May 14-May 20 in NYC Beer Events: my picks

May 14, 2012 in This Week in NYC Beer Events | No comments


Happy American Craft Beer Week, Long Island Craft Beer Week & NY Burger Week!

*UPDATED DAILY*

Symbol Key:

♦= a Free event
♦= a Pay-As-You-Drink event
♦= a Flat-Fee event (all drinks included in the cover charge or set price)
♦= a Beer & Food event
♦= Free food will be served at this event
♦= a My Life on Craft Favorite (especially recommended by Mary)
*= updated or added after post was originally published

Monday the 14th:

♦*The VSK (Very Special Keg) turns into the VSC tonight at The Blind Tiger in the Village with cans of The Alchemist Heady Topper available at 5 pm.

Tuesday the 15th:

♦♦*The popular Pacific Northwest Beer and Oyster Fest returns to the Blind Tiger in the Village today at noon. This two-day event features a variety of drafts from Oregon, Washington & Alaska as well as Yaquina Bay oysters that are being flown in on the red-eye Monday night. Oysters served daily until they run out – get to the Tiger early to guarantee a plate. The UPDATED draft list:

      • Rogue Chatoe OREgasmic
      • Rogue Chatoe Single Malt
      • Rogue Chatoe Dirtoir Black Lager
      • Rogue Dad’s Little Helper
      • Rogue Brutal Bitter Cask Conditioned Draught
      • Rogue Double Dead Guy
      • Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner
      • Rogue Chocolate Stout
      • Rogue Captain Sigs Deadliest Ale
      • Rogue HazleNut Brown
      • Rogue Shakespeare Stout (Nitro)
      • Elysian Avatar
      • Elysian Men’s Room
      • Midnight Sun Panty Peeler
      • Midnight Sun Sockeye
      • Hair of the Dog Adam (bottle pours only)
      • Anchorage The Tide and Its takers (bottle pours only)

♦The free Tuesday Night Tasting at Bierkraft in Park Slope features five beers paired with five Taza chocolates. Arty Mallett of Taza and Matt Barclay of Bierkraft will be your guides for the 7 pm event.

♦*The $10 Tuesday Night Tasting at Jimmy’s No 43 in the East Village features beers from the Northeast tonight and starts at 7:30 pm. List coming soon… The list:

      • Maine Beer Company Peeper – bottles
      • White Birch Belgian Pale Ale – draft
      • Allagash Blonde – draft
      • The Alchemist Heady-Topper – cans
      • Clown Shoes – bottles
      • White Birch Tavern Ale – bottles

♦♦I rarely include wine events, but this is a good one – favorite winemaker at a favorite bar. 61 Local in Cobble Hill is hosting a State of Ferment tasting tonight featuring wine from the South Fork’s Channing Daughters and NY state cheeses from Saxelby Cheesemongers. The tasting is led by Channing Daughters winemaker Christopher Tracy and Brooklyn Fermented’s Adrian Murcia. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased here.

♦There’s a North Coast event at Mission Dolores in Park Slope. These drafts go up at 4 pm with discounts between 7 and 10 pm:

      • Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
      • Scrimshaw Pilsner
      • Red Seal Ale
      • Pranqster Belgian Golden Ale
      • Le Merle Saison
      • Brother Thelonious Belgian Abbey Style
      • 2011 Old Stock
      • 2011 Grand Cru

♦♦dbgb in NoHo has an Extrava-Canza! Whole Hog Feast tonight at 7 pm. This menu will be served family style:

House-made Charcuterie Selection

Whole Pennsylvania Green Village Farms slow roasted suckling pig stuffed with tomato, fennel, niçoise olives, and bacon

Chef Olivier’s beer braised sauerkraut, grilled asparagus, spring peas, and fingerling potatoes and ramps

Flaming vanilla, pistachio, raspberry baked Alaska

$80 per person, all inclusive – tickets available here.

♦♦*Empire Brewing takes over the taps at Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar in the East Village tonight. Join the assistant brewer, Brooklyn rep and founder for an Empire beer and 6 oysters for $12 from 5-7 (I wrote about Upstate’s happy hour in this post last week) and after 7, or Empire beers are only $5 from 5 to midnight. List coming soon. The list:

      • White Aphro
      • Liv & Let Rye
      • Empire Strikes Bock
      • Maple Porter
      • Empire State Pale Ale

♦♦There’s a craft beer tasting at Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Williamsburg tonight. Nine beers on tap – get a flight of four for $10 with free snacks and live music.

♦The new Upper East Side Pony Bar opens today at 3 pm at the corner of 75th St and 1st Ave with twenty taps and two casks of American craft beers.

♦Rattle n Hum in Midtown has a Harpoon event tonight. Around 20 taps will go on at 4 pm – a partial list:

      • Harpoon IPA
      • Leviathan Barleywine 2010 and 2011
      • Leviathan Imperial IPA
      • Leviathan Quad
      • 100 Barrel Series: Catamount Maple Wheat
      • Rich and Dan’s Rye IPA
      • Harpoon Summer
      • UFO Hefeweizen
      • UFO Pale Ale
      • UFO Raspberry
      • UFO White
      • Harpoon Cider
      • Harpoon Celtic Ale
      • Harpoon Dark

♦*Good Beer in Williamsburg has a Pennsylvania Tasting Event featuring Weyerbacher, Victory and Stoudt’s. Discounts on all PA flights, pints and growler fills from 6:30 to 9 pm. Bonus: get a brewery branded pint glass to take home with every PA growler purchased tonight, while supplies last.

Wednesday the 16th:

♦♦The Pacific Northwest Beer and Oyster Fest continues at the Blind Tiger. Please see Tuesday the 15th for details.

♦*SOLD OUT though there may be a few VIP seats left here. Tonight’s $10 Tasting at Idle Hands in the East Village is a special edition version celebrating the 29th Anniversary of Iron Maiden’s “Piece of Mind”. They’re pairing a beer with each of the nine songs on the album. Three breweries are being featured – Victory, Smuttynose and Blue Point. Here’s how it will work: pay $10 at the bar and get 3 full pours, 6 samples and an order of Tater Tots from That Burger with a specially made dipping sauce made with a beer from one of the featured brewerys. The track listing with each pairing:

      1. “Where Eagles Dare” – Blue Point No Apologies (Draft)
      2. “Revelations” Smuttynose Big A IPA (Bottles)
      3. “Flight of Icarus” – Blue Point Hoptical Illusion (Bottles)
      4. “Die with Your Boots On” Smuttynose Robust Porter (Bottles)
      5. “The Trooper” – Victory Prima Pils (Bottles)
      6. “Still Life” Smuttynose Star Island Single (Draft)
      7. “Quest for Fire” – Victory Golden Monkey (Draft)
      8. “Sun and Steel” – Victory Summer Love Ale (Bottles)
      9. “To Tame a Land” – Blue Point Rastafa Rye Ale (Bottles)

Reservations are required for this one! Please e-mail therev@yeahmanagement.com with the following: full name, number in party, contact e-mail & number.

♦Taproom 307 in Gramercy has an Artisanal Imports event featuring Belgian ales from the importer beginning at 6 pm . The list:

      • St. Feuillien Saison
      • St. Feuillien Speciale
      • Tripel Karmeliet
      • Kwak
      • Urthel Hop-It
      • Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge

♦♦The Stag’s Head in Midtown East has a Sly Fox event tonight. Free scrapple will be served at 6 pm along with these drafts:

      • Dunkel Lager
      • Maibock
      • Odyssey
      • Chester County Bitter on cask

♦Double Windsor in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn has a Founder’s event beginning at 7 pm. The list:

      • Curmudgeon’s Better Half
      • Nemesis 2010
      • Imperial Stout
      • Breakfast Stout
      • Double Trouble
      • Dirty Bastard
      • Centennial IPA
      • Red’s Rye PA
      • Porter
      • Pale Ale
      • Founders/Green Flash Linchpin White IPA (bottles)

♦The Empire Brewing crew hits Sunswick 35-35 in Astoria, Queens tonight from 7 to 10 pm. Giveaways have been promised. The draft list:

      • Empire IPA
      • Empire Cream Ale
      • White Aphro
      • Liv and Let Rye
      • Empire Strikes Bock

♦♦Two Door Tavern in Williamsburg is hosting a Stone Brewing dinner tonight at 7 pm. Five courses paired with 6 different Stone brews will be served at 7 pm. Tickets are $65 a person and include a Stone glass to take home – only a few remain, please call Erik at 315-380-5016 to reserve your spot.

♦There’s a BBQ Blowout at Good Co in Williamsburg tonight from 7 to 10 pm. $10 gets you a Brooklyn Brewery beer and a plate of food from Fette Sau and St Anselm’s Joe Caroll & Yvon de Tassigny. Complimentary evian water and a DJ set by Turing Machine.

♦♦The Manchester Pub on the Upper East Side has a Chimay 150th Anniversary Dinner tonight, with seatings at 6:30 & 9 pm. The dinner is $60 per person and reservations can be maid by e-mailing Lawrence@ManchesterPubNYC.com. The menu:

Grilled White Asparagus , Dijon Beurre-monte, Walnuts
paired with Chimay Tripel

Hen’s Egg , Roasted Sunchoke, Parsley puree, Ramp cornbread
paired with Chimay Premiere (Red)

Fried Celeraic , Smoked Eel and Green Peppercorn Aioli
Paired with Chimay Premiere (Red)

Chopped Steak , Limburger, Worcestershire, Carmelized Vidalia, Pickled Crab Apple Chutney, Toast Points
paired with Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue)

Darjeeling Butter Cake , Quark, Muisjees, Lemon-Stroop, Honeycomb
paired with Akvavit (traditional flavored spirit from Scandinavia)

Thursday the 17th:

♦♦Alewife Queens in Long Island City is having an Empire Brewing Tap Takeover with food pairing options available from 6 to 11 tonight. Each draft beer is available in 12, 16 & 20 oz pours or a flight of all four for $10.

      • Amber Ale
      • Empire Strikes Bock
      • Live and Let Rye
      • Wheat Wine

Each pairing is $7:

      • Magret Duck with Wheat Wine
      • Pea Risotto with Live and Let Rye
      • Mac and Cheese with Empire Strikes Bock
      • Shishito Peppers with Amber Ale ($5)

♦*The Thursday Tap at Jimmy’s No 43 in the East Village is TBD the De La Senne Zinnebir and will be tapped at 5 pm.

♦There’s a Ballast Point event at the Albert Hall Tavern in Hell’s Kitchen at 5 pm.

♦David Copperfield’s on the Upper East Side has a Rogue-Palooza beginning at 6 pm.

♦In celebration of the second annual Long Island Craft Beer Week, Bierkraft will be tapping kegs from their favorite LI breweries tonight at 7 pm.

♦Barcade Jersey City has a Schlafly event tonight at 6 pm. The list:

      • Kolsch
      • American IPA
      • Dry-Hopped American Pale Ale
      • Singel
      • Biere de Garde
      • Oatmeal Stout
      • Summer Lager
      • Raspberry Hefeweizen
      • Pale Ale
      • Yakima Wheat
      • Imperial Stout
      • Barleywine
      • American Brown Ale

Friday the 18th:

♦The Pony Bar in Hell’s Kitchen hosts their fourth annual Maine Event this weekend. Today through Sunday, they’ll be pouring beers from Allagash, Baxter, Maine Beer Company, Sebago, Shipyard, Seadog, Belfast Bay & Marshall Wharf and offering food specials including lobster rolls, scallop sliders and fried oysters.

♦George Keeley on the Upper West Side has a Flying Dog event tonight.

Saturday the 19th:

♦The Maine Event continues at The Pony Bar – please see Friday the 18th for details.

The Great GoogaMooga Festival hits Prospect Park this weekend. Check out the website for the scoop.

Sunday the 20th:

♦The Maine Event continues at The Pony Bar – please see Friday the 18th for details.

♦♦The Spring Lounge has teamed up with Peak Organic for a fundraiser for The Barman’s Fund. From 2-8 pm, all tips and the proceeds from 2 kegs of beer donated by Peak will go to the fund. Free food (chorizo sloppy joe sliders and more) is being provided by GROUND catering.

That’s it for now. My friend Chris O’Leary does a fine job of listing daily NYC-area events on a daily basis – please check out his picks (& other beer news) at Brew York New York.

Fermentation Friday: the 5 homebrewing books I use the most

May 11, 2012 in Fermentation Friday, Homebrewing | No comments

5 Favorite Homebrewing Books

  1. How To Brew by John Palmer.  This is my homebrewing bible and an absolute must for every homebrewer’s shelf in my opinion. John covers everything from extract brewing to decoction mashing to bottling in very readable and understandable manner.  I love his allegory for how mashing works.  I am still amazed at how much useful information this book contains every time I flip through it.  Highly recommended for every level of homebrewer.  The first edition of this book is available for free here but I think it’s worth purchasing the latest and more complete addition.
  2. Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff and John J Palmer.  I use this book in two ways.  The first is as a reference when I am formulating a recipe based on a particular style or two of beer.  It gives me a good idea of what base malts, hops and yeast I want to think about using.  The second is when I am feeling utterly lazy and want to brew to style – you can’t go wrong with any of these recipes.  Both extract and all-grain options are given for each style.  Highly recommended for beginner to intermediate homebrewers and those feeling lazy about recipe formulation.
  3. Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.  While this is technically not a homebrewing book, it is a fantastic reference for any homebrewer.  I use this book every time I teach an off-flavors class – Chapter 3, Brewing and the Vocabulary of Beer Flavor, is invaluable for learning the flavors & off-flavors of beer.  Randy covers classic styles as well as new, history, beer & food, judging and much more in this book.  Highly recommended for every level of homebrewer.
  4. Brewing with Wheat by Stan Hieronymus. Covers the history of wheat beers, the styles and variations.  I mostly bought this book for chapter 14, Four Resurrected Recipes, which contains Kristen England’s recipes for a Berliner Weisse, Lichtenhainer, Gose and Gratzer.  I’ve made all four of these styles and the recipes and information in this book were extremely helpful in formulating my recipes and brewing the beers.  Honestly, I found wheat beers pretty boring before I picked up this book but Stan opened my eyes – there are a ridiculous number of interesting beers to brew with wheat.  Highly recommended for intermediate and up homebrewers.
  5. Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher.  This one is probably my favorite of the bunch.  This book has provided more inspiration for my beers than any other source.  Although Randy does include some recipes for basic styles, this book is all about the weird stuff.  There’s a lot included in this gem – historical recipes, types of sugars, a lovely chart of herbs and spices, alternative grains, honey and so much more.  This book is designed to spark your brewing creativity – highly recommended for intermediate and up brewers and anyone who likes to color outside the lines.

What homebrew books do you use the most?  Please share your recommendations in the comments.

Hump Day Happy Hour: Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar

May 9, 2012 in Hump Day Happy Hour, Manhattan, NY Brews, NYC restaurants, Uncategorized | No comments

Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar mosaic
1. Upstate Craft Beer & Happy Hour sign, 2. Upstate Craft Beer & Happy Hour, 3. oysters & beer, 4. Upstate Craft Beer & Happy Hour taps

The Deal:

$12 for a beer & six oysters from 5-7 pm every day (closed on Mondays).

What We Drank & Ate:

We each had a beer and six oysters.  I chose the Keegan Ales Mother’s Milk Stout with 3 Mobjack and 3 Beaver Tail oysters.  Chris Cuzme had the Southampton Keller Pils, 1 Malpeque, 1 Mobjack, 2 Marin Miyagis and 2 Elkorn oysters.

Upstate guest check

yes, this is a faux receipt

Summary:

The bartenders: Extremely nice.  Both owners were there as well as a bartender and all were very helpful – excellent service all around.

The music: low volume mix of mostly alternative

The crowd/atmosphere: About a quarter full when we walked in around 6:15 on a Tuesday and almost to capacity when we walked out around 7:15.  Low-key diverse crowd – lots of couples, some singles and one family.  The room is lovely – a deep rectangle with a brick wall to the left and a wood wall on the right, a black & white tile floor and vintage fans on the ceiling.  A sanctuary from the city with a laid-back, timeless feel.

Overall: Super sweet deal.  The Keegan and the Southampton are normally $6 and the oysters range from $2 to $2.75 each.  Our bill would have been $43.25 (before tax) without the happy hour deal, so we saved an impressive 45% off of our bill.  There are eight tap lines that rotate frequently.  There were 19 oyster varieties available on our visit and the oysters we chose were extremely fresh and clean. The owners were very congenial, passing out free samples of beer (without being requested) and free samples of whiskey cake after our oysters.  We weren’t able to stay for dinner but are planning to go back very soon – the menu and dishes that passed by us looked delicious.  A highly recommended craft beer happy hour for oyster lovers.

Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar

95 1st Ave, b/w 5th & 6th St
New York, NY 10003
917-408-3395
Tues-Sun: open at 5 pm
nearest subways: F to 2nd Ave or 6 to Astor or R/N to 8th St

May 7-May 13 in NYC Beer Events: my picks

May 7, 2012 in This Week in NYC Beer Events | No comments

DSC_0241.JPG

Warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn

*UPDATED DAILY*

Symbol Key:

♦= a Free event or free beer involved
♦= a Pay-As-You-Drink event
♦= a Flat-Fee event (all drinks included in the cover charge or set price)
♦= a Beer & Food event
♦= Free food will be served at this event
♦= a My Life on Craft Favorite (especially recommended by Mary)
*= updated or added after post was originally published

Monday the 7th:

Tuesday the 8th:

♦Rogue takes over the taps at Rattle n Hum in Midtown today beginning at 4 pm:

      • Brutal IPA
      • Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale
      • Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale
      • Chatoe Rogue Single Malt Ale
      • Chipotle Ale
      • Chocolate Stout
      • Dad’s Little Helper
      • Dead Guy Ale
      • Double Dead Guy Ale
      • Dry Hopped St Rogue Red
      • Hazelnut Brown Nectar
      • John John Dead Guy Ale
      • Juniper Pale Ale
      • Mocha Porter
      • Morimoto Imperial Pils
      • Morimoto Soba Ale
      • Mom Heifeweizen
      • Nitro Stout
      • XS Imperial IPA
      • More TBA

♦♦One Mile House on the Lower East Side has a Sierra Nevada event starting at 7 tonight. Free samples, giveaways and these drafts:

      • Hoptimum
      • Southern Hemisphere Harvest
      • Summerfest
      • Torpedo
      • and more TBA

♦The free Tuesday Night Tasting at Bierkraft in Park Slope will feature saisons tonight and begins promptly at 7 pm.

♦*The $10 Tuesday Night Tasting at Jimmy’s No 43 in the East Village features wheat beers tonight and starts at 7:30 pm. The list:

      • Allagash White draft
      • Anchorage Galaxy bottles
      • Ayinger Weizenbock bottles
      • Schneider Hopfen Weisse bottles
      • Haandbryggeriet Dark Force draft
      • Schneider Eisbock bottles

Wednesday the 9th:

♦The Blind Tiger in the Village has a Captain Lawrence event today with these taps pouring at 3 pm:

      • Golden Delicious
      • Hops & Roses
      • 5 Years Later
      • Brown Bird
      • Fresh Chester Pale Ale
      • Liquid Gold
      • Captains Reserve
      • Kolsch
      • Xtra Gold
      • Nor’Easter
      • Wine Barrel Sour Golden
      • Cask: TBD
      • Bottle: Mother Barrel

♦♦The debut of the latest episode of Eat This NY is tonight at 7 pm at 61 Local in Cobble Hill. “Something Borrowed, Something Brewed” features Urban Oyster founder David Naczycz, Brookyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, Kelso Owner/Brewmaster Kelly Taylor and 508 Gastrobrewery owner/head brewer Anderson Sant’anna De Lima. The episode will be shown at 7:30 pm and a Q&A with the show’s producers and stars follows. The event is free with beers from the featured breweries available for purchase.

♦The $10 Tasting at Idle Hands in the East Village tonight features Flying Dog and Bulleit. $10 at the bar between 7 & 10 pm gets you: two full pours of Raging Bitch and Disobedience, tastes of Gonzo, Woody Creek and a third beer TBD, a taste of Bulleit, and an order of Tater Tots from That Burger with specially made dipping sauce made with a beer from Flying Dog.

♦♦Hospoda on the Upper East Side will feature a Beer and Dessert Pairing menu created by Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, pastry chef Lukas Pohl, and bartenders Frank Staska and Mickey Alexander
tonight through Sunday. Each pairing is available a la carte:

Lemon angel food cake, Poached peach, Beer & honey granitè
Paired with Brooklyn Summer Ale

Crumble cinnamon mango cake, Grilled pineapple ice cream
Paired with Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Tahiti vanilla ice cream, Caramel and milk chocolate ganache
Paired with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Thursday the 10th:

♦♦*Urban Oyster is presenting an Off Flavor Beer Tasting Class with Kelly Taylor of Kelso at Breukelen Bier Merchants in Williamsburg tonight at 7 pm. The class is free and a variety of Kelso beers will be on draft to purchase. UPDATE: Kelso Draft highlights:

  • Jack Daniels Barrel Aged Nut Brown
  • Maple Barrel Aged Industrial IPA
  • Sour Quad

♦The Thursday Tap at Jimmy’s No 43 in the East Village is the Makana Honeysun iQhilika African Chili Mead and will be tapped at 5 pm.

♦♦Standings in the East Village has a Founders event at 6 pm tonight. Five taps of Founders including the Kentucky Breakfast Stout and free pizza will be served at 8 pm.

Friday the 11th:

Saturday the 12th:

♦♦Jimmy’s No 43 in the East Village hosts the first ever NYC Beer Film Fest from 4-8 pm today. This short-short film festival will show webisodes from The Happy Hour Guys, Beer Nation, and The BrewHaHa, as well as sample film segments from American Beer, Beerituality, Beer Wars and a special preview of the much-anticipated Beer Hunter: The Movie. The film fest is free and beer will be available to purchase.

♦♦Brooklyn Based and Brooklyn Brewery present the the Total Red Hook Immersion today from noon-6 pm in Red Hook, Brooklyn. This neighborhood crawl features drink, food & shopping specials as well as a photo safari with prizes. Pick up your free immersion postcard outside Rocky Sullivan’s or Brooklyn Ice House to unlock these specials:

  • Complimentary Brooklyn Brewery beers or beer specials at these bars: Brooklyn Ice House, Rocky Sullivan’s, Botanica and Fort Defiance
  • Complimentary bottle of Local One when you order brunch at The Good Fork or home made
  • Discounts on lobster rolls from the Red Hook Lobster Pound, treats from Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie and deals at various retail shops

If you miss out on the immersion postcard, you can still join in the fun with $3 Brooklyn Brewery beers at Jalopy Tavern beginning at 4 pm. RSVP on Facebook to receive last-minute updates.

♦There’s a Declaration of Beer Independence event today at Terroir Tribeca from 3-5 pm. Part of the week-long Manhattan Cocktail Classic, the $44 tickets entitles you to sixteen beers and unlimited snacks for the duration of the event. Tickets are $44 and include tax & gratuities. The beer list:

TWO BROS
  • Dark Mild
  • Pillar of Salt (White Rye)
  • Circus Penguin
  • Cane & Ebel
LEFT HAND
  • Smokejumper
  • 400 lb Monkey
  • Stranger
  • Good JuJu
CAPTAIN LAWRENCE
  • Golden Delicious
  • Imperial IPA
  • Liquid Gold
  • Kolsch
21st AMENDMENT
  • Monk’s Blood
  • Back in Black
  • Bitter American
  • Watermelon Wheat

♦Maifest on the Hudson is from noon to 4:30 pm today at Pier 81 (W 41st St). There will be a German beer garden with beer & food for purchase, live music from German American band, “Die Spitzbuam” and live dance with professional dance troupe schlierachtler stamm dancing around the traditional Maipole. A one-hour cruise on World Yacht will be from 2 to 3 pm. Admission to the beer garden is $15, add an extra $5 to join the yacht ride. Drinks and food will be available for purchase – see the menu here.

Sunday the 13th:

That’s it for now. My friend Chris O’Leary does a fine job of listing daily NYC-area events on a daily basis – please check out his picks (& other beer news) at Brew York New York.

Fermentation Friday: Learn to Homebrew in NYC

May 4, 2012 in Fermentation Friday, Homebrewing | No comments

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As an avid homebrewer and current President of the New York City Homebrewers Guild, I often get asked, “Where can I learn to homebrew in New York City?”. A few years ago, I would have had a tough time giving them even one recommendation. But this has all changed in the last couple of years and we New Yorkers are lucky to have several excellent places to take homebrewing classes. Here are my recommendations, in no particular order:

Ongoing classes:

Brooklyn Homebrew:

Brooklyn Homebrew in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn is my local homebrew shop and offers two monthly classes – Homebrew 101: Beginner and Homebrew 102: Intro to All-Grain. They also offer an occasional yeast class and other homebrew-related events. The Homebrew 101 and 102 classes are $35 each and last around two hours. Both classes include full instruction on partial-mash (101) or all-grain brewing (102) and a tasting of beers of Brooklyn Homebrew-made draft beers. Participants in the 101 class bottle a previous classes beer and take home some of the bottles.

Bitter & Esters:

Bitter & Esters has a full electric brewing system in their Prospect Heights store in Brooklyn. They offer a variety of classes, ranging from Brewshop 101: Homebrewing Essentials to Brewshop 501: All Grain Brewing. These classes include full instruction on homebrewing. Bitter & Esters also have a series of Brew Like A Pro workshops, where participants brew a clone beer with the same ingredients and a scaled-down recipe as a commercial beer and more focused classes on yeast. The Brewshop 101 & 501 classes are $55 while the other classes usually range from $65 to $70.

Brooklyn Kitchen:

This full-service kitchen supply shop in Williamsburg offers a 2.5 hour Homebrewing class on a regular basis. They also offer more advanced classes from time to time. The Homebrewing class is currently $125 and takes participants through the extract brewing process. The class tastes beer brewed by a previous class and commercial examples and discusses how to homebrew those styles. Participants take home bottles brewed by a previous class as well as a Homebrew kit.

sidetour:

My friend and fellow NYCHG member Fritz Fernow offers homebrewing classes through sidetour. The $35 workshop is held at Fritz’s apartment in Cobble Hill. Participants get to watch Fritz brew a beer, sample some of his homebrews and have a complimentary pint at 61 Local with Fritz and the rest of the class after the brew session concludes.

Occasional classes:

(Please visit their websites to see if they have something going.)

  • Homebrew kit purveyor Brooklyn Brew Shop gives workshops and demos around town occasionally.
  • The Bowery Culinary Center at the Whole Foods Bowery on the Lower East Side has occasional homebrew workshops.
  • The Queens Kickshaw in Astoria recently held a series of classes on homebrewing.
  • 3rdWard in East Williamsburg has offered homebrewing workshops.
  • Sam Burlingame gives occasional classes around the city – please like the BrewHeister page on Facebook to find out when the next one is.

Once you’ve started brewing, please consider attending a local homebrew meeting or get-together – we’ve compiled a list of Tri-State Homebrew clubs on the New York City Homebrewers Guild site. Homebrew meetings are a fun way to get feedback on your beers, inspiration from others’ beers and further your homebrewing education. Happy Fermenting!

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Hump Day Happy Hour: Mary’s Bar

May 2, 2012 in Brooklyn, Happy Hours, Hump Day Happy Hour | No comments

Staying close to home with a bar in my neighborhood in the no-name zone between Park Slope & Sunset Park, Brooklyn:

Mary's Bar mosaic
1. Mary’s Bar, 2. Mary’s Bar Happy Hour board, 3. Mary’s Bar draft list, 4. Mary’s Bar snack mix

The Deal:

$2 off drafts, spirits and $5 house wines until 8 pm Monday-Saturday and until midnight on Sunday.  

What We Drank & Ate:

Beers, normally $6, were $4 each.  All beers were served in American pint glasses.  Mary’s doesn’t have a food menu, but offers “the best bar snack mix in the world”, according to our bartender.  I would agree – as pictured above, this is a mix of cheese doodles, pretzels, popcorn, cheese tortilla chips.

Mary's Bar guest checkfaux receipt by mylifeoncraft

Summary:

The bartender: congenial

The music: low volume mix of all kinds of stuff

The crowd/atmosphere: Pretty empty when we rolled in on a Tuesday just after 7 pm.  It was more inhabited but not crowded with a diverse, chill group when we left around 8:30.  Great feeling to the room – tin ceiling, lots of dark wood, wood floor, mismatched chairs, vintage-y lighting with a dart board and a pool table. Retro and homey.

Overall:  The draft list typically contains ten craft beers that don’t rotate often (see the draft board in the pic at the top of this post).  But for $4 a pint, you have a solid list to choose from.  Add in a charming atmosphere and a killer free bar snack mix and you’ve got one sweet craft happy hour.

Mary’s Bar

708 5th Ave at 22nd St
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-2175
Mon-Fri: 2 pm-4 am
Saturday and Sunday: noon-4 AM
nearest subway: R to 25th St

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Top Ten Tuesday: April 2012

May 1, 2012 in Top Ten Tuesday | No comments

The Top Ten appears on the first Tuesday of every month and encompasses ten of my favorite foods, beverages and events from the previous month. I love sharing good food & drink with friends and want to share some of my favorite experiences with you. In chronological order, here is my Top 10 for the month of April:

  • Sea Witch in South South Slope, Brooklyn – the new backyard and the Schlenkerla Eiche with the kielbasa sandwich I had on April 6. This is a killer backyard – wood walls, wood benches and tables, a pebbled floor, a waterfall and stream running through with koi in the top and bottom ponds. I will definitely be spending some time out there this summer.

Sea Witch backyard and kielbasa sandwich with Schlenkerla Eiche
1. the backyard at Sea Witch, 2. Kielbasa sandwich & Schlenkerla Eiche

  • Blind Tiger chef Tommy Harder’s meatballs at the Get Real Beer n Balls Festival on April 7. Wild boar, elk, and grass-fed beef prepared Moroccan kefta-style – delicious! Honestly, all of the meatballs were tasty but Tommy’s was my favorite.

Chef Tommy Harder at Beer n Balls

  • The Oaxacan Cocktail at Blueprint in Park Slope, Brooklyn – mezcal, buckwheat honey, fresh lime & cinnamon. Incredibly drinkable – a touch of sweetness balances beautifully with the smoke and spice.
  • Lovullopalooza at The Blind Tiger. Fantastic company and an outstanding draft list. I really enjoyed the Cantillon Mamouche, the 2009 Allagash Interlude and the Saint Somewhere Pays du Soleil.
  • The Carton Brewing Boat beer. I’ve been drinking this session ale whenever I see it on draft. This 4.2% beer is highly quaffable yet flavorful – juicy notes of citrus in both the nose and mouth deliver summer in a glass.
Carton Brewing Boat beerCarton Boat Beer
  • Hanging with the Empire Brewing Crew. Owner Dave Katleski, Head Brewer Tim Butler, and Assistant Brewer Olivia Cerio joined local reps Kati Stadum and Mike Feeney for a weekend of events this month. I joined them at the Pony Bar on Friday, April 20 for a pre-release of the beguiling White Aphro and then again on Sunday, April 22 at Birreria for an Earth Day tasting. I enjoyed the Empire State Pale Ale aka ESPA, made with New York State-grown Cascade hops, and the Wheat Wine, made with NY State-grown ingredients and malt from my favorite local maltster, Valley Malt. I love that they’re using local ingredients in these beers. This is one of the most passionate, fun and generous brewery crews that I know.
Empire Brewing crew: Tim Butler, Dave Katleski, Olivia Cerio, Mike Feeney and Kati StadumTim, Dave, Olivia, Mike & Kati from Empire

Empire at Birreria
1. The Empire Brewing/Dogfish Head tasting table at Birreria, 2. Jon Bloostein, Tim Butler and Dave Katleski

  • Barcade Jersey City’s First Anniversary Party. Great company, amazing beers & free chile dogs – who could ask for more? I enjoyed the Fisherman’s Raspberry Sour Wheat, the Allagash Saison Mihm and the Harpoon Crimson Warlock. You can view the full list here and here.
Allagash Saison Mihm at Barcade Jersey CityAllagash Saison Mihm
  • The Donut Crawl/Experience given by Hot Grease Radio host Nicole Taylor through Sidetour. This was a fantastic food crawl – Nicole was a great host, I had some insanely delicious donuts and met some really cool people. Looking forward to my next Sidetour experience…Donut Crawl

1. Kolaches from Brooklyn Kolache Co, 2. Clementine Bakery donuts, 3. Lemon-thyme donut from Dough, 4. Lemon-ginger donuts from Dough, 5. Salt and pink peppercorn donuts from Dough, 6. Blood orange donuts from Dough

  • Judging Brooklyn Wort. Brooklyn Wort is a fantastic local homebrewing competition organized by Brooklyn Homebrew and Sycamore. It’s not a BJCP competition but we used a similar scoring system. It was a pleasure to judge with a fine panel of pro brewers and local beery business people – Danielle from Brooklyn Homebrew, Justin from beer table, previous Wort winner Chris, Ben from Bierkraft, Sam from Kelso, Dan from Brooklyn, Jesse from Carton, Jay from American and Ian from Sixpoint. We had some terrific beers on the afternoon of the 28th – here are the winners:

Judge’s Choice:

      • 1st place – Douglas Flamm – Oyster Stout
      • 2nd place – Lucienda Chang and Bernie Gilbert – Milk Stout
      • 3rd place – Brian Craine – Heady Nuggz IPA

People’s Choice:

      • 1st place – Tom Allan and Kevin Lowry – Imperial Stout
      • 2nd place – Joe Enoch – Belgian Strong
      • 3rd place – Bryan Blatt – Chili Wheat

Brooklyn Wort April 2012 mosaic
1. The judge’s table at Brooklyn Wort April 2012, 2. Post judging: Jay Steinhauer, Dan Moss, Jesse Ferguson, Sam Richardson, Ben Granger, 3. Zack Kinney and Natalia Flores with the Habanero Hopper, 4. Danielle announcing the winners of Brooklyn Wort April 2012, 5. Brooklyn Wort April 2012 People’s Choice winners, 6. Brooklyn Wort April 2012 Judges’ Choice Winners

  • The All Duck Dinner at Jimmy’s No 43. A beautiful dinner prepared by Chef Brendon Corr. Six beers alongside – my favorites were the Fritz Briem Grodziskie and the Gueuze Tilquin. The Banoffee pie topped it all off – this is a recipe I need to try soon. A perfect end to the month.

All Duck Dinner at Jimmy's No 43 mosaic
1. Torchons on Rye with sautéed Ramps, 2. Mixed Green Salad with Duck Proscuitto, Duck Cracklings & Citrus Vinaigrette, 3. Sautéed Asparagus & Mushrooms with Goat Cheese, 4. Pulled Duck with Root Vegetable Maple Slaw, 5. Sliced Duck Breast with sautéed Mustard Greens & Rhubarb Compote, 6. American Banoffee Pie

I would love to know what eats & drinks you’ve enjoyed lately – please post your favorites in the comments.

(live blog) All Duck Sour Beer Dinner at Jimmy’s No 43, sixth plate

April 30, 2012 in Beer & Food, live blog, Manhattan, NYC restaurants | No comments

American Banoffe Pie:

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Absolutely scrumptious.

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(live blog) All Duck Sour Beer Dinner at Jimmy’s No 43, fifth plate

April 30, 2012 in Beer & Food, live blog, Manhattan, NYC restaurants | No comments

Sliced Duck Breast with sautéed Mustard Greens & Rhubarb Compote:

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(live blog) All Duck Sour Beer Dinner at Jimmy’s No 43, fourth plate

April 30, 2012 in Beer & Food, live blog, Manhattan, NYC restaurants | No comments

Pulled duck with root vegetable maple slaw:

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