Craft Beer NYC

Another selection from the Ancient Ale series that won't be available again until September 2015, so grab what you can if you see it on the shelves at your nearest market.   Using the scientific expertise of biomolecular archaeologist, Dr. Patrick McGovern, they re-created a Scandinavian beer recipe recovered from a drinking vessel found in the tomb of 3,500 year old Danish woman.  The original ingredients included wheat, lingonberries, cranberries, myrica gale, yarrow, honey, and birch syrup.   Before hops were widely used in the beer process, herbs like myrica gale were used across Europe to create the bitter tasting notes.  Prior to grains, the ancient brew masters had to use alternative sources of fermentable sugars.   In this speciality beer, they counteract the honey and syrup with small amounts of hops in this recreation of the original ancient recipe.  Gruit is the name of a herb mixture of myrica gale, yarrow and other various herbs that sometime i...

The Boulder Beer Company is the oldest craft brewery in Colorado.  Founded in 1979, Boulder has established many green tactics in their facility to be environmentally friendly, including using vegetable oil ink for their labels and encouraging employees to bike to work.  This new addition to their seasonal line showed up in my monthly beer delivery.  The base of this beer starts with with a nice red ale that is made with a blend of 5 malts and then hopped with Horizon hops perfectly fitted for the cold weather season.  The northwest hops bring some pine infused tasting notes to this winter IPA that mixes well with the nice dark red pour.  I recommend this one for a nice cold day in the northeast. Food Pairings:  BBQ Chicken and Lamb Burgers 6.4% ABV 7.5/10 Colorado Rockies http://www.boulderbeer.com/beers/slope-style-winter-ipa

This seasonal offering from Harpoon combines the great holiday classic gingerbread with a cinnamon and clove spiced wheat beer.   The Gingerland pours with a cloudy orange hazy that provides a mild ginger zest.  One of the 6 selections from Harpoon that are branded under their UFO line- "Unfiltered Offering".   The tasting notes of the gingerbread are actually too mild to provide a signature unique aromatic experience.  The traditional wheat notes still overpower the ginger, which given the special promotion and branding is a slight disappointment. 5.2% ABV 6.5 out of 10 Boston Gingerbread Men http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/beer/368698/ufo-gingerland

The Dupont brewery is located in Tourpes, in the West-Hainaut region of Belgium.   This farmhouse ale is produced on a 18th century working farm that dates back to 1759.  The current brewery has been functioning there since 1950.   The origins of a "Saison" date back to the 18th and 19th century when the beer was brewed in the winter and was strong enough to make it through the summer where seasonal workers on the farm could enjoy and quench their thirst without modern refrigeration to keep everything fresh.  The Dupont yeast can be fermented at very high temperature, and this one is able to be bottle conditioned with think glass to withstand a heavy amount of carbonation that ages nicely over time.  The unfiltered nature creates a cloudy pour and a medium body of tasting notes unveil a spicy finish, but maintains the bouquet of flavor that is such a signature of the farmhouse ales, almost a candy-like fruity aroma. 6.5% ABV 8.0/10

Another superb offering from the team in San Francisco behind the infamous prohibition ale.   This Red Rye Ale is like drinking velvet, the type of velvet that George would drape himself in.   The subtle tasting notes of caramel, toffee, and chocolate give a nice supplement to the deep red flavored pour.   There is also a nice spicy peppery edge, which delivers a nice punch to the rye aroma.   Relive the Jazz era and pick up a Scarlett in your neighborhood market today! Food Pairing:  NYC Old School Reuben Movie Pairing:  Cotton Club 5.5% ABV 8.0/10 http://www.goodbeer.com/theusualsuspects

Long Trail has been in the brewing business since 1989.   They were one of the earliest breweries in Vermont to be part of the craft beer movement in the late 80's and early 90's across the country, especially in New England.  The Brush and Barrel series is a unique collection where local artists come together with the brewers of Long Trail to create a collaboration of fine art and craft brewing.  They simultaneously have an artist create the imagery for the label and bottles as they developed the recipe for the special release.  The goal is to have the artists and brewers drawn inspiration from one each other.    Imperial Pumpkin is designed by Jess Polanshek, an illustrator from Cambridge, Vermont who focuses her work on the surreal or fantastical imagery inspired by the Green Mountain State.  The brew master in charge of the Imperial Pumpkin was Dave Hartmann who joined Long Trail in 1992.  The beer also deserves some attention,  a limited...

Its almost Christmas time and The Mad Elf continues to live on in the spirit of this ruby red seasonal ale.  A bouquet of honey and cherries, this jolly entry creates a decadent masterpiece for the holidays.  I question whether or not this should be a year round offering, but then the Mad Elves might run out of power.   It's best to savor this one between October and December, and hopefully there will be some left over in January for new year's indulging. Movie Pairing:  Fred Claus 11.0% ABV 9.0/10 check out more on Troegs Brewing https://troegs.com

Keegan Ales is based in Kingston, NY but are doing some brewing and bottling in Stratford, CT.   Hurricane Kitty is a strong IPA or a coppery IPA as they call it.  This ale is named after the brewmaster's Grandmother who's driving had a infamous reputation with local law enforcement back in the 60's.  I liked the harsher tasting notes, especially the spicy finish.   We're in the middle of some rainy weather right now in NYC, so go grab yourself some of the Hurricane but try to stay dry. 5.5% ABV 7.0/10 http://www.keeganales.com/the-beers/beers/

An occasional rarity from the team at Dogfish Head is a Belgian style golden ale fermented with black raspberries and blueberries.   The flavor is so intense and fresh that is tastes like Sam handpicked the berries the morning of the production.   Now the berries might not truly be handpicked, but Dogfish does use all real fruit and doesn't add any artificial flavoring so the tasting notes are authentic and apparent in the taste as well to the lofty aroma.   The curious colonial fellow on the label is created by portrait painter David Larned, who along with his wife are huge Dogfish Head fans.   Recommended to be poured into a snifter for the full tasting notes to come alive.   This fruit beer bring old world style from Europe to have new meaning in the American States. 10% ABV 8.5/10 http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/black-blue.htm Learn more about David Larned http://www.davidlarned.com

Here's another seasonal selection from The Brooklyn Brewery, mysteriously brewed and bottled in Utica, NY.   I've spent a considerable amount of time this year sampling and posting about new Pumpkin Ales.   This entry is nothing special and is overall a below average brew.   The bar has been set high for these fall seasonal beers across the northeast and this one fails to win us over. ABV 5.0% 6.0/10 http://brooklynbrewery.com

This top tier American Stout is available on draft or in markets in 20oz bottles.  Indulge and experience quality tasting notes of smooth chocolate and dark oats from every sip.   The hops and malts are grown and produced from the Rogue Farms, specifically Dare and Risk Malts along with their Rebel Hops.  Rogue prides themselves on no chemical additives or preservatives in their brewing process and using locally produced crops from their farms in Independence and Tygh Valley, Oregon.  They produce everything from Jalapeños to honey on their two local farms, which is a diverse and sustainable approach to fine craft beer making. 6.0% ABV 8.0/10 Rogue Farm Info http://www.rogue.com/roguefarms/

Pure Evil is a chocolate stout from the up and coming craft beer company from Bloomfield, Connecticut.  According to their web site Pure Evil might not be one of the current offerings, so I'm not sure the future of this Chocolate Stout.   Brewed with Cocoa as disclaimed on their label is a decent flavored selection with a nice medium body and tasting notes of caramel and dark malts.   They don't go overboard with the sweetness like some milk stouts, but its not a chalky as some under performing chocolate porters or stouts.  If this is what pure evil tastes like, I might have to reconsider my career path.   The marketing team has developed a unique and creative brand identity with their labels and a consistent look and feel with their packaging across their portfolio. 5.6% ABV 7.0/10 http://www.evilgeniusbeer.com

Launched in 2007, Southern Gold is meant to be suited for the hot southern climate of Mississippi.  It is a light golden ale with a touch of locally farmed honey.   The honey used in production is actually from the brewer's Uncle Milton's bee-hive in nearby Ellisville, MS.   Mark and Leslie Henderson have created a line of 6 core southern inspired beers all produced in Kiln, Mississippi.  I don't think I have sampled another light ale that uses honey the way Magnolia brews it into their creation.   It provides some very unique tasting notes to amplify the crisp, light golden or amber ale.   Is honey Mississippi's southern gold?  Discover for yourself....I previously posted about the Southern Pecan, which didn't garner a high score.   This brew is more well rounded and worth giving a try for any craft beer fan. 4.55% ABV 6.5/10.0 http://lazymagnolia.com/#?post_type=brew Other Southern Gold concepts in Fashion! http://www.shopsoutherngold.c...

Here's the best of the best from the Craft Beer scene this year (2014)- enjoy and Happy New Year! 1. Firestone Brewing Company Wookey Jack http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2014/07/firestone-walker-brewing-company-wookey.html 2. Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-divide-brewing-co-yeti-imperial.html 3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2014/07/dogfish-head-90-minute-imperial-ipa_16.html 4. Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2014/07/flying-dog-brewery-gonzo-imperial-porter.html 5. Elysian Brewing Company Split Shot http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2014/03/elysian-brewing-company-split-shot.html 6. Flying Dog Brewery Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2014/02/flying-dog-brewery-kujo-imperial-coffee.html 7. Dogfish Head Theobroma http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2014/10/dogfish-head-theobroma.html 8. Weyerbacher Brewing Co. Insanity http://afordnyc.blogs...

Harpoon was created in Boston by Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary in 1986.  They launched the UFO line in 1998, which stands for UnFiltered Offering, which was a very foreign concept in Mid 90's New England.  They claim the honor of getting Brewing Permit #001 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, since they were the first company to brew and bottle beer in the state since the early 1960's.   The UFO Pumpkin is one of the 5 offerings in the UFO Line, a nice unfiltered sweet fall seasonal for the northeast and New England craft beer connoisseur first brewed in 2011.  Northwest hops are used in conjunction with German Vienna and Munich malts to go along with the pumpkin spices.  The unfiltered nature of this beer provides a nice cloudy pour with a dark orange, amber color.   Best served in a tall Hefeweizen glass. 5.9% ABV 7 out 10 Unfiltered Space Pumpkins http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/beer/93/ufo-pumpkin

Here's another entry from the boys in Easton, Pennsylvania, an intense Imperial Pumpkin Ale coming in at 8% ABV. Primarily spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves to give a unique edge to a standard fall northeast seasonal.   It does come off a little strong, and the high ABV overpowers the pumpkin tasting notes slightly, but I still recommend this one for anyone seeking a strong fall ale featuring Simcoe hops for the a nice full body of spice and flavor. Weyerbacher has two New York Area tasting/tap takeover events coming up in January -Jan 10- DeCicco's in Ardsley, NY -Jan 28- Blind Tiger Ale House, NY, NY 8% ABV 7 out of 10 Imperial Pumpkins http://www.weyerbacher.com http://www.blindtigeralehouse.com http://www.deciccos.com