Burp Fest at Philly Beer Week 2026

Before there was a beer week anywhere in America, there was Philly Beer Week. The idea came together in 2007 when a group of Philadelphia beer obsessives -- bar owners, brewers, distributors, and writers -- decided their city's deep beer culture deserved a formal celebration. Tom Peters of Monk's Cafe served as president, Bruce Nichols of Museum Catering as vice president, and beer columnist Don Russell, better known by his pen name Joe Sixpack, as executive director. On March 7, 2008, they launched the nation's first-ever beer week with a ceremonial Opening Tap, using a custom-forged Hammer of Glory to crack the first keg. More than 300 events were held across the city that inaugural year. By 2009, the number swelled to 700, and the decentralized, grassroots model -- where individual bars, breweries, and restaurants program their own events -- became the template that over 100 cities worldwide would eventually copy.

Philly Beer Week grew into a ten-day, citywide phenomenon drawing an estimated 150,000 attendees to more than 200 venues across Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. Events ranged from tap takeovers and pub crawls to pairing dinners and homebrew competitions. The Opening Tap ceremony and Hammer of Glory became beloved traditions, often attended by local politicians including former Mayor Michael Nutter. The organizing body, later renamed Philly Loves Beer, operated as a nonprofit that entertained, educated, and engaged the public through beer events year-round.

The community was shaken in February 2025 when Rich Colli, the 44-year-old owner of Varga Bar who had become the driving force behind Philly Beer Week's operations, died unexpectedly from hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Colli had served as a volunteer board member for Philly Loves Beer for years, handling the unglamorous logistics that kept the sprawling festival running. His death left the 2025 edition without a central organizer, and individual bars stepped up to carry on the tradition in a fully grassroots format. The future of Philly Beer Week's formal structure remains uncertain, but the spirit of the event -- a city that loves beer, celebrating together -- endures. Philadelphia is not just the birthplace of American beer weeks; it remains the standard against which all others are measured.