First Annual Oyster & Beer Festival In NYC Delights Event Attendees

The first annual Oyster & Beer Festival included unlimited samples of oysters along with other seafood, live music, beer, wine, and spirits.

NYC welcomed the first annual Oyster & Beer Festival at the Tunnel in West Chelsea this past weekend. The event featured unlimited samples of oysters, seafood, beer, wine, spirits, and live music.

The gamut of raw oysters at the event came from both east and west coast, including Empire (NY), Chatham (MA), Mantunuck (RI), Penn Cove (WA), and Bajamotos (Mexico), just to name a few.

In addition to raw oysters, the event served New England Clambake with lobster, clams, garlic, potatoes, corn, kielbasa, and red onion, as well as Southern-Style seafood boil with shrimp, clams, mussels, and garlic.

Attendees also enjoyed a wide selection of beer, wine, and spirits, such as the Pumphouse wine, which stores its wine on top to retain freshness.

Experiencing The Culture And Taste Of Japan At Sumo Stew

Sumo Stew party at the Brooklyn Brewery featured streaming of live sumo matches from Japan, as well as tasty bento boxes and soup.

New Yorkers had an opportunity to experience Japanese culture while enjoying delicious food and drinks at last week’s Sumo Stew. The event – inspired by the founder of The Brooklyn Kitchen’s journey through Japan – pairs live streaming of professional sumo matches with drinks and bites from Japan.

The event took place at the Brooklyn Brewery in the heart of Williamsburg. Upon checking in, each guest received a bento box curated by some of the top local chefs at restaurants like Ramen Burger, EN Japanese Brasserie, Yakitori by Neal, and The Crimson Sparrow. In addition, they received tokens in exchange for sake, shochu, tea, and of course draft beer from Brooklyn Brewery.

The bento box truly highlighted the unique variety of Japanese cuisine. It featured cold, refreshing ramen noodles perfect for the hot weather, sun-dried daikon and Japanese mushrooms in chilled dashi, tender grilled chicken thigh, and spicy pork belly with garlic, ginger, and scallion.

As though the bento box wasn’t fulfilling enough, the guests were treated to chankonabe, or hearty soup with mixed vegetables, noodles, and meat. This dish is also known as sumo stew because it is commonly eaten in large quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet.

There were plenty of ways to quench your thirsts as well. In addition to Japanese spirits like shochu, sake, and whisky, guests enjoyed Japanese green tea from Ito En and a selection of seasonal and year-round beer on tap from Brooklyn Brewery. A portion of the proceeds was also donated towards relief efforts helping those affected by the recent Kumamoto earthquakes in Japan. Doing good while having fun!

Best Oysters And Beer Pairings You Must Try This Summer

We all know of popular food and drink pairings like steak and red wine, fish and white wine, and wings and beer. But have you ever thought about pairing freshly shucked raw oysters with refreshing, unfiltered cask ale beer? Enjoy the delicate, sublet flavors of any of these East Coast oysters from Blue Island Oyster Farm, the leading oyster and clam distributor in the New York area, with a great selection of beer fromBlue Point Brewing Company, the first craft brewery in Long Island.

Blue Point Oysters

World-renowned for their exceptional appeal, Blue Point Oysters are distinguished by their moderately briny flavor, sweet crisp body, and slightly mineral, celery-salt finish. These oysters are cultivated in Long Island’s Great South Bay in strong tidal currents that are full of nutrient-rich plankton, diatoms, and algae. The unique environment of Blue Point Oysters lends to their firm texture with a sweet aftertaste that sparkles with salinity.

Naked Cowboy Oysters

Named after the iconic street performer in New York City’s Times Square, the Naked Cowboy Oysters are one of the few wild oysters hand-harvested by the scuba divers of Long Island Sound. True to their wild nature, Naked Cowboy Oysters tend to have many variations in flavor and appearance. Because wild oysters grow more slowly than cultivated oysters, it can take about 3 years for Naked Cowboys to reach market size. This leads to their firmer meats with a richer, more complex flavor with strong mineral accent, smooth texture, and refreshing brininess.

Peconic Bay Oysters

Founded in Great Peconic Bay in Long Island, Peconic Bay Oysters are Atlantic oyster that are between 3 to 5 inches in size. These oysters have plump meats with a full flavor and buttery finish. Slurp down ice-cold, slick Peconic Bay Oysters topped with garnishes of your choice like horseradish, cocktail sauce, or champagne mignonette.

Toasted Lager

Brewed using six different grains to perfect a balanced flavor of malt and hops, the award-winning Toasted Lager is Blue Point Brewing Company’s flagship and most popular brew. The classic American amber lager also uses a special proprietary lager yeast to infuse exceptional, long-lasting smooth finish that pairs perfectly with fresh oysters.

Oatmeal Stout

If you are a fan of darker brews, then you will love the Oatmeal Stout. A unique combination of pale, crystal, chocolate, and roasted malts with flaked oats create deeply malted and silky stout that is full of rich flavor that just begs for more.

Blueberry Ale

The golden Blueberry Ale provides a crisp flavor with a hint of blueberry and mild hops finish. The balance of lively berry aroma with session ale leads to a refreshing taste that can be enjoyed year-round.

Hoptical Illusion

Hoptical Illusion is another award-winning, American-style IPA that infuses all the intense hop flavors you have ever dreamed of. Made using the freshest hops, including a rare type hand-selected from a small farm in Oregon, Hoptical Illusion will certainly entice your taste bud.

Sweet Pumpkin and Rich Chocolate Beer at Brooklyn Pour

Sipping on a glass of chocolate-flavored beer that resembled the taste of a creamy chocolate shake, I felt like I was at a 1950s boxcar diner instead of at a beer festival. But at the annual Brooklyn Pour, all beverages--including this delicious Shake Chocolate Porter from Boulder Beer Company--were for grown-ups only. More than 125 craft breweries showcased their best selection of signature and seasonal beer at this year's event, which took place at the historic Skylight One Hanson. Formerly the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the event venue reminded me of Hogwarts from the main floor and Gringotts Bank from the downstairs vault. While unlimited libation was the key highlight of the event, I also enjoyed the photo booth where the slightly buzzed attendees could capture their silliest faces, the game area featuring mini foosball, basketball toss, and beer pong, as well as the food truck courtyard serving everything from Philly cheesesteak to pepperoni pizza. It's hard to pick out my favorite because the tastes of beers start to blend in after a while, but as a pumpkin aficionado, I loved the Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale from Stevens Point Brewery. With each and every sip, I became more convinced that I was eating a slice of velvety pumpkin pie sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. And even for someone who always chooses vanilla over chocolate, the Chocolate Porter from Boulder Beer Company stole my heart. Its unique blend of chocolate wheat, cacao nibs, coffee, and caramel that gave off creamy, chocolate flavor with an alcoholic kick. What a sweet treat in a bottle!

Hopping Beer Tasting at the NYC Craft Beer Festival

Having been a college student for the past four years, my predilection for beer has been tainted by a 30-rack of lukewarm PBR, a keg of flat Natural Light or, the worst, a red Solo cup of whatever cheap beer left in the fridge that has been sullied by dirty ping pong ball in a game of beer pong. Coupled with the fear of gaining a mounting beer belly as portrayed by Homer Simpson, I never acquired the taste for beer and would grudgingly drink just a sip of green beer to celebrate St. Patrick's Day once a year. So when I attended the NYC Craft Beer Festival with my beer-loving boyfriend last Friday, it was more of a challenge to test my tolerance for beer than an enjoyment of unlimited tasting for 3.5 hours. Upon entering the massive, open venue at the Lexington Armory, we encountered endless rows of breweries pouring samples of craft beers into our 2-ounce tasting glasses. In total, the festival featured more than 150 varieties of beer and ciders from 75 breweries around the world. People say to never judge a book by its cover, but because I did not know anything about beer to begin with, I decided which beer to drink on a case-by-case basis depending on the design of its can or a bottle. One of my favorites was the sparking ginger beer from the Edinburg-based Crabbie's, which was served with a cube of ice and topped with a slice of lime. I promise the fact that this drink looked more like a fruity cocktail and tasted like ginger ale had little to do with my liking for this beer. Another brewery that caught my eyes was the Magic Hat Brewery from South Burlington, Vermont. Its circus-themed station with a dangling paper skeleton was enough to direct my feet to the booth for a taste of its seasonal Elder Betty, a Weiss-style ale with bready malt flavor balanced by a touch of hops and complemented by the tart berry flavors of elderberry. While most breweries served their best-selling and seasonal ale or lager, there was one "brewery" that distinctively stood out from the others. Tucked away in the basement level of the Connoisseur Lounge, Enlightenment Wines, which operates from a family farmstead in the Hudson Valley, showcased four varieties of meads and botanical fruit wines. Raphael Lyon, the founder of Enlightenment Wines, also led a seminar aimed at educating consumers about this esoteric drink. In addition to the educational seminar, the festival also featured the first-ever Craft Beer Concierge Center, where consumers could ask any beer-related questions to the on-site Cicerones (beer sommeliers), as well as beer pairings like grilled cheese, hot dogs, and pretzels. Since its debut in March 2012, the NYC Craft Beer Festival has grown to three seasonal shows per year. The next tasting will take place in November. While I did not become a beer aficionado by the end of the 3.5-hour long tasting, I now know much more about this thirst quencher -- at the least that there is an expansive selection of craft beers beyond the typical fares from college, of Coors! Photo courtesy of Andrew Dominick

Taste of Fall at Brooklyn Pour With My Favorite Pumpkin Beer

For someone who loves everything pumpkin (pumpkin pie, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin muffin, even plain pumpkin puree!), fall is my favorite season to attend beer festivals. After all, 'tis the season for pumpkin beer! This year's Brooklyn Pour certainly satisfied my craving for this autumnal flavor with plenty of craft breweries featuring their seasonal pumpkin brew. Smuttynose, a brewery in New Hampshire, served its Pumpkin Ale. Available only from late summer through Thanksgiving, this rich and slightly bitter beer is made with real pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for the perfectly spiced pumpkin flavor. Based on its name, you would think that the Leaf Pile Ale from Greenport Harbor has nothing to do with pumpkin. But don't judge a beer by its name! Leaf Pile Ale packs so much pumpkin flavor that your taste buds might mistake it for a piece of pumpkin pie in a glass. In addition to pumpkin, the Leaf Pile Ale has flavors of ginger, cinnamon, whole bean vanilla, all spice, and nutmeg to produce that aromatic autumnal taste. The drink selection at Brooklyn Pour was not limited to beer - we also got to try cider, cocktail, almond milk, and coffee. I especially enjoyed Ace Pumpkin Cider, which is made by adding cinnamon, cloves, and all spice to fermented apple juice. This seasonal cider is released after Labor Day and available through Thanksgiving. My only question is, "Why don't they make it year-round?" I guess the seasonality of pumpkin beer and cider make them that much more special. Organized by the Village Voice, Brooklyn Pour celebrated its fifth anniversary with over a hundred craft breweries from New York and beyond pouring glasses after glasses of their best seasonal, micro, and reserve brews to beer aficionados. This year's event was held in a new location at the Brooklyn Expo Center. In addition to beer tasting, the event featured other entertainment. My boyfriend and I battled it out against another couple on an intense round of corn hole (of course we came out victorious!), made funny faces at the photo booth, and also participated in a stein hoisting competition. I was so close to winning, but my muscle gave out with just a couple seconds to spare. Next time! Photo courtesy of Laura June Kirsch