Hurricane Irene hit New Jersey pretty hard and we figured we’d show some love to the Garden State. In this week’s Beer Events we encourage you to try a new brewery – Kane Brewery in Arlington at the Copper Mine Pub in New Jersey. Barcade Jersey City is always a good time and we’ve certainly enjoyed ourselves at the Iron Monkey in Jersey City. This weeks SPotW returns to Lambertville and River Horse’s Brewmaster Reserve Farmhouse Saison. We’ve tasted River Horse before in what turned out to be a crazy review… lets see what (if any) shenanigans we get into this time… Jersey! Fist Pumping! Local Brews!
Wow, so that just happened. The Beer Friends hope everyone is safe (to drink craft beer) and has power (enough to watch our videos). While people are getting power back and lives together, this week we’ll feature something to do every night in effort to get you out of the house. Some of these events are weekly happenings so if you like it, come again next week!
Monday – 25 Cent Wings and Daily Double at Lansdowne Road
Wednesday, August 24 – Beer and Lobster Fest @ David Copperfield’s, Manhattan:
Head on up to the Upper East tomorrow for a chance to snag a delicious deal – lobster, corn on the cob for a $1. They have 30 lines of craft beer for you to pair with the lobster. After our New England Brewery Tour we’d suggest an English style IPA. And since the lobster is only a dollar, you can try pairing over, and over, and over, and over… Enough said.
David Copperfield’s is located at 1394 York Avenue between 74th and 75th Streets, Upper East Side, Manhattan.
Wednesday, August 24 – Beer Club Night @ The Bronx Ale House, The Bronx:
Here’s another reason to head up to the Bronx – that often avoided borough that deserves more respect than most New Yorker’s give it. The Bronx Ale House, arguably the Bronx’s only craft beer bar, has started a “Beer Club.” Similar to a few other beer club’s in New York, however while other craft beer bars only reward you once you reach 100 beers the Bronx Ale House rewards you at different points along the way AND once you get to 100 you get quite the package – your name engraved on their wall of fame, a Bronx Ale House t-shirt, a personalized growler which gets you discounted growler fills and %50 off every Wednesday night. That’s where tomorrow comes in. You might not be a Gold Member, or any kind of member yet, but tomorrow is a good a day as any to start.
The Bronx Ale House is located at 216 West 238th Street between Broadway and Putnam Avenue, Riverdale, The Bronx.
This week we had friends! Chris O’Leary (@BrewYorkNY) of the famed Brew York, New York stopped in to enjoy a Founder’s Porter with the Beer Friends. Now we seem legit… like we have actual friends… this is a big day for us. Anyway – we’ve reviewed a few Founders in the past (and this one, and this one, and don’t forget this one) but this one was special… because of friendship. Founders! Grand Rapids! Actual Friends!
Beer is a beautiful thing – often times the Beer Friends are caught up in how great it is and the far reaching effects of good beer and the industries it supports. If you’re laughing you haven’t drank enough craft beer because this is a conversation I overhear more and more as people are moving from the Sam Adams and Harpoon‘s (the most popular craft breweries) to the Bear Republics and Oskar Blues (up and coming breweries). There are more choices today then ten years ago and 1,700 more then 30 years ago, and the number of new breweries applying for licenses is growing daily. The spirit of American entrepreneurial-ism is alive and well in craft beer. While some are growing, some are just fine doing what they do and enjoying the craft. An example of one such place I stumbled upon on my recent Boston Area Brewery tour is John Harvard’s Brew House.
Every once in a while the Beer Friends like to step out from our craft beer world and try something… well… from Walgreens. Walgreens Big Flats 1901 Lager is a pale ale that you can find at participating stores for 3 dollars. That’s right, 3 bucks. However, you pay for what you get (at least that’s what my dad always told me…) Cheap beer! Walgreens! 1901!
It happened today – you looked at your calendar and started to get depressed. We’ve all noticed that as of today it is the mid-point of August. Summer is almost over – and that is a depressing thought. We’re already starting to feel it slipping away. It’s been an especially hard summer for Manhattanites – street temperatures in the heart of the city hitting well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, air-conditioners keeping everyone inside cool but pumping out waves of hot air for the rest of us, concrete hot enough to cook an entire turkey and that beautiful skyline blocking any sort of breeze from giving any respite. So this week the Beer Friends are giving Manhattan a break.
That’s right – this week every NYC Craft Beer Event is happening outside the center of New York City. From Brooklyn, to Jersey, to Westchester (first ever I believe!) we’ve got beer events for everyone else in the Tri-State, multi-boroughed area. Check em’ out! And watch out for the Manhattan yuppies!
Monday, August 15 – Brooklyn Brewery “Ghost” Night @ The Diamond, Brooklyn:
Talk about black ops – this event might not even exist. It’s the kind of thing that gets blacked out in government documents. That shady characters with dozens of names and passports engage in only to disappear into the fold. Some people may or may not have found some brew that may or may not exist and it may or may not be served TONIGHT at a bar that may or may not be real. Actually, it’s all very real – there are four bottles of incredibly rare and specialized brews that sound, to be honest, made up. Which makes them all the more desirable. Here’s what we’re looking at:
Crochet Rouge Rose – Local 1 aged on chardonnay and pinot noir lees. (more…)
Asking any Beer Friend what their favorite brewery is has proven to be a dangerous endeavor. Expect hours of conversation as the Beer Friend presents information and opines about the brewery and it’s beer, then retracts some of the more outlandish statements, and then may even pass out from beer conversation overload. Once he wakes up and has a coffee, ask what his top five are and you’ll be much better off. In this Beer Friends top five is Bristol Brewing Company in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Remember when Sierra Nevada had their 30th Anniversary? They produced some amazing beers and today (or whatever day you read/watch this) the Beer Friends review the Fritz and Ken 30th Anniversary Ale. Fritz is Fritz Maytag, the owner and brewer of San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company and joined with Ken to produce a brew “as a nod to the dark ales and stouts that seduced both in the early years.” Birthday’s are the best when the guest get gifts… Beer! Anniversaries! Collaboration!
The Beer Friends are here to get you into full swing for the Dog Days of August. Which after some confusion, we believe we are now currently experiencing. Right? Either way, the beer is still a fresh and relaxing way to keep out of the heat!
Monday, August 8 – A Night of Rarities – Brewmasters Collaborations @ Rattle n’ Hum, Manhattan:
We all hope for it. We can’t wait for when it happens. And we love it once it has – Brewmaster Collaborations. Have you ever drank to different brews, loving both and wishing you could somehow combine the styles of the two brewers into one amazing beer? Well, that’s what brewmaster collaboration does. The UK’s Henry Chevallier of Aspall Cider has done just this with the likes of Allagash, Terrapin and De Prof to create some very interesting styles. Check it out tonight to open your eyes to a whole new world of beer stylings!
Rattle n’ Hum is located at 14 East 33rd Street between 5th and Madison Avenues, Midtown, Manhattan. (more…)
Corporate Kerouac
Phil
Brad
Graham
Paul
