5 Food & Drink Events to Attend in December

The holiday season is the perfect time to eat, drink and be merry. Curious where to go and what to do to maximize your holiday agenda? Here are five events we won’t miss.

Holiday Beer Releases: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant of West Chester will host a double-header beer release event, Steal the Cheer, on Dec. 5, 5–9 p.m. The location’s signature Scrooge IPA and the company-wide seasonal, Winter Warmer, will hit the taps for the affair, with the first 50 beer-orderers scoring a Santa beard pint glass. Iron Hill Phoenixville is also getting into the holiday spirit on Dec. 5, tapping their English-style Milk Stout just in time for Phoenixville’s Christmas Parade. Consider stopping at Iron Hill Media too, where they’re releasing a special batch of cask-conditioned Holiday Ale on Dec. 5, 5 p.m. (Iron Hill’s first Main Line location opens this month—get excited!)

Ugly Sweater Party: Eat, drink and be ugly with the fun-loving gang at Penns Woods Winery at their upcoming holiday bash on Dec. 5, 6:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to don the ugliest Christmas sweaters of all time, with prizes awarded to the party’s best attire. Cost is $30 in advance, which grants you a glass of wine, snacks and sweets and a holiday gift. Grab tickets here.

Victory Brewing Company

Bacon and Beer Festival

Bacon and Beer Festival: Celebrate life’s best things—bacon and beer, of course—at this Saturday festival, unfolding Dec. 6, 2:30–5 p.m. at 23rd Street Armory in Philly. A fine-tuned, eclectic mix of area restaurants and breweries will come together to offer bacon-based dishes and fine brews. Participating restaurants include: Beast & Ale, Brittingham’s, City Tap House, Di Bruno Bros., Eclat Chocolate, Shake Shack, Supper, The Cambridge, The Twisted Tail and more. Full participating brewery list here. Proceeds from the fest will benefit Manna. Tickets cost $46.50; snag yours here.

Courtesy of Paramour

Holiday Wine Tasting: Wayne Hotel’s Paramour invites all wine lovers to sip into the season with its upcoming Italian Stallion tasting unfolding Dec. 11, 6–7 p.m. Paramour’s sommelier Steven Gullo will provide an overview of Italy’s many wine-producing regions from the northern Alps to the southern reaches of Sicily. Explore the wine epicenters of Tuscany and the Langhe Hills of Piedmont, and discover why food and wine are synonymous at the Italian table. Cost is $35 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Seats limited; reservations required. Call (610) 977–0600 to secure your spot.

Holiday Beer Dinner: Victory Brewing Company is serving up two exclusive opportunities to attend beer dinners this season. On Dec. 18, 6:30 p.m., speed over to the Downingtown brewpub for a five course paired dinner, featuring pairings like duck terrine with Winter Cheers and roasted lamb loin with Old Horizontal. Full menu here; cost $65 per ticket. Then, on Dec. 19, 6:30 p.m., join the Victory crew at their Parkesburg location for its first-ever beer dinner. Courses catching our attention include the beet and goat cheese salad with Hop Ranch and the sous-vide Wyebrook Farm filet with Moving Parts 02. Full menu here; cost $75 per ticket.