"Brewed Awakening" Book Release Party

Beer writer and beer drinker extraordinaire Joshua Bernstein is celebrating the release of his new book, Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World's Craft Brewing Revolution. His travels in support of the book have taken him around the country but this week he lands at Jimmy's No. 43 for a release party on Wednesday. With beer. 

When: Wednesday, 9 November, 6-8 pm

Where: Jimmy's No. 43, 43 E. 7th Street
What: pay-as-you-go

Joshua spent 6 years researching the craft beer industry for Brewed Awakening. We're very pleased that for this release party he chose to feature some of our breweries that he wrote about to represent brewers who are "leading a boundary-less charge into the global future of beer". What are those breweries, you ask? You'll have to pick up a book to find out about all of them but some will be poured at Jimmy's No. 43 including Dieu du Ciel!, Epic, Jolly Pumpkin, Nøgne Ø, and Mikkeller.

But before Wednesday's main event, there will be a preview of some of the beers on Tuesday at the weekly $10 Tasting. Please note that Josh will NOT be attending the Tuesday tasting. But if you happen to be in Philadelphia, he will be hosting beer shenanigans (and signing books) at the Nodding Head from 7-9 pm.

When: Tuesday, 8 November, 7:30 pm

Where: Jimmy's No. 43, 43 E. 7th Street

What: 6 samples for $10 (seating limited)

The beers:

• Mikkeller Drink'in the Sun (on draft) - hoppy American-style wheat beer, 2.4%
• Dieu du Ciel! Corne du Diable (draft) - American-style IPA, 6.5%
• Jolly Pumpkin La Roja (bottles) - oak-aged Flanders red ale, 7.2%
• Nøgne Ø Tiger Tripel (bottles) - balanced Belgian tripel, 9%
• Mikkeller Monk's Brew (bottles) - dark Belgian-style ale inspired by the Trappist beers of Rochefort and Westvleteren, 10%
• Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout (draft) - Russian Imperial Stout, 9%

Researching breweries is not an easy task. Check out the video to see how Josh managed to survive it all (hint: beer is involved).

Celebrate International Stout Day with a Mikkeller Black Hole Stout

We've been told that Thursday, 3 November is International Stout Day. And to celebrate, Sunswick will be featuring 4 drafts of the Mikkeller Barrel-Aged Black Hole Imperial Stout series. If you missed the Black Hole event last week at the Ginger Man, this is your chance to try different versions of this beer side by side. Sunswick will be pouring the bourbon, peat whiskey, tequila, and cognac versions. All were aged for 6 months in their respective barrels.

Sunswick 35/35 is located at 35-02 35th Street in Astoria.

Dutch Days, Dutch Beer

Today marks the start of the annual 5 Dutch Days festival, a city-wide collaboration celebrating the continuous influence of Dutch art and culture in New York City. To honor Nieuw Amsterdam's beer heritage - the first brewery was established here by the Dutch in 1612 - Jimmy's No. 43 will be pouring 7 Dutch beers all week.

Can you spot the brewery?

When:  2-6 November
Where:  Jimmy's No. 43, 43 E. 7th St.

The beers:

• Christoffel Blond Bier (on draft) - robust, dry-hopped pilsner, considered to be the best in the Benelux according to beer writer Tim Webb, 6%
• De Molen Molenbier (draft) - English-style strong ale, 9.2%
• De Molen Cease & Desist (draft) - Russian imperial stout, formerly known as both Rasputin and Disputin, 10.7%
• De Molen Pek & Veren (bottles) - smoked beer brewed with peat-smoked malt, 8%
• De Molen/Pattinson Triple SSS Stout (bottles) - a collaboration between De Molen and beer historian Ron Pattinson brewed from a 1914 recipe from London, 10.3%
• Drie Horne Bananatana (bottles) - brewed with bananas and sultana raisins, 7%
• Klein Duimpje Porter (bottles) - traditional British-style porter, 5.5%

The tiny brewhouse at De Molen. They produce a whopping 5 hectoliters of beer a year.

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.