The sixth annual Brewers Plate event was held for the first time at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Standing in the shadows of Franklin Field, brewers and restaurateurs from throughout the Philadelphia region came together in the name of craft beer and in support of the non-profit Fair Food. The gala was held among 4,000 year artifacts from ancient Egypt which provided a backdrop for Philadelphia’s foodies and beer geeks as they comingled in the name of charity.
“This is a huge event and the people are here for good beer,” David Hoffman, of Climax Brewing, said. “We have people here that are more aware of craft beer, and know that the Philly and New York area are turning out some damn good beer. This event shows that brewing ain’t all about the west coast and hop bombs – it’s about solid balanced beer.”
While Hoffman riffed on brewing in the region and served up his nut brown ale, he was well positioned next to Village Whiskey as they passed out samples of their bbq pork sandwich. The small speakeasy themed restaurant was serving up a perfect compliment to the surrounding brewers’ beer from Flying Fish and Dog Fish Head.
For the brewers and chefs, this was a place to present their creations and educate the consumer. Beau Baden, brew master from the Bethlehem BrewWorks, said the venue provided him with a unique opportunity.
“People that come to this event are usually curious and have a lot of questions,” Baden said. “This gives us a chance, as a craft brewery, to really showcase our beers and explain how well they go with the food selections here tonight. We can tell people how well spicy food can be complimented by hoppy beer, which sets this event apart from others.”
After a taste of the Boaks Russian Imperial stout paired with chocolate cupcakes and a solid Beligan Golden Ale from Triumph Brewing, it was time to go downstairs and explore the rest of the show.
A favorite attraction downstairs was a sampling of cheeses from the Pennsylvania Farmstead and Artisan Cheese Alliance, and the tremendous offerings from DiBruno Bros. Bill Covaleski brought two gems with him from his Victory Brewing Co. – the Smokin’ Oats Porter and St. Boisterous- a full bodied lager in the traditional Maibock style. Both beers provided an excellent pairing with the selection of cheeses and gourmet chocolates from John & Kira.
For the general public this event is a day to celebrate and unite craft beer and gourmet food from the region. Covaleski emphasizes that for the event organizers, the real focus of the day is on raising funds and supporting a nonprofit that works to promote healthy, local food systems.
All proceeds from the event benefited Fair Food, which is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing locally grown food to the marketplace and promoting a humane, sustainable agriculture system for the Greater Philadelphia region.
For more information visit the Brewers Plate website or keep an eye on here for the beer for the latest from the Philadelphia area from our newest contributor, Dan.
Episode 2 – Tonight we hosted a Victory beer sampling at our inn (Forty Putney Road) in Brattleboro Vermont. We sample the Wild Devil, Helios and Tim’s new favorite – V12.
Thanks for the questions and keep them coming. We intend to do this “show” on Tuesday and / or Thursdays – still working out the details. Any suggestions? When do you have time to watch?
Hello everyone, December marks the our first anniversary here at hereforthebeer.com. We want to thank all of the wonderful people that we had the opportunity to meet this year. We hope that you enjoy our montage (the first good use of the song as far as we are concerned)! We look forward to an even more interesting and exciting 2010 on here for the beer … Cheers!
Victory Brewing Company posted this video today that we shot when they were up visiting Vermont prior to their big debut. We were lucky enough to get to sample some of these delicious cheeses paired with Victory‘s beers. Of course, in the video I also reveal myself as a cheese discriminator, but I promise to work on that, especially after the great pairing.
For all the details on the pairing check out VictoryBeerBlog.com but here are their suggestions:
Thanks again to Bill and Dave for putting together these videos and for the great beers! By the way, want to try these pairings yourself and visit with us at our inn? Check this out!
VIDEO – Victory Brewing Company has recently been doing some expanding at the brewery. One of the reasons for the expansion is that as of today, Victory Brewing Company is now distributing in our great state of Vermont. We were lucky enough to get the first keg of Victory beer in Vermont at our Inn, and even more lucky to have Victory Co-Founder Bill Covaleski come up to share the first pint poured in Vermont with us!
In this episode we chat with Bill about the expansion of their distribution area and plans for New England. While Victory makes 30 different beers all of which are available at their pub in Downingtown, PA, Vermonters can look forward to trying the Hop Devil, Prima Pils, Golden Monkey, Storm King and Wild Devil starting this week. Your interest and demand will determine what other of their brews may make it our way.
Victory is one of my personal favorite breweries. It was Victory’s Hop Devil that turned me onto those glorious bitter sweet hops nearly 10 years ago. It was also the Victory Golden Monkey that taught me a hard lesson about ABV. Bill’s motto is “Respect the Monkey”, I know first hand why … hehe.
According to Bill Victory is now available in 39 states across the US. So grab yourself a Victory beer and tell us which one is your favorite, and which you are hoping to see near you. We will see you next time on here for the beer, Cheers!
From the hop freezer (which smelled so wonderful I wanted to move into it) to their lab, to their crazy bottling line (which in true form of the folks who built a 20 beer automated growler filler, is designed to operate with just 3 employees) we get a glimpse into Victory‘s incredibly streamlined operations.
We enjoyed our trip to Victory Brewing Company and really love their beers. We anxiously await their introduction in Vermont. Until then, we will have to settle for rationing the Golden Monkey we brought back with us! Cheers from all of us at Here for the Beer!
This episode features Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, PA. I talk with co-founder and brewer Ron Barchet about there newly renovated pub and brewery. Ron shares some of the history of the growing Victory Brewing Company and introduces their attempt at using Bret in their new variation of the Hop Devil.
Being from the Philadelphia area we have been fans of Victory Brewing Company for many years now. I was impressed from the first moment we walked through the doors. Our last visit to Victory was about 3 years ago. Back then the pub had an industrial charm and was plopped in the center of the brewery, separated by big glass walls. While Tim really liked the industrial “realness” of the old pub, the new place is far more cozy and efficient.
Because of all the great footage we got with Ron, we have split this episode into 2 parts. This is a general interview and look around the pub and restaurant. The next episode will be the full brewery tour – with a great look at some of the things that separate Victory from the crowd. If you haven’t already seen it, we also have a cool segment on their 20 flavor growler filler.
A final note – these episodes were taped in April of 2009, but the death of our editing computer held off their release until now.
Continuing our series on beer related gear and gadgets, today I bring you a wonderful piece of Austrian engineering. The folks at Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown Pennsylvania were tired of interrupting their drinking to fill growlers. So they set to task on finding a way to fill them with the least amount of work or waste possible. Enter Alfred Gruber who originally told Victory co-founder Ron Barchet that he was crazy. But once introduced to Ron’s napkin sketch, Gruber set out to take on the challenge and make take out lovers everywhere very happy.
This bad boy dispenses up to 20 different beers, only after evacuating the custom made (and equally badass) growlers with CO2. Then they are filled from the bottom with the beer of your choice, and sealed. All in about 30 seconds. You can check it out on the video or in person at Victory Brewing, where they will be happy to fill one for you.
Be sure to tell them Tim from Here for the Beer sent you, they won’t have any idea why you told them that, but it will make me feel all warm and fuzzy here in Vermont, where I can’t get Victory beer… yet…
