Infused: Sassy at 88, Ethel's Brews offers Beer Cocktail recipes

Ethel's Brew, a Brooklyn-based brewery (say that 3 times fast) has opened in the borough with a distinct style unlike most. Your grandmother. The octogenarian face for the company, Ethel, leads the way in your craft beer adventures.

EB takes its Euro-style busty blonde and brews it with three different malts, several varieties of hops and a French barley.
The 6% ABV brew is named after Ethel Goldschmidt, a beer enthusiast with plenty of tang, just like her brew. She enjoys beer so much she took Burt's, her deceased husband, dream of brewing and turned into a reality. Not that she was inclined to name it after him, however. Ethel is like that. Feisty, straight forward and slightly flirty.

And Ethel? Is she busty and blonde?

Um...no. She is 88 years old and openly admits,and shows, all her sagging self with plenty of sass and humor. Various photos on the company's website and social media sites portray her in a swimsuit or lounging on settee with a beer in her hand and a humorous saying.

She reminds me of the Golden Girls gone bad. I am not even certain whether Ethel actually exists or is just a great advertising figure --- like Mr. Whimple or those guys from Gallo Wines.

The kolsch-style German ale is the first in Ethel's expanding family of ales. The company's ultimate goal is to include IPAs and foreigh-style stouts. For now, Ethel's Brew comes in 12 oz. bottles at local pubs and bars.

With cocktails being created from different origins, such as Champagne, these days, it's no surprise the New York micro brew has invented its own "brewtail". And how does Ethel feel about this mixing of her favorite amber with other flavors?

Keeping true to spunky form, Ethel created a cocktail and named it...after herself and a particular body part. I will let you go to the website (EthelsBrew.com) to get the full name of the drink. Here, I will just share the recipe...

Ethel's Cocktail

3 oz. Ethel's Brew

3 oz. vodka

Pink lemonade

Shake over ice and pour into cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh mint.

Images provided by Ethel's Brew

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated fine-living columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her newest column, Infused at GottaGo.us and FoodandDrinkDigital.com and as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC. Gotta Go is published onGottago.us, BroadwayWorld.com, in M and Retired Living magazines and several newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

True Brew by Rita Kohn

"I drink wine," I said politely, tilting my stemmed glass toward her, in response to her query as to why I don't write about beer in my column.


"You just haven't found the right beer," Rita Kohn rebutted.

"I don't like beer," I replied, hoping that would clarify the obvious to her. "Wine drinkers don't drink beer and vice-verse. Nothing personal you understand..."

If you've never met her ~ well, you should. I would not say she is one of those human dynamos you hear about. No, no ... Kohn is a quiet navigator, slightly adjusting whatever is necessary until you realize she's got you exactly where she intended all along. My agreeing to check out beer, in this case.

Kohn is well known in the world of hops and barley. She is the columnist of Beer Buzz, which is found in NUVO, an Indianapolis free weekly. True Brew, Kohn's latest book, not only highlights Indiana microbreweries, it gives insight to the origin of the beer movement in the Hoosier state.

From the transcript of the initial Indiana Craft Beer Round table meeting you are able to glean the prominent home brewers, judges and people of the microbreweries/brewpubs. Kohn's choice to use meetings and first-person interviews draws you into the relationship as if you were sitting and listening to them discuss things over a stout at Broad Ripple Brew Pub.

It covers all the breweries, sectioned into five geographical regions, with Indianapolis as the dominating region and Evansville home to just one. As the festivals, competitions and classes continue to grow, so will the locations and availability of this, not-just-a-trend, American staple.

True Brew covers the interconnected group including John Hill, the owner of the first Indiana brewpub, Joan Easley of Easley Winery who knows as much as, or more than, most of these guys, and Anita Johnson, owner of Great Fermentations, a beer-maker's dream store. The owners, the brewers, the judges and the suppliers all work together to create a stronger foundation for non-mass produced beer. Their goals are to educate the unaware, be involved in the community and provide top-quality brew.

So, do I like beer now? I understand that beer is like wine; that there are those who are passionate about it, those who are snobs regarding it, and that not liking one does not necessarily mean you won't like the other. Which means I will try bacon beer, stouts and every other type, until I find, as Kohn said, "the right beer."

Bottom Line: True Brew is the perfect book whether you are looking to learn about Hoosier craft beers, someone already in the business wanting to hear about the good ole days, or a novice beer drinker or brewer looking for advice and tips. Rita Kohn's True Brew wraps up the history, stories and facts in an enjoyable read.

Websites:
iupress.indiana,edu
indianabeer.com
BrewersofIndianaguild.com

Photo Credit: Kris Arnold

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer and theater critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC and follow her on Twitter @gottago and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, West Side Community News, New Palestine Reporter, West Indianapolis Community News, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.