Bourbon, Brew & BBQ

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Summer is getting into high gear, wine events slack off but there are still food and drink events to attend. This past Saturday I attended the Summer session of Bourbon, Brew & BBQ. The event featured 30+ American beers, 15+ American Rye and Bourbon with BBQ bites to go along with all that.

The event was hosted at Route 66 Smokehouse restaurant at 46 Stone Street in the financial district of lower Manhattan. Stone Street is one of the oldest streets in New York and the first paved street in New Amsterdam. It was also the site of the first commercial brewery in North America. It’s now a historical district with restaurants and outdoor seating on the cobblestone streets. It’s a very popular spot during the warm months with people eating and drinking outside.

At these beer fests I usually like to try the stouts and porters or any of the funky (sour) beers I can find. At this event that had a good selection of American beer but in keeping with the season they were on the light style.

Some whiskey I sampled:

Jim Beam Double Oaked Bourbon (My favorite of the day)

Jim Beam Black Extra Aged Bourbon

OYO Michelone Reserve Bourbon

OYO Single cask Rye

Black Dirt Single Barrel Bourbon (Made in upstate NY with locally sourced ingrediants)

Black Dirt 3 year Bourbon

Redemption High Rye Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Rye

Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash 8 year

Dickel Rye

Templeton Rye 4 year

Templeton Rye 6 year

FEW Rye

FEW Bourbon

BBQ Bites

Billy’s pork belly lettuce wraps

Pork on a fork

Sarah’s famous wings

Deviled eggs

Buttery pretzels

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Fest 2017

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The 8th annual Beer, Bourbon & BBQ festival kicked off its multi city tour this past Saturday, January 28th in Manhattan. Their motto is, Brew it, Taste it. Sip it. Pork it. It was a day of “down home Southern fried good time” to benefit the Spirit of Hope children foundation. There was plenty of beer, cider, whiskey and bbq for the crowd in addition to a DJ, cigars and beer games. The event was held this year as in last at The Tunnel event space at 608 West 28th Street on the far West side of Manhattan.

After feasting on ribs, chicken and pork belly it was time to try several ryes, bourbons and ciders. Of the ciders that I tried, Angry Orchard wooden spoon was the most interesting, bone dry with wood notes on the finish.

Seminar: High End Whiskeys

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Single Barrel-Barrel Proof

Booker’s Bourbon Barrel Strength

Wild Turkey Bourbon Master’s Keep 17 Year

Bib & Tucker Bourbon

Jefferson’s Bourbon Ocean Aged

Sagamore Spirit Rye

Pig Island 2016

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This past Saturday afternoon, September 10th I attended the 7th annual Pig Island Porktacular BBQ festival.

Pig Island was created in 2010 to support New York pig farmers with hogs sourced directly from small farms. This year the pork was provided by Flying Pig Farms in Shushan New York.

The outdoor festival was held on the waterfront at Erie Basin Park in Red Hook, Brooklyn which is surrounded with plenty of reminders of its industrial past with monolithic cranes and rotting piers.

Over 25 Chefs served pork-centric dishes for us to sample along with craft beer, artisan spirits and cider, and the beer and cider came in handy since this Saturday was brutally hot, with temperatures atypical for this time of year in the mid 90’s (34°). I have to give Kudos to the pitmasters who practiced their craft over a hot grill in these temperatures.