A whirlwind weekend for me! It all started last Friday at Bric Arts Media in Brooklyn. I was a guest on a television show called Brooklyn Live with my friend Casey Solof, organizer of the Pride of Brooklyn home brew contest, and with new friend and home brewer John Henderson.
Being on tv is a lot of fun and a lot of waiting. This was a live shoot which was a little nerve racking, but I think it came out well. The producer had asked that we bring plenty of beer, not so much for the show itself, but for the crew! After we wrapped at 1pm we had one hour to drink until their next show at 2. I brought a good assortment so everyone could try different styles of home brew. They were a great cast and crew and we had a blast. Here's the segment:
BK Live 4/11/14: Homebrewing segment from Brooklyn Independent Media on Vimeo.
The next day was the Pride of Brooklyn homebrew festival at Littlefield in Gowanus. This is the second year for Pride of Brooklyn and what really impressed me was how well organized everything was. I have put together large events like this in the past and it is a lot of work. Any show or event is always a little nerve racking but Casey was calm and cool and everything was ready to go. Littlefield was a beautiful venue and added to all the great homebrew being poured.
I poured a Kolsch (we weren't competing, just hanging) and I was lucky to have my friend Sharif from Yonkers Brewing Company pouring their delicious IPA right next to me. As we were in the front room we ended up being the first two people who were pouring beer when you came in, so we got to meet just about everyone who came to the festival which was over 300 people! Be sure to check out the write-up from the Village Voice.
The main hall was where the 25 home brewers were pouring samples. I took the time to try every one of them and there is definitely some great beer coming from NYC home brewers that ranged from well crafted traditional styles to innovative experimental batches. Judges decided the top three beers while the audience picked their favorite. On top of that the brewers themselves picked their favorite as well. It was a crazy fun day. When it was all over I brought my gear back to the shop, went home and passed out. Can't wait for next year.
The winners of Pride of Brooklyn were:
1st Place: Ryan McMahon - "Tropical Paradise" Imperial IPA
2nd Place: Patrick Alfred - "BIG" Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
3rd Place: Dylan Mabin, Andrew Said Thomas & Bill Ryder - "Quad Pro Quo Quercus" Port Aged Belgian Quad
People's Choice: Alex Kalaf - "Mirthful Monk" French Saison
Brewer's Choice: Brett Taylor - "Bird on a Wire" Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brettanomyces-Finished American Brown Ale
Next week I will talk a little about fermentation temperature and ways you can control it in the upcoming summer months in your NYC apartment. Until then, keep brewing!
John
A whirlwind weekend for me! It all started last Friday at Bric Arts Media in Brooklyn. I was a guest on a television show called Brooklyn Live with my friend Casey Solof, organizer of the Pride of Brooklyn home brew contest, and with new friend and home brewer John Henderson.
Being on tv is a lot of fun and a lot of waiting. This was a live shoot which was a little nerve racking, but I think it came out well. The producer had asked that we bring plenty of beer, not so much for the show itself, but for the crew! After we wrapped at 1pm we had one hour to drink until their next show at 2. I brought a good assortment so everyone could try different styles of home brew. They were a great cast and crew and we had a blast. Here's the segment:
BK Live 4/11/14: Homebrewing segment from Brooklyn Independent Media on Vimeo.
The next day was the Pride of Brooklyn homebrew festival at Littlefield in Gowanus. This is the second year for Pride of Brooklyn and what really impressed me was how well organized everything was. I have put together large events like this in the past and it is a lot of work. Any show or event is always a little nerve racking but Casey was calm and cool and everything was ready to go. Littlefield was a beautiful venue and added to all the great homebrew being poured.
I poured a Kolsch (we weren't competing, just hanging) and I was lucky to have my friend Sharif from Yonkers Brewing Company pouring their delicious IPA right next to me. As we were in the front room we ended up being the first two people who were pouring beer when you came in, so we got to meet just about everyone who came to the festival which was over 300 people! Be sure to check out the write-up from the Village Voice.
The main hall was where the 25 home brewers were pouring samples. I took the time to try every one of them and there is definitely some great beer coming from NYC home brewers that ranged from well crafted traditional styles to innovative experimental batches. Judges decided the top three beers while the audience picked their favorite. On top of that the brewers themselves picked their favorite as well. It was a crazy fun day. When it was all over I brought my gear back to the shop, went home and passed out. Can't wait for next year.
The winners of Pride of Brooklyn were: