From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This photo shows Seatrain Shipbuilding workers on break at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1977. This photo was donated by Frank J. Trezza a long-time electrician at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Frank J. Trezza Collection contains several hundred color photographs, black and white photographs, color negatives, and black and white negatives, all photographed by Frank J. Trezza during his tenure at the Seatrain Shipbuilding. Though the dates of the collection span from 1861 to 1988, the bulk of the records are from the period 1973-1978, when Mr. Trezza was an employee of Seatrain Shipbuilding. The images offer an inside view of the Navy Yard during the final years of shipbuilding there. Included are landscapes of the Navy Yard and its surrounding area, portraits of fellow Seatrain employees on the job, and images of the ships that were built or repaired at the Navy Yard during this time. There are also a few copy prints obtained from the National Archives that depict ships built at the Navy Yard from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.

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

Boys at Fort Hamilton, ca.1910, V1981.284.55; Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, v1981.284; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This photograph features boys from Emmanuel House on a visit to Fort Hamilton. Fort Hamilton is located in Bay Ridge, in the southwestern corner of Brooklyn. American soldiers had used the site as a garrison since the Revolutionary War, but the structure that stands today was not erected until the nineteenth century. The Army commenced building Fort Hamilton on June 11, 1825, completing it after six years and at a cost of half a million dollars. Fort Hamilton has played numerous roles in both war and peacetime. Its military residents included Robert E. Lee, garrisoned there during the 1840s, decades before he would lead the Confederate Army. During the Civil War, the fort protected New York harbor against potential Confederate invaders and provided troops to police the New York Draft Riots of 1863. In the twentieth century, it served as a major port of embarkation during both World Wars. Fort Hamilton continues to be an actively used military site today. The fort also houses the Harbor Defense Museum, which offers educational tours, exhibits, and access to archival collections related to military history in New York City.

Emmanuel House was located at 13 Steuben Street in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. As a civic center and place of outreach run by the Young Men’s League of the Emmanuel Baptist Church, the Emmanuel House offered Sunday school, Kindergarten and recreational classes to children of the church and neighborhood. Emmanuel House was demolished in the mid-twentienth century during an expansion of the neighboring Pratt Institute, at which time outreach and recreational activities were resumed at the Emmanuel Baptist Church.

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

From Brooklyn Historical Society (click here to enlarge):

This month’s featured map dates from approximately 1776 and shows the routes of American and British troops throughout the New York area before, during, and after the “Engagement on the Heights” of August 27th, 1776. Known alternately as the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brooklyn, and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, this event was a significant moment in the Revolutionary War. Some historical sites relevant to the battle can still be visited today, including Battle Pass in Prospect Park, the Prison Ships Martyrs Monument, and the Old Stone House.

[East side of Furman Street.], ca. 1940, v1974.16.228; Edna Huntington papers and photographs, ARC.044, Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

From the desk of Julie May, Photo Archivist: The first noticeable and great thing about this photograph is the cars, I think. While the new Fiat is sweetly round and compact, I personally don’t think it compares to the curvy lines of the cars above. I imagine they were pretty utilitarian, but I find them romantically stylish. This picture depicts Furman Street – a Furman Street that is no longer. It has transformed from a small street with trees and brick-front buildings to the roaring BQE on the east side of the street and the waterfront on the other side with an occasional building or two. In addition, the new Brooklyn Bridge Park in all its manicured and bike-friendly glory is now between the road and the water. That’s quite a change in a mere seventy years, but that’s Brooklyn for you – always changing.

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

Horse-drawn carriage on Clinton Avenue at Fulton Street, after the blizzard, ca. 1888, V1974.7.78; Adrian Vanderveer Martense lantern slide collection, ARC.191; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

 From the desk of Carolina Garcia, project intern: When I first started working on digitizing the Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection of lantern slides, one of the things I was most amused by was the fact that the labels on the slides were stamped “A.V. Martense, Amateur”. Martense hailed from one of Brooklyn’s oldest and wealthiest families and enjoyed the hobby of photography. Although he was not a professional photographer, there are many impressive images in the collection—from portraits to landscapes to architecture.

I chose to share this image because of the sharpness and richness that Martense managed to capture. It is among the images Martense created in the wake of a New York blizzard in March of 1888. The horse and carriage stand in front of a building near the corner of Fulton and Clinton Streets in Brooklyn.

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

Sledding in Prospect Park, January 1967, V1990.2.39; Donald Nowlan Brooklyn collection, ARC.120; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

 This photo shows sledders in Prospect Park, January 1967. Equipped with the wood sleds, plastic discs, and pieces of cardboard, hundreds of winter revelers of all ages flock to the hills of Prospect Park every year. When Prospect Park opened in 1867, it provided a free and accessible public space for Brooklynites to congregate, exercise, and play in the heat of summer and the chill of winter. Today, Prospect Park remains one of the most popular sledding sites in Brooklyn.

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

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

Photographer John D. Morrell was Assistant Librarian of the Long Island Historical Society (today known as Brooklyn Historical Society), and donated more than 2,600 photographs of Brooklyn neighborhoods to the library. Most are photographs documenting Brooklyn storefronts and blocks. The collection is a wonderful resource for researchers due to the detail included with each photograph. This photograph shows a small store called Holiday House, located on the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Carroll Street taken on February 28, 1960 – it’s great to have that much geographic information for so many images!

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

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

In 2007, real estate blog The Real Deal called Columbia Heights “Brooklyn’s most expensive street” because of the limited number of properties and the stunning views of Manhattan from buildings on the west side of the street. Columbia Heights has long been one of Brooklyn’s most-coveted addresses, and over the centuries many of the mansions and brownstones along the street housed the borough’s most prominent families. Residents of Columbia Heights have included members of the Pierrepont family, the Roebling Family, Henry Ward Beecher, and more recently, Norman Mailer.

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

Eliza J. Lefferts, circa 1850s-1860s; Lefferts family papers, ARC.145, box 5, folder 8; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This portrait depicts Eliza J. Lefferts (1831-1867), a member of one of Kings County’s oldest and most powerful families. Eliza was born in Bedford Corners (part of present-day Bedford Stuyvesant). At the age of twenty, she moved a mile south to Flatbush when she married her cousin John Lefferts (1826-1895), heir to the Lefferts family homestead. Eliza spent much of her adult life pregnant: she gave birth to six children between 1852 and 1860. In 1867, after a short illness, Eliza passed away. Her death was particularly difficult for her sister-in-law, Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt, who lived across the street and who had lost her mother only two years earlier. In a family history she composed for Eliza’s children, Gertrude wrote, “Every effort to renew her strength proved unavailing, and she died in 1867, greatly beloved and lamented.”

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

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This month’s featured map depicts the New York City subway system in 1955. Published by the Union Dime Savings Bank, the map shows various subway lines, stations, and sites of free transfer. Another interesting feature of the map is that it advertises banking by mail, calling it “the quickest and easiest way to open an account.”

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.

The “Brooklyn Night Bazaar” planned for Dec 15-17 at 149 Kent Ave with DJ James Murphy, and bands Fucked Up and The Hold Steady takes me back to a similar extravaganza on the Brooklyn waterfront in 1989, the Cat’s Head*. Of course there are significant differences. The Cat’s Head was completely illegal. As I recall, it was created by a group of early Williamsburg settlers –Robert Elmes, Jessica Nissen and Fred Valentine. They squatted in an abandoned industrial building on the waterfront. No one had insurance; no one had any official approval from the Building Department or the Fire Department or the Police Department. No one had a beer license, but they somehow managed to buy and sell Brooklyn Lager. There were radical art installations, towering sculptures, exploding watermelons, nude performance art, even a tennis match between Paul Campbell and Reggie Hodges in a grain silo, when the event was held in the Mustard Factory on Grand. There were great bands. It went all night. It was utterly raw. As I recall, there were two such Cat’s Head happenings. The shadowy organizers took the profit and went to Berlin and did a Cat’s Head there.

The Brooklyn Night Bazaar will be much more buttoned up, but it continues a great Williamsburg party tradition.

– Steve Hindy, President & Co-founder

*I seem to recall a severed cat’s head on the property gave the event its name.

From the Krausen Commandos:

On Friday August 5th, 2011, The Krausen Commandos of Northwest Connecticut won one of the used Brooklyn Brewery oak barrels through their Facebook contest (with the gracious help of many friends of friends of friends spreading the word and voting). The first part of the acquisition was to travel down to the brewery and pick up the barrel. Not long after the win, a couple Commandos ventured into the city and hauled the barrel back home to CT.

On November 5th (AHA’s National Learn to Home Brew Day), 15 members descended upon one member’s house, with a custom made stout recipe, an enormous amount of brewing equipment, ingredients, beer and food, and spent the day brewing more than 60 gallons of stout to eventually fill the barrel with.

After approximately two weeks of fermentation (in 12 different fermenters), several members got together and siphoned each fermenter into the barrel. The aromas coming out of the barrel were abundant and almost intoxicating!

Nobody knows just yet how long they will age the beer in the barrel, but all are anxious to sample the bounty!

The Krausen Commandos of Northwest CT were formed in May 2010 to Brew, Drink, and Serve! They started with a small group of brewers who often brewed and drank together and decided to make an official club. Their numbers have nearly tripled in less than two years and are now comprised of more than 25 ambitious and talented brewers from all over the state of CT. The members range from as little as one year experience, to nearly 10 years of experience in both extract and all-grain brewing. One member even had a short stint as the head brewer at a now defunct local brew pub.

[Abraham & Straus, ca.1895, v1972.1.611; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, ARC.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

The end of November also marks the beginning of the holiday window displays in New York. This photograph captures an elaborate window display, which appears to be made entirely out of handkerchiefs, at Abraham & Straus department store. The ornate building, located at 422 Fulton Street, became the flagship location of A&S in 1885, and is now a Macy’s store. The three-story arch that once formed the entrance to the building has since been filled in, but other original art deco details are still visible.

In addition to this photograph, BHS has an archival collection about Abraham & Straus from 1865 to 1995. The majority of the items date from 1964 and 1965 and were compiled by Abraham & Straus employee Juli Daves in preparation for the store’s centennial celebration. These items include newsletters, a history of Abraham & Straus, news clippings, and correspondence between Juli Daves and Mrs. Kenn Stryker-Rodda, Archivist at the Long Island Historical Society (later the Brooklyn Historical Society), regarding research for the centennial. Other materials in the collection include store directories, souvenir shopping bags, employee newsletters, various printed ephemera, and a catalog dating from 1886, when the store was known as Wechsler & Abraham.

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

[Sunday School Thanksgiving, ca. 1910, v1981.284.20; Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, v1981.284; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This image showing a Thanksgiving spread at Emmanuel House is one of eighty-seven lantern slides in BHS’s Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, circa 1910-1914. Emmanuel House was located at 131 Steuben Street, near Pratt Institute in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. According to the 1897 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac, “it was maintained by the Young Men’s League of Emmanuel Baptist Church [and] has reading rooms, game rooms, a gymnasium, and bowling alleys for boys; and free sewing school and kindergarten classes for girls.”

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

[Text and photographs by Casey Kelbaugh]

FIRST WE TAKE MANHATTAN, THEN WE TAKE BERLIN.

“I did not expect Brooklyn to have so nice beer,” said Saskia Bosch, the gorgeous blonde sitting beside me, IPA in hand. It’s true, I thought, bringing beer to Germany makes about as much sense as bringing sand to the beach. But yet, somehow, Marc Rauschmann of Die Internationale Brau-Manufacturen importers managed to bring a dimpled smile to Saskia and about 200 other Berliner’s faces last Thursday evening with generous helpings of India Pale Ale and Local 1 & 2.

The occasion for all of this beer-drinking was Slideluck Potshow’s fourth installment in Berlin. The show was produced by photographer Britney Anne Majure and it took place at .HBC which was the former Hungarian Cultural Center and sits across the street from Alexanderplatz and the iconic TV tower.

Rather than trying to get Berliners to understand potlucking (not sure they’ll ever get it), we opted to bring in Tacos Berlin to provide some slammin’ poblano dinners and Elke Wardlaw’s homemade cupcakes. DJ Magnus Bjerk complimented the candle-lit-sit-down dinner perfectly with velvety smooth Latin-inspired tracks.

Berlin’s population has about as similar a profile to Williamsburg as can be found anywhere on Earth. So not only are all the girls rocking bowl-cuts, but there is an extremely high concentration of young, creative people from all over. Nowhere was this embarrassment of riches more clearly displayed than in our slideshow of 30 local artists, including: Jan von Holleben, Barbara Wagner, Andrea Diefenbach, Jen Osborne, Lindsay Amelie Isola and Mirjam Siefert. Having been to this particular rodeo before, I was completely amazed to see so much fresh and interesting work. Apparently so was Peaches, who I’m told also came for the slideshow.

What also made the show special was having a number of Slideluck directors in town for our European Director’s meeting the following night. Maria Teresa Salvati came in from London, Siri Warren from Oslo, Benedicte Gerbier flew in from Paris, Britney Anne Majure from Berlin, and of course the SLPS Global Producer, Carly Planker from New York.

Towards the end of the party, I met a young American guy who was on a Fulbright scholarship, teaching English in Berlin. He had an armload of IPA’s and I asked what was up. He said when he heard Brooklyn Brewery was having their launch party that night in Berlin – so he came specifically for that, as he was tiring of German lagers. Well, on that particular night, he struck jackpot. Those Fulbrights sure are smart.

[John Jay Pierrepont Home, 1879], v1986.66.70; John Jay Pierrepont photograph collection, ARC.197, Brooklyn Historical Society. ]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

The next time you drive on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) through Brooklyn Heights, imagine what it looked like before there was a BQE. This photograph was taken by John Jay Pierrepont, son of Henry Evelyn and Anna Maria Pierrepont. John and his brother (Henry Evelyn II) lived in Brooklyn Heights and took over Pierrepont Stores, the family’s shipping storage business along the Brooklyn waterfront. In 1879 when this photograph was taken, it would have been very convenient for the brothers to descend the stairs from the backyard of 1 Pierrepont Place, where John resided, toward the offices of the Pierrepont Stores.

Many of the properties along Pierrepont Place enjoyed this aesthetically pleasing and direct route to the water until the BQE was built at the proposal of Robert Moses. After a grueling, public debate, the twentieth-century residents of Brooklyn Heights were able to strike a compromise that eliminated the backyards on Pierrepont Place and installed the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to accommodate the BQE running below instead of criss-crossing the historic neighborhood.

Incidentally, John Jay was also an amateur photographer who chronicled the progress being made on the Brooklyn Bridge and many other waterfront scenes. He was the treasurer for the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society) and a member of the Committee on Brooklyn History.

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

[John Jay Pierrepont Home, 1879], v1986.66.70; John Jay Pierrepont photograph collection, ARC.197, Brooklyn Historical Society. ]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

The next time you drive on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) through Brooklyn Heights, imagine what it looked like before there was a BQE. This photograph was taken by John Jay Pierrepont, son of Henry Evelyn and Anna Maria Pierrepont. John and his brother (Henry Evelyn II) lived in Brooklyn Heights and took over Pierrepont Stores, the family’s shipping storage business along the Brooklyn waterfront. In 1879 when this photograph was taken, it would have been very convenient for the brothers to descend the stairs from the backyard of 1 Pierrepont Place, where John resided, toward the offices of the Pierrepont Stores.

Many of the properties along Pierrepont Place enjoyed this aesthetically pleasing and direct route to the water until the BQE was built at the proposal of Robert Moses. After a grueling, public debate, the twentieth-century residents of Brooklyn Heights were able to strike a compromise that eliminated the backyards on Pierrepont Place and installed the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to accommodate the BQE running below instead of criss-crossing the historic neighborhood.

Incidentally, John Jay was also an amateur photographer who chronicled the progress being made on the Brooklyn Bridge and many other waterfront scenes. He was the treasurer for the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society) and a member of the Committee on Brooklyn History.

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

[Images by John Mazlish]
[Text by Dan Teran]

Slideluck Potshow put its best foot forward Wednesday night with the 2nd Annual SLIDELUCK Fundraiser & Auction.  Monday last we returned to Chinatown after a great success at FotoWeek DC, and in a few short days and near-sleepless nights, the NYC Slideluck Team rallied to transform Sandbox Studios into a compelling gallery space, and was prepared to put DC back in its place as a cultural runner-up.

For the second year in a row, Ryan Jones worked tirelessly to produce the fundraiser.  After all the labor she put into Slideluck, Ryan went into another kind of labor last Friday – this year, Ryan not only produced SLIDELUCK, but also, a human being.  Five days before the auction (and more than a week early) Ryan brought Scarlet Jones Ouvaroff into the world – we were personally hoping she’d name her firstborn Slideluck, but we’ll settle for her hard work and dedication.  Like a true partner, Ryan’s husband, Caspar Ouvaroff, stepped up to curate and install all 60 pieces in the show with yours truly, and with his massive, 6’7” frame, made an appearance at the event large enough for both his lovely bride and newborn child.  A huge thank you and congratulations goes out to the growing Ouvaroff clan.

Guests arrived for the VIP reception and sipped on some of Brooklyn’s finest brews – the Local 1 and 2 – while having a first taste of Co-Host Rikrit Tiravanija’s Thai curry pizza – a preview of the curry lunches he will be serving at MoMA as part of an installation beginning next week.   Morton, the WhistlePig Rye Whiskey brand ambassador, a house-trained potbelly pig, stole the first part of the show.  He demonstrated the virtues that earn potbelly pigs a top-five slot in animal intelligence.  As I sat at my desk on Thursday morning, preparing to make an argument for purchasing a floor pig for my office, I learned some fun facts, namely: that pigs can have their feelings hurt.  This confirmed my suspicion that only Morton truly grasped the irony of partygoers tossing him dog treats, while munching on crostini with braised Mini Mac Farm pork shoulder, Alstede Farms Winesap apple and local shallot chutney.

Early in the evening, I had the delight of meeting the Co-Host, Jessica Craig-Martin, an esteemed events-turned-art photographer.  When prompted by the event’s producer and her former student, Carly Planker, to comment on my attempted mustache, Ms. Craig-Martin replied, “I am a person who generally has a complaint about everything, and I have no complaint about that moustache.”  Take that, Mom.

Ms. Craig-Martin used the silent auction as an opportunity to collect some beautiful work.  One piece, a photograph by Dolly Faibyshev, featured a detail of a woman and her hound from their least flattering angle, as though Ms. Craig Martin had been asked to cover the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show herself.  The second piece she purchased was a photograph by Ruben Natal-San Miguel featuring a woman of questionable employ on the street in Harlem with bedazzled “$” earrings – no less ostentatious than her usual upper-crust subjects.

As the evening progressed, a powerful speech from SLPS Founder and Director Casey Kelbaugh, followed by an uplifting video, brought everyone back to the roots of Slideluck Potshow – an idea idea that began in Casey’s Seattle backyard 11 years ago.  A short film about the Slideluck Youth Initiative, one of evening’s primary beneficiaries, concluded with Casey issuing a challenge for the organization to “change the world through photography”.  The candor in Casey’s voice gave the audience the impression that they were either with him or against him, and I knew where I fell if I expected another sweet, sweet Brooklyn Lager.

Following an exhilarating live auction of works by Spencer Tunick, Ines Esnal, Barton Lidice Benes and others presented by Sotheby’s Courtney Booth, attendees cautiously guarded their favorite pieces by artists such as Shepard Fairey, Joseph La Piana, Jen Davis and Julie Blackmon in the ongoing silent auction – providing no shortage of micro-narratives fueled by bidding wars.  I watched on as two such silent showdowns unfold on pieces book-ending a wall of larger works.  The pieces happened to compliment each other quite well, both in watercolor, one a mustache, the other a series of, well, upskirts.  Artist John Gordon Gauld contributed the mustache piece from a collection of work done for Bergdorf’s, the upskirts were done by Rosalie Stone Morris – both of whom left arm-in-arm before bidding closed, weary of the melodrama, for some late night karaoke.  Thanks guys.

With no shortage of chocolate bark covered in inventive toppings to munch on, prepared by Dave Gould at the Highlands Supper Club, the silent auction wrapped.  Men in suits left with art in boxes.  Women in cocktail dresses left with men in suits.  And the rest of us?  Well, we stayed and swilled the remaining Pennant Ale in true Slideluck fashion, until Carly kicked us out.  Next stop?  Berlin.  Dare we bring some Chocolate Stout to the land of Bier?  I hope so.

[The junction of Flatbush and Church Avenues, ca. 1918, v1973.6.385; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection. ARC.202; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This image of Flatbush and Church Avenues, taken by F. A. Walter for Brooklyn Life magazine, looks away from the Old Dutch Reformed Church toward the Bank of Flatbush and the Flatbush Theater ca. 1918. Brooklyn Life was a weekly magazine in publication from 1890 to 1931. The magazine featured poetry, book reviews, art and theater columns, coverage of club life, and gossip about local notables. When the magazine began its run in 1890, Brooklyn was still an independent city, with the editor announcing on March 8, 1890, “Remember you are to work for Brooklyn first, last and always…” At the magazine’s conclusion in 1931, Brooklyn had become a borough of New York City. The entire run of Brooklyn Life and its index is available in bound volumes at the BHS library.

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

[The junction of Flatbush and Church Avenues, ca. 1918, v1973.6.385; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection. ARC.202; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This image of Flatbush and Church Avenues, taken by F. A. Walter for Brooklyn Life magazine, looks away from the Old Dutch Reformed Church toward the Bank of Flatbush and the Flatbush Theater ca. 1918. Brooklyn Life was a weekly magazine in publication from 1890 to 1931. The magazine featured poetry, book reviews, art and theater columns, coverage of club life, and gossip about local notables. When the magazine began its run in 1890, Brooklyn was still an independent city, with the editor announcing on March 8, 1890, “Remember you are to work for Brooklyn first, last and always…” At the magazine’s conclusion in 1931, Brooklyn had become a borough of New York City. The entire run of Brooklyn Life and its index is available in bound volumes at the BHS library.

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

[Images by Casey Kelbaugh]
[Text by Dan Teran]

We emerged from the Chinatown metro station in downtown DC after a fun-filled four-hour bus ride down from New York City.  Arriving at the residence of Francis Kim, one of the local Slideluck Potshow directors, we encountered a young lady with two Tupperware containers full of chocolate chip cookies.

We asked if she was going to a potluck, thinking that everyone in DC must be en route to Slideluck Potshow DC VI, and was surprised to find out that she was just going one at “Maria’s apartment”.  Who knew DC was such a potlucky town?  Hoping to maybe get a freshly-baked cookie out of the exchange, we inquired further, only to find out that she had bought the cookies at Costco and then transferred them to Tupperware to give the appearance of home-cooking.  Wow, that’s clever, we exclaimed.  And lame.  We shared the elevator for another couple floors and an awkward guilty silence hung in the elevator like an egg fart.  Wow, DC, we knew you were dirty, but not that dirty.

Cookie Monster was getting off the elevator and we said, “Hey have a good potluck.”
And she responded, “Thanks, you too.”

We ignored some of our NYC friend’s suggestions to “check out Starbuck’s” while were down there and focus on some of Washington’s cultural wonders.  For the 4th year in a row, we collaborated with FotoWeek DC to bring our unique mix of a multimedia slideshow and potluck dinner to the good people of DC.  We curated a show of about 30 artists, primarily DC-based, and rolled into town with no less than 30 cases of Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Brown Ale and IPA.

There were no shortage of Dockers or earnest political opinions, but among the 250 or more folks that attended, was a lively and diverse mix of people.  And no more was that more accurately reflected than in the potluck dinner – sesame bok choy, cauliflower and cashew salad, mac n’cheese cups, an olive and orange salad, chocolate pumpkin bread – too name a few dishes.

The slide show was comic at times, sexy at others, and of course, challenging and hard-hitting in many cases.  Our DC peeps don’t care for fluff.  Nor do they care for Costco cookies packaged in Tupperware.

One of the benefits of teaming up with FotoWeek was that they had a number of exhibitions mounted in the space – including the finalists for Pictures of the Year International and the World Press Photos of the Year.  The afforded the opportunity for Slideluckers to wander the cavernous and carpeted ex-Borders Bookstore, cold beers in hand, to check out some mind-blowing work.  One particularly investigative couple – who looked like they may ridden on their fixies all the way from Williamsburg – were delighted to unearth the repetition of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez quote captioning two different works, practically right next to each other.  Awkward!

After the slides had stopped and the last drop of Brooklyn Brown had found a belly, a spontaneous Sunday night after party coalesced around the corner at the 18th Street Lounge.  Yet another pleasant surprise, this place was packed, with multiple floors eliciting fierce dance moves and a large deck for 50 or more Slideluckers to recount and discuss the evening’s program into the wee hours of the night.

Once again, Washington, DC, you made us proud to be American.

[Annie Novak wheels greens on her Brooklyn Brewery cruiser.]

Cornmeal Cayenne Butter Cookies
from Annie Novak, farmer, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm and founder, Growing Chefs: Food Education from Field to Fork

I’m not going to be ashamed: I love Martha Stewart. Martha makes me feel ashamed when I make the sloppy switch between baking powder and baking soda, and parentally proud of my 99% germination rates when sowing springtime seeds. Don’t let her love of terrariums fool you: Martha Stewart is a badass.

When I started farming for Keith Stewart in upstate New York many years ago, a well-pawed-through copy of the cookbook “Martha Stewart: Cookies” was the literary salve to my frostbitten fingers. Since the nearest grocery store was a good thirty minute drive into town, many were the nights we farm apprentices made hard sourdough loaves and dreamed of the glorious day when we’d have enough Ronnybrook (as we nicknamed butter) to make “Macadamia maple sticky bars” and “Fresh peach drop cookies.” Years later I came across “Cookies” at The Brooklyn Kitchen and snapped it up, biking home to begin fulfilling long-tendered fantasies of Martha-cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But as I pulled out the Ronnybrook and refined sugar, I realized something weird: my palate had changed. In eight years of local farming, I wanted something more than just a sweet treat.

One recipe caught my eye: the cornmeal thyme cookies. I’ve since taken the recipe and modified it to celebrate another great end-of-season crop: peppers. We grew a lot of hot peppers this year at the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The peppers do botanically great in the arid greenroof soil. My cayenne peppers (a variety called “Andy”) dry to a beautiful bright red and are easily crushed into hot pepper flakes. The cookies that resulted were buttery and sweet, with brilliant red speckles. For a final touch, I added butterscotch chips. A zinger-slinger like this treat deserves a good beer to go with it. On the golden day that Martha and I sit down for a few Brooklyn grown Cornmeal-Cayenne Butter Cookies hot out of the oven, I’d pair it with a cool Pennant Ale ’55 from Brooklyn Brewery.

Ingredients
+ 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
+ 1 teaspoon baking soda
+ 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
+ 1/2 teaspoon salt
+ 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
+ 1 1/4 cups sugar
+ 2 large eggs
+ 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
+ 2 tablespoons (if not more!) freshly dried cayenne chili flakes

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cornmeal, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until just combined. Mix in butterscotch chips and red pepper flakes.

3. Using a tablespoon or a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, drop rounded balls of dough onto lined sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating and switching positions of sheets about halfway through, until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies, on parchment, to a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Pairing
Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55

[Brooklyn’s Continuation School, ca. 1922, v1973.6.430; Photography Collection; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

Ca. 1922. This image shows students at the Brooklyn Continuation School. In the early twentieth century, many boys and girls who could no longer attend school because they needed to help their families earn income went to continuation schools, like the one pictured here, in order to learn various vocational skills, which would help them find work. Young people would often work at a job in the morning and then take classes at a continuation school in the evening.

Factory owners wrote hundreds of letters praising continuation school programs as they promised to create more highly skilled workers. Boys and girls enrolled in separate programs, based on gender, in the same building. They studied woodworking, electrical wiring, type-writing, salesmanship, and tailoring. Students from Brooklyn Continuation School (BCS) were in particularly high demand as workers. BCS’s students were 97% employed in industries throughout the city and the school had the highest percentage of employed students in New York.

BCS was located near the corner of Ryerson Street and Myrtle Avenue, within walking distance of numerous elevated train lines. Each day hundreds of students would attend classes. Today, BCS continues to operate with a new name and location. Renamed George Westinghouse High School and located in Downtown Brooklyn, the school continues to offer hands-on learning in addition to the standard school curriculum of math, language arts, science, and history. Mirroring the development of Brooklyn industry, the school teaches classes on technology management, eyeglass design and production, website design, and robotics.

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

[Brooklyn’s Continuation School, ca. 1922, v1973.6.430; Photography Collection; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

Ca. 1922. This image shows students at the Brooklyn Continuation School. In the early twentieth century, many boys and girls who could no longer attend school because they needed to help their families earn income went to continuation schools, like the one pictured here, in order to learn various vocational skills, which would help them find work. Young people would often work at a job in the morning and then take classes at a continuation school in the evening.

Factory owners wrote hundreds of letters praising continuation school programs as they promised to create more highly skilled workers. Boys and girls enrolled in separate programs, based on gender, in the same building. They studied woodworking, electrical wiring, type-writing, salesmanship, and tailoring. Students from Brooklyn Continuation School (BCS) were in particularly high demand as workers. BCS’s students were 97% employed in industries throughout the city and the school had the highest percentage of employed students in New York.

BCS was located near the corner of Ryerson Street and Myrtle Avenue, within walking distance of numerous elevated train lines. Each day hundreds of students would attend classes. Today, BCS continues to operate with a new name and location. Renamed George Westinghouse High School and located in Downtown Brooklyn, the school continues to offer hands-on learning in addition to the standard school curriculum of math, language arts, science, and history. Mirroring the development of Brooklyn industry, the school teaches classes on technology management, eyeglass design and production, website design, and robotics.

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

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.

[Halloween in Flatbush, ca. 1905, v1992.21.1; Thelma E. Smith collection on the William Matthews family genealogy, ARC.091; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

Pictured here are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Women’s clubs and organizations often organized fairs and festivals to support their churches and engage parishioners. St. Paul’s Church mirrored the rapid growth of Brooklyn in the early twentieth century. When the Reverend T. G. Jackson became preacher in the 1880s, the church had fewer than 100 members. Thirty years later, the congregation had tripled in size. The church became a cornerstone of the community: embracing residents from neighborhoods ranging from Astoria to Washington Heights to Brighton Beach.

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

[Halloween in Flatbush, ca. 1905, v1992.21.1; Thelma E. Smith collection on the William Matthews family genealogy, ARC.091; Brooklyn Historical Society.]

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

Pictured here are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Women’s clubs and organizations often organized fairs and festivals to support their churches and engage parishioners. St. Paul’s Church mirrored the rapid growth of Brooklyn in the early twentieth century. When the Reverend T. G. Jackson became preacher in the 1880s, the church had fewer than 100 members. Thirty years later, the congregation had tripled in size. The church became a cornerstone of the community: embracing residents from neighborhoods ranging from Astoria to Washington Heights to Brighton Beach.

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

Saturday, October 29, 9pm-1am
Surrogate’s Court
31 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
Buy tickets here

From the Mayor’s Alliance:

First-ever Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals® Halloween Event Promises Thrills and Entertainment – to Benefit New York City’s Homeless Animals.

Fall has finally arrived and with it comes the hunt for New York City’s top Halloween parties. The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals makes this year’s search easy with Creatures’ Ball, the blowout Halloween bash complete with great food, drink, music, and dancing – where party animals can save lives simply by purchasing tickets. Creatures’ Ball will celebrate and raise money to help NYC’s homeless animals – and it all happens in downtown Manhattan’s ghostly Surrogate’s Court (31 Chambers Street) on Saturday, October 29, from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Design and production courtesy of Avi Adler Studio is sure to create the perfect spooky setting, where beer from Brooklyn Brewery and açaí vodka from VeeV will be flowing generously from the bars, and sweet and savory treats skillfully crafted by Vérité Catering and Tastee Vegan will be served. Revelers can dance the night away to music DJ’ed by Vampire Weekend’s very own Rostam Batmanglij!

Celebrants will have the opportunity to see just how the money from their ticket purchases is helping to save the lives of New York City’s homeless animals through evocative video exhibitions, courtesy of (collabo!), that highlight the progress the Mayor’s Alliance has achieved toward its goal of transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015.

Additionally, Yelp, the online city guide that helps people find cool places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play, has signed on as the official media sponsor. Subscribers to their newsletter will have a chance to win tickets to the event.

Tickets are priced at $150 each and can be purchased by visiting http://bit.ly/cbnyc. Costumes are requested and attendees must be at least 21 years of age. All ticket proceeds will benefit NYC’s animals through the life-saving programs of the Mayor’s Alliance.

While we absolutely love animals, we ask that you leave your companion animals safely at home when you come out to celebrate at Creatures’ Ball!

Books? We love ‘em. Steve Hindy wrote one; Garrett Oliver wrote one and edited another; and our culinary-culture loving friends over at Edible have cooked up a DIY guide to recreating the best of Brooklyn’s delectable delights in your own kitchen:

“Celebrate Brooklyn’s best, with the most delicious dishes from the borough’s top food sellers and makers, movers and shakers. Edible Brooklyn: The Cookbook takes you on a photo-packed, tasty tour of one of America’s most diverse locales and its gastronomic pleasures. In addition to finding mouthwatering recipes, you’ll meet the people who create this edible goodness, take a close-up look at the institutions that make Brooklyn an epicure’s delight, explore food-fabulous, ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and get edible tips, plus information on obtaining the ingredients.”

Yep, it’s true. A reincarnation of SmorgasBurg, the popular “Brooklyn Flea Food Market”, is coming to Brooklyn Brewery starting Sunday, December 4 and running until March. Needless to say, we are quite excited to welcome the local artisans into our home.

Eater reports:

On Sunday, December 4, the Brooklyn Flea and Brooklyn Brewery will launch SmorgasBrewery, a mini version of the Saturday food fest Smorgasburg. A rotating cast of five Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg food vendors will set up shop in the Brewery’s Tasting Room on North 11th St. from noon – 5 PM. The partnership should run until March 2012.

At the Brewery there are few things we love more than good beer — great new music is a definite contender. To that end, you’ll be able to find Brooklyn Brewery beer at a handful of shows during the 2011 CMJ Music Marathon:

Monday, October 17
Oh My Rockness @ Cameo Gallery

Friday, October 21
Kanine Records @ Cake Shop

Saturday, October 22
Pitchfork @ Aloft

NY Craft Beer Week, the annual 10-day celebration of good beer in NYC, will this year take place from September 16-25 and as always feature a throng of events and tastings across our behemoth abode. Brooklyn Brewery is proud to support NYCBW’s efforts to honor our most favorite beverage, and will be celebrating the week with the events after the jump. We hope to see you somewhere out there.

Concoction Vs Penicillin: The Final Battle
September 16-18, all night
The Counting Room
44 Berry St (Corner of Berry & N 11th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11249
$10 for a taste of The Brooklyn Concoction beer and a Penicillin, the cocktail the beer is based on.

FREAKTOBERFEST IV
Friday, September 16, 7pm-1am
Southpaw
125 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Official kick-off party for NYCBW. Tickets are $50, which includes a glass and unlimited tastings for the duration of the festival.

NY Craft Beer Week Brooklyn Menu Special
September 16th – 25th, 2011
Austin’s Ale House
82-70 Austin Street
Kew Gardens, NY 11415
718.849.3939

The Food Experiments National Championship
Sunday, September 18, 1-4pm
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N11 Street
Brooklyn, NY 11249
Tickets $35 and include all food samples and unlimited beer
Purchase tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/194661

Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet will be onsite for safe bike storage during the event

The Oxford Companion To Beer Release Party
Monday, September 19, 7:30-10pm
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N11 Street
Brooklyn, NY 11249

This event is invite-only, but we’re giving away tickets to 10 lucky NYCBW Passport holders. Simply email info@brooklynbrewery.com, with the subject line, “Passport” for a chance to win. If chosen, you’ll have to present your NYCBW Passport at the door to gain entry.

Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet will be onsite for safe bike storage during the event

Tallboy Tuesdays, brought to you by Brooklyn Brewery and Transportation Alternatives
Tuesday, September 20, 7-9pm
d.b.a.
41 1st Ave
New York, 10003
(212) 475-5097

Sign up to be a member of Transportation Alternatives, and the first round of Tallboys is on them (the first 50 people to sign up get a koozie).

Brooklyn Brewery Sampling @ Good Beer
Tuesday, September 20, 6:30-9pm
Good Beer
422 East 9th St.
New York, NY 10009
Sample Post Road Pumpkin Ale, Blast!, The Companion and a special “Ghost Bottle”

Brooklyn Bounty
Wednesday, September 21, 6:30-9:30pm
Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Brooklyn Brewery Take Over @ The Brooklyneer
Wednesday, September 21, 7-10pm
The Brooklyneer
220 West Houston Street
New York, NY 10014
Featuring Weisse, Lager, East India Pale Ale, Oktoberfest, The Companion and a special “Ghost Bottle”

Brewer’s Choice
Thursday, September 22, 6-10pm
City Winery
155 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013

Brooklyn Brewery Feature Night @ Ski Bar
Thursday, September 22, 7:30pm
Ski Bar
7314 Fifth Avenue ( 73rd & 74th St)
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn NY 11209
718.630.5266

[photo of Robin and Eric Ottaway from Brooklyn Bounty 2010 by Keiko Niwa]

Wednesday, September 21, 6:30-9:30pm
Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

From BHS:

Brooklyn Historical Society presents Brooklyn Bounty and the first Brooklyn Food Recognition Awards. Attendees will enjoy:

+ tastings of food & drink from Brooklyn growers, chefs and purveyors (including beer from Brooklyn Brewery)
+ historic cocktails in our beautiful Othmer Library
+ food stories told by Brooklynites from neighborhoods far and wide
+ a viewing of historical and new maps and materials related to local food and agriculture
+ a creative silent auction of unique Brooklyn prizes and experiences
+ music by The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn

Tuesday, September 20, 7pm
d.b.a.
41 1st Ave
New York, 10003
(212) 475-5097

What a better way to celebrate NY Craft Beer Week than to promote two of our favorite things — bikes and beer:

[1] Transportation Alternatives, that NYC-based non-profit that fights for “safer, smarter transportation and a healthier city” by advocating for enhancements to bike routes, bus lanes, pedestrian crossings and car parking; and

[2] Tall Boys, those glorious 16 ounce cans of dry hopped, pre-Prohibition style Brooklyn Lager.

The deal is this: come out to one of our favorite bars, sign up to be a member of Transportation Alternatives, and the first round of Tallboys is on them. If you’re among the first 50 people to sign up, you’ll also receive a free, matching can koozie.

From Brooklyn Based:

Our last Brooklyn Brewery-fueled immersion of the summer is around the corner! On Saturday, August 20, join us on Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights for a daylong beer and food crawl on an epic strip of Brooklyn bars and restaurants.

From noon to 6 pm, Soda, Branded Saloon, Woodwork, and Hot Bird will be pouring complimentary cups of Brooklyn Brewery beers, and more bars and restaurants will be joining in on the fun. RSVP or email us to stay posted on details and new participants.

Click here for the event link.

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.

The Brooklyn Brewery hereby announces the formation of The Order of Osiris, a league of libation appreciators formerly never matched. By volunteering their time, their tastebuds and a nominal fee, this band of beer lovers will be subject to a number of benefits sure to whet their elevated whistles. Named after an Egyptian god, known to stop at nothing to protect the most holy of beverages, The Order of Osiris seeks to do the same.

The Order shall meet every Friday at The Brooklyn Brewery Tasting Room at 5pm one full hour before the masses shuffle through those famed red doors. All Order members will have the opportunity to taste that week’s cask from a members-only dimple mug. Also available will be robust conversation, tomfoolery and back patting. Read on to learn of even more good will that awaits due-paying members of this exclusive cadre for the mighty beer lover.

A lifetime membership fee of $15 allots you:

+ Order 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 Order
+ Feelings of Entitlement

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

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

[photo by Hiroko Masuike]

Monday, August 1, 7-11pm
d.b.a.
113 North 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
cost: $20-$500 | buy tickets here

From d.b.a.,

In loving memory of Ray Deter, we will gather at d.b.a. Brooklyn to continue to celebrate his amazing life. Part of the celebration involves remembering his legacy and in doing so we honor his sons. All proceeds will go into a college fund for Ray’s sons. Raincheck tickets are available for those who would like to participate, but cannot attend the benefit in person. Click through to see the additional ticket and donation options.

If you’d like to mail a check directly to the fund, please make it out to:

Ray Deter Memorial Fund
64 Longfellow Drive
Colonia, NJ 07067

[photo by Winona Barton-Ballentine]

Lemon Curd Tart with Local Blueberries
from Erin and Agatha of Ovenly

Pate Brisee

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons granulated white sugar
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and frozen solid
¼ cup ice-cold water

Place ¼ cup water in freezer for ten minutes before working on the dough.

In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar a few times to combine.

Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 10-15 seconds). With machine running, pour ¼ cup water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, until the dough just holds together when pinched.

Turn the dough onto your work (it will be crumbly) surface and gather into a large lump. With the heel of your hand, press dough onto work surface until it holds completely together. Flatten into a 6-inch disc, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about at least ½ an hour.

Preheat oven to 400.

After the dough has chilled, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll the pastry into a 12-inch circle. (Keep lifting up and turning the pastry as you roll to keep it from sticking – reflour surface as necessary). Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press sides into pan and, using your rolling pin, scrape off any overhanging dough from the pan. Refrigerate the pastry 30 minutes.

Prick dough with a fork, line with parchment, and then fill with dried beans or pie stones. Bake for 20-25 minutes at until the edges are golden and the crust is cooked through.

Lemon Curd

3 ounces (¾ stick, 6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed, and softened for 10 minutes at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

2/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons grated lemon zest

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light yellow and creamy. Add eggs and yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the lemon juice on low (it will look curdled).

In a non-reactive (stainless steal or enameled) saucepan cook the mixture over low heat until it smooth. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the point that it coats the back of a spoon – about 15 min. Don’t let the mixture boil or it could burn to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the curd from the heat and stir in the zest.

Pour into baked pastry shell and let cool in a refrigerator until set (about two hours).

Blueberry Thyme Topping

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon (½ oz) butter

1 quart blueberries (preferably farmers market sourced)
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons fresh thyme

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and lemon juice until thick and smooth. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter and then toss in blueberries, sugar, honey, and cornstarch mixture. Cook over medium heat until blueberries release their juices and the sauce is thick – about two or three minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in fresh thyme.

Let cool to room temperature (about 30 minute) in the refrigerator and then top tart with blueberries. Let cool another 30 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Pairing: Brooklyner Weisse

Saturday, July 16, 12-6pm
4th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

From Brooklyn Based:

“Our roving, Brooklyn Brewery-fueled block party returns Saturday, July 16 on a stretch of Brooklyn known for its stellar bars: 4th Ave. From noon to 6pm, Mission Dolores, The Rock Shop and Pacific Standard will be pouring complimentary Brooklyn brews, and restaurants and cafes will be offering specials — like $2 tacos at Oaxaca Taco and a beer brunch at Sheep Station. RSVP or email us to stay posted on details and new participants.”

To partake in the deals, pick up an Immersion card at Oaxaca Taco or Cherry Tree.

UPDATE :: July 18, 2011. The 4th Ave Immersion was not a competition. But if it was, Reid Dougherty would be the winner:

Saturday, July 9, 7-11pm
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
203 West Street (b/w Eagle & Freeman)
Brooklyn NY 11222

From ESRF:

The Eagle Street Rooftop Farm presents “SEEDSTOCK!” a concert benefit on Saturday evening, July 9th. Five great bands, one great rooftop farm. Brought to your ears by BroadwayStages, Brooklyn Brewery and the green thumbs at Growing Chefs. Info and updates at RooftopFarms.org and at Eagle Street Facebook.

Tuesday, July 19, 7:30-10pm
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N 11th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$40 | buy tickets here

Show Town to Brew Town: Craft Brewing Meets Green Development — A Forum over Food & Drink

If we want to transform our industrial ecology what better place to start than our local breweries? Join us for a fun and informed discussion of how breweries can be the centerpiece of a sustainable regional development plan. Attendees will include craft brewers, green designers and many others. The inimitable green scientist Paul Mankiewicz will start things off with the story of what Louis Pasteur found while working with beer and wine microbes. The rest is up to you!

We will provide food, drink and the forum to guests. As a benefit event, most of the proceeds will be donated to the Gaia Institute to support their important projects which are aligned with this event’s ethos.

Wednesday, July 6, 6-9pm
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N 11th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$15 | buy tickets here (free for homebrewers bringing their own beer to share)

From the City Chicken Project:

Kegs and Kluckers will be fun and delicious event for urban chicken keepers, aspiring urban chicken keepers, homebrewers, chickens, and the people who love them. This fun-filled event will include home-brewed beers, delicious local fare, Egg Olympic Games (at 8 o’cluck, yes we said “cluck”) and appearances by NYC chickens. This is also a great chance for homebrewers (who generate a byproduct called spent grain) and chicken keepers (who can feed their chickens spent grain) to make connections to help create a more efficient and sustainable food system in NYC.

Read more and purchase tickets here.

[UPDATE 7/5/2011 :: We are deeply saddened to report that over the weekend Ray passed away. He will be missed by all of us who knew and loved him.]

Earlier this week, Ray Deter, owner of d.b.a., was struck by a car as he rode his bicycle to work in Manhattan. He is currently in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital, and remains unconscious after suffering from head trauma and internal bleeding. (Read more about the incident here.)

Not only is Ray a valued member of the beer community, he is an old and dear friend to many of us at the Brewery. Our most sincere thoughts and deepest well wishes are with Ray and his family. We are all hoping Ray the best during this difficult time, and wish him a swift recovery.

Tuesday, June 28, 8pm
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N 11th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$25 online / $35 day-of

From Northside Town Hall:

Join us for an evening of cocktails for the cause at DRINK Williamsburg Greenpoint, Tuesday June 28th, 8pm at the Brooklyn Brewery. Enjoy “Sips” of signature cocktails created for the event from the neighborhood’s best. Watch as top bartenders put their skills to the test in a “Iron Bartender” style battle, fashioning two different cocktails from secret ingredients, revealed that night. Top prize awarded by a panel of guest judges including Toby Maloney from Alchemy Consulting, NYC, and Brooklyn Brewery’s Brewmaster Garrett Oliver. Live music by Djangos and Tangos and bar snacks provided by local restaurants and food purveyors.

Tickets are $25 advance sale, and $35 the day of: GET YOUR TICKETS NOW

Cocktail “sips” from Dram, The Drink, Maison Premiere, The Richardson, Rabbithole, Manhattan Inn, Saint Vitus, Brooklyn Winery, 285 Bedford (name TBD) and more…Also sample The Concoction, Brooklyn Brewery’s latest Brewmaster’s Reserve, based on The Penicillin cocktail. Follow us on Facebook + Twitter for updates on DRINK WG.

This event is 21 and over only, IDs will be checked at the door. “Sips” are limited to quantity at hand, arrive early to ensure you’ll get to sample them all!

All proceeds from the event will benefit the building of the Northside Town Hall Community and Cultural Center a joint project of two longtime North Brooklyn neighborhood non-profits, Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG) and The People’s Firehouse, Inc (PFI.) Located on the site of the former Engine Company 212 firehouse, the redesigned building will provide a permanent home for the two founding non-profits to continue to serve, organize, and advocate for the community, a flexible cultural exhibition and community meeting space on the ground floor and serve as a place for all to celebrate and build community.

We need a few good volunteers for Drink, email community@nthccc.org for more info!

Saturday, June 18, 12-6pm
Smith Street
Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill
Brooklyn, NY

From Brooklyn Based:

Drink, shop, brunch. Next Saturday, June 18, we’re inviting you to do all three on the cheap when our roving, summer-long block party sponsored byBrooklyn Brewery comes to Carroll Gardens/Boerum Hill. During The Total Smith St. Immersion from noon to 6pm, you’ll find specials at over 20 shops, bars, and restaurants on Smith St. (and a bit of Bergen), including complimentary cups of beer all brewed here in Brooklyn: Brooklyner Weisse at 61 Local, East India Pale Ale at Angry Wade’s, and The Concoction (a new special ale brewed with peated malt, lemon, ginger and honey!) at Bar Great Harry. You’ll also find the Brewery’s brand-new cans of Summer Ale at Gowanus Yacht Club. [NOTE: Don't forget to tip your bartenders!]

Not only is the immersion a chance to sample a few styles of Brooklyn Brewery beer, it’s also an opportunity to explore great shops, bars and restaurants in a neighborhood that’s not your own. We lined up plenty of incentives for you, including specials like 30% off at Home & Haven and complimentary bottles of Local 1 during brunch at The JakeWalk. (A detailed list of the 20+ deals is below.)

To be a part of this all-day bar, shop and restaurant crawl, you’ll need to pick up a free immersion card at one of two participating shops: By Brooklyn (261 Smith St.) or Brooklyn Tattoo/Urban Folk Art Gallery (99 Smith St.) starting at noon on June 18. There will only be 500 in circulation, so appoint a responsible friend to pick up yours if you can’t get to Smith St. early. (They go fast!)

More details and deals HERE.

Tuesday, June 14, 7:30-9:30pm
The Brooklyn Brewery
79 N 11th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$15/person | buy tickets here

From Making Books Sing:

Join Making Books Sing for A Summer Night to Support Arts Education, hosted by Emmy award-winner Cat Greenleaf & hip-hop artist and activist Talib Kweli.

Guests will enjoy beer from Brooklyn Brewery, light fare and private tours of the brewery. A handsome portion of all ticket sales will directly support Making Books Sing’s arts education programs for 2011-12 season.

[photo by Eric Schwortz]

And… we’re back! The concert series on the banks of the East River has returned for another year of great bands, beer, wine and food. This unbridled summertime goodness is brought to you by the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA), a not-for-profit who will be using all of the proceeds from the shows to improve North Brooklyn’s parks.

Follow OSA on Facebook here, Consult Ticketmaster for admittance to the non-free shows, and check back with the Brooklyn Brewery Blog for your chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to each show. Read on to view the full schedule.

June 11 | free show
+ Coheed and Cambria
+ Adrian Belew Power Trio
+ Tigers Jaw

June 24
Thievery Corporation

July 6
+ Kid Cudi
+ Chip Tha Ripper

July 22
+ Death From Above 1979

July 25
+ Stone Temple Pilots

July 29 | free show
+ They Might Be Giants
+ Pretty Good Friends w/ Eugene Mirman
+ Kristen Schaal
+ Patton Oswalt

August 2
+ Death Cab for Cutie
+ Frightened Rabbit

August 12
+ Sonic Youth
+ Wild Flag
+ Kurt Vile

August 31
+ Bright Eyes

September 8
+ TV On The Radio

September 17
+ Widespread Panic

September 24
+ Fleet Foxes
+ The Walkmen

Wednesday, June 29, 6-9pm
But tickets HERE

From Edible:

In celebration of Edible’s Eat Drink Local Week we are teaming up with The Brooklyn Brewery, Blue Bottle, Brooklyn Winery and Mast Brothers Chocolate for a night of local food tours and beers. $15 gets you a tour of one of four businesses and a gathering at the Brewery for beers afterwards.

Tour options include:

+ The Brooklyn Brewery
+ Blue Bottle Coffee
+ Brooklyn Winery
+ Mast Brothers Chocolate

Event will take place on Wednesday June 29th. Tours will begin at each business at 6:30pm. Once your tour concludes head over to The Brooklyn Brewery for a post-tour gathering starting at 7:30.

2 Salads
from Harry Rosenblum of The Brooklyn Kitchen

Spring is when the greens come in and we remember why it was worth waiting through the dark months for delicious local produce. A poached egg makes the salad either decadent as a starter or filling as a light meal. Make a bunch of the crispy onion bits, trust me.

Salad #1 [pictured]

Ingredients:

+ Mustard Greens
+ Roasted Asparagus
+ Poached Egg
+ Crispy Onion Bits
+ Grapefruit
+ Shaved Pecorino

Instructions:

[1] The greens are easy, just a brief rinse and they’re ready to go.
[2] Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil and salt, roast on a sheet at 375 until tender.
[3] Fry minced onion in butter and then roast in oven until dark brown.
[4] Cut grapefruit into bite sized pieces, remove skin and pith.
[5] Poach a fresh egg.
[6] Top all with Pecorino.
[7] Eat.

Pairing: Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55

Salad #2

Ingredients:

+ Pea Shoots
+ Brooklyn Brine Pickled Fennel Beets
+ Lancaster Chevre

Instructions:

[1] Rinse the pea shoots.
[2] Cut the beets into pieces.
[3] Add chevre.
[4] Add an egg if you want more protein.
[5] Eat.

Pairing: Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

[Go here for more great recipes.]

Wednesday, May 18, 8-10pm
The Brooklyn Brewery
79 N11 St (b/w Berry & Wythe)
Brooklyn, NY 11211

From Edible:

Featuring mini-lectures from:

+Keith Cohen ~ Orwasher’s Bakery (Including a mini-video about the bakery and a quick tutorial about bread making)
+ Matthew Tilden ~ SCRATCHbread (Includes a lecture on How To make….)
+ Alfred Milanese ~ Martin’s Handmade Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzels (Includes a mini-video about Martin’s Pretzels followed by a talk covering a brief history of pretzel making, issues of “home” pretzel making and instruction and insights on rolling and twisting a pretzel)

But tickets HERE.

Saturday, May 21, 12-6pm
Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn

From Brooklyn Based:

Save the date: On May 21, Brooklyn Brewery is sponsoring our first bar/shopping/eating crawl of the summer. From noon to 6 pm on Atlantic Avenue, you’ll find complimentary half pints of Brooklyn Brewery beer at Last Exit, Roebling Inn, Brazen Head and the Waterfront Ale house, plus deals at shops and restaurants including Callalilai, Chip Shop, and more! (Like last year’sFranklin Street Immersion, this all-day block crawl will be a ton of fun!)

At the new-this-year 2 8 2 Burger you can take advantage of the Brooklyn Beer Brunch. The purchase of any two brunch entrees will get you a free bottle of the elegant Local 1. That’s a true breakfast of champions.

Stay tuned for more info. We’ll be adding new participants in the coming weeks!

Check out the event link here.

H/T Atlantic Wire

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative “Spring in Kings”
Thursday, April 7, 6-9pm
Brooklyn Winery
213 North 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
347-763-1506
Buy tickets HERE

Come to the lovely Brooklyn Winery on Thursday to support one of NYC’s best bike projects, the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway.

From the BGI:

When its founders started in 1998, a 14-mile greenway along Brooklyn’s industrial waterfront was inconceivable to New York City officials. Now the greenway is recognized as an essential public health and sustainable transportation resource that will shape the future development of Brooklyn’s waterfront. After ten years of building support, planning, and securing funding, the greenway is poised to become a unified New York City capital project.

The Greenway will connect Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Greenway network, increasing waterfront access and diversifying transportation options. Other public benefits include improved recreation options and increased economic development in neighborhoods near the Greenway. The Greenway has received an array of public and private support. Four miles of interim and permanent greenway are now open on Columbia Street, Erie Basin, Kent Avenue and Williamsburg Street. The Department of Transportation is developing the master plan for the Greenway.

SMALL BATCH BREWERY TOURS
Mon- Thurs, 5-7pm, Reservation Only
25 people max, $8

It used to be that we’d be lucky to cobble together 15 brave souls to visit the wilds of Williamsburg, Brooklyn on a Saturday afternoon. Now, we’re proud to say that The Brooklyn Brewery hosts a bustling crowd of beer enthusiasts, neighbors, tourists and all sorts of thirsty people, all weekend long.

Our recent expansion has also allowed us to offer small, reservation-only weeknight tours from Monday-Thursday. You simply must be over 21 or accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Dogs aren’t really a problem (although Monster the cat has been known to get feisty). One can order food delivered to The Brewery or you can bring your own. See below for our public hours, and visit when convenient.

Finally, the curious, interested and thirsty can have their chance to visit The Brooklyn Brewery during the work week. But you do have to plan ahead as our Small Batch Brewery Tours are reservation-only and limited to 25 people ($8 per person). Things get going promptly at 5pm with a guided tasting of 4 different Brooklyn beers. Our guide will then take you on a 30-45 min tour of our facilities. Afterwards, one is welcome to get a couple of pints or purchase dry goods and souvenirs at The Company Store.

To reserve your spot email tours@brooklynbrewery.com and let us know how many are in your party and the name of each guest. We will be checking IDs at the door.

FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR

6-11pm every Friday, Free

There are no tours but you can have your pick of up to 8 draft beers and our growing number of Big Bottles. Start your Williamsburg night right. As always, beer tokens are $4 each or 6 for $20.

SATURDAY

Noon – 8pm, Free :: No Reservation Required

Tours at 1pm , 2pm, 3pm 4pm and 5pm

The bar opens early and the tables fill up early too. Feel free to bring a snack or order delivery while you wait for a free tour. And have fun. Definitely try to have fun.

SUNDAY

Noon – 6pm, Free :: No Reservation Required

Tours at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm

Sundays are the most relaxing day here at Brooklyn Brewery. Join us for a taste of your favorite Brooklyn. Don’t forget to try something new before you leave. Also you should probably buy a hoodie: http://brooklynbrewery.com/bk-zippered-hoodie

Last night, Brooklyn Brewery hosted “Brewers For Brewers”, a benefit for Kiuchi Brewery in Japan. “Brewers For Brewers” raised over $12,000 for Kiuchi Brewery to use as it sees fit in their community.

Brewers included Sixpoint, Victory, Lagunitas, Shmaltz, Heartland, Empire, Kelso, and the New York City Homebrewers Guild. Food was provided by The Meat Hook, Brooklyn Kitchen, Tanuki Tavern, SlantShack Jerky, Jimmy’s No. 43, and the Waterfront Ale House. Silent auction prizes were donated by the participants as well as from Civilization of Beer, Rattle N Hum, and Lucky Dog. Many thanks to all the vendors and attendees! We couldn’t have done it without you.

Monday, March 28, 7 – 10 PM
The Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 486-7422

It’s time to stop reading about the disaster in Japan and to start doing something about it. Join us and the local brewing community at “Brewers For Brewers”, a benefit event for the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan. Kiuchi brews Hitachino, and while their brewery hasn’t experienced too much damage, they are using their working bottling lines to bottle water, and are feeding as many people as they can in their restaurant. The Brooklyn Lager, Local 1, Main Engine Start and the rest of our lineup will be on tap but we’ll also be serving selections from Empire Brewing Co., Heartland Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Sixpoint Craft Ales, Kelso of Brooklyn, Victory Brewing Co., and Coney Island Brewing. Food will be provided by The Brooklyn Kitchen & The Meat Hook, Jimmy’s No. 43, Tanuki Tavern, and Waterfront Ale House.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here.  All proceeds will go directly to Kiuchi’s efforts to support their fellow sake and artisanal beer breweries in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Over the last two decades, the block on North 11th St b/w Berry & Wythe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has been transformed by local businesses, beginning with The Brooklyn Brewery in 1996 and ending just this past Tuesday with Mable’s Smokehouse. And of course let us not forget about Beacon’s Closet, KCDC Skate Shop, Sound Fix Records, Whiskey Brooklyn, the Counting Room and Brooklyn Bowl. Mable’s, the newest member of the team, is a must-do for Southern-BBQ afficianados, and meat lovers in general (take a look at the menu below). What better to enjoy your Ribs, Brisket and Hot Links with than beer from The Brooklyn Brewery? Nothing. Except maybe Cole Slaw, Collard Greens and Creamy Mac n’ Cheese.

Mains
Sandwiches (includes 1 side, small cup of slaw, pickles & jalapeños)
Pulled Pork
Chopped Beef Brisket
*Veggie BBQ Sloppy Joe

Platters (includes 1 meat, 2 sides, small cup of slaw, pickles, jalapenos, sliced onion & Wonder Bread)
Pulled Pork
Beef Brisket
St. Louis Ribs
Schwab’s Oklahoma Hot Links

DeLux Platter (choice of 3 of the above meats, choice of 3 sides, slaw, pickles, jalapenos, sliced onion & Wonder Bread)

Sides
BBQ Baked Beans
Cole Slaw
Bet’s Best Potato Salad
Collard Greens
Old South Cornbread
Creamy Mac n’ Cheese
All Day Green Beans
Borracho Beans
Fresh Corn Off The Cob

Rotating Late Night Bar Snacks
Velveeta & Ro-Tel Queso Dip
State Fair Frito Pie
Pulled Pork Sliders
House Made BBQ Corn Nuts
Pulled Pork and Brisket Tamales

Desserts
Various Homemade Pies

Wednesday, January 19, 7:30-10pm
The Brooklyn Brewery
79 N11 St (b/w Berry & Wythe)
Brooklyn, NY 11211

From Edible:

“Edible Brooklyn and The Brooklyn Brewery present How To… PICKLE, JAR & FERMENT, a night of local food artisans sharing their products, tips and general know-how on taste making. Lectures from Kombucha Brooklyn and Anarchy in a Jar (more to be announced). Doors at 7:30PM • Lectures from 8pm–10pm. Brooklyn Brewery Beers $4, snacks and products available from each guest speaker.” RSVP here and see you there!

Triple Pundit is doing a series on sustainability in the brewing industry, and The Brooklyn Brewery is proud to be featured. Click HERE to read about the ways The Brewery keeps itself green, including some interesting details on the efficiency of the new brewing system.

H/T to NYMag.com

We’re quite happy to see this nice write-up from Brooklyn Based about the delicious lil’ snacks our friends at Ovenly are cooking up.

What?! You haven’t tried the Spicy Bacon Caramel Popcorn? Put the Cheetos* down and get on that. In fact, you can choose from a handful of Ovenly delights right here at The Brewery during our public hours (Fri 6-11pm, Sat 12-8pm, Sun 12-6pm), including the Spicy Old Bay Pilsner Peanuts, made with our own Brooklyn Pilsner.

Life is short. Eat well.

[no offense, Cheetos!]

While no one is happy about the closing of these businesses Coney Island has never been a place to avoid an occasion for revelry. Go support and celebrate Paul’s Daughter and the rest of the classic Brooklyn institutions that are being forced to go the way of the Dodgers this Saturday. Party info is here.

Sunday, November 14, 7pm
Brooklyn Bowl
FREE, $4 Brooklyn Lager

Every month, this Fall, we’ve brought you a Brooklyn band we can all be proud of. This time around we bring you Crystal Stilts along with locally made salsa and a sweet/sick beer special.

From BrooklynBowl.com

Formed in New York in 2003 by Brad Hargett and J.B. Townshend, the Crystal Stilts were a multi-influenced indie rock band that released its first work — some singles and an EP — in 2004 on the Feathery Tongue label. The first single, “Shattered Shine,” was followed by a series of local shows, and after an EP — all eventually collected in one place on the self-titled full-length 2008 release — added Kyle Forrester on keyboards (for live gigs, anyway) and Andy Adler to take on bass duties. Finally, the group added a drummer — Frankie Rose, formerly of the Vivian Girls– shortly thereafter.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video.

From Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BROOKLYN — Following weeks of campaigning and an outpouring of enthusiasm and participation from across the borough and beyond, the Brooklyn Community Foundation yesterday announced 20 finalists for its inaugural Brooklyn Do Gooder Awards campaign.

Finalists were determined by a public vote online at www.DoGoodRightHere.org from among nearly 250 people nominated by the broader Brooklyn community for their outstanding sense of giving back locally. A distinguished judging panel will now meet to choose which five of the finalists will receive $5,000 each to give back to their Brooklyn charities of choice. Brooklyn Do Gooder awardees will be publicly honored at a celebration on Nov. 3 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Palm House.

“Community participation for the Brooklyn Do Gooder Awards has been incredible. We are inspired by the level of enthusiasm and support for the diverse group of individuals who were nominated for their good work,” said Marilyn Gelber, president of the Brooklyn Community Foundation.

Five Brooklyn Do Gooders, one representing each of the foundation’s five fields of interest including Arts for All, Caring Neighbors, Community Development, Education and Youth Achievement and Green Communities will be selected by a panel of judges including MoCADA Gallery founder Laurie Cumbo, Atlantic Avenue specialty food store owner Charlie Sahadi, Brooklyn Brewery founder Steve Hindy, award-winning author Peter Hedges and other local Brooklyn celebrities.

Click here to see all the nominees.

Monday, October 25, 6-9pm

Crimson Restaurant, 915 Broadway (at 21st Street), NY, NY

For 8 years World Cares, a non-profit dedicated to preparing for safer disaster response, has been throwing one of the cities most fun food parties: Iron Skillet. Tickets are pricey but the payoff is huge. Not only do you help raise money for World Cares to train volunteers to be leaders in at time of a crisis, but you get to witness a food competition of the highest order. The premise is simple. Take five of the city’s most beloved firefighter cooks and pit them against five of New York’s finest chefs. The firehouse cooks choose their favorite dish and the chefs must try to prepare a version that bests it. And you get to eat both. Everyone wins.

From WorldCares.org

the Iron Skillet Cook Off started as a “thank you” in 2002 to all the rescue workers and volunteers that gave selflessly during the 9/11 relief effort. The idea came from of one of the firefighters who the founding board volunteered with during in the aftermath of the attacks.Today the Iron Skillet Cook Off is a celebration of spirit, a reminder of what communities can achieve when they pull together and a way to support the signature training programs that ensure we will never have to learn our 9/11 lesson all over again.The evening is a good time for all with great entertainment, celebrity judges and, of course, delicious food!

Last year, we hosted over 400 guests, including members of the New York City Council, leaders from the construction industry, finance, public relations, communications, and insurance industries, to name a few. Our celebrity judges and participants went out of their way to ensure the event’s live auction was sensational. Media coverage included CW11′s Morning Show, Clear Channel’s major radio stations, and various other local magazines and newspapers.

This year, the Cook Off will take place on October 25th at Crimson, from 6PM to 9PM. For more detailed information, please contact Julie Dumoulin at 212-563-7570.

Brooklyn Brewery is proud to support Iron Skillet with a financial and product donation. We’re also offering our friends a 20% discount. For tickets go here. At the bottom of the webpage click “Continue to Next Page.”  Enter your name, email address and how many tickets you would like.  Click “Continue Registration” button and you will go to a payment information page.  On this page is a section for you to enter a discount code.  Enter “Brooklyn Brewery” and hit apply discount code. The code is case sensitive so make sure you capitalize both words and be careful not to push the space bar after you enter the code (a space between the two words is necessary).  You should see the code applied right away.

Continue to fill out the rest of the registration information and hit continue and your confirmation message will appear. See you there!

To learn more or request a training in your community visit www.worldcares .org

Brooklyn Brewery Presents: Local X Local celebrates the Best In locally-brewed Music, Arts, Media… And Beer, of course. Once a month for the rest of the year we’ll be presenting a free show at our next door neighbor’s, Brooklyn Bowl.

Maluca is the latest addition to the New York dance scene. Maluca, which means “crazy girl” in Portuguese, is the moniker for 27 year-old Natalie Yepez, born and raised in New York City. Yepez, who was discovered by Diplo while performing karaokee, is the latest addition to the famed DJ’s label Mad Decent, where she joins the ranks of fellow genre-benders M.I.A. and Santigold. What distinguishes Maluca, though, is her own latin-influenced “ghettotech” and fashion flare.

Blue Ribbon MS Charity Bike Benefit

Riding on the coattails of September’s LXL is a worthy cause — the Blue Ribbon MS Charity Bike Benefit. Bromberg Brothers’ Blue Ribbon Restaurants, a restaurant group headquartered in New York City, will donate to its employees 160 new Cannondale Quick recreational bicycles on September 19, 2010. The new bikes will be ridden by Blue Ribbon employees as part of the company’s 200 plus member “Blue Ribbon Restaurants/Naked Nuggets Charity Bike Team” participating as a “Top-Tier Team” in the upcoming National MS Society’s “Bike MS NYC” Event on October 3rd, 2010. The new bikes are part of the company’s efforts to encourage health and wellness, greener business practices, and raise money for charity at the same time.
The bike donation event will include helmets and associated gear, safety instructions, helmet fittings and other assistance to Blue Ribbon employees provided by various sponsors including Cannondale, the NYC DOT, Bike New York, NYC Transportation Alternatives, the NYC – Southern Chapter of the National MS Society, Cycling Sports Group and The Bike Express/52 Division. The bike distribution will be followed by a fundraiser party at Brooklyn Bowl, NYC’s top Zagat-rated music venue, at 7-11 PM on September 19, 2010, at Brooklyn Bowl, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, including Local x Local, a Brooklyn based business organization.

“The Annual MS NYC charity ride was a major impetus in our decision to provide bikes to our employees,” said Eric Bromberg, chef and co-founder with brother Bruce of Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon. “Last year, many employees told us they could not ride with us in the 2009 MS ride because they did not have bikes. This year, we decided to solve that problem. We are working with Cannondale to provide each employee who needs one, a limited edition Blue Ribbon Cannondale “Quick” allowing them to not only participate in the ride, but keep the bike and commute and ride in comfort and style, and hopefully get outdoors and lead a more active lifestyle after the MS ride.”

Ruth Brenner, president of the NYC – Southern NY Chapter of the National MS Society said, “We’re excited Team Blue Ribbon/Naked Nuggets has joined the movement toward a world free of MS by participating in Bike MS NYC, and is providing this amazing opportunity for their employees. As one of our top fundraising teams, we’re grateful for Blue Ribbon’s commitment to our cause, and are thrilled they’re back for a second year!

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)

From The Good Human

Located in, well, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Brewery use wind power to get 100% of the electricity, making them the first New York City company to switch to 100% renewable energy. This saves the atmosphere from 335,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, 1,500 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 500 pounds of nitrogen oxide that would otherwise be emitted. They also pay local farmers to pick up all their spent grain, the husks that are left over after brewing, that they can feed to their livestock.

Read about the other eco-friendly breweries here.

Farm City Fair
September 12, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Invisible Dog Art Center and on Bergen Street, Brooklyn
The fair is a wild, new take on the traditional county fair, a daylong celebration of art and food grown in Brooklyn! Festivities engage all the senses: hear live music performed by local Bang on a Can marching band Asphalt Orchestra; taste delicacies prepared by local chefs inspired by ingredients from Brooklyn farms; view specially commissioned work exploring the culture of agriculture by local artists; get a feel for materials needed to produce your own food in workshops by Brooklyn Food Coalition; participate in a blue ribbon competition hosted by GreenThumb; and browse a marketplace with some of Brooklyn’s small-batch artisanal food purveyors, curated by Greenpoint Food Market. Cap it off with The Food Experiments’ live cooking competition — Brooklyn Roots — featuring savory samples and refreshing drinks from Brooklyn Brewery, Six Points Brewery, Red Hook Wines, Brooklyn Oenology, Kings County Distillery, and others.

Participants include:

Asphalt Orchestra, Brooklyn-based, 12-piece, next-generation, avant-garde marching band, will open the event on Bergen Street and in the neighborhood between 11 a.m. and noon.
Andrew Casner, compost painter, demonstrates his acclaimed, agrarian work — the community process of developing a viable compost with an acid-etched canvas underneath created as a natural by-product.
Mathilde Roussel-Giraudy, a Brooklyn-based artist, presents Ça pousse! (It’s growing!), human-form sculptures made from material such as wheatgrass that change as they grow.
Miwa Koizumi, Brooklyn-based ice cream maker of “NY Flavors,” will create a geographically inspired new ice cream flavor based on Bergen Street and the festival.
Tattfoo Tan, the vibrant urban farming visionary artist, launches his new bike-based S.O.S Mobile Classroom as the next installment in his two-year-long public art project titled S.O.S. (Sustainable. Organic. Stewardship.).
Wylie Dufresne, renowned chef of wd-50, creates a new downloadable recipe based on reimagining local ingredients, to be sampled at the fair.
Christina Kelly, Brooklyn-based artist meditates on loss and possibility, growing blue corn in monumental street planters in a public art project called Maize Field, located where Lenape Indians planted in the 1600s.

Events and activities throughout the day:
Farmstands from Brooklyn farms such as Added Value, Rooftop Farms, and Bk Farmyards will sell their produce and explain its provenance.
GreenThumb will host a Premium Blue Ribbon Contest for gardeners to show off their produce and reveal the range of possibilities for home growing in the city.
Brooklyn Food Coalition will present a daylong series of workshops on how to make or grow food at home, from canning to under-counter compost.
Greenpoint Food Market will curate the best of Brooklyn’s small-batch vendors, including Anarchy in a Jar preserves and Brooklyn Kombucha.
The Food Experiments, created by Theodore Peck and Nick Suarez, will select competitive chefs to respond to their Brooklyn roots, using one or more ingredients grown or made in Brooklyn in a cook-off.
A Bar of Brooklyn Brews, Wines, and Cocktails will offer Brooklyn-made libations during the fair.
Chefs from The Meat Hook, Marlowe & Sons, Ted & Honey, Egg and otherswill serve up delicious eats made in Brooklyn in collaboration with urban farms.

Brooklyn Brewery happily supports the creative writing center, 826NYC. 826NYC happily enjoys BINGO with beer.  If you don’t know 826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. With this in mind we provide drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our free programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice.

Oh, it’s also a superhero supply store. So if you need a cape or a bucket of gravity now you know where to go.

It’s another hot one here in The city. The New York Times, meanwhile, continues to do innovative things on the web. See here a terrific reader submitted slideshow, covering all of New York City’s varied waterfront.

ALSO, don’t even worry about the rain. The boathouse has ample indoor space for everyone to enjoy Detonation, Sorachi Ace, Local 1 & 2 and other tasty things. There are also giant chipmunks and a human-sized bird’s nest to hang out in. So it’s really a no-brainer.

Celebrate the arrival of our newest beer, Detonation Ale, in style at The Boathouse in Prospect Park. Here’s what you need to know. Tickets are $20 and include a first taste of Detonation plus some other Brewery favorites, real good food from Ovenly, meatstuffs from The Meathook and dumplings from The Dump School. All ticket proceeds benefit The Prospect Park Alliance.

Click here for a map of Prospect Park.

Like The Brooklyn Brewery, Slideluck Potshow was born in New York City and now travels freely around the US and throughout the world. And we’re happy to support her as she does so. For those who don’t k now,  Slideluck Potshow is a non-profit organization devoted to building and strengthening community around food and art. Slideluck Potshow sponsors exhibitions of artistic works, each produced in an entertaining slideshow format, designed to showcase works created by novice, undiscovered, and established artists.

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.

Frieda Lim recently invited press and public to her incredible rooftop vegetable garden. Lim grows beets, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes and a host of herbs using a technique called “sub-irrigation agriculture.” The plants grow from a shallow tray of earth that is nourished by water wicking through a plastic tube from a plastic tub below. The veggies are delicious, and they were even better when paired with Brooklyn Lager and Pilsner, donated by The Brooklyn Brewery. “Sub-irrigation is a way for anyone to have a fresh box of vegetables for a $20 investment,” said Lim.  Pictured above are Lim, at right, and from left, Barbara Kariya, Ellen Foote and Sabine Hrechdakian. Also attending was Rachel Wharton of Edible Brooklyn magazine.

– Steve Hindy, Founder & President

Click here for more photos.

Edible came by The Brewery and tested everyone’s alcohol knowledge. The Meathook was there serving up the fanciest cheese dogs we’ve ever seen and assorted pulled meat sammies. It was fun. To visit Edible’s website click here.

It’s been reported that more bloggers live in Brooklyn than any other city. This is, more often than not, good news for Brooklyn based bands, artists, businesses and other folk who benefit from the weird attention that internet recognition can bring about. Last week a neighborhood blogger, The BLager, dropped by for a little visit. We did our best to inundate her with propaganda which she dutifully turned into this here post below. Enjoy.

From The Blager

Exactly one year ago – just when rompers were first appearing on the streets of Williamsburg – I was sitting in Salvador’s Coffee House in Kunming China, missing BK in a big way. What was the one thing that could possibly wash away these blues? A nice cold bottle of Brooklyn IPA – the first and only time I’ve seen an American craft beer in Asia.  At an exorbitant 25RMB a bottle (the most expensive on the menu), it was worth every sip. And word on the street is that co-founder Steve Hindy is going Hindi as Brooklyn Beer makes its debut in India next week. Already, these tasty brews are the #1 craft brewed export from the USA by volume. A bulk of this export goes to Sweden where the Brooklyn label sells not just beer but the whole Brooklyn image, which is seen as mirroring the Scandavian country’s indie rock scene.

Coming full circle, today was my first brewery interview and I was elated to start in the Brooklyn Brewery, just a few blocks from my apartment. Although the suds produced here are branching out internationally, their roots run deep locally. Brooklyn lager is the #3 tap in the city (behind Stella and Guiness) as patrons and the brewers’ support for the locavore movement mutually reinforce one another. Processed grains from the brewery are sent to the Queens County Farm, where they are then fed to some lucky pigs – which in turn occasionally show up at BK Brewery partnered barbeque events across the city (maybe you will have a chance to try such a treat at BAM’s Good Beer Festival, where Brooklyn Brewery will be partnering withFette Sau).

(read more)

It can also be the best thing ever.

Thanks, Improv Everywhere.

The stretch of N. 11th Street between Berry & Wythe, where Brooklyn Brewery calls itself home, has gone through its share of changes over the years. For decades, like much of the Williamsburg neighborhood we occupy, N 11th held mostly warehouses or factories. (Our building was once a foundry — then a matzo ball factory.) When, in 1996, Steve, Tom, Garrett and the rest of us opened the doors to Brooklyn Brewery for the first time, the only signs of life were the good residents in nearby rowhouses and a few artists lofts. And Teddy’s of course…

Now the street’s sidewalk is busy with people from all over the world marching from the L to visit us at The Brewery. But that’s just part of what’s happening here.  N 11th is home to not one but three cultural meccas.

About a year after The Brewery opened, a fashionable neighbor moved in across the street. Her name was Beacon’s Closet. The vintage clothing store has since become renowned for it’s coffers of just about any style possible as well as its strict buying standards. And with that reputation has come droves of Japanese and French tourists in search of their diamond in the rough.

In 2001, KCDC Skateshop opened for business, putting N 11th St on the map for what seems like every teenager in the tri-state area. KCDC’s intricately detailed and ghoulish graffiti, its “sick” kicks and duds and indoor skate ramps have proven irresistible to the region’s skateboard enthusiasts. They also throw a great party  (21+ of course) which we’re always psyched to be a part of.

Why are we talking about this though? Well the Wall Street Journal happened to publish a nice little article about the economics and history of our friends across the street today. Check out the article here. And stop by for a beer, vintage romper and ollie when you have the chance.

Oh, and say hi to the new kids on the block. That would be Soundfix,  The Counting Room, The Bedford and, coming soon, Mable’s Smokehouse and Banquet Hall.

An art lover and Brooklyn lover at the LUMEN International Video Art Festival on Staten Island

For more about LUMEN go here.

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.

The Brewery got some nice recognition for being a successful start-up in the borough of Brooklyn.

Like we weren’t going to do it again.

Our great friends over at Queens County Farm Museum (an actual operating farm in New York City) are teaming up with Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, The Cleaver Co. and The Green Table to throw one damn fine pre-Fourth of July party. Dickson’s will be roasting a pig that’s been raised on Brooklyn Brewery spent grain for a bona fide Circle of Life vibe*. And of course Brooklyn Brewery will be pumping out the beer all night long.

It all goes down Friday July 2nd – Saturday July 3rd. Details from Queens County Farm below.

Queens Farm is excited to announce its second annual Pig Roast Campout!  It will be an outdoor feast, featuring Queens Farm pork and produce prepared by Jake Dickson and Gabe Ross of Dickson’s Farmstand Meats (www.dicksonsfarmstand.com), The Cleaver Co. and The Green Table (www.cleaverco.com).  We invite you to eat, drink, and enjoy live music and late-night DJ, and then sleep under the stars in our apple orchard (please bring your own tent and camping supplies).  Coffee and pastries will be served bright and early!

Get Tickets here.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets email info@brooklynbrewery.com with “Farm Life” in the subject field.

*we promise not to say “vibe” all weekend long

Find more photos like this on SLIDELUCK POTSHOW

Brooklyn Brewery is happy to sponsor Slideluck Potshow (SLPS) here at home and around the world. SLPS is a NYC-based arts non-profit, operating in many cities globally, that aims to bring people together around food and art, and to give people an interesting, engaging, and fun platform for sharing art with their community.

One of our favorite southern soul food joints in the world, Egg, is launching the first of a series of Farm Dinners on Thursday, June 24th. What in heckfire is a Farm Dinner? Well this is how Egg ‘splains it:

This year, we’re beginning a series of farm dinners to showcase the produce we’re growing at our farm in Oak Hill, New York. We’ll host a dinner on the last Thursday of every month until the ground freezes over. Each dinner will feature the best vegetables and fruits we’ve got growing at the time. We’ll offer one seating and a fixed-price 3 or 4 course menu: all you have to do is make a reservation and show up.

The first dinner will be Thursday, June 24 at 7:00 p.m. and will use our lettuces, baby carrots and beets, and radishes, along with whatever else has sprung up by then. We’ll serve the vegetables along with local lamb. The price for this dinner will be $45, which includes flights of Brooklyn’s braggable big bottles: Brooklyn Local 1, Local 2, Sorachi Ace and, yep, Black Ops.
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Well that certainly got us excited. But we wanted to know more. So we started pestering them over email for the menu. They haven’t finalized it but here are some idears they’ve been tossing around:

-amuse (chilled soup/pickled baby vegetables w. creme fraiche…)
-Lamb Sausage (merguez) with spoonbread (souffle style) and vegetables (depend on the farm availability, but probably chard with pickled chard stems, or maybe radishes)
-farro and farm greens salad, sliced lamb loin (cold)
- small portion midcourse: herb and baby greens salad with pulled rib meat and (maybe) one lamb chop
- Lamb “Country Captain” (lowcountry curry-style ragu) over fried grits (imagine a grilled polenta cake) with greens
- maybe a palate-cleanser type thing…gooseberry seltzer? might not happen
- dessert: either a chocolate dessert with cherries or a berry crumble with cream
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For tickets email mail@pigandegg.com or call (718) 599-2443. Por que no?

TONIGHT, we’re teaming up with Edible for their competitive and delicious pub quiz, Edible Pursuit here at the brewery in July during Good Beer Month.

Here’s how Edible describes the beer, grub and prize filled evening:

“With fond memories of our first Edible Pursuit at Sheep Station still dancing in her head, Edible Brooklyn deputy editor Rachel Wharton—and recent James Beard Award winner—is hard at work assembling questions on Brooklyn beverage culture — plus beer, wine and spirits themselves — for wanna-be whizkids.

If that’s you, mark your calendars to hit the fine tasting room of the Brooklyn Brewery on July 8th for our next Edible Pursuit, where your knowledge of potables will be put to the test with help from a panel of Brooklyn’s best drinksmen and women: St. John Frizell (owner of Fort Defiance, spirits writer, drinksman), Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and beer royalty), and one more to come.

Teams of six or less will compete for mounds of prizes—from bottles of limited-edition beers to cookbooks, lovely coasters made from Brooklyn slate, artisanal pickles, restaurant gift certificates and other edible desirables—while fortifying their neurons with tasty morsels from The Meat Hook and Brooklyn Brewery suds made right on the premises.”

WHEN: July 8, from 8 to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Brooklyn Brewery, 79 N. 11th Street at Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg

HOW MUCH: $20 to play (which also buys you two beers and a delicious sausage from the link-masters at The Meat Hook)

GET TICKETS: Here.

HOW TO PLAY: Buy tickets here.

GAME FORMAT: There will be four rounds of 15 questions, all alcohol themed, just like the summer issue of Edible Brooklyn. We will be pulling questions from four different areas: General Beverage, Spirits, Wine, and Beer, and each round should take about 20-30 minutes. In the first round players compete individually by shouting out correct answers, while in the last three rounds they will work together as teams of six or fewer and fill out answer sheets.

PRIZES BY:
Brooklyn Slate
Brooklyn Bowl
Dallis Coffee
Liddabit Swwets
Northern Spy
Tumbador Chocolate
Tutthilltown
Kings County Distillery
Breuckelen Distilling
Ricks Picks
Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn Kitchen
Dumont

Thankfully, Brooklyn Brewery got roped into sponsoring the Friar’s Club Improv & Sketch Competition this weekend. It’s being held at Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater. Fine, we’ll call it UCB from now on. Happy? You’d be happier if you won a pair of tickets to Saturday’s show and after party at The Actual Friar’s Club Where Weird Stuff Probably Happens All The Time.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets, email info@brooklynbrewery.com with “Friar’s Club” in the subject field. And try to be funny about it.

To learn more about the Competition go here.

To purchase tickets go here.

FrISC Sketch Competition
Friday, June 25th and Saturday, June 26th
7:30pm
UCB Theatre – 307 w 26 St.

Listen, Band of Horses and Grizzly Bear and a woman are playing a concert in East River Park which is right around the corner from the brewery. It’s the first show of many that will occur during the warm months of the year that we refer to as SUMMER. And Brooklyn Brewery will be pouring beer at all of the shows during the SUMMER. We’ ve also been given tickets to these SUMMER shows that we can do whatever we want with. Right now we want to give some of them to you, dear reader. SUMMER. Email info@brooklynbrewery.com right now with “SUMMER” in the subject line for your chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to Sunday’s SUMMER show.

Do it.

Holy smokes is there a lot going on. Tomorrow the annual Bicycle Film Festival begins here in New York City and yes it’s their 10th one. We were the first beer sponsor of BFF’s inaugural event and we’re happy, once again, to be their beer sponsor for a bevy of events and afterparties celebrating bicycles and bike culture. Because they’re so much fun. So much fun that Brooklyn Brewery is giving away two all-access passes for the duration of the fest (June 16 – 20).

For your chance to win that thing I just mentioned email info@brooklynbrewery.com with “BFF is 10″ in the subject field.

For your chance to learn more about BFF click here.

photos by Eric Schwortz

Brooklyn Brewery recently sponsored a fundraiser for the American Folk Art Museum’s Young Patron’s fundraiser. That’s all.

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…..

Cool video, guys. Also, to try to get some tickets to the Ball go here.

Here at The Brewery, we’re getting very excited about the looming return of our favorite former late night talk show host. Call him Coco, call him Conando, he’s our Conan and we’re psyched to see him and Brooklyn comic, Reggie Watts take Radio City Music Hall by storm on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We know there are some other Conan fans that read the Brooklyn Blog. Probably at least 3 of you out there. You should join us at Channel 4 Bar for a pre-show gathering from 5:30pm – 7:3opm on Wednesday, June 2nd. We’ll be buying rounds of East India Pale Ale, bad mouthing NBC and rubbing the Conan mural (pictured above) because it seems like the right thing to do.

Channel 4 Bar

58 W 48th St
(between 5th Ave & Rockefeller Plz)

Our photographer friend Louis Siegal took some great shots of the party in between various samplings.

Relive the magic here:

Since the early days of 1988, The Brooklyn Brewery has striven to support the myriad of arts in New York City. When the brewery in Williamsburg opened up, we regularly hosted shows for neighborhood artists. Among many others, institutions like BAM, Brooklyn Museum and Dia Arts Foundation all receive financial and beer support from The Brewery. We are proud to support some of our favorite artists as Brooklyn Brewery’s distribution and the borough’s sphere of influence continue to grow throughout the country and the world.

One of our favorite homegrown art phenomenons is Casey Kelbaugh’s Slideluck Potshow. A combination photo exhibition and D.I.Y. feast, SLPS embodies so much of what Brooklyn Brewery values: community, collaboration, local arts and good, locally made food. We are thrilled to provide our beer for these art parties as they continue to grow and pop up around the globe. The most recent SLPS occurred in Washington D.C. to great acclaim. Check out the slideshow.

Find more photos like this on SLIDELUCK POTSHOW

But FIRST, let’s do some giveaways. The first handful of loyal Brooklyn Brewery Blog readers to email “Sorachi Ace In The Place” to info@brooklynbrewery.com will win a pair of spots on the guestlist for tonight’s party at The Brewery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. To email you go!

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace Ale

Most Brooklyn beers are made with a blend of hop varietals. As a chef does with spices, we look to get the best qualities of each hop and create a harmony of flavors and aromas. However, a few years ago, our brewmaster ran into a hop unique enough to deserve its own moment in the sun. A large Japanese brewery first developed the hop variety “Sorachi Ace” in 1988. A cross between the British “Brewer’s Gold” and the Czech “Saaz” varieties, it exhibited a quality that was unexpected – it smelled really lemony. The unique flavor of Sorachi Ace was bypassed by the big brewers, but we thought it was pretty cool. So we made a special beer with it, and added the beer to our Brewmaster’s Reserve special draft beer program last year. Most Brewmaster’s Reserve beers are only available for a short time, and then they’re gone. But we liked this one so much, we decided to bring it back and give it the star treatment.

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace is a classic saison, a cracklingly dry, hoppy unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, but made entirely with now-rare Sorachi Ace hops grown by a single farm in Oregon. We ferment it with our special Belgian ale strain, and then add more Sorachi Ace hops post-fermentation. After the dry-hopping, the beer emerges with a bright spicy lemongrass/lemon zest aroma backed by a wonderfully clean malt flavor. From here we’ve taken it through 100% bottle re-fermentation with Champagne yeast, giving it fine pin-point carbonation and a beautiful pillowy foam. It tastes like sunshine in a glass, and that suits us just fine, especially with seafood dishes and fresh cheeses. It’ll be just the thing on nice summer days and beyond. We only made 2500 cases, and to tell you the honest truth, we pretty much made it for ourselves. But beer’s no fun if you don’t share, so we do hope you’ll drink some with us.

Brooklyn Buzz Bomb Ale

In medieval Europe, ale graced the tables of everyone from paupers to kings, but honey wine, called mead, was largely reserved for the rich. In the days before table sugar came from the tropical parts of the world, honey was the only intensely sweet thing that many people had access to. Honey was expensive – after all, a man can only keep so many bees. Meads were also expensive, but people often brought ale and mead together in a popular drink called “braggott”. Sometimes these braggotts were simply blends, but the best of them had the grain and honey extracts fermented together, bringing both sets of flavors into a unified whole. To tell the truth, our brewmaster hadn’t spent much time thinking about braggott until last summer, when he ran into Nathaniel and Thatcher Martin at the New Amsterdam Market in New York City. The Martin brothers were pouring small samples of their mead, called Brooklyn Buzz. It was pretty delicious, and they all got talking about honey. It turned out that the Martins source their raw wildflower honey from the same place that Brooklyn Brewery does – Tremblay Farms in upstate New York.

And now, as summer smiles upon us once more, we bring you the result of last summer’s stroll through the market – Brooklyn Buzz Bomb Ale. We’ve used Alan Tremblay’s wildflower honey in a few of our beers, most notably Brooklyn Local 2. In Brooklyn Buzz Bomb, the honey takes center stage, making up a full 25% of the fermentable sugar. We added the honey to the kettle along with a gentle hopping and a lilt of orange peel. Is the beer sweet? Actually, not at all – honey is quite fermentable and our Belgian ale yeast is very hungry. Brooklyn Buzz Bomb has a bright gold color and a spicy floral aroma showing distinctive honey notes. The palate is light, crisp, and very dry, showing a zing of acidity and a quick burst of fruit. Complex floral, honey and spice flavors linger in the bone-dry finish. Brooklyn Buzz Bomb is a perfect match for summer foods – salads, barbecue, shrimp dishes, hummus, grilled salmon, brunch dishes and fresh goat cheese. It’s also very pleasant all by itself, as you smell the flowers, feel the sun dapple through the trees, listen to the birds sing and wonder what it was you really liked about snow anyway.

]]> http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/events/introductions-re-introductions/feed/ 3 http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/events/taste-williamsburg-greenpoint-eat-drink-be-helpful/ http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/events/taste-williamsburg-greenpoint-eat-drink-be-helpful/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 23:36:49 +0000 Ben http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/?p=918 Continue reading →]]>

photo by UncanonicalAaron

We’re pretty excited for Sunday, May 16th over here at The Brewery. That’s when the neighborhood bands together and shows off it’s significant culinary skill. From the area’s Polish heritage, to its cool kids table to our very own competitive cooking champions, TASTE promises to bring together North Brooklyn’s varied and delicious cuisines for a fine Sunday of eating and raising money. Raising money you say? Why yes. All proceeds from ticket sales (which you can purchase right here) go to building a community center in the old firehouse on Wythe. Rain or shine all of the top eateries in the ‘hood will be out in the street directly in front of The Brewery. Of course, we’ll be serving beer inside the brewery too (a nice chunk of those sales will also go to the firehouse) so you can feel free to bring your food on in.

Do it!