Best Jawns of Philly Beer Week 2018
This actually might be our second favorite week behind the first week of the NCAA Tournament. It’s PHILLY BEER WEEK thanks to the fine folks over at Philly Loves Beer. That’s right. The United States’ largest celebration of beer, copied in cities all through the country, is here and it’s time to enjoy some great beers with other beer lovers.
I’ve been on the a three-day detox of only green tea, mung beans & rice to get ready for ten days of glorious liquid enjoyment.
The list of events can be overwhelming so we’d like to share the events that we have marked off to attend. However, you really can’t go wrong showing up at any of the hundreds of events, unless you show up at a Yuengling event. Don’t fret suburban friends, there’s plenty of events in the burbs. Check out the calendar.
The Jawnville picks are:
FRIDAY JUNE 1ST:
Cooperage Wine & Whiskey Bar is having a Bell vs. Rogue Tap Takeover all day long. It’s hard to find two better breweries joining forces for an event. Bell’s highlights for me include Two Hearted IPA, Bell’s Oberon, and Hopsolution. On the Rogue side, you can’t go wrong with Dead Guy Ale, any of their Hop IPA’s, Honey Kolsch, or Amber Ale.
Fergie’s – Hammer of Glory Arrives at Fergie’s at 4:00 p.m. One never knows what ye shall see when the Hammer of Glory arrives at Fergie’s Pub. It’s worth leaving work early to find out.
Btw…this is the Hammer of Glory.
After you possibly see a partially clothed Fergie celebrating the Hammer of Glory’s arrival, walk over to Strangelove’s for a tap takeover with Victory and Half Acre at 5:00 p.m. By now you should be familiar with Victory’s stellar lineup which includes Hop Devil, Prima Pils, Headwaters Ale, Braumeister Pils, and Golden Monkey. Half Acre, out of Chicago, may be my favorite brewery not from Philly right now. Their lineup is as solid as it gets. Standouts for me include: Daisy Cutter Pale Ale (currently in my top 5), Pony Pils, Tuna Extra Pale Ale, Vallejo IPA.
Opening Tap at the Fillmore from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Tickets are about $65 for this event, but ya get access to over 60 breweries and over 100+ styles of beer, live music, unlimited pours, raffles. It’s basically largest one-night only beer festival.
World’s Smallest Toast at P.O.P.E. with La Chouffe, Ommegang, and Duvel from 7:00 p.m. to midnight. I’ll show up for any La Chouffe event, hoping to score another gnome glass. La Chouffe is also a top 5 beer for me. If you like Belgian style ales, this is must-attend event.
SATURDAY JUNE 2ND:
Strangelove’s, yes again, for Forest & Main starting at noon. The folks from Forest & Main run a sweet little brewpub out in Ambler and happen to do a decent Quizzo night. F&M brew nice small batch beers and are definitely worth checking out if you haven’t made it out to the Ambler location.
Sierra Sausagefest at Good Dog starts at 4:00 p.m. Combining one of my favorite bars with one of the OG’s of craft brewing. Sierra Pale Ale remains a classic, which should be in the house in addition to Hoptimum Triple IPA, Sierraveza, Hazy Little Thing IPA, and Otra Vez Lime & Agave. Sausage prepared by Good Dog so you know it’ll be off the hook.
Maybe squeeze in some performances over at Porchfest going on in West Philly.
SUNDAY JUNE 3RD:
Lucky’s Last Chance in Queen Village is hosting a brunch featuring beers from Founders Brewing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Founders is another brewery doing almost everything right. Their All-Day IPA is a session instant classic coming in at abv similar to Bud or Miller, but with a taste that’s in another delicious galaxy. Other Founders standouts for me are the Centennial IPA and Solid Gold Lager. Lucky’s, which does comfort food as good as anyone, will be rolling out a secret brunch menu.
Johnny Brenda’s is hosting a Clam Bake with Cape May Brewing. Pretty simple. Good food with paired with some good South Jersey beer. Cape May is sneaky good. They have an impressive selection of beers. Highlights include: Cape May IPA, Always Ready Pale Ale (official beer of my Memorial Day BBQ), Coastal Evacuation Double IPA, and Devil’s Reach Belgian Golden Ale.
Yards:Dunk the Brewer (A Benefit for PAWS) happens from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Garage Passyunk. Great local beers from Yards on draft and in cans will be on special while raising money for one of the better animal rescues in Philly. Does it get any better? Drinking for a good cause is rarely a bad time plus you get to dunk the brewer!
MONDAY: Recharge.
TUESDAY JUNE 5TH:
All day at TIME is the Hazed & Confused New England IPA Event. If you’re an IPA fan, you’re aware that people are going bonkers over New England style IPAs. You get access IPAs, Double IPAs, Pale Ales, and specials on Oysters from New England. Beers from Cricket Hill Brewery & Helltown Brewing are featured.
Taco Tuesday with Allagash & Los Gallos at the Taproom on 19th. Allagash does nice beers including the classic Allagash White, Hoppy Table Beer, and Tripel. This event promises crazy brews from Allagash including beers fermented with wine, Belgian yeast, and Chardonnay grapes. Los Gallos is one of the top taquerias in Philly. Food is outstanding. This is should be a great pairing.
3rd Annual Beer Week Spelling Bee starts at 7:00 p.m. at the P.O.P.E. and features beers from Saint Benjamin’s. I’m a fan of Benjamin’s Pilsner Prosim, Inca Cream Ale, and their Circa Now! IPA. Good beer and drunk people in a spelling bee. You get the gist…fun all around.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 6TH
*JAWNVILLE STANDOUT* is the Tonewood Tap Takeover with Super Mario Cart at the P.O.P.E. I swear we are not on the P.O.P.E. payroll. Their events are just that good. Tonewood may be the biggest rising star brewery throughout the entire week. A good buddy turned me onto an old Westmont, NJ bar called the Irish Mile where I had my first Tonewood brew. Tonewood has a brewpub in Oaklyn, NJ and they are brewing amazing beers. I’m not into Super Mario Cart, but this event could have the best beers you’ve never heard of. Standouts are Fuego Cloudy IPA, Poolside Mexican Lager, Freshies American Pale Ale. The Fuego is my favorite new beer of the last two years and comes in at a solid 6.2% abv.
THURSDAY JUNE 7TH
Troegs & Trees at Garage South Philly from 6-9 p.m. Have you had a bad Troegs beer? Me neither. Drink a beer and get a tree (while supplies last). I’ll have a beer to make Philly a little greener. They have too many beers to mention, but I’m high on Sunshine Pils, Nugget Nectar, Dreamweaver Wheat, Perpetual IPA, Mad Elf, and Hopback Amber. Rumor is that Nimble Giant will be on draft here.
Late Night with Joe Gunn at Jose Pistola’s is must-see TV, kind of. Joe Gunn, owner of Jose Pistola’s, basically hosts a drunken variety talk show for a live bar audience featuring interviews with legends of the Philly beer and bar scene. The only thing missing are TV cameras. I think I witnessed a 1 a.m. female-only taco-eating contest. I don’t remember. That’s how it goes at this event. This is the best entertainment you’ll get without a cover charge…and there’s good beer.
FRIDAY JUNE 8TH
Mikkeller Day at Memphis Tap Room at 4:20 might be our runner-up to Tonewood Tap Takeover as pick of the week. Few breweries do beers on par with Mikkeller. Mikkeller does some of the more creative brews you’ll come across. Stopping into their brewpub in San Fran is on par with drinking Belgians at a pub in Antwerp. This event mixes some of Mikkeller’s gypsy beers with beer artwork and an appearance by Keith Shore, illustrator of some of the best beer art ever seen outside of a glass. Get here fast as we will be featuring 50 limited edition prints promoting this once maybe twice in a lifetime event.
Devil’s Den is hosting Ommegang Night from 7-10 p.m. Friday night. We can’t get enough Ommegang so if you need seconds or missed our Ommegang recommendation earlier in the week, here’s your chance. You’ll be able to enter to win tickets to Ommegang’s Game of Thrones at Eastern State plus drink great world-class beers such as Witte, Sleeveless Saison, Hand of the Queen, Pale Sour, Bottles, Hennepin, and Rosetta.
West Philly Orchestra teams up with Evil Genius at Johnny Brenda’s at 8:00 p.m. West Philly is one of the more entertaining musical experiences in the city. They are brass and percussion Balkan band featured by frontwoman Petia Z, who is usually jaw-dropping fun. Evil Genius does creative brews with fun names like Ma! The Meatloaf, Stacy’s Mom, and You’re Killing Me Smalls.
There you go. These are our jawns for Philly Beer Week, but you’re good wherever you go. Get out and about in this great city over the next 10 days and celebrate beer.