Mikkeller at Valhalla, Monday 27 February

Join Mike Lovullo of Union Beer Distributors for a Mikkeller draft event featuring the following beers from Denmark's gypsy brewer:

• Green Gold - 6.9% American IPA brewed with flaked oats and American hops (Simcoe, Cascade, and Amarillo)
• I Beat yoU - Mikkel calls it "a really hoppy IPA" and he's right. This 10% IPA is chock full of bittering and aroma hops with a touch of malt sweetness and some warmth from the alcohol
• Monk's Brew - a dark Belgian ale full of yeast character, inspired by Belgium's Trappist breweries
• Boogoop - limited edition collaboration with Three Floyds, this is a 10.4% buckwheat wine. The 4th in a series featuring different grains and the first one brewed in Belgium at the De Proef brewery

When:  Monday, 27 February, 7pm onwards
Where:  Valhalla, 815 9th Avenue
What:  pay-as-you-go

No guarantees that the beer at midtown bar Valhalla will flow as freely as at its Norse namesake.

Beer for Super Bowl Sunday

Apparently, this Sunday is a big deal for some people in the New York metro area. All I know is that I'll be playing a game of pick-up hockey with like-minded friends and watching the Puppy Bowl. But let's say that you're going to a party at a friend's house. Or hosting a party. And you want a Giant of a beer. Might I suggest something from the Brasserie des Géants?

The Giants Brewery is located in the medieval castle of Irchonwelz in southern Belgium. Every summer, the nearby town of Ath holds a parade of giants, always led by Goliath. And the brewery makes a beer in his honor, known as Gouyasse (the local name for Goliath). The original Gouyasse beer was not intimidating enough to bear the name of a ferocious giant so we asked the brewery to brew a bigger beer and we changed the name to Goliath for the US. As befits a giant, this is a strong 9% tripel. But unlike most tripels, this one is brewed with 100% malt with no added sugar to thin out the body and boost the alcohol. Pairs well with that mega plate of nachos, I'm sure.





But perhaps you will be participating in festivities that are more refined, without giant foam fingers, and want a beer that can stand up to the farmstead cheese, the homemade hummus, and the bourbon-barrel aged chicken wings. The Giants Brewery also produces an earthy saison that can stand up to all of those foods: Saison Voisin. The original Saison Voisin was brewed at the Voisin Brewery which sadly closed in 1989. The last brewer, Léon Voisin, helped Géants to recreate the 1884 recipe and proclaims the current incarnation to be an accurate reproduction of the original. Slightly darker than many saisons, Voisin is extremely refreshing at 5% abv with a touch of bitterness and fruitiness.


Let's go, Rangers!