Grey Lodge Pub - News

Wed, 15 Feb 2012

2012-02-15T20:20:00.002-05:00

Drinkers Choice Awards
DrinkPhilly is having an awards thing. If you'd like to nominate us, unlike Lyndon Johnson, we will run. No pressure though. Thanks.

Draft Beer Update
Flying Fish's newest beer, Flying Fish Red Fish, a likely to be regularly made early spring seasonal, replaced 21st Amendment Bitter American. Flying Fish originally wanted to call this beer "Scarlet Fever" but to paraphrase Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, the ATF ain't nuthin' but trouble. So Flying Fish named it Red Fish instead, but they aren't happy with it. The upside is they are having a contest to rename it. I believe this is a super hopped up red ale. I will try one in a few minutes when I get to escape the MGMT Bunker for good for today and hopefully report back at some point.

2012-02-14T17:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentines!

Draft Beer Update
Joining Sam Adams Chocolate Bock on tap for Valentines is a sixtel of Ommegang Seduction. Seduction is a chocolate cherry sour beer. I hear it is amazing. I will find out for sure shortly. Seduction replaced Starpramen.

Four Course Prix Fix Menu
Tonight, we have a special Valentine's menu. Unlike other places that charge extra for Valentine's Day, we are going you an extra good value. Four courses for just $25.

FirstCourse choose one

redvelvet soup

redbeet salad

SecondCourse choose one

friedcalamari

duckspring roll

eggplantparmesan

ThirdCourse choose one

Meatloafwith egg and mashed potato

VegetableLasagna

Tilapiaover Spinach Alfredo

Dessert

StrawberryKahlua Mousse Pie

Sun, 12 Feb 2012

2012-02-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

For what it's worth, today's date is 02/12/2012, which makes a nice pattern.

We have two open lines right now, as we don't want to tap the chocolate beers too soon. Lest we have none for Tuesday, which is Valentines Day.

Kicked: Dogfish 120 Minute IPA (sixtel), Manayunk Monk from the Yunk, Sly Fox Dunkel Lager, Arcadia Cocoa Loco Triple Chocolate Stout.

Tapped:
Philadelphia Kilty Pleasure - Philly Brewing doesn't get enough respect. The haters obviously never had this one.

Great Divide Nomad Pilsner - I've said it before and definitely say it again: we in Southeastern PA live in pilsner heaven. Merely good pilsners do nothing for us. All of that said, Chris Dominski gives this one from Great Divide of Denver CO, high marks. We are tough critics here so it must be good.

Sat, 11 Feb 2012

2012-02-11T13:07:00.001-05:00

Half Acre Over Ale replaced replaced Sixpoint Occupation Ale. We kicked two Half Acre Daisy Cutters pretty quickly when we tapped them recently. Over Ale doesn't have buzz of Daisy Cutter, but it's dang good none the less. I had one last night. There's a really wonderful underlying hoppiness to it. It's not an IN YOUR FACE hoppiness, but one that is deep and not at all subtle. It's a great beer and I know it won't last long.

This week's Beer Season beer of the week, Victory Baltic Thunder, replaced itself. Beatle Tom was really digging it last night. My beer dance card was too full last night, so I missed out on it then. Guess I'll have to hang out tonight.

Last night's promo beer, Staropramen, replaced itself also. Staropramen is a Czech pilsner. Stephen Beaumont says I can't say "authentic" but this is an authentic Czech pilsner from the Czech Republic, so I am going to anyway. Authentic! Authentic! Authentic! We tapped the first Staropramen at about 5pm yesterday and it was kicked by 9:30pm. So people were digging it. If you haven't dug it yet, stop by this evening for some digging.

Fri, 10 Feb 2012

2012-02-10T16:46:00.002-05:00

A sixtel of Dogfish 120 Minute IPA for tonights 120 on 1/20 Part 2: 120 on 2/10 event. Every January 20th, we tap a sixtel of Dogfish Head 120 Mintue IPA. 1/20 was just a couple of weeks ago. That sixtel kicked way to fast, so we got another which we are tapping tonight, 120 on 2/10. We waited until 4pm to tap it, with the expectation that it will last til midnight. This is an 18% abv hop monster. 8 ounces goes a long way, so we think that estimate is reasonable. We untapped Philly Brewing's Kilty Pleasure to make room for the 120. Like the Terminator, Kilty will be back.

Also tonight is Czech Your Beer!.. with Staropramen. Staropramen, an authentic Czeck pilsner from Prague, Czech Republic, replaced Philadelphia Joe Porter. I had one last night at Hop Angel. If you like authentic Czech pilsners, you will definitely like Staropramen. Fran will be here at 6pm with glassware and other goodies. Buy a pint of Staropramen, keep the glass! While supplies last. One per person please.

Yuengling Bock Beer, Yuengling's spring seasonal, replaced Troegenator Double Bock. Yuengling Bock is a very nice beer. For the money, you can't beat it. I think I will have one tonight... right after Chez makes me drink a 120 Minute IPA (well he won't need to twist my arm).

Philadelphia Rowhouse Red replaced Yards Brawler. Rowhouse is one of Philly's original core four beers. I haven't had it in a few months. I'm looking forward to getting reacquited later tonight.

Come out join us. It will be fun night. If you need extra incentive, you can join Brendan Meehan in cheering on the Sixers.

Tue, 07 Feb 2012

2012-02-07T17:52:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

21st Amendment Bitter American replaced Sixpoint Spice of Life IPA - Simcoe. 21st Amendment Bitter American is a very good low ABV American pale ale.

Philadelphia Kilty Pleasure replaced 2010 Stoudts Old Abominable. Philadelphia Kilty Pleasure is a warming Scotch Ale for the cold winter months.

Mon, 06 Feb 2011

2012-02-06T09:49:00.002-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge Pub

Tuesday - Lucky 13 Home Brew Club, 7:30pm on our 2nd floor. Homebrewers of all experience levels are welcome to join us. If you have some homebrew to share that's cool. If you don't that's cool too.

Wednesday - As usual, it's Quizzo. This week's Quizmaster is Quizmaster Chris3. 8pm on our 2nd floor

Friday - This Friday it's a double dip. First up is 120 on 2/10. When we tapped a sixtel of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA on Friday, January 20th (120 on 1/20), it kicked by 9:30pm. We tapped at 10am so that's probably why it kicked so early. Some folks came late and missed out. This time around is for them. We will tap the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA at 4pm, so it should be still around until way past 9:30pm. Second up is Czech Your Beer!.. with Staropramen. Tom or maybe Fran from Staropramen will have glassware and other goodies. Buy a pint, keep the glass! While supplies last. 6pm to 8pm.

This week’s Beer Season beer of the week is a Baltic Porter, Victory Baltic Thunder. Here's the story on Baltic porters. England would export stout to the Russian Emperor aka Czar. To survive the voyage they made the Russian Imperial Stout extra high octane. Some of it was traded en route to Russia. The locals eventually started brewing their own version, but instead of using English ale yeast, they used local lager yeast, thus creating the Baltic porter style. Victory's Baltic Thunder has a story all it's own, but I don't feel like going into it since it's not really all that interesting. Google it if you want. What is important is that we have a great locally made Baltic porter for you try this week.

Draft Beer Update

Manayunk Monk from the Yunk replaced Dock Street Abbey Single. Monk from the Yunk is an abbey style triple. Abbey triple's are very strong golden ales fermented with fruity Belgian yeast. Monk from the Yunk clocks in at 9.1% ABV and uses yeast from the really awesome La Chouffe brewery in Belgium.

Sun, 05 Feb 2012

2012-02-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Sly Fox Dunkel Lager replaced itself.

Sixpoint Spice of Life IPA - Simcoe replaced Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA. Sixpoint Spice of Life IPA - Simcoe is the next release in their spice of Life series of single hopped IPA's.

Troegenator Double Bock replaced Victory Dark Lager. Troegenator Double Bock is back on after the fun of Groundhog Day. There is not much left, but we hope to get more in for this favorite of the Grey Lodge.

Victory Baltic Thunder replaced Sierra Nevada Exportation. Victory Baltic Thunder is next weeks Beer Season Beer of the Week. While Heavyweight Brewing deserves credit for introducing the Baltic porter style to many craft beer fans, this beer from Victory represents an all new recipe fashioned on the experience of Tom's original intense brew, Perkuno's Hammer.

Sixpoint Occupation Ale replaced Sly Fox Hobo Ed Coffee Porter. Sixpoint Occupation Ale is a floral and citrusy amber ale that was brewed in the spirit of the Occupation Movement. So come down and Occupy Grey LOdge and have a few pints. Legal Disclaimer: You can't park your asses here all night and day because by law everyone has to be out by 2AM, but feel free to stay until then.

Sat, 04 Feb 2012

2012-02-04T11:28:00.003-05:00

Draft Beer Update
Arcadia Cocoa Loco Triple Chocolate Stout replaced Founders Breakfast Stout. Triple refers to the use of three types of chocolate, not 3 times the normal amount of malt. The result is a chocolaty stout that clocks in at 7% abv.

I bet we will have more draft updates as the day goes on.

5:30pm update: Two year old Stoudts Old Abominable is also back on tap, replacing the sixtel of Yards Old Bartholomew. Seriously!.. two year old barley wine.

Our Beer Season beer of the week, Sly Fox Dunkel Lager, is back, replacing the sixtel of Sierra Nevada Life and Limb.

Super Commercials
There will be three of four hours of commercials tomorrow evening that get a lot of people all jazzed. There will even be a little football mixed in too. We of course will be open. All of our TVs will be tuned into that. We will have lots of great beer and fresh cut fries all the usual great stuff. Eric will have specials on wings and tomato pies.

Fri, 03 Feb 2011

2012-02-03T09:54:00.003-05:00

What another great Groundhog Day! Thanks to everyone who came out and made it so much fun. I can't wait to see Steve Lyford's pictures.

The sixtels of Ommegang Aphrodite and Russian River Supplication both kicked. People obviously dug the Belgian style sours. I know I sure did.

Replacing them are:
Boulder Sweaty Betty - a really great wheat beer from Boulder.

Dock Street Abbey Single - a hoppy Belgian style single.

2PM Update:

Yards Brawler replaced Boulder Sweaty Betty. Yards Brawler is a very drinkable English session ale.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA replaced Troegs Scratch 55 Double IPA. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA went so fast the first time around we just had to get another.

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 Happy Groundhog Day

2012-02-02T06:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Groundhog Day! We are getting ready to celebrate the sh^* out of it! Just 35 minutes from now at 7am!

Stop by for breakfast.

We have loads of beer and festivities for this morning. The events go from 7am to 1pm, but the awesome beer should last all day or at least most of it. So if you haven't called sick, you can stop by after work and still get some flat out incredible beers. Probably not Founders CBS, but everything else should still be here by this evening.

Kicked: 21st Amendment Allies Win the War, Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale, Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Sly Fox Pikeland Pils.

Returning: Boulder Sweaty Betty, Dock Street Abbey Single, Sly Fox Dunkel Lager, Troegenator Double Bock, 2010 Stoudts Old Abominable.

and most importantly Tapped:

Ommegang Aphrodite (sixtel) - an absolutely amazing sour fruit beer. I had a taster of this last year at GABF. Out of the literally 100s of beers I tasted, this one was a stand-out. And that is why we saved it for today. Today at 7am.

Russian River Supplication (sixtel) - another rare one we’ve been saving just for today. Brown ale aged in Pinot Noir wine barrels for one year with sour cherries, Brettanomyces yeast, and Lactobacillus & Pedicoccus bacteria. I remember the Russian Rivers we tapped last Groundhog Day had me stay for a few more last Groundhog Day. Can't wait to try this one.

Yards Old Bartholomew (sixtel) - a dangerously drinkable barley wine. Very limited availability, so we saved it for Groundhog Day.

Sierra Nevada Exportation - a portion of the bar camp beer Scoats & friends brewed at Sierra Nevada, a Baltic porter, was sent to Russian River to be dowsed with brett and aged in pinot noir barrels for a year. That was two years ago. This is the 2nd of the 3 we got. The third and final will be tapped on Groundhog Day 2013.

Sierra Nevada Life and Limb (sixtel) - a second batch of the Sierra Nevada Dogfish Head collaberation beer to celebrate Sierra's 30th anniversary, is a huge black ale brewed with maple syrup (great for breakfast!).

Troegs Scratch 55 Double IPA - we haven't forgot our hopheads on Groundhog Day. This one-off Double IPA has no subtly when it comes to hops.

Victory Dark Lager - Victory doesn't make this one too often, but it excites several of us beer geeks every time they do.

Founders Breakfast Stout - no longer so rare around these parts, but still a great way to start your day.

Sly Fox Hobo Ed Coffee Porter - a sessionable coffee porter. Yet another perfect breakfast beer.

Philadelphia Joe Porter - a tasty coffee porter, perfect for breakfast.

Groundhog Day is Tomorrow!

2012-02-01T15:50:00.002-05:00

Groundhog Day is Tomorrow!

Are you ready? We are!

See you at 7am.

Mon, 30 Jan 2012

2012-01-30T09:44:00.004-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge
Wednesday - Quizzo with Quizmaster Pete. 8pm on our 2nd floor.

Thursday - Groundhog Day Hawaiian Shirt Beer Breakfast and Lucky Cat Day Beer Prognostication. This is the Grey Lodgiest event that we do. If you joined us for it before, you know what a great time it is. If you haven't yet, set your alarm to get you here at 7am. DrinkPhilly made a great of last year's festivities.

Draft Beer Update
Philadelphia Walt Wit kicked quickly as it always does. Replacing it is another fantastic wheat beer, Boulder Sweaty Betty.

A sixtel of 21st Amendment Allies Win the War replaced Weyerbacher Fireside Ale. This collaboration between 21st Amendment and Oregon's Ninkasi is an ale brewed with California dates, an aggressive amount of all-Northwest hops. At 8.5% ABV, this seems like might be a double IPA brewed with dates. This must be a rare one since they only sold us a sixtel of it. I will have to try a taste on my out.

Woodchuck Oak Aged Cider aka Woodchuck Winter Cider replaced Woodchuck Granny Smith Cider.

Sun, 29 Jan 2012

2012-01-29T13:34:00.000-05:00

Dock Street Abbey Single replaced Flying Fish Grand Cru. One locally made Belgian style replaces another. Dock Street's Abbey Single is a hoppier than I was expecting; that's a not a complaint. Abbey singles tend to be the style of the beer the monks drink everyday.

Sly Fox Dunkel Lager
replaced a sixtel of Ommegang 2011 Adoration. This is a dark lager in the Munich style. This will be next week's Beer Season Beer of the Week.

Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale replaced Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA. Half Acre, from Chicago, has only been in town for about month now. Daisy Cutter is a beer that lives up to its stellar reputation. It kicked ass here when we tapped one a week or so ago. We expect this barrel to kick quickly too.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012

2012-01-28T13:37:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update
Troegenator Double Bock replaced Summit Honeymoon Saison. We have trying to score some Troegenator for a few weeks now. Troegs's new brewery in Hershey is now fully up and running and the Troegenator is flowing again. Troegenator is a dark lager in the Andechs style. If you are ever in Munich, I recommend taking an S-bahn to Andechs. The monastery brewery is up the hill. The walk down after a couple masses of Andechs Doppelbock is much easier than the walk up, but that is another story. Until then we in Pennsylvania have Troegenator, and we don't even have to walk up a hill to get it.

Groundhog Day is Coming Up Fast
Groundhog Day is this coming Thursday. The Webpage for our Groundhog Day Hawaiian Shirt Beer Breakfast is finally complete and up to date.

Fri, 27 Jan 2011

2012-01-27T16:20:00.003-05:00

I had all sort of fires to put out yesterday so I didn't get a chance to do an update with the two beers that changed over (Sorry bout that). In the 20some hours since, 6 or 7 more changed over too (I don't feel like counting).

2010 Stoudts Old Abominable replaced Philadelphia Newbold IPA. This barrel of Old Abominable was year old when we got it last year. Now it's even older. Barley wines tend to age well so the aging should be a good thing, hopefully a great thing. I'm going to try a short one later tonight.

Flying Fish Grand Cru replaced a sixtel of Ommegang 2010 Adoration. Grand Cru is a frequent though usually short lived visitor on the taps here at the Grey Lodge during the winter and has been for years.

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout replaced the sixtel of Ommegang 2010 Three Philosophers. Way back in teh day, Chicory Stout was one of Dogfish's first two core beers. A few years ago, Chicory Stout became only available seasonally. Well tis the season. If I recall correctly, besides chicory (which is like coffee if I recall correctly), this beer also has St. John's Wort and other supposedly healthly things. I guess if you are going to have to have worts, they should at least come from a saint.

This week's Beer Season beer of the week, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, replaced itself. I do not think I will be able to fit this one my drinking list for tonight. Well guess I will have to hang out here at the G-Lodge tomorrow night too.

Sly Fox Pikeland Pils replaced a sixtel of Ommegang 2011 Three Philosophers. Neal Sullivan asked for a pilsner to be back on tap; his wish is our command. But it's not like I need my arm twisted to order a keg of this great beer.

Weyerbacher Fireside Ale replaced a sixtel of Ommegang Gnomegang. Fireside, a winter seasonal, is a smoked ale. If I recall correctly, the smoke is just the right amount. I can let you know if my memory is correct later tonight. This will be my first beer after I finish working.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA replaced Sixpoint Bengali Tiger. This is a new seasonal for Sierra. It's a rye IPA. It's from Sierra so you know it be 1) hoppy, 2) great. I predict this one won't last long. This will be my 2nd beer of the night for those who plan on keeping score.

Philadelphia Walt Wit replaced Ommegang Witte. A Belgian white for a Belgian white. Walt Wit always a crowd pleaser. I wouldn't be surprised if it kicked by tomorrow night.

Mon, 23 Jan 2012

2012-01-23T09:55:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update
Each week for this current Beer Season, we are highlighting a different style of beer. This week's Beer Season beer of the week is a porter. Porter is a strange style in that there is no clear agreement as that distinguishes it from a stout. Both are ales; both are black; both tend have moderate ABVs. Porters at one point were made by mixing an high octane imperial stout with an English dark mild. By the way, this is how Yards makes their seldom made Entire Porter. This mixing of imperial stout with dark mild was attributed to men who worked as porters (they lugged stuff around when there wasn't much in the way of machines). Whether or not that is true or not, that is where the name came from. At some point, they realized it would easier to brew this as a single beer, which how almost all of it is made today, including Yards' other porter, their George Washington.

Yuengling Porter, which was the go to beer for many a future beer geek back in the dark days before the microbrew revolution, is actually a lager and not technically a porter but a schwarzbier. We'll feature a kickass schwarbier before this Beer Season is over.

Anywho, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, which replaced Dock Street Man Full of Trouble Porter, is an insanely tasty example of the porter style.

On another line, replacing last week's beer of the week, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, is Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA. Bengali is a great IPA.

This Week
We have nothing extra special going this week, which gives me a chance to do the 2011 books. But as usual, our usual is pretty special. Great beer, great food, 7 days a week.

Wednesday is Quizzo with this week's Quizmaster, Quizmaster Special Bob. 40 questions. 8pm, on our 2nd floor. Prizes. No cover.

Sat, 21 Jan 2012

2012-01-21T10:27:00.002-05:00

It seemed so far off when we picked a date, but Ommebruch is finally here. Here with snow and ice and all that yucko stuff. The ice and snow and yuck are expected to be just yuck by later this afternoon. So the yuck will remain and the Ommegangs likely will too. So if the weather keeps you away this morning, stop in later today. Even if brunch is gone like the snow and ice, Ommegangs will be around to go with dinner. And there's no yuck about that.

Talking of Ommegangs, here's what we tapped:

Ommegang Witte - The other 5 Ommegangs on tap today are high ABV big beers, so we have a more sessionable Ommegang to lighten things up a little. Witte is Ommegang's Belgian style white, which is a style you would expect from an Belgian/American brewery. It's been a while since I had this one so I'm looking forward to trying it again.

Ommegang 2010 Adoration (sixtel) and Ommegang 2011 Adoration (sixtel) - we have two years of this, Ommegang's Xmas seasonal. I didn't realize it was an Xmas beer when it arrived in 2010 or we have ran it then. But that oversight allows us to have two years of it right now.

Here's the official description "Ale brewed with Spices: Coriander, Cardamon, Mace, Grains of Paradise, Sweet Orange Peel. Adoration is a traditional winter ale, brewed in the Belgian manner, but with the twist of unusual spicing. Sip it on a winter eve sitting before a fire. You’ll understand why we couldn’t name it anything else." When I heard it was an Xmas beer, I thought Adoration had to do with the Nativity... guess not. The ABV on this bad boy is 10%. We have two years, so you can try both and see what a year does to it.

Ommegang Gnomegang (sixtel) - this one if I am correct is collaboration with Achouffe, a really great and not all that old Belgian microbrewery. Turns out I'm right "This delectable blonde ale is a co-creation of two famed farmstead breweries: Brewery Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe. It employs five fine malts, two noble hops, and both of the distinctive Chouffe and Ommegang yeasts. You’ll enjoy the smooth drinkability, fruity aromas and flavors, and warming finish."

Ommegang 2010 Three Philosophers (sixtel) and Ommegang 2011 Three Philosophers (sixtel) - we have two years of this one too. "The essence of wonder is a unique and masterful blend of strong malty ale and authentic Belgian Kriek. Our philosophers deduce that this powerful marriage of cherries, roasted malts, and dark chocolate will only achieve more wisdom and coherence as it broods in the dark recesses of your cellar." One has brooding in our cellar since 2010. The other a little less so. Again, try both if you wish to see the Philosophers change over time.

This week's Beer Season beer of the week, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, replaced itself. We knew we would 3 kegs of this to get it to last through a whole week. So that's what we got. This is the third and final. Well not final, just until it works its way back into the rotation, which is frequent, because this beer is that good.

Kicked: Dogfish 120 Minute IPA, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, Lancaster Winter Warmer, Victory Export Lager, Sam Adams Alpine Spring Lager, Victory Smokin Oats Porter.

120 kicked at about 9:30pm, sooner than we expected. For those who missed out, fret not, we'll tap another one next month (watch for details).

Fri, 20 Jan 2012

2012-01-20T09:37:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update
For our annual 120 on 1/20, which is today, a sixtel of Dogfish 120 Minute IPA replaced Stoudts Old Abominable. Old Abom didn't kick and will be back.

We also have some firkins which will get tapped tonight. This will be an extra great night to be at the Grey Lodge.

Thu, 19 Jan 2011

2012-01-19T17:10:00.003-05:00

Draft Update
This week's Beer Season beer of the week, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, replaced itself. We have another keg to get us up to Monday.

Philadelphia Newbold IPA replaced Philadelphia Walt Wit. I have been informed this version of New Bold is one they always wanted to make. Give it a try, it might be your new go-to IPA.

Tomorrow and the Next Day
Tomorrow is January 20th and we always do 120 on 01/20. Which means we'll tap a sixtel of Dogfish Head 120 IPA. And Saturday is Ommebrunch, now with it's own Webpage, updated with Chef Eric's brunch specials

Wed, 18 Jan 2012

2012-01-18T19:38:00.003-05:00

Draft Beer Update
Flying Fish Grand Cru replaced Stoudts Pumpkinfest. Grand Cru is a very tasty Belgian style gold ale. It's Flying Fish Farmhouse's bigger brother and is long time favorite around here.

Sly Fox Grisette replaced Ithaca Cold Front. I remember when Sly Fox first brewed this one. Head brewer Brian O'Reilly was the head brewer, the salesman, and the delivery guy. Sly Fox has come a long way. That was many years ago. I recall Brian's email telling me Grisette was a Belgian farmhouse ale. That was many years ago and my memory ain't what it was. So I looked up the official description to refresh my memory. "Grisette is a a Belgian farmhouse ale which was originally brewed in the Hainaut Province to be the beer of the miners in the area, just as Saison was the beer of the farmers. It was lighter than saison and frequently contained wheat as well as barley malt (as does the Sly Fox version). The name is derived from the French word for grey, referring to the young women (the grisettes) who doled out pints as the men exited from the mines while still dressed in their grey factory frocks."

So it's more of mineshaft ale than a farmhouse ale. Vincent Van Gogh when he was a missionary in Belgium lived with and ministered to the miners. Maybe he enjoyed a few grisettes (beers not women) during his time there. We can now enjoy some Grisettes here at the Grisette Lodge. If you want to paint or draw while you are here, feel free.

I did a little Googling a Vincent did indeed live in the Borinage, which turns out is an industrial region in the Belgian province of Hainaut. That's our lesson for today.

Tue, 17 Jan 2012

2012-01-17T11:41:00.002-05:00

Man is it miserable out there. A great day to stop in the Lodge and warm up with a porter and some hot soup or chili. Talking of porter, Dock Street Man Full of Trouble Porter replaced Boulder Planet Porter. Joe Kneiss asked for this one way back and it's finally here and on tap.

Mon, 16 Jan 2011

2012-01-16T08:36:00.003-05:00

This Week at the Grey Lodge
Wednesday - Quizzo with Quizmaster Chris3. 8pm on our 2nd floor.

Friday - 120 on 01/20. If it's January 20th, then we must be tapping a sixtel of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

We try to overshoot on firkins for Friday the Firkinteenth; thinking that it is better to have too many than too few. We have three firkins that we didn't tap last Friday, so we'll tap them this Friday at 6pm. These are Dock Street Rye IPA, Ruddles County Ale, and Yards Brawler. Freshly tapped cask ale and 120, stop on by!

Saturday - We serve brunch every weekend. This Saturday will be extra special; it's Ommebrunch!

On tap we will have: Ommegang 2010 Adoration, Ommegang 2011 Adoration, Ommegang Gnomegang, Ommegang 2010 Three Philosophers, Ommegang 2011 Three Philosophers, and Ommegang Witte.

Yes!.. two years of Adoration and Three Philosophers, so you can see how these beers change over time. Ommegang's Megan McGuire will be here with Ommegoodies.

Photos of the Day
Steve Lyford posted pix from last Friday. Thanks Steve!

Draft Beer Update
Lancaster Winter Warmer replaced Manayunk St. Alpha Belgian IPA. It's cold, cold, cold outside. This big malty beer will warm you up.

Victory Export Lager replaced Stoudts American Pale Ale. Export Lager is Victory's Dortmunder style beer. Bill and Ron got their brewing training in Germany and their love of German style beers has been evident since the beginning of Victory. Beer is very local in Germany. Styles of beer are very local too with areas having mulitiple breweries making the same style of beer, and pretty much just that style. Many of these styles are variations on gold colored lager. Dortmunder is the style from the city of Dortmund; an example of a famous authentic Dortmunder from Dortmund would be DAB. So what makes a Dortmunder different from other gold lagers? BeerTutor.com tells us "Balance defines Dortmunders as they possess the malt profile of a Helles, the hop character of a German Pilsner, and are slightly stronger than both." So a Dortmunder is a hoppier Munich Helles.

Cigar City Jai Alai IPA replaced Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Jai Alai is this week's Beer Season Beer of the Week. For this Beer Season we are highlighting a different style each week with a world class example of that style. This week's style is India Pale Ale. Cigar City Jai Alai is indeed world class. We had the plan this one out a month ahead of time since the rest of the world has noticed how awesome Cigar City beers are, and they are now in short supply. We scored 3 halves, hopefully that will be enough to last us all week.

Stoudts Old Abominable replaced Philadelphia Shackamaximum Imperial Stout. This barley wine has been cellaring for a year in our basement. Barley wines tend to get better with age. I'm excited about this one.

Sun, 15 Jan 2012

2012-01-15T12:48:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update
Sam Adams Alpine Spring Lager replaced Sly Fox Dunkel Weisse.

And the 6 left over firkins are on special today. Cask ale at low, low prices. While supply lasts.

Tue, 24 Jan 2012

2012-01-14T16:14:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Summit Honeymoon Saison replaced Sly Fox Grisette. To celebrate his upcoming nuptials, Summit brewer Sam Doniach created Honeymoon Saison—Batch 07 in the Summit Unchained Series.

Fri, 13 Jan 2012

2012-01-13T11:59:00.013-05:00

It's a little windy, but clear and sunny, a great day for a Firkinteenth. I will update the cask status all day as time permits.

Cask Status (as of 7:30pm) - you may have to refresh your browser.

Tapped:
Stone Smoked Porter
Duck Rabbit Brown Ale
Victory ESB
Sly Fox Robbie Burns Scottish Ale
Sixpoint Vienna Pale Ale
Weyerbacher Fireside
Sly Fox 113 IPA

On Deck:
Dock Street Rye IPA
Nodding Head 60 Shilling
Ruddles County Ale
Yards Brawler

Kicked:
FiftyFifty Rockslide IPA
Manayunk Rye of the Tiger
Iron Hill West Chester Anvil Ale
Prism Bitto Honey IPA
Old Speckled Hen
Voodoo Four Seasons IPA
Flying Fish Red Fish
Lancaster Milk Stout
Philly Joe Porter
Bavarian Barbarian First Snow
Boulder Mojo IPA
Stoudts Chocolate ESB
Sixpoint Gorilla Warfare Coffee Porter
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3
Desiato Cider

Draft Beer Update
Sly Fox Dunkel Weisse replaced Dock Street Bubbly Wit. I am going to have a tallboy of this one whenever I finish working tonight.

Philadelphia Walt Wit replaced Weyerbacher Tango. This great local Belgian style wit always kicks quickly.

This week's Beer Season beer of the week, Stoudts American Pale Ale, replaced itself.

Thu, 12 Jan 2012

2012-01-12T13:02:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update
This week's Beer Season beer of the week, Stoudts American Pale Ale, replaced itself.

Manayunk St. Alpha Belgian IPA replaced Manayunk Rye of the Tiger IPA.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo replaced Victory Ranch S IPA. Several people, you know who you are hopefully as I have forgotten already, asked for us to get Torpedo back. Well your wish is our command. Torpedo is a great IPA and won't be on tap for long. I predict it will be gone before Friday is in the history books.

Ithaca Cold Front replaced Peak Maple Collaboration.

9pm Update

Philadelphia Shackamaximum Imperial Stout replaced itself.

Stoudts Pumpkinfest replaced Dock Street Belgian Black IPA. We thought we were done with pumpkin beers but Stoudt's had one for us so we snatched it for you.

Victory Smokin Oats Porter replaced Sly Fox Rauchbier. Victory Smokin Oats Porter is another smoked beer for the ones who like that kind of thing.

Tue, 10 Jan 2012

2012-01-10T16:18:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Philadelphia Shackamaximum Imperial Stout replaced Sly Fox Oydessy IPA. Philadelphia Shackamaximum Imperial Stout is a strong and tasty stout.

Mon, 09 Jan 2011

2012-01-09T10:14:00.003-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge
Tuesday - The Lucky 13 Homebrew Club meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month on our 2nd floor. This is a great opportunity to interact with other homebrewers of all skill levels. We have a really great crew, why not join us? It's a really fun time. 7:30pm on our 2nd floor.

Wednesday - This week's Quizmaster is Quizmaster Pete. Pete seems to have a General Quizzo lined up for us. Which should be good news for Donny Smith, the Mayor Mayfair, Quizzo, every Wednesday on our 2nd floor. 8pm. no cover.

Talking of Mayfair, we were profiled as this week's Mayfair Business Association Merchant of the Week.

Friday - This Friday we will do a little something we call Friday the Firkinteenth. 25 firkins (more or less). Noon tapping, 7 firkins on the bar at any time. Cask ale should flow until 10pm, so don't worry about coming later. Doors open at 10am. For early comers, Eric will have a small brunch menu available to start you off right. For those who are counting, this will be our 24th Friday the Firkinteenth.

Draft Beer Update
Boulder Planet Porter replaced Firestone Walker Walkers Reserve Porter. Planet Porter is yet another perfect beer from Boulder. This is a truly world class porter. And as such could have been a beer of the week for this current Beer Season, where we spotlight a world class example of a different style of beer every week. As things worked out, we another equally great porter to take the spotlight in a week or so. Boulder has been using the same recipe for Planet Porter for over 30 years now (which is forever and another forever in the world of America craft beer). Hey why mess with perfection?

Talking about Beer Season and beers of the week, a new week starts today. The style this week is American Pale Ale. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the pioneers (if not the pioneer of this style). We have loads of Sierra kegs coming and going this month, so we went with Stoudts American Pale Ale to represent this style. Stoudts has been making this beer since the late 90s. It was a popular back in the early days of the Grey Lodge, and it still is; the first barrel, tapped on Saturday is almost gone. Don't worry, we have another and a third coming in this week.

Sat, 07 Jan 2012

2012-01-07T17:31:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update:
Victory Ranch S IPA replaced Troegs Hopback Amber. Victory Ranch S IPA is a new Imperial IPA from Victory made with 100% Segal Ranch Cascade Hops (Grandview, WA) and dry hopped with Cascade hops.
- Chris

8pm Update: Dock Street Bubbly Wit replaced Sly Fox Belgian Blonde. The Belgian Blonde didn't last long, just about 2 days exactly. Bubbly Wit is a Belgian style wit fermented with champange yeast. I'm just about finished working. Think I will have one really soon.

Stoudts American Pale Ale replaced Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale. Daisy Cutter lived up to Buddy Hadry's recommendation. Indeed a fantastic beer, a truly great example of the American Pale Ale style. Stoudts American Pale Ale has been a great beer since like forever. We have two kegs of it, set up to be tapped back to back. Those who have been paying attention can figure what that means. On Monday you can check back here and see if you were correct.
- Scoats

Thu, 05 Jan 2012

2012-01-05T15:25:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update
On line ten, our high octane and/or high price line, Weyerbacher Tango replaced the 20 liter barrel of Scaldis Noel. Tango, the latest in Weyerbacher's NATO alphabet series which gives their assistant brewers a chance to create some beers, is on not on line ten because of high price, but because of its 9.6% ABV. Tango is a dark Belgian strong ale brewed with cherries. Mmmm sounds great. Guess I will have to stick around for a beer or two tonight after work. Well I was going to anyway, now I have extra incentive.

Sly Fox Belgian Blonde replaced Magic Hat Circus Boy. Sly Fox's Belgian Blonde is a 6% or so ABV Belgian style ale. It expect that it should be similar to Lefe. Two newly tapped locally made Belgian style beers... well I'm definitely staying for two now. I'll start off light with the Sly Fox, then downshift to the Weyerbacher for my second beer. Who needs Belgium when you have Mayfair?

Wed, 04 Jan 2012

2012-01-04T18:27:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Sly Fox Oydessy IPA replaced Philadelphia Shackamaximum Imperial Stout. Sly Fox Oydessy IPA is an Imperial IPA with plenty of hops.

Woodchuck Granny Smith Cider is now on the cider line.

Tue, 03 Jan 2011

2012-01-03T16:40:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Dock Street Belgian Black IPA replaced Harpoon Chocolate Stout. Dock Street Belgian Black IPA is a new one from Dock Street. There is no info out there but I think the name explains itself.

Desiato Hard Cider kicked and there is not a cider to replace it yet, but will be here by the weekend.

Sat, 31 Dec 2011

2011-12-31T15:24:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale replaced Wells Bombardier. Half Acre Daisy Cutter is new out of Chicago. This is their take on a West Coast IPA.

Troegs Hopback Amber replaced Sixpoint Spice of Life IPA - Centennial. Troegs Hopback Amber is an old favorite here at the Grey Lodge. It is not an IPA, but a hopped up amber ale.

Sly Fox Rauchbier replaced 21st Amendment Fireside Chat. We told you Fireside Chat wouldn't last long. In it's place is Sly Fox Rauchbier, a smoked beer brewed with imported Beechwood Smoked Malt from Bamburg, Germany.

10pm Update:

Harpoon Chocolate Stout replaced Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. Harpoon Chocolate Stout does not contain any chocolate, but derives its flavor from the use of darker, more aromatic malt that has been roasted until it acquires a chocolate color.

Fri, 30 Dec 2011

2011-12-30T16:49:00.005-05:00

Wow 2011 is quickly running to a close.

As usual we'll be doing brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 3pm. Sunday is New Years Day; what better way to ring the new year but with brunch? Or what better way to begin to see the old year out than with brunch? Fine reasons to come for brunch either day,.. or both.

We don't know why people get themselves all excited about a change of the calendar, but who are we to ask why? Chris and Patty will be behind the wood for New Years Eve tomorrow night, which will be little low key (cause we really don't get it), but there will be the usual excitement at midnight. If you don't get it either, why not join us?

Draft Beer Update
John Knesis will be happy to see that Firestone Walker Walkers Reserve Porter replaced Anchor Our Special Ale. John asked a while back and it's finally here. This beer uses 5 different malts plus oats and is "selectively fermented in the Firestone Union oak barrel brewing system". Ooooh... selectively fermented!!! But seriously, it does sound really tasty and well crafted. I will have one as my first beer when I finally get on the better side of the bar tonight.

Magic Hat Circus Boy
replaced Philadelphia Walt Wit. Circus Boy is a hefewiezen brewed with lots of lemon grass. It's different from the normal hefe, but different in a great way. This will be my second beer tonight.

8:30pm Update. Five kegs have turned over since the last update a scant four hours ago

Manayunk Rye of the Tiger IPA replaced Stoudts Revel Red. Rye of the Tiger is of course an homage to Rocky. Like many rye beers, it's a hopbomb to balance out the rye.

Peak Maple Collaboration replaced Cigar City Maduro. Maple Collaboration Ale is a maple ale with oats. Sounds interesting. I think it might make my dance card tonight. With all these changes, I'll have go with 1/2 pints to try all the ones I want to.

Scaldis Noel, our last Christmas beer of this holiday season was just tapped. It's a 20 liter which is equal to a sixtel. Scaldus replaces Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux, which was also a 20 liter. Like the 3 Christmas beers on line 10 before it, Scaldus Noel is from Belgium. Wow this little Vixen (that's a reindeer right?) clocks in at 12% ABV. The official description says it is quite hoppy. At 12% ABV it has to be very malty too. Yet another one for my dance card.

Wells Bombardier, our Beer Season beer of the week, replaced itself. The first one got tapped on Monday. It's a traditional English bitter from England. Peeps have been digging it.

Also replacing itself is Philadelphia Shackamaximum Imperial Stout. This is second of two quarter barrels in a row, to keep us at big boy size beer levels.

Thu, 29 Dec 2011

2011-12-29T14:37:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update
21st Amendment Fireside Chat replaced Abita Christmas Ale. This is a popular beer. Cases sold out before we could get any this year. The first barrel we had kicked in a couple days, it didn't even make the weekend. We managed to score a second barrel. Fireside is a spiced English strong ale, clocking in at almost 8%. Enjoy this seasonal beer while it lasts.

Sixpoint Spice of Life IPA - Centennial replaced Victory Yakima Glory, and just as I was about to have a Yakima last night. Spice Life is a series of single hopped IPAs. The one uses the always wonderful centennial hop.

Philadelphia Walt Wit replaced Victory Lager. One local favorite session beer replacing another.

Tue, 27 Dec 2011

2011-12-27T16:52:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale replaced the last Sly Fox Christmas Ale for the year. This is also the last pumpkin beer of the year so get it while you can.

Mon, 26 Dec 2011

2011-12-26T11:46:00.004-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge
We hope everyone had a very enjoyable holiday.

Monday - today, you might have off, but we don't. Bar and kitchen are open normal hours. Why not stop in and give us some work to do?.. we're here anyway. The Christmas leftovers will keep for another day.

Wednesday - For this week's Quizzo, Quizmaster Chris3 will host a year-end wrap-up Quizzo. 8pm on our second floor.

Saturday - We will be open for New Year's Eve, but will keep it low key this year. We will have loads of great beer, cool tunes on the juke, and make a fuss at midnight, but you don't have to dress up or drop big bucks. Of course if you want do either or both, we can handle that too.

Sunday - Why not start off the New Year with a nice brunch and a bit of the hair o' the dog? We serve brunch every weekend, Saturdays from 10am to 3pm, Sundays from 11am to 3pm.

Draft Beer Update
This week's Beer Season beer of the week is Wells Bombardier. For this Beer Season, we are highlighting a different beer style every week (and 13 weeks is no where enough to highlight every style of beer). This week's style is English bitter and Bombardier is described as "the definitive English Bitter". So there we go! Bombardier replaced Southampton Christmas Ale. We got a deal on the Bombardier, and are passing along the savings. Pints are just $4.

Stoudts Revel Red, which is Stoudts winter seasonal beer, is a hoppy red ale. Revel replaced Troegs Mad Elf. We have two more Mad Elves, which will come out in 2012. The first in July for Xmas in July, and the second around late November/early December for our annual Mad Elf Night, when we always have two years of Elf on tap.

Philadelphia Shackamaximum Imperial Stout is back. We could only get quarter barrels, so we got four. Continuing our commitment to only tap big boy barrels of beer (unless it's sixtel only), we will run the two quarters back to back; two quarters equalling a half. Clocking in at 8%, this year's Shack is a bit lower in ABV than previous years, when it was a little over 10%. Shackamaximum replaced Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi. Speaking of the Maji, fear not Xmas beer lovers, Christmas lasts until January 6th, which is the Ephiphany, aka Feast of the Three Kings. We still have a few Christmas beers on tap, and one more waiting to get tapped.

Sat, 24 Dec 2011

2011-12-24T16:07:00.004-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Draft Beer Update:

Anchor Our Special Ale replaced Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Anchor Our Special Ale is their winter seasonal whose recipe differs from year to year, but still comes out tasting great every year.

Victory Lager replaced Evil Genius Naughty or Nice. Victory Lager is an authentic version of a German helles-style lager.

Cigar City Maduro replaced Gritty McDuff Christmas Ale. Cigar City Maduro is an awesome tasting brown ale made with oatmeal.

We will be open all day today and until 2AM tonight, that is when you have to be in bed by if you want Santa to stop by with some goodies. The kitchen will be open until midnight or earlier depending upon how business is. We will also be open on Christmas Day at 8pm, but the kitchen will be closed. So stop in for some last minute gift ideas, such as gift cards, growlers or a couple of bottles of beer for that special someone, or just to enjoy the friendly atmosphere on this festive night. Whatever you do remember to have a safe and fun holiday and good cheer from your friends at the Grey Lodge!

5PM Update:

Sly Fox Christmas Ale has replaced itself. This will be the last one for 2011. We have kicked 3 halves in less than a week, the last one in 24 hours, so I would get in and enjoy this awesome Christmas beer while it lasts because you won't get a chance until our Christmas in July event in 2012.

Fri, 23 Dec 2011

2011-12-23T15:21:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Victory Yakima Glory replaced Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale. Wow! That Lagunitas lasted a day. I guess they don't suck to much. Victory Yakima Glory will keep the hoppy beers going as this is their dark IPA.

Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux (20 liter) replaced Corsendonk Christmas Ale. "Les Bons Voeux" means best wishes, which is what the Grey Lodge Pub sends to you and your family. This very special saison ale is brewed only for the holidays. Redolently aromatic, rich and velvety, this is an ale to toast the season and welcome in the New Year!

The last 2011 Troegs Mad Elf for this year replaced Sixpoint Signal. No explanation needed. Come in and get it because it won't last long.

Sly Fox Christmas Ale replaced itself again. That leaves us with one more after this one.

Thu, 22 Dec 2011

2011-12-22T15:54:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale replaced the very popular Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale was brewed in place of the Brown Sugga because of limited space as they expanded their brewing capacity. So for them sucking they made a great holiday ale that is a hoppy and delicious.

The firkin of Stoudts Feliz Navidad ESB is now done.

Wed, 21 Dec 2011

2011-12-21T12:15:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update
Southampton Christmas Ale replaced Stoudts Pumpkinfest. Southampton makes our 5th beer on tap with "Christmas" in its name, so it must be Christmas. Unlike the other Christmas beers on tap, this one is French bier de garde. We should have a 6th on tap as of tomorrow (for the Book Singing - look to the right for more details).

Evil Genius Naughty or Nice replaced itself. Isn't that nice.

5pm Update: Our Beer Season beer of the week, Sly Fox Christmas Ale, replaced itself. This year's batch is amazing. I'm glad we bought 7 barrels.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale replaced Victory Prima Pils. Great Lakes Christmas is always in huge demand. Last year, we were only able to get a sixtel. This year we have graduated to a full half barrel. But one was all we could get.

Mon, 20 Dec 2011

2011-12-19T08:28:00.006-05:00

This Week at the Grey Lodge
Wednesday - Quizmaster Pete will host a Holiday Quizzo. Q's about all of December's holidays, including Festivus. 8pm on our 2nd floor.

Thursday - This will be fun! It's a Book Singing; that's not a typo.
- Local beer writer Lew Bryson will be selling and signing books and leading us in Christmas carols. Besides being an internationally respected writer, Lew, a longtime fixture of his church choir, is also a singer. We are told he has quite a set of pipes on him. Anyone who has heard him laugh, and if you have ever been within a city block of him, you couldn't have missed it, knows that we can expect great things from his singing.
- Still need some gifts? Lew will be selling and signing copies of Pennsylvania Breweries and New Jersey Breweries.
- For this festive event, we will have Troegs Mad Elf, Sly Fox Christmas Ale, Anchor Our Special Ale, Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale, Great Lakes Christmas Ale, and loads more holiday beers on tap. 7:30 to 9pm.

Friday - Open regular hours. Loads of Christmas beers will be on tap.

Saturday - The bar and kitchen will be open regular hours for Xmas Eve. The bar will cranking until 2am, though the kitchen may close a little before our usual 1am Saturday kitchen hours.

Sunday - We will spend the day doing family stuff, and will open the first floor at 8pm on Xmas Day, which is more like Xmas Night. The kitchen will be closed.

Draft Beer Update
This week's Beer Season Beer of the Week is a spiced Christmas beer. We have four kegs of the ever-popular Sly Fox Christmas Ale to get us to and a probably a little past Christmas Day. Tasting like a ginger snap, this beer is Christmas in a glass. Sly Fox Christmas replaced Troegs Mad Elf. Don't worry, we have another keg of Mad Elf, which we get tapped for Thursday night's Book Singing, Christmas Caroling with Lew Bryson (info above)

Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi replaced Yards Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale. Man Tommy Jefferson kicked fast. Gift of the Magi is gold in color, bittered with the bark of frankincense, and uses the smallest amount of myrrh, an herb that has roots in ancient winemaking. I guess we really should have saved this one for the Feast of the Epiphany, which is January 8th (if my Catholic education has stuck), well maybe 2013.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale Ballast Point Sculpin which didn't last long, no surprise. Celebration is an old school Christmas ale. In the old, old days, breweries would make an amped up version of their flagship beer for the Christmas season. Sierra Celebration is their flagship Pale Ale dialed up to 11.

Abita Christmas Ale replaced Sixpoint Diesel and Gritty McDuff Christmas Ale replaced Duck Rabbit Milk Stout. Two different Christmas Ales from two very different places.

Gritty's is from Maine. It's an ESB with no fruits, spices or any of those reindeer games. Abita's is from Louisiana, across the causeway from NOLA. Abita changes up the recipe for their Christmas Ale every year; expect some reindeer games.

This Week in Mayfair
Here is what is going in our neighborhood this week.

Sat, 17 Dec 2011

2011-12-17T17:32:00.002-05:00

I just came back from the live nativity at Lambie Funeral Home (Rowland and Rhawn) and it's definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Our draft list continues to feel like Christmas too. Corsendonk Christmas Ale (30 liter) replaced the 20 liter barrel of Affligem Noel. Like Affligem Noel, Corsendonk is a Belgian Christmas Ale. The official description goes "On the palate this silky smooth ale is predominantly malty, with smoky, spicy and citrusy notes, and a long, lingering finish that is lightly tart and malty."

The Lambies have staged a live nativity every year for the last few years. It's a one-night only evening of live Christmas music and of course a reinactment of the nativity, complete with (in no order) shepherds, kings, sheep, a donkey, the holy family, and a camel. Seeing a live camel in Holmesburg is pretty nifty. If you missed it this year, or prior years, make sure to put it on your radar for 2012.

Fri, 16 Dec 2011

2011-12-16T15:29:00.004-05:00

Draft Beer Update
It continues to look a lot like Christmas...

Evil Genius Naughty or Nice replaced the ever popular Sly Fox Christmas Ale. Fear not, we have 4 more Sly Fox Christmas Ales to go on next week, which just so happens to be Christmas week. In the meantime, enjoy this new brewery's take on a spiced Christmas beer. I had a sample of it a few weeks ago. I liked it so much, we bought two kegs of it.

Sixpoint Diesel replaced Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. Diesel is a very hoppy stout.

Yards Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale replaced the sixtel of Dogfish Head Burton Baton. We haven't had a Thomas Jefferson on tap in a while, so Tommy was due. This higher octane red ale is always very popular here, which is good because we have more Christmas beers to tap once it kicks.

Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean there isn't room at the inn for a hopbomb. Ballast Point Sculpin replaced Ithaca Cascazilla. The hopbomb will blow away any manger.

Victory Prima Pils replaced Kira Wit. Christmas beers are great, but sometimes you need a break from all that jollyness. What better break than one the best pilsners out there?

This week's Beer Season beer of the week, Duck Rabbit Milk Stout, replaced itself. It's one of the best milk stouts. And if you don't believe me, just ask Craig Colter or Dianne Peoples.

5:20 update: Jodi just arrived with a firkin cask-conditioned, gravity pour Stoudts Feliz Navidad ESB. This is their ESB with cocoa, cinamon and brown sugar. I had a short pour and it's super tasty.

2011 Troegs Mad Elf

replaced the sixtel of Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine. This 11% holiday maker of jolly is always a huge hit here. We have another barrel that we will tap on Thursday for the Lew Bryson Book Singing/Christmas Carol Sing-along, which will be a super jolly time. Don't miss it!

Grey Lodge Gift Ideas
Still need some gift ideas?

Shiny plastic Grey Lodge gift cards are available in any amount of $20 or more.

We now have empty growlers for sale. An empty top quality, swing-top growler is just $15! Fills range from $10 to $18.

Thu, 15 Dec 2011

2011-12-15T12:07:00.002-05:00

Today is the last day for Toys for Beer for Toys for Tots. Bring in a new unwrapped toy, get a free beer (up to $5 value) on us! Non-alcohol substitutes are no problem.

It continues to look a lot like Christmas here at the Grey Lodge. Affligem Noel replaced Dogfish Head Hellhound. This Belgian Xams beer comes in a 20 liter barrel, which makes it about the size of sixtel. I know what the next beer I will be having here is.

Tue, 13 Dec 2011

2011-12-13T14:14:00.005-05:00

This Week Update - Tonight!
I don't know how I forgot to include this in yesterday's This Week at the Grey Lodge update, but I did. Our Lucky 13 Homebrew Club meets tonight at 7:30 on our 2nd floor. Homebrewers of all levels are encouraged to join us.

Draft Beer

Just when it looked like pumpkin beers were done for the year, we scored two more kegs. First up is Stoudts Pumpkinfest, which replaces Prism Bitto Honey IPA. Pumpkinfest is a really awesome pumpkin beer. We tapped one over Thanksgiving and it kicked in less than 3 days, and that was with 2 other pumpkin beers on tap and us only being open for 6 hours on Thanksgiving. The Stoudts twist on this style is that their's is a pumpkin lager.

Update on Jodi's firkin this Friday, it is a Feliz Navidad inspired firkin. Celebrating Christmas with cocoa and cinnamon. If you love the Pumpkinfest, let Jodi know on Friday; she'll be here from 5pm to about 7pm. Pumpkinfest is her baby.

5pm Update: Sixpoint Signal replaced Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. Signal came off last Saturday to make room for the 7 Dogfish beers for last Saturday's brunch. Singal is also an IPA but a smoked one... smoke signal; get it?

Link of the Day
Bob Boileau sent us this great link that features companies that make stuff here in the U S of A:

Mon, 12 Dec 2011

2011-12-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge
Wednesday as always is Quizzo. This week's quizmaster is Speical Bob. As always, Quizzo is at 8pm on our 2nd floor.

This Friday is the 3rd Friday of the month (ack Xmas is coming fast), which is always Jodi's Firkin night. Jodi from Stoudts makes us a special firkin each month. This month's firkin, assuming we didn't get our wires crossed (which would have totally been my fault) will be a Christmas spiced ESB. As usual, tapping will be at 5pm.

Christmas beers are starting popping up on draft fast and furiously. We bought loads of them and the wave is about to break.

Draft Beer Update
Sly Fox Christmas Ale replaced the sixtel of Dogfish Head Immort Ale. This is one of everyone's favorite Xmas beers, one taste and you'll know why. We bought 7 kegs of this one. Six to tap this month (1 down, 5 to go), and one for Xmas in July.

Kira Wit replaced Allagash White. Kira is a not a Belgian style white beer, it is a Belgian white beer. Hmm guess it's both. What I was not so cleverly, and oh so awkwardly trying to say that this Belgian white beer is actually from Belgium. It's an interesting deal. All of those Microstar barrels that go to Europe with US microbrews in them, come back over the Atlantic with Kira in them, which makes a lot more sense than just shipping back empty barrels.

Sat, 10 Dec 2011

2011-12-10T10:19:00.005-05:00

We needed 7 beers to turn over before this morning for today's O' Come All Ye Burton Barton Weilding, Immortale, Faithful Hellhounds to the Olde School... (bow head)... Namaste Dogfish Head Brunch, and happily since Thursday night, 7 kegs turned over.

Kicked: Troegs Hopback Amber, Leinenkugels Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout (sixtel), Manayunk Philadelphia Porter, Lost Abbey Avant Garde.

Tapped:
Dogfish Head Hellhound (sixtel) - the beer was brewed to celebrate the 100th years since the birth of bluesman Robert Johnson. Hellhound is a super-hoppy ale that hits 100 IBUs in the brewhouse, 10.0 ABV, 10.0 SRM in color, and dry-hopped with 100% centennial hops at a rate of 100 kilos per 100 barrel brew-length. Can you tell we at Dogfish are stoked for this mighty musical centennial? To accentuate and magnify the citrusy notes of the centennial hops (and as a shout out to Robert Johnsons mentor Blind Lemon Jefferson) we add dried lemon peel and flesh to the whirlpool. That's a lot of 100s and centennials. Way cool.

Dogfish Head Namaste (sixtel) - A Belgian-style White made with dried organic orange slices, fresh cut lemongrass and a bit of coriande. Sounds like a great breakfast beer, and hey we serve brunch every Saturday and Sunday!

Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine (sixtel) - Inspired by a tale of a cask doctor who brought sluggish ales back to life by suspending a fig in them. Brewed from 100% Maris Otter pale ale malt, a blend of fine hops and conditioned on dates and figs. This one had a serious aroma when we tapped it last night. I can't wait to have one.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton (sixtel) - another one got that tapped last night. For Burton Baton we first brew two 'threads' or batches of beer: an English-style Old Ale and an Imperial IPA. After fementating the separate beers in stainless tanks, the two are transferred and blended together in a large oak tank. Burton Baton sits on the wood for about a month. You'll find an awesome blend of the citrus notes from Northwestern hops melding with woody, vanilla notes from the oak. The wood also tends to mellow the 10% of the beer - so tread cautiously! I had one last night and even after blending and wood aging, this bad boy retains its hoppyness.

5:30 PM Update:

The Dogfish Head Namaste turned out to be a bad keg which sucks for everyone. We had to take it off and in its place is Duck Rabbit Milk Stout. Duck Rabbit Milk Stout is a great rendition of a milk stout. Milk stout (also called sweet stout or cream stout) is a stout containing lactose, a sugar derived from milk. Because lactose is unfermentable by beer yeast, it adds sweetness, body, and calories to the finished beer. Milk stout was claimed to be nutritious, and was given to nursing mothers. That is why it will be next weeks Beer Season Beer of the Week.

Fri, 09 Dec 2011

2011-12-09T19:57:00.003-05:00

Draft Beer Update

Sly Fox Christmas Ale kicked lickety split. Happily we have SIX MORE HALVES to tap between now and Christmas. Replacing it is a sixtel of Dogfish Head Immort Ale.

Brewed with peat-smoked barley, this strong ale is brewed with organic juniper berries, vanilla & maple syrup. It’s aged on oak and fermented with a blend of English & Belgian yeasts.

Jeez Louise, I'm having that as soon as this post is finished. This very seldom seen Dogfish Head is one of the seven Dogfish Head bees we will be pouring for tomorrow's O' Come All Ye Burton Barton Weilding, Immortale, Faithful Hellhounds to the Olde School... (bow head)... Namaste Dogfish Head Brunch.

This week's Beer Season Beer, Allagash White, replaced itself.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA replaced Red Hook Winterhook. 60 Minute is Dogfish's flagship IPA, though they prefer not to have a flagship beer, so maybe it's not. Flagship or not, it is good. It is also for tomorrow.

Thu, 08 Dec 2011

2011-12-08T19:53:00.003-05:00

Draft Beer Update

Dock Street Justin's Moustache kicked. It also kicked at Dock Street's brewpub earlier today, so that might be it for this batch. Replacing it, getting us ready for Saturday's O' Come All Ye Burton Barton Weilding, Immortale, Faithful Hellhounds to the Olde School... (bow head)... Namaste Dogfish Head Brunch, is Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. This is one of Dogfish's original beers, in fact the first Dogfish Head beer we sold at The Grey Lodge oh so many years ago. It has chicory and various healthy herbs, like St. John's Wart. I guess if you are going use warts, you might as well get them from a saint.

For the brunch, which starts at 10am on Saturday, we will breaking out the lone case we got of Dogfish Head Faithfull, which is their Pearl Jam beer. We only have 12, first come, first serve.

Wed, 07 Dec 2011

2011-12-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Sly Fox Christmas Ale replaced Lagunitas DoppelWeizen. Christmas is less than 3 weeks away so we are starting to roll out the Christmas beers. First up is my personal favorite, Sly Fox Christmas Ale. If Christmas has a flavor this beer captures it. Delicious!

Tue, 06 Dec 2011

2011-12-06T16:49:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow

BeerAdvocate's the Alstrom Brothers will be hitting Philly hard tomorrow. They start their reign of terror on our fair metropolis here at the Grey Lodge at noon. Join them if you dare. They are scheduled to be here until 2pm.

Draft Beer Update

Desiato Hard Cider is back on our cider line. This cider is locally made by long-time Grey Lodge regular Rich Smithson. Enjoy a pint and support one of our regulars at the same time!

Prism Bitto Honey IPA replaced Weyerbacher Verboten. Bitto Honey is a tasty honey IPA made in North Wales (PA not UK).

Troegs Hopback Amber replaced Philadelphia Newbold IPA.

O Come All Ye Faithfull Hellhounds to the Olde School... (bow head)... Namesta" Dogfish Head Brunch

2011-12-05T09:50:00.003-05:00

This Saturday, we will have loads of cool and real Dogfish Head beers on tap with brunch for the O Come All Ye Faithfull, Imortale Hellhounds to the Olde School... (bow head)... Namesta" Dogfish Head Brunch. Sure it's a mouthful, but Dogfish Head beers are always a mouthful (in a good way, no make that in a great way)

on tap:

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Dogfish Head Hellhound

Dogfish Head Immort Ale

Dogfish Head Namesta

Dogfish Head Olde School Barley Wine

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

bottles:

Dogfish Head Faithfull

The Grey Lodge's Brunch menu is online at http://greylodge.com/food.html#brunch

Plus whatever tricks or treats Wendy will bring with her.

Date: Saturday, 10 December 2011

Time: 10am - 3pm

Mon, 05 Dec 2011

2011-12-05T09:39:00.005-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge

Our Toys for Beer (for Toys for Tots) project continues. Bring in a new, unwrapped toy and get a free beer on us. ($5 max value. Non-alcohol alternatives happily supplied). We are extending Toys for Beer until December 13th.

Wednesday night is Quizzo with Quizmaster Chris3. 8pm on our 2nd floor.

Saturday, from 10am to 3pm, we have "O Come All Ye Faithfull, Immortale Hellhounds to the Olde School... (bow head)... Namesta" Dogfish Head Brunch.

Draft Beer Update

A sixtel of Leinenkugels Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout replaced Stone Double Bastard. Leinenkugel is more known as a regional brewery than as a craft brewery, known for solid beers more so than crazier beers. Well they have decided to shake things up by making a Russian Imperial Stout. Russian Imperial Stouts are so three years ago, so about right for Leinenkugel's pace. Big Eddy shows Leinenkugel can make a craft beer as good as anyone. It's rock solid, while be being big and crafty. You should try one.

For this year's Beer Season, our longest running promotion, we are highlighing a different beer style every week with an exceptional example of that style. This week's style is Belgian White and Allagash White is one of the best. It replaced last week's beer of the week, Sly Fox Pikeland Pils.

Sat, 03 Dec 2011

2011-12-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Sixpoint Diesel replaced Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA. Sixpoint Diesel is a somewhat hoppy stout. Very tasty.

Fri, 02 Dec 2011

2011-12-02T17:08:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer News

Kicked: Great Divide Hibernation Ale, 21st Amendment Fireside Chat, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Heavy Seas Winter, Storm, and Sly Fox Pikeland Pils. A sixtel Sixpoint Gorilla Warfare was tapped after I left yesteray. It kicked already. Guess it was good.

Tapped:

Dock Street Justin's Moustache - This is a new one from Dock Street, named for assistant brewer Justin and his eponymous moustache. This is my first time getting to use the word "eponymous". Justin's Moustache is a helles that uses 20% smoked malt. I can't wait to have one when I'm on the better side of the bar later tonight.

Red Hook Winterhook - The recipe changes slightly every winter because nobody likes getting the exact same Holiday present year after year. Redhook’s 27th brew of Winterhook has roasted chocolate notes that smooth out the quick, spicy hop finish. Mmm I shall have to have one tonight.

Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA - this is a great example of the style.

Manayunk Philadelphia Porter - Philadelphia used to be known for porter. Manayunk is keeping that tradition alive.

Sly Fox Pikeland Pils - this is our current Beer Season beer, representing a great example of the pislner style. For each week of Beer Season, we will highlight a different style of beer. Drink all 13, one per week, to receive a free limited edition Beer Season T-shirt. There is still time to sign up for this our longest running promotion.

Thu, 01 Dec 2011

2011-12-01T18:17:00.003-05:00

The Log, our monthly e-newsletter went out today. If you are signed up but haven't received it, please check you spam folder. If its not in your spam folder (which it shouldn't be since we don't spam) or it you aren't signed up yet, here is where you do that.

Our Toys for Beer program started today and continues until next Thursday. Bring in a new unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots and get a free beer on us ($5 max value).

Draft Beer Update

Kicked: Philadelphia Harvest from the Hood (quarter barrel), Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel, Sam Adams Double Pumpkin, Woodchuck Fall Cider (2nd of 2 sixtels).

Tapped: Lost Abbey Avant Garde - a Belgian style Farmhouse Ale from one of the most Belgian of all American breweries.

Weyerbacher Verboten - Belgian-style Pale Ale with an American twist, which sometimes is exactly what you want.

Philadelphia Newbold IPA - Philly Brewing's IPA, made here in Philly.

I am suddenly craving Biscuits and Gravy. Dang I have to wait until Saturday and/or Sunday when we do brunch. I would say I have settle for something off our regular menu, but that ain't settling.

Tue, 29 Nov 2011

2011-11-29T17:07:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Great Divide Hibernation Ale is back on replacing the Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.

Mon, 28 Nov 2011

2011-11-28T10:32:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Cricket Hill Paymasters Porter kicked and in its place to start off the 2011-12 Beer Season is Sly Fox Pikeland Pils. This year we are celebrating a different style of beer each week and first up is Pilsner. Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the city of Pilsen, Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, where it has been developed since 1842, when a bottom-fermented beer was first produced. Pikeland Pils is one of the better locally produced versions so we will celebrate this great style of beer all week long.

Sun, 27 Nov 2011

2011-11-27T11:01:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update

21st Amendment Fireside Chat replaced Stoudts Pumpkinfest. We'll get more Pumpkinfest if it's available; that was a real winner. If you have been waiting all year for Fireside Chat to come back (and we know some of you have), it's your time! Fireside Chat, a winter seasonal, is an spiced up English style strong ale.

Win a Trip to Belgium to Brew Beer

You still have a couple of days to buy chances to win a trip to Belgium, and we have them there.

Sat, 26 Nov 2011

2011-11-26T10:55:00.002-05:00

Brunch

As always, we are serving a tasty brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays until 3pm. My wife just informed me that we will be having brunch at the Grey Lodge tomorrow. No wonder we get along so well.

Draft Beer Update

Heavy Seas Winter Storm replaced Manayunk Bills Pils. If I recall correctly, this is a higher octane ESB. Winter Storm was one of the beers that came off to make way for Wednesday's pumpkin craziness.

Lagunitas DoppelWeizen replaced Boaks Double BW, which was another big winner from Brian Boak. The story of Lagunitas's DoppelWeizen is when they recently upgraded their brewhouse with a new one from Germany, the installer (from Germany) asked them what German beers they brewed. Their answer was sort of "drrrrrr... none", so the installer and them collaborated to create this beer.

Philadelphia Harvest from the Hood is back. It replaced Ithaca Flower Power IPA. Harvest from the Hood is a very interesting beer. It uses all locally grown hops, whatever varieties they can get. The result is an extremely unusual beer. I love it.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale replaced itself.

Fri, 25 Nov 2011

2011-11-25T11:15:00.000-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel replaced Sly Fox Dunkel Lager. This Belgian-style Abbey Dubbel is an exceptionally complex beer with many interwoven flavors.

Ithaca Flower Power IPA replaced Cigar City Jai Alai IPA. Ithaca Flower Power IPA is just an awesome IPA.

Stone Double Bastard replaced Great Divide Belgian Yeti. Stone Double Bastard is the bigger, badder, sronger brother of Arrogant Bastard.

Woodchuck Fall Cider replaced itself.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T09:20:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We open at 7pm tonight.

We have loads of pumpkin beers on tap still, including the wonderful Stoudts Pumpkinfest.

Bring your darts! Pumpkin beers and darts, I can't think of a better way to finish up Thanksgiving Day.

TOYS FOR TOTS via TOYS FOR BEER

2011-11-23T19:05:00.005-05:00

Our next door neighbor, Avenue Chiropractic, has been supporting Toys for Tots for years now. This year we are helping too. And we are sweetening the pot (or the glass in the case).

From December 1st to December 13th, bring in a new, unwrapped toy (no dollar store garbage) and get a free beer on us ($5 max value). Limit one per person. We will happily substitute a non-alcohol beverage if you prefer.

The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

Wed, 23 Nov 2011

2011-11-23T11:52:00.003-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

We had to take off a couple of beers for tonight's pumpkinpalooza, but they shall return once the pumpkin beers kick. The changes are Stoudts Pumpkinfest replacing Heavy Seas Winter Storm and Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale replacing Great Divide Hibernation Ale. The Dogfish Head Punkin Ale will be on also but we are holding out so there will be enough for everyone. We also have Ace Pumpkin Cider in bottles and Woodchuck Fall Cider on draft now. So stop on in tonight and wait for the Great Pumpkin with us at the Grey Lodge.

3pm Update:

Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA has come off for a little while to make room for the ever popular Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

Tue, 22 Nov 2011

2011-11-22T17:24:00.004-05:00

For Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving = Pumpkingetting Night

This year for Thanksgiving Eve, we are going Pumpkin crazy!

Four pumpkin beers on tap (Dogfish Head, Sam Adams, Shipyard, and Stoudts), one pumpkin spiced cider on tap (Woodchuck), and a pumpkin cider in bottle (Ace). If you love pumpkin beers, The Grey Lodge is the place to be on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Chef Eric will have a bunch of pumpkin food specials too. Yes we are pumpkin crazy.

When Axl sings "You're pumpkin crazy" in that song, he's talking about us.

You're crazy, hey, hey
You know you're crazy, oh my!
You're pumpkin crazy, oh child
You know you're crazy
Ay,ay,ay,ay,ay,ay,ah,ah,ah,ah, yeah!
Woh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh na,no,na,no,na,no,na,no,na,no,no,no
No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no
No,no,no, no, no, no, no,no,no,no,no,no
no,no,no! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, Oh no, ow! -Woooh, yeah!

That Axl Rose, he's a lyrical genius.

Draft Beer Update

In time for tomorrow's Thanksgiving = Pumpkingetting Night, Sam Adams Double Pumpkin replaced Flying Fish Grand Cru.

Manayunk Bills Pils replaced Stoudts Gold. Yet another great pilsner from this the golden land pilsners.

And the cask of Stoudts Honey American Pale Ale is done.

Win a Trip to Belgium to Brew Beer!

2011-11-21T10:40:00.002-05:00

Philly Beer Week wants to send you to Belgium to brew a special collaborative beer with a local brewer of your choice and brewer Olivier Dedeycker of Brasserie Dupont.

The winner will be announced at an event at City Tap House on November 30th. You don't need to be present to win. We have tickets here at the Grey Lodge.

One Raffle - Two Chances to win.

You could win an all-expenses-paid trip to Belgium to brew Philly Beer Week's official Belgo Collaboration beer! Vote for your favorite local brewer for a chance to win!

Where: City Tap House - 39th and Walnut.

When: Wednesday, November 30th 2011 - 7 p.m. (Winning ballot selected @ 8:30).

Tickets: $5 a piece or 5 for $20 - ON SALE NOW here at The Grey Lodge.

What Can I Win?

Win a trip to Belguim and brew a collaboration beer with a local brewer. That's right, Philly Beer Week and Belgian beer experts Vanberg & DeWulf will send one lucky beer drinker to Belgium in March to create a collaborative brew for Philly Beer Week 2012 with the local brewer of your choice and fourth-generation family brewer Olivier Dedeycker of Brasserie Dupont.

The beer that is created on this trip will be bottled and distributed throughout Philly, with a debut in June during Philly Beer Week 2012.

The PBW Beer-Stravaganza package. Two tickets to Opening Tap 2012 - The official kickoff of Philly Beer Week, Forum of the Gods - A round-table with the country's top craft brewers, Working with local brewers to create Brotherly Suds 3 , and a beer sampler of some of Philly Beer Week's most popular and unusual beers.

Participating Brewers Include:

Jason Kohser of Boxcar Brewing
Scott Morrison of Dock Street
Tim Hawn of Dogfish Head
Beau Baden of Fegley's Brew Works
Casey Hughes of Flying Fish
Chris LaPierre of Iron Hill Brewery
Doug Marchakitus of Manayunk
Gordon Grubb of Nodding Head
Ben Schamberg of Philadelphia Brewing Company
Chris Rakow of River Horse
John Trogner of Tröegs
Rob Pfeiffer of Twin Lakes
Adam Bartles of Victory
Chris Wilson of Weyerbacher
Tom Kehoe of Yards

Participants must be 21 or older and must be able to travel in March with a valid passport.
It would be great if you were around for the winning moment but you don't need to be present to win.

Dogs & Santa

2011-11-21T10:30:00.004-05:00

Sun, 20 Nov 2011

2011-11-20T11:07:00.001-05:00

It's a beautiful day for a parade! We'll be there. Say hi if you can. And I'm running late, so no extra proofreading. Sorry.

Draft Beer Update

Sly Fox Dunkel Lager replaced Sprecher Special Amber. Sly Fox's Dunkel is a perfect Bavarian style dunkel lager. It's one of my favorite beers. I think I may have one with brunch (which we are serving today until 3pm).

Heavy Seas Winter Storm replaced Yards ESA
. Winter Storm is a big ESB. Today is the polar opposite of a winter storm. Enjoy the juxtapostion.

Cigar City Jai Alai IPA replaced Manayunk Hop Phanatic. Jai Alai is a GREAT IPA. Nothing more needs to be said.

Boaks Double BW replaced Troegs Dream Weaver Wheat. A Belgian Wheat from Brian Boaks. Hmmm that doesn't explain "Double BW", which is why I typed it. This is a nice lower octane wheat beer, also great with brunch.

On our cider line, Woodchuck Fall Cider replaced Woodchuck Oak Aged Cider. This is a cider with pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of American white oak. OK the oak isn't but the rest is. We got this back in for our Thanksgiving = Pumpkingetting on Wednesday. 4 Pumpkin beers, 2 pumpkin ciders and loads of pumpkin food. This Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, from 4pm to whenever.

Sat, 19 Nov 2011

2011-11-19T14:47:00.002-05:00

So here we are now post-Mad Elf/Happy You Night. Thanks to everyone who joined us. We kicked both 1/2s of Mad Elf, plus the sixtel of Naked Elf in less than 3 hours.

Kicked: 2011 Troegs Mad Elf, 2010 Troegs Mad Elf, Troegs The Flying Mouflan (sixtel), Troegs Naked Elf (sixtel), Troegs Scratch 45 IPA (sixtel), Troegs Scratch 48 Fest Beer (sixtel), Troegs Scratch 49 Wet Hop (sixtel), Troegs Scratch 50 Belgian Brown (sixtel).

Tapped:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/otter-creek-alpine-black-ipa/134082/" target="_blank">Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA - Some black IPAs aren't quite right in my humble opinion. Hoppy sure, but just not IPA-ish enough. If I remember correctly, Otter Creek's has a real IPA character. I have no clue as to why an IPA, especially a black one would be "Alpine". Guess I better click that link. Doing a little extra Googling, it seems Otter Creek themselves couldn't figure out why it was alpine either, and are now just calling it Black IPA.

Cricket Hill Paymasters Porter - clicking that link won't tell you why it is called Paymaster's Porter. Nor will Cricket Hill's own Website. I recall having this when it first came out, now many years ago, and being very, very favorably impressed.

Great Divide Belgian Yeti - some people just have to mess with a good thing. Great Divide is guilty of that. They have messed with around their Yeti, Imperial Stout many, many ways. And every time, it's a case of a good thing becoming a different type of good thing. This time around they used their Belgian yeast to ferment Yeti, resulting in a big, big roasty beer with fruity notes.

We had to untap a few beers last night to make room for the nine Troegs that we had on tap last night. These barrels have been Retapped:

Manayunk Hop Phanatic - a hopbomb for hop lovers.

Great Divide Hibernation Ale - Great Divide's great fall seasonal that is always gone way too fast.

Flying Fish Grand Cru - Fish's great winter seasonal that has been customer favorite here at the Grey Lodge for well over 10 years.

Stoudts Gold - a wonderful helles from the brewery that loves lagers.

Yards ESA - Yards' flagship beer, and a worthy one at that.

Toys for Tots

We are collecting toys for this very worthy cause. The box is in the back.

Fri, 18 Nov 2011

2011-11-18T17:48:00.002-05:00

Jeez Louise do we have some good stuff for you tonight!

First of all it's our annual Mad Elf/Happy You Night. Nine Troegs beers on tap!.. including 3 elves (more details below), plus Jolly Ol' St. Nick Johnson will have Mad Elf gear for sale. Word is the long suffering Meg plus fetus will be joining him.

If that ain't enough, it's also a Jodi's Firkin Night. More details below.

Draft Beer Update

Tapped:

cask-conditioned, gravity pour Stoudts Honey American Pale Ale. This is the Jodi's Firkin mentioned up above. Every month Jodi makes us a special firkin. This month she took Stoudts APA and used fresh Lancaster County honey for the secondary fermentation. Jodi will be hanging out to help us drink it. Be sure to say hi to her.

2011 Troegs Mad Elf and 2010 Troegs Mad Elf we have two years of Troegs's famous Christmas beer. This monster clocks in at 11% ABV. Aging for a year tends to mellow it. Try them side by side and see the difference time makes.

Troegs Naked Elf (sixtel) - we also have Naked Elf, which is Mad Elf without the cherries and honey. The result is a lower octane beer, but still high octane at 9.3%. Without the honey and cherry, the Belgian yeast really shines through.

Troegs The Flying Mouflan (sixtel) - this another big one from Troegs. Almost 10%, it's their Nugget Nectar on 'roids. If that aint' enough, they add choco nibs.

Troegs Dream Weaver Wheat - Troegs's perfect Bavarian style wheat beer is also on tap. Try it mixed with Mad Elf for Mad Dreams, or with Naked Elf for Naked Dreams.

We also have 4 beers from Troegs' experimental Scratch series. Each name pretty explains what you are going to get.

Troegs Scratch 45 IPA (sixtel)

Troegs Scratch 48 Fest Beer (sixtel)

Troegs Scratch 49 Wet Hop (sixtel)

Troegs Scratch 50 Belgian Brown (sixtel)

Kicked: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Bear Republic Mach 10, Prism Shady Blonde, and Boulder Fresh Track.

Untapped but coming back: Manayunk Hop Phanatic, Great Divide Hibernation Ale, Flying Fish Grand Cru, Stoudts Gold, and Yards ESA.

Tue, 15 Nov 2011

2011-11-15T18:24:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update

Manayunk Hop Phanatic
replaced Founders Centennial IPA. This one is a hop bomb. Named for one of two teams of whom we do not speak of.

This Week at the Grey Lodge UPDATE

How could I forget? Sunday is the annual Thanksgiving Parade. The official details are here. There will be loads of fun, and of course the big guy in the red suit will be there too.

If you want to march with us, send an email to me (scoats@greylodge.com).

Mon, 14 Nov 2011

2011-11-14T08:57:00.002-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge

Wednesday we have Quizzo with Quizmaster Pete. The song remains the same. 40 questions, Wednesday night, 8pm, second floor, prizes, no cover.

On Friday, it's a double banger with Jodi's Firkin and Mad Elf/Happy You. Jodi from Stoudts makes a special firkin for us every month, which we will tap on the third Friday. She usually hangs out to help us drink the firkin too. This month she has a Honey APA for us, made with fresh, local Lancaster County honey. 5pm tapping.

Besides the firkin, our annual Mad Elf/Happy You Night. We are going (Christmas) balls out this year! On tap: Troegs Mad Elf 2011, Troegs Mad Elf 2010, Troegs Naked Elf, Troegs Dreamweaver, Troegs Scratch 45 IPA, Troegs Scratch 48 Fest Beer, Troegs Scratch 49 Wet Hop, and Troegs Scratch 50 Belgian Brown. And you can get some Xmas shopping done at the same time; from 6pm to 10pm, jolly ol' St. Nick Johnson will have Mad Elf gear for sale. Drinking beer and your shopping done... now that's multi-tasking.

Draft Beer Update

Great Divide Hibernation Ale replaced Boulder Never Summer Ale. One great Colorado fall seasonal beer replaces another great Colorado fall seasonal. How wonderfully balanced for a November Monday morning. Hibernation is Great Divide's long running fall seasonal beer. The name Hibernation implies that it should be a beer for deep in the winter, but it's not. Whatever the name, it's a great beer.

Flying Fish Grand Cru replaced Boaks Two Blind Monks. One great Belgian style beer from New Jersey replaces another another great Belgian style beer from New Jersey. How wonderfully balanced for a November Monday morning. Grand Cru is Fish's winter seasonal. It's long been a favorite here at the G-Lodge. It's bringing back memories from 10 years ago I already.

Founders Centennial IPA replaced Yards IPA. Founders a brewery that can do no wrong does the opposite of wrong with this IPA.

Sun, 13 Nov 2011

2011-11-13T13:51:00.002-05:00

Draft Beer Update

Sprecher Special Amber replaced Dogfish Head My Antonia. Sprecher, a Milwaukee brewery that's been around for a while specializes in German style beers, and they are darn good at it. Special Amber is their Vienna lager.

Stoudts Gold replaced Stoudts Karnival Kolsch. Gold is a tasty Munich style Helles, or light colored lager. Don't let the macro sounding name put you off; this is a perfect little beer.

Yards ESA replaced the sixtel of Sly Fox Peggy Maibock. We usually only tap 15.5 gallon or 50 liter kegs, the regular big boy sizes. In the rare event that we tap a smaller barrel, we let you know. Even with being a sixtel, the Peggy Mai Bock kicked in about 24 hours, not bad. ESA, Yards' flagship beer, is tasting as good as ever.

Sat, 12 Nov 2011

2011-11-12T15:25:00.001-05:00

Draft Beer Update:

Prism Shady Blonde replaced Philadelphia Walt Wit. Prism Shady Blonde is a blonde ale with blood oranges added for a slight tart flavor.

Boulder Fresh Track replaced Victory Harvest Pilsner. Boulder Fresh Track is a fresh hopped version of their Single Track Copper Ale.

Fri, 11 Nov 2011

2011-11-11T19:49:00.004-05:00

Draft Beer Update

We've been keeping line 4 running with black beers for a few weeks now, which should make Army John and Ed happy. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter replaced Weyerbacher Sierra. Edmund Fitzgerald is a truly great porter, pints of which are easily sinkable. Happy Veterans Day to Army John, Ed and all of our vets.

Boulder Never Summer Ale replaced Flying Fish ESB. Never Summer is a fall seasonal from Boulder Beer, which has been making really great beers for 30 years. I remember Never Summer being a really delicious beer that always kicked really quickly, too quickly as far as I was concerned. It's supposedly a spiced ale, though I can't recall it being noticeably spicy, just noticeably delicious. This will be my first beer tonight. And maybe my second.

Boaks Two Blind Monks replaced Dock Street Prisoner of Hell. I remember drinking some Two Blind Monks a few years ago at a beer festival and being blown away. I can't wait to have some tonight when I'm done working.

Event Preview

We have a Dogfish Head brunch lined up next month, "O Come All Ye Faithfull Hellhounds to the Olde School... (bow head)... Namesta" Dogfish Head Brunch. Here's the poster.

Thu, 10 Nov 2011

2011-11-10T14:42:00.003-05:00

Grey Lodge Parade Brigade

We need volunteers for our Parade Brigade.

We are supporting the Mayfair Holmesburg Thanksgiving Parade again this year, and will be marching along with our banner. We need folks to walk with us and do strange stuff.

Eric and I have been kicking around ideas about small floats we could do, but I don't know if we will have time to make them happen before 11/20. We will do something fun though.

I'm pretty sure we need drummers; drums are fun. If you have a marching drum or other instrument, we'd especially love for you to join us.

If you have any ideas regarding cool stuff we can do, and/or if you want to walk along with us, please email me at scoats@greylodge.com.

Draft Beer Update

Yards IPA replaced Great Divide Fresh Hop. Tasty, tasty.

Wed, 09 Nov 2011

2011-11-09T13:02:00.002-05:00

Tonight, we have Quizzo at 8pm on our second floor. Quizmaster is Chris3.

Draft Beer Update

Bear Republic Mach 10 replaced the sixtel of Harpoon Leviathan Imperial Rye. I've been anxiously awaiting getting to put this one on tap. Due to a certain mint beer, we had a bit of back up on our line dedicated to high octane and/or high priced beer. Mach 10 is an extreme double IPA that weighs in at 9.2% ABV. If you are double-IPA kind of person, I can pretty much guaranty, this one is for you.

Dogfish Head My Antonia replaced Stoudts Rauchbier. My Antonia is a rare lager from Dogfish Head. Being a Dogfish Head beer, this isn't just any lager but an "imperial pilsner" or "strong pale lager" whichever category works for you. I can't wait to try one.

Mon, 07 Nov 2011

2011-11-07T08:48:00.003-05:00

This Week at The Grey Lodge

Tonight - Eagles on Monday Night Football. I know what all of our TVs will be tuned to.

Tuesday - Lucky 13 Homebrew Club Meeting. 7:30pm. We will be talking about lagers. Homebrewers of every experience level are encouraged to join us. We have a very interesting and diverse group. Veteran brewer Jim Brennan will be our guest.

Wednesday - It's a General Quizzo with Quizmaster Chris 3. 8pm on our 2nd floor. As always, no cover.

Saturday and Sunday - Brunch. People are starting to discover our tasty brunch menu. We serve brunch every Saturday from 10am to 3pm, and every Sunday from 11am to 3pm. I usually stick with the ABC omelet with awesome home fries, but next Saturday I'll be trying Eric's freshly baked biscuits and gravy. If you haven't had brunch with us yet, why not discover us it this weekend?

Draft Beer Update

It was a crazy busy weekend... in a good way. So neither Chris nor I got a chance to update it on Saturday or Sunday; plus I forgot to FTP the update on Friday. Sorry for not getting the beer updated sooner.

Anywho, all of this kicked since the last blog update Friday evening: Philadelphia Harvest from the Hood, Sierra Nevada Ovila Saison (sixtel), Cigar City Hotter than Helles, Cottrell Safe Harbor Blonde Ale, Troegs Java Head Stout, Founders Red Rye and Manayunk Weizenbock.

Tapped are:

- Philadelphia Walt Wit, this hyperlocal Belgian style white ale is in fairly heavy rotation here at the Grey Lodge and it always flies out every time we tap one. Despite what Split Enz says, I expect history to repeat.

Victory Harvest Pilsner, Victory continues their tradition of brewing, not one but two wet-hopped beers each autumn. We already tapped and kicked their Harvest Ale many kegs ago. This is their fresh-hopped pilsner, an interesting and tasty take on a fresh hopped beer.

Weyerbacher Sierra, the latest in Weyerbacher's NATO letter series, which lets their assistant brewers make new stuff, is a milk stout. Milk stouts are brewed with lactose, giving them their name. Because lactose is unfermentable by beer yeast, it adds sweetness and body to the finished beer. Milk stout is one of the few styles Weyerbacher hasn't done yet. I look forward to trying this one.

Great Divide Fresh Hop - this wet-hopped beer from Denver is full of hoppy goodness.

Flying Fish ESB - Flying Fish has been brewing this one since they opened 15 years ago. Beer writer Michael Jackson loved it way back then, which remains incredibly high praise. With all the Fish seasonals we put on tap, we haven't had this in very much over the years, hardly ever really. With this keg, we rediscover what we've been missing.

Stoudts Karnival Kolsch - this is nice German style session ale. Just because it's yellow and easy drinking doesn't mean there isn't some there there. Cause there is.

Boulder Never Summer Ale - Boulder's fall seasonal always flies out of here. Yet another great beer from this rock solid brewery. It's a spiced ale. From my recollection of previous years, the spices don't really stand out, but their presence results in a really tastMan, we have some really great stuff on tap at the moment. But that ry beer.

Fri, 04 Nov 2011

2011-11-04T18:37:00.003-04:00

Candidate Night is Tonight!

Tonight is Candidates Night, from 7pm to 10pm.

CANDIDATES: We tried to reach out to everyone. If we weren't able to contact you, please consider this an invitation.

VOTERS: We hope you join us to meet your next elected officials in an informal atmosphere, and for them to meet you.

This will be very informal and easy-going. Please join us.

Draft Beer Update

Sorry for getting to update this sooner. With our Menu Update, getting a new TV, and other pressing stuff, I kept running out of time.

Kicked: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere, Victory Village, Port High Tide Fresh Hop IPA.

Tapped:

Philadelphia Harvest from the Hood, this is Philly's wet-hopped beer, which uses hops grown from all over the metropolitan area.

Sierra Nevada Ovila Saison - this sixtel is the second in Seirra's Ovila series. The Ovila monks are working on creating their own monastic brewery. In the meantime, they are brewing batch at Sierra.

Cigar City Hotter than Helles - this is a very traditional Munich gold lager from Florida's awesome Cigar City Brewery. It's reminds me a lot of Augustiner Helles, which seems to be the most popular beer in Munich, but doesn't actually get much play here in the USA.

Dock Street Prisoner of Hell - this is an extremely tasty Belgian ale, with very strong hops up front in the taste. I predict this one won't last long.

Woodchuck Oak Aged Cider - Woodchuck's winter seasonal cider is back. As described in its name, this one is aged in oak.

Tue, 01 Nov 2011

2011-11-01T16:45:00.003-04:00

Draft Beer Update

Port High Tide Fresh Hop IPA replaced Great Lakes Nosferatu. Tide High is a fresh hop beer. This year, there were loads of them available. And we bought one of every one. So we are a little backed up on them, resulting in two wet-hopped beers on tap at the moment. Wet-hopped beers use hops fresh off the vine that still wet. These beers can only be made once a year, so we enjoy them while they last, and try to get them tapped as soon as possible.

Dogfish Head Black and Red finally kicked! But we have another full half barrel... we'll age that one for year and see what happens. Replacing it (finally) is a sixtel of Harpoon Leviathan Imperial Rye. Line 10 is our high ABV and/or high price line. This one, from Harpoon's Leviation series, clocks in at 8.9%. Like most rye beers, it's quite hopped up to balance out the rye malt.

Mon, 31 Oct 2011

2011-10-31T09:07:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Draft Beer Update

As promised, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale is tapped for Halloween.

Founders Red Rye replaced Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Wild. Red Rye is a hoppy rye beer from the great Founders brewery.

Troegs Java Head Stout replaced Lancaster Shoo Fly Porter. Java Head is a coffee stout from Troegs, which means we have two coffee beers on right now. Victory Village a coffee brown ale is also on, but there can't be much of that one left.

Cottrell Safe Harbor Blonde Ale replaced Philadelphia Kenzinger. This one is new to Philly and to the G-Lodge. I expect it will be a nice session beer.

Woodchuck Amber Cider kicked. Woodchuck's special winter cider, which is oak aged, will be here on Wednesday. Desiato Cider is also due in very soon. Whichever shows up first will get tapped first.

This Week at The Grey Lodge

On Wednesday, we will release version 10 of our food menu. There will be more veggie and vegan options. Old favorites remains, as new more recent favorites, and we have a few of what we expect to be new favorites, like the Short Rib Sandwich on freshly made focaccia. You don't have to wait til Wednesday, many of these items are on the special board right now.

Wednesday night is Quizzo as usual. 40 questions, 8pm, on our 2nd floor.

Friday is our pre-General Election Candidates Night, where we have invited all the local and citywide candidates to pop in between 6pm and 9pm. This is a great chance to meet your next elected official and for them to meet you.

Sat, 29 Oct (hard to believe but it is Oct) 2011

2011-10-29T16:16:00.002-04:00

Draft Beer Update

Great Lakes Nosferatu replaced Cigar City Jai Alai IPA. Nosferatu is a classic silent vampire movie from Germany. It's also a double IPA from Great Lakes that comes out around Halloween. One of the two is currently on tap.

Manayunk Weizenbock replaced Victory Sunrise Weissbier. Weizenbocks are higher malt, higher octane wheat beers. This is a great style of beer, but due to its high octane the once a year availability of many weizenbocks sort of works. This one clocks in at 9%.

The long awaited Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin kicked quickly. We are leaving that line empty until Monday, which is Halloween. We saved our last 3 halves of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale for Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve, and Thanksgiving Night. If we tapped today, we might not have any for Monday.

Fri, 28 Oct 2011

2011-10-28T17:27:00.002-04:00

Draft Beer Update

The chalkboard has been pretty stable since Monday, which means things should really start turning over this evening.

The long awaited Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin replaced Southampton Pumpkin.

The original iconic wet-hopped beer, Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere, replaced Dock Street Fresh Hop OMG Pale Ale.

and there should be several more to turn over before the night is over.

Brunch

We serve up a great brunch every weekend. Saturdays 10am to 3pm, Sundays 11am to 3pm. Here's the menu:

ABC Omelet, avocado, bacon and cheddar, with hash browns $9

Western Omelet, ham, tomato, onion and cheddar, with hash browns $9

Breakfast Quesadilla, ground pork, green pepper, onion, cilantro, mozzarella and cheddar $9

Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy $7

Biscuits and Pork Gravy $9

Cali-Mex Veggie Breakfast Burrito, green pepper, onion, corn, garlic, egg, cilantro, cheddar $9

Pancakes $8

Chocolate Chip Pancakes $9

Strawberry Challah French Toast $9

Steak, Egg, & Cheese Sandwich, with hash browns $8

Pork Roll, Egg, & Cheese Sandwich, with hash browns $8

Sides

Ham $2

Scrapple $2

Pork Sausage $2

Bacon $2

Taylor Pork Roll $3

2 Eggs $2

Hash browns $1

Whiskey Donuts $5

Mon, 24 Oct 2011

2011-10-24T10:11:00.001-04:00

Draft Beer News

A somewhat new favorite that we don't see enough of anymore, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, replaced Victory Hop Devil. Cigar City is a really exceptional Florida brewery that blew up (in popularity) after coming here to Philly. The result is we don't get as much as we used to. Besides the always popular Jai Alai, which is one of my favorite IPAs, we have a helles from them that should get tapped at some point this week.

Sun, 23 Oct 2011

2011-10-23T11:27:00.001-04:00

Draft Beer Update

Barrels continue to turn over.

Lancaster Shoo Fly Porter replaced Philadelphia Broadcast Brown. Shoo-fly is a porter made with molasses, just like shoo fly pie.

Southampton Pumpkin replaced Sam Adams Double Pumpkin. We are finally nearing the end of our stash of pumpkin beers. After Southampton Pumpkin, all we have left are Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin and 3 Dogfish Head Punkins. The Punkin Ales will get tapped on Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgivng Night.

Stoudts Rauchbier replaced Rogue Smoke Ale. Stoudts has specialized in German style beers since they started almost 25 years ago. I can't wait to try this Bamberg style smoked lager.

Sat, 22 Oct 2011

2011-10-22T10:04:00.003-04:00

Man, seems I only just left this place a few hours ago. Probably because that's accurate. I'm back in early for today's Victory Village Breakfast.

Village is Victory's every so often coffee beer. What better beer to pair with our brunch menu? The nifty thing about Victory Village is unlike most coffee beers which are either porters or stouts, Village is a brown ale. I don't like hot coffee but I love this.

Steve and maybe Pete from Victory will be here this morning until 1pm or so. They will have some give-aways with them. So why not come out and say hi, and have something off our great breakfast menu? Besides Village on tap, we also have Sunrise Wheat and Hop Devil on tap. And we also have their newest beer, Otto, in 750ml bottles.

Draft Beer Update

Stoudts Heifer-in Wheat sure as heck didn't last long; which is no shocker, it is a phenomonal hefeweizen. But then again we were counting on Heifer-in to kick quickly since we needed to get Victory Sunrise Weissbier tapped for this morning's Victory Village Breakfast. Sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men gets the cheese or something like that.

Victory Harvest Ale didn't last long either. Replacing is another wet hopped beer, Dock Street Fresh Hop OMG Pale Ale.

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Wild replaced Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA. A Little Sumpin' Wild is a wild yeast version of Langunitas's A Little Sumpin' Sumpin'. We had this on before but I don't remember it well. I'll looking forward to getting reacquainted.

Philadelphia Kenzinger replaced Yards Brawler. One great city, two great session beers. Actually both Philly and Yards make more than one great session beer, and all of them are in rotation here at the Grey Lodge.

Friday, 21 Oct 2011

2011-10-21T17:10:00.002-04:00

Tonight - Firkin of Stoudts Smoothoperator

Jodi Stoudt is here and has glasses for the first 24 folks who buy a pint of Smoothoperator.

Tomorrow - Victory Village Breakfast

It takes a village to make breakfast. No that's not quite right. Maybe it's "It takes a Victory Village to make a complete breakfast". If not, it sounds right to us.

We at the Grey Lodge put out a kicking brunch every weekend. Join us tomorrow when we pair our brunch menu with Victory Village, their every so often coffee beer. Also on tap, what might be your last chance to get some of this year's Sunrise Weisse. And we'll have Hop Devil on tap too, cause it just plain rocks, just like it always has.

We will also have some OTTO, their new smoked Dubbel (750ml bottles).

Draft Beer Update

We just tapped a firkin of cask-conditioned Stoudts Smooth Hoperator, which we are serving via gravity-pour. Kicked is the firkin of Flying Fish Oktoberfish.

Late Tuesday, we tapped a keg of Stoudts Heifer-in Wheat, which is Paul Gorey's new favorite beer. It's a super great weizen, maybe it will become yours too. Heifer-in replaced Victory Moonglow.

In time for tomorrow's Victory Village Brunch, we tapped a keg of Victory Hop Devil. Hop Devil replaced Lagunitas IPA.

And also in time for tomorrow's Victory Village Brunch, we tapped the main event beer, Victory Village. Victory Village is a coffee beer that uses coffee from Chester County's Village Coffee. Unlike most coffee beers, Village isn't a stout or porter, which makes it extra interesting. Village replaced Otter Creek Oktoberfest.

Tue, 18 Oct 2011

2011-10-18T16:48:00.000-04:00

Draft Beer Update:

Sam Adams Double Pumpkin replaced Saranac Pumpkin. Here goes another pumpkin.

Woodchuck Amber Cider replaced Woodchuck Fall Cider. Apples for apples.

Volunteers Needed - Mayfair Playground Rebuild

2011-10-18T09:25:00.003-04:00

I'll be there. If you are free on Thursday the 27th, please join us. We'll have some fun and we will build a playground.

Sun, 16 Oct 2011

2011-10-16T13:47:00.001-04:00

Draft Beer Update

The parade of wet-hopped beers continues as Victory Harvest Ale replaces Dock Street Fresh Hop Rye IPA. Wet-hopped beers use hops picked fresh off the vine and can only be made once a year. We still have 5 wet-hopped beers lined up.

And the IPAs continue to turn over as Lagunitas IPA replaces Port Mongo. We will keep the IPAs coming in.

And the Oktoberfest beers continue to rotate as Otter Creek Oktoberfest replaces Twin Lakes Saengerbund Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest season is winding down but we still have a fest or two left to tap.

From the (e-)Mail Bag - Rare Beer Opportunity

2011-10-16T10:57:00.002-04:00

Hi, Scoats,

I've been a customer of Grey Lodge now and again over the years, I live in Fishtown, and I know how knowledgeable and passionate you are about beer, so I thought I would send this email in the hope that you might be able to help or provide some advice.

Doing some cleaning at my folks' house recently I found a long-lost case (12 bottles; the "nip" size) of Thomas Hardy's Ale vintage 1989. I say "long-lost" because I purchased the case from the NJ wholesaler back in 1990 when my folks owned a liquor store in Pennsauken; I was in college at the time, so I left the beer at my folks' house to cellar. I went to try and find it some years later, but I'd completely forgotten where we had put it and thus it remained undisturbed in the recesses of a closet until now.

To cut to the chase, I no longer drink, and so I'm interested in selling the Hardy's. I know I could list it on EBay, but I'm a bit leery about the prospect of selling alcohol, however collectible it may be, across state lines or internationally. Ebay's guidelines on the matter haven't convinced me this is not done without considerable hassle. I'd just much rather find a local buyer. The bottles are in pristine condition. All are serial-numbered in red with a "D" prefix. "1989" follows the serial no.

If you know someone who might be interested in making a reasonable offer for the Hardy's, could you please pass along my email and phone number? I suppose I'd sell individual bottles, but on balance, I'd rather just sell the lot. If you have any other info about where/how it's best to sell something like this I'd be most grateful.

Many thanks in advance for any help/info.

Regards,

Tom
215.847.6997

Sat, 15 Oct 2011

2011-10-15T15:13:00.001-04:00

Draft Beer Update:

Saranac Pumpkin replaced Sam Adams Double Pumpkin. Here is another pumpkin beer for you.

Philadelphia Broadcast Brown replaced Sierra Nevada Tumbler. Philadelphia Broadcaster Brown is brewed in honor of the 20th anniversary of the beloved Philadelphia institution WXPN’s World Cafe.

Fri, 14 Oct 2011

2011-10-14T18:10:00.003-04:00

Draft Beer Update

Yards Brawler replaced Weyerbacher Romeo. Brawler is my nomination for Philly's Hometown Beer. It clocks in at just 4.2% ABV but has loads of flavor. It's what beer is or all about or should be. And at 4.2% you can probably have another as you'll definitely be wanting one.

Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA replaced the sixtel of Unibroue Raftman. If my memory serves me right, this is one of the really satisfying black IPAs, not just black but with hops that are deliciously assertive.

A 1/4 barrel of Twin Lakes Saengerbund Oktoberfest replaced Flying Fish Oktoberfish. Twin Lakes, a very small farmhouse brewery outside of Wilmington DE doesn't send much beer up here. Mostly because they don't make all that much (yet). So enjoy this one while it lasts.

For those were jonesing for some Oktoberfish though, no worries. We tapped a firkin of cask conditioned Flying Fish Oktoberfish, which is on to of the bar being served via gravity-pour.

Groundhog Day Teaser

Every Groundhog Day (February 2nd) we open at 7am for an Hawaiian Shirt Beer Breakfast to cheer on Punxsutawney Phil and to chase away the winter blues. We also squirrel away some amazing beer for the celebration. For Groundhog Day 2012, we will break out the 12 large bottles of Founders CBS that we are cellaring.

Tue, 11 Oct 2011

2011-10-11T16:38:00.001-04:00

Draft Beer Update
Rogue Smoke Ale replaced Victory Scarlet Fire. Rogue Smoke Ale is another Rauchbier to remind you of summer BBQ's.

Tonight: Lucky 13 Homebrew Club

The Lucky 13 Homebrew Club meets tonight at 7pm on the 2nd floor. Guest speaker will be Ben Potts, and he'll have some home brew goodies with him. Any interested homebrewer is encouraged to join us.

Mon, 10 Oct 2011

2011-10-10T10:08:00.002-04:00

Draft Beer Update

Bob Renner will be pleased to know that Victory Moonglow is back. This fall seasonal, a weizenbock, replaced the sixtel of Unibroue Empehmere Cassiss. Moonglow is a high octane, malty, deep red wheat beer. It's also delicious. Definitely another highlight of fall, the BEST time of the year for beer.

Flying Fish Oktoberfish replaced Ramstein Oktoberfest. We keep getting this one in because it's great.

Port Mongo replaced Troegs Perpetual IPA. Mongo is a west coast style IPA from the west coast, so that means it's authentic. Hopheads will dig this one. Non-hopheads will too. It's a tasty beer.

Sam Adams Double Pumpkin replaced Erdinger Oktoberfest Weizen. The pumpkins are flowing again and we have enough barrels to last us well into November. Drink the pumpkin beers all you want. We got loads.

Sat, 08 Oct 2011

2011-10-08T16:59:00.000-04:00

Draft Beer Update:

Troegs Perpetual IPA replaced Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. Troegs Perpetual IPA utilizes their hopback and dry-hopping to engineer a bold Imperial Pale Ale.

Dock Street Fresh Hop Rye IPA replaced Hill Farmstead Abner. Dock Street Fresh Hop Rye IPA is their Rye IPA made with fresh hops right off the vine.

Ramstein Oktoberfest replaced Stoudts Festbier. Ramstein Oktoberfest sound like it is from Germany, but is actually from New Jersey. At least something good comes from Jersey.

Sierra Nevada Tumbler replaced High Noon Stampede Stout. Sierra Nevada Tumbler is an Autumn Brown Ale.

Fri, 07 Oct 2011

2011-10-07T16:39:00.003-04:00

I have been a little slow getting back in the groove after getting back from GABF. I've been in every day since we got back and am blazing through my backlog, including getting the Log out hopefully tonight.

Tonight

It's funky first Friday and tonight we are celebrating Chez's 50th birthday. We have two somewhat rare beers from Unibroue on tap.

Draft Beer Update

Just in time for tonight's Funky First Friday, a sixtel of Unibroue Empehmere Cassiss replaced Brookyln Post Road Pumpkin. Don't worry, we have loads more pumpkin beers lined up to get us to up and most likely after Halloween. Cassiss is a black raspberry sort of fruit. Iz good.

Erdinger Oktoberfest Weizen replaced Spaten Oktoberfest. This is a strange one; it's an Oktoberfest Weizen. So it's an unfiltered wheat beer when you would be expecting a copper lager. Once you get over the surprise, it's a tasty beer. We had this on last month and it didn't last long. This one will probably kick quick too.

A sixtel of Unibroue Raftman replaced Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen. Raftman is brewed with whiskey malt, making it a little smokey. This is a tasty little beer.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA replaced Russian River Blind Pig.

Picture(s) of the Day

It took me a while to get around to posting these (blame GABF again). Lori Matijkiw sent us pix of last week's Spaten Oktoberfest night. Send me your pix from the Grey Lodge and I'll post them here. Thanks Lori!

Tue, 04 Oct 2011

2011-10-04T15:22:00.001-04:00

Draft Beer Update:

Weyerbacher Romeo replaced Heavy Seas Marzen. Weyerbacher Romeo is a Belgian red ale that ways in at 8.5% ABV.