Wednesday, May 2, 2007

A Triumph for craft brewing


Do you know how India Pale Ale got its name? Patrick Jones does and that’s good news for Triumph Brewing Company.
As the head bre
wer at the newly opened Old City location, Jones is the man behind the scenes who creates the distinctive beers that now flow at Triumph’s third location in the tri-state area.
With eight beers on tap you are bound to find something you like. Over the past three years, Jones has helped the New Hope Triumph location win five medals at the Great American Beer Festival.
“When I got to
Triumph, I was finally able to enter the Festival,” Jones explained. “The Kellerbier won the gold medal in 2004, something I’m really proud of.”
Triumph’s new spacious location at 117 Chestnut Street has two floors, with a bar downstairs running the length of the building and another bar upstairs that allows for a view of the brewery.
Sleek and swanky yet comfortable at the same time, Triumph has a menu that contains regular pub food like burgers and pizza. They also have sufficient seating if you want to sit d
own with friends and enjoy a more traditional meal.
Brian Fitting , one of the owners since 2001, said that the water in Philadelphia is conducive to great beer. That may help explain the city’s storied past with brewing. Old City Tavern was the hangout for members of the First Continental Congress in 1774. One hundred years ago, Philly was considered the largest brewing city in the Western Hemisphere. That title stood until 1920.
Prohibition wrecked the brewing industry across the nation. Jones explained that by the late 1970’s there were only about 10 craft breweries in the United States. Sierra Nevada was among the leaders of the craft beer resurgence during the 1980’s. Flying Fish in Cherry Hill, Yard’s in Kensington and Victory in Downingtown, PA are all proof of the renaissance. Consider Triumph Brewing Company part of that movement.
“I think the fresh beer alone will bring people in,” Fitting said. “The beer production has been phenomenal. We’re going to bring in a different crowd.”
Triumph was started in 1995 in Princeton, New Jersey by Adam Rechnitz, the first brewpub in the state. In 2003, the second location opened in New Hope, PA about an hour north of Philadelphia. The challenge of opening a brewpub in a major metropolitan area is not lost on the owners.

“(The main difference) was the cost, quite honestly. The other two locations are smaller suburbs and were pretty grassroots at the time,” explained Fitting. He added that getting acquainted with the city was part of the challenge.
He also sees similarities between Princeton and Philadelphia. Both brewpubs have downtown locations, are in an arts centered section of town and have Ivy League schools. The Old City location is surrounded by many other bars such as Mad River, Mint and Brownie’s Pub. Triumph isn’t necessarily trying to take customers away but simply offer them something they haven’t had before.
India Pale Ale, which this writer considers his favorite, was first brewed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Great Britain. It had high levels of alcohol and hops because both are natural preservatives. An export solely to India, it needed higher levels of these ingredients for the long sea voyage.
According to Jones, no one in England was aware of this process until a ship en route to India wrecked and bottles washed ashore. Britons quickly realized this was the best beer they had ever tasted.
Unlike our British cousins, we won’t need to wait for a shipwreck to taste some of the best beer in the city. Stop by Triumph Brewing Company and taste a little bit of history for yourself.


(PHOTO CREDITS: CODY GLENN)