Good News and more Good News and better yet more Good News- How often do you hear that? Khyber PUB about two weeks out

Good News for those that love beer.
AND
Good News for those that were confused about the Khyber turning into an Izakaya.  (I thought it could work- Cantina Los Caballitos style but with a Japanese jawn going on)

And still-yet-more Good News for those that were excited about the Izakaya concept.

In just two weeks, the original Philly beer bar will resurrect in a way.

It's going back to its roots.

Craft beer has always been woven into the tower, but now more than ever.
There will be 20 taps, and two handpumps.  They've brought Tim Campbell on as General Manager. You might remember his beer savvy and stallion looks from days past at Standard Tap. He moved out West for a bit, he worked at the Cantina for a bit, and now he's head honcho of (what I think is) the best thing Old City has seen in quite some time.

Mark Mckinney will be Executive Chef.  My source says the food will rock as the stage once did.

So what about all this Izakaya talk?

Stephen Simons has secured Todd Dae Kulper formerly of Rozu -and will be putting his sushi skills to task at another location-yet to be determined.

There were too many articles/blogs to reference in rewinding for this post.
But the general consensus seemed to miss the Khyber that they already stopped going to 5 years ago for the most part.  I think this will be a good change for the 2nd st. spot.

And if the special board at Royal Tavern is any testament- the food's gonna be goooooooooooooooood.

No live music- but for those hip to listen- the juke should be please.

Cheers-=

Ommegang/Duvel Dinner still open for ressies at Le Virtu- This Wednesday

Le Virtu is hosting their first beer dinner in some time with my close buddy Megan Maguire.
They've just brought in a new chef (He relocated here from D.C. for the job).

Call 215-271-5626 for reservations

Fork and Barrel

You first heard about Fork and Barrel from Jack Curtin on Sept. 11th.  He then gave an update that they were opening last Thursday.  I had really wanted to make it to East Falls then (nothing nerdier than a first night visit--did that for Adsum over the summer) but that wasn't going to happen until this weekend.

I have been to Tap and Table and was rather impressed with the whole operation.  Sure I like some dripping candle wax, but I love good beer and food, and I really love good service.  The trifecta was in place there in Emmaus.
But Emmaus is one hr and 16 min away.  East Falls is a lot closer.  There are buses you can take from the city that will leave you with only a 2 minute walk- or you can take the r5 to Norristown and get off at East Falls stop leaving you with an 8 minute walk.

There's soooo much noteworthy beer here- you might not want to drive.  I tried the Porterhouse Oyster Stout from a small Irish brew pub for the first time .  It poured just beautifully.


I highly recommend pairing that  with the Braised Short Ribs Stroganoff (made with house made noodles).

Lance got the Petite Poussin and waffles that were pan-fried with maple gravy.

We started off with some meats and cheeses from the "grazing Plates" section of the menu.


There's a slew of other items worthy of mention:


Rogue smoky Blue Fondue
Skirt Steak "Bruschetta" with house smoked mozz and golden tomato

Roasted Pheasant for two with a savory mushroom bread pudding

A traditional Borscht  soup with dumplings, beets, cabbage and sour cream

Wild Boar Bratwurst with braised cabbage and apple cider bacon


Seasonal Grilled Cheese with french brie apples and apple butter


A Lamb Burger with blue cheese and rosemary ( Although a bit intense this might be wonderful with the Russian Imperial Stout they had on tap.  It was unlike any RIS I've ever had.  Lance got Juniper.  It was herbaceous. A might be a nice complement to the rosemary.)

Duck Confit with St. Louis Peche sauce and brioche




The most expensive item on the menu is the pheasant for two for $35. Other than that it tops off at $18 for entrees. 


A "nose to tail" dinner can be arranged for parties of 8 or more Tuesday-Thursday with 2 weeks advance notice.



I did this in a bit of a rush- so my apologies for not going into more detail.  And sorry the photos aren't up to par but the ambiance didn't allow for great flash free pics.   I wanted to quickly get this up and spread the good word.  There's a long bar, community seating in the back.  The whole place only sites 50 ppl.  It's intimate.  You'll barely believe the place was the Pour House two months ago. The space is illuminated only by the flicker of candlelight. Zero, Zip, Zilch on the tvs.

Fork and Barrel is amazing.  They aren't serving any American Craft. Mostly European beers, with a few random snuck in like the rare Hitachino Nipponia. 


They open for dinner Tues- Sun at 4.  Serve food till 11.

Weekend

The weekend is here.  Tomorrow is a big day as most local beer industry peeps had to toss a coin between working the City Tap House event and the Newtown Brews and Blues Fest. Sly Fox will be at both as well as represented in Bell Mawr, New Jersey at the Beer on the Pier.

Newtown is expecting 3,000 people. Not sure about City Tap House but its the first "Philadelphia Craft Beer Experience"  organized by Philadelphia Magazine to the benefit of Safe Home Philadelphia.  They are hoping to focus more on education during the 4 hour fest that will also include food pairings in the $80 admittance
. 

Looking forward to it.  Hopefully- I will find the person that included Stella Artois on the list and have a quick conversation with him or her.

Perhaps share this definition from the Brewer's Association.

Besides working my dining/drinking goals this weekend are to make it to the new Fork and Barrel in East Falls and the new Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant in Old City.
I will also be making Bourbon Pecan Pie Ice Cream for my brother-in-law. Lucky him.

Best Bite of the Week: Toss up between the Tomato Salad and the Grilled Peaches at Southwark

I had the grilled peach salad at Southwark for the first time last year.  Perhaps August or Sept. 
I still think about it and hope its on the menu every time I go to Queen Village's sweetest spot.  Tonight I lucked out.  I went to meet a friend. She was excited about the sidecars. I was starving and much more excited about the edibles.

 I feasted on Sherri Wade's farm to table cuisine.  I had a Buffalo Mozz and Heirloom tomato salad.  The tomatoes were from her own garden in Cape May.  The basil was as fragrant as it gets. Then came the Grilled Peach Salad served with grilled red onion, cream cheese and microgreens.
Fantastic!
I  finished up with something called Wreckfish which was served with her own lettuce and kiwi berries.  The low-harvested fish eats sort of like a grouper.  The kiwi berries were a nice touch.  They're  kind of like a miniature kiwi without the fuzz.

A Brief Word on the Wings at Nodding Head

Sure Nodding Head serves up great award-winning beer daily- but their wings should spark the same amount of conversation.


You can order the Thermo Nuclear or the Thai Chili.


Here's the most up to date tap list:

3C

60 Shilling

700 Level

Biere de Garde

GoldiHops

Ich bin ein Berliner Weisse

Lead Pipe Lager

I believe they also have some bottles of Phunk available for sale if you ask. 

And you should ask;) It's awesome.

Getting Close in South Philly- Sticks and Stones and the Bottle Shop

Sticks and Stones which has been in the works for 2 years is finally just a couple weeks away from opening.

There will be 12 craft-centric  Taps.  More info here from the Grub St. piece written back in May.

This old school photo is on the back bar tile.

Also- it looks like the Bottle Shop will be open before that.  I stopped by last week and saw everything coming together. I got a lil excited when I saw the hot dog roller grill.  

Co-owner Michelle Aquino had mentioned they were going to get zoning approved the next day.

They will be doing samplings and have plenty of seating for those wanting to stay and sip. 

Anastasis got crabs and CRAFT!

I've lived in the Italian Market area for over a year and haven't had Anastasis Seafood since the day I moved. Jenny "raging panda" Hobbs dad bought 100 clams for us to eat.  Which may not have been the best choice considering we didn't even have paper towels for our buttered up digits.

But a few weeks ago my friend Wendy was singing it's praises and I figured I would give it a shot.
The crabcake rocked very little filler and the place wasn't quite as fishy as I thought it would be.  You get that initial- "I'm eating in a fishmarket" aroma...but then you sorta forget about it.

There is a dining room encased in glass separate from the market. It's the perfect place to eat if you're walking the market on a hot day.

Better yet- they have craft beer. I went for some prawns-who knew I'd end up on a sales call?
I saw that they had YARDS and Flying Fish on draft.  Only having 6 lines in South Philly- with 2 being craft---that was a feat for our industry.

It's not that expensive either. During lunch a soup and sandwich deal will take you for ten.

Hitachino's got some company. Echigo beers available at ZAMA

I finally made it to Zama last week as part of some research I was doing.
Chef Scott Schroeder told me when he's not at Hikaru, Zama is his sushi spot.  It's an izakaya a block North of Rittenhouse Square.

I almost went opening night in March. But I didn't. Next thing I knew they were open for 6 months and I had yet to try their sticky rice and sake.

I went during lunch and sat at the sushi bar.  I had a ginger ale instead of a beer but took a look at the beer list and was happy to see beers other than the usual sushiyaki suspects like Asahi Super duper dry and Kirin.  There was no Hitachino....but there was Echigo, coedo and Orion.

The Echigo is in PA strictly for Zama. I believe Bella Vista Distributors has the rights to it.
They have a pils, a porter and a stout.

The sushi was awesome. I tried two rolls. I tried their inside out wasabi lobster salad roll and their fiesta roll. The fiesta actually had a poppin salsa on top of it and eel inside. Chef Zama is working on a collaboration with regular and Eagles right tackle, Winston Justice for charity. Here you can see Zama showing him the rules of the roll.

Happy Birthday Bruce!

A couple months ago I noticed that Bruce Springsteen's birthday was Sept. 23rd.
I had big plans. I wanted to have a an all Bruce dj night at one of my favorite spots.
That never came into fruition. Maybe next year for his 62nd.

I just found a newsbit that he was on  the beach in Point Pleasant recently when he came across a soon-to-be-wed couple. The future groom had a guitar so the boss borrowed it and sang them a song.  That's them in this here photo >>>

Happy one year to Stone Rose

If you never make it outside the city, chances are you haven't made it to StoneRose in Conshohocken.
They're proud of their wine list, but don't dismiss good beer.  They  stick to all local on their six taps and venture farther outside the region for their bottle list.

They're on Fayette street but a bit north of the Boathouse/Great American Pub area.
Next time you trip to REI or Plymouth Meeting make a stop on by. They serve lunch daily as well.

Varga's got yo mojo- and 5 ways no less.

Beer Heaven on Columbus Blvd is now OPEN

Perhaps you noticed the liquor license two doors down from the Philadelphia Bagel Co. back in February when you had to make a Pep Boys trip (or an Avalon carpet store trip).

It's now Beer Heaven: The Craft Beer Store.
They will be doing take out beer (6 px), tastings, and sandwiches to go.

Rumor has it- they have the Four Loco- the caffeinated alcoholic beverage served in a 23.5 oz aluminum can in a variety of flavors.  Weighing in at 12%.

Happy Anniversary to Resurrection Ale House- Meet Randall tonight!

It's the one year Annivesary of Resurrection Ale House at Catherine and Greys Ferry and they're celebrating with the new and improved Randall the Enamel Animal from Dogfish Head.

At 8 pm around the country at 8 bars they will launch Randall 3.0.  

I "ran out" of blogger photo uploads ( I had to pay $5 for 10,000 more before Sept 22, 2011) so no pics but you can get a looksie over hear Foobooz.com

And- you can read all about it at the new Liquid Diet Online 3.0.


Recently I had the pleasure of summing up the service experience at one-year old Resurrection Ale House:

Having three bars to run is no easy task, it’s almost impossible. Owners Brendan Hartranft and Leigh Maida have 100% faith in their staff to represent their bars’ best interests while they are at Bar 1, Memphis taproom, or Bar 2 Local 44.  They’ve hired two band guys that geek out on records, movies and craft beer. They hired another guy who’s not nicknamed the mayor of West Philly for nothing.  He’s as nice as nice gets and likes to talk food so much he even writes a blog about his affinity for all things sandwiched.   The Greys Ferry Ale house also has some lovely ladies waiting tables that are happy to tell you about the menu’s seasonal changes as well as describe the latest drafts while donning a dress that’s too cute for words.  The experience doesn’t leave me speechless per se but it makes me pause for a minute and think about the excellence with which the machine that is Resurrection operates.

Tonight! Savona does Flights and Bites with Sly Fox and Dogfish Head

I'm really looking forward to heading to the beautiful Savona tonight in Gulph Mills.

Melissa Monosoff (a master sommelier who LOVES herself a Pils) has worked with us on this great pairing event.  You can sample all the pairings OR do a la carte.  Weather's gorgeous. Patio is open and Wendy and I look forward to having a beer with you.

Sly Fox "Saison VOS"

Savona's Fried Artichokes with Lemon and Parsley 

Sly Fox, "October Fest"

House Made Bavarian Pretzel Bites - milk chocolate, iron and roasted nuts

Dogfish Head Raison d' Etre

Pizzetta w/Figs, Prosciutto, Bleu Cheese & Caramelized Onions

Sly Fox, Route 113

Lime & Chile Shrimp Skewers with Citrusy Arugula Salad

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Wuxi Pork Belly with Horseradish & Celery Root Puree

 

Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixer

Composed Cheese Selection with Spiced Nuts & Savory Fruit Compote                                                          

This is gonna be good...

Next week, Sept. 28th and 29th-= South Philly Tap Room is popping-up on the roof of Stephen Starr's Continental Midtown.

Chef Scott Schroeder be grilling in honor of Oktoberfest going on right now in Munich.

Not a bad price either-=$45 pp inc. a variety of beers (including firkins, pins and Sly Fox Oktoberfest)

Off the Grill
Rieker’s sausages with mixed mustards
Grilled trout with dill sour cream sauce

Hot Food
Sauerbraten
Roast chicken with bread dumplings and gravy

On the Buffet
German potato salad
Pickled beets with mustard seed
Rieker’s liverwurst on rye with onions, pickles and mustard
Cucumbers with dill and sour cream
Sauerkraut with potatoes, pork belly & kielbasa
House rolled pretzels
German chocolate cake

Live Stream nerdom at the POPE today 3 pm- GABF Medal Ceremony

I woke up this morning with a great idea- get all my fellow beer heads to meet me at the POPE at 3 pm and we can watch the Great American Beer Fest award ceremony via the Brewing Network.

I might be live tweeting from there as well.

Best of luck to all! 

Regardless of who takes home what -we're brewing some of the best beer in the country here in the Delaware Valley, in the other lager country.

Be Back Soon-real soon

It's been a really really crazy week.  And no-I'm not in Denver.
 I mean its always crazy. But crazy got kicked up a notch.
I will resume normal blogging tomorrow. Sorry for the hiatus.  

Summer is Nearing an End but the Heat is On- Festival Season is here

I took this photo of a poster at Springfield Bev.

It's festival season. Go to The Beer Yard's website for a calendar of all the region's upcoming events.

Ill be working most of them.
Here's my weekend line up- come out when you can

Tonight- I'll be bartending at the Fringe bar serving up Sly Fox cans after 10 pm (plus other beers like Weyerbacher Autumnfest and Dogfish Head)
Columbus and Spring Garden-at Old Club Egypt
(and Solo)

Saturday
Happy 90 years to Kunda Bev in King of Prussia.

Wendy of Dogfish Head will join me and entertain you while I open SLY FOX cans and grill up hot dogs.  I've caramelized a bunch of onions and we'll have spicy ketchup as well.
We'll be a chillin' and grillin' from 2 till 4.  

Sunday
I'll be tailgating for Eagles home opener in the beer aisle of Wegman's Warrington.
I will be there from 12-3.  Stop by for a complimentary sample 

then
8 pm- VARGA bar continues BINGO with BIG RICH on Sundays.
I'll be there hosting.

This Cracks Me Up: I'm getting my act together and taking it on the road"

I headed to the Newtown Record Exchange last weekend and saw this>>>>>>>>

I really wanted to buy it but couldn't justify the $5 on a musical I didn't know existed.

I'd rather have a beer (or iced soy latte since they are about $5 too).

Swift Half : I love you like I love bacon

My best friend in the Delaware Valley- April Annie and I have this thing we do.

We often say, "I love you like I love ______"
And I often fill in the blank with bacon.  (coconut is a frequent one too).
 I love bacon.
And I love Swift Half at the Piazza for featuring it all month long. (It is National Bacon Month)

Here's the bacon snack menu courtesy of Steve Mashington of Yards and Phish-following fame.

And April- if you're reading this- I miss you and love you-like I love bacon and like you love "fakon"


Bacon heart by Mike Geno.

I'm months behind on this. Months! Texico Bitches-Jam of the week.

Don't know why I just discovered this song 5 days ago.  But-I'm glad I did.
At South by Southwest they referred to it as their "american anthem."
A song for the people.
I'm not sure exactly what they're talking about- but I can't stop listening to it.
Is it because they say "Bitches?"
Of course the beginning reminds you of other songs...but stick with it.

Kennett to come to Queen Village

If you haven't heard- Kennett is coming.

Johnny Carwash, the Event Coordinator and do-it-all dude for YARDS Brewing Co. has bought the Lyons Den in the Queen Village area (848 S. 2nd st by Christian).

His goal is to make it the first certified green restaurant/bar in Philly.

Both the chef and managing partner live in Queen Village and look forward to catering to the community via affordable food, craft beer, good wine and old-fashioned cocktails.  Johnny says, "Picture a comfortable place where a family could have a lunch on the weekend afternoon, or a couple could have a great night out, all within walking distance."

I believe Kennett is the last name of the family that originally owned the building.

Here's a glance at a few menu items-

Snacks
avocado salad: lime juice, chili, cilantro, cumin
roasted chickpeas: smoked paprika, olive oil, salt
new potatoes: preserved lemon and mixed herbs

Charcuterie and cheeses
meat: proscuitto, pork terrine, salumi, country pate, mustard, cornichon and toast
cheese: aged cheddar, goat, fresh mozz, toast

Burgers
lamb: smoked paprika, cucumber and yogurt
beef: lettuce, tomato and anchovy mayonaiise
veggie: lentils, wheatberried and tomato relish

Mains
chicken: brown butter, herbs and mustard
farmers plate: roasted squash and sage, turnips and brussel sprouts

Wood-fired Pizza
margherita
white: house-made ricotta, late summer squash and sweet onions
house: prosciutto, fig and goat cheese

* I have no idea what the turn around is during the transition.  An opening date has not been set.

Someone Buy this Man a Beer

Late night with Joe Gunn was once again ridiculous on Wednesday night. He needs a network show-stat.

He hosted a variety of Fringe fest guests.  The bar owner was put out of his comfort zone interviewing people that he had never met as opposed to interviewing people that drink whiskey/beer with him all the time such as the debut of Late night with Joe Gunn during Philly Beer Week 2010.

This time around- he one-upped himself-no actually two-upped himself with a sports coat and a whiskey sink.  Yes-its exactly what it sounds like -a faucet pouring whiskey- Jameson-although I believe Gunn to be a Tullymore man.

I took 15 minutes of video footage including musical guests Casey Parker (He did covers of "Poker Face" and Skid Row's "I Remember You.") and interviews with Philly Comix Jam's Brett Hopkins and Philly's favorite publican Fergie Carey (this is 10 of the 15 minutes and includes serenades to Wendy Domurat of Dogfish Head and myself).
Unfortunately the video is so long I can't upload it. 

A few standouts:(apologies for any profanity to my family in advance)

Scott Johnston (of Fancy pants cinema) (on stage-in a fake huff )
"I got my whiskey. Fuck this Shit. I'm outta here."


Joe Gunn: Come on man. I've been working on this show ...for like...an hour now

-=-
Joe Gunn:
"I like my whiskey like I like my portions.  Small, Cheap,  (pause because he has no idea what he's about to say) and makes me throw up after."

Another man who needs a beer is Dan Conway-  for sporting his uber orange hat in the midst of a black light during Late Night with Joe Gunn.
He was pretty much the only person Joe could see from the stage.  Or you can buy him a bloody mary-he's been known.

Canvention

I was looking forward to working the Canvention at the Valley Forge Convention center last night.
I knew that I would meet some interesting horders, I mean collectors and have a few anecdotes to share following.

There was an interesting variety of breweries there- Sly of course- Iron Hill-PBS-Flying Fish-Lancaster-Climax- Applachian- Intercourse and more.

I didn't get a chance to eat prior- I tried to go to Creeds Seafood for some crabcakes and a Sly Fox beforehand- But there were no seats available at the bar- and I kind of stood out amongst the suits in my loud paisley dress.  I embarrassingly tucked my head down and left as soon as I came.


Soft pretzels, popcorn and chips were provided.  That worked just fine for the attendees that were coming from as far as Australia to celebrate brewerania through the decades. Some run websites like this.http://www.mibeercans.com/

Some knew beer. Some asked me what a weisse was.

Some were happy to meet me, some taught me the proper way to open a can for a collector.

Here are a few of the moments/conversations I had:

It was "good" from the get go. 

The first gent I interacted with says: "I know what a weisse is I just wanna say blue."  (referring to the blue can).
A feisty one.

The second gent I interact with wants my business card.  I had just put a bunch on the table and they were already gone. I had barely talked to anyone.  He says to me, "I've collected 1,700- you're 1701."

Geez-thanks guy.

Then another:  "Love your accent." 

Do I have an accent?

There was no pitchers or rinsing area- so I had to create me own.  Many people were approaching my table with the remnants of a porter in their glass. I didn't want to pour a Pikeland Pils into the dark brown liquid at the bottom of the glass- so I dumped it out did a quick rinse with pils and poured a pils.

One guy accused me of wasting beer. I said, "I don't think you want me to pour a hefeweizen into a dark beer. 
He said, "It don't matter."
I said, "That's encouraging." He laughed and walked away.


 It's hard picking my favorite interaction of the night. Its a toss up between the woman that gave me a can opener and taught me her technique as she called it.Or Michael from Oregon who told me one of the sought after "items" for can collectors is the Sly Fox Royal Weisse can that doesn't have 312 N. Lewis Rd on it- but only has Royersford, PA on it.


They were a funny bunch.
I wrapped things up shortly after 10 and headed back into the city.
I had to drop off a keg of Sly Fox grisette for MONKS local dinner next Tuesday.
I thought I would get some mussels but I wasn't feeling mussels.  So- tired - yet hungry-I made one more stop at the Royal Tavern for their delicious chicken frankie- an Indian delight.  It's one of my favorites.  My flash is broken on my cam-so this doesn't do it justice.  But next time you head there- consider the frankie.You'll thank me?

Best Bite of the Week-= Smoked Hot Dog at Johnny Brenda's

Best bite of the week was a particularly hard decision this week.
I got to sneak away for a bit to Bringatine- then a concert in Lancaster- then a weekend in New Hope and Lambertville....and I ate a lot.

But the best bite I had was in my home city at one of my favorite bars, Johnny Brendas.

They hosted the 2nd Pils Picnic on Friday.
I had an afternoon meeting then a happy hour event at Prohibition taproom that night so I didn't have much time to explore the teutonic taps of the day-but I squeezed in one pint of the Sly Fox firkin of Keller Pils, four oysters, and one hot dog.
Not just any hot dog.  It was smokey and deliciously topped with a popping chow chow.

After serving chow-chow for years at Peter Becker nursing home to Pennsy-dutch seniors - I never thought I'd welcome the pickled melange o veggies on my own plate...but it was awesome. It was the best bite of the week.

Don't be surprised if this resurfaces for my 3rd annual Porktoberfest (starting Oct. 1).

Johnny Brenda's Pils Picnic All Day Tomorrow

2nd annual Pils Picnic takes place tomorrow at JB's at Front and Frankford.

Join 95% of the world that drinks pilsners for a few hours?

You've been active all summer so that's give you the green card to plenty of  Fried Chicken and Deviled Eggs.




THE POURS (12 pm till?)

Dock Street Bohemian Pils
Manayunk Bill's Pils
Troeg's Sunshine Pils
Southampton Keller Pils
Stoudt's Pils
Victory Prima Pils
Sly Fox Pikeland Pils
Sly Fox Keller Pils- FIRKIN!
Victory Braumeister Pils- Saaz
Victory Braumeister Pils- Spalt