Philly Beer Scene is out.
The first issue of Philadelphia’s newest beer rag is here, full color magazine format, 36 pages, including covers, more expensive to produce by far, I’d guess, than either of the tabloid format competitors (that’s on a per copy basis). The magazine format is attractive but works against it because of the small number of pages makes it feel painfully thin.
Feature stories are “Ales of the Revolution,” which focuses on products from Yards, Yuengling and Boston Beer and a round-up of locations where you can do your beer drinking outdoors. A Bar & Restaurant Review section includes short pieces on Dock Street Brewery and The Hulmeville Inn. The judgments in The Tasting Room, wherein the four founders of the publication and a “notable guest” offer the opinions, will raise some eyebrows (Troegs Sunshine Pils two stars, Oskar Blues Momma’s Little Yellow Pils four-plus stars, really?).
There’s a lengthy directory in the rear with a few errors that make you wonder a bit (three of the four Iron Hill near-suburbs locations listed, but not North Wales); Sly Fox listed as a brewpub in both Phoenixville and Royersford and a brewery in…Phoenixville; Royersford Brewing listed under breweries, Beer YardS inc. (my cap “S”) listed as a retail outlet.
Several adverts come from places you don’t usually see in beer rags and from entities which are not part of the beer world at all, which is a good thing, I’d say. There’s an inside front cover ad from South Philly Taproom and a rear cover from Brew, which makes one suspect that somebody in the organization is John Longacre’s nephew or something—either that, or he was singularly impressed by their mailing to prospective advertisers.
Of all the Usual Suspects you might expect to find associated with a new beer publication, only George Hummel makes the scene. That “new blood” feel to it all which results from that is also likely a good thing.
All in all, professionally and attractive done from an aesthetic viewpoint. How and if it fits into the local gestalt will be revealed in time.
Is this free to consumers or a subscription magazine?
Free, although you can also get a paid subscription. It’s delivered to selected bars et al as are Mid-Atlantic Brewing News and Ale Street News, free to them as well. Some of the cooler places also get Celebrator Beer News from California, but they have to pay shipping for that. Those three also have paid subscriptions available, I’m pretty sure (too lazy to go look).
[...] work the same long hours I do, got a post up at their site late last night, responding to yesterday’s review here. Go read and you can find our some of their plans for the future–including an eight-page [...]
the Sly Fox info is prematurely correct…they will be building a production brewery in Phoenixville very soon. the brewpubs will remain where they are.
[...] commentary is read by loads of beer fanatics in countless other publications. He even offered the first online review of this [...]