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
BEER CULTURE
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
A cozy li’l hole in the wall with an unpretentious low-key vibe, terrificc 500-plus bottled-canned selection and fine rotational draughts, midtown Manhattan’s diminutive BEER CULTURE is reminiscent of a Speakeasy with its dimly-lit hideout setting, maroon-curtained front windows, antique Edison lighting and wood-floored rusticity.
Buried in the middle of 45th Street, an orange-lettered banner leads Theatre District patrons into this tiny pub. At the left, its red brick-walled bar features 12 stools, two TVs and twelve tap handles across from a few wood tables and a refrigerator loaded with great local New York brews as well as trusty national brands.
In the rear, the small kitchen serves light pub fare and a second refrigerator provides splendid international beer fare. A decorative Allagash barrel separates the front the back.
While visiting on a Sunday afternoon, March, 2018 (following Broadway’s ageless Wicked), sampled tidy Iconyc Manhattanhenge Amber (reviewed in Beer Index) while wife downed previously quaffed Empire White Aphro Witbier.
AVERY VANILLA BEAN STOUT AGED IN BOURBON BARRELS
“Luxuriously silky” bourbon stout allows intense bourbon vanilla entry to pick up complementary brown chocolate-spiced caramel, molasses, coffee and cocoa tones. In the midst, gooey anise sinew coats the tongue while latent charred wood bittering contrasts vanilla-creamed mocha decadence and sweet bourbon sedation of lusty 10.8% ABV full body.
GUINNESS ANTWERPEN STOUT
Basically, fabulous Guinness Export Stout sold initially only to the Belgian market. Smoothly creamed molasses-sapped dark chocolate milking gains hickory-smoked cedar sear over light hop-charred barley roast. Bittersweet chocolate malting further enhanced by vanilla bean, coffee, anise, blackcurrant and rum raisin illusions. A must have.
PIPEWORKS ORANGE TRUFFLE ABDUCTION
On tap at Ambulance, hybridized black-bodied stout brings juicy orange tang and earthen truffle nuttiness to reclining black chocolate fudging. Minor fungi must, teasing cocoa powdering and soy-sauced splurge lean towards the dry side. Orange puree, orange marmalade and orange liqueur illusions relegate chocolate finish.
NAP TIME LIQUID CREATION NOTHINGNESS
On tap at Ambulance, Andean Brewing (known for its Kuka line) crafts Naptime’s durable Imperial Stout circa 2018. Creamy cocoa-powdered dark chocolate malting picks up sugary molasses tone to contrast ashen nuttiness and mild coffee snip as mild dark-roasted hop bittering deepens its resilience.
