$10 Tuesday Saison Tasting A Success!

Thanks to Mike Lovullo of Union Beer for leading a great Saison tasting on Tuesday! The tasting featured Saison Dupont, Ommegang Hennepin, St. Somewhere Saison Athene, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Boire, The Bruery Saison Rue, and Avec les Bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont. The crowd's favorite? St. Somewhere Saison Athene. Check out their facebook page and become a fan!

Be sure to check out this week's Tuesday tasting, Biere de Garde, the french take on farmhouse ales, presented by Shelton Brothers.

I am From Massachusetts

Last year, a friend and his partners had planned to open a brewery in a depressed town in western Massachusetts called North Adams. So I offered some insight, from a local's perspective.

Some local color:
Let's see, history... history... we learned a lot about the history of Massachusetts. History, being about words, must offer a choice selection of words that could be fitting names for the beers of this new brewery venture.

The "Once Great State" Ale
The "We Banned Slaves, But Still Bought Their Cotton" Lager
"No Irish, No Catholics -Real, Olde Tyme, Yankee Porter"
"Thrifty, and Proud of It" Pale Ale
"Snow Shoveling Zen - Japanese Style White Ale"

Ethan Frome, the novel, was set in this part of western Massachusetts. He was a miserable guy stuck with a wife he hated, lusting after her younger sister who came to live with them. His big thrill was hitching up the horses to a sleigh in a snowstorm and zooming down a dangerous hill. For much of the year in western Massachusetts, the weather is cold and the earth is hard. Ethan Frome thought he got lucky when his wife had to travel to take care of a sick relative. Somehow, her beautiful sister stayed behind to look after her husband, Mr. Frome, but he still missed out on any possible pleasure, because the growing season is short and the old Yankee/Boston ethics too repressive.

Some fun taunts for the land of Red Sox fans! Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve Oysters and Beer!

2009 is quickly slipping away from us. Before you know it, New Year's Eve will be at hand. Do you have your plans yet? At Jimmy's No. 43, we are celebrating with Oysters and Beer! Enjoy local oysters from Peconic Bay, in the half shell, baked oysters, oyster stew... oysters, oysters, oysters! A la carte menu available, reservations are accepted but walk ins are welcome as well. Looking for something bigger for more of your friends? The private room is available, but you'll have to call quick for details- 212 982 3006!

Cool Kegs

Samuel Merritt of Civilization of Beer recommends keeping kegs cool. Jimmy's No. 43 has a unique set up to ensure kegs are always kept at just the right temperature from delivery to tasty pour. This room makes all the difference!

December 1st, Julebryg- Scandinavian Holiday Beer Fest

Each year we have some wholesome, Nordic fun after Thanksgiving. We serve a simple smorgasbord - rye bread with cheese and mustard; crackers with herring; flatbread with roast pork and plum jam- and add a selection of Danish and Norwegian holiday craft beers to our menu. Some of the beers will include these gems, from Shelton Brothers Imports.

- Oppigards Winter Ale
- Sogaard's Bryghus Vintage Julebuk
- Amager 2008 Vintage Julebryg
- Nørrebro Julebryg
- Mikkeller 2009 Santa's Little Helper
- Nøgne Ø Winter Ale
- Handbryggeriet Nissefar Christmas Ale

In conjunction with Julebryg, on December 1 join Brooklyn Brew Shop for the latest installment of our Eat, Drink, Learn series. At 7:30 PM the Tasting Room in the back will be a hot spot for learning about brewing and enjoying beer and food pairings. Reservations are still available, the cost is $30/ per person. To read more about Brooklyn Brew shop, check out this article on Reuters.

The Naked Pint Beer Pairing

We collaborated on a beer pairing brunch menu with Christina Perozzi, co-author or The Naked Pint. Some choices were obvious, like Kostrizer Black Lager paired with smoked salmon, because we're in New York and we are big fans of Russ and Daughters!

Our second course would be the "beer brunch salad" - frisee, smoky Benton's bacon, and local farm poached eggs. It is a simple, bistro standby that tastes so very American complimented by a great American saison beer, Ommegang Hennepin.

Also for brunch, I like to pull out my old party standby, pasta with bacon, onions, beer, and fresh farm sourced cream. I start by sauteeing onions and bacon, add Sixpoint Ale, reduce and finish with farm cream. Christina suggested a Belgian single ale, Maredsous 6, as accompaniment.

Cheese and dessert would follow. The cheese could go any direction, soft, local sheep's milk camembert, perhaps? We chose a local aged blue, Cayuga, New York state paired with St. Bernardus Prior 8, a Belgian dubbel ale that is fruity and food friendly. For dessert, a local cider bread pudding with Ronnybrook whipped cream and Allagash Curieux. The cider bread pudding is the new favorite dessert at Jimmy's No. 43. It's sweet apple goodness is balanced by the cask aged Curioux.

This would make quite a meal!

Fresh Hop Beers

Not long ago, there was a great article in the New York Times Dining Section about fresh hop beers. Last year, we featured the Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale. Currently we have: Southern Tier Harvest Ale, Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA, and the best of the bunch Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale from Colorado. Thinking about awarding a best beer of the year? I'd nominate the Great Divide!

Fancy Dutch Beer Week

November 12-16 is Fancy Dutch Beer Week at Jimmy's No. 43, featuring Christoffel Blond and Robertus (Bock ) Beer,
Kleine Duimpfe holiday beer, La Trappe Isidor (125th Anniversary) beer- the only trappist brewery outside of Belgium- plus oysters and herring.

Check out all the things you can do to celebrate 5 Dutch Days, but don't do it on an empty stomach, drop by Jimmy's No. 43 first.

Bacon

Josh Ozersky will be back Tuesday, October 20, with a Bacon and Beer Tasting. This time he will be joined by Jon Lundbom of B. United Importers. Jon always comes up with an eclectic selection of off-beat imports. Exepct a smoky beer, a beer made with chestnut, and something with cocoa, I'm sure!

Bacon is so hot these days - read Dan Mazei's article A Trendsetter's Toast to Bacon.

Green Flash

On Friday, September 18 get ready to "Meet Chuck- An Evening with the Green Flash Brewer" at Jimmy's No. 43.

Chuck Silva is the brewmaster at Green Flash Brewery of San Diego. He will be at Jimmy's No. 43 to talk about Green Flash while Jimmy's serves up an extensive selection of limited Green Flash draft and bottled beer. Find out why Green Flash brews in small batches. Taste it for yourself. Pay as you go. No reservation required.

Until then- check out this post on The Full Pint.

Bacon and Beer Tasting Tuesday, August 18th

On Tuesday, August 18, writer Josh Ozersky will be in The Tasting Room to guide you through some of his favorite bacons including: Benton's smoked bacon, Tennessee Mountain View bacon, Upstate New York Local Baked bacon, EV Butcher Rub BBQ bacon, and of course, Oscar Mayer thick sliced. Bacons will be paired with Schoolhouse Kitchen Mustards and featured brews from Shelton Brother's Beers.

To take part in Tuesday's tasting, you can visit The Tasting Room online or call 212 982 3006. There will be one seating at 7:30 PM and $45/ per person gets you in for all the beer and bacon fun!

Bacon, Beer and Chutney Notes

If you thought the bacon your mother gave you for breakfast all those years ago was tasty, you might be shocked to learn that it can get even better! A whole world of bacon delight waits for you and this past Wednesday night, a room full of people were given a VIP tour of flavors at our Bacon, Beer and Chutney Tasting.
Josh Ozersky held court as eager tasters nibbled and sipped their way through beer, bacon and chutney heaven. If you missed this one, try to catch the next. You'll be glad you did!

Adventures in Craft Beer

Tastemaker and beer educator, Chris Cuzme, led a Beer Pairing 101 class this past Friday night in The Tasting Room at Jimmy's No. 43. His pairings included:

Reissdorf Kolsch (Germany 4.8%abv), with greenmarket pretzels.
Saion Voisin (Geants Brewery, Belgium 5% abv) - w/ Vermont's Consider Bardwell Farm's Pawlet Cheese (cowsmilk).
Maredsous Abbaye Bruin (dubbel ale, Belgium 8% abv) - paired w/ toasted walnuts, maple syrup, smoked salt.
Nogne O Porter (Norway 7% abv) - assorted NuNu Chocolates from Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Brewery "Intensified Coffee Stout" (Brooklyn, 8.5% abv) as its own dessert.

Luckily, there are more Tastings to come. Check the sidebar to the left for dates and links for our upcoming Tasting events, including next week's Food for Thought Tours Beer Pairing 101 featuring Bacon, Cheese and Chocolate on Tuesday 5/19 and our popular Bacon, Beer and Chutney Tasting on Wednesday 5/20.

Snacks for a Norwegian Beer Tasting

On Saturday April 18 at 2pm, the brewer and importer of Nogne O beer from Norway will be leading a tasting at Jimmy's No 43. There will be snacks, our version of a smorgasbord, with gruyere cheese gougeres, crostini with herring and capers, cheese toasts and mini BLTs!

Smoked Beer for Lent

Jimmy's No. 43 has a special beer on draft this week, called "Fasten' or "Lent" beer. I was intrigued by the name, then figured it out pretty fast when I tasted the beer. Catholics, please tell me: in the old days, was bacon/pork forbidden during Lent? If so, the German brewers at Aecht Schlenkerla made this smoky beer taste like bacon.

Thanks Thom!

What a nice fellow! Thom is trying to drink, what, 1,000 beers, and write about them? Well, he drank quite a few at Jimmy' s No. 43, and even liked the food. Check out Thom's Beer Blog and read more.

Have You Ever Seen a Beer Drinking Celebrity?

You gotta love the new breed of movie stars. Would you recognize Jason Segal if he was standing next to you at Jimmy's No. 43 sipping his favorite Sixpoint stout? Beer Goggins girl from Digital City did. Click here to read more.

Beer + Chocolate = Bliss

On Valentine's Day two of our favorite things, beer and chocolate, will mingle for your palate's pleasure in The Tasting Room. There are still a few spaces available for this guided tasting that will pair chocolates from Boston's Taza Chocolates with some of Europe's finest brews from B. United Importers.When you start your Valentine's date with beer and chocolate, you just can't go wrong!

For more information or to make reservations visit The Tasting Room Page at jimmysno43.com. To read about this tasting in Time Out New York, click here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Obama Ale

Less than an hour after Obama's swearing in, and only a few minutes after we had an express delivery of Ommegang's Inauguration Ale, enterprising beer writer Claire Goggin from Digital City stoped by to taste it. See her post.

Cassoulet Cookoff and Greenmarket Fundraiser!

During the week of January 13-17, 2009, Jimmy's No. 43 will host a week long celebration featuring the best in Midwinter Greenmarket Sausage and German Beer. We'll call it Sausage and Wheatfest! This event is a collaboration with Slow Food NYC and the Greenmarket's Ed Yowell and part of our unwavering commitment to good, real food!

The closing day of the event, Saturday January 17 from noon until 5 :00 PM, will be dedicated to a Cassoulet Cookoff which will raise funds for the Greenmarket. For a $20 donation at the door you can come in and taste the fun! All proceeds will support the Greenmarket. Local favorite Sixpoint Craft Ales, will be available at the bar for additional charge per beverage.

Here are the rules: Each participant will cook one dish that will include at least one sausage from an approved Greenmarket vendor/farmer.

A few of the cookoff participants include:

Cathy Erway, noteatingoutinny.com
Chef Mark Bello of pizzaacasa.com
Chef Phillip Kirschen–Clark, formerly of WD~50, Jimmy's No.43, and Pegu Club
Melissa Rebholz, Greenmarket supporter and cook at Roberta's in Brooklyn
Kelly Geary, chef/owner of Sweet Deilverance.

For further information visit the Jimmy's No. 43 website.