On our recent nightlife vacation in Philadelphia, we had to find activities to fill the day (well, at least the early evening). We scouted for an event that would fulfill our two goals: 1) it had to be more dynamic than the typical tourist attraction (the Philadelphia Museum is great and all, but how many Monet’s can one look at before being declared clinically insane?) 2) it had to include at least one sip of something alcoholic. We stumbled across City Food Tours. The group runs walking tours through the city’s historic neighborhoods to showcase local producers, artisans, and (score!) brewers.
We booked a spot on the Artisanal Beer, Cheese, and Prosciutto Tasting Tour. We considered trying to tag along solely for the beer section, but the local cheese shop was too quaint to pass up. We gathered with our small group in the back of the store, the intimate setting quickly led to a chummy gaggle of strangers. It was a completely relaxed way to spend an afternoon. Our charming hosts took us through the process of cheese making (i.e. they held up pictures of cows and goats) and led a tasting of 4 varieties of cheese and a few cured meats. At times, their jokes were a tad cheesy (get it?!) but it fit the friendly mood perfectly.
We moved on to Triumph Brewing Company – a quick walk away. We took a peek at the vats of beer (glorious!). The hosts went through the different brews and detailed the steps that Triumph goes through to get us drunk (we applaud them). Our favorite part of the tour left us in a private dining room with 8 types of beer spread out in front of us. Our only complaint? The moment that we sat down and our host said “OK everyone, don’t drink the beer yet!”
Our patience (as hard as it was) paid off, we came away learning something about hops, the brewing process, and the differences in the milieu of brew spread before us. The tasting started, and after a few sips of delectable beer we decided that this tour 1) trumped touristy trips to the museum and 2) was the perfect way to spend the afternoon (well, early evening).
If you aren’t headed to Philly any time soon, they also offer tours in New York. Lushes that we are, we recommend the Upper West Side Chocolates, Desserts, and Wine Tour. Check out the sure to be delicious info here.
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