Cooking with Beer | Marinated Cerveza Fajitas

May has arrived, my friends! Summer seasonal beers are already being poured and decks everywhere are itching for a summer cook-out. If you haven’t cleaned off your grill and fired it up yet, then you are behind the game. Cinco de Mayo may have passed, but you can still practice your grill skills with this deliciously picante recipe!

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Ultimate 6er | Brewers of Sierra Nevada’s Camp Fire Relief IPA

The devastation of the Camp Fire in Butte County, California has reached unmeasurable levels. The fire is now the deadliest and most destructive in California’s history. The need for support for those who have been left with nothing is essential. In dire times, though, the generosity of the craft beer community is a level of support to be reckoned with and this situation is no different. Read More

Ultimate 6er | The Annual Family Camping Trip

Ahh, summer! It brings the promise of fun moments in the sun and exciting new adventures. Embedded in every season are holidays we love to celebrate and traditions that will never die. Some folks schedule a week-long beach trip, others like to go lodging at the lake. But, there is one tradition I have entered into sheerly by association and that is the annual family camping trip To Knoebel’s. Read More

Sly Fox Brewing | Alex’s Lemon Wheat Ale

Let us start at the very beginning — with a lemonade stand.

The story starts with a little girl named Alexandra “Alex” Scott. Just before her first birthday, Alex’s parents were given the diagnosis that Alex had neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.

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Cooking With Cider | Spicy Pineapple Salsa with Blake’s Hard Cider El Chavo

This is my favorite time of year — the warm weather has arrived, daylight is lasting just a little bit longer each day and the flavors of the season are in abundance. I truly get excited when the pineapples are put out on display at my local produce market because that means it’s salsa time! Since Cinco de Mayo is here, I felt there was no better time than now to make my favorite spicy pineapple salsa. This time, I’m throwing in a little twist with this fresh dip. My secret ingredient — mango habanero cider!

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Ultimate 6er | Surviving the Nor’easter(s)

Quinn. Riley. Skylar. It sounds like a millennial roll call. Well, in this case, it is the winter storm roll call of 2018. If you live on the East Coast and you have looked outside lately, or if you enjoy watching The Weather Channel as much as my mom does, then you have seen the craziness of weather slamming the Northeast U.S.
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Cooking with Beer | Corned Beef Stew with Yards Love Stout

There are many dishes that have come to represent St. Patrick’s Day. From shepherd’s pie to soda bread, colcannon to boxty’s, these forms of Irish fare exemplify the simplistic nature of living off of the crops and the land in Ireland. There is one dish that stands out in many people’s minds as being the epitome of true Irish cooking; corned beef.

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Ultimate 6er | National Bittersweet Chocolate Day Beer Pairings

National Bittersweet Chocolate Day came and went this past January 10. Were you aware of this national holiday? No? Tragic. Fear not, however, for it is never too late to take part in the celebration with your favorite confectionery.
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New Belgium Brewing | Honey Orange Tripel

When you think of the holidays, what memories come to mind? I think of the smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies with burnt edges because my mom left them in the oven too long. I remember the Christmas presents constantly needing protection from our 100-pound Golden Retriever, who had a particular proclivity for shaking and tearing the wrapping paper off the gifts like he was hunting live game. Most of all, I love bringing fresh, delicious flavors of the season to all of the holiday festivities, for everyone to try. This year, I have found my beverage of choice for our new annual Christmas party beer sampling – New Belgium Brewing’s delicious Honey Orange Tripel.
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Flying Fish Brewing Co. | Exit 3 Blueberry Braggot

“As any swalwe sittynge on a berne. Therto she koude skippe and make game, As any kyde or calf folwynge his dame. Hir mouth was sweete as bragot or the meeth, Or hoord of apples leyd in hey heeth.” – The Miller’s Tale, from the Canterbury Tales.

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Event Preview | Pottstown Brew Fest 2017

The Pottstown Brew Fest is back for another year of celebrating craft beer, wine, cider, food and great music.  The award-winning fest is returning to Pottstown Saturday, October 28 but it will be held at a new location — the Norco Fire Company.  From 12-4:30 p.m., guests can sample beer and cider from some of the finest craft brewers in the Mid-Atlantic region and from across the United States.

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Victory Brewing Co. | Blackboard No. 06 – Peach Belgian Blonde with Coriander

Experimental flavors, quality products, great taste: these are all elements that consumers don’t just seek out, but expect it in their craft beer.  With summer upon us, consumers want refreshing ingredients and lots of flavors!  One company who delivers upon these standards for the craft is Victory Brewing Company.
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Beer Cocktail | Kriek Kocktail with Saint Benjamin Wit or Wit Out and Ommegang Rosetta

Sometimes, I just have a tough time making decisions, especially when it comes to what beer I want to try (I know, I know, #firstworldproblems. I hear your sympathetic violins). However, when a beer menu presents you with 15 choices, but your flight only allows for four beers, and the waitress is just staring at you because you can’t decide, it becomes an issue. So when I saw a cocktail of a kriek and a tripel, both of which I wanted to try, I thought “Genius!”(The cocktail was delightful, by the way). It’s summer though, and I want to keep it light & refreshing. I decided to find a kriek and a witbier that complimented each other’s flavors and was super refreshing.

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Brewery Showcase | Urban Village Brewing Company Opens in Philadelphia

Featured Image Credit: Urban Village Brewing Company

Envision this: a Berliner weisse made with 300 pounds of beets. It is as strange and tasty as it sounds, and it is one of the varieties of brews available at Philly’s newest brewpub, Urban Village Brewing Company.

Opened to the public as of June 1, Urban Village Brewing is a part of a myriad of storefronts opening in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, creating life for this up-and-coming neighborhood. In a city with a booming restaurant scene, Urban Village sets itself apart with its quaint ambiance and quality beer.

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Cooking With Beer | Stuffed Burgers made with Dogfish Head Namaste White

There is a bar in Philadelphia that makes the most amazing burgers. Good Dog Bar has a burger called ‘Good Dog’. This is a juicy 1/2 lb.of meat, where every salty bite is filled with gooey Roquefort cheese is then topped with fried onions. Am I making you hungry yet? Since I don’t live within a reasonable distance of Good Dog Bar to obtain one of these tasty morsels regularly (which is probably a good thing), I decided to recreate this burger with my own twist: beer. Instinct told me to go with a darker selection, but I defied my better senses and went with a surprisingly delicious choice.

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Beer Cocktail | Redneck Mule with UFO White Ale

Memorial Day weekend signifies the unofficial beginning of summer. Barbecues, parties and parades represent a few traditions that Americans look forward to during this three-day holiday. A new Memorial Day weekend tradition of mine is joining my boyfriend’s family on their annual weekend-long camping excursion. Not just any camping trip, though — this is legitimate redneck camping. Campers travel in droves to the campground and park in Northeast Pennsylvania. Trailers, patio lights, lawn chairs (sometimes the random couch) and plenty of beer cans decorated each campsite, in true backwoods fashion. So, what is more appropriate than creating a cocktail as resourceful as the people I watched create an elevated camper by putting a tent on their truck bed? (Boom. Bed.) Though I do enjoy the classical version of a Moscow Mule, I was low on supplies in the woods and needed to get creative. So, with a beer and a dream, I created the Redneck Mule; a mix of beer and vodka and a bad idea. Part beer, part ginger beer and part vodka, I wanted to create something light, yet citrusy, so I wanted to pick a beer that offered me both.

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Event Recap | Phoenixville Beer & Wine Festival

Even the forecast for a Nor’easter couldn’t keep the spirits down at the first annual Phoenixville Beer and Wine Festival in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Despite the wind and the rain, the masses descended upon the rain-soaked Kimberton Fairgrounds to attend the sold-out event with raincoats and umbrellas in tow. Twenty-six craft breweries, along with multiple cideries, wineries, distillers and meaderies came to show off their creations for the thirsty crowd.

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The Weekly Buzz | May 12-18

Hello, everyone! Your fearless leader for the Weekly Buzz, Dan Bortz, is on vacation so I have been tasked with bringing you the very best of the week’s highlights! This week was a big week in the craft beer world. Why you ask? Well, it’s American Craft Beer Week, of course. (Yeah, you probably already knew that.)

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Spicy Honey Beer Mustard Dipping Sauce with Oskar Blue’s Old Chub

Grilling season is upon us, ladies and gentlemen!! Many will agree that there are few things better than a solid cookout. If your grill skills are a bit rusty, let me help you get back on track.  I like taking my food up a notch by creating some great marinades and sauces to accompany my grilled creation. So, when I wanted to make a spicy honey mustard for some bratwurst, I knew that we could make this amazing! With what you ask? Well, clearly with beer. When it comes to making beer mustard, darker beers add more depth and flavor, so feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand. My choice was a lonesome can I had lingering amongst the onslaught of new spring beers and this was a perfect choice!

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Event Preview | The Phoenixville Beer & Wine Festival

Featured image courtesy of phoenixvillebeerwinefestival.com.

An exciting event is coming to Phoenixville, PA this May. The first Phoenixville Beer & Wine Festival is happening this Saturday, May 13 at the Kimberton Fairgrounds. From 12-4:30 p.m., guests will be able to sample beverages from a myriad of local and national breweries, wineries, as well as mead, cider and spirits. Read More