Philadelphia: City of Brewerly Love

PHILADELPHIA, February 5, 2014 – As home to the world’s original and biggest craft beer week (Philly Beer Week), Philadelphia sets a high bar for beer events. In the city and suburbs, beerific happenings take place all year long that draw hundreds, if not thousands, of beer lovers. Here’s a selection of some of the oldest, largest, quirkiest and most popular celebrations of the artisanal sud:.

February:

• With the season of Christmas beers passed, roasty stouts and porters—especially those aged in bourbon barrels—warm up beer drinkers in February. The inaugural Winterfest 2014, The Great Philadelphia Winter Craft Beer Festival emphasizes these malty brews by serving them along with many other seasonally appropriate styles, hot foods, whiskeys and fire pits in the multiple beer gardens set up at Xfinity Live! February 1. upcomingevents.com/philadelphia/xfinity-live/winterfest
• At the Grey Lodge Pub, it hardly matters whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow. Instead, revelers at the annual Groundhog Day Beer Breakfast/Lucky Cat Day care more about the (human) Groundhog Day re-enactment, ugly Hawaiian shirt contest, Wissinoming Winnie (the cat) Beer Prognostication and certainly the aged kegs that owner Mike “Scoats” Scotese taps for special occasions. February 2. (215) 856-3591, greylodge.com
• As the American capital of the German Diaspora, Pennsylvania brews some of the nation’s best German-style beers, many of which are showcased at The German Society of Pennsylvania’sPhilly Bierfest, alongside counterparts imported from the fatherland. February 22. (215) 627-2332, phillybierfest.com
• World Cafe Live’s Beats, Brews and BBQ is an indoor beer-food-music fest that pairs the three for the price of one ticket. February 22. (215) 222-1400, worldcafelive.com

March:

• Called “one of the top 10 beer festivals in America” by Forbes Traveler, the Philly Craft Beer Festival returns under tents at the Philadelphia Naval Yard with more than 75 national and international breweries, food trucks and a VIP session that presents some very rare brews.
  March 1. (631) 940-7290, phillycraftbeerfest.com
• If there’s one annual event that Philly’s beer industry folk try not to miss, it’s Fair Food’s The Brewer’s Plate. Celebrating its 10^th anniversary at new digs at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the local-food fiesta pairs area brewers with chefs who prepare and serve bites to accompany their assigned beers. A VIP ticket ups the ante with exclusive offerings such as unreleased beers, local collaborations and celebrity guests. March 9. brewersplate.com

April:

• Craft beer shares the spotlight with Pennsylvania wines, spirits and distinguished restaurants at FARE Philadelphia, a semi-formal festival at The Fuge in Warminster that pairs artisanal food, drink and provisions to create an event that showcases the best in each of them. April 27. farephiladelphia.com

May:

• Two of the city’s primary nightlife producers attempt to break into the Guinness Book of World Records by gathering the largest group ever to participate in a pub crawl. Calling their endeavorThe Crawl, they hope to beat the current record of 4,885 by sending 15,000 pub crawlers to bars in at least eight neighborhoods around the city. May 3. thecrawl.com
• To help raise money to operate the historic Washington Crossing Park, 50 breweries descend on the pastoral landscape by the Delaware River for the Washington Crossing Brewfest.
  May 3. washingtoncrossingbrewfest.com/
• Come May, the question, “Are you going to the goat races?” reverberates throughout the region’s craft community. The Sly Fox Bock Festival & Goat Race brings 2,500 to 3,000 humans and several dozen goats to the Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery for a day of races. The winner lends his or her name to the seasonal Maibock-style beer released that day. May 4. (610) 935-4540,slyfoxbeer.com
• The South Philadelphia Tap Room calls its Wheat Beer Fest its all-time favorite event. Live music, barbeque and more than 30 wheat beers on tap (for three dollars each) help explain why. May 17 (215) 271-7787, southphiladelphiataproom.com
• It’s the largest beer celebration in the U.S. Lasting 10 days and nights, Philly Beer Week attracts people from all over who come together for festivals, beer-pairing dinners, spirited homebrew competitions, citywide pub crawls and meet-and-greets. May 30-June 8. phillybeerweek.org
• The International Great Beer Expo brings 75 international brewers to pour more than 200 beers from underneath tents on the Marine Parade Grounds at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. May 31.(631) 940-7290, greatbeerexpo.com

June:

• The riverfront grounds of Pennsbury Manor, William Penn’s 43-acre country estate, paint a picturesque landscape for Brews & Bites. Four hundred guests wander around the property sampling regional beers and food and watch brewing and open hearth-cooking demos. June 14. (215) 946-0400, pennsburymanor.org
• New Jersey brewers showcase their liquid delights at the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild Beer Festival, a tasting festival on deck of Camden’s Battleship New Jersey, which provides a panoramic view of the Delaware River, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the Philly skyline. June 28. njbeer.org

July:

• Philadelphia beer lovers love costume and competition—two activities showcased at Nodding Head’s Royal Stumble, where brewers and drinkers dress themselves according to a pre-selected theme and compete to see whose keg kicks first. July 12. (215) 569-9525, noddinghead.com
• Philadelphia Zoo’s Summer Ale Festival proves year after year that zoos aren’t just for kids. Adults leave the family behind to sip beers from the Philly area and beyond in combination with chef-prepared foods set against a resplendent background of birds, great apes, big cats and other wildlife. July 19. (215) 243-1100, philadelphiazoo.org

August:

• Where better to celebrate craft beer than in the neighborhood that helped launch the craze? All afternoon and evening, Northern Liberties vendors close down North 2^nd Street for the family-friendly 2^nd Street Festival, complete withbeer gardens, food, workshops, art and music and event stages programmed by the Philadelphia Folksong Society. August 3. 2ndstfestival.org

September:

• What’s more American than baseball and beer? Thirty craft breweries take beer drinkers out to the ball game at Beer Fest & BBQ at the Ballpark, held at McFadden’s Ballpark, where the live bands and DJs work up the crowd and the Phillies keep it roaring. September 14. upcomingevents.com/philadelphia/beerfest-at-the-ballpark/
• Boasting relatively rare appearances by sought-after breweries like Bell’s, Founders, Bullfrog and Clown Shoes, the Newtown Beerfest draws otherwise festival-weary connoisseurs to the parking lots of the Newtown Stocking Works Complex, overflowing with approximately 100 different beer producers. September 20. newtownbeerfest.com
• Frankford Hall’s Oktoberfest lasts two weeks. The main event takes place on a Saturday and features German beer, a mobile German bier pub, BBQ and German food stations, warm Bavarian pretzels, pony rides and carnival games on Frankford Avenue. In the week leading up to the block party, the beer garden hosts extended happy hours and stein-holding contests and offers new beer releases and specials. September 20. (267) 909-8814, frankfordhall.com
• Classic rock station WMGK fires up the cannons at MGK Brew Blast, a beer-tasting on the deck of the Battleship New Jersey that features 50 breweries, live music, free tours of the ship and unbeatable views of the skyline. September 20. brewblast.wmgk.com
• Xtoberfest sets up a maze of beer tents, games, demonstrations and 150 Oktoberfest-style beers at this German-themed party, taking place at the Xfinity Live! complex. September 20.upcomingevents.com/philadelphia/xfinity-live/xtoberfest/
• Pour the Core: A Hard Cider Festival, the region’s second annual cider festival, introduces attendees to 40 manufacturers of the rapidly popularizing beverage. The outdoor fall fest also programs educational workshops. September 27. (631) 940-7290, pourthecore.com
• German bier hall Brauhaus Schmitz closes down the 700 block of South Street for an all-day Oktoberfest that celebrates the holiday with live oompah music, a traditional pig roast, 2,000 pounds of cooked sausage, a liter-lifter competition, a schnapps tasting and much more. September 2014 (exact date TBA). (267) 909-8814, brauhausschmitz.com
• In what may be the region’s only exclusive tribute to smoked beers, Yards Brewing Co. pairs more than two dozen smoked beers from craft breweries around the world with barbeque and other smoked food cooked by amateur enthusiasts at the indoor/outdoor Smoke ’Em if Yous Got ’Em. September 2014 (exact date TBA). (215) 634-2600, yardsbrewing.com

October:

• King of Prussia Beerfest Royale brings King of Prussia’s restaurants together with craft and international brewers to serve up bites and brews to thousands of attendees. The event takes place in the parking lot of the King of Prussia Mall, and several stages of live music add to the festive atmosphere. October 2-4. (484) 681-9452, kopbeerfest.com
• Historic Kennett Square raises money for its operations with Kennett Brewfest, an outdoor afternoon opportunity to sample some of the best regional and national craft beers accompanied by food, live music, vendors and a VIP tasting. October 11. (610) 444-8188, kennettbrewfest.com
• The South of South Neighborhood Association partners with some neighboring businesses to produce Bloktoberfest, an all-ages, free-to-attend celebration of beer, food and music that stretches across the afternoon and along four blocks of South Street. October 18.bloktoberfestphilly.com
• More pumpkin beers get poured at The Institute bar’s Pumpkin Beer Festival than anywhere else in the country. How? One ticket grants an afternoon’s worth of access to more than 80 gourd beers, along with ciders, lambics, sours and a few styles brewed exclusively for the fest. October 2014 (exact date TBD). (267) 318-7772, institutebar.com

November:

• Even craft beer drinkers who feel they’ve “been there, done that” about many events get onboard the Craft Beer Express, a day-long bus crawl through some of the city’s most seriously minded craft-beer pubs. November 8. craftbeerexpress.com

December:

• Producers of the Philly Craft Beer Festival return to the Philadelphia area with the Valley Forge Beer Festival at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. Fifty brewers pour more than
  100 beers over two sessions. December 6. (631) 940-7290, valleyforgebeerfest.com
• Xfinity Live!hosts its second outdoor Winterfest of the year with heated beer tents, winter warmer styles and thousands of beer lovers huddling together over fire pits for warmth. December 6.upcomingevents.com/philadelphia/xfinity-live/winterfest/

 

 

Note: This is an official press release from Visit Philadelphia, the official visitor and tourism site for the city of Philadelphia.