Brooklyn Brewery

Ladies and Gentlemen do I have a treat for you! My #1 YOTB partner in crime traveled all the way to Brooklyn, New York to verify that San Diego is in fact a far superior craft beer town. While she did confirm our suspicions (spoiler alert: SD wins by a landslide!) Brooklyn Brewery did it’s best to represent. I present to you Whitney Hodges, guest blogger…enjoy:

Having been friends with Ama for over half my life, I have (fortunately) had a number of opportunities to be part of some of the incredibly fun adventures she schemes up.  However, I doubt I have ever bandwagoned one of Ama’s ideas as hard as I have for YOTB.  Therefore, it was only fitting that, while in New York City catching up with one of our close friends, I insisted on auditioning a local brewery and reporting back to Ms. Boss Lady.  After some preliminary research, I determined that NYC, as cosmopolitan as the city is, really only has a few established, reputable breweries, and only one that was consistently recommended.  This discovery got me realizing how good we have it in San Diego.

 Hoping it was the best of the bunch; our group battled freezing weather and headed over the bridge to Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg.  I can’t lie, I was a bit skeptical at first.  For starters, the brewery had people queuing outside.  Did I mention it was literally freezing that day?  This didn’t give off the warm and welcoming vibe I have become accustomed to in So. Cal.  Then once you were permitted to enter, you had to buy tokens to purchase beer.  Needless to say, because this was in Brooklyn, the hipster ratio was a bit out of control.  I was thoroughly confused by the whole thing. 

 But, once we got settled, I understood the method to this perceived madness.  The line was really just a way to control the population inside (a much appreciated effect).  This ensured it was never too crowded and we were able to easily find a place to park it for the rest of the afternoon.  The token system was also a boon, as it meant you never had to keep opening/closing tabs and it really sped up the brew retrieval process.

 In terms of atmosphere, Brooklyn Brewery gets a gold star.  Three huge silver vats greet you at the entrance, pretty much solidifying the brewery’s legitimacy.  As with most breweries this YOTB adventure has taken on, Brooklyn Brewery’s tasting room is a huge warehouse.  However, the décor gives the place a surprisingly homey, comfortable feeling.  The room is outfitted with large wooden pillars, dark wood picnic tables and oak casks, all decked out with pine boughs and white lights for the holidays.  To boot, it was blasting really fun oldies music.  I felt like I was at friend’s house instead of in a warehouse with a bunch of strangers.  The only thing that really threw me off was the coat check.  But, I guess we aren’t in California anymore, Toto.

 My sister, who joined us for her first YOTB outing, was great at pointing out all the food options – gotta love having a foodie in the family.  Not only did Brooklyn Brewery have an authentic NY style pizza truck parked outside, but inside they offered some really delicious snacks. No greasy bar food here.  I assume the menu changes based on what is trending, but our options included roasted pecans, real beef jerky, spicy bacon caramel corn, pretzel chips and peanut brittle.  The brewery also offered self-serve water, which was awesome for those of us trying to pace ourselves before our family dinner.

 Going back to this whole token thing – five tokens were $20.00 and 99% of the beers were one token per pint.  A couple of the specialty beers were two tokens, but, as far as bang for your buck, I was impressed (hope you’re seeing the trend here…).

 OK – now on to what’s important: the beer.  Because this was a bit of a bicoastal field trip that probably won’t happen again for a while, I made sure our group tried all ten beers offered.  And this post is going to walk y’all through each one!

What we liked:

• Le Cuvier
  • Special Lager
  • Brooklyn Brewery garners some massive points with this beer.  When the brewery ran out of something or other, instead of just turning off that tap, they rolled out a keg of the special, reserve lager without batting an eye (or charging more tokens for it!).  This beer ended up being the favorite of the group with its floral notes and rosy aftertaste.
• Oishi
  • Light Belgian Ale
  • This ale had an unexpected but appreciated blueberry flavor.  It was light and easy to drink.  It was very refreshing and would be perfect for a beach day BBQ.
• Dark & Twisted
  • Chocolate Pretzel Stout
  • This was my favorite by far.  It was a dark, malty stout with a salted caramel aftertaste.  While you definitely would not drink more than a couple of these at one sitting, this beer would be great with dessert.
• Brooklyn Lager
  • Amber Style Lager
  • This is the money maker and can found at the local bodegas, bars, etc.  It has a bit of a nutty taste to it and is a bit hoppy for a lager. Aside from those flavors, this beer is your basic easy-to-drink lager.
• Weisse
  • Bavarian Style Wheat
  • This beer was tart and awesome.  Admittedly, I was the only one in the crew really feeling this beer, but I am tart beer kind of girl.  If you don’t like a little kick in your cup, I would avoid this pour.
• Fire and Ice
  • Oatmeal Porter
  • This beer had a smooth start without being overwhelming oatmealy.  It is a lighter porter with a smoky aftertaste and a hint of citrus.  It was a beer first, flavor second kind of beer.
• Winter Ale
  • Scottish Inspired Ale
  • This was a sweet & spicy kind of ale, with all the hallmarks of a traditional winter beer.  This would be great to pair with a meal, but this would not be your go-to for kicking back to watch a ball game.
• Radius
  • Seasons Saison
  • Citrusy and light.  Would make a great summer beer.  The only real danger is you could put back more than a couple of these before you knew it.

 What we didn’t order a second of:

• Sorachi Ale
  • Single Hop Saison
  • This tasted like cider, but without the carbonation.  It was very citrusy.  The final verdict was that this ale offered a lot of flavor but not a lot of beer.
• East IPA
  • British Style, American Flavor IPA
  • This was not a very heavy IPA.  It had a medium body with a bitter kick.  If you were looking for a traditional IPA, you would not be stoked with this beer.

 As you can tell, despite my hesitancy at first blush, Brooklyn Brewery really knocked it out of the park.  Everything about it was truly wonderful.  I guess as long as NYC has to be content with a limited number of breweries, at least the city knew to go big.  If you are ever in the area, I definitely recommend checking this spot out.

 

So Jules and Brad, when you sending some of these goodies over to the best coast?

 

 

Bottoms Up!

Whit

Brooklyn Girl

I know what you’re all thinking…”Oh no, she’s lost it. Brooklyn Girl is obviously a restaurant, not a brewery.” Rest easy friends, I know exactly where “it” is, I’m just doing my part to spice up your life.  Instead of reviewing a craft brewery I thought I’d bring you a local San Diego restaurant that solely features local craft brews on tap.

Brooklyn Girl is located in Mission Hills, just north of Downtown San Diego. Having spent a long weekend in Brooklyn earlier this year I can tell you the only thing Brooklyn about this place is it’s name. The decor is shabby chic with a nod to New York icons but that’s about where it ends. The vibe is casual enough that I’ve showed up in my driving range attire but you could also rock your LBD (“little black dress” for the men reading this) and no one would think twice.

It’s one of my go-to restaurants for dinner. Although it seems I’m not the only one that feels that way, try getting a table at 8pm on a Saturday night without a reservation. Good luck! However, if you’re a late night diner like me, Brooklyn Girl is the place for you. Their kitchen is open until 11pm on weekend nights and getting a table or a spot at the bar after 9:30 generally isn’t a problem.

Ok – back to the beer. Brooklyn Girl’s draft list is made up entirely of rotating local craft breweries.  They carry a range of breweries from the bigger ones like Green Flash and Alesmith to the smaller lesser known breweries like Rough Draft and Societe. On a recent visit I had the Thorn Street Seasonal Pale Ale.  It is 5.3% ABV and you can get a 16 oz for only $7.00. It’s a hoppy beer but the hops aren’t bold or overpowering. It’s not your typical mouth puckering pale ale but rather a smooth, pallet cleansing beer which lends itself well to food.  Thorn street is still on my list of Breweries to conquer but it’s great to be able to preview their beer at one of my favorite restaurants. Here’s a sample of what was on tap on 8/30/2013:

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The rotating local draft list is not the only thing that keeps me coming back to Brooklyn Girl, although it is a major incentive. The menu has something for everyone. From Wood Oven Pizzas (try the Smokey Pork Loin Pie, you’re welcome) to an All Kale Caesar salad with Duck Leg (yum!) to the Colorado Lamb Sirloin – you just can’t go wrong!  My mouth is watering just thinking about how well the Seasonal Vegetable Gnocchi would pair with a Stone Brewing Cali-Belgique IPA.

Moral of the story, if you’re looking for the best of both worlds – local craft beer and a delicious dinner, Brooklyn Girl has got you covered. 

Bottoms Up!

-Amatece