TUESDAY 2/23 – SIXPOINT  5TH ANNIVERSARY TASTING

Why you should go
Sixpoint will be running all 10 taps at this Park Slope beer-haven with pints at $5-$7. This is a great chance to taste the breath of their brewing skills while munching on one of Bierkraft’s awesome sandwiches.

Where
Bierkraft – 191 Fifth Ave between Berkeley Pl and Union St, Park Slope

Tap List
Gorilla Warfare 2010
Bengali Tiger
Sweet Action
Righteous
Otis
Brownstone
Mason’s Black Wheat
Diesel Stout
Double Sweet Action
Whiskey barrel-aged Diesel Stout

ALSO TUESDAY - SOUTHERN TIER NIGHT

Why you should go
New York brewery South Tier makes some top notch, high octane ales. Bar Great Harry do some of the friendliest tastings in the city with $4 beers early and free cheese and meat. Plus you can bring in your own food to counter the effects of these delicious brews

What you should drink
Choklat Imperial Stout is one of my favorite chocolate stouts and worth a try. Also, this is the first time I have seen Oak-aged Unearthly Imperial IPA on tap so grab a glass!

Also

Where
Bar Great Harry – Smith Street and Sackett, Carrol Gardens

Tap List
Choklat Imperial Stout
Backburner Imperial Barley Wine
IPA
Unearthly Imperial IPA
Oak-aged Unearthly Imperial IPA
Gemini Double IPA
Phin and Matt’s Ale

WEDNESDAY, 2/24 – GOOSE ISLAND INVADES THE TIGER

Why you should go
Goose Island is making some of the best, and most diverse beers in America right now. Tonight they invade one of the city’s creme de la creme bars, Blind Tiger, and take over a commanding 33 lines. This is a great chance to taste some Goose Island brews that you’ve never even heard of and will probably never make it to NYC again

Where
Blind Tiger Ale House – 281 Bleecker St at Jones St.

Tap List
Goose Island Hopped Honkers (Cask) – English Bitter
Goose Island Oatmeal Stout (Nitro) – Oatmeal Stout
Goose Island IPA (Nitro) – IPA
Goose Island Honkers – English Bitter
Goose Island IPA
Goose Island 312 – Summer Ale
Goose Island Matilda – Belgian Ale
Goose Island Pere Jacques – Belgian Abbey Ale
Goose Island Bourbon County Brandy Stout – Imp. Stout
Goose Island Mild Winter – American Mild
Goose Island Extra Pale Ale – Pale Ale
Goose Island Robert Burns – Scottish Ale
Goose Island Liquid Inspiration Stout – American Stout
Goose Island Lake Effect Winter Ale – Imp. Red
Goose Island Golden Goose Pilsner
Goose Island Aviator Dopplebock
Goose Island Crop to Cup Rind Grind Stout – Uh, Coffee Stout
Goose Island Lincoln Park Lager – Vienna Lager
Goose Island Midway IPA – IPA
Goose Island Vanilla BCS – Imp. Stout
Goose Island Lolita – Raspberry Belgian Ale
Goose Island Lil’ Smokey – Rauch Bock
Goose Island White City – Imperial Witbier
Goose Island Brew 4000 – Belgian Imperial IPA
Goose Island Night Stalker – Imp. Stout
Goose Island Pepe Nero – Black Saison
Goose Island Blonde Rascal – Belgian Golden Ale
Goose Island Rye County Stout – Imp. Stout
Goose Island Bourbon Lolita – Raspberry Belgian Ale
Goose Island Lex – Raspberry Saison
Goose Island Belgian Double (Cask) – Dubbel
Goose Island Sgt. Peppercorn – Stout



ALSO WEDNESDAY – SIXPOINT  5TH ANNIVERSARY CONTINUES

Why you should go
For one, you get to play Tapper while drinking and how cool is that. For two, Sixpoint will be raiding the taps with 17 lines and casks for you two try. There will be lots of rare and one-off stuff to try so if you are a Sixpoint fan than this is not to be missed

Where
Barcade – Union St. and Powers St

Tap List
Gorilla Warfare 2008
Gorilla Warfare 2010
Gorilla Warfare Cask conditioned with coffee
Bengali Tiger
Sweet Action
Righteous
Otis
Brownstone
Mason’s Black Wheat
Diesel Stout
Double Sweet Action
Hops of Love
Express
Experimental Beer #1
Experimental Beer #2
Experimental Beer #3

SATURDAY & SUNDAY 2/27 & 2/28 – THE TRAPPIST SESSIONS

Why you should go
Get a fast-tracked course in Belgian beers tonight as Swift brings a tasting of all the true Trappist (aka made by the monks, not commissioned by them) Belgian ales. You may have had a lot of these before but it is amazing to taste them side by side and notice the subtle differences (note, this is $50 but you get a lot of bang for your buck including crazy tastings, Murray’s cheeses, cured meats and lots of knowledge)

What you should drink
Everything is absolutely amazing but Rochefort 8 and Koningshoeven La Trappe Isid’or are some favorites

Where
Swift Hiberian Lounge – 34 East 4th St bet Lafayette and Bowery

Tasting List
Chimay (Première, Cinq Cents and Grande Réserve)
Orval
Westmalle (Dubbel and Tripel)
Rochefort (6, 8 and 10)
Achel (Bruin and Blond)
Koningshoeven (Quadrupel and La Trappe Isid’or)
Vertical Tasting of Chimay Grande Réserve Vintages (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009)

Tags: bar great harry, barcade, bierkraft, blind tiger ale house, goose island, southern tier, swift.

Date: Friday, January 22nd – 23rd
Time: 4:20pm – close
Location: The Pony Bar, New York City, NY – map
Click here for official site

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The Pony Bar & Southampton Brewery host Pri-Moe., the official pre-show meet up for the band Moe. as they play two nights at the Roseland Ballroom.

All 20 draft lines will be dedicated to New York State brewed beer, with Southern Tier, Empire, Keegan, Great Adirondack, Lake Placid, Saranac, C.H. Evans, Captain Lawrence, Blue Point, Chatham and, of course, Southampton.

Our “finest kind” happy hour starts at 4:20pm with $1 off all draft beers for one hour. Good beers, good tunes and good times

Tags: Blue Point, Captain Lawrence, Keegan, pony bar, Southampton, southern tier.

Style: IPA, American
ABV: 6.9%
IBU: 65
Availability: year round
Pairing: onion rings, brie cheese, pizza, pasta puttanesca, brined olives
Summary: A well balanced year round IPA that’s a great standby for pizza night or on your local tap.

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Continuing my goal to rekindle a love for the IPA, this time I turn to Lakewood, New York’s Southern Tier Brewery to check out what they consider the great American IPA. This one pours a clear orange-amber color with a one-finger white head that settles to a slight film leaving little lacing on the glass. The aroma is pleasant and more malt-forward than your typical IPA registering a balance of sweet, caramel notes and floral hops. The flavor is right inline with the nose and it’s a caramel malt and pale malt palate with a mildly assertive bitterness from the floral and citrus hop flavors flavors. Without getting too technical, there is a nice cascade hop flavor which is one of my favorites so this one goes down easy with some nice surprise woody undertones that arise as the flavor lingers.

This is a pretty middle of the road take on an American IPA which seems like exactly what Southern Tier are going for in a year round offering. It’s a nice standby – both well balanced and drinkable – and the darker caramel malt does add some unique character. One drawback for me is the 6.9% ABV which makes something this drinkable a tough a session beer and , while there are not enough stand-out flavors to make it worth hunting down, Iwould not hesitate to grab one on tap with dinner.

Tags: american ipa, ipa, New York beers, southern tier.