Vegetarian Beer: Yes, Please

Tröegs Dreamweaver Wheat Ale

Most vegetarians don’t usually worry about meat in their beer, but it is very refreshing to find this on the Smuttynose website:

"Vegetarians, please take note: Smuttynose beers are made without the use of any animal products, such as isinglass or gelatin. Why? Because we prefer it that way, and we're sure you do, too, so enjoy!"

I never even thought about meat products in the suds with my veggie burger, and it's nice to know that this craft brewery has my back.

Smuttynose Big A IPA is one of my favorite beers and though it is not in season right now, we were able to have a Finestkind IPA on tap on our recent college tour.

My 16 year old looked at Dartmouth College, (New Hampshire, home to Smuttynose) Middlebury College (Vermont, home to Otter Creek Brewing Co and Skidmore College (near Albany, NY and the excellent brews at the Albany Pump Station).

We also went to Hamilton College, near Utica.  The F.X. Matt Brewing Company is there, making Saranac Beer.  We were a day early for the hop picking festival, but we still had very hoppy, ice cold beer.

And just for kicks, we swung by my sister’s in Pennsylvania, drinking the lovely Tröegs beer from Hershey, PA. We are huge fans of the Dreamweaver Wheat Ale. My sister happens to live just feet from the Delaware border, so of course we had to have Dogfish Head Brewery 90 Minute IPA.

Best of all, both Delaware and New Hampshire have no sales tax, so we were able to load up the car with bargain craft beer.

Yes, it’s good to be the parent of a teen looking at colleges in New England and the mid-Atlantic states.

Growlers in Park Slope

It is no secret that I love a bitter IPA. Bitter NYers like bitter craft beers. And in NYC, there is no shortage of artisan food shops, brewers and gourmet markets where you can fill a reusable 60 oz growler with some fresh suds.

Even Duane Reade on the Upper West Side has growler refills!

But what no one talks about is the dark underbelly of fresh beer – cabinet storage. In New York, even the largest kitchen has storage issues and one giant growler means eliminating a kitchen appliance. Rice cooker?

I have 4 growlers.

It wasn’t always thus.

First to come was a growler from my neighborhood gourmet market, Grab. The place has since been renamed The Ploughman, and they have a rotating selection of about 10 taps.

Best of all, you get a 10% discount when you bring the growler back in for a refill.

Then someone brought me a growler from Beer Table, also in Park Slope (with a larger offshoot in Grand Central).

We also picked up a plastic half growler from Zito’s, a local restaurant with Brooklyn’s own Sixpoint beer on tap. This half growler is great for picnics.

Our mistake was the glass half growler from Whole Foods. Brooklyn does not yet have a Whole Foods, but I was at one of the Manhattan stores and fell for an organic IPA. I paid my $5 deposit (plus beer) and when I tried to return the growler, I was told that they are not returnable.

On the plus side, my recycling bin stays empty.

Artisanal Meat, Veggie Sandwiches

When a restaurant touts the origins of its meat, form four local butchers and specialty shops, I figure the vegetarian food is going to be an after thought. But Zito's Sandwich Shoppe in Park Slope, Brooklyn, puts as much care into its veggie sandwiches as it does in its meat offering, so this is definitely a vegetarian friendly place.

Of the 13 classic sandwiches, 5 are vegetarian (3 if you don’t eat fish). Plus you can create your own. All are served on brick oven bread baked by Il Fornaretto in Bensonhurst, or gluten-free bread from Everybody Eats in Park Slope.

The meatless was my first choice, with plenty of grilled portobellos roasted peppers and broccoli rabe, with artichoke spread. My only gripe was that it was too cold, so if you can let your sandwich sit for awhile, or ask the counter guys to heat it up.

But this brings up the problem many have with this place. The food is wonderful, but waits can be interminable. If you order arancini, Sicilian rice balls (there is an addictive veggie version, with spinach and homemade mozzarella) and sip a craft beer, you might be a little less puckish when your food arrives.

Sandwiches are huge, and make a more than filling dinner; at lunch, you might only eat half and save the rest for later. You could also split a sandwich and get one of the 6 veggie side dishes: faro salad with roasted corn, garlicky broccoli rabe or lentil with caramelized onions.

The eggplant parm, with more of that homemade mozzarella and a slightly too salty tomato sauce was a perfect counterpoint to the crusty bread. If you like breakfast for dinner, try the bargain Potatoes & eggs sandwich; scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, onions and parmesan cheese, with tomato sauce on the side.

The chickpea fritters were so meaty that my husband was convinced he had been given meat. These fritters are not like falafel at all, but with the lettuce, tomato and lemon, they were yummy.

Next on my list to try, before I start customizing my sandwiches, is the Sicilian tuna, with arugula and tapenade.

We were not bothered by our long waits, since the guys working there were so friendly and they have a great sense of humor. A family friendly place that promotes its high chairs and growlers has to be. Fill those growlers with Sixpoint craft ale to go, or drink a beer with your sandwich. There is also wines from Long Island based Gotham Project.