Great Pairings Fill The Brewer’s Plate
With less than two months to go, anticipation is building for the best craft beer and food event in Philadelphia—The Brewer’s Plate. Now in its eighth year, the event features 25 breweries and 25 restaurants who team up using farmers’ and artisanal producers’ goods to produce beer and food pairings. Every business represented at the festival is independently owned and operated within a 150-mile radius of Philadelphia, helping to truly focus on local and sustainable practices. Even better, all the proceeds are donated to Fair Food Philly, a non-profit dedicated to promoting and sustaining a healthy local food system for the region.
This year, the event will take place on Sunday, March 11 at the National Constitution Center—a change from the space it has outgrown at the Penn Museum. Tickets are $65 before February 10 and $75 after, with a special VIP ticket for $125. With our experience last year, I will say the VIP ticket is completely worth it. You get in an hour early and have a non-crowded crack at the great food and beer, and you also get access to the VIP area, with even more great food and beer, and a nice gift bag on the way out. This year, the VIP area will also feature special guest Jose Garces, so don’t skimp out on your ticket!
Of course, the Brewer’s Plate will feature the usual heavy-hitters from the Philly beer scene in attendance, with Yards, Weyerbacher, Flying Fish, Troegs and Victory all making appearances. The only real newcomer on the beer front who has yet to be announced is Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse, the 5-barrel brewery operating solely for The Farmer’s Cabinet, who will also be in attendance.
On the food side, great restaurants and pubs—which also have close ties to the beer community—will be represented by the likes of Brauhaus Schmitz, Southwark, and Tria. There will also be small artisanal producers sampling their wares, such as Shellbark Hollow Farm, Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse, and John & Kira’s. Strada Pasta will be representing the growing food truck culture in Philadelphia, and hopefully more will sign on in the next month.
The Brewer’s Plate is the golden ticket to all that is delicious in Philadelphia. If you’re a fan of artisanal and gourmet food—as well as top-notch craft beer—you cannot lose at this event. Every purveyor takes the event seriously and represents themselves well, so no one goes away disappointed. Get your tickets while you still can; you won’t regret the full plate you’ll be carrying around while you’re there.
Tickets to The Brewer’s Plate can be snatched up from Fair Food Philly’s homepage at www.fairfoodphilly.org and the ever-expanding list of participants can be found here.
