A recent post at BR.O piqued my interest, concerned as it was with an as-yet unopened restaurant seeking some advice on a name. I had a vague notion that I knew what place that might be, and sure enough, the description of the location confirmed it. Now, some time back, the guy behind this effort contacted me through Newell Nussbaumer to solicit some advice on his beer list, and we bounced around a few ideas. The months went by, and as I cruised past the place from time to time, I could see progress, but the pace was glacial. I worried for my friend- would he get his restaurant up before running out of funds? Never having any in the first place might have helped in that regard…
So having read the aforementioned post, I decided to stop by yesterday since I was in the area, and my timing as good as said restauranteur was just finishing up work for the day. I saw the progress, and truly, he’s done a remarkable job- the place is certainly enough on the verge of opening that soliciting a name is timely. He claims he’ll be ready by the end of the month, no ‘ifs,’ ‘ands,’ or ‘buts’ about it. So, we turned to the beer selections- he’ll have nine taps, no bottles, and yes: all killer, no filler.
Working through a single, local distributer, he’s going with a broad selection of mainly domestic micros. We talked in part about the menu, making suggestions and selections based on potential food pairings. In the end, we settled on this as a good first draft, though it is by no means definitive. Still, I think it represents a good range for the dishes he’s got in mind, and I’m sure 78-89% of these beers are certainties. So…
Franziskaner will serve ably as the heffeweizen of the house, and I’m hoping he is committed to glassware to go with: presentation is important, especially so in a classic heffeweizen such as this one. ‘Frankie’ (I just made that up, but why not?) should have a frothy head that sustains and laces, and it should be highly effervescent. The aroma should be especially redolent of style-defining yeast odors, especially banana and clove. Soft on the palate from the wheat, the middle will be invitingly sweet, and hop bitterness shouldn’t be noticeable at all. Heffeweizen is recommended for dishes containing shellfish, and especially lobster, and will also match with a salad: a Caesar will work very nicely, but vinaigrettes also fare well.
Anchor Steam is one of my all-time favorite beers, at once a classic (the brewery was founded in 1896) yet at the leading-edge of the American micro revolution (and as well, a long time sponsor of archeo-beer, well before Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch and Chateau Jiahu.) The “Steam Beer”(tm) is one of only a handful of original American beer styles, and the San Francisco brewery’s interpretation of it is packed with distinctive, piney Northern Brewer hops which come on strong, yield to crystal malt sweetness in the middle, and finish up briskly. Anchor Steam will do well with the rack of lamb, and anything else with hearty grilled flavors, but will also make a singularly good session beer on it’s own. Sausage-laden pizzas will compliment this beer as well.
Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter is one of the better-crafted takes on the style, coming from the same brewery responsible for the Wolavers line of organic beers. It’s dark, as it should be, and as I recall (it’s been awhile since I had one) has a lovely chocolatey dimension as well as great burnt tones. Since I can’t speak to it so well right now, I’d just add that it’s highly rated at certain beer reviewing sites around the ‘tubes, and as any good porter should, it will pair especially well with medium-to-well cooked beef with good char, but it might also be one to consider at desert time. Any chocolate-based desert would go well with this; think cannolis with a chocolate-chip/ricotta filling- or tiramisu, naturally. mmmm.
Victory’s Prima Pils was a strong recommendation from me for something other than the now-ubiquitous, SAB-Miller-owned Urquell. Yes, there are other Czech and German pilsners out there worth subbing in, but look: freshness counts, and honestly, Victory’s Prima is the best German-style pilsner you could reasonably walk to the brewery of. Not that it’s a short walk, mind you. You’ll like this with prosciutto and other cured porks- even the pepperonis on your pizza will happily mingle with a pilsner, and the effervescence and alcohol will help rinse the fat, too. Prima will also compliment your spicier dishes- Pasta fra Diavolo, for example.
Brooklyn Lager is very much in the vanguard of the renewed interest in lagers these days, since it is their original beer, their flagship product and really, one of the first takes on a pre-prohibition style lager to come out of an American brewery since, well… prohibition, I guess. Yes, I gush over Brooklyn, I admit it. What can I say, they got it goin’ on! They ranked 22nd as a brewery in a recent Zymurgy reader poll, with their Black Chocolate Stout ranked 27th (alongside 6 other beers) in the same poll’s individual beer tally. On top of that, brewmaster Garrett Oliver has done are remarkable service in bringing craft beer into fine dining, and for that, I am especially happy. In a perfect world, every restaurant with a wine list would have as thoughtfully treated a beer list as well, in my mind.
So, their Brooklyn Lager: It’s got a great copper color, and an aroma that keeps sweet biscuity malt and flavorful, piney hops—not strictly there for a bitter wallop, not at all—and it makes it work all throughout the sip. This will be the default choice for those who can’t see beyond Blue, and I think it’ll convert a good number of drinkers, for it is flavorful, but not aggressive. It will be a star with the planned assortment of real Italian-style pizzas (think very thin crusts, folks.)
The other tap will be saved for Brooklyn beers in rotation. This tap will bounce around with seasonals and specials, allowing the kitchen and the bar to really conspire from time to time to come up with a killer pairing. You can expect such brews as their amazing Black Chocolate Stout and perhaps even their Belgian golden-ale style Local 1 to make a showing, or in summer, consider taking their Brooklyn Pilsner Head-To-Head with the Victory Prima Pils, above. All sots of pairings could happen here: maybe a tall glass of their Brown Ale served with a porcini mushroom risotto (sprinkled with nutty aged parmesan) in the fall?
Southern Tier will be represented with their Raspberry Wheat, their relatively new release and first foray into fruit beers. I’ve sampled the Raspberry Wheat at the Goodbeer Club/Southern Tier special, and while it had a pleasing balance of fruit and wheat malt flavor, it didn’t burst in quite the way I wanted it to. I guess I’m highly critical of the American style of fruit beer, being so long-impressed with the original krieks and other flavored lambics (say, framboise) of Belgium- they typically balance the sweetness with a certain amount of sour which is the sort of complexity I seek in a fruity beer. Still, I think American Fruit Wheat beers have a place in any lineup, and a beer like the Raspberry Wheat will make an easy session-beer, and an intelligent accompaniment to all sorts of deserts–gelato, anyone?
Leinenkeugel’s Honey Weiss: Yes, they’re owned by one of the larger brewing concerns, but so what? We all know about the deal with Blue Moon, too- does that make it any less credible a take on the wit style? After all, Leine’s has been cranking out beers for 140 years- they might have learned a thing or two in that time. I haven’t actually had my friend’s choice here, the Honey Weiss, but I look forward to it, on draft especially. It’s billed as an American Wheat, brewed with a touch of Wisconsin honey and Cluster hops. Coming in at 4.9% abv, I imagine it to be an easy drinking, ever so slightly sweet and light-on the palate beer, and crisp- possibly some citrus in the nose from those Clusters. Should be great with shrimp scampi, or pasta primavera.
Hennepin, from NYS brewers (and importers) Ommegang is one of the earlier and very successful attempts to bring Belgian brewing to the US. Ommegang is justifiably well-regarded for their Three Philosophers and their flagship beer, but Hennepin, their ode to the saison, is an honest beer indeed, and is quite versatile with food as a style. The brewery’s own site suggests you pair Hennepin with
rustic fare such as quiche, bread and cheeses, roasted chicken, fresh water fish, including shellfish (especially lobster). Hennepin’s coriander and ginger notes lend themselves to the composed spicing in Asian cuisines. It goes well with Thai and Indian cuisine, sushi, Mongolian hotpots, fried fish, spare ribs and Peking duck.
In terms of the Italian theme of the place, you’ll find Hennepin goes well with sausages (all types, especially pork), all but especially light and delicate fish, and anything with pepper flavors, to compliment those found in the beer.
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Ok, so there’s your rundown. I’m obvisouly pleased to be having some input into a restaurant’s beer selection, so I’ll make no bones about the idea that this is, on some reading, free advertising- and I haven’t had their food yet, or know who their chef will be. Though, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone I do know shows up there, and if that happens, then I can assure you the food will be every bit as good as the beers. We’ll see, and I’ll keep you all posted on where he goes with the beers.
6 users commented in " Area Restaurant With No Name (Yet) Will Serve Great Beer "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackIts a little disappointing to see another Italian restaurant opening. That’s one ethnic restaurant that Buffalo is not lacking. There are so many excellent ones already in every price range. However, maybe something tried and true is necessary to survive in mid-town. I wish them luck in any event.
Great beer selection. I look forward to trying a couple that I’ve never had. I am not a fan of Otter Creek. I spent three years in VT and I think Otter Creek is the worst brewery in VT and aren’t worth the money given so many alternatives. That said, the Porter is the best of the bunch. I’ve tried Wolaver’s Pale Ale and thought it too was unexciting. I love Brooklyn, Ommegang and Anchor. All their offerings are solid!
I hear you on the Italian, but I think your suggestion might be a solid point. Also, not everything on the menu is straight-up Italian- I think there’ll be some bistro/continental fare as well, um, whatever that means.
But in the end, my total dream restaurant would be, I know this is shocking, cuisine a la bier. Something with a Belgian theme overall, but with a chef who was innovative and capable of trying to use beer in thai dishes, or in indian… there’s a place like this in the TO, haven’t been, but damn… that’s what I salivate thinking about. Who’s got the balls? Who among you, oh Buffalo restaurateurs, has what it takes? Naturally, you’ll need someone with a sophisticated beer palate to help in the bar management side of things.
Otter Creek doesn’t hold a candle to Magic Hat, I fully agree, and I also agree that the Porter is their best, though I don’t know the rest really well. Wolavers, I actually think is tastier, but I doubt it has much to do with the organics- I especially like their Stout, though it is thin. As for other VT breweries, I’ve only really like Long Trail’s Alt-style beer, and well… I’m not familiar with any of the others.
So if BR.O already covered the story, that makes you a bit repetitive. Or is it nostalgia, about the days before WNY Media when you were writing things for a site that people read, that got you inspired? Though, it was a good idea to link Christa’s story, the three subscribers to this site will soon be avid followers of BR.O. We’ll catch up more later, when I catch you plagiarizing the next BR article.
Really, I should know better. However… “Jack”
I am not repetitive, in that I covered an entirely different angle on the same place, their beer selection. I did so because I had already been engaged with the individual named, and the BR.O post informed me that he was finally on the threshold of opening- a good time to check in and see how things were going in the beer department. When I did so, my input was freely given, and well-received. More importantly, my potential for advertorial bias was discussed explicitly at the end of the piece. Would that BR.O could do as much.
Indeed, my traffic numbers are small, but it is entirely reasonable to want to see links in both directions. I’m read enough for me to keep on doing it, that’s all I need. I’m inspried by my subject, not so much by the numbers. And as a blog, this one is what 2 months old? I’d be deluded if I thought that’d be enough time to generate a following. We’ll see how I stack up to other beer blogs (a better comparison than BR.O, anyway) in a year or so.
As for why I no longer write for BR.O, there’s not a lot of point in airing dirty laundry, though it is true (and becoming embarassingly well known, my fault I’m sure) that I am extremely disappointed with the direction they began to take not at all long after I began writing for them. I will simply say that WNYMedia allows me more latitude as to topics and formats, and I found that compelling enough to accept the offer. Whether BR.O chose to marginalize me for that decision or I marginalized myself by being a total pain in the ass- well, if you know so much, I’m sure you’ve already decided. I think it’s probably both.
As for me plagiarizing a BR.O article, yes, please, let me know. The funny thing about that accusation is that I sat in-committee just today to discuss a plagiarism case, and so I suggest I might know a bit more about what constitutes it than yourself. So, if and when you catch me willfully directly quoting or paraphrasing from BR.O writing and also failing to make a reference on that, you let me know.
But I’ll own up to having read a BR.O piece that prompted me to write a post on a different, though related, topic. Sure. And commenting there with a link to here, and vice versa, definitely. So what?
Jack might be interested to know that our traffic numbers are equal to or exceed those of BuffaloRising’s, well, with the exception of two significant bumps on BRO’s graph which have been discussed on my site ad nauseum.
http://tinyurl.com/yqzmqp
For the record, Ethan had no knowledge that I was going to post such a link nor will he probably appreciate the fact that I did. However, all our writers here are given liberty to write as they like and comment as they wish. That’s how we roll.
Jack,
Why so bitter? WCP & Steel and the latest generation of writer/interns often write on BRO about their perspective on matters that were previously covered by the News. Does that makes their stories “a bit repetitive”? Adam Fix now writes on beer-related matters for BRO. Is his doing so a rip off of Ethan? IMO the answer to both questions is generally “no”.
I occasionally view BRO but admittedly not as much as in the past. Friends that I know who were avid readers when BRO first came online and I can’t put my finger exactly why. Generally, we agree that something seems missing over the course of the past year. Maybe you’re a new BRO reader who still finds everything fresh, in which case, good for you.
Maybe you’re too ready to pick a fight to actually read the stories in question. BRO article was about the opening of the restaurant and a creating a naming contest. Ethan’s article overwhelmingly focused on the beers offered and a description of the beers themselves. Sure they have a common denominator, the restaurant, but the content is hardly repetitive.
BR
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