On tap at Bronx Alehouse, softly creamed hefeweizen plies mild doughy sugaring to expectant banana-clove-bubblegum triumvirate and tingly butterscotch notch. Zesty lemon spritz and dried orange-peach fruiting offer tertiary smidge. An easygoing moderation.
On tap at Bronx Alehouse, bold India Pale Ale stuffs deeply embittered piney-hopped juniper musk and lemony grapefruit-peeled orange zest into tangy pineapple stead. Peach, apricot, apple, tangerine and cherry illusions stay beneath the all-encompassing pineapple juicing.
On tap at Bronx Alehouse, murky dark-spiced dried fruiting overruns nebulous English ‘nut brown’ styling of hybridized Belgian dark ale. Distant coffee-dried walnut snip contrasts wispy vanilla caramel creaming.
On tap at Track 84, sturdy cacao-roasted imperial porter retains gently creamed mocha theme. Cacao nibs powdering brings chalky brown and black chocolate malting to the fore. Vanilla bean, roasted coffee and bourbon undertones rise above dirty earthen coarseness.
On tap at Ginger Man, soft-toned dry-bodied ‘old ale’ brings dewy peat mustiness to fig-sugared molasses breading, peppery rum-spiced nutmeg seasoning and soy-sauced chocolate malting. Chestnut, date and plum undertones fail to penetrate moldy earthen murk.
On tap at Ginger Man, lightly creamed helles-styed lager brings doughy corn flouring to mild grassy-hopped easement and fizzy Seltzer-watered steam. Lemony maize dryness and milky rice-like neutrality provide minor detail to dankly grained moderation.
Crisp IPA-like citric fruiting and bitter piney hop resin boost dry medium-bodied delight past simple pale ale styling. Brisk yellow grapefruit-peeled orange rind tang lingers above sappy pine-needled prickle and sugary caramel malting. Zesty lemon snip and grassy herbal respite deepen fruitful conviction.
On tap at Ginger Man, expressive New Orleans espresso dolce bean affords luxurious coffee uprising for fascinatingly authentic ’14 milk stout. Lactic chicory-smoked black chocolate undertones, muted ashen nuttiness and wispy vanilla hints reinforce bittersweet oats-roasted coffee theme. A classic stylistic representative.
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
From its humble Houston digs in 1985, the original Texas-based GINGER MAN was considered the first multi-tap bar in America. Quite a huge statement considering the Lone Star state’s more conservative liquor laws. More than a decade hence, GINGER MAN’s prime midtown Manhattan franchise instantly gained a sterling reputation from beer geeks and snobs far and wide upon opening in ’96.
An Olde World-styled Irish-spirited pub with Gothic lamps hanging above a cozily cavernous wood-leathered interior, this charmingly classicist Herald Square beer haven serves some of New York’s greatest tapped selections alongside excellent single malt Scotches and worthy pub fare. Two bronze-backed serving stations at the 25-stool right bar offer 66 draughts listed on a crowded cardboard menu (alongside 160-plus bottled selections). A back lounge with couches and tables serves as an easygoing alcove retreat.
Sitting at one of the crimson suede-designed left side pews, my two colleagues dig into cask conditioned versions of Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA while I sample six previously untried brews on this dank Monday afternoon. For lunch, the Cobb Salad is crisp and fresh while the Shepherd’s Pie is undeniably rich. For dessert, we get amazing cinnamon-sugared soft pretzels with honey mustard.
While Dortmunder-styled Riegele Commerzienrat Privat stayed mildly creamed and delicately grassy hopped, dry-bodied old ale Greenport Harbor Anti-Freeze brought soft-toned dewy peat to dark-spiced dry fig and molasses breading. Brooklyn Oishi Belgian Session Ale layered lemony curacao orange above plastique lemongrass tones.
Those easygoing starters were blown away by winningly peculiar Founders Mango Magnifico Con Calor, a tropical mango-juiced fruit ale with throat-clearing habanero burn. Smooth oak-aged Element ESO (English strong ale) tasted just like dry Scotch and Abita Macchiato Stout featured a monstrously peppery espresso-like coffee roast. Full reviews in Beer Index.
Based on a classic post-war novel by American playwright JP Donleavy, each Ginger Man franchise does the legacy proud with uncommon bohemian ambiance meeting elegantly upscale vintage decor.
www.gingerman-ny.com
PERKASIE, PENNSYLVANIA
Perched between Philly to the south and Allentown to the north, Bucks County’s rural industrial village of Perkasie blends old farmhouses with small mills outside its red-bricked downtown perimeter. Inside a basement warehouse, FREE WILL BREWING CO. opened for business during January 2012.
Originating at a tiny 800 square foot garage before moving into its current spacious 8,600 square foot Walnut Street walkdown, Free Will now sells a heap of growlers, kegs and bottles to the surrounding community.
Established by brewmaster John Stemler and managing partner Dominic Capece, the capacious microbrewery serves free samples to walk-in customers at its raw, cement-floored, 14-draught tasting room. The windowed left side brew tanks occupy only half the remaining space but expansion seems imminent.
Stopping by mid-January ’14 in the late afternoon, I got to enjoy healthy 6-ounce samplers as the place filled up quickly with enthusiastic local minions and travelling beer geeks like myself.
Tasting room manager, Michael Standish, offered friendly tidbits and helpful flavor illusions concerning each beer. He claimed, “I’m a Scotch and bourbon man by heart, but now I also enjoy the art of drinking craft beers.”
His favorite Free Will offering, 7 Course Red, an easygoing Irish-styled medium body, brought roasted coffee and sweet chocolate to wispy caramel-spiced red fruiting.
A few more soft-toned brews captured my attention thereafter.
Destiny’s Wit, a reliable Belgian white ale, scattered mild white-peppered orange and lemon peel bittering across coriander-spiced candi-sugared Belgian yeast and banana-chipped lemon meringue pie.
Another well-rounded moderation, Saison De Rose, gathered lemony pink grapefruit, black-peppered pink peppercorn and ginger-leafed hibiscus for its herbaceous floral-fruited climax.
Despite loading 200-plus IBU’s and 10% alcohol volume into its soft-toned veneer, Sputnik 17 Chasing The Dragon managed to stay deceivingly laid-back for a full-on India Pale Ale. Tropical yellow-pink grapefruit, pineapple and lemon pick up grassy-hopped peach-pear-apple undertones.
Based on the second grain runnings of Black Friday Belgian Quad (an apple brandy-barreled elixir), Sputnik 20 worked well as a hybridized English bitter with crisply clean mineral watering countering earthen dewy musk and murky mocha mustiness.
After these libations, I bought a 6-pack of fabulous Free Will C.O.B. (Coffee Oatmeal Brown), a nutty coffee-ground roasted dark ale with dry pale-malted hop bitterness contrasting dark chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut and molasses tones (reviewed fully in Beer Index).
YARDLEY, PENNSYLVANIA
A few blocks away from the Delaware River in the bohemian Bucks County village of Yardley lies VAULT BREWING COMPANY. Opened October 11, 2012, its historic Cathedral-like brownstone frontage and stoic Goth-like visage stand out amongst the rural downtown surroundings.
Formerly a bank with a large vault (hence the name), its metal lattice and bronze-topped tables exude an archaic Romanesque feel further defined by stucco-textured tan walls, plum-hued barroom ceiling, incandescent street lamps, tin crown moulding, mirrored bar canope, mahogany-framed green marble columns and bronze beer tanks (utilized as pizza ovens in the open kitchen).
Besides making fine craft beer, the retired safety deposit boxes contain vintage stored wines. Four brass brew tanks behind the roomy six-seat bar contain today’s five available beers ranging from summer soft to heavily roasted.
Free jazz plays as my wife and I grab a table in the far left corner during lunchtime mid-January ’14. The menu features flatbread pizzas with beer-infused dough, sandwiches, panninis and salads. We settle for the excellent Wild Mushroom Pizza with bleu-cheesed honey, garlic truffle ricotta and caramelized onions.
As for the libations, sunnily upbeat Sorachi Ace Blonde brought herbal citric pleasantries to the fore as its lemon-peeled yellow grapefruit sugaring received mild lemongrass, vanilla and coconut vagaries.
Tropical-fruited Galaxy Pale Ale layered yellow grapefruit, white peach and lemon seed tartness above a pungent grain-toasted hop bittering reminiscent of robust Czech or German lagers.
Truly defining, the milder and less tart second batch of Cherry Dunkelweizen provided ample black cherry puree bluster to banana-clove-vanilla sweetness, dried plum-fig-grape illusions, wheat-honeyed apple ripeness and sharp hop spicing.
Piney grapefruit and pineapple embittered the dark chocolate roast and dried cocoa powdering of stylishly rewarding Cascadian Dark Ale.
For dessert, the smooth nitro version of The Vault’s Breakfast Stout maintained a luxurious La Colonbe coffee bean roast sweetened by Vermont maple syrup as well as bourbon-tinged dark chocolate, vanilla and cookie dough nuances.