On tap at Ambulance, wonderful Belgian dark ale loads bittersweet dried fruiting onto candi-sugared yeast and toasted caramel malting. Candied fig, date, plum, raisin and cherry overtones consume sweet chocolate-vanilla-molasses conflux. Sour orange, bruised banana, brown pear and red apple subtleties as well as teasing chestnut-pecan wisps seep below the surface. Brandy, vermouth and Grand Marnier illusions add boozy warmth to the complex finish.
SPEAKEASY THE COVER UP WHITE IPA
On tap at Ambulance, hybridized Belgian witbier/ American India Pale Ale leans to the latter as lemon-peeled orange rot souring, spry white wine zest and dry hop acridity soar ahead of mellow Belgian yeast sweetness. Lemongrass-oiled peach, pineapple and tangerine whims drift below.
BRONX SPRING HOPBACK WITH JUNIPER
On tap at Ambulance, ‘botanical’ medium-bodied pale ale with subtle juniper berry adjunct sweetens over light caramel roast. Raw-honeyed astringency, reedy Amarillo hop bittering and soft herbal whim provide backup.
ELYSIAN LOSER PALE ALE
Pioneering local grunge label, Sub Pop, celebrated with sessionable tropical-fruited medium body. A centrist delight, its brisk orange rind, yellow grapefruit, mango and lemon tang picks up caramel malt sugaring as well as refreshing floral notion above doughy white breading. Candied citrus tartness gains bitter edge by crisp finish.
GOOSE ISLAND TEN HILLS AMERICAN PALE ALE
Updated 2015 ‘American’ version allows refreshingly crisp citric hop spicing and grassy herbage to ride above cracker-salted pale malting. Alkaline astringency may be a bit much for lighter thirsts, but tangy grapefruit, orange, tangerine, pineapple and mango thrust as well as zesty lemon briskness, mild lemongrass minting and resinous pine twinge ultimately overcome any acidic alcohol burn.
BOLERO SNORT CRACKED PEPPERHORN IMPERIAL BROWN ALE
Worthy 2nd anniversary Imperial Brown Ale uses subtle peppercorn herbage to spice up creamy caramel-chocolate malting, sweet honeyed nuttiness and soured fig-date niche. Raw molasses bittering contrasts pleasant butternut-pecan-praline conflux near chocolate rye cake finish.
BOLERO SNORT GRAZER WHEAT BEER
Sessionable spring seasonal offers citric Mosaic hop pleasantry to grassy wheat bed. Sunny grapefruit-orange milding crisply crackles thru carbolic Seltzer fizz. Delicate honeydew, melon and tangerine wisps graze the surface.
TIN ROOF TURNROW HARVEST ALE WITH CORIANDER
Adventurous autumnal ale utilizes fresh-ground coriander to sweeten its lemon-candied pineapple, orange and tangerine tang as well as kiwi-like prickly pear cactus neutrality. For contrast, herbal green tea bittering, sage-like minting and shaving cream-cologned perfuming prove worthy. Tertiary boysenberry-blackberry-blueberry-raspberry illusions gain gin-like juniper berry nip way below the busy mix.
TIN ROOF NOT TOO SWEET WATERMELON WHEAT
‘Not too sweet’ and ‘not quite boring’ moderation offers washed-out watermelon souring to thin wheat backbone. Watermelon rind pickling lingers, then fades quickly, at reluctant citric-daubed finish.
TIN ROOF BLONDE
Tepid pilsner-malted light body brings lemony Seltzer-fizzed pineapple tang to acrid straw-hay-alfalfa graining. Sour orange midst fades at bittersweet citric finish.
ABITA LIGHT
Desiccated pilsner-malted light body brings German lager yeast to short-lived lemony apricot spritz, raw-honeyed sourdough breading, acrid maize parch and musty straw-hay musk. Pallid dullness.
STEADY HABIT BREWING COMPANY
HADDAM, CONNECTICUT
Another superfine warehouse-styled brewery popped up in the Nutmeg State during January, 2015. Within six weeks upon my visit, the raging nano STEADY HABIT BREWING (closed January 2025) was really going strong with its diminutive four 2.5 barrel fermenters already kicking out ten different (mostly pale ale styled) elixirs.
Head brewer Jonathan Peterson began as an apprentice home brewer and serves as beer manager for Tony’s Package Store, the awesome generically-named beer and wine haven fronting Steady Habit’s spare cement-floored backspace (where the only current paraphernalia is the cool limited edition beer bottles on three plain wood shelves near the tap station).
“Steady Habit’s an homage to beer history, built on the principals of wise decisions and good values,” Peterson claims. “And our (flagship) India Pale Ale, Our Daily Bread, honors the discovery of beer as a natural beverage – fermented bread.”
Tropical grapefruit-peeled orange rind, pineapple, mango, guava and passionfruit illusions surround the sedately bark-dried pine needling of the majestic Daily Bread. And its crisply well-watered minerality provides a clean bed.
Besides the brisk juicy-fruited IPA, robust In Robust We Trust Porter plied dark-roasted chocolate and caramel malting to bitter tar-like hop char. Prevalent black chocolate, dark cocoa and roasted coffee overtones as well as subsidiary tobacco chaw, Brazil nut and licorice illusions rise above the delicate oats-flaked bottom. Specialty German malts get utilized well.
It’ll be fun to see how quickly this place grows. There’s already a steady stream of locals and travelers sojourning to Steady Habit. Cheers!