Located at 79 North 11th Street in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Brewery has been at the center of a cultural and gastronomical renaissance, taking place in Brooklyn over the last 20 years. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon, greeted by Steve Hindy, president and co-founder. The tasting room is simple, a large warehouse with concrete floors. We grabbed a beer and sat at picnic tables while Steve told us the story of how he, a foreign correspondent, and his neighbor Tom Potter, a banker at the time, came to start the brewery 25 years ago. To hear stories of Steve’s time in Beirut, and of his other experiences as a journalist, I am inspired. Enchanted by his sense of adventure and nostalgia, like falling in love.

The night continued with a short walk to the Shanty, home of New York Distilling Company. There, we were given a tour and a brief history of the distillery by Tom Potter, who happens to have co-founded the Brooklyn Brewery along with Steve Hindy! Tom left the brewery in 2004 to pursue other interests… like traveling the world with his wife and paddling America’s rivers in his kayak. During his travels, he noticed a number of small distilleries popping up all over the Northwest, reminding him of the way the brewing industry had been 25 years earlier. In 2011, he started the New York Distilling Company, along with his son, Bill, and Allen Katz, one of the nation’s leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails. After the tour we had the chance to try some of the Shanty’s specialty cocktails… I tried the Up In Smoke (Mezcal, lime, Velvet Falernum, Parfait Amour, Doc’s Cider Reduction, Bittermen’s Mole Bitters, and Prosecco, up), which was SO GOOD! Definitely one of the most uniquely delicious cocktails I have ever had.

From there, we headed to The Brooklyn Kitchen, for a 5-course beer pairing dinner, by none other than Garrett Oliver. Yup, THE Garrett Oliver, head brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery and the man who, literally, wrote the book about pairing beer with food. The food was fantastic! We started with a Goat Cheese & Green Apple Omelette, paired with the Brooklyner Weisse, a Bavarian-Style wheat beer. Garrett, the whole time talking while he cooked, gave us some tips on cooking the perfect omelette. (By the way, you’ve been over-beating your eggs… simply fold them together with your other ingredients for a delicious, fluffy omelette!) The next course was an Indian-Spiced Crab Cake, paired with the East India Pale Ale, Brooklyn’s English-style IPA. Next, a Pasta Carbonara, with the Local 2, a Belgian-inspired Dark Abbey Ale with notes of dark fruit and a hint of spice. I was absolutely blown away by the next course, a Boneless Quail stuffed with Foie Gras and Black Truffle Mousse, paired with a Kriek from the Ghost Bottle Series – a beer that starts similar to the Local 2, then aged on cherries and bottle conditioned with a blend of Champagne yeast and Brett. Whoa. Dessert was a Vanilla Ice Cream Float made with Brooklyn Black Ops, another one from the Ghost Bottle series.

After dinner, we made a few more stops to see the sites of Brooklyn and make sure all the city’s tap lines were in proper working order (If ya know what I mean…). We met at the brewery bright and early the next morning, warmly greeted by an array of NY bagels and coffee. Carla Villa, coordinator of Brooklyn’s Beer School program, gave us a short history of brewing and the opportunity to sample some fresh wort from the morning’s batch. From there, we met Tom Price, brewer & lab manager, who took us on a brewery tour.

For me, it’s always interesting to visit new breweries and see the variations from place to place… but, once you’ve visited enough of them, the “this is how beer is made” spiel can become a little mundane. Luckily, the tour at Brooklyn Brewery included a stop in the “warm room”, where their “Big Bottles”, like their Belgian inspired Local 1, are stored for bottle conditioning. In general, Belgian yeast requires higher temperatures to condition efficiently — around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The warm room holds the temperature constant throughout the conditioning period, which help to impart certain flavor attributes and mouthfeel, as well as helps to stabilize the beer; giving it a long shelf life.  We also got to check out the barrel aging room where they store some beers in whisky barrels before bottling. Brooklyn Black Ops is conditioned here, in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels for four months before being released and consumed by very lucky people.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience… I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend and my sincerest thanks go out to everyone at the brewery for extending such hospitality to us all. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, definitely stop by the brewery and check it out… and get to The Shanty for some cocktails too!

The post Brooklyn Beer School first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

The tour begins with a history lesson as our guide points out a display case full of old bottles and cans representing the numerous products and brands produced at the brewery over the years. From the first 1888 Lager made by The West End Brewing Company, founded by F.X. Matt the same year, to the current line-up including Saranac Beer & Soft Drinks, Utica Club, and a number of other specialty products for smaller breweries. Recently ranked the 12th largest* brewery in the United States, and 6th* out of the top 50 US Craft Breweries, the Matt Brewing Company has a lot to be proud of.

As we enter the brew house, we are greeted by two enormous copper brew kettles stretching up from the floor below. Each holding more than 500 barrels of bubbling wort, they are nothing short of beautiful. I am intrigued by the huge mash filter. Having been on a number of brewery tours and never seen one, it was interesting to learn about this piece of brewing equipment. As we toured the brewery, through twisting stairwells and winding hallways, I was amazed at how much of the old brewing technology remains in use. Mid-century control panels filled with dials and switches, needles drawing graphs on paper discs to track temperature control… Amid the same modern machinery and hi-tech gadgets seen in many breweries today, these vintage elements of the past highlight just how long the Matt Brewing Company has been around.

One thing that I was somewhat surprised to see for a facility of this size and age, was just how many steps the brewery is taking to reduce the amount of natural resources used to make beer. In addition to recycling their grains, as many breweries do, by selling it to local farmers as cattle feed, the Matt Brewing Company has been recycling CO₂ for years. They actually recover the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation and reuse it to carbonate their line of Saranac soft drinks! Though, perhaps the most impressive eco-friendly improvement is the newly installed anaerobic digester system that collects all of the breweries waste and turns it into methane gas, which is then used as a source of power for the plant. This alone allows them to reduce their use of electricity by 30-40%.

Once we’ve seen it all, the brew house, the aging cellars, the bottling and canning lines, we head up to the 1888 Tavern where we have the opportunity to sample the line-up of Saranac beers and soft drinks. The crisp mouthfeel and citrus hop kick of the White IPA is a refreshing and welcome treat as I reflect on all I’ve learned throughout the extensive tour. We even had the good fortune of meeting Matt Brewing CEO, Nick Matt, who stopped by and enjoyed a few samples with us.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend touring the Saranac Brewery. Check their website for seasonal hours and tour details.

The post Visiting Saranac Brewery first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

Tours start at 5:15 pm and last about 1/2 hour, Cost is $15 per person and includes the haunted brewery tour, a free tasting card or pint of beer and a coupon for $5.00 off your food purchase at The Pint & Goblet Tavern (good thru 12/30/12). You can also get a Brat and pint of Oktoberfest for $7.00 (while they last!).

Also, The Pint & Goblet is celebrating their second anniversary this month and will be giving away FREE dessert with your food purchase on the night of the event! Admission price is not required for entry into Tasting Room or to purchase drinks.

Costumes are encouraged but not required… I will be there, but you’ll have to stop down to see what kind of costume I’ve picked out! So come down, grab some brew, take the tour… we’re gonna have so much fun it’s SCARY!

The post Custom BrewCrafters Haunted Brewery first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

We left from Rochester on Saturday morning, heading southwest toward Ellicottville, NY.  This little ski resort town in upstate NY is home to Ellicottville Brewing Company, Southern Tier’s “sister brewery”.  If you’ve never tried anything from EBC, I highly recommend it!  We stopped in for lunch around 12:15pm, and even though the busy ski season had the place buzzing with activity, we were seated right away.  I ordered the Chocolate Cherry Bomb (8.2 ABV | 32 IBU), an Imperial Stout, served on nitro, that was as drinkable as it was delicious.  I was hesitant to opt for what I assumed would be a heavy beer considering I was pairing it with lunch.  But we were only stopping for a quick bite and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to try such an intriguing brew.  The stout pours a thick sturdy head and the aroma prepares you for a rich creamy sip reminiscent of chocolate milk.  I was surprised though, by how quickly the rich aroma gives way to a sweet, smooth taste without the thick mouthfeel I was expecting.  It’s silky, as you’d expect a chocolate stout to be, but very drinkable.  I paired it with their BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich, which proved to be a great choice!  The sandwich was amazing and the sweet and tangy BBQ sauce paired well with the robust Cherry Bomb.

From there we headed west, making our way closer and closer to Lakewood, and the home to our most beloved brews.  We checked into our motel rooms at the Fairmount Motel, just a mile and a half away from the brewery and called a cab to give us a lift.  We arrived at the brewery around 3:30pm and immediately registered for the 5 o’clock tour.  On Saturday’s tours run at 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm and will cost you $12 a head, including a souvenir glass to take home.  Brewery tours are limited to 20 people and often sell out, so if you plan on making the trip try to arrive early to reserve a space.  Once we had secured our spots on the tour, we each grabbed a beer (2X Stout for me) and settled in under the propane heaters on the patio.  The one thing that we didn’t do, and I wished we did, was bring something to snack on.  Due to the limited menu at  the Empty Pint, their on-site bar, they allow patrons to bring in outside food with them if they wish.  Even though we had a great time sitting and chatting on the patio, something tells me some cheese and crackers would have made the afternoon that much better.

It’s a great tour, covering the entire facility and offering the chance to taste a variety of beers that they have available that day.   We tried the Chautauqua Brew, Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale, 2X IPA, and 2x Stout… we got to try the 2X Stout straight from the bright tank at the end of the tour!   Before we left we made sure to stock up with a nice big box of bombers to remember the trip.  Some memorable additions include: Gemini, Choklat, and Back Burner.

Southern Tier Brewing Company is a fantastic brewery to visit and probably not as far away as you think if you live in Western NY, Northern PA, or Eastern Ohio!  If you’re going to plan a trip, remember my tips:

• Plan to stay overnight.  The Fairmount Motel is nearby, clean and super affordable.
• Arrive early to make sure you can get a spot on the brewery tour. ($12/person)
• Bring snacks.  I recommend cheese and crackers to complement the various beers (and maybe some chocolate for dessert?)

The post Visiting Southern Tier Brewing Company first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.