Yearly Archives: 2003

The Inquirer’s foie gras hoagie is for the birds

IN A CITY of diverse tastes, I’m willing to accept almost anything on a hoagie. Ham, provolone, salami, hot peppers . . .

I’m even willing to concede that, suspect as it may seem, some individuals prefer mayonnaise instead of oil.

But no way should any of us be prepared to accept the abomination that was foisted upon readers recently in the pages of the Inquirer food section:

Georges Perrier’s Hoagie Francais . . . with foie gras.

And not just bourgeoise pate foie gras – the real stuff, 100 percent raw duck liver at 30 bucks a pound.

Yo, I’ve been known to sample authentic French cuisine on occasion, and I don ‘t mean fries. But on what planet are the Inquirer’s editors living in which they ever encountered bird organs on a hoagie?

That’s just offal!

A hoagie, after all, is the all-American lunch of the masses, a healthy, cheap, complete meal – meat, dairy, veggies – on a roll. A hoagie, first packed in the lunch buckets of Hog Island shipworkers, is at its essence a food for the working class.

Turning it into haute cuisine is a moral violation of the worst sort that, if not punished, should be met with severe mockery.

I’m not blaming Perrier. The guy’s a Frenchie. His whole world is truffles and caviar. He wears a beret. He really can’t be held accountable for bastardizing a deli sandwich.

Instead, my ire is aimed at the editors who, in attempting to upscale the hoagie, merely trivialize a beloved Philadelphia institution. Indeed, the paper included another ill-advised recipe for a lobster hoagie – as if tuna fish is somehow unworthy of its readers.

In the Inquirer’s defense, the paper does acknowledge that ” . . . Joe Sixpack will no doubt stick to his traditional Italian hoagie from Lee’s or some other favorite shop.”

Damn straight.

I rang up John Connell, a partner at Lee’s, and wondered what he thought about hoity-toity hoagies.

“In my experience, people are looking for the basics in a hoagie. Salami, cheese, capicola. Maybe turkey,” Connell said. “They want a normal hoagie, something like our Cheltenham, which has six meats and two cheeses for $5.80.

“I read that recipe, it looked like a pretty expensive product – probably in the $20 range.”

Guess again.

My rough estimate shows the cost of re-creating the Inquirer’s hoagie is a wallet-crushing $42.33.

The recipe claims it will make 2 or 3 servings, which would put this sandwich in the range of $14-$20 per person. But lemme ask you: When was the last time you actually split a hoagie?

The steep cost, though, is the least of its problems.

For one thing, it takes two days to make this hoagie.

But before that, you have to traipse all over town to find the ingredients.

Try putting your mitts on a bottle of sherry vinegar – not just prosaic red wine vinegar – at the Acme. Even DiBruno Bros. on 9th Street, a world-class imported specialties shop, hasn’t seen jambon de Francais (French ham) in weeks, thanks to high post-9/11 shipping costs.

You might be tempted to substitute Grey Poupon for the Pommery mustard. But if we’re sticking to the recipe, a single 17.5-ounce cork-sealed crock of authentic whole-grained Moutarde de Meaux (served at the tables of French kings since 1632) will set you back $18.95 (plus $7.95 shipping) on the Internet.

What a crock!

Purists will gripe that Perrier’s sandwich is served on a French baguette instead of a nice, fresh Italian roll. But folks, forget the bread; a hoagie recipe that calls for Swiss-made Gruyere cheese instead of provolone is more of a lost cause than the Inquirer’s suburban strategy.

And then there’s the foie gras.

The Inquirer, possibly worried about the fate of that flock of degenerate geese grazing the hell out of Fairmount Park, helpfully guides its readers to Caviar Assouline. At the city’s top-drawer gourmet shop, properly prepared French duck foie gras goes for $30 a pound.

A clerk advised me, though, that for a hoagie, I’d probably prefer the goose liver, which is fattier and “would probably taste better.”

I’m not sure about the taste, but at $29.50 a pound, I’d save 50 cents! That ‘s enough to buy a copy of tomorrow’s Inquirer, which no doubt will offer us recipes for another food atrocity.

Cheesesteaks tartare anyone

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At the Linc, you won’t find great local brews

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IF YOU’RE the kind of football fan who doesn’t care what kind of fizzy yellow beer is in your cup as long as there’s lots of it, you’re gonna love drinkin’ at the Lincoln.

Bud, Miller, Coors – the big three are everywhere, and they’re served in BIG cups. No more of the Vet’s questionably sized 18-ouncers; the standard Linc lager is a bladder-testing 24 ounces.

And it’s served in a sturdy plastic cup – no threat of soggy paper messes.

At $6 a draft, it’s also – believe it or not – one of the cheaper brews in the NFL.

With dozens more beer kiosks and concession stands than at the Vet, it’s hard to imagine anyone will have to wait in line for the stuff.

That’s the good news.

The bad: Continuing a trend in which the team has seemingly favored concession deals with out-of-towners, the Birds have all but turned their back on Philadelphia-area beer.

You can forget about finding locally made gems like Flying Fish or Manayunk. Even if the Eagles’ front office doesn’t know an ale from a water bucket, you’d think it would’ve occurred to one of those bozos that two of the area’s best beers – Yards and Victory – have names that were made for football.

Instead, the Linc’s idea of variety is sadly manifested by the fraudulently named Beers of the World kiosk. The lonely stand at the northeast corner of the stadium features such worldly classics as Coors Light and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

Seven-fifty will get you a 24-ounce can of Heineken or Amstel Light, which, considering the lack of water fountains, is a last-gasp thirst alternative. A frothy cup of Boddingtons Pub Ale at the same price is probably your better bet.

Meanwhile, the single biggest surprise at the stadium: no Yuengling.

Unless you’re lucky enough to put your fanny into one of those megabuck club seats, you can’t buy a cup of Pottsville’s finest at the Linc. Twelve-ounce bottles of Lager, at 6 bucks a pop, are available only in the members-only club concourse.

For me, the egregious absence of the city’s No. 1 draft is only worsened by the presence of Rolling Rock, made in (gasp!) Steelers country.

Look, it would be easy enough to say that the dearth of Philly beer is a sign that the Eagles are out of touch with their fans. But – given the litany of fan-unfriendly problems at the Linc (hoagies, water, handicap parking, seat selection, etc.) – that’s whipping a dead horse.

Instead, the beer selection is almost undoubtedly a function of million-dollar licensing deals.

Miller Brewing and Anheuser-Busch are both so-called founding partners at the stadium. Though the deals don’t give the two exclusive vending rights, they do give them the majority of the tap handles. Miller also got dibs on a party tent at the stadium entrance on Headhouse Plaza, and A-B got the mammoth bar at the northwest corner of the 100 Level.

Meanwhile, Coors is the new official beer sponsor of the NFL, so it’s getting a chunk of business, too.

Against that competition, the little guys can’t make the stadium draft.

Which is just plain wrong.

The Eagles soaked taxpayers for millions with promises that the Linc’s construction would benefit the region’s economy. And in the food concessions, the stadium actually does share the wealth with a few local vendors, like Termini Bros. and the Sang Kee restaurant. But with all due respect to the hundreds of local warehouse workers and truck drivers who deliver beer from St. Louis, I can’t think of a better way to help area business than by featuring the beer that is brewed right here in the Delaware Valley. Indeed, like the Eagles, many of these small local brewers have been the recipients of government loans and grants. Wouldn’t it be in the best interests of everyone if one huge, taxpayer-

financed entity (the stadium) helped out the others?

With scores of concession stands and big, heavy plastic cups, the Linc does a few things right. Given the improvement over the Vet, I doubt many fans will gripe.

Bottom line: More beer, less taste. And a waste of an opportunity.

Extra pints

Anheuser-Busch is running one of its Freshness Days at the Linc on opening day.

All 24-ounce cans of Budweiser and Bud Light will be packaged on Monday morning with a Born-On Date of Sept. 8, 2003. A-B’s Williamsburg, Va., plant will send us a trailerful of 24 pallets in time for the Eagles’ 9 p.m. kickoff against Tampa Bay.

* A bartender in the club concourse told me there’s a chance micros will be available in the high-priced seating area later this season, “but don’t hold your breath.” If you don’t have club tix, you’ll have to find a way to sneak in. (Hint: Look for unlocked doors off the staircase in the southwest corner.)

If they catch you, here’s what you’re missing: Foster’s Lager on tap, Guinness Stout in cans and Stella Artois, Sam Adams, Dos Equis, Harp, Corona, MGD and Labatt in bottles. There’s also whiskey and cannolis, but that’s another column.

* Looking for an out-of-the-way place at the Linc for some quiet contemplation? Head for the stadium’s MADD booth on the east side of the 100 Level concourse – it has to be the loneliest place in South Philadelphia. On my visit, it was manned by two volunteers who seemed to be wondering what they’d done wrong to be sentenced to stadium duty.

When I asked why MADD has a booth at a stadium full of beer-drinkers, they shrugged and handed me a bumper sticker:

“Impairment begins with the first drink.”

In my case, the advice was about three beers too late.

* The Eagles boast that the Linc has more bathrooms than the Vet, but my inspection shows they aren’t very beer-friendly.

The tops of the urinals are pitched, making it impossible to rest your beer while unzipping. You can balance your brew on the plumbing, but – lack of balance being an inherent adjunct to inebriation – that’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Let’s hear it for cup holders in the men’s rooms!

* I noted that Linc beer, at $6 for 24-ounce drafts, is one of the cheaper NFL beers. That works out to 25 cents an ounce.

Last year, according to Team Marketing Report, the average NFL beer was 28 cents an ounce.

The cheapest beer in the league: the Carolina Panthers, at $4.50 for a 24-ounce cup (19 cents an ounce). The steepest: the Meadowlands, at $6.25 for 16 ounces (39 cents an ounce). At that price, you could buy a bottle of Trappist-made Chimay Blue at the Six-Pack Store (7015 Roosevelt Blvd., Northeast).

Joe Sixpack, by Staff Writer Don Russell, was written this week with a bottle of Lancaster Milk Stout.

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Down with the malternatives

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SOME DAY, the beer gods willing, Americans will come to their senses and stop guzzling crappy malternatives.

You know, those clear, sweet, sodalike beverages named after hard liquor and favored by the fake ID crowd on Delaware Avenue. Ostensibly brewed with malt, they’re actually a mix of distilled alcohol and citrusy, sweet flavors.

Some day, everyone who has ever ordered one at the bar will wake up and realize they’re little more than, as George Hacker of the Center for Science in the Public Interest once wrote, “an alcohol-delivery system for the Pepsi generation.”

Don’t get me wrong. Joe Sixpack is not siding with finger-waving neo-prohibitionists. Hell, I think if you’re 18 – maybe even younger – you should have the right to drink a beer or wine with your family.

I’d just like to see malternatives – known in the industry as flavored malt beverages – wiped from the face of the earth because they rob valuable space on deli shelves from real beer.

You know: an adult beverage made with malt, yeast, hops and water. Not a science project in which every last vestige of the brew’s original ingredients has been stripped away and replaced with chemicals and flavoring agents.

The problem is, though FMBs have no apparent redeeming value, Americans – even responsible adult Americans – will continue to drink the stuff. That’s their right.

And that’s why I’m troubled by the alcohol rules being proposed in Washington.

The new rules stem largely from Prohibition-era laws that tax distilled alcohol (rum, vodka, whiskey, etc.) at a higher rate than beer.

As I revealed in a Daily News report last year, though FMBs largely contain distilled alcohol, they are taxed at the same rate as beer. That has allowed brewers to avoid millions in higher state and federal excise taxes.

For industry leader Smirnoff Ice, I estimated the tax savings at $80 million a year. According to the federal government, all but a handful of FMBs derive almost all of their alcohol from distilled spirits. That not only means lost taxes, it blurs the line between hard booze and beer. For example, though the networks ban TV ads for distilled spirits, they permit advertisements of malternatives. Meanwhile, states like Pennsylvania aren’t certain whether the stuff should be sold in liquor stores or delis.

Looking to establish new standards, the Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau is floating a pair of proposals to cap the amount of distilled spirits in malt beverages.

One measure, favored by much of the brewing industry and anti-alcohol groups, would limit the amount of distilled alcohol at just 0.5 percent of volume.

The other, backed by the largest FMB producers, would require that 51 percent – the majority – of the drink’s alcohol must be from malt fermentation.

“It all boils down to beer integrity,” said Daniel Bradford, president of the Brewers Association of America, which favors the stricter limit. “We need to make sure that beer is beer and spirits are spirits. FMBs are not beer.”

Victory Brewing’s Bill Covaleski agreed, writing in a letter supporting the rule that the Downingtown micro’s success is due partly to a “renewed commitment to traditional processes and beer styles.”

Some of the FMB makers fret that the 0.5 percent limit will mean the end of their $2.5 billion industry. They say it’s impossible for them to make a palatable product without distilled spirits.

“If the bar is raised, the taste profile is threatened, it could change the whole dynamic of the industry and lead to a shakeout,” says Gregory Altschuh of the Flavored Malt Beverage Coalition, which supports the 51 percent measure. Yet, the big three – Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors – support the stricter limit.

Altschuh says that’s because only the mega-brewers have the technological ability to produce a decent-tasting malternative without distilled spirits.

“Right now, four of the five biggest FMBs are produced by smaller brewers,” said Altschuh. Actually, they’re not all that small: Diageo, which makes Smirnoff Ice as well as Guinness Stout, had sales of $17 billion in 2003. But even at that size, Altschuh says that if the rules are changed, the smaller players will likely disappear.

The beer purist in me wants to agree with the craftbrewers. Like I said, I hate malternatives and wish they’d vanish. I was outraged last spring when distributors poured the junk at the Michael Jackson beer tasting at Penn. And there’s an A-B rep out in Denver who’s still wondering what hit him following my run-in over a bottle of Bacardi Silver being foisted upon unsuspecting patrons at the Great American Beer Festival.

But as a consumer, I don’t want the feds (with the support of breweries) big-footing an entire sector of the industry just because the booze was manufactured at a distillery.

I don’t see how FMBs challenge the integrity of real beer. One sip, and you know that Skyy Blue is not beer. And I strongly doubt that anyone who drinks Jack Daniel’s Original Hard Cola will ever sit down for a pint of Victory Golden Monkey.

Bottom line: Alcohol is alcohol. Maybe it’s time the laws reflected that reality and taxed everything – beer, wine, spirits – at the same rate.

One other thing: Small brewers should really think twice about siding with the likes of A-B on any issue involving money. If anything, the presence of FMBs is a sign of healthy competition. More choice is always better; wasn’t that the mantra of the microbrewing revolution?

But readers, I’m askin’ ya, please: Stop drinking that stuff. That’s the best way to make malternatives disappear.

Jukebox heroes

Joe Sixpack’s list of the 33 best jukebox hits drew a great response from readers, many of whom agreed with my No. 1 choice: the Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” The readers’ favorite was my No. 5 tune: “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

A few of you took me to task for missing several obvious songs. William Taylor 3rd of Philadelphia said, “I do not know what bars Joe may have been in, but the greatest bar song of all times was sung by the late and great Marvin Gaye: ‘Let’s Get it On.’ ”

Gina Novelli nominated Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay.” And Dave Eschleman of Downingtown said his No. 1 song is AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

“Miss American Pie” and “New York, New York” – both of which I excluded because they appeared on VH-1’s lame list of favorites – also got support.

Congrats to Jack Finnegan of Sewell, N.J.; Jerry Mazeika of Bensalem; and Jo Anne Tascione, Allen M. Simmons Sr. and William Taylor 3rd, all of Philadelphia. They won tix to last week’s disco show at the Wachovia Center.

Beer radar

Pottsville’s Yuengling is getting bigger every day. Now, the fifth-largest brewery in America, it recently moved into North Carolina. . . . It took 8,000 to 10,000 years of civilization, but China is now the No. 1 beer producer in the world. Agence France Presse reports the nation inched ahead of the United States last year for the first time, brewing about 40 million more gallons.

Calendar

Tonight: Brewers’ Reserve Night, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant (147 E. Main St., Media), with cask-conditioned ales from three Iron Hill locations and seven other area breweries. 7 p.m. No cover. 610-627-9000.

Tomorrow: Miller Lite Catfight Girls celebrity appearance at the Bayou (4245 Main St., Manayunk). To paraphrase the commercial, “Let’s make out!” 9:45 p.m. 215-482-2560. *

Joe Sixpack, by Staff Writer Don Russell, was written this week with a bottle of Hapkin Strong Golden Ale.

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Spot Removal: Eagles drop VIP parking at the Linc

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THE EAGLES, having thoroughly infuriated blue-collar fans with their ill-fated hoagie ban, are now taking on the bluebloods.
This time, the battlefield is VIP parking spaces, a commodity that in elite circles is every bit as valued as imported capicola.

Scores of fans who held treasured spots within a few steps of the Vet’s front gate have been told they’re on their own at the new Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles say they don’t have enough room for the old-timers. Only those who shelled out up to $300,000 for private suites are sure to get VIP parking spots, the Eagles said.

The result: ruffled feathers and a repeat of an increasingly common refrain that the Eagles don’t care about their oldest, most loyal fans.

Fans like Bobby Rydell, the pop singing legend and a Philadelphia icon.

Rydell said he’s held 14 seats for 35 years, since the the old Franklin Field days. He’s been with the Birds through thick and thin. He’s even sung the National Anthem before a game – “and never charged them a dime. ”

He coughed up the dough for seat licenses at the Linc, paid the full ticket price.

“All I want is one parking space, one stupid parking space,” Rydell said. “Nothing. ”

Councilman Frank Rizzo said he’s heard from plenty of other fans who have been told the same thing.

“I can’t do anything about it because it’s not a city-owned facility,” Rizzo said.

Louis Perry, a South Jersey mortgage broker, was one of those who contacted Rizzo for help. Perry’s late father, a former mayor of Somerdale, Camden County, got his VIP space from Rizzo’s dad, the ex-Philadelphia mayor.

“We’ve been parking there for 20 years,” Perry said, adding he paid about $150 for a spot just outside the stadium.

Now, he said, “I don’t even known if I’ll go this year, I’m so angry. ”

When he ordered his seats at the Linc, Perry said he was assured he’d get his spot at the new stadium. But when the tickets arrived in the mail, there was no parking pass.

It’s not just the VIPs who are miffed. Scores of fans who had previously purchased reserved parking at the Vet have been shut out. (The Eagles couldn’t provide exact numbers. )

Bob Andreacchio, of Medford, Burlington County, complained that he had paid the Eagles $18,000 for six seat licenses, but was denied reserved parking because he did not purchase more expensive club seats.

“To only allow reserved parking for club box owners is unfair,” said Andreacchio, who has held season tickets for seven years. “They built the stadium partially with my funds. The least they could say is I’m entitled to buy one parking spot. ”

Eagles spokesman Ron Howard said the problem is a lack of space.

The team, said Howard, controls only two parking lots, and those have fewer than 1,000 spots. Most of them will go to the suiteholders; a few of the more than 10,000 club seatholders also got VIP parking spots.

He said the team also leased spots west of 11th Street from the Wachovia Center. Those spots are reserved for club seatholders who purchased at least two tickets, and the news media.

“There are some fans who in the past, John Q. Season Ticketholder, who could buy VIP parking,” Howard said. “Well, we don’t have them available now, because they have been purchased by club seat holders. ”

As in Hoagiegate, the team expressed little sympathy for those who complain.

“I really don’t have an answer for you,” Howard said when asked what the team can offer longtime fans who are losing their spots. “We have new types of ticket packages that we didn’t have before, and with those ticket packages comes parking. ”

Rydell said, “I just don’t understand. It’s like the hoagie situation, it’s just kind of stupid . . .

“I can understand a certain amount [of spaces] for the people who bought the luxury boxes. I’m not looking for anything free – I’d pay.

“I’m just looking for one stupid parking space after being loyal for so many years. I’ve been all over the world. I talk to people about the Eagles wherever I go, being a faithful fan.

“I don’t understand it. ”

Said Perry: “It’s their attitude I don’t like.

“I doubt they’re making friends. They’ll make the money, but they’re making enemies, too.”

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NE Philly pol looking to outlaw hoagie ban

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BRINGING A hoagie to an Eagles game should be every fan’s right, according to a Northeast Philadelphia legislator.

State Rep. Michael P. McGeehan, a Democrat from Holmesburg, is gathering co-sponsors for a state law to block the Birds’ BYO food ban at the new Lincoln Financial Field.

Dubbed “Joe Sixpack’s Own Food Rights Act,” it already has more than 30 co-sponsors in the Legislature, McGeehan said yesterday.

“It just got under my skin,” he said of the team’s well-publicized hoagie ban. “The arrogance of team owners . . . They’re up here rattling their tin cup, looking for public funding for the darn [stadium], and part of their presentation was they wanted to provide family-oriented entertainment.

“Then, at the first opportunity, they want to gouge the very people they said they were representing.”

The hoagie ban has prompted a widespread outcry from fans across the region. Already, more than 1,500 people have signed a Daily News petition asking the Eagles to rescind the ban.

The team, though, has held fast, saying its BYO food prohibition is a necessary post-9/11 security measure.

McGeehan isn’t buying that.

“I’m mindful of security,” he said. “We’re going to be inconvenienced in our daily lives now when we enter public buildings. That’s unfortunately modern life after 9/11.

“But I can walk onto an airplane with a hoagie, I can walk into the state Capitol with a hoagie.”

The team’s security concerns, he said, are “a red herring for them to shut down one more avenue for people to save money.”

An Eagles spokesman had no comment on the measure.

McGeehan’s bill would prevent taxpayer-financed stadiums and sports arenas from banning outside food.

The Eagles received $150 million from the state to build the new stadium in South Philadelphia.

“They’re using Joe Sixpack’s tax dollars to fund that stadium, and then they ‘re sticking their finger right in his eye,” McGeehan said.

“This is an assault on the tradition of football. This isn’t the opera, this is a professional sport. It’s part of the game.”

Though Gov. Rendell has said he agrees with the ban, McGeehan said: “I know he’s a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan. When push comes to shove, he’s siding with the fans . . .

“There’s not a representative in Harrisburg who will side with the owners over the fans,” he continued. “This is all about making rich guys richer at the expense of the public and their tax dollars.

“All they want is pat in the skyboxes. They want the diamond crowd. They don ‘t want people from Tacony and Wissinoming and Mayfair, painting their faces.

“All they want is a polite golf clap and a $6 beer.

“I think this is all about gouging the public and getting every last dime from them. Unless we do something, they’ll get away with it.”

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Belgian wheat ale drawing a crowd

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IT’S NOT exactly the hot beer of summer ’03, but Hoegaarden Witbier is popping up on tap handles everywhere.

OK, it’s still outnumbered by Coors Light, 10 to 1. But in a world where factory-made thirst-quenchers dominate the scene, the appearance of a cloudy, Belgian-made wheat ale is a certified oddity. I’m seeing it in places where the most exotic label in the past might’ve been Heineken.

But here’s what’s really weird:

Casual beer drinkers – not just malt-obsessed geeks and freaks – are downing the stuff, left and right.

Normally, you couldn’t pry the Lite from their cold, stiff fingers. For these decidedly unadventurous guzzlers, the idea of drinking a Flemish ale is as foreign as eating a cheesesteak on a hot dog bun.

Yet suddenly, they’re gulping down glasses of dishwater-colored suds everywhere from Bishop’s Collar to Brasserie Perrier . . . and coming back for more.

Labatt USA, which distributes Hoegaarden, says Philadelphia and New York account for about half of the brand’s sales in America. “First of all, you have a more educated beer drinker in Philadelphia,” says Labatt exec Anthony Giardina, explaining its growing popularity. “Plus, there’s a huge Belgian awareness connected to the brand.”

Finally, there’s the beer itself.

“It has a flavor that is definitely a beer, but it doesn’t have the same overall taste of a lager,”

Giardina said.

This is heartening news, if only because it means meat-and-potatoes beer drinkers are finally discovering there’s more to summertime beer than Corona with a lime.

So, what is this stuff?

As I said, Hoegaarden Wit is made with wheat (mixed with equal parts of barley). That accounts for much of the cloudiness; wheat just doesn’t clean up like barley.

Further, it’s unfiltered. The sediment, a byproduct of yeast fermentation, is removed from other beers because most consumers think it’s undrinkable gunk.

Hoegaarden’s yeast esters produce subtle clove or banana aromas. But the more obvious flavors come from orange peel and coriander (and, some suspect, a secret third ingredient).

Though it’s trendy today, white beer certainly isn’t new. The style had been made in the Flemish town of Leuven for about half a millennium till it nearly disappeared in the 1950s.

In the mid-’60s, though, a milkman named Pierre Celis brought it back from the dead.

Abandoning the skim for a more potent white beverage, Celis established Browerij de Kluis (the Cloister Brewery) in honor of the town’s monastic breweries. There, he reformulated the traditional wit, producing a version that was immediately hailed by beer writer Michael Jackson and others as a welcome rebirth of one of Belgium’s traditional styles.

Through the ’70s and into the ’80s, the beer’s full, thirst-quenching flavor attracted fans across the region. In 1985, though, a fire destroyed the brewery and changed the beer.

Celis turned to Interbrew, the Belgian megabrewery, for support. The brewery was rebuilt, and the beer spread to America. But two years later, Celis turned over the facility to the big boys.

Celis would eventually cross the Atlantic and settle in Austin, Texas, where he produced his American version of Hoegaarden, Celis White. Over the next few years, it wasn’t hard to start an argument over which one of Pierre’s beers was better.

Then Celis sold out to Miller Brewing, and his American beer suffered a sad, painful death. (It’s now brewed in small batches by Michigan Brewing Co., but it hasn’t made its way this far east.)

Hoegaarden, meanwhile, continued to grow under Interbrew.

Critics have complained, rightly I think, that Hoegaarden isn’t the same without Celis. If anything, it’s almost gratuitously smooth. If Guinness Stout made a hot-weather beer, this would be it.

Still others complain that Hoegaarden’s best beers – a tripel called Grand Cru and a brown ale called De Verboden Vrucht (Forbidden Fruit) – aren’t exported to America.

But those are minor gripes. When the faucets are pouring nothing but palate-numbing blah-gers, a white ale served in that distinctive Hoegaarden tumbler is a minor miracle.

One last thing, beer fans: Next time you’re ordering a glass, say it HOO-garden.

Beer radar

The Belgians have a glass for practically every beer, and Hoegaarden is no exception. Monk’s Cafe (16th and Spruce streets, Center City) will give them away Tuesday night . . . Dozens of American breweries make their own version of Belgian wit. Try the double-strength version (6.2 percent alcohol) at McKenzie Brew House (Route 202, Chadds Ford) . . .

Heavyweight Brewing of Ocean County, N.J., is launching a One Time, One Place series of beers. They’re so-called “one-offs” – beers made one time only in very small batches and released in kegs only. First OTOP: Regal Pale Ale, an English ale brewed with oysters. Look for it locally at the Abbaye (3rd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Northern Liberties) . . . Funny Cide Light, brewed in honor of the Kentucky Derby winner by Olde Saratoga Brewing Co. in Saratoga Springs, is not, I’m told, horse piss . . .

New on local shelves: Meteor Mortimer, a Frenchie made with peat-smoked whisky malt; Unibroue Ephemere, apple-flavored beer from Canada; and Entire Butt (aka Compleat Ass), an English porter . . . If your kid is interested in Penn State, this is a good weekend for a college visit. The State College Microbrewers Expo will feature 150 craftbrews from around the world. Tix: $32. Info: 814-353-8426 . . .

It’s Fizzy Yellow Beer T-shirt Amnesty Month, courtesy of Stone Brewing. Send your factory-made beer T-shirt (plus an $11 amnesty application fee) to Stone, and you’ll get an authentic Arrogant Bastard Ale “Fizzy Yellow Beer is for Wussies” T-shirt, pint glass and assorted stickers and coasters. Details at: www.stonebrew.com/amnesty . . . Speaking of which, “Guys Night Out” is the latest promo from Boulder, Colo. Peel back the label on Coors Original for a chance for a trip to Vegas.

Joints

Enjoy a brew and a film at Lucy’s Hat Shop’s (247 Market St., Old City) CineBar film series. This weekend’s flick: “Saturday Night Fever” . . . There are only six taps at L’Etage (6th and Bainbridge streets, South Street district), but, man, there’s not a loser in the bunch: Yuengling Lager, Hoegaarden, Victory Golden Monkey, Corsendonk Brown, Kwak and Chimay . . .

Firewaters, the beer bar at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City (50 taps, 100 bottles), is pounding the bung on its first Firkin today. A fresh keg of real ale (no CO-2) will be tapped every week . . .

Joe Sixpack, by Staff Writer Don Russell, was written this week with a glass of Victory Prima Pils.

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Eagles brass hint hoagie ban may crumble

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Are the Eagles backing down from their infamous hoagie ban?
Don’t get your hopes up, but there’s been a subtle softening in the team’s hardline position.

The Eagles last week revealed they would prohibit fans from bringing their own food into the new Lincoln Financial Field, which opens next month.

The team, citing the 9/11 terror attack, says the ban is for security reasons. Critics, however, believe it’s intended to force fans to buy the stadium’s pricey concessions.

President Joe Banner defiantly said the team would “never” reverse the hoagie ban, and suggested fans who question the team’s motives are being unpatriotic.

But during a press tour of the facility yesterday, both Banner and owner Jeffrey Lurie hinted that the BYO ban is not written in granite.

Asked about restrictive policies that many fans believe will take the fun out of attending Eagles games (no signs, for example), Banner said, “All of these things are evolving. ”

Does that mean a compromise?

Lurie said: “If there are some solutions that make more sense, we’re all for them. ”

Here’s one idea the team may be chewing on: BYO food must be wrapped in clear plastic.

Other NFL stadiums have a similar requirement to allow security guards to quickly check if there’s a weapon stuffed inside that sandwich roll.

Stay tuned.

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Food ban for security?

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ONE THING about Philadelphia, we can spot B.S. a mile away.

When the Parking Authority calls itself “kinder and gentler,” we know . . . When the mayor says every street was plowed, we know . . . When developers say the Penn’s Landing project is on schedule, we know . . .

And when Eagles president Joe Banner stands in front of the cameras and proclaims that the team’s hoagie ban is not about money, we definitely know.

I imagine Banner figured the fans would roll over on the team’s infamous BYO food prohibition, this being post-9/11 and all. Sacrifice a sandwich in the name of security – the front office types thought we’d swallow that.

But it took about two seconds for the city to see through the baloney.

Terrorism? Nah, the only thing the ban will protect is the ability of the team to gouge a captive audience with overpriced concession food.

In the week since word of the ban was revealed, online fan sites, radio talk shows and the Daily News e-mail system has been buzzing with outrage. My desk is starting to look like one of the Stinkmeister’s back-alley dumps, thanks to the arrival of more than a thousand petitions calling for the Eagles to drop the ban.

(We’re still collecting signatures. Fill out the coupon in today’s paper, or send us one online, at www.philly.com. )

These aren’t just idle complaints from bored Philadelphians who didn’t make it down to the shore last week.

No, the furor stems more directly from the notion that fans flat out don’t believe the Eagles. They’re picking apart Banner’s alibi like they’re Joe Pesci in “My Cousin Vinny. ”

If the Eagles are so worried about terrorists smuggling weapons inside a hoagie wrapper, howcum they don’t ban other carry-in possessions, like binoculars?

They didn’t ban food at the Vet immediately after 9/11, why now?

And exactly how extensive are these security arrangements? Will the Birds run background checks on vendors? Will fans have to walk through metal detectors? Will delivery trucks be inspected for bombs?

The questions are endless, but the bottom line is fans aren’t buying it.

Which, at first glance, is surprising.

After all, Banner has built a pretty decent football team (by Philadelphia standards, at least). They’re moving into a beautiful, brand-new stadium.

We should be happy, right?

Mabye the Eagles assumed they’d earned their share of goodwill.

Instead, they’re getting trashed on the way into the Linc.

Civic do-gooders would say this is a another example of Philadelphia’s famous inferiority complex. Living in the shadow of New York, we’re constantly beating our selves; nothing is ever good enough.

Maybe. Personally, I’d be satisfied with a Super Bowl.

In the meantime, I’m wondering how the Eagles thought they’d get this one past us. When Banner said only a “minuscule” number of fans bring their own food to ballgames, was he simply out of touch with his own patrons, or arrogant enough to think it doesn’t matter?

Whatever, chalk this up as another one of those famous fibs:

The check’s in the mail . . . the dog ate my homework . . . the Eagles hoagie ban is for our own good.

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Big shots and fans offer sub stories of their own

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Is the Eagles hoagie ban all about the lettuce? Or does the team have a legitimate concern about fan safety?

Noted junk-food gourmand and governor of the commonwealth, Ed Rendell, has come down on the side of the Eagles.

“The governor supports the ban,” said Kate Philips, Rendell’s press secretary. “He believes there is a real risk when people bring packages into a stadium . . .

“We’re moving into a new societal norm, where we have to deal with risks like someone potentially bringing in dangerous material into the stadium.

“This is good public policy, to protect the fans. There’s a legitimate security concern. This is not about price-gouging.

Maybe, but many fans aren’t buying it.

Here’s a sampling of opinion from the hundreds of letters, faxes and e-mails we’ve received, and other news sources:

“As a former state senator

who helped provide taxpayers dollars for both stadiums, I just couldn’t believe they would have the gall to not allow food. The fact is that $185 million was allocated for both stadiums. This was tax monies. When they sold the right to name the stadium, I did not see any of that money come back to the state.

I can understand security concerns, but surely the requirement of a clear plastic bag that can easily be viewed would alleviate this alleged problem. This just seems to be another instance of greed taking over just as it did when they raised the price of the tickets and refreshments. They have done virtually everything to be obstructionist to the people. If I were still a ticket holder I would be looking into a class action suit; certainly, I would not continue patronizing the games. ”

Frank “Hank” Salvatore former state senator

“If the tickets weren’t so expensive, maybe the people wouldn’t have to pack a lunch. I can’t imagine why they have to be that harsh, other than they want to sell their own hot dogs.”

– Councilman Frank Rizzo

“I think they should be more worried about someone pulling up on I-95 with a rocket-propelled grenade and launching it into the crowd . . . The proximity to I-95 is a real concern, not hoagies.”

– Eagles fan Bill Farnan, Marmora, N.J.

“I have never written my thoughts on Philly-related subjects before; I’m often tempted because although my family and I live in Florida, my wife and I and two sons were born and raised in Northeast Philly and were Eagles season ticket holders for years.

We read your paper online down here and yesterday’s announcement by the Eagles has a special impact on us. Every year between the Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays we come to Philly to visit family and friends and we’ve made it a habit to adjust our schedule to make sure we go to an Eagles home game. The gameday ritual has been to get up early, drive around the old neighborhood and, before meeting our friends to go to the game, we’d stop at our favorite Lee’s and pick up hoagies and cheesesteaks for 6 to 8 of us and some soft pretzels and head to the Vet. (I’m sure you know this but you just can’t find a “real” cheesesteak, hoagie or soft pretzel in South Florida)

We would wait till gameday to get our first Philly steak/hoagie fix. My kids and friends looked forward to the whole program.

Yesterday’s announcement did us in. We’ll still be coming north around the holidays, but the Eagles home game is off the schedule. It’s not necessarily that we can’t afford the higher food prices at the stadium, it’s more the distinct feeling that our lifetime home team has kicked us in the teeth and said ‘Screw you, your family and friends and your little ritual – we’re gonna gouge you anyway, and if you don’t like it, stay in Florida. ‘

That’s pretty much how our entire group feels. So a few hundred bucks or so that has gone to our Eagles each of the past roughly ten years will translate into at least one more Dolphins home game each year. Maybe if Lurie and company read more letters like this they’d have a change of heart – but knowing them, not likely.

Adios Birds!”

– Dick Haller, Palm Beach, Fla.

Sandwich-saving ideas: How to raise a stink about Linc food ban

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LEAVE OUR prov-alone!

Street-wise Birds fans, seething over the team’s hoagie ban, aren’t buying the security-risk excuse. For one thing, they wonder, if food is such a threat in the wake of 9/11, howcum it wasn’t banned at Veterans Stadium?

Good question.

Others, like reader Mark Wilgus, speculate that the Eagles are simply confused. “What they meant to ban,” he commented, “was torpedoes and subs – you know, real weapons of war. ”

Whether it’s confusion or greedy arrogance, the Eagles need to hear your opinion. So we’re urging you to sign a petition to Save Our Hoagies!

Hundreds of readers have already joined the fight; we’ll forward the petition to the front office of the Eagles.

Fill out the printed form and send it to us.

Or, click on our story on www.philly.com, and sign our online petition.

In the meantime, here are other fan ideas of how to Save Our Hoagies!

1. CONCESSIONS BOYCOTT. At the first Eagles home game against Tampa Bay on Sept. 8, don’t buy any food from the Linc’s concession stands.

2. HOAGIE DUMP. Everybody brings hoagies to the first game. After they’re confiscated at the gate, what will the team do with 70,000 pounds of rancid deli meat?

3. CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT. The Eagles collected money from seat license and ticket sales, now they’ve changed the rules. Is that a broken contract? Let a Philadelphia jury decide.

4. JUST WONDERING. If food is banned as a security risk, why not binoculars? Or shoes, for that matter?

5. IS THE LINC REALLY A TARGET? Hundreds of other public venues, from the Mann Music Center to NASCAR races, encourage patrons to bring along food. Are these other facilities ignorant about the potential threat of lunch-meat detonation?

6. BOYCOTT THE LINC. Is it too late to keep the Vet?

7. SPECIAL ENTRANCE. If long lines due to security checks are a problem, establish a separate gate just for those bringing in their own food.

8. REAL HOAGIES. Invite authentic Philadelphia hoagie-makers to set up shop at the Linc. Treat fans to something better than bland, overpriced, mass-produced “grinders” made by a Massachusetts catering company.

9. WHERE ARE OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS? They’re the ones who cut the deal to finance the stadium with $200 million in public funds. They should be standing up for the fans.

10. TAKE THE SUBWAY. Since the Eagles stand to pocket $100,000 a game in parking revenues, boycott the parking lots.

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