Brooklyn Brewery - Brooklyn Pilsner

Unlike the mass-marketed so-called pilsners, Brooklyn Pilsner does not rely on fillers such as corn or rice as fermentables—it's brewed in accordance with the German Purity Law known as the Reinheitsgebot, which declares that all beer be made with only 4 ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast. Expect fresh grains to greet the nose, with a soft peppery hop background and a kiss of ripe red apple skins. Goes down with an unexpected but pleasant añejo tequila-like character blended with lightly sweet malts, a touch of caramel and peppery, earthy hops. Quite nice with chicken, mussels or even salads, but assertive enough to stand up to steak or jalapeño-loaded quesadillas.

New York's famed borough of Brooklyn has a decorated brewing past. About a hundred years ago, there were nearly 50 breweries based there. Sadly, competition from the massive Midwest breweries ended their reign in 1976 when the last of them shut down. From the mid-70s through the mid-90s, there weren't many area outposts brewing distinctive ales and lagers. Mediocrity set in, and got comfortable there, as it did in most parts of the nation. But thankfully that changed in 1987 with the founding of the Brooklyn Brewery. Spurred on a positive reception to his homebrewed beers, Steve Hindy and Tom Potter, a downstairs neighbor and fan numero uno of Steve's brews, ultimately became convinced that there was a market for Steve's brand of pre-prohibition style beers. So in 1987 they founded the Brooklyn Brewery. With the help of fourth-generation German-American brewmaster William M. Moeller, their first official commercial beer was brewed: Brooklyn Lager. In 1994 they hired Garret Oliver, who's served since as master brewer. He's also risen to fame in his own right as one of America's foremost experts on pairing beer with food. His book, The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food, is a must have for those interested in exploring the enhancement of food via beer (& vice versa.) For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (718) 486-7422 or check out their web site at www.brooklynbrewery.com . Be sure to check for updates on where Garret Oliver will appear next—he regularly conducts gourmet beer and food tastings to educate consumers on the virtues of good beer with good food.