Get Real 2: Get Realer

This weekend sees edition two of Get Real NY, the fantastic cask ale, homebrew and food festival. The first round last fall was a blast, as you can see from my post from way back then. Round two looks to be even more fun. Like last time, the festival is two days, with two sessions each day. Saturday’s all sold out, but you can still buy tickets for either Sunday session — you’d better rush, though.

The main changes this year seem to be that the food selection is beefed up, there will be food and beer pairings, and there will be growlers for purchase (cask ale has a very short shelf life, so everything must go!) A rough draft of the beer list is up on the festival website (cask ale is much more fickle than its kegged cousins, so these are subject to some change.) The list is reprinted below, with the beers I’m most excited for in bold. Underneath the list I’ve said a little something about each bold beer. Also, do keep in mind that a handful of these beers (I’m not sure which ones yet) will be reserved for those with VIP tickets.

Stone Brewing Sublimely Self Righteous w/ Amarillo Ale

Stone Brewing Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla

HeBrew Bittersweet Lennys RIPA

Coney Island Vertical Jewbelation

Two Brothers Cane & Ebel

Two Brothers  Resistance IPA

Two Brothers  Heavy Handed

Sierra Nevada  Harvest

Oskar Blues Mama Pils

Burton Bridge Festival

Weyerbacher  Double Simcoe IPA

Sixpoint Righteous Rye

Dieu de Ciel Peche Mortel

Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

Defiant  IPA

Williams Bros Joker

Williams Bros Midnight

Williams Bros  Scotch

Thornbridge   Merrie

Left Hand  Black Jack

Great Divide  Titan IPA

Green Flash Le Freak

Harvey’s Lewes Brown

Troegs Pale Ale

Defiant Lil Thumper

Firestone Walker  Union Jack

Firestone Walker Pale 31

Lagunitas  Brown Shugga

Great Divide  Oak Yeti

Lagunitas Censored

Green Flash  Hop Head

Green Flash IPA

Green Flash Double Stout

Defiant Long Shadow

Ballast Point Calico

Dieu de Ciel Corne Dia

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Victory Yakima Glory Ale

RCH Old Slug

Williams Bros Fraoch

Williams Bros  Session

Geary’s Hampshire

Sixpoint Diesel

Ridgeway Quercus

Great Divide Belgica

Blue Point  10th Anniversary

Fuller’s ESB

Fuller’s London Pride

Greenport Harbor Disorient

Lagunitas Imperial Stout

Blue Point Old Howl

Southern Tier  2X IPA

Blue Point  Pale Ale

Blue Point  Sour Cherry

Ballast Point  Sea Monster

Ballast Point  Tongue Buckler

Ballast Point  Victory at Sea

Ballast Point  Sextant

Lagunitas Pale

Lagunitas maxiPus

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball

Thornbridge Hall Country House Brewery Jaipur Cask

Thornbridge Hall Country House Brewery Kipling Cask

Harviestoun Brewery Bitter & Twisted Cask

Harviestoun Brewery Shiehallion Cask

Ballast Point Big Eye

Ballast Point Sculpin

Double dry-hopped Wolaver’s IPA

Otter Creek Double dry-hopped Black IPA

Stone Brewing Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla: This beer was a real highlight of the 2010 edition for me, so I’m thrilled to see it return. The smoked malt and vanilla are such an enticing combination that I’m shocked more brewers haven’t tried it.

Two Brothers Cane & Ebel: A great example of a rye beer, one of my favorite (and most underrated) styles. Two Brothers doesn’t get as much hype as many other upper midwest breweries, but it consistently puts out quality.

Dieu de Ciel Peche Mortel: Peche Mortel, one of my favorite beers on the planet, is an imperial coffee stout from Montreal. Truth be told, I like it better in the bottle than on cask. But I’m excited for a go at the cask version nonetheless.

Great Divide  Oak Yeti: Another big imperial stout. This is a fantastic beer on tap and in the bottle, but I’m curious to see how the oak aging translates to the cask version.

Fuller’s ESB: An English classic served in the traditional English style (remember, cask is how the English take their beer). I’m sure it won’t be as good as it would be at a pub in Cambridge, but it’s the best we can do for now.

Ballast Point Sculpin: Always one of the highest-rated IPAs in the world. Hop flavor and aroma never gets fresher than on cask, so this should be a real treat.

Tap That

If you know me in person, I’ve probably mentioned this project to you. If not, then it’s something you should know about. There’s an exciting new craft beer venture afoot in New York City, and I’m lucky enough to be in on the ground floor.

I’m talking about Tapped Craft Beer Events. You know how businesses sometimes have things like wine tastings to foster employee camaraderie? Or people have them at their weddings, or senior weeks, or other fancy-pants events? The fine folks at Tapped are doing the same thing, except with craft beer instead of wine. It’s an entirely turn-key operation. You hire them, select one of their packages (e.g. “Craft Beer Pro,” or “Seasonal Selections,” or, if you dare, the harrowing anarchy of “Completely Custom.”), and they’ll bring the beer, some snacks that pair well, and the talent.

As you may have gathered by now, I’m part of the talent. I’m one of the four hosts that Tapped is rockin’. (The other three are insanely more talented than I, and I consider myself very lucky to work with them. Chris O’Leary of Brew York, NY is one, Carolyn Edgecomb of the Malted Barley Appreciation Society and The Real Alewives of New York is another, and award-winning homebrewer and beard enthusiast Jonathan Moxey is the third.) This was all put together by husband and wife team Emily Garland, who sprung fully formed from her father’s head, and Matt Garland, who was raised by wolves and went on to found Rome.

This craft beer tasting company is an idea whose time has come. With craft beer getting more popular and more respected here in NYC each week, it’s time to start having beer tastings that are as serious but fun as the wine tastings everybody and their mama has. So if you want to spice up your soul-crushingly boring office life, or get your wedding crashed by a bunch of beer geeks, contact Tapped and imbibe.

BEAST MODE

Beer Advocate just launched a press release about a very cool event taking place in Brooklyn this spring, in collaboration with Red Hook’s own Sixpoint Brewery. From the release itself:

BeerAdvocate and Sixpoint are joining forces to host a phenomenal cultural event showcasing creative beers, food, and people, all in the name of compassion toward animals. Beer for Beasts will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2011, at The Bell House, located in Gowanus section (149 7th Street) of Park Slope in Brooklyn, NY, with all proceeds benefiting The Humane Society of New York City.

Man oh man. Sixpoint is rolling into this event with 16 brand new beers (!!) brewed specifically for the event. There will be beer-friendly food parings on hand. The money goes to help cute puppies and kitties. The fantastic Beer Advocate crew will be there. And it all goes down at The Bell House, one of my favorite venues in the City (and as far as I know, the only concert venue in NYC where I can get a can of Dale’s Pale Ale.)

Tickets are going on sale at high noon on February 4 (this Friday), and will run $60. I can’t wait.

Some New/Old Goodies from Captain Lawrence

Word hit Beernews.org yesterday of three upcoming releases from Pleasantville’s own Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. These three beers include two new editions of previously-released beers, and one brand new concoction.

In late January, we’ll be seeing another release of Golden Delicious, which is the Captain’s Xtra Gold Tripel (refresh your memory on the style here) aged in Apple Brandy barrels. I reviewed Golden Delicious during the previous release in the Fall. It’s a unique taste on the style which melds the sweetness of the tripel with the booziness from the aging process quite nicely. It’s not for everyone (as it is quite boozy) but it’s certainly worth a try.

Early February sees the release of the next edition of Nor’ Easter, a strong dark Belgian ale aged in bourbon barrels. It’s been released each of the past few winters, and some beer geeks (ahem) have been wondering where it has been this year. February’s late for a winter seasonal, but we’ll take it.

Then in mid February, Captain Lawrence unveils Five Years Later, a fifth anniversary beer. They haven’t announced an official style or much else about it, but O’Leary over at Brew York NY got a hold of the label a little while ago, and you can read it over there.

Each of these beers will come in 750ml bottles and cost $15 each. They should show up on tap as well. Look for me to review Nor ‘Easter and Five Years Later once I get my grubby hands on it.

Southampton Russian Imperial Stout 2011 Release Revealed

New York beer geeks, get your earmuffs out and start warming up your cars. Southampton Publick House out on Long Island has announced the details for the 2011 release of their Russian Imperial Stout. It goes down on Saturday, January 29, 2011. The release happens at 11:30, though you’d have to get there MUCH earlier than that. The RIS is a once-a-year, brewery-only release. It has an “A” average on BeerAdvocate, and a few hundred “wants” versus fifty “gots,” so if you’ve had your eye on some brewery-only release from elsewhere in the country, you’d do well to trek to Long Island and pick up some bottles.

They haven’t announced price and bottle counts yet, but in the past couple of years it’s been $15 per bottle with a 4 bottle per customer limit, out of a total of 500 bottles. So 125 people get beer assuming everyone buys the max. How early should you get there? I have no idea — I haven’t been. I probably wouldn’t risk being much later than 7, though. Then again, I’m neurotic.

Another note about this release (again, I haven’t been, so I’m going on stories). Unlike Captain Lawrence releases, where everyone shows up at dawn and brings beer and it’s awesome, this release is more like lining up in a soup queue during the Depression. There’s no drinking, and it’s in January, near the ocean, so it’s going to be FRIGID. Invent some sort of thermal book (a heated Nook?), and then bring it.

Anyway, the release info was posted to Southampton’s facebook page, so I assume more information will turn up there as it comes.

Brew Masters — A Pain Relievaz-free Review!

Off-centered indeed.

Last night saw the much-anticipated (at least in Beergeekville, USA) premiere of Brew Masters, the documentary-style show starring Sam Calagione, the founder and HBIC (Head Brewer In Charge, a term I INSIST will catch on…by the way that term is distinct from actual Head Brewer — that’s Bryan Selders) of Dogfish Head. Dogfish Head, of course, is one of the largest and most recognizable craft breweries in America. Their 60 Minute and 90 Minute IPAs are known to most East-coasters who have been in more than three or four bars in their lifetime. Their 120 Minute IPA and World Wide Stout are more alcoholic than most wines. I named their Indian Brown Ale Best in Breed. And we’re just scratching the surface of their offerings.

Brew Masters, in theory, is a documentary-style show following Sam’s work for DFH and his travels around the world to find inspiration for more “off-centered ales.” In the past few years he’s created a series of “ancient ales,” recipes made in collaboration with archeologists and anthropologists based on concoctions up to thousands of years old. If you haven’t tried them, Midas Touch, based on a recipe created from samples from King Midas’ tomb, is pretty easy to find (two of my local grocery stores have it). Theobrama, based on an Aztec Chile drink, and Chateau Jiahu, based on a Neolithic Chinese beverage, aren’t as widespread but are usually on the shelves of specialty beer stores.

The first episode introduced Sam and Dogfish Head while chronicling the making of Bitches Brew, which I reviewed yesterday. Many beer geeks have complained that this premiere episode felt too much like an hour-long Dogfish Head commercial. I think, however, that it was a necessary introduction to the brewery for the target audience. We beer geeks already know all about Sam and DFH. The target audience, I think, is the sort of person who watches “No Reservations” and the like — somebody who may not know a lot about the subject, but likes to consider herself cultured and loves trying new things. These folks, of course, are the optimum target for craft beer conversion. As Sam reminded viewers, craft beer is growing but is still only about 5% of the US beer market, so I’m glad that his show seems to be more about converting new drinkers than only paying fanservice to beer geeks.

(My friend Chris at Brew York, New York, by the way, has a different take on the potential of the show. He worries that Brew Masters presents DFH’s off-centered take on beer as the view of the craft industry as a whole. As he puts it, “quirky ingredients and $12 12-ounce bottles aren’t going to turn any outsiders on to craft beer.” I disagree, only because I think that the target audience, the “No Reservations” &c. crowd, is already primed to be receptive to weird ingredients, and is going to be turned on by unorthodoxy and creativity. Only time will tell, though we can all agree that we hope Brew Masters is a major boon for the craft brew industry.)

Showing the development of a beer from conception to reception was a good way to introduce craft brewing, and as I mentioned in my Bitches Brew review, it was a cool experience to watch your beer being made as you drink it. I liked the distinctions Sam drew between beer and wine (again, I’m assuming the target audience might already know something about wine). He talked about how beer is a much more human endeavor than wine — it’s more about the brewer than the weather conditions that created the ingredients, which introduces more room for creativity (and more room for error).

The Bitches Brew chronicle was interspersed with beer facts. Sam talked about the Reinheitsgebot (and yes, at this point I can spell that without looking it up), the German beer purity law. He seemed to consider the law the godfather of bland beer, which was interesting. He did go through a lot of information, though, and I worry about them eventually running out.

The HBIC

Brew Masters is not flawless. The show has a lot of potential, but we’ll have to see where it goes from here. The promo for the next episode seemed to indicate some traveling, which should be good. Sam would also be wise to visit other American craft breweries, which visits he claims are coming up. I can see people quickly losing interest, though, if they stay in the brewery too much.

Given that this is a TV show, we can’t ignore the question of whether Sam is charismatic enough to carry it. I believe he is, but I certainly come into Brew Masters with a preconceived bias for the man. I’d be interested in hearing what any non-beer geeks think on that subject. But for now, I’ll keep watching and maintain my high hopes.

Ready for Some Good Beer for Once?

Here’s a hot tip courtesy of Chris at Brew York, New York. Good Beer, a beer store in the East Village that’s been in planning all year, is finally throwing its doors open next Tuesday, November 9, and with a grand opening party the following Saturday the 13th. Good Beer looks to be a Bierkraft-style bottle and growler-fill shop.

Read all about it over on Brew York New York. I’m hoping the bottle prices will be a little more reasonable than Bierkraft’s (though Bierkraft’s growler prices are fair). It’s always nice to have a new place to fill up a growler, and Good Beer’s bringing the noise with 12 taps.

It’ll be nice to have a specialty store slightly closer to home than Bierkraft. If only somebody would open a store (or a bar!) in Washington Heights…

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout ’10-’11 is a go!

Sweet.

Happy days are here again, as one of my all-time favorite beers, Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout, is beginning to land on store shelves. Black Chocolate Stout comes out around this time every year, and it’s an amazing chocolate bomb. Sweet, smooth and boozy (you can read more about it in my guide to the world’s top 100 beers).

It will be pretty common in 4-packs on NYC beer store shelves for the next month or two, and will be easy enough to find on tap at beer bars. You should do what I failed to do last year — buy a few 4-packs to last you throughout the year, because once it’s gone, it’s gone. Also, last year the girlfriend convinced me it was a good idea to make a beer float with Brooklyn BCS and vanilla ice cream. I was skeptical to say the least, but it turned out to be great. It’s definitely a once-a-year treat, though. Give it a try.

Speaking of Brooklyn Brewery, they’re about to release the latest in their Brewmaster’s Reserve Series, Cuvée Noire. It’s a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. O’Leary tells you more about it at Brew York, NY. Like all Brewmaster’s Reserve beers from Brooklyn, it will be a tap-only affair, but virtually every beer bar in the city will have it on and off until it runs out. It launches next week, so until then, get your fill of the Detonation double IPA, the last Brewmaster’s Reserve beer, if you can find it.

UPDATE: BOGUS Captain Lawrence Sour Switcheroo: Raging Ruby Replaces Flaming Fury

EDIT: Well, I’m an asshole. Apparently Raging Ruby, along with the other “new releases” from Captain Lawrence, are not real. We got trolled. Here’s the response from Scott Vaccaro, HNIC at Captain Lawrence

I was alerted today about the release and posting of an email that was supposedly written by me. I read the email, and while the beers sounds delicious, I am sorry to say that we did not produce those beers and will not be releasing them. I am sorry for the confusion and disappointed that someone would do to such great lengths to waste all of our time. We will do our best to keep producing exciting new beers, will attempt to release them on days that work for everyone, and maybe even use some of the ideas in that email.

Cheers,

Scott Vaccaro
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co

The information that they will not be releasing Flaming Fury this year, sadly, is still true. That I heard directly from the brewery.

Beer 2 Garden Tonight

I’ve already mentioned it a couple of times, but a quick reminder to check out Beer 2 Garden at dba Brooklyn in Billyburg tonight. It’s pay-as-you-go, all proceeds to go a great nonprofit, rare beer abounds, and it’s a chance to rub elbows with the beer literati of New York City.

Check out the facebook page, and the beer list (each beer having been donated by the brewery) is as follows:

Brooklyn Brewery – Cookie Jar Porter
Captain Lawrence – Birra DeCicco
Sixpoint – Apollo
Southampton – North Fork Fresh Hop ESB (cask)
Greenport Harbor – Hopnami DIPA
Dogfish Head – Bitches Brew
Ommegang – Belgian Pale Ale
Kelso of Brooklyn – Kellerfest

Hope to see you there!