This week we know what teams have advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament we move on to our second round in our Beer Madness 2013. Congratulations to to Michigan, Syracuse, Wichita State, and Louisville for making it to the Final Four. We here at the Beer Friends would like to wish Kevin Ware a speedy recovery, it was reported yesterday that he was up and walking around on crutches which is great news after his injury this past weekend.
For some reason the beer gods have decided to grace this week with an extensively excellent selection of beer events to check out. We picked the best six and are throwing them your way. Try to make them all? Sounds crazy, but you’re not a light hearted craft beer fan, you take this seriously. So do we. Afraid of the magnitude of it all? Us too.
Good thing beer helps with courage.
One more thing, read this one all the way through. We saved the best for last.
Wednesday, November 28 – Brooklyn Brewery Tap Attack with Garret Oliver @ Dive Bar NYC, Manhattan:
Remember the good ol’ days when you could just bump into Garret Oliver at a beer event as he poured you a cask aged Brooklyn Blast while you discussed the ins and outs of craft brewing in America? Well, we do. Brooklyn in recent times has reached super-stardom in the craft beer community, expanding their brewery and upstate brewing capacities in order to meet the demands of expanding to other cities, states, countries…and planets? (the Mars rover totally digs Mary’s Maple Porter) We’re proud of Brooklyn but we still have fond memories of those face to face times. If you do to, then you happen to be in luck. This Wednesday head on up to Dive Bar NYC and meet with Garret Oliver and the Brooklyn Brand Manager Brian Duprey as they serve up an impressive selection of that delicious Brooklyn brew we’re still in love with.
Blanche de Brooklyn
2009 Black Chocolate Stout
2009 Monster Ale
Mary’s Maple Porter
Brooklyn Radius
Brooklyn Blast
Sorachi Ace
There Will Be Black
Brooklyn Lager
Ama
Brooklyn Winter Ale
Black Chocolate Stout
The Companion
The River
Dive Bar NYC is located at 732 Amsterdam Avenue at 96th Street in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan.
Wednesday, November 28 – Avery Brewing Co. Night @ Sunswick 35-35, Queens:
After hurricanes and presidential elections we are finally back here at the Beer Friends with some excellent celebratory/wound licking events for you.
Wednesday, November 7 – Fullers Beer Night @ One Stop Beer Shop, Brooklyn:
Depending on your horse you’re either loving America this morning or severely disappointed with it. OR you’re just sick of the circus-like charade of it all. How about some of the best foreign new from the rest world to forget American politics for a minute? We think yes.
Fullers is renowned as one of the finest beer brewers in the world making everything from the darkest stouts to the hoppiest IPA’s on to the most golden of ales. They’ll be pouring a wide range of draughts and a strong selection of bottles over at One Stop Beer Shop tonight for you to enjoy.
So head on over to enjoy some nowhere-near-American-partisan brew and forget about attack ads, electoral colleges and primary colored states for a night.
The One Stop Beer Shop is located at 134 Kingsland Avenue between Beadle and Lombardy Streets in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Wednesday, November 7 – Borubon Barrel Boner Night @ Double Windsor, Brooklyn:
This week we went back to an old format that works well, we: 1.)reviewed a Founders brew and 2.)had our friend Greg Avola join us. Founders Brewing Co. has been a favorite of ours (why do I feel like I write that about every brewery every week?) and we’ve gone to great lengths – like many of us have – to find some of their rare beers (CBS anyone?). We reviewed them many times – see the list after the video – and had the famed Brew York, New York review Founders Porter with us. Now it’s Untappd‘s turn… apparently we only offer the best for our guest. Warning: This video is a bit longer because at 12% ABV and 112 IBU’s, there is no way we could review this in anywhere close to 5 minutes… enjoy!
CBS survived a hard tournament with a lot of great beers to win the crown this year. In a year full of popular barrel aged brews, CBS still sets a new standard for this style. This beer is sought after by beer lovers all over the country and for good reason. The maple syrup bourbon barrel is a game changers and sets this beer apart from the others. Congratulations to Founders for winning the title of 2012 BFF4 Champion!
We here at The Beer Friends have never done an official review of Canadian Breakfast Stout, but we have done a review of Founders other maple syrup bourbon barrel aged beer. If those videos don’t whet your appetite, I don’t know what will.
The next group of 16 is up today. This bracket has Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout, which has to be one of the favorites to win the entire tournament. It also has BFF4 tournament alumni Troegs Nugget Nectar as well as other heavy hitters from Alpine Brewing Company, Three Floyds, and some more Hill Farmstead finds its way in. The Green Bracket voting is still open though today, the next bracket will open on Saturday.
This week the Beer Friends found a little rare beer from Founders Brewing out of Michigan. Old Curmudgeon Better Half features the Old Curmudgeon (Old Ale) aged in whiskey barrels then aged in maple syrup barrels to create a very complex brew. This is a similar (if not the exact same) process the now in-famous Breakfast Stout -> Kentucky Breakfast Stout (whiskey barrel aged) -> Canadian Breakfast Stout (whiskey THEN maple barrels). Both of these beers are delicious and when ever a Beer Friend finds CBS he puts out the BF signal (mostly just a text) and we all come running. However, CBS is so last year… Old Curmudgeon’s Better Half is the new black and we are all in. Check out our other Founders Reviews below the video – enjoy (we did!) Rare Beer! Beer is the new Black! Founders!
Aaaaaaand we’re back! After a short hiatus, the Beer Friends are back bringing you the best craft beer events that the bars of the world’s finest city have to offer – and we have some excellent beer adventures coming up this week.
Check em’ out:
Tuesday, January 17 – Dogfish Head Week @ Downtown Bar and Grill, Brooklyn:
Downtown Brooklyn’s premier bar, boasting by far the largest bottle list of any place in the 5 borough’s, will be hosting Dogfish Head this entire week, starting today. They will feature 12 lines of your favorite Dogfish Head brews as well as some new releases on draft. And for those of you who think 60 minutes is too short a time and 90 is too long, they’ll have the 75 Minute IPA on cask.
The Downtown Bar and Grill is located at 160 Court Street between Amity and Pacific Streets, Downtown, Brooklyn.
Wednesday, January 18 – Founders Breakfast of Champions @ Fourth Avenue Pub, Brooklyn:
Holy Crap. What are you doing this week? Cancel it. There are too many great events. AND – the Beer Friends are bottling one of their newest creations – a holiday hopped and spiced IPA. It’s probably a good idea not even to go to work this week. You might miss something.
Tuesday, November 29 – Tuesday Night Tasting with Smuttynose Brewing Company @ Bierkraft, Brooklyn:
I told you. Great events. Including this one. Head out to Brooklyn’s most notorious beer bar and store for a sampling of one of New England’s best breweries. Smuttynose will be pouring tastes (and pints, and growlers) of Big A IPA, Gravitation, Star Island Single and Smuttanator. The Smuttanator will be poured on cask. The rest will be on draught with free samples. It all will be fantastic brew.
Today we return to Founders to continue reviewing their excellent line of delicious brews. This week it’s Dry-Hopped Pale Ale which is a aggressively hopped pale ale much like Dale’s Pale Ale but with a different flavor. This week we are also introducing the Beer Friends Home Game – grab one of the beers we’re reviewing and drink it and post your thoughts below… want extra credit? Grab Dale’s Pale Ale and make a comparison review. Founders! Grand Rapids! Home Game!
