On tap at Ambulance, brusque German-styled dry pilsner surrenders zesty lemon tang and sour lemon-pitted tartness above musky sourdough malting. Mild herbal hop pungency picks up crisp leafy earthiness and dank mineral-grained hay astringency beneath serene citric stead.
WILD ONION RADIO FREE PILSNER
Likable medium-bodied Czech-styled pilsner dismisses usual hop-grained pungency for less menacing, but equally effective, wheat-backed grassy hop bittering, mellow lemon spritz and subtle pale malting. Sessionable summertime fodder.
ANDERSON VALLEY HORSE TONGUE SLIGHTLY SOUR WHEAT BEER
On tap at Triton, sessionable ‘slightly sour’ wheat ale brings light brettanomyces acidity to tart lemon rind bittering, puckered white wine vinegaring and musty horse-blanketed raw wheat acridity. Subtle oaken dryness affects lemony orange sourness at mildly lactic finish.
THE OATH CRAFT BEER SANCTUARY
TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK
Neatly reproducing prerequisite Medieval antiquity with its plank-wooded chamber door and furnishings, THE OATH CRAFT BEER SANCTUARY sits next door to historic Tarrytown Music Hall and began operations, May 2015. Owned by the same folks as Harrison-based Craftsman Ale House, The Oath boasts 20-plus taps (listed on the flatscreen menu), various limited edition (or hard-to-find) bottle-cans and fine craft spirits. Its clean white-walled interior, silver-tiled tin ceiling, lacquered wood floor, black cross insignia and mild Trappist theme provide a cool Old World feel somewhat reminiscent of Gothic architecture.
My wife, youngest son and I head to the central L-shaped bar (with 13 stools) for dinner during July ’16. Alongside the (mostly) sessionable soft-toned suds swallowed, we dug into the absolutely fascinating Oath Burger (with bacon, fried egg, waffle and maple syrup), bechamel-sauced Croque Monsieur sandwich (with gruyere cheese and toasted ham) and Roqueford Chicken. Several customers stop by for growlers to-go while the dinner crowd starts to gather in droves for 6 PM supper rush hour.
Going from lightest and most sessionable to the darkest and more complex draught offerings, I got to experience eleven previously untried brews (reviewed in Beer Index). Defiant Pearl River Pilsner, Pipeworks War Bird Saison, Nomad Long Trip Saison, Duncan’s Abbey Saison, Empire Strikes Bock and Kelso Spelter Bock were easygoing openers not too much softer or less complex than Broken Bow Old Splitfoot Belgian Golden Strong Ale, Captain Lawrence/ De Cicco’s Double Cousins Imperial IPA, Goose Island Gillian (a wine-barreled raspberry sour), Bacchus Lilith Dark Sour Ale, and the contrasting Ithaca Super Stout (with Gimme! coffee beans).
During dinnertime stopover, October ’16, tried five worthy IPA’s: one each from California, Oregon and Pennsylvania and two from home state, New York. Stone Enjoy By 10-31-16 with Tangerine may’ve bested Ninkasi Beer Run, Pizza Boy Eurotrash Belgian IPA, Barrier Rotational Series Suburb (Glacier Hop) and Alphabet City Alpha Male (reviewed fully in Beer Index).
Chomped down on two rich food items: Bechamel-sauced Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese) and Mac & Cheese with Pulled Pork.
www.theoathny.com
EVIL TWIN EVEN MORE JESUS IMPERIAL STOUT
Luxuriously frothed jet black full body (in a can) boasts rich fudged chocolate creaminess, molasses-smoked muscovado sugaring and wood-burnt dark roast hop char. Gooey anise tongue-coating adds syrupy viscous sludge to chocolate rum cake, black coffee, dried cocoa, espresso, vanilla, hazelnut, and black cherry rampage. Affluent bourbon sweetness deepens massive mocha malting of chewy 12% ABV stout.
EVIL TWIN AUN MAS A JESUS IMPERIAL STOUT
Decadent spinoff of Evil Twin’s highly prized Even More Jesus is, perhaps, richer, creamier and chewier than original. Fudgy dark chocolate resonance thickens alongside heightened sticky anise spicing and cedar-burnt hop char. Molasses-sapped mocha sweetness inundated by ancillary French roast coffee, vanilla, marshmallow, toasted coconut, hazelnut and caramel latte illusions as well as sedate blackberry, blueberry and black cherry wisps. A mucky slow sippin’ dark ale as viscous as black oil and well worth investigation.
STILLWATER IS NOTHING BIG BUNNY IS EVERYTHING IMPERIAL CHOCOLATE MILK STOUT
Charming brown cow likeness ensues as cocoa-sugared milk chocolate richness picks up fudgy vanilla, toffee and burnt caramel creaming over delicate molasses-sapped oatmeal spine. Mildly syrupy chocolate milk sweetness hides a hint of bourbon. An easygoing dessert treat for sweet-toothed imbibers.
ITHACA SUPER STOUT WITH GIMME! COFFEE BEANS
On tap at The Oath, bold Gimme! coffee-powered oatmeal stout gains black chocolate influence above dry wood-charred dark roast hop bittering, walnut espresso linger and groat-y oats bottom. Day-old coffee finish retains nut-burnt dark chocolate reminder.
MOA IMPERIAL STOUT AGED IN PINOT NOIR BARRELS
On tap at Poor Henry’s, light wood smoke covers initial pinot noir influence, abrupt dark-roast mocha malt follow-up and subdued oaken cherry acridity. Tannic black grape leathering mingles with soy-sauced black chocolate and coffee tones over peaty earthiness. Mild sour ale-influenced imperial stout better appreciated by bitterer thirsts.
SIERRA NEVADA BEER CAMP 2016 – STOUT OF THE UNION
Astronomical six California breweries collaborate for one rich, velvety, cola-hued mocha stout. Fudgy black chocolate malting picks up cocoa-dried walnut response and light espresso nuance above tarry wood-burnt hop char, retaining creamy froth to bittersweet mocha finish.
FOUNDERS BACKSTAGE SERIES #9 SMOKED PORTER
Advertised beechwood-smoked malts and oak-smoked wheat malts gain light peat splendor, but the real underlying force is the fudgy brown and black chocolate sweetness contrasting against the woody earth-scorched dark roast hop char. Smoked mocha molasses richness picks up wispy hickory and cherrywood sentiments as well as dried cocoa, seared walnut and burnt caramel undertones.
ELK CREEK POE PADDY PORTER
On tap at Poor Henry’s, dark-roasted mocha malts dominate mildly creamed medium body. Black chocolate richness increases seared walnut souring, ashen wood acridity, ground coffee respite, mild molasses syruping and pureed black cherry wisp above dense charred hop bittering.
