Get ready to see your favorite food and beverage professionals as you’ve never seen them before: rocking the catwalk at the 2nd annual Flannel Animal fashion show, presented by Philly Loves Beer.
Twelve beer hoisting hunks will be donning flannel at Johnny Brenda’s on Sunday, April 8, to help raise money for the 11th annual Philly Beer Week.
They will be judged in three different categories (sports & leisure, sunday best and slumber party) by celebrity judges Danya Henninger of Billy Penn, Marisa Magnatta of WMMR and sexologist, Dr. Timaree.
Before the men of Flannel Animal get ready to strut their stuff, however, they got up close and personal with Metro, telling us about everything from their love for Nicholas Sparks novels to lamenting over beer-wine hybrids no longer in production.
Name: Matt Snyder
Company: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Age: 36
Title: Lead Brewer
Hood: North Bethlehem
Hobbies: Making beer, disc golf and processing animal skulls
Beer of the moment? Weyerbacher Infinite Eclipse
Favorite place to drink beer? On a tube, floating down a river
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? “Celestite” by Wolves in the Throne Room with Holy Mountain Seer Saison
Name: Nick Bellenzeni a.k.a Donnie Ripsack
Company: The Pistolas Group
Age: 30
Title: Importer of Awesome
Hood: The Hood Between Point Breeze and Girard Estates — West Passyunk
Hobbies: Comics, food/cooking and reading Nicholas Sparks novels
Beer of the moment? Three Floyds Zombie Dust
Favorite place to drink beer? Any seat at the bar when my shift is done.
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? “Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix (Vol. 1 & 2)” with Half Acre Daisy Cutter
Name: Mike Major
Company: Austin Eastciders
Age: 36
Title: Field Marketing Representative
Hood: Point Breeze
Hobbies: Being old, karaoke, whiskey (yes it’s a hobby), catching movies and eating all the food
Favorite beer of the moment? You mean not named the Hopped Austin Eastciders? Allagash Black.
Favorite place to drink beer? Probably Tria
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? “College Dropout” by Kanye West with Victory’s White Monkey
Name: Garrett Lee Williams
Company: Evil Genius Beer Co.
Age: 30ish
Title: General Manager
Hood: Fishtown
Hobbies: Reading trashy sci-fi and fantasy series, playing with my Corgi (Jules), origami, woodworking and RPG video games
Favorite beer of the moment? ‘As You Wish’ Helles Lager by Evil Genius
Favorite place to drink beer? If I’m alone, a dive bar. If I’m with friends, on a boat.
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon” with a bunch of (no longer in production) Dogfish 61 minute. Now that I can’t have that, and I’m sad, I like Jenny Lewis and the Watkin Twins ‘Rabbit Fur Coat’ with an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout.
Name: Ryan Vaughan
Company: Left Hand Brewing Company
Age: 28
Title: Beer Hero of PA/NJ/DE
Hood: Point Breeze
Hobbies: Noodle soups and rooftop drinking
Favorite beer of the moment? Left Hand Polestar Pilsner
Favorite place to drink beer? The beach
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? Arcade Fire’s “Neon Bible” with Cantillon Classic Gueuze
Name: Liam Costello Houck
Company: Founders Brewing Co.
Age: 26
Title: Eastern PA Sales Rep
Hood: Newbold
Hobbies: Sand/spin art and dancing like no one’s watching
Favorite beer of the moment? Solid Gold by Founders Brewing Co.
Favorite place to drink beer? In good company
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? “Woah, Nelly!” with PC Pils
Name: Rich Colli
Company: Varga Bar/Butcher Bar
Title: Beverage Manager
Age: Barely Legal
Hood: No Libs
Hobbies: Leaving my cell phone in Ubers, working and thinking about work
Favorite beer of the moment? Bud Light Straw-Ber-Ita
Favorite place to drink beer? Outside of people’s houses.
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? Kendrick Lamar’s “Damn” paired with that cool new six-pack from that cool new brewery. (I heard it got a great Beer Advocate score.)
Name: Archie Knight
Company: Free Will Brewing
Age: No comment.
Title: Sales
Neighborhood: Perkasie
Hobbies: Cigars & whiskey
Favorite beer of the moment? Bell’s Two Hearted IPA
Favorite place to drink beer? Old Town
Ultimate Beer-Album Pairing? Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” with an Imperial Stout
Tickets for Flannel Animal are $30 for VIP and $10 for general admission. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show kicks off at 7 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s (1201 Frankford Ave.).
For more information, visit: phillylovesbeer.org.
