There’s only one place for beer lovers to be this summer, and that’s Philadelphia, the city of brewer-ly love. Here’s a look at some of the sudsy happenings:
Philly Beer Week and the With Love Beer Garden
Now in its fourth year, Philly Beer Week features 10 days of tastings, visits from revered brewers, pub crawls, beer dinners and hundreds of daily events (June 3-12). New for 2011, the pop-up With Love Beer Garden, sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), serves as the unofficial headquarters for this year’s festivities. Beer fans can head to the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia’s courtyard each night from 4 – 8 p.m. to mingle with brewers, sample their suds and enjoy light fare. June 6-10; 215- 985-2106, phillybeerweek.org.
Summer Love Ale
A huge success in 2010, GPTMC and Victory Brewing Company will re-release the wildly popular Summer Love Ale this summer. After tripling batches of the golden brew last year, Victory will now distribute the ale in 29 states nationwide. New this year, Summer Love Ale will be available for purchase in bottles, so customers can enjoy the Chester County-brewed beverage at home. victorybeer.com
New Beer Gardens
’Tis the season for dining and drinking outdoors, and two new Fishtown beer gardens allow Philly residents and visitors to do just that. Memphis Taproom recently debuted its much-anticipated beer garden, a picnic table-clad spot serving up gourmet hot dogs and canned beers. Also new to the scene is Stephen Starr’s Frankford Hall, with seating for up to 240 people outside. The space is simple by Starr standards, complete with exposed brick walls, reclaimed materials and ping-pong tables. Classic German foods are available at a walk-up counter, as is a hefty beer menu. Memphis Taproom, 215-425-4460, memphistaproom.com; Frankford Hall, 215-634-3338, frankfordhall.com.
Eat, Drink & Go Foodspotting in Philly
Residents and visitors now have a new way to eat and drink their way through Philly, and that’s by using Foodspotting. On foodspotting.com/visitphilly, users can access a dozen guides created by GPTMC, including the “Beer Lover’s Breweries” guide featuring 10 must-try local beers. Once followers have “spotted” the items in the guide, they receive a customized Visit Philly badge for their profile.
Brewery Tours
Beer buffs can tour a local brewery any time of year to see how water, barley, hops and yeast are combined to make the perfect pint. Most breweries offer tours on Saturdays, and most tours are free. Worth checking out: Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia Brewing Co. PBC, Victory Brewing Company and Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery. Yards, 215-634-2600, yardsbrewing.com; PBC, 215- 427-BREW, philadelphiabrewing.com; Victory, 610-873-0881, victorybeer.com; Sly Fox, 610-935-4540, slyfoxbeer.com.
