Craft Beer NYC

The Bronx Brewery brings us their Rye Ale in a newly designed 12 oz can.   This spicy entry in the year round portfolio should be a fridge staple for all craft beer fanatics, especially when you can't get down to your local brewpub to sample anything seasonal from their line on draft.   The Chinook and Crystal hops supplement the flavor profile with their piney tones from the Pacific Northwest.  The malts and grains include Muntons Maris Otter/Tipple, Weyermann Caramunich I, Briess Malted Rye, and Briess Flaked Rye for a spicy rye taste that goes perfect with the woodsy hop profile. 6.3% ABV 8.5/10 Rye, Rye, Rye Your Boat! http://www.thebronxbrewery.com/our-beer#block-views-beer-lineup-block-2

This citrus infused ale has a wheat beer base and is amped up to 8.5% ABV with blood orange juice, grapefruit and tangerine peels.   I would have preferred they kept this one with an IPA base instead of a wheat beer.  The mosaic hops supplement the fruit tones with their own tropical flares and bitterness.  Enjoy this one starting in April as a seasonal entry to the Southern Tier portfolio. 8.5% ABV 8.5/10 http://www.stbcbeer.com/3-citrus-peel-out/

One of the hot new craft beer trends of the year are citrus infused IPA's encompassing everything from pineapple, grapefruit, orange, lemons and tangerines.   This new entry from Dogfish Head throws in a unique spin using orange peel, lemon flesh and blood orange juice.  The most identifying theme of these citrus IPA's is the tartness balancing out the hoppy spice tones with a sweet finish but in a very different way than a traditional Belgian fruit beer with their lambic acidity.  It will be interesting to see how this trend continues into 2017.    7.5% ABV 9/10 http://www.dogfish.com/brewery/beer/flesh-blood-ipa

This Dogfish Head creation started way back at the brewpub in 1997 and made its way back to the release schedule this year.  The description says it all, a peat-smoked ale brewed with maple syrup.   On a recent trip to Scotland I got a chance to take in the smell of burning peat first hand, as part of a scotch demonstration at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.  This ale starts out fermentation with a blend of Belgian and English yeast and then they use the famous oak barrels at the Dogfish Head Brewery to bring the smoked aromas to another level.  The oak tasting notes add a blend to the vanilla and peat-smoked complexity that bring this ale to the level of an enlightened Scottish highlander.  We're talking Sean Connery Level!  Enjoy responsibly as this one clocks in at 11% ABV 11% ABV 10/10 http://www.dogfish.com/brewery/beer/immort-ale