Philly Beer Week

It was a smoothly-run event. I got there around 330 and was 12th in line. A lot more people arrived as 4pm approached. They let 10 people in every 10 minutes to allow the staff to handle the crowd. The bartendew and bar backs all did a great job. 6 oz pours of the limited beer. Many people were able to get multiple pours of vanilla. When I left around 5, Vanilla Rye was still pouring.

- Joe

 

Churchville Inn ran a great event tonight, gotta give them a ton of credit. They gave out tickets for morning wood to guarantee those who lined up would get it. Everything started pouring on time right at 6:00. They let people inside 10 or so at a time so the bar wasn't overrun and they limited everyone to 1 beer at a time so nobody could hoarde anything. I got there about 45 mins before tap time and got to try everything i wanted and could go back for seconds of most (except for morning wood).

Met a lot of great people in line / at the bar too.

This had the potential to be a total shitshow, but it turned out really well.

 

I'm not surprised; their staff is great.

 

Was way less packed than I thought it would be, I assumed there would be lines but got there about 4:30 and it was 1 deep at the bar. Got pours of Halia and Vanilla in about three minutes. That vanilla was the highlight of the week for me so far, with the Framinghammer variants at Varga today a pretty close second. Now I (sort of) understand the lines at The Fooderies when BCBS time rolls around.

For what it's worth, I think the Cambridge is criminally underrated as a Philly bar in general. Always a well-curated tap list, and their events are great, as this week has proven. Plus outdoor space? Glad I live close.

 

Did those Framinghammer variants kick while you were there? I stopped by and they had "replaced" all of the lines with beers from the next event.

 

This is just my opinion, but I think The Cambridge isn't as prized as other bars because they haven't been around for a long time, similar to Bainbridge. However, they lock down some highly coveted kegs (e.g., vanilla rye, the hill farmstead event about two years ago with around nine kegs and other bars who had HF for years got little to none.). There has been talk of them being owned by distros or friends of distributors and this is why they get these very limited kegs. Some people may view this as s place getting perks without doing a lot of legwork.

I've alway had a good time there with the one exception of being poured the last few drops of Funky Buddha Snowed In (I had never tried it and still haven't) and when it didn't fill the mini snifter, it was dumped and I was asked if I wanted a different beer. Despite this crime against brewmanity, it's a nice place that I will visit when I'm in the area.

Just a few thoughts. Cheers to Philly Beer.

- Joe

 

Unless they specify the beers won't be tapped until the event starts, how is that false advertising?

 

I agree, it certainly was packed in there, but our server had a smile on his face and was willing to take orders as fast as possible without hesitation. I understand how overwhelming events like this can be on the staff but these guys handled everything smoothly and with class. Really cannot commend them enough. Well done, Churchville Inn!

On another note, I missed a Morning Wood ticket by 1 person but luckily some of our friends saved pours of theirs for us who missed out. That beer was hands down, in my opinion, the star of the event. Wide Awake was fantastic, as was the French Toast.

 

I was there from about 7:15-8:15 or so, which was after the Southern Tier event had already started, but they were both still on. I did have to ask for them specifically, but after I did, the waitress brought out a list of the Jack's Abby stuff still on, which was basically everything.

 

What's hard to understand about a starting time?? Listed both on their website and on the PBW site. Hey, no problem...plenty of other places who understand how to handle special events.

 

The server said that Funky Buddah was going to start making Morning Wood for Chruchville. not sure how true that is or not. They put on a raspberry habanero beer from FB after stuff started to kick...that was terrible. No Crusts smelled infected but tasted ok. Morning Wood is easily as good as double huna imo.

 

If you wanted to try these beers that badly, you should have gotten there before or right around when they said they were starting. This was one of the most hyped events of the week with two of the most popular breweries and limited stuff kicks very quickly around Philly. Don't show up 45 minutes after the event starts then complain if the most limited stuff has kicked, if you were there at 4 and this happened, you have a point.

 

With wife/kids/work/suburbia living its always my goal to hit up at least one PBW event. So last night took us over to Capone's where they were pouring Pliny along with some other great IPAs. It was crowded - not insane crowded, we easily got a parking space, but crowded. The staff did a good job as always. My only complaint was that HALF the dining room was RESERVED for a private (non-PBW) event. WTF? We waited an hour for a table, 50 minutes of that there were several open ones waiting for this event to start. Why would they even allow that? Seemed silly. In the end it was fine, my kids were somehow angels, we had some good beer, but what would this thread be if i didnt lodge some type of complaint...;-)

 

Well, for your information the waitperson told me it kicked at 4:15. Just a place that didn't know how to handle this. Most do...and that's where I'll spend my cash.

 

You're missing my point. If you wanted to try those beers you would have gotten there before the posted start time. I know enough that if a place is having a limited beer that I can't stroll in 45 minutes after the stated tap time and expect it to be on. Sometimes it is, other times it's not. You can't put the blame on them for not having these beers on when you decide to stroll in. Cigar City kicked 9 or 10 kegs in 45 minutes at the Hulmeville Inn last year and they didn't have anything the caliber of Sherry Zhukov or Abraxas and aren't in the city.

Stick to chasing trucks, you seem to do a better at at that junior.

 

Agreed. I'm one of the few who don't like bourbon in my beer but Morning Wood had the perfect balance.

As for the Morning Wood being produced for Churcville, I'll let you guys do the research to find out if it's true or not.

 

i appreciate that you will allow us to find out this information haha

 

Went to the Other Half event last night at Jerry's Bar, which I believe was their first of PBW (before Local 44 tonight, and Hawthorne's and Bainbridge tomorrow). Good stuff, especially All Green Everything and Green Diamonds as you'd expect, though neither would rank as my favorite IPA of the week. My favorites of #PBW2015 thus far are (1) Tired Hands Foliage; (2) Perennial Abraxas; (3) Half Acre Double Galactic Daisy Cutter; (4) Trinity Redswing; (5) Other Half Green Diamonds.

 

Was it a shitshow at the Other Half event last night? Was thinking of making the trek down to Local 44 from the burbs today.

 

Stopped doing that long ago...trades only now. Much more fun