In a perfect world, great beer and savory food would be paired together and available to me in a moments notice. Last night this nirvana existed in the form of the NYC Brewer’s Choice event. The sprawling event which paired the best of craft beer and fine foods was held at City Winery, was co-hosted by the Beer Sessions radio crew, Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy’s No. 43), and Dave Brodrick (Blind Tiger) with a keynote speech from Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery).

The overall layout of the event was pitch perfect. Long tables filled the hall of the stunning City Winery. Upon entry, guests picked up a menu and a wine glass for their ale. From the looks of things, the event was a total sellout, but this did not cause any problems for patrons to sample beers and grab some eats to pair with them. It’s refreshing when organizers of such events think like the people attending them and provide a solid flow so that no one has to wait on a line and miss out.

Instead of getting overwhelmed by all of the amazing selections at the event, we took our time to hit every table and meet its proprietors. But don’t worry- our glasses were filled the whole time and we wouldn’t have it any other way. The representatives from both the food and beer companies were extremely friendly. This is most likely due to the fact that they love what they do.

We had a great chat with the crew from Ommegang of Cooperstown, NY while sampling their, ‘Gnomegang’ a Belgian-Style Golden Ale. It was paired with the equally friendly team from Betty Brooklyn. They brought with them a homemade duck confit rillette, served on sourdough garlic toast with homemade wild fermented pickles. The combination of savory and sour was quite pleasurable and unique between the two items.

A favorite pairing with our crew came from Smuttynose Brewing Company and the East Village Meat Market. The choice brew was a 2007 Barley Wine and the mature, bold flavor was meant to be sipped and not gulped due to both its complexity and strong alcohol content. It was literally a beer to be chewed and therefore the huge tray of Head Cheese brilliantly paired with it. I felt like a viking as I ate it while sipping my challis of Barley Wine.

The appreciation for hand crafted beer, and savory foods is at an all time high in New York, and we couldn’t be happier especially in light of New York’s Craft Beer Week. Events such as Brewer’s Choice not only fill your stomach, but they expose you to people and businesses you may have never known existed. It is a community, and an economy that we are all helping to grow by simply enjoying the beers and food we love. Cheers!

- Jay Rubin