Easygoing IPA bolstered by lingering Chinook/Amarillo hop pining and less aggressive lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering. Sugary peach-pineapple-quince-cantaloupe-mango-tangerine dalliances and recessive floral nuances provide mild backdrop.
Wondrous Chicagoland flagship boasts briskly bright floral fruited rampage, gathering tangy grapefruit, pineapple, nectarine, peach and mango juiciness atop well-oiled piney hop bittering. Its tart orange-candied center gains strength as sugar-spiced crystal malting and lemon-peeled herbal notions resonate at crisply clean citrus finish. On tap at Biggie’s, sweet orange-peeled mango, pineapple and peach tropicalia contrasts lemon-embittered grapefruit rind juicing and grassy pine resin over mildly creamed crystal-malted biscuit base.
On tap at Ambulance, smoothly easygoing dry-hopped light body (collaboration with Barcelona’s Garage Brewing) allows lactic brettanomyces yeast to affect soured Nelson Sauvin gooseberry tartness and limey lemon pith pucker. Brisk carbolic spritz heightens lemondrop mouthfeel.
On tap at Ambulance, mild yellow-cleared smoked wheat ale falters when delicate beechwood-smoked peated wheat malts fade. In the midst, easygoing gose-like salted lemon lime wisp and scorched earthen dryness softly surface for German-Polish sour wheat gratzer styling. In bottle: sour lemon rind influence overcomes oaken peated wheat smokiness, light spelt graining and Band-aid astringency as carbolic mandarin orange spritz provides bubbly effervescence.
Made from an ancient brown ale recipe, light 3.5% ABV oud bruin lets cloying caramel malting offer Coca Cola and sarsaparilla-like sweetness to dewy cellar dankness. Chalky chocolate influence gets sour.
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
Re-creating a cozily bohemian Prohibition Era speakeasy, affluent Upper West Side pub, BROADWAY DIVE, is tucked into a busy commercial street just up the hill from midtown Manhattan. Its mauve-marooned exterior and rustic wood interior give this narrow beer-centric tavern a friendly neighborhood feel.
Packed to the hilt with incongruent graffiti and paraphernalia, mounted animals (deer, bear, trout, bass), multiple TV’s, koi fish aquarium and 20-plus tap handles (specializing in respected Belgian ales, local elixirs and national craft beer), its tremendous refrigerated bottle-can selection consumes much of the left wall opposite the 20-seat wooden bar area. And a few marble-topped community tables serve people across the bar.
Part of the “Dive Bar” triumvirate that includes the original Amsterdam Avenue site and Columbus Avenue’s Dive 75, these seminal landmarks are a must for all New York City-bound beer enthusiasts.
My wife and I grab seats at the bar just a few days prior to Christmas, 2015, to consume one high profile sampler tray (Sloop Sauer Peach Berliner Weisse; Barrier’s Uncle Lee’s Christmas Ale; Barrier Lights Out Stout; Evil Twin Christmas Eve In A NYC Hotel Imperial Stout) plus a pint of Thirsty Dog Bourbon-aged Wulver and Ayinger Weiss. We consume chili, hummus and a knish while downing world class brews.
For those requiring privacy, two small loft areas overlooking the bar offer adequate intimacy.
On tap at Broadway Dive, well executed bourbon-aged Scotch Ale (12% ABV) brings creamy caramel-malted bourbon vanilla pleasantries to rummy molasses sugaring, syrupy dark chocolate richness and light peat-smoked whiskey dalliance. Resinous oak-charred hop astringency contrasts multiple sweet-toothed attributes. In the backdrop, toffee, toasted coconut, cola nut and molasses undertones speckle dried-fruited bruised cherry, plum, raisin, currant and black grape illusions.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, sensational Imperial Milk Stout layers whipped creamed Mascapone custard atop rum-soaked ladyfinger impression and fudgy brown chocolate malting (while nearly bettering Terrapin’s ambitious Moo-Hoo dessert treat). Subsidiary creme brulee, maple molasses, chocolate cake, toasted coconut, cherry cordial, vanilla wafer and wheat-honeyed sweetness receives powdered sugaring. For contrast, rich coffee bean bittering gains prominence alongside milky Yoo-Hoo chocolate syruping. Serve to all sweet-toothed fanatics.
On tap at Broadway Dive, deliriously complex Christmastime-spiced Imperial Stout (with mighty 10% ABV) layers creamy black chocolate syruping atop dry hop-charred roast and molasses-draped bourbon, whiskey and sherry boozing. Curtailed holiday spicing (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and coriander) shuffle across fudged brownie, coffee, vanilla, hazelnut and espresso nuances as well as lovely dark cherry, blackberry, rum raisin and sugarplum notions.
On tap at Broadway Dive, dry peat-smoked stout delivers dark-roasted chocolate malts to wood-burnt hop char. Ashen nuttiness, black coffee bittering, cacao nibs dalliance and smoldered charcoal singe increase full-on mocha template.
On tap at Broadway Dive, audacious IPA-inspired X-mas treat (brewed exclusively for NYC Dive Bar locales) drapes light maple syruping atop floral-spiced dried fruits and subtle cinnamon adjunct. Mild Scotch-licked dark roast malting, resinous piney hop bittering and oaken vanilla sedation awaken tangy cherry, plum, grapefruit, pineapple and orange illusions. Just a tad off-center with its clustered summer-winter mix.
Brash 2015 version (11% ABV) rocks hard as smoky dark-roasted chocolate and coffee overtones receive massive hop-charred nuttiness and chewy molasses-sapped burnt caramel sweetness. Bold mocha theme picks up latent anise-spiced dried fruiting at dry black chocolate finish.
