I’ve been tweeting recently with Dave Martorana, half of the Two Guys on Beer duo. They have a video podcast, which you can also view at their YouTube channel. Naturally, I’m eating crow here as they haven’t recorded since the World Cup ended, but I think that’s due to some shenanigans at Indy Hall. Dave’s been great about recommending other video podcasts to me, like Beer Tap TV and Two Beer Queers.

Thing that’s great about video podcasts now? They look great on your iPhone 4. Seriously. Amazing. I was totally over podcasting. The word just turned me off and the product often wasn’t much better. You know what changed all that? HD technology. Everything looks and sounds awesome, and you can watch while you ride the train to work! Perfect, bite-sized morsels of beery goodness.

But you know what? I want more! Recommend your favorite beer writers and podcasters. I love local folks, but I want to know who your favorites are. It always helps to refresh sources and I feel like I’m long overdue for some goodies. Drop your recommendations in the comments so I can check ‘em out!

I noticed an insightful tidbit from Mithras, a great Philly blogger I’d not read in a little while. He wrote:

I understand that bars have to pay a fee to PBW to participate. One bar owner told me it was $500. With 1,000 venues, that’s a lot of revenue. Of course it’s in PBW’s interest to have more and more events – but it’s not in bar owners’ or in beer drinkers’ interests.

So there’s the follow the money angle, if PBW organizers have no skin in the game for week to be a successful one from a standpoint of curating a great citywide beer experience.

Of course, I’m with the folks who just think that having Philly Beer Week during the first week of June is just silly. I managed to get over to Memphis Taproom — which is literally around the corner from my house, as I’ve written repeatedly — exactly twice. Helen and I squeezed in a quick dinner and drinks before the Erykah Badu concert and I made it back over one evening for a hasty Happy Hour with Charlie in my lap. I probably drank three beers total at Memphis Taproom that week, which is actually fewer than most weeks.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of making a fuss over Philly Beer Week. When I talk to beer-loving friends who live elsewhere they never forget to remind me just how lucky I am to be a Pennsylvanian, PLCB notwithstanding. We need to celebrate what makes this state so special to the microbrew culture that’s maturing into a sustainable business and not just luxury brews for beer snobs. But aren’t we celebrating that very thing nightly in this town? Do we really need bigger, better, faster, more? Philly Beer Week is verging on SXSW Music in terms of sheer scope and insanity.

Jack Curtin seems to feel the same way. Sure, March can be tricky, too, what with the whole St. Patrick’s Day thing, to say nothing of the impending 96 team field for March Madness, which may add an additional weekend to the proceedings. Factor in the lousy weather we had this winter and maybe Philly Beer Week dodged a bullet by moving to June. With any luck, the organizers will work some of the kinks out for next year and it’ll be the dream event everyone wants it to be.

(In case you’re wondering, I drank a delightful imperial stout from BrewDog called Tokyo. I thought it’d do me in. Need I mention what an amazing job Leigh, Brendan and the crew do over at Memphis Taproom during Philly Beer Week? No Repeat Beer Week for me is the epitome of what makes Philly such a great beer town. My neighborhood bar can create the entire experience in a microcosm! As they say where I grew up, ‘Nix besser!’)

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.

We can’t say enough how much we love that place and the people who work there. It’s like an extension of our living room and kitchen. It’s our Cheers. We get great service, great food, and great beer. It’s hard to believe it’s been open less than two years. It feels like it’s been there forever.

We spent the rest of the evening at home, watching movies, drinking beer, waiting for Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest to count down to the New Year. It’s a minor miracle that Helen and I were able to stay awake to see the ball drop. Charlie’s usually waking us by 4:30 in the morning!

The start of 2010 was much more comfortable than where we found ourselves on Y2K. As Helen and I sat on the couch, watching television, I couldn’t help but think how lost we were last year after we boarded the R5 in the wrong direction, jumped off at Wayne Junction, and found ourselves stranded there until Helen’s aunt and uncle picked us up. We didn’t even have cellphones back then!

To add insult to injury, we ended up there after going to see G. Love at the Electric Factory. No further comment necessary.

As we start 2010, we’re thankful for our friends and family who’ve been there for us all along. We feel very lucky in these trying times. Here’s to a great 2010 and the decade ahead!

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!

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!

My first Troegs Sunshine Pils @ CBP

Originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay

The Phillies start their title defense as they play host tonight to the visiting Atlanta Braves in the season opener at Citizen’s Bank Park. Helen and I didn’t get tickets to tonight’s game, so we decided to catch the first of two On Deck preseason matchups against last year’s World Series runners-up, the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was an amazing, if blustery, night. We sat under the overhang in section 137 and watched Pat Burrell warm up on his old left field stomping grounds. It was an emotional moment for Helen and me. We both felt that we really got to “know” Pat in his last season as a Phillie, and supported him in our customary seats in section 143 with raucous cheers. We did the same for him last Friday, even though he now wears a Rays uniform.

The Phillies honored Pat’s career with a pre-game montage that started when he signed with the team in 1998 right up until he spoke at last fall’s World Series celebration. It was chock full of great memories, both good and bad. Pat walked out of the dugout and doffed his cap at the Phillies faithful. Pat may not have the greatest reputation, but on the field, he’s a true class act.

On a lighter note, I was able to enjoy one of three new additions to the Citizen’s Bank Park beer selection, pairing a Troegs Sunshine Pils with one of Hatfield’s finest processed meat products. Delicious! I figure if you’re either paying nearly double for Budweiser swill, or you can get one of Pennsylvania’s finest craft brews for $6.75. I figure it’s a great rationale for choosing the good stuff when you’re out at the ballpark!

Adam and I ended up having a wonderful conversation with my friend Derrick, another Memphis Tap regular and amateur beer aficionado like myself. We discussed the merits of Dogfish Head’s approach to brewing and how great it is to be sandwiched between so many great breweries, all of which are doing different, distinctive things. Dogfish Head really does a great job of brewing signature IPAs, complemented nicely by great seasonals. I think their spring and summer beers, both of which feature great fruit flavors, are among the most refreshing I drink, without being sickeningly sweet.

As an aside, I wanted to take this opportunity to mention Jay Hinman’s great beer blog, Hedonist Beer Jive. Some of you may recognize Jay from his legendary music blog, Agony Shorthand. Now, instead of debating issues of race with Black to Comm, he’s telling you why he won’t pony up for expensive bombers of Russian River Consecration (and I don’t blame him!) Jay’s always been a great read, and his beer writing is just as fun and engaging as his music writing ever was.

I met Keith Fitzgerald at Memphis Taproom last night to talk about blogs, apps, and all the other fun geek stuff our wives tell us “sounds fun” as we walk out the door.

Our wonderful conversation was aided and abetted by some delicious beer as the No Repeat Beer Week rolls on! I started the night with a smoky Weyerbacher Fireside (pictured) before delving into a bunch of beefy IPAs. Here’s last night’s list:

• Weyerbacher Fireside
• Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Double IPA
• Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
• Moylan’s Moylander Double IPA
• Bell’s Pale Ale

I took it easy since it was a school night, but I can assure you I had no difficulty getting up this morning for a quick three-mile run.

Our conversation ended with an interesting discussion about how RSS is the blood coursing through the veins of the Internet, yet we still find ourselves joining every known social media platform that comes down the pike. Isn’t RSS supposed to make our lives really simple?

Speaking of which, we also chatted about Pitchfork’s headscratcher of a redesign. It reminded me of Paper Thin Walls after it was redesigned and made ready for a social network that never took off. Ouch. I told Keith that Pitchfork should’ve looked to ESPN.com’s redesign and focused on their video production. Why they’re still married to the concept of a music webzine escapes me.

Keith also shared his pet project with me: a running app for the 3G iPhone that should blow MapMyRun and its ilk out of the water. I’m considering buying a new iPhone just to beta test it against my Garmin watch. It sounds great for beginners and advanced runners alike. There’s a great opportunity for an iPhone app like this to meet the needs of Garmin customers who’re still waiting for Garmin to roll out their Mac features.

It was a great night for geeking out on beer and the Internet. I’m looking forward to working with Keith on tweaking and adding features to Kensington Blues over the next few weeks. To that end, can anyone recommend a clean, free, 2-column WordPress theme?

Elysian Avatar IPA

Originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay

Helen and I stopped in at the Abbaye for brunch this morning and I stumbled upon yet another interesting brew from the good people at Elysian.

What made this IPA stand out is its subtle flavors. Elysian’s Avatar IPA doesn’t bowl you over with high alcohol content or overpowering hops. A hint of jasmine makes this an insanely refreshing IPA and at just 5.6%, it’s practically eligible for session beer status!

This could be a staple at my house this summer, if I can find it locally.