A Return to Urban Village Brewing Co PLUS a Review of Their All In Double Black IPA

Back in late May, we received an invite to the grand opening of a brew pub called Urban Village Brewing Co., which is located at The Schmidt's Commons in the Northern Liberties section of the City of Brotherly Love (aka Philadelphia), and though Limpd and I weren't able to attend, the invite didn't go to waste because we convinced our friends Jay and Miracle Max to go in our our place AND write up the event for us, though the truth is that Miracle Max didn't write a thing (though I'm sure he ate and drank plenty!), while Jay came through and hooked us up with a throrough analysis of the space, the food, and the drink which was so positive and enthusiasric that it made my mouth water as he described all that he ate and drank, leaving me with regret because I couldn't make it, though thankfully, that regret was short lived as the opportinity to sample the goods at Urban Village Brewing Co. once again found its way to our inbox via an invite to a "Media Only" dinner with owners Dave Goldman (he's the Head Brewer) and Tom Revelli (he's the General Manager) that I was able to attend, though sadly, Limpd was not, but thanks to a text message and a phone call or two, our friend Rick tagged along to sample all the goodies that were served during this intimate gathering of Philly's Phinest Phoodies.

As you can see in the photos up above, there was no shortage of food and beer during this event, and I am happy to report that Jay was NOT blowing smoke in his review of Urban Village Brewing Co.'s grand opening! From the locally sourced and super fresh vegetables that were used in the salads to the inventively topped pizzas (I'm looking at you Celeste!) made with naturally leavened dough to the superbly crafted beers that ranged from crisp and refreshing (their C.P.A. Pale Ale) to layered and complex (their Call Me Old Fashioned Belgian Strong Ale), everything was a delight to eat and drink. It's obvious that owners Dave and Tom know what they're doing and I'm definitely looking forward to a return visit.

You would think that an evening of free food and drink would be enough for yours truly, but nooooooo, I just haaaaaaaaad to ask the owners for a couple of crowlers to bring home for sharing and a review (for the record, I did offer to pay for the crowlers, but being the gentlemen and excellent hosts that they are, Dave and Tom refused to take my money). My two favorite beers of the night were Rye Beer (a Rye IPA) and All In (a Double Black IPA), so that's what I asked for in crowler form. Since The Wookie is a huge Rye IPA fan, I gave him the Rye Beer crowler (he says he really liked it). As for the All In Black IPA, I shared my crowler with Limpd and our friend Mike a couple of nights after the event. Here's our review...

• Appearance: Deep dark walnut brown with a thick head of tan foam that dissipates slowly, leaving lots of lacing behind.
• ABV: 7.6%
• Aroma
  • Limpd: Malty with a bit of chocolate and dark roast coffee.
  • G-LO: Rich and roasty with hints of French roast coffee, dark chocolate, a bit of cigar, and a healthy hit of hops.
• Taste
  • Limpd: A little cream and a lot of coffee with a crispness and a long, bitter finish (the good kind of bitter as opposed to the bad kind of bitter that G-LO oozes out of his every pore).
  • G-LO: Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with light carbonation. Starts off rich and roasty with dark roast coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Bitter orange peel and hops kick in at the middle. Gets dry at the finish with lingering coffee and chocolate notes.

The Verdict

• Limpd: A very nice beer overall, though it was a bit too coffee flavored for my taste. I would put it right up there with 21st Amendment's Back in Black or the Allagash Black, though it's not quite as good as Firestone Walker's Wookey Jack.
• G-LO: This was easily the best beer of the night (which is really saying something because there were no loser beers being poured). Between the roasty notes and the hop goodness, this beer hit all the marks. Two words: well done!

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Categories: Brew Review, Urban Village Brewing Company

Tagged as: Beer, Beertography, Craft Beer, Drink, Drinkwire, Food, Glotography, Photography, Photos, Review, Reviews, Urban Village Brewing All In Double Black IPA, Urban Village Brewing Company