Posted in Beer on Jul 24th, 2010
It’s that time of year again. The time when the die-hard homebrewers sit back with a cold pint, reminisce over their favorite beers and put pen to paper for a legendary vote of epic proportions. Bragging rights will be forever held, children will defend the honor of their brewmaster dads in schoolyards around the world […]
Posted in Beer, G&G Videos, NYC Events on Jul 2nd, 2010
We came by boat. We drank with tiny cups. We conquered the crowds? Brewfest 2010 has come and gone. For some, it was an afternoon of craft beer heaven. For others, it was like being trapped on an island of thirsty, angry savages with the mere mirage of food and beer only on the horizon. […]
Posted in Beer, G&G Videos, NYC Events, Spirits, Wine on Jun 25th, 2010
North Williamsburg. On a rather desolate block, a mini-Mecca for libation lovers awaits in two-story glory. Be you beer geek, cocktail purist or refined wino, this is your place. All under one gloriously designed roof and with a level of hospitality that will warm any NY’ers heart. The Counting Room, at 44 Barry Street in Brooklyn, plays […]
Posted in Beer, NYC Events, Spirits, Wine on Jun 8th, 2010
Well, hip to the hop to the hippity hop. Looks like I got me a wee bit of press last week. Maggie Hoffman, of Serious Eats, interviewed me about my job and, among other things, my thoughts on beer lists in restaurants. (Mom will be proud to hear her son raving about craft beer, walking […]
There’s some funky shit going on in the US craft beer scene, and one brewery is leading the charge. Located far from the usual suspects on the West coast, the East Coast and the Colorado beer belt, one must travel to the tiny town of Dexter, Michigan (population of around 3,000), to find Jolly Pumpkin […]
Posted in Beer, NYC Events, Spirits, Wine on May 7th, 2010
On Monday, Lincoln Center was descended upon by the food & beverage community who harbored an insatiable hunger and thirst. Between the number of kegs cashed, martinis housed, Champagne guzzled and bites of food gobbled up, if one were to convert the ounces of alcohol and butter consumed to kilowatts, you could have lit the […]
Posted in Beer on Apr 23rd, 2010
The Brewer’s Association is a top-secret society composed of beer ninjas, homebrewing warlocks and malt-driven shapeshifters. Their nerve center/elite training grounds are rumored to be located in an underground bunker some 20 stories below the idyllic streets of Boulder, Colorado. For those of us in the beer community, their word is gold. And, once […]
Posted in Beer, NYC Events, Wine on Apr 16th, 2010
After countless months of planning, dreaming and scheaming, the doors have opened at Terroir | Tribeca. She’s a stunning belle of the highest caliber. And she’s gonna take NYC by force. A force built on passion, irreverence and a commitment to bone-numbingly high standards. The beer list is my baby. A collection of my international […]
Posted in Beer, NYC Events on Apr 13th, 2010
I wonder how long it would take me to consume a beer that’s five stories high? A month? A year? A lifetime? Maybe I’d get halfway through, swear off beer forever and switch to Riesling… In the dead of winter of 2009, Stella Artois embarked on The Ritual Project high above the streets of NYC. (Now, granted […]
Posted in Beer, NYC Events on Apr 9th, 2010
Calling all East Coast brew geeks! It’s coming. A day of sun-soaked, beer-drizzled, hop-tinged, fun-loving craft beer worship is coming soon. And the only way to get there? By boat. That’s right, kids, on Saturday, June 19th, Governor’s Island is going to be overran by beer hounds. And I don’t mean the Pabst-swilling, Coors Light-guzzling […]
Posted in Beer, NYC Events on Apr 2nd, 2010
Something special happens when people clink a glass or break bread together. It’s primal. I was reminded of this when I read a post on Simplybeer.com called “Beer People are Good People”. Peter, the author, made the point that some of the most generous people he’s come across are in the beer world. And it […]
Posted in Beer, G&G Videos, Reviews on Mar 30th, 2010
Like any good Irishman, I gave homage to the beer on St Patrick’s Day (and, like any good Irishman, it didn’t involve green food coloring). But unlike a good Irishman, it didn’t involve Stout or the hailing of the all-powerful Guinness. It involved Bavaria. And for posterity sake, i decided to film the event. Little […]
Quadrupel, Malheur 12°, Brouwerij De Landtsheer NV, Buggenhout, Belgium (12.0% alc) The Belgians don’t pussyfoot around with their beer. Not only is their country regarded as the Holy Grail for beer lovers, but they have a penchant for naming their beers with an ironic sense of danger that will draw a gasp from the most […]
Posted in Beer, G&G Videos, NYC Events on Feb 24th, 2010
They say that any day brewing is a good day. I couldn’t agree more (well, except for all that pesky sanitizing—that can be a real bitch). However, a good day brewing can go sour. And for us this weekend, it did. Dead yeast? Nope. A broken carboy smashed all over our apartment? Nope. A boil-over […]
Dunkelweizen, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu, München, Germany (5.0% alc) You gotta love it when your friends prepare to move and unload their stuff on you. Especially when its their booze. A good friend of mine, Tamara, has just moved to London to begin a new adventure overseas. The fortunate thing for me is that she had amassed quite a wine […]
