Volume 3 | Issue 1 - Origlio Beverage

The Cicerone:
Dock Street’s own
Rosemarie Certo
If you are looking to enjoy great beer and want to indulge your
inner bohemian, the Dock Street Brewing Company is the place
for you. Located in an old firehouse on South 50th Street in West
Philadelphia, this microbrewery/restaurant has an urban vibe that
is palpable. The energy in the establishment fuels the creation of
award-winning tasty beers which are anything but mainstream.
The aroma of the house made pizza dough baking in the ovens is
almost intoxicating. The creative force behind all of this is Rosemarie
Certo. Back in 1985, Certo and her husband founded the
original Dock Street Brewery. They had sold the brand in 1998,
but Certo reacquired the rights to brew the beer in 2001. Back in
the business of brewing once again, she has reclaimed for Dock
Street its rightful place among the best beers in the world.
BTW – A Cicerone is someone who really
knows beer, and likes to talk about it.
D.L. What drew you back into the business
R.C. I remember having a conversation with Jim Koch and saying
that I was lost without Dock Street and how much I loved and
missed the craft beer industry. His response was, “There’s gotta
be a pill (to cure) for people like me and you.”
D.L. West Philadelphia is miles away from your original Center
City location both in distance and feel. What drew you to your
current location
R.C. Dock Street opened the brewery and restaurant at 2 Logan
Square in 1990. Before this opening, beer in general was relegated
to places with saw dust on the floor where the food choices, at
best, were chicken wings. Our corporate mission in opening Dock
Street was to elevate the status of beer in the U.S. Fast forward to
the present when I opened Dock Street Brewery and Restaurant in
West Philadelphia, the image of beer and beer drinkers had come
a long way. Beer has earned its rightful place as a noble beverage.
A lot of hard work and dedication from many pioneers in the craft
brewing industry made this happen. Now beer can comfortably
go back to its counter-culture, grass-roots philosophy that’s at the
heart of the craft beer industry.
D.L. The Beer Hunter, the late great Michael Jackson ranked your
beers among the best in the world back in the 1980s. What do you
think he would say about the beers you make today
R.C. My relationship with Michael Jackson has deep roots. We
met Michael in Colorado in 1986, close to the founding of Dock
Street and at the time he was just starting to spend time in the US.
He loved Dock Street beers and mostly our Bohemian Pilsner.
We shared many passions, including a passion for philosophical
conversation and world issues. To us, making quality beer was
bigger than the sum of its parts. It represented a lifestyle that was
filled with thought and creativity. Ultimately, making, inventing,
sharing and promoting the craft beer culture was the only thing
Rosemarie Certo , Owner of Dock Street Brewing Co.
we wanted to do. Dock Street grew up with Michael’s guidance
and immeasurable support. I was lucky enough to feel the same
support again when I saw him a few months before he died. We
talked about our passion and love for the industry and our passion
and love for life. He said that for health reasons he shouldn’t be
drinking beer but he wanted to taste the Illuminator Double Bock
again… we shared a small glass. His eyes lit up in approval and
seemed to me, filled with joy. I feel that he would love the beers
Dock Street is making today.
D.L. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take
one of your beers with you, which would it be
R.C. That’s a hard question to answer because it would depend
on the time of day. In the morning I’d want a Man Full of Trouble
Porter (or as I sometimes call it, Woman Full of Trouble). In the
afternoon and with dinner I’d have a Bohemian Pilsner and in
the evening I’d definitely want Prince Myshkin Russian Imperial
Stout (hopefully I would be stranded with a copy of the Dostoyevsky
novel wherein Prince Myshkin is The Idiot).
D.L. You are known for your limited production, “special release”
beers. What inspires your creativity
R.C. I really love to blow peoples minds and my own and I’ve
always been drawn to substance and quality. I am also a foodie
and that feeds my desire to make good beer.
D.L. What would surprise people about you and your beers
R.C. If they know me and Dock Street nothing much would surprise
them. So tell everyone to get to know us.
D.L. What’s the best part of being in charge of your own brewery
R.C. It allows me to be an Alchemist. When we make beer we are
changing yeast, water, malt and hops into liquid gold.
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