicks Irish Amber Ale and Bellhaven Scottish Ale A good time was had by all. Several diners took home packs of Beamish, Bellhaven and McEwans. I hope this event heralds a series of tasty tastings at Annie's. Ortino's Northside Belgian beer dinner On February 27, Ortino's Northside in Zieglersville, PA, held its first formal Belgian beer dinner. A sold-out crowd of 65 diners feasted on a five-course seasonal menu created by Ortino's Chef Dave. Each course was paired with draft Belgian specialty beers. The menu included stuffed pork loin with chocolate mole sauce made from Young's Chocolate Stout, Corsendonk whipped sweet potatoes and mussels steamed in garlic and Saison Dupont. A luscious white chocolate fudge torte with lambic frambois puree was prepared by John's wife, who is an exceptional dessert chef. I talked about the heritage of Belgian brewing and commented on each beer as it was served. A few lucky diners went home with a set of Chimay glasses, sweatshirts, Belgian beer gift packs and gift certificates. Renowned beer experts Lew Bryson and Jack Curtin were there and agreed it was an impressive affair. The event's beer roster is below. Hoegaarden—classic wit bier (45% wheat) with a hint of coriander Ortino's Northside is located just north of Schwenksville, PA on Route 29. It offers delicious food, spectacular desserts and a surprisingly wide selection of craft brews and Belgian specialty beers. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
this fall, the 
I also served as steward for the Alpha King beer tasting held at the 
dispensed beer lore, talked about ingredients, beer history and beer favorites with hundreds of New Yorkers and handed out tasting cards. While we disappointed a few visitors — “You don’t have any beer?” and my favorite, “You mean don’t make money off this?” — most enjoyed talking about beer, ingredients and culture. Restaurant owners and beer distributors asked how they could tap into the field of craft beer enthusiasts by hosting beer events. 
I had the opportunity to address attendees in the lecture area following Sam Calagione of 
Lew told the class that there is nothing wrong with tasting malt in your beer. “It’s not only the hops that make a good beer,” he said as he hosted a tasting of his most recent local favorite, Stegmaier Brewhouse Bock "Der Bockbier mit Tritt" (roughly translated: the Bock with kick). Lew then walked the class through a tasting of local pilsners including Sly Fox’s Pikeland Pils (in cans thanks to Matt Guyer, owner of The Beer Yard) and Victory’s Prima Pils. Keep up with Lew at his 
Rich read historical newspaper stories on how brewers tried to out-fox the Feds. Sometimes full beer trucks loaded only with water as a decoy were seized. At other times, local police “helped” local distribution using their police wagons. 
Gullifty's
I teamed-up with Gullifty’s to rank their beers for their daily beer pairing contests from February 28 through April 3. See my 
John met the class and ushered us to a private room for an introductory beer and a free flowing question and answer session. He talked of his education at nearby La Salle University and his attraction to brewing as “… the most fun and best job I could think of.”
Beer Appreciation class had the pleasure of visiting the 
was held at the 
Haverford Adult School Beer Appreciation class. He arrived with six Belgian beers, maps of Belgium with breweries identified, Duvel beer goblets and a supply of unique knowledge.
