Yearly Archives: 2002

Bankrupt Red Bell plans new digs in Manayunk

Last we checked, shares of Red Bell Brewing were trading for something like 2 cents apiece.

Then, the company went bankrupt, the president resigned and the brewery lost its license.

But a single share of Red Bell stock is worth more than ever . . . at least on eBay.

Last month, a single stock certificate – suitable for framing … Read the rest

Monk’s went to the monks for Philly’s first taste of Chimay drat

‘IN THE spirit of the monks,” Tom Peters, the devout co-owner of Center City’s Monk’s Cafe, was saying the other night, “I offer a toast to a vow of silence and celibacy…May none of you ever practice either.”

With that, Peters, his business partner Fergus Carey, and about 30 local beer-lovers downed America’s first glasses of Chimay on draft.

“Firsts” … Read the rest

Summertime beer-drinking tips

THE BVDs are officially sticking down there. It must be time to break out the light stuff.

Unfortunately for most beer drinkers, that means switching from Bud to Bud Light.

Look, if you’re that thirsty, grab it. But if you can make it past your friendly distributor’s 12-foot-high pyramid of discount 30-packs, I have a list for you:

 No-brainer

You’re … Read the rest

Proposals would leave keg-buyers over a barrel

THE BEER POLICE want your kegs.

They want to register your barrels, keep a record of what you drink, then hold you responsible for every last drop.

You know who I’m talking about: The nannies who think they know what’s best for us, the self-righteous killjoys who can’t stand to see anyone having fun, the do-gooders who want to eliminate … Read the rest

North Philly moonshiner blows up

THIS IS THE real Schuylkill Punch.

One-hundred-fifty-proof homemade hooch, the kind of serum that provides full-body anesthesia before removing the hair from your chest.

One sip is enough for a good jolt. A cup’ll put you down for the night.

Judging from the size of an illegal still discovered in a derelict North Philly garage, Philadelphia has a powerful taste … Read the rest

Yards moves to Kensington

THEY’RE brewing beer again in Kensington.

Forty years after the crusty neighborhood’s last brewery went belly-up, a small crew of devoted beermakers has returned to boil hops and bottle suds.

You can smell the malt from Frankford Avenue, just below Lehigh, where the towering brick smokestack marks the site of the old Weisbrod & Hess Oriental Brewery.

It’s the new … Read the rest

Ex-announcer Andy Musser speaking up for Anchor Steam

ANOTHER APRIL, another baseball season.

Andy Musser is downing a lunchtime brew, when I ask him if he misses it. The game, the players, the travel. The extra innings, the blow-outs, the 6-4-3. The chin music, the suicide squeeze, the inside-the-park home run. . .

The game.

“Baseball,” he says, “always meant a lot to me. I’ve always been a … Read the rest

Better beer through science

The world’s greatest scientists are still fiddling around with cold fusion, they’re stumped on cancer and, dammit, when are we going to get those jet packs we were promised?

But booze?

The brainiacs are all over that.

So far this century, inventors have come up with a self-chilling beer can, a beer that tastes like rum, a tap that can … Read the rest

It was a week for strong brews

“They’re not drinks you really want to go out and pound. . .unless you’re really stupid.” – Tony Forder, editor, Ale Street News

FORDER WAS referring to the selection of heavy-duty alcohol at the World’s Strongest Beers tasting at Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant a few nights back.

The event featured 10 beers, most more than 15 percent alcohol. (Bud … Read the rest

Sweet, fruity taste for young drinkers

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Booze-makers have perfected the first 100 percent gag-free alcohol, an intoxicating beverage completely disguised as a sweet, fruity soda pop.

And that has alcohol opponents crying foul.

They contain about 5 percent alcohol – about the same as a typical domestic beer – but you wouldn’t know it.

The new, hybrid drinks known as malternatives have no bitterness, as … Read the rest