Winter’s over, and that means those springtime favorites are sprouting, and I don’t mean daffodils.
It’s bock time – the strong, dark lagers that were traditionally brewed in observance of Lent. Contrary to longstanding belief, bock is not the dregs from the bottom of the barrel. The hearty flavor and brownish color is mostly due to the use of darker … Read the rest
Buried in the shadows of a cold, dark beverage distributorship, a dusty, lost case of beer caught Mike McCracken’s sharp eye.
Others – thousands, maybe – had ambled past this spot without wasting a second glance. But McCracken recognized the label’s familiar lettering.
Could it be…?
He reached down and lifted the cardboard box.
McCracken had struck gold or, more … Read the rest
An Irish bar without Guinness Stout? That Erin-go-bragger with the fake brogue and the Notre Dame jacket would have you believe that’s the beer-drinking equivalent of St. Paddy’s Day without leprechauns.
But in a burgeoning protest that’s worth watching, a handful of shamrock publicans – upset over the brewing giant’s possible commercial interests in Philadelphia – insist they can be … Read the rest
Thank God, Brandon Greenwood’s brewing again.
The cantankerous zymurgist – a temporarily idled veteran of two local breweries – has spent the last year or so bending Joe Sixpack’s ear down at the corner pub, grumbling about the uneven state of beer in Philadelphia. Out of work and given to moments of pessimism, Greenwood even had me – the eternally … Read the rest
The thing about watching old Philadelphia die is you don’t know how to mourn the victim properly. The 140-year-old Schmidt’s brewery in Northern Liberties, for example.
The blighted facility was purchased last week; the new owner says he’ll level it.
That’s how we usually do things around here. Bury ’em and forget ’em.
Before Schmidt’s is gone forever, someone should … Read the rest
Super Bowl snacks – now there’s something you can get your teeth into.
You spend a few hours with drooling, 300-pound behemoths knocking heads, fighting for every inch of turf – well, it can get pretty nasty around the buffet table. Remember Michael Irvin’s nasty spinal compression a few months back? That was an afternoon tea party compared to the … Read the rest
Don’t ask for a bottle of Bud at the Standard Tap, Northern Liberties’ newest old tavern.
And forget about ordering a can of Yuengling, a quart of Coors or even a bottle of one those fancy-shmancy microbrews.
The bar – on the site of one of the city’s oldest taverns at 2nd and Poplar streets – sells only one kind … Read the rest