Grid Philly - March 2009 - (Page 23) and a robust crop of regional microbrew→ Tom Kehoe eries, like Stoudt’s, Victory and Flying of Yards Fish. proudly These new businesses produce a vahugs his company’s riety of unusual beers that actually have beer flavors other than the washed-out moldy bread taste of the big brewers, and are often tied in some way to our area. Yards produces a series of historical beers with recipes from Revolutionary times, like the rich and smoky General Washington Tavern Porter, and their hometown-named Philadelphia Pale Ale, which won an “excellent” nod from the New York Times in 2006 for its strong hoppy flavor and crisp finish. PBC has the Rowhouse Red, a full-bodied red farmhouse ale that references our predominant housing style, and the Walt Wit, a Belgian-style white beer named for the local poet. Local craft brewing is a growing concern, too. It’s a 5.1 billion dollar industry that grew 6.5 percent by volume and 11 percent in dollars from 2006-07. Also, the number of regional craft breweries grew from 49 to 53 and microbreweries from 359 to 392 in the same time period. And even with a sinking economy causing failures in other sectors, the alcohol industry, for obvious reasons, is usually recession-proof. Aside from different tastes, clever names and the boost to our local economy, there’s something else that draws people to local beer: a link between a craft, a place, and the people who made it. Something that ties together the history and future of a place into that special feeling you get when you realize that an area is your home. hilly’s craft beer industry rose out of the home brewing culture of an unknown number of basement bottlers—people who liked to make new and interesting beers for their friends and family. Some are members of the Homebrewers of Philadelphia and Suburbs, a local club that often meets at Home Sweet Homebrew, a brewing shop on Sansom St. Walk into the charming Homebrew and you’ll not only smell a rich, bready mixture of grains, but meet two fat, dusty orange cats, Jake and Elwood. George Hummel and wife Nancy Rigberg have run the shop for 22 years, well before craft beer was widely available or produced. They’ve seen the craft beer boom raise people’s interest in home brewing, and oddly enough, occasionally hurt their sales. “At one point, we found that sales were down Beer Week is coming and a lot of our customers were saying, ‘Well, to town for its secthere’s so much good beer out there—why should I ond anniversary from march 6-15. There’ll bother?’ And all of a sudden, a year or two goes by be all kinds of events and they realize that they miss the creative aspect and beers, including a of it—making something that’s yours.” beer and cigars night Bill Covaleski, of Victory Brewing Co. in Downat Yards on the 13th, ington, followed his passion for making something a homebrew swap at Dock Street on the 8th, that was his own into a successful local brewing a three-course meal company. “In 1985, I was a recent graduate of the with beer pairings at Tyler School of Art and I borrowed my dad’s home Jones and a special brewing kit,” he says. “I enjoyed it so much that I imperial stout that wanted to make it my real job.” After training in PBc brewed for the week. Don’t miss this the industry he helped start Victory in 1996. chance to enjoy the The other brewer actually in town, PBC, is one fun part of supporting of the youngest of the local craft local production. brewers. PBC was founded in phillybeerweek.org 2007 by Nancy and Bill Barton, ← who formally co-owned Yards George with Kehoe. When the two groups split, hummel from home Sweet PBC kept the Kensington brewery buildhomebrew ing, which historically was home to the mulls over Weisbrod & Hess Brewery, while Kehoe what beer to kept the Yards name. make next P Beer Week! m a r ch 20 0 9 g r i d p h i l ly. c o m 23 http://www.phillybeerweek.org http://www.gridphilly.com
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