The Theory of Beervolution

By Eric Sturniolo Evolution states that over generations, entire species, individual organisms, and tiny molecules all change. Beervolution happens much more quickly, and is much more important. This is my story. When I was about 16, my dad let me have my first beer, Becks. It was disgusting. But most adults seemed to like beer,…

The Wild Side: American Sour Beers

You might remember those old Keystone Light “bitter beer face” commercials—some guy takes a sip of harsh (gross) beer that makes his face implode. Today many craft brewers are making beer known as wild or sour beers, with the goal of making you pucker up. The term “wild” comes from the wild yeasts that ferment…

What’s Brewing: Jeppe from Evil Twin

By Andrew One of the best stouts around—Imperial Biscotti Break—is brewed by Evil Twin’s Brooklyn-based brewmaster Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, originally from Denmark. He’s been dubbed a “gypsy brewer,” because he doesn’t have a home-base brewery, but instead travels to different locations to brew his beers. Last year, Jarnit-Bjergsø opened the craft-beer bar Tørst and accompanying restaurant…

Beer and Food at Whole Foods Gowanus

By Eric Sturniolo   Three heirloom tomatoes.  One bushel of kale.  Four amazing beers fresh from the tap.  That was my day (minus the tomatoes and kale; I can’t cook) at the new Whole Foods in Gowanus, Brooklyn.  In the huge, shiny store, I focused on the beer and the cafe. To start your beer…

Smell the Funk

Andrew: Tonight I had my first beer from a relatively new brewery Prairie Artisan Ales called ‘Merica. They are based in Oklahoma, making this the first beer I’ve ever had from Oklahoma, too … I think. This is a farmhouse saison, and by farmhouse, I think they mean “entire farm,” because it is unbelievably funky.…

Good Sucks

Eric:  Lagunitas Sucks is back in NYC after what seems like a year-long wait.  An imperial IPA, it’s extremely hoppy and bitter.  This year’s batch actually tastes more bitter than before.   Like most of my favorite IPAs, I taste grapefuit, citrus, and pine with a huge citrus smell.  Open it and walk a few…

Lunch For Lunch

Eric:  I love Maine Beer Company.  Their IPA Lunch is one of my favorite IPAs (and favorite beer) of all time.  Finally, I had it on tap at Pony Bar -UES.   I taste orange, citrus, and pine.  It’s more bitter and not as juicy as Heady Topper or Jai Alai.  If you’re in NYC…

Coming Soon: Bourbon County Review

Andrew: This will be a short post, because I don’t have much to say about actual beer yet. Last Friday, I braved a cold morning in NYC to stand on a line. No, it wasn’t to get a deal on a LCD TV or $1 Space Jam DVD … surprise! … it was for beer.…

!!!Amazing IPA Alert!!!

Andrew: The first time I tried a beer by the Swedish brewery Omnipollo was at The Festival this past summer. I actually spoke with Henok, founder and brewer, and he told me about all of the beers they were pouring (while we waited in the long line to try Cantillon’s Zwanze). He was a really…

Pie Beer Night at Mission Delores

Eric:  Pie and Beer.  A classic pairing.  They go together like goat cheese and crack.  Lucky for me, a great Brooklyn beer bar, Mission Dolores, had a Pie Beer Night!  There were six different pies, made locally by Four and Twenty Blackbirds, with recommended beer pairings. The bar is in Park Slope/Gowanus on 4th Ave…

Goose Island Takeover at Top Hops Redux

Eric:  It was a typical Wednesday night in BrewBoyz land.  We went to Top Hops for a Goose Island sour ales release party. They had brand new bottles called Halia and Gillian, as well as a great tap lineup inlcuding Lolita, Sofie Paradisi, Bourbon County Stout, Bourbon County Coffee Stout, Bourbon County Cherry Rye, and…

Review Timez!

Eric:  Last night I was lucky enough to have some really rare and incredible Hair of the Dog beers.  But first, some other stuff I’ve had recently: Friday night was IPA night (with a sour break)- Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA is made with German and German-inspired hops and malts.  Maybe because of that, it…

I <3 NYC for these reasons

Andrew: On Saturday I went for a walk with the family in our neighborhood and tried out a new bar called The Jeffrey. It’s a great new bar—awesome beer selection and a nice, big outdoor area in the back. My old boss used to bring his dogs there when it was a dog care place.…

Reading Is Hard, Lists Are Fun, and This List is Wrong

Eric:  If you’re like me, you’re illiterate, but slowly grasping how to read.  I’ve gotten most words down, but when they are put together in sentences and paragraphs, my head starts to hurt and I give up and drink beer.  This is why lists are great.. who needs all those unnecessary sentence words?! But lists,…

It’s Hot, and Other Science Facts

Eric:  Science can be pretty science-ey sometimes.  That’s evident by the heat wave NYC has been experiencing.  As I type this, it’s 96 with a heat index of 105.  It’s so hot that it’s caused trees to shed bark almost as fast as I’ve shed clothes. I’m sure you’ve heard that beer makes you dehydrated.…

A Very BrewBoyz Road Trip – Part I: The Itinerary

Eric:  You like beer, live in NYC, and have a Hyundai Elantra.  What to do? Drive 6 hours to Vermont on a random Thursday, of course!  That’s what we did, leaving early Thursday morning, making some epic anti-traffic maneuvers, and arriving at 3pm.  Our trip included stops at: 1. tasting and purchases at Hill Farmstead…

Sour Beers: My Take

Eric: In an effort to continue weaning myself off my IPA addiction, I’ve been tasting more and more of Andrew’s precious gross sour beers. But they are actually pretty good! I even drank a whole glass all by myself, like a big boy! This happened on July 4th, at Torst, which is an amazing beer…