Kensington Blues

I’ve been to Kraftwork a number of times now and I think I like it. I mean, it’s okay. There’s that one sandwich that’s really delicious, but not much else that really stands out on the (recently reconsidered) menu. The draught list is amazing, although it’s like doing surgery with a shotgun; put enough beers on tap and you’re sure to get something right, no?

But you can fix menus and curate beer lists to make it seem like you know what you’re doing, rather than not wanting to get it wrong. What you can’t really change is physical plant. If you want to be clubbed over the head with concept, Kraftwork is the place. Without even mentioning the clunker of a name, you know it’s stylized to a fault, which really distracts from the things that probably brought you there in the first place. Did I mention how NOISY it is? Now, I know I’m getting older, but when you have a DJ spinning dance music during dinner, at a place that doesn’t have a dance floor, you’re going out of your way to seem silly. I mean, at least the Abbaye had sensible brunch DJs.

Thing I hear from fans of craft beer and gastropubs in general though is that the prices are simply too high. I can get a pint of Russian River Blind Pig for less than I can a tulip of the same at Kraftwork. And while the taps are more plentiful than other neighborhood bars, I don’t get the sense that more thought went into selecting what’s on them. Instead of feeling like you’re getting a deal on something that’s been carefully considered, you know you’re overpaying for something you can probably get somewhere else in town.

Will I keep going back? Absolutely. I have faith that Adam Ritter will get it right and, hell, who I am to say anything: the place is usually full to overflowing, which is a good problem to have in this economy. If they can build a tasty, inexpensive menu around their beer can chicken sandwich, then they’re already on the right track. Where else can you get a Mikkeller Breakfast Beer Geek Imperial Stout at 10:30 on a Sunday morning?

As I watch the Phils wrap up a come from behind win against the hapless Astros, I can’t help but think about what I’ll be drinking this summer. It ain’t easy being a Pennsylvanian!

Summer beers I like include:

• Troegs Sunshine Pils
• Victory Prima Pils
• Philadelphia Brewing Co. Rowhouse Red (or Fleur de Lehigh)
• Sly Fox Pikeland Pils
• Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

It’s nigh impossible to choose one as my favorite summer session ale. I know what you’re thinking: first world problems, dude. But it’s one of those things where you like to have a dependable go-to when you reach for a beer in your fridge or cooler, you know? I’ve been partial to Sly Fox, since I love the cans, but now Oskar Blues has Dale’s Pale in our market. I also love the refreshing taste of the Troegs and Victory selections. I must admit a waning appreciation for PBC beers; I just don’t think they live up to the quality of comparable craft beers. What’s your favorite? Feel free to sound off in the comments.

An aside: was the session beer movement just a figment of Lew’s imagination? Friends of mine who homebrew said they’d heard that everyone was going big — very big — just as the economy started tanking. Made sense to me, but as someone who’s trying to wean himself off of those humungo beers, I’d like to think some brewers haven’t abandoned it altogether.

Delirium Noël, originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay.

I drank my way to the perfect Christmas. No, I didn’t drink myself into a stupor, only to spend the holiday in a soporific haze. I think I actually drank the perfect amount of beer to enjoy myself and still be helpful with Charlie.

I shared a bomber of Delirium Noel Christmas night, but the real surprise was a sixer of Lagunitas Brown Shugga I picked up at Wegman’s. Delicious! If you see any at your local distributor, be sure to pick it up. It’s a perfect beer for the holidays, and it’s deceptively easy drinking, even at 9.8% ABV. Watch out!

I found myself just a tad disappointed in Bell’s Winter White Ale. I am all for a lighter beer around the holidays, but this felt more like a summer beer with a new label slapped on the bottle. I think it was a mistake on my part to expect a delicate winter warmer at 5.0% ABV.

If there’s one resolution I managed to keep this year, it was my effort to broaden my palate when it comes to craft beer. I think the days of me hoisting IPA after IPA are behind me. I’m trying subtler flavors (and lower ABVs.) I’d like to take a class next year to figure out the finer points of beer, rather than just pretend I know how to identify anything that isn’t a massive hops flavor. Can anyone recommend a good one in the Philly area?

Last, but not least, I’d like to thank the great Philly beer writers for introducing me to new and different brews throughout 2009. I don’t know where or what I’d be drinking were it not for Lew Bryson, Jack Curtin, Joe Sixpack, and Suzy Woods. Plenty of people say — rightfully so — that Philly’s a great beer city. They’re right, but they’d be mistaken if it weren’t made better by the people I’ve listed here.  If you live in Philly and like beer and you’re not reading their blogs, you’re probably missing out on some great stuff. They’re all invaluable to the Philly beer scene. If you see them out, be sure to buy them a pint!

Founders Maple Mountain Brown, originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay.

This year I invited our friends out to my old stomping grounds for our annual fall apple and pumpkin picking trip. We’ve been to Bucks County several times, where we’ve often found the orchards picked over. When I recently learned that Frecon Farms offered pick your own I knew that had to be our destination. I grew up right down the street from their orchard!

It was a great trip. The apples were plentiful. So plentiful, in fact, that we bought 15 pounds! I can’t wait for all the autumn deliciousness.

The real surprise of the trip, however, was a jaunt down memory lane. My friend and old TLA comrade Matt recommended we try Union Jack’s for lunch. When I searched it, I thought the Tiki Bar had been renamed. Not so, it turns out.

Union Jacks at the Inn at Manatawny is a lovely spot that once was a nasty biker bar across from the Pheasantland Roller Rink. This place was a gem. The beer list was gargantuan and our friends love to drink interesting beers. Everything on tap was aged in barrels or casks, going with a wooden theme I can definitely appreciate on a lovely fall afternoon.

I tried four beers, ranging from Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial stout (delicious!) to the Founders Maple Mountain Brown (interesting!) As we enjoyed our lunch, I couldn’t believe that such a wonderful little restaurant could succeed amid the rampant suburbanization Boyertown’s undergone since my childhood. I mean, these are beers you’d struggle to find in bars in Philly!

I’d say that the Left Hand brew was my favorite of the day, although the Pennichuck Pozharnik was a delight as well. I drank two tasters of the Founders Maple (very pronounced maple flavor; a bit too much for me, actually.)

More interesting was the St. Somewhere Lectio du Chene. That one through a real curve at me. It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted. It’s blended wine barrel aged & young Lectio Divina, which is one of St. Somewhere’s well-regarded Belgian Pale Ales. Be careful — it packs a wallop!

The food and service at Union Jack’s were great and I’d definitely stop in there again. Sometimes it’s great to rediscover the place you grew up, huh?

Bøgedal 146, originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay.

My friend Tommy told me that Bøgedal and Mikkeller were the two must-have Danish beers. I managed to tuck a bottle of the former into my luggage on the trip home and I can assure you that this dark Christmas beer didn’t disappoint.

I need to find a way to get more of this stuff!