Philly Loves Beer announces the return of Philly Beer Week XII between May 31 and June 9, 2019 at hundreds of venues around the region. Raise a pint and celebrate Philadelphia as “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City™” with ten days of non-stop festivals, dinners, tours, pub crawls, brewer nights, educational workshops and charity events. Look for a record breaking 2,000 beer-soaked activities presented by hundreds of breweries, bottle shops, restaurants, bars, craft-centric businesses and neighborhood organizations. There will be a little something for everyone, as events are designed for the beer novice to the beer aficionado. Pair exclusive and rare ales with craft cuisine in some of the city’s best dining rooms. Philly Beer Week kicks off on Friday, May 31st with the all-day Hammer of Glory Relay that ends at Opening Tap at 2300 Arena. This annual kick-off party moves to an exciting new venue with a 65+ breweries and cideries all under one roof. Opening Tap will also offer the first pour of the 9th Annual European Collaboration Beer, Duveldelphia. This exclusive 6.8% hoppy blonde was brewed in Belgium at the famed 148 year-old family-owned brewery, Duvel Moortgat, with local PA brewery winners, La Cabra Brewing. On top of Duveldelphia, look for this year’s special edition of Brotherly Suds X, a collaboration beer from local breweries Tröegs, Victory, Yards, Sly Fox, Stoudts, Iron Hill and Flying Fish. For a full roster of events, plus Opening Tap tickets, visit www.phillylovesbeer.org.

“It has been very gratifying to be apart of the process that is Philly Beer Week,” said Philly Loves Beer Executive Director, Christina Dowd. “Watching this celebration of 10-days evolve and maintain its same energy since the beginning has been amazing. The bars, restaurants, breweries, etc. all put forth so much thought and devotion to creating unique events and showcasing delicious beers - regional, national and international. We are proud that these 10-days truly showcase what makes Philadelphia “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City”™ all year long.”

Philly Beer Week is now entering its 12th year, celebrating more than 1,000 events among hundreds of participants, and tens of thousands of kegs kicked. For 2019, look for a line-up that brings beer-focused events to every corner of the region - from cozy neighborhood pubs, to Philadelphia’s restaurant row, to the region’s most well-known museums, to the city’s largest beer gardens, to the banks of the Schuylkill River. Philly Beer Week kicks off with a whirlwind day starting with an exciting journey around the city and ending with the biggest event of the entire celebration. From Opening Tap to the minute the final kegs kick, get ready for a beer-soaked ride you won’t soon forget.

OPENING TAP KICK-OFF PARTY - WE’RE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER BOAT!

For Philly Beer Week XII, Opening Tap will head over to a brand-new, bigger and better location at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia on Friday, May 31, 2019, from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. The new space will allow exciting changes and room for a record number of participants.

“We’re not kidding about that bigger boat!,” said Dowd. “This year we’ve moved Opening Tap across town to the 2300 Arena in South Philly and have had an overwhelming response from breweries and cideries who want to fill the cups of eager drinkers. From freight, to Mummers, to Extreme Wrestling, the building at 2300 Arena has seen it all. If these walls could talk, we know they’d enjoy sharing a beer with our ever-growing beer community that will be joining us on May 31. Also, did someone say Live Band Karaoke?! Ummm yeah - that should be quite a treat!”

Opening Tap is Philly Beer Week’s signature kick-off party that brings the entire craft beer community together for a ritualistic “first tapping” of the festival – followed by a raucous party with endless samples. A highly-anticipated night, Opening Tap features rare and limited pours from more than 65 breweries and cideries, plus live entertainment.

Get out your boogie shoes! For entertainment, Philly Loves Beer welcomes back VJ Fava le Chic, of Oxbow Brewing and formerly of Nodding Head and Dock Street Brewing. Although it’s hard to follow his incredible act, this year’s attendees get a piece of the spotlight as guests have a chance to participate in live band karaoke with Pat Finnerty & the Full Band.

Opening Tap VIP tickets are $66 (includes a specialty souvenir glass, and an additional hour of access, beginning at 6:30pm featuring rare pours) and General Admission tickets are $46 (includes souvenir glass and complimentary samples from more than 65 local and national breweries and cideries). Tickets are on sale now:

https://www.2300arena.com/event/opening-tap-2019-may-31/

Please find an early list of breweries and cideries listed below, with more to be announced:

Duveldelphia
Brotherly Suds X
2SP Brewing Company
Allagash Brewing Company
Attic Brewing Company
Big Hill Ciderworks
Bolero Snort Brewery
Brewery ARS
BrewDog Brewery
Cape May Brewing Company
Conshohocken Brewing Company
Crime and Punishment Brewery
Deer Creek Malthouse
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Duvel Moortgat
Evil Genius Beer Company
Fat Heads Brewery
Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Fishtown Brewpub
Flying Fish Brewing Company
Free Will Brewing Company
Heavy Seas Beer
Hokkaido Brewing
Imprint Beer Company
Iron Hill Brewery
La Cabra Brewing
Levante Brewing Company
Lion Brewing
Locust Lane Craft Brewery
Love City Brewing Company
Mainstay Brewing
Manayunk Brewing
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company
Ommegang
Oxbow Brewing Company
Philadelphia Brewing Company
Platform Beer Co.
Ploughman Cider
Riverhorse Brewing Company
Roy Pitz Barrel House
Second District Brewing Company
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Sly Fox Beer Company
Stoudts Brewing Company
The Larimer Beer Company
Triple Bottom Brewing Company
Troegs Independent Brewing
Urban Village Brewing Company
Victory Brewing Company
Wissahickon Brewing Company
Workhorse Brewing Company
Yards Brewing Company
Zeds Brewery

Hammer of Glory, Philly Beer Week Mascot

THE HAMMER OF GLORY AND HOG RELAY

The Hammer of Glory is the custom, hand-forged keg hammer that is the official mascot of Philly Beer Week. The HOG travels throughout the region - and across the United States - as an ambassador for Philadelphia’s beer scene. On the first day of Philly Beer Week, the HOG visits 25+ bars, breweries and restaurants on its way to Opening Tap. The public is invited to ride along and celebrate!

Hop on the bus behind The Hammer of Glory and watch as it is passed Olympic torch-style from venue to venue. Past conveyances have included a festive mix of the weirdly absurd (ziplining from atop Standard Tap, for example, or escorting the HOG to Yards Brewing in a DeLorean) and insanely practical (ascending 51 floors to take in the majestic views from SkyGarten, then leading a cavalcade of motorcycles at TIME).

The Hammer of Glory Relay will begin at Hop Angel Brauhaus (7980 Oxford Ave) starting at 9:00am. Ticket holders can get on and off the bus during any stop on the route. The full schedule, including ticket options, will be announced soon.

The HOG Relay will conclude with the HOG’s arrival at Opening Tap for the ceremonial first tap of Philly Beer Week XII firkin of Brotherly Suds.

DUVELDELPHIA INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

In the spirit of Philadelphia and the collaborating nature our breweries take part in, Opening Tap will be the first opportunity to taste the 9th Annual European Collaboration Beer, Duveldelphia. This 6.8% hoppy blonde was brewed in Belgium by raffle winners from La Cabra Brewing based out of Berwyn, PA alongside the 148 year-old family-owned brewery, Duvel Moortgat. This collaboration blends Duvel’s mastery of fermentation and La Cabra’s American-style hopping! Idaho 7 and Citra hops provide a fruity bouquet balanced with a dry body.

“I can’t believe we made a beer with Duvel,” said Dowd. “I fondly remember my first Belgian beer because it was a Duvel and it’s the beer that got me exploring more beers and styles from across the pond. I love the Philly Beer Week tradition of an International collaboration, and the timing was impeccable as Duvel had just installed a small pilot brewing system and were eager to test things out. We are thrilled to partner with such a large, renowned brewery.”

When asked why this collaboration beer and process is such a big deal for 2019, Dowd explained, “To put things into perspective, European breweries tend to make one beer and make it really well, and are only recently expanding into creating different styles. For instance, Duvel Moortgat is a very, very large brewery that has been making the Duvel beer recipes exactly the same for almost 150 years. So, working on new and smaller batches was becoming somewhat of a challenge for brewers who are used to working with a much larger system. But, lucky for Duvel Moortgat, the folks at La Cabra are quite used to the size of the pilot system as it as a similar output to their own brewery in Berwyn. So, in areas where Duvel was like ‘can we even do that?!’, La Cabra brewer Dan Popernack was like ‘heck yeah, trust me!’”

Dowd added, “Philly Beer Week’s tradition of a European collaboration beer is not only a delicious product of two fantastic breweries, it really is a collaboration of cultures as we share different views, styles of brewing, histories of brewing, experiences of brewing - but bringing everything full circle and uniting us through that golden glass of refreshing beer. In the end, crossing these boundaries and creating new communities within our community is one of the most satisfying pieces to evolve from the project.”

Duveldelphia makes its debut at Opening Tap. After Opening Tap, you can catch this beer on draft in and around the city! Drink your way into history and don’t sleep on this beer - once it’s gone, it’s gone! Locations will include Memphis Taproom, Jose Pistola’s, Teresa’s Next Door, Bru Craft & Wurst House, Interstate Drafthouse, Pistolas Del Sur, Hop Angel, Uptown Beer Garden. This list is continuing to grow and we will have a running list on phillylovesbeer.org, as well as, social media.

BROTHERLY SUDS LOCAL COLLABORATION

Philly Beer Week XII will feature a special firkin of Brotherly Suds, a collaboration beer created from local breweries Tröegs, Victory, Yards, Sly Fox, Stoudts, Iron Hill and Flying Fish. Brewers this year gathered at Yard’s Brewery on April 16th and created this year’s edition - which is a hoppy citrus saison. Look for Brotherly Suds at Opening Tap, and then at locations around the city. Stay tuned for all locations!

Carol Stoudt, another original founder, groundbreaking woman brewer and owner of Stoudts Brewing also spoke about why it is important for the community to continue evolving. “We started out as six brewers, but we are committed to being inclusive. Sharing time together and supporting everyone has always been a keystone of the craft beer community,” she said.

ART ON BEER SIGNATURE EVENT

Philly Loves Beer presents several signature, not-to-be-missed events each and every year. One of the most popular each year is below - act fast as it always sells out!

* Art on Beer - Be honest, have you bought a beer just because the label caught your eye? Explore with us on Tuesday, June 4 at 7PM at Warehouse on Watts (923 N Watts St, Philadelphia) as we dive into why the artists and the breweries make the decisions they do. From an entire redesign to an addition of a new flavor series or one-off, the third installment of the Art on Beer panel discussion will be moderated by JP Flexner, most notably known for his design work for Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company of Croydon, PA. This year’s installment features: the illustrations of Brewery ARS of South Philadelphia; the combined styles of free hand and graphic design from Free Will Brewing of Perkasie, PA; our Canadian friends, Collective Arts Brewing, who fuse the craft of brewing with the inspired talents of emerging artists and musicians; and Stillwater Artisanal from Baltimore, MD whose goal is synthesizing art and beer. Advance tickets are $15 and are available at https://www.universe.com/events/art-on-beer-tickets-philadelphia-FGPVKR

TOP PICKS AND GREATEST HITS

Philly Beer Week celebrates long-established and much-anticipated favorites. Here are some annual favorite events that you should be on the watch for:

* Pints n’ Pin-ups (Varga Bar) - June 1st
* The Doug Abides: Can Release, Dude & Dog Block Party! (Evil Genius) - June 1st (Major Street Festival)
* East Passyunk Craft Beer Day (East Passyunk Ave BID) - June 2nd (Major Street Festival)
* Roy-Pitz Barrel House Sour Sunday - 2nd Anniversary Party - June 2nd
* 12th Annual Extreme HomeBrew Challenge (Jose Pistola’s) - June 3rd
* PIKL: Industry Karaoke League Finals! - June 5th
* Beer and Boats on the Schuylkill River (Bartram’s Garden) - June 6th
* The Ben Franklin Mob Hash House Harriers (Love City Brewing Co.) - June 6th
* Fishtown FestivALE (various bars in Northern Liberties) - June 8th (Major Street Festival)
* Wayne Music Festival (Teresa’s Next Door) - June 8th (Major Street Festival)
* Get Milked- A Queer Pride Festival and Dance Party (Milkboy Chestnut St) - June 9th (Major Street Festival)

ABOUT PHILLY BEER WEEK

Philly Beer Week made its debut back in 2007. What started as a casual conversation between friends in the comfortable back bar at Monk’s Café grew into Philly Beer Week, a 10-day celebration of beer culture in Philadelphia.

Tom Peters was quickly earning a national reputation as the “Godfather of Belgian Beer” for introducing interesting beers and new brewers to a novice U.S. audience; and Nichols (affectionately known as the “Great Gatekeeper of Philadelphia Beer”) was already establishing the city as a craft beer destination by hosting beer dinners and tasting events with famed British beer writer Michael Jackson. Twelve years later, their pioneering efforts have accounted for thousands of beer-savvy consumers flocking to Philadelphia every June to seek out rare collaborations and one-of-a-kind events.

Philadelphia has a long and celebrated history of being the home for many historic firsts for our country - including the first beer week in the country. Philadelphia’s event is known as the “Founding Father” of beer weeks, as it has been replicated in over 100 cities around the world.

Today, Philly Beer Week continues to be the largest beer celebrations in the United States. The ten-day festival continues to pay tribute to the region’s abundant and fast growing craft beer industry, while activities continue to create and foster the beer-literate consumer.

Check out “Philly Loves Beer All Friggin Year” By Board President, Casey Parker, for a fun, in-depth look of that magical moment at Monk’s Cafe.

ABOUT PHILLY LOVES BEER

Formerly Philly Beer Week, PLB was established in 2017 and is a non-profit 501 (c)(6) organization overseen by a community of like-minded beer professionals whose aim is to “grow the pie” and promote the entire Philadelphia region’s top-notch beer-drinking culture. Through a membership network, PLB works to promote and educate consumers about beer 365 days a year, celebrating Philly’s proud brewing culture by highlighting local brewers and progressive national trends.

ABOUT LEADERSHIP TEAM

For 2019, Philly Loves Beer and Philly Beer Week are led by Executive Director Christina Dowd, PLB Board President Casey Parker, and Co-Founder and Counsel Tom Peters. The annual festival has grown from a local gathering to a national powerhouse run by Philly Loves Beer (PLB), a group of dedicated beer insiders, tavern owners, world-class brewers, wholesalers and distributors, and top hospitality professionals. PLB’s capable Board of Directors includes: Casey Parker (The Pistolas Group), Alex Bokulich (BRU Craft & Wurst, Uptown Beer Garden, Blume, Tinsel, U-Bahn and Tradesman), Aaron Peskin (Ferrara Law Group, P.C), and Trevor Hayward (Evil Genius Beer Company).