Spruce might smell nice in your living room at Christmas, but do you really want to drink the water out of the tree stand?

This beer made me want to play some Etta James. At last — I’ve found a good representation of Berliner Weisse.

Final day. Lot of pressure. There were so many places left to visit. I didn’t have time to hit them all. Realistically, I’ve only had time to visit one.

Somehow, I just knew it should be Yards.

This craft brewery has been in town since 1994. In that time, it has developed a well-earned reputation within Philadelphia’s beer scene. With just 24 employees, it is still quite small. The brewery expects to produce 20,000 to 24,000 barrels this year, according to Andrew Rutherford of Yards. That puts it barely above microbrewery levels.

Don’t let size fool you, though. I stopped by around lunchtime for a Saturday afternoon tour, and this place was hopping. And it’s easy to understand why.

Friday, April 15

Agenda (evening)
1. Appetizers at Triumph Brewing

2. Main Course at Monk’s Cafe

3. Dessert at Eulogy

Much as I’ve enjoyed talking with my journalist colleagues, it was great to see a familiar face.

An old friend from New Jersey, Mike, made the trip up for the night. The great thing is that we didn’t really need to discuss the evenings plans. Sure, we’d get dinner somewhere. But we knew that the bulk of the evening would be spent on 16th Street at one of the nation’s — dare I say “world famous”? — Belgian beer bars known as Monk’s Cafe.

It would overshadow everyplace else we went. And this should not be read as an insult. But despite a perfectly pleasant dinner at Triumph Brewing, and nightcap at Eulogy, Monk’s was going to be the centerpiece of the evening.

Thursday was a complete loss, but it needed to happen. I was exhausted and just needed to get some sleep. But it made me all the more determined to make the most of my free time on Friday.

The Foodery was my objective for the afternoon lunch hour. This is Philly’s candy store for beer lovers. Craft beers from all over the world, in singles and they allow you to mix a 6-pack.

Determined not to drive (I’ve still got NYC impulses) I walked to the original location at 10th and Pine, only to discover that there were some power issues and that the store was closing just as I was about to pay for my sixer. Dang-on.

I could have flown the white flag. Instead, I braved Philly’s somewhat absurd subway system (I won’t get into it, but no transit system should require different forms of currency to switch trains, especially when you’re only traveling 3 stops.)

But I got there. That’s the important thing. I got there and, upon browsing that first cooler, instantly forgave the inconvenience and forgot the unfortunate oversights on my part that had me pass by the store twice before I found it.

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
– Ben Franklin

OK, fine. Ben Franklin didn’t actually say the quote above. Historians have shown us that the bar plaques, beer blogs and T-shirts are wrong. But Old Ben should have said it. As proof, I give you a place with close ties to that founding father — Philadelphia.

I just came back from a four-day visit to the City of Brotherly Love. It is a place that makes most lists for top beer cities in the U.S. It’s even taken the crown on a few. Philadelphia is home to a favorite Belgian beer bar — Monk’s Cafe — of the late beer writer Michael Jackson. The breweries within city limits and in nearby surrounding communities are innovative and make me smile whenever I see them on my local grocery store shelf.

I wanted to have a look for myself.