New York Magazine says it best: “This inviting basement brew bar has a gourmet secret. In addition to dark-wood tables, beer regalia, and 50 brands of mostly German, Belgian and Brooklyn suds, the dive has a tiny hot-plate-equipped kitchen turning out seasonal, locavore grub (note: it now has a full kitchen; that review was written several years ago). Gastro pub worthy eats, rich in flavor and texture, do change often, but staples include their hearty appetizer of friend beer sausage as well as the widely hailed Shishito peppers, roasted with a hint of lemon and sea salt. These sharable dishes are tried-and-true complements to the bar-food liberties taken on nightly whims. “
Jimmy Carbone’s answer to the now outdated NY Magazine review: “There are 12 draught lines and a wide range of bottles from small craft breweries from around the world. We specialize in rare and hard to find beers more than standards from Germany and Belgium (although we typically do have a helles and always have several Belgians, along with beers from France, England, Italy and Spain).”
Jimmy Carbone runs Jimmy’s No. 43, an East Village bar and restaurant with a focus on unique beers and a green market menu. It has been around for over a decade. He believes strongly in supporting local purveyors. Beer Sessions Radio, Jimmy’s latest project, is a conversational format podcast carried on the Heritage Radio Network, where Jimmy and a series of rotating co-hosts discuss the beers, bars, and brewers that make up the craft beer movement.
Truth be told I am a wine & spirits guy with very little knowledge (or love) for beer. It was NYC Beer Week & I decided to learn more about this popular beverage by visiting & talking to Jimmy himself. “We officially launch NYC Beer Week tonight at 7 p.m. with the citywide Opening Tap (we’ll be raising our glass filled with Rocky Point Artisan Brewers’ American Brown Ale), but it’s only one of many local beers we’ll be tapping. Among the kegs ready to tap: Transmitter Brewing Co. (Queens) – NY1 beer, a pale ale/sour made with all NY State ingredients; Folksbier (Brooklyn) – Dark Rye Ale and Light Helles Lager; Big Alice (Queens) – Rye IPA and Multi-grain Sour; Other Half (Brooklyn) – Hop Deeded Imperial IPA and Nelson Sauvin Hop IPA.”
I attended a Sunday afternoon event called- Cicerone v. Cicerone Beer & Food Pairing- James Tai and Brendan Woodcock (both candidates for Master Cicerone – the beer equivalent to Master Sommelier) each paired beers to a tasting menu that included scallops wrapped in bacon to pair with Midnight Sun Snow Shoe (Alaska) & Oude Gueuze Tilquin (Belgium); a roasted parsnip and Brussels’ sprout dish with lemon gremolata to pair with Other Half Laste Ronee (Brooklyn) & NY1 Smash – Transmitter Brewing (LIC); a smoked pork was paired with Einbecker Mai-UR Bock (Germany) & Artisan Amber Ale (Belgium). The Stilton cheese dish was paired with Threes Supere Yawn (Brooklyn) & Evil Twin Brewery Lil B (Denmark). The last dish served was Belgium fries with chocolate paired with Marzenbier Westbrook Oktoberfest Lager (South Carolina) & ST Feuilien Triple (Belgium). Each of the 12 attendees was asked to vote for their favorite pairings. It was pretty much a tie vote.
I left Jimmy’s with a lot more knowledge about beer than I had before attending this event. Go and try the place. You will thank me.
For More Information-
www.newyorkcitybrewersguild.com
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