ANDEAN BREWING (KUKA)

United States Brewpubs,

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 BLAUVELT, NEW YORK

Surpassing its humble promise of being an “artisanal small-batch brewery inspired by food, fruits and spices” after taking its inspirational spirit from Peru’s magnificent Andes Mountains (where its branded Kuka reference translates to “food for working travelers”), ANDEAN BREWING opened its taproom during the summer of 2013 (and closed during 2020).

Quickly developing a bottling line for their unique maca-rooted beers (such as the ever-popular Kuka Banana Nut Brown Ale), entrepreneurial Manhattanite, Andria Petito, a super-fan of Widmer Hefeweizen in the ’90s, expanded her palate over the course of time.

Meanwhile, current brewmaster, Alex Coronado, worked four years at Rochester’s CB Craft Brewers before joining Andean in 2015. A graduate of Fredonia State University’s arts and music department, Coronado and his ex-girlfriend became interested in home brewing post-haste.

Stationed in the light Industrial hamlet of Blauvelt, 25 miles north of New York City, Andean’s Kuka beer lineup benefited from its early reliance on the maca root, giving flagship staples like Kuka American Pale Ale, IPA and Belgian Blonde a delicately sweet chestnut-derived whim. Inside a tidy 6,500 square foot warehouse with high aluminum ceiling and plenty of space for expansion, Andean currently utilizes four fermenters and one bottling line.

On my early January ’16 visit, Coronado’s working with the mash tun for a limited edition 8-gallon pale ale while rock music blasts thru the cavernous brew room. An L-shaped bar (with lacquered table-top beer labels) in the gray-walled tap room provides local denizens with four different tapped brews. Some law school students share home brews as Petito tends bar, fills growlers and sells several bottled brews from the refrigerator.

I get two previously untried dark ales (reviewed fully in Beer Index) on tap while the crowd shuffles in. Lightly fermented on oak chips, Kuka White Chocolate Stout delights the senses as its spicy cocoa-nibbed brown and white chocolate sweetness serenades subtle vanilla, cinnamon, marshmallow and creamy caramel flam illusions.

Better yet, diabolical Kuka Devils Treat Imperial Milk Stout thrills tastebuds with richly creamed chocolate milking, recessive black coffee scurry, mild cayenne-peppered burn, cherry-pureed banana bruise, sticky anise trifle, wispy burgundy wining and oats-flaked maca root base.

During a hot June evening in 2017, returned to Andean to try two adjunct fruited saisons and one fabulous IPA.

Easygoing sparkling wine or summer shandy alternative, Blackberry Pretty Colored Marbles Saison, brought tart blackberry souring to delicate Sterling hops and dry wheat malts, picking up oaken cherry, cranberry and boysenberry nuances.

Nearly as likable, correlative Pineapple Saison offered subtle pineapple tartness and zestier tropicalia.

Delectably sacrilicious Lick The Mind Of God IPA plied brisk pineapple, grapefruit, orange and peach tanginess to moderate piney hop bittering and crystal pale malting with crisp, clean clarity.

www.kukabeer.com

CHOUFFE N’ICE DONKER WINTER BIER

Beers A-Z

Recurring winter-seasoned strong ale (2015 limited edition with boisterous 10% ABV) lets curacao orange-peeled thyme adjunct delicately affect brown-sugared raisin, fig and plum scrum as well as caramelized mocha malt sweetness. Sharp hop-prickled cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger spicing stays just beneath the surface alongside dark cherry and red grape undertones while random pencil shavings strangely penetrate light burgundy warmth.

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MILL HOUSE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

Right in the heart of historic Poughkeepsie, highly ambitious MILL HOUSE BREWING COMPANY opened for business November 2013. Housed in a lovely multi-sectional landmark building elegantly designed with exquisite rusticity, Mill House is easily one of Hudson Valley’s best brewpubs and expansion for a separate draught distribution center will soon do contract canning.

Proprietary brewmasters Larry Stock and Jamie Bishop, long-time friends “creating locally inspired beer with world class flavor,” started out many years ago making incipiently bad brews with a Mr. Beer Kit. But over time, Bishop received a masters degree from American Brewers Guild and decided to make his hobby a full-time pursuit, convincingly concocting traditional fare while being unafraid to experiment. The results have been fabulous as each quality brew Bishop and Stock crafted at Mill House has its own unique style to recommend.

Industrial wood, metal and plastic furnishings bedeck Mill House’s ground floor while an outdoor terrace, cozy second floor parlor (with patio), and third floor room for private parties consume the rest of this arch-laden colonial chalet. A red brick U-shaped bar with centralized archway, 20 stools and Edison lighting connects two distinct dining areas while the left side brew tanks service the main space.

A wood-fired hearth serves pizzas and the creative menu also includes lunchtime primers, ‘Bar Bites’ and eclectic burgers, sandwiches and entrees. Several homemade bar specialties and various wines and spirits complement the distinguished beer menu.   

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, January ’16, my wife and I thoroughly enjoy succulent best-selling Fig & Pig Pizza (with ham-like duck bacon, smoked mozzarella, black mission figs and arugula) alongside sessionable citric-hopped PK Pale Ale, a red wheat-toasted moderation hardened hop-heads won’t dismiss (reviewed fully at Beer Index).

After lunch, cruised thru eight more diverse brews. Briskly mineral-watered Kold One, a classic kolsch with crisp pilsner-Vienna malting, mildly astringent Noble hop bittering, sweetly soured lemon twist and light creaming may’ve bettered any similarly styled ale marketed.

Equally delightful, wholly eccentric and wildly popular, dry vegetal lawnmower beer, Queen City Cucumber Cream Ale, provided a strong celery-watered cucumber influence to sugared rice, corn and barley as well as a light citric spritz.  

‘Behemoth’ West Coast-styled IPA, Northwest Territory, placed honey-spiced peach, pear and apple fruiting alongside its stylishly emphatic grapefruit-peeled orange, pineapple and lemon tang while the mild cereal-grained Maris Otter malt base sweetened the load by helping to contrast the unobtrusive 9% ABV burn.    

Soft-toned Imperial IPA, Hubar, brought tangy lemon-peeled grapefruit buoyancy to the fore as crystal malt sugaring countered light piney hop bittering and radish-y celery remnant.   

Another approachable medium body, Belgian-styled dubbel, Zoe, plied white-peppered citrus spicing to creamy yeast sugaring, delicate pilsner malts and subtle butternut-walnut conflux.  
   
Velvety oak-chipped Scottish Ale, Kilt Spinner, retained light caramelized carafa roast, piquant vanilla sweetness and soft citric fruitiness.
Award winning stout, Velvet Panda, draped treacly black chocolate richness above bitter oats-flaked Black Patent malts and dried-fruited black cherry, raisin and fig cluster.    
Spirited wintry digestif, Dos Cien Cerezas, ‘laced’ sour Morello cherries (the fermented fruit in kriek lambics) through brown chocolate-y cacao nibs sweetness, rum-spiced whiskey warmth and soothingly medicinal 8.5% ethanol burn for an exceptional indulgence.
This place is a must for any and all brew hounds.
Revisited Mill House mid-July ’21 to down five more previously untried suds.
Dryer than most similarly styled blonde ales, Blunar Eclipse lacquers subtle lemon-spritzed blueberry tartness across raw-honeyed pale malting, spicy floral whims and distant green peppering.
Tart raspberry saltiness gave Cross Reference Raspberry Kettle Sour its initial sass while lemon-candied guava, watermelon and green grape souring settled at the earthy bottom.
Lemon-pledged pink guava salting, limey lemondrop tartness, sour papaya subtleties and bitter grapefruit seeding picked up botanical riffs for Gose Gone Fruity, leaving coriander spicing in the dust.
Yogurt-soured guava, papaya and peach tropicalia joined brief orange peel sweetness and mild pine tones for Grocery Getter, a softly rounded NEIPA with ancillary lemon-teased tangerine, clementine and mandarin tartness settling next to honeyed herbal respite.
Salted pineapple souring commenced Everything’s Coming Up: Pineapple, a zestfully fruited NEIPA with spritzy lemon prickle and lacquered pine wisp.
During August ’22, my wife and I journeyed once more to Millhouse, enjoying another four previously untried brews.
Dry DC Fair Pale Ale let mild IPA-like orange rind, grapefruit pith and salted pineapple bittering, dry wood tones and green tea-like astringency reach its lightly sugared pale malt base.
Salted mango entry faded on Everything’s Coming Up: Mango, a soft-toned NEIPA leaving ample pineapple-papaya tanginess and ancillary grapefruit-peach-nectarine whims atop heavily oated malts.
Lactic golden beige-hazed sour IPA, Hopthamology, allowed pink guava tartness, modest lemon-oiled yellow grapefruit bittering and wispy lemongrass minting to pick up residual acidity above milk-sugared white wheated oats.
Black Forest-caked pureed raspberry and dark chocolate-y liquid cacao lifted oats-flaked pastry stout, Piece Of Cake, picking up tart cherry, blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry snips.
www.millhousebrewing.com