Which city brews the best beer: Kansas City or Philadelphia? (Super Bowl LVII)

Since Cincinnati wasn't one of the options this year , I'll go with Kansas City on the basis of Boulevard and KC Bier (although admittedly we don't see too many Philly brews in these parts).

 

Got my parents drunk off the Bourbon Barrel Quad last summer in place of their Bud Light, so I'll go with KC since I have no desire to go to Philly to experience anything.

 

Kansas City wins 27 to 15 over Philadelphia. Based on my reviews of Boulevard and Victory beers that I have had.

 

I'd like to experience the Army-Navy game in Philly some time. Too bad it won't be back there until 2027.

Oh, and Monk's Cafe. And cheesesteak.

 

Honestly the pork, broccoli rabe sandwiches in Philly are WAY better than any cheesesteak (ducks out of the way)

Don't care who has the better breweries though. I did love Monk's Cafe, just remembered an old place I went to many years ago, Nodding Head Brewing, and Yards of coarse.

 

This is actually really close, like the game should be! I would love to try more from these cities, but as of right now the ones I have had and liked:

Philly: Human Robot, Tired Hands, Yards, Iron Hill, Victory

KC: Boulevard, Alma Mader, KC Bier

While KC has less breweries I have tried more from those, hmmmmmm

 

That may be true, and I'll file that info for future reference. But... cheesesteak!!

 

I was also getting Tank 7 out of the Wegman's "craft your pack" for way less than I should have been. Thank you to the high school kids who are breaking those packs down. Love that beer.

 

In terms of sought-after beers I think Philly wins. Human Robot, Forest and Main, Tired Hands (less so these days admittedly). Also Philly has access to a lot of top tier beers from NE, NY and NJ. I may be biased but I feel like Philly has the upper hand here.

 

Permit be to relate an old story. I watched on the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where Guy Fieri visited Tony Lukes for a behind the scenes of making a Roast Pork, Broccoli Rabe & sharp provolone sandwich. I was salivating when I watched that episode. Sometime after my wife and I went to a Phillies game and I was able to convince her to go to Tony Lukes in South Philly after the game. As we were waiting in a long line and told her about the show she commented/asked "What if it is too salty?". I stupidly replied "It didn't look salty". As good fortune would have it we ordered two sandwiches: one cheeseteak and one roast pork (with the works). It turned out that the roast pork sandwich was indeed very salty. We basically did a split, eating half of each, which mitigated the sodium load we each received.

I would add that we also drank beers too but Tony Lukes doesn't have a license to sell beer.

Cheers!

 

It comes down to BBQ vs Cheesesteaks and Tastykakes. It's a draw, and since I have issues cheering for Green teams, I'm taking BBQ!

I love Victory, but I'd probably take Boulevard over them.

 

Disclaimer up front... been here just south of philly routing for the da birds for the better part of six decades, so slightly jaded (green)... I love me some boulevard, and lucky me, it's easy to get here... back in the day (way back) , loved Len Dawson and Jan Stenerude, but then eventually got old enough to drink beer... I felt a little bad (not that much) when the birds dispatched the niners but not enough to down that Russian River Consecration in the fridge... yep, we get that here to... so on top of all the fine breweries we have in the area, we also get a wonderful variety of the some of the worlds best ... yep, I voted for philly

 

Don't know a lot about Philly beer but KC is great. Boulevard, Crane and KC Bier as the big boys with Alma Mader, BKS, Torn Label, Martin City, Wind Shift, Strange Days, etc. The walkable nature of the Crossroads area with Torn Label, Border, Nimble, Red Sash, Brewery Emperial, Double Shift, City Barrel and Casual Animal is amazing. 8 breweries within walking distance is crazy good.

 

I don't think too many beers from KC make it to Philly on a regular basis. So, it's kinda hard to tell. The further away from Philly I get, the happier I am. (I lived in SNJ for 60 years)

 

Well "too salty" is such a subjective thing that I can't really comment on. Can't stand the Guy Fieri show, but had the sandwich at...I think in Terminal Market, way back in the early 2000's and was glorious, can't recall the actual vendor. Could never stand the cheese whiz cheesesteak but what do I know, just a visitor to your fine city on occasion ha.

 

I'm working at the group home on Sunday. My menu for the Super Bowl party includes Philly cheesesteak sliders and KC-style BBQ wings. For the conference runners-up, Rice-a-Roni (the San Francisco Treat™) and Buckeye bars (Ohio representin'). I might throw something healthy in there, too, but that's not a slam dunk.

 

I’m going with Philadelphia, primarily because our good WBAYDN friend @Urk1127 brews at Yards.

Objectively, I believe I’ve had zero Philly beers because none are distributed here, and I’ve only had Boulevard, which I’ve liked, from KC beyond a few KCBC collaborations. Tank 7 is great, enjoy a few others from them as well.

I’ve visited both cities and three of their MLB parks (Royals, Veterans and the new one) over the years, but all before I got into craft beer. I love Philly Cheesesteaks and order Wiz / With (with = grilled onions). It’s the only time I eat Cheese Whiz or any industrial cheese products (i.e. Kraft singles).

I want to return to Philly when it’s warmer to hit Yards, Forest and Main, a few others, Monk’s and of course a Cheesesteak a day. Wouldn’t mind hitting KC as well for breweries, BBQ and the Negro Leagues museum.

@champ103 , I’ve never had the pork sandwiches, I try to avoid pork, but I’m sure they are great.

 

How can you avoid the wonderful magical animal..

 

Does DiNics ring a bell?

https://readingterminalmarket.org/merchant/dinics/

Yes, too salty is subjective and since you ate a sandwich from a differing business (DiNics?) they may be more judicious with the salt shaker.

Cheers!

 

Hey what do you know, I think that was it. I do remember the sandwich being great after 20 years, so the memory stuck ha. So there you go. Remember walking to Nodding Head Brewing after that, think they are closed now. That was a good night.

 

Yes, Nodding Head closed quite some time ago (2014).

They needed you to revisit.

Cheers!

 

Nodding Head is closed for a while, it was supposed to reopen at another location but never did.

Fun fact……prior to the space being Nodding Head it was a Sam Adams brew pub.


Enjoy

 

Philly! Because I'm an east coast boy!

 

This is one of my favorite Simpsons scenes and episodes of all time! “Will you be donating that million dollars now, sir?”

 

I'm not sure which city has the overall best beers but I'll take KC Bier Co. and burnt ends every day of the week!!!

 

Permit me to help you wit your order, the lingo is:

“Let’s say you want a cheesesteak with Whiz and onions. Then you would say, “Whiz wit.”

https://metrophiladelphia.com/how-to-order-a-cheesesteak-in-philly-like-a-local/

Cheers!

P.S. And the formal name for the Phillies ballpark is Citizens Bank Park but locals will just shorten it to the Park (like the Eagle’s Lincoln Financial Field is just the Linc). And in Ashburn Alley (beyond the outfield) you can get cheesesteaks at both Tony Luke’s and Campo’s.

 

I think you may have convince me to make buckeye balls for this weekend @dcotom. I only have had them once before but that combo of peanut butter and chocolate is about my favorite dessert. Might take a stab at them...

 

Philadelphia by knock out.

As has been pointed out above, Philadelphia has a tremendous number of breweries making really tasty beer across a variety of styles -- Human Robot, Tired Hands, Yards, Victory, Triple Bottom Brewing, Two Locals Brewing and Attic Brewing.

Additionally, Philadelphia has Monk's Cafe. A fact that in and of itself would tip the outcome to Philadelphia.

 

I'm not familiar with either cities breweries (yes I've had some beers from Victory and some from Boulevard, no I don't care if I ever have another from either of them) but I'm surprised at how dominant Philly is doing in the poll.

How bit this, which city brews the best single beer and which beer is it?

 

Considering other half only just started brewing there in Philly, I think most people would point to their favorite human robot beer, likely their German pils, maybe their dark Tmavy. I've only had boulevard tank 7 out of KC which is a solid buy but not terribly memorable beer compared to the pilsner and lager selection from HR. That said, have many people in the greater KC metro had anything other than maybe Yards? Mostly no, so I imagine this is all reflective of regional presence on the boards.

 

To be fair, the only part of Missouri that is well represented on these forums is the St. Louis area. The east coast is very well represented on here. Scrolling through this thread, I'm not seeing many, if any, mentions for some of our best breweries (BKS and Pathlight, though Alma Mader has been mentioned several times.) City Barrel won a GABF medal last year too.

I don't think I've had many Philadelphia beers, to be honest, so I can't really give a fair comparison.

 

If you consider the Philadelphia area (i.e., beyond the city proper) there is a long history of high quality craft brewing. Some folks might say that Stoudts in nearby Lancaster County is beyond Philly area but…it all started with Stoudts in 1987. In the mid 1990’s, Victory and Sly Fox opened in the Philly suburbs and both of those breweries won a number of GABF medals over the years. Yards, which is in Philadelphia, also opened on the mid 1990’s and they too have won multiple medals at GABF over the years. Iron Hill opened their first brewpub in nearby Newark, DE in 1996 but not too long after opened several locations in the Philly area (West Chester, Media,…) and more lately in the city of Philadelphia (Chestnut Hill, Center City) and Iron Hill has won a boat-load of medals at the GABF. On so on…

In the past few years, the number of breweries within the city limits has grown tremendously. Some of those newer breweries have already been mentioned but: Love City, Dock Street, Human Robot, Bar Hygge, Attic,…and more recently Other Half.

The Philadelphia area has a long history of brewing quality craft beer and within the past few years the craft brewery scene within the city limits had gotten even ‘better’.

Cheers!

 

My above post about Philadelphia and craft beer was brewery centric. There are lots of great craft beer bars in Philly and the surrounding area. Below is the story of just one, Standard Tap (with emphasis in bold by me):

“When Standard Tap opened its doors in December of 1999, our goal was simple: to create a neighborhood tavern that featured great beer and wholesome food. With that in mind, we offer a draft-only beer selection that highlights the vast array of styles crafted by breweries located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey & Delaware. Our food menu both complements the beer and expands the notion of what pub food can be. “The gastropub that started it all with a focus on great local craft beer and serious food still captures a certain super-bar magic in the moody, rambling rooms of it’s Northern Liberties tavern” mentions Craig Laban in his revisit to Standard Tap.”

https://standardtap.com/aboutus

And even if you aren’t a craft beer person (e.g., a non-beer drinking spouse) a visit to Standard Tap is worth it for the food. Over the past 20+ years I have eaten meals at the Standard Tap many times and the food has always been excellent. From fancier fare (e.g., short ribs special) to more basic items (the Standard Burger is excellent).

Cheers!

 

The only thing I know about KC beer is Boulevard. It's worth noting that only 2 or 3 breweries have been mentioned in this thread for KC but there have been a myriad for Philly. Depth wins the day here (Oh, and Monk's). All that said, I live in the Philly burbs so I'm biased.

 

Well, the challenging thing for the non-Pennsylvanians is the limited distribution aspect. Victory likely has the broadest distribution but based upon my BA readings Victory limits the brands they broadly distribute. I would guess that their top selling brand Golden Monkey (Belgian Tripel) is available widely but that beer is not a Juicy/Hazy IPA, Barrel Aged, Pastry Stout...so not the hyped sort of beer that would get BA folks excited. The other 'big' breweries like Sly Fox and Yards get distributed to nearby states (e.g., New Jersey, Delaware,...) but their distribution is very limited. And when it comes to the newer, hyped breweries (e.g., Human Robot) you have to visit the breweries to buy those beers. My local Beer Distributor once stocked some Human Robot beers but I later learned that this occurred since the owner drove down to Philly to buy the beers at the Human Robots brewery (and he never did this again).

Cheers!

P.S. Iron Hill opened up their production facility in Exton, PA in 2021 so I now see there canned beers at my local beer retailers. I have no idea how widely these beers are distributed.

 

Not withstanding that the coasts were generally a bit earlier to embrace craft beer than the rest of the country, the KC metro was somewhat unusual for its size in how completely a single craft brewery dominated the local scene until about a decade ago. When I moved here in the late 2000s, there were approximately 7 or so breweries total in the area; with the exception of Boulevard itself, all of them have since closed and the current second-oldest brewery in the metro opened in...2012. Due to local laws at the time making it very impractical to open up taprooms, the Kansas side of the metro didn't have a single brewery until 5-6 year ago.

All that being said, the area has been trying to make up for lost time, but as the majority of the local breweries are some combination of "new" and "OK at best", it's going to take some time before general knowledge of the KC beer scene expands past Boulevard.

 

Very surprised to see people with the impression that "Victory" is a good representation of "Philadelphia beer" given that it's over an hour outside of the city, when Philly is one of -in my opinion- the premiere craft beer cities in the country (yes, I'm aware that they recently opened a Logan Square location). I think you would get a lot of weird looks from people in the Philly beer scene if you mentioned Victory as being representative of the city's beer.

Granted, the city hasn't always had the best "brewery" scene but the extent to which some of the most sought after breweries in the country have wanted to populate our taprooms makes it one -of-a-kind... plus, the last few years has seen an influx in celebrated and up-and-coming breweries enter.

I can't say I have much experience with KC beer, so I won't pretend that I can fairly compare the two.

What I can compare is the two cities' football teams, in which the Eagles come out far and ahead of Kansas City. Go birds.

...

Also, shameless promotion of my own thread, but anyone interested in checking out what the city has to offer should swing by the latest Philadelphia Recommendations thread: https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...hia-recommendations-2023.670798/#post-7682369

 

For next year go Packers and Bills, because a spirited debate between the beers of Green Bay and Buffalo would be hilarious

 

Philly is also a much larger tourist draw so regardless of the sites geo population there's bound to be more broad experience of the beer world in Philly than kc.