New York City’s Free Independent Beer Magazine

The Gotham

IMBIBER

Issue 11 January – February 2005

Master Brewer Bill Covaleski of Victory (pictured on the right) visited David Copperfield’s, the Upper East Side’s microbrew haven, on 7 December. Photo: Alex Hall

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In This Issue:

Beer Calendar 3

Beer Anagrams 5

City Beer Happenings 6

Beerman & Firkin 9

Write a Caption 11

Write a Caption – Results 11 ______________________________________________

The Gotham Imbiber

Is published every two months at the beginning of January, March, May, July, September, and November.

Editor/Publisher:

Alex Hall

The Gotham Imbiber 43 St. Marks Avenue

Brooklyn NY11217-2403

U.S.A.

Tel. +1 917 957 7623

Email: alex@cask-ale.co.uk

Mission: The aim of The Gotham Imbiber is to promote awareness of microbrewed beers and where to obtain them in and around New York City, especially cask-conditioned ales which are sadly only available in a handful of outlets citywide.

The Gotham Imbiber magazine originated as a sister publication to the U.K. beer magazine ‘The Independent Imbiber’. Be aware that English spellings may crop up within these pages!

This is a magazine, unlike others, where lovers of microbrewed beers can submit articles for publication.

Intending writers please note that this magazine is about commercially-available beers, the microbreweries that produce them, and even the people who drink them. It is not intended to promote home-brewing in articles on these pages (sorry!), as that would be 'preaching to the converted' as such - and would reduce the space available for microbrewery-related material. Disclaimer: Although accuracy is checked as far as possible, no responsibility can be taken by The Gotham Imbiber for false, misleading, or inaccurate information. This magazine is entirely independent, and is not associated in any way with any organisation, brewery, or bar. All opinions expressed are those of the individual contributor concerned, and not those of The Gotham Imbiber. Any resemblance between real life characters and those appearing in fictional stories or cartoons in this magazine are purely coincidental. Deadline for issue 12 is Monday 14th February 2005 for publication in March 2005. Acknowledgements: Thanks to Felice Wechsler and all who contributed.

Beer Calendar Recommended microbrew events over the next two months…

LOCAL EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY

Wednesday 12th January 2005, 7.30pm: Malted Barley Appreciation Society of NYC. Monthly meeting, Mugs Ale House, 125 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The guest speaker is to be announced. Details: http://hbd.org/mbas.

Wednesday 19th January 2005, 6pm: Heavyweight Slugfest. Featuring rare kegs and casks from Heavyweight Brewery. The Blind Tiger Ale House, 518 Hudson Street, Manhattan. Details: 1 212 675 3848; http://www.blindtiger.citysearch.com.

Wednesday 9th February 2005, 7.30pm: Malted Barley Appreciation Society of NYC. Monthly meeting, Mugs Ale House, 125 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The guest speaker is to be announced. Details: http://hbd.org/mbas.

Friday 18th – Sunday 20th February 2005: 5th Tri-Annual ‘Cask Head’ Real Ale Festival. The Brazen Head, 228 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. Full details: 1 718 488 0430 or see http://www.brazenheadbrooklyn.com nearer the time.

Saturday 5th March 2005, times TBA: Split Thy Brooklyn Skull. Mugs Ale House, 125 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Details: http://hbd.org/mbas.

EVERY TUESDAY, 7pm: Bierkraft, 191 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn (at Union Street). Weekly beer tasting and cheese pairing, sometimes featuring a guest speaker from the trade. Details: 1 718 230 7600; http://www.bierkraft.com.

EVENTS OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY

Saturday 15th January 2005, 1pm: Heavyweight Brewing Company’s Open House. 1701 Valley Road, Ocean Township, NJ. Details from Tom and Peggy: 1 732 493 5009 or http://www.heavyweight-brewing.com.

Saturday 22nd January 2005, 4pm: 1st Long Island Real Ale Festival. Blue Point Brewery, 161 River Avenue, Patchogue, NY. Featuring cask-conditioned beers from all five breweries in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Details: 1 631 475 6944.

Saturday 29th January 2005, 1pm & 6pm: BeerAdvocate.com’s Extreme Beer Fest. The Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. $22.50 in advance, $30 on the door (limited). Full details: http://www.beeradvocate.com/fests/ebf/.

Saturday 29th January 2005, 5pm: Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting. Sweetwater Brewery, 195 Ottley Drive, Atlanta, GA. About 12 cask-conditioned beers, $20 (to be donated to charity) including a glass. Full details: http://www.classiccitybrew.com/acat.html.

Sunday 30th January 2005, 1pm: 5th Annual Connecticut Real Ale Festival. BruRm @ Bar, 254 Crown Street, Newhaven, CT. About 25 cask-conditioned beers, $25. Full details: http://winect.com/Mountview/events.htm.

Friday 4th – Sunday 6th March 2005: FAB Fest 2005. Bayfront Park, Miami, FL. Includes one of the largest assemblies of British cask ales outside the U.K. Prices yet to be announced at the time of writing. Details: 1 305 754 5886 or see http://www.fabfest.com.

www.caskwww.cask--aleale.co.uk.co.uk for

The Gotham Imbiber (including all back issues); New York City Cask Ale & Good Beer Bar Guides;

The National U.S.A. & Canadian Cask Outlet Databases; and much more!

German Beer Tours

Experience beer in Germany and Austria with two unique tours.

Bavaria & Salzburg Tour: May 9 - 16, 2005

Duesseldorf & Cologne Tour: May 20 - 25, 2005

Maria will personally assist you at 1-646-435-2833 www.SpecialtyInternationalTours.com info@specialtyinternationaltours.com

We wish you all the best for 2005… Let’s keep the craft brewing industry alive!

Beer Anagrams

These are scrambled names of locally-available

microbrews (both domestic and European). The answers

are on page 12.

1. SO EXOTIC NEPAL BAR AIMS TEATS? 2. BOIL THE LILLIPUTIAN COUPONS? 3. ADORN LEAKY DRINKS? 4. JOY SONG WENT ‘GOT BEER’? 5. DIANA TUGS TASTY BREW? 6. A CROCODILE’S MEAL ODE? 7. I STIR LOCAL INN? 8. CACKLE BOOMS AUTHORS? 9. DATED RANGOON LUIS? 10.TIE BUD LAGER ABYSS?

THE GOTHAM IMBIBER RELIES ON ADVERT

REVENUE, OUR STUPIDLY LOW PRICES

START AT $45. CONTACT DETAILS

ARE ON PAGE 2. HELP US HELP YOU…

FOR HIRE: BANK OF 3 GASKELL & CHAMBERS BEER ENGINES, BUILT IN 1938 AND

RECENTLY RETIRED FROM A PUB IN CHELTENHAM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND. IN FULL WORKING ORDER, IDEAL FOR CASK ALE FESTIVALS!

ALSO MODERN BEER ENGINES (SINGLE, CLAMP-ON) FOR SALE OR HIRE.

CONTACT ALEX HALL – 1 917 957 7623 or alex@cask-ale.co.uk

THINK “WHO AM I FUNDING?” WHEN CHOOSING A BEER…

BIG GLOBAL BRAND àà POWERFUL ‘FAT CAT’ DIRECTORS & THEIR CAPITALIST SHAREHOLDERS; MANY BIG BREWING CORPORATIONS DONATE TO RIGHT-WING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS OR RUTHLESSLY DESTROY BREWING HERITAGE.

LOCAL MICROBREW àà LOCAL COMMUNITY, LOCAL ECONOMY, LOCAL WORKFORCE, LOCAL JOBS, LOCAL TASTE…

City Beer Happenings Compiled by Alex Hall

Sixpoint Arrives!

There’s a new microbrewery in town! Sixpoint Craft Ales (40 Van Dyke Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn; telephone 1 917 687 1725) launched their beers to the public on 18th December. The brewery is based next to their brewery tap - the Liberty Heights Tap Room (34 Van Dyke Street).

The first three beers available at the launch party were an IPA, a Brown Ale, and an ‘East Coast Amber’ – all very high quality. Brewers Shane Welch and Andrew Bronstein prefer using European hop varieties for a softer, less harsh palate than would be obtained from American hops.

Shane was formerly brewer at the Angelic Brewing Company, Madison, Wisconsin, where he had success with his recipes three years ago at the World Beer Cup Competition. He became acquainted with many traditions, and he also learned many brewing skills and techniques, from travels in Europe – something which becomes more apparent when you take a sip of his high quality, European-style beers.

Sixpoint’s two partners have known each other since their days at the University of Wisconsin.

Initially, their beers will be available in kegs and casks only – but growlers and bottles are planned for the future. Their name and logo, a six-pointed star design, is taken from a pre-prohibition brewing industry symbol denoting purity.

Sixpoint Brewery’s spelled-out mission statement reads: Precision, Openness, Integrity, Nobility, Trustworthiness, Sharing.

Arrangements are currently being made for Sixpoint’s beers to be made available via a local distributor.

Check out Sixpoint’s website at http://www.sixpointcraftales.com …and check out their beers! Empire Heartland

Also, as predicted, the fifth outlet of Heartland Brewery – at the Empire State Building – opened a few weeks ago. The vast, multi-level bar was previously occupied by a chain restaurant.

Barcade Update

Barcade (388 Union Avenue, Brooklyn) continues to please. Open since mid-October, they have already put on two special beer events featuring unusual IPAs and, more recently, unusual winter ales on tap.

Imported Brands Update

Look out for freshly-imported bottles from the UK’s Daleside and Isle of Skye breweries; there may possibly also be casks and kegs appearing. Also, Thomas Hardy Ale brewed at O’Hanlon’s has now finally appeared in the city.

On the subject of casks, Shelton Brothers have just imported another pallet of firkins from Southern England’s excellent Dark Star Brewery. Spuyten Duyvil, David Copperfield’s, and The Brazen Head should be among the elite few American bars to stock the casks.

Brooklyn Brewery moving?

The Gotham Imbiber can confirm the crew at Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Brewery have been actively looking for another site in order to expand. A location near the Brooklyn Bridge has recently been identified as a possible new venue, which will include a bottling line and restaurant. All Brooklyn’s bottled beers, plus their kegged lagers, are currently contract brewed by F.X. Matt in Utica. Well, I’ll be damned…

Unrelated but both coincidentally bearing devilish titles, look forward to the opening during the currency of this magazine of The Hop Devil Grill (Avenue A, Manhattan) and

Perdition (692 10th Avenue, Manhattan, at West 48th Street). While The Gotham Imbiber is currently unsure of how many microbrews will be appearing at Perdition, it has been established that good beers will be abundant at the Hop Devil Grill. The brewers of Hop Devil IPA, Pennsylvania’s Victory Brewery, are unconnected with the project – although there’s a very good chance their beers will find their way there. Wunderbar!

And finally, look out for a new German bar and restaurant opening soon – Lederhosen (39 Grove Street, Manhattan). A selection of good German imported beers has been promised.

“IN THE BIG COOKIE OF THE BEER BUSINESS, SMALL BREWERS ARE THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS”

Fritz Maytag, Anchor Brewery.

CHEAP MACRO BEER = CHEAP MACRO TASTE. DON’T YOU DESERVE BETTER?

Beerman and Firkin by Felice Wechsler

SUPPORT THE CRAFT BREWING INDUSTRY!

Write a Caption

With a backdrop of their impressive range of taps, this issue’s Write a Caption ‘victim’ is Blind Tiger regular customer Heather accompanied by her mum. Please send in your wittiest quotes of what she could have been saying (no unpublishable quotes please). The winner gets a branded glass from Bierkraft, 191 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn (winner collects). The best entries will be listed in issue 12. Please note that the deadline is 14th February 2005; contact details are on page 2.

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Write a Caption – Issue 10’s Results

Here are the best quotes from last issue’s Write a Caption. Congratulations go to Denis Hurley (‘Dwarbi’) who wins a branded glass from Bierkraft (winner collects) for the entry below (in bold).

"One more litre of this beer and we can have a fair race, Syd. No cheating this time..."

“I’ve been shelling out on beer recently…”

“I've heard of floaties before, but this is ridiculous.”

“Great beer but this bagel's a bit tough…”

“...Or perhaps a Flemish Sour Red Ale. And for the entree, a spicy turtle stew; I like to pair it with a nice traditional Belgian Gueuze...”

“I heard that they both age well…”

“This one should be poured slowly…”

“He’s in the local chapter of the Slow Food Campaign…”

“Are you sure you gave me the proper glass for this Cantillon?”

“No beer for my friend, he’s tee-turtle…”

"All my favorite pubs are 'tortoise-friendly'."

"Yeah, I know a few places you can bartend, Syd."

"Shoot, isn't it a frog you're supposed to kiss?"

"Yeah I know they only got one case of OSA, but I got there first, fair and square."

"Just what I always wanted, my own little turtle. I will name him ‘Gueuze’, and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him."

“He works for the company that imports this beer - you know, the Shell-Ton Brothers…”

REAL CASK ALE – THE FULL NYC LIST

This is The Gotham Imbiber’s free listing of all NYC bars that serve cask-conditioned ale.

The Blind Tiger Ale House, 518 Hudson Street, Manhattan. The Brazen Head, 228 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. David Copperfield’s, 1394 York Avenue, Manhattan. d.b.a., 41 First Avenue, Manhattan. George Keeley, 485 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan. The Ginger Man, 11 East 36th Street, Manhattan. The Lighthouse Tavern,243 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn (cask available again very soon). Mugs Ale House, 125 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn (no casks in summer). The Spotted Pig, 314 West 11th Street, Manhattan. Spuyten Duyvil, 359 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn. The Waterfront Ale House, 136 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn (no casks in summer).

WARNING: There are now at least two bars in lower Manhattan dispensing beer from fake handpumps. If a bar you visit in NYC appears to have working handpumps and is not on the above list, it is either very new to selling cask ale (unlikely) or they are trying to fool you into thinking their depressurised keg beer is authentic cask. The Gotham Imbiber says don’t buy it.

Bass – Beck's – Belle Vue – Boddingtons – Bohemia – Diebels – Dinkel Acker – Franziskaner – Hoegaarden – Labatt – Leffe –

Löwenbräu – Mackeson – Rolling Rock – St. Pauli Girl – Skol – Spaten – Staropramen – Stella Artois – Tennent's – Whitbread.

When you buy any of the above brands, you are funding the world’s biggest brewing corporation - InBev (formerly Interbrew). The Gotham Imbiber says InBev’s greedy, voracious fat cat directors and investors are fat enough. SUPPORT THE MICROBREWING INDUSTRY INSTEAD!

CORRUPT EMINENT DOMAIN ABUSE THREATENS BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BAR

Freddy’s Bar in Prospect Heights is up against the corrupt and taxpayer-money-wasting schemes of property development juggernaught Forest City Ratner, who want to raze the entire community to build a corporate concrete jungle – a small part of which is planned to be an arena for the New Jersey Nets basketball team. Don’t believe the lies, this scheme is unjust and corrupt – benefitting no-one in the local community!

Directions to Freddy’s: 2 or 3 train to Bergen Street station, then walk round the corner to 485 Dean Street to enjoy a fine pint of Harpoon UFO wheat beer (or another of your choice) in

friendly surroundings. Links to websites detailing the current situation: http://www.gotard.com/badd/ http://www.fansforfairplay.com http://www.nostadium.homestead.com http://nycbasketball.rivals.com

http://www.fairdevelopmentbrooklyn.net Freddy’s own website can be seen at http://www.freddysbackroom.com

Anagram Answers 1.SIXPOINT ‘EAST COAST AMBER ALE’; 2.BLUE POINT ‘HOPTICAL ILLUSION’; 3.ORKNEY ‘DARK ISLAND’; 4.REGENBOOG ‘WOSTYNTJE’; 5.RIDGEWAY ‘SANTA’S BUTT’; 6.DALESIDE ‘MOROCCO ALE’; 7.CANTILLON ‘IRIS’; 8.MOORHOUSE’S ‘BLACK CAT’; 9.STONE ‘OLD GUARDIAN’; 10.BLAUGIES ‘DARBYSTE’.

The Gotham Imbiber wishes Beer Advocates Dwarbi & Dana all the best for their imminent move to Oz!