Last week we decided to take in a bit of Philadelphia, and managed to see five shows, check out two microbreweries, and even throw in some American cultural heritage sites!
The two microbreweries we managed to check out were Dock Street Brewing and Yards Brewing Company.
Incidentally, Yards Brewing is near the water, while Dock Street is in the very cool Cedar Park neighborhood. Yards definitely feels more like a tasting room, with a free standing bar surrounded by stools, and lots of schwag to be purchased lining the walls. They had some fantastic beers – Will enjoyed the Pynk – a sour beer brewed with cherries, that lacked the sweetness of, say, a kriek. I went ahead and tried out their Signature Flight – my favorite brew definitely being the Brawler – the closest thing to a real English bitter I have tasted in almost a year!
Originally a fire house, Dock Street Brewing’s current pub is a fantastic place with some pretty good brick oven pizza happening. We knew that they were the oldest microbrewery in Philly, but we were treated to some extra history while we sipped our brews. Originally founded in 1985, apparently a management company came in during the 1990’s and started to run it into the ground. The founders, Rosemarie Certo and Jeffrey Ware, wisely sold off the company, and when the management floundered, Certo re-purchased the company afresh and it is now a success again. Talk about empowered women!
I had their Summer In Berlin, as I was feeling a bit under the weather, and it really hit the spot. This sour beer brewed with ginger and lemongrass comes in at just 4%, and the acidity and ginger are light and well-balanced, making for a nice change of pace that is quite refreshing. Will enjoyed their Caliente, an ale brewed with (as you can imagine) chili peppers! The environment was warm and welcoming, and the clientele seemed like a friendly local community. Of course, the resident cats also warmed our feline-friendly hearts! We are definitely hoping to make it back during October to sample the Walking Dead beer – which is actually brewed with GOAT BRAINS – and will come out during the premiere of the show of the same name.
Both of these establishments are fantastic places to have a drink, and we are thrilled that we were able to make that happen! We also managed to take in the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. The Liberty Bell exhibition was one of those curated deals where they create a bunch of unneccessary clap trap around a monument, but the latter tour was really quite good, with really informed historians leading the way. And of course, we had Philly cheesesteaks, which were amazing, and scrapple, which was not so much!
Wish Experiences 
Thank you for visiting us, Trish! Did you know that many years ago our Head Brewer, Tim Roberts, brewed at Dock Street? In fact, he recently got back together with another Dock Street “old head”, Chris LaPierre (now of Iron Hill fame), to brew an original DS recipe from back in the day. We’re so proud of this great brewing city and are so glad you were able to enjoy some of the best Philly has to offer. Cheers! #loveyards