Craft Beer NYC

More Coffee!   This one is a Coffee flavored American porter from the organic brewers of Vermont.  Wolaver's have a nice growing line of craft brews, including IPA's, brown ales, and oatmeal stouts, all brewed with organic and sustainably harvested ingredients. Their coffee porter is brewed with organic roasted barley, vanilla beans, and coffee from the Dominican Republic farm community of Alta Garcia.   Officially branded with the USDA Organic Icon, this one has a nice finish of vanilla and coffee.   Just say no to GMO's!  Including your Beer! 5.0% ABV 8.5 out of 10 Organic Beans https://www.facebook.com/wolavers

Superb!  Just plain awesome.  For a coffee champion nothing is better than blending the best of both worlds- Beer and Coffee.    The Ralph Steadman Kujo illustration is a nice compliment to this American Double Imperial Stout.   The coffee doesn't overpower the taste and hints of vanilla, toffee, and chocolate round out the notes.  I strongly recommend this one for the adventuresome drinker. 8.9% ABV 10 out of 10 Beans http://flyingdogales.com/beers/coffee-stout/

This gold medal award winning IPA is actually found commonly in a 12 oz. can.  Ballast is another great entry in the SoCal craft beer scene since 1996.   Started in San Diego's Home Brew Mart, where aspiring brew masters gather and exchange recipes, the Ballast brewing company was soon born out of the fun of home brewing and the experiences of Jack White.  Their year round line all named after different species of fish, offers a unique selections of flavors from IPA to Porter.  Great with chicken or BBQ dishes, this one is going to become a fridge staple for winter, summer, and everything in between.   Make sure you pour from the can into a tall pint glass, otherwise you will be tasting aluminum for dinner.   The cans remind me of Natural Ice in college, and how far we have come with fine crafted ales.   7.0% ABV 9.5 out of 10 Sculpin Stings http://www.ballastpoint.com/beers/year-round/

Uinta Brewery is a 100% sustainable wind powered business located in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Establish in 1993, they became the first company in Utah in 2001 to be 100% wind powered and in 2011 continued their mission "Earth, Wind, and Beer" by installing solar panels on their roof.  This IPA is a nice entry in the hoppy field of over abundance.    It has a nice balanced finish with a smooth variety of hops and malts.  I'm trying to investigate if they are using all west coast hops- they don't disclose the specific variations used in the brewing, but I can taste some cascade hops, bringing the citrus notes.  Available in cans and bottle, this one is from Uinta's classic line.    Uinta comes from the name of the mountain range in northeastern Utah, part of the Rocky Mountains. 7.3% ABV 8 out of 10 Mirror Lake Highways http://www.uintabrewing.com/ourstory.php

This American Double Imperial IPA is a nice addition to the Green Flash family.  Sometimes complications are necessary and important to an active lifestyle.  Great beer is very complicated, especially when it comes to creating an immersive taste experience.  A nice blend of west coast hops, similar to Green Flash's West Coast IPA, allow this ale to break through the hoppy clutter.    Try this one with heavy meats, beer sliders, bbq sauce, and chicken.  Green Flash was founded in 2002 by Lisa and Mike Hinkley, based in San Diego, California, and their team has been racking up awards ever since. 9.5% ABV 8 out of 10 Hamilton Tavern's http://www.greenflashbrew.com/our-beers.php

This recent beer came up in a marketing brainstorm around archeology and the middle east.   Crafted based on ingredients referred to in a 2,700 year old uncovered tomb of King Midas, this ale truly does bring back old fashioned brew master techniques.  The team at Dogfish head handcrafts with barley, white grapes, honey, and saffron for a very unique spectrum of tastes.  Recommended to be served in a white wine glass, like a Chardonnay, this one serves out a nice smooth finish.     Be careful after finishing one glass, the drinker gets the Midas Touch for an hour- see what you can turn into gold before time runs out and enjoy your evening!     Food pairings:  Fish or Chicken 9.0% ABV 7 out of 10 Golden Touches of Saffron Learn about the Midas Touch in Greek Mythology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas Learn where to find Dogfish Head in your area! http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/midas-touch.htm

My favorite and first Rogue Ale was Dead Guy, but I've been attempting to sample every Milk, Coffee, or any other wildly inspired stouts or porters I can find.   The Mocha Porter's official pairings are beef or desserts, which is a fitting parallel for a nice American Porter from Oregon.   This ale has a nice muddy brown finish with a pure sweetness and a mild cream finish.   Once you pour this one into a tall pint glass, it might appear to be a regular milk stout or Guinness, but don't be fooled. 5.3% ABV 8 out of 10 Mocaccino's http://rogue.com/beers/mocha-porter.php

I would like to start this entry with a warning.  Do not try a Java head if you don't like Coffee.   This jarhead inspiration is an intense, explosion of java, cocoa, and roasted malts.  In a "french press" style  filtering process of hops and Kenya coffee beans, this beer paradise is stoked alive.    Don't let me forget it's also a full bodied stout.  Enjoy some with a double dose of SVU.  Another fine entry from the boys in Pennsylvania. 7.5 ABV 9 out of 10 caffeinated cases https://www.troegs.com/our_brews/javahead_stout.aspx http://aprilreignshowers.tumblr.com/post/31094488297/svu-is-having-a-caffeinated-cases-marathon-not-that How to Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeNqO90mOWM&feature=youtu.be

Handcrafted in Maine this nice stout is a great performer.  The mixture of oatmeal softens the bitterness and roasted malts.   Blends of caramel and chocolate provide the usual background for the base, but the balance of oatmeal prevent this from being bitter or chalky tasting.   It really does have a medium balanced body with a nice sweet aftertaste, which creates a very filling "meal like a Guinness" enjoyment experience!   I found this for the first time in Westchester at the new Halftime beer market in Mamaroneck, a craft beet fans dream world (link below) 5.1% ABV 7.5 of out 10 Quaker Oats   http://www.halftimebeverage.com http://www.belfastbaybrewing.com/home.html

At the turn of the century, New York was home to a wonderful supply of oyster beds all over the harbor.  On a recent trip to the Museum of the City of New York, we saw an antique oyster plate from the Victorian era collection, reinforcing how entrenched oysters were to the fabric of NYC at one time.   As a result of over harvesting and pollution, most of the oyster beds died off by the 1920's.   Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout is a superb selection that is brewed with real Rappahannock River Oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, in Virginia. It has a powerful nose from the roasted barley and midnight wheat malts mixed with perle hops.  Great with seafood, including oysters and mussels as well as BBQ chicken and beef sliders. 5.5% ABV 8 out of 10 Blue Points http://flyingdogales.com/beers/pearl-necklace/ Learn about the effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay/Rappahannock River Watershed Area http://www.riverfriends.org