The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [140]
In 1987 new owners took over the space, nestled in an unassuming corner of the historic but tourist-clogged zone of Old City, and continued its tradition of live music. Over the next twenty-two years and at least one more change of ownership it would become a venerated indie rock venue featuring the likes of Guided By Voices, Iggy Pop, the White Stripes, Liz Phair, and the Strokes, with locally legendary shows up until 2010. At the same time, the owners were slinging bottles of Chimay, and Philly’s young tastemakers were simultaneously sampling some of the best rock music of the era and bottles of world-class beer to boot. Today the Khyber (as it’s known) has settled into a quieter groove as an appealingly ramshackle craft beer bar with excellent soul food and an impessive list of beer served by superknowledgeable bartenders. There’s a gorgeous old wood bar adorned with twinkling Christmas lights and a dining room where the bands once rocked, and a peaceful vibe throughout.
PHILOSOPHY
The Khyber treats its beer list like record collectors treat vinyl, prizing rarities. Look for unusual American Saisons from Pretty Things, St. Somewhere, and Stillwater. At the same time, it’s not too stuffy to stock BMC (Bud, Miller, or Coors), though one suspects such options are merely concession to the Jersey-Shorish crowd that makes Old City (and this bar, alas) a no-go on weekends.
KEY BEER
There are twenty taps and two casks; this would be an excellent place to sip a fresh Stoudt’s Pils, or something along the lines of a Port Brewing Mongo, a recently-ontap IIPA (aka DIPA or Double IPA) named for a brewery cat who lived out all its nine lives, not unlike the Khyber Pass bar seems to be doing.
GRACE TAVERN
2229 Grays Ferry Ave. • Philadelphia, PA 19146 (215) 893-9580 • gracetavern.com • Established: 2004
SCENE & STORY
A beloved local institution, this narrow apartment-like space is just wide enough for some stools and a rail to line up some beers or throw a few dice around and eat baskets of spicy blackened Cajun green beans and remoulade, which is mandatory and only $2. It’s not a shrine to craft beer with an encyclopedic list, nor an annoying sports bar; it is a tavern for people to relax in, and its layout and architecture encourages conversation. A joint effort by Monk’s Café founder Tom Peters and local publican Fergus Carey, it’s got battered tin ceilings and a gorgeous built-in 1955 refrigerator called a Bevador and an abiding sense of time well spent. Don’t miss it.
PHILOSOPHY
The Grace fosters a sense that a life well lived necessarily involves hours upon hours of sometimes aimless conversation over beers with friends in a local bar. At some point in your life, make this that bar.
KEY BEER
With about nine taps and forty-five well-chosen bottles, there’s an ideal blend of crafts and everyday sippers from Monk’s Flemish Sour to releases from Sly Fox, Nottinghead, Yard’s, and Miller Lite for good measure. Start it off with Troëg’s crisp and medium-bodied, straw gold 5.3% ABV Sunshine Pils and go from there.
MIDATLANTIC RESTAURANT & TAP ROOM
3711 Market St. • Philadelphia, PA 19104 • (215) 386-3711 midatlanticrestaurant.com • Established: 2009
SCENE & STORY
This modern, brightly lit eatery in University City—a diverse area of West Philadelphia close to the river populated by Penn and Drexel students—offers a contemporary twist on the beer café with its stylish interior, adorned throughout with reclaimed building materials amid shiny steel and arty chairs and chandeliers, and its menus are no less curated.
PHILOSOPHY
Good beer deserves good food, and vice versa. The local, nose-to-tail, haute-rustic comfort food options (house-cured pickles; all-beef house-made hot dogs; crab scrapple served with a savory waffle and spicy pepper marmalade)