Clare Trapasso for Daily News
Big Alice Brewing co-founders Kyle Hurst (left) and Robby Crafton toast in their newly opened tap room in Long Island City.
Why go out for Asian food when you can drink it in your beer?
Long Island City’s minuscule Big Alice Brewery — a two-month-old outfit already known for using such ingredients as purple potatoes, morels, kumquats and honey in its concoctions — will show off a new Lemongrass Tumeric White Lager and a Curry Leaf Lapsang Smoked Beer at a tasting event on Tuesday night.
“We want to widen what beer can be,” said Robby Crafton, 31, who masterminds the unexpected flavor combinations such as the morel and chocolate bisque. “I like the mix of artistry and science.”
The artistry is definitely obvious in the lemongrass potable, which has a smooth, caramel finish and a subtle bite of citrus. And the fragrant curry leaf is intensely smoky with just a hint of spice.
Crafton founded Big Alice with fellow homebrewer Kyle Hurst, 39, using just $35,000 — and cashing in a few favors — in a former bible storage space. They buddies work at an air conditioning company across the street.
They currently only produce about two barrels of a month — which is enough for just under 500 pints. And each numbered batch, which can have alcohol volumes up to 12%, has a new flavor.
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The beverages are sold in wine bottles in the brewery or through a beer CSA, where members receive two brews a month.
The partners hope to expand and one day sell to bars, specialty stores and markets.
“Often inspiration comes from being out drinking beer,” Hurst said. But “we like to include whatever’s fresh, local, organic and available.”
Ben Sandler, co-owner of the Queens Kickshaw, said he is a fan of the brewery because it attempts to preserve the flavors of a season through beer.
“It’s extremely unique,” Sandler said of the funky elixirs. “The star ingredients really shine through. [And] it really sparks conversation.”
The market for unusual beers is growing, said brew expert Samuel Merritt, who runs a beer education consulting company.
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“The whole culinary landscape is changing,” said Merritt about the rising demand for local, artisanal and hand-crafted foods. “People want to try new things.”
But these brewskies may not be so unusual after all.
“In the last thousand years, beer’s been really dumbed down,” said Merritt, of civilizationofbeer.com. “People used to put all sorts of things in beer.”
Big Alice’s innovative flavors are also exciting for local brewers, said Ryan Crook, who runs the borough’s only homebrewing club, Brewstoria.
“I love the creativity that I’m seeing,” said Crook, who is pleased the brewery opened in Queens. “It inspires homebrewers … to experiment more.”
Big Alice Dinner, Queens Kickshaw, 40-17 Broadway in Astoria, (718) 777-0913, Aug. 20.
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