Beermenus Blog

English Cask Ale Festival Tonight

Will — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:51:39 GMT

Head over to Rattle N Hum for the following beers that will be available on cask until they are kicked. Special thanks to Alex Hall for putting together this lineup:

Coniston Old Man Ale – 4.8% – Ruby red, complex ale with fruity aroma. On the palate there’s some caramel, toffee, and dark fruit. Challenger hops impart a clean grassiness with a hint of earth and epice. Recently came in 2nd out of 25 at the New York Times English ale tasting.

Dark Star Hophead – 3.8% – An extremely clean drinking, full bodied, pale gold session ale with a strong floral aroma and elderflower notes. There’s a clean and refreshing hoppiness on the palate. This beer has won many awards at CAMRA beer festivals in the U.K.

Dark Star Best Bitter – 4.0% – This dark amber session bitter is silky with hints of fruit, smooth and enticing on the palate. Hopped with East Kent Goldings.

Dark Star Festival – 5.0% – A chestnut coloured premium Sussex brew with a strong malt backbone and a sweet malt mouthfeel. This beer bears a striking to ‘Festive,’ a formerly Sussex favourite premium cask ale brewed by the now closed King & Barned Brewery.

Dark Star Original – 5.0% – Dark, strong, and smooth with a nice level of bitterness. This recipe is a former 1980s Champion Beer of Britain winner in a previous incarnation – as a beer called ‘Dark Star’ from Pitfield Brewery, devised there by Dark Star Brewery’s founer Rob Jones.

Dark Star Porter – 5.5% – Brown and black malts combine with Target hops in the boil for a luscious, dark, slick, traditional English porter experience.

Greene King Old Speckled Hen – 4.5% – The only real beer from a big brewery (Greene King is a national U.K. brewer). Smooth, malty, fruity, amber ale with a short finish. Rare on cask here, you should find this has much more depth than the ubiquitious nitro-poured version of Old Speckled Hen.

Ridgeway Seriously Bad Elf – 9% – Described as an English Double Ale, this turbid, potent strong brew has a pleasantly spicy hop profile.

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf – 10.5% – A sweetish, very strong winter barleywine with notes of fruit and a warming complexity on the palate.

Westchester and Lazy Boy Saloon!

Will — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:31:56 GMT

BeerMenus is now adding Westchester County for all you commuters and adventurers. One beer bar worth traveling “upstate” for is the Lazy Boy Saloon located in White Plains. This place has over 350 bottles, 5 casks, 30 taps, and some amazing beers you won’t find in the 5 boroughs. Please email us about any beer spots that we should target in Westchester.

BeerMenus Queens

Will — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:23:27 GMT

We are currently adding the borough of Queens to BeerMenus. All recommendations for good beer spots are much appreciated. Shoot us an email or tell your local bar to get on board.

Winter Beers

Will — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:57:30 GMT

As temperatures drop, turn to these Winter Warmers:

Abita Christmas
Anchor Christmas
Barbar Winter Bock
Clipper City Winter Storm
De Dolle Stille Nacht
Elysian Winter
Goose Island Mild Winter
Harpoon Winter Warmer
Ridgeway Santa’s Butt Winter Porter
Sam Adams Winter
Samuel Smith Winter Welcome
Smuttynose Winter
Southern Tier Winter
St. Peter’s Winter
Weltenburger Winter
Winterkoninkse Winter

International Great Beer Expo @ Nassau Coliseum

Will — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:42:22 GMT

On Saturday November 22nd, the International Great Beer Expo will take place. There will be a great selection of imported as well as domestic beers to taste. The event takes place in the spacious 60,000 square feet area at Nassau Coliseum where you will be able to sample beers from over 50 international brewers. The beer list is very diverse and is continually being updated. To buy tickets, click here

Official website

The Tri-Annual Cask Ale Festival, All Weekend!

Russell — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:43:51 GMT

The Brazen Head, in cooperation with Alex Hall of the Gotham Imbiber is proud to announce the ‘Cask Head’ Cask Ale Festival, going on November 7th through 9th. Cask ale is a unique experience, providing unfiltered unpasteurized beer brewed from traditional ingredients. When served, cask ale uses no extraneous carbon dioxide, which all comes together to create an unforgettable brew. Out of the 30 ales and lagers available on cask, 11 or 12 will be tapped at any point, so make sure to get there early since supplies are limited!

EVT + BeerMenus + Dogfish = Beer Dinner

Will — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:29:54 GMT

On November 19th at 7PM, East Village Tavern will be joining forces with BeerMenus and Dogfish Head Brewery to celebrate great beer and food together. The event will begin with a reception with hors d’oeuvres and Dogfish Head Pangaea. Once seated, guests will be served a 4 course dinner, each course will be paired with a vintage Dogfish Head beer. People from East Village Tavern, Dogfish Head, and BeerMenus will describe each food course, each vintage Dogfish Head beer, and why they are an appropriate pairing. Come meet us, hear stories about our beers, bar, and website, and be merry.

This event costs $75 plus tax and gratuity and will sell out fast. To reserve a seat, call Andrew at (212) 253-8400.

Below is the amazing menu:

Reception
Passed and Stationary Appetizers
Dogfish Head Pangaea

House Cured Salmon
Citrus, Fennel, Mustard
Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Creme Fraiche, Pumpkin Seed Oil
Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Veal Cheeks Bourguignon
Wild Mushroom Grits, Young Carrots
Dogfish Head Red and White

Chicory Coffee Pot de Creme
Brown Sugar Shortbread
Dogfish Head Raison D’Extra

Official Event Website

Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel, On Tap

Will — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:08:58 GMT

Come try the Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel tonight, at Bar Great Harry. This beer has never been kegged until now. The brewery describes it: “Named after the mythical Greek three-headed dog that guards the gates of hell, Kerberos is a traditional Belgian-style Tripel with a dark golden color that has a sweet flavor with a dry and spicy finish.” Along with this rare find, Bar Great Harry will be pouring Barrel-aged Gonzo Imperial Porter, Dogtoberfest Oktoberfest, Tire Bite Golden Ale, Doggie Style Pale Ale, and In-Heat Wheat. Come try these great beers and chat with guys from Flying Dog.

Beer in the New York State Legislature

Russell — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:36:41 GMT

BeerMenus recently had the privilege of interviewing Dan Adams, the lobbyist for the New York State Brewers Association. Mr. Adams allowed us a few questions regarding craft beer in New York.

When asked about the state of the craft brewing industry, Mr. Adams proclaimed, “The craft brewing industry is presented as a growing industry contributing to the economic well being of the state and is highly respected and favorably positioned.” Mr. Adams even suggested that with all the economic turmoil, the craft beer industry will remain strong. As he states, “Tracking beer shipments and tax collection reports for over 40 years in this business show that our consumers continue to enjoy our products even when the economy fails.”

We brought up the status of the S 6101 Bill, which impacts craft beer across the entire state. Mr. Adams let us know that the bill, which would allow small breweries to terminate their contracts with distributors with more ease and less expense did pass, but was vetoed by Governor Paterson. However, Mr. Adams is working with the Governor’s Chief of Staff to revise and sign the bill by early 2009.

Mr. Adams responded warmly to our question of what BeerMenus.com users could do to help support small breweries in New York, letting us know “Purchase only New York State Craft brewed beer, and drink only New York State Craft brewed beer.”

Halloween Chocolate and Beer

Will — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:23:37 GMT

This year for Halloween try something different. Try beer and chocolate pairings. Charlie Papazian, author of the homebrewer’s bible The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing and founder of the Great American Brew Festival, wrote an article yesterday in the Examiner about beer and chocolate pairing titled Chocolate and beer is a taste match from heaven – No tricks, just treats.

The article mentions the presentation by chocolate maker Steve DeVries of Devries Chocolate in Denver, Colorado where he paired several of his own chocolates with beers from our local Shmaltz Brewing Company. Chocolate nibs with the Jewbellation and carmelized nibs with the Bittersweet Lenny’s RIPA. The criteria for beer to go with chocolate: "Generally, I find beers with alcohol levels between 7% and 12% a good starting point. I seek chocolate matches with beer portraying a degree of caramel, toffee, roast, coffee, cocoa malt character. "

Charlie concluded: “What does this all have to do with Halloween? “Boo.” Take a pass on the kisses and tricks. This Halloween treat yourself to some chocolate finery. It will change your world. The kind of change you can believe in, giving you another occasion to enjoy, savor and share your beer discoveries. Tricks, treats, boo, Halloween, chocolate.”

Read the full article here

Try our local chocolate maker Nunu Chocolate.

No Joke Oktoberfest Beer Lineup

Will — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:14:18 GMT

The Spuyten Duyvil Oktoberfest event starts tomorrow at noon. This event has the most impressive Oktoberfest beer selection. You will look at the list and ask yourself, are they serious? It’s no joke. It’s true what they say, the best things in life are worth waiting for.

On Tap:
1. Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Monks Dunkel
2. Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Monks Fest
3. Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Monks Altfrankish
4. Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Monks Kloster Sud
5 Keesmann Lager
6. TBD (most likely a Mahrs beer)

In 20L Gravity Barrel:
1. Hofmann Dunkel
2. Rittmayer Kellerbier
3. Beck (not Beck’s) Lager
4. Sonnenbrau Lager
5. Roppelt Lager
6. Weiherer Lager
7. Weiherer Rauchbier
8. Fassla Lager
9. Fassla Pils
10. Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Kloster Sud
11. Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Bonifatius Dunkel
12. Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Altfrankish

In 30L Gravity Barrel:
1. Neder Hell
2. Gunther Brau Bernstein
3. Mahrs Kellerbier
Plus a VERY RARE Pine-Tar Pitch Lined Wooden Cask of Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Altfrankish

Bottles:
Scholl Marzen, Drummer Dunkel, Leitner Marzen, Hartmann Kellerbier, Huppendorfer Vollbier, Simon Spezial, Sonnenbrau Kellerbier, Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Kloster Sud, Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Altfrankish, Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Marzen, Weissenohe Klosterbrauerei Classic Organic Export, Rittmayer Hausbier, Neder Schwarze Anna, Monchsambacher Lager, Trunk Nothelfer Ernte Bier, Gunther Brau Schwarzbier, Greif Capitulare Jubilaums, Hebendanz Annafestbier, Hebendanz Marzen
NO JOKE

Great American Brew Fest NY Medal Winners

Will — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:49:27 GMT

Last weekend the Great American Brew Fest, one of the largest and oldest brew fests in America, took place in Denver, Colorado. 46,000 people attended the event with over 2900 beers competing in over 75 categories. Each category awarded a gold, silver, and bronze medal. Some of our New York Winners…

Chelsea Black Hole XXX Stout – Bronze medal in the Foreign-Style Stout category.

Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold – Gold medal in the American-Belgo Style Ale category.

Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious – Silver medal in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer category.

Ommegang Rare Vos – Bronze medal in the Belgian and French Style Ale category.

Ithaca Cascazilla – Silver medal in the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category.

Ithaca Brute – Silver medal in the American-Style or German-Style Sour Ale category.

Saratoga Lager – Silver medal in the German-Style Marzen category.

Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner: Now Available

Will — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:26:20 GMT

Every Fall Sam Adams releases the Imperial Pilsner, a true showcase of Hallertau hops from Bavaria, Germany. On the bottle it says “An Internse hop experience” that uses “enormous, almost reckless quantities of Hallertau hops.” For you hop heads out there who generally drink imperial and double IPAs, this beer is a must try. This beer was recently released and is only around for a few weeks, so make sure to give it a try and email us places where you found it so others can enjoy this intense Sam Adams brew.

Friday: Hog Roast Harvest Hoedown & Sixpoint

Will — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:15:41 GMT

From 6-10PM this Friday, head over to the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn to feast on a roasted 200 pound berkshire hog. Celebrate the Fall season with a plate of pork tacos, roast corn, fresh salsas, greens and warm apple crisps. There will be live music and seasonal brews from Sixpoint.

Buy tix here.

Unibroue Quatre-Centième

Will — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:49:58 GMT

This limited release brew commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City is a strong blonde ale clocking in at 7.5%. Starting with a nose of ginger and citrus, this beer is malty with hints of hops and spice. Available in bottle-conditioned 750 ml corked bottles, this beer has the Quebec City coat of arms on the label.

Check it out at the following places: