So you love beer–the refreshing first sip that gives way to a mix of subtle and strong flavors. It’s a powerful thing. But how much do you really know about what goes into each pint? We’re curious about the brewing techniques and ingredients that result in fantastic beers, and we hope to peak your curiosity, as well. With that in mind, we’ll be talking with the breweries supplying Brickyard’s beers, and sharing their thoughts with you here on the blog.

To kick things off, we spoke with Patrick Brauer, Marketing Brand Manager at Ommegang Brewery in beautiful Cooperstown, NY.  He discussed Ommegang brewery’s impressive entertainment lineup and Belgian brewing techniques, and touched on the flavor profiles of Ommegang Witte (it’s on Brickyard’s Local Draft menu) and Hennepin.  Ommegang releases a special beer from its Innovation Series four to six times per year, and we’ll have the inside scoop here on the blog soon, so check back!

As always, we welcome your feedback. Is there a brewery on our beer list you’re dying to learn about? A local purveyor who you think deserves our attention? Leave a comment below, or talk to us on Twitter @brickyardnyc.

Belgian Style Brewing
Other than Ommegang, there is no brewery in the U.S. brewing all of their beers in the Belgian style. “A brewery might have one Belgian-style beer,” Patrick explained, but Ommegang is all Belgian, all the time. Ommegang uses only Belgian yeast and malts typical of Belgian beers. Ommegang beers are “bottle-conditioned,” which means they ferment again in the bottle after the initial fermentation process.

Ommegang’s Roots
An “Ommegang” was a traditional festival in Belgium when “people from farms and breweries would come to Brussels to share their wares,” Patrick says. Naming the brewery after the celebration is “kind of where we pay homage to our tradition and history,” he adds. A Cooperstown couple, who imported Belgian wares and some beers, started Ommegang. They “really liked the style,” Patrick explains, and got another Belgian brewer, Duvel, to partner with them to start up Ommegang. Eventually, Duvel bought the company.

The Setting for Ommegang Brewery
Set on a bucolic hop farm measuring close to 200 acres, Ommegang is an “old, farmhouse-style brewery,” similar to what’s found in Belgium. The brewery has a unique vision for entertainment.  “It’s an idea that we’ve had for a while, starting with using the space that we have and the culture we have here at Ommegang,” Patrick says of the brewery’s concerts and family events. A Lyle Lovett performance this summer was a huge step. “It launched us into trying to get more big acts. We’re actively planning a concert lineup for next spring and summer,” he notes.

Ommegang Witte
A Belgian white or wheat beer, Witte is 5.1 percent alcohol by volume. “This is a beer with easy drinkability, and introduces people to the Belgian style” Patrick says. It’s spiced with coriander and sweet orange peel, but is less sweet and has a subtler wheat taste than a Hefeweizen, like a Blue Moon or Hoegaarden. Ommegang Witte won the silver medal at the 2010 World Beer Cup, which is held every other year in different locations. Witte pairs well with lighter fare, like salads, chicken and brunch. “It’s a great summertime beer–the lightness of it lends itself to hot days,” according to Patrick.

Hennepin
The making of this farmhouse saison, which means “seasonal” in French, is based on a traditional French-style brewing process:  the farm hands would gather the extra wheat and barley in the fall, use it to brew saison beer in the winter, and drink it in the springtime. Ommegang spices their Hennepin more than a traditional saison, using milled coriander, sweet orange peel, ginger and grains of paradise (a type of seed). Hennepin is 7.7 percent alcohol by volume. “It’s got a full body–citrus notes with spices–and an exotic spicy taste with a dry, hoppy finish,” Patrick says. It’s best served with spicy foods, including Asian dishes, and also pairs well with grilled chicken or burgers, breads and cheeses. Hennepin brings out the spices in food, and food in turn brings out Hennepin’s spices.

Events and Tours at Ommegang Brewery
Ommegang Brewery is hosting a  Waffles and Puppets Festival on October 9, and participating in Beer Advocate’s Belgian Beer Fest in Boston, Oct. 15-16. Visit the Ommegang online newsletter for additional events, including Ommegang’s role in New York Craft Beer Week happening Sept. 24-30.  Brewery tours are offered daily and year-round, from noon-5 p.m. in fall and winter, and 11a.m.-6 p.m. in spring and summer. Visitors are welcome to enjoy lunch at one of 15 picnic tables on the property, and in about three months, the brewery’s new store and restaurant, serving traditional Belgian fare, are expected to open.

We love New York City in the fall for many reasons, including the distinct air of excitement that descends when the NCAA college football season kicks off.  What we don’t love is trudging from sports bar to sports bar, only to find our favorite team on a TV buried in the corner with the sound off. Even worse? When a large group walks in and asks the bartender to change the channel. That doesn’t happen at the Brickyard.

Here’s why:

The Games

We have a full season DIRECT TV package for NCAA Football, so we can show any game, all season long.  Every weekend, we’ll show Featured Games on at least 3 of our 9 HDTVs, with sound on until the end of the action–no matter what the score is. This weekend’s featured games are Ohio State vs. Ohio at noon, USC vs. Minnesota at 3:30 p.m. and Texas vs. Texas Tech. at 8 p.m., all on Saturday, Sept. 18.

We choose the Featured Games based on anticipated interest, and we’ll announce them on this blog by Wednesday of each week. If there is an upcoming game you and a group of friends would like to see be a Featured Game, let us know in advance; your wish is our command.

The Beer

During Featured Games, we’re offering $5 pints of craft beer to anyone wearing team attire. Here’s our Beer List, featuring brews from Ommegang, Sixpoint, Blue Point and many more.

The Wings

Ours are anything but ordinary: very meaty, perfectly crispy with just enough spice and served with creamy New York State Bleu Cheese dressing. Take your pick of Teriyaki or Bourbon glazed wings, or extra hot wings, offered at half price ($6 for a dozen) during the games.

Brickyard's irresistible wings

Groups

Got a big group of friends? Get in touch with us to reserve our private back room. You can also make smaller reservations on Open Table, and let us know what you liked about your meal, or what you think could be improved. We’d love to hear from you!

The Brickyard Staff

One of Brickyard’s most appealing attributes is our proximity to Broadway theater.  Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is among the most popular shows in our neighborhood, staged at the Gershwin Theatre at 222 W. 51st St.  Have dinner here before the show, and avoid the hectic pre-theater dining scene one avenue over. Our carefully prepared organic dishes are less expensive and our atmosphere is far less rushed, so you’ll get to your seat on time and enjoy your meal at your own pace.

Wicked is one of the rare musicals that is great for kids and adults alike. As nyc.com explains, the story of Wicked is unique and fun, as well as a compelling commentary on friendship and love. This combination is part of what earned the show three Tony Awards in 2004.

Here’s a taste of what to expect, from nyc.com:

“Long before Dorothy drops in, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of how these two unlikely friends grew to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.”

Wicked is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, and features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. Visit Maguire’s website for insight into his upcoming books, including “Making Mischief,” a tribute to illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Wicked‘s venue is also fascinating–the Gershwin Theater takes up six floors of the art nouveau Uris Building, and “has the largest seating capacity of any Broadway theater” except the New York State Theatre and the City Center, according to newyorkcitytheater.com. The Uris is designed to host “lavish musicals” like Wicked and Sweeney Todd, which it hosted in 1979, and has also drawn major performers like Sammy Davis Jr. and Bing Crosby. View a seating chart of the Gershwin Theater and learn more about its star-studded history on the New York City Theater website.

On Foursquare? Use Twitter and Urban Spoon? How about Facebook? Great! But we’ve found out about one more social networking application you should be aware of. It’s called Foodspotting, and it’s an easy way for you to share and discover great restaurant meals.

Let’s say, for example, you’re in New York and have just caught a show at Roseland Ballroom. You stroll over to Brickyard Gastropub, since we’re in the same neighborhood, and order a pint of Six Point Otis with a tasty Sesame Chicken Spring Roll. You like what you taste. You snap a photo with your cell phone or camera. You upload the photo to Foodspotting, and just like that, you’ve become a participant in what is fast becoming the go-to source of food inspiration and insight on the Web. Other Foodspotters can give your photos “noms” if they like what they see, helping future diners decide what to order at restaurants around the world. Pretty cool, right?

Give Foodspotting a try, and don’t forget to upload your Brickyard Gastropub beer and food photos!

The August Wilson Theater is just one of several entertainment venues within close range of Brickyard Gastropub in New York’s Theater District. On closer inspection, this theater is perhaps just as compelling as the shows it hosts, like the ever-popular “Jersey Boys.”

August Wilson was a Pittsburgh native and playwright whose works documented the experiences and challenges faced by African Americans. According to the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, a Pittsburgh-based organization hosting performances and art exhibits, Wilson was the first African American to have two of his plays running on Broadway at the same time. He’s also one of just seven American playwrights to have won two Pulitzer Prizes–both were for “Pittsburgh Cycle,” a series of ten plays set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, where he grew up.

Amid a life strewn with bumps in the road–dropping out of high school, divorces, an early departure from the army and moves to Minnesota and Seattle–Wilson never stopped writing plays. Steadily, he progressed from writing gigs with small repertory theaters and university fellowships, to winning the New York Drama Critics Circle award for best play for his Broadway debut, “Ma Rainey,” in 1984.

When Wilson passed away in 2005, the Washington Post called it “a huge, yawning wound” for American theater. Something to mull over as lights go down, while you settle into your seat at August Wilson Theater for “Jersey Boys.”