New York City Craft Beer Week

Quality Beer Weekend

I spent the past weekend in New York City, and while I could take pages describing the museums, the copious amount of food, the amazing fashion, or y time with friends, I really just want to get out some advertising for some incredible bars and brewers.

Sepember 11th-20th marks Craft Beer Week in NYC, with hundreds of different craft brews being sold at 82 bars across the city in 4 boroughs. Some of the top beer bars in the city, including House of Brews on West 51st street and Blind Tiger down in the Greenwich Villiage area (home to the best grilled cheese I have ever tasted).

The highlight of the experience, however, was Rattle 'N' Hum Bar http://www.rattlenhumbarnyc.com/ on East 33rd Street in Manhattan. Hosting "Brewers Nights" for 9 straight nights, I was fortunate enough to be there both Friday and Saturday before I left, getting to meet the brewmasters from Ommegang, Allagash, and Ithica breweries.

Before I heap praise onto one of those breweries specifically, I must comment on the bar itself: A dark place, with a long old-fashioned bar with about 30 taps on the back wall. Crowded, with just a few tables, the remarkable part of the bar was its huge selection of cask beers. Uncarbonated, stored and aged at room temperature, and poured only through gravity, cask beers tend to come few and far between at most bars. A good beer bar will have 3 or 4 cask selections. Due to beer week, however, there were close to 30 casks, ranging from belgian pale ales, sour beers, to a remarkable Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla.

After arriving on Friday with Madison and sampling some of the casks (as well as the Obammegang brew from Ommegang), my excitement turned to the arrival of the brewers. Hearing me ask about their whereabouts to a waitress, Patrick, slightly-brogued owner of the bar, introduced himself and asked me to follow him. I was quickly whisked away and introduced to Rob Todd, brewmaster of Allagash Brewing Company http://www.allagash.com/ in Maine. The ensuing conversation consisted mostly of his experiences with BeerSchool.com, the value of preserving recipe secrets, and the potential for a Flanders Red Ale or other sour beer in the collection.

Immediately after, we were joined by a giant of a man, who turned out to be Phil Leinhart, Brewmaster of Ommegang Brewery http://www.ommegang.com/. While not the creater of Ommegang, he has put out wonderful beers since fully taking over production in 2008. Also polite, he briefly got in on the Red Ale discussion. I bid them both farewell and returned to the patiently-waiting Madison. It as truly an excellent experience.

The highlight of the beer experience, however, was the following day. With my friend Leentje in tow, I ventured back to Rattle 'N' Hum for a second day of beers before I departed to New York City. Recognizing me from the prior night, Patrick directed me over to Eric VanZile, sales rep of Ithaca Beer Company http://www.ithacabeer.com/, who then proceeded to say hello and bring me over to Jeff O'Neil, executive brewer for Ithica. Immediately friendly and welcoming, they told me about Ithaca distribution in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and their desire to expand. Eventually, we delved into a talk about his Cascazilla Red Ale, a hop-monster with some of the most unusual characteristics you'll find in an East Coast beer.

(Some of Ithica's brews, including Cascazilla, the Red Ale with IPA bite)

Taking a stance about cloning beers directly opposite to that of Rob Todd, Jeff happily explained the recipe to Cascazilla and encouraged me to email him for a detailed breakdown of the ingredient ratios and mash times (I gotta get on that) for his recipe. While I'm grateful to have met Rob and Phil, I especially impressed with the passion that Jeff and Eric had for their beer. Beyond a friendliness that is necessary for good product marketing, there was an unwavering enthusiasm in both of them that seemed so genuine and real. After a few more minutes talking about growing hops, I let them be, but in the fifteen or so minutes they spoke to Leentje and I, they gained a customer for life and a recommendation to try their beers at the earliest available opportunity.

Once again, thank you Jeff and Eric.

A list of beers sampled this weekend:

Radeberger Pilsner (Draft)

Thomas Hardy's Ale 2008 (Vintage Bottle)

Ommegang Cave Aged Abbey Ale 2007 (Cask)

Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans (Cask)
Ommegang (AKA Obammegang) Election Ale 2008 (Draft)

Allagash Four Quadruple (Draft)

Brooklyn Sirhachi Ale (Draft)

Brooklyn Blast! (Draft)

Elysian Dragonstooth Stout (Draft)

Elysian Elysian Trip II Golden Ale (Draft)

Jolly Pumpkin Weisen Bam (Cask)
Ommegang Hennepin Saison (Draft)