Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, January 27 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $5/each or 5 for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) - 2 tokens

Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9.0% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyner Weisse (5.1% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0% abv)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9.0% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9.0% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0% abv) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

Image by Eddie Guy

A recent report in Runner’s World studied the effects of beer consumption on runners, and concluded that although “individual results varied… overall, beer and running mixed fine.” This finding is one of many promoting the cohabitation of healthy individuals and beer, and therefore debunking the notion of beer drinkers as, well… being like Homer Simpson.

And while we’re at it, turns out musicians love exercise as well.

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.

The Brooklyner Weisse with Evalon. Smooth, balanced and gently herbal, this firm goat’s milk cheese is made in Wisconsin. It’s subtle sweetness will pair off beautifully with the brisk lightness of the Weisse.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

Our friends at D’Artagnan have put together some prideful and delectable Super Bowl meal suggestions. Check it out here.

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

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

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

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

In the not too distant past, I was asked to participate in the “Beer Cocktail Brunch Off” at the East Village establishment Jimmy’s No. 43. I can’t say I was particularly thrilled at this prospect. Every beer cocktail I had ever had was not very good. Beer is so delicious on its own! Why mask the awesome flavor of beer with juices and syrups? I’ve always been a sucker for a challenge though, so I accepted.

With the help of my dear friend, the distiller & zineman Chris Elford, we spent a day slaving over a juicer, jiggers, and quite a few bottles of beer. Our entry to the Brunch Off, “The Brooklyn Squall” (a variation on a Dark & Stormy), didn’t win, but we came up with four recipes that made us both begrudgingly admit beer cocktails can be quite tasty.

The Brady Brunch
2 oz Marmalade syrup (1/2 oz OJ, 1 oz grapefruit juice, 2 teaspoon marmalade)
3 oz Brooklyn EIPA (or another English style IPA)
Garnish with an orange twist 

Thyme Is On Our Side
Rosemary & Thyme Tea (Boil 1 cup of water, add 3 springs of rosemary & 2 springs of thyme. Steep for 5 minutes)
Add 1 oz tea to 1 oz fig jam
Add 2 oz fig syrup to 8 oz Brooklyn Winter Ale (or another Scotch Ale)
Garnish with a spring of thyme

The Brooklyn Squall
1 oz ginger syrup
1 oz fresh lime juice
4 oz Brooklyn Brown Ale (or another Brown Ale)
1 oz Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout to top (there is no substitute)
Garnish with candied ginger 

Pearallel Lines
Poach pears in 24 oz apple juice, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons agave & 3 dashes of liquid smoke for 20 minutes
Puree pears with 4 oz of poaching liquid – strain
Add 2 oz pear juice to 8 oz Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
4 dashes tiki bitters 

A river runs through it.

Steve forwarded me an email last Friday with the above photograph attached and “Wwwrrooowlllll!!!!” as the subject line.

Later that day, over dropped bits of lunch I was munching off the floor, Steve explained that the picture is of his friend’s cat, Henry Hudson, and in turn I taught the perplexed brewery founder that the term wwwrrooowlllll is north African in origin and historically used to announce the sudden approach of a challenger. We deduced that Henry Hudson must believe his floating around in an empty Brooklyn mixed case is reason enough to justify an unsolicited application for my succession (not the first to try). My response to Henry Hudson:

From: Monster
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 3:07 PM
To: Henry Hudson
Cc: Steve Hindy
Subject: Re: Fwd: Wwwrrooowlllll!!!!

Dear Henry Hudson,

My advice to you is twofold:

[1] Ask your owner what “no vacancy” means.
[2] Get the hint.

Warmest regards,
Monster

Steve recently received this encouraging note from a Brooklyn native who now resides out west, into the markets of which we have not yet (officially) distributed Brooklyn beer. We can, however, distribute all kinds of other non-drinkable stuff:

“Just met a gentleman who runs a very popular beer store here in San Francisco. He saw my brewery hoodie and mentioned that a lot of people come in and ask him for the lager… Hope your holidays were amazing. I got a great gift from my wife.”

Victor Blue for The New York Times

Steve recently welcomed The New York Times into his Brooklyn abode to give them a glimpse of his Sunday routine, which includes a considerable dose of caffeine, some preternatural tennis skills and one particularly dashing apron. Read on to learn more about the man behind the beer.

Today is the birthday of one of Brooklyn’s great writers and one of my personal favorites, Norman Mailer. I had the honor of meeting Mailer in the early years of the brewery. He was attending a production of “The Cherry Orchard” at BAM and I was there serving Brooklyn Lager at a pre-theater reception. I was introduced to Mailer and he tried a sip of my beer. “It’s a bit heavy for me,” he said in his gruff voice. “I’m not a big beer guy.” I guess I looked a bit crestfallen. Mailer said, “Well don’t brood about it man, I don’t know shit about beer. I’m the last guy you should worry about.” He then asked how I got into the beer business. I told him about my past life as a Middle East correspondent for AP. He leaned toward me and said, “You are probably the only person here I want to talk to.” We talked about the Arab-Israeli conflict and other Middle East issues. He introduced me to his wife and kids. As we parted, he said, “See you around. The Brooklyn establishment is not that big you know.”

– Steve Hindy, Co-Founder & President, Brooklyn Brewery

In a beer-and-sports related wager entirely unrelated to our bets with Anchor and Harpoon, NY State Senator Charles E. Schumer swung by Brewers Row this morning to don a Manning jersey and boast his local beer.

Chuck has a Super Bowl bet going with the senators from Massachusetts where the “loser” will provide all the other senators a six-pack of beer from the winner’s state.

UPDATE // JAN 31 The Hill reports: According to Schumer’s office, if the Giants beat the Patriots, Shaheen will purchase beer from six of New York’s craft brew companies from around the state, including New York’s Brooklyn Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company, Saranac Matt Brewing Company, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Ithaca Beer Company, and Brown’s Brewing Company. Schumer plans to supply beer from New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewery to the entire Senate if he loses the bet. 

“I can’t wait for Senator Shaheen to participate in the ‘I Love New York Brew’ Campaign by buying the best craft brews in New York and supplying them to every member of the United States Senate,” Schumer said in a statement released by his office. “When Big Blue brings Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to their knees, the entire U.S. Senate will understand why we love New York brew. Go Giants!”

Anchor brewing staff will wear Giants jerseys and pour samples of Brooklyn’s Sorachi Ace beer during tours of its San Francisco brewery Monday, January 30 through Friday, February 3. “The Niners played a great game but the Giants came out on top, so we’ll stand by our word,” said Dannerbeck. “We’ll be pouring beer from Brooklyn Brewery and wearing the Giants’ colors this week, but don’t worry, our Niners will be back next year and we’ll be hoping for a chance to even the score.”

“We hope our friends in San Francisco enjoy the Brooklyn Sorachi Ace. Let’s hope for a rematch in 2013,” said Brooklyn Brewery President Steve Hindy.

Public tastings of Brooklyn Beer will not be available during this time, as Anchor tours are available by advance reservation only. Unfortunately, all tours are full this week, but you may call the brewery directly at 415.863.8350 to inquire about any cancellations.

UPDATE // JAN 27 Anchor reports that the Sorachi big bottles and Giants jerseys arrived safely, and that next week their tour guides will pour beer decked out in Big Blue during their Mon-Fri tours at 10am and 1pm, with brewery Chief Dannerbeck kicking off the first tour on Monday. Mr. Dannerbeck has promised to provide us with ”photos of the heinous crime scene,” so stay tuned!

UPDATE // JAN 25 Sorachi Ace and Giants jerseys are en route to CA.

UPDATE // JAN 22 Big Blue’s Victory Brings Brooklyn Beer to San Francisco

So it shall be written! Brooklyn Brewery beer and Giants jerseys will grace the Anchor Brewery this coming week. Stay tuned for updates and photos of our seven-day West Coast distribution.

The fabled Anchor bar in The City By The Bay.

A friendly wager has been placed between Brooklyn Brewery and Anchor Brewing Co. that our respective hometown teams will win the National Football Conference game this Sunday.

John Dannerbeck, president of Anchor Brewing Co. of San Francisco, and Steve Hindy, president of Brooklyn Brewery in New York, have agreed to pour the other brewery’s beer and outfit their brewery tour staff in jerseys from the opposing team for a week if their team loses the title game in San Francisco on Sunday. The brewery chiefs will wear the jerseys of shame as well.

“We are very confident that the 49ers will come through for us and we will not have to suffer this humiliation,” said Dannerbeck. “We beat the Giants earlier this year, and I am sure we will do it again.”

“The Giants have come together in an impressive way since the post-season commenced,” said Hindy. “We think Eli Manning and his team are going to avenge that earlier loss and move on to the Super Bowl.”

May the best team win!

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, January 27 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $5/each or 5 for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Winter Ale (6.0% abv)

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9.0% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9.1% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyner Weisse (5.1% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0% abv)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9.0% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9.0% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0% abv) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

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.

Brooklyn Radius with Salvatore Smoked Ricotta. Rich, richer, and richest without being part of the 1%, this homemade Ricotta is made by two women in Brooklyn. Its luscious texture and gentle hints to smoke will pair wonderfully with the leanness of the Radius.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

Harpoon Brewery President Dan Kenary and our own Steve Hindy are betting that their home team will prevail in the Feb 5 Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

If the New York Giants win, as they did in the 2008 Super Bowl against New England, Harpoon will pour Brooklyn Lager in their tasting room and their brewery tour staff will wear Giants jerseys for a week this winter. If the Patriots win, Brooklyn will pour Harpoon IPA in their pub for a week, and the Brooklyn staff will wear Patriots jerseys.

“We are very confident that the Patriots will carry the day, and avenge the 2008 loss to the Giants,” said Kenary, who still cringes when he thinks back to pouring Brooklyn Lager four years ago.

“We know the Patriots had a better season record than the Giants. They are a great team,” said Hindy, clearly concerned about appearing over confident. “But the Giants have come together in the post-season. Eli Manning and his team have to keep it together for one more game.”

Hindy noted that the Anchor Brewery in San Francisco lost a similar bet to Brooklyn last Sunday when the Giants beat the 49ers on a last minute field goal. Anchor’s tour guides will be wearing Giants jerseys and pouring Brooklyn Sorachi Ace for their guests in the coming week.

“It is difficult to calculate the shame that accrues to a brewery that must pour its competitor’s flagship beer through its home taps,” said Hindy. “And wearing the opposition’s jerseys—you take your life in your hands when you wear a Boston jersey here in New York.”

The people here just can’t stop talking about the bet they won with some other people on the other side of the country. Beer and Giants jerseys are being packaged up and sent west to San Francisco for the folks of the Golden Gate to enjoy, and thoughts of championship glory are now bent towards Boston.

All fine and well, except I’m not a Giants fan. Convinced “Big Blue” was going down, I’d been wearing my 49ers jersey around the brewery all last week until brewer Tom took it from me and crushed it up in the mill room. Hard to fight back without opposable thumbs.

Brooklyn Brewery’s fearless leader will “address thousands” of beer industry professionals at the 2012 Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego on May 2. A beer biz veteran of nearly 25 years, Steve has amassed a trove of knowledge, insight and great stories about our favorite beverage, and has delivered countless speeches to fans, media entities, business partners and industry insiders. All of this is to say we’re confident he’ll shine on the CBC stage.

We interviewed Steve today about the art of public speaking:

Brooklyn Bloggery: What do you generally think about when giving speeches? What’s on your mind as you address the crowd?

Steve Hindy: The most important thing about giving a speech is having something to say, having a message. Seems to me that many people who give speeches, particularly business executives and politicians, studiously avoid saying anything. This is very frustrating, and boring, for their listeners.

BB: What is your favorite kind of crowd to address?

SH: I like addressing my peers in the industry and other entrepreneurs. I like talking to young people about entrepreneurship.

BB: What are some of the things that make a beer-lover crowd unique, aside from the obvious collective interest? What characteristics tend to define this audience?

SH: Beer lovers are intensely interested in beer, and breweries and brewers. They want to know about our beers and us. But their attention tends to be inversely proportional to the volume of beer they have consumed. So if they have had more than two beers, end the speech.

BB: Do you think you are more or less of a better speaker when you yourself are drinking beer during your speech?

SH: One beer enhances my speaking ability. Beyond one, the benefits diminish.

BB: Where did you give your best and worst speeches? What’s the most memorable speech you gave?

SH: My most memorable speech was at 6pm on the day we celebrated the opening of The Brooklyn Brewery [Williamsburg, Brooklyn facility] in 1996. There were a couple of thousand people at a two-block party on N11th St. I announced there would be FREE BEER until the kegs ran dry. This resulted in a mad rush. My partner Tom Potter then announced the free beer would end at 6:30pm.

BB: Do you still get nervous addressing crowds?

SH: Yes I do get nervous. But you have to channel that nervousness into positive energy. A calm speaker can be a blah speaker.

BB: What topics will you be addressing during your CBC speech?

SH: In San Diego, I plan to celebrate the role of the Local Brewer and outline some of the great challenges facing our industry in the next 25 years.

This month in 1996, “master analyst of brewing-industry statistics” Robert S. Weinberg peers into a crystal ball and comes out of his trance saying: “I honestly believe that 90 percent plus of the American people do not like the taste of beer, and only drink it because it’s a lubricant of social intercourse.” Probably a fair measure of truth in that statement in the mid-90′s, but thanks to guidance from the likes of Mr. Weinberg, the percentage of us here in the 21st century who savor craft beer grows daily.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A recent report in Men’s Health lists the best beers in the 32 cities that teams from the National Football League call home. Serendipitously, we got Big Blue:

Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver plies his trade on the opposite side of Manhattan from the Giants’ actual homeland (the Meadowlands, in New Jersey) but Giants fans and hearty beers aplenty can be found on weekend nights at the confines in Williamsburg, all available for the low cost of a wooden token (five for a picture of Andrew Jackson, available at the front desk). What’s more, Oliver’s more experimental brews—from the face-melting Brooklyn Blast to the bottle-fermented variants Brooklyn Local 1, Local 2, and Sorachi Ace—are a treat when you find yourself in a championship mood, as Eli and company have in recent years. Savor the suds. And Jersey, you make good beer, too, but it’s all in the name.

The sweet smell of baking (with eye candy in tow) came wafting over the wire of the World Wide Web last week courtesy of food blog CookBakeLove. Featured are homemade Oreos with chocolate beer ganache, but not just any old chocolate beer mind you. Not just any chocolate beer at all.

UPDATE As of the posting of this news, no one has yet baked us any of the aforementioned goodies. Until then…

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, January 20 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $5/each or 5 for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Dry Irish Stout (4.2% abv)

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9.0% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9.1% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyner Weisse (5.1% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% abv)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9.0% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9.0% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0% abv) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

Brooklyn Brown Ale with Mt. Tam. Luscious, creamy and fully of vegetal goodness, this triple cream cheese is made from cow’s milk in northern California. Its bright intense flavors and sumptuous texture will pair with the complex malt-iness and hoppy flavors of the Brown Ale.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

[I Am The Not The Walrus]

By way of Gothamist, I’ve come across a fascinating Internet page dedicated solely to John Lennon’s cats. Needless to say, I’m not surprised that one of the world’s foremost songwriters drew inspiration from felines, and can only surmise that Yoko was a dog lover. Paul, too. Come to think of it, was this the rift that broke up the Beatles? I’m going to say yes, definitely.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CNN International bids farewell to “The Boss”:

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, January 13 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $5/each or 5 for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Bitter (5.0%)

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Winter Ale (6.1% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyner Weisse (5.1%)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1%)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0%) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

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.

Brooklyn Lager with Wilde Weide. Intense, sweet and crunchy, this aged gouda is one of the best from Holland. There are caramel overtones in both that should serve as a platform for many other compatible flavors.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

[The great outdoors.]

Some local city newspaper reported recently that your cat will be happier if you tie him to the end of a rope and drag him into your hallway, onto an elevator, down the elevator, and out into the dog-ridden streets. They sought advice from cat behaviorist/mental patient Jackson Galaxy, who believes in “the concept of the raw cat,” and says things like “that’s what raw cat is about.” Mr. Universe also claims that cats “have an attention span of about two seconds.” Funny, since I wasted significantly more than two seconds listening to him speak.

Here’s a high concept for all my feline brethren and sistren: the next time someone opens a door, walk out of it. Crazy, I know, but cats and leashes just weren’t meant to be.

PrintMag recently wrote up an e-article about our friend and designer Jee-eun Lee, the steady hand and sharp eye who recently began assisting Milton Glaser in the noble act of making beer look good. All Brooklyn Brewery packaging, logos, labels and more feature Jee’s artistic touch. Check out the article for an interesting look into Jee’s background, past work (sample pictured above), and what she keeps in her bathtub.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, January 6 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $4/each or six for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Brown Ale (5.6%)

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Winter Ale (6.1% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyner Weisse (5.1%)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1%)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0%) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

The human-food blog Grub Street reported yesterday on a brand new meaning to cat food: cats as food. As an omnivore and sophisticated gentlecat I’m not one to judge what others eat, and although I’m sure taking into consideration the utmost care with which (most) cats abide, cat meat would be not only scrumptiously satiating but brimming with vitamins, I’ve just got to draw the line at eating feline, especially the “slow-boiled” variety.

Now, to get your mind off of our appetizing topic, go and make this recipe from Garrett. You’ll notice the dish doesn’t call for any Gelsemium elegans, so if you were planning on murdering your business partner tonight, it will have to wait.

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

– Steve Hindy, President & Co-founder

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.

Brooklyn XXXXX XXX with Jasper Hill Winnimere. Dense, goopy and funky, the Winnimere is a bark wrapped washed rind cheese made in the winter at Jasper Hill in Vermont. It’s big flavors will pair well with the bourbon-esque sweetness of the XXXXX XXX.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

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.

Brooklyn Pennant Ale with Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill. Creamy, rich, and vegetal, don’t tell your favorite Francophile, but southern Georgians are making a great camembert style cheese. Its lettuce-y bit will pair nicely with the toasted malt of the Pennant Ale.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

I hope everyone made out OK this holiday season. Believe it or not, I only got one present, from my friend Mister Muffins who keeps watch over at a gallery down on Wythe. It’s an original Louis Wain, the British painter who made the mistake of spending too much time looking into his cat’s eyes and went bananas (this is why cats never stare at you for more than a few seconds, by the way). Muffins wrote on the back: “To Monster, the craziest cat I know.” Good one, Muffins.

During a recent tour, I hung the painting up in the fermenting and packaging room (below) to class the place up a bit. The brewers haven’t thanked me yet, but I know they appreciate it.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, December 23 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $4/each or six for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Radius (4.8%)

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Winter Ale (6.1% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyn High Line Elevated Wheat (4.8%)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1%)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0%) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

Brooklyn Brewery Manhattan Brand Manager Brian Duprey displays a t-shirt made by Ink Tribe NY, obtained earlier this week at the Bryant Park Christmas market.

What’s that look on his face? Disappointment? Pity? Whatever it is, looks like today’s copyright infringement has stripped the holiday cheer stripped from yet another man.

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.

Brooklyn Local 2 with Hudson Red. Buttery, aromatic, and savory, the Hudson Red is made by Twin Maple Farms in Ghent, NY. It’s barnyardey aroma and root vegetable flavors will make a great match with the honeyed sweetness of the Local 2.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

A shiny new year.

There will not be any fireworks at my New Year’s Eve party, but that’s OK because you can’t eat fireworks, and if you did you’d probably burn your mouth, but you can eat smoked ham, prosciutto, brisket, lamb breast, grilled cheese, bahn mi sandwiches, cookies and cake, late-night charcuterie, cheese and pickles, vintage Monster Ale and Black Chocolate Stout drafts, six more of Garrett’s beers on tap, and a Sorachi Ace toast at midnight. Just be sure to “accidentally” drop some on the floor for me, cool?

Brooklyn bounders beware! There will be no L train service two upcoming weekends: February 25 & 26, and March 10 & 11. We’re also close to the good ole G train, so don’t worry. Check out our FAQ for subway directions to Brewer’s Row.

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

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

Our partners in Sweden sent us word of a comic strip that features a group of folks known as “party Swedes” (otherwise known as hipsters) who apparently have quite the refined taste in beer as their beverage of choice is none other than “Brooklyn Ale”, seen above being featured as an ingredient in a steaming bowl of homemade Swedish chili.

Now if only we could read Swedish we’d be laughing way harder.

If they could do this cover over again, they wouldn’t have dressed her like their favorite movie villain from the year before this New Brewer was released.

Monster the cat is hosting an intimate blow-out at The Brewery on New Year’s Eve. All-inclusive tickets include unlimited beer — and we’re talking serious beer, a fantastic food line-up from some of our favorite foodie friends, DJs and wine from BOE. Learn more here.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, December 16 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $4/each or six for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Brooklyn Winter Ale (6.0%)

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Winter Ale (6.1% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyn High Line Elevated Wheat (4.8%)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1%)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0%) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

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.

Brooklyn Pilsner with Vermont Shepherd. Smooth, subtle and gently sweet, the Vermont Shepherd is a firm sheep’s milk cheese from Putney; it’s only available during the autumn, so don’t delay. It’s round flavors and nuance will pair nicely with the vegetal flavors of the Pilsner.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

Brooklyn Brewery’s new website (featuring my old school staff photo) launched last week, only to be immediately overshadowed by another, significantly more interactive and information-rich and internet page: Procatinator.

Beer is overflowing, papers are piling up, sales are plummeting, and the new brewery site is gathering dust while the work day is spent procatinating. Humans! So easy to please.

[Photos by Eric Schwortz]

Join Brooklyn Brewery rep extraordinaire, Patrick Paulick, at the following venues for some year-end Brooklyn tastiness.

12/9 – Beer Tasting @ Winchester W&S 6-8 pm
632 Main St
Winchester MA

Sampling BCS, Monster, Winter, Sorachi Ace, Lager and Brown Ale.

12/10 – Beer Tasting @ Upper Falls Liquors 1-4 pm
150 Needham St
Newton MA

This is the store’s Grand Winter Beer Tasting. Sampling BCS, Winter, Brown Ale and Local 2.

12/15 – Beer Tasting @ Muckey’s 5-8 pm
13 Harding St (Rte 44)
Lakeville MA

Sampling Sorachi Ace, BCS, Monster, Winter and Variety 12 packs will be on sale for $12.99.

12/16 – Beer Tasting @ Hampton Falls Village Market 5-7 pm
82 Lafayette Road (Route 1)
Hampton Falls NH

Sampling BCS, Monster Ale, Winter Ale, Sorachi Ace and a bottle of Black Ops!

12/17 – Beer Tasting @ Beer & Wine at The Andovers 12-3 pm
342 Winthrop Ave (Rte 114)
North Andover MA

Sampling BCS, Monster Ale, Lager, Local 1 and Brown Ale.

12/19 – Gank your Glass @ Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub 8-10 pm
342 East Ave
Pawtucket RI

BCS, Companion Ale and Lager on draught. You get to keep your pint glass, in addition to 25 cent wings and swag giveaways.

12/28 – Tap Attack @ Redbones 5-7 pm
55 Chester Street
Somerville MA

Pouring BCS, Monster Ale, Companion Ale, BLAST! and The Concoction along with a cask of Bitter.

Well, not so much a “library” as a list of links, but welcome to the greatest hits of Brooklyn Brewery news and events, all wrapped into one convenient URL.

First Runnings: Dec 2011
First Runnings: Nov 2011
First Runnings: Oct 2011
First Runnings: Sep 2011
First Runnings: Aug 2011
First Runnings: July 2011
First Runnings: June 2011
First Runnings: May 2011

Photo by Peter Kennedy

Dr. Steve Greenberg writes:

OK now I can tell this story. In the winter of 1996-97 an up and coming micronrewery made a magic potion, Black Chocolate Stout by the Brooklyn Brewery. That brew won many tasting contests and was SO GOOD that I saved two six packs as even at the time it was very hard to come by. Over the past 15 years I have opened these only on special occasions. Four bottles from 96-97 remain. Two at home, one at the farm in Georgia and one in my office and all are hidden and safe. Low and behold, 15 years later they reproduced the recipe (now Winter ’11-’12) and there is still some available for purchase on the imternet although many distributors are sold out. I ordered a case and just opened the first bottle. I think I am in heaven, it is the nectar of the Gods. There is still some left at www.shoppersvineyards.com, I am going to order two more cases so that I don’t have to save them just for special occasions. Get some while you can but don’t tell too many people, you’ll be sorry you did when there is no more to be had. I am already looking forward to 2016-’17….:)

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, December 9 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $4/each or six for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each (unless otherwise indicated)

SPECIAL: Cask of Brooklyner Weisse (5.1%)

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Winter Ale (6.1% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyn High Line Elevated Wheat (4.8%)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1%)

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

Brooklyn Local 1 (9% abv)
Brooklyn Local 2 (9% abv)
Sorachi Ace (7.4% abv)
AMA Bionda (6.0%) – 2 tokens

View our complete public hours here.

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.

Brooklyn Paper gave the newly launched Smorgasbrewery a bit of love in a recent roundup (“Finally, food at the Brooklyn Brewery) and Bill Roundy did us a solid with an amazing illustration of our Tasting Room in action. Would you look at all the detail?! We’ve got Monster prowling for dropped morsels, the wall of cases behind the food vendors, Hollywood renowned Dan Bittner behind the bar, and even an accurate draft list.

On the bright side, it’s given me more of a chance to watch the lovely, lovely video below (thanks, Gothamist) portraying an unfortunate doggy dance troupe shamefully swaying and flapping their shaggy limbs under the direction of a man wearing a helmet made of human hair. Is it really worth that rancid milk bone your trainer is dangling behind the cameraman, guys?

[Photo by Gustav Hoiland]

Photographer Gustav Hoiland writes:

Some photographic exploration this afternoon involved shooting breaking bottles and a water-filled Brooklyn Brown made it into the mix. Just thought you’d like to see. Forthcoming bottle sessions to be much more refined and legit.

Brooklyn Monster Ale with Ardrahan. Aromatic, buttery and highlighted by overtones of pitted fruit and Irish whiskey, this washed rind cheese from Cork, is intense on the nose and subtle on the palette. It will pair nicely with the robust malt and caramel flavors of the Monster.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

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.

After a few bumps in the road and the loss of our company email, I’m happy to welcome you to our brand new website. We’re live. And it’s working! There’s so much to click on it’s hard to know where to start. Well, the About section is pretty great. Check out our updated company history, gaze upon photos of our staff members and entertain yourself with dozens of Brooklyn Brewery videos. Or bop on over to our new and improved Brooklyn Bloggery for a veritable tidal wave of beer blogging goodness. There you can find beer and cheese pairings, events and posts written by a cat. Be sure to buy ALL your Christmas presents in our online store. And of course all the information on our beer that you could ever want can be found right here. Oh, and let’s not forget the many, many opportunities that we’ve given you to “like” us, just littered throughout this beautiful new internet site.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank our digital agency and neighbors, Blenderbox for their fantastic work here. I mean, Ruby on Rails already, guys!

Enjoy, learn, “surf” and do let us know if you’re having any trouble by emailing info@brooklynbrewery.com.

[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.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, December 2 (list is subject to change). Beer tokens can be purchased for $4/each or six for $20.

DRAFT // 1 token each

SPECIAL: Cask of classified barrel-aged imperial stout (11.3%) – 2 token

Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Companion Ale (9% abv) - 2 tokens
Brooklyn Winter Ale (6.1% abv)
Brooklyn Radius (4.8% abv)
Brooklyn High Line Elevated Wheat (4.8%)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1%)
AMA Bionda (6.0%) – 2 tokens, includes complimentary Souvenir Logoed Stemware Glass

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

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

The Brooklyn Brewery is open to the public:

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

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace with Tomme Dolce (photo: sfgate.com). Smooth, buttery, and gently sweet, this firm goat’s milk cheese is from Soyoung Scanlan of Andante Dairy in Petaluma, California, one of America’s very best cheesemakers. The cheese is rubbed in plum brandy and plum preserves. Its subtle hints of sweetness will offset the light hops of the Sorachi Ace nicely.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

[Brooklyn Brewer Tom Villa cradles his new baby, Brooklyn BAMboozle]

Here at Brooklyn Brewery, we love to talk about beer culture and events, and we’re flattered to find that others like to talk about Brooklyn Brewery. We also like to share:

Particularly as the holiday season approaches, the press is abuzz about The Oxford Companion to Beer.

Brooklyn BAMboozle makes headlines, and Draft Magazine sings that praises of The Concoction. Brooklyn Oktoberfest, Black Chocolate Stout, Local 2 and Sorachi Ace get some love as well.

Travel Channel and CNN feature the craft and business of brewing, and Good Morning America bathes in beer.

The word is out about our upcoming beer, film and food at Nitehawk Cinema , and Grub Street, Beer Advocate, Thrillist and Free Williamsburg, among others, share the news.

Brooklyn Brewery Exports continue to thrive, and Brazil, Canada and Spain say some kind words.

Confusion temporarily reigns over news that our warehouse building is being sold.

Steve tells his story, while Garrett gives a speech, sings the praises of nachos, and graces a cover or two:

[Larry.]

Breaking news! Cat caught napping. Nation thrown into chaos…

The BBC reports that England’s first feline, Larry, might lose his job for sleeping on it. Brought up to the British big leagues to stop mice from ruining boring meetings, investigations indicate that lazy Larry “spends more of his time asleep or with a lady friend, Maisie, than he does hunting rodents.”

Has Mr. Cameron considered that there might be more to life for his right honourable henchman than chasing vermin over 10 Downing? Larry might be described as having a “strong predatory drive”, but the way he carries that Union Jack on his neck suggests he might be more suited for fine arts than to cleaning up after politicians.

And, really, is there anything better than sleep? Let Larry live a little, London.

[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.

Don’t worry, The Brooklyn Brewery is not going anywhere. Recent reports have indicated that our building has been sold, but it is only the building that houses our warehouse, situated across the street from the brewery and office space. Read a full report here from The Brooklyn Eagle, and sleep tight.

The Good Food Awards recognizes edible products that both honor social and environmental responsibility and celebrate flavor, “the kind that brings people together and builds strong, healthy communities. We are thrilled to have been considered for this unique award, and happy to announce that Brooklyn Local 2, our Belgian-inspired dark abbey ale, has placed as a 2012 finalist.

Cheers to good food, and good luck to all of the other delicious finalists!

Brooklyn Winter Ale with Grayson: Fudgey in texture, a little barnyard-ey in aroma, and slightly sweet in flavor, this cow’s milk cheese is from Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax Virginia. Its complex blend of farmhouse flavors will pair nicely with the maltiness of the Winter Ale.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

[Buddha.]

The day was inevitable. In fact, I’m surprised it hasn’t come sooner: someone is trying to overthrow me as the Brooklyn Brewery Mascot.

Our MN Brand Manager Mike Maraghy’s dog Buddha sent out the above photo of him wearing a Brooklyn Brewery t-shirt. I’ve copied the full email chain below. No response from the bulldog yet. Stay tuned for an update…

From: Buddha
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 11:52 AM
To: Brooklyn Brewery Staff
Subject: The official mascot

bring it

From: Mike Maraghy, MN Brand Manager
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 11:55 AM
To: Brooklyn Brewery Staff
Subject: Re: The official mascot

maybe………
we’ll have to check with your agent.

From: Brian Duprey, Manhattan Brand Manager
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 11:57 AM
To: Brooklyn Brewery Staff
Subject: Re: Re: The official mascot

Any comment from Monster’s agent on this news?

From: Jeff Perkins, NC/SC/TN Brand Manager
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 11:58 AM
To: Brooklyn Brewery Staff
Subject: Re: Re: Re: The official mascot

I’m sure his lawyers are drafting a statement as we speak.

From: Monster
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 12:17 PM
To: Brooklyn Brewery Staff
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: The official mascot

Buddha, are you serious? Remember when you were here and all you wanted to do was lick the accounting departments’ faces? It takes a lot more than slobbering to be a mascot. No lawyers for me, Jeff. Being able to take care of yourself without the aid of humans is just one of many superior feline characteristics. Are you sure you can take this heat, bully dog?

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

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

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

Empowered by the hilarious tomfoolery of Hanz & Franz, this month in 1992, The New Brewer outlines a guide to choosing the best centrifugal pump. Just a month earlier on “Saturday Night Live”, Sinéad O’Connor famously tears up a photo of Pope John Paul II and receives significantly less laughs than Hanz & Franz.

[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.

Brooklyn BAMboozle with Red Hawk: Superduper creamy, yet tangy and more than a little barnyard funk, this cow’s milk cheese is from California. It’s rich texture will balance the dry complexity of the beer, and the funkiness will bond with the gentle sweetness of the BAMboozle.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

[Everything Zen.]

My fellow mammalian Shadow did not fare so well earlier this week after enduring two days of rave music next to her pool. The thought of how I would hold up after such extensive aural agony is terrifying, but then again I do have years of experience with large, loud crowds. Every day my house is host to a slew of fans and well-wishers, and once in a blue moon my friends from Mucca Pazza (pictured above serenading Happy Hour) will come over and sing me to sleep. Life is too short to get stressed out (amiright zebras?), even when you have nine lives.

[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.

“I just wanted to share this picture of a wedding cake I created with Brooklyn Brewery beer labels. Some of my friends are huge fans of your beer and they encouraged me (I own a wedding cake business) to do a DIY wedding cake that involved Brooklyn Brewery beer for my blog. There’s also a video tutorial for the cake on my blog.”

[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.

It’s that time of year again. The weather gets colder, party invites go out, presents get bought…and people don’t want to work as much. As such, please note the following schedule changes:

+ Saturday, December 3rd: CLOSING EARLY, noon – 5pm. The last tour will be at 5pm.
+ Saturday, December 24th: CLOSED
+ Sunday, December 25th: CLOSED
+ Sunday, January 1st: CLOSED

Make sure to stock up on Brooklyn this holiday season and have the best and safest time possible.

[photo of Forme D'Ambert courtesy of Bedford Cheese Shop]

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout with Forme D’Ambert: Buttery, earthy, and peppery, this oft overlooked French blue will entice lovers the blues and newbies with equal ease. Its earthy and peppery notes are a good match for the implicit sweetness of the stout.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese tastings held at several venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn; he blogs about cheese daily at www.thejoyofcheese.com.

[Occupy Monster's head.]

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

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