I love a great, local beer store. I also love a great hot dog. But getting both in the same place? Enter The Beer Shoppe, which opened three weeks ago in Ardmore, a perfect spot to wet your whistle while enjoying an authentic hot dog (or four).
For the beer nerds out there, the store has a wonderful selection of brews. When you walk in the front door, the right wall is stacked with shelves of big bottles from all over the globe, including many barrel-aged and sour beers. The left wall is entirely refrigerated, with a huge assortment of bottles to choose from. They have an extensive collection for carry-out, including a few of my favorite breweries: Jolly Pumpkin, Russian River, and Stillwater. The Beer Shoppe also features a very nice summer seasonal selection, I took home a six-pack of 21st Amendment’s refreshing “Watermelon Wheat”.
It is sure nice to have such an extensive single bottle collection in PA without having to go to a pizza place (not that I don’t love a good slice!). However, if you are hungry, I’d recommend trying out a few of their hot dogs at the bar in the back. I sampled four dogs during my visit. I’m not shy, so I started with the “Everything”, a dog covered in chili, cheese, and kraut. Right away, you could tell the dogs were high-quality; served on poppy-seed buns, the dogs had that trademark “snap” that reminds you of a fun Memorial Day BBQ.
I followed with a “Kraut” dog, to which I added spicy brown mustard. Next, “The Inferno”, a spicy sausage with hot chili and hot peppers. I knew it was good when my guest turned to me and said, “your face is bright red.” By chance, I managed to save the best for last; an authentic Chicago Hot dog. This dog featured a nice crisp pickle, onions, relish, fresh red tomatoes, a few hot peppers, and was sprinkled with celery salt. The contrast of the bright, cool veggies with the hot dog made this the dog I’ll keep coming back for. Oh, and don’t forget, there are four beers featured on-tap at the hot dog bar, I had a nice cold Victory Hop Devil.
I can’t think of a more fitting way to ring in the dog days of summer!
P.S. For those of my readers who are concerned for my health, I split the four dogs with my foodie fiancé who accompanied me.
Photographs credited to the Beer Shoppe and Chris Grimmig.
