Craft Beer NYC

This easy drinking delight showed up as one of my 24 NYS Beers of Holiday Cheer! from the New York State Brewers Association.  The lower ABV lagers are becoming more and more in fashion these days, especially as a premium fresh fridge beer to have on hand for session-able gatherings during the holidays.   A silver medal winner at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival, definitely delivers for anyone looking for a crisp, clean, smooth lager any time of the year.   Singlecut uses locally sourced malts, and classic noble hops from Europe in this Frequency lager.  Enjoy the NYC taproom in Astoria, Queens.  There are now new upstate taprooms in Syracuse and Saratoga.  ABV 4.7%  8.0 out of 10 MHz (Good ATSC 3.0 viewing pairing)  More info on ATSC 3.0 https://www.atsc.org/nextgen-tv/ Media Insights Posts  https://afordnycmedia.blogspot.com/ More on SingleCut  https://singlecut.com/

I discovered this entry from Big aLICe in the 24 NYS Beers of Holiday Cheers from New York State Brewers Association Advent Box.   This fruity powerhouse of tangerine and pineapple is a delight for any brunch, lunch or dessert.  It is definitely more of a sour, than a fruity IPA, but for me it sits in the middle of that spectrum.  Since it contains lactose and fresh fruit, it’s important to store and drink cold.  Big aLICe is an official licensed New York State farm brewery, which is a great incentive and agriculture boosting program for the state of NY.   Big aLICe began production in 2013 with a facility in Long Island City, Queens, then expanded to the new Industrial City Development in Brooklyn, and then opened a 3rd location in 2021 in the Finger Lakes (Upstate New York).  They have a great reputation and a strong following with the local craft beer scene in NYC and the region. The original taproom in Queens is now closed.   8.5 out of 10 Fruit Bo...

  Captain Lawrence Smuttynose New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin Shipyard Flying Dog Five Boroughs  Southern Tier  Enjoy!   

Wow, talk about a unique entry into the crowded Pumpkin ale market!  This stellar creation from the folks at New Belgium offers some sweet heat from cinnamon and habanero chili peppers.   This one pours smooth, but the habanero is subtle in aroma and packs quite a wallop in the mouthfeel.  The delayed spicy aftertaste is similar to the slow creeper hot sauce that grabs you from a habanero chicken wing on Hot Ones.   Be careful to not let the creepers in, when not playing in peaceful mode!  Enjoy this and other Voodoo Ranger series of craft beers from Fort Collins, Colorado.  ABV 6.4% 9.5/10 Spicy Pumpkins  https://www.newbelgium.com/beer/voodoo-ranger-atomic-pumpkin https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/whered-you-get-those-creepers-63707339/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creeper_(Minecraft)

Flying Dog has done it again!  This very limited release seasonal puts a new spin on Pumpkin Ale.   Using Warrior and Willamette hops blended with dark malts like Cara-Brown, Midnight Wheat, and Chocolate, they have developed a rich and complex fall seasonal.  The brewers use local pumpkin puree mixed with a secret blend of spices, which allow tasting notes of graham cracker and chocolate to come through with every pour.  Since Flying Dog doesn't do anything quietly, they amped up this one to Imperial stature with a very high ABV, dark color and a complex thick heavier body similar to a stout.   Flying Dog brings new meaning to "Fear".  Celebrate your Halloween in style and ask yourself, what do you fear? 9.0% ABV 9.5/10 Michael Meyers "Fear" Masks https://flyingdog.com/beers/the-fear/ Halloween Theme Song https://youtu.be/iP-jYiuDD9g New 20023 Bottle Design

Blast off and send yourself into an early night dreamscape with this Belgian classic.  The Delirium has only been around since the late 80's, but it feels like an older tradition of Belgian expertise. How many pink elephants did you see?   I actually prefer the darker Nocturnum, even though the ABV is the same as the standard Delirium Tremens.  Also comes in a Christmas edition!  You might not be able to tell the difference between a pink panther or a pink elephant after a couple of rounds.  Movie Pairing:  Clockwork Orange or Vertigo 8.5% ABV 10/10 Deep Tracks of Peter Sellers https://www.delirium.be/en/beers?beer=14-Delirium https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Pink_Elephants

The trees are turning colors and the pumpkins are getting ripe in the fields for Halloween fun!  The airwaves are filled with Sleep Hollow and crazy eyed Snickers starved headless horseman!  That means that it's that time of the year for Pumpkin spiced ale.   This returning staple from Shipyard has been a quality brew for a few years now.  Nice even balance filled with touches of cinnamon and nutmeg to blend in the fresh pumpkin flavor.    The nice golden color sits well in a tall pint glass, that must be poured down the side to unleash the spice.  The latest version comes in at 4.5% and is still a stellar entry in the crowed Pumpkin ale category.  4.5% ABV 7 out of 10 Ichabod Crane's https://shipyard.com/beer/pumpkinhead/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichabod_Crane For anyone looking for some Hudson Valley Halloween Pumpkin thrills check out the famous Jack-O-Lantern Blaze and the Horseman's Hollow (Spirits of Sleepy Hollow) through end of ...

Hello Craft Beer Friends,  Here's some great detail on the new laws that went into effect January of 2023. Under the new law, in order to receive a Farm Brewery license in New York State, the beer must be made primarily from locally grown farm products. The schedule for the license is as follows: From January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023, no less than 60% of the hops and 60% of all other ingredients must be grown in New York State. From January 1, 2024, no less than 90% of the hops and 90% of all other ingredients must be grown in New York State. Enjoy! https://newyorkcraftbeer.com/farm-brewery/

This is a nice change from the usual summer ales hitting the store aisles right now.  This is an intense but smooth stout, with a nice addition of brewers licorice.  A nice blend of dark roasts malts that offers taste profile of coffee, chocolate to bring this to the session-able 6.0% ABV.    Kalamazoo is home to one of the greatest Yankees as well as great beer!  6.0% ABV, 51 IBU's  8 out of 10  Hall of Fame Shortstops https://bellsbeer.com/project/kalamazoo-stout/

Its a little late in the season for fresh Pumpkin Ale but I was able to find some of the last batches left on the UWS of this entry from the Brooklyn based Five Boroughs Brewing Company. The Malt profile uses 2-Row German, Carared, and Carafoam all blends of 2-Row to provide extra body,  and the toasty red color.  The hop profile features Chinook and Cascade.   Fresh pumpkin is added to the Mash vs. the Boil according to Mat Johnson, Head of Brewing and Quality Management at Five Boroughs.   A fresh proprietary spice blend, which probably contains a blend of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  This one is definitely a smooth, but not overpowering blend of pumpkin to make this a very sessionable fall ale.   Five Boroughs has developed a strong portfolio of year-round and seasonal beers in a short time operating out of Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  ABV 6.0% 9 out of 10 Pulpy Pumpkins Movie Pairings: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween (Original 1978 Version...

'Tis the season for Christmas Ale, and DUBCO gives you a perfect pairing to your ugly sweater.   Packed with intense maple, orange peel, Demerara sugar, and cherries aged on bourbon oak this winter warmer does the trick. 9.3 ABV (Don't let Rudolph partake) 8.5/10 Christmas Vacations Movie Pairing:  Triple Feature- A Christmas Story, Lindsey Lohan's Falling for Christmas and The Shining https://destinationunknownbeercompany.com/

I returned to Ditmas Park, for another round of homebrew hosted by The Hoeffner's which is becoming annual tradition of excellence.   This year I focused in on a few new and returning favorites.   The new Kama Citra is a session citrus IPA, brewed with Centennial, Cascade, and Citra hops.   I found myself really loving the balance of tartness with the aroma of fresh citrus infusions, that was so crisp and powerful I think I might have had 3 without even blinking.   The other strong performer this year was the dark and medium/heavy "Hey Oh" Belgian Trappist style, which was the second strongest on the menu.   This ale took on some additional character with the additional aging from the 2017 batch.    Also the returning "Ramble On" gets an honorable mention for sparking a spicy but heavy Imperial Farmhouse Ale that was very drinkable.   Last year "Ramble On" was the darkest and last stop on the menu, but this year 2 others clocked in below it. ...

🍻Happy New Year!   Dogfish sets the bar high with this "cross-Atlantic" collaboration with one of the premier Belgian breweries.  Rodenbach's Grand Cru is one of the finest Flemish style red ales money can buy with their family brewing dating back to 1821.   This fusion takes the Flemish base and then Dogfish Head's brew team waves its culinary magic wand infusing sumac, sweet orange peel, and dry-hopping with Hallertau Blanc hops.  This brings out the malty delightfulness of cherries, and citrus but keeps its dark copper color.  The bottle design is part of the Dogfish Head Off-Centered Art Series from Max Mahn, with a blend of forest green and crimson signaling the signature motif from each brewery.  This seasonal limited release continues Dogfish Head's devotion to high quality culinary style ingredients with the use of sumac, oranges, and the wooden foeder-aging technique where the beer ferments in Oak barrels (perfected by Rodenbach in the 19th Centur...