St. Stephen Green & Marco Passarella

My last "Philly Beer Week" Blog.

I only wish I could have went to more events during "Philly Beer Week". I want to thank everyone involved in this pursuit of increasing the knowledge of beer to the world.

•Tom Peters - president - Monk's Cafe
•Bruce Nichols - vice president - The HeadHouse
•Jennie Hatton - secretary - Profile P.R.
•Ron Davis - treasurer - Davis CPA Group
•Casey Parker - Jose Pistola's
•Clare Pelino - Profile P.R.
•Ed Friedland - Origlio Beverage
•Ellen Yin - Fork Restaurant
•Gene Muller - Flying Fish Brewery
•Mark Edelson - Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
•Nima Hadian - Shangy's The Beer Authority
•Paul Egonopoulos - Brewer's Outlet
•Tom Buonanno - Muller Beverage
•William Reed - Standard Tap/Johnny Brenda's
•Don Russell - Executive director

http://www.phillybeerweek.org/

My last event for the week takes me to "St. Stephen's Green". Website:http://www.saintstephensgreen.com/. Another one of those places that seem like it was straight out of Europe. Cafe seating on the outside, a pub/restaurant seating on the inside. Instead of old world type decor, the inside was more modern then most corner cafes. Belgian beers on tap for this event. The wait staff was remarkably attentive and all smiles. I know if I worked in a place with great beers, I'd be smiling as well.

With that being said, there was some locals at the bar drinking "Miller Lite". WHY!!!!!! I know people are drinking with what they grew up with, but everyone should at least try something new from time to time. Life is an adventure. Try something new, you might like it, even if it is just a beer.

Off topic once again, back to the event. I sat at the bar and met a few new friends. Had a words with one fella who was dipping in just to get away from his in-laws, after coming from the gym. Another that was doing a few of the events for "Philly Beer Week" because he loves beer. Then I met Marco Passarella from St. Bernardus Brewery. The reason I actually went was because of him. I got to ask him a few questions about beers, but ended up just talking about life and how he was enjoying running around from event to event.

I was impressed when the bartender was pouring beer and Marco Passarella told him that the taps were mixed up. He new just by watching his beer being poured, that they had them marked wrong. It was the neatest thing I have ever seen. He asked to go back and look at the kegs to make sure. He was right. When he came back I did manage to ask him one question that I have to post, because it made me laugh and it's really deep if you think about it.

The Beer Dawg: "Which one of the beers you brew is your favorite?"

Marco Passarella: "St. Bernardus Witbier"

The Beer Dawg: "Why not the St. Bernardus Abt 12?"

Marco Passarella: "I do taste that one all the time, but it's like I tell my wife all time "When you have steak all the time, sometimes you just want a hot dog."

We all had a good laugh when we heard this. He has the gift of gab like and a great showman. The rest of the short time there we had a lot of conversation about nothing important. Marco Passarella said I couldn't go without having the St Bernardus Abt 12. So I did, and look a beer review below.

St Bernardus Abt 12 by St. Bernardus Brewery. It poured a dark orange/brown with a thick ivory head. I loved the smell that came off this beer. It had sweet and tart fruits like raisin, plum, and date. Also dark malt, yeast, and some spice. I think I also picked up some clove. The mouth feel was of a medium body, and creamy smooth. In the taste I picked up some dark sweet malt, chocolate, some nuttiness like hazelnut, a hint of oak, some floral hop, and some fruits like the smell. Extremely well balanced. I wanted to sit there and just slowly drink it like a night cap. This is a definite must try.

The website: http://www.sintbernardus.be/en/

So in conclusion, one of the best weeks and many adventures that I was glad to have be able to to. From seeing new places, trying new beers, and meeting interesting people. Well as always, "Be Well, and Drink Well!"

McGillin's Pub Crawl After Party

Hi everyone!!!

I know I've been pumping out these blogs, but I just want to get them out of my head for you all to read before I forget the details.

McGillin's Olde Ale House is a 150 year old pub still operating in Philly. I decided not to do the "Pub Crawl", only because I had to work. I still wanted to catch the after party, so I picked up Rothy, and we headed to McGillin's. Website: http://www.mcgillins.com/.

Finding a parking spot was easier then finding the bar. The bar is off the main streets and huddled in the corner. Even though I point this out, it is also part of it's charm. Really a local hang out, and a must see but hard to find for tourists. Once you are there, the staff treats you like your one of the family.

They have their own line of beers, as well as a good selection of craft and local beers. Rothy and I had a few beers at this place. I did make Rothy try the beer sampler. It was kind of neat watching him go through the beer and picking out which one he likes the most. McGillin's Lager was his favorite out of all of them. I did not do any beer reviews for this place. We just went to enjoy a nice break from life for a while, and this is a great place to do just that.

Well, that is not exactly all true. I also wanted to see the craziness of the people who actually made the whole "Pub Crawl". There was more then I thought singing very badly at the karaoke set up down stairs. It was a sight to see. Bad renditions of pop songs that well all sing along to in the car or shower. After our ears could not withstand anymore "Sonic Warfare", we made our way to the upstairs.

I liked the upstairs for a few reasons, but the main reason was that it had the Flyers game on. Even though the Flyers lost the cup, I was surrounded by others that shared my pain. Also a plus, the female staff was easy on the eyes. All the dude bartenders were cool and not "dickheads" like you get at most bars in the city.

I do have one complaint, but it had nothing to do with the bar, or even the guy who wanted to share his pitcher with us. It was that the pitcher was filled with "Bud". Not that I have anything with "Budweiser", but this was "Philly Beer Week". I'm looking for beers that I normally would not have on a regular basis. Rothy hid behind the beer he had in hand. All and all, the night was great and as you can tell I still remember all of it. Like always, "Be Well, and Drink Well!"

One Off Tasting

Hello Everyone!!

This blog is LITTLE RANDOM. Going into the beer fridge we found some gems that I forgot that I had bought at my local beer store. Funny thing is that they all had a similar tastes: Rich, Dark, and Malty. Jay, Rothy, Boozer X, and myself on hand to try these beer. Honestly, Jay once again was no help. Why do I included Jay one may ask? I've known Jay for 27 years and well I can get rid of him, no actually, we are pretty much brothers in crime. He will always be there and vise versa. So on with the tasting.



Kasteel Donker from Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V. ABV of a whopping 11.0%. The nose of straight sweet malt and a little fruit. It poured with a dark cream colored head and a dark reddish brown body. The taste had a caramel candy, a little heat, and a really sweet after taste, with some dried cherry. Mouth feel had some body but not really heavy. Rothy really like this one. As for Jay he was alright with it, but was more concerned with playing beer pong. Boozer X and I, both agreed it was a little sweet for our taste. I would consider this an after dinner drink to sip on. To make a food pairing on this would be hard. It would have it to be served on its own, but Cherries Jubilee or Baked Alaska would go with it.

Website: http://www.vanhonsebrouck.be/


Railbender Ale from Erie Brewing Company. The nose on this was of caramel malt and a very slight hint of flowers. It poured with a reddish brown color with a small cream head. It tasted like a light malted milk shake. Some hints of caramel malt, brown sugar, and a little yeasty spice. Not to much going on with this beer, Had a club soda feel to it. The mouth feel was light and had no real after taste. Boozer X, Rothy, and I just thought it lacked any "Wow!" factor. Although having 6.80% ABV. and not having any strong alcohol taste, you could get in real trouble with this beer. I would not pair this up with any really strong foods. Simple home style Mac 'n' Cheese, Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs, and some good ole Corn on the Cob.

Website: http://www.eriebrewingco.com/

Pike Kilt Lifter from Pike Seattle Brewing Co. A lot of people told me that I should try this one and that I would "Love" it. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty, but not in "Love" with it. When poured it has a dark reddish brown color and off-white large bubbly head. The nose on this was a mild malt, a little flowery, and a hint earthy hops. The mouth feel was a little heavy with some alcohol heat. The taste had a balanced between malt and hops. Little spice and dried fruit in the after taste. I did get a little bit of roast malt flavor. All in all, a nice beer to try. Since it is a Scotch Ale, I will pair this with a Deep Fried Pizza. Oh so good, yet oh so bad for you.


Website: http://www.pikebrewing.com/

I would suggest everyone to try these beers for yourself. As you can tell from my blogs, that I have my own taste. You should find your own. Pick up something you have never tried and you might just be surprised. As many different types of people in the world, their almost that many types of beer. I've written this before, but it is true. Have a beer adventure! "Be well, and drink well!"