My journey to the craft beer side of the world has been a long, and at times, hoppy one (I’m sorry). After one too many hangovers from my sugary hard cider obsession, I started giving some new brews a whirl. And, for the most part, so far, so good! I was really excited when Goose Island Beer Co. invited me to their Migration Week event in Philly. On top of being able to try beers from a great brewery, it’s always a fun event when I get to hang with the Fashion of Philly duo and the hysterical Bacon & Legs.
We started our tour off with a lesson in cooking with beer. {This part of the event was held at MANNA (2323 Ranstead Street), a non-profit organization that cooks and delivers meals and provides nutrition counseling to neighbors who are battling life-threatening illnesses. Amazing, right?} While we sampled so. many. beers, we twisted pretzels (that little beaut below was done on my first try!) and made a beer cheese sauce. Hello lady.
My favorite beers from our first bunch were the Sofie (a Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale that is light and great for non-beer drinkers) and the Matilda (a Belgian Style Pale Ale), but then, we were really in for a treat. Goose Island brought along a bottle of their Bourbon County Vanilla Stout (a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Vanilla Stout), made in 2010, for us to try. At 14% ABV, it was like nothing I had ever had before, but it was so unique and delicious and I will definitely be tracking down the regular Bourbon County Stout when it goes on sale for one day each year: Black Friday.
Next, we headed over to The Bards (2013 Walnut Street), where we tried the Endless IPA and got to talk all things Goose Island with their team. The beer was a little hoppy for me, but I loved learning about other Migration Weeks across the country and what the team was doing during their visit to Philly (Art Museum steps and cheesesteaks, obviously!).
Our last stop was Pub & Kitchen (1946 Lombard Street) to try our final beer, the 312 Urban Pale Ale. I was a fan – and it was perfect to accompany some of the delicious Pub & Kitchen eats.
I had a great time on the tour and I’m so thankful to the team for inviting me! Since the event, I have been ordering and buying Goose Island whenever I see it. It’s definitely made its way into my rotation, and I hope you ladies give it a try next time you see it (come on, it doesn’t hurt that they have the prettiest bottles, too!).
