Month: February 2015

It’s another great episode of Beer Sessions Radio™ as we record up at The Bronx Brewery in honor of NYC Beer Week. Co-owners Damian Brown and Chris Gallant discuss their four-year journey from starting to brew to opening a brewery and tasting room in the city’s “proudest borough.” How hard is it to launch a physical brewery? What was the journey of Bronx to get to this milestone?

Joining them and host Jimmy Carbone is a veritable Who’s Who of the Bronx: James Langstine of the Bronx Ale House (the first bar in the Bronx to be awarded a Good Beer Seal) talks about how the Bronx has evolved to become more of a beer destination. Anthony and Paul Ramirez join in from Bronx Beer Hall (located in the “Real Little Italy” on Arthur Avenue). Plus David Lopez of Gun Hill Brewing is on the panel, talking up their many events scheduled for NYC Beer Week.

Hear about everything from touring a malting house to the history of the Bronx in the food and beverage industry to the local ingredients the brewers are using in their beers.

Listen to the full episode here.

The Good Beer Seal bars welcome the return of NYC Beer Week (February 20th – March 1st). A beer with the Good Beer Seal logo displayed offers a superior drinking experience all year round, but during NYC Beer Week, you might be overwhelmed by the many daily events and where you should head to during the busiest week of the year for beer drinkers.

We’ve gathered some of our events for the next 10 days, so you can pick and choose among the best of the best of beer bars around the city (and don’t be afraid of New Jersey, one of our favorite NYC Beer Week events is the Bridge & Tunnel night at Barcade Jersey City). And be sure to check out the line-up of NYC Brewer’s Choice, the marquee event of NYC Beer Week with 40+ beer and 15+ chefs and food purveyors on Tuesday, February 24th at Sanders Studios in Clinton Hill Brooklyn.

Friday, February 20^th – Opening Tap at 7 p.m.

Barcade Jersey City – Kane Overhead

Crescent and Vine – NYC Beer Week theme will be “Hoppier then Hell,” a week-long showcase of some of their favorite hoppy ales from NYC and beyond, with sought-after favorites from Other Half, Peekskill, Singlecut, Barrrier, Green Flash, Alpine and Maine Beer Co.

Glorietta Baldy – Braven Brewing White IPA

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Rocky Point Artisan Brewers’ American Brown Ale

Mugs Alehouse – KelSo Jameson Barrel Aged IPA (we hear brewer Kelly Taylor will drop by)

One Mile House – Daddy Warbuck$, the GBS bar’s collaboration brew with Barrier Brewing

Pacific Standard – Anchor California Lager

Rattle-n-Hum – Rate Beer 100 night (all their taps will pour beers with a 100-rating from Rate Beer)

St. Gambrinus – Kick Ass IPA Night (Bells Hopslam!, Maine Beer Co. Lunch, Barrier Rock & Roll DIPA,  Beanery Brewing (Dave Brodrick’s new venture)  Coffee IPA

Sunswick 35/35 – Captain Lawrence Frozen Flowers

Waterfront Ale House – KelSo Industrial IPA

Saturday, February 21^st

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Josh Bernstein’s Third Annual Homebrew Jamboree

Saturday, February 21^st

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Matt Coats Exhibition Party

Sunday, February 22^nd

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Cicerone v. Cicerone: 5-beer + food pairing event with James Tai and Brendan Woodcock

St. Gambrinus – Yoga Beer Brunch

Monday, February 23^rd

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Beer Sessions Radio Prix Fixe Rare Beer Dinner Featuring Chef Matt Garelick

Tuesday, February 24^th

Beer Sessions Radio™ co-produces NYC Brewer’s Choice at Sanders Studios

Rattle-n-Hum – Carton Brewing Night & Meet the Brewer

Wednesday, February 25^th

Glorietta Baldy – NY: The New Breed

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Beer & Spirits Night with Lew Bryson

Pacific Standard – Two Roads Brewing Night (ticketed)

Rattle-n-Hum – Rushing Duck Night & Meet the Brewer

Sunswick 35/35 – Trivia Sponsored by Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

Thursday, February 26^th

Barcade Jersey City – “Bridge & Tunnel Beer Night” featuring all breweries that are available in New Jersey but not New York

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Local Beer and Cheese Pairing Event with Consider Bardwell

Malt & Mold (LES) – Rockaway Brewing Night

Rattle-n-Hum – Parallel 49 Night & Meet the Brewer

St. Gambrinus – It’s a GRIMM Affair Meet the Brewers Night

Sunswick 35/35 – Bingo Sponsored by Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

Friday, February 27^th

Jimmy’s No. 43 – Very Special Keg Tap: Sahti from Finland

Malt & Mold (Gramercy) – Weyerbacher Brewery Night

Saturday, February 28^th

Mugs Alehouse – Split Thy Skull XVI (Day 1)

Sunday, March 1^st

Malt & Mold (Gramercy) – Sam Adams Brewing Event

Mugs Alehouse – Split Thy Skull XVI (Day 2)

St. Gambrinus – Spanish Craft Beer & Flamenco Fiesta Redux!

Tune in for a special episode of Beer Sessions Radio™ as Jimmy Carbone chats with Finnish brewer Pekka Kaariainen about Lammin Sahti Oy! Finnish Sahti is a truly ancient beer style, dating back thousands of years and not using hops. This means a quick fermenting process and genuine “drink by” beer. Dating back to the 1500s, this beer is still mostly produced near Helsinki in traditional sahti brewing equipment like open wooden mash tuns and troughlike wooden lauter tuns (Äúkuurnas‚Äù) with a filter bed made of juniper twigs (the juniper acts as the main preservative). Sahti is an all-malt beer (Pilsener or Pale malt, Crystal barley malt and dark rye malt) with Finnish Baker’s yeast that produces phenols and esters similar to those produced by the classic Bavarian wheat (weisse) beer yeast.

Pekka traveled to OEC (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores – Order of the Eccentric Boilers) at B. United in Connecticut last month to brew with OEC Brewing brewmaster Ben Neidhart to create “a Sahti as fresh as possible at our facility and then release it to customers in as fresh a state as possible.” Everything in the OEC Sahti is authentic; even the baker’s yeast was imported from Finland.

Joining Pekka and Jimmy are George Flickinger and Michael )palenski of B. United, who talk about the snowed-in brew day they had.  Per Michael: “We served Steffi’s ‘Quinoa/Kamut’ bread fermented with wild yeast collected from our Zymatore barrels/horticultural area with a Sourdough pre-starter/mother starter}. Steffi only used sprouted quinoa grains she sprouted herself (i.e. soaked and dried on site). It was served with farmhouse salted butter.”

This was the first time Pekka ever brewed on a coolship + French Baudelot system, and you’ll be able to taste the results over the next week or two at Jimmy’s No. 43, Proletariat, The Cannibal, Torst, Gingerman and The Owl Farm (check back later in the week for our official “Sahti Tracker”).

Also at Jimmy’s No. 43 during this pre-record were brewers Chris Cuzme and Mary Izett (author of the up-coming book, Speed Brewing), who have lots of interesting technical questions (and offer up tips) about the brewing process of this unusual and amazing beer style.

You can see all the photos from the brewing day on our Facebook page. And listen to the full episode here.

This week on Beer Sessions Radio, we’re gearing up for New York City Beer Week 2015 in February! Tune in and hear from Jimmy Ludwig of The Happy Hour Guys, Dietrich Gehring of Helderberg Hops Farm/Indian Ladder Farms, Dave Katleski of Empire Brewing, Anne Becerra of Anne Likes Beer, Linsey Ronchi of George Keeleys and Olivia Cerio of Empire Brewing! The crew chats about everything from collaborative beers to estate breweries and beer education. Tune in and get revved up for a celebration of beer in New York City!

Listen to the full episode here.