Recapping the Second Annual King of Prussia Beerfest Royale, Naming the Top 9 Fest Beers

On a surprisingly humid October night, a friendly sold-out crowd enjoyed some of the finest American craft and international beers at the second annual King of Prussia Beerfest Royale. The event unfolded behind the King of Prussia Mall, with two giant beer tents and a relaxing courtyard featuring some stellar food vendors and plenty of places to relax.

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After picking up our sampling glasses, we started with the American Craft Beer tent. The band Lower Case Blues was rocking out as we reviewed the multitude of options. Although it was warm out, I was in the mood for some delectable fall beers.

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Our first stop was Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company, where they served up their Seance Saison, a new seasonal farmhouse ale with a slight fruit taste. Low in alcohol and slightly spiced, this was a decent beer to launch the night before I went on a porter surge.

Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery was pouring their highly regarded Black Butte Porter, a tasty, creamy, chocolatey experience. Right down the row, Philadelphia’s Dock Street Brewing Company served up their Moon Full of Trouble Porter, which was an enjoyable variation of the classic porter.

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Starr Hill Brewery knocked it out of the park with their Little Red Roostarr Coffee Cream Stout. Chocolate and caramel balanced with roasted coffee to make a fabulous full-bodied milk stout. The only thing better than coffee is a good coffee stout, and this one rates high among them.

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It is always a pleasure to see brewmaster Bill Moore from Lancaster Brewing Company, a man who knows his beer and enjoys pleasing the crowd. Bill was pouring a beer that only Lancaster Brewing Company can do right—Lancaster Shoo-Fly Pie Porter. Holy cow! This porter, brewed with molasses, reminded me that I have vowed to make my own shoo-fly pie sometime this autumn. Deep and rich in color, this is a full-bodied beer that is perfect to break out after a hearty dinner. My 2011 review of this beer on cask can be found here.

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For the past two years, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale has been my favorite beer to have on hand at home, so we stopped to have a taste. The Indian Brown Ale is a mix between a Scotch Ale, an India Pale Ale and an American Brown Ale, and the combination is as tasty and full-bodied as they come. This is the beer on which I judge all others.

After sampling our beers in the American Craft Beer tent, we made our way through a spacious  courtyard which was lined with food vendors on either side. Braided pretzels, California Pizza Kitchen, Michael’s Deli, and Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks were serving up their foods to the hungry crowd.

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As we entered the International Tent, the party sounds of the Lukens German Band wafted through the area. Dressed in their traditional German red vests with ties, shorts and the alpine hats, they filled the tent with festive Oktoberfest party tunes. Several of the servers were also dressed in traditional German dresses.

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One brewery had an exceptionally long line in this tent, so we had to check it out. The reason? Fruli is a strawberry wheat beer from Belgium. Our server offered us a choice of having this strawberry beer straight or mixing it with Hoegaarden. My date tried straight and I had it mixed. This was a delightfully refreshing drink. The straight-up Fruli reminded us both of a wine cooler. Mixed with Hoegaarden, it was perfect for a splash of summer.

After Belgium, we flew to London. Well, we sampled Fuller’s London Porter anyway. Rich and chocolatey, this was another tasty dessert beer with hints of coffee in the aftertaste. Looking for a winter ale? We sampled a De Koninck’s Winter Ale, a Belgian Dark that was slightly spiced with hints of brown sugar and fruits.

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On this night, the courtyard was a popular place to rest from the beer tasting and gather a second wind. We grabbed ourselves a Tony Luke’s cheesesteak (provolone wit’) and sat at one of the picnic tables to relax and people watch. An accordionist serenaded folks nearby, dressed in his traditional German uniform. People streamed by eating pretzels and drinking beer, everyone having a good time.

Victory at KOP Beerfest

The King of Prussia Beerfest Royale benefits the King of Prussia District (KOP-BID), a special services organization that works to improve the KOP economic environment by making it more vibrant, attractive and prosperous.

Top and bottom photo credits: Jim Breslin; all other photos credited to Nina Lea Photography.