Archive for the 'Drink' Category

Our favorite moment of last year’s Beer Week had to be the Hitachino Nest tasting at Jose Pistola’s. The beers on draft were just outstanding and meeting brewer Mikio Kiuchi was pretty cool too. He seemed to genuinely appreciate our enthusiasm. An enthusiasm that included us begging everyone in our cell phone to come out and try some of these great beers.

Anyone spot Hitachino Nest on draft elsewhere?

A few weeks back we were told that Hitachino Nest was going to become available on draft. And it looks like it has happened. Today the Sidecar Bar & Grille tweets that Hitachino Nest XH Strong Ale will be pouring today.

An even bigger deal concerning the Sidecar, owner Adam Ritter has lined up a second bar, this one  at Girard and Montgomery in Fishtown. No name yet, but the “European bistro” is aiming for a first quarter of 2010 opening. [Meal Ticket]

Sidecar Bar and Grille [Official Site]

Much of the wine world goes crazy today with the release of Beaujolais Nouveau even if some people say it is vintastic craptastic.

Tria is offering a “juicy” Dupueble Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 for $5 at both their locations.

Fork is offering a Beaujolais Nouveau tasting from 6 to 7pm for $15.

Philadelphia Weekly’s cover story this week is all about drinking.

PW comes up with its list of the top 15 drinks in the city, bartender likes and dislikes, absinthe based cocktails and even hangover cures.

Philly’s Top 15 Drinks [Philadelphia Weekly]
Bartenders Hate You [Philadelphia Weekly]
PW’s Guide to Hangover Cures [Philadelphia Weekly]

The Grey Lodge’s traditional Friday the Thirteenth celebration, Friday the Firkenteenth gets started at noon today. There will be 23 or 24 casks poured throughout the day. It’s always a great time and there are some truly original beers on tap for the event.

Check out the Grey Lodge’s web site for all the details. And if you miss this one, you’ll have to wait all the way to August, 2010 for the next.

Friday the Firkenteenth [Grey Lodge]

South Philadelphia is the place to be if you’re a cheese and beer freak or a vegetarian.

Tonight is the first of a series of craft beer happy hours happening at DiBruno Brothers 9th Street location. Stop in between 5 and 8pm and get a Flying Fish brew and also 10% off your cheese purchase. [Meal Ticket]

It’s also vegetarian night at the Royal Tavern where all the chalkboard specials will be vegetarian or vegan.

Suzanne Woods, who it should be pointed out also works for Sly Fox, nonetheless brings up a good point regarding Philadelphia’s attitude towards its own craft beers. At some bars, locals are being ignored for the latest releases and one-offs from breweries as far off as Michigan, Colorado and California.

Should we be buying local? Have we become obsessed with the latest and greatest from around the country at the detriment of our local breweries?

What do you think?

When it Comes to Beer, Stay Local [Philadelphia Weekly]

Joe Sixpack is prepared to take a stand against the “moraly wrong” idea of mixing beer and spirits in beer cocktails. But in the end he has to admit, some of them can be tasty.

Beer cocktails: Could it be? [Philadelphia Daily News]

Tonight, if you’re going to cry in your beer, cry in a good beer. Check out what Sidecar Bar & Grille has on tap, some studly beers to try.

• Furthermore Fallen Apple Cream Ale
• Lefthand BlackJack Porter
• Bell’s Winter White
• Stoudt’s Fatdog Imperial Stout
• Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock
• La Chouffe Belgian IPA
• Nodding Head Grog (cask)
• Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA

Sidecar Bar & Grille [Official Site]

Beer historian Dale Van Wieren is set to hit an impressive milestone on Saturday, November 21st at Sly Fox Brewery in Phoenixville. He will be trying and logging his 10,000th different beer.

Dale’s 10K, an “amber Pils/Dubbel/Bier de Garde hybrid of about 7.5% abv” in O’Reilly’s words, will be tapped at 5pm and Dale will then sip and make notes as his friends and an expected crowd of Sly Fox regulars and beer aficionados drawn to the historic occasion cheer him on before rushing to the bar to enjoy their own pints of 10K.

That’s pretty darn impressive.

Beer Historian Dale Van Wieren will create history at Sly Fox [via Jack Curtin's Liquid Diet]
Sly Fox Brewery [Official Site]

Well the Phillies could use a prayer and Tria is offering one up in the form of Lost Abbey’s brandy barrel-aged The Angel’s Share. Described as “a riotous orgy of dark fruit, caramel, brandy and oak flavors,” both locations are offering it tonight for $8 a 10 ounce draft.