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I recently had the opportunity to head to Triumph Brewing Company for a special beer tasting and lunch, and to meet with Head Brewer Patrick Jones. Patrick has been brewing beer for over nine years, and most recently has brought his talent and taste for “suds” to Old City. Patrick is a treasure-trove of beer trivia and miscellany and he shared some of his beer knowledge with me.

Patrick got his start in brewing nine and a half years ago during college. He worked in a brewpub similar to Triumph, and after college he was offer a brewer position”"an honor for a newcomer in the business. After working in different parts of the country and Triumph’s second location in New Hope, PA (the first Triumph is in Princeton, NJ), Patrick was offered the lead position at the soon-to-be third Triumph location”"Philadelphia.

Passionate about beer, Patrick knows why Triumph is good and what makes it different. “We carry lagers all the time,” said Jones. Most brewpubs only make ales because they don’t take very long to create. Lagers can take up to four times as long to brew as ales. Triumph, despite the risk associated with brewing time-consuming lagers, always has at least one on tap”"usually two! Triumph also boasts a great menu full of new classics and signature dishes. I sampled the Nicoise salad and the Tomato Jalapeno Bisque and found them to be delightful (especially with a pint of the Oktoberfest).

Open since Spring 2007, Triumph usually has eight beers on draught that have been carefully crafted and tasted by Patrick himself. Patrick knows how to make the beer well-balanced by using a variety of hops and malts, and he even cold-steeps coffee for addition to their Coffee & Cream Stout (a perfect wintertime treat). Some of Triumph’s beers have even won awards at the Great American Beer Festival:

Gold Medalist: Honey Wheat in the category of American Style Wheat
Bronze Medalist: German Pilsner
Bronze Medalist: Bengal Gold India Pale Ale

Patrick’s personal favorite is the German Pilsner. I sampled it, and like all the beers Patrick gave me, it was great! I was taken by surprise that I even liked the IPA and the Pumpkin Ale”"two beers I usually can’t palate. With a rotation schedule of beers, you can always find something on tap that suits your taste. If Patrick’s around, he’ll give you a guided “beer tour”"”a flight of all the taps and all the information behind the different brews”"so you can become your group’s own beer connoisseur. Patrick usually works every Saturday and gives free tours of the brewery at 1 pm and 3 pm.

An interesting fact about Triumph: The President of Triumph lobbied the state of New Jersey to allow brewpubs for the first time since Prohibition and was successful!

Triumph also sells kegs. Call in advance to reserve a keg of your favorite Triumph brew for the game or holiday party!

Triumph Brewing Company
117 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.triumphbrewing.com
(215) 625-0855

See our other coverage of Triumph Brewing Co. on uwishunu!