Month: February 2015

We think that every week is beer week at Jimmy’s No. 43, but this week, it’s official! We’ll have a full line-up of tastings, events, dinners and outstanding beers during NYC Beer Week (February 20th through March 1st). And with our new artisanal liquor program, we’ll have plenty of options for spirits’ lovers, too.

We officially launch NYC Beer Week tonight at 7 p.m. with the citywide Opening Tap (we’ll be raising our glass filled with Rocky Point Artisan Brewers’ American Brown Ale), but it’s only one of many local beers we’ll be tapping. Among the kegs ready to tap:

• Transmitter Brewing Co. (Queens) – NY1 beer, a pale ale/sour made with all NY State ingredients
• Folksbier (Brooklyn) – Dark Rye Ale and Light Helles Lager
• Big Alice (Queens) – Rye IPA and Multi-grain Sour
• Other Half (Brooklyn) – Hop Deeded Imperial IPA and Nelson Sauvin Hop IPA
• Plus, we’ll be hosting Wild Beer Company’s Andrew Cooper and Brett Ellis tonight (Friday, February 20th) and be tapping their Evolver IPA-

Among our favorite events we’re hosting is Cicerone v. Cicerone Beer & Food Pairing (tickets here) this Sunday, February 22nd from 2-4 p.m. James Tai and Brendan Woodcock (both candidates for Master Cicerone and posing in their “fighter stance” in the photo) will be pairing beers (5 each; so 10 beers total) to a tasting menu that will include:

• Scallops wrapped in bacon and cooked in gueuze to pair with gueuze
• A parsnip and Brussels’ sprout dish with lemon gremolata to pair with a saison
• Three additional pairings TBD

Also coming up next week, Whiskey aficionado Lew Bryson returns for a pay-as-you-go Beer & Spirits Tasting (with food specials and an option to buy Lew’s book, Tasting Whiskey: An Insider’s Guide to the Unique Pleasures of the World’s Finest Spirits).

And don’t forget that all week long we’ll be featuring the portraits of photographer Matt Coats, who was recently featured on the cover of Beer Advocate Magazine.

Our full beer week schedule:

Friday, February 20^th – Opening Tap at 7 p.m

Saturday, February 21^st – Josh Bernstein’s Third Annual Homebrew Jamboree

Saturday, February 21^st – Matt Coats Exhibition Party

Sunday, February 22^nd – Cicerone v. Cicerone: 5-beer + food pairing event with James Tai and Brendan Woodcock

Sunday, February 22^nd – Tastes and Sounds of the South with George Kilby, Jr.

Monday, February 23^rd – Beer Sessions Radio Prix Fixe Rare Beer Dinner Featuring Chef Matt Garelick

Tuesday, February 24^th – NYC Brewer’s Choice at Sanders Studios

Wednesday, February 25^th – Beer & Spirits Night with Lew Bryson

Friday, February 27^th – Very Special Tap: Sahti from Finland

Saturday, February 28^th –Pig & Whiskey Bacon Brunch Sampler

We hope to see you during NYC Beer Week!

We’ve just programmed our events for NYC Beer Week (February 20th-March 1st), and it’s looking like our best Beer Week ever. This is officially the “seventh” beer week, but a lot has changed in those seven years; we were there at the beginning and it has been great to watch the local craft beer scene grow and expand.

This year we will be hosting events almost every day of beer week (we still have room for private parties), and among our features will be a photography exhibit of Matt Coats’ pictures of self-distributed breweries in the city. Matt’s work was recently seen on the cover of Beer Advocate Magazine (we had a little fun and substituted one of Matt’s photos featuring the Beer Sessions Radio team for the original cover photo, pictured at left).

Matt’s work will be featured at Jimmy’s No. 43 throughout NYC Beer Week with a big kick-off party (where you can meet Matt) on Saturday, February 21st.

Among our other NYC Beer Week events (also see event links to the right):

• Cicerone v. Cicerone Beer & Food Pairing. Sunday, February 22nd from 2-4 p.m. We take five dishes, ten beers, and two Certified Cicerones and ask you to be the judge! You’ll get to hobnob with two of the best beer experts in the area as James Tai and Brendan Woodcock (both candidates for Master Cicerone) will be pairing beers to foods selected by each competitor, Jimmy’s No. 43 and a special “surprise guest chef”. More details and tickets here.
• Beer Sessions Radio Presents Rare Beer Dinner with Chef Matthew Garelick. Monday, February 23rd at 7 p.m. We’ll be raiding the cellar for rare and “wild” beers that will be paired to a gourmet 5-course tasting menu curated by Chef Matt formerly of L’atelier de Joel Robuchon, Adour Alain Ducasse, Del Frisco’s Steakhouse and 57 at the Four Seasons, among others. Tickets to this sit-down dinner are available here.
• 5th Annual NYC Brewer’s Choice. Tuesday, February 24th from 6-10 p.m. at Sanders Studios (Brooklyn). The ultimate food and beer pairing event features 40+ beers, including special “SMASH” beers using 100% NY State hops and malt plus out-of-state breweries using at least 30% NY regional grains. With a keynote address from Mike Hinkley of Green Flash and food from 20+ chefs, restaurants and artisanal food purveyors (including a raw bar!), this year’s NYC Brewer’s Choice will be the biggest and best yet. Get your all-inclusive tickets here. Co-produced with the NYC Brewers’ Guild and NY State Brewers Association.
• Tastings with Whiskey, Cheese and Bacon. We’re thrilled to have several $15 tastings that will bring special guests including author and Whiskey expert Lew Bryson (Wednesday, February 25th), Consider Bardwell’s Peter Henry (Thursday, February 26th), and the I Like Pig crowd for a “bacon brunch sampler” (Saturday, February 28th). It’s your chance to mix and mingle in a casual setting with all the great industry people who frequent Jimmy’s No. 43 during NYC Beer Week and all year round!

You can read about all our events and keep up to date on changes and additions on our Events page.