A Boozy Ride On The Craft Beer Express
Looking for a way to celebrate the milder temperatures and sunshine this weekend? There are still tickets available for the Craft Beer Express — the semi annual pub crawl, where Philly's thirstiest beer lovers pile into school buses and plunder the finest pints found in all four corners of town. A $10 ticket buys you a spot on the bus for as long as you'd like it — if a particular pub suits your fancy, feel free to settle into a barstool or booth and let the mobile party cruise on without you. Buses run every 25 minutes, so you can always hop back into the fray whenever the mood strikes!
The participating bars are offering specials all along the way. The Express starts at Kraftwerk in Fishtown at 11 a.m., where beers from Illinios' Two Brothers Brewing will be pouring, including a gluten free Golden Ale. Johnny Brenda's will be rocking a wide variety of stouts, and The Institute is holding the 4th Annual "Banging Barley Wine Bonanza." Next, the tour heads out to Fairmount, with stops at The Bishop's Collar (featuring a tap takeover by Shangy's), and Kite & Key, where a number of brews by the always-stellar Firestone Walker will be ready for imbibing. After a quick detour to Jose Pistola's in Center City, the Express will veer southward, stopping first at The Sidecar Bar, where hoppy IPAs will have the spotlight. The Pub on Passyunk East, always a raucous stop on the tour, will have a dozen oak barrel-aged beers ready to pack an extra boozy punch. Devil's Den has got beers from the mid-Atlantic, and Brauaus Schmitz on South Street will be in the midst of Starkbierfest, a 12-tap ode to bocks. Finally, if you make it as far, it's "Lights Out" at the Race Street Café in Old City, where they'll be bidding adieu to winter's dark beers, and you'll be saying farewell to an excellent beer-soaked Saturday.
For more detail on these tap lists, as well as info on where and how to buy tickets, see the Craft Beer Express website.