It’s 9 AM in the morning on a Saturday. As I am lying in bed I can’t help to think to myself, “why the fuck am I awake?” Being the nine to five, Monday through Friday laborer that I am, I tend to like sleeping in on the weekend. But then I realize, just above my head there is a small wet spot at the top of my pillow and a noticeable small drip of water falling from the ledge of the windows over my bed. I immediately jump up to see a downpour which at this point in time wasn’t that uncommon since it had been raining for what seemed like a month.
On any other day, I wouldn’t have cared and probably would have gone back to sleep. But this day was a very special day. No, it wasn’t a wedding. No,it wasn’t a family reunion. No, I wasn’t getting a puppy. It was a day perfect for the craft beer loving Phillies fan. This particular Saturday, June 20th, Rolling Barrel Events was hosting their second annual BBQ at the Ballpark.
I immediately raced out of bed to my computer to see if the tailgate of which I’d been looking forward to for two months was still going to be on. I quickly keyed their website into Firefox, www.rollingbarrel.com, and much to my relief the headline of their site read, “A little rain never hurt anyone…” The craft beer tailgate was still on.
Upon arriving at Lot N outside of Citizens Bank Park with the entire Philly Beer Scene crew, we noticed a very large line of canopy tents and cars at the far side of the lot. Since it was a 7 o’clock game and this was about 2:30, we knew this had to be the right place. While we were setting up our own canopy and table so that we could distribute the first edition of Philly Beer Scene, I started talking to Scott Willey, our magazine’s President and a Phillies fan that puts me to shame, about how much tailgating has changed along with the beer scene. Naturally he agreed although he’s the same guy that would deny ever drinking a Bud. I remember tailgating with my family at my first concert seeing the Dave Matthews Band, when the Susquehanna Bank Center was still known as the Sony Music Centre. Although I was probably 13 years old, I remember vividly Bud and Miller Lite bottles littering the parking lots. I remember even seeing Phillies games at the Vet shortly before it was demolished and experiencing the same. Yet, here we are today, experiencing a unique tailgate featuring BBQ from Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse and amazing craft beers from River Horse and Sly Fox.
So after much debate on the topic, because sure there are still plenty of people still drinking macro-beers while tailgating, we used this great opportunity to investigate and find out how many people are really drinking craft beers versus those macros. But, before we could start, we of course needed to sample some of the beers and delicious BBQ.
We’ll start with River Horse from Lambertville, NJ which is right across the bridge from New Hope. At their tent on tap they were featuring their Hop Hazard Pale Ale and Summer Blonde. These two beers were perfect for summer day (regardless of the rain). The Hop Hazard is a well balanced ale featuring both malty sweetness and a great bitterness that finishes clean. Not being a fan of golden ales, I was a little apprehensive to try the Summer Blonde. But hell, it was all included in the package price so what was the harm? I was extremely surprised to find that it was quite enjoyable and refreshing. There was a great depth of flavor from notes of honey and citrus that was most dominant. During their tasting session (yes, we seriously got tasting sessions at a tailgate), River Horse showed off their Lager, Special Ale and Tripel Horse. The lager is a pretty traditional beer, definitely a great choice for a Yuengling drinker to try. The Special Ale has great malt fl avors and a decent amount of bitterness making it an interesting brew. And finally, in my opinion probably River Horse’s best beer, their Tripel Horse which is a beautiful Belgian-styled tripel. It has great flavor, body and alcohol notes which don’t overwhelm.
Only a few steps away was Sly Fox Brewery which is located in Phoenixville and Royersford right here in Pennsylvania. The boys at Sly Fox brought along their canned series of beers; Royal Weisse Ale, Pikeland Pils and Phoenix Pale Ale. Again, these are a great selection for tailgating especially if you are looking to avoid broken bottles. The Royal Weisse is a Bavarian wheat which I especially appreciate since its unfiltered and includes subtle hops notes. The Pikeland Pils is the perfect match to step up your game from a macro-beer. It’s intimidating yet tasty. And finally, the Phoenix Pale Ale is another fantastically hopped beer with great citrus notes and a beautiful copper color pouring from the silver can. During their tasting session, they took advantage of a very inebriated audience by taking them to the next level with some of their bigger beer offerings; the Ichor, Incubus, and Black Raspberry Reserve. The Ichor has always been a favorite of mine. I was first introduced to it at Sly Fox’s 2008 Goat Race where after one too many bocks, I decided to step it up. An Abbot style Quad weighing in at 10% ABV, it was as good as I remembered and probably the darkest beer at the event. The Incubus, which is another heavy hitter, is comparable to the Ichor in ABV%; however being a tripel, it has a rich golden color and incredible sweetness. Finally, there was the Black Raspberry Reserve which was great for a summer day. To find out more about this beer though, you can read about it in our Tasting Room.
In the parking space across from the beer was a smoking grill stacked with ribs from Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse, located in Philadelphia. They provided all the tailgaters with a great selection of BBQ specialties including ribs, BBQ pulled chicken, and of course a tailgating delicacy, hot dogs. In addition, they brought along an incredible selection of sides including their southern macaroni and cheese and mashed sweet potatoes. I am used to tailgating with a small charcoal grill and frozen burgers so you could imagine my excitement by eating gourmet style outside the ball park.
After getting my fill, both in regard to the beer and BBQ, I started a conversation with Corey Krejcek, the Managing Director of Rolling Barrel Events about Craft Beer Tailgating. He naturally agreed with me that there is an increasing number of people tailgating bring premium craft beers, “It’s refreshing to see people bringing out some of the more accessible regional craft beers like Yards, Victory, and Dogfish Head and I definitely notice more refreshing styles like Victory’s Prima Pils or Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA.” I know personally I go to more concerts than games and I usually tailgate with beers like Troegs’ Dreamweaver or Sly Fox’s Royal Weisse. Corey immediately agreed with the Royal Weisse noting that, “Sly Fox makes it so easy with their cans. You have to love wheat beer in a can.” When asked if he notices if the beer and tailgate reflects the event, whether it’s a Phillies or Eagles game, or concert, Corey pointed out that he saw some of the most impressive spreads at Eagles games; closely followed by the Phils. “Tailgate preparation, including beer selection, for a sporting event is more thought-out than anything I’ve ever seen at a concert. Unless you’re talking about Jimmy Buffet, but those guys just drink margaritas.” So as a sidenote, look forward to a great Eagles season around the corner. Who knows, maybe there will be a craft beer tailgate there too.
After a great tailgate, we knew we were approaching the beginning of the game when everyone seemed to simultaneously start packing down their tents and Sly Fox and River Horse packed away their beer. A very inebriated group of about 150 Phillies fans began the long stroll from Lot N to the park to enjoy more beers and a great game of America’s favorite pass time. Truth be told, it was already the third inning by the time we got to our seats in the park but part of that was easily due to the distraction of the Brewerytowns, Citizens Bank Park’s beer vendors, and many Philadelphia favorite food vendors. You’d think I’d have enough by now, didn’t you? Well, you can’t go to a Phillies game without getting at the very least a bag of peanuts and an order of Chickie & Pete’s crab fries. And with all the salt, you gotta have another beer!
Every Brewerytown throughout the park features your usual suspects but also features great local and regional craft beers. I was especially happy to find beers by Dogfish Head, Troegs, Sly Fox and Victory. Corey also noted, “The craft beer I see most often is Flying Fish, but I love that brewers like Troegs are being featured.” Corey and I mutually agreed that the selection available at Citizens Bank Park has to also be one of the best at any sports facility throughout the country. If you can prove us wrong, drop us a line at www.beerscenemag.com.
The game itself was a bust that day with most of the excitement coming from a Ryan Howard monster pitch hit homer, giving the Phils a small 5-3 lead over the Orioles. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to win, as the damn Orioles were back on top by the end of the ninth (thanks Ryan Madson) leaving Phillies fans disappointed as they exited the park making it a five game losing streak.
Win or lose, we still love our World Phucking Champions and every person taking part in Rolling Barrell’s tailgate had a smile on their face by the time they got back to Lot N. And although the season is more than half way over, there are plenty of opportunities to hold a craft beer tailgate of your own or enjoy a great beer at the ballpark. In fact, another exceptional event group, BeerHeads (www.beerheads.com), is having their annual Beer Fest at the Ball Park taking place at McFadden’s during the Saturday, August 22nd away game against the Mets. This Beer Fest will feature 25 craft brewers from throughout the region. So, if you missed out on tailgating, don’t miss out on this festival!