| Evil Genius Beer Company 1727 N Front Street | Philadelphia, PA Evil Genius on Facebook evilgeniusbeer.com |
Way back in July of 2013, Luke Bowen and Trevor Hayward journeyed to the Beer Busters Podcast Basement to join us for Episode 7 of our then fledgling podcast. The founders and owners of Evil Genius Beer Company had been in the game for a little over a year at the time and were our first “real” beer industry guests.
Last Friday, March 3, 2017, Dan, Steph and I had the honor to attend a sneak peek evening at The Lab, the taproom at the Evil Genius brewery in Fishtown, set to open to the public on March 8.
In the nearly four years since we met, it’s been constantly exciting to watch Evil Genius grow from a contract brewing company run largely by the two founders, to a widely distributed, well-known brand now employing many people and finally settling into their own space. And what a space it is.
Check out our many beerventures with the Evil Geniuses
A once run-down building at 1727 N Front Street in Philadelphia has been transformed into a beautiful and spacious taproom and brewery. The entrance spills into a lounge area complete with leather furniture, a stereo system and a Sega Genesis. Beyond, an array of wooden booths and high top tables extend into the rear with the long concrete bar running nearly the entire length of the room on the right. Behind the bar two flatscreen TVs ran (appropriately) Cheers and Family Guy throughout the evening. Looming on the far wall was a large projection screen that displayed a slideshow of images of the building.
The other half of the site contains the brewery, accessible through a glass wall past the bar at the rear of the taproom, scrawled with the names of several Evil Genius concoctions. While the taproom is awesome and sure to be an amazing spot for drinking and merriment, the brewery is the most exciting development for Evil Genius. The company’s beers have been contract brewed at other facilities for most of its existence. In September 2015, the company brought on brewer Jon Defibaugh, formerly of Tired Hands Brewing, who has had an active hand in the building of the brewery itself.
Speaking of beer, the tap list included a number of well-known favorites and a few new treats we had never tried, all of which were listed on VHS cases littered across the tables and bar. The brews on tap included:
- Purple Monkey Dishwasher – a 6.8% ABV Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter (and Dan’s favoritest beer in the world)
- O’Doyle Rules – a 5.5% ABV “Almost” IPA
- Ermegherd Rhrsberries – a 7.7% ABV Baltic Porter Infused with Raspberries
- Zee Goggles, Zey Do Nathing – a 9.2% ABV Maple Syrup Barleywine
- Holy Schnikes – a 5.2% ABV ABV Pale Ale
- You Mad Bro? – a 5.6% ABV Juniper and Peppercorn Biere De Garde
- I’ll Have What She’s Having (2015) – a 9.2% ABV Chocolate Hazelnut Imperial Stout
- Stacy’s Mom – a 7.5% ABV Citra IPA
- Trust the Process – a 7.6% ABV Galaxy and Amarillo IPA
Of the beers I hadn’t had before, Trust the Process was a superbly dank enjoyment, Ermegherd Rhrsberries was a silky bit of deliciousness perfect for the chilly weather, and You Mad Bro? stood out as a unique quaff, right up my alley.
Food was also available, a preview of the nosh that will be available when the taproom officially opens. There were Sloppy Joe sliders, hummus, and – the culinary highlight – deconstructed Italian hoagies. Waffles & Wedges, a food truck serving up sinful and tempting variations on the waffle theme, was also on hand, parked right out front.
It really has been awesome seeing Evil Genius continue to grow and their home in Fishtown has been a long time coming. I will never forget the night I first sipped a Purple Monkey Dishwasher on location at Evil Genius Beer Company. Stay tuned, we’re working on setting up a podcast recording at the new location in the very near future, and I’m sure Dan and I will find ourselves there many nights.
…oh, and they have a crowler machine!
