Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela

It's Halloween and what better way to celebrate than with a pumpkin beer! And why not double up on pumpkins with Jolly Pumpkin pumpkin beer? The joke was that the Jolly Pumpkin brewery didn't brew a pumpkin beer. But now they do. Every October they release La Parcela, a 5.9% pumpkin ale packed with loads of real pumpkins, hints of spice, and a gentle kiss of cacao. Like all Jolly Pumpkin beers, La Parcela is fermented with wild yeast and aged in oak barrels, resulting in an earthy, complex beer with a subtle but pleasant lactic sourness.  Look for La Parcela in 750ml bottles or on tap. Or, if you're lucky, in your trick-or-treat bag.

Check out what the Wall Street Journal has to say about La Parcela!

Barrel-Aged Mikkeller Black Hole Imperial Stout

When:  Wednesday, 26 October, 4 pm onwards

Where:  The Ginger Man, 11 E. 36th Street (between 5th and Madison)

What:  pay-as-you-go

Mikkeller Black Hole Imperial Stout is a 13.1% stout brewed with malt, roasted barley, flaked oats, dark cassonade sugar, honey, hops, coffee, and vanilla. Mikkel the Brewer describes it thusly: "Black Hole is what Mikkeller is all about. Daring, vulgar, and extreme. From the very beginning, Mikkeller's goal has been to push the limit and with this warming, intense imperial stout, a new chapter in Danish beer history has been written. The high bitterness from the hops and the sweetness from the malt and alcohol create a good balance which makes Black Hole an explosion of nuances but also leaves a feeling of a perfect and complex beer in the heavyweight category." Ladies and Gentlemen, you'll be floating in space after a few of these!

For the Barrel-Aged series, the beer was aged for 6 months in 6 different barrels: bourbon, peat whiskey (only for fans of smoky Islay whiskey!), white wine, red wine, tequila, and cognac. Come try them side by side to see the effects of the different barrels; the results are quite dramatic.

If you can't make it to the Ginger Man, Sunswick - in Astoria - will feature the Barrel-Aged Black Holes along with other Mikkeller drafts on 3 November.

Oktoberfest at Spuyten Duyvil

While the traditional Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich are over with, Spuyten Duyvil keeps the party going with their annual Oktoberfest this Saturday, featuring German gravity kegs from Franconia, in Northern Bavaria.

When:  Saturday, 22 October, 12 pm onwards
Where:  Spuyten Duyvil, 359 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn

Gravity kegs are unfiltered, unpasteurized, and naturally carbonated. They are typical of beers that are served in the beer halls and kellers of Franconia and have much more character than many of the beers from the rest of the country.

The 20 liter kegs are tapped and poured directly from the bar.

The beers:

- Mahr's Ungespundet

- Mahr's Unfiltered Pilsner

- Mahr's Hell

- Mahr's Bockbier

- Weissenohe Monk's Fest

- Mönchsambacher Unfiltered Lager

- Bayer Theinheim Landbier

- Löwenbräu Buttenheim Kellerbier

There will also be regular kegs of other German beers including Mahr's Saphir Weiss - a wheat beer brewed with a hefty dose of Saphir hops - and Weissenohe Monk's Fest, a classic version of the malty märzen style, brewed using the traditional decoction mashing technique.

To learn more about the beers and kellers of Franconia, check out our video of Brother Daniel's visit from a few years ago (part 1 of 3):

 

Cider Week 16-23 October

It's apple time!

Sunday the 16th marks the start of Cider Week, a celebration of all things cider. The week kicks off at the New Amsterdam Market where Marlow & Sons will be hosting a cider bar. While you have to buy tickets for the cider and snacks, the market itself is free and open to the public. Some of the vendors will be showcasing apple-based treats and local cider producers will be selling their wares. Poverty Lane Orchards will have their Farnum Hill ciders as well as unusual varieties of heirloom apples.

There will also be a free panel discussion at the market (from 3-4pm) featuring producers from the Hudson Valley and the Perche region of France. We're pleased that Nathalie Plessis from our newest cider producer, Cidrerie Traditionnelle du Perche, will be participating in the panel as part of the Apple Exchange. Look for bottles of their Cidre Brut, Cidre Demi-Sec, and Poiré (made from pears) very soon!

All week long, bars and restaurants in New York City and the Hudson Valley will be featuring cider, both regional as well as imported ones from France, Spain, and the UK. Check out a few different ciders to find a style that suits you whether it's apple-forward and fruity, still and dry, or with a bit of farmhouse funk. If all you know about hard cider are the cloyingly sweet ones, do yourself a favor and try some traditional styles. A complete list of participating bars and restaurants can be found on the Cider Week's website.