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.

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.

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.

When people think of Long Island beer they typical go to the big names like Blue Point Brewing Company or South Hampton Ales & Lagers, but out on the North Fort there is something new brewing and in my opinion it’s some of the best beer to come out of the this part of the state. Greenport Harbor Brewing Company is a new brewery that opened in the summer of 2009 in the town of Greenport, and their slogan fits “Brewing Quality Beers Since Yesterday.”  Greenport Harbor’s owners renovated a old firehouse for this small craft brewery, and all of their beer is brewed in house.  While you can’t buy a whole pint of beer you can order a tasting flight and sample all of the ales that they have to offer in their small tasting room which has glass windows looking into the brew room.

Greenport Harbor have recruited DJ Swanson as their brewer.  All recipes that are brewed at Greenport Harbor are his.  Swanson is a former brewer for John Harvards’ Brew House, which is also on Long Island, and from what I understand still brews an occasional batch with them.  When we walked in to Greenport Harbor we knew little to nothing about their beers only that they were available at a handful of locations on Long Island, and I had recently heard that they would be entering the NYC market very soon.

Before going to Greenport I emailed the brewery to inquire where we might find their beers on tap around the town of Greenport.  While their website lists these locations Long Island was just walking up from the winter when we visited, and many of the places (to our disappointment) were still closed.  I got email responses from both John (one of the founders of the brewery), and Justin.  John welcomed us to Greenport, and Justin followed up with locations to drink their beer.  We ended up spending quite a bit of time working our way through flights of samples at the brewery, but did check out a couple of their recommendations.

klk and I both ordered a tasting sampler, and we tried their Harbor Ale (a Golden Ale that has since been retired), KabAMARILLO (a 50% wheat malt pale ale brewed with Amarillo Hops, which is now their flag ship beer and has taken the name Harbor Ale), the DisOrient IPA, a Scottish Ale, Black Duck Porter, and Havre Rouge (a sessionable  Belgian style amber ale that is just perfect for spring…whos yeast came from a belgian ale brewed at John Harvard’s).  All of the beers were wonderful, and we ended up getting a growler of the DisOrient IPA to take back to our hotel (if you don’t get the joke…Orient Point is just down the road from Greenport).  Needless to say that growler was gone by time we left the town of Greenport, and we even went back the next day to do another tasting (the brewery was by far the best place for beer in the town of Greenport).

While Greenport it’s self was still sleepy from the winter (we visited in mid March) this little brewery was cranking out the beer.  Before we left we grabbed a growler of the now retired Golden Ale (formerly the Harbor Ale), a DisOrient IPA, and a third growler for our friends at Brouwerij Lane of the ever so delicious Belgian style amber…the Havre Rouge.  Greenport Harbor Brewing is one of the highlights of the town of Greenport, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in the land of Long Island wineries…if you make it to the North Fork for sure stop in and talk to the friendly staff, and enjoy fine sampling of ales.

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For those on Long Island, or making a trip out to the North Fork:

Tasting hours are Friday-Sunday 12-6. (later if people seem really thirsty)

For those of you not headed out to the North Fork you can now find Greenport Harbor Brewing Company beers here in New York.  Keep and eye out for them, and order a pint if you see it.  Brouwerij Lane (located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn if you weren’t familiar) liked the Havre Rouge so much that they ordered two kegs, and guess what…the first keg is already gone!  The second keg of Havre Rouge got tapped on Sunday, and at this rate it won’t be around long…so get there fast (if you get there really fast you can try the new Harbor Ale…formerly known as KabAMARILLO…the keg is almost kicked)!

I just found out that Bierkraft has the Havre Rouge and the Triton Barley Wine on tape right now too.

UPDATE: Thursday 4/22/10: Greenport Harbor Brewing Night at Barcade!  Five beers on tap, and one cask.

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• More What Ales You can be found here.
• These photos are from the White Lodge. If you would like to use this photo please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge. More posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

I feel a little bad that I haven’t made a What Ales You post post recently, and I was doing good for a while…at least one beer post a week, but alas I slacked off.  But this week brings very special beer news to the drinkers of New York City.

The highly acclaimed Founders Brewing Company from Grand Rapids, Michigan has landed in New York City.  And while a new brewery entering the city might not seem that exciting to some, it has Midwesterner and beer lovers alike exited.

Greenpoint’s own Brouwerij Lane has had Founders beers on all week.  Currently klk and I are drinking a growler of Founders Dry Hopped Pale Ale (this keg honestly is probably almost kicked, get there fast if you wish to get some of this first keg), and Brouwerij Lane also has the Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale on Tap  right now as well.

Erik, the house manager at Brouwerij Lane, has said that he expects just told me that a keg of Founders Centennial IPA was tapped last night in yesterday, or today.  In my opinion it is extremely hard to find an IPA better than Founders Centennial.  This IPA is hopped exclusively with Centennial hops and is a bitter beer, but not overly aggressive with floral and citrus scents that are well represented in the nose.  Centennial hops might not be familiar to people that aren’t beer dorks, but don’t be intimidated….Sierra Nevada Pale Ale uses Cascade hops, and Centennial is commonly referred to as  Super Cascade because it shares many of the characteristics with that varietal.  If Sierra Nevada is a beer you occasionally drink then Founders Centennial might just blow your mind.  At 7.2% alcohol and 65 ibu this beer is a beer that will satisfy the IPA drinkers, and also make some new fans of the style.

In addition to Centennial, Brouwerij Lane also tapped a keg of Founders Double Trouble a 9.4 abv/86 ibu double IPA…here is the discription from the brewery: “An imperial IPA that was brewed to turn your world upside down. Hops have got you coming and going. Pungent aromatics up front paired with a malt balanced backbone and a smooth bitter finish.”  It’s basically Centennial’s big brother.

I personally haven’t seen any of the bottles, but Erik email this morning also told me that bottles of Founders’ Kentucky Breakfast Stout (11.2% abv coffee/chocolate whisky barrel aged stout) are in stock, and ready for consumption.  Can’t wait to try Double Trouble and Kentucky Breakfast…I’ve read so much about them, and the time is almost here…and by almost here I mean tonight.

To show up soon will also be Founders Red’s Rye (a wondeful Rye beer) ,and Founder’s Breakfast Stout (coffee/chocolate stout perfect with the meal that people don’t associate with beer…and the normal version of the Kentucky Breakfast).  While we might have to wait a little while we have Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA (12% abv, 120 ibu) to look forward to as well.

Both the Devil Dancer and the Kentucky Breakfast Stout are two beers that are longed for by the beer community.

Founders beers will be available all over New York City and Long Island, but if you are in Greenpoint or Williamsburg try my go to spot: Brouwerij Lane.  I know that they are excited about these beers, just like me, and at least three of them are on tap at this very moment.  Get out there and welcome Founders to New York…it’s been a long wait.

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• more What Ales You can be found here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.
• additional info all on beers mentioned in this post can be found here.

Beers come and go, but there are those few that people look for, age, and hoard…and one of those beers is Goose Islands Bourbon Country Stout. It is one of the last two bottles that have been aging for years in my house, and I’m happy to say that 12oz bottle of the 2007 vintage will be sitting on that shelf for a very long time to come.

But in the mean time if you would like to get a taste of the 2009 batch Brouwerij Lane has recently tapped a keg.

Bourbon County Stout is probably one of the most expensive domestically produced beers, and when you see a 12oz bottle in stores they typically sell for $8.99 and up (and $9 a bottle is a very good price for this one). Brouwerij Lane is offering this rarity for $8 per 12oz goblet, or $44 for a 64oz growler to take home ($22 if you want the 32oz). While this seems like an expensive beer…it is, and you should be aware it is very possible that you will not see it on tap for at least another year.

Bourbon County Stout is pitch black in your glass…no light can penetrate it. The smells that come off of it is of bourbon whiskey (as expected), oak, and strong roasted chocolate malts. The mouthfeel is thick, and rich…and the taste is a sensory overload that coats your mouth, and leaves you with an after taste that lingers much longer than any other beer I have tasted in recent years. It is said to be an excellent cigar beer, and I can see why. On top of it’s wonderfully intense smell and taste the Bourbon County Stout weighs in at 13% abv so even a little bit packs a punch.

This beer will only be available for a very limited time. I you are a fan our whiskey and/or stout I highly recommend making it over to try a glass, or if you have friends with you pick up a growler. This is a beer that is meant to be shared.

Brouwerij Lane is located at
78 Greenpoint Avenue
(at the corner of Franklin Ave.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
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• more What Ales You can be found here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane can be found here.

Barley Wine…well it’s not actually a wine, but the style of a very strong ale.  The style originally developed in England and was considered a drink for aristocracy and royalty, but a lot has changed since then.

Barley Wine as a style  is a very strong top fermented ale, and typically has an alcohol content ranging from 8.5% up to 14% or 15%.  With a beer as strong as the barley wine the flavors change as the beer warms showing it’s true complexity, and in proper conditions can be aged for years…and even gets better with age.

Due to the strength of barley wines they are typcially on the pricey side, especially in bars…but Brouwerij Lane has set up a Barley Wine tasting where you get two hours to enjoy samples of 10 of America’s finest. While the style originated in England I for one think the American’s do a damn good job brewing these beers, and have added their own signature to most of these brews….lots of hops (at least most of them have).

Brouwerij Lane’s Barley Wine Tasting:

• $25 for 4 ounce pours of 10 different barley wines.
• There are four sessions
  • Friday 2/19: 6-8 pm
  • Saturday 2/20: 3-5pm
  • Saturday 2/20: 6-8pm
  • Sunday 2/21: 3-5pm
    • sign up fast!  Saturday Night is almost full.
• The beer list above (on the flier) speaks for itself.  Some of my personal favorite barley wines will be present…including Great Divide’s Old Ruffian, Avery’s Hog Heaven, and the most well known of the bunch Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot.
• It is my understanding that this tasting will start from the maltiest and finish with a the hoppiest…this way you don’t burn your tounge out on a hop bomb.
• make sure to take the train or have money for a car service because you should not drive after drinking 40oz of these beers.  it should be a real good time.
• this is a great introduction to the style, and the perfect event for the beer enthusiast that wants to learn more.  Brouwerij Lane has an extremely knowledgable and approachable staff…get in there and have some fun.

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

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• more on Brouwerij Lane here.
• more on beer in general here.