By Lauren Hanat
AroundPhilly.com
I never thought there would come a day when the two most important beverages in my life would be found under one roof. Brew/ Ultimo read my diary; the recently opened spot serves up hand-crafted coffee, brewed drip-style alongside bottles of exotic and eclectic beer. Brew/Ultimo just opened on May 8th and so far only has coffee for sale, but the beer is coming soon, says owner Aaron Ultimo.
Ultimo, who happens to be a U.S. Barista Championship Certified Judge, went into this coffee business endeavor with his wife, Elizabeth. John Lawmaker, owner of the Philly Taproom directly across the street from Brew/Ultimo, is handling the beer end of the deal. In 2001, Ultimo began working with coffee. “It was quite accidental, but it became apparent that I enjoyed it a lot,” Ultimo says of the serendipitous journey. Ultimo himself is enough reason to come to Brew/Ultimo (as if beer and coffee wasn’t enough); running the show at his coffee bar puts him in the spotlight, where he flourishes like Tom Cruise in Cocktail.
