Last month we had the distinct honor of attending The King of Prussia Beerfest Royale, a celebration of craft beer, local and international, located in the heart of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
With over 100 local and international craft beers alongside inspired dishes from the top area restaurants and caterers, live bands simultaneously playing on multiple stages, the KOP Beerfest Royale never ceases to disappoint.
The event kicked off with a Donnerstag Happy Hour on Thursday October 4th, followed by a pair of beer-tasting sessions the following Saturday October 6th. Located outside of the King of Prussia Mall near the parking garage, the event was easy to get to and parking was more than plentiful. It was plain to see that every single person attending the event had an amazing time.
The Food
This event featured inspired dishes from: Bahama Breeze, Bonefish Grill, Cantina Laredo, Choolaah Indian BBQ, City Works, Dia Doce Gourmet Cupcakes, Fogo de Chao, Founding Farmers, J. Alexander’s Restaurant, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Mistral, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Nicoletta Pizzeria, Outback Steakhouse, Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar, Pizzeria Vetri, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Seasons 52, Shake Shack, The Halal Guys, The Melting Pot, The Pub at Wegmans, True Food Kitchen, and Yard House Restaurant.
The Entertainment
Swift Technique
“Philadelphia’s fiery funk extravaganza has a unique blend of funk, soul, rock, hip-hop and relentless showmanship. Swift Tech’s live performances are unmatched in energy, musicianship and pure feel-good fun.”
Nik Greeley & The Operators
“Nik Greeley is known for being arguably the best frontman and performer in Philadelphia. The Operators is a collective of some of the finest musicians in Philly, who all happen to be friends, too.”
The Beer
So much beer to try. With local mainstays and international rarities throughout, this is a beer and food lover’s playground. First I’ll go through some of my favorites, then a few honorable mentions in a wide variety of styles.
Great Divide
Fresh Hop APA
A hazy gold, with off-white seafoam-like head that has great retention. Smells like a great blend of sweet malts and fresh pine, with some citrus notes throughout. Malty goodness with a drying pine finish. Well balanced and quite dank. Light to medium-bodied with a perfect level of carbonation. I think I like this APA so much because it reminds me so much of a mild DIPA.
La Cabra Brewing Company
Most Kind American Pale Ale
This is an exceptional American Pale Ale from La Cabra Brewing Company. Smooth and hazy, with notes of citrus and pine. Absolutely refreshing, incredibly light, and amazingly crisp. This had more hop flavor than some of the IPAs I had this evening.
Sly Fox Brewing Company
Vulpulin IPA
Hazy amber-gold, with nice fluffy off-white head that leaves behind patchy lacing. This brew has a light tropical and floral scent enticing you to come closer and have a sip. Citrus, grapefruit, and grassy hops take lead, with notes of tangerine throughout. This is a wonderfully juicy beer, medium bodied, crisp and refreshing. This is a more-than-solid IPA, and at its price point locally, you can’t do much better.
Workhorse Brewing Company
New England IPA
A blend of wheat, oats, and Pilsner malt form the background for this hop-centric ale. These soft undertones offer the perfect platform to launch a barrage of juicy American hops exploding with tropical fruit and citrus aromas. This unfiltered beer showcases a resinous dry-hopping to help keep the bitterness levels lower than traditional American IPAs, however, it still yields an abundant level of hop character. -Workhorse Brewing Company
Most Intriguing Craft Beer
Double Nickel Brewing Company
Pickle Gose
Yes, you read that correctly. This beer is a pickle-flavored gose. It is exactly as you think it would taste. A pleasant sour with an intriguing pickle flavor. Would pair PERFECTLY with a nice glass of whiskey.
Stoudt’s Brewing Company
Cherry Breeze Wheat Ale
A pink-hued amber, strong head in the pour. Wonderful hefeweizen, notes of cherry, clove & banana in the nose and taste, with a slightly tart cherry finish. Like the other beers on the Intriguing list, this is one I wouldn’t think to pick up randomly, so I’m glad I got the chance to try it.
Two Roads Brewing Company
Passion Fruit Gose
A lightly hazy light blond pour, this has a crazy strong passion fruit nose, a wonderfully balanced combination of sweet and tart with a wheat base and generous pinch of salt. Incredibly easy-drinking gose, and at 5.2%, it’s not going to knock you down too fast.
(Almost) Complete Brewer List
Complete Photo Gallery
A celebration of local craft and International beer, the 6th Annual King of Prussia Beerfest Royale is the suburban Philadelphia region’s must-attend beer festival of the fall. The #1 ranked festival features over 100 beers, inspired dishes from KOP’s most popular and newest restaurants, live music on multiple stages, photo ops and more. All proceeds from the Beerfest Royale benefit the KOP-BID, a 501 (c) (3) organization that engages public and private partners to improve the economic environment in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
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