While in town for the Southern Brewers Festival, Brooklyn Beer rep Josh Scutella stopped by Easy Bistro for the restaurant's first-ever beer tasting event.
I was among about 20 attendees who sampled the company's unique offerings along with appetizer pairings from Easy Bistro chef Erik Niel, such as pickled veggies on a crostini and gorgonzola-covered dates topped with candied bacon.
One thing I like about Brooklyn Beer is it was started by a fellow journalist. Steve Hindy was a war correspondent in Lebanon back in 1988, and finding no alcohol available there, he brewed his own, a Vienna-style lager. The Brooklyn native continued to develop the recipe with friends and colleagues and later established Brooklyn Beers.
Each time one of Hindy's signature beers was poured for me to try, I was convinced it was my favorite. Sorachi Ace-a saison made with just one hop (most beers are made using between two and six)-is dry and effervescent with a hint of lemongrass. Brooklyn's Local 2, a strong Belgian ale, is made with dark Belgian candied sugar and wildflower honey locally sourced in New York. I'm not usually a fan of IPAs, but I liked the very floral taste of Brooklyn BLAST!
Perhaps the most unique of the bunch was the Cuvee Noire, part of the Brooklyn Quarterly Experiment in which the company experimented in barrel-aging beer in Woodford bourbon barrels for six months. The result is similar to the Local 2 but with bourbon characteristics.
After trying each beer, I went back to the Sorachi Ace as my favorite. Scutella said he often recommends it for wine drinkers like me because of its dry taste. "I hate to use this phrase, but it's the champagne of beers," he says. "It's perfectly acceptable to bring a bottle on New Year's Eve."
For more information on Brooklyn Beer, visit brooklynbrewery.com.