New beer finally named, ends contest about which few people cared to begin with

"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection." Michelangelo

Tastemasters, today is truly glorious - we are proud to announce the newest work of art from our fancy little brewery, a Belgian witbier known henceforth as "First Street Wheat".

Credit for the naming, and the winner of the contest lightly publicized by Brewmaster Eric over the past few weeks, goes to none other than David James Cole famous the neighborhood over for his incredibly offensive Guess Who playing style and a keen ability to name beers that may well never make it to market. Cole's dedication to the EVBC brew-niverse has netted him grand prize for the naming contest - pizza with the Brewmasters and a tour of EVBC HQ. Congratulate him when you get the chance!

In other news, Brewmaster Marshall and I will be bottling our newly titled First Street Wheat a bit later this week, marking a fortnight countdown to the next homebrew release party! Many dedicated Tastemasters were a bit salty after we gave our brews to strangers earlier this month, but fear not - this next round will be all about you! Although HQ has DEFINITELY not authorized it, I'll be looking into getting some fun door prizes for everyone (bear in mind, they may just be pictures of me winking at you). So mark your calendars (tentatively) for late February, cause it's about time, and its about the Tastemasters!

It's the final countdown!

Well, not so much final per se, but it's T-minus one week until people who aren't supportive friends and family (who will flagrantly lie to our faces to keep us smiling) will be sampling the EVBC's wares. As loyal readers and unfortunate facebook friends will have heard, Brewmaster Marshall and I are indeed allowing a couple dozen strangers into the hallowed HQ common room to check out and judge our Avenue A-le. This revolutionary, one of a kind 'light ale' should take the world by storm...so don't be surprised if you hear about how Anheuser-Busch is creating a Michelob Light Red Ale or how Sam Adams randomly decides to start making a Boston Light Ale. Wait, they already do that? Well it aint red, biiiiiitch!

In anticipation of the momentous destruction of my self esteem by self appointed beer experts such as myself, I've added a nifty beer tasting countdown clock to the right there so that you can taste the palpable tension in the air before you taste the deliciously spicy and smooth finishing red ale that B.M. and I whipped up last month. Now, I know what you're thinking, mostly because I've been told it over and over again by you dedicated Tastemasters out there - "Brewmaster Eric, your wisdom and foresight has been incredible thus far - you've anticipated a huge uptick in the popularity of home brewing while tapping into the very essence of high art through your witty posts and insanely creative ms paint masterpieces. Why, oh dear god why, are you giving away the precious brew to relative strangers when we, your friends and loved ones get nothing?"

Fear not, my taste-worthy friends, for we are saving a special 12 pack of Avenue A-le just for you! As many of you already know because of our facebook friendship, I've filled out the necessary paperwork and requisitioned EVBC HQ for my own personal birthday party just hours after the Gut Instinct tasting! If you arrive at my birthday dinner at a reasonable hour, you'll be first in line to sup 'pon delicious FritoPie and sample the soon-to-be-legendary Avenue A-le. As an added incentive, if you can get 5 of your friends to sign up as our facebook fans before next weekend (and you can prove it by telling me who they are), I'll even personally label and set aside a commemorative light red ale bottle for you to keep! Buying popularity is exactly what got me this far, so why not go a little further.

In other brewey news, my friends, the submissions for naming our beautifully fermenting Belgian Witbier closes Monday evening. We have five submissions thus far, each one funnier than the last - so keep 'em coming! Until next time, stay brewey.

Comparison Shopping

In anticipation of Brewmaggedon 3 - Son of Brewmaggedon, which kicks off right alongside some playoff football early tomorrow afternoon, I once again made a pilgrimage out to Brooklyn to pick-up some sanitizer and grommets for the fermenting bucket to prevent unwanted beer spoilage. Like a London bound flight in the jet stream, I rode the relative manic streak I have found myself in over the past two days and made not one but two separate brew shop stops in Brooklyn (both off the dreaded weekend R train...) - first up, Brooklyn Brew Shop.

Brooklyn Brew Shop operates out of the Brooklyn Flea Market which currently finds itself housed at One Hanson Place near the Pacific Ave stop (normally used to more bucolic surroundings but for a time housed in an incredibly ornate and impressive defunct bank building due to the cold winter chill). The Brooklyn Flea Market...where throngs of bearded photogs and tshirt marketers can blow 200 bucks on disco balls and mounted deer heads alike, all while window shopping necklaces fashioned from dented Coors light bottle caps and bits of thread. It was unclear whether or not the artisans themselves were selling these items ironically, but the gravely intensity of the refurbished clock/pocket watch shop-keep strongly suggested that at least he believed in his craft and was not simply pandering to the hipsterati.

I made my way downstairs to the vault, still a bit more "Cask of Amontillado" than I might have hoped, and the first table on the right was the Brooklyn Home Brew setup. Forced to wait on line behind nine or so fresh-to-the-scene kit brewers I grew impatient...we here at the EVBC mean business, and I didn't intend to piss away my Saturday afternoon listening to a mini-orchestra of noobs buying equipment we already possessed. Sadly, my very purpose in visiting was thwarted when I was told they had done run out of sanitizer...so it was back to the R train to discover points more Brooklyn-er.

After winding my way down to 56th street, I once again walked into the doors of Brooklyn Homebrew - their last day at the old shop before moving to finer digs on 8th street, a mere hop and skip from sunny EVBC HQ. While the Brooklyn Brew Shop is a great way to get an intro to brewing, true Brewthusiasts need to hit up this all-in-one shop for friendly advice and a full range of available equipment once you move past the beginning stages of brewmastery. I got the supplies and some extremely useful brewing advice (for instance, how to brew the grains the proper way...not that stupid way we've BEEN doing it). B.M. and I are all set to start in on round three - a deliciously hoppy Belgian White Ale, as of yet unnamed.

Feel free to get interactive and suggest some names!! If we pick yours as the best, a free EVBC HQ tour, a home-ordered pizza dinner and a 'meet and greet' with the Brewmasters themselves shall be your prize!!