April 12, 2024
Hannah Gohde/Provided Image
Hannah Gohde, who has been the lead brewer at Love City for about a year and a half, specializes in barrel-aged and mixed culture beers.
After earning a master's degree in environmental science, Hannah Gohde decided to move to Bucks County and work for Keystone Homebrew Supply as she tried to figure out her next career move. Over a decade later, she still hasn't left the beer scene and is the lead brewer at Love City Brewery.
"A lot of people that worked (at Keystone) now own breweries or brew professionally, so it was sort of like — to put it into sports terms — the farm leagues," she said.
Gohde said she's "a storyteller with beer," finding inspiration from a lot of different places and working backward by thinking about the end result first and then finding a way to get there.
"A lot of times when I'm trying to come up with a new recipe ... I will either think about a food or a beverage experience that I've had and sort of go, 'How can I create that but in beer form?' or 'That's a really great food, and I could think of a beer that would work really well with that, but that beer doesn't exist so let me create that.' So that's oftentimes how I start."
Gohde, who has been a professional brewer since 2015, has a background in mixed-culture fermentation and barrel-aged beers. She has been at Love City for about a year and a half, and is showing off her specialty skills for a new beer that will be available at the Callowhill establishment's sixth anniversary celebration on Friday, April 19.
For the event, she took last year's anniversary beer, a Czech pilsner called Hype Track, refermented it with brettanomyces (a wild yeast culture also known as Brett) and aged it 12 months in a Bluecoat Gin barrel with locally sourced lemongrass and rose hips. The result was Bonus Track.
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As for the Philly beer scene as a whole, Gohde said it's one of the best in the country and she would even put it up there internationally.
"There's a lot of stuff that gets distributed here that doesn't get distributed anywhere else, which is really cool," she said.
Here's Hannah Gohde handpicked six-pack. Each beer choice is based on prompts provided by PhillyVoice, and we asked her to limit selections of Love City's beers. The answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Polotmavy 12°, Human Robot, 5% ABV
Honestly though, pretty much any lager that Human Robot puts out pairs well with a pretzel. Polotmavy in particular though leans into that malt character, without being too roasty, and has notes of that are reminiscent of the outside of a pretzel. This has been a favorite beer of mine since they opened.
Lime City Lager, Love City, 4.0% ABV
Trick question because truthfully I'm usually drinking Twisted Tea or a White Claw during festivals (don't judge me). However, if I'm thinking of the perfect beer to pair with groovy good vibes, fresh air and summer sun, it's hands down Lime City Lager from Love City. From early spring through late summer/early fall, we do a lime and sea salt variation of our beloved Love City Lager. It's crisp, refreshing, and just enough lime character to scream summer. It's a crowd pleaser, beach beer, tailgate beer, pool beer, anything life throws at you beer, and perfect for movin' and groovin' with your pals.
Warwick Light, Warwick Farm, 4.1% ABV
It’s the perfect no nonsense light lager that clocks in at 4.1% ABV, so you can keep the taps flowing all night. Because let’s be honest, we all know that party isn’t ending before the sun comes up.
Marius Cherry or Solaire Reserve, Forest & Main, 5% ABV
If we're talking funky, mixed-culture beer, then it is anything from Forest & Main in Ambler. They produce some of the most beautiful saisons and mixed-culture beers. I fell in love with them when I first moved to the area back in 2012, and they continue to be a huge source of inspiration in my own brewing practices. Marius Cherry is so lovely and I look forward to having it anytime it is available. Each vintage year is different, yet stays within the same vein. It's really cool to taste the differences between blends and harvest years for the cherries. Solaire Reserve is another one that I always have a few bottles of in my stash. That's just a great saison.
Brawler, Yards, 4.2% ABV
Genesee Cream Ale is hands down my favorite beer of all time. I think anyone who knows me would say the same thing. However, if we're talking Philly beers, then I have to go with Yards Brawler. That is a definite go-to beer for me, especially when it's toward the end of the night and I want to keep the silliness to a minimum but still want a beer. Brawler is just perfect. Malty, but not heavy, nice notes of toasted bread and soft caramel, and at 4.2%, I can enjoy a few of these English Milds before it catches up to me.
Trail Beer, Tonewood, 5.2% ABV
We always have Guinness on tap at our house, so that will forever be what guests are offered first. However, Trail Beer Pale Ale from Tonewood is usually stocked in our fridge, as well. It’s easy drinking, has complex yet approachable hop character, and is pretty readily available in the area. Plus, the Tonewood crew are pretty stellar humans.
