Beer Weekend, Pt 1

I still don’t understand the logic of moving the Philly Beer Week to June but a teaser of several impromptu specials held at several area bars over a weekend gave us a quick fix for our indulgences.


Friday Night

Yards ESA firkin at Good Dog Bar

There is a hierarchy of beer drinking: Cans, bottle, draft, firkin. A firkin is about as close to drinking a beer in its purist form, from the brewer’s tank in the way he intends it. We have drunk beer side by side, one from a tap, one from a firkin; there is just no comparison. We started the weekend at one of our favorite bars with our friend Fat Head Carl and his wife Heidi joining us.

Founders at South Philly Tap Room

Our hunger grew as the night went on, we moved to SPTR to catch some good grub. Mr. and Mrs. Fat Head both had the Left Hand 400 Lb. Monkey while Tourist Tree and I grabbed the Founders Breakfast Stout and the Dirty Bastard respectively as we began our long wait for a table.

 
 
 
 
 

Fat Head and the Tourist Tree entered into an in-depth discussion with a group of young documentary makers from Detroit. They were in town to interview an important person at UPenn about Detroit. We never quite figured out why they had to come all the way to Philly to talk to somebody about Detroit, but they had an enlightened moment when the topic of its mayor’s idea of bulldozing the city came up.
 
 
 
 
 

Mexican Construction Worker Head Cheese Tacos


These little things were awesome! Chef-made head cheese with small slices of avocado, mozzarella, and topped with a sliver of jalapeño. The combination of taste and texture of these bite size wonders was just about perfect especially with the heat and the crispiness of the jalapeño coming back for a little kick at the end of the bite. At $1.00 a piece, you can’t go wrong with it.

“Mexican Construction Worker” - It’s an inside joke referring to the Mexican helps in the kitchen who piles on everything (like a construction worker) but the kitchen sink on their food as meal.

Tomato Lager Soup with Grilled Cheese

This soup had great consistency and a wonderful taste to match. The grilled cheese came already in the soup when served; therefore it had some extra time to soak up the essence of the soup when you’re ready to eat it.



 
 
 
 
 

Meat Loaf


The meat loaf was a bit on the dry side but I enjoyed the taste of the loaf itself which had a bit of sweetness; and the crunchiness of the crust from the reheating when it was put on the grill. I also liked the crunchy cheese pieces sprinkles on top of the loaf. The mac n’ cheese was about as special as any store bought ready-made variety. It needed some cheese. It needed more gooeyness. It needed just some oomph.


 
 

Wild Boar Taco

The meat was quite tasty with a little kick after from the spice in the sauce. The whole ensemble with the guacamole and the onion was very pleasing. It satisfied Tourist Tree’s appetite after the ESA and Breakfast Stout.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Fat Head and our friend Steve who came out for a meet up with his wife Karen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Karen and the Tourist Tree.