More Beer In Battery Park

For the last few years we've looked forward to the opening of the Victory Beer Garden in Battery Park as a sure sign of the approach of warm weather. I was happy to find it open already on a warm Friday afternoon (May 10, 2013), and serving up Victory's German Helles, Headwater Pale Ale, Hop Devil, and Summer Love.

Victory malty Helles.

This year I had to enjoy the first visit to the beer garden solo, as B.R. was busy giving an address to the 11th annual Canadian Brewing Awards in Victoria, B.C.

After some relaxing book reading with my Helles, I decided to stroll through the park a bit and enjoy the perfect spring weather. To my great surprise, I stumbled upon Table Green in the middle of Battery Park -- another open air beer garden!

It's reported that the company, which also operates in the Chelsea Market, opened next to Castle Clinton in July of 2012, but we totally missed it. They have three local beers on draught -- currently it's Captain Lawrence Kölsch, Empire I.P.A., and Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner. They also have local wine on tap, and offer a menu of light food.

Wine taps left, beer taps right.

While the Victory beer garden is tucked away in a nook by the Staten Island Ferry station, almost out of sight, nestled by tall thick green hedges, the Table Green garden is wide open and offers a view of N.Y. Harbor, with the Statue of Liberty visible in the distance. Though Tavern Green might be catering more to tourists waiting for their boat to Ellis Island or the statue, with beers priced at $3 more than at Victory's spot, it's definitely a sign of progress to have more places in the park to relax with a brew on a beautiful warm spring evening!

Table Green.

Statue of Liberty to the right, gargantuan cruise ship to the left.

East Coast Vs West Coast Punk Rock Brew Tour

[link to podcast page]
WFMU's Beer Hear! East Coast Vs West Coast Podcast

Three years ago, Smuttynose's NY sales rep Pat Fondiller started the East Coast Vs West Coast Brew Tour with two East Coast craft brewers and two from the West Coast. The idea was to take over the taps of a bar while a particular music genre battled over the sound system (think East Coast Hip Hop artists vs. West Coast Hip Hop artists) and the beers battled on the tap towers.

(C) Jan from Sierra Nevada, (R) B.R.

Pat said that the inspiration of the annual event was the fact that all of his music-centric pals drank terrible beer, and this was an excuse to try to get them turned on to the good stuff.

Jeff from Sixpoint, unidentified person, Pat from Smutty and Yvon from Oscar Blues.

We went to Barcade Jersey City, one stop on the 8-city stops on the tour, to talk to Pat about the history of the EC/WC Brew Tour, the schedule for this year's installment, as well as some of his ideas for future tours. One thing he told us was that, continuing with the beer/music collaborative themes, Smuttynose Director of Brewing Operations Dave Yarrington wants to brew a beer called  "B.W.A. -- Straight Out Of Hampton" once that their new facility opens in Hampton, N.H.! Suckers to tha side I know you hate my I.P.A. -- you're gunna get hops!

Barcade JC

Here are all the remaining dates left on the tour:


April 9 Bronx Alehouse -- Bronx, NY
April 10 Birdsall House -- Peekskill, NY
April 11 The Black Sheep Ale House -- Mineola, NY
April 12 Beer Authority -- NYC, NY
April 16 Julians -- Providence, RI
April 17 The Independent -- Providence, RI
April 18 Bar Matchless -- Brooklyn, NY


See ALL the dates for this year on the tour's FaceBook page.

Don't believe in Beer Santa? Now you do.

Sierra's Jan with his pal Liz of WFMU

Victory Beer Garden Open Again

It's become a much anticipated sign of summer -- the re-opening of the Victory Beer Garden in Battery Park, at the southern most part of the park, next to the Battery Gardens restaurant and beside the Coast Guard station!

This year they've done a very smart thing and created a gate into the garden from the most heavily trafficked pathway near the garden. In the past, the beer garden was quite hard to find unless you already knew that it was there. Hidden behind thick, high hedges, and with the entrance located behind the garden away from the pathways, it was no wonder that this gem of a watering hole was always so undeservingly empty.

On our Memorial Day visit, the garden was more busy than we've ever seen it. In fact, we wondered if we would find a seat, as we searched the tables for an opening, beers in hand. We spotted a large table with empty seats near a senior gentleman sitting alone in the shade of a tree by the hedges. We didn't even have to ask if the seats were free before he invited us to sit. After starting a friendly conversation, our table mate informed us that he'd just finished a walk from 110th St. down to Battery Park, walking the roughly 8 miles via Broadway -- no doubt he was thirsty!

B.R. and I both had the Summer Love ale, which was satisfying and refreshing -- malty, without being too heavy, and with plenty of hop flavor. Our new companion, who was on holiday from Australia, looked to be having a Victory Lager, which is what B.R. had next. The Lager was a bit more bitter and had a deeper amber color than the style which inspired it, the German Helles.

When asked what our Aussie friend thought of the American beers that he'd tried, he said that he'd quite liked them, finding them more flavorful than the average Oz-brew. When pressed for a favorite he mentioned Blue Moon. When he offered to get us a round, I insisted that we get him a round, he being a guest in our city. I asked what he'd like, and he allowed me to choose for him. So, considering his liking Blue Moon, I got him a Witte from Ommegang. And, as expected, he liked it very much!

I went for the Headwaters Pale Ale, which hit the spot on a very warm, muggy afternoon. Its soft, malty body -- unbothered by any aggressive, biting hop bitterness -- went down slowly and gently, like a lazy summer sunset.

And nature was gladly represented in the beer garden. A tiny orange spider, seen at the end of the superimposed arrow above, set up shop on our bikes with an impressive web, created in the short time that it took for us to enjoy our two beers! We carefully collected the spider onto a nice big leaf before riding off, sparing him a bike ride.

Also on tap at the beer garden was Hop Devil, and, as in recent years, other breweries' beers in bottles and cans, such as Sierra Nevada Stout and some Sixpoint varieties, to accompany the standard outdoor grilled fare -- hot dogs, hamburgers, and the like.

Victory Prima Pils Clone Brew At Bitter & Esters

WFMU's Beer Hear! Victory Prima Pils Clone podcast
On a cold snowy October 29th Saturday... wait -- what?! Yes, snow!

You can make beer with snow... or at least write it.

For the first installment of the "Brew Like a Pro" series at homebrew supply/brew on premises shop Bitter & Esters, Sean from Victory Brewing was on hand to help Tim, Douglas and John guide a group of homebrewers through a very special brewing session -- making a clone of Prima Pils.

Sean/Victory arrives, in from the driven snow.

That, in and of itself, sounds cool, but homebrewers try to replicate their favorite beers all the time. So, what's the big deal? Well, what if the brew session leader -- Tim, in this instance -- spent a day with the master brewer of Victory, was given all the brewing materials directly from the brewery, and then given the brewery's recipe and brewing instructions? Believe it or not, that's exactly what happened! And if that wasn't enough, a representative from the brewery was on hand as well!

Preparing the strike water for dough in.

About six homebrewers signed up for the morning session (there was an afternoon session, as well) to brew Prima Pils on Bitter & Esters three-tier HERMS brewing system. Below are chronological photos of the first part of the brew session.

The idea behind the "Brew Like a Pro" series is to get not only detailed technical advice from a subject beer's brewer, but, if possible, the exact same ingredients as well -- the same malt and the same hops (probably not the exact same water, though). And, if possible, have a representative from the brewery on hand to assist with the brew, and provide general information about the brewery and specific information about the beer being brewed.

Tim, who is spearheading the program, said that one of the goals is to showcase the best examples of established commercial styles by the breweries considered to be exceptional in brewing those styles. It also demonstrates an interesting point -- homebrewers can make exceptional beers. You don't have to be a pro to brew like a pro!

Sean of Victory gave the group the "Victory story" [bonus podcast], about how Bill and Ron started the brewery. He also spoke about Prima Pils and the pilsner style.
Victory's History bonus podcast

Tim said that he's looking forward to approaching other breweries about having their beers cloned at the Bitter & Esters laBREWtory, maybe even some from Europe and Scandinavia. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for updates, and for the locations and dates when the Prima Pils clone will be available.

Soon the water will be hot enough for dough in.

While we wait...beer.

Books on brewing at Bitter & Esters.

Douglas on the ones-and-twos. Sort of.

Almost ready.

Dough in!

Step infusion mashing -- step 1, protein rest at about 122.

Sean (L) tells the tale of Victory as Tim (R) looks on.

John hacks into A-B, as the group plots.

Tim, Michigan James and Corduroy Kurt.

Is it a DEA photo op, or Victory photo hop?

Beer in the morning, beer in the evening, even at supper time...

Trust these guys -- they're professionals.

OK, maybe not this guy.

Step infusion mashing -- after the protein rest, it's a raise

in temperature for step 2, a beta-amylase rest.
Ari, a first time homebrewer, plans on his own brewing sessions. 
Hear Ari's plans for future brewing sessions.

Step infusion mashing -- step 3, alpha-amylase rest.

Mash it up.

Foggy windows -- tell tale sign that a brew is in progress.

Bitter & Esters

Thanks to Clara for snapping this photo!

Bitter & Esters is a new shop in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn which does three distinctly different but connected things. It is:

1. a homebrew supply shop;

2. a brew on premises business;

3. a classroom, teaching people how to make beer, and other things that ferment.

We met John and Douglas at their shop located at 700 Washington Ave. in Brooklyn to check out the store, their equipment and ask them some questions. Because there is so much information, we broke the podcast up into six different mini-podcasts. The title header of each is a link to the podcast concerning that topic.

HOMEBREW SHOP podcast
Their bright, airy, friendly shop is in an up-and-coming neighborhood, very close to the C-train and 2/3-train, not too far from the G-train, and very close to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum.

View from back to front.

There are some interesting looking bars in this cozy little area, and a beer retailer/wholesaler, Brooklyn Beer and Soda at 648 Washington Ave., with an incredible selection! It's no New Beer, but still worth checking out.

These were the hops for the brew
that they were making that day.

On the wall there's a list of about 40 different hop varieties for sale -- mainly whole flower -- including 10 different organic hops.They boast an impressive list of yeast strains, including 2 different strains of Brettanomyces. Their malt selection is quite extensive, as well. Chances are -- whatever you want to brew, they can sort you out!

Just some of the specialty grains they offer.

And the shop is well appointed with a multitude of homebrewing accessories and necessities, as one would expect.


One of the cool things that they offer for the urban homebrewer is a compact kit which is simple enough for a first time brewer and small enough for the studio apartment braumeister. The 2.5 gallon kit fits in a cooler and makes a case of beer.

In addition to providing all the materials one requires for homebrewing, they also take to heart their role as assistants, consultants and advisers to their customers. When asked, they'll even create a custom recipe for you, if you have an idea for what kind of beer that you want to brew, but you're not certain about how to do it.

View from front to back.

BEER CLASSROOM podcast
Bitter & Esters offers classes on both extract (twice a month) and all-grain brewing (once a month). The classes are $55 each, and are capped at 12 participants. They last between 2 and 2 1/2 hours, feature a powerpoint presentation on everything about homebrewing, a question & answer session, a homebrew tasting portion, and, on top of all of that, the entire class participates in brewing a batch of beer during the session! They also offer classes on wine making and other fermentative materials. Additionally, they're planning on organizing tasting classes in the future.

WHAT IS "BREW ON PREMISES"?

 And now the thing that really got us interested in Bitter & Esters -- THE BREWING! John and Douglas told us that theirs is the first ever brew-on-premises (BOP) business in New York... not just NYC, but NY STATE! Whoa! I can't believe that nobody else gave it a try until now! If you're not familiar with the concept, a BOP is a business that has everything that you need to brew your own beer. Typically, you make an appointment to brew, give the shop your recipe needs, come in, brew your beer with their equipment, then come back at a later date to bottle or keg it, leaving all the cleaning, maintenance, equipment storage, etc., for the shop to worry about. SWEET!

THE BREWING EQUIPMENT/BREW PROCEEDURE
Bitter & Esters use a brand new system custom made by The Electric Brewery. It's similar to a three-tier RIMS system, but it's 100% electric and is called a HERMS system, because the wort doesn't come in direct contact with the heating element during mashing. There are three 30-gallon stainless steel kettles, each with built in thermometers, sensors and valves, all connected via a closed system of specialized tubing and utilizing magnetic drive pumps.

L-R: boil kettle, mash/lauter tun, hot liquor tank, John.

The kettle at the far right is the hot liquor tank. It's used to heat the strike-water for mashing-in and for controlling the temperature of the re-circulating wort during mashing. The middle kettle is the mash/lauter tun. Once you've mashed in, the wort is circulated through a section of coiled metal tubing in the hot liquor tank (HLT), and the temperature is adjusted to increase the temperature of the mash to whatever levels you need for whatever lengths of time required for your conversion steps.

The brewing brain! Not as complicated as it looks.

There is a controller that manages the temperature of the HLT and the boil kettle, and allows the brewer to set the target temperature and see the target and actual temperatures side by side. Adjusting the temperature up or down is as simple as tapping a button. And the brewer can also set a timer, which will sound an alarm when it's time to step up the temperature, mash out, etc.  John and Douglas say that it can hit the target temperature and hold it, within 2 degrees.

Mash!

Once you've mashed out, then water that's about 170-degrees is pumped from the HLT into the lauter tun/mash tun, with its screened/false bottom, to sparge the sugars off the grains, as the wort is simultaneously pumped into the boil kettle. You have the option, while mashing, to recirculate the wort through the mash, or divert it directly to the boil kettle.

Sparge!

Boil kettle.

Once all the wort has been pumped into the boil kettle, the boil can begin. The controller is set to 220-degrees and the timer set to remind the brewer when to make the first and additional hop additions, as well as when to end the boil. Douglas said that they can go from mash-out temperature to a boil in half an hour! The kettle has a massive screen to keep solid material out when drawing the wort out of the kettle.

Then the finished wort is pumped through a plate chiller, bringing the temperature of the wort down to around 72-degrees in a very short time before it's further pumped down to the temperature-controlled fermenting room in the basement, into a large food-grade plastic fermentation tank, getting some aeration as it enters the fermenter. The yeast is pitched, and the magic begins!

After primary fermentation is complete, the beer is pumped into a stainless steel Sanke keg for carbonating and bottling or kegging. The beer can be put in corked bottles, too, if so desired. By the way, at all times when being transferred from kettle to kettle, through the chiller, to the fermenter and into the Sanke kegs, the beer is in a closed system of tubing, keeping it protected from infection.

What they were brewing when we visited.

The grain mill.

Whether it's an all grain batch or an extract brew, Douglas or John are there throughout the whole brewing session to assist and advise the brewer, and to make sure that the equipment is working correctly.

Eventually, the shop plans on having two different extract brewing stations, so up to three different people/groups could be brewing at the same time, with two different sessions each day.

It should be noted, too, that all the spent grain is either composted or sent to a local farm to be used as feed.

BREW WITH THE PROS podcast
If all of that isn't amazing enough, Bitter & Esters is planning on hosting a number of "Brew With the Pros" events, where customers can sit in during brew sessions set up by well known craft breweries! Tickets will be limited, and will cost around $65. Though I doubt that he's on the short list to participate, I'd happily pay double that amount to brew next to Jean Van Roy!

THE PROOF IS IN THE BEER! podcast

John and Douglas were generous enough to let us try a few beers that they made with their enviable brewing set up. Find out what we thought about their creations in a bonus podcast! Can they brew? Let's just say that I compared their Pale Ale to Smutty Nose Star Island Single.

FUTURE PODCAST WILL BE A BREW

We've already decided that a future Beer Hear! podcast is going to be a brewing session at Bitter & Esters, and we hope to brew there on a regular basis. We'll try to arrange a tasting party for whatever it is we end up making (if it ends up being drinkable, that is!), so PLEASE let us know what style you'd like to see us make in the comments section below, and perhaps you'll be sampling it in a few months! Maybe you'll even show up to help us brew it!

L-R: John, B.R., Bob, Douglas.

UPCOMING BITTER & ESTERS EVENTS

Oct. 29, 2011 is the date of the Victory Prima Pils night, when they'll be brewing that beer with the recipe and ingredients provided by the brewery's head brewer, and with Victory rep Sean on hand during the brew.

The beer that the boys were brewing throughout the podcast (you could hear the whir of the beer pumps throughout the podcast) will be served at an art opening for Emma Cotter on Nov. 16, 2011 starting at 7:30pm. She makes some very cool art from beer bottle caps.

Bitter & Ester's grand opening is on 11/11/11 at 7pm.

Eat Art New York -- on Sunday Nov. 20, 2011 they'll have an event starting at the Brooklyn Museum, then at 4pm it moves to the shop where John and Douglas with give a presentation on brewing, and then commence with brewing a batch of beer based on a recipe by Colorado artist Eric Steen, who, we believe, is in town for some other beer related activities.

All the events, and means by which to acquire tickets, can be found at their website: Bitters & Esters.