So the Craft Beer Express has come and gone again and left all who attended with new friends, new favorite beers, and new sunday napping records! Before we get to the gritty details, here are some fact's about the actual structure of the Craft Beer Express, or CBX, that everyone should know. First, their are 11 bars on the circuit - and it is a circuit. The buses can't take you where ever you yell at them too (no matter how many drunk people chant "take me to the Wizard!"). Now the circuit business, there were about 7 buses running in a loop, so the order of bars never changed, however if you wanted to skip the next bar you just stay on the bus (but who would want to do that?!). The ticket's were $10 and that got you a seat on the bus only - you had to pay your way at each bar. Considering that from, say, the Sidecar to Kraftwork is easily a $25. That's only two bars, the CBX is 11! There was only one bus that was close to full, but that was at the peak around 4:30/5pm. Most of the time it was only about twenty people per bus at a time. Ok, now on to the highlights of my experience, please feel free to respond with yours!
My starting point was at the neighborhood delight The Sidecar Bar and Grille. The Jazz Series from Bell's Inspired Brewing was just that, but what took the cake for me (aside from my bursting-at-the-seams Crab and Tomato Omelette and French Toast stack) was the cask of Two Hearted. Already a great beer, the Centennial hops blend perfectly Bell's house yeast creating a very balanced IPA. It is certainly the best incarnation of Two Hearted that I have come across. The Rye Stout from Bell's also impressed me. Rye is a great grain that imparts a peppery bitterness making the robust stout have a different feel and doesn't require the roasted coffee bitterness that so many stouts jump on too quickly (and too often). A really mature take on the stout that pays tribute to the sophisticatedly fun approach Bell's takes to beer.
http://www.thesidecarbar.com/site/
POPE, or Pub on Passyunck East, was next. Great atmosphere - exposed brick all over and a jukebox that blows every other one I've seen out of the water - FINALLY some Thin Lizzy! On top of that the alternate Exile on Main Street, Iron Maiden, Them Crooked Vultures, Physical Graffiti, and the epitome of sophomore excellence: The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street - PahLEASE! Rock and Roll goes hand in hand with high gravity beers for me and that's all that POPE offered. The extreme brew's of Sam Calagione and Dogfish Head took up all 14 taps. I was expecting to see some 90, 60, shelter, and maybe some 120 or Olde School but now. The lowest abv was the 7% attached to Punkin. Everything else was intense to the max. Being only a hair past noon and only the second bar of the day I order some Punkin and sat headed over the the juke box to make it rain rock. Moving through the bar I couldn't help I noticed that Randall the Enamel Animal 3.0 was hooked up and held what looked like toxic sludge in it's second chamber - questions flew through my head and a bartender quickly answer them. What follows, may shock you, so take a breath and get ready to have you mind blow. It was World Wide Stout - pushed through Meyers Dark Rum soaked cherries! My mouth, and those of the surrounding eves dropping patrons hit the floor. I was excited, but this wasn't my first rodeo, and to be over zealous with an 18% beer is how day drinking turns into late morning drinking, and all day and night sleeping. The were handing out 5oz pour of the stuff so I figured I had just eaten, and hydrated the night before and through the morning - let's do this dance. It came in a Champagne flute and was, simply put, amazing. The booze of the World Wide met perfectly with the warm booze of the rum, and all of it was cut by the cherries. It went down so much easier than a fresh World Wide does despite having more than twice the alcohol with the addition of the rum. I've had some good and not so good brews through the Randall and this one was on the epic side. For now it is the one to beat.
http://www.pubonpassyunkeast.com/
Devil's Den at 11th and Ellsworth teamed up with Stockertown Beverage to tap this year's Nemesis as well as showcase some other great beers. The bar is clean and smartly set up, with an open dinning area adjacent from the bar only separated from the taps by a large fire place. It's cozy and well light by nature light. I went with the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA - one that Bella Vista carries - as it's a staple at the top of great American IPA's. It didn't disappoint. I also snagged some fries with what must be a chipolte hot pepper dipping sauce - banging! The hops and heat lead me to the Spaten Lager, a great go to beer for a warm summer day. Also I should point out that Devil's Den offers 3 or 4 course meals, each course paired with a beer. The line up changes daily so contact them for more information. I will certainly be back to check that out, and you should too. It scream's date night with almost of Teresa's Cafe and Next Door Bar of Wayne, PA feel.
http://www.devilsdenphilly.com/index.html
Brauhaus Schmitz on the 700 block of South offered the most unique experience of the tour. A seriously German Beer Hall! Girl's in lederhosen serving out humungous beer steins. My increasingly inebriated mind kept uttering the phrase "when in Rome..." so I ordered a stein of the Spaten Optimator. While in theory a huge beer glass sounds great, holding something that heavy is really a pain in the palette. I wasn't caving under the pressure like Atlas, but it was noticeable. Basically, it was like lifting a soaking wet baby or small dog up to your mouth every time you wanted to drink. After Optimization I settled on the Gaffel Kolsh, a delicious brew that is about one hundred times more refreshing than an American light adjunct lager. If you've got a friend who need's a gateway into good beer I recommend taking the Kolsh route. Munich, Helles, and Dortmunder lagers are good as well to open some eyes, but I find Kolsh's can sometimes be the finished blow.
http://www.brauhausschmitz.com/
The gem of Fishtown known as Kraftwork was next. The bar is beautiful, and it was packed and bumping Led Zeppelin House's of the Holy in it's entirety when we arrived. We quickly ordered the cheese board and a flight of the best B. United International had to offer. Lot's of Hitachino available. The Hophen-Wiesse from Schnider and Brooklyn Brewery was refreshing, crisp, and didn't have a single overpowering flavor. Lemon and orange we present, but not in an overpowering or "rotten" tasting way. The great surprise's of the stop were the Ichtegem Grand Cru and the Porterhouse Oyster Stout. The Cru was the perfect Flanders Red, sour cherries and a full malt body. The Oyster stout was very drinkable with no roasted quality to it - that can be sometimes be cloying - just smooth from start to finish. I wish I could've had more of it. Paired up with the cheeses - a selection both local and European - and the should-be-city-famous beer can chicken sandwich, orchestrated by the freight train heart beat of Jon Bonham and the thunder and lightning of Jon Paul Jones and Jimmy Paige, it was the perfect place for me and up until now is still in a dead heat battle with the POPE for best overall event.
http://kraftworkbar.com/
Philly produced beercentric Standard Tap was next. Consistently regarded as one of the best bar's in Philadelphia, it had an impressively local tap list, as well as a 60's era kegerator dedicated solely to Yuengling's Lord Chesterfield Ale. The local's ordered that like is was Yuengling Lager most other places, which I found fascinating and great! Exit 16 from Flying Fish, their wild rice Double IPA, was just tapped so I dove into that head first. As far as I know they stopped making this year's batch back in the summer, although I had heard rumors of a late summer batch. While the weather outside was in the 60's all day, it was still far from summer, and the refreshing Exit 16 I had in May was gone and replaced with a much beer that had a more abrasive hop profile. I would've expected the hop's the mellow out as they're organic and do so with time, but these hop's changed. When it was young the piney, sweet orange hops took center stage, but now the citrusy Citra hops' have taken over. Less fruit and more punch. If I had never had Exit 16 fresh I would've still been very happy with this beer, but it is far from what it started out as - a crisp, refreshing, light, IPA. If I saw it again this year I would easily get it, but be aware that if you mad it last in May it is different than the fresh version.
http://news.standardtap.com.s86406.gridserver.com/
We mucked around in the Foodery for awhile looking at all the new big bottles, but eventually got to The Institue. It was a stout's and porter's event rightfully entitled "The Power of the Dark Side" as each tv had The Empire Strike's Back playing when we walked in. A grabbed a Dock Street Man Full O' Trouble Porter as I watched Han get throw into carbonite and the ensuing light saber battle between Luke and The Man Himself. The Institute was the more interesting spot as it had the most potential to be the next "spot" out of any of the bars. The upstairs is newly finished and beautiful with high back booths, a full bar, and plenty of room to wear out your dancing shoes, as well as an HD tv at every table (If Carrie Ann Fischer was in there she would've thought she'd died and gone to ego-heaven)! The bottle list hits all the important American craft beers including KBS, Hennepin, Obovoid, and some import's as well. The up coming events are fun and get the patron's involved. I will certainly be attending and promoting them him. For now, go check it out for yourself.
http://www.institutebar.com/default.html
My prolonged stay at various bars brought 8pm around fast, and the end of the CBX.... As I made my way back to the beloved Sidecar I couldn't help but think of all the amazing things I'd seen on that glorious day. If you're new to the area, or moving here within the next few months, than mark March, 2011 on your Calendar. The CBX run's three time's a year and is certainly the best way to see what the city has to offer. March is it's next offering, as all the hops in New Zealand begin to get picked and many of the American IPA's and hoppy seasonal's emerge from the frost of winter (Nugget Nectar anyone?). Visit their website for more, and until next time -
Keep Drinking the Good Stuff, Philly.
http://craftbeerexpress.com/
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