Also currently on tap is their traditional February seasonal, Iceboat Ale, a malty, well-hopped Scottish Ale. Don’t worry — this is the first of several batches master brewer Gretchen Schmidhausler will be brewing this winter. Alas, the Porter is gone . . . but, how would you feel about a reprise of Snow Wiesel IPA?

Tun Tavern calls it Cocoa Fuego, while the Italian Basil T’s calls it Cocoa Fuoco.  In English, the new beer is Chocolate Fire.  Cocoa Fuoco perfectly blends the taste of chili peppers, cinnamon and chocolate. The two versions were extremely similar but still contained slight variations of the recipe.  The pubs use different numbers of barrels and different types of hops during the brewing process.  Nevertheless, both Cocoa Fuego and Cocoa Fuoco can be considered the same beer by casual New Jersey beer fans.  The packed crowd at Basil T’s gave their hearty approval to both unusual blends.

How NJ Brew Pubs Made Cocoa Fuoco and Cocoa Fuego

Tim Kelly of Tun Tavern says a candy bar that was made from chocolate, chili peppers and cinnamon inspired him to create Cocoa Fuego.  He later pitched the idea to Gretchen Schmidhausler, head brewer of Basil T’s, at a brewer’s conference in Camden.  After 6 months of toying with ingredients, they had successfully developed a perfect mix of Dutch chocolate, ancho, cinnamon, chipotle and guajillo peppers.

Visit http://www.basilt.com/ for more information on hours and specialty craft beers.

Basil T’s continues to impress critics and guests with its fresh Italian meals and homemade beer.  The 24-year-old restaurant has become a local favorite and one of the best restaurants and bars in Red Bank.  The Red Bank microbrewery features a minimum of six hand crafted ales each season.

All of the beers are brewed by Gretchen, who is only the second Head Brewer in Basil T’s history.  She has been brewing beers for over 14 years and is a graduate of the American Brewers Guild’s Craftbrewers Apprenticeship Program, in Woodland, CA.

Basil T’s was recently featured in Draft Magazine’s Online Exclusive: Top 10 Beers Brewed by Women, honoring Basil T’s brewer Gretchen Schmidhausler.

Gretchen and Basil T’s have also received recognition for The Original Basil T’s Maxwell’s Dry Stout:

• Gold Medal Winner, 2006 Great American Beer Festival (GABF), “Classic Dry Irish Stout”
• Bronze Medal, 2003 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”
• Gold Medal, 2002 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”

The next time you’re looking for an evening out, Basil T’s will not disappoint you.  Plan an evening in Red Bank to enjoy a fresh, authentic Italian meal and a refreshing, cold, award-winning beer at one of the finest restaurants and microbreweries in New Jersey.

It is estimated that less than 1% of craft brewers are women, and one of them can be found in Red Bank, NJ, at Basil T’s Italian Restaurant.  Basil’s is a brewpub and Italian grill noted for their famous microbrewery which features a minimum of 6 hand crafted ales each season, all brewed by Schmidhausler.

The beer which won a deserving spot on Draft Magazine’s top ten beers brewed by a woman is the Basil T’s Maxwell’s Dry Stout.  This Guinness-style Irish stout is made with fresh coffee and offers a medium body with a rich chocolate and toffee flavor.

Schmidhausler has been brewing beers for over 14 years and is a graduate of the American Brewers Guild’s Craftbrewers Apprenticeship Program, in Woodland, CA.   She is only the second Head Brewer in Basil’s history, taking over for Bob Hettmansperger in September of 2001.

Gretchen’s work with Basil T’s has garnered national recognition and awards including:

• Gold Medal Winner, 2006 Great American Beer Festival (GABF), “Classic Dry Irish Stout”
• Bronze Medal, 2003 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”
• Gold Medal, 2002 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”

Basil T’s was also the recent recipient of the Best Beer award for the 2009 Readers’ Choice Restaurant Poll in NJ.  Basil T’s won the Best Beer category for Central New Jersey.

Learn more about Basil’s award winning beers.

Gretchen Schmidhausler, the critically-acclaimed masterbrewer of the Red Bank microbrewery, has had a hand in the latter process since she joined Basil T’s in 1999.

Gretchen is serious about her beer.  Evident enough in the award-winning selection at Basil T’s, further proof lies in her scholarly approach to the topic.  She studies the subject closely and travels to breweries far and wide to learn more about her passion.

Gretchen shares the growing popularity of Italian beers and details of her trip to visit a special friend of the Basil T’s brewery:

We all know about Italy and wine. But, Italy and…beer? Yes, Italian beers are gaining popularity with the younger set as well as traveling Europeans and American tourists. You may be familiar with the large brewers of  “traditional” lighter-bodied Italian lagers – such as Peroni and Moretti. In recent years, Italy has become caught up in the microbrew revolution with smaller breweries producing stouts, classic pale ales, herb-infused beers and other more unconventional styles.

Brooklyn Brewery was recently the venue for a gathering of an international cadre of professional brewers, among them several Italian craft brewers. We had a chance to taste many, many beers and compare them to our own craftbrews. It makes sense that many of these breweries are located in the northern part of Italy, close to the beer-loving countries of Belgium, Germany and Austria.  Less usual, though growing in number, are craft breweries in southern Italy. One of these is Birrificio Cunegonda in Calabria, run by our friends Francesco “Frank” Barritta and his brother Pasquale who hail from the small town of Spilinga. The brothers brew a light-bodied ale in the American tradition. Some of you might remember we did a pilot brew of that beer here at Basil’s a few years ago and called it Primo Amore.

It was seven years ago that the Barrittas came in and introduced themselves to owner Vic Rallo. They wanted to learn to brew, so Vic asked me to give them a call. They’ve been honorary “Friends of the Brewery” ever since, providing physical labor in exchange for technical brewing knowledge and hands on experience, and becoming good friends in the process.  Frank spends his winters in New Jersey so you may have seen him helping me out in the brewery when he’s around. Three years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to visit the Barrittas at their brewery while on our honeymoon.  The next time we go, I hope I’ll have more time to brew with them!

Make Basil T’s your next choice for a bar in Red Bank and taste the award-winning beer, learn about the process that goes into making it and become a friend one of the finest microbreweries in New Jersey.

Links to the NJ Microbrewery, Basil T’s:

Stay current with Basil T’s on the web:

http://restaurant.basilt.com/

http://www.basilts.org/

http://www.basilt.com/

Become a fan of Basil T’s on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/TheOriginalBasilTs

One of the first New Jersey brew pubs, Basil T’s has provided Red Bank bar goers with a fine selection of hand-crafted ales since being established as a brewery in 1995.  Basil T’s beer menu features six distinctive varieties of beer, including an award winning Dry Irish Stout.

More than 3,000 representatives of smaller brewers from around the world attended the Craft Brewers Conference, which featured a trade show, beer tastings, brewery tours and seminars for brewing professionals.

Gretchen took time out for a photo op with George Wendt, best known for his portrayal of “Norm” on the hit television show “Cheers.”

Wendt’s famous character, a beer connoisseur in his own right afters years spent in the fictional Boston bar, was the perfect addition to a conference geared toward brewers and other industry professionals.

Gretchen’s work with Basil T’s, one of the best bars in Red Bank, has garnered national recognition and awards including:

• Gold Medal Winner, 2006 Great American Beer Festival (GABF), “Classic Dry Irish Stout”
• Bronze Medal, 2003 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”
• Gold Medal, 2002 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”

The Red Bank microbrewery was voted “the best” microbrewery in Monmouth County in the 2009 Asbury Park Press Reader’s Choice Awards, while receiving the Best Beer award in the 2009 Readers’ Choice Restaurant Poll.

To learn more about Basil T’s award-winning beers, visit http://www.basilt.com/beers.php

Links to Red Bank bar and restaurant,  Basil T’s:

Read up on Basil T’s at its other blogs:

http://restaurant.basilt.com/

http://www.basilts.org/

Follow Basil T’s on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/TheOriginalBasilTs

Basil’s famous micro brewery features a minimum of 6 hand crafted ales each season, all brewed by brew master Gretchen Schmidhausler.  Schmidhausler has been brewing beers for over 10 years and is a graduate of the American Brewers Guild’s Craftbrewers Apprenticeship Program, in Woodland, CA.   She is only the second Head Brewer in Basil’s history, taking over for Bob Hettmansperger in September of 2000.

The popular brew pub features six handcrafted beers (which includes a seasonal offering) by the Pint, Mug, Growler or Basil’s Sampler.  The Sampler features 5 ounces of all five classic, hand-crafted beers plus their current seasonal offering.

Gretchen’s work with Basil T’s has garnered national recognition and awards including:

• Gold Medal Winner, 2006 Great American Beer Festival (GABF), “Classic Dry Irish Stout”
• Bronze Medal, 2003 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”
• Gold Medal, 2002 GABF, “Coffee Flavored Beer”

Basil Ts was also the recent recipient of the Best Beer award for the 2009 Readers’ Choice Restaurant Poll.  Basil Ts won the Best Beer category for Central New Jersey.

To learn more about Basil’s award winning beers, visit http://www.basilt.com/beers.php