Evil Genius Beer Co. opens beer garden for the summer season, pays tribute to the Sixers’ playoff run

Evil Genius Beer Co. will officially open its newly revamped outdoor space this Friday with a beach-y luau celebration, plus draft pours of its Trust the Process IPA in a liquid tribute to the Sixers’ postseason run.

Dubbed the Evil Genius Beer Garden, the space — located directly next to the brewery at 1727 N. Front St. in Fishtown — will see its first full season of outdoor service this year starting Friday at 5 p.m. However, with bad weather on the forecast, the brewery asks that fans check social media for a rain date before heading out to the opening.

Founders Luke Bowen and Trevor Hayward previously debuted a smaller scale version of the outdoor space last year, but this year’s edition is “all grown up” with additions that include seating for 150 people and a refurbished outdoor bar with six draft lines.

”As we continue to make some very serious beers with very silly names on the inside of the brewery, we now want to give you a chance to take the fun outdoors all summer long,” Hayward said.

To mark the occasion, Evil Genius will celebrate with a luau-style party themed after the 1991 surfer crime drama Point Break, complete with tiki cups, grass skirts, and leis. On draft will be their Trust the Process IPA, brewed with oats and Mosaic and Amarillo hops, as well as a red wine hazy IPA dubbed They Did Surgery on a Grape, and their #adulting guava IPA, among other brews. Take out cans of various brews will also be available, including a limited amount of Trust the Process.

Food-wise, the beer garden will offer barbecue pork tacos with pineapple as a special. Hungry drinkers can also order food items like nachos, spinach and artichoke dip, chili con carne, and cookies-and-cream ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

Another selling point, Evil Genius notes, has less to do with humans, and more with our four-legged friends. The company considers the space “one of the most dog-friendly beer gardens in the city,” and includes plenty of space (and water bowls) to earn the designation.

Future functions planned for the beer garden include a dog fashion show, a seafood boil, and a series of weekly charity events known as “Evil Does Good,” during which the company will donate one dollar from every beer sold to a different charity.

Founded in 2011, Evil Genius opened its Philadelphia brewery and taproom, known as the “Evil Genius Lab,” in 2017. It’s indoor space features 12 rotating taps, batched cocktails, and food service. The location also serves as a place for Evil Genius to experiment with up to six new brews at a time, while a larger plant in Pittston, Luzerne County, which opened in 2015, brews larger quantities for distribution in kegs and bottles, a release states.

Since opening, the company has become known for its oddly named beers, which often take inspiration from pop culture and current events. As Hayward told the Inquirer back in 2017, the idea behind that approach is to appeal to the company’s core demographic: The highly maligned millennials.

“We see the marketing and names we use as kid of nostalgic,” Hayward told Bar Code reporter Samantha Melamed following Evil Genius’ Philly opening. “Stacy’s Mom [an American IPA] is our best-selling beer: The moment someone sees that name, they think of the song, which is a throwback to 2003. We have names that tend to appeal to people based on that nostalgia factor. Then, they enjoy the beer and come back for more."

The full tap list for the beer garden’s opening weekend is below: