The sky looked pretty ominous when we gathered in the Piazza for Saturday’s Edible World: Joe Sixpack’s Northern Liberties tour, but, as it turned out, there were a few drops here and there, and the worst of the rain held off.  The two dozen attendees met Joe Sixpack at the brand new Swift Half where he described his personal history in the neighborhood and introduced us to a couple of locally brewed beers.  We munched on delicious charcuterie plates as well and discovered that the original Joe Ortlieb (owner of Ortlieb’s Brewery) was right in our midst!

From the Swift Half, we traveled south on 2nd St. to old favorite the Standard Tap for more delicious beer and a brief chat with the owner.

Here’s Dan serving up some delicious fried smelt with a caper aioli dip that I’d be pretty happy to smear on anything this side of a Snickers bar.  Just a couple of steps away, we slipped into the Foodery:

There we were treated to some of Yards Brewing’s latest concoctions thanks to Operations Manager Steve Mashington, and we had a chance to peruse the Foodery’s incredible selection of more than 700 different beers!

Afterward, we adjourned further south down 2nd St. to The 700 Club for some hand-pumped brews.  It’s just as delightful during the day as it is at night, when its mostly packed!

From there we took a quick stroll through the neighborhood past the remaining hulk of the old Ortlieb’s Brewery and the site where the oldest lager in America was brewed.

Due to an electrical problem, we weren’t able to include Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus on our stop, but our friends at North Bowl quickly stepped in and shared a stick-to-your-ribs banquet of mac and cheese, wings and other treats, plus a steady stream of beer and even a little bowling!

Thanks to everyone who helped us make this great little tour happen!  If you’re in Northern Liberties, you can see all the spots on this Google Map or click through the links above.  If you’d like to learn more about beer and particularly beer in Philadelphia, you should certainly start by subscribing to Joe Sixpack’s e-mail list. (Plug your e-mail address into the front page there.)

If you missed this tour, (How could you!?) you’ll have to wait until September 10th when Fork Restaurant’s Ellen Yin leads a unique culinary excursion centered around Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia.  She’ll share the broad range of influences that yielded her recent cookbook Forklore and continue to inspire the menu at her iconic restaurant every day.  Tickets are, of course, available now, and required in advance.