BEER TRAVELERS

Don Russell about writes that Philadelphia’s brewpub scene took two steps forward this summer and one giant step backward, meaning two new pubs opened but one closed rather suddenly.

Russell (aka Joe Sixpack)

“It’s anybody’s guess why it failed,” said (Independence) spokesman Frank Keel.

Well, here’s one guess: The owners didn’t have a clue.

Independence Brew Pub is owned by a group of investors, called GS Capital, who picked apart the bones of the original Red Bell brewpub that was supposed to open in that spot in 2000. Those investors created a subsidiary called DS Holdings II - made up of former investors in the failed Dock Street brewpub on 18th Street - to hold the liquor license. And that group hired a third company, a Washington, D.C., restaurant management firm called Sam & Harry’s, to run the place.

It was a money deal. Good beer was completely secondary, and it showed.

Russell also reports better news from Philadelphia and the region.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 9:06 am and is filed under Bars, brewpubs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.