A Beer for Alex

I have been searching for one of the top beers in the world, Russian River’s Pliny the Younger.  Brewed once per year and offered only on draft, this beer is hard to get at the brewery, never mind here on the East coast.  However, several places had it in Philly this weekend, including one of my favorite Belgian bars, Monk’s Café (http://www.monkscafe.com/).  And they were offering it at a cash only event that donated all the money made to a charity to fight children’s cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand (http://www.alexslemonade.org/).  So with a worthy cause and a fantastic beer as my reward, I got on the road before sunrise the day before the event and headed down to Philly and a stop at one of the nation’s first beer centric gastropubs, the Standard Tap (www.standardtap.com/).

I was hungry, so I stopped in for a special brunch at the Standard Tap.  They had two special events going together, their Bone in Brunch offered during their Big Wood Weekend.  I passed on the steak hash, choosing their bone in T-bone steak and eggs served with a hash brown with Tabasco sauce.  It was good, and served for a great backdrop to the beer.  I went with some PA specialties as part of my sampler, starting with a Bullfrog Jong Bruin Kriek, a beautifully sour Flanders Red that was great with breakfast.  Next it was Yards Bourbon Barrel Aged Grand Cru and George Washington Porter, fortified versions of their regulars that were both delicious.  Finally, Dock Street offered a beer that I couldn’t pass up, their Spanglish Fly, an herb beer aged with wormwood that could have me seeing things later that day. 

I drove down to visit with my cousin Brian, who had some rare treats to split and to give.  All the beers were new treats for me, and were on Beer Advocate’s Top 250 list.  We split two wood aged beers from Portland’s Hair of the Dog, Adam from the Wood (#46) and Cherry Adam from the Wood (#230).  Both were great.  I had The Bruery’s 5^th anniversary beer, Bois (#149), a potent Old Ale that is part blended with the previous year’s anniversary offering.  I thought I did pretty well offering Jack’s Abby BBA Framinghammer (#177) and Hoppin’ Frog’s BBA BORIS the Destroyer (#190) as gifts.  Brian out did me with two from the Bruery, their Chocolate Rain (#43), their Black Tuesday brewed with cocoa nibs, and #3 Melange (#71).  Both unique beers that are hard to find, and I’ll be cellaring for a special occasion. 

I got up early the next day (and boy did I sleep well), and headed into the Philly.  I wanted to make sure I got there early (hate to travel all the way and miss out), and was 13^th in line, my reward for being 3-1/2 hours before the doors opened.  Brian showed up later, but in the meantime I made some new friends while waiting.  One gentleman was from the Pittsburgh area, one from Northern NJ, and one from Eastern Ohio.  It is great getting people with a common passion together, and the love of beer is no exception.  The weatherman’s promise of 55 and sunny was dead wrong, but at least it was clear out.  We finally were invited in, and were greeted with our 6oz of Pliny the Younger (#2), and at $15 a pop it was quite costly, but remember it was all for charity.  We all decided to find a table together (another of perk at being early), getting a spot at the front of the cafe which was strategically located for not getting crushed.  The kept letting people in, more and more, creating a true fire hazard.  And the service was rough.  Our waitress was overwhelmed with the crowd, but tried hard.  We donated money for the bottle lottery (no winners among us), and placed our order for the first round which came 1-1/2 hours later.  But the company was good, and the wait was worth it, to sample the rest of their quaffs.

The first round was Pliny the Elder (#3), which we all hoped to have as a comparison with the Younger.  However, since they were served so far apart it was hard to do a direct comparison.  I’d have to say that having a full glass of the Elder at any time of the year is infinitely better than 6 oz once in your lifetime.  Next was Russian River’s Temptation, a 7.5% ABV Wild Ale fermented with a special strain of yeast, then aged in French oak chardonnay barrels.  It was awesome!  I had most of the other offering from Russian River, so the guys decided we would order single glasses of the limited beers that they have on tap and split them.  There were 3 barrel aged Belgian Ales from Hof Ten Dormaal (Moscatel, Port Charlotte, and Bruichladdich), a unique Gose from Freigeist, and two imperial stouts from De Molen (Hemel and Aarde, Cease and Desist).  It was great to share and compare notes, but the one thing that was missing was food.  Although the kitchen was open, there was an infinite wait for their output.  So we said goodbye to our new found friends and headed over to one of the newest beer bars recommended by Draft magazine. 

Strangeloves (http://www.strangelovesbeerbar.com/) is located in center city, and after the craziness of the Monk’s Event, it was nice to sit at a quiet, high quality beer bar.  And we were hungry, so I got their fried green tomatoes (boy did they hit the spot) followed by a Catfish Po’ Boy.  For beer, they were offering several beers from Chicago’s Half Acre brewing.  I got a sampler (what else) and I loved their Big Hugs Imperial Stout and Heyoka IPA.  It was a great pairing of food and beer, and gave Brian and I time to reflect on the day.  It was great taking a break and sharing the day with friends.  But every day has to come to an end, so we said our goodbyes, headed to my car and started home.  It really ended up to be a beautiful day, and I made it home safe and sound.

This year is about quality, not quantity.  And so far I’ve gotten to try Beer Advocate’s top 4 beers (Heady Topper, Pliny the Younger and Older, as well as Goose Island Coffee Bourbon County Stout).  Next is my search for Three Floyds Zombie Dust.  Life is good. – 15392

 
“I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet, tasty beer.” - Homer Simpson