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EP 815 Beer Tasting at Brooklyn Brewery with Garrett Oliver

Gary travels to Brooklyn to visit with brewmaster Garrett Oliver, to taste some interesting beers. Gary and Garrett discuss the beer and wine industry and Garrett’s new book, The Brewmaster’s Table.

Wines tasted in this episode:

Brooklyn Brewery Local 1
Brooklyn Brewery Local 2
Brooklyn Brewery Black Ops

Links mentioned in todays episode.


Latest Comment:

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luca bercelli

91/100

I started out thinking the guest wasn’t too great but he won me over in the end and it turned out to be a fascinating and entertaining episode.

Tags: beer, Brooklyn Brewery, review, Video

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  • changing the world in general, I would say.
    Awesome show, great guest, next time I am in NYC I am headed to the brewery…Saturday or Sunday with the nerd crowd…so I can check out all of the stainless steel.

    QOTD: keep your brett under control or you might be marketing all of your beer that way.
    I've enjoyed the Brooklyn lager in past years, and I'd have to taste the whole of the current line to draw up any kind of request about what you are not doing for me.
    In the meantime, it seems like you are doing a great job of convincing folks that they do not have to be satisfied by mass produced mediocrity. Brew on, man, brew on!

  • Anonymous

    QOTD: Garret. It is interesting that you mention Russian River and then ask the question about Brett. Two of my favorite beers at the moment are Consecration and Temptation. I would love to see Brooklyn do some beers with brett fermentations. Being on the east coast it would be great to have some alternatives to tracking down Russian River, Lost Abbey, etc. I also wouldn't mine some more traditional Lambics being done in the US to avoid having to buy all imports for that style, as it is one of my favorite styles.

  • Thank you for talking about beer aromatics. I've always felt it was underrated! Great stuff. Thanks!

  • scottEJ

    Love the brew. Especially now that I'm a bit more seasoned and can appreciate the good, well made beers that have purpose. Also, it seems to me that the craft beer folks have it kinda fugured out as to staying within a certain model and level of growth. Kinda like cult wines, you know have cult beer makers that only make certain beers, at certain amounts, during certain times. The old “keep 'em wanting more” philosophy is making a nice little underworld for the craft beer brewers.

    QOTD: Keep it simple, but keep it good. You're the pro, you know what we like and want.

  • Awesome episode. I've never had Brooklyn Brewery beers and have wanted to for the longest time, they don't sell them locally. garret Oliver seems like such a great character.

    QOTD: It would be fun if they made a series of flavored beers with desserts in mind, sweet ones or fruit driven. ( I don't know if they make them or if they have in the past)

  • tomfolsom

    QOTD From a lurker(forum poster) – Bret is awesome. More bret is awesome. I love giving sours to people and going “this is a flemish sour…” they look at me crazily.. and then love the beer.

    Great episode, guys

  • BuddhaChu

    Great shoutout for New Glarus Brewery in Wisconsin. A co-worker brought back a case of my favorite beer of theirs for me…Spotted Cow. Give that a try if you get the chance.

    If you ever get to Anchorage, Alaska, be sure to hit The Moose's Tooth and Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse for great food and beer.

    QOTD: The Brooklyn Brewery can bring their beers to Joklahoma. We can't even get Fat Tire beer here because of the archaic laws that protect the stupid distributors and force “good beer” to be sold at room temp at liquor stores.

  • ErieWineGuy

    What an amazing show and guest!!!

    QOTD: Not sure, but what about a beer that has a scotch flavor?

  • jsums

    Gotta get down to the brewery on some spring weekend for a tour and a taste. Thanks for the excellent show. QOTD – I enjoy some Brett when it adds character in the background of a wine or beer. When it dominates the beverage, it's awful. Hmm… beer ideas… not sure… something with bacon? I like bacon. Bacon tastes good.

  • pre-QOTD: Egh, had a beer 100% fermented with Brettanomyces, and it was way too much barnyard. Literally smelled and tasted like petting zoo, and not in a good way in the least. Go easy on the brett.

    QOTD: I haven't had enough Brooklyn beer to know quite yet, so improve the distribution!

  • karrens

    QOTD: Hoppier beer. My favorite beers have long been Stone's Arrogant Bastard and Double Bastard Ales. There's a good chunk of the beer-drinking public which just can't get enough bitterness, and the standard (albeit often quite good) A/IPAs and stouts a lot of craft brewers are making just don't quite cut it. Also, sour ale. Magic Hat in Vermont in particular has made a couple over the past two years or so which have been fantastic.

  • Jeffwhite89

    *************** Lurker Alert ************* Lurker Alter ******************
    LOL….This was a great show, I LOVED the guest. I think I laughed the whole 38 mins. Great show and thanks for giving beer a chance to shine….. PS if anyone knows where to fine this beer in the LA/ San Fernando Valley area let me know. I just want to buy it because Garrett is so confident in his product and such a great guy. : -)

  • kungfu_sage

    best guest ever. Gosh Gary if you're gonna start doing beer shows you gotta do some tastings the next time you visit us over in Portland. Cool shout out to stump town coffee in there.

    QOTD: so far all I know that Brooklyn brewing isn't doing for me is selling beer in Portland.

  • kungfu_sage

    My dad always has a bastard or two on hand, I think it's mostly cause he loves it and he knows no one else is gonna be drinking it. it's quite a bit beyond my palette.

  • kungfu_sage

    My dad always has a bastard or two on hand, I think it's mostly cause he loves it and he knows no one else is gonna be drinking it. it's quite a bit beyond my palette.

  • Andrew

    Hey Gary!
    What an amazing ep!
    Ever since I got my sommelier cert., I've been looking to get my cicerone cert. & this EP gives me the best of both worlds!
    Garrett – X things
    1. You're the man
    2. Thank you for making amazing beer
    3. I work for BevMo! & I know that CA wants your beer
    (I have to trade to get it & it feels like we're still living in the 18th amendment!)
    4. QotD – Make your grand entrance into the CA market with a Collaboration beer with The Bruery & Stone (they're the keystone in the collaboration market here in CA) while making a true brett beer. I know that you love the beers that Vinnie is making, but I believe that the yeast the Pat & Tyler have cultured is absolutely fantastic!

  • legndaryrat

    Opera (the web browser) and your comment system don't seem to care much for each other.

    Seeing as how I've never tried any of Brooklyn's beers I'll just shamelessly bump my favorite beer. Siberian Night Russian Imperial Stout by Salty Dog Brewing.

  • medo303

    Garrett, what you can do for us?
    Ship your beer to Germany – I neeeed to try your stuff!

  • Smithers… release the hounds… ; )

  • Hey, you know, the stuff that taste better than wine?

    *quickly runs and dives for cover*

  • Sorry, only flags with blue, white and RED are going to rock the Olympics.

    😛

  • Great , great show, good story . It's a history lesson for us all. Beer, It's like most things that got overtaken by industry, flavour, brands and quality disappeared. Thank god for guys like Garrett.

    Available Brooklyn's in Sweden at the moment. Local 1 and 2 sold out!
    Brooklyn East India Pale Ale
    Brooklyn Black Ops
    Brooklyn Brown Ale
    Brooklyn Lager
    Brooklyn Schneider Hopfen-Weiss
    Haven't had the wheat beer and the Black-ops(new release monday, getting my stephson to buy one for me i Stockholm). Hate the IPA (don't like any IPA, to much grapefruit for my palate), love the Brown Ale and Local 2. I'm a sucker for abbey style beers 🙂

    Ommegang make wondeful ales, Kona Brewing has faboulus beers
    QOTD: I have always wondered if blueberry could make something for beer, like cherry can do when done good.

  • winestein99

    havent had your beer, they dont have it in hawaii. i work at a wine and beer store as well as an italian wine and beer bar and would love to have your product as well.

    qotd. i used to be all about the super hoppy beers but now that ive gotten into wine more and more i realized that ide like more balance. im going to the sweeter side now. ballast point has a beer called victory at sea that is amazing but if it had a little more sweetness it would be around the 99 point range for me. mikkeller also has some absolutly crazy good beer, there stouts really impress me.

  • VERY interesting episode. Loved all the historical stuff. Great guest – one of the best ever. He could easily carry his own show.

  • winestein99

    oh and about the brett, give it a shot. the light sours are really refreshing. tart fruit lambics are also really nice food pairing bevs.

  • Richie

    QOTD: Ship the stuff to Germany so I can try it! That would be a great start in my opinion. 😉

  • teckdeck2008

    Qotd: Well, since I've never had your beer before I'll go buy it, try it and get back to you on that request. I am a beer fanatic so its not out of lack of trying.

    Gary, on the wine vs beer note you mentioned: I think part of it is that a lot of people don't drink beer to sniffy sniff and swirl their beer. They want something they can casually drink down with some simple food, and what they don't realize is that wine can work in that situation in the same way that beer can work in the high end food situation as well. Its seen as an either-or situation when it can be both situation.

  • Think you’re going to have to trade to get yourself some. But you have a ton of great breweries in California. Check those out.

  • But you guys have Hair Of The Dog and that stuff is amazing!

  • well i really liked his personality he is dynamic and i love microbrewed beers. im truly trying to find a forum where i could just chat personally with you garywithout worrying anyone wlse could misinterperate and its a peice of adviec that is me aking you and you alone if you have time please gary once it is resolved either way i promis to respect your opinion

  • I'm not normally a huge fan of episodes with guests, but this one was AWESOME! It makes me want to the cross the big A pond, to come visit this guy!

  • Garrett was the best guest you have had in a while and you finally didn't talk over the guest GV. I am going to have to seek out the #2 and the Black Ops as they seem to be right down my alley.

    QOTD: What you need to do is trade some beer for some Nebiolo barrels and then brew an Imperial stout and age it in the barrels. I have had a beer by Alvinne called The Oak Podge that is done in Burgundy barrels and it is amazing.

  • Welcome Jeff 🙂

  • This was a really awesome video! I love hearing people tell their story about “making it”. I still hate beer only because I'm not a big alcohol drinker but I love WLTV!

  • elron

    Like someone mentioned below, New Glarus has highly rated beers if you can't get your hands on a Brooklyn!

  • Excellent episode. Garrett is such a charismatic guy and now I'm DYING to try his products.
    Gary, the video's so shaky at some points though that I had to take it off fullscreen. Especially when zooming into the labels… I know this is a lo-fi kind of show, but that kind of shaking makes it hard to watch! Maybe a tripod wouldn't hurt. 😀
    Rock on…

  • missatiejacket

    Great episode, great guest. Gary, your interviewing was excellent.
    qotd: I'm with you on the funky (brett) and sour beers. I love lambic and other sour, spontaneous ferment beers. They're styles that have finally been blowing up in the US over the past few years (as you know), but I think there's still room for more. Just don't go too overboard if you're adding brett. I thought the Allagash Les Deux Brasseurs was an unbalanced mess — WAY too much flavor from brett. I really like the majority of Allagash beer, however, and I think they've nailed it with the Confluence, which also has brett added.

  • Great show Gary and Garrett, the two of you had great rapport.
    I have been a big fan of the Chocolate Stout for many years,
    Can't wait to try Brooklyn Specialty Beers. Sorry Gary for being a Lurker would love a show
    with Mer Soleil Chard.

  • Very fun and interesting show GaryV. Garrett's passion is explosive! Definitely feel the love for the brew, and I love how the culture of brand and craft is just as or more important than just the flavor or beer nerdiness. The block party sounds awesome. World just keeps getting better when more folks like you guys are doing what you love.

  • Keep those beer shows comin' Mr. V….

  • Great show. I love beer so it was very interesting. I have never had any beers from Brooklyn Brewery, but I will go out and get some now. I live in Texas so I should be able to find it.

  • Scott

    Great show!
    I have been a fan of BB for a very long time. Chocolate Stout Rules! I am off to buy some Black Ops at total wine.
    I am an avid fan of great beers and awesome wines. Gary you rock going over to BB. I have a 3 keg system in my home which often has a mix of home brews and micro as well as 200 bottles of great wine mostly purchase from the WL.
    QTD
    Two things – send some love in barrles (1/6 kegs preferably) to South Florida and we need these brewmaster series down here as well. If anyone knows of a place where I can enjoy some BB Brewmaster series in South Fla. please let me know
    Florida is growing in beer selection but the beer laws down here stink.
    Shout out to Dog Fish Head and Stone as two outstanding AMERICAN breweries eventhough Sam C. can be a little far out there at times.

  • brandonblietz

    “Gary & Garrett in the Morning” Sounds like a great take off of Mike & Mike on ESPN! You guys are great together!
    Garrett; idea: Red Velvet Cake Beer, Perfect Valentines Craft Beer with Chocolate undertones.
    I thought to call it just “Red Velvet” but “General Lafayette Inn & Brewery” already uses that name!
    If you make it I would LOVE to taste the First bottles with you on an episode of Winelibrary with Gary!

  • brixforbrains

    Awesome episode.
    QOTD: Brooklyn brewing has a real grasp on good brewing, so I would love to see a great lambic or later a great gueuze blend seeing Garretts propensity towards drier brews. I love a good nose of wood, bruxlenesis and lactobacilius.
    Got to go to a Brooklyn event this summer in Portland ME and Garrettt was there. Great spokesman as well as brewer. Didn't realize the whole slowfood connection.
    Also good to hear the shout-out for Allagash (just had a melt-worthy bottle of Vagabond last week).
    As much as I love wine, beer starts to take up more and more of my cellar (both bottle and carboys).

  • brixforbrains

    #2 won't be hard to get. Black Ops is like searching for a four leaf clover, REALLY hard to acquire.

  • hollisdevillo

    ask willy wonka, he should know what kind of beer to do.

    i had the brooklyn chocolate stout 1 or 2 years ago in BC, CAN. delicious stuff.
    steak and blue cheese beer.
    chocolate and cherries beer.
    peanut butter and chocolate and beef jerky beer.

    i'm not joking on any of those.

  • robbiec

    I have to say that I've never seen a Chinese inspired brew. Today is Chinese New Year…so how about that?! The Chinese have ancient brewing traditions. Rice, millet, sorgum, or ginger could be a good start. The Chinese all drink Bai Jiu which is liquor made of sorgum and grains. It's terrible stuff.

    I live in China and actually bought some Brooklyn Brewery beers in Xian, China a couple years ago. I've gone back since then a few times to buy more but have never seen them since…what's up with that?

  • robbiec

    I would like to second that shout out to Dog Fish Head…..they make some great stuff. The 90 minute IPA changed my life.

  • LMNOPinot

    I love Brooklyn Brewery!!!
    I'm up here in Vancouver BC watching the olypics and I could really use an “AM Ale” A refreshing morning beer to go with some bacon and eggs.
    I've had the Lager, Black Chocolate stout, Pumpkin ale and my favorite the East.India.Pale.Ale. That's all we can get here in BC Canada…too bad. I would like to see your large format bottles make it out here.
    Good episode.

  • Scott

    I am a huge Reason to Be fan (Raison d'Etre) for years as well as their Barley Wine

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