Beer Radar

Prof. Sixpack’s class is in session

Still a few seats left for Philly Beer 101 on Tuesday night (5/13). Get your ass to class! Register here.

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This week’s column

An authentic lambic from the Lehigh Valley? Technically that’s impossible (lambic is an appellation controlee), but the World Beer Cup says Bethlehem Brew Works’ Framboise is right up there with the likes of Geuze Boon. Here’s my take on the funky brew.

And here’s the rest of the Philly area’s 2008 winners.

• German-Style Pilsener - bronze - Troegs Sunshine Pils
• Traditional German-Style Bock  - bronze - Troegs Troegenator Double Bock
• Vienna-Style Lager - silver - Iron Hill (Wilmington) Vienna Red Lager
• Strong Scotch Ale  - silver - Iron Hill (Wilmington) Wee Heavy
• German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch - gold - Stewarts Wind Blown Blonde
• Specialty Honey Lager or Ale - bronze - Dogfish Head Midas Touch

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Joe Sixpack crosses the Delaware

 

Warm weather like today’s always gets me thinking of Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale. You can get a taste of this season’s batch during Happy Hour over in Jersey this Friday (5/9) for a fun beer-drinking session at Flying Fish Brewery (1940 Olney Avenue, Cherry Hill). Gene, Casey and the crew promise they’ll be pouring something special, and I’ll be signing copies of Joe Sixpack’s Philly Beer Guide. Stop in from 5-7 p.m.

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Beer in Philly… and Burkina Faso

This week’s column looks at how beer (and, in this case, Johnny Brenda’s Tavern) helps build a neighborhood. Of course, my loving, loyal readers in Fishtown are already griping because I didn’t mention their favorite holes.  

Meanwhile, my local rag - the Roxborough Review - continues publishing a series of pieces from, of all places, Burkina Faso, by a former staffer who’s posted there with the Peace Corps. Never mind why a paper whose distribution doesn’t reach beyond Northwestern Avenue would devote so much space to an impoverished African nation - the reports are absolutely fascinating. This week’s, linked here, mainly focuses on brewing dolo in the village of Zogore. It’s made with sorghum in big, plastic trash barrels.

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Kosher-Asian-Mexican-German Beer Dinner

That’s right, we’ll be pairing beers with a wild cross-section of flavors at Yi-Tzi Peking (145 Montgomery Ave., Bala Cynwyd) on Monday night (5/5) at 6:30. We’re still working out the kinks, but the menu will include Mock crab cakes, something in honor of Cinqo de Mayo, Kielbasa, Texas bbq brisket and chocolate dessert.

The beer? This menu tested me, but it looks like a broad range of lagers, from German-style pils to Rauchbier. We’ll also be cracking open bottles of Weltenburger Dunkel, which Nima up at Shangy’s has been raving about lately.

Tix are $75 and available at the restaurant. Call 484-562-9489 for details.

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Thursday night at SPTR

This one avoided my radar till just now… Nima of Shangy’s tells me that South Philadelphia Taproom (15th & Mifflin) is hosting a Bell’s beer blowout on tap starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday. Ten different drafts from the Michigan brewery will be pouring, including Oberon, Two Hearted, Double Cream, Expedition, Pale Ale, Amber Ale, Sparkling Ale, Lager of the Lakes, Porter and Cherry Stout.

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America’s Best Beer-Drinking City, exhibit No. 6

PHL is the best beer-drinking aiport in America, according to the May/June issue of Draft magazine.* The piece mentions Jet Rock’s 48 taps in Terminals B,C,D & F, but according to the Brew Lounge at least one of those was turned into a Chickie’s & Pete’s last year. Anybody know the current status?

No matter, locals know the best beer at the airport is at the Independence Brewpub in the B-C connector. It’s not really a brewpub but it features many local drafts. Uh, never mind - Bryan Kolesar of the Brew Lounge reports that closed, too, and may now be a (gasp) wine bar.

The rest of Draft’s list:

• Mineapolis-St. Paul
• JFK
• Boston Logan
• Seattle-Tacoma
• LAX
• Salt Lake City (!)
• Dulles
• Denver
• Portland
• Cincinnati
• St. Louis
• Cleveland
• Atlanta 

*Disclosure: I write for Draft mag, but I didn’t have anything to do with this list.

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Chickies & Bill at Chickie’s & Pete’s

Reader Dave Dougherty sent along some snapshots from the primary campaign. On election eve, President Clinton dropped in at Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philly. That was the night the Flyers dropped Game 6 to the Caps, which may explain the expression on the young lady in the middle.

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Casper the unfriendly racist ghost

While heading down Pattison Avenue toward the ballpark for Jackie Robinson night at the Phillies, I found myself behind some guy in a green t-shirt advertising Casper’s Place on Cottman Avenue.

The cartoon ghost on the shirt is shown saying, “No spooks allowed.”

Please don’t tell me it’s an innocent joke; I’m not stupid. Only a dipshit wears a shirt like that. It’s easy to chalk it up to just one of those things, but I still wonder: How, in the 21st century, does anyone who conducts business with the public even think of printing a t-shirt like that? Honestly, the city Human Relations Commission nearly shut down Geno’s Steaks for less.

Until I hear otherwise, I’ll just assume the answer is, “Because I’m a racist asshole.” 

So, I’ll ask two other not-so-rhetorical questions:

• Why would anyone do business with a bar that publicly expresses such vile sentiments. I’m not talking about just the customers here, either. One would presume that Anheuser-Busch, Coors and Miller would have some concern about their products being associated with that kind of message.
• How does this bar still have a liquor license - a license that is presumably issued in the “public interest”? The Pennsylvania LCB, which I know reads this blog, should take a closer look at Casper’s Place.

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Democratic boilermaker

If you want to win votes in Pennsylvania, you better show us you can drink. This month I’ve marveled while watching Barack Obama sip Yuengling and Hillary Clinton polishing off a whisky.

Marveled? Well, yeah, after 8 years of a turd who raises toasts with ice water.

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