PBW 2010: A Week Like No Other

The momentum has been building since before the beginning of the year, and it is about to reach a fever pitch the likes of which few cities have ever seen. And I'm NOT talking about the Flyers and Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup.

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!

What I am referring to is PHILLY BEER WEEK 2010, far and away the biggest (and likely the best) beer festival ever held in this country.

The schedule is both a beer geek's dream and a beer geek's nightmare. The festival's website boasts 1,000 events at 195 venues across the Delaware Valley. 1,000 EVENTS.

That is beyond impressive.

I would only be repeating the writing of hundreds of others across every medium from newspapers to Twitter, so I'll just encourage you visit the PBW 2010 website, as well as check in with prodigious bloggers such as Jack Curtin (his Liquid Diet is a must-read) and Lew Bryson (Seen Through A Glass will be blogging from all over town, I suspect) and Joe Sixpack (he's the Festival Director, so expect and insider's look at things on his Beer Radar blog).

I am still (mostly) undecided as to which events I'll be able to make, but I'll let you know as soon as I know. But for now, drink it all in, folks, it's gonna be a terrific, extended week!

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!

Over My Shoulder, A Quick Look Back

First, right off the bat, HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2010 be a much, much better year for all of us!

Not that all of 2009 was bad; it just seemed like it for some of us. I went to a lot of funerals in 2009. Funerals for folks whose time, after endless infirmities, had come. Funerals for friends who died too young. Heartbreaking stuff no matter how you look at it.

I watched, and experienced personally, downturns in business that make you shake your head in numbing frustration. I've also watched several friends' businesses succeed nicely, and grow beautifully, which keeps me ever optimstic.

On the very cusp of this new year, beer writer-philosopher-friend Jack Curtin said it most suscinctly on his blog, Jack Curtin's Liquid Diet:

"Has there been a better year, in more than half a century, in which to dream dreams, revitalize hope and commit ourselves to a better tomorrow?"

I think you're right, Jack, so thanks.




So there have been some good things to look back on too. Not that many, but here are my 2009 highlights:



Ben and Sophie's Pre-School Adventure: I've never seen two kids more excited to go to school in my life. Though their enthusasm has waned a bit, especially when it's time to wake up in the morning, they're having more fun than I ever remember having in school. And their school and teacher are the perfect match for their endess curiosity and gifted intellect. And their teacher provided me with....




My Favorite Quote of the Year: "Your kids don't speak like any 4 year olds I've ever taught; they speak in complete sentences and they have an amazng vocabulary." Ms. Poli, Ben and Sophie's preschool teacher, parent-teacher conference, November




Pizza of the Year: It could have been the two pizzas I sampled at Steven Starr's new Pizzeria Stella, a classic Margherita and a prosciutto-topped number, and it surely could have been any of the half dozen pizzas we sampled this summer at One Guy Brewing in Berwick, PA. That is, until the twins and I decided one dreary Friday afternoon to make our own. They helped punch down the dough as it rose, and spread the sauce and grated cheeses, and were very precise about how they placed their pepperoni, and those 3 pies we made were 3 of the best pies I've had in a long time.



Beers of the Year: God, it was a good year for beer, and even though I haven't been out and about anywhere as much as I used to, I've managed to drink some really exceptional stuff. I really can't pick one, so I'm just going to let fly with an unranked six-pack or so: Guy Hagner's One Guy Brewing's Atomic Punk IPA, which blew me away at a Philly Beer Week dinner at the Grey Lodge; Triumph Old City's Pils Jay's Way, their tribute to Jay Mission, former head brewer at Triumph, who passed away months before the Philly Beer Week event that honored him with a night full of pilsners at their brewpub; Sierra Nevada Torpedo, their "Extra IPA," which plows a ton of hops into your mouth, all green and herby-spicy, and then slips over your tongue like mist through your fingers; Yards Brawler, roasty, malty silky, an amazing session beer, served up at the newly re-born Oyster House in Center City Philly, alongside the only-in-Philly lunch platter of fried oysters and chicken salad (best lunch I've had all year,too); Victory Yakima Twilight, served up at the third and most recent Friday the Firkinteenth at the Grey Lodge, teeth-chatteringly hoppy, with a nice tart finish; and Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA, a blend of DFH's 60 and 120 Minute IPAs, made especially for that same Friday the Firkinteenth, bursting with sweet-herby hops and ending with an unexpectedly sweet, soft finish; and McGillin's 1860 Anniversary Ale, made for McGillin's Olde Ale House, Philly's oldest continually operated tavern, by Stoudt's Brewing Co., on the occasion (2010!) of the tavern's 150th anniversary, it's another agressively hopped brew, but like DFH's 75 Min. IPA, its begins sweetly and then ends with its own unique twist: a, crisp, bright, snappy pilsner finish that makes this one of the most dangerously drinkable beers in the country.



Pub Visits of the Year: These have been few and far between for me this year, but there were a small handful of great visits: a quiet lunch on a rainy day at Memphis Taproom, the Port Richmond platter of pierogis, kielbasa, potato pancakes and sauerkraut (delicious, but a little too greasy maybe...), some fried pickles (sorry, but just too big and unappetizing to me) and some Edmund Fitzgerald Porter; a mini-Philly beer tour with friend Scott Hibberd and his visiting brother, Josh: 1860 Anniversary Ale and then nachos and pumpkin beers at McGillin's, with owner Chris Muillins' son, Chris (we made him a believer of that terrific beer-food pairing!), fresh hot pretzels and Oktoberfests at Brauhaus Schmitz, Yards ESA on handpump and some fried smelts at Standard Tap, and a bunch of beers, including Philadelphia Brewing's JOE, at the Grey Lodge.

And speaking of the Grey Lodge, that's where my other 4 memorable pub visits took place, at all three of the pub's Friday The Firkinteenths in 2009 (yes there were THREE!), and at the GL's hilarious 13th Anniversary celebration, which, of course was celebrated on the 15th, and featured 13 different "events" and beer menus for 13 straight hours. I caught 4 of those hours and they were wacky.

TV Moments of the Year: Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) singing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, wherein the show showed its chops, made its credibility and held anyone watching spellbound; and just a week ago, The Muppets and Fallon singing the 12 Days of Christmas, wherein Fozzy Bear stole ths show. The entire season of Rescue Me, on FX, as well as the season finale of Dexter, on Showtime, elevated TV beyond what it usually, and sadly, is.

So all in all, not a bad year. But here's to hoping for a MUCH better year in 2010!

Another Great Beer Week!

As usual I'm just a pinch late with this news, but hey, Jack Curtin got it first on his Liquid Diet blog yesterday. But what the hey, it's another great reason to drink great beer. So how about this: drink a new craft beer every day this week. I'm copying an idea that I read today on another blog, Tom Cizauskas' superb Yours For Good Fermentables. There he suggests we all drink a local craft beer every day this week, and if you can do it, by all means do so. Think globally, drink locally (damn, I am just a font of plagerism today..).

Well, as my renowned high school Greek teacher Frank Long used to say frequently in his classes at Scranton Prep, "Ancient history teaches us that nothing is new."

Drink some good craft beer this week. You deserve it.

Why PHILLY BEER WEEK Worked

Sorry for the ridiculous delay in commentary; I've been more than a little occupied with another business project and just haven't found the time to compose my thoughts on that spectacular week-and-a-half in March, for which I was able to attend a few events. I'm hoping this will be the very last post on Philly Beer Week from anyone for a while (unless of course, beer writer Jack Curtin forms another thought on it, which is always possible). Though I wasn't able to attend any of the truly inspired events at some of the newer South Philly beer bars, I did luck out on some special times: Upsate PA Beers at the Grey Lodge with Lew Bryson; the Klash of the Kaisers pilsner beer event at Triumph Old City; Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em smoked beer and barbeque event at Yards Brewery and the 19th Friday the Firkinteenth at the Grey Lodge. Vicariously I goto to experience many more of the over 600 events in and around Philly, through blogs and tweets from Bryson, Curtin, beer buddy Gary Bredbenner and hilarious blogger/twitter babe Suzanne "beerlass" Woods. I can't remember feeling that much food and drink excitement in the city since the heydey of The Book and The Cook in the 90's.

Which brings me to my point. Philly Beer Week looks like a stunning success. I haven't yet read any numbers yet, from either the city or the brilliant organizers of the event, but I can only guess that they will be impressive. The parallels between Philly Beer Week and The Book and The Cook are obvious: The Book and the Cook also typically ran 10 days, with a large centerpiece event that would attract thousands. Its events were mostly held within the city limits, but soon expanded to the suburbs. The hype was usually pretty impressive in the months preceeding the week of events (and I was a part of that hype machine, doing PR for two different hotels and several restaurants, hosting and escorting a bunch of different celebrity chefs, as well as conducting an annual pair of beer tours), and the events themselves were exciting culinary adventures. I bet Tom Peters, owner of Monk's Cafe and a PBW organizer, might have the best perspective of both festivals, having participated in TBATC over the years. His experiences with TBATC no doubt helped him avoid the many challeneges that have afflicted TBATC over the years.

Here's why I think Philly Beer Week worked so well:

1. Compelling, centralized PR for the event. Jennie Hatton and Profile PR did a bang-up job, hyping even the smallest events and each and every one of the breweries, brewers, beer personalities and venues. And they used the internet, bloggers, et al far better than TBATC has ever learned to do.

2. Brewers without ego. I've handled my share of celebrity chefs for TBATC events over the years, and with nary an exception, brewers are not stuck on themselves as many famous chefs are. You didn't hear a single gossipy word about any behind-the-scenes scenes at any of the PBW events.

3. The product doesn't get bastardized. At TBATC events, it is typically the job of the host chef and his restaurant to make the dishes created by the celebrity chef/cookbook author. And you and I know that already takes the food one level away from its origin. Rarely does the guest celeb chef get behind the line and cook at the restaurant that hosts him. They are typically there to peddle and sign their latest cookbook. At PBW, the beer is the product and the real star, and nobody gets to mess with it.

4. Organizers who loved what they were doing. Tom Peters from Monk's Cafe, Don Russell from the Philadelphia Daily News and Bruce Nichols from the Museum Catering Company; did you ever see three happier guys at beer events than these three? If there was stress in putting PBW together, they never let it show. Pure joy on their public faces, and that's a huge confidence booster.

5. Longevity of interest. After TBATC, there would be an annual summary/post-mortem article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a column from Rick Nichols sometimes, some boldface names in Michael Klein's and Dan Gross' daily gossip columns (or Stu Bykofsky's before that) and that was that. Weeks after Philly Beer Week, people were still talking about Philly Beer Week.

And here's hoping for an even better (if that's possible) Philly Beer Week next year. OK, now we can talk about something else.

How about wine?

OUTA HERE.

Harry the K, 1936-2009



I didn't really get into following major league baseball until the summer of 1971, following eighth grade, and that's when I started to watch and listen to the Phillies. Growing up in Scranton, PA, with a dad who was a die-hard Yankees fan, there was always a Yankee game on the TV or on the car radio, not a Phillies game. But my friends followed the Phillies and I followed suit, and Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn and Andy Musser became the main soundtrack of my summers. I barely remember By Saam in the broadcast booth, and I never heard a Bill Campbell-called Phillies game. But I do remember Harry, Whitey and Andy on the radio and the occassional game on local TV (this was pre-cable, and the local ABC affiliate would televise Phillies games on Saturdays and Sundays mostly).

It was Harry Kalas' voice that stuck out for me on those sticky-hot summer nights, sitting in our backyards or on our front porch steps, or drifting off to sleep listening to the Phillies on a west coast road trip, WCAU's signal booming out of Philadelphia clear and strong to the small transistor radio under my pillow. I didn't know that 1971 was Kalas' first year with club; he sounded as sharp and established as the Mel Allen and Frank Gleiber that sounded all those Yankee games my dad followed. Back then Kalas had yet to make his home run call his signature. When we played whiffle ball in the street, it was Harry's strike out call that we mimicked: "STRUCKimmmouut with a fastball." He had a way with that call, and his extra enthusiasm for Steve Carlton-pitched games back then hooked me on Phillies games forever.

For me, baseball returned in the Spring when I heard Harry Kalas' voice on the radio again, calling a game from Clearwater. Phillies games will never ever sound the same again.

I was fortunate to meet up with Harry Kalas on several occasions. He emceed the annual Philadelphia Sportswriters Banquet when it was held at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia, and I was the PR Director there. With a boatload of baseball, basketball, football and hockey players in attendance, it was startling to see how many autographs Kalas was asked to sign. And I watched him calmly and graciously sign every one, chatting and posing for pictures, shaking the hands of nervous Little Leaguers and veteran sportwriters with equal amounts of excitement and respect. And as folks thanked him for their photo op or autograph, he would thank them with a kind phrase, a variation of "with out you, I don't have anyone to talk to." I have never forgotten the simple humility of that phrase. And to this day, I have never seen anyone that famous act so humbly in front of adoring fans.


I had run into Harry the K a few more times, once at the original Frenchy's in Clearwater while on vacation there, and a few times at The Bellevue, when he was en route to emceeing a banquet at the Park Hyatt hotel, or to dinner at The Palm. And every time he had that glint of recognition, the outstretched handshake and a kind question about what I was doing and how life was treating me. A class act in every way.

I think it's true that he did lose something off his fastball after the passing of his broadcast partner, friend and foil Richie Ashburn, as many observers have noted. But nothing ever changed in That Voice, equal parts of smoke and silk and steady calm, reliably ready to explode with "---there it IS!" or "...watch that BABY---outa heeere!", and, still my favorite, "STRUCKimouut with a fastball!".

Beer writer Jack Curtin posted a brief and achingly poignant thought on Twitter yesterday, just minutes after Harry's passing (read it here), that for many of us who grew up listening to Harry and Whitey all those summer nights, brings a painful closure to an important part of our lives. I couldn't have said it better if I wanted to.

A Phillies game will never ever sound the same to me. And for that I am profoundly sad. I will miss That Voice.

"STRUCKimouut with a fastball."