Planted in Cherry Hill - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our little Jersey/Philly weekend excursion. When we last left you, we were in the middle of a beer-soaked Saturday in southwest Jersey. Here's the conclusion of our adventure. Enjoy!

Situated in Clayton, NJ, Core3 was one of the new places I was most excited about visiting. And when I say "new," I mean it. Core3 opened its doors just a few months ago in August 2019 after the two owners and lifelong friends decided to take their homebrewing obsession to the next level. The bartender at Kelly Green remarked that it was the favorite among all of the "in" crowd in the area as well as the local brewing community.

Outside Core3 Brewery.

Once we entered, the crowd amassed around the bar provided proof that Core3 was, in fact, popular among the locals. Inside, the tasting room area features a rectangular, wrap-around bar that was packed with customers, as well as a few adjacent tables and a cozy lounge area near a fireplace that we were actually lucky enough to secure when we arrived. The warm, inviting atmosphere reminded me of a rustic log cabin tucked away in the middle of nowhere. I felt ensconced in wood. The place really captured the vibe of a gathering place where folks are able to kick back with a beer and talk about their daily lives with one another.

Decisions... decisions...

While Brewslut and Pleeps set up shop near the fireplace, I bellied up to the bar for our initial order. I was excited to not only find a rauchbier on tap, but one dispensed via nitrogen! Well, that settles it then... The Hearthside Bellow it is! In all my years of beer travels, this is the first time I've encountered a rauchbier (i.e. German smoked beer) on nitro. Rauchbiers are rare enough as it is, and this one was definitely a treat. The nitrogen really rounded out the harsh edges of the smoky character, making it much more approachable for folks who might not be used to this strong, complex style. Despite its silky smooth texture, flavors and aromas of applewood, leather, and a hint of cedar came through nicely.

Pleeps likes smoked beers too.

For some reason, I really wanted to try a beer called The Graceful Maiden. Described as a "minty pale ale," I'm honestly not sure why I was drawn to it. You may recall that I typically stray from beers brewed with mint, but something was calling me to this beer. This was an exceptionally balanced beer featuring a pinch of smooth, cool mint atop a zesty, citrus-forward flavor. I liked this one quite a bit.

We ended our visit with a shared pour of Washington's Summit, an American IPA hopped with Citra and Amarillo and featuring bright citrus notes. Around this time, it was getting really crowded and soon became "standing room only." We still had our comfy seats, but the volume of the crowd became a little overwhelming, so we decided that was our cue to move along. Besides, we had one final stop on the agenda for the evening...

We got to Spellbound just in time to make last call. I couldn't imaging visiting the area and not hitting up this place - which is one of our favorites - for at least one beer.  Since it was late, we figured we'd might as well make it count. Spellbound taps firkins on Saturdays, and we had the opportunity to sample some fantastic offerings in the past, including an IPA aged on Spanish cedar, which I enjoyed during our last visit. This time around, their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie aged on Cognac immediately caught my attention. We'd had the base beer in the past, which is a 7% ABV dark ale brewed with 200 pounds of raisins and about 300 whole vanilla beans. Aside from molasses, oatmeal raisin is probably my favorite cookie variety. So when it's in liquid form, you can definitely sign me up! It was a little thin due to the cask conditioning, but the cognac aging really added a depth to the complexity of this beer and opened up the natural dark fruit notes of the beer. If you're unfamiliar with cognac, it's a variety of brandy with its origins in the French region of the same name. While cognac matures in the same fashion as whiskey and wine, it typically spends longer on wood than the aforementioned spirits (at least two years in French oak barrels). The resulting liquid is quite delicious and complex. 

Brewslut opted for Living the Dream?!, an 11.5% ABV BBA Imperial Stout with huge roasty flavors and notes of chocolate cake, dark roasted coffee, vanilla, and bourbon. It was definitely the better beer of the two. I mean, it's a bourbon barrel-aged stout. I've rarely met one that I didn't like. This was quite enjoyable and under most circumstances would provide a great ending to any day-long drinking extravaganza. But wait... there's more! 

Pleeps... living the dream!

Yes indeed, we weren't done quite yet. I realized there was a brewery that we'd overlooked during previous visits to the area. Somehow, for whatever reason, Village Idiot had eluded us. Also located in Mount Holly, this nanobrewery operates on a tiny 1.5bbl brewhouse to produce a broad spectrum of styles in very small batches. Once we perused the extensive beer list, we knew that Pleeps was going to heavily influence our selections. Our celebrity monkey was indeed chomping at the bit when he saw the tap list, which included not one, but TWO beers featuring banana. Oh boy.

I love the description of the first of the two banana beers we tried, Monkey Breath Banana Bread Ale. Check it...

You're a monkey. You just ate a banana. What better way to wash it down than with a cold VIBC beer? 4 out of 5 monkeys surveyed recommend this bready, walnut-colored brew to their primate buddies. Monkey see, monkey do. Welcome to the jungle!

The other one, named Elvis is in the Building!, recreated the King's favorite snack with this chocolate peanut butter banana porter. Well, not quite. The sandwich in question was actually a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich. Perhaps this recipe could be tweaked and released as a smoked porter. Either way, bonus points for the name!

Here Pleeps is, stuck in the middle with brews.

I've maybe had only a handful of beers brewed with banana in the past, and honestly they've been all over the map. It doesn't ferment as easily as other fruits like stone or tropical fruits, so it's not exactly easy to use in the brewing process. Typically, banana character in beer comes from a yeast strain often used in wheat beers such as hefeweizens. But I must say that both of these beers were solid. Each had a pretty full mouthfeel with a bit of viscosity as well as balanced flavors. I'm not much for peanut butter in my beer, but the Elvis beer was nicely done. The Monkey Breath, on the other hand, used a Dunkelweiss base so it had that estery banana-esque flavor already present. The cinnamon and sugar-rimmed glass added a hint of spice to the mix.

We also decided to get a beer to close out the night, which was named Da Nick. All I know is that it's a rye beer. I seem to recall asking the bartender about the name, and he told me. However, things got a bit hazy roundabout this time. Thankfully, the pizza place across the street was open, so we ordered a buffalo chicken pizza to eat while we hung out with the village idiots. After finishing half of the pizza, it was time to head back to the hotel. Overall, it was quite a productive day, with six new-to-us breweries we could now officially add to our list. For now, it was sleepy time. Zzzzzzz...

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On Sunday, we decided to focus on the Northern Liberties section of Philly, where breweries have been spreading like wildfire. First up was a return visit to a recent favorite, Urban Village.

Focusing on a brewpub model, Urban Village offers "tank-to-table" handcrafted beers brewed on site, brick-oven pizzas, and artisan bread made with natural, yeast-leavened dough. The beer and food menus change seasonally to provide customers with different flavors each time they visit. They also feature a Sunday brunch menu, which was the reason we decided to begin our day there. That, and they opened earlier than all of the other places on our itinerary for the day.

Cool mural outside Urban Village.

I felt like going dark and crisp since it was still early and we hadn't had any coffee yet. I thought the hotel coffee would be better at a Crown Plaza, but nope. It was terrible just like pretty much all hotel coffee I've ever had. I took one sip and dumped it in the street. So starting my day off with The Wolf, a Schwarzbier, made sense to me. This beer represents Urban Village's first time brewing the style, a dark German lager. The Wolf features local malt from nearby Deer Creek Malthouse in Glen Mills, PA (just outside West Chester). Subtle roasty notes mingle with a rich, malty sweetness and crisp mouthfeel. I wish more breweries would make Schwarzbiers, as I crave one every once in a while. This one hit the spot and worked well with my chichen and cheesy grits-laden brunch.

While we were there, I also enjoyed a pour of Hop Water, a cask conditioned pilsner hopped with Simcoe and El Dorado. The typical crispness and carbonation of a pilsner was gone and replaced with notes of mandarin orange and lemon citrus. The malt backbone was still present, but it drank more like a session IPA with a bigger malt backbone. Brewslut wasn't diggin' it but I enjoyed it. Besides, when was the last time you saw a pilsner on cask?

It's hops, it's water... it's Hop Water!

I was really excited to finally make it to Mainstay. You may or may not know that long-time Sly Fox brewer, Brian O'Reilly, moved on to assume the brewmaster position at Mainstay. Brian is a legendary brewer in our region and has won several GABF medals during his 15-year tenture with Sly Fox. I especially enjoy his German-style lagers, which are always in abundance at my favorite PA beer fest, The Sly Fox Bock Fest & Goat Races. So while we were sad to see him part ways with Sly Fox, we were excited for Brian to see what this new chapter had in store for him.

The brewery itself is situated in the old Yards facility on Delaware Avenue. The reimagined space, dubbed "Craft Hall," not only houses Mainstay's brewery, but also a bakery, eatery, two bars, a stage for live music, and even - gasp! - a playground for kids, all contained under one 35,000 square foot roof.

Inside Mainstay's eclectic space, dubbed "Craft Hall."

When we arrived, there appeared to be a birthday party of some sort in the back of the main room. Upon further investigation, we noticed a large golden balloon shaped like the number "3," and therefore deduced it was a party for a 3-year-old. Yes. A party for a toddler. At a brewery. Again.  Yes, unfortunately this wasn't the first time we'd encountered this scenario. Since the brewery has a play area specifically set up for kids to keep them occupied, Brewslut and I decided to set up camp in a cool lounge area at the very front of the spacious room... about as far away as possible from the Toddlerpalooza that was taking place in the back. More on that in a bit. But first... beer!

We ordered pints of a pair of IPAs. I'm not sure why I was drawn to an IPA, because I've always preferred Brian's traditional German style beers when he was brewing for Sly Fox. Regardless, we opted for one called Bowline, which was described generically as a "delicious, balanced IPA... enough said!" Personally, I like a bit more information and creativity when it comes to beer descriptions. The hop varieties used in the beer are appreciated as well. Overall, this beer was enjoyable, boasting hints of light citrus fruit, watermelon candy, and juicy pear.

Brewslut went with United Fruit, an IPA with a fruit-forward aroma. Hopped with Mosaic, Citra, and El Dorado Hops, this unfiltered IPA displayed faint notes of citrus and stone fruit. It definitely wasn't as bright or flavorful as Bowline, which was surprising given its name features the word "fruit." Turns out the name of the beer refers to Cherry Street Pier, where the United Fruit company formerly received fruit for distribution throughout the Philadelphia region. Unfortunately, this beer wasn't jiving with Brewslut. I offered to split half of mine with her, but she wasn't digging that one either. Meanwhile, Pleeps was off making new friends...

Pleeps loves meeting new friends.

Now, on to the aforementioned Toddlerpalooza. Things were all well and good for us. We found a comfy, old sofa in the lounge area and were enjoying our beers until - sure enough - kids began to venture off to unexplored areas of the brewery and eventually migrate to our general area. Of course, their parents were too busy drinking and "adulting" to take notice. Eventually, about half a dozen kids were running around in the main aisle chucking these baseball-sized stuffed stars that they must have gotten as party favors. They were seriously winging them around like fucking Chinese throwing stars. One of them landed on Brewslut's purse, and I quickly snatched it up and sat on it. The kid's dad saw me do this, but I didn't give a shit. As far as I was concerned, it was now mine. First off, what parent thinks this is acceptable behavior in an indoor public establishment, especially with decorations such as this...

It's like Auntie Wainwright's Bric-a-Brac.

...much less customers holding glasses of beer in their hands?! That's right, he was whipping this toy around in mid-air in close proximity to these shelves and customers drinking their beers. I mean, look at all those breakable objects decorating the shelves. I was prepared to teach this little shitbag a lesson, albeit one he'd likely forget in five minutes. I seldom get worked up like this, but I was fuming. After about a minute, Brewslut caved and (without my consent, mind you!) unearthed the buried toy from beneath my buttocks and threw it back to the kid. And then guess what? He started chucking it around again. Seriously? I hope he tripped down the stairs on the way out and fractured his shin. Little fucking mongrel. It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite Instagram feeds to follow is "Kids Getting Hurt." Seriously, if your disdain for children matches that of mine, then do yourself a favor and follow it. This concludes the rant portion of this program. 

Love City was another brewery that we'd been wanting to hit for at least a year or so. The same building that houses the brewery once manufactured parts for trains that traveled the Reading Railroad. Inside, the natural beauty of the building shines through and highlights antique machinery, lofty ceilings, and plenty of natural light.

Outside Love City Brewing Company.

In contrast to the Toddlerpalooza festival at Mainstay, Love City was hosting a local pet rescue and adoption organization in its back room, and the animals couldn't have been more well-behaved. About half a dozen cuties were on the floor snuggling with their handlers while everyone enjoyed a beer and conversing with one another. It warmed my heart. Dogs > kids. Actually, dogs > people in general, but I digress.

Wrap-around bar at Love City.

My only encounter with Love City had been its Love City Lager, which I'd obtained somehow at work as one tends to occasionally do whilst working at a brewery. Other than that, this was unexplored territory for us. With that said, we felt a shared sampler flight was in order. Here's the low-down:

• Obscura - Munich dunkel lager with a toasty malt character and hints of chocolate and coffee. 
• Totally Wired - English-style brown ale aged on Lunar Lander espresso from the local Elixr coffee roasters. 
• Strange Powers - Belgian-style pale ale fermented with Brettanomyces. Notes of stone fruit and freshly cut grass mingle with a hint of biscuity malt.
• Tart Beats Pommegranate - Kettle-soured American wheat ale featuring lactic bacteria fermentation in the kettle, followed by a secondary fermentation with 55 gallons of pomegranate juice. Light, tart, and fruity. 

Pleeps and his coasters...

Nothing was mind-blowing, but the beers here were all pretty solid and enjoyable. Beer aside, I'd probably go on record and say that this brewery embodies the City of Brotherly Love moreso than any other we've visited thus far. The atmospheres hearkens back to a time before Prohibition when every neighborhood had its own brewery. The beer label art is simple and classic, and echoes back to the early 20th century. You know... the good old days. I definitely felt a sense of Philly pride while enjoying our beer at the bar here. I mean, how much more Philly can you get than this...?

You can't get more Philly than Rocky!

While we didn't have any food at Love City, I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention its cool, Scooby Doo-inspired food truck that remains on-site in the back room. Zoinks! 

Love City's awesome Scooby Doo-inspired, on-site food truck!

Just a few blocks away from Love City is Triple Bottom, a wonderful recent addition to the burgeoning Philadelphia craft beer scene. Situated on Spring Garden he tiny brewery only opened its doors in May 2019. The brewery is based on its “triple bottom line” philosophy, which prioritizes “people, planet, and profit.” By way of this mission, Triple Bottom simultaneously supports its employees and local community, environmental sustainability, and financial stability. Their official blog is a great place to get to know Triple Bottom and its comunity-driven ethos. Inside, the stark white walls, large bay windows, natural light, and simple decor reminded me of a European cafe. Clean, sophisticated, and classic.

Outside Triple Bottom Brewing.

After perusing the beer list, both Brewslut and I seemed to land on the same beer. Not only did Hitchhiking Robot sound delicious, it was also a peculiar name for a dry-hopped, fruited sour ale. Brewed in collaboration with Crime and Punishment Brewing Company, this delicious beer is conditioned on blood orange, tangerine and vanilla to release bright, citrusy flavors and lush vanilla and creamsicle notes. It was one of our favorite beers of the weekend! Of course, Brewslut was quick to pick up on the beer name reference. This delicious beer is named after Philly’s ill-fated visitor, HitchBOT, a cheerful hitchhiking robot that had made successful cross-country trips across Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany. The little robot had intended to traverse the United States as well. However, it only survived for about 300 miles on the cruel streets of the United States. Two weeks after beginning its cross-country trip in Boston, the robot was vandalized in Philadelphia. City of Brotherly Love? Bunch of savages in this town! Seriously, Philiadephians need to calm the fuck down when it comes to vandalism. What is this, Penn State?! Poor little robot. At any rate, this beer was freaking delicious!

We tried two other beers during our visit. The first, Trolley Car, is a blood orange tart ale with a subtle honey sweetness and lots of bright, citrusy flavor. The other, Percy Pils, is a pretty solid keller pilsner. We enjoyed these while watching the Puppy Bowl on a movie screen the brewery had set up for folks to watch the Super Bowl. Oh yeah, I forgot it was a national holiday. Funny story... I didn't even know who won the game until later the following day. Regardless, these two beers were enjoyable but didn't wow us like the Hitchiking Robot. Still, the beers are very respectable for a place that hasn't even been open for a year, and the bartender was extremely friendly and attentive... something that's pretty hit or miss in Philly. All in all, it was a great first impression of Triple Bottom.

I'll admit that we were never huge fans of Roy Pitz. That's not a guy, by the way; it's the name of a Chambersburg-based brewery that's been around since the "aughts" (2008, to be exact). My first experience was way back during our Brass Rail Deli days, when a group of us would congregate at the small bottle shop to share beers and try the new taps of the week. I believe it was Daddy Fat Sacks (great name for a DIPA). Since they were new back then, we had the opportunity to try several Roy Pitz beers. The only one that I remember liking quite a bit was Ludwig's Revenge, a German-style smoked beer (no surprise, as I love rauchbiers). But something just didn't excite me about the beers at the time. And with that, I placed them in my B-list bin. We had the opportunity to visit the brewery several years ago (during my blogging hiatus, unfortunately), and didn't really make a connection again. It's not that the beers were flawed in any way; they were all respectable beers. I can't really put my finger on it, but for whatever reason, I'd simply written them off.

So when I first heard about Roy Pitz opening a location in Philly, I was kind of perplexed. The Philly location, dubbed Roy Pitz Barrel House, opened back in 2017. I'd heard about it through the grapevine, but didn't know much about it or its location, other than it was in Philadelphia. Turns out it is literally right across the street from Triple Bottom. Of course, we had to go. I mean, come on... it's right across the street. Turns out, I'm glad we did, because we were treated to some of the best beers of the weekend.

I decided to tread lightly and chose a beer with a small ABV tag, so I went with the Dry Hopped Foeder Sour. For a tiny beer, this packed a ton of flavor! Not only that, but the beer was rife with subtle complexities that only foeder can coax out of a beer. Aged for a year-and-a-half and blended from foeders, this golden sour features oaky notes, a slight Brett-like funk, and tart lemon acidity. Dry-hopping with old school Nugget and Cascade impart a strong grapefruit aroma and dank, herbaceous flavor. Sour, refreshing, and hoppy; I can't argue with that trifecta!

The other beer I tried, Nice Dreams Strawberry Foeder Forever, begins its life as a strawberry blonde ale and is then aged in oak foeders. A house mixed yeast culture is introduced and works for several months to impart a dry, funky, Brett-heavy finish, while foeder itself provides a dry, tannic oak flavor balanced by sweet strawberrry notes. Flavor aside, this beer boasts a lovely pinkish hue and also gets bonus points for the Beatles reference. Another winner, although my favorite was the Dry Hopped Foeder Sour.

I'm glad we decided to stop in, because this visit put a great cap on an enjoyable weekend in one of our favorite nearby regions for breweries. Roy Pitz has duly been removed from my B-list and placed on the "can't miss" list next time we're in Philly.

And with that, it was time to return home. All in all, we enjoyed a leisurely weekend of brewery hopping that included a few recent favorites and plenty of new places to add to our ever-expanding list. Perhaps one of these will make it into our Top 10 new-to-us breweries of 2020. We'll just have to wait and see. Until next time...