Widely acclaimed traditional English-styled bitter plies delicate mineral water to lightly creamed caramel malting and gentle Fuggle hop bittering. Smoothly robust considering moderate 4.3% alcohol flow, allowing phenol-spiced marzipan, raisin bread, black cherry, dried fig, and pecan illusions to sway resinous peat backdrop. The nebulous Copper Ale style owes a debt of gratitude to this proudly British Extra Special Bitter. Holds up to scrutiny.
All posts by John Fortunato
MENDOCINO IMPERIAL STOUT
Abrasively complex tan-headed obsidian-bodied dry stout too assertively bitter to be lumped in with sweeter Imperial style. Harshly pine-charred, hot-tarred, nut-seared Blackstrap molasses theme and dark roasted hop bittering override crowded black cherry puree, raspberry, red grape, dried prune, and blueberry undertones. Dark ale lovers may be put off by its ashy charcoal harshness so move cautiously with trepidation.
HOPPIN’ FROG FROG’S HOLLOW DOUBLE PUMPKIN ALE
Amazingly detailed and perfectly balanced autumnal seasonal shows off an impressive entourage of flavors. Seductively soft-tongued (despite heady 8% alcohol whir), bringing luscious maple-sugared pumpkin-pied spicing to chewy caramelized marzipan center. Apple-glazed, orange-candied, cherry coughdrop opulence coats gingerbread-toasted cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice piquancy and onrushing rum-spiced whiskey kick. Sweet vanilla-banana dalliance adds further splendor.
(RIDGEWAY) REINDEERS REVOLT ENGLISH CHRISTMAS ALE
Muddled rust-corroded winter seasonal lacks resolve. Harsh ethanol-laced diacetyl propensity outweighs musty orange spicing and barren seasonal spicing. Remote fig-dried apple-skinned musk, distant almond-toasted caramel malting, and slight mineral-grained leafiness barely make a wave amidst agonizingly astringent parameters.
OTTER CREEK OKTOBERFEST
Indistinct 2011 autumnal offering (with copper-cleared hue) fatigued by overriding phenol astringency and buttery diacetyl waver. Pumpkin-seeded gourd spicing and musty orange-dried coarsening lost amidst leafy foliage. Toasted honey nut spine and sweet chestnut egress need better resilience.
EDISON ALE HOUSE
NEWARK’S EXQUISITELY DESIGNED EDISON ALE HOUSE ROCKS REVITALIZED DOWNTOWN
Residing across Newark’s sports and entertainment capital, the Prudential Center, in a formerly abandoned broken-down warehouse, the wholly exquisite EDISON ALE HOUSE has taken the downtown area by storm (but closed down a few years hence).
Due to Hurricane Irene, Edison Ale House had a ‘soft opening’ (instead of grand opening) on August 26th, but local politicians, businessmen, and families quickly regaled this seamlessly designed metropolitan hotspot. Part of Mayor Cory Booker’s citywide renovation, this ‘traditionally minded contemporary hybrid restaurant-sportsbar’ maintains a first-rate steakhouse feel.
Tucked inside Edison Place’s one-way street, the eloquently detailed 5,000 square foot space borders the equally charming Loft 47 cocktail bar and Brick City Grill, newfangled upscale eateries worthy of the multifarious clientele representing this ethnically diverse Gateway City neighborhood.
“It’s all about the execution. We want the menu to be the top-to-bottom best. We want the best sandwiches. We don’t want mediocrity. Everything’s made from scratch,” hands-on co-owner, Eddie Becker revels. “You could taste the difference. We don’t have to broadcast how good our burgers are.”
The red-bricked, black-tinted windowed, amber-lettered exterior may seem unassuming, but the gaslight-lined walkway leads to a soft earth-toned interior, with its sublime mahogany furnishings and ample 71-foot bar (Newark’s largest) chiefly specialized by Queens-raised visionary, Becker. Its resplendent copper-tinned ceiling radiates off the porcelain-tiled wood-styled main floor and wood-pitted copper-inlayed raindrop-like bar top. Down the hall from a semi-private dining area are two sterling tile-floored bathrooms featuring vintage granite-topped copper sinks that utilize a classic upside well-watered stream.
Better yet, the modular bar system allows instant access to plumbing and electricity just by pulling off the panels. Moreover, the stainless-steeled, silicon-sealed layout protects against odorous water damage to the broad-ranging bar. No stone has been left unturned.
As we down a few blueberry-pied, phenol-spiced, Graham Cracker-backed Blue Point Blueberry Ales, Becker takes me downstairs to the basement level storage area. Large new American Panel walk-in aging boxes store meats, vegetables, and kegged beers. Becker stresses the importance of fresh ingredients every step of the way. There’s even a few oil recycling bins providing “cheap money” to keep Green. But the true challenge for a new restaurant is to keep the food original, exciting, and consistent.
“Americans accept average food too much. We want to blow people away. When Dinosaur Barbecue rib joint comes in next year, that will test our resolve,” Becker says.
As we head back upstairs, I grab a seat at the bar and get ready for one of the best full course meals imaginable. A leather-branded menu with Thomas Edison gaslight insignia provides tonight’s offerings. After taking a sip from my floral-daubed, topical-fruited, bitter-hopped Flying Fish Hopfish India Pale Ale (prominently glazed by illuminating cantaloupe, melon, pineapple, peach and apricot tones), the sensational appetizers arrive.
The fulsome pretzel sticks awaken the tastebuds when dipped into the champagne mustard vinaigrette or aged cheddar sauce alternatives. Crisply crunched Bavarian Black & Tan Onion Rings, dipped in Yeungling beer, benefit greatly from superb clover-honeyed sesame seeding, setting up the best-selling Fillet Mignon Bites topped with garlic presimien, freshly melted mozzarella and homemade steak sauce.
The main course, Country Chicken, jumps off the dish with a juicily moist mouthfeel deepened by the underlying mashed potatoes and string bean/ asparagus-laden tomato sauce. Too full to try my sweet dessert follow-up, I got home this rainy eve to share the zestful strawberry-pureed, black chocolate-covered, cheesecake lollipop with my wife.
Though Becker claims it took eight months to setup the beautiful mahogany-walled mural behind the bar and there were minor delays for the prepping and permits, Edison Ale House would make the referential Thomas Edison proud.
“We set a goal to open on time and then did so,” well-mannered General Manager Tom Blume offers. “People are creatures of habit. They don’t want to drive somewhere if they could walk to a place they enjoy. There’s a comfort zone. They could get in and out quickly. A large part of our business will be lunch and happy hour. There’s a feel good fit. You could have a beer and unwind. When Disney On Ice comes through, the warm earth tones will have an inviting feel for kids. Despite 60% bar and lounge area, families with young children will feel at home on the other side of the glass partition.”
On top of everything else, at the rear is a stone-facade brick oven for reasonably priced New York-styled pizza, perfectly affordable for cash-strapped parents stuck with ridiculously high energy, insurance, and tax bills. For those in a rush, there are twelve seats at this backend hearth.
While Blume was groomed for his supervising position at Providence-based Johnson & Wales Culinary Art School, head chef John Manzo ran a family-owned Italian restaurant in Union. And the courteous staff they’ve assembled will please clientele.
Craft beer enthusiasts will delight in Blume’s thoughtful tap selection, which includes Magic Hat #9, Long Trail Ale, Blue Moon Belgian Witbier, Tommyknockers Maple Nut Brown Ale and top-shelf product from Victory, Brooklyn, Sam Adams, and Southampton. His well-selected single-batch bourbons, specialty martinis, signature cocktails, plus red and white wines will whet the whistle of any liquor-loving devotee.
Students from nearby Rutgers-Newark University, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Seton Hall Law School have already sojourned to this highly recommended regularly. But perhaps the biggest crowds still await, as the hockey season is about to begin and the New Jersey Devils clearly will have a shot at the Stanley Cup.
“When the Devils and Rangers rivalry heats up, we’ll raise the music louder,” Blume concludes. “Besides, we’ve already, in the space of a couple weeks, got clientele coming back for more because it’s enjoyable.”
What was once a nasty beat-up eyesore I previously mocked (when hometown Ramsey High School won the state hockey tournament two years hence at the Prudential), has turned into a sufficiently sustained backyard alley across from one of America’s finest arena-sized venues. There’s no doubt Newark’s on the upswing. And Edison Ale House tops the list of places to dine and wine when perusing Jersey’s largest metropolis.
FLYING FISH HOPFISH I.P.A.
Wondrously zesty tropical-fruited opulence rides above pronounced hop bittering of bright, lively stylistic fave. Illuminating floral-daubed cantaloupe, melon, pineapple, peach, orange, grapefruit and apricot tones glaze sugary crystal malting. A vibrant crossover not strictly for hopheads.
GREAT LAKES OKTOBERFEST
Outstandingly balanced 2011 version of autumnal Vienna-styled amber lager brings bright red-fruited spicing, dewy peat graining, and leafy red-brown-yellow foliage to biscuit-y honeyed wheat spine. Dainty cinnamon-gingerbread nicety augments juicy red grape, red apple, and red cherry fruiting. Its multitudinous flavor profile gets perfectly integrated, showing no seams. An amiable, first rate Oktoberfest crossing all boundaries.
SHINER BLONDE
One small step above typical Shiner mediocrity. Middling citric effervescence pleats corn-sugared crystal malting and sweet bubble-gummy midst of crisp straw-hued lightweight. Faint orange-peach-grapefruit conflux moistens toned-down grassy hop bittering for adequate summery session beer. Minor phenol astringency drags down backend.
PILSENER HAUS & BIERGARTEN
HOBOKEN’S PILSENER HAUS & BIERGARTEN TAKES OFF
Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part. Cutting through red tape and getting local politicians onboard for a new venture could cost many young entrepreneurs the chance of a lifetime.
It may’ve taken three motivated European immigrants two-and-a-half years to finally get clearance for Hoboken’s first ever biergarten, but it has proved to be a resounding success. Fashioned after authentic pre-World War One Austro-Hungarian bistros, yet easily mistaken for a bustling German beer hall, the generic-named PILSENER HAUS & BIERGARTEN is anything but pedestrian. Taking up 10,000 square feet of a factory warehouse in the underdeveloped and roomy northwest corridor of this Mile Square City on the Hudson, the fabulously newfangled venue cornering Grand Street and 15th Street pairs international craft beers with deliciously omnivorous charcuterian cuisine in an Old World setting.
Situated in a rustic red-bricked millhouse, Pilsener Haus & Biergarten’s capacious first floor space features a cafeteria-styled dining area with high ceiling, cement floor, exposed pipes, iron-worked windows, 15-foot wooden communal tables, and an open kitchen adjacent to a smaller sky-lighted wintergarten just off the nine-tabled, tree-shaded, corridor-like biergarten. On my inaugural visitation, the echo-drenched cafeteria section got packed to the hilt on what’s usually a slow night, Tuesday.
While getting this premier beer haven off the ground was no easy task, to make matters worse, its August 9th grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony got postponed due to a flash flood that temporarily drenched the floors. Notwithstanding the chaotic deluge, the resilient Pilsener Haus survived the storm and never looked back. In fact, there was a line around the block for the belated 7 o’clock opening that same evening.
“The mayor and some local councilmen were supposed to be there for the ribbon cutting, but they couldn’t wait out the storm due to other commitments,” co-owner Ladislav Sebestyan says as we settle in before supper time beckons.
A friendly Czech Republic native now residing in Secaucus, Ladi boasts about his homeland’s beer consumption (topping Germany for most guzzling per capita), then shares pertinent information pertaining to the architectural design, construction and objective of Pilsener Haus.
“We wanted to create an unpretentious European biergarten that showed off the heritage of 1920’s Austrian, Hungarian, and Czechoslovakian empires,” Ladi informs. “There’s random signage and a Europa Film Festival emblem that stress the authenticity Czech designer Jirka Kolar captured. We looked in Jersey City, even Morristown, to get the biergarten off the ground. But we knew this space we now occupy would work well. It’s not necessarily a neighborhood bar though we’re within walking distance of the pier. However, we wanted to create a ‘Destination Bar’ that not only targets Hoboken, but also all of New Jersey. We have a ferry a few blocks away. People come in from Manhattan. Ultimately, we couldn’t get the expanse we needed on Washington Street’s main drag due to noise ordinances and the lack of outside space.”
The nearby Holland and Lincoln Tunnel both offer high traffic concentration for this amiable destination. And since there’s a high concentration of second and third generation Euro-Americans in the nearby vicinity, the curiosity factor ought to bring in lots of inquiring beer enthusiasts.
“Naturally, I have a high interest in beer. When I reached the legal age, 18, I developed a taste. At the time, my favorite beer was Gambrinus 10°. I like the lightest degree beer they made. It’s less hearty, not as dry, the color’s paler, and the spicing is lower,” Ladi says.
Presently, there are three individual tap stations with seven separate tap handles in the main cafeteria beer hall. Though each tap serves strictly European fare, that’ll eventually change to reflect the prevailing popularity of new-sprung American microbrews (available only in bottle onsite). Today’s menu consists of such Euro faves as Czech Republic’s Krusovice Imperial Pils, Austria’s Stiegl Lager, Belgium’s Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelle, plus Germany’s highly touted Franziskaner Dunkel Weisse and Paulaner Salvator Double Bock. Fine Italian, German, French, and Argentinean wines sidle American vino from Oregon and California. And several peculiar cocktails will whet the whistle of adventurous patrons.
To match the impressive array of liquids are several standard European dishes, such as Polish kielbasa, bratwurst, veal sausage, smoked pork, jalapeno-cheddar frankfurters, and Munich Fest’s signature staple, rotisserie chicken. Experienced Viennese bistro chef, Thomas Ferlesch, who had gained renown overseas before heading Café des Artistes in his adopted New York City hometown, keeps the main kitchen going. An avid Austrian gardener, Ferlesch hooked up with Pilsener Haus after spending a few years running Fort Greene, Brooklyn’s premier Thomas Beisl.
Ironically, just as Pilsener Haus endured zoning struggles and compliance restrictions (including a provision necessitating a side entrance exactly 500 feet from the nearest alcohol-related venue), I had to fight heavier-than-usual Route 3 traffic and weather a minor earthquake prior to my initial August 23rd sojourn. Happily, unlike the rest of Hoboken, parking is wide open. There are a few business types at the main bar as I arrive pre-dinner. By 8 PM, my once-empty table filled up with a cute couple celebrating their 2nd anniversary, a former councilman from my hometown, local workers, and Ladi’s fellow Czech partner, Andi Ivanov.
Andi co-founded Williamsburg’s flourishing Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Brooklyn, the archetype for this fresh Hoboken hotspot. Though not restricted to any one beer, he claims Weihenstaphaner Hefeweiss as his favorite elixir.
“Both Radegast and Pilsener Haus try to bring a unique product, ambience, and design to the public,” Andi claims as we share the approachable citric-fizzed German lager, Argo Zwickel. “We hope people appreciate the place. Hoboken was hungry, thirsty, and knew it was ready to change approach. We took a less predictable twist offering something exciting. Not everyone could create something new.”
He’s right. The general business climate in Jersey is restrictive, prohibiting modernization due to antiquated regulations that denigrate innovative ventures, especially in the beer industry. But the collective spirit enlivening brewpubs, microbreweries, and beer havens could be felt all over the state in the past decade. In fact, there are developmental plans in the works for a Hoboken microbrewery that’d hopefully parallel the success of Pilsener Haus.
“We’d like to be more spacious outside. We asked our neighbor if we could expand the biergarten to his adjoining space if he’d sell,” Andi shares. “But we think the place is perfect. Our closest competitor is Jersey City’s two-year-old Zeppelin Hall Biergarten at Liberty Harbor. They own the 30,000 square foot residential building they occupy. But Zeppelin’s closer to a giant sportsbar with TV’s.”
As I chow down the mouth-watering Chicken Paprikash (braised poultry in paprika with lemon zest, sour cream, and spaetzle potatoes), Andi returns with the easygoing, pale-malted, citric-dried, mineral-grained Augustiner Edelstoff, a clear-yellowed Munich-styled premium beer the blonde-haired entrepreneur demandingly exclaims “cannot be underestimate.” The loud crowd drowns out the Bavarian music, but the beers and food are addictive and the feel good atmosphere, contagious.
Furthermore, Pilsener Haus will begin showcasing local tri-state talent. A New Orleans-styled brass band is set to go tomorrow evening. Though there’s nary a TV to be found presently, Andi admits they’d use their projection screen to show Yankees playoff games instead of black & white silent films for the short-term interim.
“Our landlord is very supportive,” Andi concludes. “There was construction getting done upstairs while our renovation took place. So we didn’t bother many workers with all the noise.”
Just as Maxwells defines Hoboken’s indie rock music scene, Pilsener Haus illustrates the necessity for a true craft beer watering hole in the land where Frank Sinatra was born.
NAPA SMITH CRUSH BEER
Stylistically shifty amber lager ‘brewed with grapes’ proves to be rather obtuse as advertised grape influence takes a backseat to brisk fruited malting of ancillary autumnal Octoberfest. Seasonal apple-peach-pumpkin-pied gourd spicing usurps barley-toasted almond pasting and leafy hop resin above metallic phenol whim, creating creamy frothed opening. But musty grape-stemmed earthiness, dinky red-yellow-green grape speck, and thin mineral-grained Scotch lick lose out to sterile Band-Aid astringency, leaving unrealized finish to flounder.
WACHUSETT LARRY IMPERIAL I.P.A.
Superior soft-toned stylistic selection maintains balance, richness and distinction. Creamy caramel buttering rides alongside brisk piney-hopped, orange-peeled, grapefruit rind bittering, allowing tangy peach, apricot, mango, pineapple, tangerine, cherry, nectarine and melon illumination to sweeten the busy midst. Juicy tropical fruiting picks up delicate floral-spiced nicety along the way. Serve to West Coast IPA lovers.
