Categorized under: brew festivals, press release

Philly Beer Week – 2009

BUILDING ON FIRST YEAR’S SUCCESS, PHILLY BEER WEEK ANNOUNCES DATES FOR 2009

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The second-annual Philly Beer Week (PBW), which celebrates the city’s vibrant beer culture, will take place from Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 15, 2009. Co-chairs Don Russell (a.k.a. Daily News columnist Joe Sixpack), Monk’s Cafe Owner Tom Peters and Bruce Nichols, president of Museum Catering Company, are again at the helm of this sprawling series of exciting events. The 10-day event is poised to build on last year’s attendance, conservatively estimated at 15,000 people who attended more than 100 events.

“Philadelphia is, without a doubt, the best beer-drinking city in America,” says noted author Russell. “It’s so exciting to finally be able to embrace this important part of our regional culture in such a diverse, fun-filled way. Everyone, from amateur drinkers to advanced home-brewers, will find something to interest them during Philly Beer Week.”

The over-the-top 2009 line-up will include beer elite such as: Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River Brewing Company), Tomme Arthur (The Lost Abbey), Rob Tod (Allagash), Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery), Phil Markoski (Southampton Publick House) and Adam Avery (Avery Brewing). Joining the national line-up will be regional beer stars, among them Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head), Carol Stoudt (Stoudt’s Brewing Co.) and representatives of brewing powerhouses including Victory Brewing Company, Triumph Brewery, Sly Fox Brewing Company, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Philadelphia Brewing Company, Yards Brewing Company, Dock Street Brewing Company, Flying Fish Brewing Company, Troegs Brewing Company, Lancaster Brewing Company and Nodding Head Brewpub.

“We are very close to announcing some exciting new additions to the 2009 schedule,” said Peters. “You can almost feel the center of gravity in the beer world shifting. People want to be part of what is happening right here in Philadelphia.”

Already-scheduled 2009 events will include: The Opening Tap on Friday, March 6; the Philadelphia Craft Brewers Festival on Saturday, March 7 and Meet The Brewers Day, with more than 25 participating brewers at a host of local bars and restaurants, on Monday, March 9.

Called a “coming-out party for Philadelphia’s beer culture” by Nichols, the week-long series of events will represent all aspects of beer culture, from tastings in cozy neighborhood taprooms of locally crafted brews (often for as little as $3 or $4 per draught) to educational offerings such as guided tastings and lectures to prix-fixe beer-pairing dinners across Philadelphia.

Last year’s event line-up included: the Brewer’s Plate, which paired brewers and chefs for a walk-around tasting and dinner and raised nearly $30,000 for White Dog Community Enterprises, a local charity; the Real Ale Festival, a collaboration between more than 20 local breweries that highlighted cask-conditioned ales; Ladies Beer Tea, a twist on high tea serving tea sandwiches and desserts paired with beers; and The Great Local Beer Reception and Dinner, a celebration of the six local breweries that brought home medals from the Great American Beer Festival.

For general information, including the ever-expanding schedule of events and list of participants, please visit www.phillybeerweek.org.

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What makes Philly “the best beer-drinking city in America”?

Tradition. Philadelphia has been crafting beers for more than 300 years, since the days of William Penn. It’s no coincidence that our forefathers wrote the Declaration of Independence in colonial taverns! We brewed America’s first lager, and we practically invented porter. We were already famous for beer when Milwaukee was nothing more than a cow pasture.

Diversity. While most American craft breweries focus on regional interpretations of one or two styles of ale, Philly-area brewers produce more varieties of beer than any other region in America. Every conceivable style – from bock and pilsner to extreme beer and wild ale – is made within 50 miles of our City Hall.

Neighborhoods. Instead of plastic pubs in non-descript shopping centers, Philadelphia’s taverns are the real thing. Good beer is served in old-time corner bars and newly rehabbed saloons in the same neighborhoods where people live and work. Beer is not a mere fad here; it is a social lubricant of our daily life.

People. Philadelphia is known around the world for our savvy beer-drinkers. Many of the best imported German lagers and Belgian ales are shipped first to Philadelphia, while the rest of the country has to be satisfied with meager leftovers. Meanwhile, every American microbrewery either sends its kegs to Philadelphia, or wishes it could.

Choices. This one is simple: at last count, there were more than 400 great places to grab a great beer in our city and nearby suburbs.

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