Yearly Archives: 1999

Sam Adams says ‘Uncle’

Forgive me if this sounds like an obituary, but. . .

Samuel Adams Brewhouse, the Center City brewpub that helped launch Philadelphia’s revived beer scene, will close next week. The second-floor pub, a familiar fixture on the funky 1500 block of Sansom Street, was just shy of 10 years old.

Its owner, David Mink, who operates the popular first-floor Sansom … Read the rest

Fill ‘er up: Vet vendor trims beer prices

The beer barons at the Vet have thrown in the towel.

After months of Daily News reports of price gouging and suds skimming, Veterans Stadium concessionaire Ogden Entertainment will announce today that it is trimming beer prices by 25 cents.

Better yet: it’s crushing its soggy, old paper cups and replacing them with larger, sturdier, plastic ones.

And, for the … Read the rest

That suds mustache was a ridiculous myth

It’s time to clear up a few myths about Joe Sixpack.

I am not Millennium Man.

I do not drive a cab.

I did not start that fight in the 700 Level of the Vet.

And, contrary to what you may have seen in People Paper advertisements for next week’s Third Annual Philadelphia’s Favorite Beer People’s Choice Awards, I never … Read the rest

Plastic seats, now plastic beer

 Veterans Stadium: Home of plastic seats, plastic grass and, for the first time ever, plastic beer.

Beer bottled not in glass but in plastic made its ballpark debut at yesterday’s home opener.

The synthetic suds – 16-ounce containers of Miller Lite – go for $5. That’s 25 cents more and three or more ounces fewer than the stadium’s draft brew.… Read the rest

Suburban pretzels a new twist at the ballpark

The beer was cold, the Phillies played tough and the fans even staged a first-class fistfight in the cheap seats.

A perfect day at the ballpark – except for some growing discontent over . . . the pretzels!

OK, this is not on the order of cheating fans out of a full cup of beer. But it turns out that … Read the rest

Nothing foul about the food

A perfect day at the Vet.

The only thing missing was the Phillies. They’re on the road – and won’t throw out the first pitch of the ’99 season at home until Monday afternoon.

But yesterday was nonetheless a day for high-fives on the artificial turf around home plate, as the South Philly stadium’s concessionaire spread out its new lineup … Read the rest

Price of a Phils ticket rises with pitchers’ ERA

The beer may be cheaper at the Vet this season, but tickets aren’t.

Despite its recent history of tepid, sub-.500 performances and a reduced payroll, the ’99 Phillies have jacked up ticket prices by more than 20 percent. As a result, it will cost an average of about $30 more this year to take a family of four to the … Read the rest

True madness is when a good brew is hard to find

One of these years, I’m going to get this March Madness thing right.

I don’t mean the NCAA brackets – I’m a terminal loser when it comes to predicting the winners. Each year, I bet the equivalent of my 401(k) on various pools – running the 64 teams through the office Pentium, researching the RPI rankings, playing bone-headed hunches – … Read the rest

Pub doesn’t bow to demands for the King of Beers

The Dawson Street Pub would be an otherwise anonymous neighborhood taproom on a secluded corner in the back streets of Manayunk if it weren’t for its phenomenal beer selection. More than 100 bottles of imports and micros supplement a heady selection of tap handles and three – count ’em, three – beer engines that draw from a steady rotation of … Read the rest

Miller plastic a pour substitute for glass?

Coming to a ballpark, deli, tavern or package store near you: plastic beer bottles.

That’s right – your favorite beverage soon will be packaged in the same material that more commonly encases root beer, toothpaste and crack cocaine. I can see the slick advertise-ments now, of plastic beers boasting the deep, rich taste of roasted malts, fresh hops and imported … Read the rest