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Wow. Months of planning, tons of money spent and its almost here!  I want to thank everyone who has over time helped to bring about the Brewtopia/Great World Beer Festival.  Just six years ago we thought of this idea, that there wasn’t any beer festivals in NYC, the greatest city in the world. So, we asked ourselves “why not?” Now, this festival is the longest running beer festival in NYC history, and one of the biggest beer festivals in the world!  

Works not over yet, and the big fun has yet to begin.  If you show up for the 2nd session on Saturday you can see Mike Birbiglia at 5 PM on the main stage. Mike is a funny, funny comedian soon to have his very own show on Comedy Central, produced by the brilliant actor/comedian Nathan Lane. So, don’t miss it.  Lots of really great bands too. Quintus I’ve come to love. Their sounds are unique and special in so many ways. Don’t miss them or the return of Julius C.  

As for beer, Magic Hat is a late entry. For those who haven’t heard of them (where do you live anyway, under a rock?) Magic Hat is friends with nearby Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream up in Burlington Vermont. If you go to Burlington, stop by the brewery. They have one of the best brewery tours in the USA.  Enjoy a Number 9 or something while up there. Have some Long Trail too, why dontcha? If travelling around the state, especially south of there, and west too, go to McNeil’s Brewery in Brattleboro. More outstanding New England Brews just for you’se.

Now, Brewtopia needs your help. Call all your friends, send them an email, whatever, and get them to know about the festival this Friday night and Saturday. Do you really want to risk your Halloween evening? We have plenty of space, lots of great people, live entertainment and all of that fine, craft brewed beer.  You don’t want to miss it.  Tell them to click here and get their tickets.

Thanks!

Its getting cooooooold outside! Time for some Brooklyn Winter Ale, or some badass Belgian beers that are , did I tell ya, debuting here at GWBF a/k/a Brewtopia. Yes, there is nothing like a warming beer, maybe even some bourbon barelled Hurricane Kitty. I had a little tonight at David Copperfield’s.   They guys from Keegans were down and they planted a wooden cask right on the bar. Wooo hooo, that tasted a bit more like whisky than I expected, but it didn’t last long.  Everyone had to have some. Look for some of this nectar at the big beer festival, and some Super Kitty too.

What is better than a nice strong winter style beer on a cold night. You know, a chocolatey stout, a belgian dubbel. Nothing. Not wine, not vodka, nuttin’ baby. come on down. Good tunes.  Nathan Lane is having a  new comic from Comedy Central down too. Look for him. Purportedly, he’ll be playing some Halloween jokes on y’all. cheers

Thats what the signs are going to be reading next week in my neighborhood, which is the lower East side of Manhattan.

What I am saying is, vote here. For beer that is.  Our opponents want to talk about wine, but you cannot accept their waffling. Americans want to hear about the beer issues.   And the live music.  So, my fellow Americans,  I want you to join me, W. and Bill Clinton at Pier 92 on October 31st at 7 PM. Thats right Halloween.

And, our party is big enough to accept people with costumes. Thats right. We’re an inclusive party. We like good food, live music, even some comedy from Comedy Central, and kickass beer from lots and lots of breweries.  Yeah!

Whoa, Nellie!  I was just visited by Brian Ewing, a new beer importer and distributor.   Peoples, Brian is a cool guy. For years he has been visiting Belgium. He rents a car and drives to little tiny atisinal breweries and meets with them to talk and drink beer.

This passion of Brian’s led him to start his own importing and distribution company, right out of Brooklyn.  I was the lucky beneficiary of a small tasting hosted by Brian right at your favorite watering hole, the Hop Devil Grill. First, Brian knows how to pick beers.  Some of these are downright different. Complexity and tastiness ruled the hour.  I was fortunate to have the opportunity to try ‘t Gaverhopke Extraa very special and complex beer of great strength. This beer is a bit like barley wine, with a good deal of dry fruitiness. Not to be missed. I also tried beers from Brasserie Botteresse, such as their delightful Noire.  Needless to say, knowing me and Brian Ewing, there was more and more to taste.

Here is the good news for all of you. These beers are appearing at GWBF for your tasting pleasure. We delight in sharing with you the finest beers in the world, be they from right here in the good ol’ USA, or from afar in Beligium. Be there. Don’t be square.

Chelsea is in. Cape Anne with their Pumpkin Stout is in!  Oskar Blues is back for another year. Brooklyn Brewery, our great local brewing company is pulling out all the stops.  Julius C returns!  Man, does this beer festival rock,  or what? K-Rock is our new sponsor this year.  Rock and roll everyone, we’ll be posting the bands with links to their Myspace accounts and music for all the world to see.  Sorry if I am writing a mile a minute, but its all I have time to do.  We’ve been getting hundreds of emails and phone calls a day, so not only do we have to handle that, there is the sla, the fire dept., the tax man, brewing companies, etc, etc., and on and on ad nauseum.  

Its gonna be worth it though. Its going to be a wall to wall beer and rock & roll extraveganza. Wooooo Hooooo.

Woo Hoo everybody.  The beer festival is almost here, our last big shindig before we have a new POTUS.  There may be a big debate on TV tonight, but it isn’t  debatable  where you should be watching it. Thats right, at the Hop Devil Grill on the big screen.  Be there for great beer and food specials.  Check out the new Southwestern menu. I recommend the pozole. If you aren’t from the Southwest, you may never have heard of this dish, but it is the ultimate Southwestern Comfort Food! You won’t be disappointed.

Lots of great beers on tap as well. Speaking of great beer, we just got off the phone with our guys up in Ithaca,  New York, and they are bringing the good stuff. Noticed Ithaca lately? Yep, they are making great beers.  All of them!  We’re as busy as little bees here in downtown Brewtopia, trying to work out the kinks and put out the fires as the pop up. Please spread the word. Buy your tickets now. Here

As many of you know, I’ve long been a proponent of Paul McErlean’s work up at the Olde Saratog Brewery. Sure, I have been scoffed at, even ripped a few times for singing the praises of Paul’s Olde Saratoga Lager, which is a malty, German style Marzen offering.  Well, I have been vindicated, at last!  Olde Saratoga Lager just pulled in a Silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Co over the weekend.  Just goes to show you, we beer bros. knows our beers!

The GABF has been going on for 26 years now. Its the grand-daddy of USA festival dedicated to honoring beers. Sadly, I didn’t get to go this year.  Its a liver drowning weekend, but damned if I don’t miss all the fun. For all of you who feel you missed out too, fear not: NYC’s oldest festival dedicated to beer is soon to be here. Get your tickets as soon as possible becasue word is: Its going to be a sellout again!  Get your tickets to Brewtopia a/k/a the Great World Beer Fesival here!

Or, Octoberfest. The former, being German, is hardly the more precise nevertheless, although New Yorkers, those peculiar Americans, tend to want to adhere as closely as possible to the original tradition.  In Germany, when this tradition started,  it was supposed to be cold in October. September even.  Here in the rusty apple its 75 degrees in the middle of  October, the middle of the fall.   So, in our climate of today, its cool to wait a couple of weeks.

Truth be told, I was weened of Michelob on Spaten Oktoberfest.  I remember it. It was maybe 13 years ago. I visited a long-standing German restaurant in Brooklyn, down defunct, and instead of the usual, I opted for the seasonal import I had only heard of that very day, for the very first time. It was at that moment I realized beer can taste really, really good.  I doubt very much if it had been an IPA, at the time, I would have like it. One of the great things about Oktoberfest beers is the drinkability resulting from the balance.  I mean, you can really pound this stuff, and that is one of the dangers of being at the Munich fest. Liters go down like those half liters of Poland Spring you see everywhere.

Another great thing about these beers, Oktoberfest of Marzen, the German word for March, the month they make this beer for release in September, is just how well the sweet malty flavors and somewhat aggressive carbonation marry with cuisine.  Now, its a truism that these great brews are a good match with German sausages, chicken, pork and even sauerbraten. On the other hand, as I have said before, better yet combine these with a meal of spicy Mexican or American Southwestern and you’ll find a really good match.

Everyone, I am sooooo sorry I haven’t blogged for this long. It was a major technologica issue that I just wasn’t qualified to deal with. As you can see, five years of archives are gone. Our online database was completely corrupted, and my web designer didn’t have a backup. I have to learn how to automatically backup all of this stuff.  So, welcome me back. Thank you.

Whats happening? Brewtopia is happening is what. The Great World Beer Festival, the GWBF, the Big Kahuna WWW VI!  Are you ready?  Its going to be in Pier  92 again, just like last  year. We’ve been working on all the things that might have ticked you off last year.  Just as a for example: We have tripled security.  Instead of having all the rest rooms in the back of the place, where nobody went last year, they are now spread throughout the festival.  We have much better food vendors this year. And, more food vendors.  As much as I love Beirkraft, they just didn’t have what it takes. So, we got some professional help.   Lots of educated volunteers this year. Thank you, all of you for helping out again! Each and every one of you beer geeks. OK, afficionados if you want!  Thank you.  Lots and lots and lots of great beers. Great entertainment as well! Comedy Central says they are coming.  You loved Julius C last year? They are back.  So, get your tickets. Get em now. Get ‘em here!

What else is happening? Hop Devil Grill has a whole new chef, and a whole new menu. Southwestern cuisine.  You think it doesn’t go great with beer? Think again. It goes really, really well with beer. And, not just hoppy beers, but malty ones too. Like the great Oktoberfest brews available today. Right on the bar, in fact, tonight as I write, there is a wooden cask of Hofbrau Celebration beer. Its pouring.  Go get some. OK, thats it for now, but there is lots more coming. Cheers for Beers!