Thin, uninvolving fruit ale aged in oaken bourbon barrels needs deeper peach penetration. Sweet bourbon influence, light maple sugaring and wispy vanilla daub dissipate above honeyed wheat spine while fuzzy carbolic spritz waters down entirety.
VON TRAPP HELLES LAGER
Fine 2015-originated Vermont brewer crafts strictly lagers and pilsners (as of May 2016). Endearing ‘golden lager’ brings spicy lemon tang to doughy cereal-grained biscuit malts and grassy hops for easygoing, sessionable moderation.
CHATHAM CZECH’RD PAST CZECH STYLE PILS
Apprehensive ‘classic bohemian pils’ in a can stays mild as soured lemon spicing recedes above tentative grassy hop astringency and buttery biscuit malts. Slight diacetyl acidity lowers its appeal. On tap at Pennings Farm, easygoing moderate body combines lightly toasted mineral graining, mild earthen hop pungency, grassy citric herbage and raw-honeyed pale malting.
GUN HILL BREWING COMPANY
BRONX, NEW YORK
Veteran brewmaster Chris Sheehan built a solid reputation at now-defunct Manhattan hotbed, Chelsea Brewing, then Newark’s Port 44 and Woodbridge mainstay JJ Bitting before hooking up with entrepreneurial New Yorkers Kieran Farrell and Dave Lopez to devise GUN HILL BREWING COMPANY. One of the guiding lights leading the charge for the resurgence of Bronx borough breweries (alongside Bronx Brewery), Gun Hill began operations May 22, 2014.
Located inside an industrial warehouse space on Laconia Avenue between an auto shop and plaster caster, the ambitious one-room brewery takes its name from nearby Van Cortlandt Park’s Revolutionary War battle. An unpretentious neighborhood joint with a large garage door entrance, high ceilings, cement floors, three picnic tables, three community tables and a large backroom brewing area, Gun Hill Brewing immediately grabbed hold. A 12-seat bar with several taps services walk-in customers while hundreds of kegs generate appreciable beer pub action throughout the Empire State.
On a warm March ’16 evening, I get to try six well-designed elixirs with a few friendly locals.
Sessionable flagship, Gold, an easygoing golden ale, plied pilsner-like pale malts and earthy bark-dried Noble hops to floral-perfumed lemon tones, picked up French-breaded toasting along the way. Though it’s descriptively oxymoronic, mild English strong ale, Who Spelt It, Dealt It, brought oats-dried spelt wheat flouring to sugar-spiced crystal(?) malting and grassy hops.
Endearing Simcoe-Citra-hopped mainstay, India Pale Ale, elevated its brisk lemon-dried grapefruit peel and orange rind bittering to dry pine lacquer in a crisply clean-watered setting.
Another charming medium body, Cherry Tree Red Ale gained a resilient red cherry-candied tartness above sweet honeyed wheat malts and mellow fruit-spiced hops.
Cascadian dark ale lovers will want to quaff Black Waves IPA, a mocha-doused medium-full body draping day-old coffee, dark chocolate and dry cocoa above oats-charred ashen hops while dried-fruited fig, apricot, brown pear and quince illusions stabilized beneath the surface.
For dessert, Void Of Light Foreign-style Stout emitted dry dark chocolate malting and cocoa-powdered coffee roast above moderate wood-charred hop bittering.
Right off the main thoroughfare of Gun Hill Road, this unassuming Bronx oasis will satisfy a wide range of beer enthusiasts with its sanguinely seductive sedatives.
gunhillbrewing.com
(CALDERA) OLD GROWTH IMPERIAL STOUT
Heavy dark-roasted mocha malt influence raises fudgy black cocoa and black chocolate creaming above black licorice adjunct, oats-charred Saaz hop bittering and wood-scorched earthiness. Distant black cherry undertones enjoin vanilla bean, espresso and carafa reminders at the back end.
FLYING DOG HEAT SERIES OAKED CHIPOTLE ALE
Relegated chipotle burn gains strength at mocha-doused finish, penetrating chicory-rooted rye dryness, toasted oak smokiness, roasted chocolate malting and wispy citric nip. Light poblano, chili and jalapeno heat reinforces mild chipotle adjunct.
FLYING DOG FEVER DREAM MANGO HABANERO IPA
Well-defined IPA (2016 version) allows tropical grapefruit-induced mango adjunct to penetrate faint habanero burn and sharp Citra hop bittering above mild cara-pils malting. Peppery mango glaze embraces subtle sugar-spiced peach, orange, tangerine and pineapple tang. Easygoing splendor will appeal to lighter thirsts.
FLYING DOG TROPICAL BITCH BELGIAN-STYLE IPA
Staying sweet without getting annoyingly cloy, 25th anniversary tropical-fruited medium body contrasts funky Belgian yeast fungi against juicy grapefruit, orange, peach, banana, pineapple, mango and passionfruit wellspring, accruing lingered sharp hop bittering to fend off luxurious citric-perfumed floral bouquet wafting thru sugar-spiced fructose aspect.
CORONADO 18th ANNIVERSARY IMPERIAL IPA
Fantastic 18th anniversary celebrator is spicily tropical-fruited India Pale Ale with rich cookie dough yeast sweetness and creamily honeyed caramel malt backbone. Restrained piney hop resin saturates lemon cake, orange marmalade, honeydew, nectarine and peach illusions as well as grilled mango, pineapple and grapefruit snips. Perfect springtime 2016 helles bock-like medium body packs an unassumingly medicinal 10.5% ABV wallop.
DOUBLE MOUNTAIN DEVIL’S KRIEK
Assertive Flanders Red-like kriek utilizes Bing cherries to elevate mouth-puckering sour ale tendency. Lactic brettanomyces leathering (and musty horse-blanketed barnyard acridity) affects oaken red cherry souring and hard-candied Royal Crown cherry tartness while lemon-juiced Balsamic vinegaring increases acidic nature.
OUTER LIGHT BREWING COMPANY
GROTON, CONNECTICUT
Just off Route 95 in the naval submarine-based New England town of Groton, founders Tom Drejer and Matt Ferrucci opened warehouse-garaged OUTER LIGHT BREWING COMPANY DURING April ’15. A few blocks from the Thames River in an unfinished space, Outer Light has already expanded sufficiently with its three new silver-shined 60-barrel fermenters. And an upgrade for its skeletal tap room seems as imminent as the soon-to-be utilized bottling line.
While crafting over 30 small-batch brews since its initiation, three flagship offerings took hold. During my 1-hour stopover, March ’16, I get to try the well-designed trio plus one peachy saison and oyster-shelled stout. Served in 5-ounce candleholders at the 10-stool bar from tiled steel taps, each tidy sample delivered expressive flavor profiles heightened by clean mineral watered crisping.
The lightest and most accessible year-round libation, Lonesome Boatman Red Ale, brought caramel-toasted fruit spicing to the fore as dainty red apple, peach, tangerine and nectarine illusions took hold. Next, Subduction IPA allowed mildly bitter yellow grapefruit and orange rind briskness to gain piney hop resin and light floral daubs over sugary caramel malts.
Just as excellent, Libation Propaganda Coffee Stout piled profound dark-roasted coffee intensity atop charred hop bittering as tertiary black chocolate, espresso and cacao nibs illusions added depth.
Another fine dark ale, Noank Smack Oyster Stout, let oyster shells provide a creamier base for black coffee richness, sweet chocolate sedation and oats-sugared mocha malting.
An intriguing hybrid, Nutmeg State Peach Saison plied its Belgian farmhouse yeast funk, salty coriander spicing and mineral-grained crisping with sharp lemon-soured peach tones.
As local beer lovers start filling the joint up and Red Hot Chili Peppers play in the background this sunny Sunday afternoon, the future sure looks bright for the vibrant Outer Light.
www.outerlightbrewing.com
SARANAC S’MORE PORTER
Sweet S’more-candied dessert treat retains creamy milk chocolate center, gingerbread-spiced Graham Cracker honeying and roasted marshmallow sugaring. Almond biscotti splurge, French vanilla custard niceties, flaked coconut hints and bitter cocoa snips run through sweet mocha foundation. Only its oily hop astringency goes awry.
