"Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire." - David Rains Wallace

This past weekend B and I went with his brother and his fiancee to Friday Night Flights at Il Bar at Ristorante Panorama for their first ever beer tasting of craft brews from from Passionate Italian Brewers in Tuscany, Abruzzo and Marche.  The line-up was as follows:

“Stone R” BRùTON 750ml (25.4oz) 7.5%alc ~ elegant blonde ale with lemon peel a touch of white pepper, fresh green fig, orange nectar and a light, creamy finish

 “BELGIAN ABBAYE BIÈRE” LACU 750ml (25.4oz) 6.3%alc ~ spice brewed Belgian pale with minerally orange zest, clover, pistachio and toasted brioche

 “TRIPLO MALTO” Tenute COLLESI 500ml (16.9oz) 9.0%alc ~ rich blonde ale with smooth white peach & apricot, golden delicious apple and subtle cardamom spice 

“MOMUS” BRùTON 750ml (25.4oz) 7.5%alc  ~ double malt amber brewed w/ coriander subtle flavors of toffee, chestnut & caramel, hints of cocoa and a tangy, complex finish

“ROSSA” TENUTE COLLESI 500ml (16.9oz) 8.0%alc ~ red ale with notes of toasted hazelnut, fresh green & black fig and a touch of maple, balanced with tart red plum

 “DIECI~10” BRùTON 750ml (25.4oz) 10.0%alc ~ dark abbey double malt alewith flavors of molasses, coffee and smooth, honey-roasted almond & black mission fig

 “NERA” TENUTE COLLESI 500ml (16.9oz) 8.0%alc ~ black ale, loads of roasted espresso flavor balanced with hints of dry roasted pecan, dates and licorice root

If you've never been to Friday Night Flights I would highly recommend it.  The atmosphere is great and in addition to some delightful drinks (we especially enjoyed the second, third, and sixth courses of the beer tasting), for $25.00 a person you also get to nibble on cheese and a few hot appetizers.

After the tasting we stopped by Khyber for a couple of drinks and dinner.

[bros]

[gals]

The crowd pleaser at Khyber is always the half and half - J5 and I split one and B always orders it.  That said, B decided to branch out this time and opted for the BBQ sandwich (with cheddar gravy fries on the side of course).

Although I think I still prefer the half and half (something about that crusty-on-the-outside-wondefully-fluffy-on-the-inside roll of Khyber's po-boy sandwiches just can't be beat), this baby really gives it a run for its money.

The next day, B and I headed up to center city and had brunch at A.Kitchen.  We decided to split the gruyere buns with poached eggs and country ham and the duck scrapple with medjool date compote and fried egg.

The duck scrapple was delicious (especially the compote) but the gruyere buns were absolutely fantastic.  The buns had a crunchy, sticky deliciousness, the eggs were perfectly cooked, the ham was thick without being chewy, and it was topped with a wonderfully zesty hollandaise.  Cap it off with a mimosa (me) and a bloody (B) and you've got yourself one satisfying brunch.

After brunch we checked out the Zoe Strauss exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  The photos have a whimsical approach to some seriously heavy subject matter.  If you're in the area it is definitely worth a stop.

For a great end to a great day B and I grabbed some wings at North Third before enjoying a couple of drinks at Standard Tap.

Cheers!!