Be Safe, NYC

Our hearts go out to those affected by Superstorm Sandy, in NYC, Long Island and New Jersey. We’re looking at a pretty intense recovery, considering the flooding to the subway system and the power outages. To the city workers and first responders: you rock. Here are some resources if you need: 800 621 3362 (the FEMA hotline) FEMA The MTA Report storm damage The Red Cross Disaster Assistance  

Brooklyn Beer Summit Kickoff

The 3rd Brooklyn Beer Summit, a week long celebration of craft beer in Brooklyn, will kick off this Saturday November 3 at Sycamore on Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn. The bar and flowershop will combine one of their popular barbecues with a slew of cask ales. With the weather cooling down we should be getting back into the busy time of year for cask ale events, this is a good way to get back into them. The event will run from 2 to 8 p.m. The summit will also include events like a sour beer event at Mission Delores and a bourbon barrel beer…

Chile Verde with Captain Lawrence Pale Ale

We recently took an upstate getaway with some good friends. This amounted to a lot of food and a lot of beers (…and the Gagnam Style dance). One of the meals we cooked was chile verde (using this recipe from Simply Recipes), and we decided to throw in a bottle of Captain Lawrence Pale Ale. The chile was delicious, but when we ate it piping hot we couldn’t really taste the beer. The next day, however, the beer flavor came through. There was a noticeable richness that had taken on some of the maltiness of the beer. Definitely a positive…

Brooklyn Brine and Dogfish Head’s Collaboration

How the Pickle Company and Craft Beer Institution Came Together For Pickles One night, Sam Calagione (founder and president of Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales) was drinking a 60 Minute IPA, and tried it with a Brooklyn Brine deli pickle. “I thought, wow, the earthy bitterness of the hops in 60 Minute pairs up perfectly with the earthy bitterness of the pickle,” he said. So he sent Brooklyn Brine Founder and Head Briner Shamus Jones an email saying he wanted to collaborate. When Jones read the email, it’s safe to say he was a little surprised (he happened to be…

Brooklyn Wort

On Saturday, October 27, Brooklyn’s popular homebrew competition Brooklyn Wort returns. This edition will be held in Williamsburg at Public Assembly with sessions at 2 and 4 p.m. Twenty-five of the best local homebrewers will be on hand to showcase their hard work. It should be a great way to experience how good homebrew can be or to get ideas for your next batch. A $35 ticket gets you a taste of the beers and a plate of food from Cemita’s Sandwiches and Tacos.  A group of judges will choose a winner who will receive $800 and attendees will vote…

Pairing Beer with a Tri-Tip Steak

Dave Kassling, owner of Tri-Tip Grill (which has locations in Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center) generously gave us a couple of tri-tip steaks to experiment with beer pairings. This weekend we made up the steaks. They’re already rubbed, smoked and charred when you get them, and come with instructions on how to cook them…

Brooklyn Brewbadours at the Diamond

On Saturday October 27, The Diamond will hold its Brooklyn Brewbadours event from 4 to 7 p.m. Two Brooklyn Brewery employees will be bringing their bands, Yostee Velez & the Loose Ends Acousic Ween Set and Al Duvall’s 1920’s Punk Rock Banjo Performance, to supply music while the bar serves up beers from Brooklyn Brewery. We are excited to try Dial M for Mild, the most recent beer brewed as part of the Brewery’s Worshipful Company of Brewers series (limited batches brewed by employees), an English dark mild style at a nicely sessionable 4%. Those in a Halloween costume will…

Cider and Craft Beer

Cider has been getting a lot of attention lately as a follow up to the craft beer surge in recent years. There is a Cider Week (similar to Craft Beer Week) going on right now in New York City and even a well-known brewer like Greg Hall (formerly of Goose Island) crossed over with his new company Virtue Cider. This week the Tour de France restaurant group is featuring cider as part of its Apple, Sausage, and Beer festival by pairing one of the dishes with Docs Draft Cider. But not the whole craft beer community is supportive of the…

Anyone brewed the White House beer?

Check out this New York Times story about Garrett Oliver experimenting with the White House homebrew recipe. According to Oliver, the beer “is not without complexity, and it’s an interesting, broad sort of bitterness… it’s perfectly balanced.” Homebrewers out there: have you made the White House beer? What do you think?  

Apples, Sausage, and Beer Festival

The Tour de France restaurant group’s annual sausage and beer festival will run from October 19 to 26. The nine restaurants in the group have created a beer and food pairing. The week kicks off this Thursday with a festival at 404 on 10th Avenue. The group’s beer sommelier Gianni Cavicchi will focus the pairings on New York breweries like the Bronx Brewery, Kelso Brewing, Empire Brewing, and Ommegang Brewery.  The general admission beer list covers a wide range of flavors and styles from Bronx Brewery’s Rye Pale Ale to Empire’s Bistro Saison. Attendees who spring for the VIP hour…