Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat

I have never been to Vermont (not a fan of winter sports) or lived there, so there was a slim chance I would have known or heard of this small brewery. I do have a love for discovering brews along the East cost and this beer really surprised me in quality. This beer definitely reminded me a bit of the weight of Blue Point's type of brews and I knew instantly, the light flavoring of blackberry and lager was a winning combination. I am never a fan of heavily flavored things which kind of explains why I dislike things that are too sour, painfully spicy, or so sweet the my gums sting, I look for brews that manage to pull off being flavored but not categorized as a fruit beer. Long Trail has several seasonals and year round beers, and they seem to do a bit of everything from india pale ales, pale ales, and even porters. I do want to try most of them and would look for a sampler soon.

As I write this, the year is really closing in and winding down to the last days of 2010. Every year is important and profound as long as we make commitments to creating great memories for ourselves, loved ones, and communities. It's never easy to look forward without looking back on what could have been done better, more efficiently or handled more maturely, but overall, one the greatest things I have learned over the years is to always try new things, especially food - and beer happens to be a food item!

Sam Adams Light

I cannot believe it is December already. Where did 2010 go? The hardest months are usually the ones where everything is rushed but at the same time there is just is not enough time to fit everything in one day. I could go on in length about the time aspect, being a commuter and dealing with transit delays and working on professional and personal projects that soak up every free block of time. I have to say, I have been pretty good this year with random beer purchases, stuck to my guns and did not buy anything that I knew I would just not like for the sake of trying it. I am, however, still a sucker for seasonal beers that are uninteresting but worth trying. The seasons have officially changed, the news reports snow in some areas, and the temperature has dropped considerably to warrant full winter clothing - all this leads to another seasonal beer run.

I am not a huge fan of Sam Adams brews, nothing against them but they are not local to me like how Brooklyn Lager is the standard local brewery in my eyes. When I first saw this, I knew I had to get some to try them because it is pretty uncommon to find an amber colored beer that isn't heavy or a light beer that doesn't have a ton of carbonation. Sam Adams Light accomplishes being a lighter ale with just enough carbonation for a refreshing beer. This could easily be a good replacement for a burger and fries beer instead of a regular lager.

Hue Beer

I'm normally not to crazy about Asian beers because they're almost the same to me, they're light lagers with a fair amount of carbonation. Lagers are really refreshing and goes well with the types of food served in Asian kitchens. The fun part of trying these different beers is collecting the images of the bottles. Hue Beer is nothing more than a regular lager from Vietnam that I would classify as a middle of the road type of lager, it's not quite a light beer.

Roscoe's Hop House Pale Ale

I checked the site for this brewery and found that they're very limited and only select stores carry these beers. I have never seen this beer before and like all beers I have never seen, I'm always curious where it comes from, domestic or imported, or limited editions. I have a soft spot for anything limited from a good brewery but most of all, I'm a fan of pale ales. Roscoe's pale ale is very refreshing as I drank them in the summer and was pretty bummed that I would need to take special trips to specialty stores to find this again. The balance of carbonation and weight was great and it did not leave a gritty aftertaste. They also make an amber ale I have never seen but would like to try.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2010 Lager

I couldn't let the summer go by without picking some of these up. I'm biased. I like the Sierra Nevada brand and I personally feel that anything coming out of that brewery will be pretty good. Summer beers from Sierra Nevada are guaranteed to be good, refreshing and light. There's not much to not like about this lager, there isn't too much carbonation, the taste is light but still flavorful unlike generic light beers that taste mostly like water. Since these are seasonal it is really a race to get some and enjoy them before they're no longer fresh. My favorite seasons for beer are mainly Spring and Summer since the heavier brews end up in Fall and Winter. I do enjoy darker beers but there's really nothing like having a refreshing Summer brew.

Speakeasy Untouchable Pale Ale

One of the things that obviously drew me to this beer was the label design. I've always liked the style of that era, from clothing, to cars, and the music. I even recall the time when the Dick Tracy movie came out in 1990 and there were all these toys and promo items related to it. I'm thinking back to the details when trading cards were huge in the 90's, with special cards tucked into packs randomly and when toys were ripe with jagged edges and not rounded like the ones today. Those were some seriously good times for toys where action figures ruled and comic books were found in newstands all over. I really do miss 90's, long before the internet, the vast amount of misinformation and the mobs of anonymous internet banter.

The one thing the beer bottle reminded me of was this No Fear logo from the 90's:



This American pale ale is heavy without a bitter bite, and is not overly carbonated. There is less of a bite than Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but there is no less flavor to it. It is a bit on the sweeter side without leaving too much of an aftertaste. This is the type of beer to drink one or two of at once and that is it, it's carbonated and on the heavy side and doesn't leave room for much else.

Saranac India Pale Ale

This India pale ale came in the Saranac variety sampler that I picked up. Keeping with the promise this new year that I wouldn't buy an India pale ale or anything too acidic unless it was super light, I wasn't against trying one if it came in a set. Saranac is consistent with its brews, there seems to be a weight to most of its regular brews, where there is just enough carbonation in each one and no beer feels light but they're not overpowering, either. This India pale ale wasn't acidic nor had the taste of rust in the water, it was mild, almost like a regular pale ale but there were hints of citrus and very hints of bitterness. I thought this was a good one but not the type of beer I would normally buy since I've discovered the American style pale ale. This beer is very much drinkable and was a great addition to the sampler, it really shows that a brewing company can cater to all tastes.

Saranac Black and Tan

More than half the year is over already and it's officially Summer, which means the Fall brews are just around the corner. Normally, I would focus more on summer brews but I have had this post half written for a while. One of the nicest things about warm weather in New York City is that this place is really meant for walking. Most of the fun stuff is really discovering new places to hang out and new places to try new foods. As always, any place that serves a bit of good food usually has a good list of beers to go with it.

The first time I had one of these, I was in a very crowded restaurant that was known for its greasy greasy burgers. I lacked a camera on me and my hands were pretty grimey to get a cellphone picture of this. I remembered this beer and remembered the brewing company that I ended up buying the Saranac variety sampler to try their regular offerings. I'm a big fan of lightweight stouts like Guinness because the dark color and the weight fools you into thinking that it would this heavy bitter mess, but it's not. I've tried other stouts that were heavy, bitter, and some were downright foul tasting. This one is not any of those things, it's got the perfect balance of weight, bitterness, and carbonation to make it easily one of my favorites for the category. This is something I'd pick up regularly if I could find it near home without making a trek to specialty shops to pick it up.

Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale

When I think of Hawaii, I think of beaches, resorts and Kona coffee, but definitely not beer. It turns out there are a few brewing companies in Hawaii and one of them is named Kona. Seeing this at the store, I had to pick it up and try it. I had to pass on the Kona lager since most lagers are really the same with a few exceptions here and there. I can almost say most lagers aren't distinguishable from each other but when dealing with pale ales, india pale ales, and other variations between the two, there's definitely a noticeable difference.

What I liked about this beer was the golden color and the crisp taste, it did not have any harsh bitter aftertastes or the overuse of citrus and zest. I'm putting this one in the list of great beers I'm glad I was able to try since living in New York meant being able to try almost everything. If I see other varieties of Kona brews, it's very likely I'll pick them up based on this good experience.

Sugar Hill Golden Ale

A brewing company from Harlem? That's something I don't think many native New Yorkers even know about. Harlem is really known for its musical and arts culture, some great foods, but not exactly beer. Anything from New York City, I've got to try it once, and since New York City is the place to try everything that really isn't from New York, it's even more of a calling to try something local. The first thing that got me to look at this beer was the art on it and I'm a sucker for beer labels that are either psychedelic or just plain awesome. I like how the saxophone hugs the drum and the keys say Sugar Hill, there's something really thoughtful behind the label.

The real question is: How does a beer from New York with a great looking label taste? It's a heavier ale with a really sweet flavor to it, almost like honey, and there is very little tart or zest to it. There is very little carbonation to this, there is nothing light or lager about this ale, it's really a golden wheat ale. I can safely say this is a beer for the sweet-tooth who is really looking to try something new and different.

Blue Point Winter Ale

Can you believe it's March? I almost can't. The last two months managed to squeak by without leaving too many scars and stains but I've managed to persist in keeping notes on new beers I've stumbled across. I'll try to be better at collecting seasonal brews and post them in a timely manner.

I'm not the Winter ale variety type but whenever a brewery I like does a seasonal beer, I'm usually inclined to try it at least. Blue Point is one of my favorite local brewing companies and I feel as though most of their brews are pretty good, and good enough to warrant a purchase of anything they come out with. This Winter ale is what it is, a Winter ale, a dark beer with a hint of bitterness and a lot of roasted flavor. The bitter part of the beer is not overwhelming but I do classify this beer for having the proper label, it is dark, heavier on alcohol and has a roasted bitter bite. Like all dark beers, I never recommend these types of brews for folks who only usually enjoy just lagers.