Tannery Run Brew Works Holds Soft Opening In Ambler, PA

Tannery Run Brew Works held their soft opening this weekend in Ambler, PA.  Named for the waterway that runs under the town, Tannery Run Brew Works has been long awaited by Ambler locals, being highly visible and serving samples of their brews during recent local events.

Tannery Run is located in the old Twisters studio on Butler Avenue in the heart of Ambler.   The redesigned space is filled with warmth, from the antique style lighting to the wood highlights throughout.   A mural depicting a water mill on one of the walls evokes memories of simpler times and the beginnings of Ambler Borough.  In anticipation of warmer weather, a garage door has been installed in the front wall, but for now it enhances the welcome feel of the space by bringing in more natural light to the room.

On the evening I visited, Tannery Run served six varieties of their beer – “Wild Horses” German Pilsner, “Premier” Pale Ale, “Blue Dragon” Belgian IPA, “Sympathy For The Devil” Belgian Tripel, “Leeloo Dallas” multigrain Pale Ale, and “Radio Diva” multigrain Belgian Ale.  Taken as a whole, the beers were enjoyable and lent themselves well to hearty discussions with friends over the course of an evening.  There were no experimental beer styles or strong flavors on the menu, which is understandable for a soft opening, but I would liked to have seen at least one adventurous brew.

Also on the menu for the evening were a variety of cocktails and wines, however, I  only drank their beer so I will defer any opinions to liquor and wine bloggers!

Tannery Run has a full kitchen and will offer items that complement their brews.   I tried two flatbreads – one had pork belly, onions, sesame, and pineapple with an Asian style sauce, and the other had goat cheese, figs, and balsamic onions.  Both had the right amount of flavor to enhance the beer – and make me want more!

All in all, Tannery Run Brew Works’s soft opening left me optimistic that there is space in Ambler for more than one brewery.   With some fine tuning on their food menu and brews, there is no doubt that Tannery Run will be able to carve out a comfortable place for itself in Ambler’s vibrant restaurant scene.  I look forward to returning soon to see the finished product!

Tannery Run Brew Works is located 131 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA. Their Grand Opening will be held on Friday, March 15, 2019, beginning at 12 noon.

Cheers!

The Brewholder

Copyright 2019 – all rights reserved

Philly Beer Week is here – Opening Tap tonight at the Fillmore

After much anticipation, Philly Beer Week is back!

Opening Tap is tonight at the Fillmore, with the first keg being tapped at 7:20!   But until after the special VIP hour from 6 – 7!   Here’s what Philly Loves Beer (www.phillylovesbeer.org) is saying about the VIP Session:

Check out a sampling from our list of VIP Beers, available EXCLUSIVELY to OT VIP guests:
Southern Tier Sapsquatch
Troegs Scratch 284
Weyerbacher Finally Legal
Yards Brewbik’s Cube [a collaboration with the Philadelphia Science Festival]
Free Will Funky Hoppy People
Captain Lawrence American Funk
Heavy Seas PartnerShips [a collaboration with Union Craft Brewing]
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)
2SP, Forest & Main, Crime & Punishment, Second District Velcro Fweak
Coppertail Purple Drink
Ploughman Cider Pinot N’Arlet
Evolution Lot 215
Levante 3D Hippo
..and plenty more to put in your special glass..

Hope to see you there tonight, and round the city all week long!

Cheers!

The Brewholder

Copyright 2017 – all rights reserved

Philly Beer Week is coming – and a new Lager from Sly Fox

Philly Beer Week starts this Thursday night with opening tap!   And Sly Fox has just announced that it has created a new lager that will be released for the occasion- the press release is below.

Hope to see you out and about during Philly Beer Week!

SLY FOX TO DEBUT NORTHERN LIBERTIES STANDARD LAGER
The beer is a collaboration between Brewmaster Brian O’Reilly, Standard Tap’s William Reed and fourth-generation brewer Bill Moeller, who worked at Philly’s historic Ortlieb’s and Schmidt’s breweries and developed the original recipe for modern classic Brooklyn Lager

On Thursday, June 1 at approximately 5:27 p.m. beer lovers following the Philly Beer Week Hammer of Glory (HOG) Relay are in for an extra-special treat: when the official keg hammer reaches Standard Tap, it will be used for a ceremonial first tapping of Northern Liberties Standard Lager. Brewed collaboratively by Sly Fox Brewing Company, Standard Tap owner William Reed and 91-year-old Bill Moeller, this extraordinary lager puts Moeller’s encyclopedic knowledge of beer as a fourth-generation brewer and brewing consultant on historic display on what is sure to be an instant classic in Philadelphia’s thriving beer scene. Standard Tap (901 North 2nd Street) will also host a debut brunch for Northern Liberties Standard Lager on Sunday, June 4 starting at 11 a.m. with O’Reilly, Reed and Moeller leading a meet-and-greet at 12 noon.

“Researching and brewing this beer with Bill has been an amazing opportunity, reminding me how much I still have to learn,” says O’Reilly. “Bill was brewing for 28 years in iconic Philadelphia breweries such as Ortlieb’s and Schmidt’s, at a time before home brewing was even legal in the United States. It’s a real honor to debut this collaborative brew with a true living legend – a man who helped put the Northern Liberties neighborhood on the beer map – during the 10th anniversary of Philly Beer Week.”

The inspiration for Northern Liberties Standard Lager struck when O’Reilly, Reed and Moeller were scrolling through Bills’ father’s malting and brewing notebook and discovered a lager recipe, dated February 6, 1920. At 5.8% ABV, the beer is very drinkable and fresh, brewed with German Two-Row, Caramel and Munich malts, and hopped with Cascade and Hallertau hops. They also used kräusening, a process that Bill requested, wherein about 10% young, still-fermenting beer is added to the aging beer, creating a secondary fermentation that adds flavor and carbonates the beer naturally.

“The long lager-ing period of near freezing temperatures is essential, as it smooths out the beer and rids it of rough-tasting tannins,” says Moeller. “I believe that kräusening produces beautiful complexity in a lager beer, and I was thrilled that Brian and Will were up for it. This is a beer with hair on its chest!”

Per Bill’s orders, a real lager must adhere to a “low and slow” fermentation process and age for at least six weeks. The final product is medium-firm bodied, with deep copper color, complex malty nose and balanced, brassy malt-hop finish. Northern Liberties Standard Lager is the latest installment in an ongoing series of collaboration beers started in 2008 between Sly Fox and Standard Tap and will be available at Standard Tap, Johnny Brenda’s (also owned by Reed) and at Sly Fox locations in Pottstown, PA and Phoenixville, PA.

“Reading Bill’s father’s meticulous hand-written notes made the family’s lengthy brewing tradition really come alive, and it’s very exciting to be able to pour the fruits of so much effort and history,” says Reed. “Fittingly, Northern Liberties Standard Lager will debut just a half-block from where lager brewing began in America.”

Moeller is a fourth-generation brewmaster and World War II veteran who has spent 67 years in the beer industry, tracing his brewing roots back to his paternal great grandfather, an accomplished brewer in his native Germany. Moeller started his own brewing career at Drewry’s in South Bend, Indiana and estimated that his family alone – his paternal great grandfather, grandfather, father, two uncles and Bill himself – have collectively produced about 110 million barrels of beer in America, including Bill himself concocting the original recipe for Brooklyn Lager, the same award-winning beer made today by Brooklyn Brewery. His beers have won critical acclaim both internationally and in the United States, including awards at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and at the International Institute for Quality in Belgium.

“When I approached my father about getting into the family business, he told me, ‘You are going to do it the right way, the traditional German way – or you are not going to do it,’” says Moeller, who also formulated the original recipe for Dock Street’s Bohemian Pilsner. “Lagers and pilsners are difficult beers to make because it is very hard to cover up any mistakes.”

Cheers!

The Brewholder

Copyright 2017 – all rights reserved