Alt! Who Goes There? is in the fermenter and Raspberry Mead should be on tap before next weekend. Expect some bottles of Chocolate Thunder out of the brewery before the end of the month.
Prism Beer Company received their brewery license, so expect to see their beer in your local tavern any day now.
In case you missed it, we are now pouring the Philadelphia Philsner. This “red pilsner” is a crisp, hoppy brew with a moderate malt balance. It goes really well with spicy food and is just $3 AT ALL TIMES – while the Phillies are still in the playoffs.
Also, we are proud to pour the delicious Saison Vatour from McKenzie Brewhouse. It recently won GABF Gold! Come in a try some. You won’t be disappointed.
Bad news/good news. Scheduling issues and the release of the Philsner have precluded production of Oktoberfest and our Sly Fox collaborative brew. The Philsner is not far from what Brian O’Reilly and I had planned to brew, though (a hoppy session beer with German roots brewed with German and English ingredients, fermented at ale temperature). Some good news is that our Harvest Ale is sort of a hoppy festbier that is tasting fine and Novemberfest is in the fermenter (another hoppy-ish fest-like brew with more bready, biscuit flavors than the Harvest Ale – higher ABV and lower IBU’s). We are also going to be tapping another Prism Beer Company prototype next week – a spiced Amber Ale. But, the really good news is that a grain shipment should be delivered Monday or Tuesday that includes ingredients to brew The Emperor’s New Clothes (Tripel), The Loch Ness Monster (strong Scotch Ale) and, after much too long a delay, Raspberry Mead Ale. We’ve been experimenting with the low alcohol beers for a while, but it’s clear that many of our fans miss the stronger beers that had become our forte over the years. I expect to keep the ABV’s up for a while, following through the winter with East Coast IPA, Holiday Cheer, Winterfest, an , if things go as planned, a 2009 Barleywine. Also, I’d like to brew Double Thunder, the Grim Reaper, the Weizenheimer and a Belgian Quad in 2010. Feel free to post a comment with any suggestions for long, lost GLI specialty brews (Olde Curmudgeon, XSB, Hopeweizen, Malted Oat Stout, for example).
Cheers!
Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. Just ask my mother-in-law. Much to her chagrin, The General Lafayette Inn soldiers on with renewed vigor, promise, and excitement for the season that lies ahead. Despite rumors that the General is up for sheriff sale (NOT true) and that we are “out of business” (hardly), we are very much in the early stages of a mini-renaissance, if you will, at the old Inn and Brewery.
Are things easy? Of course not. But nothing worth earning ever is. I was fortunate enough to welcome some new blood on the ownership side of things here. It has helped energize us. That, along with an entire new menu concept (mussels, flatbreads, pretzels, incredible burgers, all house made – simple, fresh, and delicious), has opened up some new opportunities here. Heck, we even have digital HD television now.
Look for us to expand our bar area into our (mostly) empty dining room, creating a warm, comforting, atmosphere with booths, tvs, and, hopefully, a second bar. Hard wood floors are the next addition and we hope to see more folks returning for casual meals, great beer, and good times. Damn, this sounds like a commercial. So, I’ll wrap it up.
I just wanted everyone to know that I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. After many phone calls, I finally got a return call from a woman who had paid a deposit to host her rehersal dinner here tomorrow night. We had not heard from her and needed her menu. She told me, “we were under the impression that you were going out of business, so we found another place”. Well, you can imagine how deflating that can be. True, I brought these rumors on myself by making a public request for help. Well, we did get some. Now, I must quash the backlash of that unconventional approach and get this thing back on track.
If the Phillies hold up their end, we’ll have Philadelphia Philsner on tap in time for the NLCS. Fugazi Lager is pouring now, with Octoberfest on-deck. The Phils are battling and so are we. Please don’t think we’ve given up and are anything but going strong!
Cheers!
