Jill, over at WinedAndDined.com did us a solid with this nice review of last week’s beer dinner at Per Se.
During NY Craft Beer Week, Andy and I were most anticipating the Brooklyn Brewery Dinner at Per Se, a “Zagat Presents,” seven course feast created by Per Se Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Benno and paired with some true Brooklyn Brewery gems (including the much talked about “Bacon Beer”). The recent news that Chef Benno would be leaving at the end of the year to spearhead a new Patina restaurant project meant this could be one of our last opportunities to taste his Per Se mastery. Andy and I had eaten at Per Se in the past, and it has always topped my list of favorite restaurants (for a splurge, of course). I was wondering whether a seven course beer pairing dinner would live up to my very high expectations and my very fond dining memories at Per Se. Well, it did. Just as I remembered, Per Se exudes culinary excellence, and Brooklyn Brewery really pulled out all the stops to deliver a beer pairing that lived up to Per Se’s three shining Michelin stars.
As much as we all love summer, fall is probably the greatest season for food. The vegetable harvests are coming in, the seafood is at its peak, and we can finally turn the oven on again. Brewers have always loved the fall season, and they still mark the barley and hop harvests with Oktoberfest celebrations from Bavaria to Brazil. Only twenty years ago, most American beer was pretty bland, but fortunately things have changed for the better. Just as our supermarkets are showing us a new cornucopia of flavors, traditional craft breweries are making a wide array of beers to match. We’re used to thinking of wine seasonally—many of us drink more white wine in the warmer months, and then trend toward reds as the weather gets cooler. We can think of beers in the same way, but craft beers have an even wider range of flavor than wine, so we can really have some fun with them. Today, craft brewers see autumn as a great time to feature beers with more robust flavors, beers with enough character and warmth to pair with comfort foods.
Garrett and co. had a successful and stimulating outing to Denver’s famed Great American Beer Festival this past weekend. Over the years The Brooklyn Brewery has gotten its share of medals and this year was no exception. The collaboration with Germany’s great Schneider brewery, Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse took home the Silver in the mouthful that is the “Out of Category – Traditionally Brewed Beer” division. Congrats to Garrett, Andrew Ety, Tom Villa, Dan Peterson, Chris Basso, Tom Price, Paul Chlup and Monster for all the hard work that’s gone into making this award winning beer.
Stay tuned for photos and stories from Denver. In the meantime, here’s a recap from The Captain’s Chair.
“The event is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak of tolerance. But the time spent there gave me a wonderful perspective and appreciation for the more than 1,500 small, independent craft brewers putting their blood, sweat, and in Dogfish Head’s case saliva into what they’re doing every day. The passion in the hall was palpable, made even more exciting with the creative geniuses behind these beers actually pouring their wares to the throngs of craft beer lovers jamming the place, including Sam Calagione at Dogfish, Garrett Oliver at Brooklyn Brewery, Jason Rue at The Bruery, and Tomme Arthur at Lost Abbey, to name a few.”
Way back in 2003 we started exporting Brooklyn brand beers to Japan. Our friends of the rising sun have been lapping it up ever since. Over the weekend Brooklyn Parlor, an NY-themed restaurant, bar and music venue, opened in Tokyo. The Japan-based beer blog, Hopjuice took a visit and reviewed the joint here.
Brooklyn Parlor’s website is pretty cool too. Check out that photo of Bedford and 5th!
If you happen to find this spot while traveling in Tokyo, tell us what you think.
Not Bud, Not Miller, none of that mass-produced bland lager that dominates weekend TV with its ads. I’m talking about beers from around the world, and beers from the ever-expanding list of American microbreweries, some of which produce the finest beers you’ll ever have the pleasure of tasting.
If you can find it, use a chocolate stout (Brooklyn Brewery and Oregon’s Rogue Brewery make it) in the cake batter. The chocolaty flavors in the beer come from dark-roasting the malts. Some brewers even add a little chocolate to the beer as well. If you can’t find chocolate stout, use another stout, such as Guinness. Sierra Nevada Porter and Samuel Adams Honey Porter would also work well in this recipe.
On an idyllic Saturday afternoon, one of the last days of summer, we hosted 20 lovely mermaids at a barbecue in my backyard in Brooklyn. Many racks of ribs were consumed and a keg was kicked.
For the last three years, these creative beauties have represented the brewery in Coney Island Present’s MERMAID PARADE.
The brewery is proud to contribute to Dick Zigun’s annual production, one of Brooklyn’s finest festivals and probably the closest you get to a Mardi Gras scene in New York City. (Right up there with the West Indian Day Parade and the Halloween Parade in the Village.)
I’ll kick things off in my home town. Located in a former matzo ball factory in Brooklyn’s trendy Williamsburg neighborhood, Brooklyn Brewery has received numerous awards and keg-sized quantities of critical praise. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver consistently concocts some of America’s finest beers and his interpretation of the traditional Bavarian Oktoberfest lager is up to his usual standards. With a deep, reddish amber color and plenty of rich malt and caramel flavor, this full-bodied seasonal brew is the perfect way to welcome the cold. (more)
Here at The Brewery we’re pretty proud of founder, Steve Hindy. He’s being honored by the Prospect Park Alliance in mid-October for his efforts in improving the park and expanding its community offerings. You can do your part to support Prospect Park by attending their Third Wednesdays cocktail parties. A $25 ticket gives you access to the Lullwater Lounge at the Audubon Center, drinks (by Brooklyn Brewery) and snacks.
The Prospect Park Alliance has announced that its annual ball will be held Saturday, October 17, from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. There will be cocktails, dinner, dessert and dancing in a tent at the Prospect Park Carousel, as well as auctions and carousel rides. At this black tie (or festive attire) event, the Wilbur A. Levin Award will go to Stephen K. Hindy of the Brooklyn Brewery.
Individual tickets are $350. Payment may be made by check to the Prospect Park Alliance, 95 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215. For information regarding groups and program ads, call Frank Accosta, Lorelei Enterprises and Events. Inc., at (212) 838-2660, ext. 21, or email faccosta@loreleievents.com.
Brooklyn Brewery happily supports these and many other charities, community groups and arts organizations. Find out how to get product donations from Brooklyn Brewery here.
