Though it was the first really chilly day of fall and a slight drizzle and some winds filled the air, 1,500 determined beer connoisseurs filled Pottstown’s Manatawny Park for the 2016 Pottstown Brew Fest. Kicking off at noon with an exclusive VIP session, the beer flowed freely until 4:30 p.m.
The event isn’t only about beer, though. Festival executive director Tim Hennessey shares, “Last year, proceeds from the festival went to help repair and maintain the Elks Lodge on High Street in Pottstown, once known as the Fegley mansion. This year, the fest is paying it forward with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Pottstown Police Athletic League.”
With over 150 beers from 65 breweries served, it was difficult to narrow down top picks of the day, but here are some of our favorites:
Jim Breslin’s Favorites
The Pottstown Brew Fest was a really fun time. For the most part, I stuck with the dark beers. My favorite surprise was Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb!, which was chocolatey, creamy, but with a bit of a bite at the finish thanks to the chili peppers added in. I was really surprised and had not heard of this brew before. I’m bummed it isn’t available locally.
Sly Fox had a special pouring of a Nihilist Russian Imperial Stout, which has been aged in whiskey barrels. The beer showed a great balance of malt and chocolate with a finish of bourbon and was really tasty. I’ll be looking for bottles this fall.
Ethan Buckman from Stickman Brews in Royersford is brewing some creative beers. Stickman had an Imperial Porter with sweet potatoes that was brewed in collaboration with Hidden River Brewing. I like this more than any pumpkin beer I’ve had.
I was pleasantly surprised by Manayunk Brewing Company’s Lock 70 Oatmeal Stout. It had just a hint of oatmeal and is a nice beer for Sunday brunch. It’s only available in kegs now.
Ronna Dewey’s Favorites
During the VIP session, the first beer I tried was from Armstrong Ales. Steve Armstrong closed down his Phoenixville-area tasting room last year, but is still brewing regularly and gearing up for the opening of his new brewpub in Pottstown soon. Armstrong is widely known for brewing inventive beers, and That’s Amore, described as a “pizza beer,” was certainly a curveball from the traditional. It was surprisingly refreshing and tasted exactly like pizza—with hints of Italian spices like basil and oregano and brewed with tomatoes. This definitely wins for most unique beer of the day.
I really enjoyed Stickman’s White IPA, Shameless Pandering. The beer appeared slightly cloudy, but the taste was crisp and clean. It had the perfect amount of hop bitterness for me and was juicy with hints of pineapple.
California’s Stone Brewing has been around since 1996 and Ruination Double IPA is rumored to be the first full-time brewed and bottled West Coast double IPA on the planet. An unfiltered version of the updated Ruination Double IPA 2.0 was served and did not disappoint. The beer hits 100 on the IBU scale, so there is no hiding from the bitterness, but the citrus and pine notes definitely even out this intensely hoppy beer.
Another standout beer came from Hewitt Brothers Handcrafted Ales. These home brewers are trying to turn pro and are sampling their beers at some local festivals. If you see them on a beer list, run, don’t walk to fill up your glass. I sampled the King’s Ransom, a slightly sweet strong ale that had been barrel aging since 2014. It weighs in at approximately 15% (or more?) ABV and packed quite the alcoholic punch, but was very smooth.
Starting to get a little overloaded on beer, I headed to Lancaster’s Meduseld Meadery to sample some mead. The Norvig Mead, made with Chinook and Warrior hops, wildflower honey and juniper berries was slightly sweet, but with some hop bitterness, too. I also enjoyed the Sweet Root Mead made with ginger root, maple syrup and wildflower honey. The mead was the perfect ending to my sampling journey.
Best Way to Take a Break
New to the Brew Fest this year were a series of educational events held under the park pavilion. Brew U featured five different seminars to learn all about beers, brewing and more and was a great respite from the drinking and the weather. I took a break from the beer and enjoyed some delicious cheese curds from The Cow and the Curd while learning all about malts from Alan Gladish of local craft malt house Double Eagle Malt. Alan shared about the process of malting as well as a delicious sample of his brown ale. Sly Fox also had a beer on tap at the Brew Fest, Circle of Progress Harvest IPA, that was made with malts from Double Eagle.
Pottstown Brew Fest will be back for 2017, so definitely get this fun day of beer for a cause on your calendar. Follow Pottstown Brew Fest on Facebook for announcements about future events.
- Photos: Chad Donovan, Pottstown Brew Fest
