Craft Beer NYC

This limited seasonal release from the Saint Louis Brewery is only available August through October.  They use exotic Polish Marynka hops to go with the blend of grains (Pale, Wheat, Munich, Chocolate, and Crystal) and an American Ale yeast.  This does have heavy pumpkin pie overtones, a bit on the sweet side for some.  Overall this is a solid fall seasonal from America's heartland.  The spices that Schlafly use are a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.   The team at Schlafly are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year.  The taproom in downtown St. Louis resides in a brick building, which is on the National Historic Register and in 1991 it was the first brewpub to open in the state since Prohibition. 8.0% ABV 7.5/10 Mississippi Gourds http://schlafly.com/beers/styles/pumpkin-ale/

This American style pale ale comes from the Quad City area of Western Illinois, right across from the Iowa border.  The Bent River story started back in 1993 in Moline which still is home to their brew pub.   In the 2012 expansion, they opened up the full capacity brewery and tasting room over in Rock Island, just three miles down the road, which allowed them to distribute to three states (Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin).   This was a slightly above average full bodied, freshly hopped ale with a nice blend of tasting notes from several varieties of American hops.   Get Bent!   Enjoy the YouTube videos from Bent's own "Brewru" and be sure to ask him about his sword! 5.0% ABV 7.5/10 Mississippi River Paddle Boats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGyyHugrfIY http://bentriverbrewing.com/AboutUs

Avery Brewing started back in 1993 by home brewer Adam Avery.   The IPA was introduced in 1996 and has been one of their top sellers ever since.  It was the first packaged IPA to be sold in the state of Colorado.  The hop profile is a blend of Columbus, Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial.   The Avery IPA is a proud product of Boulder, Colorado and they use pure Rocky Mountain water in their brewing process.  Their IPA is a strong option coming out of the crowded Colorado craft brewery scene.   6.5% ABV 8.5/10 Rocky IPA's http://averybrewing.com/india-pale-ale/

Dogfish started creating American Beauty in 2013 as an homage to The Grateful Dead.   The recipe began as a fan submitted contest and the winner got to be part of the initial brewing process. For the batch brewed in 2015 Dogfish Head decided to honor the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead with a special label and design.  As of now the American Beauty is not on the schedule for 2016, so enjoy anything you can find out there on the shelves.  The winning fan's "secret" ingredient was organic granola.  The tasting notes of orange blossom honey comes from the granola as well as a slight almond aroma.  The base beer of the Imperial Pale Ale with all American ingredients was hand picked by the band themselves.  The granola used in the original batch came from Eugene, Oregon. 9.5/10 Granola Garcia 9.0% ABV http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occasional-rarities/american-beauty/index.htm

From the experimental minds of Tore Gynther and Tobias Emil Jensen comes the self declared brewing Nomads of Europe.  They are openly against the old school European brewing traditions that have delivered the same stale lagers year after year, especially in their home country of Denmark.  From the Pink Floyd vinyl inspired label designs to their inventive full bodied beer, they are making a serious mark on the craft beer scene.  Bringing fresh intense infused Imperial Stouts to Copenhagen is not a simply task and clearly needs to be done with the freedom to brew surf like true nomads without their own brewery or equipment.  They act as freelance operatives and jump from town to town and use existing brewery operations and infrastructure to concoct their libations.   The Liquid Confidential uses a blend of ancho, guajillo, and chipotle chilies to create a dark and powerful double American style Imperial Stout.  Label design is courtesy of Kasper Ledet. 12....

The craft power of Earth, Wind and Beer comes full force with this fall seasonal offering from Uinta. Officially part of the Organic Line, this Harvest Pumpkin Ale only has 3% organic ingredients this year.   The price of production has sky rocketed in recent years, especially with the organic lines of craft beer.  Wolaver's, one of the premiere forces just folded their operation this past December.  Hopefully Uinta will continue to figure out a way to brew with all organic ingredients again to remain in the fold as a craft beer pioneer.  The Punk'n is a solid entry in the pumpkin beer space.   A nice balance of spicy and sweet tasting notes (honey and vanilla) while a mild hop profile and medium rusty cooper body and color fill it out nicely. 5% ABV 8.0/10 Chunkin Punkins Learn about Uinta's commitment to sustainability and the environment http://www.uintabrewing.com/business_practices.php http://www.uintabrewing.com/brews.php#

Ithaca has teamed up with Whole Foods for an exclusive winter Double IPA.   Full of piney tasting notes from American hops, this is a stellar offering from the New York State brewmasters.  I'm often skeptical of exclusive selections for a gimmick promotion at Whole Foods, but this one breaks through the clutter.   Christmas only comes once a year, however the aroma of pine trees is a essential part of the northeast outdoors all year long.  The beer profile is not listed on the Ithaca website, so the official ingredients (hops, malts, and spices) will remain a little bit of a mystery.  My guess is that the hop profile is a blend of Simcoe, Chinook, or Cascade hops that brings out the piney but slightly citrus tones.   They amp up the ABV to Imperial or Double IPA levels to give you a strong cold brew to survive the winter months.   8.25% ABV 9.5/10 Pine Cones https://www.beermenus.com/breweries/149-ithaca-beer-company

Happy New Year! Here's the best of 2015 to cheers with! Troegs Brewing Co. The Mad Elf Ale http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/01/troegs-brewing-co-mad-elf-ale.html Dogfish Head Kvasir http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/01/dogfish-head-kvasir.html Stillwater Cellar Door http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/02/stillwater-cellar-door.html Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/02/sierra-nevada-torpedo-extra-ipa.html BrewDog Hardcore IPA http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/04/brewdog-hardcore-ipa.html Dogfish Head Bitches Brew http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/05/dogfish-head-bitches-brew.html Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/06/bear-republic-racer-5-ipa.html Stillwater Stateside Saison http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/07/stillwater-stateside-saison.html Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron http://afordnyc.blogspot.com/2015/07/dogfish-head-palo-santo-marron.html Fire Island Beer Co. Sea ...

Sahtea is another entry in the Dogfish Head Ancient Ale series, originally based on a 9th Century Finnish recipe.   The ancient version used rye and juniper berries and was called Sahti.   Sam's new spin on the creation is the addition of black chai tea late in the boil to give it the extra kick of spicy tasting notes.  My bottle was produced back in 2013 and I'm not sure if they have brewed this occasional rarity since.  I managed to find a bottle at Halftime in Westchester County, New York. 9.0% ABV 8.5/10 Chai Teas Sam's Quick Sip http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/sahtea-0.htm