Villiage Idiot Brewing is located in the heart of Mt. Holly which has a quaint small town amtosphere. Upon entering the brewery you feel as if you’re entering a cozy restaurant/bar with lots of dark wood, tables and and a nice little bar area. One can bring in food from outside so it’s easy to make an afternoon of it at Village Idiot. Great atmosphere for a relaxing afternoon of sipping their beer while enjoying a kick butt game of scrabble.
There were four beers on a tap the day I visited and, of course, I had to try each of them.
Bridgeton Blonde
Bridgetown Blonde Ale 4.8%
Not what I come to expect form a blonde but than again I find this style can really vary. This particular blond tasted young to me with yeast and wheat notes. Not the smoothest rendition of the style.
Punk O’Lantern
Punk O’Lantern 6.5%
Very good pumpkin offering with just the right amount of spices without being overwhelming. The spices were accented by touches of caramel, malts and just a touch of earthiness.
Revolutionary Rye
Revolutionary Rye 6%
Nailed It! I’m not the biggest Rye fan but I can appreciate when the style is done right. It has the graininess one associates with a Rye with an underlying softness of spices and a mild bitter finish.
Bike Rail Pale Ale 5.3%
This was my favorite beer of the visit day and I’m not typically a Pale Ale Gal. The hops were definitely there but without being overpowering which allowed the grapefruit/citrus flavors to shine through.
Village Idiot is still young and I look forward to visiting again and seeing how their beers develop and mature.
Note they are located just 2 miles from Spellbound Brewing which makes for a fun little beer tasting excursion.
When it came to choosing a place to celebrate Black Out Friday, my new favorite holiday, I chose Kraftwork as the go to place. Kraftwork rates up there as one of my top three beer bars in the city of Brotherly Beer a.k.a. Philadelphia. The other two being The Belgian Café and Memphis Taproom. Also, it finally provided me with the opportunity to officially review this amazing establishment.
Kraftwork is located on Gerard Avenue in Fishtown and most times this Gal finds off street parking pretty easily. On this particular visit I snagged a spot right out front – score! This was my third visit and with each visit I like the place more and more. I’ve always found the staff to be pleasant and very knowledgeable about the beer – just one of few things I enjoy about this place. Some other reasons it ranks up there: inviting rustic atmosphere (think wood and metal), top notch food – many tiers up from your basic bar food and most importantly the beer list is always excellent. Both the beer and food menu change on a regular basis and the beer menu also notes what beers are coming up.
I was meeting up with an old friend that knew nothing about Black Out Friday but was rather excited to tell me upon my arrival about all the stouts on tap and to show me the new Star Wars Movie trailer – this Gal is a geek about many things. Yes, Black Out Friday is a play on Black Friday and means most of if not all the beers at the establishment are dark beers. A dream come true for this Gal.
Beings there were so many wonderful beers to choose from a flight was in order. Flight of any four for $12 including such rarities as the allusive Black Albert!
In order Left to Right
The first round consisted of:
Beer Geek Breakfast – Mikkeller, Imperial Stout 7.5%
Smells sweet but has funk taste to it and I mean in a good way. There’s the roasted chocolate malts you would expect but counter balanced by herbs, dark fruit and finished with bitter notes of hops and black coffee.
Black Me Stout – Champion, Stout 6%
This was a middle of the road stout. Some malt flavors mixed with a tinge of pepper but not much else going on. Very drinkable but compared to the other black beauties on tap it paled in comparison.
Peche Mortel – Dieu du Ciel, Imperial Stout 10%
WOW! Smooth, creamy chocolate taste with a balance of sweet and bitter up front and strong coffee punch finish…simply divine.
Black Albert – De Struise Brouwers, Russian Imperial Stout 13%
That’s right folks – the allusive Black Albert ON TAP! There is a subtle power to this stout that consist of raisins and other dark fruits soaked in whiskey with hints of caramel coated coffee beans…lovely.
Green Bean Casserole QuicheEgg In A Hole
By the end of the flight is was time for some food. Since it was the day after Thanksgiving the food menu was based on Thanksgiving Leftovers; a fun way to mix things up. This Gal enjoyed the Green Bean Casserole Quiche – this had the potential of going either way on the scale of goodness but it landed on the right side. It was simply delish! My friend enjoyed the Thanksgiving theme entree of Egg In A Hole – tasty.
With so many black beauties on tap it was necessary to partake in a 2nd flight which consisted of:
Flight 2 Left to Right
The Dream – Dominion, Schwarzbier 8%
Holy Hops! A bit of hops overload for this Gal. Hiding behind the hops were some citrus and pine flavors but it was hard to get past the hops.
Muddy –Goose Island, Imperial Stout 8%
After The Dream it was a bit hard to note what was going there were hops, of course, as well as, some traces of licorice, anise, dark fruit and the ever present bitter chocolate.
Fade to Black – Lefthand, Baltic Porter 8.5%
A soft creamy body with fully body flavors of roasted chicory and cocao. This is a well balanced beer offering pine/hops with dark yeasty malts.
Midnight Monk – Terrapin, Belgian Black IPA 9.6%
Mild hops with a bit more malt then expected. This style is really growing on me. I found this beer to be very enjoyable without any one any one flavor knocking you over but instead melding together to compliment each other perfectly.
After Flight Two it was necessary for this Gal to head back to Jersery. However, I’m looking forward to visiting December 26th for their annual ‘The Brewery That Stole Christmas’ festivities. This year the featured Brewery is Russian River! Looks like I may be starting another new tradition.
Village Idiot Brewing, Mt. Holly, NJ
When it came to choosing a place to celebrate Black Out Friday, my new favorite holiday, I chose 
Kraftwork 
geekybeergal 