Jarrod May, Head Brewer at The Tap, and Patrick Lynch, Lead Brewer at Upland, are both from the Philadelphia area and wanted to pay homage to their East Coast roots by incorporating a Philadelphian staple into their collaborative brew. Attempting a cheese steak beer sounded misguided so we settled on the traditional Philadelphia soft pretzel instead.
We overnighted authentic Philadelphia pretzels and added them to the mash. The grain bill and yeast profile were designed to best match the flavors and mouthfeel of a pretzel, and salt was added to the boil for further character.
Imagine biting into a large soft pretzel. English brown malts and Maris Otter base malts provide a baked dough character while an addition of salt provides the salinity one would expect from a pretzel. A beer so unique that we had to create a new style to define it: The Philly Pretz-ale.
This beer is tapping on Wednesday at the West Side Beer Bar and The Tap. Cheers!
