For this Missourian "brewery" is usually synonymous with Anheuser-Busch, and when it's beer-thirty, I'll make mine a Bud Light, thankyouverymuch. Yesterday afternoon, however, I felt adventurous. We braved the downtown downpour and sloshed all the way to the Brooklyn Brewery deep in the heart o' Williamsburg, where a rowdy crowd converged over Scrabble boards, pepperoni pies, and all the Weisse our little hearts could ask for.

To round out this makeshift Oktoberfest I donned a Laura Ashley dress, cranberry tights, and Frye boots. Back home these shoes are called "shit kickers". I bought mine (somewhat paradoxically) at Bloomingdale's on December 23, 2001. They got me through high school, college, and many, many county fairs.

Back to the beer. I started with East India Pale Ale, which boasts (according to their website) hints of lemongrass and ginger and a "robust bitterness". In other words EIPA tastes like Midtown street food.

A verdict is still out on the seasonal Pumpkin brew. Some considered it a little too faithful to the spicy gourd. I liked it for the same reason.

You can buy six beer tokens for twenty dollars, but I advise going halvesies with a buddy. Otherwise this will happen. We gave a couple Brown Ales to lucky strangers. Then we took the three o'clock brewery tour.

I don't remember much said by our tour guide. (Bear in mind that I'd just polished off three Pilsners in an hour.) I do remember learning that the reason nothing else tastes like beer is because no other food or beverage uses hops. Hops give beer its flavor. And if you don't know, now you know!

I might have retained more brewery knowledge if I hadn't been poking around what looked like Frankenstein's lab. Beakers and hoses and strangely colored fluids gave the room a very timely Halloween vibe.

Pumpkins, hay bales, and a surprise visit by a gloomy kitty only confirmed what I had previously feared: Indian summer is over. Not even I can raise a glass to that sad state of affairs. But that doesn't mean I'll never try. Prost!
Loved this article - think I'll head down there at the weekend - thank you!
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