Drink: Broadcaster Brown Ale

After listening to David Dye's mellifluous baritone host America's best singer-songwriters for two decades on WXPN's World Cafe, we know he's one of the great taste-makers in adult rock. Now he's a beer guru, too?

He had serious help from his friends at the Philadelphia Brewing Co., which recently launched a limited October seasonal called Broadcaster Brown Ale in honor of the World Cafe's 20th anniversary. But Dye insists that if he did decide to brew, "it would definitely be a brown ale."

Turns out this one is like the D.J. himself - approachably malty, with a modest alcoholic punch, but also a surprising pep from hops just when that creamy, oat-rich head risks getting too mellow. Not only is it one of my favorite offerings to date from PBC, it comes with a recommended playlist, starting appropriately with "Hey Bartender" (Floyd Dixon), then grooving on to "Cold Beer Hello" by the V-Roys, "The Bottle Let Me Down" by Merle Haggard, and finally, for good measure, "Beer Run" by Todd Snider. - Craig LaBan

Philadelphia Brewing Co.'s Broadcaster Brown Ale, $4-$5 a pint for the month of October, at fine bars including McMenamin's (7170 Germantown Ave.), the new Milkboy Coffee (1100 Chestnut), and Johnny Brenda's (Girard at Frankford Avenue).