Beer !!
- Thread starter mjmaherjr
- Start date
I LOVE THIS THREAD SO MUCH I AM GLAD I FOUND IT; I HOPE PEOPLE KEEP CONTRIBUTING TO IT, I LOVE GOOD BEER
random thoughts:
1. Blind Tiger now on Bleeker St. in greenwhich village not the biggest but the best curated beer selection in the City, maybe anywhere. Wednesday BT has beer events, those are always good.
Torst in Williamsburgh BKLYN great great beer selection. The brewer who owns it brews the Evil Twin line of beers. Gypsy brews, means he has the ideas and recipes and goes to a brewery and brings out of their shop. I think West Brook in S. Carolina is where they are made. His twin brother is the guy behinds Mikkeler, a west coast brewery. The are from Denmark originally. NY Times magazine had an article on them, supposedly they are very competitive and now don’t speak to each other, who knows if really true?
2. hands down best IPA actually a DIPA is out of Vermont, Heady Topper, problem is they only distribute within 75 miles of their small brewery in Waterbury Junction, VT, so unless you are in very northern VT it is very hard to find, but worth every sip. It comes only in cans, the brewery is called The Alchemist and the label is great. It has got to be fresh like all IPAs, never age them, drink them the fresher the better. Right on the can they strongly advise you to drink it straight from the can for the best taste.
3. second best IPA is again northern Vermont's Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Sip of Sunshine terrific. I think both of these are better than Pliny the Elder out of Russian River in northern CA, that is rated high, and is good too. When buying ipas ask how fresh or check labels sometimes you can see how long they have been around, if it is more than 3-4 months avoid it, more than 6 don’t buy it.
3. Best local IPA hands down is Other Half in Bklyn, I went there yesterday for a can release got Green Diamonds, and Nelson a single hop IPA, they make as good an IPA as anyone around.
4. Now onto sours, I love sours second to IPAs. Best sour breweries, Almanac (CA), Crooked Stave (CO), The Bruery (CA), and of course the Belgiums, Cantillon, by far the best but next to impossible to find.
5. If you ever go to St. Louis, Kill The King, and go to Perennial Brewing, great selection, saisons, but their signature brew is called Abraxas, a stout aged in barrels, with some cocoa, coffee and a hint of pepper, not overwhelming but just a little zinger to give it a bite. LOVE that beer.
6. I knew about the sacuba name flap, glad to see someone else did also.
Stouts taste better after they get closer to cellar temperature and are not my go-to brew, but I agree Guinness in IRE is very good Guinness here not nearly so. The young Hipster Irish are just catching the craft beer thing, a lot of them still go for Miller and Bud, like Coor’s that’s their thing. They would probably love Rolling Rock if they could get it. “33”.
I do like barrel aged stouts and ones that are aged in whiskey barrels, but not Scotch barrels that does NOT work very well.
Berkshire distillery in MA makes a great bourbon that they were aging in Troegs beer barrels, phenomenal, so so smooth.
Troeg’s Nugget Nectar, hoppy and great, if you can find it on Cask, even better.
Cask beer is the best for flavor. It is not carbonated, so you can really taste the beer and you don’t get the gassy-filled-up feeling of the carbonated tap beers. Casks systems are tough though because it means the beer cannot sit around, it must be drunk soon after tapping.
Best craft beer bar in Worcester, MA is the Armsby Abbey, a lot of Belgium stuff that is hard to find, but other beers too. Great Poutine also!
7. Jack’s Abbey, Jolly Pumpkin (not a pumpkin beer place, don’t worry) Bells, Founders, Allagash, Anchorage Brewing, Lagunitas, Stone, Ballast Point, Russian River, and so many more and some really good new ones, all good breweries. Tired Hands outside Phliy in Ardmore is a great place.
I could go on and on, but my hands are getting tired.
I have been into craft beer since 1975, but back then it was the better German stuff, imported, and Anchor Steam, then Sierra Nevada, Pete’s Wicked Ale (anyone remember that one, it was one of the early craft brews.
So long for now.
random thoughts:
1. Blind Tiger now on Bleeker St. in greenwhich village not the biggest but the best curated beer selection in the City, maybe anywhere. Wednesday BT has beer events, those are always good.
Torst in Williamsburgh BKLYN great great beer selection. The brewer who owns it brews the Evil Twin line of beers. Gypsy brews, means he has the ideas and recipes and goes to a brewery and brings out of their shop. I think West Brook in S. Carolina is where they are made. His twin brother is the guy behinds Mikkeler, a west coast brewery. The are from Denmark originally. NY Times magazine had an article on them, supposedly they are very competitive and now don’t speak to each other, who knows if really true?
2. hands down best IPA actually a DIPA is out of Vermont, Heady Topper, problem is they only distribute within 75 miles of their small brewery in Waterbury Junction, VT, so unless you are in very northern VT it is very hard to find, but worth every sip. It comes only in cans, the brewery is called The Alchemist and the label is great. It has got to be fresh like all IPAs, never age them, drink them the fresher the better. Right on the can they strongly advise you to drink it straight from the can for the best taste.
3. second best IPA is again northern Vermont's Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Sip of Sunshine terrific. I think both of these are better than Pliny the Elder out of Russian River in northern CA, that is rated high, and is good too. When buying ipas ask how fresh or check labels sometimes you can see how long they have been around, if it is more than 3-4 months avoid it, more than 6 don’t buy it.
3. Best local IPA hands down is Other Half in Bklyn, I went there yesterday for a can release got Green Diamonds, and Nelson a single hop IPA, they make as good an IPA as anyone around.
4. Now onto sours, I love sours second to IPAs. Best sour breweries, Almanac (CA), Crooked Stave (CO), The Bruery (CA), and of course the Belgiums, Cantillon, by far the best but next to impossible to find.
5. If you ever go to St. Louis, Kill The King, and go to Perennial Brewing, great selection, saisons, but their signature brew is called Abraxas, a stout aged in barrels, with some cocoa, coffee and a hint of pepper, not overwhelming but just a little zinger to give it a bite. LOVE that beer.
6. I knew about the sacuba name flap, glad to see someone else did also.
Stouts taste better after they get closer to cellar temperature and are not my go-to brew, but I agree Guinness in IRE is very good Guinness here not nearly so. The young Hipster Irish are just catching the craft beer thing, a lot of them still go for Miller and Bud, like Coor’s that’s their thing. They would probably love Rolling Rock if they could get it. “33”.
I do like barrel aged stouts and ones that are aged in whiskey barrels, but not Scotch barrels that does NOT work very well.
Berkshire distillery in MA makes a great bourbon that they were aging in Troegs beer barrels, phenomenal, so so smooth.
Troeg’s Nugget Nectar, hoppy and great, if you can find it on Cask, even better.
Cask beer is the best for flavor. It is not carbonated, so you can really taste the beer and you don’t get the gassy-filled-up feeling of the carbonated tap beers. Casks systems are tough though because it means the beer cannot sit around, it must be drunk soon after tapping.
Best craft beer bar in Worcester, MA is the Armsby Abbey, a lot of Belgium stuff that is hard to find, but other beers too. Great Poutine also!
7. Jack’s Abbey, Jolly Pumpkin (not a pumpkin beer place, don’t worry) Bells, Founders, Allagash, Anchorage Brewing, Lagunitas, Stone, Ballast Point, Russian River, and so many more and some really good new ones, all good breweries. Tired Hands outside Phliy in Ardmore is a great place.
I could go on and on, but my hands are getting tired.
I have been into craft beer since 1975, but back then it was the better German stuff, imported, and Anchor Steam, then Sierra Nevada, Pete’s Wicked Ale (anyone remember that one, it was one of the early craft brews.
So long for now.
guinness77
Well-known member
Yo....how much of that GD and Nelson did you get?
Hook a brotha up. I can't get to Brooklyn for those releases. Love both of those IPAs.
Hook a brotha up. I can't get to Brooklyn for those releases. Love both of those IPAs.
guinness77
Well-known member
The other IPAs I would add to BMoran's list are made by Maine Brewing Co. and are their Another One and Lunch. I was fortunate enough to try Dinner last weekend and it was phenomenal. Gandhi Bot made by New England Beer Co is fantastic and I also tried Bissell Bros Swish recently which was a wow for me. Pizza Port's Swamis is great too, but pretty hard to score around here. Carton's 077XX is a fantastic DIPA too. Those Other Half and SingleCut IPAs are really off the hook and worth looking for IMHO.
We're going to Virginia next week, really trying to score some NoDA Hop, Drop and Roll while I'm down there. I've gotten some recommendations as to what to look for while we're there, so I'm pretty excited.
We're going to Virginia next week, really trying to score some NoDA Hop, Drop and Roll while I'm down there. I've gotten some recommendations as to what to look for while we're there, so I'm pretty excited.
Forgot all about how good Maine Beer, love Lunch excellent beer as is Lil One another good one from them. I've had one Bissell Brothers and thought it excellent. I remember when Harpoon and Ipwich were considered good New England beers, they've been passed by.
For your trip, Mekong a restaurant in or near Richmond is supposed to have an excellent craft beer selection.I've had Hardywood beers from that area, they've been solid.
I'm in NJ, but Guinness, I got some extra GD or Nelson, PM me, who knows.
Guinness, man, you know yours beers, Sir!
For your trip, Mekong a restaurant in or near Richmond is supposed to have an excellent craft beer selection.I've had Hardywood beers from that area, they've been solid.
I'm in NJ, but Guinness, I got some extra GD or Nelson, PM me, who knows.
Guinness, man, you know yours beers, Sir!
At the moment I am here down under for my daughter's wedding. Australia is awesome and has some great beers. I've never heard of any of them but every time I order one, I am pleasantly surprised. These people love their beer. Two of my favorites so far have been James Bough's and One Fifty Lashes ( named after convict penalty, really! ). You beer lovers really should take a trip down here you would love it!
The Aussies enjoy life and part of enjoying life is enjoying sports, and enjoying beer is also enjoying life. They go hand in hand.
I would love to get down under some day. There and New Zealand are on my bucket list and then on the way back to the West Coast from NZ, a side trip to the beautiful islands of Fiji. I can dream, can’t I?
Enjoy the Australian brews Greg, my understanding is the hops in that part of the world are awesome and sought after by American craft brewers.
I would love to get down under some day. There and New Zealand are on my bucket list and then on the way back to the West Coast from NZ, a side trip to the beautiful islands of Fiji. I can dream, can’t I?
Enjoy the Australian brews Greg, my understanding is the hops in that part of the world are awesome and sought after by American craft brewers.
N
You are correct. The hops are quite good. I don't think I've found a beer that I haven't liked yet. I had an excellent one last night called Mountain Goat Fancy Pants and it was awesome. It was an amber pale ale. It was slightly hoppy yet smooth and very drinkable. The Aussies love to give their beers funny names.
You are right. The Aussies love life and having fun. We have met some wonderful people down here so far, especially the new in-laws. Aussie hospitality is generous and very thoughtful. In fact, my wife and I are enjoying it so much that we have been discussing living here when we retire.
You are correct. The hops are quite good. I don't think I've found a beer that I haven't liked yet. I had an excellent one last night called Mountain Goat Fancy Pants and it was awesome. It was an amber pale ale. It was slightly hoppy yet smooth and very drinkable. The Aussies love to give their beers funny names.
You are right. The Aussies love life and having fun. We have met some wonderful people down here so far, especially the new in-laws. Aussie hospitality is generous and very thoughtful. In fact, my wife and I are enjoying it so much that we have been discussing living here when we retire.
guinness77
Well-known member
Hahaha...this literally made me laugh out loud.
BMoran...didn't realize you live in Jersey. I work in Manhattan, but that complicates things. Also, going to Virginia Beach, not Richmond. Thanks for the suggestions, though. I've had Hardywood The Great Return IPA before, and it was very solid.
At Bethel Woods, on the grounds of Woodstock, they host a craft beer fest every October. This year it’s being held on Saturday October 10th. It’s about a 2 hour drive from the city. I was there last year and had a great time. They charged a $40 admission for 4 hours of “unlimited sampling” which included food as well as a nice glass.
http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/events/detail/the-craft-beer-festival-at-bethel-woods
Here’s the list of the breweries from last year:
• Blue Point Brewing Company
• Callicoon Brewing Company
• Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
• Catskill Brewery -
• Cricket Hill Brewery
• Crossroads Brewing Company
• Doc's Draft Hard Ciders
• Empire Brewing Company
• Gravity Ciders
• Ithaca Brewing Company
• Keegan Ales
• Kuka-Andean Brewing Company
• Lake Placid Brewery
• Naked Flock Hard Cider
• Roscoe Beer Co.
• Rushing Duck Brewery
• Saranac
• Sixpoint Brewery
• Sloop Brewing Co.
• Yonkers Brewing Co.
In Manhattan in the past I’ve attended a craft beer fest at the Armory which was very disappointing, it was $55 for 2 hours, and way over crowded.
http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/events/detail/the-craft-beer-festival-at-bethel-woods
Here’s the list of the breweries from last year:
• Blue Point Brewing Company
• Callicoon Brewing Company
• Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
• Catskill Brewery -
• Cricket Hill Brewery
• Crossroads Brewing Company
• Doc's Draft Hard Ciders
• Empire Brewing Company
• Gravity Ciders
• Ithaca Brewing Company
• Keegan Ales
• Kuka-Andean Brewing Company
• Lake Placid Brewery
• Naked Flock Hard Cider
• Roscoe Beer Co.
• Rushing Duck Brewery
• Saranac
• Sixpoint Brewery
• Sloop Brewing Co.
• Yonkers Brewing Co.
In Manhattan in the past I’ve attended a craft beer fest at the Armory which was very disappointing, it was $55 for 2 hours, and way over crowded.
I friend of mine came back recently from the Vermont Brewers Fest and I got some Heady Topper and some Lawson's Finest Liquids, boy, those two IPAs are hands down about the best around.
Rushing Duck is a 3 yr. old brewery in the Hudson Valley, NY, Chester NY in Orange County, try their beer if you find it (only in NY right now), it is outstanding, their best may be Divided by Zero, a double IPA, but all their ales and stouts are great. They have a great tasting room, open Thursday through Sunday, and the bar scene is laid back and you can buy full pours and get your growlers filled.
Besides Other Half in Bklyn, another good Bklyn brewery is Threes (restaurant too) and Grimm Artisanal.
It seems like breweries and craft beer bars are popping up all over the place. Some great, some good, some so-so.
Try the Burger Loft if you are in Rockland County (New City) real nice selection of craft beers and great food. Down the road in Bardonia NY is a terrific beer store called Cable Beverages. You'll find beer there that you won't find in many other places.
I think most of Redmen.comers hail from Long Island, which I am not tuned into,--- being out in northernmost NJ. But I do like Barrier, that is a good brewery.
Rushing Duck is a 3 yr. old brewery in the Hudson Valley, NY, Chester NY in Orange County, try their beer if you find it (only in NY right now), it is outstanding, their best may be Divided by Zero, a double IPA, but all their ales and stouts are great. They have a great tasting room, open Thursday through Sunday, and the bar scene is laid back and you can buy full pours and get your growlers filled.
Besides Other Half in Bklyn, another good Bklyn brewery is Threes (restaurant too) and Grimm Artisanal.
It seems like breweries and craft beer bars are popping up all over the place. Some great, some good, some so-so.
Try the Burger Loft if you are in Rockland County (New City) real nice selection of craft beers and great food. Down the road in Bardonia NY is a terrific beer store called Cable Beverages. You'll find beer there that you won't find in many other places.
I think most of Redmen.comers hail from Long Island, which I am not tuned into,--- being out in northernmost NJ. But I do like Barrier, that is a good brewery.
Surprised your mentioning Rockland Cty NY. Have you ever been to Growler & Gill in Nanuet. They claim to have over 700 bottles and 16 different crafts on tap. They allow you to sample for free all of their taps before ordering a pint.
http://growlerandgill.com/about-us-2014/
guinness77
Well-known member
My "starting of vacation" beer
Growler & Gill is nearby to my office in Montvale, NJ, I have been there and to the Ambulance Brew House in Nanuet too, good spots for real good craft brews.
Prairie Bomb is one of the best beers out there.
I mostly like IPAs and sours, but when I go to stouts, this is the kind I go for, a really good version also is Perennial's Abraxas.
Prairie is the Bomb.
I mostly like IPAs and sours, but when I go to stouts, this is the kind I go for, a really good version also is Perennial's Abraxas.
Prairie is the Bomb.
Closer to your office than going to Nanuet, Bardonia or New City is Defiant Brewing Company in Pearl River, where they make their own beer. It's an interesting place that's worth checking out.
http://www.defiantbrewing.squarespace.com/home-1/
Here! Here! I, and I am sure many others who appreciate the brews of the world, agree with you. So many beers and so little time!