In spite of my supreme love for good beer, since living alone I’ve hardly been drinking at all. I think I just don’t enjoy drinking alone very much, and the places I’ve gone out to lately haven’t really had fantastic beer so I’ve tended to just go without. However I do like a nice brew now and then, so I’ve scoped out the local places.
In Pennsylvania you can buy beer either from a restaurant (or bar) with a liquor license, or from a beer distributor. The latter lets you only buy by the case, due to crazy laws here, and at the former you pay what would be ridiculous prices in other states for singles and six packs – and have a 2 six pack limit on purchases, which most retailers will happily explain you can avoid by buying a couple six packs, walking out of the store, and walking back in to buy another two. As an aside: The PLCB Should Be Abolished. But I’m getting away from myself…
So I want singles. I discovered the Craft Ale House in Limerick! I went for dinner once back in February and the place was crazy busy, we waited nearly an hour for a table. The food was on the pricey side but in general it was a good meal, and they have a fantastic beer selection! And as pricey as it is per bottle, I’ve seen far worse. 
And when I want a case? I checked out the beer store down the street from me and was unimpressed. Like any beer store around here these days they had a few good cases, some Victory, and the first case of beer I snagged for my apartment back in October was from there, a case of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. But on a whim the other day I decided to check out Frank A. Smith Beverages in Pottstown. Wow, their selection is amazing! And after asking the prices on a couple cases their very helpful and knowledgeable staff made some more recommendations. Precisely what I love to see in a distributor, well done!
Finally, I discovered a fantastic beer recently. My favorite beers are hoppy ales, belgian ales, lambics and flemish sours. For a while now one of my favorites has been the Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Red Ale. I hadn’t met another sour that I really loved until I met the Panil Barriquée. Wow, yum! It’s a shame it bumps up against $20 for a 750ml bottle.
Now I’m going to skip off for an evening down in KoP at Rock Bottom with some friends :)