Rough draughts.

A pre-birthday dinner beer with the babes from...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:24:09 -0400

A pre-birthday dinner beer with the babes from SoundOfStyle.

Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA. Just perfect.

Last night I discovered this tiny little basement bar called Old...

Sun, 12 May 2013 20:08:28 -0400

Last night I discovered this tiny little basement bar called Old Rabbit Club, lurking near the NYU campus. The bar seemed to specialize in punk rock and Belgian imports, so I seized the opportunity to try out the Oud Bruin from Borgogne de Flandres. Loads of dark fruity esters and low carbonation, this sour brown babe did not disappoint.

Did you wait on me and my friends at brunch last month? We were visiting from DC for a boxing fight and we made Spitzer's Corner our first stop for beer and food when we got into NYC that day.

Sat, 11 May 2013 19:20:49 -0400

Whoa, I did! Best little beer bar in the Lower East Side! How did you find me?

xcaroline: This is what my life has become. My best friend,...

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:11:07 -0400

xcaroline:

This is what my life has become.

My best friend, ladies and gentleman.

My local pub in Australia has the 750ml Brooklyn Silver Anniversary Lager for $30. Is it worth it?

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:54:05 -0400

Whoa! I dropped $15.99 on that guy, but I attributed that to the limited release, and to everything in New York being ridiculously expensive. It depends on your beer budget - but if it were me, I’d save my $30 for something especially rare and unique.

Silver Anniversary Lager by Brooklyn Brewery I’d been on...

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:50:00 -0400

Silver Anniversary Lager by Brooklyn Brewery

I’d been on the hunt for this big guy for quite a while, and this week was a huge breakthrough in finding him. With help from both Whosisbrew and the lovely folks behind the Brooklyn Brewery twitter, I zoned in on my target and left to purchase it immediately.

I’m not the biggest lager girl, but this lager is definitely extraordinary. Brewed in the doppelbock style, it clocks in at 9% ABV (masked well) and packs a huge punch of pleasantly balanced hop and malt flavor. Not to mention its pretty color and big old fluffy head.

While this might not have been my white whale, it sure felt good to finally track it down. It felt even better to drink it.

As summer approaches what is your favorite summer style ale?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:01:49 -0400

Victory’s Summer Love is my #1 favorite summer seasonal, hands down. I also love Founders’ All Day IPA and Troegs’ Sunshine Pils for summertime daydrinking sessions.

Springtime is in full force in The Big Apple, and consequently,...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:07:00 -0400

Springtime is in full force in The Big Apple, and consequently, so is Spring fever. People get stir-crazy, outdoor adventures are planned, the desire to get a little wild is ignited.

Tonight I chose to embrace both Springtime and wild yeasts with Saison de Lente - the Spring seasonal from The Bruery. I found this babe at the Whole Foods beer room in a 750 ml bottle for only $10.99 - pennies compared to the prices of some of their other offerings! Spring seasonals are hands down my favorite seasonals, and this beer is just one of many examples why.

For those who aren’t familiar with wild ales, they’re created using a process called “spontaneous fermentation” - which basically means that the beer’s wort is collected in barrels and exposed to wild strains of yeast that will then feast upon the wort to produce the CO2 and alcohol that turn that wort into delicious, delicious beer. Science, you guys.

This particular wild ale is brewed using the popular wild yeast strain called Brettanomyces, or “Brett” for short. It’s also bottle-conditioned, which means that the wild yeast is the only party responsible for its carbonation. It pours a hazy golden color and smells like barrel-aged white wine, citrus, and a slight characteristic “brett” funk. It tastes like a spicy, dry cider - absolutely perfect for curing Spring Fever.

Cheers!

As a new New Yorker, I’ve been having a blast checking out...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:32:10 -0400

As a new New Yorker, I’ve been having a blast checking out some of the rarities from breweries such as Sixpoint, Captain Lawrence, and Ithaca that weren’t previously available to me when I was living down in DC.

Today, I stopped by the Barnes and Noble in Union Square to snag a copy of Let Me Tell you About Beer by Melissa Cole, which I’m so pumped to read. Melissa is just the coolest - and she’s an inspiration for beer-loving babes everywhere.

Later, I picked up a beer that, while brewed in Denmark, pays homage to the neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn - just a short walk over the bridge near my current residence.

You’ve heard of a single-hop ale? Well, this is a single-HIP ale, so put down that PBR. The label art is super abstract and complex, and I would tell you how the beer itself tastes except like, you probably wouldn’t get it. Plus, it’s only 5.5% ABV, so you could still ride your fixie with no problem after one or two.

On a serious note: I actually love this beer. High IBUs, fruity/earthy hops, heavy body. Cheers, hipsters!

Hey have you ever drank from the sierra nevada/dog fish head IPA glass? If so what were you're thoughts?

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:58:43 -0400

I love the new IPA glass because I’m a huge DFH fan, I think it’s really fun/different, and the ribbed bottom lends itself to all kinds of jokes. But- I don’t feel like it significantly contributes to the experience of a beer.

You guys, I moved! As of three days ago, I’m officially...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 21:06:00 -0400

You guys, I moved!

As of three days ago, I’m officially calling Lower East Side, NYC my home. That’s right, your favorite craft beer devotee from the District has now relocated to the city that never sleeps.

I can’t wait to check out all of the local watering holes, sip some NY brews, and explore this city.

Today, I was fortunate enough to hang out a few blocks down the street with some Founders All Day IPA and a whole lotta sunshine. If any followers have recommendations for local beers or pubs, I’d love to hear them!

Simcoe hops from @dogfishbeer’s #WOCAAW. #hopporn...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:37:49 -0400

Simcoe hops from @dogfishbeer’s #WOCAAW. #hopporn #craftbeer #AHopEclipseNow

Long Strange Tripel from Boulevard Brewing. Bottle-conditioned...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:43:43 -0400

Long Strange Tripel from Boulevard Brewing. Bottle-conditioned babe. #craftbeer #beerporn

Dare I say it? The 2013 Dogfish Head Weekend of Compelling Ales...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:28:00 -0400

Dare I say it? The 2013 Dogfish Head Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot was even better than last year’s. I got to travel back to Delaware, spend the weekend drinking craft beers with three total babes - Caroline, Shannon, and Alexa, AND I got to see Sam Calagione in person again. Like I said, it rocked.

The theme of the weekend was “A Hopeclipse Now!” and it didn’t disappoint - by the end, my tastebuds were shot in the best way possible. Hops on hops on hops, not that any of us were complaining.

The coolest part of the weekend, for me at least, was getting to try out Dogfish’s newest large-batch creation: Sixty One. They took their 60 minute IPA and added some syrah grape must to create a gorgeous, bright red beer that is truly the first of its kind.

If you’ve never been to WOCAAW, I can’t recommend it enough. An entire weekend full of friendship, Delaware back roads, and the coolest craft beers really can’t be beat. They only sell 400 tickets per year, so my advice is to jump on them for 2014.

(For my pictures/entires from last year’s WOCAAW, click here and here.)

Rhizing Bines, you guys! I didn’t have high expectations...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:13:36 -0400

Rhizing Bines, you guys!

I didn’t have high expectations for this beer, but I was still dying to try it because any collaboration between Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada can’t be bad. Though I didn’t use their super cool new wiggly IPA glass to taste this, it still ended up blowing me away.

This imperial IPA clocks in at 8% ABV with a pretty heavy body and some yummy fruity-herbal hops that lend themselves to hints of strawberry banana, melon, and bubblegum. I typically go for more sticky, resin-y hops, so this was a nice change.

This past weekend, I even got to try some out on tap at the brewery during the 2013 Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot - pics coming soon!

#WOCAAW lovin! @dogfishbeer

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:17:49 -0400

#WOCAAW lovin! @dogfishbeer

61 test batch @ Dogfish brewpub. Double the hops and extra Syrah...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:12:51 -0500

61 test batch @ Dogfish brewpub. Double the hops and extra Syrah grape must.

A little Tart of Darkness to close this Monday right. #TheBruery...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:30:30 -0500

A little Tart of Darkness to close this Monday right. #TheBruery #craftbeer

arhughes: Creativity Fluid

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:56:05 -0500

arhughes:

Creativity Fluid

It took me a while to figure it out as I watched the first episode of Girls, but you really remind me of Allison Williams -- it's a good thing, I think she's cute ;)

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:16:48 -0500

I get this all the time! Yesterday alone, 3 separate customers at my bar said the same thing. I’m starting to wonder if I can be a paid impersonator…