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...

Under the Weather and Drinking

We had the weekend of January 19 blocked off in our calendar for a possible Team D(r)INK outing to Richmond, VA. When that fell through, Brewslut and I seized the opportunity to make a return visit to the greater Philadelphia area. I found a great hotel deal on Priceline for Mt. Pleasant, NJ (right across the river) for two nights, so we were set.

Then I got sick.

Let me tell you, there aren't many things that prevent me from partaking in a good ol' beer romp through one of my favorite beer cities... but a wicked cold on the verge of flu-like symptoms is one of them. Indeed, I felt like a bag of assholes pretty much all weekend. I was chasing Dayquil with IPAs almost all weekend. I'll give myself credit, though. I wanted to bail multiple times on Saturday and just head back to the hotel for some much-needed rest. Through perseverance, however, we made it to five breweries on Saturday and another five on Sunday.

But first, let's start the weekend where it belongs: Friday evening.

We rolled out of Annville a bit earlier than usual to get a head start on weekend traffic. I decided to schedule a stop in Phoenixville to hit two new-to-us breweries on the way. Seemed like a good half-way point to me. First up was Stable 12, located right on Bridge Street, which is essentially the main drag. The beer menu looked promising and they served food; a good thing, as I knew we'd be hungry after the 75-minute drive.

When we arrived, some musicians were setting up in the corner of the small tasting room. There was also about 40 minutes left of Happy Hour, so pints were $1 off. We found a table on the opposite side of the room and shortly a server appeared to take our order. I almost went with the whimsically named Sugar Coated Pony Kisses, an IPA brewed with lactose, based solely on the name. Turns out Brewslut had the same idea, so I opted for Fresh Pick'd, a guava IPA with slightly higher ABV. Turns out I made the right decision, as it was more enjoyable than my companion's selection. Of course, we shared the beers, so I had about as much of it as she.

We decided to share a pour of a beer called Pucker Up Buttercup. I knew I'd heard this phrase before somewhere. I quick memory jog revealed it to be a quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off (spoken by principal Edward Rooney to Cameron, who is playing the role of Sloane Peterson's dad). I'm usually pretty good to pick up on pop culture references (provided said reference isn't from pop culture of the last, say, twenty years). Unfortunately, the beer itself - a barrel-aged saison - was lackluster. It sounded great on paper, though: We aged this beer in oak Chardonnay barrels for 6 months and then blended it with red sour cherry puree from Oregon. 

Food-wise, we were pleased with our selections. I got a pulled smoked chicken sandwich with white Alabama BBQ sauce and a side of fries. The bun was great and appeared to be home-made. Brewslut enjoyed a plate of chicken nachos, which I helped her eat because the portion was pretty hefty. All in all, not a bad first experience. I enjoyed the Fresh Pick'd quite a bit and I look forward to revisiting Stable 12 in a few months to see how things are shaping up.

Time to move on, though.

What do you get when you combine craft beer with 90's hip hop, graffiti, and cheesy vintage kung fu movies? A pretty dope-ass brewery, yo! Root Down, situated a mere two blocks away from Stable 12, is housed in an old Hires root beer factory. (There's even a vintage sign adorning the tasting room wall to prove it.) Upon finding out this fun fact, Brewslut and I couldn't help but get the Hires jingle from the late 70s/early 80s stuck in our heads. (I tried to find a YouTube link, but sorry... no luck).

First impressions are key, and my initial selection - Flying Guillotine - definitely made the grade. Described as an unfiltered IPA, this one was definitely an above-average interpretation of the style. My condition was starting to improve once I got my hands on this delicious beer. However, the whole weekend would prove to be a see-saw ride of feeling OK to back to the bag of assholes. Brewslut wasn't completely sold on her selection, Cosmic Smooth, a nitro-dispensed milk stout. I thought it was fine; perhaps a bit too roasty for a milk stout, but tasty nonetheless.

Our server was super friendly, as were the surrounding patrons at the bar, which made for a pleasant evening. Since the beer menu was lengthy and quite varied, I asked for recommendations. The Keller Pils came up, so who am I to argue? I like me a well-crafted Keller Pils, which is basically an unfiltered North German pilsner. This was a fine representation of the style, and according to our server, it had one some awards. Brewslut went with the cleverly named Salty By Nature, a Gose that proved not quite tart enough for us in the long run. I personally feel like the style is played out. I'd rather a nice, tart Berliner Weisse in its place.

Up next was Flux, a single-hopped unfiltered IPA with Mosaic. Bine, its flagship IPA, followed soon thereafter. This was a bit more spicy, resinous and malty compared to the softer, more citrus-forward Flying Guillotine, which in our minds took the cake. Before we left, I was sure to grab a 4-pack of Flying Guillotine to enjoy at home.

Beer aside, this was one of the only times I've ever enjoyed a TV at a brewery. This kung fu movie was so hilariously bad it was enjoyable to the point that we couldn't take our eyes off the screen. From what I understand, Root Down purchased the rights to a handful of these cheesy kung fu movies and just show them exclusively in the tasting room, one after another, without pause. What an awesome concept!

Kung fu. Like watching a train wreck with subtitles.

After an enjoyable first-time visit to Root Down, it was time to ship off to more familiar territory. I really wanted to stop in at Tired Hands Brew Café, as we hadn't been there in almost a year. Brewslut, on the other hand, preferred to stop at the Fermentaria just down the street. So we decided to do both. I was jonesin' for some bread and butter!

Inside, it was pretty hoppin', and we were about to snag the tiny table near the window at the front of the downstairs room when a few bar seats became freshly vacant. We always prefer to sit at the bar when we visit breweries (usually because we only order drinks at one of every five we visit).

First up was a half pour of Ornate Window, a plum saison. You can seldom go wrong with a Tired Hands saison. I've never been crazy about beers brewed with plums because I find the flavor doesn't really come across well compared to other fruits. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this offering, which seemed to capture the fleshy, slightly sweet yet faintly tart flavor of the plum. It wasn't too heavy on the dark fruit, which made it all the more enjoyable for me. This one was delicate with nuanced flavors of sweet fruit jam and tea leaves.

Brewslut opted for Forests of the Sea Bottom, a blood orange and oyster IPA. Yes, you read correctly. Oyster. I've known oysters to be a prime ingredient in stouts over the years, but never in an IPA. While she enjoyed it quite a bit, I was taken aback by the slightly briny, salty finish of this one.

While we were enjoying our beers, a group of youngsters hovered toward the bar area. One of them, a female, was slightly annoyed (and simultaneously annoying) in her quest to find a suitable beer. I had to laugh when the entire lot of them (eight perhaps) were carded by the manager. Turns out one of them hadn't turned twenty-one yet. They were immediately bounced from the premises. I had to chuckle. (I know, I know... grumpy old man syndrome.)

Selfie recreation of one of our favorite pics.

We ended our visit with Wayward Tiramisu, a cask-conditioned version of Wayward Canoe, an English Mild, conditioned atop Ladyfingers, coffee beans, cacao nibs, dark chocolate, and brown sugar. This served as a great dessert beer after a long evening of drinking.

Brewslut really wanted to swing by Tired Hands Fermentaria, so she twisted my arm and we made the short drive over for one final beer of the evening. The crowd had already winded down for the night when we arrived, so we were able to have our pick of two bar seats. We shared a pour of the returning favorite We Are All Infinite Energy Vibrating At The Same Frequency, a hazy IPA that first hit the scene a few years back, well ahead of the current hazy NE-style IPA craze. Brewed with wheat and hopped with Centennial and Simcoe, this is a damn fine IPA in all its simplicity. By this time, I'd had enough, so we decided to head to the hotel for the remainder of the evening. I definitely needed some rest if I was going to maintain our typical drinking schedule. I apologized to my liver in advance, especially since I'd been taking plenty of medicine with acetaminophen, which doesn't agree with alcohol. So... off to bed.

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I knew I was going to be in for a long day on Saturday, because I slept terribly on Friday night. Flu symptoms aside, one of the unfortunate side effects is muscle soreness. At one point, I was waking up every 15 to 20 minutes simply to readjust my sleeping position. That was neither fun nor funny. Still, I had to get up and face the day with a smile on my face and a beer in my hand. (Remember... we're professionals.)

I was pretty excited to get to our first stop of the day: Spellbound. Last time, our itinerary was so ambitious that we were barely at Spellbound for an hour. Given the lackluster experience we encountered at a few breweries that day, we were able to weed out the undesirables and stick to our favorites. Spellbound might be our absolute favorite in this region. Rather than opt for a flight, we stuck with short pours of some favorites.

But first, something new. Apparently, Spellbound likes to tap firkins on Saturdays. Last time we were there, they had three if I'm not mistaken. This time around, they had two, one of which was an IPA aged on Spanish cedar. This sounded tasty, so I ordered a pour. Brewslut started light with It's Not yours, It's Mayan, 3rd anniversary imperial stout brewed with all of the various "Mexican" mole ingredients that have become all the rage (think Abraxas or Mexican Cake but not as mind-blowing). The cedar-aged IPA on cask was quite tasty, and definitely not as dry or as heavy on the cedar as, say, Cigar City's cedar-aged Jai Ali. It was a good way to begin the day, and I already was starting to feel better now that I had a beer in my hand and was sitting at the bar of a great brewery with my favorite lady friend.

Up next, it was time to revisit an old favorite: the Palo Santo Porter. This delicious beer is Spellbound's year-round porter aged on Palo Santo wood.  Palo Santo is a mystical tree that grows on the coast of South America and is related to Frankincense, Myrrh and Copal. This wood brings out an exquisite chocolate flavor with hints of vanilla, anise, and mint. I was happy to learn that Spellbound scored a gold medal for this beer at the 2017 GABF in the Wood Aged Beer category. Congrats! This is one of those beers that I have to get each time we visit. Brewslut grabbed a pour of Vices, a coffee porter. She opted for a nitro pour versus CO2 based on the endorsement of the brewer. Again, the porter serves as the base beer, which is then aged on Small World Coffee's Crispy Hippie coffee beans. This one was quite enjoyable as well!

By this point, I was pretty sure I was done and ready to move on. Then I realized that I probably shouldn't leave without having a pour of the Peach IPA, which is one of our very favorite beers from Spellbound. Unfortunately, my palate was firing on all cylinders due to my unfortunate illness, so the flavor was kind of muted. Damn you, flu! Damn you to hell!

On the way to our next stop, Double Nickel, my condition began to go south again. This snapshot of Pleeps captures how I was feeling during our visit:

Last time we visited, we really enjoyed the barrel-aged beers that were available, especially the Buffalo Trace BA stout. It was a standout of the trip. This time around, we decided to go another route and tried some experimental small-batch offerings. These were primarily hoppy ales but one was a Berliner Weisse, which Brewslut was excited about. Here's the low-down: 

• Lawn Surfer - "juicy" IPA (perhaps an attempt at a NE-style IPA?)
• DNA Brew Series Test Batch #1 - boysenberry Berliner Weisse
• DNA Brew Series Test Batch #2 - wet hop IPA
• DNA Brew Series Test Batch #3 - cascara IPA (brewed with "cascara" i.e. the “husk" or dried skins of coffee cherries)

Unfortunately, we were not as wowed as we were last year. The Wet Hop ale was kind of non-descript, and the Berliner Weisse, despite having a very pleasant boysenberry aroma, had a wretched cardboard finish. The Cascara IPA was probably my favorite of the bunch, as it featured a nice floral and fruity note amid the hop character. After being somewhat underwhelmed with our flight, Brewslut felt it necessary to end on a positive note and ordered a small pour of the Buffalo Nickel (the aforementioned Buffalo Trace barrel-aged imperial stout). We enjoyed this immensely during our visit last year. Our opinion hadn't changed. I had a small nick off her pour but by this time I was ready to throw up the white flag. I contemplated heading back to the hotel for some rest, but decided to soldier on so at least she could have an enjoyable weekend. "In sickness and in health," right? 

Up next was our single "new" brewery visit of the day. While we were at Double Nickel, I struck up a pleasant conversation with a woman around my age who was celebrating her birthday. She mentioned that she really enjoyed Eclipse Brewing, which was only about 6 miles or so away. She also informed me that the brewery was owned and operated by a retired couple that decided to open a small brewery in their home "for fun." Sounded cool to me. I'd seen this brewery on the beer map, but for whatever reason decided to leave it off our itinerary. Since we were nearby, we decided to drop by for a sampler flight. 

Photo courtesy of Google images.

Eclipse is tiny; the true embodiment of a nano brewery. The tasting room is literally set up in the front room of the owners' home. When we arrived, it was cramped inside but we managed to snag two vacant barstools when two partons happened to be leaving at the same time. I was surprised to see over a dozen beers on tap. Based on its size, I anticipated about 4 or 5 offerings. After looking things over, here's what we decided on for our flight:

• Coconut Cream Ale - light cream ale with a hint of coconut
• Haaze - hazy NE-style IPA
• Citra Promised - IPA with Citra hops
• Cranberry Kettle Sour - tart kettle-soured ale

OK, so these aren't the most clever beer names. While nothing blew us away, everything was pretty solid and enjoyable. The Coconut Cream Ale could use a bit more coconut character, but otherwise these beers were commendable and the brewery definitely shows promise. Plus the servers here were genuinely nice people, which made our visit that much more enjoyable. As we sat at the bar, I noticed a few Tröegs tackers adorning the walls. I commented on this to one of the servers, and he asked if I worked there (I was wearing my hoodie too, so that was another tell-tale sign). I confirmed, and he said that Tröegs was one of the owner's favorites, and also mentioned that he bought a bottle of Mad Elf Grand Cru for each of his employees as a gift for the holidays. Now that's a generous boss! They were also nice enough to comp our sampler flight.

It was off to Tonewood, and again I was starting to feel a little better. I was also pretty hungry by now, so I knew getting some grub in my gut would provide some additional fuel. Before we hit Tonewood, we stopped in to The Square Meal, a tiny restaurant a few doors down from the brewery, for dinner. We stopped in last year and really enjoyed our meal, which includes a lot of vegetarian and local farm-to-table options. The woman who owns the place is a school teacher by day but still manages to find the time to run the restaurant on the side. We each got a sandwich called "The McFadden." Comprised of organic turkey meatloaf, pepper jack cheese, a fried egg and local greens on sourdough, this sandwich was a home run! Since Tonewood doesn't serve food, I can't imagine ever visiting Oaklyn without stopping here for food. She will even deliver food directly to the brewery. However, once we got to Tonewood, we're glad we decided to eat in the restaurant.

Here's a pic from last year's blog to break up some reading.

As expected, Tonewood was elbow to asshole. The place was booming and it was insanely loud. Voices yelping with laughter darted into my aching head and only worsened my condition. Since it was still pretty mild outside, we decided to grab our beers and sit outside. It was still a little chilly with only a hoodie, plus I'd been battling with cold shakes off and on for most of the day. After a nice conversation with an older local customer (who had his cool dog in tow) outside, we decided to go back inside and stand on the ramp up to the bathroom, because there was nowhere else to go. We weren't there for more than two minutes when a group of "woo girls" came in screeching and acting like the 23-year-olds they were. Of course, they wanted a picture of their group in front of the logo mural on the wall we happened to be standing against, so we politely moved out of the way but managed to get a syncopated eye roll in. I tried to photo bomb them, but I'm not sure if I was successful. They ended up taking an assload of photos. They ended up annoying me so much that I just finished my beer and walked away.

By the way, the beers we ordered were Fuego, one of Tonewood's trendy IPAs, and mono.tone.citra, a Citra-hopped IPA from its single hop "monotone" series. I didn't enjoy these as much as Chief - the delicious pale ale I imbibed - from last year. Perhaps it was my compromised health, perhaps it was the annoying throng of "woo girls," or perhaps it was just the noisy clusterfuck of the space in general, but I just said, "Fuck this noise!" and decided to leave. 

Things over at Forgotten Boardwalk were much more manageable. My favorite bartender from last time was working, and the crowd was healthy but not overcrowded like Tonewood. We grabbed a pair of beers and found a small table in the back of the tasting room. Morrow Castle, a smoked porter, was in the cards for me this evening, and it was enjoyable. We also opted for a pour of the intriguingly named Mr. Watson Come Here I Want to See You, a white IPA brewed and dry-hopped with Ekuanot lupulin powder and Hallertau Blanc. This beer is also fermented with a Belgian yeast strain to impart a touch of spice and fruit. A quick Google search revealed the impetus of the name: "Mr. Watson, come here... I want to see you" were apparently the first intelligible words spoken over some newfangled invention called the telephone. Now there's some great useless trivia for all you readers!

Considering my weakened condition, I was surprised I'd made it as long as I did on this particular day. However, I was definitely ready to head back to the hotel for some much-needed rest. After all, we had five more breweries to hit on Sunday. I'd better rest up. No excuses, right?

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On Sunday morning, we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast buffet at the hotel, then packed up and checked out. Today's agenda? Philadelphia. For years, the City of Brotherly Suds has been known more for its eclectic variety of corner bars and (in more recent years) world-class beer bars like Monks, Standard Tap, the P.O.P.E., Memphis Taproom, and many more. In the last two years, Philly finally has upped its game and entered the craft brewery ring in earnest. Several new breweries have opened in and around the city over the last few years, and it's our job to visit as many of them as we can.

Enter Urban Village. Located right around the corner from Philly's newest music venue, The Fillmore, Urban Village pairs fresh, small-batch beers with brick oven pizza. Pizza and beer... what a concept! I checked out the tap menu in advance, and the beers sounded great. The place seemed legit, so it made the cut.

We settled on a flight for each of us. Here's mine:

• Sofa King - juicy grapefruit and tropical-forward IPA brewed with oats 
• Huntingdon Drive - house IPA hopped with a blend of Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo 
• All In - black DIPA heavy on roasted chocolate flavor and piney, resinous hops 
• Cool Beanz - coffee stout brewed with an excessive amount of chocolate malt then rested on coffee beans from Reanimator Roasters for a week

Pleeps was eyeing up my Cool Beanz!

Not sure if I could pick a favorite, but if I had to it'd probably be the All In. I love me a good black IPA and this one was thick and chewy with plenty of roasted goodness and sticky, resinous hop flavor. Cool Beanz, while tasty, was a little too heavy on the booze and had a slight syrupy texture, which lost a few points for me if we were keeping score. The IPAs were both fresh and well executed with pleasant, balanced hop character.

All in all, this place has a similar vibe to Bar Hygge, so no complaints there. There were only a handful of other patrons there during the time of our visit, but I'd wager that this place gets mobbed before (and after) shows at the Fillmore. The beers were all on-point, and I'd love to try some of the brick oven pizza next time.

Up next was a trip to the brand spankin' new Yards facility, located on Spring Garden (familiar territory for us; a good friend lived on the 1100 block of Spring Garden for many years, just down the street from the new brewery). We try to visit Yards each time we head to Philly, but I was more excited this time, if only to check out the new digs. It's so new, in fact, that the packaging lines (including a canning line!) and brewing equipment aren't even on-line yet. How do I know this? Ron.

Outside and across the street from the new Yards facility.

Ron (the guy with the super-long dreads) from Yards was sitting at the end of the bar when we arrived, so we ended up sitting with him and catching up. How do I know him? Good question! Ron's the drummer for the Yard's house metal band, Yeast Factory, who took home the gold at the first annual Band of Brewers event, a Battle-of-the-Bands-style event organized by Philly Beer Scene magazine. It had been quite a while since I'd last talked with him, but he remembered my name. Since my memory remembers faces better than names, I immediately knew he was the drummer from the band.

From our vantage point at the bar.

After perusing the beer list, I was feeling like a barleywine. Old Bartholomew, which I'd never had before, was on tap. I believe Ron mentioned it was a 2014 or 2015 vintage, but it wasn't designated on the beer menu. This sipper of a beer really helped warm me up. I still wasn't feeling 100%, but I was definitely on the upswing. Since I was sick all weekend, Brewslut and I weren't sharing many of our beers (because germs). This resulted in less beer check-ins for each of us. I'm sure she could have handled it; she's got the most efficient immune system I've ever encountered. Hasn't been sick in probably 7 years, and she's around little grubby germ merchants all day at school.

At any rate, it was cool to catch up with Ron and check out the new digs. Cheers to Yards for the sweet facility. I look forward to a return visit where we can check out the rest of the facility once everything is operational. Philly Pale Ale in cans should be a home run for the locals, too!

Take-out beer and merch shop at Yards.

Another place we were stoked to visit again was Bar Hygge, which I'd recently named in my Top 10 New Breweries Visited in 2017 blog. This place has it all: great beer, killer food, perfect ambiance, skilled staff, and convenient location. We sat at the corner of the bar a few seats away from where we sat during our inaugural visit. Since we weren't eating, it would be a fairly short visit, so I made it count.

Scenes from Bar Hygge.

After careful consideration, I decided on a pour of Notorious F.I.G., a sour ale brewed with fig concentrate. I don't recall if I'd ever come across a fig beer in our travels, plus the name of the beer was pretty dope so I had to get it. I used to love Fig Newtons as a kid, so I enjoy the flavor of figs. Actually, I'm quite partial to any stone fruit or dried dried variation: raisins, prunes, apricots, dates, and, yes, figs. Despite being slightly outside my wheelhouse, this beer didn't disappoint. Brewslut enjoyed a pour of Lemon Meringue IPA, a zesty, citrus-forward IPA with a soft finish. I can't say enough good things about this place, and don't imagine we'd ever visit Philly without stopping here for a beer or two.

I was looking forward to our next stop, Crime & Punishment, but not before a quick visit to Brewerytown Beats, the sweet record store right across the street. Last time, I had snagged original pressings of Metallica's Ride the Lightning and State of Euphoria by Anthrax. For some reason I never bought either of these as a kid. FAIL! Brewslut was more than happy to get a head start at C&P rather than join me for some digging. Coincidentally, I picked up (among a few other titles) an original Megaforce pressing of Spreading the Disease, another old Anthrax album and one of my favorites. Horns up! \m/

After about half an hour, I made my way back across the street for a beer. Enter Ladyzhino Landscape. I had no clue what the name of the beer implied, and neither did our server. (Google tells me its a geographical area of Russia, which makes sense to me. Crime and Punishment is a novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. (I never read it. Too long.) Connection made. Yay internet. Anyway, back to the beer. This particular beer, a pale ale hopped with Amarillo, Citra, and Ekuanot, was pretty tasty. However, it was our next shared selection, Space Race, that won me over. Hopped and dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe, this IPA wasn't much to look at. It was murkier than most unfiltered IPAs I've come across, and it was more of a sludgy tan color rather than anything resembling orange or amber. See?

Thanks for the pic, anonymous Untappd user.

The taste, however, was another story. Think tropical fruit, citrus rind and peach and you get a pretty good painting of this beer's flavor. This one was quite enjoyable. And with that, it was off to our final destination of this haze-induced weekend.

Wissahickon Brewing Company was a brand new brewery for us. As a matter of fact, it's new to most folks, as it just opened its doors back in June 2017. By this time, the Eagles-Vikings game had begun, and all of the employees at the brewery were decked out in their favorite green and white apparel in support of the underdogs. Upon perusing the chalkboard, I had an idea of what I wanted but needed more info. I happened to ask if they had a beer menu with details, and the brewer just happened to be walking by and heard me, so he gave me the low-down on each beer I asked about (the IPAs).

On tap at Wissahickon.

I started off light with Wig Wam, a 5% ABV unfiltered pale ale kettle hopped with Citra and double dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic. Not a bad first impression for a new brewery. Brewslut went heavy, with the 9% ABV Devil's Pool DIPA. According to the brewer, this was the first beer he brewed and, as a result, serves as its flagship offering. The body was nice and think (as it should be) with slight viscosity. It was quite piney and citrusy with hints of tropical fruit, but well-balanced with a heft malt presence. It didn't strike me as a beer weighing in at 98 IBUs, that's for sure. But both of these were solid offerings and all-around good first impressions.

We closed out our visit with a shared pour of Hail Mary, an IPA hopped with Warrior, Citra and Simcoe, then dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic. Plenty of good hop varieties in there! It also served as a fitting beer to drink during the football game, and I couldn't help but think of Doug Flutie's iconic throw in the Cotton Bowl back in 1984. (Wikipedia even has a page dedicated to this pass.)

Inside Wissahickon Brewing Company's tasting room.

All in all, this new brewery shows some promise, and we'll definitely be back when we're in the area and time permits. For now, I was itching to get home, chow down on some Chinese food and get some much-needed couch time. Until next time...

Springtime in February: Day 1

More often than not, my various musical endeavors have a tendency to thwart the frequency with which Brewslut and I can embark on beer adventures. These days, I rarely have a full weekend off from playing music, let alone two weekends. It's a self-imposed schedule that can be quite hectic at times, not to mention inconvenient when something comes up that we want to do. But the extra scratch certainly comes in handy when the opportunity of back-to-back weekend beer jaunts presents itself.

Case in point, the winter doldrums of February. I try to keep this typically cold and frigid month sparse with band activity, as the chance for snow in PA can rear its ugly head at any given moment. (I'm reminded of a joke my PA friends can appreciate: "Say, how's the weather there in Pennsylvania?" "I don't know, ask me again in ten minutes.") As luck would have it, the forecast was taunting us with promises of temperatures in the seventies for this particular weekend in late February. Never one to argue climate change (that's global warming for all the cave dwellers and naysayers), I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to spend some time in nature. And by "in nature," of course I mean in my own natural habitat (i.e. my ass firmly planted on a bar stool somewhere).

So on the morning of Saturday, February 25, Brewslut and I headed out on our second consecutive weekend beer trek. This time, we were off to The Garden State - New Jersey, the land of Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and Snooki (now there's a supergroup I'd avoid like the plague). To be honest, I've never been much of a fan of Jersey, but one can't help notice the influx of small craft breweries spreading across the state. Jersey first hit my beer destination map when Team D(r)INK visited Kane and Carton - two small craft breweries churning out some impressive beers - for my birthday a few years ago. I was so impressed that in the summer of 2015, Brewslut and I decided to venture across the river from Philly to Jersey and check out a few new places. This resulted in us discovering Spellbound and Forgotten Boardwalk, both of which you'll read about in a bit.

All of the breweries we'd planned on visiting didn't open until 12:00 noon or later, so we had plenty of time to get up from bed, make our customary big weekend breakfast, and pack the car. Sadly, by the time we got near the turnpike exit, we'd realized we'd forgotten to pack one of our most valued possessions when traveling for beer - Pleeps! Since we were already about twenty minutes tardy, I decided not to turn around to retrieve our beloved, happy-go-lucky travel companion. I felt bad, but ultimately decided that Pleeps needed a rest after last weekend's adventures in NEPA and upstate NY.

Entrance to Spellbound's courtyard.

About one hundred and eleven miles and two hours later, we arrived in Mt. Holly, NJ at our first destination. As I'd mentioned before, we first visited Spellbound back in the summer of 2015 during a weekend trip to Philadelphia to attend the second of three Rush shows we saw on the band's amazing R40 tour. On that first visit, I was pretty amazed at what this new brewery was cranking out, so I was glad to see some of the same beers on tap this time, most notably the Peach IPA and Palo Santo Porter. Our first stop of the day usually yields a variety of sample-sized beers, and this time was no different. In addition to about sixteen house beers on tap, Spellbound was also pouring two variations of its delicious Cherry Tripel on firkin, one infused with coconut and the other with vanilla beans. Gotta try both of them, right? Of course we do.

We settled on "dual flights," a term I'll now come to use when each of us order separate sampler flights. This happens when a brewery has a proven track record and too many beers we want to try. Here's the run-down:

• Major Anthony Nelson - juicy Pale Ale with Nelson Sauvin hops (one of my favorites) and a few other varieties.
• Peach Citra Pale Ale - really pleasant peach character; I preferred this over the Peach IPA.
• Vanilla Bean Cherry Tripel (firkin) - cherry, honey and soft vanilla notes.
• Coconut Cherry Tripel (firkin) - dominant tropical coconut flavor with sweet edges.
• Saison w/ ginger, lemongrass & white sage - self-explanatory, right?
• Living the Dream  - second anniversary Russian Imperial Stout.
• Peach IPA - citrus-forward IPA with peach sweetness
• Palo Santo Porter - Porter aged on Palo Santo wood to introduce notes of chocolate, anise, and mint. This was a favorite of mine during our inaugural visit.

While none of its beers are cleverly named, all of them are artfully crafted and delicious. Standouts for me included the Peach Citra Pale Ale, Palo Santo Porter, and both firkin variations of the Tripel (though my preference leaned toward the vanilla if I had to pick). I was glad to notice that Spellbound has enjoyed apparent growth since our last visit, as their cellar had expanded to included more fermentation tanks, a brite tank, and some other fancy brewing implements. I tend to geek out more on the actual beers rather than the assorted equipment, vessels, and paraphernalia of it all.

Inside Spellbound's tasting room.

While we enjoyed our brief visit to one of my favorite NJ breweries, in hindsight I wished we would have stayed longer. I really wanted to try the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Cherry Tripel, but I knew we had to pace ourselves. These brewery trips can prove to be long and arduous, you know? I'm still kicking myself for not even getting a sample size pour of it, especially since the two firkin variations were so enjoyable. What can I say? Sometimes you err. (Did I err, Rufferto?) Ten bonus points if you get that reference. So it was off to stop number two. 

Until next time, Spellbound...

One thing I forgot about beer traveling in NJ is that tours are a requirement of the state when visiting production breweries. And people think PA has weird liquor laws? I find this to be a strange, unnecessary bit of red tape that only seems to delay a patron’s drinking time. I guess lawmakers in NJ think that customers should first know how beer is made before they imbibe it. Thankfully they don’t require tours of fast food chains to see how that stuff is made. So after our quick ten-cent tour, we moseyed up to the bar and perused the beer menu. Unlike Spellbound, Nale House (situated in nearby Medford, NJ) seemed to have the witty beer names dialed in. Beers boasting monikers such as Yoga Pants, Tea Bag, and Hit It & Quit It all made me chuckle. The beer, though? That's a different story. The place itself seemed inviting, and the tasting room was pretty busy. The brewer and bartender were friendly and willing to converse to customers. We read online that they allowed BYOF, so we grabbed some snacks at a nearby Wawa to enjoy with our beers. So, onto the beers. Here's the low-down on what we sampled in our dual flights:

• Yoga Pants - straight-up Blonde Ale.
• Peacock's Nightmare - hazy double dry hopped IPA with lots of Amarillo. My favorite of the bunch. 
• Hit It & Quit It - Double Chocolate Imperial Stout. 
• Tea Bag - milk stout blended with an oak "tea bag" to infuse vanilla and woody notes. Served on nitro for a smooth mouthfeel. Cool concept. 
• Yellow Haze of the Sun - Pale Ale brewed with Mosaic hops. 
• Out Cold - Oat IPA hopped with Warrior and Cascade.
• Snitches Get Stitches - Mosaic and Citra Pale Ale.

I wanted to like this place, but unfortunately more than a few of the beers suffered from either line contamination or poor equipment sanitation. That's not to say all of the beers were tainted. I thought Peacock's Nightmare was a pretty solid IPA, and Brewslut enjoyed the Snitches Get Stitches. The Hit It & Quit It (my favorite name) wasn't too bad either. My constructive criticism would be this: "Cleanliness is next to godliness." Enough said.

My view from the bar at Lower Forge.

Just down the street from Nale House (walking distance), things got a bit more promising at Lower Forge. From what I've seen of Jersey towns, Medford seems to be a diamond in the rough. On our short walk down what I assumed was the "main street," I was reminded me of a small town like Lititz, PA, with its abundance of small shops, historical-looking buildings, and clean, well-kept walkways and landscape. Plus, it was nice to walk a few short blocks since the weather was so unseasonably warm. 

Inside, Lower Forge was warm and inviting with lots of rustic wood, tin tiles, fun lighting, and an unfinished stone floor. The place was sparsely populated with a few customers here and there, so we had no problem securing bar seats. The head brewer was a friendly guy who I later learned is a volunteer firefighter on the side. After our brief tour, we made our way to the bar and settled on a shared flight of four offerings. 

Interior of Lower Forge.

Uncharacteristically, I opted for a hefeweizen called Healthy, Wealthy & Weizen, because the brewer mentioned Tröegs DreamWeaver was a favorite of his and an inspiration for this particular beer. Naturally, I felt obliged to try it. We rounded out our shared sampler with these other three selections:

• Catch Me If You Can - Gingerbread cookie brown ale with notes of cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar. 
• Jabberhoppy - Double IPA brewed with six hop varieties.
• BBA Vertically Challenged - Imperial porter aged in bourbon barrels.

While I wasn't blown away by anything, all of the beers were solid, with my favorite being Catch Me If You Can. I felt the BA Porter could have benefited from a longer slumber in the barrels. The presentation of the flight was nice, too.

Sampler flight at Lower Forge.

Next up was more familiar territory. Forgotten Boardwalk, plain and simple, is just a fun place. Growing up in Central PA, a popular vacation destination for middle-class families was always "the shore." This meant Ocean City or Wildwood, NJ, because both are a relatively short drive from PA. Anyone who has visited "the shore" as a kid can appreciate this place. Think of the boardwalk back in the 40s or 50s, or even Coney Island, and you get an idea of the vibe of this place. Complete with fun-house mirrors, skee-ball, and general carnival-esque ambiance, Forgotten Boardwalk makes great, forward-thinking beers in the midst of a fun atmosphere.

Beer and skee-ball... what else do you need?

This was one of the other places we enjoyed during our little R40 side excursion a few summers ago. We opted for a few “half pours,” or 8-ounce glasses, of the following beers:

• Mr. Watson – White IPA aged in French Sauvignon Blanc wine barrels.
• Ginger Snap Cookie – Who doesn’t like ginger snaps? They taste good in liquid form, too!
• Morro Castle - smoked porter with notes of charred wood, smoked meat, peat, and tobacco.
• Funnel Cake – this is FB’s sweet, tasty flagship cream ale served on nitro. I liked this beer so much last time that we bought a 6-pack to go. I’d love to see them do a stout version of this!

The Big Wheel at Forgotten Boardwalk.

The employees here are pleasant and laid-back. They can also geek out over beer, so I decided to share the wealth and offer a few choice Tröegs selections from my cooler. When traveling locally via automobile, I usually throw in a few treats to give as presents to breweries I really like. More often than not, they reciprocate with some equally tasty treats for Brewslut and me.

Cat tail tap handles at Forgotten Boardwalk.

Despite having way too many brewery shirts, I couldn’t resist getting a "souvenir." I'm a fan of their creative, retro artwork, and one of their T-shirt designs caught my eye, so add another one to the collection. I also couldn't resist snapping a selfie of my reflection in one of the fun-house mirrors.  

I look like Jacob the twiggy alien man!

While en route to our next stop, Double Nickel, we experienced an unexpected torrential downpour of severe rain. This, coupled with the fact that our GPS wasn’t cooperating, put me in an agitated state. Pleeps wasn’t there to calm me down, and I almost abandoned our plans to visit the brewery. In a last ditch effort, I ducked into a nearby Wawa and asked for directions. Luckily, a customer pointed us in the right direction, and soon we were dry and inside sipping some intensely flavorful barrel-aged creations and noshing on a pile of salty Goldfish crackers. Scratch that. Multiple piles. The carb junkie in me kicked into high gear and there was no turning back!

Today's catch.

I was surprised by the size of not only the tasting room, but also the building in general and the amount of fermentation tanks visible from the bar area. Seems like Double Nickel is a fairly large operation despite being open a relatively short period of time. Or at least that's how they appeared to me. We perused the extensive beer list, which included close to twenty different beers, including several barrel-aged releases. Since I’m quite partial to barrel-aged beers, I chose the following flight of four wood-aged treats:

• Mother's Barrel - Brown ale aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for 6 months.
• Father's Barrel - Rye porter aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for 6 months.
• Marbled Buffalo - Marbled Rye (a rye ale) aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for 6 months.
• Buffalo Nickel - stout aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for 6 months.

Darkness, imprisoning me!

Notice a trend? Seems like Double Nickel prefers Buffalo Trace bourbon. Fine with me, because these were all enjoyable. I feel that 6 months is the perfect length of time to age beer in bourbon barrels. All of these beers were drinkable and smooth without being too boozy or hot, yet the bourbon presence was pronounced in the flavor profile. The texture of all these beers was rich and silky, another attribute I appreciate in barrel-aged beers. I've had plenty that have tasted fine, but have been thin and watery or over-carbonated. These all straddled the line well, offering a pleasant viscous mouthfeel. Lastly, I always commend balance in these types of beers. Anyone can throw a shitty beer into a barrel for a few months and create a bourbon bomb to mask any flaws a particular beer might have. I would have liked to have sampled the base beers side by side with the barrel-aged versions, but alas it was late in the game and we still had a pair of places to visit before 10 p.m. I couldn't help but think of my poor, absent pal Pleeps, who would have loved these beers. Sorry buddy! 

Lots of taps to be had at Double Nickel.

We ended with a small pour of Deborah, a sour ale aged in Malbec wine barrels for 13 months. This was tasty but my least favorite of the bunch, as I typically favor the more robust beers aged in bourbon barrels over thinner sour ales aged in wine barrels. All in all, this is a place I'd definitely like to revisit, as they had an extensive, diverse tap list, which included everything from a Vienna Lager to an Imperial IPA.  

Them's some big tanks at Double Nickel.

As we headed into Oaklyn for our next stop on the itinerary, we felt the pangs of hunger strike. Luckily, we noticed a little place nestled just downwind of Tonewood Brewing (next on the list) called The Square Meal. We decided to give it a shot. Turns out they’d only been open for a few weeks. This little eatery focuses on fresh food made with organic and locally-sourced ingredients. 

Fresh organic food at The Square Meal in Oaklyn.

The organic turkey meatloaf sandwich immediately struck a chord, and we each ordered one with a side of sweet potato cuts and an apple crisp square to share for dessert. This really hit the spot, and the prices were reasonable as well. We'll always favor a small "mom and pop" operation over a restaurant chain any day of the week. The people here were friendly and there was just a great positive energy about this place, like crunchy granola and hula hoops. 

Interior shot of The Square Meal.

A few doors down from The Square Meal on the same side of the street, Tonewood was bumping with a healthy crowd of what appeared to be locals supporting their home brewery. Turns out The Square Meal has an agreement with Tonewood allowing them to serve as its "kitchen" of sorts. Folks can order food in the tasting room and someone from The Square Meal will deliver it. One of my long-time friends from high school, Spade, had just moved to Oaklyn with his wife into a new home just a few blocks down the street from Tonewood, and he’d already given them the “thumbs up.” We snagged seats at the end of the bar just inside the main entrance, and I decided I needed a full pour of something to wash down my delicious, nutritious meal. I tell you, it was the right choice.  

All just bricks in the wall at Tonewood.

Enter Chief, a hazy, soft-colored pale ale that just hit the spot brilliantly! It turned out to be one of the stand-out beers of the trip in all its simplicity and deliciousness. After about two sips, I was congratulating myself for ordering a full pour of this flavorful ale. It also brought back snippets of a Dane Cook bit about an experience at the “B.K. Lounge.” Fans will get it. Editor’s note: Sorry readers, but those two first Dane Cook CDs are hilarious. #noshame. 

Chief, buddy, gaylord... whatever! 

Brewslut went with the Revolution Porter, an English-style porter brewed in collaboration with Revolution Coffee Roasters. This sucker is doused with a blend of beans from Malawi and Ethiopia for a coffee-forward aroma and dry, roasty finish. Yum! I like coffee beers so much that you could probably steep toilet water with fresh, local coffee and I'd drink it. OK, maybe not. I guess it would depend on the severity of my thirst. If I hadn't had my first cup of morning coffee... look out! 

View from my barstool at Tonewood.

We ended our visit with a goblet of Terminal DIPA, a somewhat earthy offering with an abundance of dry, charred malt notes. Brewslut doesn't remember drinking this one. This one didn't feature one of my favorite flavor profiles for a DIPA, but it was still enjoyable. I was surprised that this was brewed primarily with Simcoe, as it's one of my favorite hop varieties. 

After visiting Tonewood, we swung by Spade’s new homestead for a quick visit. Situated in a nice, quiet suburban area, it’s in stark contrast from South Central Philly, where he had resided for the better part of the last 25 years. Plus it’s a hop, skip and jump away from Tonewood, so he’s got that going for him as well.

People gettin' down at Devil's Creek.

We capped off our day with a visit to Devil's Creek. We thought we had just enough time for a quick beer, as they advertised closing at 10 p.m. However, it turns out that they get quite busy on weekends, and they just stay open until “whenever.” Grabbing seats at the bar (we lucked out on this trip), we struck up a pleasant conversation with a couple and started talking about music. This mutated into me regaling her with stories of high school marching band and how Brewslut and I met. The woman, only a few years older than me, was surprised by how “young” I looked. Hey, I’m almost 43, so I’ll take what I can get. We opted for more "short pours" here, with the Black Eye being a sampler-sized pour. Here's the gist:

• Pecan Swirl - Oatmeal stout infused with the flavors of pecan pie. Served on nitro.
• Cordially Yours - Stout brewed with dark chocolate and cherries. 
• RetrIBUtion - Belgian IPA brewed with Trappist yeast. See what they did there?
• Toasted Rye - Ale brewed with 50% rye for notes of toasted bread and smoky cherrywood. 
• Black Eye - Black IPA with roasty malt and an earthy, piney bite. 

My view from the bar at Devil's Creek.

Overall, the beers here were satisfying, although by the end of the day we our palates were feeling pretty frazzled. By 11 p.m., we were obviously exhausted from a full day's "work," so we decided to head back to the hotel and get an early start in the morning. Stay tuned for Day 2, when we visit a few new, up-and-coming breweries in Philly and return unexpectedly to Jersey after I spend too much money in a record store. Until next time...

Miss you, Pleeps.