What better place to learn about beer-making than in a brewery? On Wednesday night, home brewers, beer aficionados and those who were just plain curious were the latest to descend upon the Brooklyn Brewery for the latest installment in Edible Brooklyn’s How-To series. It was hard not to feel inspired surrounded by tanks and barrels and sacks of hops and malt, not to mention the Brewery’s bar itself.
Erica Shea and Stephen Valand of Brooklyn Brew Shop started off the program with a lecture that was augmented by a hilarious slide-show (including a suggestive Craigslist ad that helped illustrate their points) that had the crowd in stitches. Ben Granger of Bierkraft let the audience dip their hands into a jar of hops, taking care of the hands-on portion of the evening. While finally, Brooklyn Brewery’s own Dan Moss, perched appropriately atop a barrel, shared his expertise with the audience.
There were plenty of samples from the brewers, and of course, assorted Brooklyn Brewery beers from behind the bar, and one lucky attendee scored a barrel with the famous cursive “B” stamped on front, to take (roll?) home. With Hurricane Irene threatening to make New Yorkers prisoners of their homes in the near future, the forecast seems perfect for putting into practice what was learned last night. Cheers!
