Roger's brother just happens to be Garrett Oliver, the Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery The Brooklyn Brewery and author of The Brewmaster's Table.

Roger scheduled a special tasting for one of our clients, Restaurant Associates, on Thursday afternoon and I was fortunate enough to attend amongst a roster of top industry professionals. As we waited for two more guests to arrive, Garrett poured each of us a glass of a light summer ale (I don't remember the name, as it was before the actual tasting) that was wonderfully refreshing.

Garret started with a little background, explaining the brewing process while giving us a little tour of the brewery. There is a lot to learn but Garret has a great speaking style that is casual and welcomes questions. I recommend hearing him. After being armed with some basics, we took our seats and each received a plate of 5 cheeses and crackers in the center. Garret explained that the pairing of beer and cheese goes way back and is surprisingly touted by many experts as a better pairing than cheese with wine.

The pairings were excellent! Here is a little breakdown of our tasting:

1. Blanche de Chambly with Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
2. Brooklyn Local 1 with Pierre Robert
3. Spaten Munich Optimator with Ossau-Iraty
4. Brooklyn East India Pale Ale with Coolea
5. Black Chocolate Stout with a blue cheese (similar to Stilton)

Highlights:

*Blanche de Chambly with the Humboldt Fog was my favorite pairing but Humboldt Fog is also one of my all time favorite cheeses.
*Brooklyn Local 1 is amazing! It's the champagne of beers.
*I'm not a fan of the Ossau-Iraty's texture which is a bit granular.
*The Black Chocolate Stout is really interesting because it really has dark chocolate qualities. Garret recommends having it with dessert.

The Brooklyn Brewery has happy hours and gives tours!