The Who:
It's hard to keep up with the ever-growing New York City craft beer scene. The number of local breweries in the last five years has more than tripled. In fact, the breweries have formed an association, the NYC Brewers Guild, to collaborate and promote each other. They are the ones hosting the annual NYC Beer Week with some thirst-quenching can't miss events. And throughout the year they often release special collaborative beers.

At last count there are 26 breweries producing beer in the five boroughs. More are on their way and a slew of others are based in the city but contract brew somewhere else. Since we have re-launched our Brewery Winery Distillery Tour, we have created a map listing all the places to drink local beer at the source. 

But now you don't always need to go to the brewery because even the smallest of the local producers are beginning to find ways to allow you to take the beer home with you.

The What:
Many of these breweries are very small and don't have the facilities and expenses needed to bottle their beers on a larger scale for distribution. So until very recently, you coukd only find most of these beers on draft at local beer bars or at the brewery tasting rooms.

A rented mobile canning system has been the answer for a lot of the local breweries hoping to get their beer in more hands. The local cans probably started with Kelso and Bronx Brewery when they began releasing their Pilsner and Pale Ale in cans in 2013. Prior to that, it was only available on draft. Other breweries, like KCBC, Gun Hill, Rockaway, Singlecut, Flagship, Finback, and even the brewpubs Threes and Greepoint Beer and Ale Co. followed suit.

Some, like Other Half and Interboro, only sell the cans at the brewery and they sell out fast. Others, like Keg & Lantern, don't actually can until you buy - using a special crowler system - sealing up the beer and allowing you to bring it back for a re-fill. Just like growlers, but in a can.
 
The Why:
It's certainly more economical and indeed better for the freshness of the beer by keeping out air and light. It also enables these small local breweries to reach a wider audience. And this is how we like to drink - local, sustainably, and sometimes in the comfort of our own apartments. And while there was once a stigma of beers in cans being of lower quality, the excellence of our local breweries (and others around the country) have easily dispelled that myth. So now you can feel good about knocking back a cold one.

The Where:
All over New York City (all five boroughs are represented)
Learn more on our Brewery tours
Or at the NYC Brewers Guild

​​Click on the title for more info.

The Second Annual Ruppert's Cup Awards / Saturday, March 4, 2017 from 12pm-3pm
The voting has already begun - be sure to vote here. Barcade Brooklyn hosts the official closing event for NYC Beer Week where great NYC collaborative beers will be available, including some SMaSH (Single Malt, Single Hop) brews, food trucks will provide some grub, and awards will be given out. But the truth is, everyone who attends is a winner!

​​Click on the title for more info.

The Who:
Peter Shelsky refers to himself as a terrible Jew. To illustrate, he shows us the pig tattoo on his arm. Not only are Jews forbidden to eat pork, they are also not allowed to have tattoos. Yet the native New Yorker runs a very Jewish food business on Court Street.  A trained chef who has worked at some high end Manhattan restaurants and oversees a successful catering company, Peter decided to bring back traditional New York Jewish food to Brooklyn with Shelsky's of Brooklyn.

Peter himself is often at the shop on Court Street answering questions about where his smoked and pickled fish come from and showing off his Bar Mitzvah album. The little shop, which opened in 2011 at a smaller location a few blocks away before heading to a longer storefront with a few tables and chairs, is a true mom and pop business where the owner is just as excited about the food as the customers are. 

The What:
Appetizing stores were all over Brooklyn and the Lower East Side once upon a time as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in those areas and needed a place to get their non-meat products. In the kosher tradition, meat and dairy must be kept separate. In fact, you're not even allowed to purchase them at the same store. So an appetizing shop is a place that sells any products that are not meat related. Usually, the signature of the stores are the array of smoked fish, pickled herrings, cream cheese, and bagels or bialys.

Peter has all of those and more (try the bluefish salad and the king salmon bacon) and they are sourced from the finest producers. On our Brownstone Brooklyn Tour, we get to sample the classic New York sandwich which Peter dubs the Member of the Tribe. New Yorkers will recognize the classic combination of Gaspe Nova smoked salmon and a schmear of cream cheese on a chewy untoasted bagel (New York bagels should never be toasted, but we'll save that for a separate blog post).

A few years ago, Peter decided to expand his menu and include a section for delicatessen specialities, like pastrami, corned beef, and tongue. In the days of ole or in a very religious neighborhood, this combination of meat and dairy would not fly. But Peter is selling nostalgia here rather than religion. And as many people in the area have held onto their identity but might not be strict in their religious practicings, this place offers a very special taste of home.

In addition to the fish, meat, and sandwiches you can find all sorts of gastronomic  treasures including Dr. Brown's sodas, bags of the Israeli peanut snack called Bamba, homemade rugelach, pickles, and halva. 
 
The Why:
As times changed, appetizing stores sort of faded into the past. Aside from a handful still remaining, like the famous Russ & Daughters in the Lower East Side, most people have never stepped into a store quite like this. Peter has brought back a very specific culture and cuisine that is important to the heritage and diet of many New Yorkers. And it's these kind of small local businesses that make this city so rich, vibrant, and unique. 

The Where:
Shelsky's of Brooklyn,
141 Court Street,
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 855-8817
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