With a subtle nip in the air this morning we’re reminded that it’s Octoberfest at McGillin’s Olde Ale House. McGillin’s six week Octoberfest celebration is underway featuring lots of great Fall beers and German food specialties.

Among the beers included are:

• Stoudt’s Fest
• Sam Adam’s Octoberfest
• Flying Fish’s Octoberphish
• Paulaner Octoberfest
• Plus other local and regional brews

Highlights of the food menu are after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Avoid the thunderstorms tonight and hunker down at McGillin’s Old Ale House and enjoy the last of their extreme beer nights with Weyerbacher beer.

Leah Blewitt breaks down some of the best places to get down with the karaoke.

• Abbaye
• Barristers
• Happy Rooster
• Locust Bar
• McGillin’s Olde Ale House
• Woody’s

Karaoke Dokey [Philadelphia Weekly]

Minor holidays in America go one of two ways, they become a reason to have appliance sales or a reason to party it up. It looks like Bloomsday is taking the second path. Bloomsday celebrates the works of Irish author James Joyce and in particular his book Ulysses, which takes place on June 16th 1904 in Dublin.

Now sure there are cerebral events taking place like at the Rosenbach Museum but Foobooz is naturally more interested in the drinking-related events.

Friday night there is the Bloomsday 101 Bar Crawl.
Show up at Fergie’s Pub at 6 PM for a crash course in Ulysses. Then head out on a bar crawl that includes Fergie’s, Irish Pub at 1123 Walnut Street, Nodding Head and McGlinchey’s.

On Saturday McGillin’s Old Ale House will feature and anyone can bring in a book by James Joyce for a free beer.

McGillin’s Old Ale House [Official Site]
Bloomsday Events [Rosenbach Museum]

McGillin’s Olde Ale House is dedicating the month of June to Extreme Beers, beers that have intense flavors and high alcohol.

McGillin’s will be bringing in extreme brewers every Thursday throughout June.

• Thursday, June 7 – Troëgs Brewing Company
• Tuesday, June 12 – Flying Fish Brewery
• Thursday, June 14 – SlyFox
• Thursday, June 21 – Legacy Brewing Company
• Thursday, June 28 – Weyerbacher Brewing Company

Additional Meet, Greet & Taste events with Stoudt’s, Victory and others will be posted at www.mcgillins.com.

McGillin’s Olde Ale House [Official Site]

The snow has us thinking about getting cozy near a fireplace with friends, food and booze.

Here’s a sixpack of places with fireplaces, from the casual to the trendy to the formal:

• Devils Alley
• Deux Cheminees – six fireplaces
• James
• Jones
• McGillins Olde Ale House
• Snackbar

As snow starts to descend on Philadelphia and TV weathermen turn into Chicken Little there’s a more calm way to deal with the snow. Head to McGillins Olde Ale House.

When the season’s first snowfall drops two inches of the fluffy white stuff on us the deals kick in at McGillins. Bud Light drops to $5 a pitcher. Normally we wouldn’t even mention a Bud Light special on Foobooz, but you’re about to be snowed in, maybe it isn’t so bad to start with the light stuff.

In addition to the beer deal, you’ll get special prices on winter drinks like Drury Sleigh Rides, Snow Shoes, Midnight Snowstorms and Aspen Hummers; plus a hearty bowl of soup, free with your lunch.

So lace up them boots and head out to McGillins

King Tutankhamun has arrived in Philadelphia, the final stop on the current US tour. The treasures of the boy king will be on display through September 30th at the Franklin Institute and some Philadelphia bars and restaurants are ready with King Tut related specials. Read the rest of this entry »

Philadelphia bars and restaurants continue to get kudos from national publications.

First it was The Grey Lodge and Southwark being named by Esquire as two of Best Bars in America.

Vetri and Striped Bass cracked Gourmet’s top 50 restaurants. Gayle’s veal stew was named one of the nation’s top ten restaurant dishes of the year by Food & Wine.

Then the Standard Tap and Grace Tavern were featured in Bon Appetit’s January issue on “new American pub food.”

Now McGillin’s Olde Ale House and the Walnut Room have been named in Nightclub & Bar magazine’s top 100 Nightclubs and Bars in the U.S.

Top 100 Nightclubs and Bars for 2007 [Nightclub & Bar Magazine]
McGillin’s Olde Ale House [Official Site]
Walnut Room [Official Site]

McGillin’s Olde Ale House will be celebrating St. Patrick Daze, halfway to St. Patrick’s Day September 22 and 23.

It’ll be a green bash featuring live Irish music, green beer and Irish foods. Plus, on Saturday St. Patrick Daze heads outside and joins the Fall Festival At 13th & Sansom with beer trucks and more music. The festival marks the end of Octoberfest so to join in the fun, McGillin’s will feature such German specialties including Bratwurst and Knockwurst platters, as well as Octoberfest craft beers.

McGillin’s will begin celebrating St. Practice Daze on Friday night, September 22. On Saturday, September 23, the party begins at 1 p.m. with live Irish music by Bostonians Patsy & Tony. They’ll entertain for 3 hours and then have a repeat performance beginning at 9:30 p.m. In addition, McGillin’s will serve green beer, O’Reilly’s Irish Style Stout, Fish ‘n Chips and Shepard’s Pie.

McGillin’s Olde Ale House [Official Site]