We very much enjoyed the Opening Tap event of Philly Beer Week. It is truly amazing so many great beers are brewed so close to Philadelphia. We made sure to try all the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Brew-vitational winners that we could and were especially impressed with Earth Bread + Brewery’s La Saison du Capitaine and Sly Fox’s Standard Pils. A special nod of appreciation to the EB+B crew who made sure they weren’t carrying any beer out of the Visitors Center with them.

We also got our first taste of the Beer Week collaboration beer brewed by Sly Fox brewer Brian O’Reilly and the De Proef brewery in Belgium. Broederlijke Liefde (Brotherly Love) is a delightful saison that you should make sure you can grab before Beer Week ends. Tonight you can find the beer at Race Street Cafe at 7 p.m.

Next up we’ll be trying Victory’s Summer Love. We really enjoyed this one last year and look forward to seeing if it lives up to our memories. It’s official 2011 debut is tonight at the With Love Beer Garden at the Four Seasons.

Speaking of last year, 2010′s Philadelphia beer luminaries’ collaboration with Sierra Nevada is back after a year of aging in Russian River barrels. The beer, Exportation has already popped up at a few events and will definitely be at Fergie’s June 6th Sierra Nevada event. Word on the street is that this one is smooth.

Have any other must-try local beers? Let us know.