Ironhill Brewery in Philly, PA - The 20 Plus Year Consecutive Winning Streak Proves Its Greatness!

Ironhill Brewery in Philly, PA - The 20 Plus Year Consecutive Winning Streak Proves Its Greatness!
By Kat Thomas, Edible Skinny

“Beer’s intellectual. What a shame so many idiots drink it.”
--Ray Bradbury

A little while ago, Edible Skinny spent a few months on the East Coast of the United States and we were lucky enough to check out Ironhill Brewery & Restaurant!!!

Named after the historic Revolutionary War landmark in Delaware, where General George Washington battled the British, Iron Hill is among the most enduringly successful craft brewers in the United States.  Their 20 plus year consecutive WINNING STREAK at national and international beer competitions is the longest by any craft brewery!

Founded by homebrewers Kevin Finn, Mark Edelson, and restaurateur Kevin Davies in Newark, DE in 1996, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has blossomed from one restaurant and brewery to 16 locations up and down the East Coast, including Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and South Carolina.  Each brewery/restaurant has their own craft kitchen and scratch brewery, allowing individual chefs and brewers the creativity to pair the freshest local ingredients with the highest quality grains and hops.

The Ironhill Brewery & Restaurant menu involves a detailed pairing guide as they want you to enjoy more than just a beer or dish.  This brewery wants you to fully EMBRACE a great BEER experience to enhance the flavors of the meal and (of course) compliment their cravings.  Some of Ironhill’s recommendations included:

--Hot & Spicy.  IPAs go well with Chipotle or Buffalo Wings.  Hoppy bitterness helps to cut through heat while notes of spice and citrus plays well with each dishes’ underlying flavors.
--Smoky chargrilled caramelized.  These party ears are rude to stand up to hearty dishes.  They’re dark roast and malts complement chard and smoked ingredient flavors.  Pairs well with Brewski Burger, Grilled Brewben Sandwich, and Char Grilled Flank Steak.

After analyzing my list I chose a spiced and fruity Witberry Belgian Wheat.  Perfect for a non-beer drinking Gal with flavors of raspberry orange and coriander.  AND it paired perfectly with my nosh-ing choice of Fried Cauliflower with arugula pine nut pesto, pecorino romano cheese, fried capers, red pepper flakes.  Can we say Yummm (with 3Ms)!

So here's to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and Witberry Beers properly paired with Fried Cauliflower! ;-)

Kat Thomas is the Editor in Chief of Edible Skinny, a site dedicated to making your life postcard worthy. She is also the CEO of the creative media company This Way Adventures. You can find more about both brands at http://www.thiswayadventures.com

Firkin' Good! Manahawkin Based Craft Brewery Manafirkin Kicks Ass!!!

During the Holidays, Edible Skinny was lucky enough to head back East to Kelly and Kat's hometown of Manahawkin, NJ.  While there we were able to experience the craftiness of the recently opened small town brewery Manafirkin Brewing Company (for there to be a craft brewery in Manahawkin is to show you how much this town has expanded!!!).

Manafirkin, which opened in 2017, is nestled behind a local hospital thrift shop.  The brewery space is open with a large garage door front to allow breezes when it's not 10 degrees (seriously East Coast... get your wintertime act together!).

With well executed beer options such as Wake the Firk Up (coffee oatmeal stout), Peace Pipe (a classic porter), and a rumored Strawberry Jalapeno Beer... this is definitely a brewery to check out!
 The bartender will gladly pour you a sample brew if you're in indecisive Goldilocks mood.  Free popcorn, a kickass tunes playlist, and plenty of bench style seating are all positive checks!  Oh, and it's also dog friendly!

So if you happen to be in our hometown of Manahawkin, get the Firk over there (but make sure it's a weekend because their not open on weekdays)! ;-)

Beer, Bratwurst & Piece of Mind with the 2nd Annual Vegan Oktoberfest

A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it’s better to be thoroughly sure.”

-Czech proverb

Beer and Bratwurst served with a side order of piece of mind.  Prost to that!

Coming back for a second year, Vegan Oktoberfest is a traditional Oktoberfest celebration featuring great vegan Bavarian food, live Oompah and dance music, and refreshing and delicious beer!  Held October 3rd and 4th at LA Center Studios, the event will feature over 30 food vendors, 50 different beers, and Full Size steins.  So there's no reason to wait to grab your tixs; especially because they won't be sold at the door!

Talk about a selection of suds to Prost to!  The Vegan Oktoberfest’s choices include Edible Skinny favorites Angel City Brewery and Lagunitas Brewing Company, along with other hoppy brands such as Ritual Brewing Co., Bison Organic Beer, Coronado Brewing Company, Drakes Brewing Company, Knee Deep Brewing Co., SolarC Beer Co., Einstök Brewery, Ace premium Ciders, Eel River Brewing Company, Modern Times Beer, Venice Duck Brewery, The Dudes’ Brewing Company, Bootlegger’s Brewery, Bell’s, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Craft Beer Kings, Bravery Brewing, and Reverand Nat’s Hard Cider.

Looking to eat all things Oktoberfest with a clean conscious?  This is LA.... ;-) The Vegan Oktoberfest offers over 30 food vendors that are both delicious and kind to our furry friends.  The spectacularly amazing Sage Organic Vegan Bistro and Kind Kreme will be featuring German style soft pretzels, their famous cauliflower hot wings, and delicious vegan ice cream!  If you haven’t experienced any of these fantastic dishes this is your opportunity to have your mind blown!!!   

Other yummy vendors include The Green Truck, Dogtown Dogs, Southern Fried Vegan, Urban Pie, Shugah Mama, and Califia Farms! 

Vegan Oktoberfest is produced by Red Pill Productions LLC, a company founded by Los Angeles animal rights attorneys David Edward Burke and Jill Ryther.  Vegan Oktoberfest will also benefit a good cause, with a portion of the proceeds going to Expand Animal Rights Now, an organization dedicated to using the legal system to help animals.

VIP Admission ($55) allows for five hours of drinking, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm, and includes complimentary 14oz stein and unlimited beer (unlimited sample pours and 3 full 14oz pours)!  General Admission ($45) allows for four hours of drinking from 1:00pm to 5:00pm along with the aforementioned complimentary 14oz stein and unlimited beer (unlimited sample pours and 3 full 14oz pours)!  Tickets are available at:
http://www.veganoktoberfest.com/buy-tickets/

Here’s to life being delicious, celebrating furry friends, and Prost-ing on!

California Beer Festival: The State's Finest Brews Pour in San Dimas This Weekend

By Kelly Grace Thomas

On the first (unofficial) weekend of fall, what is better than enjoying a full-flavored craft beer with those you love? Enjoying 85! Or at least not having to choose just one:)  This weekend, beer lovers can taste bold IPAs, subtle Saisons and many more of the finest brews the Golden State has to offer at the California Beer Festival. Held lakeside at the beautiful Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas on September 12-13, the two-day, multi-themed festival has a little something for everyone.

While providing a safe and fun atmosphere, the California Beer Festival aims toward the education and appreciation of various craft and microbrews. As California’s largest traveling beer event, Saturday’s “Craft Beer Heaven” offers 85 ice-cold craft beers and ciders from local and state-wide breweries such as: Alosta Brewing Co., Angel City Brewery, Fireman’s Brew, Elysian Brewing, Karl Strauss, Wicks Brewing, Ballast Point, Lagunitas and many more. Besides its offering of outstanding pours, Saturday will also feature live performances from popular local bands, games such as bikini bocce ball and delicious food options such as garlic fries, sliders and tacos. All individuals must be 21 years of age or older with a valid ID to enter the California Beer Festival on Saturday. Tickets include either VIP or general admission and come with a souvenir tasting cup.

Sunday aims for more family-focused fun at the California Beer Festival. Appropriately named “Hamburgers and Hops” Sunday is a picnic style day for all ages to enjoy. At this outdoor event, attendees are invited to pull up blankets, umbrellas and chairs as they enjoy juicy hamburgers and top tapping performances from a dynamic musical lineup including Foreverland, a nationally renowned 14-piece Michael Jackson tribute band. Sunday families can either purchase general admission tickets or receive a souvenir cup for up to four craft beer samplings. Food and additional beer will be available for purchase.

So whether you want sunshine and a few sips, or a passport tour of California’s finest, the California Beer Festival offers the perfect opportunity to pamper the palette and and soak in the outdoors. Edible Skinny will be there, making life more delicious. Will you?

Purchase tickets at http://californiabeerfestival.com.

Edible Skinny Does Angel City's Avocado Fest!!!

Edible Skinny was at Angel City's Avocado Festival yesterday and boy did we have a blast!!!  The creamy beer was perfect for beer lovers (Read: Kelly) and non-beer lovers (Read: Me)!  We documented our fabulous time there!  Enjoy!!!

Spread the Warmth Gift Idea #4 – Try Something Brew

Monkish

This December: Try Something Brew

By Kelly Grace Thomas

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." And thanks to LA Beer Hop, now we can be both hoppy and safe. 

These days Angelinos of all ages and neighborhoods are flocking toward the city’s breweries and their delicious craft beer. However, as beer lovers know, the biggest downfall to enjoying a cold one or three is often the worry of how to get home. While LA has some of the most well-respected labels in the country, with breweries like Angel City, Golden Road, Smog City and Monkish, the drive (plus traffic) from point A to point B is enough to keep beer lovers from venturing outside of their designation driving zone.

Smog City

LA Beer Hop tours provide brewery tours of Los Angeles, Orange County and Long Beach, exploring locations all over greater LA. Each tour includes three destinations, with guided beer tours and tasting, as well as private and public transportation. And for those wanting to know a little more, at least one destination has a walkthrough tour where beer lovers can dive into the art of the craft.

LA Beer Hop tours offer three tour choices 1) South Bay which includes Monkish Brewing, Strand Brewing Co, El Segundo Brewing, Smog City Brewing, Beachwood Brewing and BBQ or Timeless Pints.  2) East LA which includes Eagle Rock Brewery, Golden Road Brewery, Angel City Brewery or Sunset Beer Company.  3) Long Beach which includes Beachwood Brewing, Timeless Pints, San Pedro Brewing and other locations.

LA Beer Hop public tours are 4-5 hours long and run from $65 Friday, Saturday or Sunday to $50 Monday through Thursday with a flight of beer is included at each location. Just buy a ticket online and they LA Beer Hop will pick you up at a designated metro station. Private tours are also provided to groups of 6 or more. Private tours run around the same duration, but will pick you up wherever you like. For more information or to book a tour visit labeerhop.com or call 323-928-2113.

Don't let distance get between you and your brew. Try LA Beer Hop, to sip cerveza in style for a stress free, brewery experience. 

Kronik and Craft: Lagunitas Brewing Company

When Edible Skinny takes a break from wine they drink beer and we took a break from all those grapes to experience the world of the craft brewery at Lagunitas Brewing Company. 

The brewery (which you might be familiar with through the Beer Wars documentary) was started in 1993 in the form of a Christmas homebrew kit that Tony Magee received while living in Lagunitas, California.  He brewed to district himself from the $30,000 he was in debt for and within a short time he had graduated to a 3 ½ barrel system.  Magee started making beer and selling kegs to local bars and restaurants out of the back of his Ford Ranger pickup truck.  The company moved up to a 15-barrel system and started bottling and distributing keys and bottles through the San Francisco Bay area in 1995.

Wandering northbound, the brewery found its home in Petaluma, California, (home of the egg incubator and the world ugliest dog contest).  Lagunitas is now distributed in 32 states and 5 countries.  Since the mid-2000s, Lagunitas has been one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the United States, increasing from 27,000 barrels in 2004 to 700,000 barrels in 2013.

2005, Lagunitas was the subject of an eight-week undercover investigation wherein it was suspected of selling marijuana.  The funny thing is, when the government agents tried to buy weed from the employees, they simply offered them a joint for free.  Eventually, the brewery was charged with Moral Turpitude and Disorderly House, laws that were used to shut down brothels during Prohibition, and forced to close the operation for 20 days.  The company advantageously used this time to install a new bottling line.  Every March, Lagunitas releases a beer called Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale because as the label states, “We did the crime. We did the time. We got the bragging rights.”

This brewery loves gettin’ on the wrong side of the law.  In addition to the Undercover Investigation escapade, the brewery's released a beer called the Kronik (slapping with censored bar on the label to get it approved once the federal label-approving agency, the BATF realized what Kronik actually references. Hint: it’s Marijuana).  Lagunitas slapped a “Censored” sticker on it as a joke and they accepted.  Thus, from the smoky clouds of a 420 haze their Censored Beer was born.  


TonyMagee vowed Lagunitas would never go pubic, because he wanted to make craft beers and didn’t want to focus on the bottom line.  The result is a following that would put Miley Cyrus fans to shame and a company that’s rapidly expanding.  In May, Lagunitas had its official opening for their second plant in Chicago (Magee’s hometown), which will bring in a whopping 1.7 million barrels a year (on top of 700k barrels at the Petaluma). 

At 2.4 million barrels, that would put Lagunitas as the second-largest “craft” brewery behind The Boston Beer Company in terms of brewing capacity.  Numbers that are serious (regardless of what you’ve been smoking).

The 4th Annual Beer Art Music Fest, Proof that God Loves Us

The 4th Annual Beer Art Music Fest, Proof that God Loves Us
By Kelly Grace Thomas


Ben Franklin once said, "Beer is proof God loves us." The attendees of the 4th annual Beer Art Music Festival (BAM Fest) couldn't agree more. Sponsored by the eclectic 8th Street Art Center in Santa Monica, this years BAM hosted over 40 plus local and domestic Microbrews, as well as toe-tapping music and innovative art.  While all the brews at the event were frothy and delicious, there were a few undoubtable standouts!

Among the favorites was Los Angeles's Eastside Golden Road Brewing. With crisp and bold brews these craft beers have gone from the best kept hipster secret to now gracing the aisles of Whole Foods across the city.  Beers poured included their Point the Way IPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen, Burning Bush Smoked IPA, Golden Road Berliner Weisse, and their Opuntiale, a Honey Blonde beer brewed with prickly pear fruit, cactus honey, and mesquite-smoked cactus paddles (aka Nopales).

Another unique brew included Monkfish Belgian Style Tripel Ale from Fish Brewing Company with subtle notes of vanilla and pistachio.  Dogfish Head, a well-respected label from Delaware, which was featured in the Eye-opening documentary Beer Wars, filled the seasonal spot with a spicy and warm Pumpkin Ale.  San Diego's Ballast Point was also in attendance with their unapologetic Big Eye IPA and Longfin Lager.

Some other labels included Angel City (a local Los Angeles Downtown brewery who recently made a splash with their Avocado Ale), Cismontane, Sierra Nevada, Duvel, Stone, Smog City and more.

While good brew and beautiful So Cal weather took the main stage, the festival also featured art by Cheryl Walker and Yvette Gellis, among others.  And what's a day of drinking without music?  Bands like Cory Phillips and the Groove Orchestra, Ben Bateman, and a few others provide the perfect tunes to enjoy hoppy beverages.

The 18th Street Art Center also features festivals like Crush, a sampling of some of the best local and regional wineries and restaurants in the area has to offer.  If the 18th Street Arts Center hasn't been on your radar stay posted, this small artist-inspired organization puts together the perfect spread the city's best drinks, culinary creation, art and music, all in a one stop, for one price gathering under the beautiful Santa Monica sunshine.