Month: November 2012

Belgian Beer Weekend Approaches with BFM’s Jérôme Rebetez Checking In

Jerome Rebetez of BFM. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Cook, belgianbeerspecialist.blogspot.com)

Beer Sessions Radio™ and The Good Beer Seal welcome Belgian Beer weekend at several Good Beer Seal Bars, including the return of Battle of the Belgians on Saturday, December 1st, from noon-3 p.m., at Jimmy’s No. 43 (43 East 7th Street, East Village). This year’s “you be the judge” event will feature imports from B. United. Then throughout the week Jimmy’s No. 43 will be featuring classics from Duvel/Ommegang, Vanberg & Dewulf, Shelton Brothers and 12% Imports. Plus! Breaking News!! Jérôme Rebetez of BFM in Switzerland will be pouring five of his beers. Meet and greet at Belgium v. BFM!

Also on Saturday, December 1st at noon, Spuyten Duyvil (359 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg) will open early for Celebration of Cantillon’s 2012 Zwanze. This year’s Zwanze, a recreation of the very first Zwanze, is a rhubarb lambic and will be tapped promptly at 9 p.m. Brussels Time (that’s 3 p.m. Brooklyn time). And rumor has it that Jérôme may be heading over here after his stop in the East Village, so be a groupie and tag along.

Also in Williamsburg this coming weekend will be Mug’s Ale House’s 7th annual Belgium 2 Brooklyn event, featuring two days (December 1st-2nd) of amazing Belgian beers (e.g. DeStruise, St. Feullian) and Belgian-style Americans (e.g. Goose Island, Stone). They’ll be pouring an extensive list for two days.

Finally, the Belgian Beer weekend wraps up back where it started. On Monday, December 3rd, Jimmy’s No. 43 will be hosting another of their famous Vegetarian Nonsense Prix Fixe Dinners, this one featuring Belgians from Shelton Brothers. Jimmy’s No. 43 will continue to run special Belgian offerings throughout the first two weeks of December as well.

 

What You Missed On Beer Sessions Radio™ – The World Atlas of Beer, Chimay Edition (11/27/12)

Buy Tim and Stephen's book through our affiliate link and give back to Beer Sessions Radio™!

Beer Sessions Radio™ Episode 141 is a specially pre-recorded session that took place at Jimmy’s No. 43 a couple months ago just as Tim Webb (Good Beer Guide Belgium) and Stephen Beaumont (Ale Street News) were launching their book tour for The World Atlas of Beer. They join host Jimmy Carbone and Luc “Bobo” Van Mechelen of Chimay in a geeky and extensive discussion of beer throughout the world. The episode was supposed to air 10/30 but was bumped due to Hurricane Sandy. Now you can find out what you missed.

How did Chimay become the “launch” model for craft brewing in the US? (Hint: Chimay is celebrating their 150th Anniversary this year!) How did Michael Jackson’s legacy lead to Tim and Stephen’s trek around the world to find best beer practices? What’s happening to the beer industry in China, South America, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and beyond? What’s the future of craft beer around the globe? Tune in and find out!

Listen to the whole episode here.

Adobe Blues to Host Brewer Appreciation Day

Adobe Blues bar manager Ryan Barker knows a thing or two about good beer. He also knows he’s never going to compete with the East Village for good beer drinkers. But that’s okay, because Adobe Blues may be NYC’s best kept secret… to everyone who doesn’t live on Staten Island.

“People just can’t wrap their heads around the ferry,” Ryan admits, knowing that the schlep from Manhattan is a deterrent to checking out the borough’s very first Good Beer Seal bar (they were inducted this past July along with Killmeyer’s). For those who do want a great excuse to visit Staten Island, Adobe Blues has five interesting taps (a recent visit yielded both Farnum Hill Cider and Great Divide Titan IPA on draught) and more than 200 bottles.

The Tex-Mex bar has been open for over 20 years, and its owners were former theater set designers who chose every piece of the colorfully decorated restaurant from a long-ago trip to New Mexico. While the bar’s original menu focused on region (with many imports), today’s menu is broken down by beer style (they have 24 different styles, including “other”). In fact, the Adobe Blues Beer Club rewards drinkers who try every beer style on the menu (three down: a Rogue pale ale, the Tital IPA, and—what Ryan says is probably their most unusual beer—Baladin Xyuayu Copper from 2004, an Italian Barleywine).

This Sunday, November 25th, from 12-4 p.m., Adobe Blues will host its second annual Brewery Appreciation Day. It’s a chance for the bar to look back over the year and bring back favorite beers, along with some big rare beers (last year’s breweries included Mikkeller, Allagash, Oskar Blues, North Coast, and Nøgne Ø, among others). This year’s confirmed breweries/beers include:

 

  • J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (2010);
  • Yeastie Boys, from New Zealand, with their Rex Attitude, a golden ale using 100% smoked malts;
  • De Struise, from Belgium, with their very rare and sought-after Rio Reserva, a Quadrupel brewed in 2008, barrel-aged for four years, and then bottle conditioned;
  • Mahr’s Bräu Ungespundet;
  • Harviestoun, from Scotland, with a cask of Old Engine Oil;
  • Flying Dog, from Maryland, with a cask of their Belgian IPA, Raging Bitch, infused with habanero peppers;
  • Other confirmed breweries include Green Flash, Great Divide, and Weyerbacher, with more TBA.

A $50 ticket price includes a 5oz tasting glass, unlimited tastes of delicious beer, plus an all-you-can-eat steak, chicken, and vegetable fajita bar.

Although Adobe Blues was largely unaffected by Hurricane Sandy, the bar is very aware of all the destruction that has taken place on their island. In many ways, Staten Island is like one big family. For those that can wrap their heads around the idea of a water commute (“They serve beer on the ferry,” Ryan coaxes.), the reward of Adobe Blues is totally worth the trip. Or make an afternoon of it (the bar is a 20 minute walk or take the S40 bus from the ferry terminal) and explore nearby Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. See what you’ve been missing on Staten Island at Adobe Blues!

What You Missed On Beer Sessions Radio™ – Sandy & Spaniards (11/13/12)

On this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™, guests were still weighing in on Hurricane Sandy and its impact on the craft beer scene. Wendy Littlefield of Vanberg & Dewulf weighed in on the importer’s decision to postpone tonight’s (11/15) Coast-to-Coast Toast party in NYC (other cities will still be toasting!).V&D’s NYC distributor, Union Beer, was severely damaged by the storm, as were our friends over at Barrier Brewing and down at Shmaltz/He’brew. All the reports are still trickling in (most of the NJ brewers merely lost power and were allowing some natural fermentation to occur), but Brooklyn Brewery, which was largely spared from the hurricane’s effects, has a running commentary on their blog about who needs what and how people can help out our beer friends.

In the meantime, many Good Beer Seal bars were either without power or have gathered to support members of their communities that lost everything in the storm. For a good rundown of the bars that were affected, check out the Brew York, New York post-hurricane summary. You can also check in at your local Good Beer Seal bar and support them by purchasing gift certificates for the upcoming holiday season. Host Jimmy Carbone is also joined in the studio by beer enthusiast Julie Barnard, who has been working tirelessly with Team Stroller Patrol out of Park Slope (support their efforts by e-mailing here).

Transitioning from ways to help the hurricane relief effort, the second half of Episode 139 welcomed a lively discussion of the burgeoning Spanish beer scene. Johnny Brilliant of Iberian Beer United‘s Johnny Brilliant and Jessica Garcia Agullo discuss how they came about importing Spanish beers, and regular guest Jen Scwertman also weighs in on what the Barcelona beer scene have to offer the craft beer community in Europe and beyond. Favorite pours from Iberian’s collection? Porters from Gisberga Brewing and the Juliet from L’anjub!

Catch the entire episode here.

The Beer Community and Hurricane Sandy Relief

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many are still struggling to get back on their feet. Here in New York City, the Rockaways and Staten Island have been hit hard. As the rest of the city begins to pick itself and return to the daily hum of life, those who have made it through are reaching out to those who weren’t so lucky.

Wednesday, November 14th, From Brooklyn with Love presents a Benefit Mixer for Hurricane Sandy Relief Project

Also Wednesday, November 14th, Jimmy’s No. 43 will offer a special Belgian Beer promotion to benefit our friends who suffered damage in the Rockaways.

Thursday, November 15th will mark Vanberg & DeWulf’s 31st Anniversary with the 2nd Annual Coast to Coast Toast which will happen across the country… except NYC’s celebrations will be post-poned until January 15th to allow time for recovery. While the rest of the country toasts the best in Belgian beer, Vanberg & DeWulf is asking beer fans to consider giving to the Red Cross and some participating venues across the country will be donating funds to the relief effort. Tune in to Beer Sessions Radio (TM) tonight (November 13th at 5:00 PM) to hear Wendy Littlefield and Don Feinberg talk about how the beer community is getting behind the relief effort.

Sunday, November 18th, Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn will host a concert to benefit the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Hurricane Relief Fund. Head out to Staten Island for good music, great beer, raffles and lend your support to the Staten Island Community.

If you can’t make the event, you can donate directly to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation by clicking here.

Check out some ongoing events to benefit Sandy relief at Brew York, New York

Here is a post on Thrillist detailing 34 Ways to You Can Help. Find out how you can help NYC beer spots like Alphabet City Beer Co. and Alewife Queens get back on their feet.

Keep watching here for more benefit events.

This Week’s Beer Sessions Radio™ – Expanded Election Coverage (11/6/12)

We’re inviting all listeners and Good Beer Seal bars to live stream Heritage Radio Network this Tuesday starting at 5 p.m. with Beer Sessions Radio™. Host Jimmy Carbone will welcome Steve Hindy and Chris O’Leary (with additional guests TBA) to discuss the politics of craft beer. From 7-10 p.m. Jimmy will join Mike Edison of The Mike & Judy Show for live election night coverage.

Oh, and we may mention a certain hurricane and its impact on local breweries and bars.

Idle Hands Hosting Candlelight Happy Hour for Hurricane Relief

You can stop by one of our Good Beer Seal bars, Idle Hands at 25 Avenue B, today from 1-8 p.m. for a Candlelight Happy Hour to benefit The Greater New York Region Red Cross. They’ll be bringing some relief to the city by bringing some relief to the local cabin fever. The bar will be open with as many cold drinks as we can serve thanks to an ice & candle delivery from Speakeasy Ales & Lagers and Omer Traditional Blond.

50% of all proceeds from our candlelight happy hour will go to benefit  and efforts to repair the damage brought on by Hurricane Sandy.

Can’t make it to the fund raiser? Here are some other ways in which you can help relief efforts

VOLUNTEER:

DONATE:

Hope you can make it.