Donnerstag Happy Hour Kicks Off KoP Beerfest Royale

Did you know that Donnerstag means Thursday? And what a great Thursday it was to kick off King of Prussia Beerfest Royale with the Donnerstag Happy Hour on October 1! Despite the Nor’easter winging its way up the coast and into KoP, hundreds attended this sold-out event behind the mall under the big tents to eat and drink in style.

Many local food vendors were in attendance, Maggiano’s, Bahama Breeze, Wegman’s, Bonefish Grill, The Capital Grille, Morton’s, California Pizza Kitchen, and Sullivan’s.

Delicious wine and spirits came from Manatawny Still Works and Chaddsford Winery. Many local breweries were pouring all night, including Troegs, Two Roads, Sly Fox, Stable 12, Haymaker, Neshaminy Creek Brewing, Sir Charles Hard Cider, Crabbie’s, Evil Genius, Free Will, Conshohocken Brewing Co, Rock Bottom Brewery, Starr Hill, and many more!

Live music from Swift Technique kept the crowd pumped while sampling amazing food and craft brews. Despite the weather, everyone had a great time enjoying their complimentary cigar from John Hay Cigars, specialty cocktails and pumpkin beers, Dia Doce cupcakes from the cupcake truck, and more!

Then the night continued over all Sullivan’s for the Official Donnerstag Happy Hour After Party- which was a great time!

And don’t forget the rest of the weekend- Saturday, October 3 has two sessions for beer tasting..but sorry folks, they are sold out! (Only Saturday Session Designated Driver tickets are available at $15- includes full access to event, entertainment, free non-alcoholic beverages & snacks from Wegmans, KOP and more!)

This is the fourth year of this spectacular event, and if you don’t make it this year, come next year and you’ll see why the King of Prussia Beerfest Royale is named Best Outdoor & Best Foodie Event 2015 by Montco Happening!

Always drink responsibly!

Special thanks to Brooke Hersh and the KOP-BID team! KOP-BID uses all dollars raised at KOP Beerfest Royale for physical improvement projects throughout King of Prussia: like landscape medians and welcome signage, lighting, and more.

Photography by Diane Cooney. Contact Cooney via Twitter at https://twitter.com/cooney_writes.

Eat, Shop, Stay, and Play in KoP!

This time of year is always so hectic, what with cleaning, entertaining, working…when does one get to relax? Maybe somewhere around the end of Christmas Day? And don’t forget the shopping and searching to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list!

Look no further- King of Prussia is the perfect place to embark on a shop-and-staycation! Stay, Play, Shop, & Eat- who says that hunting for the perfect gift has to be exhausting- turn gift giving into a gift for yourself as well! King of Prussia is home to the King of Prussia Mall, the largest mall on the East coast and is currently expanding to be even bigger- more stores and more places to dine!

Come for the weekend and stay and relax at the Hyatt House on Mall Boulevard. The Hyatt is a full service hotel with luxury rooms and suites, banquet and meeting facilities, a pool and hot tub, complimentary full breakfast every day, and a dining and bites area. Sink into your bed each night and drift away on a cloud, feeling accomplished and knowing you are treating others while treating yourself. King of Prussia has many great hotels and inns in the area, so stay and relax.

During a hard day of shopping for others, it’s time for a great meal for yourself- eat at Ruth Chris’s Steak House, which now offers lunch. Salads, chicken, and delicious grilled steaks are on offer for a quick and sumptuous lunch to fuel up before tackling the afternoon to shop.

Don't forget- the KOP Mall offers a free Holiday Shopper Shuttle to provide shoppers easy access around the property. When you come back to the hotel, relax in the hot tub, and take a nap, or head back to the mall for an evening of browsing. If you are bringing your child to see Santa Claus, skip the lines and make an appointment to be on your way faster, and less chance of a baby or toddler meltdown. Kids can't wait to meet Santa, but you don't want to wait in line- Make an appointment to visit Santa at simon.noerrsanta.com.

Stumped for gift ideas? Let the KoP gift guide assist you or utilize the Gift card promotion: Buy 3 or more Simon gift cards, receive complimentary packaging for each card-Available at Customer Service. 

Or try a special helper! Need some help finding the perfect gift, make an appointment with the Mall's Personal Shopper for some complimentary assistance! http://www.simon.com/king-of-prussias-personal-shopping-service

When a slice of pizza won’t cut it, try Morton’s Steakhouse for dinner. Complimentary valet parking, a relaxing bar, and an open air kitchen, this restaurant has it all. Begin with a drink – try the Ginger-politan or a dirty martini, and an appetizer or spicy lobster bisque and rich French Five-Onion Soup.  Try a tender fillet or fresh seafood with huge, ready-to-share savory side as such as potatoes au gratin or bacon and onion mac & cheese. During our dinner out, I opted for the crab cakes and shrimp Alexander- tender, flavorful and full of sweet crabmeat, while Stephen enjoyed the 8 ounce fillet with truffle butter.

We enjoyed so much delicious food, which fueled us for our evening outing- a night at the Valley Forge Casino. Just a short drive from the mall, or use the Hyatt’s complimentary shuttle service, we enjoyed a round of drinks while wandering the casino floor and discussing the coming entertainment- Smokey Robinson and then KC and the Sunshine Band. The VF Casino does a wonderful New Year’s Eve. The casino also does a great lineup of comedians.

Sunday found us refreshed from our comfortable bed and our delicious complimentary Hyatt breakfast- omelets to orders, eggs, sausage, fruit, waffles, potatoes and more- this was such a treat. After breakfast we checked out and headed back to the mall to continue our shopping, this time at the Court. We got a good deal done, then stopped for lunch at Legal Seafoods. We both enjoyed a drink – the old-fashioned old fashioned and white sangria with fresh oysters and the clam chowder- which Stephen has never had before- he loved it and said it was the best clam chowder he has ever had!

Finally we headed home, sated and happy, having shopped for everyone and had ourselves a mini-break. King of Prussia truly has it all!

Special thanks to Natalie McCrea at the Hyatt House in King of Prussia.

Special thanks to Morton’s Steakhouse Managers: Christopher Goss, General Manager, and
Kate Schumacher, Sales & Marketing Manager.

Thank you: Kathy Smith, Director of Marketing and Business Development, and Kate Johnson, Assistant Director of Marketing and Business Development.

A big thank you to Brooke Hersh at KOP-BID for all her assistance!

1st Annual Beerfest Royale was a Rousing Success

The King of Prussia Beerfest Royale might have been a few days ago, but the heady scent of pumpkin beer lives on. Luckily, it’s October and the season’s best beers are readily available, from Wegman’s to the corner beer haus.

The kick off the feeling of fun in everyone’s hearts, the King of Prussia District (KOP-BID) in association with Rolling Barrel Events presented its first ever King of Prussia Beerfest Royale Saturday October 6 with a preview party October 5.

 

The event was held outside-with gorgeous weather- in a smaller lot across from the court. Lots of happy people enjoying the weather, the food and the beer made for a great weekend. The event Saturday was divided into two sessions, where people could enjoy their beer in the afternoon or evening

The preview party was a smashing success, with some of the best food and ales I have ever sampled. Under a big tent, revelers enjoyed delicious delicacies such as sautéed spinach, spiced chicken, sweet cornbread, bacon wrapped hors d'oeuvres, soups and more, plus all the beer you care to sample, in a complimentary glass stein that holds a hefty amount. Also, a cigar was included in your purchase, much enjoyed by all.

This event, the largest Oktoberfest-themed outdoor beer festival in the Greater Philadelphia suburbs, offered some of the finest beers around: amazing local craft beers with refreshing European beers.

 

Local craft brewers include: Box Car Brewing Company; Dock Street Beer; Dog Fish Head Craft Brewed Ales; Great Lakes Brewing Company; Lancaster Brewing Company; Rock Bottom Brewery; Sly Fox Brewing Co.; Troegs; Victory Brewing Company; Weyerbacker; and Yards. German brewers include: Augustinerbrau; Becks; Dab; Franziskaner; Hacker-Pschorr; Paulaner; Spaten; St.Pauli Girl; Tucker; and Warsteiner.

The food vendors also complimented the beers perfectly, with edibles from California Pizza Kitchen; Creed's Seafood & Steak; Doc Popcorn; Legal Sea Foods; Maggiano's Little Italy; Michael's Deli; Morton's The Steakhouse; Ruth's Chris Steak House; and Valley Forge Casino Resort, plus authentic German food. The desserts were also smashing. My favorite was cinnamon ice cream with pumpkin beer poured over it with toffee bits atop the ice cream. I must try that at home!

 

Giveaways, food, live music, photo opps and more made for a terrific weekend. Already looking forward to next year!

 

 

Event Website: www.kopbeerfest.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kopbeerfest

Twitter: @KOPBeerfest

 

Special thanks to Brooke Hersh and her team at the King of Prussia District!!

 

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