Brett Fest '09 Sunday 8/9 at Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn

This seems like something that should not be missed by any NYC craft beer lovers:

We had a very busy spring this year, so Brett. Fest had to be pushed back to the dog days of summer. Sunday, August 9th at noon we begin our yearly ode to the funk. Come celebrate the small things, yeast and bacteria.

On Tap:
1. Cantillon Cuvee Des Champions (BA Rating: A-)
2. Cantillon St. Lamvinus (BA Rating: A)
3. Cantillon Vigneronne (BA Rating: A-)
4. Boon Oude Gueuze Mariage Parfait Cask #52 (BA Rating: A with only 5 reviews)
5. Oude Beersel Lambik (BA Rating: A with only 1 review)
6. Ithaca Brute (BA Rating: A)

In Cask:
Hanssen's Oude Gueuze (In Cask) (BA Rating: A-)

In Bottle:
Dri Fonteinen Doesjel, Dri Fonteinen Hommage, Dri Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek, Cantillon Iris 2004 & 2005, Cantillon Cognac Cask, Cantillon Gueuze 1996, Cantillon Cuvee De Monk's Gueuze, Hanssen's Experimental Cassis, Haand Bryggeriet Haandbakk, Panil Barriquee Riserva 2008, De La Senne Saison, Mikkeller It's Alive, Mikkeller US Alive, Mikkeller It's Alright, Captain Lwrence Cuvee De Castelton (Batch 1), Avery Brabant Zinfandel Barrel, Victory Wild Devil, Allagash Interlude 2005, New Belgium La Folie and Heavyweight Ste'-ve

This is just an insane lineup. I've never had any of these on tap outside of the Ithaca Brute, which is outstanding. And a few are incredibly rare Belgian offerings to have on tap in the US.

Belgium via Brooklyn

Taken April 22nd, 2009 by The Beertographer

Last night, brewers Jean Van Roy of Cantillon and Yvon de Baets of de la Senne poured their deliciously rare brews at Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This was actually the first time that anyone from Cantillon has ever been to the US, and being able to get their beers on tap is a rare treat, so of course we had to stop by.

I had the Cantillon Kriek (pictured above and pronounced "creek", which I only learned after googling), a 5% Lambic. This was one unique beer. Your tongue is attacked by sourness, sweetness and cherry notes all at once. You almost get a vinegar taste, but not in a bad way. I don't think I'd ever had a Kriek before, but I would definitely want to have more.

I was also able to try the Cantillon Broucsella 1900 and the Brasserie De La Senne Equinox which were both superb as well.

These excellent Belgian brews only add fuel to the fire of our plan to do a Belgian Brewery tour in October 2010.