Evil Genius release (Philadelphia, PA)

Evil Genius Beer Company
1727 N. Front St.
Philadelphia, PA  19122

"These pretzels are making me thirsty" release

Review date: 1/18/18

Reviewed by: Pretzel

I have to say, I am easily bribed, enticed, coaxed, and/or tempted when it comes to beer or pretzels. But put them together and I feel an obligation to investigate and evaluate the unique brew. Thus I found myself driving across the river into the Fishtown section of Philadelphia to attend Evil Genius Brewing Company’s release “These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty!” According to the event poster, salt, mustard seeds, and 50 pounds of soft pretzels were added to their lager recipe. Sounds awesome! But being a Thursday afternoon, I was on my own as the rest of the Beer Posse were busy with their “day” jobs. That also meant no designated driver, so I was going to have to behave and limit my intake!

The brewery is located in an industrial area, and I managed to find nearby on-street parking. The tasting room is very large, and industrial looking with exposed brick and duct work. But if feels warm and cozy. There are several televisions mounted around the room, each showing a different program, and the volume low enough not to disturb other patrons. Near the entrance are several cozy nooks with leather sofa’s offering a more intimate environment for smaller groups. Along the side wall are booths, with high-top tables and chairs in the middle. The bar was long and had a plethora of bar seating. Since it was only 4 pm on a week day, the crowd was small but friendly. (I would love to watch the Eagle’s game here!)

The bartender asked me what brought me in this fine day. I replied, “The pretzel beer of course!” Then she asked if it was the pretzels or the beer that was my main motivation for the visit. Wow, great question! I agonized over my response for several minutes and told her I couldn’t choose between the two. After all, my nickname is Pretzel and I write a beer blog! Both aspects are ingrained into my psyche, and I cannot and will not prioritize them. I felt so at home at Evil Genius, what with the pretzel beer and the brewery being named after me to boot! So my option was to get a pint of the “These Pretzels are Making Me Thirsty” lager (from now on I will refer to this as the pretzel beer since the name is kinda long) which came with a side of soft pretzels (nice touch!) or I could get the sampler with a flight. I opted for the flight, since I had to drive myself home, and I wanted to taste some of their other offerings as well. After much deliberation … (it’s so much easier with the Beer Posse, we get everything and then share!) I ordered a flight of pretzel beer lager, New Phone, Who Dis, That’s Why You always Leave a Note, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Head Was in the Box, and Zee Goggles Zey Do Nathing. So the first thing I do (after tasting the pretzel beer) is message pictures of me and the beer menu to the Beer Posse to kick of rub it in their faces. Bad idea. I was immediately inundated with replies and requests to bring home several growlers for us to enjoy during the Eagle’s NFC championship game. Mostly from the Rabbit who wanted me to bring home every beer, and then The Stoutmeister doing his usual rant how every Chocolate Stout he has ever tried tasted like coffee. He really needs to get over it. Meanwhile Princess is asking if I found a replacement DD. Geez, aren’t these people supposed to be working, and texting and babbling online during working hours!

So once I got the take out orders decided, I struck up some fun conversations with Brian the bartender and Tasha who had just come into the tasting room and grabbed a seat nearby. We talked about our favorite breweries, and beerfests. We also discussed the imaginative and interesting Evil Genius beer names. We particularly liked the Gwyneth Paltrow’s Head was in the Box and it’s reference to the movie Seven. (If you don’t know this movie, rent it. Very suspenseful!) Tasha has recently married, and we commiserated over what a pain it is to change your name. It was quite an enjoyable afternoon. I talked up the Atlantic City music and Beer festival to everyone, so maybe I’ll see them there in March. I munched on a side of soft pretzels. And we discussed how PA breweries could serve food, while NJ breweries by law can not. I know what a rip. We are working to change these laws to make our breweries more competitive, but there is a lot of push back from the restaurant industry who does not care to have additional competition. So for now, in Jersey we will continue to bring our own lunches or dinners or order from nearby take-out joints. Sigh!

Then I headed home, wishing I had Princess or Nanny Franny (The Posse’s designated drivers) with me, so that I could taste everything Evil Genius had to offer! Perhaps that warrants another trip to Fishtown in the near future.

Beers on tap: