Craft Beer Express 2

I've been meaning to write about this year's Craft Beer Express (aka CBX) for over a week and just haven't had the motivation to get on it. Part of it is my notes are hilariously terrible but it's also that I got remarkably drunk and don't totally remember the end of the night. Or some of the middle. Yeah, it was one of those days. But, whatever, I'll start from the beginning and see how things go. For an explanation for what the Craft Beer Express actually is, see my post for last year's.

Jo and I started at the Kite & Key which had six Ommegang beers flowing. Some of them were their normal lineup so I ordered an Adoration, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, for Jo and a Gnomegang, a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, for me.

The Gnomegang had a sweet Belgian nose. Thicker body than I expected which was nice. Sweet, slightly spicy with a hint of something going on that I couldn't recognize. They used two different yeast strains, one from Ommegang and one from L'Achouffe, so maybe the flavor came from them. Not bad for the style. The Adoration smelled sweet with brown sugar notes. Caramel, toffee, some sweet cherry notes and finishing with a little alcohol burn in the finish. Jo thought it was a bit strong tasting though I didn't notice it as much. I liked it quite a bit but then I'm a sucker for strong, spiced winter beers.

Craft Beer Express

On Saturday Jo and I did the Craft Beer Express (CBX) for the first time.  They have done this two times before, once in March and once in June during Philly Beer Week.  Basically, you pay $10 for a ticket and this allows you to get on any of the eight buses that are traveling around the city.  You can get on and off at any of the 11 different bars where the bus stops.  Each bar had a different theme going, some with a full list of a specific brewery while others just following a theme.  The Institute, at 12th and Green, did all Stouts and Porters for example.  In the end the ten dollars is the transportation fee to get around Philadelphia for the day and it turned out to be well worth it.

While CBX officially started at 11am, The Institute opened at 10am (4 hours earlier than they usually do) for breakfast and I guess maybe so they could be prepared for 11am.