Today is the 58th birthday of Mike “Scoats” Scotese, who owned the Grey Lodge Public House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and as far as I know, he’s also still involved in the Hop Angel Brauhaus and Bonk’s Bar. Scoats is an awesome person, and I got to know him better when I took a trip to Belgium with a group of beer people from Philadelphia several years ago. He’s a terrific advocate for better beer, and helped make Philadelphia the great beer town it is today. Join me in wishing Scoats a very happy birthday.

Scoats at the Grey Lodge [photo by Danya Henninger for Philly.com].

Scoats at GABF with another of favorite beer people, Jaime Jurado of Abita Brewing.

Tapping a firkin.

That’s Scoats behind Tom Peters as I shared Belgian frites with everyone in Brussels a few years ago.