Month: March 2013

We’re continuing our cask series with a yummy English Strong Ale from J.W. Lees. And with the full moon on the rise, we’ve got just the perfect beer: Moonraker, a 6.5% ABV stalwart, which JW Lees has been brewing for over 50 years. Its name comes from farm workers who once tried to rake the moon’s reflection from a Middleton stream. This deliciously rich, dark ale has been lovingly brewed to the original recipe. A favorite of beer connoisseurs the world over, the brewer suggests pairing with strong flavors.

Or drink it on its own! As always, we’ll be tapping at 5 p.m. and while supplies last. And regular restaurant/bar/oyster service is available.

As this is the traditional Holy Week for many, Jimmy’s No. 43 is happy to be celebrating the end of Lent with several interesting and unusual seasonal beers. Today is also National Paella Day, so we are featuring several Spanish beers to coincide with the celebration of Semana Santa (Spanish holy week).

Palm Sunday traditionally marks the onset of a week of great celebration and feasting that coincided with the feasts of Passover, pagan celebrations of Spring, Christian Easter, and the anticipation of the new season of growth and abundance.

Jimmy’s No. 43 has several  rare and fine beers on tap that are perfectly suited to the original spirit of festivity and celebration of Holy Week.  Among them are four great beers on tap from Spain (that very Catholic, yet very festive country) from Iberian Beer United:

• Sagra (how appropriate, translates to Sacred),
• Gisberga Trigo (farmhouse wheat ale),
• Gisberga Porter,
• And the beer that has  inspired Jimmy to song: Lanjub 1907 Iberian Pale Ale.

Also being tapped today is The Bruery’s Saison de Lente, a 6.5% ABV Farmhouse Ale, a limited seasonal keg.

Venite Libemus! (Come and let’s drink! )

It was another amazing food day at Jimmy’s No. 43 as a half-dozen chefs braved narrow doors (yes, a one-meter diameter paella plate will fit through our entryway) and electric burners to bring rabbit, snails and amazing shrimp tails to our first ever Paella Cookoff in celebration of National Paella Day.

The squid-ink infused paella prepared by Louise Leonard and Iberian United’s Jessica Garcia-Agulló was a glory to behold, with lots of interesting entries from professional chefs that paired nicely with the Spanish beers on tap: L’Anjub 1907, Sagra Pils, and Gisberga Trigo.

In the end, there was a rare double winner (of both the judges – Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono, Sarah Jay of PaellaPans.com, and Tara DeGeorges of Spanish Suitcase – and people’s choice awards): Nick Suarez of Backyard Cooking Company in DUMBO, whose traditional paella consisted of Chicken, Chorizo, Snails and Piquillo Peppers over Bomba rice from Spain.

Proceeds benefited the NYC Coalition Against Hunger (paella is a traditional peasant dish, although you wouldn’t know that from yesterday’s entries!).

Beers from the Paella Cookoff will continue to be on the menu throughout the week, for those who’d like to come in for a taste of Spain.

In celebration of National Paella Day, Jimmy’s No. 43 is happy to be hosting another one of our famous cookoffs this Sunday, March 24th from 1-3 p.m. Join professional and amateur chefs, plus enter to win some amazing prizes, all for $20 at the door. Proceeds benefit NYC Coalition Against Hunger.

Iberian Beer United will be providing a selection of Spanish craft beers (for additional purchase) that pair exceptionally well with the rich and varied flavors of paella that we can expect to be presented by some of our great chefs. Chefs interested in participating should e-mail Jessica for specifications. Confirmed chefs include:

• Chef Jaume Guerra of Despana NYC,
• Nick Suarez, Owner/Chef of the Backyard Cooking Company,
• Rich Pinto of Rich Pinto Catering,
• Louise Leonard (founding chef at the Blind Tiger),
• Sarah Jay of Paellapans.com,
• Jessica Garcia-Agulló of Iberian Beer United,
• Anthony Belleveau Flores of Rowan Imports (cider paella!),
• Additional chefs, TBA.

Paella comes in all sorts of wonderful varieties including the traditional paella Valenciana chock full of delicious seafood, chicken and chorizo, as well as all seafood paella marinera, caçadora (all meat and sausage), Fideoa paella (with noodles instead of rice), paella negra (with squid ink), and on and on. And although there are traditional Spanish styles, the name paella really refers to the large flat pan that the dish is cooked in, so pretty much any rice or noodle dish cooked in a paella pan can qualify and the possibilities are quite literally endless.

We have some enthusiastic partners for this event who will be presenting super cool prizes to the winners of the cookoff. Spanish Suitcase will present the winner with their “Chef Suitcase” luxury food assortment. Packed in an eco-friendly, travel-inspired cardboard “suitcase,” this gift basket features all the gourmet foods a chef needs to whip up a perfect paella—bomba rice, premium extra virgin olive oil, saffron from chef María José San Román, recipe cards from chef José Andrés, organic sea salt and more. PaellaPans.com will be presenting runner ups with a new Paella pan and also offering discounted paella pans to any guests who want to purchase a pan and cook this dish at home. Despaña Brand Food will be adding gift certificates to complement Iberian Beer United’s basket of Spanish cheer—their seven brands of craft beer from Spain—which will be raffled off at the event. La Rioja will provide a $100 gift certificate as part of the raffle, as well.

Celebrity judges include Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono and Tommy Harder of Blind Tiger.

Our friends at Shelton Brothers have hooked us up with not one, but two, Franconian Gravity Casks for this week’s Thursday Tap™. We’ll be putting them out starting at 5 p.m. today, while supplies last. You can look forward to trying these two interesting and unusual beers:

• Weissenohe Virtac Bior – spiced bockbier brewed from a medieval recipe, 7% ABV
• Weissenohe Bonator – doppelbock named for the missionary St. Bonifatius (or Boniface), the patron saint of Germany, 8.2% ABV

The Weissenohe monastery (in Bavaria, northern Germany) has a rich history. Founded in 1050, the monks began brewing on the grounds shortly thereafter. The monastery buildings and land were sold to the Winkler family in 1803,  but the brewery still exists and beers are still made using the traditional and time-consuming double-decoction method.

Of course, we’ll still have regular bar/restaurant service, and Thursdays are oyster night at Jimmy’s No. 43.