Month: July 2014

It’s only humpday and we’re already working for the weekend. FoJ43, Patrick Martins (of Heritage Radio Network fame and author of The Carnivore’s Manifesto) has called for a national holiday to recognize our agricultural heritage and praises the best in agriculture and our food traditions. Patrick has proposed that August 1st be a National Farmers Day, and we’re happy to join him in bringing awareness to the many local farms we rely on for our craft beer kitchen.

Since it’s typically ground meat and sausages that are the most sustainable forms of meat, we’ll be having a Fancy Hot Dog weekend, beginning on Friday featuring farm sausages from Flying Pigs Farm, Violet Hill Farm, Three Corner Field Farm, and others in our region. Among our offerings:

• *Bahn Mi Hot Dogs
• *Lamb Sausages
• *Chorizo
• *Kielbasa

NY Governor Andrew M. Cuomo is taking craft beer seriously! Like Gov. Hickenlooper in Colorado, Gov. Cuomo sees the economic potential in our state’s growing craft beer scene. In fat, he has formed the first-ever NY Craft Brewer Workgroup, which will put forth recommendations on ways to continue spurring the rapid expansion of the state’s craft beer sector. Among the appointees to this important “think tank” is our very own Jimmy Carbone.

Jimmy met the governor at this year’s Wine, Beer, Spirits and Cider Summit, where he weighed in on the NYC craft beer scene and the need to help small craft beer businesses, such as gastropubs like Jimmy’s No. 43 and nano-brewers and the farmers who are growing local hops or opening up malting facilities. The governor sees the synergies of so many diverse (yet related) businesses related to craft beverages, the need for education, the agriculture of NY State (which was once the hops growing capital of the world), as well as brewers/vintners/cider makers and retailers who sell fine-crafted alcohol beverages.

“New York’s craft beer industry has seen tremendous growth in the past four years – and we plan to keep the momentum going,” Governor Cuomo said in the announcement of the panel. “By bringing together leaders from industry, academia and the public sector, we can make sure that the Empire State becomes an even better place to brew and promote world-class beverages.”

As part of the governor’s workgroup, Jimmy will be a part of improving communication between all segments of the craft brew industry and state government. He and fellow panel members (which also includes Steve Hindy of Brooklyn Brewery, GrowNYC’s June Russell, and NYS Brewers Association President Dave Katleski, among other beer luminaries) will work together to identify emerging needs, including research on new varieties of hops and barley, production methods and consumer trends; as well as making sure that the state has the infrastructure in place for this growing industry.

The workgroup will also continue where the summit left off by reviewing areas of potential regulatory reform and guiding the continued development of Empire State Development’s One Stop Shop, which is designed to provide New York’s beverage producers with a single point of government contact for assistance regarding regulations and licensing.

We hope you’ll come by this weekend and raise a glass to toast this panel and congratulate our very own Jimmy on his appointment!

As a part of July Good Beer Month, Jimmy Carbone—also host of Beer Sessions Radio on the Heritage Radio Network and a Good Beer Seal co-founder—will be broadcasting live from Brooklyn tomorrow evening, before heading over to Crimson & Vine in Queens to receive the Mayor’s official July is Good Beer Month proclamation for the sixth year running. During that time, we’ve seen a tremendous growth in brewers in all five boroughs, but none more so than in Brooklyn and Queens.

Thus it is that we’ll be featuring some of our favorite Kings and Queens offerings this week, including a $20 Tuesday Tasting tomorrow night. Some of the beers we’ll include are:

From Queens –

• Bridge and Tunnel’s Tiger Eyes Hazelnut Brown Ale – a 5.5% ABV English brown made with real hazelnuts
• Singlecut Beersmith’s Rhapsody Wheat Pils – a 5.1% German Pilsener
• Rockaway Brewing’s 1875 Pale Ale – an American Pale with nicely balanced citrus and piney notes (6% ABV)
• Finback’s Fort Tildenist White IPA – a session (4% ABV) white IPA brewed with green tea, and lemon zest. Light, delicate, hoppy notes of melon, tangerine, and basil.

We’re having a midsummer night’s dream week, with some great offerings from Manhattan to Long Island coming up. First up, tomorrow night (7/15) we’re welcoming Joel Shelton of Shelton Brothers Imports for a 10-beer $20 Tuesday Tasting. Come taste some of the world’s best small-batch beers in this intimate setting. Beers to include:

Any two of these brews would set you back more than the cost of this tasting, so be sure to arrive early and get your sampling seat.

Then on Wednesday, July 16th, Jimmy Carbone will be back at WNYC’s Craft Beer Jam, where for a mere $25 you can hang with cool industry people like Kelly Taylor of KelSo and Mark Buford of Blue Point, get unlimited beer samples plus food, and chill out (literally, in air conditioned comfort) before heading back to Jimmy’s No. 43 for the after party.

And on Saturday, we’re hitching our rig to a Long Island bound trip to Great South Bay, where we’ll be serving up some of the best BBQ you’ve ever tasted outside the brewery from 12-5 p.m.

Whether you’re in town or hitting the beach, we hope you’ll take time out this week for great craft beer and yummy ‘cue with us!

One of the things we really love about craft beer is how collaborative it is. Lots of brewers learn their trade from other brewers, and they always seem to be willing to pay it forward. What’s cooler then than a friend who brews with a local brewer? That’s what occurred when beer writer (among other trades) Niko Krommydas went out to brew with Great South Bay on Long Island. The beer is finally ready and Jimmy Carbone will be talking with Niko on this afternoon’s Beer Sessions Radio on the Heritage Radio Network.

We’ll be pouring the beer itself, Niko Weisse, a Greek-inspired Berliner Weisse with cucumbers at the bar this evening. The beer is a pale, wheaty, low ABV brew based on the regional specialty of Berlin. Niko added cucumbers, a primary ingredient in tzatziki, to uniquely celebrate his Greekness.

Come by and try this perfect beer for a hot summer day. All regular bar/restaurant service is available.