Paying It Forward with Beer

Numerous craft beer breweries are taking upon themselves to give back to their local communities by helping out local charities.  Great beer + giving back is a winning combination in this Gal’s book. Want to know how you can contribute by just purchasing some fantastic craft beer? Following are a few suggestions:

Southern Tier Mokah – Southern Tier Brewing Company 11.20%
A stout brewed with chocolate & coffee

To quote George Takei, “Oh my”. This little beauty pours a thick rich opaque black with a wonderful creamy toffee color head. With strong roasted chicory, mocha flavors and a subtle underlying taste of rich creamy chocolate with dark fruits and just a hint of vanilla and molasses. It’s a bit on the sweet side but not overly so and has that nice boozy quality to it. It’s full bodied without being too heavy, very smooth and overall a delight to drink. I plan on enjoying this little black beauty again.

Mini Beer Crawl, NYC  11/6/13

I decided to do a mini beer crawl in NYC, visiting one new spot, well new for me, plus an oldie but goody.

First up was the newbie – Beer Authority, NYC
http://www.beerauthoritynyc.com/

This establishment has caught my eye on numerous occasions being I usually take the bus into NYC and the Beer Authority is located right next door to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. It’s taken me a while to check it out since it’s located only 3 blocks from my favorite  go to beer place in NYC, BXL Café. I’ve also been hesitant since it’s in the heart of the tourist area and rather large. I prefer smaller more intimate spaces. Upon entering there is a small bar on the first floor and if I was to go back that is where I could kick back. On this particular trip my companion and I headed up to the 2^nd floor main bar/restaurant area. It was a pretty big room and the décor was welcoming with lots of wood and beer signs all around. A nice décor touch was all the door handles upstairs were tap handles. I thought that was fun.

Only a few other patrons were there at the time and I was very thankful for that since the room was a bit noisy and I can only imagine how noisy it would be full. Also, there is an outside roof bar area for the nicer days. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to check it out, that alone may be a reason for me to go back.

After being seated at a table, next to a window which made it ideal for people watching, I immediately started to peruse the beer menu. It was nicely laid out by style and the list really had something for everybody. I was hoping for a sample round but was informed by my waiter they didn’t do that. I found that strange for a beer establishment and realized I was certainly going to have to choose wisely since I would be having a full beer instead of a sample. I wanted to pair my beer selection with the food I would be having. I felt the Spider Bite Boris the Spider, NY 10% (8 oz serving) would complement my vegetarian Shepard’s Pie quite nicely. (note: the food menu is meatarian, vegetarian and gluten free friendly)

Spider Bite Boris the Spider, NY 10%
This isn’t just a beautiful beer there is the flavor to back it up as well. It’s rich dark colors and beautiful aroma lets you know you are in for a nice medium to full body beer chalk full with a  richness of flavors.  It has a roasted bitter coffee and rich cocoa flavor plus a hint of smokiness as well. Overall this a darkness of goodness glass of beer.

I felt I chose wisely as it did pair very well with the Shepard’s Pie. I debated about having a second but since I still had another beer stop to make I decided to pass.

Overall my experience at the Beer Authority was pleasant and am glad I finally stopped in to see what was happening there. It’s hard to imagine myself making it a regular stop when visiting the city, there are just too many other beer places to try. However, I do feel the need to check out the roof top bar at some point so come warmer weather another stop might just be required.

Next stop on my mini beer crawl….The Ginger Man
http://www.gingerman-ny.com/

It’s been a least 8 or 9 years since I’ve been to The Ginger Man and not much has changed in that time. It’s still has 70 beers on tap, plus numerous bottles and an extensive whiskey list as well. The atmosphere is warm and cozy with long tables to gather at or you can curl up in a comfy oversized chair to enjoy your beer. For this visit my companion and I sat at the bar and I was happy when I noticed they offered sample rounds. I was in the mood to experiment and sample rounds are perfect for that. All the beer on tap is available for the sample round and it’s 4 5oz pours for $13. I was also in the mood for some big beers and they had plenty on tap. My first round consisted of:

Barrier Hot Burning Love, Barrier Brewing Company, NY  5.4%
This is an amber ale brewed with jalapenos and scorpion ghost peppers. The pepper taste is subtle, at least to me but I like things hot. There is a slight musty taste to the beer  but overall is a pleasant drinking beer. I think it would be better paired with food rather than drinking it on it’s on. I found 5oz pour to be plenty. 

Allagash James Bean, Allagash Brewing, Maine 10.3%
WOW….let me say that again….WOW! That was my first, second and third response after trying this beer. I’m not a bourbon drinker but this beer made me rethink that. Right away you can taste the bourbon but it’s not at all overpowering just very subtle. It pours a nice golden hue with a pure white head. Besides the bourbon there is a slight aged in wood flavor to the beer that is very complementary to the overall taste that consists of oak, whiskey and hints of coffee with low carbonation and a creamy body. This is a very nice sit by the fire place sipping beer.

Cask Mendocino Oatmeal Stout, Mendocino Brewing Company, CA 6%
I went for this beer because it was on Cask. This stout is super smooth with a rich mocha color and a strong roasted malt taste with undertones of cherry and chocolate. I enjoyed this beer immensely. Very easy to drink.

Cask Pumking, Southern Teir Brewing Company, NY 8.6%
Pumking is one of my favorite pumpkin beers and I was excited to finally get to try on cask. Being on cask really allows the flavors to come through full throttle and the pumpkin flavor was really enhanced without the carbonation. It pours a nice golden color and has the full flavors of pumpkin, nutmeg and caramel with a touch of vanilla.

Burning Love, Allagash, Mendocino, Pumking

For my second taster round (my companion insisted) I enjoyed the following:

Stone Farking Wheaton W00t Stout, Stone Brewing Company, CA, 13%
My oh my! This beer pours a very dark brown with a nice beige/cream head. Right off the bat you can taste the alcohol in this beer along with some California hops, chocolate, whiskey and perhaps a bit of licorice. This is a big beer in many ways alcohol, flavor and aromas. Not my favorite of the day but appreciated being able to try it.

Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale, Stone Brewing Company, CA, 12%
It’s been a while since I had this ale so I decided to go for it. Right off the bat you can smell and taste the California hops that leaves the mouth feeling a bit dry. Along with the hops there’s a maltiness to it as well along with earthy undertones and a tinge of caramel. This reminded me more of an Imperial IPA than a barley wine. If you are into hops I recommend it.

Carton BDG Brown, Carton Brewing Company, NJ 6%
Apparently, this second sampler round was going to be about hops without my knowing it. I’m more a malt gal but it’s always good to try new/different things. I chose it because I like browns and rarely see them on menus. I think it’s one of the most under brewed styles. I felt this particular brown was more of an IPA with a brown color to it. It’s a bit yeasty and does have the slight nutty flavor to it that I associate with brown ales. Not a go to beer for me but enjoyable.

My final selection of the day was an oldie but goodie…

St Louis Framboise, Brouwerij Van Honesbrough, Belgium 4.5%
It’s been ages since I’ve enjoyed a Framboise and this was a delight. It was a beautiful hue of pink with amber highlights and pinkish head to it. As soon as you bring it up to your lips you can smell the sweet berry goodness of this beer. It’s full of raspberry flavor with the wonderful balance of sweet and tart that lamics are known for. This was the one and only beer my companion decided to try and it was a hit all around. I decided to play a bit an mix a wee bit of the lambic with a wee bit of the W00t Stout – chocolate covered goodness in a glass.

After the second sampler round it was time to head back out into the streets of the City and enjoy a nice leisurely walk with my companion .

W00t Stout, Old Guardian, Carton BDG, Framboise

UNO’s Pumpkin Fest 10/19/13
https://www.facebook.com/unohamiltonnj

I recently had the pleasure of attending UNO’s Pumpkin Beer Festival with a good friend of mine; who also happens to appreciate good beer. The festival was set up as a scaled down Beer Festival. On either side of the main building they had outside beer tasting tables set up on patios. Between the two patio areas there were 24 Pumpkin and Oktoberfest beers to try and inside at the main bar there were another 9 beers available. All areas also had water stations set up for the patrons – smart move. The main patio also had three different games people could participate in. (bag toss, washers, corn hole).

We arrived at the festival mid afternoon and upon paying for our tickets received a pretzel necklace for munching on during the tasting. There was was small crown outside but the main bar was full. There might have been some sort of sporting event on but, ummm, who cares. We made our way to the main patio and made our choices. I purposely stayed away from the beers I had tried before even though some of my favorites were available.  However, I was there to try some NEW beers, well new to me, have fun and catch up on solving the world’s problems with my dear friend.

I started with the 21^st Amend Pumpkin Triple 8.2%. This was a delightful beer with a nice golden to amber color that had hints of banana and mild citrus flavors. There was not an overwhelming flavor of pumpkin or spices they were more background notes. Over all this was a very enjoyable beer.

My friend enjoyed Ommegang Seythe & Sickle 5.8%. I took a small sip and it was a bit hoppy for me but not overwhelmingly so. One can smell the spices and it was a delightful orange color.

Next up for myself was the Cape Ann Pumpkin Stout 7.0%This beer pour a dark rich black with a nice creamy head and was so pretty to look at. One could smell the roasted malts right away. True roasty malts with chocolate, pumpkin and coffee and blended perfectly together. It ended with that nice stout bitterness I’ve come to love.

Being a true beer friend my companion for the day allowed me to try her Flying Dog Dogtoberfest 5.3%. This was a nice amber color and had sweet malty earthiness to it. It was crisp and perfect for a nice fall day. I consider this beer a true Oktoberfest beer.

At this point we decided to make our way over to the other outside area and some fun was had here. I wanted to choose wisely and not pick 8 oz. of beer that I didn’t like or did not want that much of. The staff was very willing to pour tasters so one could choose wisely.

My tastes were of Neshaminy Creek Punkel Dunkel 8.8%. Last time I tried one of Neshaminy beers I came away feeling that with time this new brewery would grow into it’s own and produce some nice beers. They did just that with the Punkel Dunkel. In early September I tried their Dunks Ferry and although it was enjoyable I felt it had brewed by someone with not a lot of experience taste. This current selection was the opposite and was very nice…a good Dunkel. However, I was looking for something with a bit more flavor so I moved on.

Next I tasted the Cisco Pumpkin 6%  (reminder the tastes are 3 sips worth so I wasn’t drinking as much as it seems) Something about this beer just did not taste right to me. I wasn’t crazy about the overly abundant carbonation level, no pumpkin what so ever and just an over all weird taste.

For my full (8 oz.) pour I went with the Round Guys Pumpkin Porter 4.5%.  Yes, I have to admit I was drawn in by the name. This beer had a nice mild smoky quality to it with roasted chocolate malts and a mild pumpkin flavoring that I found to be enjoyable but was happy it was only 8 oz. pour instead of 16 oz.

My friend enjoyed a Great Lakes Oktoberfest 5.6%. I’m going to go on record and say that I feel Great Lakes Brewing is one of my favorite breweries and several years ago had the pleasure of visiting the brewery. This was a delight Oktoberfest with hints of caramel, malt and some nice toffee undertones. There was a slight hit of hops but very complimentary and not overpowering. As far as I’m concerned another success from Great Lakes!

Next up my friend had the Left Hand Oktoberfest 5.6%. Overall this was a very enjoyable beer with some nice malt, nut and slight citrus tones to it. A delightful medium body beer and perfect for the season.

My final selection was Lancaster Pumpkin Pie 7.7%. This was what I had been waiting for a pumpkin pie on tap. Right away you can smell the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, brown sugar, caramel and cloves along with a wonderful roasted pumpkin pie cooking in the oven aroma. Heavenly! This beer much darker than I expected which quite frankly made me very happy as well. It’s a wonderful sipper beer that has a creamy quality to it and low carbonation level, which I love. Overall a very delightful pumpkin pie, I mean beer.

All in all and very fun fall afternoon with a very dear friend who I’m so happy also enjoys tasting different beers.