After the incredible success of PBW ’08, San Francisco and New York followed quickly behind with Beer Weeks of their own. This year, Boston, Chicago, San Diego and others (including the less likely Atlanta, Cleveland, and Detroit) jumped on board as well…and more continue to by the month. Portland, Oregon, aka Beervana and once-dubbed Beer City USA, will claim that its Oregon Brewers Festival is actually the country’s first multi-day, city-wide beer festival, but most will likley not argue that Philadelphia was the first to create this format of a Beer Week where an almost ’round-the-clock ten days of beer-related events occur at breweries, restaurants, beer bars, and (even) historical landmarks.

While each city/region has defined their own respective Beer Week a bit differently, Philadelphia’s is arguably the most well-rounded and all-encompassing. Breweries? Of course. Gastropubs? Yup. Dive Bars, too? Sure. Most corners of the City’s various neighborhoods? Definitely. Not the suburbs, too? Why not? Even high-end restaurants, museums, and galleries? The more the merrier. Music and beer, art and beer, fitness and beer, history and beer, food and beer…you get the picture. There are close to 900 events scheduled during PBW 2010 and almost every genre and sub-genre pairing with beer that you can imagine are offered up to serve people of all backgrounds and interests.

The strength in the diversity of the beer-drinking public in the Delaware Valley is what encourages these various venues to get on board with a concept like Philly Beer Week. These venues all help to balance the beer scene in Philadelphia and its suburbs. This is important because the City, given its sheer size and geographic footprint, is not necessarily well endowed with city-brewed beer from a per capita perspective. (Seven establishments currently brew beer in the City Proper: Dock Street, Earth Bread + Brewery, Manayunk Brewing, Nodding Head, Philadelphia Brewing, Triumph, and Yards Brewing)

However, this is another area in which Philadelphia is so well-positioned to hold its claim as the Best Beer Drinking City (is this trademarked yet?!): The suburbs. They generously stretch out to almost 100 miles in each direction and add to the beer scene in Philadelphia with their rich and award-winning brewing history. From the immediate suburbs (Flying Fish in Cherry Hill, General Lafayette Inn & Brewery in Lafayette Hill, Rock Bottom in King of Prussia, McKenzie Brew House in Malvern, eight scattered Iron Hill locations including West Chester, two Sly Fox locations, and Victory in Downingtown) to farther outlying regions (Weyerbacher, Fegley’s Brew Works, Stoudt’s, Union Barrel Works, Tröegs, Lancaster Brewing, River Horse, Stewart’s, and even Dogfish Head), the region is awash in great craft beer brewing and most of these brewery’s products are available in and around the City.

Speaking of availability…that brings up the final leg in this important Beer Tripod: the breweries, the consumers, and—the bars. Across the region, but particularly in Philadelphia, bars serve as the cornerstone of the region’s beer culture. Neighborhood taverns, gastropubs, and dive bars all bring together people thirsty for good times and good beer with fun people in a unique environment like only Philadelphia’s bar scene can provide.

Are you looking for something to do during Philly Beer Week to satisfy in your inner beer geek? The City offers hundreds of options from June 4th to June 13th. However, if you are looking to stay local in Chester County, here is a list of happenings.

– Bryan Kolesar lives Philly Beer Week year-round at www.BrewLounge.com –

In Chester County, participating events include:

Exton Beverage Company (310 East Lincoln Highway, Exton)

Friday, 6/4: “Magner’s Cider Tasting,” with free tastings of Magner’s Irish Cider from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Saturday, 6/5: “Pilsner and Lager Sampling,” with free tastings of some of the pilsners and lagers Exton Beverage carries from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

Wednesday, 6/9: “Stout and Porter Sampling,” with free tastings of some of the stouts and porters Exton Beverage carries from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Thursday, 6/10: “Belgian-Style Beer Sampling,” with free tastings of some of the Belgian-style beers Exton Beverage carries from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Friday, 6/11: “IPA and Pale Ale Sampling,” with free tastings of some of the IPAs and pale ales Exton Beverage carries from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Saturday, 6/12: “Craft Beer in Cans Sampling,” with free tastings of some of the canned craft beers Exton Beverage carries from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

Historic Kennett Square (106 West State Street, Kennett Square):

Friday, 6/4: “Meet the Brewer,” with Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead Brewery, featuring light fare from Talula’s Table, beer tasting and live music by Chris Kasper. $75 per person; tickers available online.

Saturday, 6/5: “Beers on Broad Street,” with local, hand-crafted brews, artisan cuisine and live music from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Tastings will include some of the latest specialty beers from the region’s top breweries. $50 per person; tickets available online.

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant (130 East Bridge Street, Phoenixville)

Saturday, 6/12: “Blues & Brews,” with barbecue and guest beers from Dogfish Head and Stewart’s from 12 noon until 7 p.m. Pay as you go.

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant (3 West Gay Street, West Chester)

Wednesday, 6/9: “Beer & Chocolate,” with head brewer Larry Horwitz hosting a chocolate and beer pairing, featuring chocolate from Eclat. Pay as you go.

Friday, 6/11: “Iron Brewer Release Party,” with the beer that won Iron Hill’s in-house Iron Brewer Competition and a special release celebration from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Pay as you go.

Main Street Phoenixville (Main Street, Phoenixville):

Saturday, 6/5: “Meet the Brewer Pub Crawl,” with Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant pouring Tour de Hill, beers from all eight Iron Hill locations; Sly Fox pouring BS1, the official collaborative beer of PBW2010 and Standard Porter, created exclusively for Philadelphia’s Standard Tap; Epicurean Restaurant & Bar hosting Manayunk Brewery and Box Car; PJ Ryan’s hosting Flying Fish; Pickering Creek Inn hosting Victory; Columbia Bar & Grille hosting Lancaster; Bistro on Bridge hosting Yards; Molly McGuire’s hosting Troegs and Sierra Nevada; Baxter’s at 101 hosting Stoudt’s; and Franco Ristorante hosting Weyerbacher, featuring shuttle service from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Pay as you go.

Nectar (1091 Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn)

Sunday, 6/13: “Fists of Feury Release Party,” with hors d’oeuvres and dinner from chefs Terence and Patrick Feury to celebrate the debut of their signature brew, Fists of Feury, in collaboration with Victory. $55 per person; please call (610) 725-9000 for ticket information.

The Drafting Room Taproom and Grille (635 North Pottstown Pike, Exton)

Sunday, 6/6: “Beer Brunch,” with brunch buffet and draughts of Hair of Dog Blue Dot, Hoppin’ Frog IPA, Lost Abbey Angel’s Share, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere and Troegs Nugget Nectar from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Pay as you go.

Monday, 6/7: “Local Brewery Promotion,” with $4 pints of California Dreamin’, Flying Fish Exit 4, Spring House Atomic Raygun, Stoudt’s BMR Maibock, Brew Works Monkey Wrench and Yards ESA from 11 a.m. until 12 midnight. Pay as you go.

Wednesday, 6/9: “Bear Republic Pint Night,” with special pricing on pints of Crazy Ivan, Cask Conditioned Racer 5, Hop Rod Rye, Red Rocket Ale and Racer 5 from 6 p.m. until 12 midnight. Pay as you go.

Thursday, 6/10: “Great Lakes Promotion,” with owner Patrick Conway of Great Lakes Brewing and tastings of Lake Erie Monster, Holy Moses, Burning River and Dortmunder Gold from 9 p.m. until 12 midnight. Pay as you go.

Friday, 6/11: “Brooklyn Brewery Promotion,” with draughts of 2009 Sirachi Ace, 2007 Black Chocolate Stout, Dark Matter, Blast, Buzz Bomb and East India Pale Ale and bottles of 2010 Sirachi Ace from 5 p.m. until 12 midnight. Pay as you go.

Sunday, 6/13: “Belgian Chocolate Brunch,” with draughts of Russian River Consecration, Livery 5^th Dimension, Ommegang Belgian Pale Ale, Bruery Saison de Lente, Valeir Extra, Troegs Mad Elf and Cuvee de Jacobins Rouge, featuring a chocolate fountain from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Pay as you go.

Victory Brewing Company (420 Acorn Lane, Downingtown)

Thursday, 6/10: “Brewmasters Lunch,” with the brewmasters of Victory, Stone and Dogfish Head brewing Victory’s batch of their collaborative brew, Saison du BUFF. $35 per person; tickets available online.

PBW is an annual celebration of beer culture that includes tastings in cozy neighborhood taprooms of locally crafted brews, educational offerings such as guided tastings and lectures and prix-fixe beer-pairing dinners across the region. The largest event of its kind in the nation, it has spawned a host of similar events across the country and remains, in its third year, the premier beer festival in America, set in “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City.”

For general information about PBW2010, including the ever-expanding schedule of events and list of participants, please visit www.phillybeerweek.org.