We’re in the homestretch for NYC Beer Week, and—let’s face it—the options have been overwhelming. While Jimmy’s No. 43 has played host to several events and we just wrapped a featured event (NYC Brewer’s Choice at the Wythe Hotel), Jimmy Carbone took a page from Fleetwood Mac’s book this week and kinda went his own way. So, as we tap a new Bridge and Tunnel beer tonight and finish out the weekend, here’s what we did during our NYC Beer Week 2014.
Day 1 – Friday, February 21st
Jimmy sat in on Anne Saxelby’s Heritage Radio Network show, Cutting the Curd, where he was pairing beers alongside cheeses curated by Greg Blais, cheese/salumi monger at Eataly. Greg paired a blue vein cheese with Dogfish Head Palo Santo, and Jimmy selected Smuttynose Durty for its malt profile. For a soft goat cheese, Jimmy selected Konrad 14, and he rounded out the tasting with Jolly Pumpkin’s Bam paired with a washed rind cheese. (For a quick pairing guide, check out the graphic by Red Envelope here.)
Day 2 + 3 – Saturday-Sunday, February 22nd-23rd
It was homebrew happiness this weekend at Jimmy’s No. 43, as we welcomed Josh Bernstein’s Homebrew Jamboree (Saturday) and Zok’s Homebrewing from CT (Sunday) for some amazing homebrews. Honestly, we can’t wait to see the next round of pro-nano-breweries that will emerge from this diverse group of homebrewers.
Day 4 – Monday, February 24th
We celebrated a sold-out dinner party with Bacon Nation authors Peter Kaminsky and Marie Rama. Beers included Finback Double Sess, Rockaway Winter Harvest Ale, Rushing Duck’s Nimptopsical, along with co-hosts’ Wandering Star brews (Catnip IPA, Bert’s Disqualified).
Bacon aromas filled the air with this five-course menu:
- 1st: Platters of bacon and horseradish deviled eggs, mushroom toast with bacon, mini chips and dip (bacon, chive, sour cream dip).
- 2nd: Veggie Plate of assorted Myer’s Produce (Hardwick, VT) vegetable salads and pickles: beets, rainbow carrots, turnips, watermelon radishes, red cabbage.. with bacon fat croutons!
- 3rd: Chicken and Bacon Paella.
- 4th: Individual Bacon-wrapped “meat loaf” with bacon rosemary roast Myer’s fingerling potatoes (still on our menu!).
- Dessert: Jimmy’s favorite dish of the night – Bacon buttermilk biscuits with sautéed apples, salted caramel and candied bacon .
We have more dinners coming up next month, so be sure to join us at one of our amazing offerings.
Day 5 – Tuesday, February 25th
If Monday’s dinner was intense, Tuesday’s Classic Food and Last Bottles pairing event was as intimate as we get. We invited guests back into our cellar to choose their favorite bottles, which Jimmy and guest chef Annette Tomei then did original pairings. Jimmy led a lucky and astute group of beer lovers in this one-of-a-kind food and beer pairing event.
Day 6 – Wednesday, February 26th
This year’s NYC Brewer’s Choice pretty much blew it out of the water! The amazing food (from Luke’s Lobster, Reynard, Nordic Breads and Blue Island Oyster Co. (among others) was paired with several dozen different brews poured by the brewers themselves. Most of this year’s beers were made with local ingredients, and we’re planning to do more collaborations this year with GrowNYC’s Regional Grains Project. Each brewer who used NY State grains received a Certificate of Recognition from Empire State Development. In short, this was an awesome event.
Day 7 – Thursday, February 27th
This was an awesome Industry Night (our next Industry Night takes place on Sunday, March 9th) with brewers from KelSo, Newburgh and others (it was Brewer’s Choice Redux!) pouring beer alongside the Beer Union team of Giancarlo and Sarah Annese signing copies of their new book, Beer Lover’s New York: The Empire State’s Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars.
Which brings us to today. We’ll be chilling at the Craft Beer Bar & Kitchen for the rest of the weekend, with a TedX viewing party tomorrow. We hope you’ll come by for a pint and bacon meatloaf! Cheers to another amazing NYC Beer Week.
