First off, I think it is safe to say, it has been way too long since I have written a blog. I do not like falling behind so I apologize and I hope this blog makes up for lost time. I will be back much sooner with the next one, I promise.
I am particularly excited about this blog because it is not so much a beer review as it is about a memorable weekend with my wife, sister and brother-in-law in Philadelphia, PA. Now, don't get me wrong, there are beers involved here(too many in fact) but the weekend as a whole was quite unforgettable and I am excited to write about it.
The planning for this weekend started last summer. I forget which of the 4 of us suggested it but the idea was to attend the 30th Anniversary of the WWE Royal Rumble and make a weekend out of it. After a few months of deliberation due to the fact that buying tickets to the event was more challenging and expensive than expected, we finally made the decision to go in early December.
I have mentioned in previous blogs that whenever I go on vacation, I love to visit the local breweries. From reputation alone, I could not come to Philadelphia without stopping in Ardmore, PA at Tired Hand Brew Cafe. It was my first time there and I absolutely loved it. I was even more excited to find out I was not alone.
You already know that my wife, Alicia, is into craft beer. I believe I have mentioned my brother-in-law Andy embraces trying new beers as well. My sister Ashley however, is a slightly different story. Ashley's beer of choice is Bud Light out of a bottle. For years, I have tried to get her to try other beers but have had little to no success. Recently, to my excitement she has been a bit more open than ever to trying different beers. While looking over the menu, Ashley just told me to find something she would like. I accepted the challenge and ordered her, as well as the entire group four pours of the their cask beer: Hophands Pale Ale double dry hopped with citra and conditioned with blood orange tisane. The beer was a huge hit and it received praise from everyone drinking it. The herbal tea was a nice touch and the citrus was turned up beautifully with this version of HopHands. It was also super easy to drink and paired perfectly with the spring-like weather outside. For the next round, I ventured off on my own and tried a taster of Act Appalled, a black ipa with lime & coconut. It was complex, rich and delicious. I particularly enjoyed the addition of lime here, it really added a unique touch. The last beer I tried at Tired Hands was A Long Silence which is a French Toast Dark Mild and the beer I am drinking as I write this. This was by far, my favorite beer of the 3 I tried. It is bready, chocolately, creamy, easy drinking, perfectly sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla, spiced nicely with cinnamon, and has a really nice hint of fruit. If I lived by Tired Hands, I would go back and get another crowler, as soon as possible.
After leaving Tired Hands extremely satisfied with our experience we headed to our AirBnb apartment. We decided to try AirBnb because none of us had done it before, we had heard good things from others who had tried it, and the Stubhub markup on our Royal Rumble tickets was absolutely ridiculous. When we arrived we immediately loved the location, it was right in the heart of Rittenhouse Square. The downside of the apartment was that it had not been cleaned since the previous renters stayed there. This was pretty gross and obviously not ideal but after contacting AirBnb & the renter of the apartment we found out there was little that we could do that night except get some of our stay refunded and wait for the cleaning crew to come the next day. So we cracked a can of HopHands and got ready to go out.
The destination for dinner and drinks was going to be Monk's Cafe. Being a lover of craft beer I find it a bit embarrassing to admit I had yet to have a chance to try Russian River's Pliny The Elder. I had been following the draft list at Monk's for the week leading up to us heading there and was pleased to find out it happened to be on draft. There are few certainties in life but one thing I can tell you for sure was, one way or another, I was going to to drink Pliny The Elder that night. We were dressed, ready to go to Monk's Cafe and as we made our way to the door to leave to go out for the evening, the night took an unexpected turn.
The apartment we were staying in shared a courtyard with several other apartments. The apartment directly across from the one we were staying in had thick black smoke pouring out the windows. I immediately called 911, they said the fire department was already on the way and we quickly exited the courtyard. From the street, we watched firefighters courageously do their job and put out the fire. Fortunately and most importantly, no one appeared to be in the apartment at the time so no one was injured. Unfortunately, the damage to their apartment was severe.
While watching from the street, we met some very nice people who offered us their extra room if we needed a place to stay. The “City of Brotherly Love” title certainly fits Philadelphia. Every time I have been there, people have been super kind and generous and this time was no different. We thanked them but declined because AirBnB was going to pay for our stay at a nearby hotel since they did not have any rentals available that worked for our location. Once the Fire Marshall cleared the area, we were allowed to go back in and pack up our things.
We booked what turned out to be a tremendous room at a hotel in Center City. Got ready again, and got a Lyft to Monk's Cafe. I spent a good amount of time during the ride once again telling everyone how much I could not wait for this moment. When we pulled up, I was overwhelmed with excitement. I rushed into the crowded bar, saw the Pliny The Elder tap and asked everyone what they wanted to drink. Alicia & Andy were on board with giving Pliny a try, my sister however wanted to try something different. She opted for an Allagash White Ale, and I was damn proud of that selection. To me, Allagash White is one of the best white ales on the market. For Ashley to like it and drink a couple pints of it instead of Bud Light out of a bottle was definitely a highlight of the trip to me.
When it came to drinking Pliny The Elder, I found it to be everything I hoped it would be. I took a moment to enjoy its beautiful aroma and then took my first sip. The first thing I noticed about it was how perfectly balanced is was. The second thing I noticed was how smooth it was. At 8%, I expected to taste at least some presence of alcohol but got none. What I got was a lot of pine, some citrus and a nice malt backbone bringing it all together. The fact that Monk's Cafe served this in pint glasses felt a bit overly indulgent but that made the experience even better. Andy & I had three of them over a delicious dinner and we all left Monk's Cafe extremely satisfied with our experience.
The rest of the night was not so much about craft beer but enjoying a night out on the town and that we did. The following day we went to the Mutter Museum, DiNic's for Roasted Pork Sandwiches and Yards Brewing. Their Philadelphia Pale Ale was a really nice session ale. Their George Washington's Tavern Porter unfortunately was a touch too thin. I enjoyed the Love Stout but the real highlight for me was the Olde Bartholomew Barleywine. I realize drinking a 10+% beer may not have been the wisest decision before the Royal Rumble but it was damn delicious beer that paired nicely with a cold, rainy Philadelphia day.
As for the Royal Rumble, the event was a blast to attend. I have always wanted to be a part of a wrestling crowd in Philadelphia and they did not disappoint. About 45 minutes before the show started the people in my section were so excited for the event to start they started chanting for seemingly anything and everything that came to mind including the number of our section, popcorn and the popcorn guy. That energy carried on for most of the night. When the event ended, it was bittersweet because that meant an unforgettable weekend in a tremendous city was coming to an end as well. There was only one more thing to do, grab a cheesesteak from Geno's.
Until next time Philly!
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