There is an interesting dichotomy to the Brooklyn Brewery’s recent releases. On one hand you have classic beers like their Summer Ale… exceptionally brewed and distributed to the masses. But then you have their Brewmaster’s Series, a collection of one-off liquids of interest designed to expand the minds of both the Brooklyn brewers and the craft beer community. The latest release, The Concoction, embraces this expansive mindset to the fullest. The Concoction finds its inspiration not in the classic beers of Belgium and England but much closer to home… from the Penicillin cocktail, a scotch drink from the world renowned mixologist Sam Ross of New York City’s famed Milk & Honey.

“We spend a lot of time with our pals in the cocktail world, and they are constantly putting new flavor combinations in front of us. One of my favorites is a Scotch-based cocktail called The Penicillin. Invented by bartender Sam Ross at Sasha Petraske’s famous NYC cocktail bar Milk & Honey, the Pencillin is an instant classic. It combines peaty Scotch, ginger-infused honey, and lemon juice. It’s an improbable blend, but it’s delicious, and it’s also the inspiration for our next Brewmaster’s Reserve beer, The Tonic Concoction. The government wouldn’t let us call the beer “Penicillin”, we’re afraid. But friends, between you and us, this brand new Tonic Concoction will cure many of your ills. Now take your Tonic Concoction and text us tomorrow.”

Textbook beer drinkers may find themselves beguiled by The Concoction. It’s light-bodied with a heathy carbonation but full of aggressive flavors. Traditionally, brewers tend to push their adjuncts, or additionally favorings, to the background to compliment their malt and yeast. But here, they are pushed to the forefront. The agressive ginger and lemon juice flavors actually subdue the intense smokey character from the inclusion of 20% peat-smoked malt in the recipe. (as an aside, most recipes usually call for 1%-5% peat smoked malt). In the end, however, all these big flavors come together with prestine balance and, surprisingly, The Concoction drinks like a beer with a flavor profile more at home behind the bar than on tap.

Personally, This is one of my favorites from the Brewmasters Series. While The Concoction is complex and defies categorization, it is still extremely quaffable and succeeds in pushing the limits of craft beer without alienating drinkers. This is a perfect beer for your cocktail-loving friends on a warm summer afternoon. Keep an eye out for The Concoction on tap now at New York’s finer watering holes.

THE DETAILS:

MALTS: English Peat Smoked Malt, English Pale Malt, German Pilsner Malt

HOPS: Willamette, Cascades, Fuggles, Kent Goldings, Simcoe, Citra, Sorachi Ace, Amarillo

ADDITIONS: Dried Lemon Peel, Minced ginger, NYS Wildflower Honey, Organic, Lemon Juice from Italy (Sicily)

Last month, boutique distilleries around the globe descended upon Manhattan’s Touch nightclub for the NYC Indy Spirits Expo, a celebration of boutique spirits brands. This was a great opportunity for hundres of cocktail enthusients, store and bar owners to meet distillers, brand owners, importers and, of course, taste some of the finest spirits the world around.

Now, I’m a big cocktail fan but it seems that stronger beverages get little love here on IDrunkThat. I often look at all of these spirits brands as big, far off corporations that offer little incentive for me to set fingers to keyboard. But the Indy Spirits Expo completely negated that preconception and provided a crash course in the spirits revolution. What interested me most about these distilleries was how similar their story was to that of the craft beer brewer. These were bootstrapping individual risking house and home to break new ground in the world of spirits and, since personal distilling is highly illegal, doing it without the amateur experience of homebrewing. From milk-based vodka from Vermont to carbon-negative rums from California, these individuals were shedding the stalwart practices of traditional distilling left and right.

As with all liquor-based events, I immediately gravitated towards brown spirits. The first clear standout for me was New York’s own Tuthilltown Spirits’ Hudson Whisky Four Grain. Blended from corn, rye, wheat and malted barley, this bourbon uses a unique process of retaining its slurry through the entire first distillation for a unique, grassy, earthen flavor. Another clear winner was the much-anticipated Whisky Pig rye from Shoreham, Vermont. Whisky Pig is a new venture from David Pickerell who served as master distiller at Maker’s Mark for more than a decade. This was a huge rye with lots of vanilla, orange peel and spice notes but without the usually grainy flavors of rye. This is an easy rye to love and one that non-rye drinkers can feel comfortable with

But it wasn’t all whiskys at the Indy Spirits Expo. Everywhere you turned someone was breaking ground. Philadelphia’s Blue Coat Gin, for example, was distilled using organic juniper berries, American citrus peels and assorted other botanicals. The result was an herbaceous, woodsy character that was surprisingly soft on the palate and will quickly become a new favorite for the gin and tonic drinker. Also notable was the Vermont Spirits Gold. Distilled from first running of maple sap, this unique vodka had wonderful caramel undertones which will marry perfectly with white russians and other rich cocktails (as will there Vermont Spirits White, a lactose based vodka.)

As with all events, a few items were a miss, a few items were just okay and the tasting palate was in poor shape by the end of the evening. But overall, the Indy Spirits Expo presented a stellar line-up of next-level spirits. I’d recommend an event like this to any cocktail lover looking to get out of their comfort zone and learn a little more about the source of their spirits.

If you are looking for any of these bottles, most of them can be picked up from event sponsor, DrinkUpNY.com and big thanks to Mutineer Magazine for inspiring (and organizing) my attendance.

Click here for more photos from the Indy Spirits Expo

The New York craft beer community was out in full force once again to celebrate the latest release of the Brooklyn Brewery’s Brewmasters Series; Detonation Ale. A serious hop monster, with a walloping 10.2% ABV, Detonation Ale takes no pity on your palate from start to finish. But oh, what sweet, sweet punishment it is from one of the tastiest IPAs I’ve run across in a long time

Detonation Ale is the big brother of a local Brooklyn Brewery favorite, Blast. It pours a rich orange color, holds a good amount of caramel sweetness, and hits with a punch of seven different hop varietals. The Amarillo and Sorachi Ace hops really come forward for a brew with a bit more citrus and a lot more complexity than the Blast. I found myself comparing it a bit with Founders Devil Dancer – in both character and intensity – which is good company to be in. Overall, this is another stellar brew from the team over at Brooklyn Brewery and definitely ranks as one of the best IPAs on the East Coast.

Brooklyn Detonation Ale is mighty tasty. It probably even gives you fresher breath And whiter teeth, but we can’t prove that part. Nor can we support the claim that it concentrates the mind on life’s better aspects. However, we can guarantee that it’s terrific with pork tacos, Thai food, Indian dishes, burgers, and sharp cheeses. So have yourself some Brooklyn Detonation Ale – after all, isn’t it about time you blew up?” – Garrett Oliver

Changing pace from their usual in-house release events, Brooklyn took the Detonation out to The Audubon Center at The Boathouse in Prospect Park. Despite an early rain, hundreds of New Yorkers arrive with good spirits and eager palates. The event did not disappoint as Detonation, Brooklyn Weiss, Local 1, Local 2, Brooklyn Lager and Sorachi Ace all poured in abundance. Tasty treats were provided by Brooklyn’s own The Meat Hook, Dumpling School and Ovenly. Needless to say, they did not last long. Overall it was another great Brooklyn Brewery release party and I am sure we will all be anxiously awaiting the next one. Look for Detonation to hit the finer taps of the greater NYC area shortly (sorry, no bottles).

Click here for more photos from the Brooklyn Brewery Detonation Release Event

Beer Stats:
Malts: British floor malted Maris Otter, German pilsner malt, British crystal malt
Other sugars: First pressing Demerara sugar, Mauritius
Hops: Willamette, Amarillo, Palisade, Sorachi Ace, Simcoe, Cascade and East Kent Golding
O.G.: 21.5 Plato
ABV: 10.2%
(More info at brooklynbrewery.com)

Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: unknown
Availability: limited release, draft only
Pairing: caramelized pork chops, wash-rind cheese, vanilla ice cream, cheeescake

Look at that lacing! Lindsay (@icantdrive) enjoys her first sips of Dark Matter

Smell: A massive vanilla-oak barrel aroma hits the nose upfront with lingering hints of dark stone fruits. Raisins, prunes, and black currant are all here along with notes of sweet bourbon.

Taste: There’s an explosion of contrast in the Dark Matter’s flavor palate. Upfront, this beer is delicate with slightly bitter, wooden hints and vanilla notes. Quickly, however, a massive rush of barrel-aged flavors envelope the palate. All of the character of the nose is here — especially the bourbon and raisin ones — mingling with lots of sweet burnt caramel and chocolate malt.

Mouthfeel: A very delicate carbonation hits the tongue at first but finishes with a strong, syrupy coating of the mouth.

Drinkability: This is surprisingly drinkable for such a sweet beer with such rich flavors. Paired with a hearty meal, a few Dark Matters will go down without a second thought. But this beer can also be approached on its own during the last few cold nights of late winter.

Overall: Dark Matter is a strong edition to the Brooklyn Brewery’s Brewmasters Series. While their flagship barrel-aged offering, the Black Ops, is often sought out by Imperial Stout lovers worldwide, it is also one that is best served after a year in the bottle. Dark Matter, however, carries all the richness and complexity of Black Ops in a much more accessible, ready-to-drink brew with a lower ABV. This beer is also a great introduction to barrel-aging for those unfamiliar with the technique. Poorly crafted oak-aged beers can be abrasive and overpowering but the flavors here are balanced and very approachable for even an uninitiated palate. As a solid standby, it will pair nicely with meat-centric dinners and tangy/creamy desserts alike. Overall, Dark Matter is another fine offering from the Brooklyn Brewery.

Dark Matter paired perfectly with cheese offerings from the Bedford Cheese Shop

Brewing Note:
Malt: British Pale Ale, Crystal, Chocolate, Wheat, Belgian Aromatic, Roasted Barley
Hops: Willamette, Cascade, U.S. Fuggle
Yeast: Brooklyn House Ale
Barreling: Four months in a blend of bourbon and rye barrels of differing ages
OG: 18 deg. Plato
ABV: 7.5%

Official Release:

Cosmologists tell us that the universe was made by a massive explosion called the Big Bang. And in this Big Bang was created a material called “dark matter”, which accounts for 95% of the mass of the universe and actually binds the universe together. Well, that sounds pretty heavy. But it’s theoretical. Here in Brooklyn, our cosmology is a bit different.

In the beginning, there was Black Ops. Or perhaps not. Beer does have its mysteries. Anyhow, they say that back in 2007, a small amount of Dark Matter was created alongside Black Ops, but very few people had an opportunity to taste it. The Brooklyn Brewing Team decided that this shortage was unfortunate – plenty of Dark Matter for themselves, but not enough to share with all their friends. So last autumn they decided to recreate Dark Matter and open up the Brooklyn Barrel Room to a wider world. Brooklyn Dark Matter is a robust brown ale aged for four months in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels. Some barrels previously held Black Ops, some hosted The Manhattan Project, others came straight from the distilleries as soon as the whiskey was decanted. We’ve blended these barrels to create a beer full of caramel and chocolate flavors heightened by vanilla-like oak notes and hints of the barrels’ previous tenants. The result is a smooth, rich beer that really loves food, from fried or roasted chicken to char-grilled steak, barbecue, pork chops and even monkfish. And on some chilly evening in late winter, or perhaps the first warm night of spring, we hope that you may be tempted to believe that Dark Matter really does bind the universe together.

– Garrett Oliver

Sharing Brooklyn's Finest with Peter Kennedy (http://www.simplybeer.com)

Style: English Porter
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: unknown
Availability: limited release, draft only
Pairing: oatmeal cookies, braised pork, bbq, funky cheese, Brooklyn Brewery Carbonade

Last night I had a chance to swing by the Brooklyn Brewery for the premier tasting of their latest in the Brewmaster’s Reserve series, Cookie Jar Porter. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver was on hand to discuss the beer and the tasting room flowed freely with some of brewery’s best drafts: Cookie Jar Porter, Monster ’07, Manhattan Project (a personal favorite), Blast, Brooklyner Weiss and more. The Cookie Jar Porter was paired with the brew’s inspiration, Oatmeal cookies from Feed Your Soul Bakery, as well as select cheese from the Bedford Cheese Shop.  Overall it was a great event and good to see the whole Brooklyn Brewery team and NYC craft beer family out enjoying themselves.

Appearance: Draft pours a deep brown color with a dark tan head. Due to the draft pour, there was little to no lacing initially but a slight swirl developed a subtle head and some nice residual lacing.

Smell: Chocolate and roasted malts on the nose. The Marris-Otter malt – a favorite of European beers – comes through as well. Hints of raisin and some pine hop notes

Taste: There’s a surprisingly light body to the Cookie Jar Porter and a more tart flavor than I was expecting. Lots and lots of raisin notes come forward (the source of the tart/sour flavors) as well as chocolate and caramel flavors and some herbal, woody hints from the Willamette hops. As the beer warms, som vanilla and honey flavors develop but they primarily the supporting cast for the chocolate malt.

Mouthfeel: A fine light carbonation and bitterness hit the tongue. Slightly dry finish.

Drinkability: Cookie Jar Porter has a surprisingly light bodied for having such a heavy sounding name. If you like malty beers with tart and bitter notes then this will go down easy. Initially, I thought one was enough but ended up drinking three to hunt down all the flavors. Its not a growler fill, per say, but a pint or two will go down without question.

Overall: The name Cookie Jar Porter threw me for a loop on this one. I was expecting something candy sweet, almost like a Breury 2 Turtle Doves. Instead, this is much more like a traditional English porter (with American Willamette hops rather than the British Fuggles). Once I realigned my palate out of “desert beer mode” I really appreciated all of the subtle tart and bitter notes to be found here. This reminds me a bit of a Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre but with more British Ale elements.

Brewing Note:
Malts: Floor Malted Maris Otter, British crystal, chocolate and caramel malts.
Other Grains: Whole Golden Oats
Other Sugars: Brown sugar, pureed raisins, wildflower honey
Hops: Willamette
OG: 19% Plato
ABV: 7.8% ABV