Tag Archives: BLAUVELT NY

NAP TIME LIQUID CREATION

NAP TIME LIQUID CREATIONBEERMELODIES « BEERMELODIES

BLAUVELT, NEW YORK

An outgrowth of Andean Brewing’s quirkily cherished maca root-derived Kuka brand, NAP TIME LIQUID CREATION came to fruition late 2017. Directed by proficient Kuka brewmeister, Alex Coronado, Nap Time’s rangy elixirs sometimes stretch stylistic boundaries, but just as often reach a comfort zone for Blue Collar pilsner-lager lovers as proven by the two fruitful offerings quaffed during my two-hour June ’19 excursion.

Nap Time’s cozy interior featured a few tables, couch, regal black-and-white paper cut wall art and slate-topped serving station with four draught handles. A few black metal patio tables near the entrance add extra seating.

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Sunshiny IPA-like citrus spicing and dank wood musk fronted dry-hopped The Dreamer Light Lager, leaving herbal snips upon its juicy grapefruit-orange tang, mild lemon spritz, latent Hallertau Blanc green grape tannins and teasing Hull Melon gooseberry tartness.

Similarly bright and lively moderation, Incantation Pilsner let lemon-peeled grapefruit zesting and delicate mandarin orange sweetness appease herbal barnyard-dried grassiness and white breaded pale malting.

Heavenly Lick The Mind Of God, a Mosaic-hopped Imperial IPA, brought tangy pineapple juiciness to sweet orange, red grapefruit, mango and peach tropicalia, contrasting its light resinous wood tones.

Dark-roast chocolate and bitter coffee coalesced for easygoing stout, Floating Into The Night, bringing molasses-draped cola, hazelnut and Brazil nut illusions and pureed black cherry daubs into the fray.

Ugandan vanilla beaning and roasted coffee tones guided clean-watered Swedish-inspired milk stout, Fika, a terrific dessert treat utilizing cardamom-spiced cinnamon toasting to caress its minty brown chocolate surge and vanilla-sweetened java finish.

During January ’21 afternoon jaunt with son, Christopher, discovered four more fine suds from this dependable lounge-styled pub.

Dry Italian-styled Imperial Pilsner, Obliviation, leveraged biscuity bohemian pilsner malting with ambrosial fruited oats sugaring.

Mildly creamed pale malt-sugared citrus zest embraced Dream Is Destiny, a crisply clean Imperial IPA with spiced pineapple, grapefruit and orange tang and moderate resinous piney hop bittering.

Temptingly sweet honey and brown sugar adjuncts regaled Nothingness, a judicious Imperial Stout weaving dried cocoa into ancillary hazelnut coffee, espresso, toffee and dark cherry illusions above a rich cookie dough base.

Inconspicuous 9.5% strong ale, Old Queen Cole, a subtly whiskey/red wine-barreled English barleywine-like dessert treat pleated brown chocolate-spiced sweetness with roasted coffee.

ANDEAN BREWING (KUKA)

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 BLAUVELT, NEW YORK

Surpassing its humble promise of being an “artisanal small-batch brewery inspired by food, fruits and spices” after taking its inspirational spirit from Peru’s magnificent Andes Mountains (where its branded Kuka reference translates to “food for working travelers”), ANDEAN BREWING opened its taproom during the summer of 2013 (and closed during 2020).

Quickly developing a bottling line for their unique maca-rooted beers (such as the ever-popular Kuka Banana Nut Brown Ale), entrepreneurial Manhattanite, Andria Petito, a super-fan of Widmer Hefeweizen in the ’90s, expanded her palate over the course of time.

Meanwhile, current brewmaster, Alex Coronado, worked four years at Rochester’s CB Craft Brewers before joining Andean in 2015. A graduate of Fredonia State University’s arts and music department, Coronado and his ex-girlfriend became interested in home brewing post-haste.

Stationed in the light Industrial hamlet of Blauvelt, 25 miles north of New York City, Andean’s Kuka beer lineup benefited from its early reliance on the maca root, giving flagship staples like Kuka American Pale Ale, IPA and Belgian Blonde a delicately sweet chestnut-derived whim. Inside a tidy 6,500 square foot warehouse with high aluminum ceiling and plenty of space for expansion, Andean currently utilizes four fermenters and one bottling line.

On my early January ’16 visit, Coronado’s working with the mash tun for a limited edition 8-gallon pale ale while rock music blasts thru the cavernous brew room. An L-shaped bar (with lacquered table-top beer labels) in the gray-walled tap room provides local denizens with four different tapped brews. Some law school students share home brews as Petito tends bar, fills growlers and sells several bottled brews from the refrigerator.

I get two previously untried dark ales (reviewed fully in Beer Index) on tap while the crowd shuffles in. Lightly fermented on oak chips, Kuka White Chocolate Stout delights the senses as its spicy cocoa-nibbed brown and white chocolate sweetness serenades subtle vanilla, cinnamon, marshmallow and creamy caramel flam illusions.

Better yet, diabolical Kuka Devils Treat Imperial Milk Stout thrills tastebuds with richly creamed chocolate milking, recessive black coffee scurry, mild cayenne-peppered burn, cherry-pureed banana bruise, sticky anise trifle, wispy burgundy wining and oats-flaked maca root base.

During a hot June evening in 2017, returned to Andean to try two adjunct fruited saisons and one fabulous IPA.

Easygoing sparkling wine or summer shandy alternative, Blackberry Pretty Colored Marbles Saison, brought tart blackberry souring to delicate Sterling hops and dry wheat malts, picking up oaken cherry, cranberry and boysenberry nuances. Nearly as likable, correlative Pineapple Saison offered subtle pineapple tartness and zestier tropicalia.

Delectably sacrilicious Lick The Mind Of God IPA plied brisk pineapple, grapefruit, orange and peach tanginess to moderate piney hop bittering and crystal pale malting with crisp, clean clarity.

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