Category Archives: Community

NYC Brewers Guild Launch Party, May 22

UPDATE // MAY 17 Go to the bottom of this post to view the insane beer list available at the launch party!

Announcing the formation of the New York City Brewers Guild (NYCBG), an organization of the Empire City’s breweries dedicated to advancing the local brewing industry and thereby lessening human misery.

To acknowledge and celebrate this momentous communion, on May 22 at 7pm at The Brooklyn Brewery the Guild is holding a unique evening of rare and obscure beers from each of the 10 inaugural brewers (listed below). This experience of the senses will be unprecedented in its display of industry unity, creativity and flavor. Buy tickets here.

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SLIDELUCK POTSHOW CLEVELAND RECAP

[Text by Carly Planker and Hillary Lyon]

[Photos by David Schwartz and Carly Planker]

It was the first 80 degree day in Cleveland, Ohio and I was cruising through Gordon Square with a trunk full of beer from Brooklyn Brewery.  We rolled through the west side arts district in Cleveland and it was abuzz with activity.  Excited, we arrived at 78th Street Studios ready to see what all this hype was about.  One young lady arrived promptly at 6 PM looking for some home cooked food and we welcomed her with open arms and a large, empty plate for her to fill.  As more people arrived it became clear that yoga is popular, vegan dishes were aplenty, and everyone favored the delicious Summer Ale.  I had to fend people off the social media darling of the evening, the cheesecake-stuffed-chocolate-dipped strawberries, in warrior one as I went back for seconds.

As the sun set, folks gathered around for the slideshow not quite sure what to expect.  The exciting mix of local and international artists kept everyone’s attention and was the topic of much discussion at the after party.  Local artist David Schwartz took us on a journey down Route 66. Matt Eich showed us an Ohio some of us had never seen before. The quirky slideshow by Liam Tickner was a debate-inducing crowd favorite.  The House on Elwell, a piece by Cleveland expats Daryl Matusak & Willi Wilber echoed the Ohio City landscape next door.

The slideshow ended and the chatting moved outside as we headed to local bar XYZ. Cleveland folks are definitely friendly: two young Episcopalians literally tried to carry me out of the bar as to stop me from returning to Brooklyn the next morning. Local Director, Hillary Lyon, valiantly saved me in Warrior 2. Thank goodness her asanas were strong from her yoga teacher training graduation the night before. After all that vegan food, we ate two hamburgers (of the meat variety) and discussed what was making the burger so delicious. Whether is was the bun or the fried pickle, it was the perfect reward for the work everyone had put in to bring SLPS to Cleveland.  As we careened back to the east side of Cleveland, I took a full, deep breath in and as I exhaled, I thought, Cleveland rocks!

Vintage Map of The Month: Porti della Nuova York e Perthamboy

Porti della Nuova York e Perthamboy. Giuseppe Maria Terreni. ca. 1763. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

From Brooklyn Historical Society (click image to enlarge):

This month’s featured map is from the Gazzettiere Americano, an atlas published in Livorno, Italy in 1763. The map shows New York Harbor and surrounding areas, and includes a number of Brooklyn references. If you look closely, you will see the following names on the Brooklyn area of the map: Bushwick, Brockland, Redhook, Flatland, Flatbush, Gravesend, Utrecht, and Coney Isola. The small numbers on the map are called soundings and they represent water depths. Soundings were commonly featured on early nautical charts and maps and are still used today in navigation.

Interested in seeing more maps? You can view the BHS map collection anytime during the library’s open hours, Wed.-Fri., from 1-5 p.m. No appointment is necessary to view most maps. Our cataloged maps can be searched through BobCat and our map inventories through Emma.

Vintage Photo Of The Week: Concert Grove Lagoon

[Concert Grove Lagoon, Prospect Park], 1897, v1973.2.365; The Brooklyn oversize 19th century collection, v1973.002; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

As the days get warmer and the nights get shorter there’s nothing like an outdoor picnic to celebrate the early days of summer. This photo of picnickers in Concert Grove Lagoon depicts a picturesque scene of Brooklynites enjoying the mid-day sun at Prospect Park in 1897. At the turn of the twentieth century, as Brooklyn’s population continued to diversify, members of different social classes mixed more and more in public spaces such as parks and theatres – even as class and race divisions continued to stratify. The photograph also depicts a fleet of bicycles for cycling, a leisure activity fast gaining popularity in 1897.

To see more photos from BHS’s collection, visit their online image gallery.

The Legion Of Osiris is Accepting New Members

Brooklyn Brewery’s exclusive beer club, The Legion Of Osiris, is now accepting a second round of membership applications from only the most discerning of drinkers. Named after an Egyptian god known to stop at nothing to protect the most holy of beverages, The Legion of Osiris seeks to do the same.

The Legion meets every Friday at The Brooklyn Brewery Tasting Room at 5pm, one full hour before the masses shuffle through those famed red doors. All Legion members enjoy robust conversation, tomfoolery, back patting, and a selection of that week’s cask from a members-only dimple mug. On top of that, special guest speakers, rare beer tastings, ice cream socials & more are included in the weeks’ programming.

You, too, can join this camaraderie of connoisseurs. A $75 a year membership fee allows you:

+ Legion of Osiris dimple mug
+ 5pm Friday Happy Hour admission through a secret entrance
+ Invitation to all Brewmaster’s Reserve release parties
+ Position at The Table for the Yearly Assembly of the Legion
+ Contribution to the Legion’s publication, The Almanac of Beer
+ Feelings of Entitlement

Email osiris@brooklynbrewery.com with the subject line “Legion of Osiris” to receive the Legion’s Form of Registry.

“Beer has dispelled the illness which was in me.” — Late Egyptian, translated by Dr. Kent Weeks

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW LONDON IV RECAP

[Text by Maria Teresa Salvati]

[Photos by Tina Remiz, Kitty Walker and Rajan Zaveri]

Wednesday, 25th April, 2012 the IV edition of Slideluck Potshow London took place at the two-floors trendy gallery in the heart of Shoreditch, 81 Leonard Street.

There was a lot of expectation on this edition; probably because there had been a great deal of build up and many people involved from all around the world. From the London-based curators – Fiona Rogers, who selected the female submissions and Harry Hardie selecting the male entries – to the theme, in which interpreted the idea of Gender and/or Identity; to a further selection, which will be made by Erica McDonald for DEVELOP Tube (NY) and GUP Magazine (Amsterdam); to the food, the drinks and the raffle.

We think all the expectations were matched!  We got so many complements, tweets, Facebook posts and emails by people congratulating for the whole experience. For what was viewable to people’s eyes it all went smoothly and great! However, there has been a lot of preparation and dedication behind the scenes by the core team: Maria Teresa Salvati, Mariona Otero, Tina Remiz and Kitty Walker – who also designed this year’s flyer.

The food was, as always, outstanding! The London crowd never disappoints as far as the potluck is concerned. We had a selection of many cuisines from all around the world, as a confirmation that London truly is a melting pot! And this year we introduced something new, just to have more fun: a food editor.

Regan Maloney awarded the best dish and a runner-up with a hamper and a feature in her blog. The winners are: homemade rhubarb with black pudding tart and Vietnamese spring rolls. And it all looked amazing in the palm leaf plates and eco-friendly tableware kindly supplied by Little Cherry.

The wonderful Brooklyn Brewery beers worked as glue for food, smiles, mingles and a push into the spirit of Slideluck Potshow!

At 8:30 on the dot, the slideshow commenced, and it was outstanding! There was a good mix of emerging and established artists, who interpreted the theme in many different ways: ranging from a literal translation of the ‘gender’ topic, with stories about transgender, like the Mongolian Transgender by Alvaro Laiz or ‘Memories of a boy’ by Paul Amundsen or ‘Jenny Sexy’ by Christine Rose Divito, and more.

Then we presented other slideshows focusing on cultural or personal identity, where the gender was either accidental or not relevant at all,  like Laura Hynd with ‘The Letting Go” and Cristina De Middel with her China story “Made in”, and others.

Our partner, Blurb awarded the best story to Pierfrancesco Celada. A story about loneliness and alienation in big metropolis – ‘Japan: I wish I knew your name’.

Overall, the slideshow was really strong and some of the work was emotional too. We can’t wait to see them published online, so we can share them all with those that didn’t attend!

I want to really thank all the artists that submitted work this year! We had so many entries, and we are particularly proud to donate 20% of the submissions proceeds to support the Firecraker grant, in support of European Women Photographers.

The place was packed – I think we had more then 200 people. So, far the most successful Slideluck Potshow London edition. We are excited about the next one, though we are still recovering!

People left smiling and not empty handed: we gave away lovely SLPS branded bags with loads of goodies in it: a selection of GUP Magazine, Viewbook discounts and much more.

Special thanks to everyone for the support: from our global team, to the volunteers and everyone who came along!

Vintage Photo Of The Week: Coney Island

Bird’s Eye View of Coney Island, ca. 1892, v1972.1.777; Photography Collection; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This aerial view of Coney Island includes several of the attractions that led the area to become a favorite weekend destination for New Yorkers and others. In the center of this photograph is Surf Avenue, as well as the Elephant Hotel, which opened in 1892. The hotel had staircases and shops in the elephant’s legs and rooms inside the structure’s body.

To the right of the elephant is the Sea Beach Palace, another example of Coney Island’s early hotels. It was also the terminal of the New York and Sea Beach Railroad, one of several steam railroads that served the area at the time. Most of the New York and Sea Beach Railroad’s route became part of the BMT Sea Beach Line, or N train.

To see more photos from BHS’s collection, visit their online image gallery.

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW DC VII RECAP

[Text by Vladimir Dzintra]

[Photos by Casey Kelbaugh]

Laba diena! Es esmu Vladimirs Dzintra, Latvijas vissvarīgākais foto blogeris un dīdžejs lielas radio parādīt, MaximumFunky bailīgs pie Baltijas jūras vasaras laikā. Lūdzu zvanīt man Vlads.

Es esmu svinēt valsts svētkus Latvijā, un ieradās Amerikas Captiol, Washington, DC. Man bija laba izdevība apmeklēt lielāko regulāru notikumu sestdienas naktī, ka es lasīt par in Washington Post. Tas bija vārds Slideluck Potshow, un es neatceros redzēt tādas lietas Rīgā jebkad agrāk. Zem viena jumta, mēs ēdam miežu un baudīt funny attēlu šovu.

Mums bija vētrains, vējainā naktī, kad es apmeklēju amerikāņu Haunted House Pennsylvania Avenue, netālu kur Premier sēž. Iekšā bija daudz skaistas amerikāņu meitenes, daudz delcious pārtika izgatavoti no rokām un atsvaidzinošu dzērienu no šīs Brooklyn Brewery. Es dzirdēju par šo alus darītavu agrāk, jo mans poļu brālēns, Krzysztof, dzīvo tur blakus. Viņš saka rajons kļūst pilns Giggletossers.

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Words With Friends: A Conversation w/ Conor of Brooklyn Winery

Conor McCormak, pictured above, is the Winemaker at Brooklyn Winery, where he oversees all aspects of wine production from sourcing premium fruit from vineyards to the bottling of 5,000 cases annually. When his hands weren’t busy handling grapes and cradling his daughter Madeleine, born earlier this year, he and Garrett chatted over email about the similarities in beer and wine packaging trends…

Conor: Hi Garrett. I have noticed an increase in microbreweries using cans (some with very elaborate designs) for their beer along with a couple wineries trying it out. Do you find there to be a difference in flavor, quality, or shelf life with canned beer versus glass bottle? I haven’t put any wine in can as I would suspect that the acids would react with the aluminum.

Garrett: Good question! We’ve been putting our beer in cans for years now, but until a few years ago we largely confined them to places glass wasn’t allowed – stadiums, golf courses and the like. Slowly but surely, however, cans are becoming seen as a legitimate package, shaking off the “cheap industrial beer” image that they had until recently.

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