Back in the fall I was enjoying a lovely 2-4-$10 Tuesday at Bistro 33 when the rest of my friends decided to drag me to go see the movie that was supposed to “define our generation.” In preparation, I suggested we have some beer, an idea which somehow became we should get some beer and so my friend directed our cab driver to the corner of Ditmars and 29th Street, instructed him to wait at the curb, and we all ran into Fast Break 24. In my Hibiscus Gin Fizz fueled haze I remember thinking damn what an amazing selection before being rushed out with my Dogfish Head Seasonal six packs.
For those of you who don’t know, girls in NYC carry giant handbags out of necessity, like an urban survival kit—one never knows when they may need extra shoes, an entire library, an umbrella, assorted snacks or two six packs of ice cold beer. Sure I had the big bag, but turns out all four of us had bottle openers on our key chains. After the first fifteen minutes of the movie I was thanking the beer gods that these delinquents had convinced me to smuggle those beers and then I looked up at the screen and came face to face with a douchey ex fling from college (ironically he’s not just a douche in real life, he also plays one on the big screen). Blame it on the gin, the Dogfish Head in my hand, or the sudden shock but I blurted out “I took his—“ and then my friend punched me in the arm, and shut me up.
I strolled back into Fast Break 24 the other day and was still in awe of this little corner deli’s beer selection. An abundance of Abita (Purple Haze, Amber, Turbo Dog) on shelves below Lagunitas (CENSORED, IPA, Pils), and above a collection of Sierra Nevada (Pale, Torpedo, Stout, and Glissade). These alone made me pretty happy, but then I noticed the shelf of Anchor Steam six packs and almost couldn’t contain my excitement! Anchor Liberty, Porter, Bock, and could it be?! Anchor Old Foghorn Barleywine! Hell yeah! A bar patron of mine who has been sober for a bit now waxes all too poetically about Old Foghorn with it’s sweet and hoppy taste and 8.5%abv.
Sure Fast Break has the usual suspects of assorted Budweiser, Modelo, Corona, Yuengling, Amstel, Stella but on either side of those are six packs of Brooklyn—they even have some Brooklyn Chocolate lefts!—Rogue, Smuttynose, Troegs, and Full Sail. My bodega has a decent selection but this place has more beer options than they do flavors of Vitamin Water and Gatorade! According to the cashier the owner personally selects the beers according to his taste, and his taste is good.
In addition to six packs, an entire fridge is dedicated to larger bottles. Schneider Weiss and Aventinus Doppelbock—a rich dark wheat beer with hints of banana, honey, and cloves that is as delicious as it is deadly at 8.2% abv. Bluepoint’s awesome Rasta Rye and several others were starting to make me thirsty when I noticed up and to the right a selection of 750mil bottles.
For you fruit lovers out there they have bottles of Dogfish Head Fort and Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic—both rich in fizzy raspberry flavor—and Ommegang’s Three Philosophers, a quadruppel with dark cherry lambic. For those of you who want to cellar a bottle or two, go grab one of Dogfish Head’s Chateau Jiahu. Jiahu is a part of the ancient ale series and is brewed using sake yeast, orange blossom honey, grapes, brown rice syrup and a recipe taken by analyzing ancient pottery found in China. After laying eyes on the Jiahu I thought I had discovered all the wonders Fast Break 24 had to offer. I swept my eyes over the coolers, lest I miss something important, and a bright orange package caught my eye.
I knelt down to examine the absurdity of Mike’s Hard Mango Punch and came face to label with a magnum bottle of Anchor Steam Christmas Ale, vintage 2009 with a $20 price tag. Hell Yeah! So what if my fridge is rapidly turning into a beer cooler, I am the Beer Wench after all.
A big shout out goes to the Ryan and the Astoria Home Brewers for their recent appearance on NY1—yay beer!
Welcome To The Adventures of The Beer Wench
Monday, February 21, 2011
East Coast vs West Coast with the Wench
Walking into Sunswick this past Thursday night I found myself surrounded by what felt like every beer rep. and every thirsty beer geek in Astoria (ok so it was a bar full of beer geeks, I mean when you get right down to it the reps are just geeks with access to breweries and license to sell). It was loud, rowdy, and about to get extremely raucous—Sunswick was hosting the kickoff of the East Coast Vs West Coast Brewery throw down and if you missed the party my friends, I am truly sorry for you.
My motley crew and I commandeered the front couch and went about the all-important process of deciding which flight of beer to get first—all west coast? All one brewery? Light or dark perhaps? Juan hadn’t come around with the beer lists yet so, inspired by my buddy Pat from Smuttynose’s description of their new brews I opted for one whole flight from New Hampshire. Yay East Coast! Mike Long Hair went for an assortment of East Coast beer and Josh had me pick him out a pint, he wanted some hops and nothing dark, when I brought him the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ from Lagunitas he was thrilled.
Let’s break down the highlights from the East Coast, shall we? My favorite Smuttynose offering was hands down their Baltic Porter. Rich espresso flavor, slight dark fruit finish, smooth mouthfeel, and a robust 9%abv. Wouldn’t have minded a whole pint of the stuff, but I had three more mini-beers on my flight already. Also of note from the boys in New Hampshire is their Wheat Wine Ale—dude I shit you not it is 12%abv. This ale is actually a new breed of beer, they were unable to release it sooner due to legal issues with the name. Turns out the Tax and Trade Bureau thought that the use of the word “wine” on the label would lead consumers to think the beer was wine—sigh, do they really think the general public is that dumb? This is the first wheat ale brewed in the barleywine style and it tastes complex, slightly hoppy, mildly fruity with a boozy kick. These two beers alone were enough to get me feeling a little happy and it’s no wonder, their abv’s are right on up there with Belgian beers!
Also keeping it real for the East Coast, Pennsylvania’s Victory brought several badass brews to the table (not to mention a hilarious rep, I wish I remembered our witty repartee, but at least I got an awesome t-shirt). Of note from Victory: the Storm King Stout and Yakima Glory Black IPA. Both beers are strong in character and appearance, dark, malty, roasty, and hoppy and both right around 9%abv. A hoppy stout, you say? Why yes it sure was! Not as hoppy as the Yakima Glory, but still quite a floral, yet weighty stout.
Jumping across the country, my next flight showcased some yummy stuff from our friends at Lagunitas. You all know my love for the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ wheat ale, with it’s herbal, piney aroma and slight juniper taste— I’m getting thirsty thinking about the stuff—but I found a new love in their Cappuccino Stout (9.2%). No surprise here, it’s made with tons of coffee and roasted barley and man does it taste like espresso. Even looking at the beer in the glass is reminiscent of a perfect espresso shot, dark brown with a creamy white crema, and it is delicious. Oh West Coast you are making a good argument for yourself!
Seriously the noise level was deafening between the patrons, battling East Coast/ West Coast music, and rowdy beer reps defending their chosen brews, but it all seemed to silence the moment I tried my favorite offering of the evening: Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Porter (10%). Oh. My. God. One little sip and I was hooked, it slid down my throat, coating it like the best truffle in all of creation. Smooth, rich, bold vanilla, coffee, and dark chocolate flavors exploded in my mouth enveloped my senses—this my friends is a damn good beer. One by one my friends reacted in a similar manor—one sip resulted in closed eyes and sighs of “oh yeah, that’s amazing.” Ballast Point also offered up their Barmy Ale (10.7%). Barmy tastes like fruity Riesling and it’s made with lots of fruit and caramelized honey. Girlfriend doesn’t like beer? Give her one of these, she’ll love it. Give her two and you may have to carry her home, but that’s another story.
Have you perhaps been paying attention to the numbers I’ve been laying out for you? A typical beer is somewhere around 5%abv guys, now go back and check out the ones I just listed before I finish my beer tale. Good. Right about now is where I will apologize for getting drunkenly inspired to go on a pub-crawl instead of waiting for the foamy verdict. In my high-octane brew fuelled haze it seemed more fun to trek out in the snow than stay squished like a sardine at Sunswick, plus I had already tried everything on tap at Sunswick and the Mad Donkey was only a few blocks away. Sure I called Sunswick on Friday to find out who won but the brunch bartender immediately asked if I had left my credit card when I said I had a question about Thursday night and then laughed and told me, sorry he had no idea who won. Hey, I may have left part of my memory and a bit of my liver, but at least I didn’t leave my credit card ☺.
Want to check out the East West Brewery Battle for yourself? It may have left Astoria but Pony Bar on 44th and 10th is hosting it this Wednesday! Check out beermenus.com/events for the complete tour listing
My motley crew and I commandeered the front couch and went about the all-important process of deciding which flight of beer to get first—all west coast? All one brewery? Light or dark perhaps? Juan hadn’t come around with the beer lists yet so, inspired by my buddy Pat from Smuttynose’s description of their new brews I opted for one whole flight from New Hampshire. Yay East Coast! Mike Long Hair went for an assortment of East Coast beer and Josh had me pick him out a pint, he wanted some hops and nothing dark, when I brought him the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ from Lagunitas he was thrilled.
Let’s break down the highlights from the East Coast, shall we? My favorite Smuttynose offering was hands down their Baltic Porter. Rich espresso flavor, slight dark fruit finish, smooth mouthfeel, and a robust 9%abv. Wouldn’t have minded a whole pint of the stuff, but I had three more mini-beers on my flight already. Also of note from the boys in New Hampshire is their Wheat Wine Ale—dude I shit you not it is 12%abv. This ale is actually a new breed of beer, they were unable to release it sooner due to legal issues with the name. Turns out the Tax and Trade Bureau thought that the use of the word “wine” on the label would lead consumers to think the beer was wine—sigh, do they really think the general public is that dumb? This is the first wheat ale brewed in the barleywine style and it tastes complex, slightly hoppy, mildly fruity with a boozy kick. These two beers alone were enough to get me feeling a little happy and it’s no wonder, their abv’s are right on up there with Belgian beers!
Also keeping it real for the East Coast, Pennsylvania’s Victory brought several badass brews to the table (not to mention a hilarious rep, I wish I remembered our witty repartee, but at least I got an awesome t-shirt). Of note from Victory: the Storm King Stout and Yakima Glory Black IPA. Both beers are strong in character and appearance, dark, malty, roasty, and hoppy and both right around 9%abv. A hoppy stout, you say? Why yes it sure was! Not as hoppy as the Yakima Glory, but still quite a floral, yet weighty stout.
Jumping across the country, my next flight showcased some yummy stuff from our friends at Lagunitas. You all know my love for the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ wheat ale, with it’s herbal, piney aroma and slight juniper taste— I’m getting thirsty thinking about the stuff—but I found a new love in their Cappuccino Stout (9.2%). No surprise here, it’s made with tons of coffee and roasted barley and man does it taste like espresso. Even looking at the beer in the glass is reminiscent of a perfect espresso shot, dark brown with a creamy white crema, and it is delicious. Oh West Coast you are making a good argument for yourself!
Seriously the noise level was deafening between the patrons, battling East Coast/ West Coast music, and rowdy beer reps defending their chosen brews, but it all seemed to silence the moment I tried my favorite offering of the evening: Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Porter (10%). Oh. My. God. One little sip and I was hooked, it slid down my throat, coating it like the best truffle in all of creation. Smooth, rich, bold vanilla, coffee, and dark chocolate flavors exploded in my mouth enveloped my senses—this my friends is a damn good beer. One by one my friends reacted in a similar manor—one sip resulted in closed eyes and sighs of “oh yeah, that’s amazing.” Ballast Point also offered up their Barmy Ale (10.7%). Barmy tastes like fruity Riesling and it’s made with lots of fruit and caramelized honey. Girlfriend doesn’t like beer? Give her one of these, she’ll love it. Give her two and you may have to carry her home, but that’s another story.
Have you perhaps been paying attention to the numbers I’ve been laying out for you? A typical beer is somewhere around 5%abv guys, now go back and check out the ones I just listed before I finish my beer tale. Good. Right about now is where I will apologize for getting drunkenly inspired to go on a pub-crawl instead of waiting for the foamy verdict. In my high-octane brew fuelled haze it seemed more fun to trek out in the snow than stay squished like a sardine at Sunswick, plus I had already tried everything on tap at Sunswick and the Mad Donkey was only a few blocks away. Sure I called Sunswick on Friday to find out who won but the brunch bartender immediately asked if I had left my credit card when I said I had a question about Thursday night and then laughed and told me, sorry he had no idea who won. Hey, I may have left part of my memory and a bit of my liver, but at least I didn’t leave my credit card ☺.
Want to check out the East West Brewery Battle for yourself? It may have left Astoria but Pony Bar on 44th and 10th is hosting it this Wednesday! Check out beermenus.com/events for the complete tour listing
Beer Wench Treks to Best Yet
Happy New Year Beer Lovers! First things first—a giant thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Best of 2010 Poll! I know I’ve been a little quiet as of late but I promise to do my best to make it up to you now that the holiday season has come to a close and most of the snow has been plowed. I have big plans for this year folks, starting with registering for Cicerone (see also: Beer Geek) classes and getting ready for my February trip to Dogfishhead.
Bring it on 2011 the Wench is ready for you!
Another big thank you goes out to DiWine for hosting the WLA Writer’s party! I had never been to DiWine before but after that spiffy shindig I will certainly go again and do a full write up. Food was delicious, ambiance was sexy and laid back, beer list was do-able and that open bar sure as hell didn’t hurt. Thank you DiWine and thank you WLA!!
I’ve been toying with the idea of having a beer tasting party for some time now, so when I finally got a day off I decided to make the trip to check out Best Yet Market to see if they can give EuroMarket a run for their money and help me stock up for some festivities.
Best Yet is set back in a shopping plaza on 20th ave and 37th St. with a liquor store and a Bank of America (is it just me or are all Bank of Americas in Astoria the most inconveniently located banks ever?!). Walking in through the automatic doors I was immediately greeted by the sight of a straight up grocery store, this place is as big as a suburban Stop & Shop! I did a loop through the whole store, checking out the sushi counter, butcher, and produce area before arriving in beer section.
Walking past the refrigerated section I was mildly disappointed, sure there were oddities like Red Stripe Light and Heineken Dark that piqued my curiosity and a few six-packs from Californian breweries that aren’t too prevalent in NY, but the abundance of Natural Ice made my heart sink a little—I walked all the way down here for this?!
Then my friends, I hit the room temperature shelves. Mixed packs of Flying Dog, Smuttynose, Bluepoint and Abita all for around $17! Six packs of Lagunitas Pils, IPA, and CENSORED right next to a variety of Oskar Blues cans. Skull Splitter Scotch Ale in four packs! 22oz bottles offering all the sideshow goodness of Coney Island: Albino Python, Sword Swallower, and Coney Island Lager were all lined up above a smorgasbord of Samuel Smith beers. Big bottles of Stone, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, Wailing Wench and Hitachino White all there for the taking at under $10!
The Belgian selection was reasonable, the highlights being the $5 bottle of Orval, the $13.99 4 pack of Duvel and the Trappist Sampler gift pack of five bottles for $34.99. Right next to the Belgians was a line of Belgian style ales: Allagash Dubbel and White, almost all of the Ommegang line, and a bottle bearing a mustachioed grain marked “Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, Jack D’Or” saison ale. I grabbed a bottle of the Allagash Dubbel and a bottle of the “Pretty Things” and began my hike home.
While my new beer acquisitions chilled in my fridge (which at present is only used as a beer cooler, sigh must remember to buy food too) I grabbed my laptop with the intent of delving into this “Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.” Turns out these are some beer loving folks in Massachusetts who refer to themselves as a “gypsy brewery”. Without a permanent brewery to call home base, they collectively brew their innovative brews in small batches at their homes or at whichever brewery will let them in. My mustachioed friend on the label of the Jack D’Or is the “ soul of beer, nature’s magician” and he adorns the label of their flagship beer, a Saison Ale. They have a useful beer locator on their website and several stores and bars in NY are mentioned for carrying their beers, Best Yet Market, however, isn’t on that list. I’ve got to say that I appreciate what these crazy kids are doing, this shit takes balls. Jack D’Or Saison was very spicy and peppery to me, with some sour notes that seemed more lambic than saison to me, but unlike lambic the sourness didn’t finish clean. I was left with puckered lips and a fuzz coated tongue. Rarely do I come across a brew I can’t drink so I asked Joe to try it too, fully expecting him to at least finish the bottle. Sadly, neither one of us cared for Jack D’Or, but at least we tried something new.
Bring it on 2011 the Wench is ready for you!
Another big thank you goes out to DiWine for hosting the WLA Writer’s party! I had never been to DiWine before but after that spiffy shindig I will certainly go again and do a full write up. Food was delicious, ambiance was sexy and laid back, beer list was do-able and that open bar sure as hell didn’t hurt. Thank you DiWine and thank you WLA!!
I’ve been toying with the idea of having a beer tasting party for some time now, so when I finally got a day off I decided to make the trip to check out Best Yet Market to see if they can give EuroMarket a run for their money and help me stock up for some festivities.
Best Yet is set back in a shopping plaza on 20th ave and 37th St. with a liquor store and a Bank of America (is it just me or are all Bank of Americas in Astoria the most inconveniently located banks ever?!). Walking in through the automatic doors I was immediately greeted by the sight of a straight up grocery store, this place is as big as a suburban Stop & Shop! I did a loop through the whole store, checking out the sushi counter, butcher, and produce area before arriving in beer section.
Walking past the refrigerated section I was mildly disappointed, sure there were oddities like Red Stripe Light and Heineken Dark that piqued my curiosity and a few six-packs from Californian breweries that aren’t too prevalent in NY, but the abundance of Natural Ice made my heart sink a little—I walked all the way down here for this?!
Then my friends, I hit the room temperature shelves. Mixed packs of Flying Dog, Smuttynose, Bluepoint and Abita all for around $17! Six packs of Lagunitas Pils, IPA, and CENSORED right next to a variety of Oskar Blues cans. Skull Splitter Scotch Ale in four packs! 22oz bottles offering all the sideshow goodness of Coney Island: Albino Python, Sword Swallower, and Coney Island Lager were all lined up above a smorgasbord of Samuel Smith beers. Big bottles of Stone, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, Wailing Wench and Hitachino White all there for the taking at under $10!
The Belgian selection was reasonable, the highlights being the $5 bottle of Orval, the $13.99 4 pack of Duvel and the Trappist Sampler gift pack of five bottles for $34.99. Right next to the Belgians was a line of Belgian style ales: Allagash Dubbel and White, almost all of the Ommegang line, and a bottle bearing a mustachioed grain marked “Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, Jack D’Or” saison ale. I grabbed a bottle of the Allagash Dubbel and a bottle of the “Pretty Things” and began my hike home.
While my new beer acquisitions chilled in my fridge (which at present is only used as a beer cooler, sigh must remember to buy food too) I grabbed my laptop with the intent of delving into this “Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.” Turns out these are some beer loving folks in Massachusetts who refer to themselves as a “gypsy brewery”. Without a permanent brewery to call home base, they collectively brew their innovative brews in small batches at their homes or at whichever brewery will let them in. My mustachioed friend on the label of the Jack D’Or is the “ soul of beer, nature’s magician” and he adorns the label of their flagship beer, a Saison Ale. They have a useful beer locator on their website and several stores and bars in NY are mentioned for carrying their beers, Best Yet Market, however, isn’t on that list. I’ve got to say that I appreciate what these crazy kids are doing, this shit takes balls. Jack D’Or Saison was very spicy and peppery to me, with some sour notes that seemed more lambic than saison to me, but unlike lambic the sourness didn’t finish clean. I was left with puckered lips and a fuzz coated tongue. Rarely do I come across a brew I can’t drink so I asked Joe to try it too, fully expecting him to at least finish the bottle. Sadly, neither one of us cared for Jack D’Or, but at least we tried something new.
Winter Beer Picks
The signs are all there—candy cane striped booths in Union Square, ice skating dates in Bryant Park, rumors abounding about a sledding hill in Queens, and the steadily growing sound of sleigh bells—all of a sudden December is upon us. Sure there’s no snow yet but there are plenty of twinkly lights to help us pretend. From here on in it’s party season my sweets and here are some awesome brews to add to your holiday enjoyment. Pop the top and sip with friends or wrap them up and give as gifts—who says you have to bring wine as a hostess gift?
Let’s start with the beers made especially for this time of year, the ones that aren’t available past January but the tastes of which I lust for year round.
My quintessential Christmas brew comes from Belgium in a sleigh pulled by eight pink elephants. Delirium Noel and I began our love affair four years ago, one taste of the spiced warm ale and I was hooked. Hints of plum, brown sugar, orange zest, cardamom, and glorious booze run through Noel, and it should taste boozy, after all it is 10%abv. The art on the bottle is fun and lively and if you can score some of the signature glasses with the Santa hat clad pink elephants you’ll be all set for gift giving or party hosting.
Every year Anchor Steam releases a new Christmas Ale with new label art. This year brings us the 36th Christmas Ale and if past brews are any indicator, it will be delightful. Can I tell you anything else about the flavor of the beer? Nope, sorry. Anchor Steam’s website even says the ingredients and ABV is top secret, the only way to find out anything about this ale is to drink one for yourself. You could even cellar a few Christmas Ales to compare to later incarnations. Want Christmas Ale glassware too? Check out Anchor Steam’s website, where they also have posters with all 36 Christmas Ale labels ever made!
One beer in the world is made only once a year in a brewery in Switzerland on St. Nicholas Eve (December 6), it is then stored in caves under the Alps for an entire year until it is ready for celebratory consumption. Switzerland celebrates Santa Claus apart from Christmas itself and that thinking gave the world a fabulous gift—Samichlaus Lager. Samichlaus is Swiss for Santa Claus but after one of these bad boys Saint Nick definitely won’t be steering his sleigh. These brews tip the scales at above 14%abv and are dark, malty and warming. Juan at Sunswick has been holding a keg of Samiclaus for the past few years and rumor has it they will be serving it this year, alongside this year’s batch.
Let’s move on, shall we, to the beers that aren’t just for the holidays but fit right in at any winter party. I’ve noticed a theme in my choice of holiday favorites, yes most of them are dark and chocolaty here, ‘tis the season for decadence!
Brooklyn Brewery’s take on an Imperial Stout rocks my world. There, I said it. It’s 10%abv so it’s sure to rock yours too but the taste, yummmm. It’s a deep dark chocolate truffle of a beer with malt and espresso notes achieved through the use three mashes and specially roasted malts. It’s only available October-March so get it while the getting’s good and pick up a few extra bottles to age, it makes a great addition to your beer cellar. I enjoy this beer with desert or strong cheeses or, hell, just by itself. Careful though, one too many could result in an abundance of yuletide cheer and an urge to carol obnoxiously.
On a somewhat lighter note, Dogfishhead’s Theobroma, which translates into “food of the gods”, is a more nuanced and subtle way to get your chocolate fix. The recipe is based on the chemical analysis of pottery fragments of a vessel that once contained the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink found in Honduras. Theobroma is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto seeds. Every sip of this beer reveals new flavors to me and, while I could drink it all by myself, I really enjoy sharing a bottle to see my friend’s reactions to it. Joe and I have had a bottle chilling in our fridge for a few months now, waiting for the perfect time to savor it (although writing this column is making it hard for me not to jump the gun and drink it myself. Must have willpower!).
If you love ooey gooey dark chocolate brownies this next beer is for you. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence is a Belgian Dark Ale that was first created to celebrate the brewery’s tenth year. It’s champagne corked bottle makes a lovely gift and even comes as part of their sampler pack, complete with an Ommegang glass. I gave this to my cousin and her husband a few years ago and they haven’t stopped talking about it since. It’s silky, decadent and at only 7%abv you can indulge in more than one glass before things start getting hazy.
Nothing says celebration quite like champagne except, wait for it, champagne beer!! Krait Prestige is my favorite champagne lager, with an abundance of festive bubbles and zesty drinkablity it just may become yours too. Krait is double fermented and bottle conditioned, a tradition typically used in the making of Trappist Ales, in Belgium’s Rodenbach brewery. This beer uses a unique blend of barley malt, imported maize, hops, and rice as well as champagne yeast. My old boss gave me a bottle of this a few years back and Joe and I used it to toast our first Valentine’s Day together. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice Brut champagne or prosecco at a party but Krait is more than able to fill in and leave your guests satiated.
While these are my personal favorites, there are many, many more holiday brews out there for the savoring. Experiment with a few and see what you like! Several breweries do gift worthy sample packs and even have glassware and other fun things available for the beer lover in your life. Make sure you have the gift-packs gift-wrapped before you bring them home though, or else the beer may not make it to its holiday destination.
Let’s start with the beers made especially for this time of year, the ones that aren’t available past January but the tastes of which I lust for year round.
My quintessential Christmas brew comes from Belgium in a sleigh pulled by eight pink elephants. Delirium Noel and I began our love affair four years ago, one taste of the spiced warm ale and I was hooked. Hints of plum, brown sugar, orange zest, cardamom, and glorious booze run through Noel, and it should taste boozy, after all it is 10%abv. The art on the bottle is fun and lively and if you can score some of the signature glasses with the Santa hat clad pink elephants you’ll be all set for gift giving or party hosting.
Every year Anchor Steam releases a new Christmas Ale with new label art. This year brings us the 36th Christmas Ale and if past brews are any indicator, it will be delightful. Can I tell you anything else about the flavor of the beer? Nope, sorry. Anchor Steam’s website even says the ingredients and ABV is top secret, the only way to find out anything about this ale is to drink one for yourself. You could even cellar a few Christmas Ales to compare to later incarnations. Want Christmas Ale glassware too? Check out Anchor Steam’s website, where they also have posters with all 36 Christmas Ale labels ever made!
One beer in the world is made only once a year in a brewery in Switzerland on St. Nicholas Eve (December 6), it is then stored in caves under the Alps for an entire year until it is ready for celebratory consumption. Switzerland celebrates Santa Claus apart from Christmas itself and that thinking gave the world a fabulous gift—Samichlaus Lager. Samichlaus is Swiss for Santa Claus but after one of these bad boys Saint Nick definitely won’t be steering his sleigh. These brews tip the scales at above 14%abv and are dark, malty and warming. Juan at Sunswick has been holding a keg of Samiclaus for the past few years and rumor has it they will be serving it this year, alongside this year’s batch.
Let’s move on, shall we, to the beers that aren’t just for the holidays but fit right in at any winter party. I’ve noticed a theme in my choice of holiday favorites, yes most of them are dark and chocolaty here, ‘tis the season for decadence!
Brooklyn Brewery’s take on an Imperial Stout rocks my world. There, I said it. It’s 10%abv so it’s sure to rock yours too but the taste, yummmm. It’s a deep dark chocolate truffle of a beer with malt and espresso notes achieved through the use three mashes and specially roasted malts. It’s only available October-March so get it while the getting’s good and pick up a few extra bottles to age, it makes a great addition to your beer cellar. I enjoy this beer with desert or strong cheeses or, hell, just by itself. Careful though, one too many could result in an abundance of yuletide cheer and an urge to carol obnoxiously.
On a somewhat lighter note, Dogfishhead’s Theobroma, which translates into “food of the gods”, is a more nuanced and subtle way to get your chocolate fix. The recipe is based on the chemical analysis of pottery fragments of a vessel that once contained the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink found in Honduras. Theobroma is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto seeds. Every sip of this beer reveals new flavors to me and, while I could drink it all by myself, I really enjoy sharing a bottle to see my friend’s reactions to it. Joe and I have had a bottle chilling in our fridge for a few months now, waiting for the perfect time to savor it (although writing this column is making it hard for me not to jump the gun and drink it myself. Must have willpower!).
If you love ooey gooey dark chocolate brownies this next beer is for you. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence is a Belgian Dark Ale that was first created to celebrate the brewery’s tenth year. It’s champagne corked bottle makes a lovely gift and even comes as part of their sampler pack, complete with an Ommegang glass. I gave this to my cousin and her husband a few years ago and they haven’t stopped talking about it since. It’s silky, decadent and at only 7%abv you can indulge in more than one glass before things start getting hazy.
Nothing says celebration quite like champagne except, wait for it, champagne beer!! Krait Prestige is my favorite champagne lager, with an abundance of festive bubbles and zesty drinkablity it just may become yours too. Krait is double fermented and bottle conditioned, a tradition typically used in the making of Trappist Ales, in Belgium’s Rodenbach brewery. This beer uses a unique blend of barley malt, imported maize, hops, and rice as well as champagne yeast. My old boss gave me a bottle of this a few years back and Joe and I used it to toast our first Valentine’s Day together. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice Brut champagne or prosecco at a party but Krait is more than able to fill in and leave your guests satiated.
While these are my personal favorites, there are many, many more holiday brews out there for the savoring. Experiment with a few and see what you like! Several breweries do gift worthy sample packs and even have glassware and other fun things available for the beer lover in your life. Make sure you have the gift-packs gift-wrapped before you bring them home though, or else the beer may not make it to its holiday destination.
Monday Night at the Mad Donkey
I ventured down to 36th Ave a few weeks ago to try out the Mad Donkey, a nifty little spot that opened this summer. The exterior reminds me of many a quaint Irish pub, looked like a cozy place to grab a pint with some friends. Upon walking inside, however, this Wench made the realization that it was MONDAY. I’ve spent more time as of late in bars with great drinks and music and a pleasant lack of television sets, it didn’t even dawn on me that football season was upon us until I walked smack dab into eight whole TVs of it, and the Mad Donkey does it right. You into football? Grab some buddies and head on over, just go on the early side to make sure you can get a seat.
Angie and I snagged the last two seats at the bar and ordered up some Sixpoint Sehr Crisp, a lovely golden pilsner that went nicely with the complimentary candy corn and peanuts. On either side of us football fans were situated with piles of wings, rolls of paper towels, and pints of—could it be?—Ommegang Hennepin. Curiouser and curiouser, they were all downing awesome craft beer and cheering for their teams. Inspired, I made my way down the list to the Brooklyn Pumpkin, which came with a brown sugar and cinnamon rim. The sugar was a bit too sweet for me, but a nice touch.
My boyfriend arrived and was all too happy with the Monday Night $10 wings and pint deal. According to Joe, their wings are the best he’s had in Astoria and they come in a variety of heats and flavors. There are plenty of pints to choose from my dears: Captain Laurence Pale, Stella, Genesses Cream, Bluepoint Toasted, Dogfish Head 90, Troegs Wheat, Brooklyn, Sixpoint, Guinness, Kolsch, Palm, Ommegang, and Duvel Green. Not sure which one you want? The bartenders are happy to give you adorable mini Hoegaarden glasses full of a sample beer.
They also have some tasty bottles: Delirium Tremens, Speakeasy Prohibition Porter, Brooklyn Local 1&2, and Brooklyn Ace—a saison that the bartender had never sold before. The Mad Donkey is also home to a special beverage known as the “donkey punch” or “donkey bowl”, a giant punch bowl full of booze and juice. Drink two “donkey punches” and you will get your picture on the ceiling of the bar, Mad Donkey’s wall of fame.
The entire time I was sitting at the bar enjoying my beer, I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity. Something about the sharp witted signs and décor, the peanut shells on the floor, maybe the sign over the bar stating that “unattended children will be sold as slaves” or the selection of tunes in the juke box, something was screaming de ja vu. Then it hit me—the Mad Donkey could be the hybrid northern cousin of the Oyster Pub and Lighthouse Landing, two bars my parents used to take us to as kids. Twisted? Maybe, but the Oyster Pub had a claw machine so one can argue it was kid friendly and no one ever kicked us out for getting too sugar high on Shirley Temples. I’m in no way saying bring your kids to the Mad Donkey, but for this Wench it has a comfortable hominess.
Izzy the bartender prepared some “domino bomb shots” for the thirsty fans at the bar and filled our pints, the Kolsch they have on tap is nice and crisp. Kolsch beer is interesting, in that it is warm fermented like an ale and then it is laagered (remember what that term means? That’s right “to store or rest” and it’s done in cold temperatures). This particular genre of beer comes from Cologne, Germany and is pale gold with a crisp bite. The three of us got to have a few pints with the bar’s owner, Tommy D. He informed us that the “Mad Donkey” was actually named after his mother and his family’s nickname for her.
Football not your thing? Mad Donkey has other specials every night of the week! I’m excited for Taco Night Thursdays. Want your mug shot on the ceiling but not down for some “donkey punch”? You can also drink all fourteen pints or eat a whole “mess”—a giant bowl of burger, mashed potatoes, chicken fingers, fries, and covered with cheese. Sorry to disappoint but I didn’t down all fourteen beers when I was there, some people have to work in the morning you know.
And don't forget to show your WLA Card to save 15% off your entire tab!
Angie and I snagged the last two seats at the bar and ordered up some Sixpoint Sehr Crisp, a lovely golden pilsner that went nicely with the complimentary candy corn and peanuts. On either side of us football fans were situated with piles of wings, rolls of paper towels, and pints of—could it be?—Ommegang Hennepin. Curiouser and curiouser, they were all downing awesome craft beer and cheering for their teams. Inspired, I made my way down the list to the Brooklyn Pumpkin, which came with a brown sugar and cinnamon rim. The sugar was a bit too sweet for me, but a nice touch.
My boyfriend arrived and was all too happy with the Monday Night $10 wings and pint deal. According to Joe, their wings are the best he’s had in Astoria and they come in a variety of heats and flavors. There are plenty of pints to choose from my dears: Captain Laurence Pale, Stella, Genesses Cream, Bluepoint Toasted, Dogfish Head 90, Troegs Wheat, Brooklyn, Sixpoint, Guinness, Kolsch, Palm, Ommegang, and Duvel Green. Not sure which one you want? The bartenders are happy to give you adorable mini Hoegaarden glasses full of a sample beer.
They also have some tasty bottles: Delirium Tremens, Speakeasy Prohibition Porter, Brooklyn Local 1&2, and Brooklyn Ace—a saison that the bartender had never sold before. The Mad Donkey is also home to a special beverage known as the “donkey punch” or “donkey bowl”, a giant punch bowl full of booze and juice. Drink two “donkey punches” and you will get your picture on the ceiling of the bar, Mad Donkey’s wall of fame.
The entire time I was sitting at the bar enjoying my beer, I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity. Something about the sharp witted signs and décor, the peanut shells on the floor, maybe the sign over the bar stating that “unattended children will be sold as slaves” or the selection of tunes in the juke box, something was screaming de ja vu. Then it hit me—the Mad Donkey could be the hybrid northern cousin of the Oyster Pub and Lighthouse Landing, two bars my parents used to take us to as kids. Twisted? Maybe, but the Oyster Pub had a claw machine so one can argue it was kid friendly and no one ever kicked us out for getting too sugar high on Shirley Temples. I’m in no way saying bring your kids to the Mad Donkey, but for this Wench it has a comfortable hominess.
Izzy the bartender prepared some “domino bomb shots” for the thirsty fans at the bar and filled our pints, the Kolsch they have on tap is nice and crisp. Kolsch beer is interesting, in that it is warm fermented like an ale and then it is laagered (remember what that term means? That’s right “to store or rest” and it’s done in cold temperatures). This particular genre of beer comes from Cologne, Germany and is pale gold with a crisp bite. The three of us got to have a few pints with the bar’s owner, Tommy D. He informed us that the “Mad Donkey” was actually named after his mother and his family’s nickname for her.
Football not your thing? Mad Donkey has other specials every night of the week! I’m excited for Taco Night Thursdays. Want your mug shot on the ceiling but not down for some “donkey punch”? You can also drink all fourteen pints or eat a whole “mess”—a giant bowl of burger, mashed potatoes, chicken fingers, fries, and covered with cheese. Sorry to disappoint but I didn’t down all fourteen beers when I was there, some people have to work in the morning you know.
And don't forget to show your WLA Card to save 15% off your entire tab!
French Onion and Ale Soup
October was a whirlwind of a month, I really needed a clone to be able to experience everything. Between work, auditions, creating a 3 minute film for the Sparrow film fest, and (my favorite) Halloween, I barely had time to breathe. Yes I did make the time to check out a few places you will be hearing about soon but where’s a Wench to find the time to write about them when her apartment is a wreck and she has three costume parties to attend—in three different costumes no less? I have neglected you, my awesome readers, and I feel horrible about it. Allow me to apologize for my absence with a delicious invitation to help you create a fabulous fall home-cooked meal—featuring beer!
I finally got a night off last week and, while pondering dinner options, decided I was craving something hearty, warming, and sinfully rich. Perhaps something I had never tried to make before, I thought, dreaming of melty cheese and savoury flavors. Then it hit me—French Onion soup! What would happen if I put beer in it? I love beer and cheese, beer and beer, and beer in onions so why the hell not? I hit up the vegetable stand on 30th Ave and acquired a blend of onions—I got two Spanish, two Vidallia, and two White Onions. Next up: a whole wheat baguette from the Astoria Bakers. Nipped across the street into Key Food and grabbed some mushroom stock (I’m vegetarian but if you aren’t by all means use beef stock), some Provolone cheese, and two St Peter’s Organic Ales—one was a traditional English Ale, a little on the lighter side, and the other was a rich Porter. I hesitated for a minute in front of the beer selection, tempted by the Siason Dupont, curious as to what effect the spicey yeastiness would have on my soup.
The ales I chose come from an organic brewery in the UK. St Peter’s Brewery uses water from their own 300 foot deep “borehole” and organic hops and barley from Norfolk. The English Ale has a slight citrus hop aftertaste and is extremely palatable, very light and crisp. Their “Old Style Porter” is a blend of mature ale and younger, lighter ale which results in an awesome deep and full bodied flavor. Both beers have won awards in the UK and are available at Key Foods, they come in kitchey old-timey apothecary bottles. If you are cooking with beer buy a room temp bottle, no need to use a chilled brew in a stew!
First step in making the Beer Wench’s French Onion and Ale Soup, you must slice the onions very thinly. I recommend a mandolin for this, I got through all six onions in a matter of minutes using mine, however, don’t use this kitchen tool without using the hand guard it came with—I speak from experience here, kids, the tip of my right thumb hasn’t had feeling for two months due to an incident involving a carrot and my own stupidity. Get a large soup pot and add some butter, don’t be shy, I used half a stick. Melt it down over medium high heat and add your onions—you want to cook them until they are soft and starting to brown. Crush two cloves of garlic and add them on in the pot along with sea salt, fresh pepper, a dash of mustard powder, a few shakes of thyme, and a pinch of cumin. I also added some leftover leeks from our CSA—hey an onion is an onion, why not use everything you’ve got?
As soon as your onions are soft and golden add one quart of stock (Mushroom, Vegetable, Beef, whatever) and 12oz of Ale. I used the English Ale from St. Peter’s Organic Brewery but the Porter would have also been delicious—pick an ale with warm undertones, nothing too hoppy. I am a cook in the style of Julia Child “Some for the turkey and some for meeeee” so I picked a 16oz bottle and “sampled” while I stirred. To the stock add one bay leaf and, if you are so inclined, a piece of Kombu Seaweed (you can’t taste it but it adds a ton of nutritional value to any soup). Bring everything to a boil before reducing the heat and allowing the soup to simmer for roughly twenty minutes, have a beer while you wait, give it a taste and add seasoning if it needs it. Don’t be afraid to make this soup your own, add any seasoning you like. Have more beer.
Slice your baguette (you can use any bread you have so long as it is crusty, day old works best) and toast it for a few minutes, until it is crispy and warm. Rub each piece of bread with a slice of raw garlic—smells amazing! This next part is up to you, you can either melt the cheese on the bread in your toaster OR you can place the soup in oven-proof bowls or a casserole dish, cover with bread and cheese and broil until the cheese is melty and bubbly—yummmmm! I used Provolone cheese but Fontina or Gruyere would also be delectable.
Now comes the best part—eating your yummy soup! I served mine with the English Porter and a side of balsamic glazed brussel sprouts, you could jazz it up with a salad of Arugula , fresh lemon, and shaved parmesan if you are so inclined. Next time you feel like hibernating and treating yourself and your friends to a ridiculously easy and tasty meal give this a try—they will think it was way harder to make than it was and you will look like Martha Stewart and Julia Child rolled into one. Joe said it was the best French Onion soup he’d ever had (yeah he may be biased but he’s not a liar, he hated the brussel sprouts).
Beer Wench’s Ale and Onion Soup Shopping List
6 assorted onions
2 cloves Garlic (fresh, people, none of that jarred shit)
1 Quart Stock
12oz Ale for soup
Mustard Powder
Thyme
Bay leaf
Crusty Bread
Cheese
Beer for drinking!
I finally got a night off last week and, while pondering dinner options, decided I was craving something hearty, warming, and sinfully rich. Perhaps something I had never tried to make before, I thought, dreaming of melty cheese and savoury flavors. Then it hit me—French Onion soup! What would happen if I put beer in it? I love beer and cheese, beer and beer, and beer in onions so why the hell not? I hit up the vegetable stand on 30th Ave and acquired a blend of onions—I got two Spanish, two Vidallia, and two White Onions. Next up: a whole wheat baguette from the Astoria Bakers. Nipped across the street into Key Food and grabbed some mushroom stock (I’m vegetarian but if you aren’t by all means use beef stock), some Provolone cheese, and two St Peter’s Organic Ales—one was a traditional English Ale, a little on the lighter side, and the other was a rich Porter. I hesitated for a minute in front of the beer selection, tempted by the Siason Dupont, curious as to what effect the spicey yeastiness would have on my soup.
The ales I chose come from an organic brewery in the UK. St Peter’s Brewery uses water from their own 300 foot deep “borehole” and organic hops and barley from Norfolk. The English Ale has a slight citrus hop aftertaste and is extremely palatable, very light and crisp. Their “Old Style Porter” is a blend of mature ale and younger, lighter ale which results in an awesome deep and full bodied flavor. Both beers have won awards in the UK and are available at Key Foods, they come in kitchey old-timey apothecary bottles. If you are cooking with beer buy a room temp bottle, no need to use a chilled brew in a stew!
First step in making the Beer Wench’s French Onion and Ale Soup, you must slice the onions very thinly. I recommend a mandolin for this, I got through all six onions in a matter of minutes using mine, however, don’t use this kitchen tool without using the hand guard it came with—I speak from experience here, kids, the tip of my right thumb hasn’t had feeling for two months due to an incident involving a carrot and my own stupidity. Get a large soup pot and add some butter, don’t be shy, I used half a stick. Melt it down over medium high heat and add your onions—you want to cook them until they are soft and starting to brown. Crush two cloves of garlic and add them on in the pot along with sea salt, fresh pepper, a dash of mustard powder, a few shakes of thyme, and a pinch of cumin. I also added some leftover leeks from our CSA—hey an onion is an onion, why not use everything you’ve got?
As soon as your onions are soft and golden add one quart of stock (Mushroom, Vegetable, Beef, whatever) and 12oz of Ale. I used the English Ale from St. Peter’s Organic Brewery but the Porter would have also been delicious—pick an ale with warm undertones, nothing too hoppy. I am a cook in the style of Julia Child “Some for the turkey and some for meeeee” so I picked a 16oz bottle and “sampled” while I stirred. To the stock add one bay leaf and, if you are so inclined, a piece of Kombu Seaweed (you can’t taste it but it adds a ton of nutritional value to any soup). Bring everything to a boil before reducing the heat and allowing the soup to simmer for roughly twenty minutes, have a beer while you wait, give it a taste and add seasoning if it needs it. Don’t be afraid to make this soup your own, add any seasoning you like. Have more beer.
Slice your baguette (you can use any bread you have so long as it is crusty, day old works best) and toast it for a few minutes, until it is crispy and warm. Rub each piece of bread with a slice of raw garlic—smells amazing! This next part is up to you, you can either melt the cheese on the bread in your toaster OR you can place the soup in oven-proof bowls or a casserole dish, cover with bread and cheese and broil until the cheese is melty and bubbly—yummmmm! I used Provolone cheese but Fontina or Gruyere would also be delectable.
Now comes the best part—eating your yummy soup! I served mine with the English Porter and a side of balsamic glazed brussel sprouts, you could jazz it up with a salad of Arugula , fresh lemon, and shaved parmesan if you are so inclined. Next time you feel like hibernating and treating yourself and your friends to a ridiculously easy and tasty meal give this a try—they will think it was way harder to make than it was and you will look like Martha Stewart and Julia Child rolled into one. Joe said it was the best French Onion soup he’d ever had (yeah he may be biased but he’s not a liar, he hated the brussel sprouts).
Beer Wench’s Ale and Onion Soup Shopping List
6 assorted onions
2 cloves Garlic (fresh, people, none of that jarred shit)
1 Quart Stock
12oz Ale for soup
Mustard Powder
Thyme
Bay leaf
Crusty Bread
Cheese
Beer for drinking!
A Taste of Fall
While it is well documented that I had a splendiferous summer, my favorite season has just begun. Red and orange leaves, a chance to wear (and buy) fabulous boots, and the countdown to Halloween all excite me beyond belief guys, almost as much as the spiced, mulled, and seasonal libations! I’m psyched for cider and warm boozy beverages, for soups and the chance to use my oven again! All of fall’s wonder pales slightly when viewed through the orangey glow of a toasty pumpkin ale.
Last weekend I took my first upstate trip, five years of living in the city and somehow I never managed to see more of New York than Long Island and the Hamptons. I am ashamed. Joe and I took the train up the Hudson to his Grandparent’s place in Millbrook for his family’s annual Cider Fest weekend, where about 50 of his relatives gather, whip out the antique cider press and turn eleven bushels of assorted apples into amazing cidery goodness.
Their family tradition reminded me of my own NY tradition: a yearly harvest themed fiesta in my apartment where copious amounts of bourbon cider and pumpkin beer (usually Brooklyn’s Post Road Pumpkin) are consumed. One year my old roommate and I even stole three bales of hay and dragged them up to our roof for extra seating and ambiance (don’t tell my landlord). It was at the first one of these Harvest Parties that Joe and I began dating four years ago: he opened a beer bottle with his teeth and I was toast.
After getting back home to Astoria after all the appley fun I had a serious craving for a beer. During my lunch shift I was talking with our beer rep. and he ran down the list of places putting the pumpkin on the menu. I knew the usual spots that were sure to have at least one pumpkin ale: Sparrow has the Dogfishhead Punkin’, Hell Gate just got Shipyard’s Pumpkin, Sunswick has a variety to choose from (as always), and Yolo/Ditmar’s Station has Wolaver’s, Smuttynose, and Dogfishhead. The last bar piqued my pumpkin curiosity (a) I had never been into Yolo or the “new” Ditmar’s Station and (b) they had Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale! Field Trip!
I dragged my rather out of sorts friend Josh off his bar stool at Sparrow and down to 31st Street to check out this old/new place. At first glance it is very white, tall, and clean with a smattering of TVs playing assorted sports games. Their menu boasts 14 draft lines and 14 bottles and an assortment of sports bar snacks: wings, pizzas, sliders, and onion straws. Josh and I each ordered a bottle of the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale and toasted the change of seasons. Then he asked me how Pumpkin beer is made and this, my friends, is the story of one of our country’s first “craft” brews.
The Pilgrims were given the pumpkin during their first fall at Plymouth, and soon they, like the Native Americans had before them, found a myriad of uses for the noble gourd. It was only a matter of time before someone got the bright idea to use it in booze! The recipe for Pumpkin Ale dates back to around 1771, at least that’s when an article describing such a beer appeared in the papers of the American Philosophical Society. Since then it has been a welcome addition to brewing. Some brewers add the flesh of the pumpkin to the mash during brewing, some roast the pumpkin before adding it, and then “pumpkin pie spices” are added to round out the flavor. The amount of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, cloves, and allspice depend on who is making the beer.
The Smuttynose Pumpkin that Josh and I were enjoying came from Smuttynose Brewery in Portsmith, NH. A warm, mellow ale results from adding real pumpkin and spices to the mash and at only 5.4%abv you could drink it all day! I look forward to this beer every autumn, and you should too. Most delis even offer it in six-packs, which makes this Wench pretty darn happy.
Dogfishhead’s Punkin’ won 1st prize at the Punkin’ Chunkin’ Recipe contest a full six months before the brewery was even open! The brew was created in honor of Delaware’s annual Punkin’ Chunkin’ event—if you haven’t heard of this look it up and set your TiVo’s to the Discovery Channel because it is intense and hilarious! My friend Rob has gone every year to join the throngs of revelers and their homemade pumpkin launching apparatuses and watch as the giant orange squash are hurled through the air before smashing onto the Delaware earth. The beer itself is a full-bodied brown ale made with pumpkin meat and organic brown sugar. If you want your pumpkin beer to taste more like beer than pie, this one is for you!
The last offering at Ditmar’s Station, the Wolaver’s Pumpkin is my least favorite. It’s a lighter brown ale with hints of pumpkin and spice but never quite manages to satiate my need for pumpkin.
As soon as I get a night off I plan on enjoying the zesty pumpkin offerings at Sunswick, rumor has it they have an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Mmmmm I love fall!
Want To Make Your Own Bourbon Cider?
The Wench’s Brew
1) Procure some cider (store bought or farm fresh)
2) Find Mulling Spices (Wench Recommends Alice’s Tea Cup Mulling Spice)
3) Or Make Your Own (you will need cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel, all-spice, fresh nutmeg, brown sugar, and ginger)
4) Heat Cider and Spices in A Large Pot or Crock-Pot For About 30min
5) Pick Your Poison: Bourbon or Spiced Rum (I <3 Maker’s Mark)
6) Add 2oz Booze and 1/2oz Cointreau for each 6oz of Cider (don’t over heat once you add the booze-you don’t want it to cook out!)
7) Serve
8) Top with Grated Orange Zest For Extra Sass!
9) using bales of hay for seating is optional, enjoy!
Last weekend I took my first upstate trip, five years of living in the city and somehow I never managed to see more of New York than Long Island and the Hamptons. I am ashamed. Joe and I took the train up the Hudson to his Grandparent’s place in Millbrook for his family’s annual Cider Fest weekend, where about 50 of his relatives gather, whip out the antique cider press and turn eleven bushels of assorted apples into amazing cidery goodness.
Their family tradition reminded me of my own NY tradition: a yearly harvest themed fiesta in my apartment where copious amounts of bourbon cider and pumpkin beer (usually Brooklyn’s Post Road Pumpkin) are consumed. One year my old roommate and I even stole three bales of hay and dragged them up to our roof for extra seating and ambiance (don’t tell my landlord). It was at the first one of these Harvest Parties that Joe and I began dating four years ago: he opened a beer bottle with his teeth and I was toast.
After getting back home to Astoria after all the appley fun I had a serious craving for a beer. During my lunch shift I was talking with our beer rep. and he ran down the list of places putting the pumpkin on the menu. I knew the usual spots that were sure to have at least one pumpkin ale: Sparrow has the Dogfishhead Punkin’, Hell Gate just got Shipyard’s Pumpkin, Sunswick has a variety to choose from (as always), and Yolo/Ditmar’s Station has Wolaver’s, Smuttynose, and Dogfishhead. The last bar piqued my pumpkin curiosity (a) I had never been into Yolo or the “new” Ditmar’s Station and (b) they had Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale! Field Trip!
I dragged my rather out of sorts friend Josh off his bar stool at Sparrow and down to 31st Street to check out this old/new place. At first glance it is very white, tall, and clean with a smattering of TVs playing assorted sports games. Their menu boasts 14 draft lines and 14 bottles and an assortment of sports bar snacks: wings, pizzas, sliders, and onion straws. Josh and I each ordered a bottle of the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale and toasted the change of seasons. Then he asked me how Pumpkin beer is made and this, my friends, is the story of one of our country’s first “craft” brews.
The Pilgrims were given the pumpkin during their first fall at Plymouth, and soon they, like the Native Americans had before them, found a myriad of uses for the noble gourd. It was only a matter of time before someone got the bright idea to use it in booze! The recipe for Pumpkin Ale dates back to around 1771, at least that’s when an article describing such a beer appeared in the papers of the American Philosophical Society. Since then it has been a welcome addition to brewing. Some brewers add the flesh of the pumpkin to the mash during brewing, some roast the pumpkin before adding it, and then “pumpkin pie spices” are added to round out the flavor. The amount of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, cloves, and allspice depend on who is making the beer.
The Smuttynose Pumpkin that Josh and I were enjoying came from Smuttynose Brewery in Portsmith, NH. A warm, mellow ale results from adding real pumpkin and spices to the mash and at only 5.4%abv you could drink it all day! I look forward to this beer every autumn, and you should too. Most delis even offer it in six-packs, which makes this Wench pretty darn happy.
Dogfishhead’s Punkin’ won 1st prize at the Punkin’ Chunkin’ Recipe contest a full six months before the brewery was even open! The brew was created in honor of Delaware’s annual Punkin’ Chunkin’ event—if you haven’t heard of this look it up and set your TiVo’s to the Discovery Channel because it is intense and hilarious! My friend Rob has gone every year to join the throngs of revelers and their homemade pumpkin launching apparatuses and watch as the giant orange squash are hurled through the air before smashing onto the Delaware earth. The beer itself is a full-bodied brown ale made with pumpkin meat and organic brown sugar. If you want your pumpkin beer to taste more like beer than pie, this one is for you!
The last offering at Ditmar’s Station, the Wolaver’s Pumpkin is my least favorite. It’s a lighter brown ale with hints of pumpkin and spice but never quite manages to satiate my need for pumpkin.
As soon as I get a night off I plan on enjoying the zesty pumpkin offerings at Sunswick, rumor has it they have an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Mmmmm I love fall!
Want To Make Your Own Bourbon Cider?
The Wench’s Brew
1) Procure some cider (store bought or farm fresh)
2) Find Mulling Spices (Wench Recommends Alice’s Tea Cup Mulling Spice)
3) Or Make Your Own (you will need cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel, all-spice, fresh nutmeg, brown sugar, and ginger)
4) Heat Cider and Spices in A Large Pot or Crock-Pot For About 30min
5) Pick Your Poison: Bourbon or Spiced Rum (I <3 Maker’s Mark)
6) Add 2oz Booze and 1/2oz Cointreau for each 6oz of Cider (don’t over heat once you add the booze-you don’t want it to cook out!)
7) Serve
8) Top with Grated Orange Zest For Extra Sass!
9) using bales of hay for seating is optional, enjoy!
From Bad Ass Birds, to Battling Burgers, and Beer Beer Beer has this Wench Got a Story For You!
Last week, my friends, was one hell of an adventure. From tug-of-war to burger cook offs to craft beer events I don’t think I had an ounce of downtime, and I am definitely not about to slow down anytime soon. It seems as though once the weather cools there are a million and one events in each and every day and each one is better than the last. So let’s all raise our glasses to the start of fall, Craft Beer Week, Oktoberfest and the fun it all brings! I hope you all packed your extra livers, you’re going to need them.
My week began with the “Battle of The Bars” organized by none other than George from Hell Gate Social. Sparrow, Hell Gate, Ovelia, Dally’s, Sunswick, O’Hanlon’s, Crescent Lounge, Sweet Afton, and Vesta competed in an adult field day for bragging rights and a fabulous trophy. We three-legged raced, built human pyramids, played dodge ball, and acted like Jameson fueled idiots in Socrates Sculpture Park on Sunday afternoon until one team emerged victorious. Congrats to the badass birds of Sparrow Tavern, who would have thought we were athletes after all?
Following the battle Hell Gate invited us all back to the backyard BBQ, where teams rejoiced, drank away their sorrows, or simply cried into their beer in the corner. I sipped on my Oktoberfest and enjoyed my flat bread pizza in an attempt to soak up the whisky from earlier. From Hell Gate we ran back to the Mother Bird Sparrow and proceeded to install our newly won and newly broken (yeah we had to super glue it later) trophy.
After a few rounds of Gaffel Kolsch on the patio we made our way to Sweet Afton for some fried pickle goodness and quality time with Chris, who had almost single handedly held down her team at the park. Afton has recently updated their food and drink menus and now they have a Portobello Burger (yay veggies!) and Salt and Pepper Ribs. Their beer list, as always, was solid. They always offer a Cask Ale which, for those of you who aren’t in the know, is a “live beer”. It is kept at 55 degrees and contains live yeast which continues to ferment in the keg but also results in a warm, flat beer. I don’t mind a Cask ale if it’s a darker beer or stout but I have had a few that bordered on disgusting, so be for-warned and ask for a taste before you commit. The crew at Afton sent us off with a congratulatory round of “pickle-back shots”—Irish Whiskey followed by spicy pickle juice as a chaser.
We then proceeded to crawl our way to 5 Napkin Burger for a round of victory shots from our friend Thomas at the bar. Having swiped Miss Chris from Afton, our merry band of revelers had picked up speed and yes, some sidewalk dancing did ensue. We danced into 5 Napkin for our waiting whiskey shots, sadly we had no time for a beer. The burger joint really does have a stand up beer list, check it out next time you are in the area.
We finished our evening at Sunswick, enjoying their early Oktoberfest brews and drooling over the soon to come Pumpkin Ales. I was also excited to see Flying Dog’s Tire Bite Golden Ale on the top of the list and I wish that I had had more room left for more beer! It was around the time Jeffrey sent us a round of shots that we all realized we had been boozing and battling since 2pm and it was now almost 3am, yay Sunday! Now, I know what you’re thinking: don’t you people work? Yes and let me tell you, my Monday lunch shift hurt like whoah and even my hangover cure of coconut water and macaroni and cheese didn’t dull the ache in my muscles from all the physical activity and the sheer exhaustion I was experiencing. Thank the beer gods my shift was slow.
Isn’t that enough for one week, you might say? No, dear reader, there is no rest for this here Wench. Tuesday I made a post-hangover appearance at my girlfriend’s birthday party, Wednesday brought about a girl’s night at Vesta where the wine on tap thwarted my plan to avoid all things alcoholic—the Vesta Blend is so yummy—I also was going to forgo desert buuuut the Baby Jesus Cake and Ricotta Cheese Cake, why say no to one when you can have three? All of this, however, was leading up to the next big event: Bistro 33’s Battle of the Burgers.
Three unprofessional chefs created three very original burgers and were then subjected to three judges (two of which were George from Hell Gate and Juan from Sunswick) as well as the entire restaurant. Bistro also offered 2 beers with your burger sampler purchase and for those who were just here for the beer and the show, they also kept their sushi menu operational all night. My boyfriend and I snagged a table inside and began our beer and burger adventure.
We Rocked the Belgian beer hard at Bistro. I started with the crisp, clean and herbally Saison Dupont Farmhouse Ale. Joe was outside when I ordered so I got him a Duvel. Duvel translates to “devil” and if you have enough you will find out why. It is a strong Belgian Golden Ale that needs, needs, needs (I cannot stress this enough) to be poured into its signature goblet in order to be completely experienced. The glassware is shaped like a bell and etched with a “D” in the bottom to aerate the beer and bring you the flavor with the aroma. There should be a thick white head on the top and a tornado results when the beer is properly poured over the etched “D” that swirls on the bottom of the glass and continuously agitates the beer. Because it is fermented for the last time in the bottle, a sediment of yeast clings to the bottom and should be saved with about a quarter of the beer until the very end, as it tastes slightly bitter but contains loads of vitamin B and may combat the hangover from an 8.5% a.b.v.
We then moved on to the La Chouffe, whose little gnome logo always makes me smile. It’s an unfiltered blonde beer which is either fermented in the bottle or the keg, depending on which you buy. It is 8%abv and spiced with coriander. I finished my night with a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout for desert. The rich dark malt with real dark chocolate was a delectable way to end the night and would be fabulous with vanilla ice cream.
I finished my week with a craft beer event in honor of New York Craft Beer Week at the Sparrow sponsored by Lagunitas. The California based brewery brought in two awesome kegs: the Little Sumpin’ Wild Ale and their Fusion. Little Sumpin was herbally with hints of pine and spruce and juniper, made with wheat. It’s also 7.2%. The Fusion was a dark, rich Imperial Stout Style Scotch Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels—oh boy! Half of a Fusion and I was a little giddy, so much for hosting this event guys I’m hell-bent on enjoying it!
My week began with the “Battle of The Bars” organized by none other than George from Hell Gate Social. Sparrow, Hell Gate, Ovelia, Dally’s, Sunswick, O’Hanlon’s, Crescent Lounge, Sweet Afton, and Vesta competed in an adult field day for bragging rights and a fabulous trophy. We three-legged raced, built human pyramids, played dodge ball, and acted like Jameson fueled idiots in Socrates Sculpture Park on Sunday afternoon until one team emerged victorious. Congrats to the badass birds of Sparrow Tavern, who would have thought we were athletes after all?
Following the battle Hell Gate invited us all back to the backyard BBQ, where teams rejoiced, drank away their sorrows, or simply cried into their beer in the corner. I sipped on my Oktoberfest and enjoyed my flat bread pizza in an attempt to soak up the whisky from earlier. From Hell Gate we ran back to the Mother Bird Sparrow and proceeded to install our newly won and newly broken (yeah we had to super glue it later) trophy.
After a few rounds of Gaffel Kolsch on the patio we made our way to Sweet Afton for some fried pickle goodness and quality time with Chris, who had almost single handedly held down her team at the park. Afton has recently updated their food and drink menus and now they have a Portobello Burger (yay veggies!) and Salt and Pepper Ribs. Their beer list, as always, was solid. They always offer a Cask Ale which, for those of you who aren’t in the know, is a “live beer”. It is kept at 55 degrees and contains live yeast which continues to ferment in the keg but also results in a warm, flat beer. I don’t mind a Cask ale if it’s a darker beer or stout but I have had a few that bordered on disgusting, so be for-warned and ask for a taste before you commit. The crew at Afton sent us off with a congratulatory round of “pickle-back shots”—Irish Whiskey followed by spicy pickle juice as a chaser.
We then proceeded to crawl our way to 5 Napkin Burger for a round of victory shots from our friend Thomas at the bar. Having swiped Miss Chris from Afton, our merry band of revelers had picked up speed and yes, some sidewalk dancing did ensue. We danced into 5 Napkin for our waiting whiskey shots, sadly we had no time for a beer. The burger joint really does have a stand up beer list, check it out next time you are in the area.
We finished our evening at Sunswick, enjoying their early Oktoberfest brews and drooling over the soon to come Pumpkin Ales. I was also excited to see Flying Dog’s Tire Bite Golden Ale on the top of the list and I wish that I had had more room left for more beer! It was around the time Jeffrey sent us a round of shots that we all realized we had been boozing and battling since 2pm and it was now almost 3am, yay Sunday! Now, I know what you’re thinking: don’t you people work? Yes and let me tell you, my Monday lunch shift hurt like whoah and even my hangover cure of coconut water and macaroni and cheese didn’t dull the ache in my muscles from all the physical activity and the sheer exhaustion I was experiencing. Thank the beer gods my shift was slow.
Isn’t that enough for one week, you might say? No, dear reader, there is no rest for this here Wench. Tuesday I made a post-hangover appearance at my girlfriend’s birthday party, Wednesday brought about a girl’s night at Vesta where the wine on tap thwarted my plan to avoid all things alcoholic—the Vesta Blend is so yummy—I also was going to forgo desert buuuut the Baby Jesus Cake and Ricotta Cheese Cake, why say no to one when you can have three? All of this, however, was leading up to the next big event: Bistro 33’s Battle of the Burgers.
Three unprofessional chefs created three very original burgers and were then subjected to three judges (two of which were George from Hell Gate and Juan from Sunswick) as well as the entire restaurant. Bistro also offered 2 beers with your burger sampler purchase and for those who were just here for the beer and the show, they also kept their sushi menu operational all night. My boyfriend and I snagged a table inside and began our beer and burger adventure.
We Rocked the Belgian beer hard at Bistro. I started with the crisp, clean and herbally Saison Dupont Farmhouse Ale. Joe was outside when I ordered so I got him a Duvel. Duvel translates to “devil” and if you have enough you will find out why. It is a strong Belgian Golden Ale that needs, needs, needs (I cannot stress this enough) to be poured into its signature goblet in order to be completely experienced. The glassware is shaped like a bell and etched with a “D” in the bottom to aerate the beer and bring you the flavor with the aroma. There should be a thick white head on the top and a tornado results when the beer is properly poured over the etched “D” that swirls on the bottom of the glass and continuously agitates the beer. Because it is fermented for the last time in the bottle, a sediment of yeast clings to the bottom and should be saved with about a quarter of the beer until the very end, as it tastes slightly bitter but contains loads of vitamin B and may combat the hangover from an 8.5% a.b.v.
We then moved on to the La Chouffe, whose little gnome logo always makes me smile. It’s an unfiltered blonde beer which is either fermented in the bottle or the keg, depending on which you buy. It is 8%abv and spiced with coriander. I finished my night with a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout for desert. The rich dark malt with real dark chocolate was a delectable way to end the night and would be fabulous with vanilla ice cream.
I finished my week with a craft beer event in honor of New York Craft Beer Week at the Sparrow sponsored by Lagunitas. The California based brewery brought in two awesome kegs: the Little Sumpin’ Wild Ale and their Fusion. Little Sumpin was herbally with hints of pine and spruce and juniper, made with wheat. It’s also 7.2%. The Fusion was a dark, rich Imperial Stout Style Scotch Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels—oh boy! Half of a Fusion and I was a little giddy, so much for hosting this event guys I’m hell-bent on enjoying it!
The Beer Wench Gets "schlenkerla" at Rest.au.Rant
A few weeks back my girlfriend Nikki and I decided we were in need a of a serious girl’s night. We decided to try a classic tapas joint on 31st Street and then see where the night took us. While the tapas joint had great service, passable Spanish wine, and complimentary house infused brandy, we wanted a little more something—more food, more booze, somewhere we could be a little louder and the lights were a little darker. We wandered in to Rest.au.Rant and were hooked—they had fabulous cheese plates and the bartender poured us the delectable Badiola Super Tuscan. Somewhere through my wine addled haze I remember thinking “I must come back and blog about this place” and that’s about all I remember. I came home to my slightly bemused boyfriend and when I tried to act normal he said “your teeth are purple have been out with Nikki?" Busted.
Labor Day turned out to be balls to the wall crazy at my bar and after turning it out for hours I was ready for a beer. Nikki had come in for a quick wine and we decided to venture back to Rest.au.Rant and try and remember it this time. Inside the bar it is inviting and rustic, with small wooden tables and two chandlers made out of wine glasses. An old grappa press, giant wine rack and old fishing nets overhead add to the ambiance while chalkboards display the beer list and specials.
Rest.au. boasts a ton of specials, by the way: happy hour on weekdays from 4-7 includes $4 house wines and drafts, every night couples (including platonic) get a free desert with a bottle of wine, and every Wednesday you get 20% off bottles of wine. They also boast a pretty great beer selection and even offer up flights to help you decide. The “American Mixers” Flight brings you 3 ounces each of Sierra Nevada, J.K.Skrumpy’s Organic Hard Cider, and Brooklyn Lager while the “Acquired Tastes” serves up J.K. Skrumpy’s, Delirium Tremens, and Franziskaner Weissbiere. I’ll admit flights of beer are a fun novelty, but their beer list is too good to settle on the select few they have singled out for tastings. The bartender seemed happy to give small tastes of the draft selections and also was able to make good recommendations, turned out he was the same one who had helped us down a good bottle and a half of vino a few weeks prior.
Nikki decided to go with the Super Tuscan we had so enjoyed on our first visit, I went for the Castelain Blond Biere De Garde from France. The Blond was malty and herbal, reminded me of a lot of the beers I had had in Paris a few years back and it went quite nicely with our shrimp in pesto. Steve the bartender poured me a taste of the “beer of the moment” which happened to be the Aecht Schlenkerla Helles, a smoked beer from Bamberg, Germany. It smelled like a campfire, Steve ran some drinks to a table on the patio and yelled over his shoulder that the darker Schlenkerla tastes “like bacon” , a fact I simply had to write down before I forgot but while reaching for the pen I managed to knock my smoky beer all over my drink date, her phone, and my notes. Sigh, you really can’t take this Wench anywhere.
Aecht Schlenkerla is a traditional German Rauchbier, the word “schlenkerla” comes from an expression which translates roughly into an inability to walk straight (possibly due to drunkenness). The smoky flavor of the beer is a result of the malt being exposed to the aromatic smoke from burning beech wood before it is aged in 700-year-old cellars. While several varieties are available at different times of the year (they even make a “Lentbeer”), Rest.au.Rant is currently selling the Helles which is brewed with Bavarian aroma hops, boiled in copper kettles, and lagered (aged) in century old caves underneath the brewery.
I plan on continuing my love affair with Rest.au.Rant and working my way through the beer list as well as the food menu. I am still dreaming about the truffles that came complimentary with our bottle of wine and am thoroughly intrigued by the Steinlager from New Zealand. At only $8 a bottle the Koningshoeven Quadruple and the Delirium Tremens could get this Wench in some serious trouble, but hey, I’ve already spilled one drink at this bar why stop now?
Labor Day turned out to be balls to the wall crazy at my bar and after turning it out for hours I was ready for a beer. Nikki had come in for a quick wine and we decided to venture back to Rest.au.Rant and try and remember it this time. Inside the bar it is inviting and rustic, with small wooden tables and two chandlers made out of wine glasses. An old grappa press, giant wine rack and old fishing nets overhead add to the ambiance while chalkboards display the beer list and specials.
Rest.au. boasts a ton of specials, by the way: happy hour on weekdays from 4-7 includes $4 house wines and drafts, every night couples (including platonic) get a free desert with a bottle of wine, and every Wednesday you get 20% off bottles of wine. They also boast a pretty great beer selection and even offer up flights to help you decide. The “American Mixers” Flight brings you 3 ounces each of Sierra Nevada, J.K.Skrumpy’s Organic Hard Cider, and Brooklyn Lager while the “Acquired Tastes” serves up J.K. Skrumpy’s, Delirium Tremens, and Franziskaner Weissbiere. I’ll admit flights of beer are a fun novelty, but their beer list is too good to settle on the select few they have singled out for tastings. The bartender seemed happy to give small tastes of the draft selections and also was able to make good recommendations, turned out he was the same one who had helped us down a good bottle and a half of vino a few weeks prior.
Nikki decided to go with the Super Tuscan we had so enjoyed on our first visit, I went for the Castelain Blond Biere De Garde from France. The Blond was malty and herbal, reminded me of a lot of the beers I had had in Paris a few years back and it went quite nicely with our shrimp in pesto. Steve the bartender poured me a taste of the “beer of the moment” which happened to be the Aecht Schlenkerla Helles, a smoked beer from Bamberg, Germany. It smelled like a campfire, Steve ran some drinks to a table on the patio and yelled over his shoulder that the darker Schlenkerla tastes “like bacon” , a fact I simply had to write down before I forgot but while reaching for the pen I managed to knock my smoky beer all over my drink date, her phone, and my notes. Sigh, you really can’t take this Wench anywhere.
Aecht Schlenkerla is a traditional German Rauchbier, the word “schlenkerla” comes from an expression which translates roughly into an inability to walk straight (possibly due to drunkenness). The smoky flavor of the beer is a result of the malt being exposed to the aromatic smoke from burning beech wood before it is aged in 700-year-old cellars. While several varieties are available at different times of the year (they even make a “Lentbeer”), Rest.au.Rant is currently selling the Helles which is brewed with Bavarian aroma hops, boiled in copper kettles, and lagered (aged) in century old caves underneath the brewery.
I plan on continuing my love affair with Rest.au.Rant and working my way through the beer list as well as the food menu. I am still dreaming about the truffles that came complimentary with our bottle of wine and am thoroughly intrigued by the Steinlager from New Zealand. At only $8 a bottle the Koningshoeven Quadruple and the Delirium Tremens could get this Wench in some serious trouble, but hey, I’ve already spilled one drink at this bar why stop now?
Beer Wench Brings You GoodBrewing
If last week’s blog piqued your interest in DIY brewing (or gave you great gift giving ides for early holiday shopping) you may be into the folks at Goodbrewing, allow me to introduce you.
Goodbrewing is the brainchild of Melissa Urbieta, Rodrigo Urbieta, and Angel Bolanos, three proud Astorians who seriously love beer and who all thought it would be “a blast” to brew their own. After deciding to create their own homebrews, they quickly realized that although there was a growing market for home-brewing supplies, there weren’t a lot of places to get the goods in Astoria. They finally opened up their (for now) online store and carry Brewcraft products as well as the Cooper’s line of ingredient kits. I asked them why they chose to carry the pre-done ingredient kits and they said so that you can judge your homebrew against the original and use it as a measuring tool before mixing and matching, also they felt that Brewcraft was “under-represented but carried the most consistent reputation.”
So they like to make beer but what do they drink? Melissa informed me that although she doesn’t discriminate she tends to favor darker brews and IPAs while Rodrigo goes for the wheat beers. Of course I had to ask them where they drink their favorite brews (besides at home) and they named two of this wench’s favorite watering-holes: Sunswick and the Sparrow Tavern. Both bars they picked for “their drinks, personality, food, bartenders, and general scene.”
Currently, they are toying with the idea of opening up a physical storefront in Astoria based on the internet sales and feedback from customers. You can order equipment and ingredients off their website and if you meet their minimum they will deliver them to you! Melissa asked me to put it to you, my dear readers, how would you all feel about a home brewing store in Astoria?
www.goodbrewing.com
Goodbrewing is the brainchild of Melissa Urbieta, Rodrigo Urbieta, and Angel Bolanos, three proud Astorians who seriously love beer and who all thought it would be “a blast” to brew their own. After deciding to create their own homebrews, they quickly realized that although there was a growing market for home-brewing supplies, there weren’t a lot of places to get the goods in Astoria. They finally opened up their (for now) online store and carry Brewcraft products as well as the Cooper’s line of ingredient kits. I asked them why they chose to carry the pre-done ingredient kits and they said so that you can judge your homebrew against the original and use it as a measuring tool before mixing and matching, also they felt that Brewcraft was “under-represented but carried the most consistent reputation.”
So they like to make beer but what do they drink? Melissa informed me that although she doesn’t discriminate she tends to favor darker brews and IPAs while Rodrigo goes for the wheat beers. Of course I had to ask them where they drink their favorite brews (besides at home) and they named two of this wench’s favorite watering-holes: Sunswick and the Sparrow Tavern. Both bars they picked for “their drinks, personality, food, bartenders, and general scene.”
Currently, they are toying with the idea of opening up a physical storefront in Astoria based on the internet sales and feedback from customers. You can order equipment and ingredients off their website and if you meet their minimum they will deliver them to you! Melissa asked me to put it to you, my dear readers, how would you all feel about a home brewing store in Astoria?
www.goodbrewing.com
Beer Wench Talks Home Brewing
This is going to be my first in a series of other awesome things to do with beer, besides drink it (don’t worry, that will still be happening!). Several of my friends have been home-brewing for years, and while I have been drinking their brews I have never been partaking in the making. However, I do know the basics from several brewery tours, websites, and many a good beer book.
Yes, I know I am far from the authority on home-brewing at this present time, so I asked some awesome friends about their experiences with making beer. Home-brewing use to be something everyone did, even after the advent of the Public House, but Prohibition put a stop to all the fun. It wasn’t until 1979 that Jimmy Carter took the ban off of home-brewing and thanks to him, these beer making stories were made possible.
George (yep, that would be the owner of Hell Gate Social) has been brewing for three years, using his mother’s basement which has a stove and space to store the beer at a proper temperature. His first creation was an IPA from a kit and it was a hoppy success with apricot undertones. He then ventured out on his own and tried adding Nutella to a stout, which sounds deliciously promising. Sadly, George didn’t take into account the fat content of the chocolate hazelnut spread and wound up having to skim oil off of his brew before bottling. The end result was only slightly chocolatey with a trace of hazelnut that was not enough. All of his supplies come from the Hydroponic Garden Centers, Inc www.growny.com.
Recently, I met a guy named Mark at Sparrow- he was looking for an actress to lipsync in a music video and I had a day off. We spent an afternoon shooting “A Little Bit In Love with Stephen Colbert” (yes, it is on youtube) and then went for a beer. Over our pints we started talking about home-brewing and he offered to bring me some of his last batch (yay!). Mark has been brewing for about five years and credits his start to an over abundance of time and creativity and his deep love of beer. He likes to come up with his own brews, using honey or agave in lieu of sugar. His favorite concoctions are his Maple Toasted Walnut Porter with dark honey, a Lime Ginger Pale Ale using agave, and a Sour Cherry Wheat using light honey. He gave me a large bottle of the Sour Cherry Wheat, which was a lot lighter and more effervescent than I was expecting. It had a good flavor and I could discern a hint of honey at the end. Over the years his only misstep has been attempting a Chili and Greek Mountain Tea blend, which turned out to be too spicy and undrinkable.
My best friend, Shelly, and her boyfriend, Jim, started brewing a few years ago after taking all of her dad’s old home-brewing equipment. They started out using kits and then began to develop their own recipes, which Jim now keeps track of on his “BrewPal” app on his iPhone (crazy, right?!). One of their friends actually brews to kegs and throws massive beer parties in MA. He even made a special batch with champagne yeast for a buddy’s wedding, but when he presented the couple with the gift the bottles exploded due to the addition of too much sugar. Jim and Shelly primarily make IPAs. They did one with added vanilla bean and one with an amber malt extract that wound up turning black and tasting more Belgian than American IPA. I really enjoyed that black IPA. It was rich and nutty with a little sweetness and bite. To check and see if the beer is carbonating, Jim crushes a Poland Spring water bottle and fills it half up with the beer, if it pops back to normal the beer is on the right track. They like to take kits from True Brew and Brewer’s Best and add additional hops and grains.
Ladies, I know these stories are guy-heavy. Most recognized brewers of our day are dudes but don’t let that lead you into thinking that your only spot in the kitchen is with a muffin tin (not that there is anything wrong with baking). Ancient cultures prized female brewers! Making beer was a chick thing from ancient Babylon to Peru and in England and Scotland lady brewers were called “brewsters” (Punky anyone?). In the 1300s guys decided to take over and make it hard for women to be certified brewers but today plenty of gals are hopping to it and making beer!
Interested in doing some good old brewing? To make beer, you need to get yourself a handy-dandy home-brew kit. You can find them online and soon at Good Brewing, a home-brewing store opening up on 24th Street! A home-brew kit will consist of a stainless steel brewpot for cooking the beer, a large bucket with a lid or a glass carboy for fermenting, fermentation airlocks and stopper to allow the CO2 to release during the fermenation, a floating thermometer, a straining bag to strain the mash, a wort chiller (wort is the liquid you have after straining the mash), a siphon cane and hose to get the beer into the secondary fermenter, a bottling bucket or some other way of getting the beer into your bottles and, lastly, bottles and caps! Also you will need sanitizer! Lots of sanitizer! Everything must be squeaky clean or else all of your hard work will just go down the drain, literally.
You will also need ingredients. You can buy kits for a specific kind of beer which will save you some time and also give you good practice for coming up with your own blend, or you can go it alone. You will need to procure grains, yeast, sugar (to feed your yeast), hops, malt/malt extract, any other spices or flavorings you desire, and water. It is easier to make ales at home, due to the yeast involved. Ales are made with a top fermenting yeast that allows them to be made at warmer temperatures. Lagers require a refrigerator as the bottom fermenting yeast only works when cold. “Lager” comes from the German to “rest” or “store”- this yeast also takes longer to make beer than ale yeast. But if you happen to have an extra fridge and can handle waiting to taste the brew of your labor, by all means go lager and let me know how it goes!
Yes, I know I am far from the authority on home-brewing at this present time, so I asked some awesome friends about their experiences with making beer. Home-brewing use to be something everyone did, even after the advent of the Public House, but Prohibition put a stop to all the fun. It wasn’t until 1979 that Jimmy Carter took the ban off of home-brewing and thanks to him, these beer making stories were made possible.
George (yep, that would be the owner of Hell Gate Social) has been brewing for three years, using his mother’s basement which has a stove and space to store the beer at a proper temperature. His first creation was an IPA from a kit and it was a hoppy success with apricot undertones. He then ventured out on his own and tried adding Nutella to a stout, which sounds deliciously promising. Sadly, George didn’t take into account the fat content of the chocolate hazelnut spread and wound up having to skim oil off of his brew before bottling. The end result was only slightly chocolatey with a trace of hazelnut that was not enough. All of his supplies come from the Hydroponic Garden Centers, Inc www.growny.com.
Recently, I met a guy named Mark at Sparrow- he was looking for an actress to lipsync in a music video and I had a day off. We spent an afternoon shooting “A Little Bit In Love with Stephen Colbert” (yes, it is on youtube) and then went for a beer. Over our pints we started talking about home-brewing and he offered to bring me some of his last batch (yay!). Mark has been brewing for about five years and credits his start to an over abundance of time and creativity and his deep love of beer. He likes to come up with his own brews, using honey or agave in lieu of sugar. His favorite concoctions are his Maple Toasted Walnut Porter with dark honey, a Lime Ginger Pale Ale using agave, and a Sour Cherry Wheat using light honey. He gave me a large bottle of the Sour Cherry Wheat, which was a lot lighter and more effervescent than I was expecting. It had a good flavor and I could discern a hint of honey at the end. Over the years his only misstep has been attempting a Chili and Greek Mountain Tea blend, which turned out to be too spicy and undrinkable.
My best friend, Shelly, and her boyfriend, Jim, started brewing a few years ago after taking all of her dad’s old home-brewing equipment. They started out using kits and then began to develop their own recipes, which Jim now keeps track of on his “BrewPal” app on his iPhone (crazy, right?!). One of their friends actually brews to kegs and throws massive beer parties in MA. He even made a special batch with champagne yeast for a buddy’s wedding, but when he presented the couple with the gift the bottles exploded due to the addition of too much sugar. Jim and Shelly primarily make IPAs. They did one with added vanilla bean and one with an amber malt extract that wound up turning black and tasting more Belgian than American IPA. I really enjoyed that black IPA. It was rich and nutty with a little sweetness and bite. To check and see if the beer is carbonating, Jim crushes a Poland Spring water bottle and fills it half up with the beer, if it pops back to normal the beer is on the right track. They like to take kits from True Brew and Brewer’s Best and add additional hops and grains.
Ladies, I know these stories are guy-heavy. Most recognized brewers of our day are dudes but don’t let that lead you into thinking that your only spot in the kitchen is with a muffin tin (not that there is anything wrong with baking). Ancient cultures prized female brewers! Making beer was a chick thing from ancient Babylon to Peru and in England and Scotland lady brewers were called “brewsters” (Punky anyone?). In the 1300s guys decided to take over and make it hard for women to be certified brewers but today plenty of gals are hopping to it and making beer!
Interested in doing some good old brewing? To make beer, you need to get yourself a handy-dandy home-brew kit. You can find them online and soon at Good Brewing, a home-brewing store opening up on 24th Street! A home-brew kit will consist of a stainless steel brewpot for cooking the beer, a large bucket with a lid or a glass carboy for fermenting, fermentation airlocks and stopper to allow the CO2 to release during the fermenation, a floating thermometer, a straining bag to strain the mash, a wort chiller (wort is the liquid you have after straining the mash), a siphon cane and hose to get the beer into the secondary fermenter, a bottling bucket or some other way of getting the beer into your bottles and, lastly, bottles and caps! Also you will need sanitizer! Lots of sanitizer! Everything must be squeaky clean or else all of your hard work will just go down the drain, literally.
You will also need ingredients. You can buy kits for a specific kind of beer which will save you some time and also give you good practice for coming up with your own blend, or you can go it alone. You will need to procure grains, yeast, sugar (to feed your yeast), hops, malt/malt extract, any other spices or flavorings you desire, and water. It is easier to make ales at home, due to the yeast involved. Ales are made with a top fermenting yeast that allows them to be made at warmer temperatures. Lagers require a refrigerator as the bottom fermenting yeast only works when cold. “Lager” comes from the German to “rest” or “store”- this yeast also takes longer to make beer than ale yeast. But if you happen to have an extra fridge and can handle waiting to taste the brew of your labor, by all means go lager and let me know how it goes!
Beer Wench and the Gates of Hell
A little over a year ago, my boyfriend and I saw on Why Leave Astoria that there was going to be a 4th of July clambake at a place called Hell Gate Social. Intrigued and hungry, we ventured down Astoria Boulevard looking for 14th street. We wound up wandering around, lost and starving, until a tattooed guy with a horseshoe shaped mustache emerged from behind a black warehouse door. It doesn’t take a genius to deduce that tattoos+crazy ‘stache+black unmarked door=speakeasy and it was thus that my friendship with Hell Gate Social and subsequently it’s owner, George, began.
While the clambake is a special occasion only event, Hell Gate has plenty of weekly and monthly shindigs and specials to wet your whistle. There’s a 2-4-1 happy hour special every weekday and on Sundays in the summer for the $10 all-you-can-eat MeatMe Sunday event, which also features awesome DJs. WLA cardholder? You can have your 2-4-1 happy hour anytime simply by flashing your card. Once a month Hell Gate hosts burlesque, with this Friday being ultra 80’s night. Rockband is set up every Wednesday, $3 will get you a High Life and whiskey shot, and on a Tuesday $5 will get you a “home-style margarita”. They also do art openings for the local artists whose works adorns their walls.
Enough with the events calendar (which could go on for a few more paragraphs check their website) and on to the beer! George likes to rotate his taps and bottles frequently, and always has a nice variety of local brews.
I went this past Sunday for the BBQ and rocked out to Ru-the-Day in the backyard garden, despite the rain. I ordered up a pint of the mellow and malty Sixpoint Brownstone, which is one of my favorites, and examined their new food menu. In addition to the all-you-can-eat, HGS has a la carte BBQ items and an indoor menu available every day till 4am. I went with the Jalapeño Pinwheels, which were crunchy and satisfyingly spicy, and my friend Sal went for the a la carte burger and corn with cayenne and queso fresco.
To quench the zest of the jalapeño, I got the Mermaid Pilsner from Coney Island. Mermaid is a dry hopped rye pilsner that goes down smooth and definitely killed the fire from the pepper pinwheels. My friend Todd opted to go with the Hoptical Illusion from Bluepoint. I’ll be the first to admit I have had my issues with this particular IPA. I first (and last) bought it about three years ago after discovering my love for their Toasted Lager. I had been out with some friends drinking #9s and Smithwicks all night, got home and cracked open a Hoptical Illusion, and that was that folks. The hop explosion in my stomach did not want to make friends with the other beer, it did not like my insides, and it wanted to leave the way it came in. Needless to say I don’t touch the stuff but if you are a brave hop head, by all means go for it.
Mr. Free went for the Fransizkaner wheat beer from Germany, nice and lemony for the summer. Fransizkaner means “brewery near the Franciscans” and it is the oldest privately owned brewery in Munich, dating back to 1363. The Franciscan Friar logo was designed for the brewery in 1935, and was inspired by the monastery across the street. Also always on tap, the good ol’ champagne of beers: Miller High Life. I don’t mind me a High Life, and it goes quite nicely in HGS’s Miller-ita cocktail—a funky little margarita topped with High Life. They also rock a few other familiar bottles: Stella, Schneider Weiss, Corona, Peroni, and Red Stripe. Did you know the U.S. stopped importing Red Stripe in the early ‘80’s because it was being used to smuggle herb from Jamaica into Miami? They also sponsor a yearly thumb-wrestling tournament. Seriously.
I know what you are thinking, it’s such a hike to Hell Gate from the train, there’s nothing else over there, blah blah blah. Get over it, you can certainly use the walk to work up your thirst and come on, a car is only about $7 to get home. The Astor Bake Shop has just opened up next door and trust me, their cupcakes rock. Alright, the front door is all black with a red light and looks a bit standoffish, but the people inside aren’t (especially after a few beers).
While the clambake is a special occasion only event, Hell Gate has plenty of weekly and monthly shindigs and specials to wet your whistle. There’s a 2-4-1 happy hour special every weekday and on Sundays in the summer for the $10 all-you-can-eat MeatMe Sunday event, which also features awesome DJs. WLA cardholder? You can have your 2-4-1 happy hour anytime simply by flashing your card. Once a month Hell Gate hosts burlesque, with this Friday being ultra 80’s night. Rockband is set up every Wednesday, $3 will get you a High Life and whiskey shot, and on a Tuesday $5 will get you a “home-style margarita”. They also do art openings for the local artists whose works adorns their walls.
Enough with the events calendar (which could go on for a few more paragraphs check their website) and on to the beer! George likes to rotate his taps and bottles frequently, and always has a nice variety of local brews.
I went this past Sunday for the BBQ and rocked out to Ru-the-Day in the backyard garden, despite the rain. I ordered up a pint of the mellow and malty Sixpoint Brownstone, which is one of my favorites, and examined their new food menu. In addition to the all-you-can-eat, HGS has a la carte BBQ items and an indoor menu available every day till 4am. I went with the Jalapeño Pinwheels, which were crunchy and satisfyingly spicy, and my friend Sal went for the a la carte burger and corn with cayenne and queso fresco.
To quench the zest of the jalapeño, I got the Mermaid Pilsner from Coney Island. Mermaid is a dry hopped rye pilsner that goes down smooth and definitely killed the fire from the pepper pinwheels. My friend Todd opted to go with the Hoptical Illusion from Bluepoint. I’ll be the first to admit I have had my issues with this particular IPA. I first (and last) bought it about three years ago after discovering my love for their Toasted Lager. I had been out with some friends drinking #9s and Smithwicks all night, got home and cracked open a Hoptical Illusion, and that was that folks. The hop explosion in my stomach did not want to make friends with the other beer, it did not like my insides, and it wanted to leave the way it came in. Needless to say I don’t touch the stuff but if you are a brave hop head, by all means go for it.
Mr. Free went for the Fransizkaner wheat beer from Germany, nice and lemony for the summer. Fransizkaner means “brewery near the Franciscans” and it is the oldest privately owned brewery in Munich, dating back to 1363. The Franciscan Friar logo was designed for the brewery in 1935, and was inspired by the monastery across the street. Also always on tap, the good ol’ champagne of beers: Miller High Life. I don’t mind me a High Life, and it goes quite nicely in HGS’s Miller-ita cocktail—a funky little margarita topped with High Life. They also rock a few other familiar bottles: Stella, Schneider Weiss, Corona, Peroni, and Red Stripe. Did you know the U.S. stopped importing Red Stripe in the early ‘80’s because it was being used to smuggle herb from Jamaica into Miami? They also sponsor a yearly thumb-wrestling tournament. Seriously.
I know what you are thinking, it’s such a hike to Hell Gate from the train, there’s nothing else over there, blah blah blah. Get over it, you can certainly use the walk to work up your thirst and come on, a car is only about $7 to get home. The Astor Bake Shop has just opened up next door and trust me, their cupcakes rock. Alright, the front door is all black with a red light and looks a bit standoffish, but the people inside aren’t (especially after a few beers).
Beer Wench Gets Writer's Block at Locale
I met my friend Gerard at Locale on a Sunday night, his roommate had mentioned it was his favorite spot in Astoria and the two of us were curious. At first glance, the layout stops just shy of screaming sex: the front metal rimmed windows, the flickering candlelight and black and white nude paintings on the wall, the cozy wrought-iron enclosed lounge. I made a mental note to bring my man back for date night before I had even opened a menu.
We sat at the marble topped bar and Katie, the new bartender, asked us for our drink orders. The new manager was nice enough to set up a full tasting for me and I opted to go light to dark, which was easy due to the set up of their beer list. Locale has broken down their brews into Lagers and Ales and then into Light, Dark, Triple, IPA, and Stout. There are familiar beers on the list (Spaten, Amstel, Hitochino White, Green Flash IPA, Delirium Tremens, and non alcoholic St. Pauli girl) and a few we haven’t talked about yet. The new manager, Kara, is very passionate and proud of her beer list (and their awesome new website) so keep your eyes out for new beer additions, she mentioned getting a Belgian style Tripel (from New Jersey of all places!) in the next week.
I started with the Southampton Keller Pils. Keller Pils was light and crisp with a little bite at the end. The word “Keller” means that the beer has been aged but unfiltered, which is why the Pils is slightly hazy in appearance, and it is a very old world way of brewing beer. Southampton is making a new Pils every summer to showcase different varieties of hops, this particular Pils is brewed using only one hop variety which really allows the characteristics of that flower to come through.
I moved onto the Wolaver’s Organic Pale Ale and Gerard and I went ahead and ordered the mussels in garlic sauce. Katie poured the rich caramel hued pale ale into a pilsner glass in front of me and we were all instantly hit with the floral smell of the brew. I tasted it and, ugh, it tasted like perfume! The entire experience of this beer was reminiscent of my childhood stuck in a Florida church pew between two over-zealous grandmas. I couldn’t even finish it. Gerard had been enjoying his Hazed&Infused and I stole a few sips to neutralize myself.
Our mussels arrived. Damn, I thought, everything in this place is sexy. They were lovely and plump, chips of garlic sticking to their shiny black shells. I could eat these things every day. They paired nicely with the Warsteiner Pils I had moved on to (no perfume here!). Gerard was examining the cocktail menu, trying to decide between the Lolita and the Writer’s Block. He went for the bourbon based Writer’s Block, a sensual mix of Knob Creek, brandy brown butter sauce, Campari, and sweet vermouth. This is the kind of cocktail that makes you want to lick the glass after you finish it.
Moving on down their beer list, Locale carries Xingu a Brazilian Black beer. A note about Xingu: black beer does not equal stout, so don’t think Guinness. Xingu is named after a river in the Rainforest near Brazil and is brewed using an ancient Indian recipe. While it looks dark and brooding, Xingu has a light mouthfeel and hints of coffee, burnt sugar, dark fruit, and cola. After one dark beer I was tempted to keep going and enjoy a 22oz bottle of Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar, but Gerard refused to share it with me and in all honesty I didn’t think I could fit 22oz of beer on top of the other four beers, garlic mussels, and bruschetta.
I asked Katie what she would do and she produced a bottle of Schneider’s Edelweiss, an organic wheat beer. She poured it for us and mentioned that this was her typical after-work beer. It had a rich almost smokey characteristic, which I don’t usually associate with the lighter variety of hefewiezens and there was a hint of alcohol somewhere in there, a cloying sweetness that made me ask her for the bottle. I asked Katie what the A.B.V. was and as we looked for it on the bottle we realized, homegirl had just given me an 8.5% beer that was too delicious not to finish. This was turning it to one interesting evening, I was already beginning to hum songs from the Sound of Music. Apparently my friend’s grandmother didn’t have the same affinity for Rodger’s and Hammerstein musicals that mine did because he quickly told me to stop humming and was perplexed as to why “Edelweiss” would even make me sing. It happens to be the flower of Bavaria, by the way, and is “small and white, clean and bright/ [it] look[s] happy to seeeee meee.” My leighterhosen should be arriving momentarily.
Moving on from the Schneider, Gerard tried his first ever mojito. This is pretty hilarious folks because at his bar he makes a million of them but he has never bothered to make a whole one for himself! The Locale Mojito has a bit of a twist, they use cucumbers with the mint and lime which is a nice light touch. I wound up going back later in the week to satisfy my man’s Writer’s Block curiosity and got the Locale Mojito with Hendrix Gin and it was lovely and refreshing. I had heard Katie describing her signature drink of the evening and decided to give it a go. The Knockout was a tequila fruit concoction that was made, our bartender said, “with lust not love.” It was a naughty little drink, I was tempted to start singing again although this time it was along with the bar music. Seriously, their mix could have come off my Ipod: “Try Me” by Bob Marley, “Australia” by the Kinks, Tom Petty, Radiohead, more Bob Marley, more Petty—yay!
Finishing our cocktails, we decided to migrate for a few more pints. Sunswick had some new kegs and once there we encountered the staff of 5 Napkin Burger, who invited me to come on in for drinks and dinner soon. Mr. Free gave me a ring and asked us to come by his friend’s backyard for a few Silver Bullets (actually he didn’t mention the Coors Light on the phone or else we may have opted to stay at Sunswick with our Stone Levitations). Off we went into the sticky Astoria night, still reminiscing about the taste of brandy brown butter, bourbon, and garlic mussels.
I would like to offer up a big Beer Wench HELL YEAH! to Jet Blue employee Steven Slater, the new patron saint of the service industry, for taking the time to grab two brews before making his gallant “F-You” exit on an inflatable slide. Rock on dude, you are my new hero! What beers do you think he grabbed?
http://www.whyleaveastoria.com/page/locale-1
We sat at the marble topped bar and Katie, the new bartender, asked us for our drink orders. The new manager was nice enough to set up a full tasting for me and I opted to go light to dark, which was easy due to the set up of their beer list. Locale has broken down their brews into Lagers and Ales and then into Light, Dark, Triple, IPA, and Stout. There are familiar beers on the list (Spaten, Amstel, Hitochino White, Green Flash IPA, Delirium Tremens, and non alcoholic St. Pauli girl) and a few we haven’t talked about yet. The new manager, Kara, is very passionate and proud of her beer list (and their awesome new website) so keep your eyes out for new beer additions, she mentioned getting a Belgian style Tripel (from New Jersey of all places!) in the next week.
I started with the Southampton Keller Pils. Keller Pils was light and crisp with a little bite at the end. The word “Keller” means that the beer has been aged but unfiltered, which is why the Pils is slightly hazy in appearance, and it is a very old world way of brewing beer. Southampton is making a new Pils every summer to showcase different varieties of hops, this particular Pils is brewed using only one hop variety which really allows the characteristics of that flower to come through.
I moved onto the Wolaver’s Organic Pale Ale and Gerard and I went ahead and ordered the mussels in garlic sauce. Katie poured the rich caramel hued pale ale into a pilsner glass in front of me and we were all instantly hit with the floral smell of the brew. I tasted it and, ugh, it tasted like perfume! The entire experience of this beer was reminiscent of my childhood stuck in a Florida church pew between two over-zealous grandmas. I couldn’t even finish it. Gerard had been enjoying his Hazed&Infused and I stole a few sips to neutralize myself.
Our mussels arrived. Damn, I thought, everything in this place is sexy. They were lovely and plump, chips of garlic sticking to their shiny black shells. I could eat these things every day. They paired nicely with the Warsteiner Pils I had moved on to (no perfume here!). Gerard was examining the cocktail menu, trying to decide between the Lolita and the Writer’s Block. He went for the bourbon based Writer’s Block, a sensual mix of Knob Creek, brandy brown butter sauce, Campari, and sweet vermouth. This is the kind of cocktail that makes you want to lick the glass after you finish it.
Moving on down their beer list, Locale carries Xingu a Brazilian Black beer. A note about Xingu: black beer does not equal stout, so don’t think Guinness. Xingu is named after a river in the Rainforest near Brazil and is brewed using an ancient Indian recipe. While it looks dark and brooding, Xingu has a light mouthfeel and hints of coffee, burnt sugar, dark fruit, and cola. After one dark beer I was tempted to keep going and enjoy a 22oz bottle of Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar, but Gerard refused to share it with me and in all honesty I didn’t think I could fit 22oz of beer on top of the other four beers, garlic mussels, and bruschetta.
I asked Katie what she would do and she produced a bottle of Schneider’s Edelweiss, an organic wheat beer. She poured it for us and mentioned that this was her typical after-work beer. It had a rich almost smokey characteristic, which I don’t usually associate with the lighter variety of hefewiezens and there was a hint of alcohol somewhere in there, a cloying sweetness that made me ask her for the bottle. I asked Katie what the A.B.V. was and as we looked for it on the bottle we realized, homegirl had just given me an 8.5% beer that was too delicious not to finish. This was turning it to one interesting evening, I was already beginning to hum songs from the Sound of Music. Apparently my friend’s grandmother didn’t have the same affinity for Rodger’s and Hammerstein musicals that mine did because he quickly told me to stop humming and was perplexed as to why “Edelweiss” would even make me sing. It happens to be the flower of Bavaria, by the way, and is “small and white, clean and bright/ [it] look[s] happy to seeeee meee.” My leighterhosen should be arriving momentarily.
Moving on from the Schneider, Gerard tried his first ever mojito. This is pretty hilarious folks because at his bar he makes a million of them but he has never bothered to make a whole one for himself! The Locale Mojito has a bit of a twist, they use cucumbers with the mint and lime which is a nice light touch. I wound up going back later in the week to satisfy my man’s Writer’s Block curiosity and got the Locale Mojito with Hendrix Gin and it was lovely and refreshing. I had heard Katie describing her signature drink of the evening and decided to give it a go. The Knockout was a tequila fruit concoction that was made, our bartender said, “with lust not love.” It was a naughty little drink, I was tempted to start singing again although this time it was along with the bar music. Seriously, their mix could have come off my Ipod: “Try Me” by Bob Marley, “Australia” by the Kinks, Tom Petty, Radiohead, more Bob Marley, more Petty—yay!
Finishing our cocktails, we decided to migrate for a few more pints. Sunswick had some new kegs and once there we encountered the staff of 5 Napkin Burger, who invited me to come on in for drinks and dinner soon. Mr. Free gave me a ring and asked us to come by his friend’s backyard for a few Silver Bullets (actually he didn’t mention the Coors Light on the phone or else we may have opted to stay at Sunswick with our Stone Levitations). Off we went into the sticky Astoria night, still reminiscing about the taste of brandy brown butter, bourbon, and garlic mussels.
I would like to offer up a big Beer Wench HELL YEAH! to Jet Blue employee Steven Slater, the new patron saint of the service industry, for taking the time to grab two brews before making his gallant “F-You” exit on an inflatable slide. Rock on dude, you are my new hero! What beers do you think he grabbed?
http://www.whyleaveastoria.com/page/locale-1
Beer Lunch in LIC part 2
When you left me last I was all dressed up on a dark, willow-lined street in Long Island City, and I was thirsty. Once again, my friends and I stood under a sign bearing the word “bar” only this time it was followed by “LIC.” The multitude of chalkboards outside promised cold beers and a plethora of upcoming and nightly events. Yep, I thought, this will do nicely.
Inside LIC Bar, we encountered a long wooden bar, a smattering of tables, and a large wood paneled DJ booth. There were a few people drinking at the bar, ignoring the sports on the TV overhead. We pondered their beer list, which had more than one bottle on it, but also had more than one spelling error, and Brian grabbed a round. I opted for their “House Toasted” which comes from the Saratoga brewery and was a nice mellow amber. Angie went Anchor Steam, one of my favorite go-to brews. Anchor actually has a trademark on the term “steam”, a word used to describe west coast beer made in the 19th century brewed without using ice. The brewery still uses the traditional methods they began with in 1896. Somehow, to me, Anchor Steam has always tasted rich and indulgent while retaining a light quality, and it goes well with just about everything.
Also on tap, draft, draught, or “draght” are Newcastle, Brooklyn Lager, an IPA from Saratoga, Stella, “Raderberger”, Guinness, and a “beer of the month” and range from $4 to $6. Bottles go from $3 to Miller High Life to $10 Duvel and Chimay Blue. LIC Bar definitely won’t put a dent in your rent savings.
We grabbed our beers and headed out to the garden, where we were greeted by the sounds of slide guitar. A light breeze blew the willow branches over the stone wall, and as I sat at the quaint metal table I was instantly transported back to St. Augustine. Growing up in Florida, I would take trips at least once a year to the oldest city in our country and that old world vibe is something I crave when I feel a little homesick. All around us people were relaxing with friends, some even had their dogs! A BBQ station was set up next to the stage, which looked like an open sided living room. I can only imagine how nice the patio must be for day drinking.
As I sipped my Harpoon Summer ale, I noticed a guy in a white hat was moving through the garden, conferring with the band and BBQ guys. After Dutch Kills, I wanted to find a bar employee who could get me excited about their establishment. I waved him over and low and behold, he was LIC Bar’s booker, Gustavo. We chatted about the funky band on stage with the upright bass and slide guitar, Loli Zan, and he told us about the upcoming Gordon Gano show. Tickets are only $15 in advance to see the former front man of the Violent Femmes rock the garden on August 15th. LIC bar has live music every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday and DJs Fridays and Saturdays. Gustavo agreed that the garden felt a bit like St. Augustine, but said usually people liken it to New Orleans, with a few people mentioning Austin. I had a lot of fun talking with Gustavo, LIC bar was inviting and homey and oh so affordable.
We finished our beers, all of us thoroughly relaxed, our thirsts almost quenched. Loli Zan finished their set with the front man saying: “be merry and carry forth.” That sounded like a fabulous invitation to us.
Inside LIC Bar, we encountered a long wooden bar, a smattering of tables, and a large wood paneled DJ booth. There were a few people drinking at the bar, ignoring the sports on the TV overhead. We pondered their beer list, which had more than one bottle on it, but also had more than one spelling error, and Brian grabbed a round. I opted for their “House Toasted” which comes from the Saratoga brewery and was a nice mellow amber. Angie went Anchor Steam, one of my favorite go-to brews. Anchor actually has a trademark on the term “steam”, a word used to describe west coast beer made in the 19th century brewed without using ice. The brewery still uses the traditional methods they began with in 1896. Somehow, to me, Anchor Steam has always tasted rich and indulgent while retaining a light quality, and it goes well with just about everything.
Also on tap, draft, draught, or “draght” are Newcastle, Brooklyn Lager, an IPA from Saratoga, Stella, “Raderberger”, Guinness, and a “beer of the month” and range from $4 to $6. Bottles go from $3 to Miller High Life to $10 Duvel and Chimay Blue. LIC Bar definitely won’t put a dent in your rent savings.
We grabbed our beers and headed out to the garden, where we were greeted by the sounds of slide guitar. A light breeze blew the willow branches over the stone wall, and as I sat at the quaint metal table I was instantly transported back to St. Augustine. Growing up in Florida, I would take trips at least once a year to the oldest city in our country and that old world vibe is something I crave when I feel a little homesick. All around us people were relaxing with friends, some even had their dogs! A BBQ station was set up next to the stage, which looked like an open sided living room. I can only imagine how nice the patio must be for day drinking.
As I sipped my Harpoon Summer ale, I noticed a guy in a white hat was moving through the garden, conferring with the band and BBQ guys. After Dutch Kills, I wanted to find a bar employee who could get me excited about their establishment. I waved him over and low and behold, he was LIC Bar’s booker, Gustavo. We chatted about the funky band on stage with the upright bass and slide guitar, Loli Zan, and he told us about the upcoming Gordon Gano show. Tickets are only $15 in advance to see the former front man of the Violent Femmes rock the garden on August 15th. LIC bar has live music every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday and DJs Fridays and Saturdays. Gustavo agreed that the garden felt a bit like St. Augustine, but said usually people liken it to New Orleans, with a few people mentioning Austin. I had a lot of fun talking with Gustavo, LIC bar was inviting and homey and oh so affordable.
We finished our beers, all of us thoroughly relaxed, our thirsts almost quenched. Loli Zan finished their set with the front man saying: “be merry and carry forth.” That sounded like a fabulous invitation to us.
Beer Wench Goes Dutch
It has been a truly amazing New York week for this wench, a perfect reminder that this city can be the catalyst for so many unexpected opportunities. Basking in this I <3>
The black door bearing a tiny plaque reading “Dutch Kills” opens into a cozy booth lined hall that leads back to the sexy dim bar brimming with fruit bowls, glass carafes of juices and syrups, and the infamous block of ice. Past the bar, a tiny room with a couch and a piano await the “pian-ologist”, to use his own term. We alighted on our bar stools and began to muse over the drinks and beers listed on the chalk boards overhead while a bartender in an Aloha shirt sporting a ponytail methodically turned the block of ice into small chunks with a saw and chisel. Our bartender, a sassy Brit with a tattoo that she described as “asparagus”, informed us that we could also request a particular flavor and the bartenders would create a drink just for us.
There were six beers on the board, a mix of draft and bottle. I had already had everything on tap so the only question for me was do I go for the Italian Amber or the Belgian Lambic, I was discussing this with my girlfriend Angie when my bubble of enthusiasm was popped by an ice pick.
“Oh we only have one beer.”
One beer? I must have heard her wrong. “You mean one beer on tap?”
“No, one beer in the house. I’m not sure why but we only have the one.”
Huh. Wow. If there was only one beer in the entire joint why oh why are six listed on the board and that one isn’t even on the list? What is a beer wench to do? I decided to drown my disappointment in the Sunset Park, a rye-based libation with peach liquor and bitters, complimented with stolen sips of my friend’s Star Daisy.
The “pian-ologist” arrived, as did the rest of my friends. My friend Brian (you may remember him from my Fatty’s adventure), is actually one of the reasons I picked Dutch Kills, our outing was his fifth trip to said speakeasy in ten days and I wanted to see what he was raving about. My friend Sutton and I recently reconnected on the set of a Vampire movie last Saturday where each of us lost our body weight in sweat while sipping “blood” from solo cups and trying to look vamp-tastic in a loft that felt more like a 400 degree oven. I was leaning over to hug her hello when she stopped and screamed, “hey you, I know you!” at the dude with the ponytail behind the bar. Turns out they had done something for New York One together; I told you I love this city.
I was about to order the only beer when Angie came up with a fabulous idea: ask the bartender to create a cocktail with the ale. After all, Dutch Kills is a mixologist bar that prides itself on its innovative concoctions so why not play to their strengths? I asked ponytail, whose name I learned is Abraham, to have fun and make something fantastic, he could even make us two drinks if he was so inspired and had extra beer. He thought a moment and said he could do a variation on a Flip, but my request was unusual and he didn’t usually create on the spot with specifications from the customer. This was a bit off-putting, hadn’t we been told upon sitting at the bar that if we requested a flavor or liquor that the staff would be happy to please our palates? Abraham mixed, he shook, and finally he poured forth a frothy Flip that looked a bit like eggnog.
“What is it called?” I asked, in sudden awe of the beverage in front of me.
“What’s your name?”
“Jena.”
“Then we will call it the Jena Flip.” He said dryly as he walked away.
According to the Dictionary, the term Flip was first used in 1695. Originally, a Flip consisted of beer, rum and sugar heated with a hot iron. The heat resulted in the drink becoming frothy (“flipping”). As time went on and more drinks were made, the beer worked its way out of the Flip and egg whites began to be used. The Jena Flip was made with the Flemish Sour Ale, walnut liquor, egg whites and spices and instantly made us all go mmmmm and wish we had a fireplace and a Christmas tree nearby. As we passed it around, all gushing about how delicious and velvety smooth it was and how it should be introduced onto the bar’s menu, Abraham leaned to Sutton and told her that he just made it because we asked for it, he didn’t really like it or think that is was worthy of Dutch Kills but some other bar could put it on their menu. He then walked away, drinking the remainder of the beer that he had previously told us would be kept on ice until we wanted to drink it.
Brian ordered me a Gin Cobbler, an amazing crushed ice wonder topped with fresh fruit. I could drink a million of these, it tasted just like fresh raspberries and looked like the best snow cone ever. The bar began to pick up, our lovely Brit began doing table service. She came back to the bar, placed down a drink ticket in front of Abraham and was about to go back out on the floor when he sighed “really, a six drink ticket?” She looked confused and replied with “yeah but four of them are beers.” He still didn’t look remotely enthused to be making drinks for service, even though he had just finished telling Sutton how he helped open this bar and specialty cocktails were his thing. Despite the fun ragtime piano and cozy ambiance, my cobbler was beginning to leave a sour taste in my mouth. I want to like you, I wanted to scream at him, we all do. We want to feel as patrons even a fraction as special as these beautiful drinks, we want your enthusiasm to make us excited about your damn bar! We asked for our tab and, after a good twenty minutes of waiting, cash and credit cards out on the bar, drinks empty, we were finally rung up and on our way. As we walked to the car, Brian scratched his head and said that his past four experiences at Dutch Kills were great. He had had a server on Saturday who remembered him and his lady from Friday night and even remembered what they liked to drink.
There we were, all dressed up and slightly disappointed in Long Island City. I hadn’t even had a whole beer! I decided right then and there that this evening was far from over, there were beers on the horizon. We drove through the dark streets of Long Island city, the lights of the city glimmering across the water, and parked under a weeping willow to the sounds of slide guitar and upright bass. The sign in front of the bar proudly proclaimed “Beer List”, we were in business.
Loves a Bargain
Recently a girlfriend of mine started working at Club 21, which although it may bear a similarity in name to Club 23 and yes, occasionally has go-go dancers, turns out to be a nice laid back neighborhoody joint. Miss Mugsbehindthebar.com invited us all in on a Thursday with the promise of $3 Radebergers and live music and really, who can say no to that?
Yeah 21st Street bars in general look a tad sketchy at first glance, but once we got inside it proved to be homey and relaxed, once you get past the stripper pole on the bar. Cozy tables and couches are nestled in the back and right past them the doors open into a good size patio with picnic tables and large umbrellas. We scored seats at the bar, Mugz procured darts and large steins of beer and we busied ourselves in a Guys v. Gals darts match while the band played an array of covers. Most of the tunes were songs already on my Ipod, with the exception of the rousing rendition of Margaritaville as requested by a patron.
While waiting for my turn I glanced at the chalkboard above the bar and was intrigued by the list of weekly goings-on—Club 21 has special deals for just about every day and $15 buckets of domestic beers until 9pm daily. I was particularly mesmerized by the concept of $3 pot. pancakes until Mugsy explained that they were potato. Tuesdays bring you a free buffet at 5pm and Fridays ladies drinks are $3 until 11, but we were there to rock the giant $3 Radebergers and Krusovice Dark.
I’ll be honest, there isn’t anything on the beer menu I haven’t had a million times: Staropramen, Pilsner Urquell, Franziskaner, Yuengling, and most of the other usual suspects. The Krusovice, however is something that doesn’t pop up everywhere. Club 21 has the light and dark of this Czech brew and they are worth a taste. The light pilsner won the Best Bohemian Style Pilsner Award in 2006 from the Brewer’s Association World Cup and is slightly hoppy and crisp. The dark has a nice rich flavor and both come with the added bonus of building better biceps due to the size and weight of the glassware.
Want another excuse to check out Club 21 (in case the cheap deals and darts aren’t enough incentive to get your ass over to 21st Street)? Saturday the 24th they are hosting an invite/RSVP only AbSINthe party, complete with green faeries and Absinthe served properly (and liberally). Check out their website for details on how to get down with the green.
Hop To It
I didn’t plan on going out last night, I was just going to pick up my share from the Harvest Astoria CSA, do my volunteer time and then make dinner with my freshly procured produce. As I sat at the CSA check in table, mentally creating a menu involving my fresh squash and basil and pondering what in the hell one does with pole beans, my phone began to buzz with an abundance of text messages: was I going to Hop Week? Hmm, usually I shy away from IPAs and all things proclaiming their hoptasticness but all this hype for the hop was piquing my curiosity and, after ten days of sobriety, I sure could use a night out.
Sunswick began their Hop Week on the 13th and it extends through the weekend, offering up an impressive rotating menu. I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated by the list of bitter brews. The bartender gave me a few samples to break the ice and, what do you know, I actually found myself digging the floral spicy hop notes. I started with the Rogue Juniper, a nice herbally concoction accented with piney notes and hints of hops. My friends opted for Left Hand’s Hop Sun, bright and crisp and very easy to drink, and the Hazed&Infused from Boulder, which is unfiltered and dry hopped.
Wednesday, as it turns out, is trivia night at Sunswick and it was pretty crowded but the owner quickly re-arranged the bar stools so we could slide in next to the trivia teams at the bar. We arrived too late to join but were still entertained by answering the questions among ourselves. I enjoyed the random beer questions the host peppered in to his routine in honor of Hop Week, so I will use this opportunity to drop some knowledge on you, dear readers. Hops are the female flower clusters of the hop plant and they impart a spicy, tangy, and often bitter flavor when added to beer as well as add to the over all aroma. The Reinheitsgebot, or “purity order” of 1516 states that a beer must be made using water, hops, and barley malt in order to be called a “beer”. Hops are also an antiseptic, which is an important element when you are storing beer on, say, a boat. Historically, the IPA began out of necessity. Sailors on the route from England to India needed a way to keep the ale on their boats fresh and safe for consumption, extra hops were added and the India Pale Ale was born. Recently, the IPA has become somewhat of a challenge to brewers—how hoppy can you go? Hopheads in the U.S. experiment with single hop brews, combinations of hops and other yeasts, and the addition of botanicals and herbs to create uniquely distinct beers.
Usually, I like to fly under the radar when doing beer research. I like to sit down with a pint, ask for suggestions from the staff and just take it all in. Sometimes, though, fate intervenes. I broke the seal after pint number 2 and rushed back to the bar to pick out pint number 3. As I sat down, I noticed the owner Juan motioning to me to come talk to him. Had I been pegged as the Wench, I wondered? I walked over, smiling politely and prepared to introduce myself when he leaned in and whispered, “I don’t want to embarrass you, but you seem to have toilet paper stuck to your shorts.” Cue mortification. I thanked him and snuck off to the bathroom to quietly die in peace after removing said offensive tissue, damn my germophobia and need to cover every inch of the commode with TP before using it, damn summer time sweat, and damn my friends—isn’t it their job to alert me to this kind of thing?! I returned to bar and attempted to recover whatever dignity I retained by thanking him and introducing myself. It was one hell of an icebreaker, let me tell you. Juan sat down and we talked about his menu, his beer tastes, and his plans for upcoming events. I’m particularly psyched for the keg of Sixpoint Signal getting tapped today and the 3-year-old keg of Samiclaus he’s been aging for this Christmas. Sunswick has even been honored by Bloomberg as one of the greatest beer joints in the boroughs.
We made our way though pints of Coney Island’s Luna, which is their new summer offering, the Bruery Rugbrod, which was extremely drinkable and light however it was 8% a.b.v., and then on to the Gubna from Oskar Blues. The Gubna was the bartender’s pick for me, and he nailed it. It was rich and warming, florally hopped and delightful. Juan and I were going back and forth with beer knowledge and trivia, comparing our tastes. He said that he really enjoyed natural lambics, which are often over looked due to their sour taste. Most widely consumed lambics contain added fruit to sweeten them because the method used to make the beer requires that it be exposed to wild yeast to create a spontaneous fermentation that yields a sour bite. I had never experienced an unsweetened lambic so we got a bottle of Gueuze Fond Tradition. My friend Josh now has a new favorite beer, this is not for the faint of heart but if you enjoyed Warheads as a kid, chances are you can get down with the lambic.
I’d like to go back to the ‘swick and play trivia soon, I definitely need more visits to fully experience everything they have on tap and, since he rotates every other week, I am excited to see what other gems he has in store.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)