Courtesy Victory Brewing Company
Have you tried Victory’s Sour Monkey yet?
Category Archives: News
National IPA Day!
Troegs Perpetual IPA is a solid IPA worthy of celebrating National IPA day – or any day for that matter!
There was a time not so long ago when celebrating National IPA Day meant you needed to search out a West Coast IPA. It’s a great time we’ve living in when you can find excellent IPAs across the country from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, to Tampa, Florida to Tempe, Arizona! Cheers to IPAs everywhere!
Cheers!
The Brewholder
Copyright 2016 – all rights reserved
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant to Open 12th Location in Huntingdon
Iron Hill announced this week that it will be opening another location – in Huntingdon Valley, PA. Here’s the press release:
IRON HILL SET TO OPEN 12TH LOCATION
Owners Kevin Finn, Kevin Davies and Mark Edelson will open their doors on
Tuesday, August 2, at 5 p.m. in Huntingdon Valley Shopping Center
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA – On Tuesday, August 2 at 5 p.m., the region’s most-awarded and fastest-growing collection of brewpubs, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, will add a new location, their 12th across DE, NJ and PA, in Huntingdon Valley Shopping Center (785 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006). The newest Iron Hill will focus on serving hand-crafted beer and from-scratch food, using only fresh, high quality ingredients designed to delight customers, all with the invitingly casual service and welcoming setting that have become the company’s signature over the past two decades. Co-FoundersKevin Finn, Kevin Davies and Mark Edelson will continue Iron Hill’s company-wide commitment to giving back to the communities where their brewpubs are located through a range of ambitious and worthy charitable initiatives.
Head Brewer Doug Marchakitus will guide brewing operations in Huntingdon Valley after spending the past three years at Iron Hill North Wales, and will open with Iron Hill’s six house beers on draught. In addition, Iron Hill Huntingdon Valley will serve the brewery’s most award-winning beers spanning their 20 years in business, including Bedotter, Crusher and Mahalo, Apollo! Following Iron Hill’s forward-thinking brewpub model, where each individual location has their own head brewer, Marchakitus will be free to experiment with interesting ingredients in the brewhouse and will debut Hopicana, a brand new IPA brewed with Chinook hops and infused with orange zest.
Finn, Davies and Edelson enlisted Street Sense, a design firm with offices in Bethesda, MD and Washington, DC, to create their new Huntingdon Valley restaurant, featuring comfortable dining areas, an open kitchen and an exposed microbrewery. The architects have created a brighter, more contemporary design allowing for all-access views of the brewery, which is highly visible behind the bar and enclosed in glass. Iron Hill Huntingdon Valley’s open footprint also showcases convivial communal tables and reach-in refrigerators at the host stand, permitting guests ample opportunities to take home their most popular and award-winning seasonal beers in both 16-oz cans and 750mL reserve bottles.
Huntingdon Valley will also feature Iron Hill’s first-ever Beer Garden, an outdoor bar and patio area with 40 communal seats and tables, complemented by free-standing Adirondack chairs, that will remain open in the brisker months (except winter), with the addition of heaters. The outdoor bar, covered by a canopy, will include 16 draft taps and a thoughtful selection of house wines. The restaurant’s full menu of tantalizing shared plates and composed dishes will be offered to guests choosing to dine al fresco. The Beer Garden will open in early August.
Iron Hill Huntingdon Valley marks another massive step in the careful growth of the company, after announcing their partnership with A&M Capital Opportunities, a private-equity firm. With a sterling reputation for great beer, Iron Hill collected five medals at the 2016 World Beer Cup held this past May. Company-wide, their beers have accumulated 44 medals from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF)and 30 medals from the World Beer Cup (WBC), the nation’s top beer festivals, including WBC top honors of “Champion Brewery and Brewmaster” on three separate occasions (2010, 2012, 2014). In addition, their restaurants have earned more than 100 “Best of” nods from local and national publications.
About Iron Hill … Founded by home brewers Kevin Finn and Mark Edelson and restaurateur Kevin Davies in Newark, DE in 1996, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has blossomed from one restaurant and brewery to 12 locations across the mid-Atlantic. Each restaurant is dedicated to producing and serving top-quality hand-crafted beers and cuisine in a warm and hospitable setting, and all are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. In 2014, Zagat honored Iron Hill by naming them the most popular restaurant in Philadelphia, and their beers have earned 44 medals from the Great American Beer Festival in an unbroken 19-year winning streak that continues today. In November 2016, Iron Hill will celebrate their 20thAnniversary.
Locations include … Newark, DE (147 East Main Street, 302-266-9000); Wilmington, DE (620 Justison Street, 302-472-2739); Media, PA (30 East State Street, 610-627-9000); West Chester, PA (3 West Gay Street, 610-738-9600); North Wales, PA (1460 Bethlehem Pike, 267-708-2000); Phoenixville, PA (130 East Bridge Street, 610-983-9333); Lancaster, PA (781 Harrisburg Pike, 717-291-9800); Maple Shade, NJ (124 East Kings Highway, 856-273-0300); Voorhees, NJ (13107 Town Center Boulevard, 856-545-9009); Chestnut Hill, PA (8400 Germantown Avenue, 215-948-5600); Ardmore, PA (60 Greenfield Avenue, 610-228-2280); and Huntingdon Valley (785 Huntingdon Pike, 610-602-9255).
Evil Genius Brew Garden Celebrates New Brewery
Evil Genius Brewing Company, known for their pop culture-named beer like “Hold Me Closer Tony Danza” IPA and “Ma! The Meatloaf!” Mango Wit, have opened a new brewery location in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia. To celebrate, Evil Genius, in conjunction with Home Brewed Events, will be hosting a beer garden from July – October. The press release is below – stop by and enjoy!
Evil Genius Brew Garden Press Release 6.29.2016
Cheers!
The Brewholder
Copyright 2016 – all rights reserved
Victory Brewing’s Prima Pils Updated For Summer 2016
Prima Pils by the Pool!
Victory Brewing recently refreshed its Prima Pils by updating the label with a classic look and putting it into a can for easy transport this summer. According to a press release from Victory:
“With the decision to put Prima in cans, creating ‘portable Pils perfection,’ we decided to refresh the label, too,” said Victory’s co-founder and Brewmaster, Bill Covaleski. “The liquid is the same as it’s been for 20 years but we wanted to brighten the label and boldly state what our loyal fans have been saying for decades: “PRIMA PILS PERFECTION SINCE 1996.”
Prima Pils on the go in the summer!
I’ll be honest – it had been a long time since I’d had Prima Pils, but when I saw the new label (and needed cans vs. glass for poolside), I figured I’d circle back and try it again. Let’s just say I’m hooked. Prima Pils – in a can – is perfect for throwing in a cooler and taking with you on your summer excursions (or just to your backyard pool!) My friends and I have already been through a few cases and it’s not even July yet!
If you haven’t had a Prima Pils in a while, try it again – I think it’s a perfect compliment to the heat of summer picnics and sitting on the beach.
Cheers!
The Brewholder
Copyright 2016 – all rights reserved
Philly Beer Week 2016 is here!!
Once again the City of Brotherly Love is showing its love for brew to the World! On Friday, June 3, 2016, the official opening of Philly Beer Week 2016 began at the Fillmore in Fishtown, with a beer festival / celebration of all things beer – The Opening Tap!
Anxiously awaiting the arrival of the HOG to open to first keg of PBW!
For those holding VIP tickets, the doors opened at 6pm – all the breweries on the main floor were giving out their samples, while some newcomers – Brewery ARS, Hidden River, Highway Manor, and Death of the Fox – delighted with their tasty brews upstairs.
VIP session with Highway Manor’s excellent strawberry and blueberry sours.
As it neared 7:00pm, anticipation began to rise for the arrival of the Hammer of Glory (The HOG), the sledgehammer used to crack open the first keg of Philly Beer Week – that had begun its Olympic-torch like journey from bar to bar since 8am. Once it arrived, Joe Ortlieb, 91 years young, used the HOG to get the Brotherly Suds 7 flowing – “Ryebock Lager,” a collaboration beer between “The Big 7” Philly brewers – Sly Fox, Yards, Victory, Iron Hill, Flying Fish, Stoudts and Troegs.
The view from the mezzanine of the beautiful Fillmore.
Casey Parker and Will Reed welcome the HOG to the stage!
Check out my Facebook page and Instagram for videos of the tapping of the keg and Joe Ortlieb’s toast!
Once the beer was flowing, the beer festival began – and so did Philly Beer Week!
Here’s a few more photos as the celebration continued! As Joe said in his toast – “Good beer, good friends, GOOD TIMES!” – that’s what Philly Beer Week is all about! Hope to see you out there!
On this night you can call me The Hogholder.
Will Reed of The Standard Tap brings the HOG to the stage!
A Victory Yakima Glory at Johnny Brenda’s was a perfect end to the first night of Philly Beer Week!
The Stanley Growler Test – #thebrewholderstanleytest
When I was at the Craft Brewers Conference this month, I visited the Stanley Products booth at the Brew Expo to check out the Stanley Growler. I had only heard about them for the first time in February – a friend had one filled with Oskar Blues Ten Fidy – and I was impressed!
If you haven’t heard about the Stanley Growler yet, here’s the deal: a stainless steel, double wall, vacuum insulated body, this growler is advertised to keep beer cold for 16 hours! When I was drinking the Ten Fidy – an imperial stout – in February, I wasn’t too concerned about the coldness. But now in the summer months – and my affinity for pilsners and saisons at picnics and outdoor events – keeping them cold is paramount!
So I acquired two full sized Stanley growlers (as well as a lidless Stanley tumbler that is advertised to keep beer cold for 4 hours), and over the next few weeks I’m going to put them to the test! Follow me – #thebrewholderstanleytest – on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to see how the Stanley Growler stacks up!
Cheers!
The Brewholder
Copyright 2016 – all rights reserved
Fireside Grille in Ambler Celebrates 10 years – with Craft Brew
The Fireside Grille, in Ambler, Pennsylvania, is celebrating 10 years of success and community involvement in 2016. Read my interview with owner, Pete Penna, in Ticket To Entertainment here.
Cheers!
The Brewholder
Copyright 2016 – all rights reserved
Wrap-up: Craft Brewers Conference 2016 in Philadelphia
Holy cow! In case you missed it, last week the Brewers Association held its 2016 Craft Brewers Conference right here in Philadelphia. My preview was in Ticket to Entertainment last week – read it here.
Check back soon for a summary of my experience during #CBC2016 – from the first tasting of the Brotherly Suds 7 “Rye Bock Lager” to my interview of Greg Koch, founder of Stone Brewing Company, to the GEA event at XFinity Live! to the winners of the World Beer Cup…and everything in between!
It was truly an amazing experience for a beer fan, that is for sure!
Cheers!
The Brewholder
Copyright 2016 – all rights reserved
Victory Brewing Announces Two New Beers For Spring
“I like to ride my bicycle” – and then have a Cage Radler!
It was a busy week for Victory Brewing Company, as it announced two new beers perfect for the warming temperatures!
First was the “Hoppy White Ale,” a beer brewed exclusively for The Pour House, member of the P.J.W. Restaurant Group. According to the press release, “Hoppy White Ale will be available by the pint for $5 in all three The Pour House locations. Hand-carved wooden tap handles and branded Hoppy White beer glasses were created to complete the experience. Hoppy White is a full-bodied wheat beer with heavy citrus aromas. At 5.9% ABV it is extremely drinkable and refreshing with orange and earthy hop flavors due to the heavy usage of Citra hops late in the boil.”
On April 15, Victory announced the release of “Cage Radler” a “…light, thirst-quenching lager with a lemony twist serves as a smile and a nod to outdoor enthusiasts and beer lovers alike that the warm weather is here meaning one thing: it’s playtime. The radler, Victory’s newest creation and an ode to the German word for ‘cyclist’, blends a light lager with lemons, resulting in a clean, crisp and thirst-quenching taste.”
From the press release for Radler:
““Addressing our consumers’ thirst for quality and innovation is our pleasure and we expect to deliver plenty of summertime pleasure with this release. Ready to enjoy with all outdoor activities, Cage Radler, delivers quenching flavor and on-the-go convenience with cans as well as bottles,” said Victory’s President and Brewmaster, Bill Covaleski.
Radler, the German word for ‘cyclist’, came about on a warm June day in 1922 when Franz Xaver Kugler, the owner of a Bavarian inn, was running out of beer while his bar was occupied by thirsty, demanding cyclists. Thinking on his feet, he added lemon-lime soda to dunkel lager and the tasty result became fondly forever known as the radler.
Today, radlers commonly consist of half-fruit soda, half-beer and are still popular among active drinkers who crave a refreshing, low alcohol beverage on their journey. The perfect toast to spring and summer, Victory’s Cage Radler is made with all natural ingredients. It pours a golden, lemony yellow with an inviting white foam on top. Slightly hazy and entirely rejuvenating, it features fresh, effervescent citrus combined against a light, yet flavorful, body while carefully balancing sharp notes of lemonade and citrusy zest with earthy, grainy characters. Containing Tettnang Mittelfrueh hops and pilsner malts, this good vibe beer also has an easygoing ABV of 3.0%. With the low ABV but intense tanginess, the radler is ideal for cooling down post-activity and can be best enjoyed outside.”
Look for Hoppy White Ale at The Pourhouse locations in North Wales, Exton and Westmont, NJ, and Cage Radler in bars, restaurants and distributors!
Cheers!
The Brewholder
Copyright 2016 – all rights reserved