On tap at New York Wing Factory, perfunctory Calypso-hopped version of well respected saison fails to deliver. Pungent floral-perfumed citric spice and barren white-wined yellow grape tartness receive musky earthen barnyard rusticity. Fungi-like navel orange rot, lemon musk and dessicated pineapple never fully integrate.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, well-rounded dark saison squeezes many fine illusions out of dark-fruited souring, smoky mocha malting and variable nuttiness. Dried fig, prune and apricot tones deepen black chocolate roast, cola-hazelnut-walnut conflux and mild peppercorn herbage, finishing with a frothy pineapple-grapefruit fondue frenzy.
Bland rauchbier-smoked, witbier-fruited, gose-salted hybrid stays softly light-bodied. Soapy curacao-mandarin orange wisp, tart lemon snip and sour lime pucker hide behind fragile peat-smoked black peppering, finishing inconspicuously dull, flat and buttery.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, refreshing summertime golden ale becomes diacetyl at vegetal citric finish. Sunny yellow grapefruit tartness desiccated by sour lemon rot, raw-honeyed pale malts and grassy Simcoe-citra hop astringency. Light floral orange fruiting needs better penetration.
On tap at New York Wing Factory, timid summery tropicalia lacks full-force mango theme. Instead, washed-out mango tartness never effectively sweetens listless lemony strawberry, guava and kiwi snips while its thin wheat backbone falters. In the bottle, dry lemon-pitted mango souring stays laidback alongside mildly bitter IPA-like piney grapefruit peel depletion. In the can, lightly perfumed mango salting drifted subtly into dry grassy hops.
Effervescent fresh-squeezed ruby red grapefruit zest rides above briskly mild Cascade hop bittering and soft-toned pilsner malt dryness. Floral-perfumed lemon seed tartness deepens pink grapefruit resonance.
Vaguely defined maibock lacks focus. Desultory pale-caramel malting and muddled summery fruitiness seem lost amidst honey grained murk. Listless apple, grape, fig and plum illusions never come to the fore while mild nuttiness proves insufficient.
Affable moderate-to-medium-bodied porter brings initial French roast coffee simmer to dark-roasted mocha malting and oily hop resin, gaining bittersweet black chocolate influence by the mild cocoa-beaned hazelnut java finish.
On tap at New York Wing Factory, abtruse autumnal moderation combines dry-starched pumpkin roast with orange-oiled candied ginger and pink peppercorns. Orange rot midst nearly upends raw gourd adjunct. Sugar bread spine lightly sweetens the backend to contrast the brief pumpkin-squash finish.
FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY
Just across the George Washington Bridge across from the Whiteman Park Plaza in Fort Lee, New Jersey, NEW YORK WING FACTORY gained high praise since opening, January ’14. The red-bricked roadhouse sportsbar serves as a unique gastropub featuring battered and double-fried Factory Wings and impressive Korean-styled dishes alongside a light Americana menu and some of the finest quickly-rotated draught and bottled beers in the area.
Rustic wood fixtures, exposed pipes, hanging fans and spotlights fill the large one-room open space with TV’s at every angle. The rustic hardwood bar (with 20-plus seats) stationed alongside the back wall gets served by the open kitchen near the entrance and two blackboards list the bottled selections (including several limited edition elixirs such as Brooklyn Hand & Seal Bourbon Barleywine, Bruery Rueuze Oak-barreled Lambic and Lagunitas Gnarlywine).
On my initial two-hour March ’15 weekday visit, several dining tables fill up in the mid-afternoon while the bar meshes local businessmen with serious beer geeks. Wings, pizzas, tacos, burgers and salads top the Americana items. Korean fare includes Kimchi Kroquetas (rice-balled mozzarella with marina and scallions) and the delicious Pickle Jar (jalapeno-radish-carrot-tomatillo). I grab a half-dozen hickory barbecue wings while the guys nearby chew on hotter versions (Jalapeno BBQ, Salt & Pepper and Angry).
A few previously untried Belgian-styled Stone ‘Stochasticity’ brews get quaffed alongside the sweet wings. Stone Quadrotriticale brought treacle rye breading to raw-honeyed dried fruiting while Stone Hibiscusicity pushed the envelope with its floral hibiscus tea likeness overriding the sour-doughed lemony hop spritz.
On second visit during April ’15 at noon, several post-grunge artists (Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Offspring) play in the background while I munch on Salt & Pepper Wings and down a few previously untried IPA’s (Angry Erik Hop-N-Awe/ 902 Heaven Hell or Hoboken) and saisons (Ommegang Calypso Hennepin/ Bolero Snort Tabull) alongside a witbier (Free Will Mango Wheat), cream ale (Carton Pumpkin Scobeyville Wood) and mocha ale (Boulevard Chocolate Ale).
Oddly muddled envelope-pushing Belgian pale ale (part of ambitious Stochasticity Project) lacks focus and dimension. Pinkish amber dry body needs deeper hibiscus flowering and more enthusiastic orange peel influence to overcome less effective lemony hop spritz. Herbal tea nuances fade worse than stagnant berry fruiting. Sourdough wheat bottom falls out. Light and soapy.
Unfocused dry quad seems stylishly nebulous. Hybridized rye wheat grain, triticale, brings likable brown-sugared toasted molasses breading to murky banana-spiced sugar plum, date and fig influence. Mild smoked pepper heat contrasts syrupy honey malts along the way. Putty plastique backdrop wavers.
