With Love Beer Garden Withstands the Rain

by Jill Betters

Day four of Philly Beer Week 2012 brought an annoying, periodic rain. No blissfully sipping Victorys with Ryan Hudak on warm, sunny grass. Opening night of the With Love Beer Garden at the Four Seasons Hotel will be filled with picturesque views of Logan Circle from luxe chairs, with perfectly chilled beer and attentive service inside. How on Earth am I going to get through this?

After picking up my uwishunu.com boot glassware, we headed into the Four Seasons bar for Victory’s day in the garden. Although I’m a perennial fan of the flagship Prima Pils, I poked around the table and headed for the seasonal Whirlwind Wit. A mildly spiced, almost gentle wit, it’s an ideal starting point for the craft beer ubernovice. As I was finishing it up, Ryan spotted Bill Covaleski, the founder and head brewer at Victory, standing three feet from me.

It should be stated that I know absolutely no one in the beer community, which is to everyone’s benefit as I am hopelessly deficient in the social graces department. My laugh is akin to that of a cackling hyena, I’m stupidly honest and, to my own delight, prone to horrible sexual innuendos that make eyes roll. Casually saunter up to this brewing celebrity and ask for a quote? I did Bill a huge favor, I mean HUGE, and simply ordered a Summer Love instead.

Summer Love was crisp and bright, with a more floral nose and citrus bite than last year.  It’s developing a reputation as a seasonal that has a unique character year by year, one that is improving and becoming more complex. Be sure to pick up a case, it will be a crowd pleaser for an impromptu patio party at your place on a perfectly pleasant pevening (I ran out of p’s).

The nibbles at the Four Seasons were small but well executed. I briefly glimpsed the Port Richmond kielbasa sandwich, but it had a half-life on our table of approximately 2.47 seconds, a testament to quality and a good pairing with the Prima Pils. The shrimp taco had a nice crunch with fresh cilantro and lime coolly balancing the jalapeno crema.

Four Seasons brought back the With Love Beer Garden for periodic events in 2011 all the way through September, so don’t fret if you missed it during Beer Week. Just check the forecast before gathering some friends and heading over; it’s not always sunny in Philadelphia.