On tap at Ambulance, candi-sugared dark wheat ale collaboration with Fifth Hammer Brewing saddles dark chocolate spicing with mellow dewy sweetness, subtle banana nut caking and mild hop resin. Call it a hybridized weizenbock.
WARTEGA CATAWAMPUS
On tap at Valhalla, “pleasantly askew” Christmas-spiced moderation brings lemony green tea aspect to tingly nutmeg-cinnamon piquancy. Sugary vanilla-creamed corn malts provide sweet backdrop.
PLATFORM HIGH BROW BARISTA COFFEE RYE PALE ALE
Modest yellow-hazed pale ale with mild coffee-beaned nuttiness and lemon rind twist fades fast as lightly embittered reedy hop astringency advances slowly. Tidy rye, carapils and pale malts provide delicate backup to underwhelmed espresso coffee finish.
FIVE BOROUGHS CLASS OF 2017 NEW YORK CITY PALE ALE
On tap at District Tap House NYC, stylishly heady pale ale regales floral-perfumed orange, grapefruit, peach and nectarine tang with wood-lacquered Amarillo hops and fruit-spiced Mosaic-Citra hops. Candied fruit sweetness endures above doughy wheat base.
BUNKER SALAD DAZE
On tap at Valhalla, enchanting Citra-hopped India Pale Lager lets floral lemon-peeled grapefruit bittering override grassy hop astringency and resinous pine needling. Zippy white-peppered spicing perks up ancillary orange, mango, tangerine and pineapple tanginess.
LONG TRAIL TRAIL VISION
On tap at The Oath, “smooth” pale ale stays light as zestful lemony grapefruit spicing gains muted hop bittering and wispy floral aspect above sourdough malting. A tad soapy at the citric finish, but stylistically on the mark.
ICONYC MANHATTANHENGE AMBER
On tap at Beer Culture NYC, stylishly luxurious sunset-hazed moderation brings zestful blood orange-pureed lemon peel briskness to the fore above light resinous hop astringency and amber-grained malt sugaring. Mild citric spicing retains tangy respite.
PIPEWORKS RYE CARAMBA
On tap at Valhalla, subtly spiced rye malting receives lemony floral musk and mellow grassy hop astringency. Better-than-average dry-bodied lightweight.
FULTON STANDARD LAGER
On tap at The Oath, straightforward year-round all-malt amber lager stays robust. Sturdy Vienna, barley and pilsner malting gain caramelized sugaring. Mild raw-honeyed spicing and tempered hop musk recede carefully above doughy baked bread bottom. Excellent.
JACK’S ABBY POST SHIFT PILSNER
On tap at The Oath, highly praised Bavarian pilsner suits heartier thirsts. Musty raw-grained earthiness, maize-dried barnyard musk, grassy herbal hop dankness, modest lemon spritz and wavered green tea minting pick up slight vegetal skunking before reaching trusty bread-crusted doughy malt spine. Will satisfy bitterer pilsner heads.
DISTRICT TAP HOUSE NYC
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
Just off Times Square in Manhattan’s Midtown West Garment District, lively library-like prohibition-styled pub, DISTRICT TAP HOUSE, retains its olden vibe with antique wood furnishings and wall panels. But the real draw is the double-decked 50-plus draught system that serves well-selected brews alongside a fabulous culinary-designed food menu.
District Tap’s elongated 30-seat bar features 4 TV’s, doom lights, colorful displays and hand-picked liquors. A few private backrooms offer elegance, comfort and quietude while right side dining tables fill out the tidy mid-sized beer parlor. One artful blackboard boasts “Drink The Boroughs,” a righteous slogan reinforced by a large contingent of fine local brews on draught.
During my initial March ’18 visit, I discovered four previously untried beers, including NYC’s Five Boroughs Class of 2017 Pale Ale and Iconyc Dropping Bombs IPA, Cleveland’s Platform Speed Merchant White IPA and Illinois’ Destihl Moon Jumper Nitro Milk Stout (reviewed fully in Beer Index).
www.districttaphouse.com
VALHALLA – HELL’S KITCHEN
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
A low key urban tavern with a positive vibe and highly respectable draught beer selection in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, VALHALLA features 48 tap handles at its popular 9th Street venue.
A small wood furnished corner pub with rustic furnishings, it’s ultimately a diminutive Norse-themed establishment dedicated to Valkyries, the mythological queen who led dead Viking souls into heavenly Valhalla.
Opened in 2006, its Kwaktoberfest banner hangs prominently from the low ceiling. Top shelf liquor is tightly packed into small space next to the draughts at the 20-seat left side bar. and 40 well-chosen bottled-canned beers are also available.
Two corner TV’s and a few dining tables take up Valhalla’s chill-out dive bar interior. A small pub food menu offers beer-battered pickles, hot dogs, bratwurst, sliders, nachos and spinach artichoke dip.
I discovered six previously untried brews on my initial March ’18 visit during a cool Saturday afternoon in NYC. Bunker Salad Daze Pale Lager, Staten Island Flagship American Wit, Wartega Spiced Ale, Pipeworks Passionfruit Guppy IPA, Pipeworks Rye Caramba and Montauk Double IPA were enjoyed and are fully reviewed in the Beer index.
valhallabarnyc.com