For homebrewers in Manhattan who were in a bind, it was nice to have some grain available at Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room (95 E. Houston St., at Chrystie St., Lower East Side) for some last-minute ingredients without going to Brooklyn.
Now, things are getting even easier. As Whole Foods mentioned on Facebook today, they now have grain available in bulk (pictured above), so you can cater down to the ounce how much grain your homebrew recipe requires. No more buying one-pound or five-pound bags of malt!
Here are the beer-related goings-on after work tonight:
The East Coast vs. West Coast Punk Rock Beer Tour moves on to The Pony Bar(637 10th Ave. at 45th St., Hell’s Kitchen) tonight at 7pm, pitting five beers from four breweries (Lagunitas, Ballast Point, Victory, Smuttynose) against each other for geographic supremacy. And there will be punk rock and giveaways all night, too.
For those more into rap than punk, head to Pacific Standard(82 4th Ave., at St. Marks Pl., Boreum Hill) at 7pm for what might be the best-named beer event ever: Speakeasy-E Night, a celebration of craft beer from the San Francisco brewer and 90s old-school rap. On tap will be 5 beers from Speakeasy, including Tallulah Blonde, Payback Porter, and Double Daddy.
As mentioned yesterday, Idle Hands Bar(25 Avenue B, at 2nd St., East Village) will give Untappd users a chance to earn their bar’s badge for the first time tonight starting at 8:30pm. Plus, they’ll have $5 drafts from Ommegang.
Ever walked into a bar and said, “man, this place is a freakshow?” That takes a whole new meaning at Blind Tiger Ale House(281 Bleecker St., at Jones St., West Village) tonight as the afterparty for the screening of Zachary Levy’s Strongman at IFC Center kicks off at 10pm. They’ll have beers from Coney Island, naturally, and performances from “the Sword Swallower” and “the Human Blockhead” from the Coney Island Circus Sideshow at 10:30.
Social media can be addictive, and nothing feeds that addiction better than a new online service that tracks which beers you’ve had and awards you with badges for having certain beers, certain styles, or certain quantities. If you haven’t heard of Untappd yet, you’re probably the type of beer geek who doesn’t have a Facebook profile or a Twitter account (and hey, more power to you if you like live anonymously).
But those who are on Untappd in New York will get a special treat starting tomorrow night, as the social drinking service has partnered with Idle Hands Bar(25 Avenue B, at 2nd St., East Village) to unveil the first badge on the service dedicated to one bar.
If you “check-in” to five different beers on the service on Wednesday Night at Idle Hands, you’ll earn the Idle Hands Bar Badge. After Wednesday, it’ll take ten beers to earn it. Once you’ve earned the badge, you’re entitled to a free tasting of all six beers on tap at the bar.
We here think it’s a bit silly (and maybe irresponsible) to expect people to drink five beers in one sitting on a Wednesday night (or any night, really) to earn a “badge,” but we’re not ones to judge others. And if you don’t feel like binging your way to a new badge, they’ve still got $5 beers from Brewery Ommegang for you to pace your way through.
Here are the beer-related goings-on after work tonight:
Get one of your first chances to sample the new Thirteen Anniversary Ale from Ithaca Beer Company at Good Beer(422 E. 9th St., btw. 1st Ave. and Ave. A) tonight starting at 6:30pm. They’ll also have a few other beers on tap from that hippie-dippie town Upstate, and a beer-and-cheese pairing to boot.
Brooklyn Brewery will pour the good stuff all night tonight at Spuyten Duyvil(350 Metropolitan Ave., at Havermeyer St., Williamsburg). By the “good stuff,” we mean some rare vintage stuff you may have never tried. They’ll have a 2007 vintage of Monster Ale, bottles of the first batch of Local 1, and even a 1998 Black Chocolate Stout. Unless you work for the brewery, there’s no chance that something on the list won’t surprise you.
We’ve got two beer dinners coming up this week that pair a great brewery with a local eatery to create a well-paired menu. We know, we know… it’s January and you’re on a diet. But you might as well make at least one exception and live a little, right?
First up, tomorrow night, Back Forty(190 Avenue B, at 12th St., East Village) will partner with Brooklyn Brewery for a four-course beer dinner called “Hidden Treasures from the Cellar.” The dinner includes five different beers, including some rare vintage beers brewed in Brooklyn like Wild 1 (an ale brewed with wild yeast) and a 2003 vintage of the Monster Ale. The meal includes courses like flash-fried Maine Shrimp and braised pork shanks. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver will be on hand as well. There are three seatings - 6:30, 7:00, and 7:30pm - and tickets can be purchased online for $80 (excluding tax and gratuity) or $103 (all-inclusive).
If pizza and beer is more your thing, you might want to give a Friday night event at L'asso(192 Mott St., at Kenmare St., Little Italy) a try. They’ll serve up a five-course beer dinner with beers paired from Pretty Things for a wallet-friendly $45. The food courses haven’t been set, but you can be assured they’ll complement beers like Jack D'or and Baby Tree quite well. There are two seatings for this: 7pm and 9pm, and reservations can be made by calling the restaurant at 212-219-2353 or by buying the dinner online.
The full menu for tomorrow night’s event is after the jump.
