Tonight Brouwerij Lane hosts one of craft brewing’s fastest rising stars!  Dann Paquette of Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project (Cambridge, MA) will be present tonight from 6-9pm to drink his wonderful ales, and talk with patrons.

Brouwerij Lane will have Jack D’or (a delicious saison style ale perfect for this summer heat that is fermented with a delicate blend of yeasts including some champagne yeast), American Darling (a 7% alcohol pale lager, their newest offering!), Baby Tree (a strong, dark, and sweet Belgian style quadruple), and last but not least a cask of St. Botolph’s Town Brown Ale on Cask (this one is an english style brown session ale). Find out more about these beers here.

Pretty Things has released only the finest beers since launching their brewery and this is a great opportunity to meet the brewer, and try their wonderful selection of ales and lagers.

A little more about the brewery:

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Brouwerij Lane is located at
78 Greenpoint Avenue (at the corner of Franklin Ave.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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• this is part of my series called What Ales You.
  • read more of these posts here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.
• more on Pretty Things here.

The other day I got this email from Spuyten Duyvil:

This Thursday, June 10th at 6pm, some old friends are stopping by for a hang. Jean Van Roy of Cantillon, Armand Debelder of Drie Fonteinen and Kjetil Jikiun of Nøgne Ø will all be at Spuyten Duyvil to meet some people and drink some beer. Jean and Armand are rarely on this side of the Atlantic so take this opportunity to come by and tell them that they are Gods among brewers. We are not 100% sure what we will be pouring but below is the probable list of draft. There will also be some rare bottles on hand that these guys brought over from Europe.

I’m not sure if these names or breweries mean anything to most people, but to beer dorks the word Cantillon is the holy grail of lambics.  While most American’s think of Lindeman’s sweet almost soda like interpretation of the style Cantillon bring the true tradition of wild lambics and sour flavors who’s brewing process hasn’t changed since 1900 useing spontaneous fermentation and barrel aging.  It’s a very special occasion when Jean Van Roy, Cantillon’s brewer, will be in house to enjoy a drink with the patrons.

Spuyten Duyvil will have two beers from this amazing brewery on tap.  Cantillon Iris which is brewed with all pale barley malt and has three hop additions: one of dried hops and two of fresh hops(the second only two weeks before the bottling/keging).  This is not a traditional lambic because it lacks wheat as well as the use of fresh hops, and was brewed for the first time to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Brussels Museum of the Gueuze.   The second beer on tap will be the  Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus which is their classic take on the raspberry lambic.  Two amazing beers that are rarely seen on tap, available…possibly for only one night.  I imagine they will go fast.

In addition to Cantillon’s Jean Van Roy, Spuyten Duyvil will host brewmaster Kjetil Jikiun of Nøgne Ø.   Nøgne Ø is a craft brewery based in Grimstad, Norway.  Jikium developed his passion for craft beer, specifically American styles, while visiting the US on his many cross Atlantic flights as a pilot.  In the beginning, and maybe even currently, Nøgne Ø didn’t have a pilot system and every beer brewed by the brewery was released for commercial consumption making it essential that every brew be top notch.  In the beer world  Nøgne Ø is now one of those breweries beer geeks watch closely, and their beers while available in the bottle at fine beer establishments are rarely seen pouring from taps. Following Jikium will be four very special kegs from Nøgne Ø:  their IPA, Saison, Sunturnbrew (their new smoked barleywine…why didn’t we think of that?), and an Imperial Brown Ale (details about all of these can be found here).  Nøgne Ø’s beers are typically very expensive, and this might be your chance to do a side by side tasting of these wonderful brews.

Armand Debelder of Drie Fonteinen will be in attendance tonight as well, and he is also a brewer of fine traditional Belgian lambics.  While no beers from Drie Fronteinen will be on tap, Spuyten Duyvil did say that the three brewers will be bringing bottles with them.  I can’t even guess what that means, so it is probably best to make it over to Spuyten Duyvil to try some of these very rare beers…because the next time you see lambics like this might not be til this wonderful bar does their yearly lambic festival.

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Get over there, talk with some world class brewers, and drink some beers you may never see again.  The event starts tonight, Thursday June 10th at 6pm:

Spuyten Duyvil is located at
359 Metropolitan Ave
(at Havemeyer St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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• Photo of Nøgne Ø taps at Spuyten Duyvil via Beertography
• more on Spuyten Duyvil here.
• more What Ales You here.

I guess we can call this week the second installment of This Week In Sandwiches.

Last Saturday I was in Manhattan, and finally got to go to the Blind Tiger Ale House for lunch.  People have been raving about the food at this well known pillar in the New York City beer scene, but if you have ever been you know that it is typically packed from happy hour til late night everyday.  The secret is to go for lunch.  My friend Leah works fairly close to this bar, and it is one of her frequent stops and she recommended the Bloody Beast…so that is what I ordered.

The Bloody Beast is said to be a rare roast beef sandwich (according to the menu), but in actuality it was fairly well cooked for roast beef.  Not bloody, or red, but extremely tender to the point that it almost melted in your mouth.  As far as I was concerned the lack of blood, or redness wasn’t a bad thing.  The roast beef was topped with cheddar cheese, onion, and served on a soft roll.  Think of it as a classed up Arby’s sandwich…but served with a side of bloody mary sauce for dipping.  The sauce is just be the Tiger’s house bloody mary mix…maybe a hint of vodka, but it was a nice addition to an already delicious sandwich…actually the bloody mary sauce is way better than a tomato ever could be.

The sandwich itself wasn’t huge yet still very filling.  I skipped breakfast that morning and the Bloody Beast kept me going until dinner.  Thinking about it this might be a perfect work day lunch…it’s filling enough to get you through the day, but it won’t induce a food coma.  The Bloody Beast is definitely a sandwich I would order again, but it seems like with the Blind Tiger’s sandwiches you can’t go wrong (my buddy Jerry ordered the rubin, and that was also delicious).

Make sure to try one of the many amazing beers on tap while eating at the Tiger.  I had Victory Brewing Company‘s foray into the Czech style pilsner (unlike their amazing German style Prima Pils or Harvest Pils) called the Braumeister Pils which was perfect for the heat that last Saturday brought to New York.  The brewers in Pennsylvania make the best pilsners in the world, and yes you can quote me on that.

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The Bloody Beast is a great deal at only $5.50, and make sure to enjoy a delicious beer while you are there:

The Blind Tiger Ale House
is located at
281 Bleecker Street
(between 7th Ave and Jones St.)
New York, NY

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• This is part of my new series This Week In Sandwiches.
  • read about more sandwiches here.

I know when I write about beer Brouwerij Lane is a place that I showcase often, but that is only because they consistently have interesting beers, and amazing events going on within their small shop.

A testament to this is tonight’s little gathering with Chris Trogner, one of the brothers that founded and runs Tröegs Independent Craft Brewery.  He will be present to talk about Tröegs’ beer, brewing, and enjoy beverages with the patrons of Brouwerij Lane.

Tröegs is a brewery that I’ve respected for a long time.  From those early days living in South Carolina before the cap was popped (when we couldn’t have beer over 6% abv)  driving six packs across the boarder (Tröegenator was one that we brought back several times), to eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mad Elf shortly after Tröegs hit NYC.

But tonight brings two very different Tröegs’ brews to Greenpoint.

First up is a variation on a Tröegs classic: The Hopback Amber, which may appear to be common, but this is a cask of it and it has been dry hopped. While many breweries do IPAs, Tröegs has focused on a slightly darker beer creating a well hopped amber ale that is extremely refreshing, and this particular cask is sure to pack an extra punch because it’s been stuffed with additional hops.  This is a very special Wednesday tapping of a cask at Brouwerij Lane.

Many people know the big brother of the Hopback Amber….the Tröegs Nugget Nectar.  Nugget Nectar is an imperial amber ale, but Tröegs now has an even bigger version of this beer called the Flying Mouflan.  Flying Mouflan is technically a barleywine, but it’s been said to be the biggest brother of these other two delicious amber ales.  There will be a keg available of the Flying Mouflan tonight…a beer I have only read about until now.

If you are looking for a drink tonight stop by Brouwerij Lane, order a Tröegs and chat it up with one of it’s founders.  With any luck Chris will bring his brother John as well as some of their Scratch series beers…my fingers are crossed.

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The Tröegs event is from 6-8pm tonight, and

Brouwerij Lane is located at
78 Greenpoint Avenue (at the corner of Franklin Ave.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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• this is part of my series called What Ales You.
  • read more of these posts here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.

It’s Friday again, and the good people Brouwerij Lane have lots of hops for us this weekend.

First up is the flagship beer of one of my favorite breweries…Green Flash Brewing Comapany’s West Coast IPA. This beer is pretty common in the city, but Brouwerij Lane has secured a cask of it for tonights’ 5pm weekly cask tapping! This beer is an aggressively hopped American IPA, and the West Coast name comes from the part of the country that originated the style. This is a beer that stands with the best of the best when it comes to IPAs, one I put on the same level as Founders’ Centennial.

As always with cask ale it is not carbonated, and tends to allow the subtleties of the beer come out.  The first time I had this beer it was on cask, and I look forward to reliving the exerience.

On top of the cask itself Brouwerij Lane will be breaking in their recently acquired antique Irish cask tap! Much better than the plastic pouring mechanisms some places are using.  Doesn’t it look awesome!  I know…I’m a total beer dork.

in addition to this wonderful cask…there will be a keg of…

Mikkeller is from Denmark, but end up brewing there beers at breweries all over Europe.  They have become known for stouts like Beer Geek Breakfast and Beer Geek Brunch, but they have been showing their love for American craft beer by releasing a series of American IPAs.  They have done several single hop varietal IPAs, but this one is a little different.

Mikkeller’s Stateside IPA is 7% abv, and is brewed with chinook, cascade and amarillo hops giving the beer a big nose with notes of citrus, and lots of bitterness.  While the brewery says that there is a generous amount of hops in the beer they have tried to balance it with a malt profile that lends itself to caramel flavors.  Honestly the Stateside IPA is not one I’ve had, but my little experience with Mikkeller tells me it’s something I should try.

Mikkeller ales are typically found in bottles around NYC, and this is one of the first draft appearances I have ever seen.

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These are two beers that I’ve very excited about, but let it be known rare and delicious beers go fast at Brouwerij Lane.  The cask of Raging Bitch from last week was gone in less than 36 hours…so if you want to taste the cask of West Coast IPA or the Mikkeller Stateside I recommend making your way down to the show fast. The cask should be tapped around 5pm today, and the Mikkeller will go on once something kicks I’m sure.

Brouwerij Lane is located at
78 Greenpoint Avenue (at the corner of Franklin Ave.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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• Green Flash bottles photo by Aubrey Sun via flickr.
• Mikkeller photo by Justin Bramley via flickr.
• this is part of my series called What Ales You.
  • read more of these posts here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.

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UPDATE: Founder’s Cenntenial will also be available on tap sometime this weekend.

The other night while I was at Brooklyn Bowl with Leah, I noticed that they now had a house beer.

The house beer is called Brooklyn Bowl Pale Ale, and it’s brewed by Kelso of Brooklyn.

So as far as pale ale’s go it’s a pretty standard style…American Pale’s are hop forward, English Pales are on the malty side…all are in the 4.5%-6% alcohol range. But the Brooklyn Bowl Pale ale is a bit more unique than your average pale.

It was dark inside Brooklyn Bowl, but the beer appeared to be a pale amber color. As expected it was medium bodied, but the unique part about this beer was the hops. In pale ales you typically get citrus or pine notes from the hops, but the Brooklyn Bowl Pale Ale has something much more herbal going on.

At first I thought it was all dank herbs…things like mint, basil, and other savory things (when I say this I mean not added into the beer, but rather natural flavors from the hops)…but as the beer warmed it started to show a very unique licorice scent and flavor.  It’s possible that this licorice like flavor was drawn from the combination of hops and malts, but it was a bit reminiscent of root beer except not sweet at all. According to Brooklyn Bowls’ menu this particular brew is made with NY state hops (varietal was not specified).

While I’m not sure this pale ale is for everyone I did enjoy two pints while I was there, and would drink another two next time I go.  I like seeing breweries do interesting things with session beers, and that is exactly what Kelso did with this one,  and I hope beer lovers seek out.

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Kelso’s Brooklyn Bowl Pale Ale only available at Brooklyn Bowl, and costs $6 a pint.

Brooklyn Bowl is located at
61 Wythe Ave
(between 12th St & 13th St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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• this is part of my series called What Ales You.
  • read more of these posts here.
• more on Brooklyn Bowl here.
• more on Kelso of Brooklyn here.

At the beginning of the year Flying Dog released their amazing 20th anniversary brew called Raging Bitch, a Belgian Tripel //Double IPA hybrid.  It’s a great beer, and one of the few from Flying Dog that I’ve been really impressed with recent years in….I actually wrote about this beer back in February when the kegs first started showing up in the city…and here is a bit from that post:

Raging Bitch is a Belgian IPA that weighs in at 8.3% abv.  While it claims to be a Belgian IPA there is very little that is Belgian about this beer when you first get it in your hands.  It caters to the IPA fan.  The scent and taste  are of deep resiney aggressive hops… a truly American take on the Belgian triple, and when I say American I mean that the hops are the star of the show, and the sweet malt profile and the fruity yeast are just a faint backbone.  Only after the beer warms a bit does the fruity aspects of the Belgian start to show.  The best beer I have had from Flying Dog in years…I guess that is why it is their 20th Anniversary Ale. (read the full post here)

While most beer fans have proabably encountered this beast of a beer on tap….Brouwerij Lane has aquired a cask of this delicious beer, and will be tapping this weekend.  The details:

Brouwerij Lane is located at
78 Greenpoint Avenue (at the corner of Franklin Ave.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
and the cask of Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch
will be tapped at approximately 5pm tomorrow, May 21st, 2010.

This beer will be served by the glass and by the growler for take home.  If you get a growler of any beer on cask it is best to consume it that day, or at the very latest the next day.  Imbibe and enjoy!

Brouwerij Lane moves casks pretty fast so if you can make it to the shop sometime this weekend I highly recommend it. Cask ale is typically more delicate than kegs, and some interesting flavors should be present in this beer. I can’t wait to try it.

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• this is part of my series called What Ales You.
  • read more of these posts here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.
• more on Flying Dog here.

Harpoon Brewery is well known for their UFO Hefezeizen and IPA, but during events like this one at Barcade the rarities are brought out.

Harpoon has been doing a limited release series called 100 Barrels for quite some time now. In this series the brewery brews “one-of-a-kind limited batch creations fashioned by a Harpoon brewer. Every couple of months a different Harpoon brewer will choose a style, develop a recipe, and brew the beer—from selecting the ingredients to the final filtration.”  In the past they have done Bohemian Pilsners, Oyster Stouts, Ginger Ales, Rye beers, and many others. The most recent beer in the 100 Barrel series is a Single Hop ESB made exclusively with Delta hops.  The ESB itself is a session beer that originated in England, and has a slightly more malty character than the American Pale.  It’s a style that American brewers tend to skip over in, but a great ESB can’t be matched.  The Delta hop is a new American varietal that is the hybrid of Fuggle (a traditionally English hop) and the Cascade hop (the hop that gives Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that signature flavor).  Harpoon’s 100 Barrel ESB pours a dark amber, almost red in color, and with a huge malt backbone and less of a hop bitterness than a Pale Ale, but the unique part about the Delta hop is that it gives it a unique slightly savory flavor, almost of mint.  It’s a unique beer and the first commercially brewed beer to use Delta hops…it’s worth having a pint or two.  It’s the newest in Harpoon’s arsenal, and it will be on tap…and so will the Oyster Stout!

Harpoon in the past year or so launched their Leviathan series to showcase what American brewers have become known for…extreme beers with high alcohol.  Harpoon’s Leviathan series has produced wonderful beers like an Imperial IPA, a Baltic Porter, the Big Bohemian Pilsner ( a high alcohol version of the lager we love), and they are about to release an Imperial Red Ale.  These beers are delicious and strong, and there are bound to be one or two all of the ones I mentioned will be on tap at Barcade’s event.  Keep an eye out, and if you are drinking them please be careful…these catch up with you fast.

Harpoon is a well known brewery, and one that you can find almost everywhere…but come out to Barcade tomorrow and try some of their obscure hard to find treats. You won’t be disappointed.

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The tap list will include:

• Baltic Porter – 9.5% ABV – Big, dark Imperial Porter
• Belgian Pale Ale – 5.8% – Easy drinking Belgian Pale
• Big Bohemian Pils – 9.0% – Hoppy, Imperial Pilsner
• Imperial IPA – 10.0% – Even hoppier still
• Imperial Red – 9.2% – Big, malty Red Ale
• Munich Dark – 5.6% – Classic dark lager
• Oyster Stout – 5.5% – Oysters!
• Quad 2009 – 11.8% – Last year’s Belgian release
• Saison Royale – 9.0% – Belgian Farmhouse Ale
• Single Hop ESB – 5.8% – Bitter, brewed with one type of hop
• UFO – 5.1% – German style Hefeweizen

thanks to drinker for commenting, and linking to the Facebook event.  Cheers,

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Barcade is located
388 Union Ave.
between Powers and Ainslie
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

The Harpoon Brewery Night at Barcade is
Tomorrow, Thursday May 13th, 2010
starts at 6pm

If by chance you can’t make it tomorrow try to hit up Barcade this Friday or Saturday there are occasionally beers that linger on the taps for the next couple days…the dregs aren’t bad when you are talking about great beer.
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Additional Notes:

I’ve emailed Barcade for a tap list, and will update the remote when I get a response.

Dudes at Harpoon are super nice and looking into this too.  They said there will at least be two beers from the Leviathan Series on tap at the event, and are trying to get more details (follow them @Harpoon_Brewery)!

Not sure if the same artist did it, but this poster for the event looks suspiciously (when I say suspiciously I mean exactly) like Mastodon’s album art for Leviathan.

Brouwerij Lane currently has the 100 Barrel Single Hop DELTA ESB on tap.

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• more on Barcade here.
• more What Ales you here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.