All posts by deronc

Pubcrawlbrooklyn.com’s foray into Home brewing (part 1)

Pub Crawl Brooklyn Home Brewing

For years, numerous friends and acquaintances of mine urged me to try home brewing.  I’ve been a craft beer drinker (and a NYC pub crawler) for a long time, but have never tried home brewing.  Until, that is, Sunday, May 8, 2011.  Scott (a good friend of mine and fellow craft beer fan) and I started the day at Whole Foods in Lower Manhattan and bought the necessary appliances and ingredients for a one gallon batch of brown ale.

We returned to his apartment and, using the instructions at Brooklyn Brew shop’s website (http://brooklynbrewshop.com/instructions), we began.  Not to get too technical, but there are six main steps at brewing beer.  I’ll describe each step in two or three sentences.

1)      “Making oatmeal” – this step involves warming the barley malt in hot water to release the sugars of the malt (the barley malt tastes like the cereal grape nuts).  After one hour, we obtained an oatmeal-like substance.

2)      “Brewing coffee” – After filling a strainer with the oatmeal-like substance and placing the full strainer on top of a large pot, we slowly poured near boiling water over the oatmeal-like substance.  The water filters through the oatmeal-like substance and grabs the sugars of the barley malt and fills the pot below with a dark brown liquid called “wort” (pronounced “wert”).

3)      “The Boil” – We added hops (often referred to as the “flower” of the beer; i.e., what gives the beer its aroma) and then boil the wort for about one hour.  The wort is sweet-tasting, but is not yet beer.  In order to become beer, the wort must have yeast added and then must age for at least two weeks.

4)      Cooling –  After the one-hour boil is complete, the wort must be cooled down to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Once cooled, we poured the wort into a gallon jug.  By this point in the process, Scott’s kitchen was smelling like a brewery!

5)      Yeasting – The fourth (and arguably most important) ingredient, the yeast is added to the jug after the cooling is complete.  It is very important that the wort has cooled sufficiently, or else, if the wort is still too hot, the yeast will die and there will be no beer:-(.

6)      Aging – After sufficiently shaking the gallon of wort with the added yeast, we set the full jug aside in a dark place that is slightly cooler than room temperature.  It will be at least two weeks before we can taste the fruits of our labor.

My thoughts after this first attempt: I can’t imagine doing this alone.  There was too much mixing, temperature checking, poring and straining for one person, and we were only making a one gallon batch!  From start to finish, the process took about 3.5 hours.  If you’ve ever thought about home brewing, but haven’t tried it yet, find a friend (or two) to partner with and give it a shot.  Today was a lot of fun.  I can’t wait until our next attempt!  Check back later this month for the results of this first attempt.

What do you think?  Did this sound like your homebrew experience?  Please share your comments.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Pubcrawlbrooklyn.com’s visit to Washington, DC (Part 2)

Pub Crawl Brooklyn Road Trips, Pub Crawl NYC Reviews

Pubcrawlbrooklyn.com’s visit to Washington, DC (Part 2).

The second part of the Washington bar tour began in the Foggy Bottom section of the District, only a few blocks away from where part 1 ended.  It was another fun night and further confirmation that bar hopping in Washington is getting close to rivaling a pub crawl in NYC.

6:55pm – Elephant & Castle – Located at the northwest corner of 19th and I streets, this is the second D.C. location of the English style pub chain.  A lively bar scene, along with a spacious eating area, it is a good happy hour spot for the K Street crowd and the nearby law firms.  With 18 beers on tap and some quality bar food, Elephant & Castle is a key starting point for bar hopping in Foggy Bottom.

7:30PM – 19th – Across the street from Elephant & Castle, on the southwest corner of the same intersection, this bar looks good from the outside, but doesn’t quite fit the space in which it resides.  Floor to ceiling windows and the corner location appear very promising.  The place holds a crowd that is a mix of nearby GWU students and some young K Street professionals.  On the weekends, it appears that the venue changes into a clubby atmosphere by clearing out a section of tables and chairs in exchange for a dance floor and DJ.

8:05pm – Froggy Bottom Pub – Ahh, memories of a good old-fashioned college dive bar!  A bi-level establishment, with the main bar on the basement level, this bar is known for its nightly cheap drink specials.  A pool table in the middle of the main bar area, Froggy Bottom serves a food menu of burgers, pizza and subs.

8:45pm – McFadden’s – At the District’s location of this regional Irish pub chain, a bi-level pub, most of the action takes place on the basement level.  The bar has 12 taps, including some hard-to-find beers.  It is a known hangout for D.C. kickball.  The non-kickball crowd is mainly a mix of GW students and recent college graduates.

9:30pm – 51st State – This is a New York hangout on the border of Foggy Bottom and Georgetown.  The establishment boasts four New York beers on tap (out of 16 total taps), including Brooklyn Lager and Brooklyn Brown Ale!  Yankees stickers and Yankees pennants abound, this spot can definitely make a transplant from the Tri-state area feel right at home!

10:15pm – Marshall’s – This place is two doors west of 51st State.  According to our guide, it’s a late night spot that is a service industry hangout.  Like other spots in Foggy Bottom, Marshall’s is bi-level, with the bar on the second floor and a restaurant (of sorts) on the first floor.

After leaving Marshall’s, our guide previewed pubcrawlbrooklyn.com’s bar tour of Georgetown to take place during the next visit to Washington, DC.  How did you like part 2 of the Washington tour?  Please feel free to comment.  Looking forward to hearing your feedback.

Pubcrawlbrooklyn.com’s visit to Washington, DC (Part 1)

Pub Crawl Brooklyn Road Trips, Pub Crawl NYC Reviews

A visit to Washington, DC is always a good time.  Specifically for bars, there is probably not another city in the U.S. other than New York that, over the past decade, has seen more new bars (and neighborhoods) become open for bar hopping.  On a per capita basis, Washington DC is fast becoming a rival for pub crawls vs. NYC pub crawls.  What follows is part one of two nights.  This night involves some old-time Washington establishments in the downtown section of the District, centered around the White House.  Out on the town with an expert of the Washington, DC bar scene, here’s what transpired:

7:35pm – Off the Record.  A bar in the basement of the Hay-Adams hotel across Lafayette Park from the North entrance of the White House, Off the Record is a must visit for all.  An octagonal shaped bar fills the center of a loungey area that is filled with political art (mostly cartoons and caricatures).   This place is frequented by Journalists and Staffers.

8:10pm – Le Bar. A hotel bar on the first floor of the Sofitel at the northwest corner of H and 15th street.  The half-oval bar and a mostly loungey feel to this spot make it another must stop after touring the area around the White House.  The floor to ceiling windows provide the venue with a lot of natural light during the day.  The outdoor seating area in good weather adds a nice touch.

8:45pm – POV (aka, Point of View).  Since this is a rooftop of the W Hotel (fka, the Washington Hotel), in a city like Washington, the name has double meaning.  During this visit, the Arkansas Congressional delegation was having a private reception, so the entire bar was not accessible.  However, the view is arguably the best that Washington bars have to offer.  The foreground includes the Treasury Department Building and the White House.  To the southwest stand the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.  Various sections of Arlington, VA provide the backdrop in the distance.

9:20pm – Laughing Man Tavern – The first venue on our tour that was not a hotel bar, but just a few blocks from POV, this spot is a solid happy hour place with 16 beers on tap.  A semi-sports bar with 2 levels and 10 TVs.

10pm – Black Finn – This is a large, upscale sports bar near 17th and I streets. It has many Old Washington pictures and some NYC pictures on the walls.  The beer selection includes 12 taps, but nothing too hard to find.  But there are some local bottled craft brews available.  The space has two bar areas and is arguably one of the best sports bars in the District.  On the weekends, the back bar area transforms into a dance floor with a DJ.

10:40pm – The Exchange – This bar near 17th and G Streets is sort of in a no-man’s land part of the District.  Close enough to the White House to be considered downtown, but just east of George Washington University, so it could also be part of Foggy Bottom, the bar was renovated a few years ago and has a large eating area.  It has 24 beers on tap, several of which are hard to find.

I hope you enjoyed this first of two posts of pubcrawlbrooklyn.com’s visit to Washington.  Please share your comments.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Check back soon for part 2.

Pubcrawlbrooklyn.com's review of six outdoor drinking spots

Pub Crawl NYC Reviews

With the weather (finally!) warming up in New York City, it’s time to take a look at some of the better outdoor drinking spots around town.  Today, I will look at spots where being outdoors is the primary draw.  Rooftop bars will not be included in this post.  I will write about them in a forthcoming entry.

Stone Street, Financial District, Manhattan: As someone once told me, “Stone Street is a little slice of Paris, right here in downtown Manhattan.”  There are nearly ten bars and restaurants along a one block, cobblestoned-paved section of Stone Street, tucked away amidst the canyons of Wall Street.  From April 1 through November 30, all the Stone Street establishments offer outdoor seating for food and drink.  It’s a great place to spend a few hours after work with colleagues or enjoy the afternoon sun on a weekend during brunch time.  Outdoor seating is available until 11pm every night.

Water Taxi Beach Bar, South Street Seaport, Manhattan: Located on the Northeast corner of Pier 17, this is the second location of the Water Taxi Beach empire (their original location is situated in Long Island City, Queens).  There are picnic tables and plenty of standing room on actual imported beach sand.  A limited beer and food menu awaits patrons.  The view north of the three bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg) is breathtaking.  You can also admire Brooklyn Heights to the east.  One word of caution, this place has been known to charge a cover fee for entrance on certain nights.

Chelsea Brewing Company, Chelsea Piers, Manhattan:  Sit outside by the docked boats to enjoy the sunset.  Or, during a sunny afternoon, watch the boats go by on the Hudson River.  The Chelsea Brewing Company is the only brewery in Manhattan and offers good food at reasonable prices.

Bohemian Hall Beer Garden, Astoria, Queens:  This is one of the largest outdoor drinking spots in the five boroughs.  Dating back to 1910, Bohemian Hall is the last of the original Beer Gardens in New York City.  Find a spot at one of the dozens of communal tables in their outdoor area and get ready make new friends!  For beer, enjoy a mix of imports from Central Europe or local craft brews.  If you get hungry, there is an outdoor grill menu featuring a few types of sausages, burgers and other grill fare.  Everyone must go here at least once!

Studio Square, Astoria, Queens:  Not quite “down the street”, but in the same section of Queens as Bohemian Hall, Studio Square is a newcomer to the Beer Garden scene.  Opening in the spring of 2009, Studio Square has nearly two dozen beers on tap.  The food menu consists of sausages, burgers and some other good accompaniments to beer.  The outdoor area is sizeable, almost the same size as Bohemian Hall’s.  Make a stop here before or after you visit Bohemian Hall.

Loreley, Williamsburg, Brooklyn: Located just north of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, this is the second location for Loreley (their first is the one in the Lower East Side of Manhattan).  Small in size compared to Bohemian Hall or Studio Square, Loreley has a cozy outdoor area with about 15 communal tables.  Beers on tap number a dozen, nearly all are imported from Germany.  The food menu is fairly extensive, focusing on German fare.

Tell me what you think about these six spots!  What are your favorite outdoor establishments?  Please leave a comment.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Pubcrawlbrooklyn.com's visit to the Kelso Brewery

Pub Crawl Brooklyn Visits, Pub Crawl NYC Reviews

I recently visited the Kelso brewery for a tour.  Kelso, which started brewing in 2006 in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, opened its doors to the public for tours on Saturday, April 16.  The brewery is located at 529 Waverly Avenue, on an industrial block about half-way between Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue. Look for the Heartland Brewery sign above the entrance (Quick aside: Kelso is a subsidiary of Greenpoint Beer Works, which has been brewing all the beer for Heartland Brewery’s five Manhattan locations for over a decade. The owners of Greenpoint Beer Works decided to brew their own beer as well, starting in 2006. Kelso is an acronym of the husband and wife team that owns Greenpoint Beer Works, Kelly and Sonia).

To enter the brewery, you must open a windowless door and, after you enter the foyer, make an immediate left. You will find yourself in the brewery. It feels as though you are in an oversized four story garage, but you will know you are in the right place because you will see the aging tanks on the back, left side of the room. The tasting area is on the right side of the room, near the mash tank. In between the mash tank and the aging tanks is the parking spot for the delivery truck that takes the Heartland beer from Clinton Hill into Manhattan (the Kelso beer gets picked up by Manhattan Beer Distributors). The tasting area is made up of a bar with three taps and some chairs and a few tables.  The beers available to sample during my visit were the India Pale Ale, the Nut Brown Lager and a Bock.

Jess the tour guide and bartender was a fantastic and knowledgeable host. The tour began in the tasting area, where, after we had a sample or two, Jess started by telling us a bit about the company and how Kelso came to be. The next part of the tour was the explanation of the brewing process. For those who have already been on a brewery tour, this part is universal to all brewery tours. For those who have not been on a brewery tour, I will not get into the details of the brewing process here (a somewhat detailed description here). After the brewing process is explained, Jess took everyone into the refrigerated kegging room (at the back of the brewery, behind the delivery truck’s parking spot), where dozens of full kegs, both for Heartland and Kelso, were awaiting delivery. Once the keg room visit was over, it was back to the tasting area! We had a few more samples (all samples were free of charge; 64 oz. growlers also available for sale) and then it was closing time.

Tours are conducted every Saturday, one at 2pm and one at 4pm. The place closes around 5:30pm. Take the C train to the Clinton-Washington stop and after exiting on to Fulton Street, head to Waverly Avenue, which runs parallel to Clinton Avenue and Washington Avenue (Waverly is one block east of Clinton and one block west of Washington). For those who are interested in visiting a small brewery and sampling some great beer, I highly recommend a trip to Clinton Hill and visiting Kelso!

Pubcrawlbrooklyn.com's review of Murray Hill Bar Golf

Pub Crawl NYC Reviews

I got to check out the Murray Hill Bar Golf event on Saturday, 4/16. Since I have not done many other bar golf events, I can’t say how similar or different Murray Hill’s bar golf is from other such events. For me, I found it to be a slightly different take on your typical pub crawl in NYC. The event runs weekly every Saturday from 6pm until 10pm (though I got a late start at around 8:45pm, playing only three holes). The event consists of nine holes: three separate visits to three venues: Joshua Tree, Bar XII and Mercury Bar. The three bars are very close together, all located within half a block of the intersection of 34th Street and 3rd Avenue on Manhattan’s east side. Scoring is as follows: Bogeys generally consist of non-alcoholic drinks; Par is typically one beer; Birdies and Eagles are typically beer/shot or another type of drink combo equaling two units of alcohol. I am not aware if the scoring system will change weekly or at all.

This event could be a lot of fun with a group of people who like to consume different types of alcohol over a relatively short time period. If you plan to participate for most or all of the four hour time period, I highly suggest eating something substantial beforehand. The highest scorer is awarded $500 the last Saturday of each month. Though it is unclear if this award is given to the highest scorer that day or for the entire month. As the weather gets warmer, this will be a fun event to get your friends out, explore some of Murray Hill and make new friends!

NYC Circle line pub crawl

General

An interesting article I came across concerning the Circle Line pub crawl in London:



The pub crawl is a unique (and sometimes, painful) experience and in London, it doesn’t get more unique than the Circle Line Pub Crawl. I heard about the Circle Line Pub Crawl (CLPC) when I first arrived in London more than a year ago. The thought of it was absolutely insane. For the uninitiated, the Circle line (in yellow) is part of the London Underground network (or the tube). It runs in a ring around the city, and has 27 stations.

The idea is pretty simple, if a little insane. Start at a station on the Circle line, say Tower Hill, and find a place to have a drink. Get on the tube on the Circle Line and disembark at each station, find a pub to drink in, completing the circle and finishing in the pub you started in for your final drink, in less than 12 hours.

There are a few rules; you have to drink something at each pub. You don’t have to drink beer, and you don’t have to drink pints. But you do have to drink something with alcohol in it (defeats the purpose of the pub crawl if you drink coke or water). You have to find a place to drink, even if it’s an off license or a wine shop.

Going by strict pub crawling guidelines, and drinking a pint at every stop, you’ll be consuming 28 pints (about 16 litres) of the fermented stuff in less than 12 hours. That’s a lot by anyone’s standards. I have entertained the thought of giving it a go but I wasn’t able to find anyone mad enough to do it with me. Navigating London’s underground network while drunk isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do.

So, if you’re ever in London, and want a unique London experience that you will not get from any guidebook, try the Circle Line Pub Crawl. Just don’t blame me for it. 🙂

For more related beer stuff visit http://www.beerbeer.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kennhyn_Ang

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1883181

My comments:

That’s quite a pub crawl!  The New York City subway system does not have anything like a line similar to London’s Circle line.  But, using four different subway lines in Manhattan (including the Times Square-Grand Central shuttle line), you can have a ‘NYC Circle line’ pub crawl of sorts.  Start at 42nd and 8th Avenue and board the C/E train southbound stopping at Penn Station, 23rd and 14th street.  At 14th street, transfer to the L train and ride east, stopping at 6th Avenue and Union Square.  At Union square, transfer to the uptown 6 train and stop at 23rd, 28th, 33rd and Grand Central, where you complete the loop by riding the shuttle to Times Square.  In all, if you visited one drinking establishment per subway stop, this ‘NYC Circle line’ pub crawl would bring you to ten spots.  A challenge? Definitely!  But much more doable than the complete London version.  Thoughts?  Please share your comments.  I look forward to hearing from you!

New Beer Garden coming to Williamsburg!

Pub Crawl NYC Announcements

Spritzenhaus at 33 Nassau Ave.

I am very excited about the announcement of Spritzenhaus!  Yet another Beer Garden for the North Williamsburg/Greenpoint area.  This would make the fourth beer garden for Williamsburg (the others are Loreley, Radegast and Berry Park).  So, there is definitely a Williamsburg Beer Garden bar crawl in the works here.  Even though these four places are not quite the size of the two beer gardens in Astoria (Studio Square and Bohemian Hall), the Williamsburg four promise to be fun spots for the Spring/Summer and beyond!  Please check this space soon for a review of Spritzenhaus.

On Manhattan neighborhoods

General

From http://nysybarite.blogspot.com/

Appreciate neighborhoods
New Yorkers think of their neighborhood as their village. Think like they do, and try to be aware of which neighborhood you are visiting. For example, Chelsea is a neighborhood. So is the “Far West Village.” Or Soho. Or Tribeca. Or Murray Hill. Or Chinatown. Or Little Italy. Each neighborhood is unique – there is no other place quite like it on earth. You will rarely see chain stores – neighborhood butchers, bakers, fish mongers, stationers are usually local merchants with quirky offerings, and long loval histories. (With the notable exception of Starbucks.)

My comments:

I very much agree with this sentiment.  And the best way to learn about the neighborhoods of Manhattan is to do a pub crawl in each one!