On tap at Plank Pizza, spicy sour wit ale recipe (in collaboration with Austin’s Jester King) combines ‘bitter orange peel and coriander’ in cultured yeast then gets aged in oak foeders. Mildly vinous green grape esters and eye-squinting orange-peeled lemon tartness receive herbal-wafted barnyard rusticity. Recessive Chardonnay, Granny Smith apple, rosé and oaken vanilla whims deepen its wild ale character.
THE BRUERY THE WANDERER DARK SOUR ALE AGED WITH BLACKBERRIES AND CHERRIES
On tap at Ambulance, complex oak-aged sour ale leads with tart blackberry mustiness and musky Bing cherry leathering. Vinous lemon-juiced green grape tannins and wispy green apple nip impact lactic mouth-puckering acidity of salted raspberry-cherry souring.
MIKKELLER RASPBERRY BLUSH
On tap at Ambulance, bright pinkish violet-hued Berliner Weiss maintains mildly acidic raspberry tartness above subtle coffee adjunct and dry red grape-skinned Blush wining as stylish bone-dried lactobacillus souring picks up salty respite. Vinous green grape esters and spritzy lemon lime twist regale sour-candied raspberry yogurt finish. In the can, lemon rind-embittered raspberry souring gains mild pomegranate, blueberry, cranberry and rhubarb seduction over its salty coriander base. In the bottle, raspberry-soured coriander salting zaps lemon rind-embittered coffee roast as mild pomegranate, cranberry and quince nuances wisp by.
TWO ROADS PLUM GOSE
On tap at Growler & Gill, tart Italian plum adjunct subsumed by mildly acidic lemon-limed Granny Smith apple sourness over briny sea-salted spritz for approachable gose.
NESHAMINY CREEK CROYDON CREAM ALE
On tap at Plank Pizza, fine “American lawnmower ale” retains stylishly dry moderate-bodied profile. Maize-flaked barley malts provide doughy white bread and popcorn sedation for floral-daubed grassy (Saaz) hop astringency and tingly lemon respite.
HUDSON BREWING COMPANY
HUDSON, NEW YORK
Inside a rustic cement-floored industrial warehouse, evolving ‘destination farmhouse brewery,’ HUDSON BREWING COMPANY, has helped revitalized this small Columbia county city.
Formerly a well-respected local nanobrewery stationed just across the railroad tracks from its new location, Hudson Brewing moved to its new Front Street digs May, 2017, and continues to craft six staples alongside exciting new recipes for their growing fan base.
Owner PJ Birmingham recently hired 27 year-old brewing guru, Aaron Maas, an acquaintance through several mutual friends.
With a twelve-seat crushed-metal bar at its core, this features twelve draught handles, a wood-boarded beer listing Behind the bar are the windowed brew tanks serving tonight’s fare this brisk December ’17 eve.
Though I miss out on the popular Irish Red Ale, there are eleven different draught beers consumed during my two-hour closing time stint.
Light-bodied staple, Shadie Sadie Cream Ale, caressed dry pale malts and popcorn-like maize rusticity with grassy hop astringency.
Mildly citrus-spiced Wayward Woman Kolsch let grassy hops contrast sweet breaded pale malting.
Dewy ESB brought moderate dried fruit spicing to leafy hop astringency and dainty brown tea illusions.
Tobacco-roasted Altbier benefited from wispy chocolate and rye malting.
Called a ‘Sierra Nevada with a burst of flavor,’ approachable Proprietors Pale Ale’s candy-spiced orange, peach, apple and tangerine tang picked up grassy hop resin.
‘Basic’ Widows Walk IPA stayed stylistically prim as gently-spiced grapefruit, pineapple and orange briskness gained subtle piney hop bittering and mild grassy notions.
Floral-perfumed yellow grapefruit spicing fronted dry rye-malted Rye To Me Rye IPA.
Brisk piney tropical fruiting inundated Beached Whale New England IPA, where grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering picks up lemony hop phenols to contrast sweet peach-mango tang and prickly floral spicing.
Honeyed nuttiness casually affected English Brown Ale, a moderate-to-medium body with drifting molasses, caramel and chocolate truffle dollops.
Dark chocolate malts crested atop Burnt Caramel Porter, letting caramelized molasses contrast its light wood char just beneath the mocha surface.
For dessert, Tainted Senorita Mexican Coffee Stout allowed its cold-brewed coffee tones spread across dark chocolate malts and dark roasted hops, gaining light vanilla, espresso and cacao nibs tones by the finish.
www.hudsonbrew.com
CROSSROADS BREWING COMPANY
ATHENS, NEW YORK
Just a few miles from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge on the west side of the Hudson River lies the historic town of Athens, New York, home to friendly cornerstone pub, CROSSROADS BREWING COMPANY.
Inside an old opera house and furnished with vintage décor, this reliable downtown spot opened in June 2011 and has become a nifty staple for its sleepy riverside village.
On a snowy afternoon, December ’17, during Athens annual Victorian Walk, a few horse-drawn buggies pass by while my wife and I go to grab seats at the simply gorgeous mahogany bar (with centralized blackboard beer menu, 12 tap handles, two TV’s, shelved books, growlers and scattered paraphernalia).
The right side windowed brew tanks and backroom kitchen service the bar as well as the wood tables along the front and sides. As a salute to olden New York macrobrews are wall-hung serving trays advertising iconic staples such as Pabst, Genesee, Ballantine, Rheingold, Schaefer and Hedrick.
Besides the nearly dozen proprietary beers on draught, there’s one cider, a few wines and several spirits available alongside silver vessel-contained Rum Punch.
Having previously quaffed Crossroads’ Mc Ginn’s Scottish Ale, Outrage IPA and Brady’s Bay Cream Ale, I settle into seven new discoveries.
Thrifty pale ale, Nine Lives, contrasted candied pineapple-peach-tangerine tanginess and sweet Maris Otter/Crystal malting against resinous hop dankness, picking up groaty oats at the waxy finish.
Centrist caramel-roasted Brick Row Red let spiced red fruiting gain earthen autumnal foliage, sweet amber graining and nutty notions above its biscuit base.
Easygoing moderation, Lane 4 Session IPA, brought brisk grapefruit and orange peel tanginess to honeyed pale malts and moderate Citra hop bittering.
Tangy orange, tangerine and lemon zest lifted Hemming & Hawing Double IPA, an Eldorado and Nelson Sauvin-hopped medium body with mild pale malt backdrop.
Kettle-soured Short Tart & Handsome (a collaboration with Albany Pump Station) retained a slightly vinous dry hop veneer as lemon-soured green grape tannins and strawberry rhubarb tartness enhanced its latent lactobacillus assault.
Dry espresso-roasted Black Rock Stout allowed Baker’s chocolate bittering to pickup minor wood-charred earthen soiling.
And broad-ranging winter warmer, Yukon Cornelius, let its apprehensive brown-sugared molasses sweetness, glazed pecan sugaring, light cinnamon-ginger-cardamom spicing and tea-leafed tobacco crisping gain a minty gingerbread snap atop its buckwheat-floured bottom.
www.crossroadsbrewingco.com
RIP VAN WINKLE BREWING COMPANY
PALENVILLE, NEW YORK
Just down the road from happy hippie haven, Woodstock, after breakfast at tiny café, Shindig, and a quick trip to Bearsville Theatre, my wife and I visited RIP VAN WINKLE BREWING COMPANY during a snow-filled Saturday in mid-December ’17. Formerly known as Angela’s Italian Bistro, this traditional family-styled restaurant/ brewpub serves homemade pizza and Mediterranean cuisine to go alongside more than a handful of proprietary beers.
One hundred miles north of New York City in the bucolic pine-laden Catskill Mountains at the tiny hamlet of Palenville, this gray doublewide house-styled pizza and beer joint is easy to reach via Route 287.
We grab a few chairs at the oak-topped central bar in the Tap Room to try all seven proprietary brews currently available. Brewtanks are stationed in the rear while an open kitchen sidles the bar and two separate wood-furnished dining areas go to the left and right. A bronze faux-tin ceiling classily encases the bar area.
First up, reliable Mountain House Helles provided raw-honeyed lager yeast for muted citrus spicing and light grassy hop astringency.
Next, approachable Palenville Pale Ale let semi-sweet orange, red and yellow fruiting pick up subtle hop astringency and grassy earthiness over a raw-honeyed pale malt base.
Then, traditional autumnal moderation, Oktoberfest, brought leafy foliage to spice-tingled citric licks and light wheat graining.
Polite Rip Van Winkle Wit placed perfumed herbal spices across Belgian candi-sugared crystal malts and honeyed banana illusions.
Sweeter and more complex, Fawn’s Leaf Belgian Dubbel loaded sweet-honeyed cherry, peach and nectarine fruiting alongside toasted amber grains and mild wood tones.
On the dark side, sturdily medium-bodied Kiskatom Brown Ale let mild chocolate-cocoa chalking lightly affect burnt caramel sugaring before receiving an ashen nuttiness that increased the light-roast hop bittering.
Finally, dry Peek-A-Boo Porter draped dark chocolate malts and toffee notes atop earthen hops.
ripvanwinklebrewery.com
A BETTER PLACE BAR & GRILL
Inside an inconspicuous Route 32 mini-mall just off Route 287 one mile north of Woodbury Commons at Central Valley, A BETTER PLACE BAR & GRILL began operations in the summer of ’16.
Serving a quaint neighborhood, this cozy sportsbar (with strategically placed TV’s) utilizes its 12 tap handles for mostly hand-crafted New York State brews.
A wood-furnished pub with backside open kitchen and left side dining area straddling the 20-seat bar that snakes around the right side on a crazy angle, A Better Place feels homey and warm. An American flag carved from wood sits atop the tap handles and liquor bottles.
On a seasonally warm pre-Thanksgiving Day perusal, fine Big Apple draught selections from Kingston-based Keegan Ales, Livingston Manor’s Catskill Brewery, Florida’s Glenmere Brewing, Chester’s Rushing Duck Brewing and Calverton’s Twin Fork get imbibed by the small mid-afternoon crowd.
At the crossroads of Orange and Rockland counties heading north to the bucolic Upper New York expanse, A Better Place is its area’s best craft beer choice.
TROEGS MAD ELF GRAND CRU – 2017
On tap at Biggie’s, mighty fine high octane 2017 (11% ABV) version of Christmastime Belgian dark ale boasts heightened ethanol esters, darker rub red hue and intensified Bing cherry essence as well as more refined wildflower-honeyed astringency. Distant cinnamon, clove and allspice seasoning sweetens treacly backend alongside sugarplum, cocoa and pine nut nuances.
PLATFORM ESTHER BELGIAN CHRISTMAS ALE
On tap at Ambulance, dandy Christmastime Belgian Strong Ale (9.5% ABV) tweaks honeyed chocolate, caramel and toffee malting with candi-sugared tart cherries. Beneath light molasses-draped mocha malt spicing lies vanilla-sweetened banana, raisin, date and fig illusions escalated by rummy 8% alcohol burn.
ANCHOR STEAM MERRY CHRISTMAS 2017
On tap at Biggie’s, velvety mocha-bound 43rd annual winter ale features cacao nibs, toffee, roasted nuts and herbal spicing. At the entry, creamy dark chocolate malts pick up casual dried-fruited baking spices to offset moderate hop-charred tarring. Recessive cocoa, coffee, roasted tobacco and berry illusions flutter below.
