21 Years Of Mugs

  Interview with Eddie of Mugs (Flash version)
  Non-Flash podcast

Mugs Alehouse is a true pioneer of the craft beer scene in New York City. Owner and founder Eddie Berestecki spoke to us about the then and now in Williamsburg on the 21st anniversary of his wonderful neighborhood bistro, which also happens to be one of the oldest fixtures of the modern NYC craft beer scene.

L-R: Bill Coleman of MBAS, Eddie, Warren Becker of MBAS.

As B.R. notes in the podcast, Mugs is a great neighborhood bar -- which also happens to have a great beer list. That's one of the things that sets Mugs apart from the newer breed of beer bars. The place has that warm, authentic feel of the, sadly, vanishing local pub. You can get a solid and reasonably priced meal, excellent and friendly service, along with a great selection of craft beers at a fair price. How many places in NYC, let alone trendy Williamsburg, can you say that about?

Bob, Eddie and B.R. enjoy some Beer Geek Mus.

Eddie has been a staunch supporter and patron of the local beer beer scene as well, hosting the Malted Barley Appreciation Society since its founding, giving up his entire backroom dining area to the club every 2nd Wednesday of each month. He's helped establish and has been host to numerous beer events that bring the beer community together, from the annual Split Thy Skull fest to the yearly Belgium 2 Brooklyn event, and scores of others.

Photo credit: Kristopher Medina of pinballnyc.com.

We congratulate Eddie and Mugs on reaching the age of majority, and we look forward to many more years of friendship and beers!

Victory Brewing's Co-Founder Bill Covaleski At Blind Tiger

Interview with Victory's Bill Covaleski (Flash version)

Non-Flash podcast

We ran into Victory Brewing's co-founder Bill Covaleski at a well curated tap take-over at the Blind Tiger recently. It served as the New York City debut for their Dirtwolf Double IPA, the beer that's replacing Hop Wallop, which is being retired. There were about 14 Victory beers on tap, including some interesting brews which we've never tried before.

The busy staff of Blind Tiger.

One of Bill's college pals, Tony Limuaco, was there as well. Tony also ferments things for a living, but the object of his work is kimchee. His Kimcheelicious is seeking to merge the famed fermented Korean cabbage into the American gastronomical world.

Tony of Kimcheelicious, B.R., Bill of Victory, Bob.

In addition to their common experiences at college at Otis Parsons School of Design and their shared loved of fermetation, albeit of different things, Tony has also been involved in Victory, in a very visual context. Tony has designed a number of prominent Victory labels: Golden Monkey, Hop Wallop, Hop Devil, and the newest brew, Dirtwolf.

Labels that Tony designed.

You can hear all about it on this installment of Beer Hear! And if you're unfamiliar with the history of how Bill and his brewery partner, Ron Barchet, ended up forming a brewery -- a brewery that has an annual output of almost 100,000 barrels of fine beer -- the story starts in 1973 on a school bus when the two were in 5th grade. Find out the rest of the story at Victory Brewing's website!

Click on the image for a larger, better resolution.
Click on the image for a larger, better resolution. White Monkey. Squeaky Wheel.

Click on the image for a larger, better resolution.

Prairie Artisan Ales

  Podcast: Prairie Artisan Ales at the Festival (Flash)

Non-Flash podcast

After spending time working for other breweries, Chase Healey felt that it was time to strike out on his own path. He founded his family run Prairie Artisan Ales in Sept. of 2012, and a half year later he brought a handful of beers into the marketplace. Their first offerings were two different sour beers and two different Saisons -- all four "farmhouse" ales. In no time everyone was seeking out the intriguing offerings from the small upstart Oklahoma brewery.

Mom, Chase and artist brother Colin at The Festival.

Like many new brewers, they began leasing brewing time at an already existing brewery -- Krebs Brewing (Choc Beer Company), but had their sights set on a facility of their own. They took a huge leap towards that goal with a Kickstarter campaign that brought in about $24k, financing a big part of the new brewhouse, to be situated in Tulsa.

Prairie ales are characterized by a refreshing dryness, creative use of hops and the utilization of wild yeast. They're big on barrel aging (rum and bourbon barrels), aren't afraid of incorporating lactobacillus in the process, and are keen on the use of non-standard ingredients in some brews, such as coffee, chili peppers, and vanilla. The spirit of the beer is mirrored in the individualistic, singular character of the people behind it, putting creativity, quality and integrity before all else.

The division of labor at the operation is simple: Chase makes the beer, his brother Colin creates the label artwork, and their mom is their relentless promotional force! Chase says that he makes beer styles that he would want to drink, himself. Apparently, as evidenced by the popularity of his creations, he's far from being alone in that category!

Expect to start seeing Prairie's exciting beers on the East Coast in 750ml and 12oz bottles in the fall of 2013!

The Complete Beer Course

Podcast: The Complete Beer Course Release Party (Flash)

Non-Flash podcast

On Sept. 10 the Brooklyn Brewery hosted a book release party for craft beer author Josh Bernstein. We interviewed Josh about two years ago when his first book was published, Brewed Awakening. We bought his new book, The Complete Beer Course, at the party, and we're quite eager to read it! The book has already been reviewed elsewhere.



We thought that it would be interesting to hear which beer themed books some of the people at the party recommended, including Josh! Here are some of their favorite titles.

• How To Brew by John J. Palmer (three people recommended this!)
• Radical Brewing by Randy Moshier
• The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian
• The Complete Beer Course by Josh Bernstein
• Brewing by Dr. Michael Lewis
• Technology, Brewing and Malting by Wolfgang Kunze
• Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski (which B.R. worked on!)
• Ron Pattenson's columns and blog
• Tasting Beer by Randy Moshier
• The Audacity Of Hops by Tom Acitelli 
• Ambitious Brew by Maureen Ogle
• Salty Dog by Bill Coleman

and of course:

• Beer School by Steve Hindy
• The Oxford Companion to Beer edited by Garrett Oliver
• The Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver

Brooklyn warehouse king Gerald, Josh and B.R.

In addition to all the great beers on tap at the brewery's tasting room, Brooklyn served up Black Chocolate Stout floats!

Beer and ice cream.... yeah.

Full brew house.

The author signing books for fans.

On the way home -- Thomas at Proletariat.

Earth Eagle In Portsmouth N.H.

Podcast: Earth Eagle In Portsmouth (Flash)
Non-Flash podcast

Earth Eagle Brewings in Portsmouth, N.H. just doubled their brewing capacity -- from one barrel to two! While the size of the batches may be small, the quality of the beer, the creativity of the recipes and the heart that goes into it all is immeasurable.

Earth Eagle was founded by homebrew buddies Alex McDonald and Butch Heilshorn, who also happen to be brothers in-law. The brewery is attached to the A&G Homebrew Supply shop, owned by Alex and his wife Gretchen, which opened prior to the brewery, in 2011. The brewery began serving to the public in their tasting room in November of 2012, offering one-of-a-kind brews with an experimental angle. For these guys it's not enough to only make a good beer -- it has to be a good and interesting beer!

Alex of Earth Eagle, Dierdre, Jay, B.R.

The concept of the brewery seems to be to sell a great variety of non-typical beer styles directly to the public via 1- and 2-liter growlers. They've also created a cozy, unassuming tasting room/bar, where they sell samplers in 4-oz glasses and sampler flights of whatever six beers are currently on tap. And thanks to a soon-to-be implemented change in N.H. beer regulation, which was lobbied for by Alex, they'll be selling pints in the tasting room, as well.

On tap: Brown Ale, Gruit, American Wheat, another Gruit (with horehound), Black IPA and ESB (with Earl Grey tea)!

Alex and Butch have a keen interest in utilizing all manner of herbs, roots and spices in beer, and are avid brewers of gruit. When we visited in early September, they had the Josselyn's 1666 Ale on tap, made from one of the earliest known New England beer recipes and brewed with wormword, sassafras and molasses. They also recently brewed a gruit for a historical themed dinner at Portsmouth's Strawberry Banke, an outdoor history museum of the Colonial American era which, "through restored buildings, historic landscapes and gardens, and interpretive programs, tells the stories of the many generations who settled in Portsmouth, New Hampshire's "Puddle Dock" community from the late l7th to the mid-20th century."

And in case you were wondering about their name, "the qualities Native Americans attribute to the Earth Eagle (a.k.a. the common wild turkey) speak to our philosophy as brewers and business owners: ecological, charitable, resilient, and unconventional. 'Brewings' is our nod to the first brewers who made small batches for their families crafted from local grain, herbs, and yeast. At Earth Eagle Brewings we embrace a Belgian-inspired, pre-Reformation spirit where hops are but one of the hundreds of ingredients employed in the alchemy of brewing."

If this unique brewery isn't compelling enough to get you to Portsmouth (pronounced "PORTS-smith") -- and it really should be -- then check back soon for an accompanying blog post on the exciting, vibrant craft beer scene on N.H.'s rugged, beautiful seacoast.

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In The Brewery

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A&G Homebrew Supply Shop

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