Friendship Brew

1. Weyerbacher Brewing Co. Blanche (D)

2. Brasserie St. Feullien/ Green Flash Collaboration: Biere De L'Amite (D)
3. Brasserie St. Feullien Brune (D)
4. Brasserie St. Feullien Triple (D)
5. Green Flash Brewing Co. Triple (D)
6. Lancaster Brewing Co. Cream Ale (D)
7. Furthermore Knot Stock (B)

8. Lagunitas A Little Sumtin' Sumtin' (D)

9. Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA (D)
10.Dock Street Espresso Satellite Stout (D)

11. Sly Fox Brewing Co. Ichor (D)

12. Bells Cherry Stout (B)

How does one recover after a Beercation? Well for starters you can start small. You can start with a flight. I was out in the Oley Valley at the Manatawny Inn and what to my wondering eye should appear...a list full of St. Feullian and Green Flash beer. Yes, it was a night of two brewers who just made an excellent collaboration, Biere de L'Amite. Belgian brewers St. Feullien had three delightful treats as did the U.S's Great Flash. But there was also a fourth and that was their collaborative effort of a Blond Belgian Strong Ale. Spicy, malty and heavily hopped, it was a blend of rye and wheat with St. Feullien's tradional yeast. Delicious.

On the local circuit, I was super impressed with Philadelphia's Dock Street Brewery this past week. We popped by Johnny Brenda's with The Slingluff Gallery owners the other night to one of the best local beer spots in the city. Dock Street's Espresso Satellite Stout is down-right ridiculously rich. Now it didn't say Espresso on the list, but as I raised my glass toward my nose the roasty sensation perked me out of my seat.

Let's interrupt this with a quote: "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons."

The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock-T.S. Eliot

Okay, back to the beer. Jet black with a tan head it was nice and nutty. It was a bit too easy to drink, although I'm not sure if that is a negative thing. It was nothing like the Bell's Cherry Stout that I picked up from one of the greatest bottle shops west of the Schuylkill, Pinocchio's Beer Garden. If the Satellite Stout was black, then this cherry stout was motor oil. Well, there was a hint of red. Very tart, but enough malt to back it up. Think of cherry chocolate cake, rich chocolate cake that leaves your lips smacking. So let's end with a poem about this.

Cherry-Ripe

BY THOMAS CAMPION

There is a garden in her face

Where roses and white lilies blow;

A heavenly paradise is that place,

Wherein all pleasant fruits do flow:

There cherries grow which none may buy

Till “Cherry-ripe” themselves do cry.

Those cherries fairly do enclose

Of orient pearls a double row,

Which when her lovely laughter shows,

They look like rose-buds filled with snow;

Yet them no peer nor prince can buy

Till “Cherry-ripe” themselves do cry.

Her eyes like angels watch them still;

Her brows like bended bows do stand,

Threatening with piercing frowns to kill

All that attempt with eye or hand

Those sacred cherries to come nigh,

Till “Cherry-ripe” themselves do cry.

Cheers for now.

Philly Beercation 2010: the Other Tippler

So I have had the pleasure of enjoying the first two Beercations put on by our group of friends. The first, in Tampa, FL, had highlights that included an all-day craft beer festival and a visit to Cigar City Brewing, along with a number of excellent beer-pub stops. The second incarnation, this time in Philly, set the bar a little higher. There was no festival this time around, and the brewery visits (Noddinghead and Earth Bread and Brewery) don't quite match up to Cigar City, but we hit some of the best beer houses around, including Monk's Cafe (twice!), Capone's, Eulogy, and Union Jack's on the Manatawny along with many more. This beercation varied too, in that we had friends from out of state (Florida, Texas and New Jersey) join us for various segments. I was lucky enough to stumble through nearly two weeks of this beercation, and I can't wait for our next one!

Here's what I managed to get down as far as the wonderful variety of beers I was able to sample. This covers nearly all of the draught beers I had, but is missing a number of bottles. It makes for a pretty impressive list - one that would be tough to match anywhere else in the world:

Philly Beercation, Summer 2010 (July 22 – August 10)

1. Sargasso IPA (Hand Pump) (D) – Earth Bread and Brewery (7/28)

2. Hill Farmstead Edward Pale Ale (D) - Earth Bread and Brewery (7/28)

3. Chouffe Houblon (D) - Monk’s Café (7/30)

4. Russian River Concecration (D) - Monk’s Café (7/30)

5. Ommegang Zuur (D) - Monk’s Café (7/30)

6. Weihenstephaner Vitus (D) – Brauhaus Schmitz (7/30)

7. Weihenstephaner 1809 Berliner Weiss w/ Shot of Berry Syrup (B) - Brauhaus Schmitz (7/30)

8. Founder’s Cerise (D) – Old Eagle Tavern (7/30)

9. Sixpoint Otis Oatmeal Stout on Nitro (D) - Old Eagle Tavern (7/30)

10. Stillwater Artisan Stateside Saison American Farmhouse Ale (B) - Old Eagle Tavern (7/30)

11. Yard’s Brewing Co ESA (Hand Pump) (D) – Dawson Street Pub (7/30)

12. Dogfish Head Theobroma (D) – Capone’s (7/31)

13. East End Kvass Sour (D) – Capone’s (7/31)

14. Saison du Buff brewed by Stone (B) – the River (7/31)

15. Unibroue Quelque Chose (B) - the River (7/31)

16. Founder’s Red Rye IPA (B) - the River (7/31)

17. Monstre Rouge Imperial Flanders Red Ale (Terrepin/de Proef Brouwerij Collaboration) (B) - the River (7/31)

18. Haandbryggeriet Haandbakk Sour Ale (B) - the River (7/31)

19. Dogfish Head Theobroma (D) – Union Jack’s on the Manatawny (8/1)

20. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (D) - Union Jack’s on the Manatawny (8/1)

21. Lost Abbey Avante Garde Farmhouse Saison (D) – Craft Ale House (8/2)

22. Founder’s Centenial IPA (D) - Craft Ale House (8/2)

23. Southern Tier Mokah (D) - Craft Ale House (8/2)

24. Darkhorse Double Crooked Tree IPA (D) – Old Eagle Tavern (8/4)

25. Sargasso IPA (D) – Earth Bread and Brewery (8/4)

26. Gluteous Minimus Beer Juice - Earth Bread and Brewery (8/4)

27. Russian River Damnation (D) - Earth Bread and Brewery (8/4)

28. Pliny the Elder (D) – Monk’s Café (8/5)

29. Monk’s Café Flemish Sour (D) - Monk’s Café (8/5)

30. La Rulles Estivale (D) - Monk’s Café (8/5)

31. Jandrain Jandreoville IV Saison (D) - Monk’s Café (8/5)

32. Vichtenaar Flemish Ale (D) – Beneluxx (8/5)

33. Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca (D) – Eulogy (8/5)

34. Rodenbach Grand Cru (D) – Eulogy (8/5)

35. Dock Street Rye IPA (D) – Johnny Brenda’s (8/5)

36. Twin Lakes Pale Ale (D) – Johnny Brenda’s (8/5)

37. Philadelphia Brewing Company Rowhouse Red – Johnny Brenda’s (8/5)

38. Victory Hop Devil (Hand Pump) (D) – Dawson Street Pub (8/6)

39. Yard’s Brewing Co Thomas Jefferson Ale (Hand Pump) (D) – Dawson Street Pub (8/6)

40. Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian IPA (D) - Manayunk Tavern (8/6)

41. Yard’s Brewing Co. Brawler Strong Ale (D) – Grape Street Pub (8/6)

42. Prism Tea Party Pale Ale (D) – Old Eagle Tavern (8/6)

43. Ich bin ein Berliner Weiss (D) – Noddinghead Brewery (8/7)

44. Grog: Cask Conditioned English Style Brown Ale (D) – Noddinghead Brewery (8/7)

45. Long Trail Double IPA (D) – the Irish Pole (8/7)

46. Yard’s Brewing Co. Saison (D) – Standard Tap (8/7)

47. Stout’s Brewing Co. Double IPA (D) – Standard Tap (8/7)

48. Victory Brewing Co. Bitter (D) – the 700 Club (8/7)

49. Torrey Pines IPA (D) – the 700 Club (8/7)

50. Furthermore Fatty Boombalatty (D) – City Tap House (8/8)

51. Rogue John John Juniper Pale Ale (D) – City Tap House (8/8)

52. Iron Hill Nut Brown Ale (D) – Iron Hill Brewery Phoenixville (8/9)

53. Dogfish Head India Brown Ale (D) – Farmacia (8/10)

House Beers Drank Throughout the Week (Bottles)

1. Heavy Seas Big DIPA

2. Founder’s Porter

3. Southern Tier Crème Brulee Stout

4. Dogfish Head Namaste

5. Dogfish Head Festina Peche

6. Jolly Pumpkin ES Bam Hoppy Farmhouse Ale (bad bottle)

7. Port Brewing Wipe Out IPA

8. Three Floyd’s Alpha King Pale Ale

9. Green Flash Brewing West Coast IPA

10. Saison du Buff brewed at Dogfish Head

11. Furthermore ThermoRefur – ale brewed with pepper and beets

12. Dogfish Head Wrath of Pecant

Homebrews from Fellow Beer Nuts (Draft and Bottles)

From Jules: Pale Ale (D)

Belgian Blonde (D)

Imperial Stout (D)

Rye Ale (D)

From Kevin: High Five IPA (B)

From Tim: WheatPA (B)

From Ben: Pale Ale (B)

IPA (B)

Wheat Ale (B)

Can you tell that we all love our beer?!?! Thanks to everyone who made it out for this one, and may we all enjoy many more Beercations in the future!

Beercation 2010-The Philadelphia Experience

Earlier this year a group of friends met in Florida and had what they referred to as a "Beercation." At that time I had not been introduced to that term, but knew if anything that I too would go on one. It turned out that most of them were able to meet up again this past week, but this time in Philadelphia and this time I would be included. From the rare Belgians and Sours at Monks Cafe to the big IPAs at the Manatawny Inn we made our way to everywhere in between. Capones, City Tap House, Johnny Brendas, Eulogy, The Irish Pol, The Standard Tap, Olde Eagle, Beneluxx, Dawson Street, Nodding Heads, Earth Bread and Brewery and an assortment of small spots throughout the City of Brotherly Beer Drinking Love were on our list, and we hit them all.

So here is the great list from the past 13 days, a list from an amazing Beercation and giant "Cheers" to everyone that was part of it.

1. Earth Bread and Brewery Sargasso (D)
2. Hills Farmstead Edmond Pale Ale (D)
3. Southern Tier IPA (B)
4. West Coast Green Flash IPA (B)
5. Prism Tea Party Pale Ale (D)
6. Stone Brewing 14^th Anniversary (B)
7. Southern Tier 2X IPA (D)
8. Dogfish Head, Stone, Victory Saison DU BUFF (Stone Version) (B)
9. Founders Cerise (D)
10. Sixpoint Otis (on Nitro) (D)
11. Moylan’s Hopsickle (D)
12. Cigar City Mudaro Brown (D)
13. Petrus Pale Ale (D)
14. De Proef-Terrapin Collaboration Monster Rogue (B)
15. Bells Two Hearted (B and D)
16. Unibroue Quelque Chose (B)
17. Russian River Pliney the Elder (B and D)
18. Russian River Consecration (D)
19. Stillwater Artisinal Farmhouse Ale (B and D)
20. Ommegang Zuur (D)
21. Riverhorse Hop Hazard (B)
22. Dogfish Head 90 Minute (B)
23. Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA (D)
24. Victory Summer of Love (D)
25. Earth Bread And Brewery Sweet Charlotte (D)
26. Victory Baltic Porter (D)
27. Verhaeghe Vichtenaar (B)
28. Brouwerij Smisje Vuuve (B)
29. Twin Lakes Pale Ale (D)
30. Dock St. Rye Pale Ale (D)
31. Philadelphia Brewing Co. Newbold (Handpump) (D)
32. Founders Reds Rye PA (D)
33. Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca (D)
34. Victory Hopdevil (D)
35. Southern Tier Crème Brule Stout (B)
36. Caldera IPA (C)
37. Nodding Head Ich bin ein Berliner Weise (D)
38. Nodding Head Rufus (D)
39. Boulder Brewing Co. Hop Cold (D)
40. Sly Fox Brewing Saison Vos (D)
41. Weyerbacher Brewing Merry Monks (D)
42. Heavy Seas Big DIPA (B)
43. Hitachino Nest Classic (D)
44. Stone, Dogfish Head, Victory Saison DU BUFF (Dogfish Version) (B)
45. Furthermore Thermo Refur (B)
46. Dogfish Head Wrath of Pecant (B)
47. Left Coast Brewing Co. Torrey Pines IPA (D)
48. Iron Hill Brewing Belgian Wit (D)
49. Port Brewing Wipeout IPA (B)
50. Jolly Pumpkin ES Bam (B)
51. Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale (B)