Philadelphia loves LOVE so much so that it created an official “Love Park.” The former JFK Plaza located in Center City holds the ever so adorably cute Love sculpture made by 60s pop artist Robert Indiana.

Originally created for the Museum of Modern Art Christmas card in 1964, this iconic image later was turned into a US Postal Service stamp in 1973 and then into the sculpture in 1976. It was removed two years later when the city failed to pay Indiana for the sculpture, but public outcry over the removal brought back the sculpture permanently to the plaza.

Listen to today’s show as Marc Felion and me, Fausto Fernós talk about some of the great eclectic beers and breweries in Philadelphia.

City Tavern is recreation of a American colonial era inn where the staff serve you beer and food in costume. Marc got a chance to talk with Tom Kehoe, former wrestler and founder of Yard’s Brewing about some of the beers they are featuring at the City tavern. Look for the video of the beer tasting next week.

Tria Cafe served us the stunning Malhuer beer, produced in almost the same manner as champagne. For those of you who want an out of the ordinary celebratory beverage instead of champagne, I highly recommend considering ordering several cases of this beer for that special event.

I best can describe it as a glass of rich translucent custard with whipped cream on top. The beer’s delicate aroma was clean and crisp.

Tria likes to concentrate on three fabulous fermented foods- Beer, Wine and Cheese. They pair cheese with not only wine but with beer as well. Beer and cheese pair well because of the rich varieties available and their long shared history. The two food stuffs were traditionally created in the same environment so they have become more compatible over the course of centuries that these two were being made together. Also, unlike wine which comes from grapes, beer and cheese also come from the same source, grains, so they share the same root essence.

We just adored the pork meatballs in roasted poblano pepper sauce at London Grill. Go there for the wide assortment of different meatballs and get a pint of delicious Willy Sutton Ale named after the infamous bank robber who stopped by the London Grill after escaping from a nearby penitentiary before getting caught. Willie, when asked why he robbed all those banks purportedly replied “because that’s where the money is.” I wish he added a “duh!” on the end of that statement.

Triumph Brewing has a modern look in such an old part of Philly, but that is what makes the city fun and interesting- you have history right next to something new and splashy. We toured the brewery which is on the second floor of the establishment and we had fun clowning around. And Cara pictured to the left was asking for it!

We sat on the second floor and tasted a nice sampling of their house brews when the bartender accidentally made a glass washer spray us all! It was a hoot. Luckily I caught the water display on film. Don’t worry though, we didn’t get too wet.

Triumph also played host to our Meet ‘N Greet. We were delighted to meet up with some of the fabulous Philadelphia area listeners. We had such a wonderful time meeting all you in person. Thank you for coming and special thanks to DCRyan who came all the way from Washington, DC just to hang out with us. You get the prize for traveling the farthest. Check out all the hot pics of the night here.

Thanks again to Ashley and Crissie from Triumph Brewery for helping make the event run smoothly and for Jeff Guaracino from the GPTMC.

Be sure to check towards the second half of this podcast for our chat with Michael Fahver from Dock Street Beer and fellow foodie Tracy Bethune.

The podcast that’s just like a Philly cheesesteak sandwich: meety and cheesy- Feast of Fools.

Featured Book:
Joe Sixpack’s Philly Beer Guide by Don Russell: Get it on Amazon

Featured Music:
The Shaker Sisters – All Night Through: iTunes | CD Baby | Site
Freedom Folks: Podsafe Music
Phil Putnam – Best of Intentions: iTunes | Site
Bobby Chitwood – Whiskey Trip: iTunes | Site

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Beer, beer, beer! Philadelphia is a city overflowing with breweries and fabulous bars and restaurants passionate about serving great beer.

And why not? It’s a city where drinking a pint glass takes you back in time to the birthplace of Independence.

Our Founding Fathers gathered around beer halls and coffee shops to talk about the ideas that laid the foundation for the American Revolution.

Many of the beers in the city are directly related to the beers that Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson drank. Learning about history was never so delicious.

To celebrate Philly’s Beer Heritage, the city is kicking off Philly Beer Week 2008 to draw tourism and promote many of the great beer drinking establishments the city has to offer. Thanks to the good people at the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, we were able to travel there and cover part of the event, now in full swing until March 16.

The first night of our tour set the bar high at Monk’s Cafe when owner Tom Peters, a passionate brewer opened up several bottles of the incredibly delicious golden yellow Cuvee de Monk’s Cafe Cantillon Geueze. Geuze is a beer that is crafted over years by blending older beers with younger ones.

Unlike most beers, whose yeast content is carefully controlled, this Lambic Ale, created in an old Belgian Brewhouse, is exposed to the air to allow for “spontaneous fermentation.” It’s almost alchemy I tells ya. These guys are turning grains into gold.

The native yeast and bacteria in the air fall slowly into the mix resulting in a beautiful yellow beverage with a profound citrus taste.

Several different brews from several years are blended together to control the flavor, much like non-vintage champagnes, whiskeys and wines.

If you’re lucky enough to live near Philadelphia, go this week to Monk’s Café and order yourself a glass of this unique and magical beverage. You won’t be disappointed. Hurry before the stock runs out.

Later in our tour we headed up to Nodding Head to sample their homemade collection of Lagers, Ales, Stouts and Porters. That’s a fancy way of saying beer.

When you walk up to the second floor of this eclectic brewery, you’ll notice a floor to ceiling glass case of bobble head dolls with every popular culture character you can imagine. Notice the head of George W Bush has been ripped off.

Join Marc Felion and me, Fausto Fernós as we talk with the handsome brewer Timothy Stumpf who works at Ironhill Brewery in Pheonxiville, just outside of Philly.

At Ironhill, variety is the spice that makes the place. For a reasonable price you can try over a dozen four ounce glasses of all their in-house brews, most of them made by the talented Tim Stumpf. Tim started brewing at the age of 21 and ten years later finds himself as one of Philly’s formidable brewers. I loved his Iron Hill Light Lager, a light beer with a refreshing taste and floral overtones. Marc loved the Irish Dry Stout whose nutty roasted taste reminds him of roasted coffee or chocolate.

Earlier in the day we talked to Beer Blogging babe Susanne Woods, The Beer Lass who blogs about her experience as marketing director for Sly Fox Brewing Company.

Their rich Black Raspberry Preserve is simply one of the best fruit infused beers I’ve ever tasted. I wish I was drinking one right now.

Susanne also organizes a beer drinking event for women only to prove that woman can appreciate beer as much as any man can. Sounds like a fun time ladies and lesbians are welcome!

Join us tomorrow for more Willy Pheer Beak fun. I mean Philly Beer Week. I guess my head is still buzzing from the great weekend we had in Philadephia. Go Philly Beer Week!

Check out our photo gallery from Philly Beer Week 2008 (more coming soon)
and Jason Smith’s pics from the Meet & Greet at Triumph!

The podcast that puts the spirit back into 1776- Feast of Fools.

Featured Book:
Joe Sixpack’s Philly Beer Guide by Don Russell: Get it on Amazon

Featured Music:
Eric Himan – Everywhere All at Once: iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby
The New Autonomous Folksingers – Pitcher of Beer: MySpace | Site
Brobdingnagian Bards – The Holy Grail: iTunes | Amazon | Site
Jeff Mallon – Buzzkill: iTunes | CD Baby | Site

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CONTACT US DIRECTLY