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

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

NYCBG to Lead New York Craft Beer Week:
Amidst the revelry on May 22nd, the NYCBG will merrily proclaim the transition of New York Craft Beer Week from Founder and Managing Director, Josh Schaffner, to fall under the leadership of the newly formed Guild. At the opening bash, the NYCBG will announce the new date for the 5th Annual New York Craft Beer Week, which has become a beloved citywide celebration of the breadth of craft beer from around the region and around the world.

General Admission tickets for the Opening Bash are $75, and are good for a commemorative tasting glass and unlimited samples of each brewery’s offerings. Food will be provided by Guild members Eataly Birreria & 508 GastroBrewery.

For an additional $50, one can opt to receive a discounted year-long Individual Guild Membership to the NYCBG. Regular membership after the fest will go up to $75. The Individual level of membership includes:

+ Official NYC Brewers Guild T-shirt
+ VIP access to Official NYC Brewers Guild Events
+ VIP Tours & Tastings at Guild breweries and brewpubs (VIP tours are scheduled throughout the year to allow Individual Guild Members special access & treatment at their favorite breweries throughout the city. VIP tours will be announced via e-blasts and will be available by reservation only on a first-come, first-serve basis).

Discounted $50 Individual Guild memberships will be available for on-site purchase during the event.

Come join the NYCBG and share with New York City’s brewing community in this remarkable display of the growth and excitement about exceptional craft beer in the country’s most dynamic beer city!

About the NYCBG:
The New York City Brewers Guild is a pending 501[c]6 non-profit founded to advance New York City’s brewing industry – and thereby lessen human misery. NYCBG is Bronx Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Chelsea Brewing Co., Eataly Birreria, Harlem Brewing Co., Heartland Brewing Co., KelSo Beer Company, Shmaltz Brewing Co., Sixpoint Brewery and 508 GastroBrewery.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, May 11 (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 BLAST! (9.0% abv) – 2 tokens

Brooklyn Gold Standard (6.2% abv)
“Oishi” by Tom Villa, Lead Brewer (3.9% abv)
Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv)
Brooklyn Sorachi Ace (7.6% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9.0% abv) — 2 tokens
Brooklyn Radius (4.8%)
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyner Weisse (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)
AMA Bionda (6.0% abv) – 2 tokens
BAMboozle (8.6% abv)
Companion (9.1% abv)

View our complete public hours here.

Brooklyn Radius with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Creamy then nutty then sharp, the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar is vastly different from any other Cabot cheddar. Its complexity and sweetness will balance the dry, hoppy aspects of the Radius.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese and beverage classes that take place at a variety of Manhattan and Brooklyn venues as well as at the 92^nd St. Y. He is also Cheese, Charcuterie, Beer and Wine Manager for Gastronomie 491, a new market/cafe on the Upper West Side. He blogs TheJoyOfCheese.com.

My trip to Brazil proved to be quite a success. The main purpose was to attend one of the biggest craft beer events in Brazil, Beer Day in Curitiba and learn about the growing craft beer market. Beer Day had quite a selection of craft brews from local brewers, home brewers, and international breweries like Brooklyn Brewery. The styles of beer ranged from mild lagers to intense imperial stouts and IPA’s.  I was impressed with all of the different styles and variations and what is happening in the beer world in Brazil. There were food trucks selling food from around the globe including kebabs, bratwurst, jambalaya, and the Brazilian version of an empanada “Pastéis”.  “Curitibans” I was told, are really into rock music so the local bands at the festival played a lot of indie rock, covered some classic rock, as well as a healthy amount of grunge (they apparently really like Pearl Jam). Beer Day was much like a craft beer festival in Brooklyn and, despite the rain, it was a lot of fun.

Sao Paulo was my second stop and it was the same vibe with more incredible food. At a beer bar/restaurant/store called Emporio Alto dos Pinheiros, I ate a heart of palm still contained in the trunk of the palm doused with a good amount of butter and topped with giant capers. A group of us drank some impressive Belgian style beers from an award winning local brewery called Wals. Although we were from different parts of the beer world we were all connected by the Brooklyn Brewery in some way. There was such a good energy as we all ended our day eating, drinking and enjoying each other’s company. The night ended with a bottle of Sorachi Ace followed by some Black Chocolate Stout for dessert. I also checked out a bar called Emporio Sagarana in Sao Paulo. I was treated to a delicious sandwich with crispy pancetta, queijo minas (a white semi soft cow’s milk cheese), arugula and cane molasses that paired perfectly with the Belgian dark sugar and honey flavor in Brooklyn Brewery’s Local 2. It blew my mind and I’m on a mission to recreate this duo in the states.

The passion of craft beer drinkers in Brazil was inspiring. I quickly realized the craft beer world is its own special community that I’m lucky to be a part of. I really appreciated the warm welcome from everyone. I wasn’t ready to leave and I will have to go back soon. Keep up the good work Beer Maniacs and all Brazilian ambassadors for craft beer!

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 #2: Centerfold
Style: West Coast Pale Ale
ABV: 6%
Notes: A pale ale brewed with rose hips with floral, citrus, melon and tropical fruit
Pairing: Centerfold will pair well with BBQ, yard games and sunshine.
Available: Fri, May 18 until it’s gone!

BREWER #2: Rob Lemery, Cellarman
Born: Ridgewood, NJ
Started at Brooklyn Brewery: 2011
Favorite place to drink: Texas Arizona (Hoboken, NJ)

[Text by Carly Planker and Hillary Lyon]

[Photos by David Schwartz and Carly Planker]

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

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

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

The world’s #1 amateur cooking competition, the Food Experiments features celebrity judges, creative food themes and the chance for one local chef to win a trip to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Brewery is flying the winner of each uniquely-themed showdown to Brooklyn for an elite “Back-Of-The-House Pass” including:

+ 3-night stay at The Wythe Hotel (across the street from Brooklyn Brewery)
+ Tasty Tours of our neighborhood’s finest food producers
+ Friday night Chef’s Feast
+ The chance to compete in The Food Experiments Championship at Brooklyn Brewery

Follow the Food Experiments @FoodExperiment, and join the conversation about the Pittsburgh Dumpling Experiment via #PittFoodEx.

SUNDAY, MAY 20: 2pm to 5pm
The Food Experiments National Tour marches on to Pittsburgh, PA with the Pittsburgh Dumpling Experiment at Mr. Smalls. Attendees tweet photos of your favorite bite @BrooklynBrewery with the hash tag #PittFoodEx for a chance to win this homebrew kit. From the Food Experiments: “Cookoff pros Nick Suarez and Theo Peck are excited to present Pittsburgh’s first Food Experiment, an amateur cook off involving Pittsburgh’s finest home chefs. Dishes will range from savory to sweet and will feature a main ingredient. Sharpen your knifes, this is a call to all home chefs looking to be named Pittsburgh’s next cookoff king or queen. Winners will not only achieve culinary glory, but will be flown to Brooklyn, NY to compete in the National cookoff title, the super-bowl of cookoffs held at Brooklyn Brewery. Do you have what it takes to win?”

SATURDAY, MAY 19
But wait, there’s more! The day before the Dumpling Experiment, the Pittsburgh Supermarket Showdown goes off at Market District (100 Settlers Ridge Center Drive, Pittsburgh). Come out and watch as seven-time Brooklyn Cook-Off champ, Theo Peck, comes to town to take on one of your own local foodies for bragging rights in a mini cook-off of mini-epic proportions. The not so secret ingredient: Brooklyn Brewery beer.

Australian craft beer fan Ryan Lester dropped this awesome note in our inbox (subject: “G’day from Down Under”):

“G’day Brooklyn brew-crew!

Just thought I’d share a picture of my wife & I on our wedding day from Melbourne, Australia. We were married at The Melbourne Supper Club & specifically requested Brooklyn Lager to be served to guests.

Awesome Beer!

Cheers.
Ryan & Grace.”

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

From Brooklyn Historical Society (click image to enlarge):

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

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

We’re excited to bring you a series of beer and food parties in the coming year featuring our most current Brewmaster’s Reserves, and introducing the latest issues from local chapters of our friends at Edible Communities.

Search for “carousal” on our Events page for a party near you, and enjoy the merrymaking!

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

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry kicks off tonight at BAM, and between enjoying the bands, DJ’s, quartets, ensembles, choirs and films, we’ve arranged for a special Beer & Cheese tasting in the BAM Café (represented visually below) for all in attendance to enjoy.

Check out the heavy-hitting schedule here, and we’ll see you there.

I’m at the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego this week. The 4,500 participants could not be more excited or confident about the future of craft beer in America. Craft’s share of market has doubled to about 6% since the conference was last held here in 2004.

Virtually all of America’s 2,000 craft brewers are expanding capacity in numbers that will easily push us past 10% share in the next decade. And there are more than 1,000 wannabe brewers busily honing their business plans.

That is a very exciting prospect for the hundreds of equipment fabricators and other industry suppliers in attendance. There also is a huge contingent of distributors at the conference, all of them enthusiastic about the fastest growing segment of the alcoholic beverage industry.

This year’s CBC includes the World Beer Cup awards, to be announced Saturday. There are more than 4,000 entries this year from 29 countries. That is a river of beer for the 215 judges, including our brewmaster Garrett Oliver, to taste. A tough job, but somebody has to do it.

– Steve Hindy, President & Co-founder

Brooklyn XXXXX XXX with Fourme aux Molleux. Buttery, sweet, and earthy, this edition of the French classic blue, Fourme D’Ambert, has been rinsed with white wine. Its bold, complex flavors stand up to the deep sweetness of the XXXXX XXX.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese and beverage classes that take place at a variety of Manhattan and Brooklyn venues as well as at the 92^nd St. Y. He is also Cheese, Charcuterie, Beer and Wine Manager for Gastronomie 491, a new market/cafe on the Upper West Side. He blogs TheJoyOfCheese.com.

I’ve read and napped on all the news, and my Senatorial choice is clear: Hank.

The walking running dead have been haunting our thoughts brains, and for good reason. In just 5 days, we’re running for our lives & defending beer against the impending zombie apocalypse. Anxiety has replaced excitement; fear has replaced joy. It’s a good thing we have plenty of liquid courage to help us through the post-race trauma.

[Text by Maria Teresa Salvati]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

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

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

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

The Brooklyn Gold Standard with Battenkill Brebis. Sweet, balanced and gently herbal, this sheep’s milk cheese is from upstate New York. It’s subtle sweetness will pair nicely with the Gold Standard’s floral aromas and artful bitterness.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese and beverage classes that take place at a variety of Manhattan and Brooklyn venues as well as at the 92^nd St. Y. He is also Cheese, Charcuterie, Beer and Wine Manager for Gastronomie 491, a new market/cafe on the Upper West Side. He blogs TheJoyOfCheese.com.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, April 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 Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)

Brooklyn Gold Standard (6.2% abv)
“Oishi” by Tom Villa, Lead Brewer (3.9% abv)
Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9.0% abv) — 2 tokens
Brooklyn Radius (4.8%)
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% 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
BAMboozle (8.6% abv)
Companion (9.1% abv)

View our complete public hours here.

UPDATE // MAY 8 And the winners of the Philadelphia Sandwich Experiment are…

AUDIENCE
First Place / Grand Prize: Jawn / Jawn 2: Return of the Jawn
Second Place: Cow Lick / Get Yer Tongue Around This
Third Place: Briney Floyd / Pimp Crisp

JUDGES
First Place: Sweet-ish Meatball Sandwich / Cat Attacks!!
Second Place:  Jawn / Jawn 2: Return of the Jawn
Third Place:  JAM / Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich

Read a full recap of the sandwichy goodness here.

The world’s #1 amateur cooking competition, the Food Experiments features celebrity judges, creative food themes and the chance for one local chef to win a trip to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Brewery is flying the winner of each uniquely-themed showdown to Brooklyn for an elite “Back-Of-The-House Pass” including:

+ 3-night stay at The Wythe Hotel (across the street from Brooklyn Brewery)
+ Tasty Tours of our neighborhood’s finest food producers
+ Friday night Chef’s Feast
+ The chance to compete in The Food Experiments Championship at Brooklyn Brewery

Follow the Food Experiments @FoodExperiment, and join the conversation about the Philadelphia Sandwich Experiment via #PhillyFoodEx.

SUNDAY, MAY 6
Attendees: tweet photos of your favorite bite @BrooklynBrewery with the hash tag #PhillyFoodEx for a chance to win this homebrew kit. From the Food Experiments: “Cookoff pros Nick Suarez and Theo Peck are excited to present Philly’s second Food Experiment, an amateur cook off involving Philly’s finest home chefs. Dishes will range from savory to sweet and will feature a main ingredient. Sharpen your knifes, this is a call to all home chefs looking to be named Philly’s next cookoff king or queen.  Winners will not only achieve culinary glory, but will be flown to Brooklyn, NY to compete in the National Cookoff Title, the Super Bowl of cookoffs held at Brooklyn Brewery. Do you have what it takes to win?”

SATURDAY, MAY 5
But wait, there’s more! The day before the Sandwich Experiment, the Philadelphia Supermarket Showdown goes off at Whole Foods (500 West Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA). Come out and watch as seven-time Brooklyn Cook-Off champ, Theo Peck, comes to town to take on one of your own local foodies for bragging rights in a mini cook-off of mini-epic proportions. The not so secret ingredient: Brooklyn Brewery beer.

[Text by Vladimir Dzintra]

[Photos by Casey Kelbaugh]

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

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

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

Slaidrādi bija 26 mākslinieki no District of Columbia jomā. Mums bija tik smieklīgi attēli no Amerikas prezidenta kampaņas TJ Kirkpatrick, kas ir iepazinies attēlus vīriešu ar spēcīgu bārdu Christopher McCool un jauki bildes no Svētās zemes, ko Daria Lombroso un interesantas bildes no maza ciema Iowa pa Brendan Hoffman, trakas bildes kā sapnis man bija, kad es apmeklēju īpašas sēņu medniekiem pa Russ McIntosh, un jautri attēlus vīriešu ģērbšanās kā sieviete Eli Meir Kaplan.

Pēc izrādes, es devos uz tuvējo dzeramā namā, 18 grozījumu, un patika vairāk laika ar saviem jaunajiem draugiem. Pēc pāris pāris glāzēm kartupeļu šņabi, man bija konkurss, lai redzētu, kurš bija spēcīgākais kājas ar vienu Āzijas vīrieti un vienu vīrietis ar bārdu. Jums nav nepieciešams laiks, lai man jautā, kas bija visspēcīgākā kāju!

Es satiku jaukus cilvēkus, ļoti patika mans laiks Hill Center, un ceram redzēt citu izklaidi, piemēram, šo – varbūt, kad es atkal apmeklēt laikā novembrī Fotoweek DC. Nākamreiz, es lai mani visvairāk atbilst pelēkie zirņi vai šķiņķi!

You don’t speak Latvian?!  We try Google Translation:

Good day! I am Vladimir Dzintra, Latvia’s most important photo blogger and DJ of major radio show, MaximumFunky on the Baltic Sea during summer time. Please call me Vlad.

I am celebrating National Holidays in Latvia, and came to visit America’s Captiol, Washington, DC. I had the good occasion to attend a most unique event on Saturday night, that I read about in Washington Post.  It was name Slideluck Potshow, and I don’t remember seeing such a thing in Riga ever before.  Under same roof, we eat barley and enjoy funny picture show.

We had stormy, windy night when I visited American haunted house on Pennsylvania Avenue, near where the Premier sits.  Inside was many beautiful American girls, many delicious foods made from hand and refreshing beverage from this Brooklyn Brewery.  I heard about such brewery before because my Polish cousin, Krzysztof, is living near there.  He says neighborhood is becoming full of Giggletossers.

In slideshow there was 26 artists from District of Columbia area.  We had so funny pictures from American presidential campaign by TJ Kirkpatrick, familiar pictures of men with strong beard by Christopher McCool,  lovely pictures from Holy Land by Daria Lombroso, interesting pictures from small village in Iowa by Brendan Hoffman, crazy pictures like a dream I had when I visited special mushroom hunters by Russ McIntosh, and fun pictures of men dressing like a woman by Eli Meir Kaplan.

After show, I went to nearby drinking house, the 18th Amendment, and enjoyed more time with my new friends.  After a couple few glasses of potato vodka, I had a contest to see who had strongest legs with one Asian man and one man with beard.  You don’t have to take time to ask me who had strongest leg!

I met nice people, enjoyed very much my time at Hill Center, and hope to see another entertainment such as this – perhaps when I again visit during Fotoweek DC in November.  Next time, I bring my most satisfying grey peas and ham!

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

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

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

The reasons are largely two-fold. First is the realization by brewers that modern canning doesn’t have any technical downside and even has some advantages. Levels of oxidation in cans, once much higher than in bottles, have now been brought under control. That’s important, because oxygen destroys beer pretty quickly. Polymer can linings mean that the liquid in the can never actually touches metal. Cans are also entirely opaque, which protects beer from one of its worst enemies, which is light (which reacts with hop compounds to cause “skunky” aromatics technically referred to as “lightstruck”).

The second thing is the new availability of relatively inexpensive canning lines. A canning line has traditionally been a large, very expensive piece of equipment, something that could only be afforded by a huge company. Because of the new prominence of small-scale brewers (and other beverage producers) and improved technologies, packaging equipment manufacturers now make canning lines that some smaller breweries can afford.

In many ways, the can is the “screw-cap” of the beer industry. Most people feel “better” about bottles than they do about cans, the same way that most people feel better about corks in wine bottles. These images, however, are increasingly divorced from any actual quality concerns. Some breweries now use the retro/hipster/ironic qualities of the can as part of their brand identity. That’s not really our style, but our cans do look pretty cool. The real downside of cans, in my opinion, is that it seems that most people who drink canned beer are probably drinking it directly out of the can rather than pouring the beer into the glass. No brewer really likes that – we work hard on features like a beer’s aroma and foam, and we like people to experience them. But we also know that sometimes people are drinking beer on fishing boats, not at the dinner table, so we’ll let that one slide!

I’ve seen a lot of different packages for wine, and bag-in-box has really become well pretty accepted in Europe. Do you see any possibility that anyone will can decent wine? Given how many highly acidic fruit juices come in cans, I assume that any barriers are cultural rather than technical, yes?

Conor: I think that it is possible to put decent wine in a can, but I doubt it would ever breach the “over $20″ shelf due to cultural barriers. Not to say there isn’t plenty of decent wine under $20 that could benefit from a unique packaging option, just that consumers often react slowly to such big changes making it a risk for producers putting it out there.

The bag-in-box wine has been around for quite some time but has always remained in the lower tier of both price and quality. It is true that cultural barriers will continue to inhibit any major market growth, but the plastic based bag used to store the product cannot protect it from oxidation over time. Some of the bags are augmented with a metallic lining to slow down the oxidation, but plastic is very porous. The only kind of wine that might survive the “bottling” to drinking would be one that is sterile filtered, or worse chemically filtered, and generally stripped of any soul.

The truth is, I don’t see many wineries risking their brand being stigmatized as “box wine” quality unless they do so under the guise of another label. Some of the big players who are looking to place wine in every major super market around the world might be able to make a couple bucks by putting out mediocre bag-in-box wine, but for higher end producers and drinkers I think box wine will remain on the bottom shelf.

Since starting at Brooklyn Winery, I have been experimenting with wine on tap. While there have been some kinks to work out in the delivery process, I am happy with the results overall.  Some of the major concerns have been the length of time from tapping to kicking the keg while maintaining a fresh pour, and tartrate build-up in the lines.

How long can a keg of beer stay fresh once tapped? Does it depend on the style of beer?

Beer lines are often cleaned (or should be), but I have heard that poorly maintained lines can lead to “tap sickness”. Can you explain or debunk this?

Garrett: A keg should be, in the best circumstances, a perfectly clean and sterile container full of beer that’s free of extraneous microbes. In real life, however, the biological axiom “everything is everywhere” applies. So once the keg is breached by tapping, it comes into contact with the inner surface of the beer lines, which may or may not be pristine. Well maintained beer lines should be cleaned (with caustic soda, then flushed with water) every two weeks at the very minimum. Otherwise, solids from the beer start to build in lines, and this is where problems start. Anything growing in the beer lines may eventually make its way into the keg and spoil the keg. Now, it’s important to keep in mind that there are no known pathogens that can survive in beer, so spoiled beer can’t make you sick. But it sure doesn’t taste good, so proper practice is critical. We try to make sure that any bar or restaurant that’s serving our beer finishes out a keg within a week or so. At a place where they clean their system frequently and sell beer quickly, the beer will tend to taste great….and the converse is true too. Fortunately, these days most proprietors are paying proper attention to their draft systems and beer tastes better than ever.

Our Export Coordinator, Claire Moyle (pictured below in Polaroid form), is presently en route to Brazil for their Beer Day Festival featuring Brooklyn Brewery. She says she’ll send pictures, but with all the beer and sun Claire is about to enjoy, we’ll probably have to be patient. Claire writes:

“Brazilians are thirsty for craft beer and Brooklyn Brewery is there to fulfill. Thanks to our friends in Brazil and their love for good beer, I’m sending double the amount of beer I was sending last year. As a result I absolutely have to visit sunny Curitiba for the 3rd annual Beer Day Festival on April 21st. Beer Day is a big, 12-hour beer festival featuring Brooklyn Brewery, four rock bands and over 100 imported and local craft beers to imbibe. Stay tuned for lots of pictures and tweets from my journey and if you are in Brazil this weekend stop by the Beer Day Festival and find me.”

So get to it, Brazilians… find Ms. Moyle!

This year’s Spring Sales Meeting ended with the grandest of all finales: Eric Ottaway Shirt Day ©. In its second annual iteration, this colorful celebration of brazen fashion more than doubled its participant roster, leaving the (inadvertent) founding father of the company tradition in a tough spot to choose a winner. But in the end, Chicago Sales Rep Andrew Maxson won the day with a little help from some tassels and a grizzly bear:

Brooklyn Mary’s Maple Porter with Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Smooth, nutty and concise, this award winning cow’s milk cheese is made in Dodgeville Wisconsin. It’s nutty flavor will pair nicely with the sweet overtones of the Porter.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese and beverage classes that take place at a variety of Manhattan and Brooklyn venues as well as at the 92nd St Y. He is also Cheese, Charcuterie, Beer and Wine Manager for Gastronomie 491, a new market/cafe on the Upper West Side. He blogs at TheJoyOfcheese.com.

AUDIENCE
First Place (pictured above): Luck Fortune Golden Mountain Palace Express Takeaway / PORK, PORK, PORK
Second Place: C. Rear / Virginia is for (Dumpling) Lovers
Third Place: Casually Pepper Spray Everything Girls /  Casually Pepper Spray Everything Beef

JUDGES
First Place / Grand Prize: Luck Fortune Golden Mountain Palace Express Takeaway / PORK, PORK, PORK
Second Place: Pork Bun / Char Siu Bao
Third Place: Rickshaw Astley / Ssippi Fried Rice
Honorable Mention: Make it Tso / General Tso’s Ice Cream
Honorable Mention: ….In Bed / Fortune Cookies

The world’s #1 amateur cooking competition, the Food Experiments features celebrity judges, creative food themes and the chance for one local chef to win a trip to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Brewery is flying the winner of each uniquely-themed showdown to Brooklyn for an elite “Back-Of-The-House Pass” including:

+ 3-night stay at The Wythe Hotel (across the street from Brooklyn Brewery)
+ Tasty Tours of our neighborhood’s finest food producers
+ Friday night Chef’s Feast
+ The chance to compete in The Food Experiments Championship at Brooklyn Brewery

Follow the Food Experiments @FoodExperiment, and join the conversation about The Washington DC Chinese Take-Out Experiment via #DCFoodEx.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22: noon to 3pm The Food Experiments National Tour continues on to Washington, DC with the Chinese Take-Out Experiment at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Attendees tweet photos of their favorite bite @BrooklynBrewery with the hash tag #DCFoodEx for a chance to win this homebrew kit. Judging the experiment will be Mary Kong, freelance food-writer and blogger at Girl Meets Food, and Lauren De Santis, cookbook author and host/producer of Capital Cooking.$10 includes tasting samples and a complimentary Brooklyn Brewery beer. A portion of the proceeds will go towards charities that promote sustainability and local culinary education for disadvantaged children and teens. Buy tickets here.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21: noon-2pmBut wait, there’s more! The day before the Chinese Take-Out Experiment, the Washington DC Supermarket Showdown goes off at Harris Teeter (600 North Glebe Rd, Arlington). Come out and watch as seven-time Brooklyn Cook-Off champ, Theo Peck, comes to town to take on one of your own local foodies for bragging rights in a mini cook-off of mini-epic proportions. The not so secret ingredient: Brooklyn Brewery beer.

For more about the Food Experiments follow @FoodExperiment and enjoy the video below from the 2011 National Championships at The Brooklyn Brewery:

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, April 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 Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)

“Oishi” by Tom Villa, Lead Brewer (3.9% abv)
Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9.0% abv) — 2 tokens
Brooklyn Radius (4.8%)
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

AUDIENCE
First Place / Grand Prize Winner (pictured above): You’re Bacon Me Crazy / Beer, Bacon, & Bean Ice Cream
Second Place: Guisto Gusto / Vesta Porchetta
Third Place: Redneck Scientific / Menage a’ Pork

JUDGES
First Place: Howard Manning / Carolina Triple Trio
Second Place: You’re Bacon Me Crazy / Beer, Bacon, & Bean Ice Cream
Third Place: Bull City Red BBQ / Bull City Red BBQ

The world’s #1 amateur cooking competition, the Food Experiements features celebrity judges, creative food themes and the chance for one local chef to win a trip to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Brewery is flying the winner of each uniquely-themed showdown to Brooklyn for an elite “Back-Of-The-House Pass” including:

+ 3-night stay at The Wythe Hotel (across the street from Brooklyn Brewery)
+ Tasty Tours of our neighborhood’s finest food producers
+ Friday night Chef’s Feast
+ The chance to compete in The Food Experiments Championship at Brooklyn Brewery

Follow the Food Experiments @FoodExperiment, and join the conversation about the Carolina Pork Experiment via #NCFoodEx.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15: noon-3pm
The Food Experiments National Tour barrels through Durham, NC with the Pork Experiment at Motorco Music Hall. Attendees tweet photos of their favorite bite @BrooklynBrewery with the hash tag #NCFoodEx for a chance to win this homebrew kit. Judging the experiment will be Johanna Kramer, food-writer and blogger at Durham Foodie, Chef Walter Royale, Executive chef and Iron Chef at The Angus Barn, and Kitty Kinnin, host/producer of Mornings and the Sunday Brunch at The River 100.7.

$10 includes tasting samples and a complimentary Brooklyn Brewery beer. A portion of the proceeds will go towards charities that promote sustainability and local culinary education for disadvantaged children and teens. Buy tickets here.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14: noon-2pm
But wait, there’s more! The day before the Pork Experiment, the Carolina Supermarket Showdown goes off at Harris Teeter (500 Oberlin Road, Raleigh). Come out and watch as seven-time Brooklyn Cook-Off champ, Theo Peck, comes to town to take on one of your own local foodies for bragging rights in a mini cook-off of mini-epic proportions. The not so secret ingredient: Brooklyn Brewery beer.

For more about the Food Experiments follow @FoodExperiment and enjoy the video below from the 2011 National Championships at The Brooklyn Brewery:

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, April 6 (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 (4.7% abv)

“Oishi” by Tom Villa, Lead Brewer (3.9% abv)
Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv)
Brooklyn BLAST! (9.0% abv) — 2 tokens
Brooklyn Radius (4.8%)
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

Brooklyn Local 2 with Spring Brook Raclette. Nutty, buttery, grassy, and just a little funky, this washed rind cheese is made in Reading Vermont. The farmhouse notes in its flavor will pair nicely with the sophisticated sweetness of the Local 2.

Martin Johnson runs The Joy of Cheese, a series of informal cheese and beverage classes that take place at a variety of Manhattan and Brooklyn venues as well as at the 92nd St Y. He is also Cheese, Charcuterie, Beer and Wine Manager for Gastronomie 491, a new market/cafe on the Upper West Side. He blogs at TheJoyOfcheese.com.

Whether you’re a fan of goth-punk or you have a migraine-induced sensitivity to light, this April 14 event is for you. Right here within the Brewery confines, we’ll be paying homage to the old Hindy warehouse parties of yore, with unlimited taps of some of our darkest beers (Dry Irish Stout and current Brewmaster’s Reserve Mary’s Maple Porter) as well as a midnight tasting of the eternally-dark vintage Black Chocolate Stout. Oh, and if it isn’t clear yet, the theme of this particular get-together is darkness, so come dressed in dark attire and get ready to dance to the seriously dark dance tunes of DJ Seek10. Tickets are $20; you can get yours by clicking on the button below.

In the current issue of TAPS beer magazine, an article heavily featuring yours truly dares to state the truth brewers worldwide refuse to acknowledge: they need cats to make beer. The picture of me on the second page (shown below the jump) may look like I’m fast asleep on a fluffy bag of tempurrrpedic barley, and although I may in fact be deep in a dream about big fluffy dogs trying to steal the last of this year’s Black Chocolate Stout, you can rest assured that mass of malt is safe from harm.

Read more below for an excerpt from the piece (and if you see my manager, tell him it’s “just appropriate” for him to get me a bowl of milk)…

While their main role is one of a practical nature, some brewery cats are just as popular with crowds and customers as they are with the brewers themselves. Take for example Monster, the Brooklyn Brewery cat (named after the barleywine), who has his own Facebook page and is closing in on 1500 followers. When the brewery opens its large doors in the borough’s Williamsburg section, arriving visitors often spot Monster right away, taking a nap on bags of grain kept near the entrance. Inevitably during gatherings, Monster will rise, stretch, and begin to prowl the tasting room looking for behind-the-ear scratches, adoring coos, and dropped pieces of food. “He just doesn’t like to go into the brewhouse,” says brewery spokesman Dan D’Ippolito, who doubles as Monster’s manager and is authorized to speak on his behalf. “Something about the machinery and noise.” But, D’Ippolito added, he’s never seen a mouse at the brewery, meaning Monster (who has the official title of Vice President of Mouse Control) is earning his keep. He also keeps busy through regular blog posts on the brewery’s website, where he muses about everything from dogs, to the day’s news. Brooklyn has two other cats – Lexi and Shadow - who live in the brewery warehouse across the street from the brewhouse/tasting room. They don’t interact with the public, but work hard to keep rodents at bay. In fact, while well known, Monster – who was adopted from a local animal shelter – is actually the second cat in the brewery’s history. The first was a tabby named Abbey, who died of natural causes in 1999. “It’s just appropriate for a brewery to have a cat,” says D’Ippolito.

[Text by Albert Such]

[Photos by Marcelo Aurelio and Oscar Ciutat]

Saturday the 31st of April was a gorgeous spring day in Barcelona, so we could have the projection and dinner in the patio that makes CC Pati LLimona famous, in the middle of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, and next to the ruins of the old Roman city wall.

In Spain, we like to have dinner very late, so we have made a slight change to the traditional SLPS routine: we started having some cold beers and chatting, while the production staff from Pati Llimona was setting up the last details, followed by the slideshow itself, and then dinner. As usual in Spain, also, people tended to arrive late, so we really did not start the projection until 8:30…

We had a very good attendance, around 100 people showed up; some well known friends from that had attended other SLPS shows in Barcelona, but lots of people for which this was the first time, and did not know really know how the whole thing works: “where do I leave all the food stuff I brought?”

The slideshow was really interesting.  We had a wide variety of very different work: from the lovely portraits of Barcelona people of Enric Mestres, to the very intriguing work of Oscar Ciutat about animals in the zoo.  We had also some international presence, Renaud Cousin from France and Piere Liebert from Belgium, though none of them could attend the show in person, so this year we had to give our prize to “the perosn who has travelled further to attend the show” to Marcelo Aurelio and Sonia Gimenez, who came from Terrassa (only 40 Km away from Barcelona!)

Dinner, after the slideshow, was delicious!  We had all types of different foods and plenty of time to talk both about the different works presented, what’s happening in the Barcelona photography scene, and everything under the stars.

A team of Brooklyners hit the sunny streets of Williamsburg last week to enjoy Motley Cru*, among a score of other fine wines produced by our vintner neighbors Brooklyn Oenology, a wine shop, bar and art gallery on Wythe Ave (just a few minutes walk from the Bedford L train). With gratitude to our gracious host/winemaker Alie Shaper, we left BOE having not only indulged our sense of taste, but with significant knowledge of the beverage.

Setting this purveyor apart from the vast lot of other wine shops/bars is that the majority of BOE’s offerings are produced by BOE themselves, on Long Island, and using NY state grapes, predominately from the Finger Lake and North Fork regions. Each bottle of BOE wine is adorned with a custom label created by a NYC artist, whose work can also commonly be found decorating the walls of BOE’s Brooklyn tasting room. Said tasting room is a cozy, sun-drenched den wrapped around a half-moon bar, on one side offering for sale bottles of wine, whiskey and a selection of various local products, and on the other providing patrons a place to relax and sip (and munch on a cheese plate). As an additional offering, BOE produces a monthly wine CSA club where members come to pick up four bottles: two from BOE and two from a rotating cast of local guest wineries.

[*no, not that Crüe]

Flanked by well wishers, Brooklyn’s Brian Dochney charges down Wythe Ave in the name of wine.

The BOE arsenal, at the ready.

BenMo and Misty, mystified at the BOE tasting room.

Alie serves up the goods…

… and takes our palates to school.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, March 30 (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 Best Bitter (5.0% abv)

“Oishi” by Tom Villa, Lead Brewer (3.9% abv)
Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) – 2 tokens
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

Every couple of weeks, we’ll be soliciting your brewing questions on Facebook for Brewer Dan Moss to answer here on BrooklynBloggery.com. Here are his answers to Round Three.

Julian Silva: What makes some IPAs really bitter and others sweet and delicious?

Well Julian, there are a bunch of variables that factor into the virtuosity of an IPA.

Generally speaking, traditional examples, such as our East India Pale Ale are meant to be a bit sweeter and we accentuate the malt character by using a higher temperature rest period to stack the odds in favor of slightly more residual body after fermentation. With BLAST!, we mash at a slightly lower temperature, the idea being that all that delicious Maris Otter malt would make the beer syrupy and overbearing if we treated it like EIPA. Malt selection will also affect the finished product and I could go on for pages just talking about the nuances of malt and how to treat the malt to get a particular effect in the finished beer.

The hops are really what make an IPA an IPA. More often than not, the more bitter the beer, the more hops have gone into the brew. There are different ways to add them that affect bitterness differently, but essentially, those really bitter beers and the folks that brew them like to skew the flavors towards the bitter end.

It’s really all about balancing the malt character and hops character, and as long as you stick to our beers, you should find them subtly sweet, yet intriguingly bitter. The perfect combination to bring you back for another pint, am I right?

Emmett Hughes: Can I get your chocolate beer in PA?

Well, Emmett, you can’t get our chocolate beer anywhere, since we’ve never made one with real chocolate. You can however purchase Black Chocolate Stout (we only call it that because it has such an intense dark chocolate character, yet there is no actual chocolate in the beer) at better beer stores near you.

Brent Lengel: If you had your druthers, and price/ logistics were not part of the equation, what kind of beer would you create?

Simple answer to a simple question, I’d create the best beer. The best beer ever.

Josh LaBarge: Any possibility marys maple porter will be continued??

Short answer: No

Long Answer: One can hope, but there are distinct hurdles to overcome such as sourcing the maple syrup ( we don’t want to deprive the pancake eaters of what they desire most…) and keeping up with the demand for our other products like Blast! or Sorachi Ace and the like. Technically speaking, the Brewmaster’s Reserves are a one-time deal.

Amy Lamonica: What’s the best yeast to help dry out the finish on a homebrewed Tripel? I typically use Wyeast Belgian Ardennes yeast for my tripels. I have top notch flavor profile but need to get a bit drier of a finish to make it primo!

That is a damn fine yeast if I do say so Amy, but I’ve had the same problem using it in homebrewed beers. We’ve found that champagne yeast (I use Lallemand EC-1118) will dry out your beer in the bottle without much negative impact on the flavor profile. Hope this helps, let us know how it turns out!

Portersteken: A Swedish brewery (Ängö) recently made en experiment where they brewed a version of their pils with extremely soft water, 20 times cleaner than distilled water. Is that something for Brooklyn to try?

We do like to experiment and push the limits of beer with projects like The Concoction and Manhattan Project where we mimicked two great cocktails (the Penicillin and the classic Manhattan, respectively). Doing a super clean pilsner isn’t exactly our cup of progressive tea, as it were, but we are producing a hoppy pale lager for our newest Brewmaster’s Reserve. Keep an eye out!

Mike Conner How do people in Europe respond to Brooklyn beer? Is there a following?

Well, there is a following. Not to toot our own horn, but Europe loves us. And we love Europe (The Final Countdown!!!) We’ve been sending beer to the UK, Sweden, Denmark and lots of other countries for a long time now, and they keep asking for more.

Steven J Magner: When can I enjoy my favorite beer in Los Angeles? My dad stocks his fridge every time I come to visit the east coast, which leaves me fiending on the left coast.

Well, currently we don’t have plans to distribute that far west. We are, however, available in Texas and Minnesota, if you’re up for a little drive.

Timothy Aivazian: Can I have your job?

Sure, but only if I can keep the paycheck.

Pauly Walnuts: What’s the secret ingredient you put in Brooklyn Beer that makes every brew taste like MORE?

Well, Pauly, we don’t generally let this little secret out, but since you’re obviously infatuated with us (me, really), I’ll spill it…

We put a whole lotta love into every single batch…

Since 2001, Brooklyn Lager was forced to face the lonely and burdensome ordeal of being the only Brooklyn beer in a can. So last year when we introduced canned Summer Ale, our flagship beer was over the moon! We can only attempt to fathom the extent of Lager’s soaring emotions with the arrival of our latest addition to the Brooklyn can line: East India Pale Ale. ”Whoever said ‘three’s a crowd’ has obviously not tried EIPA,” an exuberant canned Lager told Brooklyn Bloggery in the Tasting Room over the weekend.

“We’ve been putting our beer in cans for more than 10 years, and it’s great to have Brooklyn East India Pale Ale join the party,” says Garrett. “Once considered a cheesy container for industrial beers, the modern can is now a great package. It blocks light, it keeps oxygen out, and you can toss it across a fishing boat or use it to throw a batter out at first base. However, we must deny that we have referred to our cans of Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Summer Ale and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale as ‘the ruling troika of beer’ or ‘our Dear Leaders’. They are, however, bringing ‘total beneficence to The People’. That part really is true.”

[Photos by Jen Plaskowitz and Dan Teran]

[Text by Casey Kelbaugh]

On a lovely spring night in Manhattan, about 300 people squeezed into the free co-working space, Wix Lounge near Union Square for a lively evening of art, food, drink and music.  The occasion was the inaugural edition of Red White & View in New York City.  After a couple years of producing very popular events in Tel Aviv that showcase the works of 5-8 emerging artists with proceeds going to various charities, RWV decided to bring the love to NYC.

An eclectic and international mix of people came to enjoy an exhibition of the works based on the naked body by Alexander Motyl, Andrew Einhorn, Erica Simone, Joana Ricou, Mia Berg, Myles Bennett, with projections by Casey Kelbaugh and Chris Talbott.  Artist Spencer Tunick was the honorary host and food was provided by Shantilly Picnic, Brooklyn Fork & Spoon, Dorian Gray, Alison Eighteen and libations were generously donated by Société Perrier, Forever Young Wines and of course Brooklyn Brewery.

The excitement at Wix was palpable right out the the gate and only gained momentum as the hours tumbled by.  By the time the clock struck 7, a couple hummus and crostini platters were decimated and Joana Ricou had already sold one of her largest pieces.  Though the work tended heavily on representation of the female form, Chris Talbott’s slideshow featuring ten years of pictures of him emerging naked from the woods brought some much needed balance and schlong to the event.

The first RVW managed to raise $3000 for Slideluck Potshow, fostered a great deal of art-appreciation (as well as sales!) and likely got dozens of people laid.  I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before the second edition comes along, but in the meantime, maybe we should call it like it is:  Red White & Brew.

Join these Facebook groups to keep up with Red White & View and Slideluck Potshow!

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, March 23 (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 (4.7% abv)

“Oishi” by Tom Villa, Lead Brewer (3.9% abv)
Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) – 2 tokens
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

Brooklyn Local One with Winnimere. Super creamy, mushroomey, and woodsy, this cow’s milk cheese is wrapped in spruce bark and made at Jasper Hill Farms in Vermont. It’s complex mix of distinct flavors will be balanced by the nuanced sweetness of the Local One.

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.

Business News Daily talked recently with Steve Hindy about his life before Brooklyn Brewery, and some of the challenges he and partner Tom Potter faced as their vision developed along the way.

Dear Sir, we hope the labels sent were received in good condition!

This month in 2001, a beer loving Janus graces the cover of The New Brewer, and it’s discovered that providing your employees with burgers, lobster and beer — not to mention piles of cash — will keep them quite well motivated. [Did you hear that, Mr. Hindy???]

“This is how you deliver beer in Guatemala,” recently emailed our distributor in the region with the above photograph attached. “That’s how I do it in North Carolina!” replied our tenacious NC Brand Manager…

AUDIENCE
First Place / Grand Prize Winner (pictured above): Christer Soderberg / Cuttin’ Chris & Eatin’ Ehrlund
Second Place: Mickie Johansson / Los Dedos Pegajosos
Third Place: Adrian Helly-Hansen / Just Chillin’

Theo Prize For Experimentation: Isa Ekstam / Veggie Dream

JUDGES
First Place: Per Hjortsberg / Delicious Deer Mountain
Second Place: Anastasia Lundqvist / Anastasty
Third Place: David Sundberg / Chiliwack

The nation’s leading cook-off organization is bringing back celebrity judges, creative food themes and the chance for one local chef to win a trip to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Brewery is flying the winner of each uniquely-themed showdown to Brooklyn for an elite “Back-Of-The-House Pass” including:

+ 3-night stay at The Wythe Hotel (across the street from Brooklyn Brewery)
+ Tasty Tours of our neighborhood’s finest food producers
+ Friday night Chef’s Feast
+ The chance to compete in The Food Experiments Championship at Brooklyn Brewery

SUNDAY, MARCH 25: 1-4pm [#SWEFoodEx]
From the Food Experiments: “Theo Peck and Nick Suarez are excited to present the first ever Stockholm Chili Experiment an amateur cook-off involving Sweden’s finest, most committed, passionate, and intense home chefs. The Chili dishes will range from the savory to the sweet. You’ll see it all: Bean Chili, Meat Chili, White Chili, Beer Chili, Red Chili, Secret Chili, Chocolate Chili, Reindeer Chili, Salmon Chili (?), Spicy Chili… Remember there is always room for a little experimentation and one last bite. As long as there’s some kind of Chili in that dish, it can represent. You may never look at chili the same way.”

Judging the experiment will be Fredrik Ander, Head Chef at, Proviant; Daniella Illerbrand, General Manager at Mathias Dahlgren; Pia Bendel, Editor, Gourmet; Lisa Förare Winbladh, Food Blogger; Sanna Blomquist, Food Blogger Sommeiler, World of Wine News; Edward Blom, Food Blogger food and drinks connoisseur.

For more about the Food Experiments follow @FoodExperiment and enjoy the video below from the 2011 National Championships at The Brooklyn Brewery:

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 #1: Oishi
Style: Single-hop Belgian-inspired session ale
ABV: 3.9%
Notes: Envisioned as a table version of the popular Sorachi Ace, Oishi means “delicious” in Japanese
Pairing: Oishi will pair excellently with sushi and curries
Available: Fri, March 23 until it’s gone!

BREWER #1: Tom Villa, Lead Brewer
Born: Hyde Park, NY
Started at Brooklyn Brewery: 1998
Favorite place to drink: The Diamond

Tom cradles a box of Sorachi Ace hops like a baby (he doesn’t know you’re not supposed to hold babies like that).

Tom used to get paid to stick fliers to telephone polls, now he makes a living hanging cellaring logs on fermenters.

Even though it’s only 3.9%, Tom “Mr. Responsible” Villa never samples Oishi before operating the forklift.

They say each sip of Oishi makes you more honorable and wise, but Tom says it just makes the voices go away.

Map of the borough of Brooklyn: showing location and extent of racial colonies. Ohman Map Co. Inc. ca. 1910s. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

From Brooklyn Historical Society (click image to enlarge):

This month’s featured map was created by the Ohman Map Co., a New York-based map company located at 258 Broadway, in the early 1900s. One of only a handful of maps in the BHS Collection to show ethnic communities in Brooklyn, this map features various groups, from Europeans to African Americans to people of mixed heritage. It is clear from this map that early twentieth century Brooklyn was a diverse community of people, just as it is today.

Click here to view the map key.

Click here to view detail from the map (Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant).

New Utrecht Dutch Reformed Church, ca. 1910; v1981.15.103, Ralph Irving Lloyd lantern slides; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

From the desk of Cassie Mey, Project CHART intern: I am currently scanning the Ralph Irving Lloyd lantern slides of Brooklyn, 1890-1910. Many of the images in this collection reflect the end of an era when townships like New Utrecht, made up of old Dutch farmlands, were annexed into Brooklyn. Several weeks ago I came across this slide of the New Utrecht Dutch Reformed Church and was positively puzzled by the white pole in front of the church. I couldn’t believe that this was a pre-World War I image. I wondered how a radio antenna was present before there was radio.
As my research revealed, the original New Utrecht liberty pole was first erected on November, 25, 1783 – a New York holiday known as “Evacuation Day” – to celebrate the British evacuation of Long Island. In the late eighteenth century, liberty poles – long, wooden poles, sometimes topped with a red “liberty cap,” – were erected in protest of monarchial tyranny. They became popular during the American Revolution but were used around the world, most notably during the French Revolution.

The New Utrecht liberty pole reminds us of how happy many citizens of New Utrecht were to see the British set sail for home in 1783. After the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776, the British army took control of Long Island, often commandeering the supplies and even some of the homes of residents in towns like New Utrecht. Though more than a few Kings County residents were loyalists at the start of the Revolutionary War, by its end most had come to resent their British occupiers. Liberty poles like the one in New Utrecht marked the joyous celebration of the departure of the British after a protracted and difficult war.

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, March 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 Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7%)

Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) – 2 tokens
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

Congrats to Garrett and the team of beer scholars who contributed to The Oxford Companion to Beer for snagging the most prestigious of the British culinary publishing awards: The André Simon Memorial Fund Annual Drink Book Award. Looks like those five years Garrett spent editing The OCB were well used! Read more here from Decanter.

Brooklyn Pilsner with Canestrato Madaio. Sweet, buttery and peppery in the finish, this sheep’s milk cheese is made in Italy. It’s buttery sweetness will balance the snappy bitterness and floral aromas 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.

The winners of the Austin Taco Experiment have been decreed! Read a full official write-up of the event here, check out what some Austinintes had to say here (from judge and food writer Addie Broyles) hither (from contestant/judge’s winner Zesty Bean Dog) and thither, and see the results below:

AUDIENCE
First Place / Grand Prize Winner: Sous Me Alchemy / Tacos Amores

Second Place: The Holy Smokers / Grec-Mex Pitatilla

Third Place: Talking Tacos / 512 Pecan Porter Lengua Tacos

Theo Prize For Experimentation: Mary Makes Dinner / Frío Tillo Taco

JUDGES
First Place: Zesty Bean Dog / Smoked Duck Pastrami Tacos

Second Place: The Holy Smokers / Grec-Mex Pitatilla

Third Place: Outer Spice / Jamaikame Crazy

The nation’s leading cook-off organization is bringing back celebrity judges, creative food themes and the chance for one local chef to win a trip to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Brewery is flying the winner of each uniquely-themed showdown to Brooklyn for an elite “Back-Of-The-House Pass” including:

+ 3-night stay at The Wythe Hotel (across the street from Brooklyn Brewery)
+ Tasty Tours of our neighborhood’s finest food producers
+ Friday night Chef’s Feast
+ The chance to compete in The Food Experiments Championship at Brooklyn Brewery

SUNDAY, MARCH 11: noon-3pm
The Food Experiments National Tour rolls in to Austin, TX with the Taco Experiment. Judging the experiment will be Addie Broyles, food writer at the Austin American-Statesman, Aaron and Stacy Franklin of Franklin BBQ, Virginia Wood, food editor at The Austin Chronicle, and Claudia Alarcon, food writer at The Austin Chronicle and Zagat.com. DJ Jester the Filipino Fist will spin audibles while you savor edibles.

$10 includes tasting samples and a complimentary Brooklyn Brewery beer. A portion of the proceeds will go towards charities that promote sustainability and local culinary education for disadvantaged children and teens. Buy tickets here.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10: noon-2pm
But wait, there’s more! The day before the Taco Experiment, the Austin Supermarket Showdown goes off at Central Market. Come out and watch as seven-time Brooklyn Cook-Off champ, Theo Peck, comes to town to take on Austin chef and food blogger Mary McNally (@MaryMakesDinner) for bragging rights in a mini cook-off of mini-epic proportions. The not so secret ingredient: Brooklyn Brewery beer.

For more about the Food Experiments follow @FoodExperiment and enjoy the video below from the 2011 National Championships at The Brooklyn Brewery:

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, March 9 (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 Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7%)

Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) – 2 tokens
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

So what did you do yesterday? Got a bunch of stuff done? Good for you!

I did this. Took me all day, but well worth the effort. Little known fact that koalas are actually vicious fighters and were originally bred to protect farmers against raiding dingo gangs. Perched on high above the Australian plains, they’d drop down on those dogs like fluffy thunder, and with razor sharp claws make quick work of their foe. Which reminds me: the people up in the office told me I need to start talking about Brooklyn Brewery more and less about my Internet findings, so here goes:

Hey everyone! It’s spring! Drink our spring seasonal Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout in responsible quantities! And get this shirt, too! Cheers!

That should do…

From left to right: Mary’s Maple Porter, Dry Irish Stout, BLAST!, Radius

There’s a lot of new liquid making its way through the Brooklyn Brewery doors these days. From our current Brewmaster’s Reserve Mary’s Maple Porter to our new spring seasonal Dry Irish Stout to Brooklyn BLAST! our strong IPA featuring four American and four British hops and last but not least Radius, the Brooklyn-only Belgian-inspired session ale.

Click the corresponding links above to see but some places where these beers can be imbibed, and feel free to reach out to your local Brooklyn Brand Manager for further location inquiries.

Brooklyn Pennant Ale with Abbaye De Belloc. Nutty, nuanced and sweet, this sheep’s milk cheese is made in a French Benedictine monastery located in the Western Pyrenees. Its gentle but distinct notes of honey will balance the hop character 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.

Frank Zappa & his doppelgänger at Bonnaroo 2011

Every couple of weeks, we’ll be soliciting your brewing questions on Facebook for Brewer Dan Moss to answer here on BrooklynBloggery.com. Here are his answers to Round Two.

Michael Berry: Can you offer any direction as to the hopping schedule for Brooklyn Brown?

Sure, we blend Willamette, Cascade, and Fuggle. They are added to the boil in 3 separate additions to optimize the flavors and aromas of the finished product. If you want to brew a respectable clone of Brooklyn Brown Ale, pick up one of our new homebrew kits that Mr. Hindy and Brooklyn Brew Shop have put together. The hop bill is much more straightforward than the one we use daily, but the results are eerily similar and equally delicious!

The Brooklyn Blues Project: So which is it. . . Chicken or Egg?

Well, if the chicken and the egg are both fried, they’d arrive in tandem, preferably on a flaky biscuit. Serve alongside a Brooklyn Lager, and boom! Perfection.

Mike Conner: Do y’all remove krausen and do you think that helps home brewers?

We don’t take any special measures to remove krausen, but we rarely fill our fermenters to the absolute upper limit of their capacity, so much of the dark brown brandhefe (the stuff that you don’t want) sticks to the top and sides of the fermentation tanks. For a home brewer, removing the brandhefe and krausen will definitely help maintain a clean flavor profile. But, if you can’t maintain a sanitary environment, you’re better off letting it settle and the racking the beer off of the spent yeast.

Meghan Cogan: Why is Brooklyn Brewery so amazing? No really … Why is it?! …. looking forward to Mary’s Maple Brunch this Saturday!!!

Well, we have some really amazing fans, including you Meghan! Hope you enjoyed the brunch!

Pauly Walnuts: Do you use any special treatment for the water you use at the brewery (filtering, adding minerals, etc)?

Well Mr. Walnuts, it is absolutely certain that we treat our water very special. As you know, It makes up about 90% of our beer. There are only two things that we do here, that you yourself might also do at home. First, all of our brewing water is passed through an activated carbon filter. That’s really to remove any excess chlorine or debris from the water system (our water supply pipes are basically antiques). When brewing a beer from the English tradition like BLAST! or East India Pale Ale, we like to add brewing salts or Burton salts in order to accentuate the hop character in the finished product.

Daniel Mahon: Could you provide a recipe for a starting point to make Brooklyn Lager at home? I’d like to experiment around that perfection.

Why would you ever want to mess with perfection? I call shenanigans, but will oblige. As per Mr. Oliver’s recipe in the recent December issue of Brew Your Own Magazine:

Grain

- 9.6 lbs American 2 row malt
- 14 ozs Munich malt
- 11 ozs 60 L Caramel malt

Hops

- 1 oz Willamette (75 min.)
- 0.33 oz Cascade and 0.45 oz Vanguard (35 min.)
- 0.5 oz each, Hallertau Mittlefruh, Cascade, and Saphir (2 min.)
- .075 oz Cascade and 1.5 oz Hallertau Mittlefruh are used post fermentation    as a dry hop

We reccomend mashing in the grain to a starch conversion temperature of 156 or higher; This strategy will help to achieve the body and mouthfeel we aim for. Another important element is our 75-minute boil, which may lead to excess color and flavor development if you are working over a very strong, direct flame. After your wort has cooled to 55 degrees, you’re ready to pitch your favorite lager yeast! About 10 days prior to bottling or kegging, add the dry hops.

Hope this helps, and if you need any more advice, just ask!

Brendan McHenry: I know the base malt for Brooklyn Monster is specialty Scottish floor malt, how essential is that for the overall flavor? How might you replicate that flavor otherwise?

Well Mac, the Maris Otter malt we use has its own distinct fruitiness that is almost impossible to replicate. It brings a certain mellow fruity quality that is very distinctive and makes our Pennant Ale, Winter Ale, and BLAST!, the complex creatures that they are. If you wanted to replicate that quality, you might try a combination of lighter crystal or cara malts and a very small portion of acidulated malt.

Till next time…

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, March 2 (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 Brooklyn Best Bitter (5.0%)

Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) – 2 tokens
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

[Text by Casey Kelbaugh]
[Photos by Chelsea Dejesus, Chelsea Rominski, Cierra Butler, Tara Robertson and Casey Kelbaugh]

One damp Leap Day evening, a few dozen hardy souls braved the freezing rain and converged at the Gershman Hall of the University of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia for Philly’s the second Slideluck Potshow.  The space was majestic, the slideshow diverse, engaging and set a fantastic soundtrack – all masterfully coordinated by SLPS Philly Director, Sam Gulino.

I traveled down by bus from the NYC, and after delicately tucking a Roast Pork Italian sandwich from Tony Luke’s into my belly, picked up my two little nephews from school.  We got home and spent the hour preceding the show preparing the best two Tortilla Españolas ever created by a 4- and 7-year old.  That being said, neither those, nor my brother’s Lentil and Walnut salad, were any match for a bunch of hungry art students.

Because of University regulations and the high concentration of minors, we decided to make the event itself “dry”, but that didn’t stop photographer Robin Odland – who’s documentation of Occupy Philadelphia was 7-year old Zach Ryan’s favorite slideshow – from sneaking in a cold bottle of Local 2, which he shared generously in characteristic Occupy form.

Five spirited women from the West Chester Photo Club trekked down to support their comrade Lauren Miller, who made a photo story about another member of the group who spent a liberating day trashing her wedding dress after a recent divorce.  To see a complete list of participating artists, click here.

The show was immediately followed by an afterparty at the nearby Perch Pub, sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery.  A lively mix of photo students, faculty, and regular  Philly civilians gathered around a long table overlooking Broad Street and swapping stories while clinking glasses of Mary’s Maple Porter, E-IPA and Brooklyner Weisse.

It’s good to have a brother in the City of Brotherly Love, but it’s even better to know we have another show coming up on June 16th.  Stay tuned, folks!

As soon as Tom got his beer-stained hands off my mouse, I saw that the Marketing Coordinator up in the office emailed me an op-ed piece about the 26 happiest animals. Good stuff, but they made a grave omission:

27. This Cat

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

The woman pictured in this early twentieth-century photograph is staffing the museum gallery desk of what was then called the Long Island Historical Society. Much has changed since Miss Ingalls’s day: the Long Island Historical Society is now Brooklyn Historical Society, the building’s museum space looks very different, and the popular style of dress has relaxed a bit. Yet Brooklyn Historical Society still maintains a legacy of creative and engaging public exhibitions. Today, BHS visitors can explore such exhibits like Context\Contrast, which examines new architecture in New York’s historic districts, and Inventing Brooklyn: People, Places, Progress, a student-curated exhibit that traces the evolution of Brooklyn into the place we know today. Ms. Ingalls, no doubt, would approve.

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

Brooklyn Brown Ale with Kunik. Luscious, creamy and fully of vegetal goodness, this super rich cheese is made in upstate NY from goat’s milk with a bit of Jersey cow cream to make that much more creamy. Its bright, intense flavors and sumptuous texture will pair with the complex maltiness 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.

The L Magazine wrote up a lil’ history of beer in our fair city, sprinkled with mentions of the BB.

One quote in particular stands out: “Oliver’s Sorachi Ace saison has to be one of the best beers ever brewed in New York City.” We’d not have a problem backing up this sentiment.

We’re flattered with all the visitors we get here at Brewers Row these days, and even more excited when said visitors (a) come from all the way across the Atlantic, (b) write up a review about their experience and one of our beers, and (c) accomplish (b) through the vehicle of a well-designed Tumblr. Thanks for coming by, Beery You!

The good folks at Brewbound met up with Steve at the tapping of a keg of Brooklyn BLAST! to celebrate the victory of the Giants defeating the Patriots in the Super Bowl, and between sips of the strong IPA chatted a bit about the beer business.

Our venerable master brewer is once again a semifinalist in the prestigious James Beard Awards: “Covering all aspects of the industry—from chefs and restaurateurs to cookbook authors and food journalists to restaurant designers and architects and more—the Beard Awards are the highest honor for food and beverage professionals working in North America.”

Somehow beer gets tucked under the “Wine & Spirits” category, but here are this year’s semifinalists for the category:

Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Del.
Ron Cooper, Del Maguey, Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, N.M.
Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol
Greg Engert, Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Alexandria, Va.
Alex Golitzin, Quilceda Creek Vintners, Snohomish, Wash.
Paul Grieco, Terroir, New York City
Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico
Lance Hanson, Peak Spirits, Hotchkiss, Colo.
David Hirsch, Hirsch Vineyards, Cazadero
Manfred Krankl, Sine Qua Non, Ventura
Jim Koch, The Boston Beer Company, Boston
Steve McCarthy, Clear Creek Distillery, Portland, Ore.
Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery, New York City
Jorge Ordoñez, Fine Estates From Spain, Dedham, Mass.
Virginia Philip, Virginia Philip Wine Shop & Academy, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Neal Rosenthal, Mad Rose Group, Pine Plains, N.Y.
Jörg Rupf, St. George Spirits, Alameda
Abe Schoener, The Scholium Project, Napa
Eric Solomon, Eric Solomon Selections — European Cellars, Charlotte, N.C.
Sean Lilly Wilson, Fullsteam, Durham, N.C.

Syracuse.com wrote up a great piece about our current Brewmaster’s Reserve — Mary’s Maple Porter — and the beer’s namesake, our own Mary Wiles.

From Ansley at NYC Food Discovery:

I love banana bread. When I was a kid I liked it with chocolate chips and more recently I’ve been baking dense, fudgy versions. I got the inspiration for this new recipe from Brooklyn Brewery’s Brown Ale. The notes of caramel, chocolate, and coffee are a natural match for banana. Plus this recipe calls for half a bottle, so please give the other half a good home.

The result is a fluffy, complex banana bread with a moist crumb. I use a mix of regular and whole wheat flour so I can feel less guilty about eating this for breakfast.

Ingredients

•    1 and 3/4 cups flour
•    1/2 cup sugar
•    1 teaspoon baking powder
•    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    3-4 very ripe bananas (I store mine in the freezer once they start to go south)
•    2 eggs
•    1/3 cup melted butter
•    6 oz (half a bottle) Brooklyn Brown Ale

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking power and soda, and salt) together in a large bowl.

2.Mash up all but one of your bananas. Cut the last banana into coins. Mix together your wet ingredients in a small bowl. (Make sure the melted butter has cooled or it will cook your eggs!) Stir your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine.

3.This makes one 9 x 13 loaf or two smaller loaves. Bake for 45 mins or longer- make sure the middle of the  bread doesn’t jiggle when you remove it from the oven.

After the bread cools, enjoy with coffee, chocolate milk, or of course, a Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale.

AUDIENCE
First Place / Grand Prize Winner: Magic Hops / Pork & Grits Under the Influence
Second Place: Beer Belly / Fried Pork Beer Belly
Third Place: Sybarite Pigs / Guava Wheat Lamb Stew

JUDGES
First Place: Sybarite Pigs / Guava Wheat Lamb Stew
Second Place: Gastro Chic / Sweet Charcuterie
Third Place: Sorachi Kolache / Oxtail Kolache

Theo Prize For Experimentation: The Brittle Bakers / Spicy Beer Brittle with Chocolate Stout Ice Cream

The world’s #1 amateur cooking competition, the Food Experiements features celebrity judges, creative food themes and the chance for one local chef to win a trip to Brooklyn.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4: 1-4pm
The Food Experiments National Tour kicks off in the great city of Houston, TX with the Beer Food Experiment. Judging the experiment will be Chris Shepherd, Chef of Underbelly, Adam Dorris, Chef of Stella Sola, and Jenny Wang, Producer of Southbound Foods.

$10 includes tasting samples and a complimentary Brooklyn Brewery beer.A portion of the proceeds will go towards charities that promote sustainability and local culinary education for disadvantaged children and teens. Buy tickets here.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3: noon-2pm
But wait, there’s more! The day before the Beer Experiment, the Houston Supermarket Showdown goes off at Central Market. Come out and watch as seven-time Brooklyn Cook-Off champ, Theo Peck, comes to town to take on one of your own local foodies for bragging rights in a mini cook-off of mini-epic proportions. The not so secret ingredient: Brooklyn Brewery beer.

For more about the Food Experiments follow @FoodExperiment and enjoy the video below from the 2011 National Championships at The Brooklyn Brewery:

The second Slideluck Potshow in Baltimore took place at Area 405 in the Station North Arts District on Friday, February 24, 2012. Photograph by Casey Kelbaugh

King of the Hipsters?  Check.  Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art?  Check.  Seventeen thousand firecrackers?  Check.  Chilean Cornbread Casserole?  Check.  Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes?  Triple Check.  A slideshow with thirty five local artists?  Check.  A beautiful, diverse, engaged and appreciative crowd of 300?  Check.  A spacious, raw, post-industrial location?  Check.  A rompin’ stompin’ Delta blues band?  Check.  An artist making a 20-foot drawing on a piece of plywood with two blowtorches and a flamethrower?  Check.  An open bar with five kinds of Brooklyn Brewery beers to choose from?  Check.  A fantastic photo exhibition hanging in the front gallery?  Check.  A coat drive to support a local homeless services organization?  Check.  Camera crews?  Check.  A bonfire?  Check.  The Slideluck Global Producer shotgunning beers?  Check.  People with names like Piper, Spoon and Chappy?  Check.  A team of five representatives from the NYC Slideluck office?  Check.  Half a dozen people that road-tripped up from DC?  Check.  An after party with five local rock bands?  Check.  A late night Korean BBQ feast at a place suggestively named Jung Kok?  Check.

Need we say more?  It’s starting to sound like a room full of people from Czech Republic watching their team in the World Cup around here.  Suffice it to say that the Czechs would have little to cheer about if it weren’t for the new SLPS Baltimore Director Piper Watson, our hosts at Area 405, sponsors at ASMP Baltimore, Station North Arts District, the band Swampcandy, SLPS Producer Carly Planker, Assistant Producer Jen Plaskowitz, intern Mesha Bhansali, roadie Dan Teran, blowtorch artist Walker Babbington, exhibiting photographer Jonathan Rosser, Project PLASE Organization, and all of the other volunteers, guests, exhibiting artists.

Charm City, ain’t you just that?

Slate reports: “The home-brew movement serves as a lesson in DIY innovation“.

A Good Samaritan sent us the above photo via Facebook this morning, and, well, wow that’s some original logo work! We’re not sure if there’s actually a beer-producing entity called “Bangkok Brewery”, or what the “P” stands for, but we’re just looking at it as a funny way to start the week.

As of this morning, we can now say with confidence that there are few better ways to start a Saturday than maple porter and waffles reinforced by coffee and sides of bacon with toppings including fresh fruit, chocolate spread, whipped cream, powdered sugar and Mary’s own maple syrup on the assist. After our nap, we managed to post a few photos.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, February 24 (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: Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5%) – 2 tokens

Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5% abv) – 2 tokens
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% abv)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (5.6% abv)
Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (4.7% abv)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (6.9% abv)
Brooklyn Pilsner (5.1% 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.

Brian, the editor of Edible East End dropped us a line recently:

“I thought you’d appreciate this use of Brewery bottles as a counterweight to prevent the two-kid stroller for falling backwards, after we had removed the one kid. (The remaining kid was napping.)”

The Brooklyn team will be hopping on a plane to Texas in a few short weeks to take part in the South by Southwest music and film festival. If you’re headed to the Lone Star State for the festivities, be sure to enjoy a Brooklyn at any and/or all of the following locations and events:

3/9 Friday
5-7pm
Gingerman
Happy Hour w/ Food Experiment chefs

3/10 Saturday
6-8pm
Central Market
Supermarket Showdown

3/11 Sunday
12pm
ND Venue
The Austin Taco Food Experiment 3/11Sunday
6pm
Cedar Door
Made In NY Start Up

3/13 Tuesday
8pm
Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
Media Temple’s SXSWi
Closing Party

3/14 Wednesday
11am
Whip In
South By Suds Whip In

3/14 Wednesday
1pm
The Highball
PartyEnds

3/14 Wednesday
8pm
Lanai Rooftop
Software/ Mexican Summer

3/14 Wednesday
12pm
Hotel Vegas
Brooklyn Vegan Daytime Showcase

3/15 Thursday
12pm
Clive Bar
Daytime Showcase

3/15 Thursday
12pm
Frontier Bar
Daytime Showcase

3/15 Thursday
6pm
Papi Tino’s
Brooklyn Country Cookout

3/16 Friday
12pm
The Liberty
Mightier Than The Sword

3/16 Friday
12pm
Home Slice
Music by the Slice

3/16 Friday
12pm
Clive Bar
Daytime Showcase

3/17 Saturday
12pm
Club Deville
AV Club Daytime Showcase

3/17 Saturday
12pm
Clive Bar
Daytime Showcase

Here’s a piece of advice. Never fall asleep in the $10 Apparel Barrel, unless you want to wake up in someone’s dresser drawer… which is actually a pretty great place to relax.

You’re probably like “What? Did I read that right?”. Don’t worry, you did. Good job! Claire, our extraordinaire Export Coordinator, will explain:

Friday nights at the Brooklyn Brewery are typically full of good times and great people but recently we had some very special visitors. An a’cappella Choir of 24 girls from Iceland called Graduale Nobili (@gradualenobili) who just so happen to be on tour with Bjork, offered to sing us a few songs in exchange for beer and pizza. Harmoniously and flawlessly they sang their National Anthem, their impressive rendition of the Flight of the Bumble Bee, and an upbeat song that translates to a man in red destroying a village with his scythe. They were even kind enough to humor us by singing the anthem of our cask beer club, The Legion of Osiris. It was an honor that they decided to spend their night off from Bjork’s Biophilia tour with us.

Watch as Graduale Nobili graciously supports us on The Anthem of The Legion of Osiris, followed by a performance of “Raudi Riddarinn (The Red Knight)”. Below the video are the song’s upbeat, sunny lyrics.

No one is so solitary that he cannot expect a visitor, a horseman all in red riding a pale steed
A horseman all in red wielding a reeking scythe gallops so the clatter of hooves resounds around the world
Swirling up dust that darkens the world of men and spatters on the windows
The horseman forces his way into the house and his sickle drips with blood 

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale with Dante. Sweet, tangy, and pleasantly salty, this sheep’s milk cheese is made in the pecorino style in Wisconsin. Its buttery overtones and sweetness will nicely offset the hoppy finish of the EIPA.

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 Brooklyn Historical Society:

This photograph features a toll booth that stood on Flatbush Avenue between Fenimore Street and Winthrop Street in what is now Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Built in the 1850s by the Brooklyn, Flatbush, and Jamaica Plank Road Company, the booth was used to collect tolls on Old Flatbush Turnpike, one of the main thoroughfares connecting the town of Flatbush to the city of Brooklyn. The road’s plank surface made it easier for wagons and carriages to travel on the dirt road. When the road company went out of business in 1893, the booth was gifted to John Moore, the last Flatbush Road Commissioner, who placed it in his backyard in East Flatbush. Today, the booth stands in Prospect Park, near the Lefferts Historic House and the carousel.

Among the major investors in the Plank Road were members of the Lefferts family. You can learn more about them and their role in developing the town of Flatbush from An American Family Grows in Brooklyn, BHS’s new digital exhibit.

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

This month in 1997, overwhelming frustration over distribution leaves at least one industry member (pictured above) exasperated and speechless. What to do with all those boxes?!?! And while this guy figured his mess out, women apparently went ahead and got themselves into the brewing industry. Hooray for 1997!

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This week, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we share a photograph of Lovers’ Lane in Prospect Park. This image, ca. 1887, features a picturesque pathway, with sunlight softly drifting through the trees. When amateur photographer Walter H. Nelson took this picture, the Frederick Law Olmstead-designed park had been open for two decades. Olmstead intended Prospect Park to offer Brooklynites a secluded, naturalistic escape from the bustling urban center that Brooklyn was becoming – a quality that Nelson’s photograph captures perfectly.

In and out of Prospect Park, Brooklyn offers a number of striking places to walk with your loved ones. As a matter of fact, Brooklyn Historical Society was named as one of the best date spots in Brooklyn by Time Out New York. So celebrate love this week by strolling in a local park, visiting BHS, or taking in the sights of Brooklyn.

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

“Pedomorphic“

I won’t name names, but one of my largest detractors sits at the front desk upstairs in the office. If you call the main brewery phone number, chances are he’ll answer. He won’t know I’m writing about him here because he pretends my blog doesn’t exist. So when he sent me a link to an article entitled, “What If All the Cats in the World Suddenly Died”, I thought he discovered the surprise I left in his mailbox, but instead the article includes illuminating cat-facts such as:

+ Experts say that if all the world’s cats suddenly died, things would quickly go to hell in a handbasket.

+ … let’s not forget the emotional toll that a mass cat death would take on us humans…

+ Cats as pets have always been appreciated for the contact, relatively low maintenance, and pedomorphic (child-like) face and general morphology.

I can only guess my #1 Fan just read the title of the article without reading the article itself. Just like when he came in the other day saying how disappointed he was with Burroughs’ The Naked Lunch.

Brooklyn Lager with Landaff. Tangy, crumbly and sharp, this cow’s milk cheese is made in New Hampshire. Its earthiness will pair nicely with the maltiness of the Lager.

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.

Below is the roster of beers you can expect to find here at The Brewery on Friday, February 17 (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: Mary’s Maple Porter (7.5%) – 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.

//////////

And now for something completely different… on Saturday, Feb 25 the band Delta Spirit will incrementally debut its forthcoming at three Williamsburg bars, followed by a live performance at Public Assembly (RSVP and enter to win tickets to the show). On this musical afternoon, Brooklyn beers are just $3 at Manhattan Inn, d.b.a., and Lovin’ Cup during the featured hour, and $4 at Public Assembly.

Blogger Jonathan Moxey pours Sorachi Ace at Tapped Craft Beer’s Beer & Dessert Pairing

From Emily & Matt of Tapped Craft Beer Events:

Ever since we started up Tapped Craft Beer Events last January, I’ve been dying for a client to request a beer & dessert pairing event! Finally, this past week I got my wish when we hosted a super fun and educational pairing of 5 beers & desserts for The Williams Club and The Columbia University Club of New York.

I wanted to ensure that we showcased a wide variety of beer styles and dessert types, particularly because our audience was mostly new to craft beer, and having at least one easier-drinking option is ideal. Also, beers in the Brown Ale, Porter & Stout families and desserts in the caramel, nut and chocolate vein are the perfect go-tos, but what some other flavor profiles to keep things interesting and unexpected?

As I thought back to a couple of our beer & cheese pairings for another Williams Club event last year, the idea struck me — Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace and cheesecake! Perfect! To make it extra special, I knew that I wanted to add a lemon spin to the cheesecake.

Since I couldn’t find a bakery that made lemon cheesecake, I whipped up some homemade lemon glaze, using the following super-easy recipe from Creative Culinary. I added it to a nice store-bought cheesecake, but the link above also includes an accompanying cheesecake recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water (I substituted 1/2 cup Limoncello for the water but it’s optional. I also ended up adding just a touch of lemon paste color. )
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Make glaze by combining sugar and cornstarch, blending in water and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cook 3 minutes. Chill until cool but not set.
2. Spread top of cheesecake with lemon glaze. Chill several hours or over­night. Can also be frozen.

One guest commented, “All of the pairings were great, but this one really sings!” It was also the favorite of our event host, Jonathan Moxey.

The acidity and dryness of the beer, due to the champagne yeast and zestiness of the Sorachi Ace hop, cuts (“razor-sharp,” as Jonathan put it) through the rich creaminess of the cheesecake, cleansing your palate and readying it for the next bite. Additionally, the lemon glaze complements the lemon flavor and aroma of the unique Sorachi Ace hop.

And one Brooklyn Brewery beer wasn’t enough for us — the last dessert we served was a beer ice cream float using Black Chocolate Stout and vanilla ice cream. It was a HUGE hit!

From Brooklyn Historical Society (click image to enlarge):

This month’s featured map was created by the prolific Brooklyn surveyor Teunis G. Bergen, who copied it from an “ancient map.” According to Bergen, there was no date or surveyor’s name on the “ancient map,” but it was probably made before 1750. The map covers modern-day Brooklyn Heights and the Gowanus area and shows buildings and names of landowners. Please note that any writing on the map with an asterisk was added by Bergen and not found on the original map. If you’re interested in learning more about Bergen, the BHS archive has an amazing collection of his writings and maps.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

Anyone who rides the F or G trains knows this spot — it has been disrupting your life for a while now, especially if it means your home stop is skipped. This is the overpass at Smith Street and 9th Street in southern Brooklyn, formally known as the Culver Viaduct, which spans the Gowanus Canal. As one passes by the station or walks below, one can see into the murky ick we’ve come to fear as one of our nation’s recent and controversial Superfund Sites. The canal has a rich past – it was one of Brooklyn’s major commercial waterways during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the consequences of that sometimes bubble up in an unfortunately smelly way. The viaduct has been losing chunks of its infrastructure for some time and is finally getting a makeover.

Perhaps this beautiful photograph taken by Jackie Weisberg at 10:57:46 AM in 2009 will be intriguing enough to make you forget about all that for a moment. Jackie has lived in Brooklyn for many years and only recently felt able to capture the mysterious quality of the Gowanus Canal. Acknowledging its toxic status and its potential, she felt that 2009 was the moment at which she could successfully grasp the canal’s mood, beauty, and ephemeral quality before it all changes. This is one of seventeen photographs she made in her series “Gowanus Impressions,” which explores the canal in a nonjudgmental manner. Jackie donated “Gowanus Impressions” to Brooklyn Historical Society in late 2011. We haven’t even catalogued the images yet so I hope you find this to be a nice preview. You can also go to Jackie’s website to see her entire body of work while we manipulate pixels and metadata on our end. One more year to go before the transit lives of Southern Brooklynites is back to normal – hang in there!

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, February 10 (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 Brooklyn Bitter (5.0%)

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.

Every couple of weeks, we’ll be soliciting your brewing questions on Facebook for Brewer Dan Moss to answer here on BrooklynBloggery.com. Here are his answers to last week’s questions. The next call for submissions will be happening next week, so check in on Facebook to submit your question.

Patrick Boegel: At what stage of the boil do you add Mauritius Sugar to Local 1 and the Honey to Local 2?

Great question Pat. There are a ton of ways to throw some extra fermentables into a brew, but they all have different impacts on the finished product. Basically, if you want to optimize the aromatic qualities of the sugar, adding it as late in the process as possible is best. So, without spilling the beans, we add sugar and honey in the boil and our aim is to optimize the aromatic qualities of both Local 1 and Local 2.

Ian Cann: Hi guys, What differentiates dry hopping from the usual wet hopping, and what difference does it make to a beer?

Hi yourself, Ian! The term wet hopping is somewhat misleading as all additions of hops are wet, since beer is a liquid. Here at Brooklyn, we start adding hops as soon as our wort hits 212 degrees; that sir, is essentially for bittering the beer and balancing sweetness from the malt sugar. The term wet hopping refers to using hops fresh from harvest that have not been kilned. What’s kilning? It’s essentially a gentle drying of the hops to preserve the longevity and aromatics of the flower. Just as dry hopping is intended to enhance the aroma of a beer… Wet hopping does the same, although with some difference compared to dry hopping. The goal for both processes is to enhance the hop aroma of a beer, but wet hopping will ultimately add a “fresh-from-the-field” aroma that conventionally kilned hops don’t possess, as they have been dried out.

Drew Shalian: What’s the best way to get a position in a brewery? I want to become a brewer. Is there a school to get trained or should I just start home brewing?

Homebrewing is always a good place to start, and the homebrew literature available on the market is a great way to learn the process on a small scale. I started out homebrewing myself, but when I decided to make the leap, I went through the American Brewers Guild’s Craft Brewer’s Apprenticeship. It was a six month online/ correspondence course, and the Guild’s network helped me with my apprenticeship planning, which ultimately led to my current job. There are two other major programs in the US that I know of, UC Davis and The Seibel Institute, that have brewing specific educational programs.

Brian Dochney: Hey Dan, Long time fan, first time caller. What makes the BLAST! so delicious if it’s so over hopped? Is it true that Brian Dochney thinks it’s the “Greatest Beer in the World”ᵗᵐ

Thanks for “calling”, Doc. You usually refer to it around me as a big warm hug you can drink, but we’ll go with “Greatest Beer in the World”ᵗᵐ for now. Overhopped? Well, when you use the huge amounts of Maris Otter and pilsner malts that build the big, juicy malt base, you have to balance out that sweetness with something. For us, that something is copious amounts of hops from the US and UK, added at a number of points in the process, both in the brewhouse when we boil the wort, and in the cellar after fermentation.

Kathy Moss: Great can’t wait!

Woo Hoo!  I expect some real tough questions from you…

Jeff Krug-Bräu: Hey guys. I just racked a porter into secondary with some makers mark and some oak. I want to add some nice maple flavor to the beer (maple bourbon barrel porter?) How can I go about this best? Can I bottle condition with maple syrup instead of DME or table sugar?

Hey Jeff! Sounds like a mighty tasty brew you have shaping up. As you may know, we just released our very own version of maple porter called Mary’s Maple Porter. There are a few points in the brew process to add sugars, but if you’re already in secondary and want to try something fairly interesting, using some leftover maple syrup to bottle condition is a great approach and will add layers of flavor that DME and table sugar are incapable of providing.

Jonathan Zornow: For priming, what are the consequences to using plain ol’ table sugar instead of dextrose? Searching on Google gave me mixed thoughts …

Well, those sugars, chemically speaking, are very similar, so broad strokes-wise, the effects of using both sugars will be darn similar. The cidery character generally associated with table sugar (which contains sucrose, mainly) is actually a function of the yeast. If you do use table sugar at any point in the brew (I’ve had homebrewed belgian strongs that have…) don’t go crazy. No matter how much of those neutral sugars (dextrose included) you add, you won’t get much appreciable flavor. Hope that didn’t mix your thoughts any more than Google did.

André Adelar Hommerding: Hey guys, what´s the difference between the English, the Belgian, the German and the American Pale Ale Malt?

We use a variety of domestic and European malts here at the brewery and they all have their own complexeties that they bring to beer. For our Local line, we generally use German pilsner malts because of the light biscuity undertones that result and how they play with the other elements from the hops to the yeast in the bottle. Our Pennant Ale uses the grassy, earthy Maris Otter heirloom barley malt that comes through to support the deeper citrusy hop notes. From Belgium, we use aromatic malts that enhance the malt profile in many of our beers.

If you’re interested in the technical stuff like lab calculated extract potential, color, or protein content, you can probably get a report with that information from wherever you can buy malts from.

One of our Brand Managers showed me a collection of recently-discovered paintings that have been unveiled to an enthralled art world by this Russian Web Site. The pieces depict a lethargic cat thrust into various classical scenarios, i.e. riding a shell, relaxing in a meadow, floating through Salvador Dali’s subconscious, etc., which got me thinking about the countless pieces of art that will one day commemorate my own legacy. I’d rather not be remembered for giving the king of Spain a lift down the valley, so I’m getting off my malt bag and onto the treadmill.

Velazquez, Philip IV on Catback

Earlier this week, the Brooklyn Brewery team snuck out from behind their respective fermenters and computers to visit the New York Distilling Company, the gin and rye whisky producer founded by Tom Potter (who along with Steve Hindy gave birth to and raised up The Brooklyn Brewery) Tom’s son, Bill (who is also the distillery’s production manager) and Allen Katz, one of the leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails.

Tom and Bill showed us around the facility, featuring at its heart a steampunk-inspired copper still with which all were thoroughly impressed based on looks alone, not to mention the fact that it makes spirits. Connected to the distillery is The Shanty, a full-service bar featuring cocktails made with NY Distilling Co. products where the dazzling distilling equipment is on display through a large glass window. At The Shanty, Allen treated us to a taste of both Perry’s Tot “Navy Strength Gin” and Dorothy Parker “American Gin”, and mixed up some cocktails including the “classic” Tot & Tonic and the Sauvetage (Dorothy Parker, Bittermen’s Amer Sauvage, Carpano Antica & grapefruit served up with an orange twist).

After sampling these fine spirits, some fine food was in order. We hopped on the L to Roberta’s in Bushwick and feasted on meat and cheese, Caesar salad, a beet medley tray, brick oven pizzas (including the “Millennium Falco” and “Cheesus Christ”) and a few bowls of gelato. Sorachi Ace on draft was the cherry on top.

The standing still.

NYDC: Courtesy, Professionalism, Gin.

Bill Potter addresses the Brewery squad.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the shining copper bands.

Tom beside the fermenter.

The gravity bottle-filler.

Allen Katz preaches the word of Gin.

The Sauvetage.

Dinner at Roberta’s closes out the outing.

Brooklyn BLAST! with L’Amuse Aged Gouda. Crunchy (both in terms of a crumbly texture and in terms of lots of amino acid crystalization), tangy and sweet, this is a small producer aged gouda matured by Betty Koster in Holland. Its flamboyant flavors and addictive mouthfeel with pair wonderfully with the complex hop mix of the Blast.

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 neighborhood friend Christina Tosi — the driving force behind Momofuku Milk Bar‘s deliriously delectable desserts — gave some advice to MSNBC’s Matt Lauer recently on choosing the perfect chocolate for Valentine’s Day. And when it comes down to “what to get the man in your life,” there was no question: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.