My girlfriend and I are planning a weekend Philly trip in March. Plan on staying in the Northern Liberty/Fishtown district. I don't know anything about your city. Any good beer bars, breweries / tours, or beer stores we should check out?
Tons. And, you are staying in a really good beer neighborhood. Check out phillytapfinder.com I really like Memphis Taproom and Johnny Brenda's in that area.
Here's a similar thread from a few weeks back. http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/philly-trip.366532/#post-4422711 You're welcome. Bring us Trillium
Be sure to check Phillytapfinder for Pliny the Younger sightings. Usually pops up over the first couple weeks of Mar each year.
Other recommendations in the area where you plan on staying: Sancho Pistoles - great food and solid tap list Barcade - tons of classic, old school video games and plenty of craft beer Standard Tap - cool vibe, great food, local-centric tap list Krawtwerk - awesome menu, quirky room, great beer
Given you are into beer, Fishtown/Northern Liberties is a great choice. If you weren't into beer--well--let's just say I wouldn't send relatives there unless they wanted a true taste of Philly. Tapfinder will point you to the beer. Locally, look for Tired Hands, Forest & Main (though rarely seen outside brewery), Neshaminy Creek hops, and the Vault is putting out some interesting stuff. Not really local, but close enough: check out Bullfrog taps as well. Yards ocasionally has some nice one-offs at the brewery, an easy walk for you. In that area Standard Tap makes locals easy: all local line up from beer to food--and the food is well executed at that (plus there's a foodery next door to pick up singles to go). More importantly, in that area check out Paesano's for wicked good hoagies (or subs/sandwiches anywhere else in the country), Pizzarria Beddia if you are willing to stand in line for an expensive pizza that is every bit worth it (though many will no doubt argue), or just go to Memphis Tap Room or Fette Sau for excellent food/beer combos--with Memphis taking the cake (Fette Sau is close to Redbones in the 'que quality category). Hell, Johnny Brenda's does great food/beer, too, and if you like checking out local music scenes, you may see some excellent up and coming talent there. F* it: guess I'm saying there are many choices in that area. The running theme is good beer selections, good food. Very frequently together. And if you feel obliged to engage in the cheese steak debate, might as well drive just a bit out of Fishtown to split a steak at Steve's Prince of Steaks off Bustleton Ave (totally my opinion, but they take it for me), and then split a second at the Grey Lodge pub over a beer on way back. Beers back near the hotel makes for a great day!
I always recommend McGuillen's Old Ale House. Its the oldest bar in the City. Always great stuff on tap. Great bar food and great prices.
I live in NoLibs (been here 9 years). There are some hidden gems that I'm going to throw into what already recommended. 1. Make every effort to do brunch at Bardot: http://bardotcafe.com/ . Go between 11am - 1pm for happy hour deals. The beer menu is average, but food there (for the style) can't be matched by any place in the neighborhood and they make outstanding brunch cocktails. Nearby is Northern Liberties Beer, a bottle shop with decent selection and one of the most well-priced shops in the city. Prices there already included tax, unlike many other bottle shops. 2. Jerry's Bar is almost never mentioned because it's so hidden even though it's right in the neighborhood. The beer selection is usually excellent and most of the sought after beers actually sit around longer because, well...it's hidden. The food has gone downhill a little in recent months, but still very good. 3. There are several great options for BYOB in NoLibs if you can't wait to open some of the bottles you purchased. Circles Thai being the my favorite. Hands down the best Thai restaurant in the city. Go for dinner and I highly recommend the pad thai with shrimps and the duck salad. Dmitri's is an excellent Middle Eastern/Greek influenced place with very generous portions for sharing. The Foodery bottle shop, if you can stomach the prices ($49.99 + tax for PB Black Sour anyone?), is very close to both of these places. They may have some harder to find bottles so it's worth a quick browse. Also in the area (Fishtown) worth mentioning is Richmond Bottle Shop. It's new, smallish, decent selection, and good price. Have fun!
First tip: get an Independence Pass from SEPTA. Free use of SEPTA all day. I go into Philly a lot for the beer scene, I live right by a train station in the suburbs so it is very convenient to go to pretty much any beer locale in the City. McGillins Olde Ale House is down 13th Street at Drury Street I believe. Walk out of Jefferson Station and go south on 13th Street. It is one block past Chestnut, really close to Jefferson actually. Their house ale and lager is brewed by Stoudts in Adamstown, PA and their food is excellent. Yards is an easy trip from the Spring Garden Station on the Market-Frankford Line. Walk east towards Delaware Ave/Columbus BLVD and make a left. You will see it straight ahead. Dock Street Brewery is also easily accessible from the 34 Trolley. They run underground through Center City and pop up in West Philly. Amazing pizza and really good beer. Manayunk itself is a must-go for any drinking trip. Take regional rail on the Norristown Line to get to Manayunk. South Philly Taproom is another great bar. Get off at Tasker-Morris on the Broad Street Line, then walk down Broad and make a right onto Mifflin. I had a buddy that used to live near there and it was an awesome place to go. The Garage is another awesome craft beer bar, right across from Pats and Genos. Get off at Ellsworth-Federal on the Broad Street line, walk down Federal, and make a right onto 9th street. Used to be an old auto-body shop. Has at least 100 bottled and canned beers there as well as on a few on top. SEPTA is pretty much my tool for getting around and checking out the beer scene. It has always been helpful. It is very easy to use, but do be careful about signage. Cheers!! Have a good time!
