Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen

So, if you haven't already guessed, yesterday's mystery post is today's real post.

This bottle cap is pretty unusual based on my normal comings and goings with crowns. It looks like a painting, and goes all the way to the edge of the crown -- not just the top. It doesn't give any indication of the brewery or the beer (or even that it is beer!) but does bring to mind a quaint German village where beer is enjoyed and possibly brewed. Maybe you can even get some spaetzle or a delicious pretzel.

The deli where I purchased Ayinger -- The Foodery -- presented an interesting question that Michael and I have been discussing for quite some time.

What should bottle cap collectors do when they come upon an amazing new selection of bottle caps while traveling? Sure, you can bring a bottle opener on trips and try to drink a few in a short period of time. But sometimes that's just not enough; there's a limit to what one can buy and consume while on the road. So what does one do? There will always been those bottles left behind. There will always be the bottle caps that I will think about (Bad Elf, Seriously Bad Elf? They have Santas on the crown who are too fat to slide down the chimney!) and hope that someone out there has a few extra crowns that they might want to trade for or even donate to the cause. (Hint, hint!)

Does anyone have any traveling tips? This reminds me of my trip to Seattle earlier this year when I went to the deli across the street from my hotel three or four times every night to get different sodas. (Seriously, there are a glut of microbrew sodas in the Pacific Northwest.) It got a little out of hand. And I still wasn't able to get all the caps that I wanted.

And, FYI The Foodery: if I ever come back to Philadelphia (I'm sure I will) I will buy you out of all of the awesome bottle-capped beers you have!

Yards Brewing Co.

I may as well continue with my Philadelphia theme this week.

I admit that I didn't do nearly enough research in anticipation of my recent trip to Philadelphia. Clearly there are tons of local breweries in town that I should have taken advantage of. This is a major oversight in my quest for bottle caps in the northeast region.

Anyway, even though I didn't have the chance to sample a Yards when I was in Philly, Ryan, my trusty reader, sent me a Yards Brewing Co. bottle cap a few weeks ago, and it seemed like good timing to discuss it now.

The bottle cap is striking: white type on black, with some embellishments (Philly, year established '94) in gold. And to be totally dorky, I must ask: does anyone know what font is used on the Yards? It has a nice mixture of old-time serif with something that makes it contemporary. Maybe it is the leg on the R. Sorry, I just read a book about fonts, so now I'm obsessed!

There's much to like about Yards in addition to their beer. Check out these facts:

Brewery Facts

• Pennsylvania's first 100% wind-powered brewery.
• Bar tops are reclaimed bowling alley lanes.
• Floors made from recycled concrete
• Block walls covered in earthen American clay.
• Hot water collected and reused whenever possible.
• All fixtures, furniture and equipment are reclaimed.
• Salvaged mahogany trim on the bar and walls.
• Century-old pool table originally manufactured a few blocks away at 222 S. 8th Street.
• T-shirts and hats created from organic cotton.
• Reusable growlers to reduce packaging and waste.
• Grains donated to local farms as feed.
• Yards cases are printed using 65% post-consumer recycled cardboard at a local SFI-certified manufacturer.

As a consumer who is interested in these things -- wind power, recycling, etc. --  I love that Yards is interested in keeping things local. (A pool table from just a few blocks away? Reclaimed furniture and fixtures? Fun!) Definitely makes me want to visit.

Michael and I  need to take a trip back to Philly and really see what this town has to offer in terms of beer and breweries. We clearly underestimated the City of Brotherly Love.

philadelphia brewing co.

Between work, house-guests, and traveling, there just wasn't enough time to write up any posts last week. Despite not writing, I did continue to collect some great bottle caps!

One of the activities I recently took part in was watching the Phillies clinch the NL East. I went to the game with a Phillies fan and a Cardinals fan -- I'm a New Yorker, so I tried to remain neutral. But none of us had seen a baseball team clinch in person before, so it was a fun experience all around. There were a few fans who couldn't hold their liquor, though -- we witnessed someone topple down two rows of seats (rolling over people, no less) and almost get into a fight & thrown out of the park. Don't mess around with Phillies ushers. They wouldn't even let people congregate in the stairwells. I don't think I ever witnessed that in Yankee Stadium or Citi Field.

Near our hotel in Philly was a great international beer shop -- I found a couple of great ones (more on that later this week), as well as some nice local brews. The one I felt I had to buy was Philadelphia Brewing Co. When in Rome, right? I bought a Walt Wit to fit in with a continued literary theme that I have going on in my life.

I'll admit, the bottle cap got a bit dented (I need a better travel bottle opener!) so I will rely on a photo taken of a bottle cap in the window. Simple design: black on silver. Not super special, and it didn't seem that they have a variety of crowns to choose from. I didn't even realize that there was a brewery in Philly, but now I know the next time I visit I'll have to take a tour. Philly isn't that far away and I have many friends in the area, so I know I'll be going back soon!