Next Tuesday, 11/15: Let's Toast, Coast-to-Coast!

Vanberg & DeWulf, the pioneering importers (and good friends of mine, the awesomely cultured and intelligent (it's not their fault they're so good-looking, too) Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield), are celebrating their 30th anniversary next Tuesday, November 15th, with a Coast To Coast Toast. In 30 years they've imported or brewed (they were the original folks at Ommegang, y'know) a fantastic number of beers, and influenced any number of others. My first Belgian beer was Duvel, at that time imported by Don and Wendy. Saison Dupont is on the "desert island beers" list of an incredible number of brewers.

Take part in the Toast at one of these places, join us in celebrating a truly influential couple that helped bring the Beer Revolution to you in a very big way, even if you don't realize it. Here's the list of "official" beers, but if you grab a Duvel or an Ommegang, you're in the spirit, too. If you just hoist a glass of Saison Dupont, well, you're good to go, and you'll be better for it. And if you're in Philly, there are celebrations at Monk's, Eulogy, and at Tria Washington Square West, where I'll be. Come on out and join me from 6 to 9: we'll have a VBDW quiz for you to win some pretty cool prizes, and excellent beers on tap (including two new VBDW imports).

Cheers!

More snowy fun in Philly...sigh...

From the Tria/Biba family. This is getting annoying. If it snows out here, all I can do is pop open fantastic beers and whiskeys and watch the Corgis romp; fun, but not real social!



Michael's Got a Case of... Sexy Sparkling Sekt
Sekt is what Austrians call their méthode champenoise (Champagne-style) sparkling wines.  Tonight's rendition, crafted from Chardonnay blended with trendy Grüner Veltliner, comes from Terry Theise, the eccentric importer who put Austrian wines in American minds.  Our special price is worthy of celebration.  But remember: Sparkling wine is not just for special occasions.

The Case Sekt, Nigl, '07 (Kremstal, Austria)  $15   $7½
Location Biba Wine Bar
Date Tuesday, January 11 TONIGHT!
Hours 5-7pm

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Drink and Eat Your Oatmeal!
We generally pair beer with cheese, but tonight we're pairing Terrapin Wake 'N' Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout with oatmeal raisin cookies from The Famous 4th Street Cookie Co.  A delicious combo for your inner child and a special price.

The Combo Terrapin Wake 'N' Bake (10oz) plus large cookie   $5½
Location Tria Rittenhouse Square
Date Tuesday, January 11 TONIGHT!
Hours Starts at 4pm

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Big Weather Calls for Big Beer
We're tapping Dogfish Head's legendary Olde School Barleywine today at 4pm.  If this monster of a brew doesn't keep you warm, you'd better check your pulse.  Plus enjoy our 5 for 5. 5 to 7 happy hour - from 5 to 7, of course.

The Beer Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine (5oz)   $5
Location Tria Wash West
Date Tuesday, January 11 TONIGHT!
Hours  Starts at 4pm

Session Beer Blowout at Tria Today

Just heard from the folks at Tria; they're taking Avril -- one of my fave session beers, and one of theirs -- off-tap for the cooler months of the year. It will be back next summer, but they are discounting it today to blow the kegs. Details here.

For the Love of Lager

Only two tickets left for my next Tria Fermentation School event: For the Love of Lager, set for June 10th. I'll have lots of great lagers for you, plus appearances by some great local lager brewers (Bill Covaleski of Victory and John Trogner from Tröegs will be there to harrass me and entertain you) and the usual tasty snack-bites.

Whoops, sold out. Thanks!

Tria and Jose's: a great Friday night

I had an event at Tria last night, and Cathy got to go along. It was a very good evening, lots of fun. We started at Tria Washington West, at 12th and Spruce, where we tasted small samples of five of the featured beers from the class that was to follow: Pennichuck Pozharnik imperial stout, Victory Old Horizontal, De Dolle Stille Nacht, Gouden Carolus Grand Cru, and Aventinus Eisbock. (The class also got Brooklyn Black Ops, Fuller's Vintage Ale 2008, and Samichlaus -- as you can see, it was NOT a SBP-approved evening!) This was a kind of consolation happy hour for the class selling out so quickly. The class went very well -- we were loose, we had fun, and the Tria staff was having fun right with us.

When the class was over at 8:00, we hung around talking for a bit, and then took a great tip from Art "FooBooz" Etchells (who took his own advice and attended the class; great to finally meet you, Art!) and went to Jose Pistolas for dinner. I was real happy to look at the beer list and see Philly Brewing's Joe coffee porter: I've been hoping to get a chance to try that, and it was excellent, one of the better coffee beers I've had. I hope to see that in their regular line-up (and I'd love to see an occasional appearance by the base porter, too).

But what a good chow-down: I decided to have the Sunrise Burrito since I was having a cup of coffee, and it was the best breakfast-type burrito I've ever had, without question, fat, cheesy, solid and grippable. And Cathy's Chili Relleno special was outstanding, the biggest stuffed chili I remember seeing, and chunky with chorizo. Mighty nice!

We headed home, happy to get a night out before Cathy goes back to work on Monday. Thanks to the folks at Tria for extending the opportunity to present a class at the Fermentation School space: always a pleasure!

Cold Enough for you, Philly?

Meet me at Tria (1137 Spruce, the "Tria Wash West" location) this Friday for a beer event to warm up your winter. I'm hosting an open tasting of "bear beers," the big thumping brews that we love to sip in the winter during hibernation. The Tria Fermentation School event I'm doing later in the evening sold out so quickly, the folks at Tria decided that more folks should get a chance at some of these beers in specially priced tasting portions. The event runs from 4-7, I'll be there from 5 to 6...so you know when to catch or avoid me, as the mood suits! I've been letting my beard grow in the spirit of the thing, it's pretty shaggy, too.

The beers at the open tasting: Aventinus Eisbock, Victory Old Horizontal, Pennichuck Pozharnik Imperial Stout, De Dolle Stille Nacht, and Gouden Carolus Grand Cru. At the event, we'll also have Samichlaus, Fuller's Vintage, and Brooklyn Black Ops. I'd love to have some Great Divide Hibernation Ale; does anyone know where there's a case or a couple sixpacks left in the area? If you do, e-mail me please!

You want Bears? I've got Bear Beers for you!

After the talk of bears earlier this week, it seems like a particularly good time to announce my upcoming class at Tria's Fermentation School:

Strong & Soulful
Friday, January 23 • 6:30-8:00 pm -- The holidays are over, and hibernation during the dark winter nights is upon us. Doppelbocks, Eisbocks, Barleywines, Imperial Stouts and big Belgians are in order. Nationally acclaimed Philly-based beer writer Lew Bryson (hey, mom, that's me!) will share his favorite beers for a bear winter. Taste iconic strong Belgian, German and British brews plus new interpretations of these soul-warming styles by contemporary American craft breweries sure to keep you roasty and toasty even on the coldest winter night.

We're trying to pull together some 'bearish' snacks: honey, nuts, berries, and smoked salmon. Should be a fun evening, and some excellent beers. Not sessiony at all, believe me!

Wow. Some folks really like big bear beers: just got a note from Tria that this sold out in a day. Thanks!

SBP: Session Beer Goes to School

I just set a date with Jon Myerow at Tria to do a Tria Fermentation School session on session beers. I'll be at the School on July 24th, with at least six session beers, some good snacks, and everything I know about these low-alcohol beauties. We're going to aim low, too: we want to try to keep it under 4.5% ABV. I'll post more when we have the beers picked out.