Media, PA
1/21/06
Winter warmers
For as
many years as I've been supporting this classy company, you would think
that I've seen it all! But they still seem to amaze me every time I attend
one of these special events. The quality of service, food and beer is second
to none in the industry. It was not a surprise when they won Large Brewpub
of the Year at the 2005 GABF!!
Usually,
I am forced to expend a vacation day to attend their events, but fortuitously,
I worked a different shift that day and was able to make an appearance
and am I glad I did!
If you
follow my writing, you know that I love B-I-I-I-G Beers and this was the
place to find them!
My wife,
Mary Lu, and my friend, Tony, came along and we were all greeted warmly
by Brewmaster and partner, Mark Edelson, and the entire crew of brewers,
Bob Barrar(Media), Chris Lapierre(West Chester), Justin Sproul(Newark),
Brian Finn(Wilmington) and Larry Horowitz(North Wales). Dale Van Wieren
and his wife were there as well enjoying the offerings.
Looking
over the beer menu just whet my appetite and we promptly ordered up some
samplers from which we could choose our poisons for the remainder of the
evening. Check out the selections:
Bourbon
Russian Stout(Media)-Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels
with whole vanilla beans. 8.6%abv What a smo-o-oth drink!
Oak
Aged Quadrupel(Wilmington)- A very big Belgian aged in oak wine barrels.
12+%abv. A dark and fruity drink with an outstanding warm finish.
Winter
Warmer(West Chester)- A sweet brew made with oats and spices made from
a homebrew recipe from an Iron Hill fan by Chris Lapierre. As it warmed,
the flavor of an oatmeal cookie stood out and matched perfectly with IH's
oatmeal cake dessert! 8%abv.
Barleywine(Media)-
An English-style barleywine-warm and sweet with a touch of bitterness.
9.6%abv
Doppelbock(North
Wales)- A malty German lager with a hint of sweetness. 9%abv. Good
job, Larry!
Sasquatch(Wilmington)-
An American barleywine with a load of citrus hop flavor and dry-hopped
to boot! 9.6%abv Excellent choice, Brian!!
Now, tell
me that that's not some great choices! After the sampler, the selections
you made might affect your well-being for the day or two, so it wasn't
easy to decide on what came next. Beers this big can really do some damage
if you let them. I was hoping to take a growler or two home, but the quantities
were limited and none could be spared. The Quad kicked while we were still
there!
Of course,
we also enjoyed their wonderful culinary offerings in order to extend our
ability to imbibe safely. Their Southwestern Turkey Burger filled the void
for me and my wife enjoyed their Butternut Squash Soup and a Mesclun Salad,
her two favorites. Tony also had the soup and some Salmon Spring Rolls.
Even if you're not a beer drinker, the food at the Iron Hills is what I
would call nouveau gourmet. You'll find an ecelectic mix of flavors
and textures in many of their original dishes in addition to their down-home
selections. Something for everyone!
As always,
it is a pleasure to talk to all of the brewers and see what is coming up
in the future. I even got a chance to meet Tim Stumpf, the newest member
of the team who will be at the brewing helm of the new Phoenixville location
set to open in early summer. Good Luck and welcome, Tim!!
Keep up
on what's happening at the Hill by visiting their website
and signing up for the newsletter that will inform you of upcoming events
and specials for each location.