Guide To Philadelphia Beer Week
Put on your drinking cap: Philadelphia Beer Week is here at last! This year marks the fourth consecutive year that the massive beer fest—the largest of its kind in the nation—has descended on the city. And with more than 600 events and five major festivals, it's no wonder Frommer's ranked the City of Brotherly Love one of the 14 best cities for beer in the world. –Chelsea Karnash
What: Philadelphia Beer Week celebrates the city's 300+ years of beer-brewing and features hundreds of dinners, tours, pub crawls, tastings, meet-the-brewer nights and festivals within the Greater Philadelphia area.
When: Friday, June 3 – Sunday, June 12
Where: Various pubs, restaurants, taverns, breweries and local attractions.
Events: As previously mentioned, Philly Beer Week has five festivals and more than 600 events on the calendar as of now—impressive, but slightly overwhelming. To help you wade through the myriad options, some of the most unique and intriguing events are highlighted below. For a full schedule of Beer Week events, click here.
FRIDAY, JUNE 3
Hammer of Glory Hand-off
Hop Angel Brauhaus
7980 Oxford Ave.
10 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
The official symbol of Philly Beer Week, the Hammer of Glory (or HOG), sets off on its, ahem, glorious journey through Philadelphia, ending up at the Independence Visitors Center just in time for the Opening Tap. See it--with Miss Hammer--off at Hop Angel. Other stops include Johnny Brenda's, Fergie's, Varga Bar, the Standard Tap and many more. Follow the HOG on its journey on Twitter at hashtag #HOG, or on Facebook.
Philly Beer Week Opening Tap 2011
Independence Visitors Center
6th and Market St.
7:30 p.m., $41 ($15 designated driver)
Kick off Philly Beer Week with a ceremonial tapping of the keg and a toast alongside Mayor Nutter, Ben Franklin and Joe Sixpack. Then, sample cold brews from over thirty breweries, munch on delicious beer-friendly food and listen to music from the Flathead Gang. FYI: No tickets will be sold at the door, so make sure to get yours in advance.
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
Bacon. Beer. Brunch.
Continental Restaurant & Martini Bar
138 Market St.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m., pay as you go
The killer combo is in the spotlight at this Beer Week brunch, featuring North Wales, Pa.'s Prism Brewing Company. Bonus: Prism's Insana Stout, a bacon-and-chocolate beer, will be on-hand for sampling on its own, or within the Continental's special Chocolate Bacon Beer Float. Oh. Em. Gee.
Varga Bar Pin Up Block Party
Varga Bar
941 Spruce St.
11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., pay as you go
Whether you think you've got what it takes to be the next Varga Bar Calendar Girl or just like to ogle them, head to Varga Bar for this block party, featuring craft beer, grilling, hotdog and wing-eating contests, water balloons, and a variety of old-school block party activities.
International Great Beer Expo
Philadelphia Cruise Terminal
5100 S. Broad St.
12:30 – 4 p.m., 5:30 – 9 p.m.; $45
Drink international: this global beer expo features over 50 breweries from around the world. Food and water will also be up for sale.
SUNDAY, JUNE 5
Craft Beer Day on East Passyunk
Along E. Passyunk Ave.
11 a.m. – 10 p.m., pay as you go
This all-day celebration includes events at eight bars on E. Passyunk. Think beer brunches, home brew demos and "Meet the Brewer" happy hours.
The Philly Food Experiment
World Café Live
3025 Walnut St.
12 – 4 p.m., $10 in advance
Yesterday it was beer and bacon; today, it's beer and cheese. Brooklyn Brewery is challenging the city's amateur chefs to a cheese-y cook-off competition featuring the delish dairy product. Anyone can compete, and the winner receives a cash prize and a trip to BK to compete in the national cook-off event.
MONDAY, JUNE 6
Dogfish Head Takeover & Moustache Contest
Resurrection Ale House
2425 Grays Ferry Ave.
2 – 6 p.m., pay as you go
The beard might be staging a comeback, but in my opinion, the moustache still walks a very fine line between uber-trendy and vintage porn-star creepy. This competition for the best 'stache in the city promises to be entertaining though, especially when paired with any (or many!) of the 13 Dogfish Head brews that Resurrection Ale House has on draft.
TUESDAY, JUNE 7
Dunk Tank
London Grill
2301 Fairmount Ave.
4 – 8 p.m., pay as you go
Dunk your favorite (or least favorite) beer-lebrity at this event to benefit PAWS. In the dunking queue? Brewers and reps, including Steve Mashington of Yards, Suzy Woods of Sly Fox, Casey Hughes of Flying Fish and many more. Watch 'em get wet while you whet your taste buds with their delicious beers.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8
Beer & Bikes @ the Ben
Race Street Café
208 Race St.
7 – 8:30 p.m., FREE
Attention cyclists: don your helmet and pedal over to the Race Street Café, where you'll meet up with other beer drinking bikers for a leisurely ride over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Before crossing, you'll stop and enjoy bridge-themed beers from Trophy Bike's custom-made Dutch Bakfiets cargo bike and bar, plus light apps from the Surly Big Dummy cargo bike. Once you're finished eating and drinking, you'll head over the Ben and ride off into the sunset.
Contact mcget@aol.com to sign up for this event. It's free, but you'll need to bring your lock, lights and the aforementioned helmet to participate. Spandex is optional.
THURSDAY, JUNE 9
Brews & Bowties
The Raquet Club of Philadelphia
6 – 9 p.m., $60
Beer-swilling and bowties: an unlikely pair. But at this high-brow event--held at the chichi Philadelphia Raquet Club--you'll rub elbows with some of the city's most influential people while sampling brews from eight upscale beer stations. Live music, hors d'oeuvres and a sweet keepsake glass are also included.
Note: Guys should wear slacks (no jeans!) and a suit jacket and bowtie. Girls should wear dresses.
FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Pints for Pirates Weekend & Steel Drum Band
Three Monkeys Café
9645 James St.
5 – 8 p.m., pay as you go
It's time to take a mental vacation far, far away from the city, and the steel drums at this pirate-themed event will help you do just that. Enjoy pints of beer and an island-themed menu, and maybe win a cooler-bag for your next real-life vacation.
Ride the Rails with Boxcar Brewing Company
306 Westtown Rd. (Chester County)
7 – 11 p.m., $40
There's nothing better than a good old fashioned picnic...unless said picnic is paired with beer and preceded by a ride on the West Chester Railroad, of course! Grab your beach chairs, blankets and picnic basket, and climb aboard the train, where you'll enjoy an exclusive unveiling of Boxcar Brewery's beers during the ride to the Glen Mills picnic grove. The train returns to the city around 10:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Call 484-887-0538 for more info.
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
PBC Fried Chicken Run
South Philly Taproom
1509 Mifflin St.
4 – 8 p.m., $25
After all the beer you've guzzled this week, you might be looking to get rid of that newly-acquired beer gut. But you'll have to ease into your diet ever so slowly, and the Fishtown Beer Runners are here to help. First, get your fitness on with a "brisk" run from the Philadelphia Brewing Company (2439 Amber St.) to SPTR…and then reward yourself with a fried-chicken-and-beer feast! Counter-productive? Yes. But I did say "ease."
Grey Lodge Goes Bollywood
The Grey Lodge Pub
6235 Frankford Ave.
8 – 11 p.m., pay as you go
Go glam at this costume and dance party that "puts the India in India Pale Ale!" Grey Lodge will be serving IPAs while guests attempt to put on a Bollywood production dance number. There will also be a dance contest, so start working on your moves.
SUNDAY, JUNE 12
Dock Street Philly Beer Week Music Festival
Dock Street Brewery
701 S. 50th St.
2 – 6 p.m., FREE
Say goodbye to Philly Beer Week and hopefully, to your hangover (hair of the dog, anyone?) at this indoor/outdoor music and beer fest. Sip on Dock Street's Summer Session or the Dock Street brew of your choice, munch on wood-fired pizza, satisfy your sweet tooth with a Buttercream Cupcake, and listen to live music from local bands at this Beer Week last-hurrah.
AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT…
With Love Pop-Up Beer Garden
Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia
One Logan Square
June 6 – 10 from 4 – 8 p.m.
Just as E = MC2, sunshine + beer = amazingness. And this year, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is teaming up with Beer Week and the Four Seasons to launch a pop-up beer garden in the Four Season's outdoor courtyard. A different local brewer's beers will be featured each day, and drinkers can "Meet the Brewer" while they imbibe.
Brewery Line-up:
6/6 – Victory Brewing Company
6/7 – Weyerbacher
6/8 – Dock Street Brewing Company
6/9 – Sly Fox Beer
6/10 – Yards Brewing Company & Stoudt's Brewing Company
For more information on the With Love Beer Garden, click here.
Check out a behind the scenes video from Sly Fox Brewery:
