Jack Curtin’s LIQUID DIET

This is very good, and very unexpected news.

Penn Brewery to stay put under new lease
Saturday, February 28, 2009
By Bob Batz Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As it turns out, Penn Brewery isn’t going anywhere, at least for five years.

In a surprise announcement at a news conference today, president and CEO Len Caric said the North Side brewery will remain at its Vinial Street location under a new 5-year lease.

Mr. Caric had said in November that the company decided not to renew its lease after the rent was effectively more than tripled by E&O Partners. E&O later said Penn owes it money for a disputed water bill.

The lease was to expire today. Mr. Caric told employees at a meeting yesterday afternoon the brewery would remain open but didn’t provide details.p>

However, today he said a new lease had been worked out and Penn would remain a fixture on the North Side.

We dodged a bullet, we did, and good on Len Caric and his management team.

Best part of this on a personal level? Now I can stop figuring out what the hell is going on out there and just enjoy the beer. Again.

Tags: Breweries, News by jackc
8 Comments »

Okay, I realize somebody will quickly point out how oblivious I am, but I was totally unaware of this.

It will debut in theaters across the country, including several in the area, for a one-night stand on April 16 and you’ll never guess who one of the featured subjects is. Or maybe you will.

Anyway, nobody never tells me nuttin’.

Tags: Beer Industry, Media by jackc
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Mr. Robert Davis and I are seeking your input on our campaign buttons for the GOP Dream Team in 2012. Please go vote. Your country needs you.

Tags: Fun Stuff by jackc
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…this exclusive broadly distributed first look at the Whatever They’re Calling It Now mallet that will become a famed Philly Beer Week tradition:

This baby will be passed through various venues along the way to the Opening Tap event a week from today. When somebody gets me the schedule, I shall get it to you. That’s the way this stuff works.

Tags: Philly Beer Week by jackc
2 Comments »

Sixpack, crushed by my catching him on the Yuengling seasonal description*, tries to regain the high ground by sending me a preview of beers being poured at Philly Beer Week Opening Tap next Friday night:

Brew Works - Blast Furnace Imperial StoutDock Street Brewery - Hop Garden

Dogfish Head - Midas Touch & 90 Minute IPA

Earth Bread + Brewery - TBA

Erie - Railbender Ale and Smoked Railbender

Flying Fish - Exit 4 American Trippel

General Lafayette - Chocolate Thunder

Iron Hill -Imperial Pilsner (Wilmington)

Lancaster - Shoo Fly Porter

Lion - Barrel-Aged Stegmaier Winter Warmer

Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant - Triple Lindy

McKenzie - La Faute Farmhouse

Nodding Head - Spring Ale

Penn Brewery - Kaiser Pils

Philadelphia Brewing Company - TBA

Rock Bottom - King’s Wit & Prussia’s Pride IPA

Roy Pitz - Ludwig’s Revenge

Sly Fox - Dunkel Lager & Odyssey

Stewart’s – Highlander Stout

Stoudts - Blonde Double Mai Bock

Triumph - Centennial IPA

Troegs – Hop Back

Twin Lakes - Greenville Pale Ale

Victory - Braumeiser Pils

Weyerbacher - Merry Monks & Hops Infusion

Yards - Grodziski Smoked Wheat and ESA

Yuengling - Bock

Nice to see Earth Bread + Brewery and Twin Lakes in the mix.

* Wait until I tell him that “Russian” is not how  Philadelphia Brewing defines their new imperial stout.

Tags: Philly Beer Week by jackc
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Part of the process of training a dog who panics at being left at home alone is to gradually leave him in that situation for longer and longer periods. Buddy stood up better than ever before when I went off for a doctor’s appoiintment early today so I figured that we might as well push the envelope a tad more this afternoon. That meant I had to go someplace. And having to go somplace is why the good lord created locals, as any beer drinker can tell you.

And so I repaired to the Craft Ale House mid-afternoon, where I did the brown ale thing, a 10oz  glass of Appalachian Organic Brown, about which I’ve said nice things earlier (better in the bottle, I think, but that may be a side effect of being too cold on draft), followed by a full serving (same 10oz) of Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, which I think is just a terrific beer (big enough at 12% that the cold draft lines didn’t matter). A nice afternoon’s work, all in all.

The result? Not so good. Buddy was doing that frantic barking thing when I got  home and had to be admonished. And here’s the thing: when he was good, as he was in the morning, he then insists, to the degree that he can, that he get a ride in the car or at least a walk to compensate him. In this instance, I’m worried that he’s lobbying for an equal share of good beer.

More soon, as our death cage match to see who’s running this operation continues.

Tags: Cafes, Restaurants, Taverns, Personal by jackc
13 Comments »

I’ve been doing a series of stories about beers which will be debuting during Philly Beer Week over at the Beer Yard site. Yuengling Bock is featured in the story just posted, earlier ones were about Weyerbacher Echo and Troeg’s The Flying Mouflan (this latter has moved into the archives at this point, reachable by clicking on “News” at the top of news section).

Coming up later today is one about the new Imperial Stout from Philadelphia Brewing Company, including the first public revelation of its official name, which was decided only this morning. Over the weekend, I’lll have a look at the collaborative brew between Yards and Iron Hill, marking the first time an historic old style was brewed in this country.

For those who find all this too much trouble or who are not into waiting, Mr. Sixpack lists and briefly describes  all the new PBW brews in today’s column, although he is in error in calling the Bock Yuengling’s first seasonal. This was regular release during Lent for a lot of years back in the day.

Tags: Beer Events, Breweries, Brewers, Philly Beer Week by jackc
3 Comments »

My colleague Greg Wiggins posted this on the Cask-USA Yahoo group this morning:

I attended a beer tasting last night at the Brickskeller in Washington, DC. One of the beers was from Oliver’s Brewing at the soon to reopen following “major refurbishments” Pratt Street Ale House (formerly one of two Baltimore Wharf Rats). The target date for the reopening under the new name is March 10,

Oliver’s brewer Steve Jones, a Brit who is not shy about his love of cask ales, announced this week’s arrival from the UK of three new beer engines and a lot of cooperage as part of the renovations. Jones said the number of beer engines will eventually increase to five, which will be installed behind the bar of a room dedicated to cask ale.

You know, there’s a hot young publican in Philadelphia who’s exploring the same concept, only more so—all cask, all the time.

He’s being uncharacteristically discreet for now, but he did blurt out the news a while back under the spell of a silver-tongued rogue with whom many of you are all too familiar.  I’m not going to blow his cover ’cause I’m not that kinda guy, but anybody who saw that original story is free to do so in the Comments.

As they said on the old X-Files TV show: the truth is out there.

Tags: Cafes, Restaurants, Taverns, News by jackc
11 Comments »

A distraught Roan22 raises the question.

A heartsick and broken Casey Hughes admits he cannot find justice anywhere in this cruel world.

Rabble-raiser Foley stokes the fire (he has to do it here ’cause they won’t let him in the door any longer over there).

And beer lovers everywhere blush in embarrassment.

This cannot stand.

Rise up, my friends. Emails to the BA management demanding satisfaction may do the job but, just in case, it wouldn’t hurt to polish up that old battering ram should we needs must storm the ramparts.

Casey uber alles!

Tags: Uncategorized by jackc
2 Comments »

My goodness, but Phoenixville is really looking like the place to be on the afternoon of March 14.

I told you about entire Pub Crawl here, and then about the Iron Hill GABF Winner Extravaganza here.

Now I’m back to tell you about how that day will mark the first time ever that all three handpumps at Sly Fox Phoenixville will all be pouring.

In addition to the featured Standard Ale, both British Pale Ale (TJ’s Fifth Anniversary) and Placebo, the new “small beer made from the second runnings of the Panacea Barleywine brew, will be on the pumps that day.

And that nice li’l Timmy Ohst says there may be another goodie or two as well.

America’s Best Beer-Drinking Town?

You know you wanna be there. And to carry you hither and yon through the day, I recommend no better support system than that Dan Bengel Shuttle Services which is so crassly promoted by one of its major investor in recent Comments here.

As noted, they are non-profit…indeed, from all indications, they invented the term.

Tags: Breweries, Brewers, Brewpubs, Cafes, Restaurants, Taverns, Philly Beer Week by jackc
6 Comments »