BONGOGASH- this THURSDAY 8 pm

Ever since I saw Toots and the Maytals and Hugh Masekela four days apart two weeks ago- I've been listening to their Pandora stations.

The arduous drives to and from DC are better, chores are better, everything is better.

Varga Bar and I had an event slated for Thursday May 9th.  I thought it would be fun to add a lil
Afrobcuban, reggae, ska, calypso music to the evening.

As of now they're calling for possible thunderstorms which is unfortunate- but that's 96 hours away.
things could change. And even if they don't- I'm sure people still play bongos in the rain. (as long as their not walking down the stairs in the rain playing bongos).

I am not a graphic designer so forgive my attempt at an event sign.
See you this THURSDAY at VARGA at 8! 10th and Spruce if you've never been.


The POURS
interlude
bourbon black
grand cru
curieux
odyssey
white
triple
dubbel

Tuesday Two Track: Willie Nelson 80th Birthday Edition

It's been months since a Tuesday two track. I almost wondered sometimes if it was possible to run out of material so to speak, but no I don't think I could. I just run out of time...

Today- Willie Nelson was thanked again and again for 57 years of music on his special day. Lots of twitter and facebook tributes. He is nothing short of a living legend- and probably pretty lucky to still be among the living.

Here Willie does a lovely version of the Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody"



Righteous Brothers

Kutztown's Saucony Creek Trickles into Philly Taverns this Week

This Wednesday, Saucony Creek launches at the P.O.P.E. 

They were one of 1,118 microbreweries that were slated to open in 2012.  And they actually did.

Owner, Matt Lindenmuth took his dream to Kickstarter last Spring and with enough support and a generous landlord, built a brewery and crew (Joe Percoco, head brewer formerly of Barley Creek in the Poconos) and started distributing this year.

What makes them different (besides the fact that Lindenmuth spent years as a globe-trottin' Guinness Book inline vert rollerblader/snowboarder) is they are farming and malting their own barley.

What else do you need to know???

The brewery took over an old Saucony Shoe warehouse.
They've named the brewery for the Sacony Creek that there water is sourced from, but kept the original spelling.

It appears that 7%  Stone Fly IPA is a potential flagship out of the gate.
On Wednesday between 7-10 pm you can try that as well as North Ramp Stout and Bling Blangers Brown. 

Guests can also meet  Lindenmuth who I  imagine has a few great stories.

Kudos to them for making it happen and being one of the 2, 416 breweries now operating.


Follow Saucony Creek on twitter here.  Website coming soon.

Big Beer Weekend in University City

Saturday 4/20  
12 pm- 4pm
City Tap House is hosting a BBQ with
 BROOKLYN Brewery
$20 all you can eat Barbecue (vegetarian options avail)
and $3 Brooklyn CANS
Live Music from Estimated Profit (Grateful Dead tribute band) featuring
Brooklyn Brewery rep, Miles Moser.

Sunday April 21
THE "HEADDIE"
 BEER FEST
The Blockley/Jollys
38th and Chestnut
2 pm- 5 pm
Tickets available HERE

Spot burgers (never had, but apparently they're delicious) are available for purchase from their food truck.
Music will be provided by Professor Slim.

Tickets to Blockley concerts will be given away every hour.

Those who purchase tickets online- are privy to 24 additional beers.
Some of 
THE POURS

1. Troegs Nugget Nectar

2. Dead Guy

3. Ithaca Flower Power

4. Northern Lights IPA

5. Starr Hill Dark Starr Stout 

6. Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

7. Sixpoint Resin

8. Abita Purple Haze

9. Firestone Walker Wookey Jack

10.Stone Smoked Porter

11. Loopy Oatmeal Red

12.Rochestafarian

13. Too Kind DIPA

14. Skunk Black IPA

15. Stony Face

W E A T H E R - Partly Sunny both days 55-59 degrees

Revenge of the Runner-Up. Vote LANCE for Philly Beer Scene Brewsmaster of the YEAR

Come on- He's wearing Weyermann overalls.

Last year- Lance Romance was really gunning for Philly Beer Scene Brewmaster of the year.
Casey Hughes won two years in a row- So New Jersey was getting some love, but not necessarily Maple Shade.
Chris Wilson of Weyerbacher took the prize. Weyerbacher actually took almost every prize.

But it's a new year. Lots of locals are putting out some great beer, and there are a few new folks in the mix too- Neshaminy, Tired Hands, and Forest and Main.  For some CRAZY reason Lance was not nominated for Brewmaster of the Year.
BUT perhaps the ol' "Write-in" could work. Lance Romance could be my very own Captain America. Another famous sucess story- was John F Kennedy won the 1960 primary with 183,703 write-ins.

Please take five to fill out the nominee ballot. Find it HERE.

I just paid a visit to Iron Hill Maple Shade yesterday. I had an awesome tettnang pils, two different Whites (one barrel-aged with some brett character) and a mild Scottish Ale.  Each one was a four star beer.

If after 6 years you don't know Lance Romance's real name you can email me.
Thanks for you support! And now you know- in my limited spare time, I'm a campaign manager as well.

2nd Annual HOP CHEF presented by Brewery Ommegang next Tuesday 4/23

Chef Lucio had shirts made.
Buy them here

Ommegang's HOPCHEF is back with a change of venue, and a change of chefs.

This years contestants include: Yun Fuentes of JG Domestic, Lucio Palazzo of La Calaca Feliz, Nick Macri of Southwark,  Eli Kulp of Fork and Mike Deganis of Alla Spina.

The throwdown will move to Union Transfer. Tickets are $53.50. You can purchase them right HERE.

Each chef will prepare a dish with Ommegang beer.  The fine ales will flow and Jersey Dan of Sixpoint (and Tastemakers) will deejay to take advantage of Union Transfer's great sound system. I am taking the year off.

The competing chefs have followed last year's line-up with some fighting words on the twitter platform. Search #hopchef to follow the ping pong game.

At HOPCHEF Each chef gets 15 minutes to "defend" their dish to the judges.

Judges include  Art Etchells, founder of Foobooz;  Caroline Russock, food editor for City Paper;   Collin Keefe, editor of Grub Street;  Danya Henninger, editor of Zagat’s Philadelphia Blog and Drink Philly;  Scott Schroeder, the 2012 HopChef People’s Choice winner;  Will Blunt of StarChefs.com;  and Cory Baldwin, associate digital editor for Saveur.com.

***Attendees will get to vote for People's Choice

Plenty of Ommegang will be on draft including the elusive Game of Thrones beer, Iron Throne.

Chef Lucio Palazzo and Chef Eli Kulp will be cooking on Good Day Philly tomorrow during the 9 :00 hour.

HOPCHEF
Tuesday, April 23rd
 7 pm
$53.50
A portion of admittance will go to the Philadelphia Mural Arts fun and Groundswell.

First Friday at Bottle Bar East with........Colorado's Left Hand Brewing

Left Hand sign from a bar in  Scottsdale, AZ

This First Friday April 5th- Bottle Bar East welcomes Left Hand Brewing- which means they welcome Dan Conway.

Dan's known for sporting camouflage on the daily,  having Philly bars stock 1809 Berliner Weisse basically just for him (although it's a very good beer), and ideas- great ideas! The stuff of genius.  You either want to be there while he's brainstorming- or riding out the brainstorm with him.

He also is the ambassador for Left Hand Brewing  so from 7-9 he'll be pouring out some samples.
Victor North Trio will be playing  7:30-11. You might recognize them from playing Sunday brunch at Nodding Head over the years.

THE POURS
Good Juju
Twin Sister IPA
Black Jack Porter
Stranger Rye Pale Ale

HELLO OXBOW! Philly's much loved "Fava" returns for a four day stint accompanied by his Oxbow brotherhood.

Fava with Tim at Max's Belgian beer weekend

We were all sad to see Mike Fava leave his assistant brewers post at Nodding Head to head north but the months have treated him well.  He joined
Tim Adams and Geoff Masland, founders of Oxbow, last summer and has been brewing up  some fine farmhouse ales ever since.

The brewery is situated in Newcastle, Me- about an hour or so north of Portland.  As mentioned, they focus on farmhouse ales. The fellows put out a  "freestyle series" that includes a varying styles like Belgian Stout and Loretta- a 4% saison.

They'll hit Philly next Thursday afternoon (4/11) kicking off their Philly tour at Monks.
Guaranteed they'll be "Throwing Bows" all over town.
But - here's the official schedule:

THURSDAY 4/11
4:30 pm -6:30 pm MONKS
7:00 pm- Jose Pistolas

FRIDAY 4/12
12-2 Lunch at Teresas Next Door in WAYNE
4:30-6:30 Resurrection Ale House
"Night time is the right time" POPE 

SATURDAY 4/13
Brunch- MEMPHIS TAPROOM
"Pub crawl"  (watch out!)
6:30-9:30 THE CAMBRIDGE 
10 -? VARGA

SUNDAY 4/14
Brunch- KENNETT 

Some of the POURS include:
Farmhouse Pale Ale, Space Cowboy, Oxtoberfest, Saison Noel, Sasuga, Funkhaus, Barrel-aged Farmhouse Pale Ale

To learn more about the Maine brewery watch this--

Chestnut 7 Reserve Dinner This Thursday

Gosh it's gloomy out. I'm sore as all heck from the gym.  Trying to get some fitness in to counter act all the beer events I've had this week. Next up is Chestnut 7 on Thursday night.

We're doing a Reserve Beer Dinner featuring some Allagash rarities. It's a very reasonable $45 ++.

You are able to come as you please and do the dinner. There is not one seating.

I'll arrive by 5 pm.

CH 7 & ALLAGASH 

Present:

ALLAGASH RESERVE BEER DINNER

$45.00

FIRST COURSE

PASTRAMI PLATE

PASTRAMI FOIE GRAS, PASTRAMI PORK BELLY, FLAVORED MUSTARDS, SAUERKRAUT

ALLAGASH YAKUZA

A STRONG GOLDEN ALE, DRY-HOPPED WITH LOTS OF SORACHI ACE AND CASCADE HOPS. 

9.0% ABV

SECOND COURSE

CRAB SALAD

WATERCRESS, CORN AREPA, CHILI’S, LIME

ALLAGASH GRAND CRU

BREWED WITH A TOUCH OF PEATED MALT AND SPICED CORIANDER, SWEET ORANGE PEEL AND A HINT OF ANISE.  IT IS DEEP GOLDEN IN COLOR, FULL BODIED AND HAS HINTS OF SMOKE AND LICORICE IN THE TASTE AND AROMA.

7.2% ABV

THIRD COURSE

RABBIT SUGO

HOUSEMADE ORECCHIETTE

ALLAGASH BLACK

A BELGIAN STYLE STOUT BREWED WITH 2-ROW BARLEY, TERRIFIED WHEAT, OATS, BOTH ROASTED AND CHOCOLATE MALTS AND A GENEROUS PORTION OF DARK CARMELIZED CANDI SUGAR.  THE SILKY MOUTH FEEL IS A GREAT BALANCE TO THE ROASTED CHARACTER, COFFEE AND DARK CHOCOLATE NOTES THROUGHOUT THIS BEER

7.5% ABV

DESSERT

BLOOD ORANGE CRÈME BRULEE

HOUSE MADE BISCOTTI

ALLAGASH ODYSSEY

A DARK WHEAT BEER AGED FOR TEN MONTHS, A PORTION IN OAK BARRELS AND TH EREAMINDER IN STAINLESS STEEL TANKS.  THE RECIPE INCLUDES 2-ROW BARLEY, MALTED WHEAT, ROASTED BARLEY AND BELGIAN CANDI SUGAR.  THIS DEEP BROWN BEER BOASTS AN AROME OF BLACK TREACLE AND RAISIN.  THE FLAVOR HINTS AT DATES, WITH A MILDLY ROASTED FINISH IMPARTED BY AGING IN BOTH MEDIUM AND HEAVY TOAST AMERICAN OAK BARRELS. 

THE FINISH IS DRY PUNCTUATED BY VANILLA.

10.4% ABV

BREWERS PLATE this SUNDAY

This Sunday from 5:30  till 9:00 pm Brewers Plate returns to the National Constitution Center.
This will be the 9th annual take for one of Philly's favorite beer events.
I remember back to the first one at the Reading Terminal.
It was a special day. You felt like you were part of some secret society being at the market after hours.
But the event out grew the space - and found a variety of homes through the years including the Independence Visitors Center and the Museum of Archeology.

Philly Tap Finder has the actual tap list here.
It will be my first sips of Philly Brewing Co's "Schwarzinger."

$70 for GA
$140 for VIP

Buy tickets HERE.
See you THERE.