Beer Lovers Paradise: OPENING TAP

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Beer-lovers, close your eyes and tap into your imagination. Imagine a place full of beer, good beer. In this happy place, you walk freely among tables and tables of craft beer from the Philly area, around the country, even the world, and they pour bottomless cups of beer. You drink to your heart’s content, imbibing upon small-batch brews, limited brews, and rare collaborative beers.

Crowd Filtering in at 2018 Opening Tap

Now, imagine people taking a large sledgehammer and pounding open a ceremonial keg of beer.

Hammer of Glory about to Tap the Ceremonial first keg (2018)

You are surrounded by other beer geeks. You talk to brewers from around the world. And, it’s a Friday night so you can probably sleep it all off in the morning.

Stumbled into Tom from Yards (2018)

DJ’s and live entertainment are also provided. Karaoke with a live full band is also at this happy place.

Now, imagine all of this in an arena. AN ARENA OF BEER!

This is not some fantasy only in your mind. This is reality thanks to the people over at Philly Loves Beer and my favorite week of the year: PHILLY BEER WEEK. This Xanadu that we’ve described is actually Philly Beer Week’s Annual Opening Tap Party and it’s pure utopia for any lover or aficionado of beer.

This year’s Opening Tap is this Friday (May 31st) at the 2300 Arena at Ritner & Swanson Streets. More than 65 local and national breweries will be pouring beers. Opening Tap attendees get first dibs on a special collaboration beer between La Cabra Brewing in Berwyn and the folks behind Duvel called Duveldelphia.

I went last year for the first time and it is easily one of the greatest Philadelphia events of the year. I may have pinched myself a few times during the night because it felt too good to be true. Remember those trips as a kid to Toys R Us or Kiddie City? This is pretty much the adult, beer-drinking equivalent.

Your ticket purchase ($46 GA/$66VIP) allows you to drink beers all night. While $46 isn’t the cheapest ticket in town, it is a great value due to the beers available. You are not going to be drinking Miller Lite and Budweiser. On the contrary, you’ll be enjoying limited production beers and high-end craft beers from breweries like ARS, Firestone, Cape May, Duvel, Free Will, Great Lakes, Heavy Seas, Weyerbracher, and tons more.

If you dig beer, I can’t recommend this event enough. For more information on Opening Tap, click HERE.

Hope to bump into you at the Opening Tap. Keep an eye out next week for some Beer Week highlights.