Mary’s Maple Porter is available February-April 2012, draft only.

It’s true….when he was a kid, Garret used to actually believe that the stuff he was putting on his pancakes was maple syrup. Well, everybody called it maple syrup. Later, he discovered the truth – that stuff he was eating was just sugar syrup with “maple flavoring”, various gums, and caramel coloring. Then he discovered actual maple syrup, the stuff from trees, and became enlightened. Hey, everyone evolves.

Brooklyn Brewery has evolved a lot lately too. About a year ago, a brewer named Mary Wiles joined our brewery team after spending 30 years brewing and doing quality control for a Very, Very Big Brewer. Mary evolved into a craft beer brewer, and now she’s doing our quality control, having fun while helping us make sure that Brooklyn beers are tasting great and ready to make you happy. But Mary has a bright thing lurking in her past, present and future – Mary has maple trees. A lot of maple trees. Actually, a ridiculous number of maple trees, acres of them, right northwest of us in upstate New York. And her family farm makes 100% real New York State maple syrup.

Real maple syrup tastes great on pancakes and waffles, but it’s awfully good in beer too. Porter is a classic British ale style that traveled to the United States, sustained George Washington during the Revolution, and later built London’s great breweries. Mary’s Maple Porter is a rich, dark ale featuring a large portion (50 gallons!) of her maple syrup in the kettle. After fermentation by our house ale yeast, the syrup is no longer sweet (yeast likes to eat maple syrup too), but the maple flavor shows through in a complex interplay with caramel, chocolate, and coffee flavors from our blend of roasted malts. An earthy hop note rounds it all out. It’s really tasty, especially with bacon.

The JakeWalk, part of a foodtastic triumvirate including cheese and artisanal provisions outlet Stinky Brooklyn and wine/liquor outpost Smith & Vine, rolled out a scrumptious 3-course beer dinner earlier this evening including a delightfully odorous cheese finale, all paired with some of Brooklyn’s most illusive imbibables, and each introduced in detail by Brewmaster Oliver:

You’ll find that all the doors are locked, and the windows are barred. There was no escaping the bottle-conditioned, vintage, barrel-aged and funky-yeast beers to come.

Bottle-conditioned Radius, at a highly sessionable 4.8%, stretches its legs.

Arguably the best course of the night, the chicken liver crostini drenched in kabocha squash soup and paired with the original batch of Local 1 was the edible equivalent of running the game-opening kickoff to a touchdown (sorry, football on the brain).

This trio of goat cheese ravioli displayed a mild hint of wasabi, the perfect accompaniment to Sorachi Ace.

Hold on to your butts: this beef sirloin and Brussels sprouts loved to publicly display its affection for Cuvée Elijah, Cuvée Noire aged in Elijah Craig barrels.

And last, but certainly in no way least, we reveled in the raucous, funky, downright stinky flavors of Grayson, paired up with “Wild 1″ — an adaptation of Local 1 aged in the same barrels from which a certain classified imperial stout develops its riotously delicious character, and then refermented with wild yeast.

The Italian bureau of Vogue – arguably the most fashionable of the fashionable — recognizes One Brewers Row as a Brooklyn “Hot Spot” (pictured above).

NY Post talks with Steve Hindy about Brooklyn the brand, and features the Brooklyn Box Set in its holiday guide:

The Washington Times names Sorachi Ace one the Top Beers of 2011.

Brooklyn Lager wins 3rd Place in the Lager/Pilsner category in CraftCans.com‘s 2011 reader poll:

El Vocero  Escenario reports on the arrival of three new artisanal beers in Puerto Rico:

Michael Fassbender (of Inglourious Basterds fame) enjoys a Brooklyn Lager in Shame:

Garrett talks “beerology” on Canada radio waves courtesy of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

AMA Bionda, The Companion Ale and BAMboozle all get some love in Yankee Brew News.

Finnish daily Ilta-Sanomat names Black Chocolate Stout the second best selection in their Christmas beer tasting:

Garrett jumps the pond to promote The Oxford Companion to Beer, pictured below at the Hook Norton Brewery in (the appropriately named) Oxfordshire.

CNN International bids farewell to “The Boss”:

It’s been 17 years since we brewed the first batch of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. It was the first beer Garrett Oliver brewed for us, and it was inspired by a homebrewed stout that I used to make. Garrett did it much better, of course. I recall my partner Tom Potter was nervous about making 6,000 cases of a stout beer. Tom noted that our distribution company, The Craft Brewers Guild, only sold a couple of thousand cases annually of stout beers, from Samuel Smith’s, Grant’s, Sierra Nevada and others. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout was bigger and stronger than any of them. We believed that it would be a winner and we took a chance. It sold out by January 1995. This year, we’ll sell 12 times that much. It’s a winner.

– Steve Hindy, President & Co-founder

NPR’s “Tell Me More” was recently host to our venerable master brewer, who with him brought a few beers into the studio for the producers to taste on air and in their minds envision the awesomeness that is the interplay of holiday foods and the diverse flavors of ale.

Although we often have dinner on the brain, we tend to enjoy it a bit more on the plate aside a glass of good beer. And so it shall be this holiday season.

We’re happy to announce that Draft Magazine seems to enjoy The Concoction, our second latest Brewmaster’s Reserve beer, just about as much as we do, naming it one of their Top 25 Beers of 2011.

In other Top 25 news, we’re happy to announce that people who like to read interesting things seem to enjoy The Oxford Companion to Beer, Garrett Oliver’s latest literary endeavor, just about as much as we do, as it is currently one of Amazon’s Top 25 Best Sellers.

Congratulations to the Brooklyn team, and writers across the globe, respectively, for drafting these beery successes.

[Occupy Monster's head.]

Gothamist reports that the new fashion trend this year is petware — there’s really only one attention-starved person participating in this phenomenon at the moment, wearing a cat atop his grizzly dome as he strides the city streets. Do you see how all of the human faces are blurred, but the luxury of anonymity is not granted to the feline? WTF???

Garrett was equally outraged and after reassuring me, “One cat can make all the difference,” agreed to help me out with a demonstration. We haven’t seen any immediate results yet, but what’s important is that we took a stand… or seat, rather. You get the point.

Across the Atlantic, Garrett Oliver’s Trek in The Name of Beer© continues. In conjunction with Oxford University Press and James Clay Importers, Brooklyn’s Brewmaster is hosting a series of beer tastings and dinners this week in England — the land that first taught him about good beer – to promote The Oxford Companion to Beer.

The Draft House Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2UP
7pm Monday 7 November www.drafthouse.co.uk

Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP
10:30am Tuesday 8 November www.brookes.ac.uk

Hook North Brewery, Hook Norton, OX15 5NY
6pm Tuesday 8 November www.hooknortonbrewery.co.uk

The National Brewery Centre, Burton upon Trent, DE14 1NG
12pm Wednesday 9 November www.nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk

Port Street Beer House, Manchester, M1 2EQ
7pm Wednesday 9 November www.portstreetbeerhouse.co.uk

The Cross Keys, Leeds, LS11 5WD
12pm Thursday 10 November www.the-crosskeys.com

We remember it like it was yesterday, but that’s because it pretty much was yesterday. Not long ago, Brooklyn was supposedly “Crooklyn”, a strange land where people spoke in tongues, cabs feared to tread, and you couldn’t get a decent piece of cheese. And BAM, the grandly-titled Brooklyn Academy of Music, seemed to stand as a silent sentinel, a remnant of a glorious past few seemed to remember.

Here at Brooklyn Brewery, we remember the real Brooklyn. We remember pioneering beer bars, wild Berlin-style raves at the Old Mustard Factory, the Liveri boys smoking the mozzarella in a little metal box every morning outside Joe’s Busy Corner, prosciutto sliced so thin you could read the newspaper through it, and jerk chicken that made your eyes water. BAM remembers our Brooklyn too, and helped transform it into a place everyone suddenly wants to be.

So, when BAM asked us to make a beer for their 150th anniversary, we wanted to make them something really special. BAMBoozle features a large addition of wildflower honey from the New York family apiary Tremblay Farms – we pick up the honey from Alan Tremblay at the Greenmarket. Blended with golden malts, it is fermented to a dry complexity by our Belgian yeast strain, and then re-fermented in the bottle like Champagne. When the cork pops, the beer shows a shimmering effervescence, a beautifully floral, honeyed nose, and a fresh light zing on the palate that belies its underlying strength. You have not had a beer like this, and neither have we. You can enjoy it now, but it will also age very nicely. Like BAM and like Brooklyn, BAMBoozle is in a class of its own. Happy 150th to BAM, its colorful crown restored, the once and future king of the arts.

While visiting Seattle on his recent tour in support of The Oxford Companion to Beer, Brewmaster Oliver (pictured above giving props to to the east coast) ran into a few familiar faces, namely the family of Brooklyn Brewery Operations Manager Karl Knoop. And although Karl’s father is wearing a shirt, his son has been seen in Williamsburg on at least one occasion wearing a barrel:

Come on. It’s too perfect for the beer lover in your life to ignore. Now available for purchase exclusively at The Brooklyn Brewery Company Store is the BROOKLYN BOX SET, featuring 1 copy of The Oxford Companion to Beer signed by Garrett Oliver, and 1 750ml bottle-conditioned version of The Companion Ale – this special Companion Ale bottle is only available as part of the BROOKLYN BOX SET.

The BROOKLYN BOX SET is $80.00, and can be obtained only in person at The Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11249) during our public hours.

With 160 experts covering more than 1,100 subjects, The Oxford Companion to Beer is the most comprehensive book to yet be published on the subject. To accompany the book, Garrett Oliver (Editor-in-Chief), Horst Dornbusch (Associate Editor) and Thomas Kraus-Weyermann (writer and master maltster) brewed our current Brewmaster’s Reserve beer, called The Companion Ale. Made with 55% new floor malts from Weyermann Maltings, The Companion is brewed in an old style called “wheat wine”, a wheat-based equivalent to barley wine. The floor malts give this beer a juicy malt character of considerable depth, 55% malted wheat gives it a surprising lightness on the palate, while our house ale yeast lends a gentle fruitiness.

Now available for purchase exclusively at The Brooklyn Brewery Company Store is the BROOKLYN BOX SET, featuring 1 copy of The Oxford Companion to Beer signed by Garrett Oliver, and 1 750ml bottle-conditioned version of The Companion Ale – this special Companion Ale bottle is only available as part of the BROOKLYN BOX SET.

The BROOKLYN BOX SET is $80.00, and can be obtained only in person at The Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11249) during our public hours.

With 160 experts covering more than 1,100 subjects, The Oxford Companion to Beer is the most comprehensive book to yet be published on the subject. To accompany the book, Garrett Oliver (Editor-in-Chief), Horst Dornbusch (Associate Editor) and Thomas Kraus-Weyermann (writer and master maltster) brewed our current Brewmaster’s Reserve beer, called The Companion Ale. Made with 55% new floor malts from Weyermann Maltings, The Companion is brewed in an old style called “wheat wine”, a wheat-based equivalent to barley wine. The floor malts give this beer a juicy malt character of considerable depth, 55% malted wheat gives it a surprising lightness on the palate, while our house ale yeast lends a gentle fruitiness.

Tuesday, 25 October, 9:30-10:30pm
The Bricks
1327 East 7th Avenue
Tampa, FL

Join Brewmaster Oliver at The Bricks in Tampa to enjoy $4 pints of Brooklyn Lager, in addition to Brooklyn Brown Ale, Brooklyn Oktoberfest, Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2011, Brooklyn BLAST! and bottles of Brooklyn Local 1, Brooklyn Local 2 and Brooklyn Sorachi Ace.

The passing of the seasons can be a bit tough, particularly that whole warm sun diminishing into cold snow thing. But still, it’s hard not to appreciate those hearty meals that come from hardy wintertime kitchens. Especially when they’re paired with beer.

CraftBeer.com went to brewmaster/chef Garrett Oliver for insight on the perfect four-course beer dinner for when the weather outside might be frightful, and here’s what he had to say:

Garrett Oliver’s Simple Four-Course Beer Dinner
by Garrett Oliver

This summer, while hanging out at the beach, lounging in the sunshine and hurling Frisbees across parks, you have to admit that you didn’t think much about the kitchen. Sure, the morning coffee came from the kitchen and the fridge was in there too, keeping your beer cold and the salad crisp, but that was about it. Now that the weather’s turning colder, most of us will give up the grill and re-embrace the kitchen, the stove, big iron pans and the things they can do… Read more

[Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times]

We are thrilled to be finding a bevy of positive press in response to The Oxford Companion to Beer, a new reference guide on our favorite beverage edited by Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver. Read more for a sampling, and check back for incoming additions:

The New York Times

Village Voice

Financial Times

Time Out NY

Bon Appetit

SF Weekly

Grub Street

Mobile Press Register

A Good Beer Blog

Pete Brown’s Beer Blog

The CU Independent

Tasting Table

New Yorker Book Bench

Houston Chronicle

LA Weekly

[Courtesy of an Internet page called Eater.]

Garrett Oliver insightfully points out that the recent surge in the popularity of craft beer does not signify a new trend or fad, but rather a return to normality. Myself, and many others I’ve spoken with on the subject, believe there is an analogous relationship between craft beer and Cats on The Internet, namely that Our rising online prowess is a result of the canine being seen for what it really is: an inauthentic, less dignified version of the feline. Beer drinkers and animal lovers deserve, demand, and are receiving better.

This is not just my opinion. The venerable New York Times food critic and craft cat aficionado Sam Sifton is known to have used the preferred pet as the voice of his most honest reviews. A sampling has been republished here by Eater.

[The Companions: Editor-in-Chief Oliver and his new book.]

Brewmaster Oliver left Brooklyn today and will not return for three weeks. During the days to come he’ll be visiting a handful of beer-loving cities (listed below) to support his latest literary effort, four years in the making: The Oxford Companion to Beer. With 160 experts covering more than 1,100 subjects, it is the most comprehensive book to yet be published on the subject of beer.

Denver, CO
Sep 29–Oct 2

San Francisco, CA
Oct 3–Oct 4

Portland, OR
Oct 5

Seattle, WA
Oct 6–Oct 7

Twin Cities, MN
Oct 8 — Oct 10

Chicago, IL
Oct 11–Oct 13

Cleveland, OH
Oct 14

[Yunhee Kim for The New York Times]

The Minimalist himself, Mark Bittman of the New York Times, gets complex with Garrett on using beer as an ingredient.

“I learned how to drink beer with food (beyond hot dogs, Indian food and the like) from Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster of New York’s Brooklyn Brewery and editor in chief of the soon-to-be-published “Oxford Companion to Beer.” So it seemed only natural, when I found myself cooking with beer more often, to ask Garrett how to determine what’s best.”

For the whole piece and Mark’s recipes go here.

Here’s to hoping you haven’t reached your article limit for the month.

[Yunhee Kim for The New York Times]

The Minimalist himself, Mark Bittman of the New York Times, gets complex with Garrett on using beer as an ingredient.

“I learned how to drink beer with food (beyond hot dogs, Indian food and the like) from Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster of New York’s Brooklyn Brewery and editor in chief of the soon-to-be-published “Oxford Companion to Beer.” So it seemed only natural, when I found myself cooking with beer more often, to ask Garrett how to determine what’s best.”

For the whole piece and Mark’s recipes go here.

Here’s to hoping you haven’t reached your article limit for the month.

Monday, August 15, 7pm
The Diamond
43 Franklin St (b/w Quay St & Calyer St)
Brooklyn, NY 11222

Join Brewmaster Oliver and his brewing team at The Diamond to sample some Brooklyn Ghost Bottles: rare, mostly bottle conditioned beers not available for sale in the mortal world. We’ll be pouring:

+ Crochet Rouge Rosé (Local 1 barrel-aged on chardonnay and Pinot noir lees)
+ Crochet Rouge Riesling (Local 1 barrel-aged on Riesling lees)
+ Barrel-aged Cuvée Noire
+ Black Ops Late Bottle Vintage 2007

Also available will be a selection of specialty cask and draft items, including Sorachi Ace on tap.

For the past four years, brewmaster Garrett Oliver has been working on a massive project. It’s the ultimate beer collaboration, but it’s not a beer.  Published this September by Oxford University Press, it’s The Oxford Companion to Beer, the most comprehensive book on beer ever published, featuring 160 experts covering more than 1,100 subjects. It’s a momentous thing, so Garrett (Editor-in-Chief), Horst Dornbusch (Associate Editor, writer, scholar, man-about-town) and Thomas Kraus-Weyermann (writer and master maltster) hatched a plan. Together, they brewed our next Brewmaster’s Reserve beer, called The Companion.

Thomas created special new floor malts for The Companion, which is brewed in an old style called “wheat wine”, a wheat-based equivalent to barley wine. The floor malts give this beer a juicy malt character of considerable depth, 55% malted wheat gives it a surprising lightness on the palate, while our house ale yeast lends a gentle fruitiness. The Oxford Companion will impart knowledge, while The Companion imparts conviviality. Maybe you really can have it all?

Tuesday, August 9, 7-10pm
City Tap House
3925 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3624
(215) 662-0105

Join Brewmaster Garrett Oliver on August 9 at City Tap House in Philadelphia to enjoy up to eight Brooklyn Brewery taps. Included in the mix will be The Concoction, our current cocktail-inspired Brewmaster’s Reserve, and vintage Monster Ale and Black Chocolate Stout. Special food pairings prepared by City Tap House will round out this flavorful evening in the City of Brotherly Love.

[A walk in the park.]

After I became even more famous last week, I decided being Host of Happy Hour isn’t enough. I want to be Brewmaster. So I started flipping through technical manuals and discovered something remarkable: making good beer is so easy.

Garrett (shown here annoying me) did not care too much for this conclusion, and insisted quite sternly why it is impossible for me to brew, namely that I’m not even allowed to enter the brewhouse, nor am I equipped with opposable thumbs, plus I’m not strong enough to move kegs and malt bags.

Dog dirt, Garrett. They said the same thing about Rudy, and his beer is damn delicious.

[A walk in the park.]

After I became even more famous last week, I decided being Host of Happy Hour isn’t enough. I want to be Brewmaster. So I started flipping through technical manuals and discovered something remarkable: making good beer is so easy.

Garrett (shown here annoying me) did not care too much for this conclusion, and insisted quite sternly why it is impossible for me to brew, namely that I’m not even allowed to enter the brewhouse, nor am I equipped with opposable thumbs, plus I’m not strong enough to move kegs and malt bags.

Dog dirt, Garrett. They said the same thing about Rudy, and his beer is damn delicious.

[photo © Nathan Rawlinson]

Aside from simply being delicious, our recent beer dinner at Eleven Madison Park, one of the best restaurants in the world, is a testament to the developing notion that great food and great beer are born for each other. We’re glad to find that we are in growing good company when it comes to this once-radical concept.

Read here for a great write-up on the EMP beer dinner from Food & Wine. Photos from Nathan Rawlinson live on this page, and a video by Christian DeBenedetti is housed here.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, July 15 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $4/each or six for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each

Brooklyn Concoction (7.6% abv) – 2 tokens
Brooklyn BLAST! (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Summer Ale (5.0% abv)
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% abv)
Brooklyner Weisse (5.0% abv)
Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55 (5.0% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)

BIG BOTTLE POURS // 3 tokens each, includes complimentary Souvenir Logoed Stemware Glass

Brooklyn Local 1 (9% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9% abv)
Brooklyn Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)

SPECIAL :: Summer Ale cans (5.0% abv)

The Brooklyn Brewery is open to the public:

+ Mon-Thu from 5-7pm for reservation-only Small Batch Brewery Tours ($8/person)
+ Friday from 6-11pm for Happy Hour (entrance is free)
+ Saturday from 12-8pm for Happy Hour & Tours (free tours on the hour from 1-5pm; no reservations required)
+ Sunday from 12-6pm for Happy Hour & Tours (free tours on the hour from 1-4pm; no reservations required)

Wednesday, August 17, 12-2pm
Pack’s Tavern
20 South Spruce Street
Asheville, NC 28801
$40/person

First Course
Local goat cheese and fresh berries sour wood honey
paired w/ Cuvee de la Crochet Rouge (Riesling)

Second Course
Fennel jicama slaw
paired w/ Brooklyner Weisse

Third Course
Pork belly taco
paired w/ Brooklyn Brown Ale

Fourth Course
Cinnamon butter poached trout fried apple
paired w/ Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Fifth Course
stout ice cream chocolate covered bar pretzels
paired w/ Black chocolate Stout 2010

Wednesday, August 17, 7-9pm
Cedrick’s Tavern Event Hall on the Biltmore Estate
Asheville, NC
$95/pp incl. tax/tip

Read more for the full menu.

Reception // Brooklyn Cuvee de la Crochet Rouge Rosé

Amuse Bouche
Creamed Corn Shot
House pancetta crisps
paired w/ Brooklyn Local 1

Appetizer
Pork Lollipops
Black Barley Hoppin John, Stout Collards
Blackberry Ale Glaze
paired w/ Brooklyn Local 2

Salad
Bitter Greens with Cherokee Purple Tomato Vinaigrette,
Tomato Gelee, Quail Scotch egg, Beer and Cheese Cracker
Smoked Trout Cracklin
paired w/ Brooklyner Weisse

Fish
Fish and Chips
Potato Crusted North Carolina Striped Bass
Mushy English Peas, Malt Butter
paired w/ Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Intermezzo
Samplings of Watermelon
Granite-Sorbet-Candied

Meat
Beef Nose to Tail
Lager Braised Cheeks, Grilled Strip Loin, Braised Tail
Potato Puree, Mushroom Fricassee, Caraway Gnuddi
paired w/ Cuvée Noire

Dessert
Crispy Peanut Meringues, Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse,
Milk Chocolate Ganache, Dense Chocolate Cake, Caramel Crunch,
Sea Salt and Honey Ice Cream
paired w/ [CONFIDENTIAL]

Chocolate
Caramel and Porter Dark Chocolate Truffle
Powdered Caramel, Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

Monday, July 18, 5-8pm
Whole Foods Bowery
95 East Houston St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 420-1320
Free

On July 18, we’re teaming up with the folks at Coach Farm to pair Brooklyn Sorachi Ace and Coach Farm goat cheese. The event will be led by Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver and a member of the Coach team. Come sample the delights, hear from the producers, and be sure to grab some of the deliciousness to go to repeat the goodness at home — in addition to Big Bottles of Sorachi Ace, there will be growlers of both The Concoction and Brooklyner Weisse.

[Brooklyn Brewery Nine Pin & Local 11.]

Garrett & his crew have a lot of tasty ideas. Lucky for us beer lovers, many of these imaginations come to full, vibrant fruition: we are debuting two new beers made for and sold exclusively at Eleven Madison Park, versions of Brooklyn Brown Ale and Local 2 aged on 20 year Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels; we’re now serving Brooklyn High Line Elevated Wheat at the High Line’s Lot on Tap; and soon we’ll be sharing the results of aging our beer on wine lees (sediment) from local wineries.

Read more about our EMP beers, Nine Pine and Local 11, via this article courtesy of Gotham Magazine. And listen to the Brewmaster himself share his mind on these new brews right here on Snacky Tunes, courtesy of the Heritage Radio Network.

Monday, May 16 @ Effin Gruven
Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver and Southampton Brewmaster Phil Markowski bring the big guns (classic, rare and obscure beer) to Effin Gruven in Bellmore. Call for tickets: (516) 409-1415

Wednesday, May 18 @ Ruvo
Learn how to make 4 regional BBQ sauces, listen to live blues and enjoy libations from Brooklyn Brewery. See the details here.

Friday, May 20 @ Stony Brook Beverage
Long Island Brand Manager Joe Mollura is giving away beer. Enjoy take-home specials on 12-oz bottles of Brooklyn as well as Big Bottles Local 1 and Local 2, and growler fills.

[A friendly toast with sommelier Ulla Häkkinen before destroying her in a Beer Vs Wine food pairing showdown]

Here in Brooklyn our minds are presently bent towards Scandinavia, as Brewmaster Garrett Oliver has traversed the Atlantic to partake in an exciting collaborative effort that has sent 150 bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Distillery to Sweden, along with the entire Brooklyn brewing team, to barrel the 175th Anniversary version of Carlsberg’s classic Carnegie Porter.

See the slideshow below for pictures of barreling and beer dinners (and stay tuned for updates):

On the other side of the beer spectrum, the brewers will also celebrate the launch of Brooklyn Summer Ale at Marie Laveau, a popular bar, restaurant, nightclub and concert venue in Stockholm. And the trip wouldn’t be complete without a beer and food pairing: at the flagship Brooklyn venue in Stockholm, AG (partly owned by celebrated Swedish chef Johan Jureskog) the Brooklyn team will assist the staff in guiding guests to select the best Brooklyn beers with their meals.

[Garrett conducts a tasting at Marie Laveau]

Post-barreling, the brewers will head back home, but Garrett pushes on for a soiree of tastings and dinners, sprinkled with bar and restaurant visits and interviews from top Scandinavian media outlets, including TV appearances on Norway’s TV2 and Sweden’s FST. In Finland, the main event is a Beer & Wine Dinner at Grotesk. Garrett and sommelier Ulla Häkkinen from Restaurant Pöllöwaari in Jyväskylä will face off in a Beer v. Wine battle in front of an audience of 50 people. Ms. Häkkinen may have been awarded twice as the Sommelier of the Year, but Garrett is armed with an astounding track record of illuminating diners on the pleasure of pairing beer with food. Place your bets now! On to Norway, highlights include Garrett being presented with beer from the top Norwegian Home Brewer, and conducting a Brewmaster’s Buffet beer and food pairing event at Ringnes Beer Centre.

[UPDATE 5/5 :: Check out photos HERE of Garrett at the Ringnes Centre entertaining brewers, bloggers and beer lovers.]

Enjoy the Skype video interview with Garrett below from Beer Sweden. We’ll be posting more photos and video as they come in, so check back often!

[photo by Stefano Giovannini]

Wednesday, May 11, 6:15-6:45pm & 8:30-9:00pm
Drink
348 Congress Street
Boston, MA
Cost: $75
Reservations made through Menton by calling 617.737.0099
(credit card required to hold reservations)

Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy a 5-course Beer Dinner with Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery and author of The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food, at Drink, a Fort Point bar entirely dedicated to the craft of the cocktail.

Reception
Selection of Cheese, Charcuterie, and Crudites
w/ Brooklyn Local 1

Fennel Salad
Nuts, pecorino, honey
w/ Brooklyner Weisse

Steamers and Fried Clams
w/ Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Regional Tasting of BBQ
Traditional sides
w/ Brooklyn Reinschweinsgebot (the infamous “bacon” beer)

Quadrello di Bufala
w/ Brooklyn Wild 1

Rum Raisin & Brown Bread Ice Cream Sandwich
w/ Brooklyn Black Ops

Thursday, May 12, 6:30pm
Chatham Bars Inn
297 Shore Road
Chatham, MA 02633
$95 Per Person
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Needy Fund of Cape Cod and Children’s Hospital of Boston

From Chatham Bars Inn:

Join us for this five course beer dinner hosted by Chatham Bars Inn Executive Chef Anthony Cole and Garret Oliver, renowned brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and author of The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food. Call 508-945-0096 for reservations.

Pork Belly – Chicharron Carnudo
Sea Salt, Lemon
w/ Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Pan Seared Sea Scallop
Roasted Corn, Wild Mushrooms, Tomatillo Coulis
w/ Brooklyn Local 2

Roasted Garlic Gnocchi
Lobster, Crispy Citrus and Fresh Peas
Truffle Butter
w/ Brooklyn Local 1, Original Assay 2006

Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs
Roasted Root Vegetables
w/Brooklyn Brown Ale

Baked Mocha Custard Tart
Salted Pretzel Ice Cream, Peanut Butter Anglaise
w/ Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

UPDATE 4/22/2011 :: Blind Tiger was filled to the brim with ale aficionados and rare Brooklyn beers: another great annual tap takeover at NYC’s premier craft beer bar. Be sure to read this awesome blog post about our esteemed Brewmaster from Blind Tiger owner Dave Brodrick.

Wednesday, April 20, 3pm
Blind Tiger Alehouse
281 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 462-4682

Well friends, if you want to visit Beer Heaven without that whole cumbersome dying part, be sure to join us at Blind Tiger on April 20 when we take over the taps with 100% Brewmaster’s Reserves and Vintage Beers. We are honored to receive regular requests for the resurgence of past small-batch beers such as Dark Matter, Manhattan Project and Intensified Coffee Stout, and look forward to sharing some of the last remaining kegs with you at Blind Tiger.

Check out the list here:

+ Dark Matter
+ Manhattan Project
+ Cuvée Noire
+ Savoir Faire
+ Cuvée de Cardoz
+ Intensified Coffee Stout
+ Cookie Jar Porter
+ Main Engine Start
+ Dark Matter 2007 Cask
+ Wild One
+ Local 1 2006 (First Test Batch)
+ 1997 Black Chocolate Stout

[Photos by Adam Schneider]

Tuesday, April 19, 7:30pm
The Vanderbilt
570 Vanderbilt Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
$50.00 per person
For reservations, call 718.623.0570 or email info@thevanderbiltnyc.com

Culinary heavyweights Saul Bolton and Garrett Oliver have teamed up to present an exclusive Belgian-themed beer at Brooklyn’s The Vanderbilt. Four courses will be paired with Brooklyn Brewery beer (one of which, Wild One, is not available for public sale) for just $50. In addition, diners will take home a souvenir Belgian-style crystal beer goblet. This, friends, is a dinner not to miss.

See the menu here and below:

Brooklyn Local 1

White Asparagus
Poached Egg, House-cured Pancetta, Sabayon
w/ Brooklyner Weisse

Moule Frites
Bouchot Mussels, Pommes Frites, Aioli
w/ Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Traditional Belgian Sausage
Potato and Vegetable Mash
w/ Brooklyn Wild One

Waffle Cone
Belgian Chocolate, Orange Ice Cream, Pistachio
w/ Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Check it out here:

Thursday, April 7, 6pm
The Gate
321 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Don’t miss out on this chance to enjoy some rare and no longer available Brooklyn beers at The Gate, Park Slope’s premier beer bar. Our lineup will include our current Brewmaster’s Reserve Main Engine Start, past (no-longer-available) Brewmaster’s Reserves Detonation Ale and Dark Matter, and Vintage Monster Ale and Black Chocolate Stout.

And in attendance will be The Creator himself: Brewmaster Garrett Oliver.

Friday, March 18, 7 pm
Craftsteak
350 Trolley Line Boulevard
Mashantucket, CT 06338
$120 per person (tax & tip included)

From Craftsteak:

Acclaimed chef Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak experience begins the moment you enter the striking dining room, fashioned from Brazilian Walnut, bronze, leather and steel. The menu is equally impressive, boasting an extensive array of steaks, including Corn-Fed and Grass-Fed Beef as well as various cuts of Wagyu Beef from Japan. A mouth-watering selection of fresh fish and shellfish is, of course, always available.

Buy tickets HERE. See the menu below:

Cured Salmon, Heart of Palm, Smoked Egg, Pickled Romaine
paired w/ Sorachi Ace

Braised Stonington Lobster, Sunchoke, Sea Urchin, Fennel Marmalade
paired w/ Local 1

Roasted Duck, Duck Brodo, Keiwa Kumquat, Pastina
paired w/ East India Pale Ale

Confit of Pork Belly, Maitake Mushroom, Parsley Root, Banyuls Syrup
paired w/ Local 2

Corned Beef Cheek, Brussel Sprout, Potato-Truffle Pierogi, Caraway
paired w/ Brown Ale

These are Cheese
paired w/ Monster Ale

Guanaja Chocolate Tart, Vanilla Malt Ice Cream & Cacao Nib
paired w/ Black Chocolate Stout

Tuesday, February 8, 5pm-closing
Anfora
34 8th Avenue
New York, NY
212.518.272

Join Brewmaster Garrett Oliver this Tuesday at Anfora as The Brooklyn Brewery is featured in their Tuesday “Producer Night” series. Previously offering tastings and discounts from various vintners, this coming Producer Night will for the first time showcase the works of a brewer. The Brooklyn Brewery will take over the taps and bottle list, and Mr. Oliver, the producer, will be on hand to mingle and imbibe.

Thursday, February 3, 6-10pm
The Brooklyn Kitchen
100 Frost Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 389-2982

From Brooklyn Kitchen:

Join us in partnership with the Brooklyn Grange Farm for the Second Annual Meatball Slapdown. This year will be bigger, badder, and better than last year. With a fantastic panel of judges including the Franks of Frankie’s Spuntino (winner’s of last year’s Slapdown), Amanda Hesser of Food52.com, Ted Allen of Chopped, Garrett Oliver of The Brooklyn Brewery and Amy Eddings of WNYC. And an amazing lineup of meatballs from:

Fatty ‘Cue
Lupa
Vesta
Best Pizza
Bamonte’s
Stuzzicheria

Served with bread from SCRATCHBREAD and beer from The Brooklyn Brewery.

All proceeds go to fun these two great local food education projects: The Brooklyn Kitchen and the Meat Hook’s new Classrooms in the Kitchen program which will bring 20 NYC public school classes through the shop to learn about meat and take a hands on cooking class; and The Brooklyn Grange Farm’s new City Grower program, which will bring students up on the roof, to see the farm and learn about urban agriculture and all it has to offer.

Hidden Treasures from the Cellar :: Vintage Beers from Brooklyn Brewery
Tuesday, January 25
Back Forty
190 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009
212.388.1990

Seatings:  6:30pm, 7:00pm & 7:30pm
Cost: $80 plus tax & gratuity or $103 all inclusive
Tickets available online only through Brown Paper Tickets HERE

Reception
Brooklyn Local 1

First Course
Flash Fried Red Maine Shrimp
- Grilled Pineapple, Lime, Jalapeño Salt
paired w/ Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Second Course
Housemade Cotechino
- Lentils, Confit Fennel, Anise Seed
paired w/ Brooklyn Wild 1 (Brett Yeast)

Third Course
Braised Pork Shanks w/ Rye Chop
- Mushroom Risotto, Madeira
paired w/ Brooklyn Monster Ale 2003

Dessert
Chocolate Cake
- Sour Cherries, Chipotle
paired w/ Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Thursday, February 3, 6pm
Barcade
388 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211

One of Brooklyn’s finest, Barcade boasts a wide selection of American craft beers on draft and a league of old-school arcade games against its walls (including this writer’s favorite, Marble Madness). Once a year, the taps at Barcade are taken over by The Brooklyn Brewery, so mark your calendars for Feb 3 and join Brewmaster Garrett Oliver as we sip from a selection of Brooklyn suds classic and classified:

On Cask
Brown or IPA cask (TBA)
Un-Intensified Coffee Stout (sans coffee, just straight stout)

On Draft
Lager
East India Pale Ale
Pennant Ale ’55
Brown Ale
Pilsner
Winter Ale
Brooklyner Weisse
Vintage Monster Ale
Vintage Black Chocolate Stout
BLAST!
Light Dinner Ale
Detonation Ale
Cuvée Noire

Monday, January 24, 7pm
Spuyten Duyvil
359 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Join us for a very special night as we take over craft beer haven Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg. In addition to specialty drafts and casks, Garrett and his brewing team will be bringing a selection of “Ghost Bottles” (bottle conditioned beers not for sale in the real world) which they will be sampling at the bar starting at 7pm.

On Draft
Dark Matter
Vintage Monster Ale
Vintage Black Chocolate Stout
BLAST!
Winter Ale
Light Dinner Ale

On Cask
Detonation Ale
Plus 1 more (TBA)

Bottles (sampled at the bar starting at 7pm until we run out)
Wild 1
Local 1 Original Assay 2006 (test bottles)
Dark Matter
Cuvée de la Crochet Rouge (Local 1 aged on botrytized Riesling lees)
Black Chocolate Stout 1998

[photo by Peter LaFrance]

Please enjoy this excellently-entitled article about scientist, brewer, author, animal lover and fashion guru, Garrett Oliver. As Monster the cat (pictured above) points out, it’s hard to believe that at one time the venerable master of brew would hit the bars sporting “black, knee-high military boots, a French lieutenant’s coat draped over his shoulders, and a telescoping nightstick at the ready in his pocket.” Well, maybe not that hard to imagine.

Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinner with Garrett Oliver and Iron Chef Jose Garces
Hybrid of Peruvian and Cantonese Cuisine found in Peru: each course w/ Chocolate component

Thursday, January 20, 7pm
Chifa
707 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
$85/person

call Chifa at  215.925.5555 for availability

Colicchio & Sons Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinner
Monday, Jan 17, 6:3opm
Colicchio & Sons Tap Room
85 10th Ave (at the corner of 15th St)
New York, NY 10011
$95 per person plus sales tax and service charge

Join Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver for a seven-course meal in the Tap Room at Colicchio & Sons, one of NYC’s favorite dining destinations. Featured Brooklyn Brewery beer will be paired with each of the dinner’s delicious dishes:

Peconic Bay Scallop, Asian Pear, Black Truffle, Pumpkin Broth
Paired with Sorachi Ace

Butter Poached Lobster, Grapefruit, Cardoons, Long Pepper
Paired with Blast!

Roasted Turbot, Seabeans, Coquillage, Vin Juane Sauce
Paired with Wild One

Scottish Partridge, Turnip Sauerkraut, Caramelized Chestnuts, Smoked Bacon
Paired with Local 2

Cervena Venison, Black Trompettes, Brussels Sprouts, Black Grapes, Cocoa Nib Civet
Paired with Black Ops

Cheese Course
Paired with Detonation Ale

Passion Fruit Tart, hibiscus & coconut sorbet
Paired with Cuvee de la Crochet Rouge

Reservations are required. To secure a spot, contact Kate Gardiner: kgardiner@craftrestaurant.com; 212.400.6495

Before 2011, Pamela Anderson, Chloë Sevigny, and Brooklyn Brewery President Steve Hindy and Brewmaster Garrett Oliver had little in common. But in January, we can see a bit more* of all these fine folks in Playboy as they grace the magazine’s first issue of 2011.

Let us not forget to old adage, “I read Playboy for the articles,” as we flip through to learn more about the founding of the company and both Hindy and Oliver’s professional beginnings. And, of course, any profile of The Brooklyn Brewery would not be complete without mention of Monster the cat.

[*not literally, mind you]

With the handlebar moustaches, suspenders, and oversized spectacles, it’s hard to tell if this is 1989 or 2007. But potentially more amusing is some exceedingly rare footage of young Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, back when he worked at the now defunct Manhattan Brewing, sported a killer moustache and flattop, and double fisted homebrews (although we haven’t seen it, we’re unable to verify the latter doesn’t still occur).

Enjoy!

We were quite saddened by the news that after more than a decade of providing NYC with exquisite New Indian cuisine, Tabla will be closing its doors at the end of December. But the drying of our tears was quickened by the planning of a Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinner to celebrate and honor the groundbreaking culinary delights of Chef Floyd Cardoz.

On Wednesday, November 17, Chef Cardoz and our own Brewmaster Oliver will team up to bring you what is bound to be a truly unforgettable evening of food and drink.

To secure a spot, visit Gilt City now!

The good folks over at The Beer Sessions visited us recently and sat down with Brewmaster Oliver to chat about all things beer. In their inaugural Tapping in With Cassidy series, Garrett touches on the history, science, culture, and overall experience of beer (with some solid food talk thrown in for good measure).

Go here to see Garrett and Cassidy in action:

Tapping In with Cassidy – Episode 1: Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery from The Beer Sessions on Vimeo.

UPDATE 10/12/2010: This course has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please stand by for rescheduling.

Hey guys! Garrett Oliver’s “Brewmaster’s Table” course at NYC’s prestigious French Culinary Institute is only one week away! Go HERE, or call 888 90 TASTE to secure a spot. If you like beer, cooking, and filling your life with meaningful experiences and lasting memories, this class has your name on it.

Here’s a recap:

Our Brewmaster takes his unparalleled beer knowledge and formidable cooking skills to school at the French Culinary Institute. In this class, Garrett, author of the award-winning book The Brewmaster’s Table, will guide an evening of beer exploration. To start the night, Garrett will lead you through an interactive tasting session where you’ll learn to identify key beer styles and flavor components. Next, you’ll head to FCI’s kitchen to prepare a few seasonal dishes. You’ll then sit down to taste and discuss how your delicious creations pair with an assortment of craft brews. You’ll have a new appreciation for the flavor complexities of beer and its special affinity for food.

Go here or call 888 90 TASTE to register for class.

Summer is over. No more concerts at East River Park. No more sunbathing on rooftop patios. Mister Softy has packed up and moved on. But really, who cares?! The end of the heat only means one thing: Black Chocolate Stout season.

Help us launch a brand new batch of Brooklyn’s classic Imperial Stout at The Chocolate Room on Monday. Also in attendance will be some vintage Black Chocolate Stout (experience firsthand the elegance with which this beer ages!), and none other than the man behind the goodness himself, Brewmaster Garrett Oliver.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout Launch Party
Monday, October 11: 6:00 PM
The Chocolate Room
269 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 246-2600

p.s. also join us at Spring Lounge on Thursday for more Black Chocolate Stout enjoyment!

From 6PM to 8PM on Sept 30th, Garrett and some of his merry band of brewers will be on hand at Pony Bar to tip the taps of over 8 Brewmaster’s Reserve lines, vintage Black Chocolate Stout and Monster Ale and probably some weird Big Bottles too. There’ll be over 18 Brooklyn beers all together. Don’t even worry because it’ll be so chill. It’s part of NY Craft Beer Week, after all.

Pony Bar
637 10th Ave
New York, NY 10036
(212) 586-2707

Say whaaaaat? Giant NY Craft Beer Week closing party? At Danny Meyer’s highly decorated Eleven Madison Park? Well I suppose that’s right. And you’re invited. It’s a rare occurrence when EMP clears the room and throws a shindig but if you’ve ever had to listen to someone who’s attended their legendary Derby Party you know that it’s a good time.

The First Annual Brewer’s Bash

On Sunday, October 3rd, Eleven Madison Park will be opening their doors and clearing out the tables to host the First Annual Brewer’s Bash, the official closing party of NY Craft Beer Week. The event will include six brewmasters, two live bands, specialty beer cocktails, and Chef Daniel’s take on beer-friendly bites.

The Bash features craft ales from the following breweries: Us (of course), Allagash, Captain Lawrence, Goose Island, Ommegang and Victory. In addition, from 3:45 to 4:30 PM, we’ll have a cask beer tasting on the mezzanine level with Brooklyn’s Garrett Oliver.

Tickets are still available, but are selling fast. We hope to see you then!

Date: Sunday, October 3rd from 3-7 PM

Price: $125 per person

For tickets email beer@elevenmadisonpark.com

“I’ve been coming to GABF for nineteen years, and this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, ” said Garrett about the owners of Toronado getting hitched at this year’s beer fest.

Read more here.

Nestled into the same Williamsburg nook as The Meat Hook, The Brooklyn Kitchen sells a wide and eclectic array of cooking utensils and kitchen paraphernalia (not to mention beer-brewing equipment and ingredients), in addition to offering a variety of in-store classes, one of which, on September 22 at 6:30 PM, will feature none other than Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver:

Join Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, for a fun evening of beer and cooking. Garrett, the author of the award-winning book “The Brewmaster’s Table”, loves to cook up food when he’s not cooking up beer. He’s taught at cooking schools from Stockholm to Sao Paulo, but this time he’ll be able to walk to class. Garrett’s coming to The Brooklyn Kitchen to demonstrate several of his favorite recipes, some of which have been featured in “The New York Times”, and pair them up with Brooklyn Brewery’s artisanal beers. So come eat some great food, drink some tasty local beers, hear some tall stories and learn to cook like a Brewmaster!

Go HERE for tickets!

Or, if you really want to, email info@brooklynbrewery.com for your chance to win a pair of spots for tonight’s class.

[photo by Michael Harlan Turkell]

Shortly after his return from judging at the Great American Beer Festival, Brewmaster Garrett will head down south to the Lone Star State for two special events, a beer dinner at The Meddlesome Moth, and “Brooklyn Brewery Gastropub”, a sampling demo at Central Market’s Cooking School. The Moth dinner is sold out, but there are still tickets available for the Gastropub, part of Central Market’s Fall series of beer-related in-store events. Get them now!

Brooklyn Brewery Gastropub
Central Market: Dallas, TX
September 25, 2010
6:30 – 9:00 PM
$60.00

Participants will listen to Garrett speak about beer while sampling:

Brooklyn Local 2 made with special Belgian yeast that adds hints of spice to the dark fruit, caramel and chocolate flavors paired with Caramelized Shallot & Mushroom Toasts;

East India Pale Ale with its fruity, earthy, lemongrass aroma and complex flavor will be paired with Bite Sized Veal Milanesa;

Lager is made by dry-hopping, a British technique  that has been applied to a Viennese –style beer and enhances the flavors of Twice-Glazed Asian Barbecued Chicken;

Local 1 with a palate of unusual depth due to the 100% bottle re- fermentation will complement Green Bean & Seared Shrimp Salad with Spicy Curry Vinaigrette; and

Brooklyn Brown Ale, an award winning original, will  be paired with Aged Cheddar, Aged Gruyère and Aged Gouda.

From FindYourCraving.com

Serendipity. Just two days after my recent move to Brooklyn, I happened to meet the publicist for Brooklyn Brewery while walking home one night. Two weeks later, I scored an interview with famed brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, at the brewery’s headquarters, only one block away from my new pad in Williamsburg.

Our meeting started on the right note, when Oliver thoughtfully chose three bottles of beer for me to taste — all in 750-ml bottles, made in a process similar to the second-bottle fermentation in champagne making. Oliver explained that, in beer jargon, this method is called “full-bottle conditioning.” Just as with champagne, refermentation in larger bottles is often superior. Plus, it makes for good presentation and encourages sharing. Oliver added playfully, “Why should champagne get all the fun?”

I proceeded to tell Oliver I had recently brought a bottle of Fantôme’s farmhouse ale to a Twitter wine dinner. He became very animated. “That beer is totally outside of its style. It bears little resemblance to other Saisons, and is therefore fairly unique. It’s like saying you had a rosé by Lopez,” he explained. I couldn’t believe it: that’s exactly what we had that night — the Fantôme and a 98 Lopez rosé! Wow, I thought, the beer man knows his wine.

(read more)

Thanks to Edible and Jimmy Carbone for putting on another terrific evening of the finest suds and grub. Go here for an Examiner slideshow by Clay Williams.

Click here for more photos.

“For about eight years now, we’ve brewed a Brooklyn-style hop monster called BLAST! It’s a robust IPA using both British and Pacific Northwest hops. We haven’t had enough space to brew much of it, but we hear that people really enjoy BLAST! when it shows up. And it’s one of our favorite beers here at the brewery. Well, now we’d like more of you to see our hoppier side. Meet BLAST!’s big brother, Brooklyn Detonation Ale.

It’s a copper-colored pale ale with British malt character, American hop ebullience, Brooklyn attitude and disturbing drinkability. British caramel malts lend richness and depth, while a blend of American hops give the beer a minerally backbone and explosive aromatics (with a special guest appearance by our pal East Kent Golding as ‘The English Aristocrat’).

Brooklyn Detonation Ale is mighty tasty. It probably even gives you fresher breath And whiter teeth, but we can’t prove that part. Nor can we support the claim that it concentrates the mind on life’s better aspects. However, we can guarantee that it’s terrific with pork tacos, Thai food, Indian dishes, burgers, and sharp cheeses. So have yourself some Brooklyn Detonation Ale – after all, isn’t it about time you blew up?”

– Garrett Oliver

Beer Stats:

Malts: British floor malted Maris Otter, German pilsner malt, British crystal malt
Other sugars: First pressing Demerara sugar, Mauritius
Hops: Willamette, Amarillo, Palisade, Sorachi Ace, Simcoe, Cascade and East Kent Golding
O.G.: 21.5 Plato
ABV: 10.2%

The Avenue Pub in New Orleans has been serving up at least 8 Brooklyn taps since Wednesday. See below for even more events, hosted  by Garrett.

From TheAvenuePub.com

Friday July 23rd, 6:30 & 10 pm at the Pub

All the Brooklyn beers on draft PLUS 2007 Vintage Monster

6:30 pm Brooklyn Cask Ale made by Garrett Oliver just for us! East India Pale Ale.

10PM Garrett Oliver visits the Pub Meet the Brewer. We are pouring all 8  drafts, Cask Ale AND we are  breaking open the following bottles for tasting: Vintage  2007 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Vintage Dark Matter, Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse, Sorachi Ace, Local 2 & Local 1.  Choose 5 of any of the Brooklyn beers for $12 (4 ounce Pours)

Saturday July 24th, 4pm At the Pub

Brooklyn cask made just for us by Garrett Oliver Brooklyn Best Bitter. This is a variation on the ‘English Bitter’ style which is less aggressive than an American or English IPA but a little punchier than an English Pale Ale. Come get a pint or two before heading off to the Boucherie Beer dinner with Garrett Oliver!

Saturday July 24, 8pm - Boucherie

Brooklyn Beer dinner at Boucherie click on link for details.

http://www.boucherie-nola.com

A note on the Brooklyn & Schneider beers: Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewery and Hans Peter Drexler from Schneider Brewery in Germany collaborated on two different versions of the same style. The Schneider version was brewed in Germany at the Centuries old Schneider brewery and was released in very limited quantities. The Brooklyn version was brewed in the NYC Brooklyn Brewery and was released in Bombers only, again on a very limited basis. As with all collaborations the brewery that brews it is the one that distributes it. We are lucky to have a great relationship with Schneider and their local distributor and we were able to get delivery on the last 6 kegs in the country. We’ve just recieved these kegs and when our supply runs out it’s gone forever. I may cellar a couple of kegs for Octoberfest so what we have won’t last long. The Brooklyn version will arrive with the Brooklyn truck designated for Garrett’s week here in New Orleans.

BRILLAT SAVARIN WITH BROOKLYN LOCAL 1

Brillat Savarin is to my mind the best ever writer on food, famous for his aphorisms, my favourite of which is “A meal without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye.”  I don’t much care for the cheese that was named after him though.  It’s like eating solidified cream.  I hate cream.  It’s too cloying and sickly and I don’t understand why everyone thinks it’s a treat.

The beer though is something I’d be perfectly happy to receive as a birthday present.  And I mean a ‘proper’ present.  It’s recognizable as a Belgian Saison in style but it’s smoother, more elegant.  You want to say ‘dumbed down’ but that would be completely inaccurate.  Yes, it’s more accessible than some of the funkier farmyard Saisons, but the cheesy, musty, sweet and sour, spicy flavour journey of a Saison is all present and correct.

This is a match where the beer comes out best.  The cheese helps push its tartness to the fore, a brief spike of flavour emerging slowly and elegantly, like the spine of a humpback whale cresting the ocean surface before, submerging again.

On the other hand,  the cheese just tastes even creamier, which I could really do without.

HEREFORD HOP WITH BROOKLYN LAGER

The Brooklyn beer you can get fairly easily in the UK was the first they brewed, and is a faithful recreation of what beer used to be like in New York a hundred years ago, prompting Garrett to exclaim that the current craft beer boom is not a fad or a trend, but a return to normality after a the late twentieth century’s obsession with plastic and standardization.

I realize that we spend too much time thinking about beer in terms of ‘hoppy’ or ‘malty’.  Brooklyn lager is neither, or rather, both.  It’s toffee in a very expensive designer label suit that makes it shine and sparkle.

The cheese is sticky and cloying and glutinous in a good way, sweet and salty and slightly acidic.  Together I don’t find much alchemy – both are nice separately and nice together, but with nothing much added.

OSSAU IRATY WITH BROOKLYN BROWN ALE

This is an interesting one.  Ossau Iraty is made from sheep’s milk and has an aroma of lanolin or ‘wool fat’, the smell you get off a wet woollen jumper and, once it’s been pointed out, the sweet smell you get from roast lamb.

The beer is all about chocolate and caramel, with a slight grassiness towards the end.

Together, they are in total harmony – beer and cheese blend into each other around an axis of sweet caramel.  Just lovely.

SOME OTHER CHEESE WITH BROOKLYN DARK MATTER

This one wasn’t on the menu and I’m starting to lose track.  Dark Matter is an 8% version of the brown ale that’s been aged for four months in bourbon and wine barrels to give it a strong American oak character.  To me it smells initially of nail varnish, but that’s a smell I’ve always liked.  On the second whiff I can isolate the coconut that Garrett’s talking about, and then you can get the strong vanilla essence behind it, a hint of sherry, and then a faint molasses character on the tongue.

I hardly notice the cheese.  I’m all wrapped up in the beer, and the match doesn’t change much about it.

MONTGOMERY’S CHEDDAR WITH BROOKLYN EAST INDIA PALE ALE

IPA with strong mature cheddar has always been my favourite match of any beer with any food, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The dry saltiness of the cheese ands the fruitiness of the beer just body barge each other, exploding in a carnival of colour and partying on your tongue.  Weirdly, Garrett compares it to a forceful physical dance, like a tango, just after I’ve written in my notebook that they’re slam-dancing.  I just don’t have his class.

COLSTON-BASSET STILTON WITH BROOKLYN CHOCOLATE STOUT

This pairing was born by accident.  Garrett was at an event where he’d asked for either a barley wine to match with Stilton (which is another awesome match) or chocolate stout with truffles.  He turned up to find chocolate stout and Stilton, panicked, tried it, and found it worked wonderfully.

The dark chocolate character in the stout comes from chocolate malt only – no actual chocolate – and develops with a hint of sherry, followed by an inky Shiraz character on the palate with some bitter coffee grounds mixed in.

The Stilton is lovely.  “People who don’t like Stilton… well… they’re just bad people,” says Garrett.  “I’m serious.  If you don’t like Stilton you can’t come to my house.  You can’t pet my dog.”

The match is an elegant marriage which makes me think of high tea with a maiden aunt in a stately home.  Don’t ask me why.

For the past couple months, awesome daily menu generator NoTakeOut.com has been running a beer pairing recipe contest. The idea was this: create a full menu that compliments the flavor profile of the wildly popular Brooklyn Summer Ale (Summer sales are up 50% everybody! Let’s hear it for the sales persons!).

Lots of delightful entries were received. Several Asian items included. In the end our Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, decided to go with, drum roll please…Nadine Mesch of Mt. Healthy, Ohio! (Yes, there is a place called Mt. Healthy. I guess if there’s a Death Valley it’s only fair.)

Congrats, Nadine. Your Summer Ale battered taco recipe clocked in on top! Check out the recipe here.  For your culinary savvy and application effort you will receive a Brooklyn Brewery gift pack, a NoTakeOut.com tote & apron, and lastly but certainly not leastly, a Togiharu Hammered Texture Damascus Gyutou 8.2” chefs knife from Korin (pictured below). Thanks Korin!

Also, be sure to check out the daily recipes from NoTakeOut.com. It’s pretty handy for busy folks who want to cook good meals without thinking about it. Thanks to everybody on the NoTakeOut.com for putting together this delicious contest.

We’re teaming up with foodie magazine Edible for a couple of great events in July: The 2nd annual Good Beer at BAM and Edible Pursuit.

From EdibleManhattan.com

Last week we mentioned that Mayor Bloomberg, in his infinite wisdom, has once again declared July to be Good Beer Month in honor of the great work of The Good Beer Seal during that month to promote the best local, independently owned beer bars that sell the good stuff.

And we are especially relieved by that very official proclamation, seeing as how we’d planned two of our best events of the year around the concept. In fact, tickets are now available to both: Edible Pursuit at Brooklyn Brewery on July 8th and Good Beer at BAM on the 28th. (For both, if you buy tickets before June 15th, it’s buy two get one free!)

The first is the second installment in our Edible trivia nights, except this one is themed to alcohol. We’ll be taking over the tasting room of Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg to pose questions on potables provided by a panel of Brooklyn’s own liquid assets, like Garrett Oliver, the BB brewmaster. You can compete for prizes like limited-edition beers, cookbooks, restaurant gift certificates and other Edible desirables. It’s just $20 to play, and that buys you a Brooklyn Brewery brew made right on the premises, your own pint glass and a sausage sandwich grilled up by the butchers from The Meat Hook on the sidewalk outside.

The second is our second annual craft brew fest, which is co-hosted by The Good Beer Seal, Brooklyn Brewery and Stella Artois. What more can we say other than two full floors of the beautiful BAM opera house in downtown Brooklyn are filled with the country’s best craft brews and beer-friendly snacks from the city’s best restaurants. (Oh yeah, we just heard chopped liver from Sammy’s Roumanian will be in the house, as will beer bread from Orwasher’s.) Last year’s was insanity in a good way, and this year’s will be all that time’s two.  In fact we might have to take it easy for the next 21 days…..

Coca-Cola, the automobile, baseball–all important U.S. contributions to the world that were based on models from other countries. We think it’s about time to add beer to that list, and it is definitely a good week to celebrate American craft beer. What better validation could there be than the fact that American brewers’ innovative recipes and methods are shaping the kinds of beer that are being made all over the world?

Collaborative beers, like the Schneider & Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse pictured above, are a formal way that U.S. brewers are influencing beer beyond our shores. More and more brewers from other countries are attending the Craft Brewers Conference and entering their brews in the Wold Beer Cup each year as well. But anyone with some knowledge about the brewing community knows that brewers love to learn from each other and that a lot of this collaboration is happening informally and frequently.

Last month The Lagerheads spoke with Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver about the influence America is currently having on beer cultures in other countries. In preparation for Oliver’s seminar on the “New Beers of Scandinavia” at the National Geographic Society this Tuesday (sorry folks–it’s sold out), we are posting a series of blogs from our conversation with him.

(read interview)

This afternoon, Brooklyn Brewery Receptionist Brian Dochney and Brewmaster Garrett Oliver sat down to discuss chicken purveyor KFC’s newest lab experiment The Double Down, which contains two pieces of bacon and two melted slices of cheese, slathered in mayonnaise and sandwiched between two slices of deep fried boneless chicken breasts.

Receptionist Brian Dochney: The double down is all the kids are talking about these days, have you tried it? Why or why not?

Brewmaster Garrett Oliver: Didn’t happen, isn’t going to happen. I’ve known Sam Sifton for more than 15 years, and he’s a better man than I am.

RBD: If this year’s Brewery Holiday party is held in a KFC (as we all wish it was) would you try it even then?

BGO: Ummm….no. The point, we hope, of the holidays, is for us to be happy and healthy. As opposed to unhealthy and suicidal. The Double Down reminds of that routine by Patton Oswalt where he describes a fast food dish as “a sadness pile in a failure bowl.” Only with the Double Down, you don’t even get to eat the failure bowl. It’s replaced by depression paper.

RBD: We’re going to a fine dining establishment, they have a specialty of the day, a Double Down is placed on your plate. Do you leave? Facebook about it? Re-examine your life choices?

BGO: I go talk to the chef, asking him plaintively “is this some ghastly new form of sous vide”?

RBD: The big one — What do we pair beer wise, with such a behemoth of taste and proportions?

BGO: Colt 45 with a dissolved Pepcid AC. It works every time.

RBD: Answer that last one wisely, oh sage of beerdom, if you knock it out of the park we’ll print it on a poster and mail it to the Beard Foundation.

BGO: Well, although I’d like my Susan Lucci-esque relationship with the James Beard Foundation to move in a different direction, “straight into the ground” was not the direction I’d had in mind.

RBD: Also of note, “Beard Foundation”, quite the misnomer if you leave off the “James”…

BGO: I’m not touching that with your breadstick.

Another week another grueling industry conference. This time it’s the much anticipated Craft Brewers Conference. Like the Superbowl, CBC moves around to different cities each year. (Instead of Miami or New Orleans it goes to places like Boston and Chicago but we’re not complaining.) As the Brewers Association says, “For professional brewers, the Craft Brewers Conference is the number one environment in North America for concentrated, affordable brewing education and idea sharing to improve brewery quality and performance.” Also, there’s over 2000 craft beer enthusiasts in town so there will be no shortage of festive beer-themed events to enjoy.

Here’s a couple events that Brooklyn Brewery will be a part of if you happen to be in Chicago.

Brewmaster Cooking Demo @ Whole Foods – 1550 N. Kingsbury Street

Wednesday, April 7th, 6:00 – 7:30 | SOLD OUT*

Brooklyn Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, will be cooking three dishes and hand picking two cheeses to be paired with some of our finest beers. This event is limited to 30 people and costs $20. You can register online at the store’s web address.

Brooklyn Local 1 - reception beer

Brooklyn Lager – Brewmaster’s Burger

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale- Curried Crab Cakes

Brooklyn Brown Ale – Lamb Scottadito

Brooklyn Tasting @ Whole Foods Bar, 7:30pm – 9pm *Even though the cooking demo is sold out, thirsty but tardy Brooklyn fans can still take advantage of a meet and greet downstairs at the Whole Foods bar. Directly following the cooking demo Garrett will be showing off some real treats: Brooklyn Blast!, Lager, Sorachi Ace, Cookie Jar Porter, Intensified Coffee Stout will be on tap. In bottles we’ll have EIPA, Brown, Local 1 & 2, and the non-existent Brooklyn Black Ops.

Brewmaster Cheese Pairing @ Binny’s Beverage Depot – 3000 N Clark Street

Thursday, April 8th, 5:00 – 6:30

Don’t just meet Garrett Oliver — eat his cheese and drink his beer as well. Garrett will be pairing some of his favorite cheeses with their natural beer partners — Brooklyn Brand beer. Enjoy the following marriages:

Brooklyn Local 1 – Brillat Savarin

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale – Montgomery’s Cheddar

Brooklyn Brown Ale – Ossau Iraty

Brooklyn Monster Ale – Pleasant Ridge Reserve

From BaristaNet.com

Amanti Vino’s wine vs. beer competition dinner on March 23 at the Woman’s Club of Upper Montclair wasn’t the buttoned-up affair I expected. Thankfully. Au contraire, it was casual, friendly, fun and partying on a Tuesday night seemed positively decadent. The five-course dinner was punctuated by friendly and comical sparring between the master wine wonk (Fred Dexheimer) and the master beer brewer (Garrett Oliver). Between the two of them, who were vying for top dog for their wine and beer pairings, they had Amanti Vino staff (Will, Amelia, Thad, Wes and Tim) busy pouring a selection of eight micro-crafted beers and seven wines produced in countries from Greece to Uruguay.

The pairings were going fine, and our table we even got seconds of the fantastic Robert Sinskey Vin Gris (Napa). But we all almost lost it at the cheese course, which featured three cheeses each paired with a brew and a cru! That’s right, the cheese plate brought 6 more glasses. Not that we didn’t enjoy it.

I went to the dinner thinking, I’ll just humor Amanti Vino owner Sharon Sevrens, because really, BEER pairings? To my astonishment, the fine brews provided by Brooklyn Brewery and picked by Oliver were on target complementing the meal. Our table, for the most part, favored the brew pairings over the wine. Several of the beers, complex and spicy, are only available at brewery headquarters in Brooklyn.

(read more)

From Metromix.com

You’re a judge today. What do you look for in a pork dish?
I’m looking for a blend of deliciousness, originality and use of the entire animal. If somebody only used the tenderloin, that wouldn’t be very interesting.

Have you ever had a McRib?
When was I was nine years old I had my first, and last, McRib. They used to say “parts is parts.” Lord knows what that means.

Click here for a slideshow of all that tasty pork.

Cosmologists tell us that the universe was made by a massive explosion called the Big Bang. And in this Big Bang was created a material called “dark matter”, which accounts for 95% of the mass of the universe and actually binds the universe together. Well, that sounds pretty heavy. But it’s theoretical. Here in Brooklyn, our cosmology is a bit different.

In the beginning, there was Black Ops. Or perhaps not. Beer does have its mysteries. Anyhow, they say that back in 2007, a small amount of Dark Matter was created alongside Black Ops, but very few people had an opportunity to taste it. The Brooklyn Brewing Team decided that this shortage was unfortunate – plenty of Dark Matter for themselves, but not enough to share with all their friends. So last autumn they decided to recreate Dark Matter and open up the Brooklyn Barrel Room to a wider world. Brooklyn Dark Matter is a robust brown ale aged for four months in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels. Some barrels previously held Black Ops, some hosted The Manhattan Project, others came straight from the distilleries as soon as the whiskey was decanted. We’ve blended these barrels to create a beer full of caramel and chocolate flavors heightened by vanilla-like oak notes and hints of the barrels’ previous tenants. The result is a smooth, rich beer that really loves food, from fried or roasted chicken to char-grilled steak, barbecue, pork chops and even monkfish. And on some chilly evening in late winter, or perhaps the first warm night of spring, we hope that you may be tempted to believe that Dark Matter really does bind the universe together.

– Garrett Oliver

The first 25 drinkers to email info@brooklynbrewery.com with “Dark Matter Winner” will win passes for two to THIS MONDAY’s party (March 8th, 7:30pm – 10:30pm) at The Brewery. Get to it!

By Tom Pavlich for  TheWGNews.com

Anywhere you go in the country you are bound to find a craft brewery or brew pub serving up fresh beers for the local public, but here in North Brooklyn we are very privileged to have one of the best. Brooklyn Brewery is located right in our back yard near the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, and it is very easy for New Yorkers to take such a great institution for granted. Everyone knows their beers, especially Brooklyn Lager, but occasionally you find one on tap, or cask that you have never seen before…and this weekend that beer is Dark Matter.

A couple months ago Garrett Oliver, the brew master of Brooklyn Brewery, spoke to the New York City Home Brewers’ Guild at one of their monthly meetings. He discussed the the brewery’s beers, told stories, explained that they are not relocating but expanding their operation right here on North 11th Street in Williamsburg, and he also brought beers for everyone to taste.

Most people are familiar with Brooklyn Brown, one of the flagship ales that the brewery makes. Brooklyn Brown is a fine American Brown Ale with hints of caramel, rich chocolate undertones, just a hint of coffee, and balanced perfectly with hops. Brooklyn Brewery originally only made this ale as a holiday specialty, but it has since become a year-round offering…and for good reason. One of the beers that Mr. Oliver brought to share with the Home Brewer’s Guild was a beer called Dark Matter. He explained that it was a beer that was brewed specifically for himself and the other members of the brewery team to enjoy. Dark Matter is the Brooklyn Brown ale aged 9 months in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels. The already delicious brown ale picks up hints of vanilla, a touch of bourbon, and a bit of booze during this aging creating one of the most drinkable bourbon aged beers out there.

Previously the only way to taste Dark Matter was to go to home brew event where someone from Brooklyn Brewery was speaking or attend one of the beer dinners that Garrett Oliver does around the city, but tonight the only cask of Dark Matter in existence will be tapped at the Brooklyn Brewery!

Brooklyn Brewery’s very rare Dark Matter will be available throughout the weekend until the cask runs dry. I recommend getting there Friday night or early Saturday if you wish to get a taste. Brooklyn Brewery is located at 79 N. 11th St in Williamsburg. They are open to the public Friday 6pm-11pm, Saturday 12pm-8pm, and Sunday 12pm-6pm.

• When: Tuesday, March 23rd @ 7:30pm
• Where: Woman’s Club of Upper Montclair, 200 Cooper Avenue

All net proceeds from the evening will be donated to World Cares Center, a nonprofit group working within Haitian communities. World Cares Center fosters sustainable, locally-led disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts. World Cares Center’s work supports groups such as EDEYO, a Haitian school founded by Montclair residents in Port au Prince, My Father’s House Orphanage, the Family Health Clinic and many other local groups in Haiti.

• Wine Geek and Hop Head Tickets ($160 per person) – $80, or half of the ticket price will be tax deductible and donated to World Cares Center.
• Wine and Beer Connoisseur Tickets ($500 per person) – Attendance to a VIP cocktail party (6:30pm to 7:30pm), a seat at Garrett and Fred’s table, an autographed copy of Garrett’s book, The Brewmaster’s Table and more!

As we mentioned above, the theme of this event is a competition!  Fred and Garrett are tasked with  selecting a wine (from Amanti Vino) and beer (from Brooklyn Brewery) to pair with each of Ariane’s challenging, mouth watering courses described below.

At the conclusion of each course, a panel of judges will evaluate the success of Fred and Garrett’s pairings and select a winner.  But wait, you count too!  We will also poll the audience after each course and will include your vote in the tabulation.

Grab a napkin…

• 1st Course: Snapper Crudo, Avocado, Orange Tapioca, Malden Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2nd Course: Szechwan Peppercorn Salmon, Baby Bok Choy
• 3rd Course: Dry Barbecue Rubbed Flank Steak, Spinach Gratin Potato
• 4th Course: A selection of Artisanal Cheeses (donated by Tallmadge Cheese Market)
• Dessert: Everyone’s favorite…Chocolate Flourless Cake!

Let the pairings begin!

To purchase tickets to Cru vs Brew,  call the store (973) 509-WINE (9463).  If you are unable to join, but would like to make a donation to World Cares Center, please contact Sharon Sevrens at sharon@amantivino.com.

Here at the brewery, we were happy to host this episode of the popular Wine Library TV with Gary Vaynerchuk. The enthusiastic wine tycoon only took about two minutes into his visit to mention the NY Jets and was as personable and friendly as you’d expect. Thanks for stopping by Gary.

From The Toronto Star

Beer: It can’t be brew without these little critters

Yeast banks offer small breweries hundreds of strains to give unique character to a beer

When they’re looking at making a new beer, one of the first things brewers will do is head to the bank for a few hundred million.

Not dollars, yeast cells. In an age when there are banks for money, blood and heirloom seeds, you can also find yeast banks.

Yeast, which is necessary for fermentation, comes in hundreds of thousands of strains. It is Chris White’s goal to preserve and grow hundreds of kinds of yeast, each of which contributes its own unique character to a brew.

“We’re really preserving some history, because some of the strains we’ve got are very, very old. Probably hundreds of years, although it’s hard to say exactly,” White says. He was in Toronto for a Master Brewers Association of the Americas technical conference.

California-based White Labs, one of the world’s biggest yeast banks, has customers in 80 countries, including Canada.

White, who founded his company in 1995 after doing PhD research at a yeast laboratory in San Diego, has slightly more than 500 yeast strains available.

He has gathered the strains from breweries, other yeast banks and from bottle-conditioned beer (which still contains live yeast). They run the gamut from yeasts used to make English-style ales, to several strains of semi-wild Brettanomyces yeast, used to produce Belgian-style sour beers.

While hops and malt play a more obvious role in the flavour of some beers, yeast can also be a big contributor. White says the single-celled organisms are more than just a mere tool to ferment the malt’s sugars into alcohol.

“The range of flavours and aromas that different yeasts contribute is just amazing.”

Some yeasts used in English ales can lend a slight apple character to the brews, while German wheat beer yeasts can lend an aroma of bananas or cloves.

Some of the yeasts are good at producing relatively high levels of alcohol (some beyond 10 per cent), while others get tired out at much lower levels.

Being able to order up that kind of variety is a luxury brewers didn’t have before places like White Labs were around, says Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver.

“We simply had far fewer strains available. There were always methods of obtaining yeast strains. The new generation of yeast banks just makes things much easier,” says Oliver, who, along with White, presented a workshop on bottle-conditioned beer at the conference.

(read more)

Tap it

Gathering The Courage

Love. Relief.

Brewmaster Oliver and Jimmy

Karl, looking ruggedly handsome and cheerily helpful.

All photos by Philmadelphia via Flickr.

We welcomed Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter into the world at The Brewery, last night. Of course Cookie Jar, our latest Brewmaster’s Reserve was on tap as was a slew of some of our stronger beers. Some of our best friends stopped by to help us tipple in the name of good beer. There was even a marriage proposal (she said yes.) Below, Jason from Sustainabrew.com did a nice little recap of the event and our newest beer.

Last night saw the release of Brooklyn Brewery’s newest Brewmaster Reserve release, the Cookie Jar Porter and I was lucky enough to get to taste their newest creation… And man was it good. This is close to one of my favorites of the Reserve series with the Backbreaker and Blast up there as well. A sweet smooth oatmeal cookie inspired porter that was paired with oatmeal cookies from Feed Your Soul Bakery, as well as cheeses from the Bedford Cheese Shop.

The Porter is brewed using grains such as Floor Malted Maris Otter, British crystal, and Whole Golden Oats. While they also use brown sugar, pureed raisins and wildflower honey fromTremblay Apiaries in upstate New York. Good on them for using some local producers.

The beer is a dark, dark red that bleeds into a beautiful brown hue.  Two steps away from becoming black. The beer has a beautiful roasty nose that has nice toffee raisiny notes balanced with chocolate backbone and just a hint of the Willamette hops.

The Depth moves into the taste as you get those toffee raisiny notes and a whole lot more. The mouthfeel is velvety smooth from the oats while drying out in the end.  The sweetness is accented perfectly by the chocolate and toasted flavors. There is a sourness that comes through which is underscored by the honey and vanilla that make an appearance as the beer warms. Overall a very good beer that I will definitely look for when it hits the taps.

(read more)

From Metromix.com

In advance of the upcoming Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival on Jan. 30 at la.venue in Chelsea, we figured attendees may need some direction in pairing the over 60 bourbons and craft beers with plates and plates of smoked hog. So we called in the big guns, sitting down with NYC-based experts in each category: mixologist Jim Meehan (PDT), barbecue pitmaster Joe Carroll (chef-owner of Fette Sau and Spuyten Duyvil) and brewmaster Garret Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery). Over a growler Brooklyn Brewery private batch (double-smoked, double-fermented bacon brown ale, natch) the beer-bourbon-barbecue triumvirate discussed pork, Belgian wheats and which of the three Bs has yet to receive its proper NYC close-up.

Big question: what to hit first?
Garret Oliver: Always go for bourbon last.
Joe Carroll: Unless it’s a cocktail, I don’t like drinking spirits with food, because there’s too much heat from the alcohol, which gets in the way of flavor.
Jim Meehan: However, you’d always want to get to the table you’re most interested in tasting. Whether its beer, bourbon or barbecue—avoid the line.
GO: If you’re going to have a room full of barbecue, you’ve got to have a strategy.

So, all three of you would go for the barbecue first?
JM: Light before dark. And beer is liquid food, so I would go for beer first. 
GO: You can always wait on the food line with beer, but you don’t want to be waiting on the beer line with food. Always go to the beer line first. Then the food, then the bourbon, then sit down.

For some time now barbecue, a quintessentially Southern, blue-collar food, has been really hot in NYC. Why?
JC: Barbecue seems blue-collar because it’s something you do in your backyard. It’s something that everyone eats. It’s totally democratic food. 
GO: Very few people do real barbecue, which is different from grilling. Everyone does grilling—that’s throwing some meat on a grill. 
JM: I’ve never had an apartment in NYC where I’ve had a backyard to put a grill. And I love the taste of meat that’s been roasted over wood. 
GO: Barbecue is country food, not city food. You have to have a smoker, which has to be running all the time. Put that in the middle of a city and you have a problem. But the people who’ve figured that out…
JC: Thank you.
GO: Well, God bless ‘em for figuring it out. 

And why barbecue pork? Why not goat or beef?
JM: Goat is pretty game-y, pretty goat-y. There’s not much meat. Steakhouses have always been a big thing here. But there’s something about pork—you’ve got that pork fat, which is so much more flavorful and palatable. There’s something sexy about pork fat. 
JC: We’re buying whole pigs now if that tells you something.
JM: And relating that back to bourbon, as a business owner, you could buy a great bottle of bourbon for under $20 at a liquor store, and make incredible cocktails. There’s an economic principle binding everything in New York, because we all pay a lot of rent, so everything has to be financially sustainable. 

What’s a bourbon-based cocktail that would work perfectly with barbecue?
JM: A Manhattan made with a good amount of vermouth would work very well with pork.
JC: An Old Fashioned or Sazerac are pretty complex drinks. Pairing it with barbecue is like putting strength on strength. I’d want something with a high acidity, like a Mint Julep.
JM: When we’re talking about this gathering, we’re talking about the Boilermaker—which is a glass of beer and a shot of bourbon. I find that when you go to events like these, and you finish your beer, the whiskey is there for you to have a drink until you get another beer. Whiskey insures that your glass is never empty. 

What about beer matched with barbecue?
GO: Well, are you going for contrast or harmonize? Harmony means darker beers—brown ales and porters will latch onto the smoke and roast flavors. But the other way to go is with wheat beers, especially the Belgian styles. 

OK, pair something with beef short ribs?
GO: Brown ale.

Pork shoulder?
GO: Classic Oktoberfest.
JC: You’d be hard-pressed to find beers that don’t go with anything you’re eating. But you don’t want something that will clobber you with flavor—nothing super hoppy. I’d go for a pilsner or a lager. 
JM: I want something lighter, drier, a beer that quenches thirst along with complementing the food.

Out of the three B’s, which has yet to hit critical mass?
JC: Beer. In the six years that Spuyten Duyvil’s been open, we’ve gone from three or four microbrews to an embarrassment of riches in local craft beer. That said, craft beer doesn’t get the same attention that food or spirits does.
GO: People haven’t taken full advantage of the variety of beers available—restaurants are woefully behind the public. The public knows what great stuff is available and they take advantage of it.
JC: So many people get so uptight about where their food is coming from, with grass-fed beef and heritage pig. Why not the same approach towards beer? There’s a giant disconnect. 
JM: There isn’t a great brewpub in Manhattan where you can eat the food and drink the beer and have a great meal.

Lastly, which do you think will get tapped first at the festival? One-word answers, please.
GO: Fatty brisket.
JC: Barbecue.
JM: Napkins.

Photos by Ryan Muir

The foodie blog Serious Eats recently posted an interview with Brewmaster Garrett Oliver. Here is what transpired

From SeriousEats.com

Garrett Oliver has been brewing at the Brooklyn Brewery since 1994. He’s known not only for his flavorful beers, but also for his eloquent writing on craft beer and his genius for finding delicious food and beer pairings. We’re big fans of his book, The Brewmaster’s Table, and were thrilled that he was willing to answer a few of our burning questions.

Name: Garrett Oliver
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: Brewmaster, Brooklyn Brewery

How did you come to be so knowledgeable about beer? I suppose you could say that it happened by accident. When I fell in love with beer while living in England in the early 80s, I had no idea that it would lead to a hobby and then a career. Eventually I became fascinated by every aspect of beer, and I’ve learned slowly over time. And I think I still learn something new nearly every day.

How would you describe your brewing style? Is there a common thread between your beers? Someone who was visiting the brewery once said that she thought of our beers as “bold, but smooth.” In a way, I think she really captured our style—big flavors presented in a balanced well-structured frame. Our brewing style is, I think, very chef-like. Sometimes we’re classical, and sometimes we’re way out in left field, but I think our overall sense of balance and structure is very consistent. Again, you can think of food; you build flavors from the ground up, and then you look to bring your elements into harmony.

(read more)

Excerpt from Wine Enthusiast.

Even one of the greatest beer and food proponents, Brewmaster Garret Oliver from Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, New York, admits to the difficulties that cooking with beer can pose: “Actually, as much as I hate to say it, even though I generally feel that beer is the superior drink for food matching, I’d give wine the edge for most cooking,” he says. “Bitterness is a complicating factor for many recipes. Unless the dish calls for long simmering time, which breaks down bitterness much as it does wine tannins, then the beer used should be low in bitterness. In Belgium, for example, wheat beers are often used as the bases for classic dishes such as moules frites [mussels with fries] or waterzooi [a chicken stew]. Wheat beers have plenty of flavor, but relatively low bitterness, so they’re often suitable.”

One saving grace for beer in cooking, as noted by Paxton, is its ageability. “Beer ages very nicely, like good wine and Ports,” he points out. “With age, the hop bitterness drops out, allowing the beer to round out and become a whole new beast.” If you’re looking for more elevated, or at least less mainstream, beer food applications such as beer-battered fried foods and Guinness stew, here are three fine beer-based recipes that are sure to transform the way you view cooking with beer. While all of these recipes will pair exceptionally well with the beers that they are prepared with, you can always think outside the box, too: “Rethink pairings,” Paxton says. “There are many beers available that are complex, unique, long lasting and with carbonation and bitterness… a huge addition to the palate.” And you can also think simple, per Oliver’s suggestion: “My most common use for Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is to make an ice cream float. It’s really delicious!”

By Lauren Buzzeo

Every few months Garrett and our heady team of brewers conjures up a new recipe for our Brewmaster’s Reserve program. Brewmaster’s Reserve is a draft only selection of beers that really allow the creativity of Garrett and Co. to really shine. The recipes aren’t based on market research or brewing trends. But they are brewed with passion — a passion that we think translates to delicious new beers for you to enjoy.  Below is a nice, if not flowery,  review of our current release, Backbreaker Ale. And be on the lookout for a new recipe, in the next two weeks, at your favorite beer bar: Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter.

From Life is Beer – Beer is Life

Beer was and for a growing number of artisanal brewers, old and new, is still backbreaking work. Don’t believe me? Ask Garrett Oliver. For the latest Brewmaster’s Reserve, he traveled all the way to the Crisp Maltings in rural Great Ryburgh, England to personally malt his own barley on their 150 years old malting floor which was then transported back to New York to use in his Backbreaker Ale, a quintessential classic English Ale. When you drink this beer, it is very easy to imagine yourself perched at the local pub, pint in hand, making merry, basking in the ambiance, making merry with friends, and enjoying a damn good English ale. The problem with imported English ales is that unless they are bottle-conditioned, more often than not they arrive stale/skunked/damaged. The best way outside bottle-conditioned examples to taste fresh English ale in the USofA is to find a properly brewed craft example of English ale for which you need look no further than the Brooklyn Brewmaster’s Reserve Backbreaker Ale.

Gorgeous ambers, garnets, rubies, and mahoganies shimmer amidst their glasses confines while a khaki head lingers long through our slow session together. Her nose is ripe plums of all varieties while pears and red apples keep them company. Almonds, pecans, pecan praline, maple, and black strap molasses are solid performers. Subtly sublime, her nose exudes flavors galore with classic finesse. I immediately wonder what Backbreaker would taste like cask-conditioned? Let’s just say my mouth waters just thinking about it… Smooth, creamy, and silky sweet, plums, maple, and sun-soaked yellow raisins glide across my tastebuds and down my throat with nary a whisper of protest. Clean and crisp, she moves with purpose, painting succulent pictures of pears and apples, hold the skin please, while nuts of all varieties delight. Almonds and pecans make sweet love to maple and black strap molasses for an amazing interplay of fresh nutty goodness and pecan praline divinity. The top of my tongue dries after each quaff, keeping my burgeoning thirst up-front and center. As we grow ever more intimate, wood and sawdust flitter in and out of her dry finish while pistachio and cashews join their nutty brethren. Her maple caramelizes for more crunchy sweetness while apricots join her fruity cousins for one last hoo-rah before my glass empties.

Shazam! Pull up a stool, grab a pint, and wile the night away. I may have been at Vine & Barley in St. Lucie West, Florida, but for those 30 minutes or so of my life, I was in merry ol’ England buying a round for my peeps before last call came to pass. So good, so tasty, so English, and so sessionable.

by otakudensdram

An intrepid journalist over at beernews.org did a little stealthy recon and unearthed some insider information on this year’s batch of Black Ops.

From Beernews.org

[12/9 Update: Garrett Oliver has updated the case count estimate to 1,200 and says that some beer should start to ship this week]

(Brooklyn, NY) – The first batch of Brooklyn Black Ops was easily one of the most talked about beers of the past year. It earned a 4.3 average on Beer Advocate, another beer that appears to be just outside of the top 100.

According to a post from Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, mid-last month, the beer “There’s slightly more than there was last year, about 1100 cases. The recipe is the same, but the ABV is slightly higher at 11.7%.”

Here is the info I just got from a brewery sales rep: “Brooklyn Black Ops will be ready to ship on December 16th. We will be producing around 1000 cases of Black Ops. This will be available in limited quantities in territories where both Brooklyn Local 1 and Local 2 are distributed. Brooklyn Black Ops is 100% bottle re-fermented.”

Sounds like a slight difference in cases but they’re both in the same ballpark.

I got a little blast from the past in my Google Alerts this morning. A review of a 2007 beer called Alliance from hopzine.com.

Since I’d never heard of this barleywine I had to ask Garrett what it was all about. He said, “Alliance is a barley wine that I brewed with the folks at The Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire, England in 2007. It was a collaboration between us, Thornbridge, and the Kelham Island brewery of Sheffield, using each of our breweries’ yeasts. Brewing took almost 12 hours and we all signed the kettle afterwards – it was great fun! Later, Thornbridge released the beer in various versions, including a few wood-aged renditions. We made only about 15 barrels, so bottles are pretty rare, but it’s nice to see how much people are enjoying the beer.”

And there you have it. Mystery solved.

CraftBeer.com Brew Stories – Brooklyn from Brewers Association on Vimeo.

This week, our very own Garrett Oliver has sent over beer pairings for each of their meals. Check them out today’s here.

Our Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver is famous for pairing his creations with fine food, and, of course, for writing about beer and food as well. But he also likes to show off his cooking skills. And what better venue to show them off than the International Culinary Center, home of the French Culinary Institute? Sign up for this unique class to learn some new recipes in addition to some first class instruction on pairing beer with food.

ICC’s class description after the jump:

4 hours of tasting, discussion, and hands-on instruction ENROLL NOW

From smooth, crisp lagers to a spectrum of bitter, malty, and hearty ales, the world of beer offers an astonishing variety of flavors and characteristics. Like wine, the right brew can enhance and complement a number of dishes. But many cooks overlook beer when planning their menus in favor of more “sophisticated” beverage pairings.

Join Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery and author of the award-winning book The Brewmaster’s Table, for an evening of cooking and pairing great food with flavorful beers. Considered the country’s foremost authority on traditional beer, and deemed “the poet laureate of beer” by Mario Batali, Garrett will lead you through an interactive tasting of a range of craft brews, identifying key flavor components and exploring how they work with ingredients. Then, roll up your sleeves for some hands-on cooking as the Brewmaster demonstrates a selection of his favorite dishes, including fettuccine with lobster, chorizo, and peas paired with Brooklyn Local 1; omelette of sautéed Granny Smith apples and Chèvre cheese with Brooklyner Weisse; and spicy curried crab cake with Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. After class, you’ll have a new appreciation for beer and its affinity with good food.

Price: $195

Students must be at least 21 years of age to enroll in Cooking with Beer.

Recently, we got together with our friends from Finger On The Pulse at their schmancy new loft for a couple glasses of Manhattan Project. They were in the middle of planning a dinner party starring the talents of Chef David Colston from Carroll Gardens’ Prime Meats. Well why not pair David’s delectable meal with some of Garrett’s most inventive beers while FOTP lay down the soundtrack? Yeah, why not.  So, together we came up with what we’re sure will be a memorable beer dinner right here in the neighborhood.

Won’t you join us?

Here’s the nitty gritties from Finger On The Pulse:

Ladies and Gentleman, just because the summer is over, doesn’t mean that we are done with pairing great food & drinks with music.  We are happy to announce our very first dinner party, coming up on October 29th. The illustrious David Colston from Prime Meats will be presiding over the stoves, while Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewery will be pouring delicious beers from their special (and unreleased) reserves for a five-course menu.  As always, Finger On The Pulse will be on the decks, pairing tasty tunes with delectable treats.  Hosted in a beautiful loft, this is a food event not to be missed.  Space is limited and going quickly, so please contact us at music@fotpnyc.com for reservation requests.

Check out the menu after the jump:

Aperitif: The Manhattan Project

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1st course

Manhattan Project cured Arctic Char with Water Melon Radish, Orange and Pumpernickel Crisps.

Paired with Brooklyn Local 1

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2nd course

Seared Diver Scallops with Baby Artichokes, Barigoule, Cranberry Beans and Lardon.

Paired with Brooklyn Local 2

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3rd course

Risotto with Beer Braised Pork Trotter, Pickled Mustard Seed, and grilled Wild Mushrooms.

Paired with Brooklyn Reinschweinsgebot

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4th course

Grilled Hangar Steak, Jalepeno, Fingerling Potato and Plums

Paired With Brooklyn Taza-fied

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Cheese Course

Grayson (washed-rind cheese)

Paired With Brooklyn Wild 1

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5th course

Quince Tarte Tatin with Pomegranate and Creme Fraiche

Paired With Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Hot off the heels of a Japanese jaunt to the Kiuchi Brewery, Garrett is heading down to Austin, Texas  for a couple of beer dinners. The first, on Wed, October 14th, will be at the 26-year old Dallas institution, Newport’s Seafood and Steakhouse. Garrett will lead diners through the 5 course pairing with grace and wit. And delicious beer. Tickets are a very reasonable $58 per person. We don’t need to tell you want to do with that information.

Reception begins at 6:30 & Dinner at 7:30.

$58. per person. Reservations are required.

Contact Newport’s at 214-954-0220 or info@ newportsdallas.com

Check out the menu after the jump.

Passed hors d’oeuvres:

House Smoked Atlantic Salmon

served on sourdough baguette

Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs

served with a ginger-soy marinade

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

*

New England Clam Chowder

a rich house specialty

Brooklyn Local 1

*

Crispy Fried Calamari

served with spicy marinara

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

*

Filet of Beef Tenderloin with a

Brooklyn Brown Ale Glaze

served with fresh garlic whipped potatoes

Brooklyn Local 2

*

Post Road Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake

topped with fresh whipped cream

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

www.newports.us | 703 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX 75202 | 214.954.0220/214.969.0934

Brooklyn bands are always appearing in Austin. Now it’s our Brewmaster’s turn. On October 15 at 7pm, Garrett Oliver will be leading a beer dinner at Olivia, the Mediterranean-with-a-Southern-spin-spot that Bon Appétit named one of America’s 10 best new restaurants of 2009.

As guests inevitably enjoy the menu, they will have the opportunity to meet and talk with Garrett as he makes his customary rounds of the room. He will speak at the beginning of the dinner and very briefly between courses to inform diners about the beers and the pairings.

$75 per person. For reservations please call 512.804.2700 or email jerry@olivia-austin.com

Now. Click below for the menu and get psyched.

Oyster Diablo

Baked Gulf Oyster with a Spicy-Tequila Butter, House made Bacon, Parmesan Crust

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

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Yellow Fin Tuna Carpaccio

Boggy Creek Farm Arugula Salad, Black Truffle Aioli, Black Lava Sea Salt

Brooklyn Local 1

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Orecchiette Carbonara

House made Guancial, Texas Quail Egg Yolk

Brooklyn Local 2

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South Texas Antelope Petite Filet Au Pouve

Apricot Demi, Pure Luck Feta Cheese, Smashed Fingerling Potatoes, Mesquite Texas Olive Oil

Brooklyn Brown Ale

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Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout Float

Crème Fraiche Ice Cream and Toasted Salty Beer Nuts

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

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For this unique event, please make reservations by calling 512.804.2700. Olivia is located at 2043 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin TX, 78704 and to learn more, please visit www.olivia-austin.com.

On Monday, Oct 26th, two titans of their respective industries, Top Chef Tom Colicchio and Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver are teaming up for another beer dinner to remember. Enjoy an Autumn Tasting Menu prepared by one of America’s most famous chefs in the open kitchen of Craft’s private dining room.  Garrett has selected unique beers to pair with Tom’s dishes. If you’ve been looking for your chance to try some secret stuff that won’t make it to market, this is your chance.

Now, on to the menu:

Canapes
Brooklyn “The Manhattan Project”
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First Course: Smoked Hamachi, Matsutake Mushrooms, Asian Pear, Onion Seeds
Brooklyn Local 1
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Second Course: Roasted Monkfish, Flageolet, Fennel sausage
Brooklyn Local 2
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Third Course: Pancetta-Wrapped Local Pheasant, Ragout of Kuri Squash, Mustard Jus
Brooklyn Wild 1 (unreleased; bourbon barrel-aged Local 1 re-fermented with wild yeast).
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Fourth Course: Stout Braised Pork Cheek, Sauerkraut and Quark Ravioli, Cracklin’ Gremolata
Brooklyn Reinschweinsgebot (unreleased; bourbon barrel-aged beer infused with bacon from Benton’s Country Smokehouse).
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Dessert: Apple Bacon Ice Cream with Boiled Peanuts
Brooklyn Black Ops 2008 (Imperial Stout, 11%, aged four months in Woodford Reserve barrels and re-fermented with Champagne yeast).
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$195 per person, inclusive of tax and service charge

Craft Private Dining Room
47 East 19th Street

Please e-mail Amy Goldberg for reservations.
agoldberg@craftrestaurant.com