Craft Beer NYC

Sweet Action is one of the core year round ales hand crafted in Brooklyn by Sixpoint.  There are tasting notes all over the map from bitter to sweet.  Officially now a pale ale, Sixpoint has been brewing this one for almost 20 years, truly a NYC classic.  Tasting notes range from citrus to floral with a nice medium hop bitterness with a peachy aroma.  The haze is helped by the Canadian white wheat, along with some Simcoe hops.   This is a great session beer for all seasons and will remain one of my fridge beer staples.  Exclusively available in six packs of 12oz cans when you can't enjoy on draft.  The skinny cans have been retired for this one.   Back in 2014 this used to be considered a cream ale (skinny can below) with a slightly different recipe, and has evolved in the 20 years since its arrival.  Sixpoint now has a tap room in downtown Brooklyn in the City Point Development (next to Trader Joe's) https://taprooms.sixpoint.com/sixpoint-at...

Are you ready for a Summer Session Sour?  Dogfish created this one back in 2016 and it is now in the year round production cycle.  Aroma and taste have a heavy sour lime profile, created by the inclusion of some non traditional ingredients like middle eastern black limes, and sea salt.  This is also a triple sequence of production stemming from a traditional Kolsch fermentation, then Gose yeast after a day of fermenting, and then Berliner Weiss to finish it off with the sea salt and lime added.  The yeast strains themselves bring a salty lime sourness, so this one is an intense exploration in craft beer experimentation.    The mouthfeel is surprisingly light, given the tartness.   The color is in the 2.5 SRM range. IBU is a 10.  You really must enjoy this on a boat while sailing the high seas.   Maybe the pirates can drink this to escape scurvy.   Great to pair with seafood and oysters 4.9% ABV 9 out of 10 Salty Dogs https://www.dogfish....

The year round offering from Grimm has been seen all over the city, including some distribution at retail markets in Manhattan, especially on the UWS.   Offered in a 4 Pack of 16 oz cans (1 pint), this one is a stellar performer for all occasions.  Wavetable was on my beer menu for the big game party this year.  Great label design by Lauren Grimm.  Hop profile contains Strata, Mosaic (one of my favorites), and Citra, while the overall aromatic notes have layers of mango, guava, citrus, and cannabis.    The ABV is low enough to keep this Northeast-style session going strong all night.  Grimm has been operation as a brick and mortar location in Brooklyn since 2018.   6.7% ABV  https://grimmales.com/beer/wavetable/

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)