Tecnico Rudo

 Tecnico Rudo Introduction
 Non-Flash version of the podcast

 Tecnico Rudo Interview with Pedro
 Non-Flash version of the podcast

Pedro Escobar was born the poor son of Mexican salt miners... Wait -- no! That's not right! Though it does make for a great back-story for his Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling character, El Tecnico Rudo!

El Tecnico Rudo takes on a challenger!

Pedro is a first generation Mexican American who learned the skills of maintaining and repairing large mechanical equipment from his dad, who emigrated from Puebla, Mexico as a teenager along with Pedro's mom, and is part of that mythical American Dream -- immigrants coming to America for a better life, and to help build a better America.

Pedro Escobar in Clark Kent mode.

It was while working with his dad, said to be one of the most respected vineyard and brewery technical engineers in America, that the Brooklyn Brewery and Pedro were first introduced. This would eventually lead to Pedro taking on the role of the brewery's head Maintenance Engineer, responsible for keeping all things mechanical in good working order, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of the finest beer from North 11th St. in Williamsburg.

Bob, Willy, and Pedro.

Though his first experiences with beer didn't much stir him, Pedro's concept of beer was dramatically challenged when he tasted a Stone Arrogant Bastard for the first time. That impression was tattooed on his tastebuds, and it served as the inspiration for his own brew for the Brooklyn Brewery's Worshipful Company of Brewers series -- the 7% ABV Tecnico Rudo American Strong Ale.

The Worshipful Company of Brewers program at the Brooklyn Brewery affords all manner of the brewery staff -- not just the brewers -- an opportunity to create a recipe entirely of their own choosing and brew it in the large 20 barrel commercial brewhouse. Pedro's brew was originally planned for the wintertime, but it got pushed back into the warm months, where his domineering 7.3% hoppy American Ale would either slake your mid-summer thirst, or at least make you forget about the heat and humidity entirely!

Tecnico Rudo.

The beer has a simple enough malt bill, primarily 2-row pale malt augmented by Special B and Aromatic malts. Even with a whopping 7.3% ABV there is plenty of malt sweetness left over to offer a rich body and to try to balance the enormous hop character and aggressive bitterness, provided by Chinook and Citra hops. This one may only be available at the Brooklyn Brewery tasting room, so make plans to wrestle this one down while you can!

Brewmaster Garrett introduces Pedro.

The stage is set for El luchador de cerveza.

Pedro's family.

Pedro and Purple Rage.

Garrett, Eric Brown, and Pedro.

"It's not my birthday!"

1001 Nights: Ayad Asha of the Brooklyn Brewery

 Interview with Ayad Asha of the Brooklyn Brewery 

 Non-Flash version of the podcast

Iraqi-born Ayad Asha came to New York in 2013, leaving behind Baghdad's "car bombs, militias fighting, and dead bodies in the street." He spoke no English when he arrived. After a time working in computer networking and IT, he landed a job on the packaging line at the Brooklyn Brewery. And after two years spent working hard and learning much, as well as earning the friendship and respect of his brewery co-workers, he was given the opportunity to brew a beer of his own creation, as part of the Worshipful Company of Brewers program. Thus was born 1001 Nights. 

B.R., Ayad, and Bob.

The beer, named for the famed collection of Arabic and Persian stories from the Islamic Golden Age, is a 5.7% ABV Saison style beer, enhanced by some Middle Eastern influences. Alluring Cardamom evokes a camphorous aroma and flavor, transporting one back into to enchanted stories of Sinbad, genies, and the like. Dark dried lemon contributes a sultry, smoky, citrus tinged quality, made all the more tantalizing by the use of raw honey in the brew. These three unique additions make this beer soar like a flying carpet, perfectly complimenting the ale's backbone of 2-row American malt, Perle and Styrian Golding hops, and Brooklyn's Belgian house yeast.

Ayad and Cellarman Eric Brown.

Ayad said that he drew inspiration for the recipe from cooking, notably the use of Cardamom with rice, and the dried lemon from making tea. He thought that the spice and citrus could work well in a wheat beer. Brooklyn Head Brewer Al Duvall agreed, as he praised Ayad's creation, saying that he had never experienced Cardamom in a beer like this before.

Ayad surrounded by Iraqi friends. 

Master Brewer Garrett Oliver heaped praise on to Ayad for not only his matchless work ethic and loyal character, but his creative, inspired recipe, which led to this unique, delicious, Most Worshipful worthy brew. This beer is in limited supply, served only at the Brewery tasting room (we believe), and you'll want to get to the brewery before it's gone. Because unlike the genie in the story of The Fisherman and the Jinni, once the beer is out of the keg, there will be no three wishes to make more of it!

Bob, beer colleague Seth, and B.R.

1001 Pints.

Ayad, brewery co-founder Steve Hindy, and an old friend from Iraq.

Mal du Pays brewer Eric Brown of Brooklyn Brewery

 Interview with Cellerman Eric Brown of Brooklyn Brewery

 Non-Flash podcast

Eric Brown was homesick. The Kentucky son longed for the blue grass, charred oak, and pastoral comforts of his Old Kentucky Home, all while climbing the ladder from the packaging line into the cellar as a Cellarman at the Brooklyn Brewery. (The packaging line is apparently in the sub-basement.)

Actually, the beer finished out at closer to 4.5% ABV, which was more in line with the traditional style.

So he brought the Kentucky to Williamsburg.

Brewmaster Garrett introduces Eric.

As the most recent inductee of the Worshipful Company of Brewers, a program that gives the capable brewing staff at Brooklyn Brewery a chance to create their own recipe, Eric chose to brew an old, nearly forgotten, and seldom brewed style of American beer called a Kentucky Common.

The man of the sour hour.

The Kentucky Common bears some similarity to the California Common, whereas a lager yeast is employed to ferment the wort a bit warmer, more in line with ale yeast temperatures. There is also an element of sourness, though it's not settled if, historically, the sourness was an intentional characteristic. It could well be that re-used cooperage provided an unintended inoculation of some souring agents. In this brew, half the batch was kettle-soured with a dose of lacto, and then blended with the other half to achieve a perfect balance.

Tim never bores of pours and pours.

Eric, a former Culinary Institute of America student and devoted home brewer, went to one of his old homebrew recipes to create Mal du Pays (meaning, roughly, homesickness), using 2-row, some 6-row, and some rye malt, along with flaked maize in the mash.  He also used sorghum molasses to help bring the color from pale gold to a deep dark brown, a hue similar to that of a Porter.

Having tasted the beer at the release and also six weeks later, it has developed from a relatively clean, mildly sour dark lager, into a beer that simultaneously has gotten more edgy with sourness, while more mellow with roundness. It's a wonderful creation, and is an example of how the Brooklyn Brewery has continued to remain interesting, compelling, and relevant, while growing with the flagship offerings on an international scale.

Garrett, Eric, and Steve Hindy.

You would do yourself a service to try this rare and delightful hybrid -- an anachronistic American lager -- if they still have a pint left in the tasting room at the Brooklyn Brewery. But if it's gone, maybe you'll have to settle for a 2011 Black Chocolate Stout, also recently seen on offer on the taps.

It's not a proper meeting of the Company without some fancy cheese.

B.R. knows where the kick ass parties are!

The Great Northeast Brewery Tour

Interview with Ben Keene, author of The Great Northeast Brewery Tour
Non-Flash podcast

It seems like more and more quality beer books are being published these days. In the past, aside from Michael Jackson's works, beer books tended to fall into one of two categories:  the more technically-inclined style books aimed at homebrewers and fluffier, basic "beers are either ales or lagers" coffee table books. But in the past few years, the quality of beer writing has greatly improved and there are now plenty of books geared to those with more than a rudimentary knowledge of beer and brewing yet which don't alienate the newcomer. A recent entry into the field is The Great Northeast Brewery Tour - Tap into the Best Craft Breweries in New England and the Mid-Atlantic by Ben Keene with a forward by Brooklyn Brewery's Garrett Oliver.

Ben and his photographer, Bethany Bandera

In his book, Ben profiles 62 breweries in 11 states and the District of Columbia. The profiles give a brief history of each brewery, list the annual production, and provide a list of some of the year-round and seasonal beers. In addition, there are more in-depth descriptions of some of the beers. But what makes this book unique is the well-researched information about things to do in the vicinity of the brewery, making it a hybrid beer book/tour guide.

If a brewery has an adjoining restaurant or is a brewpub, Ben suggests beer and food pairings. If there is no food to be had at the brewery, he lists local bars and restaurants nearby where you can try the brewery's beers. And because life is (surprise, surprise) not all about beer, the suggestions for other activities to do in the area should appeal to a range of interests, whether it's sea kayak tour before or after visiting Marshall Wharf in Maine, Civil War national battlefields near Flying Dog in Maryland, or a visit to poet Robert Frost's farm near the Woodstock Inn in New Hampshire.

If you want to make more than a day trip. Ben also lists a lodging suggestion near each brewery.

There are some notable omissions - Tröegs in Pennsylvania is profiled but not Victory, for example - but at 240 pages, it's not meant to be a comprehensive listing and is slim enough to throw into your overnight bag. I'd suggest doing a bit of your own research on one of the many on-line forums to find out about other breweries nearby and then hitting the road.

As for me, as many times as I've been to New Hampshire, I had no idea that there was a NH Dairy Trail. I know what I'll be doing on our next trip up this summer.  Beer floats anyone?

Each state section has its own map

An example of the profiles found on each brewery page