Approachable Long Island-initiated moderation brings polite floral-fruited spicing to grassy hop peppering. Murky apple, pear, peach, orange and tangerine tones layer toasted biscuit malts. Minor piney-hopped grapefruit bittering slips into the background. Closer to a zesty pale ale, lacking typical highbrow IPA pining.
MIDNIGHT SUN HOP DOG DOUBLE WHEAT INDIA PALE ALE
Briskly citric sunny-toned Imperial IPA brings bright grapefruit-juiced tang to moderate pine-sapped hop bittering. Orange rind, grapefruit peel, lemon zest, pineapple, peach and mango get above sugary crystal malting. Softer thirsts will benefit from its easy appeal.
BOSS LAGER
Ruggedly coarse Euro strong lager recalls dismal American malt liquor. Glutenous honeyed wheat malting and sour yeast pungency bring sickeningly cloy entry to wet-paper backend of no-headed straw-paled drear. Cheap whiskey snip and skunked metallic reminder deplete corn-sugared murk.
BOSS LEMON BEER
Nasty straw-paled lemon-juiced malt liquor gets disgustingly cloy. Herbal honeyed lemon-limed sugaring picks up camphor-oiled eucalyptus and Hall’s mentholyptus illusions. Iodine-like astringency hampers ginger spicing. Way worse than Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
EMPIRE CREAM ALE
On tap at Birdsall House, smooth nitro-creamed eggshell-headed pleasantry retains cleaner grain-hop profile and gentler reedy hop bittering than less definitive cream ales. Mild tea-like flow mellows into baked breaded bottom while grouty piquancy speckles silken minerality. Arguably the best cream ale marketed in the states. Get onboard!
BRONX RYE PALE ALE
On tap at Birdsall House, dry medium-bodied pale ale utilizes spiced rye malts to envelop its mild grapefruit bittering and sweet pineapple-peah-apple-pear fruiting. Parched bark acridity and light floral niche reinforce citric-forward alliance. Serve to India Pale Ale imbibers as an approachable moderation.
CAPTAIN LAWRENCE KATCHKIE HARVEST PUMPKIN ALE
On tap at Bridsall House, fine farmhouse-styled autumn ale retains dry vegetal mouthfeel. Puree-roasted pumpkin and butternut squash fruiting saddles astringent hop bitterness above caramel-glazed bottom. In deep recess, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom spices try ascending above weedy earthiness.
BIRDSALL HOUSE
PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK
In the old industrial town of Peekskill on its hilly Main Street, BIRDSALL HOUSE is housed inside a narrow freestanding brick building with a cement-floored metal-chaired side porch. Originally an A & P market and thereafter Connelly’s Pub, the friendly neighborhood bar, opened March 2010, features 20 snazzy craft beer draughts to go alongside a medium upscale menu.
Upon entering Birdsall House on a weekday during dinnertime in October 2012, I grab a seat at the rustic left side mahogany bar right in front of the central tap handles. The cozy interior benefits from two atrium skylights, 20 wooden bar stools and 12 section-divided right side booths. Two draught-only chalkboards near the front door list such fabulous American beers as Alesmith Anvil, Founders Breakfast Stout, Great Divide Titan IPA, Nectar IPA, Three Heads Bromigo and Victory Donnybrook Irish Stout.
The dark-lit noirish ambiance fits its casual nighttime appeal. Local artists play live on certain evenings and classic movies oft-times get projected across the bar on the yellow wall. Happy hour runs from 4 to 7 PM on weekdays.
At my initial two-hour stopover, I settle into the nitro-creamed Empire Cream Ale, an eggshell-headed tea-like moderation with buttery rye malts and reedy hops. Then I speak to local skateboard pro, Brian Brown, while consuming dry woody-hopped grapefruit-embittered Bronx Rye IPA. For a nightcap, I choose puree-roasted gourd seasonal Captain Lawrence Katchkie Harvest Pumpkin Ale. (All beers reviewed in Beer Index).
Recommended dishes include Grilled Lamb Sliders, Cast-Iron Seared Hanger Steak and Goat Cheese En Croute.
During April ’21 lunch trip, sat at the newly furbished metal-furnished right side deck area under the large amoeba-celled mural with wife. A cinder-grounded bench area added further outdoor seating this sunny afternoon.
Got to try Captain Lawrence Classic Lager and Southern Tier Coconut Truffle – Nitro (both reviewed in Beer Index) alongside calamari and cheesesteak.
GLAZEN TOREN SAISON D’ERPE MERE
Paradisical saison brings expressive yeast sugaring to bright sweet and sour fruiting. Crackling champagne sparkle dabs lemon-juiced white grape, crab apple, lime, peach and banana illusions above white-peppered lemongrass-peppercorn conflux. Nifty botanical array reinforces fruited dollops. Highly fermented moderate-bodied blond beer deserves the merit.
(DE PROEF) OMNIPOLLO MAZARIN
Elegant American-styled pale ale (with melting white candle on label) gypsy brewed by Stockholm, Sweden’s Omnipollo for Belgium’s De Proef. Bright fruited hop spicing picks up soft pine-needled grapefruit bittering to sourdough yeast bottom. Rose-watered mandarin orange, lemon zest, pineapple, nectar, peach, red apple and red grape illusions mesh well. Scrumptious.
CAPTAIN LAWRENCE PUMPKIN ALE
Indistinct autumn ale stays dryer and more astringent than sweeter-spiced variants. Unresolved pumpkin puree entry leads to vegetal gourd midst. Distant nutmeg-cinnamon-allspice seasoning drowned out by brisk carbolic fizz. In need of brown-sugared sweetness to contrast muffled profile.
MOA PALE ALE
Peculiarities abound for this American-styled pale ale from New Zealand. Unexpected herbaceous mineral graining takes the lead, bringing rye, alfalfa, barnyard and straw wheat earthiness to dry hop-oiled fruiting. Indigenous Nelson Sauvin hops bring white-wined sour grape, gooseberry and kiwi illusions to musty lemon-seeded bittering. Soft orange peel, passion fruit and peach undertones add depth to honeyed green tea finish.