Pindar Vineyard

It was a special Wednesday to me. My friends and I drove two hours to visit a vineyard. It is called Pindar Vineyard. Pindar Vineyard is located at 37645 Main Road Peconic, Long Island, NY, 11958.

After arrived at the vineyard, I saw beautiful clouds above the sky. The vineyard is really big.  As I walked into the vineyard, the whole room was toned and decorated with wood color and all of the wines were represented by categories in grape variety and blends. The employee Terry has assisted us with all our questions. We explained the reason why we were here and she was really kind to help us. However, it was disappointed because Terry told us they do not open tour service until May 27th. Even though we did not get a chance to visit inside the barrel and the view of the production facility, but Terry tried her best to answer our questions and showed us other things that was interested.

  This image is the tasting room          This image is all kinds of bottle opener

Terry started from introducing the background of vineyard. It was opened in 1979. There were 15 grape varieties are grown in this vineyard: Pindar grows Sauvignon Blanc, pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.  As we walked around the room, we saw that there is a table with many kinds of corkscrew and bottle opener. We also had the opportunity to see the tasting area even though we did not taste the wines. Terry said that if we did the wine tasting, then we could select five different kinds of wine from the menu. There were two wines that Terry recommended to people who try wines for the first time. Scarlett is a red sweeter wine that cost $12.99 and she also recommended Viognier because it is unique and extremely good.

  The vineyard in the Pindar Stainless tanks

After, Terry took us to outside of the vineyard to see the vine. Unfortunately, we did not see any grapes grew. Equipment were not available to see at the moment but we have the opportunity to see the stainless tanks.

Although, the tour is not available we still have a lot fun with this lovely weather. However, I have better understanding of the vineyard and the visuals of how the wine are made. The environment and experience make me want it come back visit again.

https://www.pindar.net/

Pindar Winery Experience

The tasting room and bar service.

For this Beverage Production Experiential Learning Analysis, I was able to visit Pindar Vineyards with my classmates. Pindar Vineyards is located in Long Island and one of the many vineries within the Long Island Wine Country Company. Within the text, The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil stated, “By the late 1900s, Long Island has twenty-four wineries, and today it boasts about sixty-three.” What a growth in wineries!

Owner of Pindar: Pindar Vineyards was founded in 1979, by one of the original pioneers ‘Dr. Herodotus “Dan” Damianos’, who is part Long Island Wine Country Company.

What is so special about this Pindar Vineyard?  It is special because they provide a personal, first-class service to their guests, and are also specialized for their selection of wines “from bold red blends, to steel fermented, fruit-forward whites.” As expressed on the Pindar Vineyard brochure, “The nod to the tradition and every-present air of experience is evident when you enter Pindar Vineyards’ tasting room and winery.” Till today they are still up-to-date with this tradition. If you ever like to visit the Pindar Vineyard, the exact address is 37645 Main Road Peconic, N.Y. 11958.

Pindar Vineyards Fermentation tanks used for crush grape juices.

During my visit, I was able to observe what a vineyard actually looks like. There was an employee called Terry, she told us that there are 15 grape varieties that are grown in this vineyard and she also pointed to us what wines most wineries have. There was also the tasting room manager, Rose Faiella there that day. Pindar’s white grape wines offered are: Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonay. A few red grape wines offered are: Petit Verdot, Malbec, Gamay Noir, and Sauvignon Carbernet. A proprietary blend wine is Sevyal. A few wines on the “sweeter side” are Riesling and Moscato. A dessert wine offered is Gewurztraminer. Unfortunately, we were not able to tour the production facility itself, but we were able to grasp the concept that, the aging process such as aging in oak or bottled-aging are decided by the owners. Pindar is known for their “blending traditional wine making” practices.

 

The Turbine used as a power course of many vineyards.

A few approaches to agriculture this vineyard utilizes in their business are going green and using wind turbines. By going green I meant, turning lawn clippings from dozens of landscapers, fish parts from a local seafood wholesaler, and their own grape skins for creating a rich compost of their vineyards, instead of using pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Thus, making use out of garbage or in other words, “recycling.” As stated from Pindar Vineyards website itself, “We are always looking for new ways to lessen our environmental footprint, and we are tapping into Long Island itself to do so.” Pindar Vineyard also partnered with the L.I. Power Authority, to install a Turbine at the North Fork Winery location. This turbine will create power for “80% of all winery operation.” How environmental friendly is that?

In this picture there is a picture of the vine “bud- breaking”. The outside of the production facility, and the outside sitting area of Pindar.

It was very eye-opening to see a vineyard upfront because I was able to witness the viticulture process of the vineyard. I was able to see the concept of how the scion, which is the varietal grape that is grafted onto the rootstock. The day I visited the vineyard was on May 10th, at this time I believe I was seeing the vines “bud-break” process, if I am correct. Bud-break is when the leaves and shoots start to grow on the vines.

This region’s climate is moderate because of it is surrounded between two body of waters; the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Long Island Sound to the north of Long Island. Within this region, the soil variety is sandy loam, which contributes to the ability to producing vinifera (a type of grape vine) wines.

One of a market format of L.I. Wine Country to inform us about the numerous Wineries.

 

Pindar Winery’s most unique blends.

Terry introduced to us that their 2016, Viognier for $18.99 would be her personal recommendation because it is a “unique wine and extremely good.” She also recommended a red wine that is on the sweeter side called for $12.99 Sweet Scarlett, for my father.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Long Island Wine Country, Long Island Wine Council ‘Touring Guide’ Brochure, www.liwines.com

MacNeil, K. (2015). The wine bible (Revised Second ed.).

Pindar Vineyards website, https://www.pindar.net. © Copyright 2017 Pindar Vineyards· Winery, Ecommerce by Vin65

Pindar Vineyards Brochure, info@pindar.net

 

 

Angry Orchard Brewery

 

Angry Orchard Brewery is located on 60 acres of land and is where they brew cider. This brewery is located in Walden, NY in the beautiful Hudson Valley. Lucky for me, this facility is almost in my backyard. The Hudson Valley is known for their apples and their vast fields for growing. This creates a huge variety for visitors, and according to (Crispell 2017), “hard cider in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region runs the gamut from pleasantly fruit-forward to tongue curling bone dry, or those with a bit of interesting funk.” This shows the vast amount of consumers that will be attracted to this region. Most importantly this establishment was chosen for this location because of the ideal weather year round, and the understanding that, like wine grapes, apples for cider will take on the tasting notes of the surrounding areas, soils, climates and more. Something really cool about this facility is that you can self guide yourself throughout the place and enjoy the interactive signs that are very informative and do a great job of selling the brand. As you walk through where they create the cider, there are people everywhere willing to answer questions and get involved. For anyone who does not know what cider is, it is a fermented drink made typically from apples, more commonly referred to as “hard cider”. This drink is beyond a normal apple juice, “cider is usually defined as having an alcohol content of 2 – 8.5 % or higher”(Vitalis, 2010) and this is what the workers at Angry Orchard strive for everyday. Cider is similar to a wine varietal because it is typically made from one dominant apple.

This image is of the entrance of the facility

Just like the vinification behind growing grapes for wine, apples have a similar process. During our tour throughout angry orchard we were informed that there are several different types of apples grown throughout the fields and that some are left to be picked a little later because they develop a more complex aroma and higher sugars. Also similar to grapes, apples are picked, sorted, washed and checked to ensure they are up to standard. After these apples are picked and washed they are then mashed down and pressed to extract all of their juices. The extracted juices are stored in old oak wine barrels. One difference between cider making and wine making is that the cider may have several different ways to ferment which could include wild fermentation, “it is the naturally existing yeast in the air, on vegetation or blowing around in the air” (Chorniak, 2005) which basically is only the use of yeast that is present on the apples. This will give the apples a taste that is specific to the area. This is extremely important in the cider making process. Before bottling the cider, the workers ensure the best filtration process. This area was chosen among several different candidates and was picked to be the best possible growing area for these apples to ensure the best taste qualities within the beverage. This is crucial to the place and the quality of the product and ensuring a constant product that consumers will enjoy and return for more.

This picture shows the oak barrels that the extracted juices from the apples are placed in after fermentation. These barrels are old wine barrels and the cider has the ability to take on the aromas and extract any oak that is leftover in the barrels giving it unique tasting qualities.

After we finished touring the cider facility we were ended by a complimentary tasting. The facility gives you a free three samples and allows you to walk around their beautiful tasting room with your samples. As you walk through they have an indoor area with picnic tables that you can sit at, or you can choose to take your drinks outside and enjoy them around their fire pit and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. I personally enjoy the cider a lot and love being able to relax and unwind in this calming location. Most of the ciders are sweet and have a similar taste to apple juice but others are dry with more sour apple flavors. The color varies between the different types where some are more cloudy, others are more clear with golden colors. Besides the taste and the look, these ciders give off an aroma of fresh sweet smells. Regardless of the cider that you decide to try, the atmosphere that Angry Orchard has created and the idea of learning about what they do along with enjoying yourself is a great way to have a new experience.

An image of the samples they give you after the tour. These were three samples of the 6 options that they offered at the time, they were enjoyed while sitting in the outside seating area.

Overall Angry Orchard is located in a beautiful area with so much to offer. The workers are consistent with their product and have a huge similarity that a wine maker would have with the viticulture of their business. The Hudson Valley is a perfect place year round to have chosen to place this business. With all that this area has to offer and the informational, yet fun and exciting experience you get from Angry Orchard, makes the summer and fall seasons extra special in the Hudson Valley.

A glimpse of the beautiful Hudson Valley along with the vast fields Angry Orchard owns.

In this image you can see the rows of trees that will eventually have apples growing from them.

References:

Crispell, W. (2017). Apples to Apples. Retrieved from: http://hvciderguide.com/apples-to-apples/

Chorniak, J. (2005, October). Wild Yeast: The Pros and Cons of Spontaneous Fermentation. Retrieved from: https://winemakermag.com/758-wild-yeast-the-pros-and-cons-of-spontaneous-fermentation

Vitalis, D. (2010, December 8). Wild Fermented Hard Cider. Retrieved from: http://www.danielvitalis.com/blog/2010/12/wild-fermented-hard-cider

Parlor Coffee

White Noise Coffee Co is located in Auburn, Flushing. White Noise Coffee Co is in partnership with Parlor Coffee. Upon finding this store one day on my way home from work I stopped in and met with the staff. They were very open and friendly. I learned from the staff that the coffee they use is received from Parlor Coffee a roasting company in Brooklyn.

The staff was very knowledgeable of Parlor Coffee’s roasting, they explained that Parlor coffee began in the back of a barbershop.They are a small group of professionals who seek coffee from the origin. They travel on laborious journeys to gather their coffee from a farm based in a west Ethiopian village named Gesha. Gesha consists of semi-arid highlands. Adam Overton’s farm is ingeniously located here right near the border of South Sudan. South Sudan is the birthplace of coffee arabica. David Stalling is one of Parlor Coffee’s green coffee buyers and he visits Adam’s farm to shop for coffee.

Another location where they source coffee beans is in Kenya. John Njoroge is a farmer in Kenya that Parlor Coffee is associated with. In Muranga County the Kenyan Kiumu bean is described as a beautiful flavor with a range of stone fruit, with a touch of succulent citrus and blackberry. John manages a farm of 100 acres of this bean. This is a new export relationship Parlor Coffee formed in June 2016. A second estate in Kenya is the Ibutiti estate. This farm they began sourcing from in 2015. It is located 60 km north of Nairobi. William Murathe has managed the Ibutiti Estate for more than 40 years. His water well, drying beds, and pulping equipment are in top notch shape. He was once involved in the wine and liquor business but now age 84 decides to put all of his time into his coffee farm.

This is a photo taken from the Parlor Coffee website. This image shows the roasting machine they use in Brooklyn.Parlor Coffee. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2017, from https://parlorcoffee.com/blogs/parlor-coffee/a-day-at-pulley-collective

Parlor Coffee has a wide range of coffee beans. A few include Prospect, Wallabout, Ethiopia Kochere, and Burundi Gaharo. The coffees range from $14.00- $16.00 for an 8 ounce bag. Each bag contains a bean from a unique village in Africa or Colombia. The bean that I tasted was Prospect. Prospect is an Ethiopian/Colombian blend and it is White Noise Coffee Co’s signature blend. It has notes of spices, florals, and grapefruit. It is rather bitter but its also smooth and has light hints of cocoa. Having not drank coffee for almost three months this cup had me strung out. It was definitely a high quality bean because after a few sips I could sense a headache. The caffeine was extremely strong in the brew. I really enjoyed the aesthetic of White Noise Coffee Co. It was really relaxing and had couches with pillows, strung lights, and palm trees. This is definitely a place away from NYC, so if you find yourself wanting to escape the city head to Auburn, Flushing and enjoy the feel.

Enjoying the aesthetic of White Noise Coffee CO.

References: 

Parlor Coffee

Parlor Coffee. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2017, from https://parlorcoffee.com/blogs/parlor-coffee/kenya-ibutiti-estate

“Travel Journal From Gesha Village – Parlor Coffee”. Parlorcoffee.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.

“Kenya Ibutiti Estate” –Parlor Cofee”. Parlorcoffee.com. N.p. 2017. Web.

27 May 2017

“Parlor Coffee.” About Us – Parlor Coffee. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2017. <https://parlorcoffee.com/pages/about-us>.

Prof. Goodlad I used Parlor Coffee’s site to obtain my information about their company and roasting practices. They have a blog where it includes articles about each individual coffee buyers trips to where they get their coffee beans and about the source farm and farmer. There was no other way for me to discover this company information. The information I included in my last paragraph about the beans was from the staff at White Noise Coffee Co including price, taste notes.

 

 

 

 

 

Paumanok Vineyard (updated)

Paumanok Vineyard was founded in 1983. Before Paumanok, it was a potato field. After Charlies Massoud and his wife decide to get into the vineyard, they were about to purchase 77 acre of land to start. This started by Mr. Massoud who wanted a simple view of looking out the window to see “paradise” which he refers to rows of vines. (Rather, 1999)

This vineyard has a tradition of making fine wine with their premium vinifera grapes like Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Paumanok best grape is Cabernet Sauvignon in the Western region. When the grape was first planted, there was a struggle due to the weather. During the summer night, the weather would be warm causing the grape to be less acidic but that didn’t stop the grape from maturing. Luckily, the wind travels over the Peconic Bay and cool down allowing the grape to ripen for three additional weeks. (Hochstein, 2005)

Paumanok is also known for having three best white in Long Island winery, which is 2002 Chenin blanc, 2002 Festival Chardonnay and  2001 barrel fermented chardonnay. These selections are popular due to the grapes which brought a lean, light, fruity selection for any time of the day. (Goldberg, 2003) Even though I did not have a 2002 Chenin blanc, I still enjoyed the 2015 Chenin Blanc due to the refreshing taste.

Their “turn of the century barn” house production makes about 12,000 cases of wine as well as a fermentation tank room and lab in the back of the house.

Out on the store deck, there’s a seating area and tables to view all 127 acres as well as to enjoy any events or environment for guest that comes by to visit Paumanok Vineyard.

On April 18, 2017, my friends and I visited the Paumanok Vineyard located on 1074 Main Rd, Aquebogue, NY 11931. The ride was an hour and a half long but we made it to the destination with beautiful sunny, clear blue skies and slightly cold winds. On arrival, we walked around the area to check out the place as well as the vineyard. It was disappointing to see the vines were grape-less. But looking at the field of budding vines was really wonderful to see knowing that grapes will grow in the field I was standing on was cool.

At this stage, the vine are budding so they are still in the process of breaking out, still no grape. The vines had nets and a stick on the bottom for support the vines to grow in a particular way and so the vines do not grow on the grass. Even though there weren’t any grape, if we wanted to see the growing grapes, we would have to come back in one or two months.

After checking the outside, we went inside to see the wine bottles and tasting list. I only tired one wine which I enjoyed a lot due to the following:

2015 Chenin Blanc, Paumanok, North Fork of Long island

  • Peach, apricot aroma
  • Crisp, acidity, dry
  • Food pairing suggestion; Oysters
  • No barrel or oak on nose or Palate
  • Summer or spring wine
  • .02% sugar for sweetener
  • Pale golden yellow

 

List of wines on the paper as well as wine bottles on the table and in the refrigerator with various selection of red and white wines. The wine bottles standing on the table had screw caps, while wine bottles with corks needs to be slanted to keep the cork moist.

Visiting the Paumanok Vineyard was a enjoyable and an educational assignment to do which I enjoyed. After visiting the winery, I have better understanding and visuals of how the vines are as well as how and where wine are made.

 

Sources

Goldberg, H. G. (2003, Aug 31). Paumanok at its best. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu/docview/92553461?accountid=28313

Hochstein, M. (2005, August). Paumanok Vineyards: Long Island longshot. Wines & Vines, 86(8), 44+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_nytc&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA135340517&asid=2bfc470fa6533a124ebd8171ade467ae

Rather, J. (1999, Aug 15). In an industry 25 years old, A vintner sees paradise. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu/docview/110024183?accountid=28313

http://paumanok.com/visit_us.html

 

Coffee Roasters in Dumbo (updated)

 

The assignment i decided to do was visit the coffee roasters in Brooklyn. Visiting a vineyard was difficult, searching for a location that gave a tour and most of them are quite far and I didn’t have a way of transportation or getting there. This is actually the second time I am visiting this place and it’s very nice. It’s big, lots of variety of coffee and has a home feeling to it. Immediately as I walked in, I was greeted by several workers. I said “I am here for a tour, I called a few days ago and someone said they would give me a tour and show me around?” One of the workers laughed and said that I spoke with him and that he would be happy to give me a tour of the coffee house. “Going into this tour, i already knew coffee would be great because there were some health benefits to consuming coffee, like extra antioxidants, decrease chances of diseases and great for the liver.” -http://www.huffingtonpost.com

 

In the image above, you see the entrance of the coffee house. It was very large but in an unknown location. It’s very difficult to find it unless you know the address because it is hidden from the large streets. Its located by the waterfront.

 

 

I love the set up of the coffee house. It has a comfortable area to sit and relax and enjoy your coffee. Most places just give you a cup to go but this place offers a relaxing, open environment that allows you to communicate to others and to enjoy your cup of coffee. You can also come here and use your computer. Its like another home from home. The baristas, who are people who prepares the coffee, came out and greeted the guests and asked if they needed anything else.

 

In this photo you can see the variety of coffee beans they sell. Most of their coffee beans are source and grown from East Africa, South America, Central America and Sumatra. Of course they have many more locations where the beans are grown, these so happen to be there more popular providers. We asked our tour guide what was his favorite coffee and he immediately said Ethiopian Yrigachaffe. He said the reasons why was because it was light, sweet and fruity. On the menu, they offered something called a Redeye, which I felt was such a cool name and I looked it up, it’s a cup of brewed coffee with expresso. We also learned how the coffee beans were grown and picked. They are usually grown in high elevation, mountainous areas and the harvesters pick the coffee cherries by hand. They usually wait till the cherries are ripe until they pluck them off the plant.

In the shop we saw this big machine. Later on we asked what did this do? The tour guide told us this was the machine that roasts the coffee beans. They buy the beans themselves and roast them on spot. They also have more machines in the navy yard, where they roast the beans and bring it over to this location to break down and sell. “The personnel also said that they use Chemex, which is an hour glass shaped filter that is to believe to make the coffee sweeter and a better balance cup of coffee. They offered cups of Dark Roast and light Roast, which is how long they roast the beans until the oils are removed. They also do this process called Extraction, which is used to draw flavor from the coffee grounds. Its used to make your coffee sweet because underextracted may taste sour and bitter. I also heard from the tour that he spoke about a siphon, a coffee making device that uses a vacuum pressure and a series of vessels to produce a much fruity and brighter cup of coffee”. -Zecuppa.com

In the Photo you see a piece of paper. On the paper it lists the “cast of characters” of different countries and type of coffee beans. It tells you the origin of where the beans are grown and picked, how high the beans were grown at, how they were dried, if it was a light or dark roast, “notes” how the beans will or should taste, and there certification, if they were fair trade organic. “coffee usually gets a bad rep because its high in caffeine and people associate coffee with being bad and only good to boost energy. coffee is much more then a morning drink, it also helps lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart attack (not to much coffee) and lowers the chance of strokes.” -http://www.health.harvard.edu

Lastly there’s a photo or me! I had an amazing experience learning about how coffee was made and how they were grown. The tour was very educational and insightful and the workers/personnel were very patient and willing to answer all my questions. They were nice and took the time to fill me with knowledge. Some additional information was that the owner of the coffee roasters used to work in the Brooklyn brewery. Also that there price point for the coffee was fair and not overly priced. I want to thank everyone who helped me with this assignment, giving me an understanding of coffee and the process of making and for giving me a wonderful tour of the facility!

 

REFERENCES

https://www.nytimes.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Zecuppa.com

http://www.health.harvard.edu

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Strong Rope Brewery Experience (Updated)

The Strong Rope Brewery is a brewery based out of Brooklyn, New York located at 524A President street in Carroll Gardens. It is a brewery that has many partners with other local breweries all around New York, they believe in supporting local businesses. My boyfriend and I visited, and luckily enough he actually lives not too far from the brewery! We got a seat at the bar and decided to take care of the taste test first and attend the tour after. We were very excited to taste the nine different beers on tap, the cider, and many options of wine.

The menu had a five beer flight taste option where you could get five, six ounce glasses. You also had the option for a premium or standard platter. The premium included the cider so I concluded on getting the premium. I decided on getting the number three called “Spring Fire”, it was a smoked light Ale. the taste wasn’t too hoppy and it really didn’t taste that smoked either. In general I actually really enjoyed this beer. The second choice was the number one and it was called “Backroad Odysseys”. This was a pale ale and had an alcohol percentage of 5.7%  This had a very sweet taste and was very enjoyable. It wasn’t too heavy and it wasn’t too dry unlike some place ales I’ve had before. The “Golden Fest” or number 6 on the menu was my third choice. It was a golden ale and was actually my favorite of the five. I could just imagine myself actually drinking this beer more than just this one time. Number eight or “Everyman’s Porter” was my fourth beer option. This beer really didn’t catch my attention. I thought that it had a syrup texture and was very bitter. My last sample was the cider, it was called “Descendant Succession”. It was a sparkling cider, that was way too dry for me in my opinion. The flavor was very impressive surprisingly, considering how dry it was, you could taste the apple flavor. Once we finished, we made our way towards the back of the bar to tour the actual brewery!

The ingredients that the Strong Rope Brewery uses includes; grain which is mostly malted barley, but they also use other grains as well. Hops; which are grown in different varieties. Yeast; the yeast is responsible for fermentation. Lastly, Water; which accounts up to ninety-five percent of the beers content. The system that the Strong Rope uses is an electric two barrel (bbl) system but before they actually opened the brewery in 2013 the owners had a different plan. They actually planned on using Portland kettle works to fabricate a new 3.5 bbl gas fired system, but Rockaway Brewing Co. had a used system that was a perfect fit. Strong rope serves straight out of the serving tank instead of serving out of kegs, and works perfectly with their business because they sell most of their alcohol out of the taproom. The brewery also uses tap because of their partnerships with other breweries.

Jason is one of the owners and was our bartender when we first arrived at the Strong Rope he also took us on the tour of the brewery. He was well informed when it came down to answering the questions on my choices of beer. While on the tour he demonstrated the process of pouring the beer from the serving tank. He also informed me on the farming process they used to make grain. It was a traditional floor malting process, where the grain is germinated on a tile floor and is raked by hand. He explained it was a more labor intensive method but it is a process that is creating a fantastic product. He also explained another approach that is more modernized that uses high tech equipment that helps automate and control the process to their exacting standards. Jason was saying that the biggest benefits of working with local farm, hop yard, and malt houses is it allows the brewer to help develop those flavors and characteristics you want in your beer. There was no limit on how many different ways they could approach making a beer. Seeing the techniques the farms used and being able to taste the product helped figure out how to utilize the ingredients.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this brewery. The company was fantastic I felt very welcomed. Being a brewery out of Brooklyn, I was highly impressed with the way they outsourced to many brewing companies all around not only in NYC but also in New York State. I will be visiting this place again, considering it is very close to a area I’m in quite often. I was very impressed by the customer service so this will also be another reason for returning. I felt the bartenders knowledge was outstanding and he was on point with his question answering. The beer was very rich in flavor, malty and delicious.

References

About The Brewery — Strong Rope Brewery®. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://strongropebrewery.com/about-the-bewery/

Beer 101 | Beer Education | BeerAdvocate. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/

Strong Rope Brewery – – Park Slope – New York Magazine Bar Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nymag.com/listings/bar/strong-rope-brewery/

 

Vineyard Project – Paumanok Vineyard (Edited)

It was a beautiful sunny day with some hint of coldness in April. I drove all the way down to Long Island where the vineyard is located. It was a long driving. It took me almost 1 and a half hour to get to the vineyard. The vineyard is called Paumanok Vineyard which located at 1074 Main Rd, Aquebogue, NY.

The reason why I chose this vineyard because on their website, they only premium vinifera grapevines are planted, consisting of Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This provided description attracted to me because those are the most famous and common grape varieties in the wine world, and I thought it could be a good opportunity to see all of those famous grape varieties at one place. Also, the traditional dense planting of the vineyards at 1100 to 1400 vines per acre produces more concentrated fruit and therefore, they producing nice high-quality wines. (https://www.paumanok.com/history.html) When I and my friends arrived at the vineyard, we saw the vines were budding. The vines were empty and no grapes. I went to see more close up to the vine to observe carefully how they are budding. I saw some watery liquid was coming out from the vine’s twig and also realized the vineyard maker did vine training systems on their viticulture.

The vineyard was large. It was sad I couldn’t see any single grape from those large vine trees. Then we move into the store where Robert was greeting us very kindly. We explained why we are there and he was willing to help us. I asked what is the famous wine in this vineyard and why. He said, Chenin Blanc is the famous one because only Paumanok Vineyard is producing Chenin Blanc in New York State. Also, he mentioned Semi-Dry Riesling is a popular one in the vineyard which is a sweet wine. Then we asked is the vineyard is competitive in this neighborhood because we saw some other vineyards while we were driving to Paumanok Vineyard. Robert said no it is not because there are 50 vineyards in the neighborhood and they are pretty well balanced to each other. Then we asked when will the berries will growth and harvest? Robert said it depends on the weather but the berries will begin to growth after May. Unfortunately, we could not go into the procedure room. Therefore, we decided to taste some of the famous wines from Paumanok Vineyard. There was no separate tasting room. The store, office and tasting room were in one area.

 

The first white wine I taste was 2015 Chenin Blanc which is the most famous wine from the vineyard. According to their website, “It was cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks. It was bottled with a screw cap to preserve freshness and cleanliness. The result is a fresh, crisp, racy, and bracing Chenin that is redolent of grapefruit and pineapple, with more subtle notes of melon, apple, and guava. It makes an excellent companion to various white meat fish dishes, such as striped bass, flounder, cod and lobsters and especially oysters.” (https://www.paumanok.com/store/)

The second wine I tried was 2016 Semi-Dry Riesling which fermented also in stainless steel tanks. According to the website, it described as “this Riesling bursts with a fresh, fruit cocktail of peach, apricot, nectarine and apples. While it starts off sweet, it finishes dry with crisp acidity. Pair it with loin of pork, Asian foods especially Thai or Indian.” I felt like this can be a great start wine as well pair with some mango flavored dressing in green salad or a dessert wine with a strawberry cheesecake (not a heavy one though). My favorite wine out of all.

The third wine I tasted was Vin Rose. The website described this wine as, “This semi-sweet blush offers beautiful, fresh aromas and flavors of strawberry and red cherry. Pair with an aperitif or with spicier fare such as Asian Foods.”(https://www.paumanok.com/store/) The website does not say cranberry, but I smelled cranberry and tasted some rose.

It was such a good experience to see the vineyard by myself than just study and read the materials. Now I can imagine where the vines are grown and how will be harvested.

 

References

Paumanok Vineyards. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2017, from https://www.paumanok.com/

Paumanok Vineyard Is NY Winery of the Year. (2015, August 14). Retrieved May 26, 2017, from http://www.ediblelongisland.com/2015/08/14/paumanok-vineyard-ny-winery-year/

Vintners, N. V. (n.d.). The Life Cycle of A Grape. Retrieved May 26, 2017, from https://napavintners.com/napa_valley/life_cycle_of_a_grape.asp

The Chenin Blanc Wine Guide. (2017, May 01). Retrieved May 26, 2017, from http://winefolly.com/review/chenin-blanc-wine-guide/

Beer Brewery; Coney Island Brewery (Update)

Have you been to a brewery? I know I never been to one. This was my first time going to a brewery because of this assignment. Although, I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t go to a winery/vineyard, but it wasn’t bad going to a brewery. It was a really fun experience and I got to learn some new things about beer. The brewery I went to is Coney Island Brewery. It is located at 1904 Surf Ave., Brooklyn, NY.

The place is not so big, but can still try to get the most out of it. They also provide free tours from Thursday through Sunday at 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm. At the brewery there are also tasting, but it will cost a fee of $5. It is nice to go on the tour to learn more about beer, but the unfortunate thing is that it is a little difficult to hear the tour guy due to all the noise outside and in the room.

During the tour at the Coney Island Brewery, we got to see the processing room of where they make their beer. It is where they keep their kegs and try to create new type of beers. The room is not really big. It is like going straight in and making some turns and you’re finish. Although it is small, but I still got to learn some things about beer. As I was having the tour in the processing room, I saw many carbon dioxide tanks. The carbon dioxide are used to produce the foam on the top surface of the beer.  I also learned that it was form during the process of fermentation. Before I went on the tour I didn’t know that that’s how they form bubbles and I wonder why is there always so much foam in beer.

Aside from carbon dioxide tanks, there were also many other tanks. The tour guy explained what each buckets and tanks were for and how they process their beer. In the processing room there are yellow buckets that are filled with different grains. After choosing their grain they want to use, they will place it in the grain mill. When all the grains are broken up; it goes into the mash tun tank to mix up the broken grain with hot water. With hot water, it will turn starch into sugar.

After those steps the beer will go into the kettle of hops. I learned that different hops from different places will have different flavors. The next step is to move everything to the heat exchange machine to bring the boiling liquid down to a lower temperature around 55 degrees; depending on what beer. But this doesn’t mean your beer is ready because you don’t have beer until you add the yeast. For the last few steps of making beer, they fill the fermentation tank with yeast including the liquid that was made previously and add any other flavoring or fruits if they want to create a different flavor beer.

When the process of making beer is finished they will go through a filter. After going through the filter they will store the beer in kegs. At Coney Island Brewery, not all beers are filter, only some. For every batch of beer they make, they can fill up 15 kegs. In the processing room, they also had another small room where they keep their kegs. The kegs are used to store their beer and keep the freshness.

At Coney Island Brewery, there are a lot of history. Their brewery is filled with old Coney Island pictures around the place and old ride pictures that Coney Island was known or represented for. I believe same goes for their beer. Beer at Coney Island Brewery can also be a place representing Coney Island. Their brewery also have many different types of beer. There is 8 tap beers that they serve, but it rotates through out the year. During summers the Cotton Candy Beer is a good sell. Although, the most popular beer there is Mermaid Pilsner but when I was there I also notice a lot of people like to get the Flight. The Flight costs $8 and you get four different types of beer. It looks quite interesting. Here at Coney Island Brewery, I had fun and enjoyed my tour. I learned a lot about beers and some day when I get to drink, I will definitely come back and give it a try. I would recommend others to come here and have a nice drink.

References:

Coney Island Brewery. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://coneyislandbeer.com/

How To Taste Beer. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/taste/

W. (n.d.). Coney Island Brewery’s creative craft beverages. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.fox5ny.com/news/145001886-story