Philly Beer Week 2014 Cheat Sheet

Philly Beer Week

‘Beer Enthusiasts – Start Your Engines’

It’s that time of year again when Philadelphians get excited about Philly Beer Week. Not only those from the city or the surrounding area, but those who specifically come to this week long event for a specific reason from far away.

Did you know that Philly Beer Week is the largest beer celebration of its kind in the United States. All of this would make perfect sense since Philadelphia has been recognized as one of the World’s Best Cities for Beer.

With so many activities in 10 days, we wanted to give you specific details and a breakdown about the upcoming events, festivals, tours, beer tastings , dinners, and much more.

Philly Beer Week is from May 30 – June 8 : Events, activities, and more

May 30, Friday

  • The Hammer of Glory Relay ~ Starts at 7:00 am & ends around 6:40 pm ~  The Hammer of Glory relay is an annual event to where the Hammer itself is transported various ways from bar to bar throughout the city. The Hammer symbolizes the spirit and fun of Philadelphia being an unique beer-centric community. The Hammer of Glory, aka the HOG, will start at Dock Street Brewing Company at 7 am, as it travels to many different bars and making some non-bar stops. The Hammer will then make a stop at Hop Angel around 9:40 am, hit another 19 bars and ends up in the hands of Mayor Nutter, where it will be used to tap the ceremonial first keg of Philly Beer Week at 7 pm at the 23rd Street Armory (22 S. 23rd St). To follow the Hammer of Glory Relay, Click Here. Info from Philly Beer Week, Click HereIf you follow this event, take your pictures and post them through Twitter using the hashtag #HOG (Hammer of Glory).
  • Kick Off Lunch – Meet the brewer, Chris Wilson of Weyerbacher  ~ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm ~ Held at Joe Pistola’s, Chris is a wealth of beer knowledge. He also has a degree in Physics. Come ask him why beer molecules taste better than every other molecule and other such stuff.
  • 5th Annual HOG Relay, Big Hair & Big Beer Party ~ 4:30 pm – 2 am ~ At the Institute Bar located in the Fairmount/Spring Garden neighborhood. In helping with transporting the Hammer of Glory to its destination, their 5th Annual participation in the H.O.G Relay will feature the Institute Bar tapping a rare firkin once the hammer arrives and all sorts of Big Beers, Big Hair & 80’s heavy metal music.
  • Opening Ceremony ~ 7 pm ~ Held at the 23rd Street Armory – 22 S. 23rd St. Opening ceremony with Mayor Nutter and the Hammer of Glory, The 4th Annual Philadelphia Inquirer Brew-vitational awards PLUS live music.
  • Opening Tap ~ 7 pm – 10 pm ~ At the 23rd Street Armory (22 S. 23rd St) – $45 per person. Giving you ample samples from the region’s top breweries, 40 of which have been confirmed. Micros/brewpubs – they’ll  be pouring the finest ales and lagers, including seasonal beers. Live music will be performed by The York Street Hustle, a 10-piece 1960s-style soul ensemble band, food (additional price), surprises with keepsake sampling cup. Want to start early, get a

VIP Session – $90 6 pm – 7 pm.  One-hour limited audience tasting session, featuring a selection of special beers paired with complimentary beer-friendly food. All VIPs receive a souvenir drinking glass plus gift bag and this allows you to stay the rest of the evening.

May 31, Saturday

  • 5th Annual Pin Up Block Party & BBQ ~ 11 am – 8 pm ~ At Varga Bar! Great refreshing craft beers on draft and in cans from all over the country. Plus, they will grilling up some tasty food outside all day and night! Games, prizes, wing and hot dog eating contest and much much more. Hey Ladies! Come dressed in your favorite pin up outfit and get photos taken and be on your way to being one of their Varga Calendar Girls for 2015!
  • 5th Annual Fruit Beer Festival & Food Drive ~ 11 am – 8 pm ~ Kick-off at the Institute with their annual fruit beer event which features all beers, ciders, sours and of course lambics with fruit in them as well as a fruit inspired food specials for the day. This year The Institute is partnering with Philabundance and Greensgrow to create this event. Bring a can good or PB&J food donation for $2.00 off a draft beer. Their will be outdoor seating.
  • International Great Beer Expo:  Philly VIP Session ~ 12:30 pm – 5 pm ~ $46 general admission at 1:30 pm & $75 VIP with 12:o0 arrival. – Takes place at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. 25 Countries / 75+ International Brewers / 200+ Beers – This international beer tasting event will feature an incredible variety of beers from some of the finest U.S. and international breweries while raising money for the Committee To Benefit The Children. Get tickets here!
  • Shawnee Pig Roast ~ 5 pm – 2 am ~ Held at The Industry Bar in South Philly, the Shawnee Craft Brewing Company has been donating it’s spent grain to Heritage Valley Farms to feed their pigs. The Institute Bar is going to roast a whole pig and be poring the Shawnee beers brewed with the grains used to feed it. “A Farm to Brewery back to Farm to Table” if you will. The brewers will be on hand as well as “Farmer Steve” from Heritage Valley Farms. Shawnee is bringing their delicious Raspberry Blanche, Saison, Double Pale Ale, Apiairus, and Session Porter that will be on tap. Some of their staff will be at the event to talk about the amazing beers as well.
  • 4th Annual Chicken Run ~ 5 pm – 2 am ~ Held at the American Sardine Bar in Newbold/Point Breeze of South Philly. Join the Fishtown Beer Runners for a 5 mile-ish run from Philly Brewing Company to the American Sardine Bar. Tickets for the run will include a T-Shirt, 3 PBC beers, and…FRIED CHICKEN. Price is $35 per person and tickets are on sale now. Visit their website or call the bar at (215) 334-2337. Designated Driver and under 21 tickets are available for $25 per person. Minors must be accompanied by a legal guardian.

June 1st, Sunday

  • Yard’s Bike Race Party ~ 12 am – 5 pm ~ Held at the Old Eagle Tavern in Manayunk. Consider it a pre-racing party to the Philadelphia Bike Race. The Yard’s crew will be on hand for all kinds of craziness.  $1 off Yards specials & a Yards firkin on the bar!
  • Mash Bash ~ 1 pm – 6 pm ~ Held at the Underground Arts. A premier beer event during Philly Beer Week! Not only will they be hosting a Homebrew Competition, but also beercentric seminars and activities. It will feature Roger Barth Ph.D. lecturing on the Chemistry of Beer and a Brewmaster’s roundtable moderated by Mat Falco. They will have numerous affiliates featuring beer-centric activities including; The Cicerone Program, Homebrewed Events, DrinkPhilly, Philly Beer Scene, and many others!
  • Throwdown in Franklintown ~ 2 pm – 6 pm ~ At Kite & Key in the Fairmount & Spring Garden section. What do you get when you mix Yard, Dogfish, Allagash and Kite & Key?  GREAT BEER AND TOTAL MEYHEM!!! The 5th year in this Epic battle between Tom Kehoe (Yards) vs Jim Kirk (Kite & Key) and Suzie Woods (Allagash) vs Wendy Domurat (Dogfish) promises to be the “War to End all Wars”.  Greg Lehman (Victory)  & Nick Johnson (Troegs) have since joined the Mayhem which now makes this truly civil unrest in the Philly Beer community!  Sumo, Boxing, Chariot Wars, skills competition??  Everyone will be partying and battling all afternoon in a series of events that would surely amaze Vince McMahon. Come down for an afternoon of total entertainment, great beer and perhaps the greatest event during Beer Week.

June 2nd, Monday

  • Philly Beer Week Garden ~ 5 pm – 9 pm ~ Held at The Shambles at Headhouse SquareEvery night will feature beers from a different brewery every night and live music.  There will be a different brewery pouring each night. 
  • SPTR Annual Founders Beer Dinner ~ 5 pm – 7 pm ~ Held at the South Philadelphia Tap Room in South Philly, Chat with the crew from Founders while you indulge in a lavish feast prepared by Chef Scott Schroeder. Courses will be paired with Founders draughts – favorites and a few rare finds (KBS, Sweet Repute, Smokey Porter, Hand of Doom and more). Price is $100 per person and tickets are on sale now. Stop by the bar or call them at (215) 271-7787 to purchase.
  • Burgers and Bubbles with Sam Adams ~ 7 pm until they run out ~ Held at The Industry Bar in South Philly, the Institute Bar worked closely with Sam Adams to create a burger menu to pair perfectly with their beers. Five Beers paired with 5 Sliders with pairings like a Mole Chicken slider pair with their Imperial Stout, and a Lamb Burger topped with Charred Eggplant and Plum Mustarda paired with the Sam Adams Roggenwolf Rye IPA. Sounds delicious!

June 3rd, Tuesday

  • Taco Tuesday ~ 11 am – 1 am ~ Held at Tap Room on 19th, enjoy 3 different tacos every week, including one vegetarian option: $2/taco all day and all night! Mexican City Wides – Corona bottle + shot of Tortilla Silver Tequila – $5
    $5 Margaritas/$20 Margarita pichers.
  • The Battle of the Greats: Lakes vs Divide ~ 5 pm – Midnight ~ Held at Khyber Pass Pub in Old City, both of them claim greatness, but how does one determine greatness? Through arm wrestling of course! Watch the games commence while sipping a 2012 Belgian Yeti, Tripel Dog Dare and more. The right to greatness lies in their hands, the beer rests in yours. 

June 4th, Wednesday

  • Lunch with the Stoudts at McGillin’s ~ 12 pm – 2 pm ~ At McGillins Olde Ale House, come lunch with Carol & Ed Stoudt of Stoudt’s Brewing. Talk shop with these industry legends and find out why we consider them among  our oldest and dearest industry friends which are the brewers of McGillin’s Real Ale, McGillin’s Genuine Lager and McGillin’s 1860 IPA. Lots of tastings. No cover.
  • 2nd Annual Avery Luau ~ 5 pm – Midnight ~ Held at City Tap House in University City. Ever been to Hawaii? Love drinkin’ fruity hawaiian conoctions?  Come to West Philly, as the City tap House transforms their patio into a Hawaiian Luau, complete with Hawaiian BEER cocktails, inspired by their friends at Avery Brewing.  Steel Drum band, Spam Sandwiches & other Hawaiian delicacies, and lots of great beer. An event where truly everyone gets Lei’d.
  • Tour Eastern State Penitentiary with Willie Sutton & Stoudts ~ 5:30 pm – 8 pm ~ Take a guided tour of the haunted Eastern State Penitentiary, the place where Willie Sutton ‘stayed’ & tried to escape.  Stoudts has been making the house beer named for this moniker for 23 years!  Of course you will be drinking Willie Sutton lager while touring and then drinking more Stoudts Beer with some food back at the bar. $35.00 all inclusive.
  • King Pin! ~ 6 pm – 8 pm ~ Come to Standard Tap in Fishtown to where ten of your favorite local breweries compete to see whose pin will be the first to kick.  The winner will be crowned KINGPIN! ps. A Pin is 5.4 gallons of fresh brew.

June 5th, Thursday

  • 5th Annual Get Yer Fil of Pils ~ 10 am – 12 pm ~ Held at the Grey Lodge Pub in Northeast Philadelphia. Food plus great pilsners. All 10 lines will be pouring pilsners and of course it will be heavy on the locals. Various breweries will be on hand for a hour each with give-aways and more. This year they will have a Fried Chicken Pop-Up from 11 am to 11 pm (or earlier if we run out). And stick around and watch the Phillies play at 4 pm on the large tvs.
  • High Fives & Hugs with Yards ~ 4 pm to 2 am ~ Come out to The Industry Bar and enjoy their 2nd Birthday. What better way to celebrate than with the boys from Yards! The Yards staff will be giving away Hugs and High Fives to anyone drinking Yards so it’s gonna be a lot of love all night long! The Beer Lineup will be the Philly Pale Ale, Brawler, ESA, IPA, Thomas Jefferson, Grand Cru, Cerebral Pourtex Maibock, Saison, Washington’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter, 2012 Old Bart, Poor Richards Tavern Spruce, Love Stout, and a special Firkin to be announced at the event!
  • Beer vs Wine vs SMACKDOWN ~ 5 pm – 9 pm ~ Held at the London Grill in Fairmount. $50 per person. 4 Beers. 4 Wines. 4 Courses. Shawnee Craft Brewing & Karamoor Estate Winery will be present to discuss and try to sway your vote from 5 pm to 6 pm, followed by a reception until 9 pm. There will be raffle & trivia prizes.
  • 2014 Philly Beer Geek Finals Championship ~ 6 pm – 9 pm ~ Stop in at the Field House next to the Philadelphia Convention Center. This event will be about beer trivia, beer profiling, and humor between 7 judges and 6 finalists, all while imbibing in the best beer Philly has to offer. The fun-filled competition focuses on both serious and comedic aspects of Philadelphia beer, and fosters overall knowledge and understanding of artisanal craft beer.  Watch Michael Lawrence- filmmaker, craft beer lover, heady, and 2013 Philly Beer Geek winner- hand over his crown.  Always a whose who of the local beer scene in the room, toasting to the talents of Philly’s best and brightest when it comes to suds!  For a chance to compete and maybe find a seat in the finals, visit http://www.phillybeergeek.com/
  • Mardi Gras with Pappy Van Winkle ~ 6 pm – 12 am ~ Can’t remember how you got home the first time around? Come to The Twisted Tail and celebrate Mardi Gras all over again in style, hosted by Abita Brewery, from New Orleans. Abita have been busy stretching their wings to bring you something special this year and we have it. You’ve all heard of the fabled Pappy Van Winkle bourbon….now find out what to use those empty barrels for. Get it whilst you can. This year’s supply of Pappy sold out in 16 minutes in Pennsylvania….let’s see how long the beer lasts for!

June 6th, Friday

  • Fifth Annual All Weekend Wood at Resurrection Ale House ~ 12 pm – 2 am ~  Stop at the Resurrection Ale House for another entire weekend of 100% wood soaked goodness brought to you by people who know how to lose a weekend in a barrel. Best barrel aged draft lineup ever! Full draft list is online at www.resurrectionalehouse.com.
  • Cigar City Brewery ~ 3 pm – 5 pm ~ Cigar City Brewery has an almost cult-like following. Held at Monk’s Cafe, the brewery will select 6 of their favorite beers to pour at this event. We can’t wait to see what they choose (the list will be updated soon).
  • Gose Gone Wild! ~ 4 pm – 2 am ~ Come to Brauhaus Schmitz just in time for bikini season! Gose, a specialty of the town of Leipzig and one of the lesser known german beer styles, is brewed with salt water and coriander which results in a light sourness and dryness. This sour wheat beer is outrageously refreshing and perfect to celebrate the warmer months. Several other German sour beers will be featured as well. Here is a teaser: Rittergut Gose, Freigeist Geisterzug Gose, Freigeist, Abraxxas, Leipziger Gose, Leipziger Pineus Gose (laudered though dry pine needles), Leipziger Gewuerz Gose (brewed with orange peel, cardammon and nutmeg).

June 7th, Saturday

  • Sam Adams Rare Beer Brunch ~ 11 am – 2 am ~ Held at The Cambridge. Details are still being worked on. But a sneak peak, they are going to have a specialty firkin, a nitro stout, 7 DANK DELICIOUS SINGLE HOP IPA’s, and a custom made Sam Adams Mimosa which has never been done in Philly before!
  • Fishtown FestivALE ~ 12 pm – 8 pm ~ The 3rd Annual Fishtown FestivALE.  Johnny Brenda’sFrankford Hall and Fette Sau will be teaming up to bring you an outdoor beer party! There will be cold beer, tasty food and DJs will provide tunes all fest long! There will be a photo opportunity with the PBW Hammer of Glory, Dunk Tank, and More! Located on Frankford Avenue, between Girard and Shackamaxon in the Northern Liberties/Fishtown section of Philadelphia. All proceeds from the dunk tank will go to the Lutheran Settlement House, who provides all kinds of great social programs for the city.
  • Third Annual Memphis Tap Room Hot Dog & Homebrew Extravaganza ~ 12 pm – 4 pm ~ Held at the Memphis Tap Room, this is one of the best days of the year out in the Beer Garden – don’t miss it!  Tickets are $35 and include all you can eat and unlimited homebrew! Tickets available in advance at memphistaproom.com and at the gate. (Rain date 6/8)
  • Maryland Crab & Beer Fest ~ 12 pm – 12 am ~ Held at Old Eagle Tavern in Manayunk, it’s that time of year for Blue Crabs & Beer!!  They will be pouring beers from Maryland breweries all day & serving up a special menu of Steamed Maryland crabs, Maryland Crab Soup, and more crabs.  If Crabs and old Bay can go in it we they’ll be serving it. Draft List – Stillwater/Brewer’s Art Debutant, Stillwater Why Can’t IBU, Evolution, Flying Dog, DuClaw, & more.

June 8th, Sunday

  • Leftovers ~ 11 am – 2 am ~ Come to the Prohibition Taproom and enjoy all beers left over from Philly Beer week. Such beers as Yards, Founders, Oxbow, Sly Fox, Bell’s, DuClaw, St. Somewhere, Goose Island, Jolly Pumpkin, Oskar Blues, German imports…  Whatever was left gets tapped today.
  • Sloppy Seconds ~ 11 am – 2 am ~ Come out to The Industry Bar for Sloppy Seconds. It’s your chance to get to taste all that delicious beer from that event you missed. All of the beers will be priced to move so get in and get it before it’s all gone!
  • The Clam Jam ~ 3 pm – 7 pm ~ Held at Pennsylvania 6, it’s time for CLAMS day in the sun.  All afternoon they’ll be a tribute to the briny beauty of clams.  Paired with Yards beers and a load of brewery folk from yards ready to polish off trays and trays of clam specialities….TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb will supply the JAM for the afternoon.
  • 6th Annual Dock Street Music Fest  ~ 4 pm – 9 pm ~ FREE. Held at Dock Street Brewery in University City. There will be live local music, Dock Street wood fired pizza, outdoor games like canjam and ladder toss and of course, beer! Music starts at 4 pm. This year West Philly gets great representation from Grandchildren, West Philadelphia Orchestra and Gliss.
  • The 7th annual T.T.U.D. ~ 7 pm – Midnight ~ Calling all survivors of Philly Beer Week. Stop by at Fergie’s Pub located on Locust Street in Center City. T.T.U.D. stands for ‘That totally unnecessary drink.’ Taste an array of Allagash and Yards beers while listening to some sounds of a live Karaoke band. Have fun and say good bye to PBW 2014.

 

All Week Long : May 30 – June 8 (same event every day unless specified)

  • Twitter Hunt ~ May 30 – June 8 ~ Compete for fame and fabulous prizes in Keystone’s Philly Beer Week Twitter Hunt! Here’s how it works. A predetermined list of particular people, places, and parameters?each worth a number of points—will be released via Twitter (and their website) on May 30, the first day of Philly Beer Week. Then the hunt is on, and will last until the final pint is pulled on June 8. All you have to do is Tweet photographs of yourself in a Keystone shirt with as many of the objectives as you can back to @KeystoneHB. They’ll record your score and update their online leaderboard. The participants with the most points by the end of Philly Beer Week will be showered in prizes!
  • Philly Beer Week Garden ~ June 2nd to 6th from 5 pm – 9 pm ~ Held at The Shambles at Headhouse Square. Visitors get taken back to the age of grand old colonial ales by featuring a separate local brewery’s finest craft beer each weekday evening of beer week. Sit outdoors with good beer and live music in the city’s South Street Headhouse District.  

 

These are just some of the events that we wanted to highlight for Philly Beer Week. There are just way too many to list, but you can get that list directly below.

For a complete list to Philly Beer Week list of events & bars : Click here – If we missed any good events, please let us know in a comment below. You can follow Beer Week on Twitter and the hashtag #PBW2014 and like it on Facebook for updates throughout the week.

Certainly have fun, enjoy all that Philadelphia has to offer both in beer and in history, and most of all; drink safely.

Want daily updates of what beer is where? PhillyTapFinder is going to post the tap lists for the current day and following day ~ PhillyTapFinder ~

Info on Philly Beer Week from MyPhillyAlive – Philly Beer Week

Location

Locations vary throughout City of Philadelphia  |  Check web site for daily events – Click here

Dates

May 30 – June 8, 2014

Web Site

Opening Tap Tickets  |  Click Here

Facebook Fan Page – Philly Beer Week