Please be advised that the L subway train will not be running between 8th Ave and Lorimer St over Memorial Day Weekend: Friday 5/24 (after 11pm), Saturday 5/25, Sunday 5/26 and Monday 5/27. Here are some alternate subway routes:
+ Take the A or C train from Manhattan into Brooklyn and transfer at Hoyt Schermerhorn to the G train. Take the G train to Nassau Av and walk to The Brooklyn Brewery.
+ Take the F train from Manhattan in Brooklyn and transfer at Bergen Street to the G train to Nassau Av and walk to The Brooklyn Brewery.
+ Take the J train from Manhattan into Brooklyn and transfer at Marcy Av to the Loop Buses provided by the MTA to Bedford Ave and walk from Bedford Ave and North 7th to The Brooklyn Brewery.
+ Take the 7 train or E train from Manhattan into Queens and transfer at Court Sq to the G train to Nassau Av and walk to The Brooklyn Brewery.
A vortex, of course, is a thing that whirls. The dictionary says that a vortex is “A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it” or “Any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing.”
In 1914 a group of British writers and artists published “Blast”, the literary arm of the new futurist art movement called Vorticism. The Vorticists “Blasted” the things they despised in the modern world (conformity and mildness) and “Blessed” the things they celebrated (such as mariners battling an implacable sea).
In 1993, Oliver Twist opened in Stockholm. Opposing an implacable sea of conformity and mildness, Jorgen Hasselquist, Justin St. Clair Maitland and Tomas Ek soon joined OT and started up their own vortex. They resisted an implacable sea of beer boredom. They looked to draw towards themselves all beers, all things, and all people they wanted to hang out with. And the beers came, and the people came, and the music came, and to this day you’ll find them there, happily and noisily flying around the cultural core that is OT.
What then from Oliver Twist’s American cousins on the momentous occasion of OT’s 20th year? Brooklyn Brewery offers tribute, admiration and fellowship in a glass. Vortex IPA* is as strong as Jugge’s opinions, as warming as the staff’s welcome, and as brightly flavorful as OT itself. Vortex IPA Blasts blandness, yet Blesses drinkability.
It celebrates American hop ebullience, Brooklyn attitude, and Swedish cool. British caramel malts lend richness and depth, while a blend of American hops give the beer a mineral backbone and explosive aromatics (with a special guest appearance by our pal Sir East Kent Golding as “The English Aristocrat”).
Vortex IPA is mighty tasty. It probably even gives you fresher breath and whiter teeth, but we can’t prove that part. Nor can we support the claim that it concentrates the mind on life’s better aspects. However, we can guarantee that if you drink Vortex at OT and allow just a little bit of Brooklyn into your heart, you will laugh more than the average person. You may even become irresistibly engulfing.
A Vortex? Well, it’s a thing that Twists, of course. Come to OT, raise a glass, and put your own spin on things.
[*Vortex IPA is only available at Oliver Twist in Stockholm]
Brooklyn Scorcher #366 is a very tasty summer pale ale featuring a hop so new that it doesn’t have a real name yet – right now it’s just called “HBC 366”. But this hop does have parents. Jason Perrault of Perrault Farms crossed the Warrior variety with a “wild” hop back in 2001. Jason says “The brilliant coloration of the leaves combined with a nice growth habit and exceptionally formed cones with abundant lupulin (the repository of all those aromatic oils), resulted in a strikingly beautiful plant.”
Working with the legendary hop breeder Gene Probasco, Jason took cuttings and started growing dozens of plants with fellow grower John I. Haas. Tom Nielsen, hop guru with our friends at Sierra Nevada Brewing, helped them figure out that this new hop was indeed delicious in beer. By 2009, the Smith family of B.T. Loftus Ranches were growing some too, and today “HBC 366” occupies about 1.2 acres of land in the Yakima Valley of Washington.
And here it is! Brooklyn Scorcher #366 is a hoppy pale ale that’s dry, minerally and fruity on the palate, snappy in the center, and bursting with the citrusy, piney notes that make our new pal 366 so special. It’s got as much hop character as an IPA, but at only 4.5%, Scorcher #366 is eminently sessionable, so you can hang out with it all summer. Scorcher #366 loves lobster, shrimp, and crayfish, but will snarf your nachos and fish tacos without the slightest hesitation. Scorcher #366 prefers charcoal but doesn’t hate on propane. Scorcher #366 is not a snob. Scorcher #366 will have another burger and a hot dog.
Malts: Pale Ale Malt and Crystal Malt, England Hops: Willamette (bittering), and introducing HBC #366 (aroma) Yeast: Brooklyn House Ale yeast OG: 10° Plato ABV: 4.5%
Availability: May-July Format: 15.5 gal kegs; 5.2 gal kegs
[Flatbread Spring Salad from Slow Supper @ Cylburn Mansion.]
After a great weekend in Philly with my family I hopped into the car with Meg, our Event Producer, and my partner in Mash voyages, and headed for Baltimore. Hersh’s Pizza was our first stop on this rainy evening, but a tour of the kitchen and the 950 F Italian wood-fired pizza oven warmed us right up. After meeting Josh, Chef and Owner of Hersh’s and sampling some of his great pies, I was eager to start cooking the menu we collaborated on for our Local 2 Ways dinner. Charm City stood up to its name as the skies cleared on Tuesday, and the Baltimore Mash hit the ground running with the speed of a lookout boy from HBO’s The Wire. Max’s Tap House, just a block from the harbor, provided a perfect Mash HQ. We sat outside sipping cask ales before heading off to Birroteca to try another modern Italian take on the pizzeria. After living so many years in Italy, it is always nice to find good Italian food in a new city. (continued below)
Birrotecca may be known for its pizza, but the confit calamari and the house-cured meats were out of this world. I have never had calamari as tender in my life. The Duck Prosciutto was like stepping into a Peking duck house with subtle notes of star anise, so good I changed our Sunday Slow Supper menu to feature it as one of the courses. Another menu adaptation occurred when I tasted the passion fruit buddino. My mouth went wild with the most amazing puckering tartness, followed by a smooth tropical sweetness; I knew we had to incorporate it in our dinner.
Early the next morning I headed back to Birroteca to meet up with Executive Chef Cyrus Keefer, the mastermind behind these dishes, along with Aja Cage the buddino goddess/Pastry Chef. We tweaked the menu, adding some local ginger to the dessert (candied and as a cookie), and planned to meet at the market on Sunday morning to get vegetables for Slow Supper. Then it was off to Hersh’s to prep with his team for Local 2 Ways. I was excited to cook for a group of family members and 45 other guests all seated upstairs in the private dining room. Many beers where paired with an outstanding array of food, from pizza with to crab sformato paired with Sorachi Ace. For a glimpse at the whole menu check out BrooklynBreweryMash.com. As my mother praised her son to anyone who would listen, guests mingled and stayed long after their last sips of Brooklyn Black Ops.
After saying my goodbyes to the team at Hersh’s, we boogied over to Metro Gallery to catch the Soul Clap & Dance Off with my buddy Jonathan Toubin on the ones and twos. I can safely say that Baltimore hipsters could give our Williamsburgians a run for their money. Many a dancer was left in the dust, sipping Summer Ale as their consolation, as number 11 shimmied his way to the top securing himself a roundtrip ticket to New York to compete in the Soul Clap and Dance-off Finale. Follow me on vine to catch a glimpse of those dancing skills and some super duper outfits.
I knew Baltimore had some great restaurants but I was in for a treat at Chaos Cooking when I found out it was hosted by the executive chef of Moonshine Tavern. John and his lovely lady had a roof deck that overlooked the stadium with the harbor in the distance and a kitchen fully equipped to handle the chaos that ensued. Chefs and amateurs alike doled out delicious dishes and john made racks of lamb with parsnip puree and a rich demi-glace that left us all fighting over the last chops. We sipped Brooklyn and broke bread with new friends until late in the evening.
Saturday was the highlight of my trip as I headed over to the 15th Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race, one of the wildest events I have ever seen. Riders in crazy outfits took to the streets in giant whimsically constructed vehicles for a 13 mile race combining water, mud, hills and other obstacles. I watched these crazy creations hit the water then headed for The Wine Source for a cheese and beer pairing.
The Cylburn Mansion could have been a set from the Adams Family with the beautiful Nuit Blanche installation casting ghost like shadows on the walls. Instead it became our Slow Supper space. Tucked away in the Arboretum the Cylburn estate is a city landmark that inspired a meal rich in Baltimore history. Cyrus, Aja and I prepared a menu paying homage to the local bounty of Baltimore and the surrounding area. As the band played, and representatives from Slow Food Baltimore, the center for a livable future spoke, glasses clinked, and lights flickered in this old mansion a midst the background of beautiful Japanese maple trees, we almost forgot we were in a bustling city. Needless to say, it was a charming way to end our BmoreMASH.
There are few better ways to celebrate warm weather than outdoor dance parties, and beginning May 12 cans of Brooklyn Summer Ale, Lager and EIPA will be the cherry on the disco ball at the weekly Mister Sunday celebrations in Gowanus.
Reports DNAinfo, the party “features DJs spinning tunes in an empty lot on Carroll Street while guests dance beneath a sparkling disco ball hung from trees. Dancers can sip sangria* and chow down on tacos from the award-winning food truck Country Boys. Admission is $10 and the festivities get started at 5 p.m.”
Check out some pics from last year’s happenings here, and we’ll see you there.
The brightest day of the year here at Brooklyn Brewery just got brighter, with an unprecedented league of staff and friends from across great waters participating in the third annual Eric Ottaway Shirt Day (see 2012 and 2011).
But at the end of the day, there can only be one winner: Brooklyn Brewery House Chef Andrew Gerson, pictured below hand held high by Eric Ottaway himself. And a very special First Annual Runner Up Award goes to Australia’s own Phillip Chehade from Palais Imports, shown under the brazen beauty of Chef Andrew.
Ladies, gentlemen and ale lovers hark! The Worshipful Company of Brewers is upon us. The charter of this sanctified league dictates that each member of the Brooklyn Brewery brewing team will design and create a batch of his/her own draft-only beer, to be served exclusively at the Brewery Tasting Room until the last drop has been squeezed from the taps, and each with the possibility of blooming into a fully distributed Brewmaster’s Reserve.
BEER #6: Hot/Hotter Style: Pale Ale ABV: 6.2% Notes: A hop drying comparison done for the Hop Quality Group, Hot/Hotter is two variations on the same Pale Ale. Hot is dry-hopped with Citra hops kilned at 130°F, and has a rounded, full aroma and the bitterness is smooth. Hotter is dry-hopped with Citra hops kilned at 150°F, and has a sharper hop aroma and a slightly more aggressive bitterness. Available: Fri, April 19 until it’s gone!
BREWER #6: Andrew Ety (Assistant Brewmaster) Started at Brooklyn Brewery: 2000
[Daddy Long Legs performs at You Can't Drown The Loud Sounds, a benefit for Norton Records.]
Epicenter of the Honky Tonk, former stomping ground of Elvis, The Man in Black, Willie Nelson, and home to Jack White (we stayed two blocks from his estate on Franklin Pike) Nashville is definitely a music town, but its budding culinary scene is nothing to stomp your feet at either. I can’t recall exactly how many “Wagon Wheel” covers I heard in my week stay, but I loved every one of them. Nashville has a sense of nostalgia that is evocative — music runs through this city whether you are at the Honky Tonk’s on Broadway like Roberts, or the three-tiered towering venue Mercy Lounge on Cannery Row. Music is not the only thing that trickles through this city. Nashville and the rest of Tennessee are home to over a dozen breweries, some of which I had the pleasure of visiting, others I settled for getting to know via a pint glass.
Our Mash Headquarters, M.L Rose Craft Beer and Burgers was the perfect spot to sample many of the local brews. My Fat Bottom Brewing Ruby Red had just the right bite to wash down the Brooklyn Burger special, with Brooklyn Brown Ale caramelized onions, crispy bacon and NY State cheddar cheese. Boasting a tap selection heavy on local and domestic breweries, I got intimate with some of my new Tennessee favorites and was eager to go visit Yazoo and Jackalope breweries, as well as Bosco’s Brew Pub where my buddy Drew prepares the daily specials to accompany their award winning beers.
Our week kicked off quickly and remained burger-centric with a Wednesday night collaboration dinner at Burger Up with Chef Philip Shyatt and his team. After four courses, seven beers, and the last bites of crispy cream bread pudding and sips of Brooklyn Black Ops, guests continued to drink and chatter long into the evening. Thanks to our new friend, a wine maker from Sonoma, so inspired by our beers that he brought a variety case of different styles and vintages from his vineyard to share with those lucky enough to linger after the meal, it wasn’t Vin Santo but made for a nice after dinner treat. I would have stayed out and partied with the gang over at 12 South Tap Room but it was time to get some rest for our Slow Supper dinner with Brandon Frohn and his team from Mason’s, the new chef-driven restaurant in the Loews Hotel.
I met Brandon in the maze that is the back of house kitchen for Loews Hotel and got to work making minted gnocchi and my braised lamb ragu. Although we were prepping in a beautiful full-equipped hotel kitchen, we were serving on site at the Peter Nappi Studio located in the old Neuhoff meat packing plant built in 1906, six blocks from downtown Nashville located on a rock bluff overlooking the Cumberland River. This boutique, home to the highest level of Italian boot craftsmanship, was a truly magical space to host our Slow Supper event benefiting Slow Food Nashville. Holly Williams, country artist and lover of all things gnocchi, graced the stage with her husband for three incredible songs, setting a laid back and boisterous tone for the evening. Ghost bottles abounding, we served smoke-wafting boxes of deviled eggs, seared scallops with Sorachi Ace, and a dessert reminiscent of my childhood featuring Flintstone push-pop sorbet made with liquid nitrogen and a sweet potato beignet with an oat and chocolate cremoix. As diners ate their frozen ice-cream shards, we relished in the warmth of the room, and picked out our dream pairs of shoes, but the price tags made it hard to do more than dream.
After working with two young talented chefs I was starting to understand the new Nashville food scene. Chock full of recommendations, I was excited to hit up some of Nashville’s favorite digs, while experiencing some of the newer gems popping up in Germantown and other newly developed neighborhoods. Nashville is undergoing a transformation much like that of Brooklyn, and many young chefs are finding themselves running off the beaten path to spots with rustic sincerity and attention to local sourcing, simple techniques and good homestyle flavors. Nashville seems as comfortable dishing out artisan extruded pastas as they do meat and three plates, and Rolf and Daughters along with City House have the Garganelli to prove it.
But if elegant home-style Italian is not your thing rest assured Monell’s has a seat for you at a big round table with a slew of wide-eyed strangers, awaiting their southern traditional Sunday meal, every day of the week. The shear quantity of plates that began to hit the table was astounding. Our only instruction was to pass to the left, as biscuits, grits, greens, beans, collards, mash, suckatash, corn pudding, brisket, gravy, fried chicken, meatloaf, banana pudding, pickles, chutney, and many more dishes hit the table in a whirlwind of food that would give even thanksgiving at my house a run for its money (and we feed 35 people). After this special family experience at Monell’s it was time to dance off my meal to the sounds of Jonathan Toubin at his NY Night Train Soul Clap & Dance-Off. Any chance I get to hang out with Jonathan is a good night. Besides being one of the kindest and most engaging people I know he knows how to spin a 45 and keep a crowd moving like no other, especially when they are competing for a free trip to NY, courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery.
The music didn’t stop there, Sandy Relief benefit for Norton Records in Brooklyn was a mash up of Brooklyn and Nashville talents Daddy Long Legs, A Bones, The Ettes and Weekend Babes. This line up at Mercy Lounge was killer and we stomped and stomped till the house came down. High Watt, on the top floor of the Mercy complex, which is also the home to a Sunday rock and roll church group (better attended then most concerts I go to) was the locale for Found Footage festival which is always a solid hour or two of laughs, and guest starring the beautifully awkward comedic genius of Kate Berlante.
Top this exciting week off with an impromptu stop at Taqueria San Luis for the biggest tamales ever (basically banana-leaf-wrapped pillows) with two scoops from Jeni’s ice cream in a Black Chocolate Stout float featured at our Togather literary series on Sunday, and I was holding my sides almost as hard as I had at our comedy event the night before. Nashville, I can’t wait to come back, my only regret, being too full for Princes Hot Chicken. Next year, Nashville. Next year!
Brooklyn Brewery is taking its neighborhood on the road. Collaborating with friends old and new, the Brewery has bundled up some of its favorite events into The Brooklyn Brewery Mash as a benefit for Slow Food USA, rolling out in Nashville April 8-14. Check back for a Nashville Mash recap from Brooklyn Brewery House Chef Andrew Gerson (@BKLYNhouseChef).
Mash HQ Mon, April 8 – Sun, April 14; M.L. Rose; 2535 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN | Brooklyn beer specials, new and special offerings, giveaways and general info available on The Mash.
Local 2 Ways Wed, April 10, 7pm; Burger Up; 2901 12th Ave South, Nashville, TN – price TBA | Multi-course beer dinner celebrating local cuisine, interpreted 2 ways: by Philip Shyatt and the Brooklyn Brewery House Chef, Andrew Gerson.
Brooklyn Brewery Tap Attack Wed, April 10, 6-10pm; Flying Saucer; 111 10th Ave South, Nashville, TN | Brooklyn’s Josh Scutella hosts an evening of the Brooklyn Lineup. Core and new beers will be on tap. Beer specials all night.
Slow Supper Thu, April 11, 7pm; Peter Nappi Studio; 1308 Adams St, Nashville, TN – price TBA | Held in the captivating Peter Nappi Studio & benefitting Slow Food Nashville, guests will feast on a meal prepared in collaboration between Brooklyn House Chef Andrew Gerson and Chef Brandon Frohne. Projection installations from Brooklyn’s NBNY.
NY Night Train Soul Clap & Dance-Off with DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin Thu, April 11, 9pm; Stone Fox; 712 51st Ave, Nashville, TN – $7 | America’s most popular soul party returns to Nashville. Get down to the exquisite 1960s soul 45s of world famous Brooklyn DJ Jonathan Toubin all night long. Join the 1am dance contest for $100 cash prize and to win a free trip to New York for the Dance-Off championship at Brooklyn Bowl.
Brooklyn Summer Happy Hour
Fri, April 12, 5-7pm; Pub 5; 104 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN – Free | Get ahead of the game and celebrate the arrival of Brooklyn Summer Ale at the brand new Pub 5. Look out for specials and swag from the Brooklyn crew before heading over to Mercy Lounge for “You Can’t Drown The Loud Sound!”
“YOU CAN’T DROWN THE LOUD SOUND!” Sandy Benefit for Norton Records Fri, April 12, 9pm; Mercy Lounge; 1 Cannery Row; Nashville, TN – $10 advance, $15 door | A benefit for Brooklyn’s own Norton Records whose warehouse was flooded by Sandy. Norton Brooklyn-based bands The A-Bones (featuring original sax player Lars and Ira from Yo La Tengo) and Daddy Long Legs pair up with seasoned Nashville garage rockers The Ettes and new comers Weekend Babes.
Eat, Drink & Learn with the Brooklyn Brewery House Chef Sat, April 13, 12-2pm; Whole Foods; 4021 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN – Free | BB House Chef Andrew Gerson does a pasta making demo and pairs with Silver Anniversary Lager & more.
Found Footage Festival Sat, April 13, 7:30 & 10pm; High Watt; 1 Cannery Row, Nashville, TN – $12 | A hilarious comedy event that showcases footage from videos that were found at garage sales and thrift stores and in warehouses and dumpsters across the country.
Books & Beer: Jeni Britton Bauer In Conversation With Chuck Beard & Imogene Willie Sun, April 14, 2-3pm; 1310 Clinton Street, Suite 121; Nashville, Tennessee – $10 | A conversation and Q&A featuring Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and author of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Jeni will share memories of how her business began, what inspires her ice cream innovations, and how she tells stories through her delicious creations.
Chaos Cooking Sun, April 14, 7pm – Free | A stalwart citizen opens their kitchen for a dinner party where all the guests are cooks. Each attendee brings the ingredients and everyone cooks together. Dishes are passed around, and there’s plenty of Brooklyn beer to enjoy. For location details, go to ChaosCooking.com.
25 years ago, two neighbors threw caution to the wind, quit their respective day jobs as a reporter and a banker, and founded Brooklyn Brewery. The road to success was paved with many challenges, but today The Brewery’s award-winning roster of beers is distributed in 25 states and 21 countries, and the neighbors, Steve Hindy & Tom Potter (before and after pic below) are two happy campers: Tom has moved on to found the NY Distilling Company, and Steve still sits in the chair at the brewery. (cont. below)
To celebrate this quarter century of Brooklyn beer, we’re partying right next door with our BFF’s at Brooklyn Bowl and introducing a very special Silver Anniversary Lager – a double bock version of Brooklyn Lager, our first and best selling beer — available throughout 2013 featuring four unique labels by Brooklyn-based artists. Each new label will be launched at our quartlery Local x Local music, arts and media party at The Bowl. First up is March 20 (poster below) featuring Brooklyn band Beach Fossils, one of our faves.
The party is free with an RSVP, or $5 at the door on the day of. Silver Anniversary Lager will be available on draft & in big bottles, pints of Brooklyn Lager will be just $4, and Blue Ribbon is cooking up their famous Bone Marrow & Oxtail Marmalade Sliders as a special menu item.
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