The menu for the night with donuts donated by Krispy Kreme:

• Original Glazed Donut with PBC's Joe Porter in a classic breakfast staple inspired mash up
• Cinnamon Bun Donut with Yards' Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale
• Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut with Weyerbacher's Verboten, a Belgian style pale ale

The pours will be 8 oz. each with more on tap if you like what you're having.

Devil's Den has quickly become our new favorite neighborhood hangout. Why? They have an awesome beer list with 17 rotating taps and a gigantic bottle list. Happy Hour (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) means half off all drafts which normally range from $4 to $8. (Um, $2 to $4 for a really good beer? We are so there!) Their higher ABV brews get the 10.5 oz treatment. Also, it seems to be our demographic—seriously, every one in that bar seems to be in the same ten year age span— it's lively but no one is there to get hammered. The jukebox is usually rocking some awesome 90s music. The food is tasty and well portioned (except for the figs, don't get the measly figs!) with the giant cheese plate holding down the best deal spot so far from what we've sampled. Also, there's a fireplace!

The good people at Neff Associates, who have invited us to the event, suggest making a reservation to what they bill as Philly's first beer and donut pairing event. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. so there will be plenty of time at lunch, after work, before dinner, after dinner and before bed to come on by!

Devil's Den
1148 S. 11th Street @ Ellsworth
215.339.0855

We thought maybe we'd take a look at their special happy hour menu [above] and order an app or two to nibble with our drinks. Yet somehow we ended up having a full-blown meal at the bar after our man behind the bar, Kip, handed us the full dinner menu packed with seasonal delights. For drinks, Picky ordered up his prized Bitches Brew (a steal at $6/glass for the 5p – 7p happy hour) and Messy left herself in the hands of Kip who suggested a Corpse Reviver #2 as a pick-me-up (gin, cointreau, lillet, lemon, absinthe, $11). By the time we finished our first round, the management had to send a server outside to serve as doorman as the space was at capacity. Everyone wanted a piece of the Dogfish + Southwark action. We got there just in time.

Picky ordered up the chicken liver terrine with beer bread [$5 happy hour special menu]; he's become a fiend for anything offal-y in the past two years. Dollops of vinegary whole grain mustard adorned the plate. The whole grains were a strong textural complement for the medium-rare, soft (but deliciously heavy in taste!) liver.

Messy went with a tried and true favorite, the roasted potatoes with fresh herbs and roasted garlic aioli [$6], which always make us happy. Chef Sheri never skimps on the accompanying dips— you never need to ask for a second one and if you don't feel like you need it, nobody's holding a gun to your head, so put it aside. After Messy was finished with her cocktail, Kip offered up a delicately rose-tinted Pinot Gris (Prentice "Ramato" 2008 Victoria, Australia). The color comes from the skins being left on the grapes after pressing for awhile to meld with the juice, Kip informed us as he gave Messy a taste.

Red and gold beet carpaccio and ricotta fritters with gigante bean and lettuce salad [$19].

It's just not right to pass up ribs with a bourbon mustard glazed baby back ribs, kidney bean and potato salad, spicy greens [$23], right? That's exactly what Picky thought. A delicious crispy exterior with a just too dry interior. Picky likes his ribs super succulent (but not just sauced). He wasn't complaining though. He was too busy licking his fingers to sip down the mocha-scented, rich Brew. Some say that the summer is not the time for a Russian imperial stout; Picky licks his thumb at thee.

Post carnage: Picky's a good eater.

Dessert was a difficult choice. The always awesome homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich with homemade chocolate shortbread cookie [see here] was on the menu, but so was a ginger pound cake with lavender caramel [$7], strawberry-rhubarb profiterole with fresh whipped cream [$10] and then their homemade ice cream offering of strawberry and peanut butter swirl [$6]. After some guidance by George, the GM and barman as you can see up top, we settled on the ice cream. Another Bitches Brew was needed to round out the night and what a perfect pairing with ice cream! (Normally, we would have ordered up more cocktails, like Picky's favorite Old Fashioned in town, but it was a special night for a special brew, which will hopefully see the light of day once again in the future!) As the sundae glass made its way over to us, one of the servers, Laurie, said she was a fan and thought it tasted like a PB&J. Spot on. It was like an ice cream PB&J, but not like anything you grew up with. The hunks of peanut butter didn't swirl uniformly, but it left for delicious chunks at odd bites amidst mouthfuls of creamy vanilla bean caviar-speckled ice cream.

Sheri came out to say hello and we gushed over the awesomeness of the ice cream (and everything else we gobbled up). By 7.15p, the happy hour was over and there was some breathing room at the bar once more. Sheri said it was a nice beer week with a bunch of special events. We heard the Country Time pork night went well Thursday night and PBC night was a packed house the night before.

And here are two of the hardest working people in Philly, Sheri and Kip Waide taking a breather after the rush. Kip's old boss, Fergie, was at the bar having a few brews with the Dogfish Head crew along with Curt from Nodding Head. As chance would have it, we sit in these seats at the end of the bar pretty much every time we're here. It's a great place to observe the inside workings of the restaurant, and a great place to say hi to all the folks who stop by. Picky had to introduce himself to Dogfish's Wendy, whom he followed around, event after event, for the week. After nearly three hours at the bar, we took off for home, fully stuffed after a fantastic meal with the added flair and madness of Beer Week added onto it. It being mid-June, it was still light outside, which made the night that much more awesome.

Southwark
701 S. 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215.238.1888
Food: Tu-Th: 5.30p-10.30p
F-Sa: 5.30p-11.30p
Su: 11a-5p
Bar: Tu-Sa: 5p-2a
M: Closed

Pics from Philly Beer Week 2011

Inside were three samples of Dogfish. First up was the Festina Pêche paired with Andante Dairy's Largo, an aged triple cream. I overhead Zeke telling a taster that DiBruno is the only place you'll find Andante's selections east of the Mississippi. I'd love to get a piece of their Minuet which is a goat triple cream for Messy. Second was the Midas Touch and Midnight Moon from Cypress Grove in CA. Bringing up the caboose was a brew new to me: Sah'tea, a proto beer paired with what I think was Comté Marcel Petite. I'll let Dogfish explain this brew:

A modern update on a 9th century Finnish proto-beer.

Brewed with rye, we caramelize the wort with white hot river rocks, then ferment it with a German Weizen yeast. In addition to juniper berries foraged directly from the Finnish country-side we added a sort of tea made with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.

The spicing is subtle and balanced and Sahtea is a highly-quaffable, truly-unique brew with a full-mouth feel.

Even better, here's Sam from Dogfish explaining it all in this video:

And here it is being made with red hot rocks:

Pics from Philly Beer Week 2011

• Red & White
• Black & Blue
• Festina Pêche
• Namaste
• Bitches Brew
• Hellhound
• Worldwide Stout
• Burton Baton
• Sah'tea
• Paolo Santo
• 60 Minute IPA
• 75 Minute IPA Firkin

I've never seen that many Dogfish taps in my life. It was a beautiful sight. The people inside must have been happy too, because nobody was complaining about the crowd. It was packed tight. I weaved through the crowd with my small messenger bag on my back, saying sorry as I undoubtedly bumped people along the way to the bar. I got up there and the bartender pointed at me. I called out for the Bitches Brew right into the ear of a lady at the bar. I tapped her on the shoulder and apologized for having to yell in her ear. She said "no problem" and asked why "The Bitch" was such a popular drink that night. I told her about the story of the Bitches Brew and as I was telling it, several people reached over her to order their own glasses of it. She was intrigued. Good times.

As I sipped my Bitches Brew, I had tracks from Kind of Blue Sketches of Spain running through my head. I know, wrong album, but that's what was going through my head. Here's Miles in 1969 performing

Pics from Philly Beer Week 2011

And who came into Fergie's with the HOG? None other than my old co-worker from Philly Weekly Matt Satten. I took Matt's job as he moved onto full accounts on the sales team. I grabbed a shot of Matt with the HOG before I headed out. Matt's pose is way cooler than mine.

So, the 75 Minute IPA. I'm not beer connoisseur, but here are my thoughts… It's toasty, slightly chocolately with a mild citrus hop. I get a medium sour feel on the back of the tongue after the gulp, but it has a nutty finish. Delicious. Dogfish Head makes the only IPAs I can drink.

My final stop on Wednesday was at DiBruno 9th St where Ian and Zeke were grilling chicken, open face burgers and other goodies outside. I'm not sure what Ian put in my hand, but it was on a thick slab of rye with some Scharfe Maxx on top. Stoudt's Brewing Company was on hand pouring samples of their brews which the DiBruno gang were pairing with delicious shaves of cheese.

So, heatstroke. I went home to cool off. I stretched out on the couch, under the fan, to rest. Two hours later, I wake up and feel weird. I was most definitely not drunk, I've drank in the heat before and this wasn't the same feeling. I felt dizzy, my stomach was churning and I took my pulse—100bpm. Mind you, I was just lying down for two hours so there was no reason for my heart to be racing like that. My resting heart rate is around 65bpm. Messy came home with several quarts of thirst quenching beverage and I had an ice pack on my head and cold towel over my eyes for the night. All was well the next day, but oh man did that not feel good when it was all going down. I thought two beers would be fine in the heat, but I guess not that afternoon. You live and you learn. Stay hydrated and enjoy the last few days of Beer Week 2011!

Pics from Philly Beer Week 2011

There was one person who truly conquered the bull. The girl above rode the bull for something like 22 seconds.

I was talking to Foobooz's Art Etchells about mechanical bull riding and the one time he did it in Arizona while out for a Birds v Cards game years ago. He said he was on it and got bucked hard just shot of 8 seconds. His pain did get him and his friends drinks. His lady, the First Lady of Yelp, came through with some headbands and he channeled some inner Hulkamania and got up on the beast.

He grabbed the Hammer of Glory before facing his doom.

He charged onto the bull like a pro.

And got tossed like a champ. "You shoudda seen me in Arizona" he later said.

Beer Week!

Pics from Philly Beer Week 2011

There were bloggers aplenty up in there. You couldn't swing a dead lolcat without hitting a dozen in the head. They'd probably turn around with an angry look if you did that, but not before tweeting it . Always great to see each other instead of simply reading words on a screen. Unfortunately, Messy was held up at work and couldn't partake in the imbibing and in-real-life blogger meet-n-greet.

And the surprise of the night was Eric Berley from Franklin Fountain with his ice cream on wheels. He had a delicious batch of organic strawberry ice cream made with the wort from the Summer Love Ale. The ice cream was fantastic as always. It was fun to catch up with Eric in such a nice setting.

I got to chat up Brewmaster, Founder and President of Victory, Bill Covaleski, before heading home. He's a really nice guy who must be one of the busiest people around for the next week. He was gracious and in no hurry to move the conversation along. Bill, whatever you do, don't listen to my complaining about the hoppiness of your beer. I'm obviously stupid, crosseyed and just plain wrong given the crowds of fans you've amassed. You make beer lovers proud, myself included.

Pics from Philly Beer Week 2011

Victory is one of the big success stories in craft brewing in the area and the country and it's great to see their continued growth and success. We'll be there, chilling at The Four Seasons, during the 4p – 8p par-tay and hope to see you there too.

The Four Seasons Hotel
1 Logan Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 599-3837

We were treated to a flight of brews on tap. From right to left: ESA, General Washington's Tavern Porter, Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce Ale, Philly Pale Ale. They didn't have Picky's current Yards favorite, Brawler on tap. Messy, who is not a beer fan, had a Yards root beer instead. It was tasty: a little spicy, not too sweet, but sadly, also a little bit flat.

It was our first visit to the new tasting room and we saw that they had a nice big menu to order from. We were there for a potluck so we had our own food to nosh on, but the menu looked great. There is a great selection of mix-and-match grilled cheese sandwiches ($3), soups and other tasty treats.

The brewery itself is a sustainable beast. Read up more about it here. That gorgeous bar above is made from reclaimed bowling alley planks.

Here's a shot from the back of the bar towards the entrance (and there's the surprised co-worker at center). There's a wall of recycled booths with a really cool vinyl wallpaper of all the logos of Yards beers.

To the left is a really nice, 100-year-old, made in Philly pool table. It has real pockets, as in "8-ball, side pocket" and no ball return – old school.

Right, the tour. Here's a shot of what the Yards crew calls Yards One: the original kettle from which beer under the Yards label was made.

Here's Frank showing us where the malt is kept, right in the room to his right. When he opened up the doors, it smelled luscious. The whole tour could've been just that room and Picky, a malty beer lover, would've been happy.

Frank took a seat next to the keg filling line. He talked us through the assembly line process which has several steps to make sure everything's nice and clean and sterile for beer to flow into.

And here is a very cool experiment: barley wine being brewed in some oak whiskey barrels. Small batch stuff for sure, but we're sure it'll be worth the wait. No, we didn't get to try some.

Giant stainless steel kettles and tanks within which the proverbial magic happens.

Some more info on the brewery and the tasting room from the site:

Tour Hours:
Saturday: Noon – 4 pm
(Tours are on the hour. Last one begins at 3:00 pm.)

The Tasting Room is open for business, pleasure, and special events. From floor to ceiling, the entire room reflects our commitment to environmental sustainability. We have bar tops made from old bowling alley lanes, recycled booths and lighting, and a pool table built here in Philadelphia more than 100 years ago. Come say hello and have a pint, or two, and purchase six-packs, cases, and kegs.

Tasting Room Hours
Monday – Saturday: Noon – 7 pm
Sunday: Noon – 4 pm
For Special Events, please call 215.634.2600.

Brewery Facts:

• Pennsylvania's first 100% wind-powered brewery.
• Current production capacity of 12,000 barrels a year.
• Hot water collected and recycled whenever possible.
• All glass and cardboard recycled through the Pedal Co-Op.
• Grains and dregs donated to local farms as feed.
• Earthen clay walls in the Tasting Room.
• Floors made from recycled concrete and coated in SoyCrete sustainable compound.

Yards Brewing Company
901 N. Delaware Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215.634.2600