On tap at The Oath, creamy dark chocolate syrup drapes subtle sweet orange peel adjunct and distant pistachio salting. Rich mocha resilience increased by bitter cocoa and vanilla bean influence at the dry orange-candied dark chocolate finish.
Tag Archives: BRONX NY
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
BRONX ALEHOUSE
BRONX, NEW YORK
Inconspicuously perched a half-block down from Jerome Avenue’s elevated train tracks in the Kingsbridge section (bordering Riverdale), BRONX ALEHOUSE became a respected roadhouse-styled craft beer landmark upon opening, 2009. Owned by a few disenfranchised Manhattanites not willing to pay high midtown rents, they quickly went north to the upper Bronx to build their humble saloon. And now, Bronx Alehouse boasts possibly the fastest rotating drafts in the city.
A black-windowed frontage with weathered signpost welcomes neighborhood families, local businessmen, young hipsters and out-of-town beer freaks as I journey inside this cozy wood furnished joint during late January ’14 for Sunday brunch. Its red-bricked wood-paneled interior features rustic slotted wood floors, private left dining, 14-stool center bar, antique gas fireplace and several squeezed-in right side tables.
The Rangers and Devils square off for a historic hockey game at nearby Yankee Stadium on one of the four centralized TV’s at the bar as Weezer’s novel pop charmer, “Sweater,” emulates from the jukebox. I quaff a German Wheat Ale, hybridized Vermont brown ale and local IPA on this initial afternoon trip. For brunch, the massive Fried Chicken & Waffles (with honey-buttered Virginia ham and fried eggs) truly sufficed. Bronx Bomber sliders are also a local fave and complementary popcorn gets served to all the happy diners.
During my 2-hour stay, several of the 17 drafts ran dry and got replaced by similarly styled offerings. A long promenade of one-offs, seasonals, specialties, hybrids and oak-aged elixirs crowd the pro-active tap menu (which give interested customers an actual measure of kegged tap beer remaining). 30 bottles and 10 canned beers were also available, including Cigar City Florida Cracker Belgian White Ale.
Ettaler Benediktiner Weizen’s soft doughy buttering draped spritzy lemon zest and orange-dried banana-clove-bubblegum illusions. Long Trail Belgian Brunette brought dark-spiced dried fruiting to the fore but lacked expectant nuttiness. Bettering both, Singlecut Billy Half Stack IPA loaded bitter juniper hop pining atop grapefruit-peeled peach, pineapple, quince and orange briskness. (Full reviews in Beer Index)
Looking for a cool, unassuming vibe at a local metropolitan watering hole, then this here’s your answer.
www.bronxalehouse.com
BRONX PALE ALE
Straightforward medium-bodied session ale richer than most American competitors. Creamy caramelized malting and wheat biscuit toasting suffuse mild peppery hop spicing. Ancillary buttery nuttiness sidles peach, orange, pear and apple nuances. Minor alcohol burn may put off lighter thirsts.