All photos by Eric Schwortz

We gathered at The Boathouse in Prospect Park with Ovenly and The Meathook to celebrate the arrival of Brooklyn Detonation Ale. Friends, family, the beer bloggeratti, all showed up for mirth and merriment.

All we can say is that Detonation worked. Not for free either. Tickets sold plus tips collected earned the inimitable Prospect Park Alliance $3,262.

Mad Hops over at BeerGoggins had this to say about the party:

Brooklyn Brewery’s Detonation Ale Explodes Onto The Scene

On Monday, August 16, the skies opened up and some heavy rains washed down over New York. Walking toward the Boathouse at the Audubon House in Prospect Park, a park official cut us off. “Can’t go this way,” he said. “It’s flooded down that way.”

The reason? Brooklyn Brewery’s newest creation blew a hole in the sky.

Damp and overlooking a pond rife with fallen leaves and paddling ducks, bloggers and beer lovers gathered under gray clouds to celebrate Garrett Oliver’s newest brewmaster’s reserve, aptly dubbed Detonation Ale.

Taking their BLAST! IPA and upping the ante, Detonation Ale features seven – count ‘em, seven – different kinds of hops. As my sudsy pseudonym suggests, this pleased me very much. This hop-heavy pale ale is a dark copper in color, heavy on the citric aromas and very, very easy to drink.

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More photos here.

*A limited amount of tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Online ticketing has been halted, though.

ALSO, don’t even worry about the rain. The boathouse has ample indoor space for everyone to enjoy Detonation, Sorachi Ace, Local 1 & 2 and other tasty things. There are also giant chipmunks and a human-sized bird’s nest to hang out in. So it’s really a no-brainer.

Celebrate the arrival of our newest beer, Detonation Ale, in style at The Boathouse in Prospect Park. Here’s what you need to know. Tickets are $20 and include a first taste of Detonation plus some other Brewery favorites, real good food from Ovenly, meatstuffs from The Meathook and dumplings from The Dump School. All ticket proceeds benefit The Prospect Park Alliance.

Click here for a map of Prospect Park.

“For about eight years now, we’ve brewed a Brooklyn-style hop monster called BLAST! It’s a robust IPA using both British and Pacific Northwest hops. We haven’t had enough space to brew much of it, but we hear that people really enjoy BLAST! when it shows up. And it’s one of our favorite beers here at the brewery. Well, now we’d like more of you to see our hoppier side. Meet BLAST!’s big brother, Brooklyn Detonation Ale.

It’s a copper-colored pale ale with British malt character, American hop ebullience, Brooklyn attitude and disturbing drinkability. British caramel malts lend richness and depth, while a blend of American hops give the beer a minerally backbone and explosive aromatics (with a special guest appearance by our pal East Kent Golding as ‘The English Aristocrat’).

Brooklyn Detonation Ale is mighty tasty. It probably even gives you fresher breath And whiter teeth, but we can’t prove that part. Nor can we support the claim that it concentrates the mind on life’s better aspects. However, we can guarantee that it’s terrific with pork tacos, Thai food, Indian dishes, burgers, and sharp cheeses. So have yourself some Brooklyn Detonation Ale – after all, isn’t it about time you blew up?”

– Garrett Oliver

Beer Stats:

Malts: British floor malted Maris Otter, German pilsner malt, British crystal malt
Other sugars: First pressing Demerara sugar, Mauritius
Hops: Willamette, Amarillo, Palisade, Sorachi Ace, Simcoe, Cascade and East Kent Golding
O.G.: 21.5 Plato
ABV: 10.2%

Imbibe Magazine did a nice piece on experimental hops and the delicious beers they turn into.  The story goes from England to Boston, West Coast to East Coast. And, here’s the shocker, there’s even a little interview with Garrett. Read on, friends.

From Imbibemagazine.com

Each year, in the lush fields of the Pacific Northwest, dozens of experimental hop breeds are planted, most only identified by a string of numbers like a shadowy government project. These fledgling varieties are often the result of crossing existing strains in hopes of, say, increasing mildew resistance, amping yields or devising unique flavors. Each year, large craft breweries examine these numbered hop breeds not yet in the marketplace, hoping to answer a single question: Can this hop make a great new beer?

Often, the answer is no, but every once in a while, a hop shows serious promise. In this case, the hop is named, it graduates from lab to brew kettle and the experimentation begins. Just in time for warm weather, a handful of new hop varieties have proven their mettle and made their way into a crop of refreshing beers. With notes of earthy citrus, tropical fruit, white wine or floral tea, they’re adding distinct complexity to everything from IPAs to ESBs, and they’re inspiring brewers to craft a whole new style of summertime brews.

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I Drunk That stopped by for our Brooklyn Dark Matter release party and did what I Drunk That does best. Drunk beer and wrote stuff. See the post below.

From I Drunk That

Last night, New York received another great opportunity to visit the Brooklyn Brewery for the invite-only release of Dark Matter, their latest in the Brewmaster’s Reserve series. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver was on hand along along with a laundry list of the city’s finest pub owners, food editors and beer bloggers. Once again, the tap room flowed with some of brewery’s best drafts: Cookie Jar Porter, Monster ‘09, Blast, Black Chocolate Stout ‘09, Pilsner and more. The Bedford Cheese Shop and The Meat Hook were on hand to supply a nice meat and cheese compliment Dark Matter’s vanilla-oaked, sweet palate of flavors.

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We’ve been getting excited about tonight for a while. The good folks over at that craft beer and classic arcade game haven, Barcade, are putting 12 rare and vintage draft lines and bottles on tonight only.  See below this breathtaking e-flyer for the beer list.

Backbreaker – 7.0% ABV – Extra malt-y Strong Ale
Black Chocolate Stout 2004 – 10.1% – aged at Barcade since our first winter
Blast (cask) – 8.0% – A very large IPA, served on cask
Brown – 5.5% – Our classic English Brown Ale
Cookie Jar Porter – 7.8% – Oatmeal cookie, anyone?
Cuvee de Cardoz – 8.5% – Belgian style Strong Pale Ale with Indian Spices
Dark Matter – 7.5% – Brown ale aged in bourbon barrels (first time ever on draft)
Lager – 5.2% – Brooklyn’s finest
Monster Ale 2004 – 11.8% – barleywine, aged at Barcade as well
Sorachi Ace – 6.5% – Belgian style Farmhouse Ale
Weisse – 5.0% – German style Hefeweizen
Wild One – 9.0%? – Wild yeast version of Brooklyn Local 1

The latest invention from our intrepid brewing team is rolling to a better beer bar near you. Read Dark Matter’s creation story from Brewmaster Garrett Oliver below, and find out how you can win a pair of tickets to next week’s launch party.

Cosmologists tell us that the universe was made by a massive explosion called the Big Bang. And in this Big Bang was created a material called “dark matter”, which accounts for 95% of the mass of the universe and actually binds the universe together. Well, that sounds pretty heavy. But it’s theoretical. Here in Brooklyn, our cosmology is a bit different.

In the beginning, there was Black Ops. Or perhaps not. Beer does have its mysteries. Anyhow, they say that back in 2007, a small amount of Dark Matter was created alongside Black Ops, but very few people had an opportunity to taste it. The Brooklyn Brewing Team decided that this shortage was unfortunate – plenty of Dark Matter for themselves, but not enough to share with all their friends. So last autumn they decided to recreate Dark Matter and open up the Brooklyn Barrel Room to a wider world. Brooklyn Dark Matter is a robust brown ale aged for four months in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels. Some barrels previously held Black Ops, some hosted The Manhattan Project, others came straight from the distilleries as soon as the whiskey was decanted. We’ve blended these barrels to create a beer full of caramel and chocolate flavors heightened by vanilla-like oak notes and hints of the barrels’ previous tenants. The result is a smooth, rich beer that really loves food, from fried or roasted chicken to char-grilled steak, barbecue, pork chops and even monkfish. And on some chilly evening in late winter, or perhaps the first warm night of spring, we hope that you may be tempted to believe that Dark Matter really does bind the universe together.

– Garrett Oliver

The first 25 drinkers to email info@brooklynbrewery.com with “Dark Matter Winner” will win passes for two to THIS MONDAY’s party (March 8th, 7:30pm – 10:30pm) at The Brewery. Get to it!

Tom Pavlich did some sleuthing and wrote a piece about our next Brewmaster’s Reserve, which should be shipping in a couple weeks.

By Tom Pavlich for  TheWGNews.com

Anywhere you go in the country you are bound to find a craft brewery or brew pub serving up fresh beers for the local public, but here in North Brooklyn we are very privileged to have one of the best. Brooklyn Brewery is located right in our back yard near the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, and it is very easy for New Yorkers to take such a great institution for granted. Everyone knows their beers, especially Brooklyn Lager, but occasionally you find one on tap, or cask that you have never seen before…and this weekend that beer is Dark Matter.

A couple months ago Garrett Oliver, the brew master of Brooklyn Brewery, spoke to the New York City Home Brewers’ Guild at one of their monthly meetings. He discussed the the brewery’s beers, told stories, explained that they are not relocating but expanding their operation right here on North 11th Street in Williamsburg, and he also brought beers for everyone to taste.

Most people are familiar with Brooklyn Brown, one of the flagship ales that the brewery makes. Brooklyn Brown is a fine American Brown Ale with hints of caramel, rich chocolate undertones, just a hint of coffee, and balanced perfectly with hops. Brooklyn Brewery originally only made this ale as a holiday specialty, but it has since become a year-round offering…and for good reason. One of the beers that Mr. Oliver brought to share with the Home Brewer’s Guild was a beer called Dark Matter. He explained that it was a beer that was brewed specifically for himself and the other members of the brewery team to enjoy. Dark Matter is the Brooklyn Brown ale aged 9 months in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels. The already delicious brown ale picks up hints of vanilla, a touch of bourbon, and a bit of booze during this aging creating one of the most drinkable bourbon aged beers out there.

Previously the only way to taste Dark Matter was to go to home brew event where someone from Brooklyn Brewery was speaking or attend one of the beer dinners that Garrett Oliver does around the city, but tonight the only cask of Dark Matter in existence will be tapped at the Brooklyn Brewery!

Brooklyn Brewery’s very rare Dark Matter will be available throughout the weekend until the cask runs dry. I recommend getting there Friday night or early Saturday if you wish to get a taste. Brooklyn Brewery is located at 79 N. 11th St in Williamsburg. They are open to the public Friday 6pm-11pm, Saturday 12pm-8pm, and Sunday 12pm-6pm.

Lots of friends, old and new, stopped by The Brewery last week. We shared in the joys of welcoming a new beer into the world. We also got the rare treat of witnessing a marriage proposal. Look at these photos!

Tap it

Gathering The Courage

Love. Relief.

Brewmaster Oliver and Jimmy

Karl, looking ruggedly handsome and cheerily helpful.

All photos by Philmadelphia via Flickr.

We welcomed Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter into the world at The Brewery, last night. Of course Cookie Jar, our latest Brewmaster’s Reserve was on tap as was a slew of some of our stronger beers. Some of our best friends stopped by to help us tipple in the name of good beer. There was even a marriage proposal (she said yes.) Below, Jason from Sustainabrew.com did a nice little recap of the event and our newest beer.

Last night saw the release of Brooklyn Brewery’s newest Brewmaster Reserve release, the Cookie Jar Porter and I was lucky enough to get to taste their newest creation… And man was it good. This is close to one of my favorites of the Reserve series with the Backbreaker and Blast up there as well. A sweet smooth oatmeal cookie inspired porter that was paired with oatmeal cookies from Feed Your Soul Bakery, as well as cheeses from the Bedford Cheese Shop.

The Porter is brewed using grains such as Floor Malted Maris Otter, British crystal, and Whole Golden Oats. While they also use brown sugar, pureed raisins and wildflower honey fromTremblay Apiaries in upstate New York. Good on them for using some local producers.

The beer is a dark, dark red that bleeds into a beautiful brown hue.  Two steps away from becoming black. The beer has a beautiful roasty nose that has nice toffee raisiny notes balanced with chocolate backbone and just a hint of the Willamette hops.

The Depth moves into the taste as you get those toffee raisiny notes and a whole lot more. The mouthfeel is velvety smooth from the oats while drying out in the end.  The sweetness is accented perfectly by the chocolate and toasted flavors. There is a sourness that comes through which is underscored by the honey and vanilla that make an appearance as the beer warms. Overall a very good beer that I will definitely look for when it hits the taps.

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