When talking about communities like craft beer, you’re going to hear buzzwords that evoke eyerolling and the occasional rant. I’ve found in that in craft brewing, one of the most overused terms is ‘Rockstar.’ How, exactly, does a brewery attain rockstar status, and is it a good thing? California’s The Bruery can easily be classified as one of these rockstar breweries, a Cinderella story in its third year, running at capacity for about a year or so. A lot of this attention comes from the fact that they make seriously delicious beer full of traditional Belgian and German influences; the Bruery’s specialties are Wiesses, Witbiers, Ryes and Saisons as satisfying as any comfort food.

Bruery’s Black Tuesday, an inky-smooth imperial stout aged for a year in bourbon barrels, has been the stuff of legend since its unveiling in September 2009. Descriptions of the ’09 run mention strong caramel-vanilla topnotes alongside the aftertaste of oak and bourbon malts with milkshake mouthfeel for a strong but approachable entry into the imperial classification at 19% abv.

The 2009 Black Tuesday release party was nothing short of a terse nightmare in the minds of several Bruery fans: their small brewing and bottling facility had a line of people outside almost 300 deep, all waiting for the chance to score a bottle. At the party, a cocoa-heavy cask firkin of Black Tuesday nicknamed ‘Chocolate Rain’ was also presented. However, the Bruery’s yield was nowhere near enough to satisfy the crowd, and several went home empty handed after long drives and even longer periods spent waiting in an Orange County, CA office park. In the year since, Black Tuesday has further propelled the Bruery’s namesake, placing in the top five of the latest ‘Best Beers in the World’ as decreed by BeerAdvocate. After being declared world class, it became incredibly sought after.

On Wednesday the Bruery became an example of the downside to being so popular while attempting to sell tickets for a high-profile beer release event. Due to the global response to the ’09 run, The Bruery decided to pre-sale their 2010 release by selling tickets to the Bruery Black Tuesday party online Wednesday morning. Tickets ranged between $50 for a single bottle to $110 for three and ticket-holders would get a choice between three bottles: the basic Black Tuesday Brew, ‘Chocolate Rain’, and Cherry ‘Chocolate Rain’. 210 tickets were up for grabs, and the kind of chaos often seen in relation to Super Bowl (or Justin Bieber) tickets ensued. The Bruery’s server crashed just minutes before the presale’s 9am PST start, thanks to rampant refreshes from antsy buyers desperate to get the jump, and the company got a fresh pile of angry mail. The Bruery later released a statement admitting the server was completely blitzed, taking out office e-mail and internet as well as the online shop. The ticket sale was apologetically pushed back until Thursday at 9am. The next morning, tickets sold out in seconds.

On the Bruery blog, founder Patrick Rue estimated that there were at least 1,250 vying for tickets to the party all at once. He also reassured that there will be a second sale of bottles on October 27th (the date of the Brew’s namesake stock market crash), but even those tickets come with a big caveat: the bottles must be picked up in person at the storefront in California. The apology he issued was nuanced and conveyed a feeling of overwhelmed surprise as well as an appropriate pontification of the supply/demand problems a ‘rockstar’ brewery often has. However, the most striking part of the letter reveals that, “In this case, I don’t think we pleased the majority. Ulcers develop in my stomach as I imagine what next year will bring.”

The Bruery’s fast becoming a household name in boutique beer, even if they can’t get a hold of office e-mail. I’m sure most of these bottles will melt into the beer trading scene that floats around on sites like BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, with very few of them getting popped open by their original buyers. That said, is it really better to sell such a limited number of tickets for a high profile beer event online? How would your favorite brewery fare with the same kind of snafu? How far would you go to attain a bottle of a world class brew?

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Lydia Broussard

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On occasion I find myself leafing through a book with some beginning pairing guidelines in the hopes that it will spark a great idea. Sometimes it works. Other times, not so much. A few days ago however, it did, and in a BIG way.

I had a Belgian Dark Strong Ale aging away in the cellar and wanted to do something different than the typical everyday pairings mentioned in many books. The base of the meal started as a fairly common ingredient with said beer, but it was the addition of many other flavors that lead this beyond a standard pairing.

A pretty common pairing combination is a grilled steak of some cut with a Belgian Dark Strong Ale, which makes for a pretty amazing team. I was in search of something different, yet I started with the steak in the construction of my meal. Turns out I had put together a pretty wicked Beef and Bean Tostada with all the fixings.

Right about now you’re probably wondering, “A Belgian Dark Strong Ale with a Tostada?” All I can say is, “Yes.” It’s a wonderful combination, blending dark malts with sweet caramelized meat flavors while the moderate hops cut the heavy bean flavors. The most remarkable note about this pairing is the beautiful yeast flavors imparted in the beer that team so nicely with the spices and hot salsa. That was just the part that had me thinking for weeks before I actually cracked the beer with the food.

There was quite a bit of time spent on this pairing, I had put a lot of thought into this not so common combination. Many would most likely dispute such a teaming, but it truly is one of the more remarkable pairings I’ve done in some time. Besides, there are no real rules to pairing. If I can offer one bit of advice it’s that the boundaries, like beer styles are there to be broken.

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Joshua Lepley

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Extra! Extra! Read all about! News from the beer world! Stone Brewery plans to completely take over the European market! Well they’re not exactly planning on it, but they just might do it.

Stone Brewery from Escondido, California, whom I visited in May (Look for an Upcoming Video), does not simply intend to expand by exporting their beers to Europe. No, this is Stone we’re talking about! They’re going over to Europe and setting up shop! What Arrogant Bastards! Stone will be the first U.S. born brewery in history to open a brewery on the continent of Europe. Their plan being to find an existing brewery to “retrofit” for their style of brewing. God save the Queen!

In an interview with NPR, Greg Koch, Stone CEO and Co-founder, gives his legitimate reasons for not just shipping his products to Europe:

Koch’s reasoning makes complete sense to me and I respect him for respecting the beer and mother Earth.  His big sellers such as the Stone IPA, Smoked Porter, and Arrogant Bastard are certain to send shock waves into the European beer scene. Interestingly, American brewing, for decades was known for their yellow and watery beers. The last 20 to 30 years years have been kind to American brews, thanks to individuals such as Greg Koch. As a nation, our beer quality has increased immensely and Stone is proving that we are not afraid to show it! 

I have no idea what the [European] market wants. The market has no idea what it wants. I mean, look at what they drink… You have to be looking and interested, or we’re not for you.
- Greg Koch, Co-Founder, Stone Brewing

Stones moving to Europe is an insanely good idea. It will help broaden the minds of Europeans about American beer.  American brewers, in my opinion are the current leading innovators of new complex and interesting beer throughout the world. Belgium will always have a heavy influence on the beer world, but these days America has got it going on! 

Oh, how things have changed. Much of the European market has now actually gone to watery lagers and fizzy pilsners that America was so notoriously known for.  It seems ironic that many brewers in European countries such as Scotland, Denmark, Italy, and Norway are now looking for inspiration from the very same American brewers whom they inspired.  American brewers like Stone are turning the beer world upside down and I, for one, am loving it.  Stone’s expansion to the European continent just shows their ground-breaking attitude. Wanting to deliver fresh beer to customers and be environmentally friendly at the same time, sounds pretty ingenious to me.

Will the European market hinder Stone quality? Will Stone make their beers lighter in Europe to get people to buy them?  Koch makes it clear in his interview that he will not jeopardize his products to make sales.  The Europeans may not be ready for Stone, but Koch seems to be confident in his brews.

Things seem to be moving in the right direction on the European front. Cheers to Stone for having the American spirit to go after what they want.  I think Stone will be the perfect representatives for the American beer world. And hopefully, if all goes well you will have a new vacation destination in good ol’ Europe.

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Tom MacGowan

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Tom wanted to shoot a video of himself tasting and discussing the following hand-picked list of “kick-ass” summer beers, but our editors thought it would be just “too hot for TV” (or webTV, in this case). We did however let him write about it.

This is Parts III and IV of a four part series. Read Part I and Part II of Tom’s “Too Hot For TV” Ultimate Summer Beer List.

Ayinger Bräu-Weisse (Germany)

Available all year. ASTONISHING classic German wheat beer. Light, refreshing, and full flavored. Very inexpensive and a very friendly beer. If you know somebody who likes Blue Moon pick one of these up for them and they will thank you for it (pick one up for yourself as well!) The commercial description below describes this brew just right, enjoy.

Saison Dupont & Dupont Foret (Belgium)

Available all year. Saison Dupont is a delight to the taste buds. Snappy, yeasty, with a clean, bright quality. The Dupont brewery is run by Marc Rosier (brewer) and his sister (microbiologist). They also operate the farm, and are interested in sustainable agriculture. This has led to Foret, a Saison beer that is the first certified organic beer in Belgium. Foret is 5% abv, has the recognizable house yeast character, but it is more angular in its taste.

Professor Fritz 1809 Berliner Style Weisse (Germany)

Available all year. Another very impressive wheat beer hailing form Germany. These beers work exquisitely in the summer months, take your pick of any of the the wheat beers on this list… They’ll all get the job done!

Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier (Germany)

Available all year. The last wheat beer on the list personally my across the pond favorite. Lots of people may disagree with me, but we all have unique taste. Very light body which makes it perfect when you need a refreshing brew and also works as a spectacular late night bbq session beer.

Christoffel Bier/Blond (Netherlands)

Available all year. This beer is slightly different then the other beers from across the pond listed above. It is still light, but has a nice balance of bitternesst that works very well together with the nice sweet malt and the funky funk from the incredibly fresh german yeast. This brew goes down effortlessly, just what is needed! The only prob with this brewski, is that it comes in a 11.2 oz. for a high prize… If you just picked up the paycheck and it’s friday night and you feelin alright, pick it up, taste it and see what you think…. I’m still up in the air about the battle of taste vs. prize on this one, I would love to hear what y’all think… so give me some feed back!!!!!

Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti (Colorado)

A summer seasonal. So hard to get in NJ, and I did my research, only one spot has it in all of Jersey…comment if your interested!!! Just tried this beer, Serves from a 220z. bomber. Taste of intense beautiful milky Belgian chocolate with a slight swiz bitter dark chocolate essence. The oak aging, which is getting ever so popular in craft brewing brings an predictable, but really gratifying vanilla and oaky aspect. The cayenne pepper that Great Divide threw into this beer adds a spicy and dry flavor, that maybe a little unfriendly to some. I’m warning you this is a beast of a beer, but it is stunning in appearance, taste, and finish. These flavors mix up and create a fascinating and satisfying brew. Don’t fear the Yeti this summer, it’s a gentle giant.

Lost Abbey Judgment Day (California)

Available all year. This may not seem like it fits in with this list, but I had one of these bad boys on the beach in San Diego and it was astounding, just gorgeous!!!! This California brewery’s originality is totally breathtaking. Lost Abbey Judgment Day, is a Belgian style Quadrupel brewed with true California raisins. The raisins brings out a brown sugary sweetness and dark fruit flavors, such as figs, dates, and of coarse raisins. Not too heavy, just right. If you can get your hands on any of the beers from Lost Abbey do yourself a favor and grab them. This beer may be a little too much for a hot and humid summer day, but it goes perfect with a thunder and lighting summer storm. You never know you could be witnessing JUDGEMENT DAY!!!

Cigar City Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout (Florida)

A summer seasonal. Never tasted this one myself, but it is my understanding that this had to be on my list, my friend couldn’t stop raving about it when he tasted it. I looked up where it is distributed this year and I see NY and PA are part of the crew. Can’t wait to get my ass to Brooklyn and give this one a shot with the blazing sun beating down on me.

Have fun tasting these beers, and leave feedback on some others (I know I miss a bunch, but there are so many reinvigorating brews out there.) Enjoy your summer and have some fun, talk to you soon!

- Tom

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Tom MacGowan

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People hesitate to discover the best about craft beer due to one simple fact: to drink quality, you have to pay the price. As we all know, the price can get pretty steep. As a new convert to all that’s awesome about beer, I decided to share how I came to find the best craft beer deals in my area.

1. Go on a quest for the deal.

You’ll only find about the deal if you go about looking for the deal. This means trying different bars. Expand your horizons. Accept the fact that the bar down the block might not ever have anything better on tap than Sam Adams at 6 bucks per pint. Go outside your comfort zone, outside of the neighborhood you find yourself always drinking in. This was how I happened across the Peculier Pub, a jazzy little place in the Village. Once we opened the menu and saw the plethora of quality beer a $6, we knew we struck gold.

2. Try drinking during off hours.

It’s a known fact that drinking will always be expensive on high peak hours — this means pretty much any time after 8pm Thursday night through Saturday. Occasionally, you’ll come across a nice happy hour that lasts until 9pm (thank you 11th Street Bar, we know what a godsend you are), but for the most part, bars are likely to hit you up with deals when the bar is most likely to be empty. I’ve found that grabbing a beer during the day (on Saturday or Sunday) can lead to some awesome finds such as The Double Windsor, which offers an AMAZING drinking deal at $2 off all their wonderful, quality taps until peak drinking time.

3. Don’t be shy – Make beer loving friends

Amongst the beer community, I’ve found that most beer lovers enjoy meeting other enthusiasts. We sit and drink and talk about beer until the cows come home. This is great on several levels. Beer lovers always talk about the best places to go and the best deals to find. This is how I found out about Bar Great Harry in Brooklyn, where you can find a great beer like Captain Lawrence Kolsch for an astonishing $5. Another great thing about this is that beer drinkers always like to taste test beers they buy with other friends. So invite your new beer loving friends over, have an awesome spread, and ask everyone bring a bottle or two of quality beer to share. This was how I discovered the breathe-taking Cisco Woods Full and Rye in Massachusetts.

4. Once you’ve found that bar with amazing deals, get to know the bartender

Bartenders at great bars are hired there for a reason — they know their stuff and love to share their knowledge. Get to know them, remember their names. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across some awesome bartending friends that will remember the mostly forgotten, glorious Third Drink as the Buy Back deal. If bartenders know you appreciate them (hint, hint: TIP WELL), they’ll appreciate you. Thus, leading to some awesome beer drinking. This is why I spend a lot of my beer drinking days at Sycamore Bar and Flower Shop.

5. Be open to understanding beer

Once you get to know the beer world, you’ll learn that just like a quality bourbon, a quality wine, this type of drinking doesn’t come in bulk and it won’t come dirt cheap. Craft beers are the same. Quality beer won’t really come in a two for one type of sale (but if it does and I don’t know about it, um, please email me). More beer doesn’t necessarily mean great beer. On Tuesday nights, Doc Holidays has $7 deal for a plastic cup for a night of Bud or Bud Light refills, but you’ll be waiting in lines for a horrible, foamy pour for a lackluster beer. Basically, what I’m saying is, you get what you pay for. Craft beer really is worth the extra bucks and the single pint to enjoy and learn about a quality brew.

6. Google your beer drinking hear out

Get to know the best beer bloggers in your hood. Check websites of bars and restaurants you like. Often, you can get amazing deals in terms of beer related events. For example, I attended a Pretty Things beer dinner for about $65 at The Farm on Adderley — that includes four courses and four pours of beer. While it’s not the all you can eat at Sizzler, I ate some amazing food and was introduced to what is currently one of my favorite breweries.

Got a tip for finding a great beer drinking deal? Let us know about it!

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Celena Cipriaso

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Who says you can’t drink beer with your ice cream? Joshua Lepley, photographer and creator of Barley Dine, shatters the common misconception that beer is only meant to be consumed during the main course. Today he shares with us several of his favorite dessert pairings guaranteed to make you reconsider that cup of coffee. Still don’t believe him? He’s got proof (See the mouth-watering photos below).

Beer and food pairing is growing in popularity quite rapidly these days. We hear about five course dinners and superb, chef prepared entrees paired with a selection of wonderful beers. Although desserts can quickly become an afterthought in the conversation, they stand their ground just as well alongside some of the best and biggest beers. Below you’ll find the first installment of some delectable dessert pairings. Enjoy!

Brooklyn Black Ops Stout & Dark Chocolate

Pairing notes: Hints of chocolate and bitter malts in this black stout link perfectly with the bitterness of the dark chocolate.

Oskar Blues Gordon & Macaroons

Pairing notes: The abundant sweetness of this delectable simple cookie are complimented by the overload of malt, while also being contrasted by large amounts of hop bitterness in the beer.

Founders Nemesis & Strawberry Sundae

Strawberry Sundae: whole bean vanilla ice cream, fresh sliced strawberries, pretzel crumbles, clove honey and 12 yr. Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar.

Pairing notes: Nemesis’ lovely light wheat body was great as not to overpower the sundae. The subtle taste of alcohol linked up well with the vinegar while the residual sweetness teamed perfectly with the strawberries, honey and ice cream.

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy & Bacon Fudge Sundae

Bacon Fudge Sundae: whole bean vanilla ice cream, homemade hot fudge and bacon

Pairing notes: Ten Fidy is an in your face stout, from a can. Loads of sweet & bitter malts break forward which linked perfectly with the fudge while contrasted the saltiness of the crunchy bacon.

As you can see, beer does quite well with desserts. Watch for our next installment of dessert pairings, but until then be sure to give some of these a shot. And if you have some pairings of your own, don’t be a hog. Share them by commenting below!

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Joshua Lepley

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Labor Day weekend is around the corner. Time to drink the last of your saisons, weisse beers and pilsners. Have one last BBQ, picnic or beach weekend and then retire your cooler until next year. No need to shed tears in your pale ale though, summer may be over but the best season of the year is upon us: Beer Festival Season. In September alone there are three major mega-festivals going on. Here’s your teaser guide to get you stoked; keep an eye out for more information, google maps and insight to special events as we get closer to the start of these brewhahas.

The Great American Beer Fest (GABF)

What: The granddaddy of American beer festivals. Started in 1982 with 22 breweries, the GABF now plays host to 522 breweries and offers tastings, professional and amateur brewing competitions, beer and brewing lectures and a whole slew of special events, parties and feasts.

When: September 16 – 18

Where: Denver Colorado

How it works: Buy a ticket online for one of the four tasting sessions, fly to Denver and sample as many beers as you can in a four hour whirlwind tasting session. The whole city will be taken over by beer geeks. So even if you don’t make it into the festival, you should be able to have a good time enjoying the city’s numerous brewpubs, beer bars and side parties.

Didn’t get a ticket or can’t make it? Have no fear, I’ll be there sending back reports of my beer fueled GABF weekend.

Oktoberfest

What: Possibly the first official beer festival and certainly the longest running. The first Oktoberfest was 200 years ago and was Bavaria’s way to honor the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. The Bavarians knowing a good thing when they saw it and decided to repeat the festival annually, even naming the festival grounds Theresienwiese after the bride. A few wars got in the way causing some cancellations over the years which makes this the 200th anniversary but the 177th official festival.

Expect 14 main beer tents that each seat thousands of drinkers, all enjoying Oktoberfest and Helles beers that are served in liter form. Festival goers fortify their stomachs with German specialties: pork knuckle, roast chicken, brats, etc. It’s not uncommon to see women dressed in traditional dirndls and men in lederhosen. If the beer and food aren’t enough, there’s plenty of Oom-pah music, carnival rides and generally ridiculous behavior.

Where: Munich, Germany

When: September 18 – October 3

How it works: No tickets needed. Just show up early, most tents open at noon (the Augustiner tent is a local favorite and has the best beer). If flying to Munich last minute is not in your budget, don’t worry; Oktoberfest is celebrated worldwide and NYC happens to have some great German bars that get in on the fun. Keep your eye out for a google map that shows where the Beer Sessions team will be celebrating Oktoberfest this year.

New York Craft Beer Week

What: New York city turns over its bars and restaurants to craft breweries in New York and around the US. Beer dinners, cask festivals, bike tours, home brewer tours and special tasting events abound. Only on its the third incarnation, but already a force to be reckoned with. Expect NYC area breweries like Sixpoint, Brooklyn, Kelso, Chelsea Brewing, Captain Lawrence, Southampton and Blue Point to show off in their hometown with special limited release beers.

Where: New York, New York

When: September 24 – October 3

How it works: To take full advantage of the week, buy a passport which lists all of the venues participating in beer week and provides you with drink deals during the week and afterward as well. Buy online or at your favorite beer bar. Events don’t require a passport and tend to have their own entry fees/policies.

Been to any of the festivals before? Let us know your thoughts and tips in the comments.

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Jesse York

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It’s the dog-days of summer, a time when local beer stores fill up with buyers headed to weekend barbeques and patio hangouts. A week ago, I found myself in a store that could have doubled for a museum of fine art, the way the people around me were pensively staring at the cooler, trying to find that one brew that would contribute to a perfect Saturday night. Several whispers of conversation erupted, and while the staff was very responsive, the gallery seemed resistant to make a move until one person came in, bypassing the line and grabbing a sixer of some ultra-local brew. There was a chorus of ‘Oh, I’ve been totally meaning to try that,’ and within moments the crowd had almost disappeared.

Enter Beerchooser, a membership-driven site aimed at drinkers that find themselves saying ‘oh, I’ve been totally meaning to try that’ a lot. You may have heard of BC before, thanks to the buzz it has been getting from dude-bro newsletter Thrillist and classier trade mags like ‘The Beer Conniseur’. The brainchild of a savvy craft-beer enthusiast (Laura Skelton) and the homebrewer she loves (Jacob McKean), BeerChooser relies on a collective filtering system, like the one that recommends you all those embarrassingly obscure movies you never thought you’d love from Netflix.

Unlike the standard RateBeer style site full of trash-talk reviews to cloud your judgment, BeerChooser uses a one-click rating system to compile information about what you’ve liked before, giving intuitive recommendations for beers you actually will be happy to drink.

Needless to say, I was more than excited to start building a profile. Registration is literally a three question affair but like its cinematic equivalent, it takes time and patience to train the system to your sud preferences. There are over a thousand beers to rate, most of them hailing from the northeast corridor, although there are a number of imports. To rate, you only need to specify how many ‘mugs’ (stars) you’d give that brew. Once you’ve rated ten beers or so, the filtering will start kicking back decent recommendations that get more refined as you go on, telling you which beers you’ll find stellar and which you’ll think mediocre. Each beer page has some in-depth info about the brew, as well as room for you to insert extra tasting notes. There’s also the seeds for community, matching drinkers with other members who have the same taste.

The site is not without its faults, but it’s obvious the service is still in the beta phase. The rating system is sometimes sluggish, but gets it right eventually. My only real complaint is that the whole thing relies upon access to a printer and space in your wallet/purse/other money-carrying appendage to accommodate its list of recs. For this to really be effective, it will have to become far more mobile. The site assures an iPhone app will be available soon, and here’s hoping a Droid app follows.

While I’ve only spent a few hours building my tasting profile, and would prefer not to pass judgment upon the site until it’s gone to full launch, I’m really excited about this idea. I don’t think this concept will replace a recommendation from a good friend, or the beer-buyer at my favorite beer store, but it really would have helped as I stood there a few weeks ago in awe of a cooler that could have easily doubled as pop-art and a lust to try something new. Only time will tell if I’ll actually like any of the recommendations, but I’m hopeful.

After all, if this can do for scotch ale what Netflix did for my love of cheesy Kung-Fu, I’ll gladly use it any day of the week. Would you ever use a service like BeerChooser to decide your next new brew?

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Lydia Broussard

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Recently a friend and I made a trip across the Hudson, through Manhattan, to Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  For over a decade, Williamsburg has been a hot bed for hipsters, artist, musicians, professionals, and people just looking to have a good old time.  It’s also becoming well known for it’s eateries and eclectic beer bars. Being from Jersey I hadn’t thoroughly checked it out yet, and am always pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to get there.

I took the P.A.T.H. to 14th Street, and then the L train from Union Square right into Williamsburg.  I immediately stopped in a restaurant/bar called Acqua Santa to wait for my friend who was coming from Queens.  Although this was not a specialty beer bar, it seems like every bar in Williamsburg has a decent beer selection.  It was a hot day, so when I sat down on that bar stool and saw the Hennepin from Ommegang I was overjoyed.  It was a tough decision though, they also had the Six Points Sweet Action, but the Hennepin won out.  Nothing like a Saison in the summer.   It went down nice and easy kicking off a fun night of beer and food.

When my friend arrived we took off to the next spot, Fette Sau!  Fette Sau means Fat Pig in French.  No reflection on the patrons but pehaps what would happen if you ate there every day. This place has a unique style and an awesome set up.  You get on a lunch line, grab a tray then pile on the breathtaking BBQ.  The lines are long but don’t worry, you can grab a beer at the bar and drink while you wait.  After you get your food, take your weighty tray to any of the long picnic benches inside or out. I had the Ribs, Pulled Pork, BBQ style Beans, German Potato salad, and some pickles, all amazing!  To accompany this fantastic meal I first grabbed a pleasant brew from Pleasantville, NY, the Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold, while my friend had the Arcadia Whitsun from Battle Creek, Michigan.  Both beautifully paired with our cuisine.

I finished my Captain Lawrence, but I still had half my tray of food left, so I grab a Greenport Harbor Porter, made in Greenport, NY which was unbelievable with the slightly spicy BBQ.  The beer at Fette Sau is as fresh as the food.  You can just taste in every bite that these people care about their meat. (Gigidy)  The food is more than enough reason to check this joint out, but the beer is a definite plus. Fette Sau is located on 354 Metropolitan Avenue.

Next stop was right across the street. The specialty beer bar, Spuyten Duyvil (359 Metropolitan Ave).  This was definitely the main event of the evening.  I’ve been to this bar before so I wasn’t shy to saddle up and ask the tender what was good.  On this night I wanted to taste what was on tap.  When you get into the bottles at Spuyten Duyvil it tends to get a little pricey, but for good reason.  The bottled beer selection they have is incredible. On this night though, I was sticking to the tap.  My friend loves Doppel Bocks and it just so happened they had two.  The Rejewvenator 2009 from Hebrew made by Shmaltz Brewery which is a smooth and friendly 7.8 abv.  The other Doppel Bock coming from the great Kuhnhenn Brewery in Michigan, was a beaster!  This beer is dangerous!  It’s called the Winter Wonder and although it weighs in at a heafty 15.5ABV, it is surprisingly smooth with a spectacular sweet-tasting dimension to it.  Give this one a try, just don’t drink to much it, it’ll creep up on you.

Next up was the Emelisse Espresso Stout from the Netherlands.  They might not have won the World Cup, but they can still brew some damn good brews.  This stout is divine, with a strong flavor of chocolate, coffee, and a nice hoppy bitter kick in the finish.   After that, I went in the opposite direction to an American IPA.  They had the Lagunitas IPA on cask so I had to give it a shot.  I’d currently had a six pack of the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale from Lagunitas in my fridge so the IPA was right up my alley.  Originally, when I tasted the IPA from the bottle I was not that impressed, but on cask it was amazing.  In the bottle it had a little to much of a copper taste for me, but on cask the fruits such as orange and lemon flourished.  Cheers to Lagunitas whose Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ was my favorite brew all summer.  Last up, was the Brewdog Punk IPA from Scotland.  Brewdog always makes quality beers and the Punk was no punk at all (may be a hardcore punkrocker) but not a slouch.  It stood up to the test and got my approval.

Spuyten Duyvil is an amazing bar.  Inside and backyard seating give this place a phenomenal environment.  The bartenders are friendly helpful, and very knowledgeable about their beer.  Besides the brews, they offer platters of various meats and cheeses, and also for all you people with a sweet tooth, some excellent chocolates.  So after you fill your belly up with the great BBQ food at Fette Sau get your butt across the street for dessert and enjoy the wide array of brews that Spuyten Duyvil offers from around the world.

I am still exploring the possibilities of good beer and food in the eclectic urban jungle of Brooklyn.  Many of our writers are from there and recommend places regularly. If anyone has any other ideas for some cool interesting places, let me know!

Cheers to good food, good people, and great beer!  Cheers to Brooklyn!

Written by

Tom MacGowan

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Edited by Cassidy Catanzaro

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I first discovered the Berliner Weisse in my search for good craft light beer options. The German sour wheat beer with a low ABV seemed like a perfect fit for my list. Ultimately, I decided not to include the beer type on the list because of its sparse pickings– at the time, I only found one Berliner Weisse at the Whole Foods on Bowery in New York. Yet the history of the elusive Berliner Weisse continued to intrigue me.

The beer’s origin began in Berlin, where the name is strictly guarded – no beer produced outside of Berlin is allowed to carry the name. It’s claim to historical fame came when the Emperor Napoleon and his troops entered Berlin and mistook the weissbier as an approximation of the champagne of their native France. Little did they know that the drink they called “the champagne of the north” was in fact a beer.

A true Berliner Weisse is known for a sharp acidity, which is often too much for the average drinker so often the beer is served with a woodruff or raspberry syrup to alleviate the overwhelming bite. It used to be one of the most commonly produced German beers, once boasting as many as 700 breweries. Over time, though, the popularity of the beer decreased, leaving only two true Berliner Weisse breweries left in Berlin.

I’ve always laughed at the idea of an “elusive beer” – the beer you always hear so much about, but can never drink. To many, these types of beers become an obsession, a quest to discover and taste the beer for either sheer curiosity or for the bragging rights of saying “Yes, I drank ____ once” to your fellow beer geek buddies.

But the moment that I discovered that Berliners were rare, I set out on my own journey to discover what Berliners I could find. After months of searching (in bars and craft beer stores), my search led me to these four — all Berliner Weisse style beers (none brewed in Berlin). Also, I drank all four beers without the tradition syrup.

1809

Brewed in Friesling Bavaria, this beer was created by Professor Fritz Briem and brewed by Weihenstephan and Doemens. The smell is slightly fruity with crisp, acidic first sip and sour apple finish. Light, summerly, a definite session beer with a 5% ABV. Probably one of the more accessible Berliner Weisse with availability at eight New York bars such as Peculier Pub and Downtown Bar and Grill. Bottles can be found at the Whole Foods at Bowery.

Bayerishcher Bahnhof

This Berliner is brewed by Bayerischer Bahnhof Brau & Gaststättenbetrieb GmbH & Co. KG in Leipzig, Germany with a refreshing light 3% ABV. Lighter in color than the 1809 with little head and a sour wheat aroma. This beer has less acidity that the former with a sour, funky finish that lasts in your mouth for many minutes after. In New York, you can find this beer at Radegast Hall and Biergarten and The Diamond. Bottles are also available at Whole Foods Bowery.

The Bruery Berliner Weisse Hottenroth

The first American style Berliner on my list, this weissebier comes straight from California’s famously great Bruery, clocking in an ABV of 4%. The beer is darker in comparison to the two German styles with a slightly thicker head and a faint smell of wheat. The taste is tart, but less acidic that one would attribute to a Berliner. There’s a sharp lasting taste of wheat beyond the beer’s finish. Jimmy’s No. 43 is the bar where you can find this beer in NYC.

Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche

Trust the always daring Dogfish Head to ferment this beer with peaches so that no fruity syrups are needed at all. The beer pours with a soft head that quickly dissipates and only gives hints of a fruity aroma. Light acidic feel with a sugary peach finish. This beer has been found at Shaffer City or Downtown Bar and Grill. When I happened to come across this brew, it was at Blind Tiger.

I have to admit – it’s no laughing matter once you become intrigued with an elusive beer. The determination to understand and know every type is fairly addictive, but worth the journey to discover a style of beer that is a highly drinkable session beer. Truth is — I’ve only managed to taste the tip of the iceberg with Berliner Weisse styles, while still wondering what the true taste of a weissbier original brewed straight out of Berlin would be like.

Written by

Celena Cipriaso

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