Jimmys No. 43

It’s so big that our “week” is really 10 days! That’s right: Ten days of craft brewing events at Jimmy’s No. 43 and around the city. (For all the events, check out nycbeerweek.com.) Here at Jimmy’s No. 43, we’re launching Craft Brew Week with Greenport Harbor Brewing and their Other Side IPA release, which Greenport brewers describe as, “a nod to the fine IPAs of the West Coast: large additions of Cascade, Centennial, Warrior and Chinook hops atop a foundation of American Pale, Monich and light Crystal malts.” Stop by tonight (9/16) and try some of this amazing IPA.

Our next big event for NY Craft Brew Week will be this coming Monday, September 19th at 7 p.m., when Sam Merritt chooses nano/small brews for our “Nanos and Nomads” Dinner. A featured event in this week’s Time Out NY, the Small Brewery Dinner brings an educational turn to drinking some pretty special beers, so get your tickets now and join Sam and Jimmy on Monday.

Of course, the featured event of the week is NYC Brewer’s Choice. The second-annual event will feature more than 20 brewers, with head brewers of each brewery pouring their favorite beers paired with their favorite foods. A limited number of tickets are available to allow for interaction between craft brewers and craft brew aficionados alike. Confirmed breweries include: Sixpoint, Greenport Harbor (DJ Swanson), Blue Point, Allagash, Maine Beer Co., White Birch, Dieu du Ciel (Luc Lafontaine), Ommegang (Phil Leinart), Sierra Nevada, Two Brothers (Jim Ebel), Brooklyn Brewery (Garrett Oliver), Captain Lawrence (Scott Vaccaro), Barrier, Crossroads, Empire (David Katleski), Kelso Brooklyn (Kelly Taylor), Sly Fox (Brian O’Reilly), Southampton, He’brew (Jeremy Cowan), Wandering Star and Smuttynose. We’ll have more updates on this event next week, but be sure to get your tickets before they sell out (and early bird sales end today!).

The Loire Valley Wine Dinner originally scheduled for this evening is postponed until later in the year. In the meantime, Vinotas Selection’s importer, Michel Abood, will be at the communal table with tastings and an a la carte wine and dinner menu. Be sure to stop by and say, “Bonsoir!” to Michel and try some fabulous French wines!

Of course Jimmy’s No. 43 is known for its vast selection of craft beers and our amazing beer-food pairing dinners, but we enjoy a great bottle of vino now and again (and anyone who drinks wine at Jimmy’s No. 43 knows about our infamous “Chimay pour”). Thus, it is with great pleasure that we welcome oenophile Michel Robert Abood, who will be pairing some fabulous Loire Valley wines with great dishes prepared by our resident chef this Wednesday, September 14th, at 7 p.m.

Michel specializes in finding rare vintages from family-owned farms, specifically expensive-tasting wines that belie their price. He tastes a lot of bad wine to get the good stuff to NYC. “If I can drink it, I can’t represent it!” Michel proudly claims. Among the wines at Wednesday’s dinner will be an NV Perlette, a 2010 Aubron Muscadet, a 2010 Pibaleau Noblene d’ Aziaum, a 2009 Pibaleau Heritage d’ Aziaum, and a “super secret” dessert wine. Tickets are going fast ($45 + tip), so get yours today!

Grab a camera and a friend and check out the great Pig Pick-up (in preparation for this weekend’s Pig Island at Governors Island on Saturday) from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7th. More than 20 chefs will be showing up to collect their hogs, which will be served up in a variety of styles at Pig Island. This is a spectacle we enjoy each year, as chefs do their best to hoist and carry off the piggies. Hope you can make it!