1. Love City Sure Shot Any good fall tasting list should start with the venerable kolsch. Kolsch is a light bodied, crisp and refreshing style of beer that is perfect for the early days of fall and Oktoberfest celebrations. The Love City Sure Shot is as good a derivative of this style as any, but it also drier and a little less sweet than most. An easy drinking beer. Plus, Love City has a great tasting room.
2. Troegs Hop Knife The smooth pouring Troegs Hop Knife pilsner is a steep departure from the kolsch. Hopped like an IPA but medium bodied, Hop Knife is an underrated seasonal representative of the tradition of hand harvested hops at peak maturity. Tropical fruit flavors cut with a balance of piney hops.
3. Sly Fox Oktoberfest Heading up to Phoenixville for our next beer, Sly Fox's great Oktoberfest beer. This is a perfect rendition of this German Marzen varietal, light bodied, malty and slightly cinnamon spiced. Slightly bitter aftertaste rounds it off well.
4. Victory Festbier Victory's take on an Oktoberfest is fuller bodied than most with a pleasing, toasted spice finish. Victory is an area stalwart, always producing quality brews. I would recommend most of their varietals.
5. Conshohocken Brewing Blood Money Conshohocken Brewing is a brewery that is just hitting its stride. This seasonal blood orange IPA is a well-balanced varietal that doesn't over do it on the citrus flavors that other orange based beers tend to do. Refreshing for a Fall Sunday afternoon.
6. Double Nickel Below Zero Ale At 7.8%, we start to ramp up the potency of this tasting. This is Double Nickel's winter warmer, meant to warm you with it's blend of caramel and spices and higher alcohol flavor. Similar to a scotch ale but medium bodied.
7. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale This is the one you want. Of all the options of pumpkin spice varietal ales, Weyerbacher's stands over them all. Like drinking pumpkin pie in a glass, Imperial Pumpkin Ale is full bodied and warm, with myriad spices and a smooth, toasty finish. Good luck finding anymore of it.
8. Eight and Sand 'Mallow Joe Finally, drown yourself in a campfire roasted marshmallow. 'Mallow Joe is a traditional full bodied stout with rich chocolate and coffee flavors finished with a smoky marshmallow sweetness. Eight and Sand is doing great things in South Jersey.
]]>The Eagles go into this draft with more plenty of needs on both sides of the ball, primarily on the defensive line and linebacking squad. They also need to invest quickly in offensive line depth. It would be wise to look into all of these areas of need once free agency starts, but with the looming Wentz extension, the need for value and low cap hit should keep the Eagles out of the big ticket free agent frenzy. I'd also look at replacing Philly legend BDN Foles with Ryan Fitzpatrick, a solid back up for a to-this-point injury prone starting QB. With that said, on to the 2019 NFL Draft.
1. Eagles trade both 2nd round picks (53,57) to Seattle for 21st pick, pick DL Christian Wilkins from Clemson.
With the Eagles letting Tim Jernigan test free agency and the potential retirement of Chris Long, the defensive line is in need of an injection of youth. Wilkins would make a formidable one two punch along that line with Fletcher Cox. While not the biggest guy for an interior DL, Wilkins has the athleticism and versatility the Eagles look for in player evaluation. A line with Derek Barnett, Fletcher Cox, Christian Wilkins, Michael Bennet and Brandon Graham would be truly fearsome. The Eagles got to where they were in the playoffs last year due mostly to the work by that D Line. Expect that trend to continue in 2019. Meanwhile, Seattle owns 4(!) picks in this entire draft. Expect them to look to add to that total here and further on down the draft line.
2. Eagles trade first round pick (25) to Cleveland for Cleveland's 2nd rounder (49), 4th rounder (119) and RB Duke Johnson.
Quite the opposite of Seattle, Cleveland is loaded with picks in this draft and will undoubtedly look to move up to improve what is finally becoming an NFL team. Unaccustomed to only picking once in the first round, Cleveland will change that and get back into the late first round for a WR or DL blue chipper. This gives the Eagles more draft capital and an underrated RB in Duke Johnson, who would be a great addition to their rotation and makes RB less of a drastic need in this draft.
3. Eagles select OT Dalton Risner from Kansas State with pick 49 from Cleveland.
Protect the franchise! And by that, of course, we mean famously injury prone QB Carson Wentz. Dalton Risner would become the heir apparent to Jason Peters, or Lane Johnson should they decide to swing him to the LT position. Though slightly older than you'd like at this stage, Risner comes fully polished and ready to step in from Day One. With the Eagles looking like they're ready to run out Peters one more year, having a player like Risner ready to go would be the smart move. Risner plays smart, strong and violent, and would quickly become a fan favorite.
4. Eagles trade Nelson Agholor, late 4th rounder (127) to Green Bay for Green Bay's third rounder (75), select RB David Montgomery from Iowa State.
Thanks for 2017, Aggy. While Agholor was a solid player for the Eagles on their Super Bowl run, he has been a frustrating player overall. Gifted with talent, Agholor still hasn't had a year where he really put it all together, and at times has been invisible on the field, especially early in his career. His slight regression last year was a big reason why the Eagles reached for the midseason trade for Golden Tate for a third round pick, which ended up hurting them for the 2019 draft. That mistake is made up for here. Green Bay gets a shifty and talented WR for Aaron Rodgers to finally replace Jordy Nelson and the Eagles get potentially the next Brian Westbrook in Iowa State's David Montgomery. Elusive AND adept at breaking tackles, there's a lot to like in the potential of this young Cyclone. The aforementioned trade for Duke Johnson also lessens the load expectation-wise and would allow Montgomery to grow.
5. Eagles select ILB T.J. Edwards from Wisconsin with pick 119 (4th round) from Cleveland.
This pick is about the Eagles letting Jordan Hicks walk, which I think is the right move. Hicks has shown flashes of brilliance in his time here, but he remains inconsistent, at times invisible, and his injury history is too hard to ignore. T.J. Edwards would be a solid replacement for Hicks. Stout against the run and disciplined with gap assignment, Edwards would be a bit of a project with a lack of elite speed, but represents good value at this spot.
6. Eagles select WR Andy Isabella from Massachusetts with pick 138 (4th round).
With Agholor gone, the Eagles need to fill in the slot vacancy. Speed, speed and more speed separate Isabella from the remaining receivers in this class. With great field awareness and the ability to turn on the afterburners with cut-on-a dime precision, Isabella would be a fearless, Wes Welker kind of player for Wentz to find underneath on a needed third and short that could become a gain of 25+ yards easily on a regular basis.
7. Eagles select WR Jalen Hurd from Baylor with pick 163 (5th round).
With the added speed of Isabella, Jalen Hurd gives you Alshon Jefferey B or what we all hoped Jordan Matthews could've become on the outside. Hurd gives Eagles fans what they seemingly always have yearned for: a potential legit end zone jump ball monster. He has all the potential of Terrell Pryor but comes with a similar boom or bust kind of risk, as he is still learning the position after transferring to Baylor due to a concussion he sustained while a RB for Tennessee.
8. Eagles select OL Connor McGovern from Penn State with pick 197 (6th round).
McGovern gives the Eagles additional interior line depth while potentially grooming the next Jason Kelce. While Hungry Dog Kelce's extension was a sigh of relief across Eagles Nation, you have to take the rumor's of his potential retirement seriously. If things go poorly this coming year for Kelce, he may think of hanging them up before his contract is up. It would be a good idea to stockpile as many bodies as possible in order to one day replace the best center in the league and probably Eagles history. Certainly the most beloved.
9. Eagles select DL Sutton Smith from Northern Illinois with pick 208 (6th round).
With their last pick, the Eagles pick from the remains of a great defensive line class. Sutton Smith is a project at the NFL level but is a pure football player with a chip on his shoulder. Though small for defensive line, Smith excels at rushing the passer and could be brought on the field on obvious passing downs in a similar approach as the Eagles took with Mychal Kendricks. The redshirt junior had 15 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss against the run, four forced fumbles, and a pass breakup, a year after he’d led the country with 14 sacks. A lot to like about the player, he would need equal time in the weight and classroom.
2019 NFL Draft Eagles summary:
1. Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
2. Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State
3. David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State
4. T.J. Edwards, ILB, Wisconsin
5. Andy Isabella, WR, Massachusetts
6. Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor
7. Connor McGovern, OL, Penn State
8. Sutton Smith, DL, Northern Illinois
Trade: RB Duke Johnson
]]>The Philly Habit family has firsthand experience in dealing with the stress and pressures, mentally and financially, with extended hospital stays in caring for a sick child. The great work of the Ronald McDonald House came to our attention during this difficult time. Though we chose not to utilize their services out of respect for others whose situations were more dire, we came to appreciate the organization from the stories of other families we met who were also going through what we were experiencing. It has always been our hope to be able to contribute in whatever way we could to their cause.
About The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House
The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House supports families of seriously ill children by creating a community of comfort and hope. Our two Ronald McDonald Houses provide temporary lodging, transportation, meals, and social services to families who travel to Philadelphia for pediatric care. Our three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms extend the support of our Houses into the hospital setting and offer a quiet respite space for families at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Ronald McDonald Camp is a week-long overnight camp for children with cancer and their siblings held in the Pocono Mountains every August. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, operated in partnership with St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children, provides comprehensive and continuous oral healthcare to children in North Philadelphia. For more information, visit: www.philarmh.org
About Philly Habit
Philly Habit is a new t-shirt, apparel and accessories store driven by the unique culture of Philadelphia. We grew up with Philly in our blood and wanted to create apparel as unique as the city we love. The cultural and historical significance of Philadelphia is long and rich. We find art in everything and wear our hearts on our sleeves. For more information, visit: www.phillyhabit.com
]]>We want Philly Habit to be shaped by the people of this city, to make what you want to wear. Have you always had a great idea for a Philly t-shirt? Something so obscure that only you and a handful of Philly-files would understand? Let us know and we might make it a reality. We're coming up with new ideas all the time, so you'd better hurry and get yours in.
The most obvious choice for this application would be our League Collection. We want to represent every corner of the city with this collection. If we haven't gotten to your section/street yet, let us know. Do you have your own actual beer league and need some tees made up? We can do that, too. Work with us to make this site something Philadelphia can be proud of.
As always, Habit Your Way.
]]>Ah, Philadelphia, where the wine flows like beer and the pretzels are always warm. Where it's always sunny (except of course at night and even then, maybe it's even sunnier?) and the smell alternates as you walk, from baked bread, piss, fresh flowers, beer and back to bread. Buildings are rising, neighborhoods are revitalizing and a new brewery is opening every other day. It's a wonderful time to be a Philadelphian.
Even more so now that you have discovered Philly Habit. For now you can wear your Philly pride literally on your sleeves. We hope you're enjoying your visit here and have found something new and unexpected. Let us know what you think. We've got more planned, and hope you come along for the ride with us. It's going to be weird and fantastic. Quit smoking.
]]>