| Beer is your Destiny! By Vince Capano When George Lucas of Star Wars fame was asked if he felt that making movies was his destiny he responded by simply saying yes. When Emerson Haines of Phoenixville, PA was asked if his destiny was beer he did more than just say yes. He opened his own brewpub and named it, what else, Destiny. Destiny is the newest brewpub in the beer lover’s destination town of Phoenixville, PA which boasts of 5 fine brewpubs in a 15 mile radius: Sly Fox, Sly Fox II, Victory, Iron Hill*, and Rock Bottom. Destiny may be the new guy on the block but its excellent beer makes it a full fledged member of this suds sextet. Emerson Palmer was an award winning home brewer for over fifteen years who decided early last year to take the entrepreneurial plunge in a field he truly loves - brewing. With big dreams but a significantly smaller budget, he personally fabricated his entire brewing system from wine fermentors and a bakery kettle while using old Hoff Stevens kegs for packaging. Making four barrel batches, Emerson currently has 8 beers on tap including a pale ale, IPA, ESB, stout, and a Holiday Ale that boasts of a real spruce flavor. Best yet for real ale lovers (count me in that group) is the CAMRA approved beer engine Emerson imported directly from the UK. While Emerson may be a beer traditionalist his brewing sensibilities don’t border on the dull and staid. Indeed, he recently was serving a “cola ale.” Yes, that’s cola ale. I tried it on a recent visit and it tasted just as its name suggests. It was a fun, novelty brew that brought a smile. As Emerson put it, “I used to make homemade soda so I thought why not brew a beer that has soda syrup in it?” The pub itself is located in the basement level of an all brick building first constructed in 1917 as a “Moose Lodge” which doubled quite nicely as a speakeasy during Prohibition. Ask Emerson to show you the “warning” button buzzer near the former back entrance and the very large safe door that still guards the backroom where the illegal booze was safely stored. The many windows along the side wall remain locked and opaque to provide just an extra bit of protection from any snooping enforcer of the unlamented 18th Amendment. The pub maintains much of the original layout and wood work from those halcyon days of that dry decade but still has a contemporary feel thanks to a warm rectangular bar in front of the brew house. The bar and sidewalls are surrounded by an impressive selection of beer memorabilia from Emerson‘s personal collection. It, like everything else about the pub, suggests that Emerson is a man who loves and cares about good beer. Best of all is that Emerson Haines' destiny has become the beer lover’s gain. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Destiny Brewpub 119 South Main Street - Phoenixville, PA Phone: 610.933.3346 |
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Destiny Brewpub - Phonnixville, PA
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