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

I don't normally post about cider but I was recently given a gift of a special pear flavored hard cider.  The Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery are located in Orange County in New York State about 2 hours from Manhattan.  The orchard portion of the farm started in 1989 and was primarily an apple orchard until they started experimenting in other seasonal fruits and making local wine as well.  The unique American Fruits division is a brand focusing on Fine Brandies and Liqueurs which was also the first of its kind in New York State.  The Doc's Draft line of Hard Ciders has flavors ranging from traditional apple to everything from pear, raspberry, sour cherry and pumpkin.   The Hard Pear Cider is an interesting spin on a traditional hard cider flavor where the pear dials down the sweetness to soften the blow and create more dryer taste.  There has recently been some new craft ales using pear especially in spring and summer seasonal varieties and this is a...

Remember those classic southwestern style hoodies that you had in high school or college circa 1991?   Well with the Smuttlabs experiment Baja Hoodie you can relive the feeling all over again.   This is a heavy amber lager amped up with chilies and agave syrup.   At 7.7% ABV this is strong enough to enjoy without getting dazed and confused.   The bottle I tasted was bottled in June 2015, and this one is currently not on the production slate for 2016, so supplies are limited.   I was able to pick one up at Eataly in the Sam Calagione curated craft beer section in the ground floor market in the historic Flatiron District in Manhattan. 8.0/10 Chucky Chilies 7.7% ABV Info on Smuttynose and Smuttlabs from Portsmouth, New Hampshire https://smuttynose.com/beers/smuttlabs/#show-post Find your very own hoodie! http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Mexican-Hoodie-Pullover-Traditional/dp/B018RLGEQ2%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-osx...

Another fine crafted ale from the organic team in Middlebury, Vermont.   The Oatmeal Stout is available all year round and is brewed with over 200 pounds of organic oats.  Produced with a jet black color, this stout combines dark roasted malts with hints of chocolate and coffee for some nice medium flavored tasting notes.  All their crafted beers are always unfiltered with all USDA organic ingredients, as well as being fully Non GMO Project verified as of Summer 2014.  Wolaver's have been crafting organic beer since 1997, originally located in California but relocated officially to Vermont in 2002 as part of a consolidation effort after purchasing the Otter Creek Brewery.   They are now owned by the The Long Trail Brewery which is distributed across the northeast but has 45% of their ale consumed in the state of Vermont. 5.4% ABV 8 out of 10 Quaker Oats http://wolaversorganic.com/beers/oatmeal-stout Non GMO Project http://www.nongmoproject.org ...