Day 145, May 25 / Southern Tier IPA

Day 145  /  May 25, 2011

Southern Tier IPA

Southern Tier Brewing Company / Lakewood, NY

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1 hour east of Erie, PA

1 ½ hours south of Buffalo

45 minutes west of Salamanca

On the shores of Chataqua Lake

That’s where you’ll find Lakewood, NY, in the Southern Tier of New York, home to the Southern Tier Brewing Company.  Started in 2002, Southern Tier has grown into one of the country’s best craft breweries, now distributed in over 25 states.  Hell, what else are they gonna do there in Lakewood?

The Southern Tier IPA (creative name, huh) is a good representation of the style.  This pours a light copper color in the glass.  It’s brewed with 4 varieties of hops and 4 types of malts (at least that’s what the label says), but the hop taste is not overly aggressive.  It does, however, pack relatively high alcohol content, at 7.3% abv.

Day 144, May 24 / Rowhouse Red

First beer pic w/ my new Droid Thunderbolt
- a little better than my Blackberry

Day 144  /  May 24, 2011

Rowhouse Red

Philadelphia Brewing Company / Philadelphia, PA

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We wrap up the Philadelphia Brewing Company Beer Run with Rowhouse Red, which is apparently PBC’s take on a farmhouse ale.  Now, I’m no expert on beer, but I just sampled my way through six days of American and Belgian farmhouse ales, and to quote comedian John Pinette, “I say nay nay.”  This was more like your basic American Red Ale, lower in hops and bitterness than a Pale Ale, with just a little bite from the hops.  Of all the PBC beers in this run, I’d say this is the most “sessionable.”

So, I guess my ranking of the PBC’s beers, favorite to least, would be:

1 - Pennsylvania Pale Ale

2 - Kenziger Beer

3 - Newbold IPA

4 - Walt Wit

5 - Fleur de Lehigh

6 - Rowhouse Red

So, if you’re traveling up or down I-95 this summer, is it worth a detour into Philadelphia to pick up a case of PBC?  I’ll give it a 50/50.  On the whole, I think the portfolio of beers from other Pennsylvania breweries Victory and Troeg’s are better.  Of course, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Day 143, May 23 / Walt Wit Belgian Style White Ale

Day 143  /  May 23, 2011

Walt Wit Belgian Style White Ale

Philadelphia Brewing Company / Philadelphia, PA

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Continuing with their scheme of naming their beers after Philadelphia landmarks and history, PBC’s Walt Wit is a tribute to Walt Whitman, who resided in nearby Camden, NJ towards the end of his life, and has a big-ass blue bridge in Philadelphia named after him.  The “Wit” part of the name is also supposedly a reference to the way you’re supposed to order your cheese steak at Pat’s or Geno’s – either “wit” or “witout” onions.  And for the record, I think I prefer Geno’s.

Walt Wit is a Belgian Style White Ale, a traditional unfiltered wheat ale. This was not a specific taste of spices or fruit in this ale, and it was somewhat unremarkable.  I’d compare it to a Blue Moon or a Hoegaarden.

Day 142, May 22 / Newbold IPA

Day 142  /  May 22, 2011

Newbold IPA

Philadelphia Brewing Company / Philadelphia, PA

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Newbold is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia. Its boundaries are Washington Ave to W. Passyunk Ave, S Broad Street to S 18th Street (east to west).  And it is the inspiration for Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Newbold IPA.

Newbold IPA is a deep copper color, with a thin head.  It is brewed with Amarillo and Willamette hops, which give it a mild bitterness.  This is a decent IPA, the hops are definitely present, but not overpowering.

Day 141, May 21 / Fleur de Lehigh

Day 141  /  May 21, 2011

Fleur de Lehigh

Philadelphia Brewing Company / Philadelphia, PA

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Fleur de Lehigh is PBC’s Spring / Summer seasonal brew.  Beer Advocate calls it a Belgian Pale Ale.  It is an unfiltered golden ale, brewed with ginger root, lemon grass, rose hips, rhubarb, and cardamom.  That’s just about the entire contents of my spice drawer and my vegetable drawer.

I had this on tap at Atlantis, The Lost Bar, just across from the Philadelphia Brewing Company, and I really enjoyed it.  It had a fresh taste with a nice floral aroma.  However, when I had one from a bottle yesterday, it wasn’t quite the same.  It was still pretty good, but didn’t taste quite as fresh.

By the way, the picture on the label is Shibe Park, home of the Phillies from 1909 to 1976.  From 1953 to 1976 it was known as Connie Mack Stadium.