Philly Beer Week Diary
Wednesday: Finally, my lousy cold has broken and I had a chance to really enjoy all the fun. I was honored to formally open Johnny Brenda’s new dining room with a terrific tasting menu from Paul Kimport:
- Crispy oyster with saffron with O’Reilly’s Stout.
- Grilled octopus bruschetta with Phila. Brewing Walt Wit.
- Venison & sweet potato mash with Troegs Nugget Nectar.
- Molten chocolate with Victory Storm King.
Afterwards, JB’s co-owner William Reed and I headed into Center City to catch up with the brewers’ pub crawl, which had settled into its final stop at McGillin’s Old Ale House. The joint was absolutely packed and I was happy to find a seat next to David Buhler, the brewer from Seattle’s Elysian who told me he’s here for the entire week. Yards brewer Steve Mashington Flying Fish brewer Casey Hughes (wearing a bizarre “Baby Mash” t-shirt that he printed up for the crew) told me there were crowds at each of the previous six stops. “Really, I thought the whole thing might end up being just me and some friends doing some bar-hopping,” Mashington told me. “We walked into Misconduct, and there were 50 people waiting for us.”
McGillin’s did a heroic job pouring $2 mugs of 7 different local brews, including Iron Hill’s new standard, Vienna Lager.
Tonight, I’m at Jose Pistola’s with a Bitter Bite, then hopefully onto the Philly Beer Geek contest back at Johnny Brenda’s.
Meanwhile, here’s a link from Bernard Scally, erstwhile reporter at the Roxborough Review. He caught the mayor tapping PBW’s official first keg, then dropped in at my Monday night double bock tasting at Dawson Street. (I’m dutybound to report, however, that he bailed after “only” 5 of the 9 bocks.)
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