VIDEO – Friday the Thirteenth is anything but unlucky for those of you who live near the Philadelphia Northeast. That’s because on every Friday the 13th for the last 11 years, the Grey Lodge Pub in Northeast Philadelphia has held what they call “Friday the Firkinteenth” and being able to try 20+ cask beers is certainly good luck.
Friday the Firkinteenth started in 1998 as a “gimmick” to get a budding beer audience to understand and appreciate cask conditioned beer. Scoats, the founder of Grey Lodge and the Firkinteenth event explains that in it’s early days the event had only one or two casks. Today the event has grown to include 24 casks of beer from a variety of breweries. The event is held on every Friday the 13th so it is at the mercy of the calendar – in 2010 there is only 1 and it’s in August – so it promises to be a big one…
In this video we talk to Scoats about the event and get a rundown on what is cask beer from Nodding Head Brewery’s Brewmaster Gordon Grubb. We also get the privilege of chatting with some great folks attending the event. Including Joe Sixpack from the Philadelphia Daily News and one of our favorite beer writers, Lew Bryson – who has been covering beer in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area with his blog and books and trying his best to rid Pennsylvania of the PLCB for years now.
We would be remiss to not mention that Grey Lodge is open year round and when we lived in the area, was one of our favorite pubs. They have 11 draft lines that they dedicate to great craft beers, a great bottle list and good cheap food. For more about Grey Lodge check out their website. They are located at 6235 Frankford Ave in Northeast Philadelphia (215) 825-5357. They are also on Facebook and Twitter.
We had a great time and have already marked our calendar for August 13, 2010. Enjoy the video and we will see you next time on here for the beer!
In this video, we are flying out of The Philadelphia International Airport on our way to Atlanta, GA.
The Philadelphia International Airport, much like every other airport in America, is a place of pure frustration.
By the time you park your car and take a shuttle to your terminal or perhaps a family member or friend is dropping you off, you attempt to unpack your car while security is yelling “move your car”… you are already ready to burst…I know I am! Then you have to figure out what line to get into, hope that the silly computer works and can find your reservation so you do not have to wait in the really long line for an “agent” who is inevitably bothered by your presence. Next you head off to security where you are stripped of most of your clothes and belongings… Not to mention the ridiculous 4oz containers and plastic zip lock bags.
Once you manage to repack your bags and put your clothes back on, it’s certainly time for a beer. And while there is a time and a place for every beer – I hate to drop $7 for a Miller Lite. Luckily, recently there has been a subtle movement in the airport bars to introduce some micros.
Prior to our trip we got an email from Martin Clinton at Cheapflights.com. Martin lives in New England and was an early fan of our site. Turns out they not only list cheap flights, but also offer traveler tips, including a list of decent beer bars (pdf) in the airports. He sent us an press release from Jet Rock Bar and Grill which indicated they were devoting a third of their taps to locally produced mirobrewed beer. When we arrived there we found Victory, Troegs, Flying Fish, Yards, and more. I asked the manager, why add microbrewed beer now? His answer was simple…”because that is what the customers want.” Score one for craft beer!
We hope you enjoy our video of the Philadelphia International Airport along with the other videos during our trip to Atlanta, GA. Check out the Georgia beer scene at the Classic City Brew Fest, Terrapin Beer Company, plus coming up shortly – the Brick Store Pub, Leon’s Full Service, Trappeze, and the Atlanta International Airport. Be sure to connect with us on Twitter to find out when all of our videos are released! We will see you next time on Here For The Beer!
In this episode I get the chance to sit down with Dick Yuengling, CEO of Yuengling Brewing Company, America’s Oldest Brewery. The Yuengling family has owned and operated Yuengling Brewing Company for 180 years. In that time they have gone through some dramatic changes, including a fairly recent major expansion.
Dick shares some of the company history, as well as how they pushed through the era of prohibition with near beer and even some “pharmaceutical” brew for pregnant women! Dick shares the point that they have been successful by listening to what their local audience wants and creating brands that fill the needs of their region. As a continuation of that theme, we hear about the new beers being brewed by Yuengling for their 180th, including the re-issue of their Bock beer.
Finally, we take a look at some closed to the public spaces – one being the original caves under the brewery where beer was stored to be fermented and kept cool. Prohibition era brick walls, built by the government to seal off this area, still exist in some sections. A crazy reminder of an even crazier time period in brewing history.
Being from the Philadelphia area, Yuengling has a special place in our hearts. It’s the clear local favorite and has a very loyal following – even “owning” the term lager in the Philadelphia market. Walk into any bar in the Philly area and order a “lager” and you will get a Yuengling. As a family owned business for 180 years, they clearly continue to provide the beer that their area wants – which is a testament to their connection to the community. We hope that Dick and family keep the Yuengling brewery in the family for many more years to come… now if we could only get them to go back to the brown bottles…
Please note – we filmed this episode in April 2009, but due to a computer disaster haven’t been able to get it posted until now. Stay tuned for more of our late spring and early summer videos – HereForTheBeer is back baby…
Apparently people aren’t the only ones enjoying “Philly Beer Week” – check out this video from a Philadelphia news station. Of course, as Lew Bryson points out – the esteemed media folks in the video fumble the details, but none the less – the security camera footage is quite amusing.
