GREEN'S BEER IS HERE!

As briefly noted in November, Green's beer is available at Risotteria in two varieties: The mellow, dark amber Discovery (a GFNYC favorite) as well as the blonde and bitter-when-warm Quest Tripel Ale. Both come in oversized bottles currently priced at $10 (as opposed to $6 for Bard's Tale, New Grist, and Redbridge).

Green's also makes Endeavour Dubbel Ale, a dark beer that is as close to a gluten-free Guinness stout that I've sampled so far. It's like a stout lite, if you can handle the concept.

These beers are important (and worth trying) because they represent a flavor revolution in gluten-free beers available in the United States. I don't have anything against beers that emulate popular American brews such as Budweiser and Coors, but I also value the varied flavors of Green's beers.

Besides Risotteria (where I recently sampled a gluten-free jelly roll), look for Green's beers at the following NYC locations. (Call in advance to make sure they're available.)

American Beer Distributing Co.
256 Court St.
Brooklyn

Apple Plus
329 Church St.
Brooklyn

Bierkraft
191 5th Ave.
Brooklyn

Eagle Provisions
638 5th Ave.
Brooklyn

Fairway Red Hook
480 Van Brunt St.
Brooklyn

Spuyten Duyvil Grocery
218 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn


Croxley Ale House
28 Avenue B
Manhattan

The Ginger Man (where I just had a $9.50 Endeavour)
11 East 36th St.
Manhattan

New Beer Distributors
167 Chrystie St.
Manhattan

The Room
142 Sullivan St.
Manhattan


Heliopolis Market
32-16 Broadway
Queens (Astoria)

Sunswick
35-02 35th St.
Queens (Astoria)

Green's beers are distributed by Merchant du Vin.

GLUTEN ON CAVEMEN


















Gluten played a supporting role in last week's episode of the ABC series Cavemen (with Austin native Julie White!).

Thanks to a note buried in this post at Gluten Free Blog, I watched the online capture of the episode, "Rock Vote" (Season 1, Episode 6, November 13, 2007), and (to my surprise) found it amusing, although I have mixed feelings about the gluten aspect.

Here be spoilers: The episode revolves around a state political contest involving perennial loser Caveman candidate Red Goldreyer and his possibly anti-Caveman opponent Jack Whitman. Goldreyer turns out to see gluten ("the stuff that's in bread") as his key issue: "[I]t's not just bread. It's everywhere! Gluten is attacking our immune system! It's poisoning our minds! But you'd never know it because Big Gluten doesn't want you to know it." (Amen to that!) Goldreyer hands out a drink, saying "This water is gluten-free," but really goes over the top when he asserts that only after "purging our bodies of gluten" will "peace between nations" be possible. Impressed, Andy the Cavemen jumps on the anti-gluten bandwagon, stocks up on Glutino pretzels and something from Bob's Red Mill, and starts ridding his home of gluten although there's no indication he even got himself tested for celiac disease. Holding up a jar of peanut butter, he asks, "Gluten? No gluten? What do you think?" (No one really answers that, but of course it's likely that it's contaminated by the process of spreading peanut butter on bread and crackers. Okay, back to the synopsis.) After another caveman brings Andy to his senses, calling Goldreyer "a lunatic," Andy complains about gluten-free cookies, crying "They taste like dirt. Okay? Dirt!"

I kind of like much of the phraseology, which resembles verbiage that comes up often in gluten-free circles. (I can take a little ribbing!) And I don't know how aware writer Chris Kelly might be regarding the historic/evolutionary undermining of a gluten-free Paleolithic diet, but I'm sort of impressed by the idea of a Caveman candidate taking a stand against it. Possibly clever! I just feel a little bummed that, while the storyline offered a reasonable basis for Whitman's too tough anti-crime stance, the very sound basis for being concerned about gluten got shorter shrift, making gluten concerns come across as kookier than crime concerns while also perpetuating the cliché that gluten-free cookies suck. So overall I thought the episode was okay, but not on a par with the movie Sydney White.

Coincidentally, the episode featured the song The Underdog by the Austin band Spoon. I first heard it at Risotteria, which recently received a small shipment of two beers from Green's: Quest Tripel and Discovery Amber. It looks like the restaurant also started tagging pizzas that are gluten-free, for better identification.



Source (3:51)

Photo: David Marc Fischer

BEER NEWS!

I recently read that July is American Beer Month, so I guess it's fitting that, just days ago, I followed a screening of the excellent French crime thriller Le Doulos with a Redbridge at the Peculier Pub. The bartender didn't quite recognize the name, but she managed to find me a bottle anyway.

Meanwhile, it seems that I blinked and missed Sprecher's Shakparo Ale (right) before it sold out at Park Slope's Bierkraft (where, distribution willing, it could well return), and that Mbege Ale, the Wisconsin brewer's other African-style offering, has yet to arrive in the Big Apple. I'm very curious about Mbege, which is made with bananas! (Scroll down here for more info.)

And even though Green's beer originates in Belgium, I'll also take this opportunity share the good news that it seems to be on the way to New York City, though its arrival date is uncertain. As you might recall, I've already praised Green's Discovery, which friends brought back from England. Now, in line with this Beer Advocate report, it looks like Discovery has arrived in North America, along with Green's Endeavour Dubbel Ale ("a hint of dark-sugar and toffee flavor, with a traditional Belgian yeast bouquet") and Quest Tripel ("fairly light body for beer of this strength; a spice and herb nose, with flavors of candied fruit. Aromatic, long finish"). Bring on the flavor!

BREAKING! I just learned that several cases of Mbege are making their way to Bierkraft.