Pliny the Younger - Philly?

Usually the first week of March if this year is like years past

Bookmark this page and you'll be up to date on when and where it hits

http://phillytapfinder.tumblr.com/post/69492927262/russian-river-pliny-the-younger-in-philly-2014

 

Follow Monk's Cafe. They will tap it the first Monday after they recieve it.

 

Currently they expect to get it the last week of February and tap it on Monday March 3rd.

 

Hello all, This question goes out to anyone familiar with downtown Philly. One of my "must try" beers; Pliny, I know, is served in Philadelphia. I haven't yet tried this ale and I'm really looking forward to having a few of them on an upcoming business trip, where I'll be staying near Broad and Vine street. I realize that there are a lot of bars in the vicinity that might have Pliny on tap; but I was hoping that someone familiar with the downtown area could suggest a good watering hole for me. I prefer quieter, 'old school' bars (no sports bars, clubs or restaurants please) that aren't too busy; I'm an older gentleman. Any good suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

So far I've pulled up City Tap House, Monk's Cafe (<-- looks very promising), Union Jack's Olde Congo Hotel, Memphis Taproom, Resurrection Ale House and South Philly Taproom.

These are all within close driving distance to where I'll be staying. But as I'm taking a closer look at this now; it seems that Pliny is more of a seasonal ale, so It seems that I might find it more difficult to find in April.

 

As a fellow business traveler who has a couple clients in Philly:

The City Tap House did not have Pliny (nor any other Russian River) on tap when I was there, but I really enjoyed the food and the overall beer selection. They did have some RR bottles you could buy instead.

Monk's Cafe is a must-try when in Philly. The first time I went there, they had Pliny on tap. The second time I went there, they had Blind Pig on tap. Their bottle selection is ridiculous. They still had bottles of Firestone Walker PNC last time I was there, and they've had RR sours available each time as well.

 

Thank you brother. It looks like Monk's will be my first stop.

 

I thought this was concerning the Younger release. Following social media to find out when and where...

 

Check phillytapfinder.com

It will tell you where pliny is being served, as well as anything else available. I can't speak to the atmosphere of each establishment, but you are in a busy section of the city and quiet may not be available. Definitely check out Monks.

 

I missed this part. The City Tap House has somewhat of a sports bar feel up front, but once you walk past the bar, there is a large open area that has restaurant-style seating, so that might be more your style.

Monk's Cafe has an older bar feel for sure - it's very quaint and somewhat dark inside. It does get pretty busy around dinner time. We took an afternoon off to enjoy the city on one of our trips, and it was obviously far less busy mid-afternoon. If that's possible, I'd try to go then.

 

Need to be aware that PtE is an occasional thing not a regular offering so with luck it will be on somewhere while you are here. PtY, when available after the release (say early March) is sometimes not advertised and even then will last only and hour or so among the regulars at one place or another. (During one Philly beer week it was usually kicking within half an hour of being tapped.)

That said, follow the advice of your fellow traveler. There is no shortage of good beer to try in Philly and the suburbs. For example, let your search for Pliny interfere with the discovering the riches to be found in a city that consumes more Beligain and Belgian style beer than Brussels. :-)

Also, check out the Mid-Atlantic forum. there are many locals who only post there and useually can steer you to the places you are looking for based on reasonably current local knowledge.

 

Yes, unfortunately; just plain "bars" that I'm used to from the 70's and 80's and many places in Europe are pretty much a thing of the past in the U.S. I try really hard to find "older" more historic bars whereever I go. But it's getting harder and harder.

excluding "restaurants" is pretty much impossible; so what I mean when I say "no restaurants"; is that, I prefer establishments that focus more on the bar and tap that also serves food, rather then an establishment that focuses on food that also serves alcohol. More of a taproom/alehouse rather then a Ruby Tuesday's or TGIF.

But sometimes I can find a true gem where there's just a dimly lit bar a couple of pool tables in the back and an older guy tending the bar that I can relate too.

 

Awesome yes thank you drtth. I'm glad you mentioned that Pliny might start popping up after March. I'll be in Philly in April, so maybe there's hope. But the Monk's Tavern also looks like it serves a lot of great Belgium Style beers from the tap; which I also love as well. There's always a chance to get Bell's Hop Slam as well and of course; there's always my goto Stone, I'm sure. So I definitely will be happy regardless.

But I do really want to add Pliny to my list of "tried beers."

 

Agreed. This is a great resource for us local craft beer fans!

 

Awesome; I've saved the Philly Tap Finder link and will definitely use that when I get into Philly.

Thanks all for the great feedback. Much appreciated.

 

For Younger there's little hope in Apr. About a Dozen or two dozen sixtels get here and they are usually tapped and kicked in early to mid March.

 

A few places started getting half-barrels last year. There's no guarantee that will continue, but I'd pretty much expect it to. Monk's and Local 44 both got half-barrels last year, IIRC. At the risk of overcrowding the place, it lasted at Local 44 until after 1 PM last year, and the doors opened at 11.

 

Lets hope that will be true this year as well. The more places that get half barrels the less pressure there will be all around.

 

my opinion is that most, if not all, the ;places in Philly that get PTY are real bars that you would appreciate, however, PTY is a big event and usually is kicked in an hour or so. You have to keep up on phillytapfinder.com and also be willing to wait in line, be there early afternoon, etc.

BM me if you want more inside info and I'm pretty sure I can get you hooked up if you're motivated and flexible