Two Great Beers at the Perch Pub in Philly

If you haven't gotten a chance to get to the Perch Pub up above the corner of Broad and Locust in Philly, I highly recommend it.  In addition to friendly service, and a lovely open and bright atmosphere (lovely and open and bright? Is this really a bar in Philly?), they have a penchant for really good regional craft beers, and they have a kick-ass happy hour every day of the week.  Find out more by following them on Twitter @PerchPub or follow us @FermentNation, because we re-tweet a lot of their tweets!

Here are two great beers I had there earlier this month.  The first was Blue Point No Apologies Double IPA, which they say is a "very, very limited draft."  It's a European/American style double IPA and is 10% abv. On that day I observed that the beer was not grassy or floral in teh bouquet.  The caramel and malt hit you up front.  It's only when you keep the beer in your mouth for a while and take several sips that it dries out a bit and you experience the hoppy effect.  The beer bites you a bit in the back of the throat. This beer is definitely rich and made for sipping.  I liked it a lot.  (Read more of our Blue Point reviews)

The second beer was Ithaca Dark Humor.  This was a collaboration between Ithaca and Iron Hill, two breweries I really enjoy.  They describe it as a "Summer Porter."  I really liked this beer.  I thought it tasted sweet and creamy.  The taste lingers, too.  It's roasty yet light tasting and quite delicious.  My two beer buddies with me at the Perch Pub agreed with me, and we even recommended it to a couple of other patrons before we left. (Read more of our Ithaca reviews)

I will be definitely be going back to the Perch Pub often.  If you stop by between 5-7pm, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.  --The VP

Blue Point Takeover at The Pour House

Blue Point Brewery (@bluepointbrewer) is now following Ferment Nation (@FermentNation) on Twitter!  Couldn't come at a more appropriate time, since we here at the Nation have recently had more access to the brewery's offerings.  Back in the day (a few years ago, anyway) our introduction to Hoptical Illusion was intriguing... The Philly Craft Beer Fest has been hosting the brewery for the past few years, and we were impressed by the flavorful yet drinkable beers.  Just last night, El Presidente got a chance to catch a few pints at the Pour House in Haddon Township, NJ where Blue Point took over the taps this week.

Here are the Tweets from the expedition:

Rastafarian Rye: Nice n smooth, dryish

Hoptical Illusion: Just as drinkable as Rasta Rye, a lil lighter, lil more floral

Spring Fling APA: Weirdly dry yet malty. Darker than expected; groovy!

 Sexy!

Didn't get a chance to check out the Toasted Lager or the Blueberry Ale but the Sour Cherry Imperial Stout was pretty tasty.  Just had a sample of this one (at 9.2% abv, it wouldn't have made much sense to do a full pour) but it was plenty flavorful without being ridiculous.  I must say that I will be checking the local shelves and taps for some more Blue Point offerings.  And thanks again for the follow, guys!

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion:

This India Pale Ale from Long Island, NY is just over the edge of Pale Ale, but not quite reaching the upper echelon of IPA territory. Hoptical Illusion is actually pretty malty, but not in a rich, dark, warming kind of way (like you might get from a bock or a winter warmer). Rather, the malt flavors are quite pale indeed with crispness and dryness that work well with the extra hops to creatte a pretty well-balanced brew. The body matches the color nicely -- pretty light but not pilsner-y. Almost light enough to be a session beer, but 6.8% abv doesn't exactly fit the description. Even though this review was written smack-dab in the middle of winter, I would recommend Blue Point Hoptical Illusion as a fine barbecue beer. I'm kinda looking forward to sampling this brew again with some grilled meats like chicken or pork (mmmm... bratwurst).

And though I like this beer a lot, expect some strange scores. Representation: This would be an awesome Pale Ale but it isn't too terribly hoppy and therefore not the best IPA in town. Accessibility: there's the sweet spot. Style: Good, not great. Personal Preference: Like it very much, don't love it.

Do I recommend it? Oh yeah! If you like Pale Ales but crave a little more jazz and pizazz, this is the perfect beer for you. Hoptical Illusion won't blow hop-heads away but remember the barbecue!! The "all-seeing eye" may not be able to understand everyone's tastes but you have to admit ... El Presidente gets pretty close.

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion:

Representation: .72
Accessibility: .99
Style: .85
Personal Preference: .90

Total Score: 3.46 Flags