DRAFT Magazine

This St. Patrick’s Day marked a particularly notable occasion for Charlott Engstrom in Pittsburg — she celebrated her 104th birthday as well as the luck of the Irish at McCarthy’s Pub with her family and friends.

Green beer is a tradition in the Engstrom family. They’ve traveled to McCarthy’s nearly every year since Charlott’s 100th birthday to party hearty with Grandma. While she doesn’t drink much now, Mrs. Engstrom enjoys a green beer and a highball on her birthday at McCarthy’s, and her family sometimes flies cross-country to spend St. Patrick’s Day with their mother/grandmother/great-grandmother.

Born in 1906, Engstrom has three children (two of whom she has outlived), seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and four great-great grandchildren. Her family attests that Charlott has a little Irish blood. Her unusually lucky birthday seems to be working out for her — if next year rolls around and you see Mrs. Engstrom enjoying libations at McCarthy’s, you better buy this lady a drink.

– Mariah Beckman

We’ve scoured the country from Alaska to Hawaii and Portland, Maine to Portland, Ore., to find the bars where you’re guaranteed to sip unmatched suds. Romantic or boisterous, scuzzy or dressed to the nines, the flavor of the places where fine brew is served runs the gamut. Here, the 150 places where craft is king and fun comes in all fashions.

Today: Pennsylvania

700 Club
Philadelphia
This two-story neighborhood stop is comfy like grandma’s house, but turns into a full-on quirky dance party when the DJ spins upstairs. Some nights it’s just you and the bartender; others, it’s you and a gaggle of sweaty youngsters in T-shirts with questionable dance moves. Every night, though, there’s a slew of awesome brews, including those from two beer engines, local faves like Yards and far-flung ones like Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
700 N. 2nd Street, 215.413.3181

Eulogy Belgian Tavern
Philadelphia
Here’s a question: Can you call a beer brewed 5,000 miles away a house beer? We ask because Belgium’s La Binchoise Brewery creates Eulogy’s Busty Blonde exclusively for this Philly venue. Debate amongst yourselves, but know that you’re having one regardless of your answer next time you happen across this Belgian brasserie that also boasts a Napoleon Burger that won a Best of Philadelphia award.
136 Chestnut St.

The Grey Lodge Pub
Philadelphia
This pub isn’t your typical Philly bar, what with its dozen constantly rotating taps and healthy bottle selection. Local favorites such as Philadelphia BiBerry collide with national selections (Great Divide Fresh Hop, Rogue Double Dead Guy) in a truly unique and wonderful way. The yearly Groundhog Day Hawaiian Shirt Beer Breakfast should be added to any craft lover’s Bucket List.
6235 Frankford Ave.

Johnny Brenda’s
Philadelphia
The second effort from William Reed and Paul Kimport, owners of the Standard Tap gastropub, practices the Keep It Simple, Stupid philosophy: All-draft, all-local beers, menus written in chalk, and the freshest seafood around. There’s nothing simple about how much you’ll enjoy a trip to this Fishtown neighborhood taproom.
1201 N. Frankford Ave.

McGillin’s Olde Ale House
Philadelphia
With taps flowing since 1860, we would excuse the Philly pub for not keeping up with the latest trends in the craft brewing world. These guys know, however, that the best complement to an authentic old-fashioned feel is a modern beer list. In addition to the 1860 IPA — brewed specially for the bar’s 150th anniversary in 2010 — the roughly 40 taps stay filled with the best brews from within 100 miles.
1310 Drury St.

Memphis Tap Room
Philadelphia
If a brewer married a foodie, Memphis Tap Room would be their lovechild. It has all the trappings of a serious beer bar — think Lepziger Göse and Popering Hommel Bier on tap next to a rotating beer engine — plus a superb menu of pub grub gone cuisine. Executive chef Jesse Kimball whips up a menu of cornmeal-crusted oysters, squash curry, and Swiss chard mac and cheese until midnight seven evenings a week, and even manages to sneak a few beer-infused dishes in there: Pilsner-brined hot wings and hefeweizen hummus, beer lovers?
2331 E. Cumberland St.

Monk’s Café
Philadelphia
A name like Monk’s guarantees a certain level of dedication. Luckily, this bar delivers with one of the finest selections of Belgians and beyond in the entire country. Bargoers order from a Beer Bible, and first-timers should definitely try the Monk’s Café Sour Flemish, a beer brewed by the Van Steenberge brewery in Belgium exclusively for this spot. The Web site proclaims patrons have “found beer heaven.” Let the religious metaphors flow; you’ll soon be a true believer.
264 S. 16th St.

Tria
Philadelphia
Believe it or not, beer and wine do harmonize, perhaps nowhere better than this sleekly casual café in Philly’s Rittenhouse Square. Less than 30 beers hold court, but they’re all superb (think Pliny the Elder). Keep focused on the brew, as the wines — the bar categorizes them with qualifiers like zippy, funky, and sociable — do their damndest to tempt you away. Uniting beer and vino is a mouthwatering cheese list — and an ultraknowledgeable staff to point you toward delicious pairings.
123 S. 18th St.

It’s been a couple weeks in the making, but Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will get a case of Molson Canadian from President Barack Obama.

On Friday, U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson will deliver 24 beers to 24 Sussex Drive, which in case you’re not up on your Canadian trivia, is the official PM residency.

Apparently, however, Harper isn’t much of a drinker. He can always give the beers to these guys.

A big day for blasts from the past. First, Shakespeare gets a new play, and now MillerCoors LLC plans to test a new brew based on a pre-Prohibition recipe.

Batch 19 will debut next month in select cities including Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Washington.

Here’s the backstory, courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times:

Marino said Keith Villa, a master brewer at MillerCoors’ brewery in Golden, Colo., discovered the recipe six years ago when Villa helped rescue archival records from the brewery’s flooded basement. Villa was intrigued by the recipes that the company used before Prohibition and decided to make them. Batch 19 contains 5.5 percent alcohol by volume, compared with Miller Lite or Bud Lite’s 4 percent to 5 percent, and is made with two types of hops rarely used today — strisselspalt and hersbrucker.

March Madness is upon us and we’re doing our own version here at DRAFTMag.com. We’ve chosen a beer for each team in the tournament and you get to pick which brews advance. Since the first two rounds of the tournament happen this weekend, you can pick the first two rounds of DRAFTMag.com’s tourney as well. Check back next week for the results and more voting.

DRAFTMag.com March Madness

The only thing we don’t like about Sweetwater Brewing Co.’s irregular series of one-off brews, called Dank Tank, is that when these inspired beers are gone, that’s all she wrote. However, we suppose solace is sought in their ability to make each installment pretty damn good.

This big, 11 percent-ABV Belgian-style specialty may appear gentle — its clear mahogany body’s topped off with a dense, creamy tan head — but put this beast up to your nose for a smack in the face. A strong, warm alcohol aroma jammed with dark fruits, bready notes and a perky, spicy Belgian yeast character rushes up the nose and awakens the senses.

BSP Quad’s übercreamy body envelops the tongue as a wave of warm alcohol moves back and splashes against the throat, leaving the tongue tingling in its wake. As the taste buds perk up, bready toast notes peppered with spicy yeast land on the tongue. A strong malt foundation spreads out to support the spice, as well as a secondary plum flavor that emerges mid-sip. While the sides of the tongue are being tickled by alcohol and the top alive with fruit and spice, a drying finish creeps up on this palate pleaser, leaving the mouth wanting more. Luckily, for fans of Belgian-style brews this one comes in a quenching bomber-sized bottle.

We’ve scoured the country from Alaska to Hawaii and Portland, Maine to Portland, Ore., to find the bars where you’re guaranteed to sip unmatched suds. Romantic or boisterous, scuzzy or dressed to the nines, the flavor of the places where fine brew is served runs the gamut. Here, the 150 places where craft is king and fun comes in all fashions.

Today: Oregon.

Bailey’s Tap Room
Portland, Oregon
Located within walking distance from Portland’s waterfront and best hotels, Bailey’s is a sleek watering hole that pours out the region’s best and often most obscure (like Walkabout’s Jabberwocky) beers on tap and on cask. Keeping it local, the cheeses and truffles are West Coast delights and pair oh-so-well with the beer born from the same terroir.
213 SW Broadway

Belmont Station
Portland, Oregon
This funky standalone building triples as a biercafé, beer bar, and bottle shop. Though it only has 15 taps, the beer shop’s stocked with a staggering 1,000-plus bottles, all stored properly (read: temperature controlled and away from light) and ready for purchase. For those who like the sweeter side of brew, it also boasts the largest selection of ciders and meads in the city. Pick up a fresh deli corned beef on rye and a brew to match for an idyllic afternoon chill session.
4500 SE Stark St.

Concordia Alehouse
Portland, Oregon
From the outside, Concordia’s boxy and a little, well, green, but it’s still the sort of place you wish you had in your ’hood. It’s a clean, quiet joint with a kick-ass beer selection on 22 taps comprised of rare Northwest favorites and some hard-to-find foreign selections. The steaks are cooked to perfection, and there’s not a skimpy dish in sight. Despite all the goodness, you won’t be dealing with lines or beer snobs; just good people who like good brew.
3276 NE Killingsworth St.

Green Dragon
Portland, Oregon
Last year, Rogue Ales purchased the legendary Green Dragon, and blogs were abuzz with rumors of “massive changes” planned for the place. Yes, there have been changes, but it remains a damn good beer bar. There are 30 more beers on tap for a total of 49, and it still hosts meet the brewer nights and other beer-centric events on a regular schedule. Even more, there’s fresh live music and quality food, all in a brick- and beer paraphernalia-walled space with a supercool vibe.
928 SE 9th St.

Henry’s 12th Street Tavern
Portland, Oregon
This Pearl District bar’s 18,000 square feet quickly fill up with a button-down and loafer crowd after work; it’s not your typical “beer geek” crew, but anyone who knows their way from sour ale to imperial stout will quickly feel at home among the 100 taps offering local favorites, seasonal releases and more. Set your beer on the bar’s chill strip and dig into a filet mignon.
10 NW 12th Ave.

Horse Brass Pub
Portland, Oregon
This iconic bar has been at the epicenter of one of America’s beeriest cities for more than a quarter century, and it still quietly sets itself apart. Unabashedly English, the food ranges from fish and chips to steak and kidney pie, while the beer’s an unparalleled selection of more than 50 taps highlighting local favorites and the best of craft here and abroad. There’s also hand-pumped cask ale, of course; three rotating selections round out the beer menu for an authentic British experience.
4534 NE Belmont St.

Imperial IPA in a can? That’s just crazy talk.

Not anymore.

Oskar Blues Brewery, proponents of canned brews worldwide, are releasing GUBNA Imperial IPA in convenient four-packs. The brewery hosted a launch party on March 4th, and we’ve been told they didn’t drink the entire run. Pick up some of the beer wherever you find other Oskar Blues products.

According to a release, “The GUBNA Imperial IPA will greet beer drinkers with a pungent citrus blast, provide a spicy, yet round middle, and finish with a brisk, clean bitterness.” Yeah it will. And here’s a video that explains the thought process behind the beer. There is a method to Oskar’s madness.