Brewer's Choice!

Brewer's Choice!

Artsy Guy here with the bloggage from THE event of NYC Craft Beer Week: Brewer's Choice at City Winery. The fine folks of the Good Beer Seal and Beer Sessions Radio have assembled so many stars of the craft beer firmament that I'm wearing sunglasses... and a beer helmet. I'd pass it over to Communicator Guy if I could only find him. There he is! Nursing an '07 Smuttynose barleywine. Nope... He's onto a white IPA. Wait... He's now got a sour cherry Saison aged in whiskey casks from Kelso. Take a break, Jimmy!

City Winery.

Sorry Squigs, it got a little wacky there, I was wrasslin' a little ol' lady for a sample of Shmaltz Geektoberfest. Whew! What an assemblage of NYC Beer Cognicenti! And by that I mean awesome beerfolk. Truth: NY Craft Beer Week can really shepherd together some fine events. Artsy Guy and I have easily tasted (between the two of us) at least a dozen beers that we've never seen before or have been prepared in a way that we've never seen combined (crazy barrel aging, dry hopping, etc.)

And THE FOOD! (take it, Squigs...)

Ah, the food!

Ah, geez! Where to start? Each brewery is paired with a restaurant, cheesemonger, pretzel twister, charcuterarian (I kinda made that one up), etc. I've tasted oysters, smashed sweet potatoes with chorizo, turkey rillettes, pickled eggs, garlic and parsley pretzels, pulled pork, and much much more. They need a nap room at City Winery. Seriously, the radical variety in craft beer provides a multitude of food pairing possibilities!

Jimmy the Communicator and Squigs the Artsy.

What an amazing event! Great beer, great food, and the beautiful community brought together by craft beer. THAT'S what's HOPpenin'! Right, Communicator?

Yup! CHEERS!Who's fighting off paparazzi? Artsy! That's who!

THHG Book Club: The Great American Ale Trail.

Author Christian DeBenedetti and Communicator Guy.

Howdy! Artsy Guy here. Uploading some shots from a book signing. We're fancy. Seriously, we're totally diggin' Christian DeBenedetti's new book, The Great American Ale Trail, aren't we, Jimmy the Communicator Guy(TM)?

Ahem! Communicator Guy here, reporting that Artsy Guy takes some great Hipstomatics, and that this event here at NYC's Blind Tiger (one of the Holy Grail beer bars of the entire Universe) is just damn lovely. I've already begun to dive into the book and I'm here to tell you it's awesome. A must-read. What say you, Artsy?

The Great American Ale Trail.

I say "YEA!" Here's a guy who has really suffered for his art, traveling the country to make note of the best places to procure the craft suds. Can you write off your treatments for "barfly elbow", Mr. Christian? I hope so. You deserve it. This is such a resource for the traveling craft beer lover. And Garrett Oliver (brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery and author of The Brewmaster's Table) seems to agree. Right, Communicator?

Communicator taking notes at The Blind Tiger.

He does indeed. And now Christian is speaking of his first days in NYC as a journalist (he arrived TWO DAYS before 9/11) and relating that were it not for great craft and great craft bars like the Blind Tiger, he would never have found his way as solidly as he has. Craft beer, everyone. It's not about the beer. IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE!

Yes! People like Artsy. (Me again.) And folks in communities all over the country: That film industry lawyer I chatted with at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank, CA. The college music professor in Pittsburgh, PA who gives me barleywine recommendations. The owners of Goebel's Liquor and Rob's World of Beers who are introducing Wichita, KS to a world of craft beer goodness. Communicator Guy?...

**wipes away a beautiful, cinematic tear**

Well said, Artsy. Well said. Check out this book, y'all. And, next time you have a chance, buy a great craft beverage for someone, whether it be a good friend, or a total stranger. Make this community, this worldwide group of Good People, even better than it already is. CHEERS!

P.S. That's what's HOPpenin'. (Artsy again.)

Pigs and stags and geese better scurry...

Hi! Artsy Guy here. Smack dab in the midst of NYC Craft Beer Week - a celebration of all things craft beer - and part of fun is discovering new places that are embracing the craftiness.  Oh sure, I've taunted the Tiger and ridden the Pony (or vice versa), but here was a menagerie of creatures yet to be whispered (and they sorta fit into my Oklahoma-themed conceit... see below).  This evening I set out on an adventure... to drop into places I'd not yet known.:

The Blind Pig, on first thought, seemed to be merely a gateway bar (on 14th near 3rd Ave.) into the wonderland of the East Village. They offered Blue Point as a NYCBW feature which made me think that they were just being safe with the Toasted Lager. But they also had a few other crafty things on draft (a Blue Point seasonal, Lagunitas IPA, Goose Island Matilda). That'll do, Pig. Cozy, sporty-type environs as well.

The Stags Head anchors Midtown East (around 2nd Ave. and 51st St.) and is a fantastic joint with great nosh (really great actually) and fantastic brews.  They were featuring Greenport Harbor brews this week, and the rest of the selection was fantastic as well... Wandering Star, Pretty Things, Allagash, with a nice representation from the left coast... Stone and Bear Republic.  And they have regular tasting events too.  Love this place!

The Guilty Goose is tucked in adjacent to the lobby of The Inn on 23rd. I was happy to find that they were featuring Cigar City Brewing out of Florida. Nice! I'm a big fan of this brewery and loved that they were featuring four choice drafts. I enjoyed an incredibly good standby... Jai Alai IPA. But they also had recently tapped Big Apple IPA which is possibly the best autumn beer for a hop head I've ever had... apples, cinnamon, and lots of hops! The Goose is featuring a visit from the brewers on Thursday eve.

New places!  Well, new to me.  These places are some folks' locals.  Places to gather and taste the craft.  That's what's HOPpenin'!  Take care, all!  Cheers!

Freaktoberfest! NYC Craft Beer Week kickoff...

Freaktoberfest!Artsy Guy here.  Um... okay.  Okay.  So... NYC Craft Beer Week has officially kicked off.  Seriously.  No bout adoubt it.  I joined the craft beer lovin' ranks at Southpaw in Brooklyn this evening to see what all the hubbub was about, bub.  Freaktoberfest!  Wow.

Lots of folks enjoying lots of great craft beer.So much goodness to be had!  Of course, Schmaltz Brewing (hosts of the shindig) debuted a couple brews (Genesis 15:15 and this year's Geektoberfest, a collaboration with Captain Lawrence and Ithaca), but many an otra fab brewery gave us a peek at the goods... Smuttynose, Ithaca, Brooklyn, Dogfish Head, Captain Lawrence, Kuenhenn, Stone, Victory, Greenport Harbor, Sixpoint, Harpoon, etc. etc. etc.  Such a selection!  Making the way through the tight quarters was certainly well-worth it.

Tunes! Rock, funk, slasher beer metal... oh my!And the tunes were keeping the night a-rollin' along... a stage on the main floor and one downstairs in the more chill "downunder."  Amongst my favorite bands were Otis Funkmeyer and the wacky gents who closed the night... Workout.  So good!

Freaks! Danny Vomit and the ladies of the burlesque.And Schmaltz/Coney Island Brewing poster child, Donny Vomit, proferred his brand of freak showiness... blockheading, sword swallowing, bullwhip-cracking, juggling, and emceeing.  He presented three ladies of the burlesque who strutted their stuff, my favorite being the vamp in the Groucho Marx glasses who also sported said glasses on each breast... and one other locale.  What??  Quite a show.

What an event!I'm currently writing this stuck to the main floor of Southpaw, as I haven't quite escaped the beery glue coating the floors.  As I quaffed the dregs of a cardamom porter and witnessed the Victory rep (in seersucker yet) sing in with the band about his love for beer, I mused about the craft beer community in NYC and the wonderful celebration this week will bring.  Check out all their info HERE and if you're on an iPhone/smartphone, pick up their passport app HERE.  Such a great way to navigate the week of fun!  (It's so much fun, it might keep me from my Trivial Pursuit and Angry Birds.)  That's a lot, y'all!  But that's what's HOPpenin'.  Cheers!

Bier Baron and all is well...

Communicator Guy here, at the former BrickSkeller, now known as the Bier Baron in DC. Happy to report that all is well here, and that they now have 20 or so draft lines downstairs! Yours truly is at this moment enjoying a Flying Dog barrel aged Imperial Porter... ON DRAFT. YOWZA!

The Brickskeller was one of the first bars in the DC area to really 'hang their hat' on craft beer - in fact, they were craft long before craft was cool.  And with the change of ownership just a handful of months ago, (as well as the name change) many were worried that their venerable watering hole would basically go away.  Not so.  In fact, the addition of all the draft lines is a welcome change, as before the Brickskeller was mainly known for an enormous bottle list (they still are, with over 500) and no draft.  

All's well in DC!