Philadelphia Weekly

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Hallelujah! Beer Week is here! It’s like Christmas for alcoholics and, yes, those who relish lovingly handcrafted artisanal beer. Even if you’re in town to simply discuss the hop content of a Troeganator as compared to a Hop Devil or to wax on ancient Egyptian recipes for beer etched on the walls of pyramids with like-minded beer geeks, you will get drunk. Some of you will even get Shane MacGowan-on-a-mission drunk. And if that last train has pulled out of 30th Street Station and you ain’t on it, the thought of a bouncy cab ride home might not appeal.
So why not stay over at one of the city’s hotels that care enough to cater to the beer class of America. So savor one or eight more Ommegang before bedtime, and do things the safe way: Sleep where you drink.

Benjamin Franklin’s quip “Wish not so much to live long as to live well” is the unofficial motto of the bar at XIX (200 S. Broad St. 215.893.1234) in the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, and they do walk what they talk. The small but formidable draft beer list, served up by affable bartenders dressed a bit like Danny Bonaduce from his Partridge Family days, consists of such heavy hitters as New York’s Ommegang Witte, a fruity-smooth wheat IPA, the Dogfish Head 60-minute IPA from Delaware, the locally ubiquitous Yuengling lager and Tröegs somehow watermelony Rugged Nut Brown Ale. Their badass beer choices are matched by the food, a sampling of the best their restaurant and cafe has to offer. American-style sashimi, grilled Spanish baby octopus, crispy calamari with sweet and sour chili sauce (that goes great with the Tröegs), and sliders that come in cheeseburger, po-boy, crab-cake and pork-belly varieties make the elegant atmosphere that much more accessible. One visit here and it won’t take long for you to “come on, get happy.”

The reason the Four Seasons is the Four Seasons is because they do things right, and Beer Week is no exception. Their bar, the Swann Lounge (1 Logan Square, 215.963.1500), will be home to some of the most impressive Beer Week events put together by the capable hands of food and beverage director Krysta Scully, somellier and Downingtown native Scott Turnbull, and their freshly minted executive chef and cheesesteak magician. It all kicks off on March 10 with the Four Seasons of Victory Beer Dinner hosted by none other than Bill Covaleski. The kitchen will be pairing a beer for each season—spring (Abbey 6, a crisp amber beer with Belgian qualities), summer (the citrusy Prima Pils), fall (the “versatile” Festbier) and winter (Baltic Thunder, which brings the roasted caramel thunder)—with a dish meant to accentuate the flavors of each beer.
On March 11, Tom Kehoe makes an appearance to host his own Yards beer dinner and he’s sure to have his slightly lower-in-alcohol, pugilist-style ale, the Brawler, in tow; as claimed on the Yards website: “This malt-forward, ruby-colored ale is great when you want to go a few rounds.”
And last but not least, as the piece de resistance of everything happening this week, Fritz Maytag from Anchor Brewing—the granddaddy of American microbreweries—will bring his expertise and oracle-like foresight to host his own beer dinner. If you can’t afford all or any of these dinners, there are free meet-and-greets from 5 to 7 each night before the dinner; no ticket necessary. The Four Seasons is also offering discount rates for those attending Beer Week, and because they are who they are, the Four Seasons have stocked the mini bars to the gills with Victory’s Prima Pils.
 
The plush couches at Tavern 17 (220 South 17th St. 215.790.1799) at the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel in Rittenhouse Square are perfect for relaxing with a crisp pint from their region-centric draft selection. Flying Fish, Dogfish Head and Tröegs all make an appearance, but the hop-heavy beers of Victory Brewing Company take up the most tap space. And on March 11, the brewery kicks off the Tavern’s Philadelphia Beer Week lineup of events with an Extreme Hops happy hour hosted by Victory’s own John Rubino. For $20 you can sample the floral and robustly bitter Hop Wallop; the hoppy, smooth-finishing and very popular Hop Devil; and the punch-you-in-the-mouth 9.1 percent malty Storm King.
The festivities continue on March 12 with Flying Fish’s Meet the Brewer, when brewmaster Chuck Ott will be doling out free samples of his classic English-style ales, the amber ESB Ale made with five kinds of malt and the Extra Pale Ale, the most popular craft beer at Citizens Bank Park. On Fri., March 13, a mere $40 will have you rubbing elbows from 6-9pm with Tony Forder, editor of Ale Street News, “the most widely circulated beer newspaper in the country,” as he co-hosts an extreme beer “artisan flights and bites” event where unusual selections of beer like Voodoo Love Child and Eel River Exultation are paired with a “menu item created to enhance the taste”.
It’s all wrapped up on Sat., March 14, from 6-9pm when the more than loquacious Wendy Domurat brings out samples of the “off-centered ales” of Dogfish Head. Wendy is a geyser of information and when prodded has been known to do a mean peanut butter jelly time dance.