âPhiladelphia is to beer what Sonoma is to wine,â says Keith Wallace to anyone whoâll listen. Considering the source, the proclamation, perhaps incendiary outside Pennsylvania, might sound outright puzzling within city limits. Thatâs because in 2001, Wallace, a winemaker, wine columnist, and author of two upcoming wine books, founded and still runs Phillyâs best-known vinology school. So why is he extolling his territoryâs beer lust at the expense of its pursuit of viticultural knowledge?
Because, acknowledging a craft revolution, heâs invited beer to take a permanent seat at The Wine Schoolâs table.
Wallaceâs partner, a burly bald man named Dean Browne, asserts the alliance as he introduces himself to a group assembled in one of The Wine Schoolâs classrooms on an early March night.