The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [143]
PHILOSOPHY
The bar is “on a mission” to prove that certain dusty, aged bottles of beer deserve equal respect, if not more, than brewery-fresh bottles, and has the deep menu of options to prove it.
KEY BEER
2007 Oude Beersel Geuze ($14), a lemony-tart, dry geuze with notes of unripened fruit.
LOCAL 44
4333 Spruce St. • Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 222-2337 • local44beerbar.com • Established: 2009
SCENE & STORY
Ever since Brendan Hartranft and his wife, Leigh, opened this gem of a beer bar in the leafy Port Richmond area of West Philly on New Year’s Day in 2009, it has been busy. With its deep red walls, Edison bulbs, and metal fire door, the space is striking and enveloping. The goal was to create a welcoming, upscale dark bar with twenty taps, each with a distinct style. The well-made fare is “boardwalk cuisine”: riffs on comfort food like corndogs, Reuben sandwiches, and mahi-mahi fish tacos.
PHILOSOPHY
No pretense here. Just good beer and a fair shake. “My price structure is based on what my dad would think if he came in here,” says Hartranft. In other words, he tries to keep it affordable, and even opened up the bar with the precious Cantillon Lou Pepe kriek on draft for a mere $8 (it is often sold for $12 or $13).
KEY BEER
The international list of rarities changes daily, but one beer is always available no matter what: Orval, a Belgian Trappist “world classic.” It is, in fact, the only bottled beer for sale at Local 44. And if you get a chance to ask Hartranft about his passion for this beer, be prepared for some colorful commentary. It’s a beer that inspires, to say the least.
MONKS CAFÉ & BELGIAN BEER EMPORIUM
264 S. 16th St. • Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 545-7005 • monkscafe.com • Established: 1997
SCENE & STORY
In the religion of Seinfeld, Monk’s Café—the fictional coffee shop where the main characters gather—is its tabernacle, the cherished brick-and-mortar corner of the universe where Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer and some of their most memorable stories unfold and intertwine. In a way, one could say the same thing about the real-life Monk’s Café: it’s a tabernacle for craft beer lovers—it even has its own “Beer Bible”—but Fergus Carey and Tom Peters’s Center City Philadelphia version has far superior food. Among the best-known beer bars in the United States—along with San Francisco’s Toronado and Portland’s Horse Brass—Monk’s Café is more than a tavern where beer is served. It’s an institution, and as such, it’s to be visited with planning and forethought. To have the best experience, try Monk’s on a weeknight or during the day on weekends, or be prepared for a wait of an hour or two.
But that wait, should you have to endure it, is worthwhile: what beer travelers find when they come here is a narrow, wood-paneled front bar area with fabric-covered walls, then an area of a few snug booths and some smaller tables. Assorted breweriana and maps and paintings are carefully displayed throughout; beyond the middle dining area is the darker back bar, with more elegant wood paneling and a different tap list. The crowd is made up of Philly locals, beer pilgrims, and the odd musician in town for a gig. Recent artists to stroll in include Danger Mouse, James Mercer, and members of both Beirut and Broken Bells. It’s surely one of the only craft beer bars in the country that can claim Questlove, drummer of the Roots, as a regular.
Beer is the main focus, but not by much. Food options run the gamut from the delicious, wing-style frog legs to mussels steamed in Saison Dupont beer with parsley, caramelized leeks, bacon, bleu cheese, and garlic. Beer options are extensive, naturally, which is where the 20-page “Beer Bible” comes in: besides the 6 taps in the front bar and eight in back, it adds some 200 rarities to your decision-making process.
PHILOSOPHY
La vie Belgique. Any beer traveler knows, as Belgians have