A Weekend Fit for a President - Part II: Gettin' Schwilly in Philly

Since Sunday was Valentine's Day, I felt it prudent to make a reservation for our first stop, the ever-popular Evil Genius. Coincidentally, neither Brewslut nor I had ever been to Evil Genius, so we were able to finally add it to our long list of breweries visits. 

I must admit that they've been somewhat hit or miss with me over the years, and I can never seem to decide if I like their beer names. On one end of the spectrum, you have the nonsensical (i.e. Purple Monkey Dishwasher). On the other side, there's the truly epic (i.e. Has Anybody Tried Turning 2020 Off & Back On Again?). Then there's a whole lot of hashtags, movie quotes, and cartoon references all squished in the middle. I've had some good beers as well as some not-so-good beers from this new-ish brewery. Upon turning to Google for some history on the brewery, it seems this particular taproom opened back in 2017. For some reason, though, Evil Genius seems to have been around longer than that.  

Welcome to Evil Genius.

As for the taproom, it's got an awesome old-school industrial warehouse vibe with lots of exposed brick and metal ceiling beams. The night before we visited, they hosted a Back to the Future-themed event that I must admit looked pretty amazing. The entire taproom was decorated with "Save the Clock Tower" fliers and other references to the movies, and the back area even featured a small stage complete with an "Enchantment under the Sea" banner. One can only hope that they were able to secure a Marvin Berry & the Starlighters tribute band to provide the entertainment. Nobody... and I mean NOBODY... would dare to say they were just too darn loud. 

"...we'll be back in a while, so don't nobody go nowhere."

In spite of all the breweries popping up across the country, Evil Genius (which, by the way is an awesome name for a brewery) seems to have carved out its own clever niche... certainly among its local competitors. It's refreshing to see a brewery not taking themselves so seriously (I mean, their "About" section on Facebook declares: "Very silly names for very serious beers. Our moms think we're cool." Of course, whose mom doesn't think her kid is cool?

Inside the Evil Genius tap room.

At any rate, let's get into the beer, shall we? 

Turns out my peach clause was in full effect, and I opted for #SORRYNOTSORRY. See? A hashtag! I told you! All kidding aside, this Peach IPA features a blend of Azacca, Mosaic and Simcoe hops to produce a fruity yet hoppy blast of juicy peach backed with tropical fruit and light citrus. I enjoyed this one quite a bit and made sure to grab a 4-pack of cans before we left. 

Pleeps is masked up and ready to go!

Meanwhile, Brewslut was enjoying a peach beer of her own with The Gang Gets Quarantined, a sour ale brewed with peach and mango. She was quite pleased with her decision to order this beer, and I concurred. Pleeps thought it was pretty tasty as well. 

Pleeps standing tall with the gang at Evil Genius.

I went into Evil Genius with no preconceived notions, and it turns out I was pleasantly surprised. The staff was great, the vibe was awesome, and the space was comfortable. I was also impressed with my beer, and our food (grilled cheese and tomato soup) was very good as well. I'd like to get back here post-COVID and park myself at one of these cozy-looking sofas. 

Can't wait for some couch time at Evil Genius!

All in all, it was a pleasant experience, and now that we visited I totally get what Evil Genius is all about. 

Our next stop was another new brewery for the Pour Travelers, Punch Buggy. Situated in the Kensington neighborhood of Philly, Punch Buggy is a tiny garage brewery with lots of rough-and-tumble charm. The brewery's name takes inspiration from an orange punch buggy (a name typically given to a Volkswagen Beetle) driven by one of the owners during his college days. Punch Buggy opened its doors in August 2019 with a 1 bbl brewhouse and eight taps, which they've kept constantly rotating since the beginning. 

When we arrived, the entire city block right outside the brewery's front door was closed due to construction. (Earlier in the day, we had one hell of a time getting into the city due to a massive construction project on the way to Evil Genius... but when isn't Philly under construction? They should look into expanding the dreaded Schuylkill Expressway, arguably my least favorite stretch of road in America.) 

Outside Punch Buggy's small garage brewery in Kensington.

Inside, the place was equal parts tasting room and storage area. We parked ourselves at a small plastic table adjacent to dozens of 50-pound sacks of malt. Perusing the beer menu, I was greeted with several hop-forward ales, a stout, and a raspberry hibiscus sour, among a one or two others. We decided to share a pair of half pours, so I opted for a "Smash" beer - "single malt and single hop" - called Bru-1 Smash. I inquired about the type of malt and hop varietal used in the beer, and unfortunately the bartender didn't know. However, one of the owners was on-hand and he told me. Of course, I'd since forgotten and I was unsuccessful in finding any information online. I'm fairly certain it was a simple recipe featuring Pilsen malt and Citra hops, so let's go with that. The beer certainly had a distinct citrusy character backed with some subtle malt tones reminiscent of honey and lightly toasted grains. Quite drinkable, if I may say so.

Pleeps makin' friends with the fuzz.

Brewslut went with the humorously named Stout Flavored Stout. Slightly dry and roasty with a hint of coffee and chocolate notes, this stout sits somewhere between Export and American. Body-wise, it was perhaps a tad thin for my preference but otherwise this one captured the roasty character of the style nicely with just a slight slap of earthy hops on the palate. 

Pleeps loving life!

We were satisfied with our first impression, so we decided to share a pour of Zip Zap Hazy IPA, one of Punch Buggy's most popular offerings. This NE-influenced IPA is hopped with Azacca, Simcoe and Vic Secret for a well-rounded hop profile boasting citrus, tropical fruit, creamsicle and a hint of pine. This may have been my favorite of the three beers we tasted during our visit. 

Pleeps helps us with our pour of Zip Zap IPA.

While we were chatting with the owner of Punch Buggy, he asked about other breweries we were planning to visit, and I threw out a few names from our agenda. He suggested a nearby place called Human Robot, mentioning terms such as "world-class pilsners" and "award-winning lagers," which piqued my attention not unlike dangling a piece of meat in front of a dog's face. Actually, I'd heard about this brewery in passing but couldn't remember when or where. Despite being on the Philly beer scene for a little over a year, this brewery failed to pop up on the beer mapping website I typically use. Well, it sounds like I need to find an updated beer mapping web site, because this place blew my mind! 

Like Punch Buggy, Human Robot is situated in the Kensington neighborhood, having set up shop at the previous site of St. Benjamin Brewing Company, a brewery we hadn't had the chance to visit while they were open. Although we sat outside on the sidewalk at a tiny two-person table, I did get to scope out the place when I visited the men's room. The food component of Human Robot comes courtesy of Poe's Sandwich Joint, and while we didn't eat, the food we saw others enjoying looked great. 

The brewery takes its name from the two ends of the spectrum to which its beers extend. The "human" side of the brewery refers to its penchant for classic, European-styles such as traditional lagers and pilsners, while the "robot" side is a reference to out-of-the-box styles that blend more trendy American styles and unusual ingredients. So to categorize our visit, I delved into the "human" side, while Brewslut opted for the "robot" side. (However, we debated this little fact about Human Robot; Brewslut suggested that the "human" side should pertain to the experimental end of the brewing spectrum because human beings are perpetually curious. The "robots," on the other hand, are cold in nature and are effective at mimicking a specific task for which it was created to perform... in this case, brew traditional beers exactly like Europeans do.) I love when we have these types of discussions rather than spend too much time on our "devices." After thirty years, it's refreshing to know that we still have stuff to talk about. But enough of my yackin'. 

Human Robot, located in Philly's Kensington neighborhood.

First up was a beer called Polotmavy, described as a Czech Garnet Lager. The word "polotmavy" actually translates from Slovak to "half-dark" meaning "amber." A distant cousin of the Vienna lager, this style boasts a nutty, bready and caramel-like malt flavor without a sweet, cloying finish. This particular beer utilizes "decoction," a traditional and intensive method of mashing. The gist of decoction is basically this: you remove part of the mash, boil it, and return it to the main mash, which is held at a constant temperature. I'd actually heard of this term about a year or so earlier, when we did some R&D tests at Tröegs with a few Scratch lagers using this method. In earlier brewing times, most breweries used this method. Many traditional (i.e. German) brewers claim that it helps develop malt character, depth, and superior foam. After drinking this beer, I wholeheartedly agree!

Brewing lesson aside, this dark amber-colored lager boasts a slight roast flavor courtesy of Vienna and chocolate malts. This beer was so delicious and fresh with a rich, full-flavored malt character and creamy, foamy head. This was also the first time I became privy to the traditional side-pull draft beer faucet (aka Czech beer faucet). Essentially, this way of dispensing beer controls the flow of beer to create a creamy head whereby the faucet is submerged into the mug (in this case, a traditional dimpled mug) to create a silky, sweet head of foam. When all of these pieces come into place, it creates a world-class beer like Polotmavy. Seriously, people. This beer was stunning. It turns out I was just getting started, because they were all this good. 

Up next was a traditional Czech pale lager called Czech 10°. I find that Czech-style beers have a bit more flavor and complexity than its German counterparts. This lightly hopped lager offers an exquisite bready malt character balanced with a hint of floral spice. The quintessential noble hop Saaz complemented by German Pils and Munich malts is a match made in heaven. This was one of the best lagers I've ever had in my life, and I was immediately transported to Europe despite the fact that I was freezing my ass off on a small metal table a few feet from a Philadelphia gutter. Sometimes beer works its magic, and let me tell you... this beer was magical! 

How about some Peach Mango Splash?

While I was enjoying the "human" aspects of the brewery, Brewslut was dipping her toes into "robot" territory with a pair of equally stunning beers. She kicked off with Peach Mango Splash, yet another peach beer we encountered this weekend. She followed it up with another tasty beer called TastyRoboCake Coffee Crumb Stout, a stout brewed with a few cases of (presumably) Tastykake coffee cakes. I'm usually skeptical about beers brewed with ingredients like cookies, cake, etc. but I had a few sips of this and it was pretty damn amazing. By this point, I was sure there was nothing this brewery couldn't do. Most breweries have their forte, but Human Robot seems to have all of the bases covered. Seriously folks, I can't say enough good things about the beers here. Case in point, stay tuned for more commentary coming up. I just couldn't stay away from this place! 

After an amazing first impression at Human Robot, it was time to traverse uncharted territory and head into the historic Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia to check out Attic Brewing Company. The first craft brewery in this section of Philly, the impetus for Attic took shape back in 2010 like most other small breweries... as a homebrewing experiment. When owners Todd and Laura Lacy weren't brewing, they were traveling all over the country to visit breweries for inspiration. After falling in love with everything Germantown had to offer, the couple knew it was the perfect place to open their dream brewery: a 6,000 sq. ft. facility with a 10 bbl brewhouse. 

Outside Germantown's Attic Brewing Company.

Shortly before deciding to visit Attic, I learned that one of our ex-Tröegs brewers, Bogdan, had been working there for a bit. After Tröegs, he had brief stints at Forest and Main as well as Trillium as its Head of Mixed Fermentation before joining Attic as its head brewer. I'm not sure of all the details, but I was excited that Tröegs alumnus was at least in part responsible for the beers at Attic. 

Attic's taproom definitely has a lot of character. When we arrived, I was immediately reminded of an antique complex. We snagged a small two-person table pushed up against the bar (no bar seating in PA... thanks 'Rona) and began to have a look around. The far wall to the left of the 1920's style wooden bar features a montage of portraits and other photos of regular Attic customers. Brewslut actually recognized one of them as our friend (and past FOJ Drunkie McGee recipient) Charles. Colorful Tiffany-style lamps decorated the ceilings, and a mix of exposed brick and weathered wood provided a rustic ambiance. 

Welcome to Attic Brewing Company!

Outside, Attic also boasts a makeshift beer garden thanks in part to its large parking lot area. While it was chilly outside, the weather didn't stop a motley bunch of locals from enjoying a beer outdoors. Across the lot, a local food truck beckoned me, as we had already started to feel the pangs of hunger set in. Upon perusing the small menu, I was delighted to find what we coal crackers call "Pot Pie" on the menu (essentially baked pulled chicken mixed with boiled potatoes and squares of scratch-made dough in a light chicken-based broth). I forget what the guy in the food truck called it, but to Brewslut and I, it was classic pot pie as we both know it... and it was freakin' delicious! 

Beer-wise, they had a few draft features for Valentine's Day weekend, so I opted for Love Bird Oatmeal Stout, a roasty, toasty, dry stout brewed with lots of flaked oats. It's not a style to which I typically gravitate, but it was only 5% ABV and on special. Brewslut apparently failed to check in her beer on Untappd, but if I remember correctly, it was a Mexican Lager (or was it?). Who knows? It's hard enough keeping track of my own beers... and Pleepleus. Pleepin' ain't easy, you know!

Pleeps is just a love bird at heart!

We decided to swing by Crime & Punishment on our way back into the city, but it turned out to be a quick stop. They were only open for pick-up and take-out, so we figured we'd grab a few crowlers to enjoy at the hotel and/or home. During our short visit, Tröegs came up so I shared a few beers with the guys who were working, and they reciprocated with a complimentary crowler. Here are the two beers we decided to take with us:

Big Swifty - This is the first IPA from C&P to utilize Incognito hop extract in the kettle. Since the name is derived from a killer Frank Zappa tune (I'm a huge fan), this one is dry-hopped with Galaxy and new varietal Zappa. The C&P guys say it tastes like 2 a.m. Fruit Loops, and it definitely has that vibe, boasting flavors of lemon-lime, citrus zest and tropical fruit. 

Tender Bender - IPA hopped with Citra and double dry-hopped with another newer hop called Strata. If Name of the beer notwithstanding, I preferred this one a bit more. This hop combo coaxed juicy notes of mango, sugar-coated grapefruit and "dank winter nugs" as the C&P boys say. Gotta love them nugs!

Since we couldn't hang at Crime & Punishment, we had some free time. We intended to stop at Yards on our way home on Monday around opening time, but with a bit of extra time on our hands, we decided to end our Sunday night there. Yards is a Philly institution and needs no introduction. We've enjoyed its beers for years. Love Stout and Philly Pale Ale are two beers most Pennsylvanians seem to take for granted, but they have a longstanding track record for a reason... they are damn fine beers. Upon arriving, I wasn't sure if we'd have to sit outside under the pop tent affair or if we could wrangle seats indoors. Turns out the tasting room was only sprinkled with patrons, so we had no trouble getting in. 

I started off with a pour of something from Yards' First Draft small-batch series called Winter Lager. Described as a Dunkel Lager with a complex roasted malt character, this full-flavored lager is aged on Saxby’s whole coffee beans to coax additional notes of cocoa and hazelnut. It's hard for me to pass up a beer with coffee in it, and this one did not disappoint. 

Speaking of coffee beers, I decided to "go big or go home" with my next beer. OK, so perhaps I should say "go big AND go home," because this was my last beer of the day... and man, was it a doozie! BA Cold Brew Tripel is a lovely whiskey barrel-aged Belgian-style Tripel with cold brew coffee. This beer was really enjoyable and put a cap on a fine day in Philadelphia. I always like visiting Yards, and this particular occasion was extremely chill in comparison to other part visits (especially during loud soccer games). After that Tripel, it was definitely time to retire for the evening and make our way back to the hotel to recharge our batteries. 

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

On Monday, we didn't have much of an agenda since the majority of the breweries in the area were closed. We'd planned on hitting Yards before leaving Philly, but with Crime & Punishment only open for to-go beer, we called an audible. Not a problem, as I immediately made the executive decision to return to Human Robot for another few rounds. Although we sat outside in a makeshift wooden patio with a few heat lamps, we got to chat with one of the owners/brewers for quite a while. He was struggling with some electrical work and was trying to avoid a trip to Home Depot for parts. So I was able to pick his brain and learn a lot about the brewery (most of which was already provided to you earlier in this installment). After our amazing initial experience on Sunday, I simply had to go back for seconds. Lucky for us, Human Robot is open 7 days a week, which is a rarity in the craft beer world these days. Being open on a Monday definitely makes planning an itinerary so much easier. 

Pleeps says, "Look at the head on that mug!"

For this visit, I enjoyed a pair of excellent pilsners. First up was Il Cielo (translates from Italian to "the sky"), a rustic Italian-style pilsner that's dry-hopped exclusively with Tettnang. So, what's the difference between an Italian pilsner and, let's say, a German pilsner? Essentially, an Italian pilsner is simply a German-style pilsner that's been dry-hopped with European hops for maximum aroma. Now that's a style I can get on board with! Similar to the noble Saaz hop, Tettnang imparts subtle fruity and citrus notes with a pinch of earthy, herbaceous tones. 

Similar to Il Cielo, my next beer was a Polish-style pilsner called Niebo, which by design also happens to translate to "the sky," but in Polish. Niebo is delicately hopped and dry-hopped entirely with Lubelski, the oldest and most traditional noble hop of Poland. This was indeed a uniquely flavored pilsner with a bouquet of lavender and assorted wildflowers. 

I'll sit anywhere for a beer from Human Robot!

We decided to hit up the relatively new Sly Fox Malvern site, as we hadn't been there before. I always enjoy their beers, especially traditional styles like the ones we drink during the Bock Fest and Goat Races (i.e. the best beer festival of all time by a single brewery... sorry Dark Lord Day fanboys). Unfortunately, by this time of the trip I was kind of already checked out and wanting to be home on my couch. 

Pleeps, our trusty co-pilot.

Since we were back in PA, we needed to comply with the "gotta eat" policy, but luckily Sly Fox had some cool mini-apps for Happy Hour. So we noshed on some tasty soft pretzel bites and chips and salsa while we enjoyed our last beers of the weekend (well, until we got home, anyway). I opted for something light since I was pretty fatigued from a long weekend of drinking, so I went with Reality Czech Pilsner, a 3.9% ABV Czech-style pilsner. As much as I love Sly Fox (especially its German-style lagers and bocks), I just couldn't help comparing this to the beers I'd just had at Human Robot. While Reality Czech was enjoyable, it just didn't compare to Human Robot's lagers.  

Meanwhile, Brewslut went with a 16-ounce can of a double dry-hopped IPA called Baby Sparkles. Sly Fox referrs to this beer as a "Pottstown-style IPA" in lieu of what it actually is... a NEIPA. This occasional release features a healthy dose of oats and double dry-hopping courtesy of El Dorado, Simcoe, and Citra for a juicy hop experience. This was one of the more enjoyable IPAs I've had from Sly Fox, whose forte is typically the aforementioned German styles. Nicely done! 

Pleeps gettin' his sparkle on at Sly Fox.

It turned out to be a quick one-and-done stop, as Pleeps - like me - was ready to get back on the couch with his family. Pleeps is a well-traveled superstar celebrity, but even he needs a rest every once in a while. Of course, come the following weekend he's raring to go and do it all over again. What a warrior!

Pleeps is already packed for the next trip.

Well, that's a wrap, folks. Stay tuned for another all-new blog, which follows us on another long weekend to uncharted Pour Travelers territory: Falls Church, VA, and the surrounding area as well as Silver Spring, MD, and our nation's capital. Thanks for reading, kids. Until next time...

Forget Dilly Dilly... we're off to Philly!

This past weekend, we were once again off to a concert. This time, however, it was a comedy show instead of a rock concert. The comedian? David Cross, one of our favorites. He is most widely recognized from his role as Tobias Fünke on the excellent TV series Arrested Development. You may also know him as one half of the creative duo behind the short-lived series Mr. Show, which aired on HBO between 1995 and 1998. If neither of those shows rings a bell, let's just leave it at this: he's a funny little bald Jewish guy with glasses. His comedy is also quite offensive, which is what drew me to him before I even started watching Arrested Development. Sadly, Brewslut and I were late to the game with that show, but with the advent of Netflix, we were able to enjoy the entire series in a matter of mere weeks vs. years. So, it was off to the Fillmore for an evening of laughs with plenty of beer in the periphery.

It's pronounced hue' guh

After a big breakfast at home, we hit the rocky road at around noon and were off to our first of a handful of beer destinations for the day. We started things off at the now thrice-visited Bar Hygge, a recent favorite of ours. Last time we swung by was back in January when I was a bit under the weather. (You can read all about that excursion here.) Hygge (pronounced hue' guh, not hoo gah) is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary, as "cozy, charming or special."

This place is all three.

Since we've been here a few times and already provided the lay of the land in previous blogs, I'll spare you the specifics and just get right down to the nitty gritty: the beer. Sadly, we weren't up for any food just yet, as our hearty breakfast was still coagulating in our guts. Bar Hygge boasts a fantastic brunch menu; one that we wouldn't be partaking in this time around. In typical fashion, I'm usually thirsty for a hoppy beer out of the gate, which is what I found with my first selection: Princess Peach, a pale ale brewed with white peaches. While peach season is at its peak in July and August, it's always in season with me. The juicy peach is easily my favorite stone fruit of all. White peaches are softer and sweeter than traditional yellow peaches, and also less acidic. This beer delivered a citrus-forward hop profile with just a kiss of sweet peach around the edges. Overall, it was quite pleasant and a good way to kick off the day.

Helpful tip: There's also bathrooms downstairs!

Brewslut recalled having an enjoyable past experience at Bar Hygge with a blood orange sour beer called Low Hanging Fruit, so this time she reached for another blood orange beer, this time a Gose named Aything Gose. This one didn't wow her as much as Low Hanging Fruit, but it was still tasty. Blood oranges are less "orangey"(for lack of a better term) than traditional oranges and also impart a distinct raspberry-like note.

Meanwhile, I was scoping out our next beer, which I figured we'd share because we were just getting started and had a long day ahead of us. Enter Let's Go Bowling, an 8.5% ABV Belgian style Super Saison. The prefix "super" in reference to a saison is synonymous with "imperial" placed before "stout," or "double" before "IPA." Basically, it all boils down to a higher-than-usual ABV percentage. This beer was pretty chewy and grainy with a toasty pumpernickel rye malt character and a dry, peppery finish. I'll admit I was expecting something a little more Tired Hands-esque (i.e. citrusy with some funk) but it was still pretty solid. I'll also admit that I probably ordered it based on the name, which I assumed was a reference to The Big Lebowski. "Fuck it, Dude..."

Pleeps says: "Let's go bowling!"

Things were pretty poppin' at Yards when we arrived. After snagging two seats at the bar, I quickly realized that this was likely due to a televised sporting event (in this case, the World Cup). Yes, that's right. Soccer. I guess Eagles fans are still riled up from the recent Super Bowl win that they'll stoop so low as to watch soccer to try and re-live the glory of their beloved team's victory. Unfortunately, Germany was pitted against Sweden. Didn't matter. Although 75% of the people enjoying the game probably couldn't locate either country on a world map, it didn't stop them from simultaneously bellowing out in suspense when something "exciting" happened on the field. With all that said, I will admit that soccer (or as every other country correctly calls it - football) is a pretty legit sport based solely on the stamina it takes to play the same. But technically soccer isn't even a real sport, at least according to George Carlin. "Anything where you can't use your arms can't be a sport," he exclaimed. "Tap dancing isn't a sport. I rest my case." Why do I believe this to be true? Because comedy trumps sports (especially this particular weekend). However, I do believe that Gymnastics is a sport despite the fact that Romanians are good at it. In recent years, though, they haven't fared very well at the Olympics. I happen to know this because Gymnastics is the best sport ever... or maybe second behind Goat Racing. But I digress.

Anyway, back to beer.

Yards now boasts an impressive new facility over on Spring Garden (just a few blocks down from where my friend Matt used to live and where we used to stay when visiting Philly). They also seem to be putting out a lot more seasonally rotating beers these days. I was surprised to see about a dozen or so beers in addition to the usual suspects of year-rounds and Ales of the Revolution that are always available.

I call this one "Beerhouse Row."

I was most excited about the Coffee Love Stout, a variation of arguably my favorite Yards beer aged on coffee beans. It's amazing what a simple name change can do to a beer. Over a decade ago, this same beer used to be called "Oyster Stout," but beer drinkers largely balked at ordering it because most couldn't fathom why a brewery would put oysters in a beer. What did Yards do? Change the name to Love Stout and - WALLA! - it's one of their best-selling beers. This coffee version was quite enjoyable. Love Stout is a fairly thick beer despite its 5.5% ABV tag. For some reason, I always think of it as a heavier beer, but it's smooth and goes down easy. It's a Yards staple and rightly so. I'm glad it didn't fall by the wayside due to its original name, as matter-of-fact as it may have been. In lieu of sharing a pour of this, Brewslut and I each enjoyed a full 20-ounce tumbler to ourselves.

My view from the bar at Yards.

For round two, I kept things light and opted for a new-to-me offering called Loral Lager, a pilsner. Since PA is blessed with such a fine stable of pilsner-style lagers (you all know which ones I'm talking about), I figured Yards would also be capable of brewing a winner. Turns out my instincts were correct, because this was a crisp, refreshing beer with a good bit of floral and citrusy hop character that hit the spot and paired nicely with our mid-afternoon snack of steamed mussels bathed in leek and parsley broth with grilled bread.

Pleeps getting to know my Loral Lager a bit.

Brewslut decided on another new beer called Haunted Forever, a Black IPA with big pine notes and rounded out with some citrus rind. She surprised me by ordering this, as she rarely goes for something dark and hoppy. Dark and bourbon-y, yes. But Black IPAs just aren't high on her list. I found this to be a delicious take on the style. This guy was creamy and not too roasty with lots of hop flavor and aroma but only moderate bitterness. Plus Yards gets extra bonus points for the 6.66% ABV tag. Why? Because Satan, of course!

On a quick aside, if you have yet to visit the new Yards facility, please note that they do have a big off-street parking lot behind the building that is free for patrons. There is also free parking on Spring Garden right outside the brewery, but just a block away are rows of old-school meters that only take quarters, and they cost $2.50 per hour. Of course, we discovered this after we'd already fed the meter. The more you know...

After Yards, we decided to skip Urban Village and head straight to the Philadelphia Record Exchange to get my vinyl fix. Brewslut has pretty much accepted that she's in for at least one record store visit per beer trip. (I actually got two in this weekend, but more on that later.) The shop is situated in Fishtown, probably our favorite area of the city for its eclectic beer, food, and nightlife scene. The Fillmore (where we'd be attending the concert in a few hours) was also within walking distance, so we thought we'd save $15 and park for free. I still can't believe that parking is free in Fishtown after all of the gentrification. Good for you, Fishtown! Let's keep it that way, eh? For those of you who are also music fans, I picked up a nice copy of the original Queensryche 4-song EP as well as the hard-to-find indie pressing of Sink Your Teeth into That by a band called Talas (Billy Sheehan, anyone?) and Lita Ford's Lita record (one of the women who helped me navigate the wonders of puberty).

Again, let's get back on track.

A few blocks down from the record store on Frankford Avenue is Fishtown Brewpub, a new player in Philly's burgeoning craft beer scene. I did a bit of recon and checked out the website in advance, and the place definite looked legit. Once we arrived and settled in, we quickly found this to be a fantastic addition to our favorite part of town.

I love mosaics and stained glass, so...

Brewslut and I both wanted to try the same beer: Cool Beans, a sweet golden ale brewed with wheat, oats, lactose, vanilla, and cold brew coffee. We settled on full pours of our first two beers so we could share them and still enjoy more than a few mere sips. The other beer we chose was Down Under IPA, a variation on one of the brewpub's house beers, Subterranean IPA. This version keeps the same malt bill but swaps out its usual American hops in favor of varietals from the Southern Hemisphere. This one drank more like a West Coast IPA than any other IPA style with its fruity, citrusy flavor, strong hop aroma, slick mouthfeel and moderate, dry bitterness. To quote my buddy Jim, "The west is the best."

Might be the highest taps I've ever seen!

Getting back to Cool Beans, though, we both absolutely loved this beer. Readers of The Pour Travelers may recall our trip to Portland, OR two summers ago (there are multiple parts, so I won't link to them each here), where we encountered a variety of golden coffee ales and coffee cream ales; basically other coffee-forward beers not in the "dark beer" category. I'd hoped this trend would make it back east, and it appears that more and more East Coast breweries have latched onto this newly emerging style. Fine by me, because I love 'em! Keep 'em coming, breweries!

Cool Beans!

By this time, we were really enjoying our visit. The bartenders were extremely talkative, attentive, and friendly. They also loved Pleeps! We were also getting hungry. The menu looked amazing, so we decided to have dinner. Sometimes I forget to plan ahead for meals because I tend to focus on the beer. Luckily, Fishtown boasts a bangin' menu with lots of veggie options. While a few dishes jumped out at us, it was the Roasted Beet Burger that reeled us in. The tasty patty, formed with red quinoa, roasted beets and chia seeds, was accompanied by house pickles, sunflower feta and vegan turmeric ailoi. All this was served betwixt an "everything" Philly muffin (think ciabatta meets an everything bagel minus the hole). Brewslut got the side salad and I, of course, opted for the fries. Money!

First time here, so it's a coaster shot, buddy!

Since we enjoyed the Haunted Forever back at Yards, we opted for a pour of Fishtown's Black IPA, Beatrice-Marie, for our final beer. This dark, hoppy treat is brewed with a variety of specialty malt, oats and lactose, and hopped with Motueka and Citra. The description also mentioned it was "dry hopped with a heaping helping of cryogenically frozen Citra hops." That's the first time I ever came across the term "cryogenically frozen" in a beer description before! Maybe referenced in Megadeth lyrics, but definitely not a beer write-up. Nevertheless, this beer was met with equal enthusiasm as the others we tried, and by now we were sold on this place.

Pleeps had an all access pass at Fishtown!

Pleeps was really photogenic on this particular day, and we captured so many good pictures that we decided to include a few more than usual. Always monkeying around, he is! 

Pleeps needed a booster seat to get some Down Under.

We spent a little extra time at Fishtown, so we decided to skip Urban Village because we didn't want to arrive late to the show. Walking from the car, we came across a place called Bottle Bar East. I was familiar with this establishment, as Tröegs has done some beer events there in the past. I originally just wanted to swing by and take a peek at the bottle selection. Turns out they have an amazingly diverse curated draft line-up of some hard-to-find beers. So we decided to grab one last quick one before heading to the Fillmore, which we figured would have craft beer, albeit a more pedestrian selection. We were correct in that assumption, so we'd made the right decision.

After perusing the impressive tap list, we settled on the following two beers: Venus Rising from Foreign Objects, a NE-style IPA brewed with Citra and Calypso hops, and Overdrive by SingleCut Beersmiths, a tropical DIPA blended with massive amounts of organic peach and mango. We were familiar with both breweries and based on past experience, I knew I'd made a sound decision. Meanwhile, Brewslut made the journey to the restrooms, which actually took her through the kitchen! Both beers were pretty remarkable, although I'd have to give the nod to Overdrive with its abundance of fleshy fruit juiciness. I'm glad I started with the Venus Rising, though, because its more delicate hints of tangerine, mango, and creamsicle weren't as overwhelming as the overripe, pulpy character of Overdrive. These were two winners in my book, though. I will say that, while the selection was superior, the prices were a bit dicey. I saw some 16-ounce cans for as much as $10 each. Yikes! Still, where else are you going to find a bunch of rare or sought-after beers in one spot? You'd likely pay just as much after shipping and packaging supplies to arrange an Internet trade. So I suppose you're paying for the convenience. Makes cents... I mean sense, right?

Bottle Bar East is serving up some legit liquids!

Over at the Fillmore, we balked on getting a beer. I mean, we were already a few hours in and the selection was - as anticipated - pretty hackneyed (man, I haven't used that word since high school creative writing class). So a two-hour break was nice. As expected, the show was hilarious and we left the venue in a jovial mood. I commented about how I could get used to comedy shows because they start early, don't last too long, and I'm not deaf afterward! Plus you have seats. Of course, when I'm at a concert, I absolutely loathe sitting down (unless it's folk, jazz, or classical music, which I rarely experience in a live setting anyway).

So it was only 10 p.m. on a Saturday night in Philly. What are we going to do?

Get tacos, of course!

We were beginning to feel the early onset of hunger pangs, and Brewslut recalled passing a food truck called Heffe Tacos. Its slogan of "tacos that don't suck" jumped out at us, so we were sold. They were also open until 3 a.m. Yup. We're definitely not in Annville anymore, Toto. We happened to get there just before a rush of annoying Millennials, so we didn't have to wait too long for our food: crispy chicken thigh tacos with cabbage, ancho mayo and queso, and a side of rice and beans. Bangin'! This really hit the spot and gave us a bit more fuel to forge on.

We checked in at Barcade, but it was really busy and the tap list was kind of bunk, so we decided to just head back across the street to Fishtown Brewpub for round two. Brewslut liked the Cool Beans so much that she wanted to revisit it with a full pour of her own. Can't blame her for that; it's an awesome beer!

Although I was thinking about a return visit to the Down Under IPA, I played an audible and settled instead for a pint of Lupulin Lager, a pilsner-style lager aggressively hopped with Meridian and Hallertau Mittelfruh. This was not quite enjoyable as the aforementioned IPA, but it had a nice citrusy hop profile with hints of exotic perfumes and wildflowers while still maintaining some semblance of crispness that you'd expect from a pilsner.

Where my lupulin at?!

In an unpredictable turn of events, I decided to forego a second beer, instead opting for a glass of spirits. Say what?! While enjoying my beer, my eyes began to wander around the room. I eventually landed on a few spirits bottles nestled high on a shelf above the bar when one in particular captured my attention. It turned out to be Hudson maple cask rye whiskey from Tuthilltown Spirits of NY, and it was perhaps the best $17.50 I ever spent on 2 ounces of liquor! It is indeed a rare occasion when I splurge on a drink, but in this case I'm glad I did. While Brewslut worked on her beer, I enjoyed the nuanced layers of vanilla-kissed, whiskey-soaked oak, caramel soft candy chews and, of course, lush maple syrup. One word: wow! I need to procure a bottle of this exquisite liquid immediately!

And with that, folks, it was time to retire to our hotel. Brewslut made sure we phoned ahead to make sure we actually had a room this time. (Check out our last blog post for that reference.) Thankfully, we did. Zzzzzzzz...

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As luck would have it, our hotel was in close proximity to 2SP Brewing, a brewery we'd only been visited on one other occasion. It must have been during my blogging hiatus, because I couldn't find a past account of our visit. A quick check on Untappd revealed that we, in fact, visited in May 2016, which was one month before I got back in the saddle and resumed The Pour Travelers blog. I did, however, remember liking the beers quite a bit and having a great time chatting with the fun bartenders and some patrons.

First thing's first, though: breakfast and, more importantly, coffee! We found a local breakfast place called the Towne & Country Cafe, which was minutes away from the brewery, and we timed breakfast to end shortly after the 2SP opened for the day at noon. I enjoyed a honkin' 4-egg turkey sausage omelette with rye toast and a side of grits.

Once we arrived and settled in at 2SP, I noticed that the tap selection was quite expansive. I had the feeling that we might be there a while. Turns out I was right. There were too many beers we wanted to try, and Brewslut wanted to try all different beers than I. Quandary aside, it was time to put on on drinking hats for the day and dig in to 2SP's eclectic bag o' beers.

2SP from our view at the bar.

The first one to jump out at me was Inner Peach, a saison brewed with wheat, rye, and oats, and hopped with Japanese Sorachi Ace. The notes for this beer indicate it was fermented at extremely warm temperatures with 2SP's house saison yeast. Sounds good so far, right? To put the icing on the cake, the beer then underwent a second fermentation atop of 500 pounds of peach puree. Yowza! As I mentioned earlier in this blog, I'm a sucker for peaches and peach beers in general, so this one was a no-brainer for me. I enjoyed this more than the Princess Peach at Bar Hygge (although I realize they are different beer styles), but this one just had way more peach in the aroma. The saison yeast really coaxed out some nice flavors including toasted coconut and a hint of black pepper, giving the beer an underlying complexity that went beyond just juicy, slightly tart peach.

Meanwhile, Brewslut worked on a pour of No Show, an interesting collaboration with Hardywood Park Brewing; "interesting" in that the collaboration occurred via email. So now the name No Show makes sense, doesn't it? Brewed with an experimental hop variety known simply as "YCH003" and a unique blend of yeasts, this beer boasted subtle citrus and pomegranate notes with a touch of lemongrass. It was definitely a subtle beer, and I found most of the flavors to be rather muted. Perhaps this beer will give way to similar collaborations via text message or fax. You never know.

One beer that we both really wanted to try was something called Pink Lemonade, a cask conditioned IPA on the beer engine. This limited beer is a variation of Up & Out IPA infused with lemon and hibiscus. The hibiscus gave the beer a lovely pinkish hue, and the pour off the handpull produced a creamy, supple crown of froth that looked delicious. A little tart, a little hoppy, this beer was really pleasant overall, and I must admit that this was the first time we'd come across an IPA moonlighting as pink lemonade. Great for summer, right? We thought so!

Another coaster shot with Pleeps!

Speaking of a refreshing summer beer, enter Cucumber Wit. Originally brewed for the Extreme Beer Festival in Boston, this blast of mouth-puckering joy features over 1,000 cucumbers added to the base beer, Weiss Wit. The cucumber flavor and aroma of this beer was quite authentic and prominent, with a pinch of lemon and coriander adding a hint of tartness. Overall, this was a really well-executed beer. Don't fear the cucumber!

By now I was in full-on DIPA mode, so I was scoping out Bellcracker, one of 2SP's year-round beers. Until now, we'd completely ignored the flagship beers on the front side of the beer menu. It was time to change that. This actually might have been my favorite beer of the bunch (which is saying a lot, because everything was solid). Bellcracker is a juicy West Coast style DIPA with loads of citrus and tropical fruit notes, a hint of pine, and a dry finish. I liked this so much that I grabbed a 4-pack of cans on the way out to take home.

We could have ended right there, but there were a few more on our "to-do" list, so we carried on. Brewslut opted for the Weiss Wit, which is a blend of two different styles: Berliner Weiss and Belgian Wit. Brewslut loves her some Berliner Weiss, so I knew she'd pick this one sooner or later. Similar to the Cucumber Wit minus the cucumber, this was tart, lemony, and refreshing with a hint of coriander.

I must have had a death wish, because I decided to end with a beer called Bronson. This sucker is a blend of two burly 2SP favorites: The Russian (an award-winning Russian Imperial Stout) and English Barleywine. Two of my favorite styles merged into a single beer. I couldn't help but think, "Hey, you got your stout in my barleywine." I'd had The Russian before, and it's definitely worthy of all its praise and accolades. Sweet and smooth with liquid caramel and chocolate bliss, this one went down all too easy despite its 10% ABV. And with that, it was time to move on.

Pleeps was definitely feeling it after that lot!

On a quick side note, it was nice that the bartender remembered us from two years ago. Oddly enough, it was the two of us and not Pleepleus that jogged her memory. She remembered us talking about Team D(r)INK, which stuck in her memory because she too doesn't have any children... and likes beer, of course. We talked about the impetus of the name and shared some fun stories, not just with her but with some nearby patrons as well. All in all, it was a pleasant visit and we hope to be back soon.

Up next was the nearby Aston Abbey, also situated in the suburban town of Aston. This place was new to us, and by the look of the logo and styles of beers listed on the web site, this place has a Belgian flair. The brewery and tasting room are located in a large industrial complex similar to a multitude of breweries we'd encountered many times in San Diego. The place has a typical garage feel, and sadly there was no stained glass as depicted on its brewery logo.

Enter the Abbey.

We snagged two seats at the bar among some older "regulars" (they were all drinking out of fancy stoneware mugs) and did our best to fit in. After perusing the menu, I settled on a pour of Saison de l'Abbey, a 5.5% ABV farmhouse style ale. I found it to be a pretty decent interpretation of the style overall. The flavor profile was quite grainy with pumpernickel notes, spice, and moderate bitterness for the style. It finished quite dry. Overall, it reminded me of the Super Saison I'd encountered the day before at Bar Hygge.

Brewslut was faring much better with her Berliner Weisse, a straight-up, no-frills German style sour wheat. Well OK, potentially some frills; they serve the beer with a choice of ligonberry, blueberry, or elderflower syrup. Brewslut asked about woodruff syrup, but the bartender wasn't familiar with it. So she opted for the "no frills" version, because that's the way she rolls: woodruff or bust!

Before we left, the bartender was nice to give us a splash of a brand new beer called King George, an Imperial English IPA. My only comment on this beer is: keep working on this one. 'Nuff said.

While both beers we tried showed promise, neither inspired us to delve into a second round, so we bid adieu and headed to another new-to-us brewery in nearby West Chester.

Mural at Levante.

When we arrived at Levante, there was a healthy crowd for a Sunday afternoon enjoying the fair early summer weather. Another garage brewery situated amid a bunch of warehouses, Levante seems to have its finger on the pulse of the hazy New England IPA movement. And thus continues my love/hate relationship with this style. Fortunately for me, all three of these beers were very enjoyable and what I'd consider "upper echelon" beers in a style that is slowly becoming over-saturated in the craft beer marketplace.

View from the bar at Levante.

First up was a beer called Tickle Parts, which two nearby customers recommended immediately. That name sounds kind of dirty, or at least kinky. I just chuckled and thought of a Tickle-Me Elmo doll. This was one of about seven available New England IPAs on the board at Levante. Dry-hopped for enhanced aroma and minimal bitterness, this beer boasted a soft, billowy mouthfeel amid a tropical fruit-forward flavor hinting at pineapple and fruit juice. So far so good!

Meanwhile, we decided to grab some food at the on-site taco truck, and scarfed down a pair of chicken burritos filled with black beans, rice, queso and salsa. We definitely fulfilled our Mexican food quota on this weekend!

Since Tickle Parts hit the spot, I decided to forge on with a few others in the same wheelhouse. Next up was Cloudy and Cumbersome, Levante's flagship IPA. Hazy, soft and fruit-forward, this NE-style IPA is hopped with Mosaic and Idaho 7, boasting notes of passionfruit and orange pith. Flaked oats and wheat provide a silky smooth texture, allowing this to slide right down the ol' pipes. This is a fine IPA that would make an excellent fridge beer for anytime drinking. Nicely done!

Pleeps was feeling a little cloudy and cumbersome by now.

Moving on, I decided to end with Omega Juice, a bold NE-style IPA that was clearly hoppier (and pulpier) than its predecessors, with copious amounts of Citra and Centennial hops at the forefront for a big smack of grapefruit intertwined with mango and papaya notes. While bitterness was dialed back, the aroma was huge. According to the beer's description, one can expect "a honey-sweet malt body layered with fresh-pressed citrus, pulp included." That's pretty spot-on.

While Green Horizon was on tap, we opted to grab a 4-pack of pounder cans to go. While we didn't enjoy at the brewery, we cracked open a can once we got home, so I'll include it here. This beer is a limited DIPA released in celebration of Levante's anniversary. Loaded with hops from the the Northwest U.S. and South Pacific, tropical fruit and citrus notes take center stage while a sweet malt backbone supports the moderate hop bitterness. This one felt more West Coast in execution; curious, because I enjoyed the other three more than this.

We had plans to check out East Branch in Downingtown, but we decided to hit the trail and head home (although we made a quick detour to a record shop in West Chester about half an hour before they closed). We'll have plenty of opportunities in the near future to check this one off the list. For now, it will have to wait. Sorry Pleeps. Until then...

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...