NYC

I love a good beer bar, and I found two of them on my weekend trip to New York City. The Ginger Man has 60 taps and 120 bottles... and everyone knows it! The House of Brews was much more low-key and had 80 different beers, with a good focus on local breweries. I would recommend both. What I would not recommend is the microbrewery where we started our night: Heartland Brewery.

Heartland Big Belgian Blonde Ale
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
translucent with some minimal aroma of fruit and yeast. tastes strongly of banana... not my favorite fruit. there is some warming alcohol but a very liberal interpretation of belgian style.
Score: 6

Heartland Buffalo Bock
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
defined by sweet, toasted caramel. again, an unusual bock.
Score: 5

Heartland Cornhusker Lager
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
wow, this was awful. watery with taste of corn.
Score: 2

Heartland Farmer Jons Oatmeal Stout
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
hey, this one was decent! jet black with tan head. taste of espresso and, to a lesser extent, chocolate. not very sweet though. kind of thin is my biggest quibble.
Score: 7

Heartland Harvest Wheat
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
pale and cloudy with big, billowy head. very bland. i don't see how they think this is a wheat.
Score: 3

Heartland Indian River Light
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
light with some hops in aroma. lemony taste. crisp. a light beer.
Score: 3

Heartland Indiana Pale Ale
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
fresh, grassy hops produced sharp, bitter finish. very one-dimensional.
Score: 5

Heartland Red Rooster Ale
Sample -- Heartland Brewery, NYC
i was struck by the caramel / toffee in smell and taste. smooth, somewhat sweet malts, a few hops, stale bread. meh.
Score: 5

Brooklyn Winter Ale
Sample -- The House of Brews, NYC
sweet malty aroma, with faint taste of roasted coffee. very smooth and a little watery. a warming winter brew.
Score: 6

Kelso Nut Brown Lager
Sample -- The House of Brews, NYC
pleasant aroma. taste of sweet caramel and nutty malts. medium-bodied with little carbonation, almost to the point of being flat.
Score: 7

Ommegang Hennepin
Sample -- The House of Brews, NYC
nice clear yellow pour with distinctive sour yeast smell. mild sweetness, faint spices and good accompanying bitterness. an excellent saison.
Score: 9

Southampton Double White Ale
Tap -- The House of Brews, NYC
cloudy pour, sweet and yeasty on nose. mild citrus and spice with subdued aftertaste. good mouthfeel: clean, astringent, dry, and lively. my first beer from southampton and i liked it very much.
Score: 9

Brew of the batch:
Southampton ESB
Tap -- The Ginger Man, NYC
a very drinkable English-Style Ale. woody/nutty malts balanced perfectly with subtle earthy, bitter hops. grainy, almost chewy mouthfeel. exactly what i am looking for in a beer!
Score: 10

Cambridge Brewing Co.

Saturday after an exciting Boston Bruins win in a shootout, I went across the Charles with a few friends to the Cambridge Brewing Company. This has been on my to-do list for some time, and for good reason. This was the best brewery I have been to on the East Coast, with a great atmosphere, good food (although I would avoid the steak...), and even proper glassware! Their beer was pretty solid too... not a bad one in the bunch!


Cambridge Tall Tale Pale Ale
Sampler glass -- Cambridge Brewing Co. Brewery

pours a hazy orange with fresh, grassy hops on aroma. earthy, bitter hop taste with some sweetness. crisp and light. this is actually pretty well-balanced, if a little watererd down.

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 6/10 Palate: 4/5 Overall: 13/20 Total Rating: 3.4 Score: 7


Cambridge Amber
Sampler glass -- CBC Brewery

a very unusual amber. appearance is the expected dark amber but i was surprised to be met with coffee and cocoa on the aroma. nutty, coffee flavors complement taste of roasted malts. cambridge is certainly testing the style on this one and i am giving points for creativity here.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 9/10 Palate: 3/5 Overall: 13/20 Total Rating: 3.7 Score: 8


Cambridge Charles River Porter
Sampler glass -- CBC Brewery

roasted coffee and sweet chocolate flavor is matched evenly with bitter hops. once again, pushing the envelope. a little thin, but overall a solid, drinkable porter.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 7/10 Palate: 3/5 Overall: 12/20 Total Rating: 3.5 Score: 8


Cambridge Tripel Threat
Sampler glass -- CBC Brewery

hazy, golden-orange with long lacing. smell of spice, yeast, apple juice. very sweet, prominent yeast, fruity on taste buds. lively carbonation, kind of dry, medium-bodied. true to style, but not something i could drink a lot of.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 6/10 Palate: 3/5 Overall: 10/20 Total Rating: 3.1 Score: 7


Cambridge Blunderbuss Barley Wine
Sampler glass -- CBC Brewery

clear reddish-copper. very aromatic with sweet fruit and spices... and some alcohol. taste of sweet caramel malts with soft bitterness. medium-bodied, creamy, smooth, with warming alcohol. strong but complex -- very nice.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 8/10 Palate: 5/5 Overall: 15/20 Total Rating: 4.0 Score: 9


Cambridge Espresso Stout
Sampler glass -- CBC Brewery

dark pour, blanketed with tan head. this one is all about the coffee, both on nose and buds. i'm surprised they call this an oatmeal stout, and not a sweet stout... no oatmeal to be found at all. rich and full-bodied. not nearly as subtle as the description says, but i like it a lot.

Appearance: 5/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 8/10 Palate: 4/5 Overall: 15/20 Total Rating: 4.0 Score: 9

Gritty McDuffs vs. Long Trail

Occassionally I will put a few beers head-to-head and determine a winner. I am going to start with the Scottish Ales offered up by two longstanding New England Brewers: Gritty McDuffs of Maine and Long Trail of Vermont. Go!


Gritty McDuffs Scottish Ale
Bottle -- MAINE

clear reddish-brown with head that lasts all the way to the end. aroma of bread, caramel, and earthy hops. very sweet with good bitter hop presence. crisp, smooth, very carbonated, medium-bodied. a strong beer and good example of the style.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 7/10 Palate: 4/5 Overall: 12/20 Total Rating: 3.5 Score: 7


Long Trail Hibernator
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Fall River

hazy amber with sustained head. malts, fruity hops, little spice, but pretty muted aroma overall. nutty, grainy, some hops, but mostly watery. medium-bodied, sticky, with lingering aftertaste. simple, bland, uninspiring.

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 5/10 Palate: 3/5 Overall: 10/20 Total Rating: 2.6 Score: 5


Winner: Gritty McDuffs Scottish Ale
hands down. a very nice scottish ale. MAINE wins!!!

Upstate New York, Part II

I also brought home a case of Southern Tier from New York last weekend. Here are my thoughts on the four beers in their sample pack.


Southern Tier IPA
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

a translucent amber with minimal head but nice lacing. just a few pungent hops on the nose, and fairly mild upon tasting. crisp and smooth with surprisingly dry, bitter finish. a well-crafted and drinkable ipa.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 8/10 Palate: 4/5
Overall: 13/20 Total Rating: 3.6 Score: 8


Southern Tier Phin & Matts Extraordinary Ale
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

pours a very pale gold with lots of carbonation. minor smell of floral hops and lemon pine-sol. taste of bitter lemon... almost grapefruit. big taste up front with subdued finish, which is different. very light and slick in texture. unusual, but not quite extraordinary.

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 6/10 Palate: 3/5 Overall: 12/20 Total Rating: 2.9 Score: 6


Southern Tier Raspberry Wheat Beer
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

light and fizzy appearance with smell of raspberry/grape. artificial flavor of tart raspberries is completely overpowering. hardly tastes like a beer at all. not terribly crafted but simply not for me.

Appearance: 2/5 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 2/10 Palate: 2/5
Overall: 8/20 Total Rating: 1.7 Score: 3


Southern Tier Porter
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

dark brown with thin head. smell of coffee, chocolate, and also molasses. dry and malty with kind of roasty and bittersweet taste at the end. medium-bodied, fizzy and lingering acidity. a good, drinkable beer but an unexceptional porter.

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 7/10 Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20 Total Rating: 3.5 Score: 8

Upstate New York

I went to upstate New York this past weekend to visit some friends... and had a few local brews while I was there: a sampler case from Cooperstown Brewing and a couple of beers brewed by Lake Placid.


Cooperstown Benchwarmer
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Milton, NY

pours a dark brown with terrific lace retention. this porter is all about the roast, with coffee aroma and taste complemented with notes of chocolate and vanilla. medium-to-light-bodied with smooth, creamy mouthfeel. recommended.

Appearance: 5/5 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 8/10 Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20 Total Rating: 3.8 Score: 8


Cooperstown Pride of Milford Special Ale
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Milton, NY

clear amber/copper color with minimal aroma of malts. taste of fruity, toffee malts. somewhat sticky and full-bodied. the alcohol comes through here -- great example of an english strong ale.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 7/10 Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20 Total Rating: 3.4 Score: 7












Cooperstown Strike Out Stout
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Milton, NY

one finger of big bubbles on pour. expected aroma and taste of roasted coffee, although its a little thin and watery. it was only when i made this a float with some chocolate ice cream did it really gain some character...

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/10 Palate: 2/5
Overall: 11/20 Total Rating: 2.6 Score: 5


Cooperstown Back Yard IPA
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Milton, NY

golden with good head retention and fruity hops on nose. assertive hops on taste buds, but a little weak overall. light, carbonated, and chalky mouthfeel. a run of the mill ipa.

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/10 Palate: 2/5
Overall: 9/20 Total Rating: 2.3 Score: 5

Cooperstown Nine Man Ale
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Milton, NY

nice color but hardly any aroma. light but surprisingly flavorful. not bad.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 2/10 Flavor: 5/10 Palate: 3/5
Overall: 8/20 Total Rating: 2.2 Score: 4


Cooperstown Old Slugger
Bottle -- Minogue's Beverage Center, Milton, NY

hazy orange with sudsy white head. subtle hops and kind of sweet. closer to a pilsner than a pale its so weak. ho hum.

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 3/10 Palate: 3/5
Overall: 6/20 Total Rating: 1.8 Score: 3


Lake Placid Ubu
Bottle -- O'Toole's Restaurant and Pub, Glens Falls, NY
an english strong ale that hides its 7% abv well. malty and kind of one
dimensional with hardly any detectable hops. solid and very drinkable, but not spectacular.
Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 7/10 Palate: 4/5
Overall: 9/20 Total Rating: 3.0 Score: 6


Pick of the litter:
Lake Placid IPA (Frostbite Ale)
Bottle -- O'Toole's Restaurant and Pub, Glens Falls, NY

fresh pine and citrus hops on nose and taste. touch of sweet caramel malts that complement pleasant bitterness. rich mouthfeel that is both crisp and smooth. a winner.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 9/10 Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20 Total Rating: 4.0 Score: 9