Mike "Scoats" Scotese, owner of the Grey Lodge Pub and Hop Angel Brauhaus, kicks off 2011 Philly Beer Week with the Hammer of Glory. Photo/Gina Benigno

Well-known in the Northeast, well-explored by Philadelphia’s beer drinkers, and  once recognized by Esquire as one of the best places to drink in the country, the Grey Lodge Pub has made it onto another national list.

Draft Magazine tallied up the 100 best beer bars in the country, broken down by geographic region. Philadelphia has six of the Northeast U.S. bars worth visiting, and one happens to be Mayfair’s own Grey Lodge. Owner Mike “Scoats” Scotese is a Mayfair Business Association member and also owns Fox Chase’s Hop Angel Brauhaus. continue reading »

‘Tis the season for toy drives, and Toys for Tots might be the most recognizable.

The U. S. Marine Corps Reserve program collects new, unwrapped toys throughout the holiday season to distribute to kids who need gifts.

Avenue Chiropractic on the 6200-block of Frankford Avenue is holding a drive this year (you might have seen a collection basket at the Mayfair Tree Lighting Ceremony), and its neighbor, Grey Lodge Pub is helping out in an usual way: Toys for Beer. continue reading »

Some of the tools Dr. Roger Barth uses to make beer

Dr. Roger Barth of West Chester is not your ordinary chemistry professor. The name of his West Chester University class is called The Chemistry of Beer.

That brewed alcoholic drink — the one many enjoy on weekends, after a hard day’s work, at a family barbecue and during Philly’s very own Beer Week — yes, that drink, is broken down to a science. continue reading »

Mike "Scoats" Scotese, owner of the Grey Lodge Pub and Hop Angel Brauhaus, kicks off Philly Beer Week with the Hammer of Glory.

The Hammer of Glory, what many Philadelphians refer to as the “HOG,” left Fox Chase’s Hop Angel Brauhaus early Friday morning to kick off Philly Beer Week 2011.

Philly Beer Week is a 10-day celebration of what is arguably considered “America’s Best Beer Drinking City.”  Mike “Scoats” Scotese is one of the masterminds behind this celebration.  Scoats helped start Beer Week four years ago and calls himself one of the “founding fathers” of the Hammer of Glory tour.

Now in its third year, the giant hammer made its way to 21 establishments throughout Philadelphia in what Scoats described as the “most unconventional ways possible.” At the end of its journey, the hammer was used to tap the first keg, signaling the official start of Philly Beer Week 2011. continue reading »

The next upcoming City Council events for Northeast candidates are this week. The 6th District candidates will be available for conversation tonight, and will participate in a debate Thursday. continue reading »

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

After John Perzel, the former speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, was charged with misusing public funds, he lost the seat he had held for more than 30 years in the 172nd District to Democrat Kevin Boyle.

Despite the scandal surrounding Perzel, people are divided about whether a powerful politician was better than a new representative in the Northeast district.

John McClogan, a Walton Park Civic  Association member, said he thinks a tainted Perzel is better than a newly elected representative.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “It’s the people who are suffering.”

McClogan said he thinks there is a big difference between Perzel and Boyle.

“Perzel was the speaker of the house. Boyle is just the representative. He doesn’t have the clout that Perzel had,” McClogan said. continue reading »

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

Change is relative. That seemed to be the message from long-time locals living and working near Frankford Avenue in Mayfair.

The heart of Mayfair, Frankford Avenue has certainly gained a few nail salons and lost a few retail outlets over the years, but not all locals believe these changes to be monumental — or even for the worse.

“People have all these memories of Mayfair as a golden age. It hasn’t really changed that much,” said Mike “Scoats” Scotese, president of the Mayfair Business Association and owner of Frankford Avenue’s Grey Lodge (as well as Fox Chase’s Hop Angel Brauhaus).

Joe Veneziale disagreed. “There’s no retail on the street anymore,” said the owner of Giggles Gifts. “Thirty, 35, 40 years ago, there was nothing but retail stores on the avenue. You could get anything you wanted.”
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The former Blue Ox Bistro at 7980 Oxford Ave. in Fox Chase, where the Grey Lodge owner is expanding. Click to enlarge.

The word from Scoats, owner of Mayfair’s popular Grey Lodge Pub, is that Hop Angel is now open. continue reading »

The former Blue Ox Bistro at 7980 Oxford Ave. in Fox Chase, where the Grey Lodge owner is expanding. Click to enlarge.

The horizon for the opening of Hop Angel Brauhaus, the re-imagined Blue Ox Bistro in Fox Chase from Grey Lodge publican Mike “Scoats” Scotese and partner Pat McGinley, has become clearer.

The project is on schedule and due for a soft opening in September and a grand opening in October, says Scoats. The pair has been leading cosmetic work to the historic 7980 Oxford Ave. location, which has nearly 330 years of history as a pub.

“The renovation will involve more sweat than cash,” Scoats says.

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Mayfair's popular Grey Lodge Pub serves an even larger crowd during Beer Week.

However, executive director of the annual festivities Don Russell wants more.

“The Northeast is lagging with craft beer and their participation in Beer Week, but Three Monkeys and the Grey Lodge have done spectacularly,” Russell said. continue reading »