Drink: Manneken-Penn
The little boy in William Penn's hat doing his business from atop City Hall is a true Belgian celebrity making the scene, so to speak, for Philly Beer Week. No, that's not Yvan De Baets of Brasserie de la Senne.
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The little boy in William Penn's hat doing his business from atop City Hall is a true Belgian celebrity making the scene, so to speak, for Philly Beer Week.
No, that's not Yvan De Baets of Brasserie de la Senne.
But that takeoff on Brussels' iconic Manneken Pis sculpture is the perfect symbol for the label of Manneken-Penn, the latest PBW-Belgo collaboration import, brewed by De Baets and Weyerbacher's Chris Wilson.
It's one of seven collaboration beers in honor of Philly's brewfest, but notable for the pedigrees - Wilson just won first prize in the Inquirer's Brew-vitational; De Baets has earned renown for championing low-alcohol, bitter brews in a country famed for bigger, sweeter beers.
This Belgian double is clearly a shared vision between the two, with a pronounced hop punch plus smoky-finishing yeast from De Baets, and a touch of Pennsylvania with oats (for toastiness and texture) and molasses for sweetness, fruity notes, and balance.
- Craig LaBan
Manneken-Penn, $5.95 a bottle at all Foodery outlets. Also on draft at Monk's (264 S. 16th St.) and Teresa's Next Door (124 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne.)