Photo by Michaela Brody

So Brooklyn Locavore is taking the weekend off. My sister in law, Michaela, is getting married on Saturday so I’m headed back to my hometown in Jersey for the wedding. That’s right, I’m originally from New Jersey (we won’t spread that around) but I’m proud to say I’ve spent my entire adult life as a city girl, first in Philly and now in Brooklyn.

No blogs for the weekend! There will be lots of eating and drinking and celebrating. But speaking of drinking, one thing I’m really looking forward to at the wedding (besides the marriage celebration itself, of course), is the drink selection which will include beer from the Defiant Brewing Company. Defiant’s located in Pearl River, NY and consistently brews some of my favorite beers. In fact, at our wedding two years ago (wow, time flies!) we had a local theme, sourcing seasonal local food and serving only wine from NY and beer from Defiant.

One of the things I love about visiting Defiant is they always have a wide variety on tap, with something to please any palette. Muddy Creek is their signature beer, named after Pearl River (aka the Muddy Creek) that runs right behind the brewery. It’s a lager on the lighter side, but still has some nice hop and malt flavor. Their Triple is one of the few beers distributed in 750ml bottles and can often be found at Whole Foods (in New York) or local microbrew shops. Beer Advocate notes, “The pale golden brew has notes of fresh cut granny smith apples, pancake batter, peppercorn, lemons and faint tropical fruit and finishes dry with a fruity spicy mix that lingers for a while.” Personally, my favorite (if you can get it on tap) is the O’Defiant Stout. It’s dark, smooth, dry, roasty–everything you’d expect in a great Irish stout.

Defiant’s still a small operation but grows bigger every day. Unfortunately for me, they’re hard to find in the 5 boroughs, but when I head back to NJ (or even Rockland County) to visit family I can count on them being on tap at almost every bar in the area. We’ve developed a great relationship with the brewery since its beginning. In fact, when Michaela isn’t planning out every detail of her wedding, she’s a graphic designer by day and actually designed Defiant’s logo. Defiant’s been a pretty big part of our lives over the years, making our wedding extra special and even hosting my husband’s 30th birthday a few months ago!

BONUS on Weekend they serve great BBQ, so make sure to stop by. I especially recommend the dry-rubbed wings.