MAMARONECK, NEW YORK
In the tony Westchester County town of Mamaroneck, DECADENT ALES opened during June 2016. Connected to the second Half Time Beverage (the firsts’ in Poughkeepsie) in a dark gray brick warehouse just off the center of town, this dual beer threat beer haven may be the most ambitious brewpub/beer store combo in the Northeast.
A rustic gray cement floored, 4,000 square-foot tasting room depot with several community tables, some silver metal 4-seat tables and 12-stooled aluminum bar, Decadent features twenty taps, multiple TV’s and multiple stainless steel brew tanks (stationed behind the bar). There’s an outdoor space beyond the overhead door that includes blue aluminum tables, picnic benches and strewn about beer barrels.
Part of Mamaroneck’s industrial zone renovation, Decadent’s enormous catalogue of Big Beers and traditional styles run the gamut from opulently fruited IPA’s and Sour Ale Smoothies to ambitiously designed stouts.
Duke’s Burger Joint served flatbread pizza, sandwiches, burgers and seafood to go alongside the creative homemade draughts.
My wife and I visited this cavernous pub during a cold Friday afternoon, February ’23.
A brusque German-styled pilsner for the proleteriat, Regular Beer slipped musky maize-dried raw graining into dankly resinous hop herbage and mild vegetal earthiness, perked up by lemon seltzer fizzing.
“Pacific Punch” variant, Peach Apricot Punch IPA, let mild peach-apricot pureeing pick up lemony grapefruit bittering and yogurt-soured marmalade, passionfruit and gooseberry tartness above light Smoothie-like vanilla creaming.
Snazzy dry-hopped hazy IPA, Vega, parlayed slightly embittered orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and mango tanginess plus mild pine lacquer over vanilla-creamed pale malt honeying.
Decadent Imperial Stout, Snowball, put chocolate-fudged Madagascar vanilla beans and toasted coconut sweetness at the reins while caramel latte, marshmallow and cappuccino illusions enriched its honeyed Graham Cracker bottom.
Decadent’s biggest beers made fantastic use of Willett spirits, proving to be intriguingly full-bodied barrel-aged nightcaps.
Chewy chocolate cake dessert, Molten Lava Cake, integrated Willett rye to light chili peppering and toasted cinnamon spicing in a rich maple syrup setting, gaining bourbon-spiced vanilla goodness, black cherry puree tartness and banana sweetness, leaving confectionery chocolate pudding, donut and cookie remnants.
Impressive Imperial Stout (Double Barrel with Vanilla) blended Old Elk and Willett bourbon with Madagascar vanilla in a richly fudged brown chocolate empire, leaving delicately warm burgundy, brandy and port illusions on the mocha vanilla finish.
For equally tranquil Imperial Stout (Willett Bourbon aged with Coffee), milk-sugared Counter Culture coffee settled alongside brown chocolate and vanilla sweetness as mild bruised black cherry, black grape, coconut and hazelnut notions swept thru the decadent libation.
