With a 100-foot bar housing 60 beers on tap and six fire pits lighting 5,500 square feet of outside deck space, the gents of Public House Investments hit the mark with their newest acquisition, City Tap House.

For five years P.H. Investments has been adding to restaurant scenes stretching from Stanford, Connecticut to Washington, DC. The group, comprised of Brian Harrington, Gary Cardi, Chris Coco and Frank Falesto, operates a restaurant recon project, transforming old spaces and turning out local hot spots such as Public House (2 Logan Square), The Mission Grill (1835 Arch St.), and Field House (1150 Filbert St.).

P. H. Investments’ fourth addition to Philadelphia’s neighborhood opened Monday, May 10th on the second floor of the Radian on 39th and Walnut. While construction postponed several deadlines, the bar/restaurant opened just in time for Penn graduates to raise celebratory glasses and mugs with family and friends.

In a September 2009 interview for Executive Leaders Radio, Harrington, gave insight into P.H. Investments’ philosophy: “very sensitive to the wallet.” Public House builds their locations on quality and affordability, which is why we are seeing proliferation of the upscale pub model from this company. “Food always creates longevity and institutionalizes a place. It makes it part of the neighborhood.” stated Harrington.

Then why the concentration on beer? The man responsible for the Tap House’s beer selection and focus, Andy Farrell, began by highlighting the accessibility of the beverage. “With wine there is a price ceiling in the thousands, which is not available to everyone. However, with beer the most expensive bottle will still be close to $50. While everyone cannot afford that $50, if you want that beer enough you can save the money,” he pointed out.

Farrell brought to bear his previous experience at Brigid’s in Fairmount (known for their extensive Belgian beer selection), and a dedication to seasonals to help P.H. Investments bring the Philly pub scene to the next level. True to its name, Tap House offers 60 beers on tap; each selected specifically to pay homage to the breweries that do what they do best.

Searching locally, regionally, then globally, Farrell created a list of as many as 15 styles of beer including IPAs, sours, English bitters and German lagers all priced between $5 and $9. Twenty percent of the beer menu changes daily, while the other 80 percent, seasonal based, changes several times a year to offer favorites like Imperial Stout and Pilsner in summer when it is most refreshing.

With strong attention to detail, just a glance over the well-organized and extensive menu amounts to something like a crash course in beer education. After each beer there is a short description of the drink, its price, and alcohol percentage. While a happy hour to spur experimentation is still in the works, bartenders are well informed and offer tastes of unfamiliar blends upon request, allowing customers to sample outside their comfort zone.

The beers of the moment that most excited Farrell were two: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout ($7) and the South Hampton Double White ($6). The Chocolate Stout is an English Style sweet spec, usually seen in the nitrogenized cans rather than on draft, is “creamy and delicious, mild, sweet and well balanced — something to end the night on.” The Double White has good balance of citrus and clove, displaying a nice tartness that most wheat beers do not have. “It is accessible to food as well,” he commented.

Farrell worked with talented Uber-chef, Al Paris (formerly chef at Mantra and Zanzibar Blue) to create pairings for many of the American pub-style dishes.

The City Tap House kitchen boasts a rotisserie and two brick ovens. Though only open for a week and a half, fans are already partial to the brick oven pizzas including; Tartufo, Piancenza, Classic Margherita, Parma, and Abruzzi Peperoni. Priced from $10 to $14, can we blame them? Daily supper specials such as Rosemary-Mint Lamb Chops ($24), Suckling Pig ($21), and Bone-In Rib Eye ($29), make many wish they owned their own rotisserie.

Plates are set on wooden plank tables and beers slide across copper counter tops. Partridge Architects was commissioned to design the interior with a goal to match the environmentally conscious interior of The Radian. They materialized beautifully with a recycled wooded beam inner dining room and bar and a large, gently flowered outer space, adorning the patio seating.

In an interview with NBC Philadelphia, Co-owner Gary Cardi said, “This is a bar for guests who want to take the time to experience and savor interesting and unusual craft beers.” Farrell pointed out the laid back crowd, highlighting the restaurant’s west of Center City location as high point.

A quality cold beer, fingers warmed by a dancing fire, a roof-top view over Penn’s green campus and a gourmet brick oven pizza, listening to a live chanteuse on a starry night does make for a very sexy unwind and a definite step up in the Philadelphia beer scene.

Just returned from studies in Crete, Erica Hope is a Drexel University student and aspiring food writer. Her work has also appeared in The Triangle.

Article photograph taken by author, "Eat Drink Philly" photograph from suvodeb, via Flickr (Creative Commons), "Philly" photograph from camardella, via Flickr (Creative Commons).