Eat Your Fill During Beer Week

When people think of Philly Beer Week, their first thought may not be all the delicious food they’re going to get.  With the hype of a thousand beer events, brewers coming to down, breweries we don’t usually see showing up at bars, and myriad one-off or rare beers popping up, the average Beer Week attendee may not be on the lookout for the best dinner.  Luckily, however, we always are.

The theme of the food this year seems to be Oysters and Pig Roasts.  For the rest of the week, there are six oyster events around the city and four pig roasts (and one goat roast).  If you’re into either of those things, you’re definitely going to have a little extra fun this beer week.

Oysters and beer. Photo by Stephen Lyford.

Oysters

Your options for oysters on June 1 are pretty varied, with two all-day events (Oyster Stout & Buck-A-Shuck at Victoria Freehouse from 4p-midnight, and All-Day Oysters and Seafood at Varga Bar from 4p-1a. Varga will be featuring Maryland beer and oysters from 4p-7p). There are also the similarly-named Beer Oyster Cult at Sancho Pistola’s from 7p-midnight, and the PBW Oyster Cult at Standard Tap from 6p-8p and Johnny Brenda’s from 6p-10p.  On June 2, you have Oysters and Lagunitas at City Tap House Logan Square from 5p-11p. June 3 is Oysters, Bitches, and Fishes at McCrossen’s Tavern from 8p-2a.

Roasts

Once you’re done filling up on Oysters, there will be plenty of pig to go around.  The fun starts with two roasts on June 4—on being Varga’s annual All Day Pig Roast from 4p-1a and the other a Chinatown Pig Roast from Bar-Ly from 6:30p-midnight.  June 5 will get you a Founders and Port Brewing Pig Roast at Industry from 3p-9p. Finally, close out the week on June 7 with two more roasts—a Goose Island Block Party and Pig Roast at Alla Spina from 2p-8p or Closing Taps and Jerk Goat Roast at Prohibition Taproom from 6p-midnight.  With the timing and how close those two are, you can definitely make one long day of awesome beer and outdoor cooking.

Brunch is another highlight of Beer Week—and why wouldn’t it be?  There’s no better way to recover from a day of drinking than with more drinking, and there is no better way to start a day than with beer.  On June 6, Standard Tap will be rolling out there annual Sour Brunch from 11a-3p, and it shouldn’t be missed.  On the final day of Beer Week, when you’ll need brunch the most, both Varga and South Philly Tap Room are out for blood with their Big Badass Beer Brunch (Varga, 11a-3p) and Extreme Beer Brunch (SPTR, 11a-5p).

Other impressive food events include Late Night Tacos at SPTR on June 5 from 10p-2a, featuring LA-style tacos and Firestone Walker beer.  The Hotdogs & Homebrew Extravaganza at Memphis Taproom is always close to our heart, and will be from noon-4p on June 6—for $35, you get four hours of all-you-can-drink homebrew, but more importantly, all-you-can-eat hotdogs from their food truck.  Finally, Sancho Pistola’s Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen Beer Dinner on June 2 from 7-10p is sure to sell out soon, as it will feature seven guest chefs (Christopher Kearse of Will, Ned Maddock of Amis, Alia DeVowe of Bar Ferdinand, Tim Spinner of La Calaca Feliz, Sean Magee of Heritage, Kris Serviss of Blue Duck, and Daniella Amabile of The Oyster House).  In addition to all the great chefs, Sancho’s will have ridiculous beer pairings, featuring Cantillon St. Lamvinus, JW Lee’s 2012 Harvest, Schneider Aventinus Cuvee Barrique, and many others—all told, there will be 11 beers and eight courses of food.  Tickets are $125, which is a bargain.  Get them now by calling the bar.

As always, be sure to eat plenty of food during Beer Week, whether it’s from one of the events listed here or just a few hotdogs at home.  While beer is king this week, drinking on an empty stomach never ends well.  And, as a matter of good advice, also remember to stay hydrated.  It’s hot out there, and hot plus eight straight hours of beer doesn’t mix well.  But most of all, make the most of the week any way you can.  It’s a great week to be in Philly!