The Boozy Broad

My pal Scott brews his own beers and he graciously offered to send me two of his beers in exchange for some reviews. So here we go! 

The first one I opened was the Vanilla Stout, which Scott warned that he didn’t put enough vanilla in and that he meant it to be a porter but it came out really dark. He also warned that it could be a little flat as the capper might not have been working properly. 

Okay, so all those disclaimers aside…this is a very, very good beer. Definitely drinks like a porter despite the color problem he thought he had, and I think there’s just the right amount of vanilla. I’ve never been a fan of cream soda or anything like that, so when beers have too much vanilla in them I automatically think to myself, NOPE CREAM SODA NO THANK YOU. 

However, that’s not the case with this bottle conditioned beer at all. The vanilla gives it a nice smooth finish without overpowering the beer entirely. Even the carbonation is great on this (didn’t pour with the biggest head but to be fair I put it in a sampler glass as I didn’t want to have a full pint just yet) and think the capper worked just fine. 

Not sure what the ABV ended up being on this but I don’t think it’s too much. At least, it doesn’t taste too heavy to me but then again I’m someone who drinks a 120 Minute and thinks, “Oh, this is 18%? Whatever, let’s do this,” and then treats it like a god damn session beer. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this beer. Scott knows what he’s doing and I’m looking forward to drinking the session beer he sent over, a Light Red Ale. 

A picture of the stout: 

(How sweet is that sampler glass? It’s huge! I got it at the Holyoke Canoe Club Brewfest back in September and it was awesome. Element was there and I think I’ve made it very, very clear how much I love that brewery, so I put this glass to good use.)

And since there’s a bottle of cooking wine in the picture, how about a little Alkaline Trio to close out this post? 

Have you heard of 124 Rabbit Club? It’s a hidden gem amongst your standard NYU bars and if you love drinking hard to get beers in a tiny, semi-hard to find place, well, head on over to MacDougal and make yourself comfortable. 

The Rabbit Club is a must-see for beer lovers. It opens at 6 pm, it gets crowded on Friday and Saturdays, but even when it’s crowded it’s worth the visit. 

A few friends from college were in town and I suggested The Rabbit Club for a drink or two (prices are high and unless you’re willing to drop $50+ on booze in a night it might be kinder on your wallet to move it along after a few). If you’re lucky enough to snag one of the corner booths, it’s the perfect place to have a small reunion. 

I remember having the ‘T Gaverhopke Singing Blond a few visits back and as someone who rarely goes for the blond and/or fruity drinks, I ended up ADORING this ale. The Singing Blond is a great choice for almost any beer drinker because it’s sour, but not too sour. It’s fruity, but not too fruity. If you’ve got someone in your gang who tends to like mixed drinks rather than beer, suggest this as an alternate and watch what happens. For that person who loves Blue Moon (we’ve all got one, it’s okay), tell them to give this one a shot. They might be disappointed in the lack of fruit floating in it but I still say it’s a safe bet they’ll enjoy it. 

Anyway, when my friends asked for a suggestion, I threw out the Singing Blond and guess what? They all loved it so much that we ended up having about three each, which at a 9.8 ABV might not have been the smartest thing to do but gosh we had a great time. 

And if you want someone to go to the Rabbit Club with, hit a gal up. 

Here’s a picture of the pretty beer that I poured in my apartment a few days back: 

Next up: A homebrew! My friend Scott sent over two of his beers, so the first one I’ll open will be the Vanilla Stout. 

I arrived home a little early today thanks to some dental drama that needed to be taken care of. Bottom line, I’m looking like a hillbilly until tomorrow morning, so I’ll be hiding away in my apartment for the night. On most days I can walk Seamus and not see or speak to a single soul, but of course everyone wanted to chat me up today. Except the cute, tall, red-headed, bearded fellow walking his dog, which made it the only time in my life that I was happy that a red-haired bearded dude DIDN’T talk to me.

Yesterday I picked up a beer from one of my all-time favorite breweries, Southern Tier. Their Farmer’s Tan Imperial Pale Lager will mislead you- you might buy it thinking you’re getting a light, crisp beer based on the name, but oh sister/brother, you ain’t. It’s not quite as bitter as an imperial IPA, but at 8.6% ABV it’ll make you feel pretty great after one or two. 

Once again, that looks like a pretty light beer, am I right? You can see that EVOO right through that sexy thing. Don’t be fooled. It’s a syrupy, smooth, slick, more alliteration, sweet lager. 

If you’re looking to hang alone for the night and want to enjoy a beer on your own, this is a good one to choose- it could take you a while to finish if you’re not used to the stronger beers. If you don’t feel like finishing a tall boy off all by your lonesome but still want to crack this one open, do yourself a favor and purchase some Beer Savers to keep that brew fresh. I picked mine up at the Beer Table Pantry in Grand Central, but you can find them at most beer stores. 

If the person you’re drinking with is a dweeb that hasn’t gotten into IPAs yet, but you want something with a little more oomph behind it, you can’t go wrong with Farmer’s Tan. Have you had Blue Point Toasted Lager? If you like that and are looking for something stronger, this here is your guy. If they don’t like it, eh, don’t know what to tell you, I never promised you a beer garden. 

Also, this is one of Southern Tier’s summer releases, but you can usually find it in stores all year. Truthfully, with the warm winter we’re having, you’ll enjoy it in February just as much as you would in July. 

Should you find yourself in the Jamestown area- perhaps you’re a Lucille Ball fan and want to check out her hometown- definitely make time for a trip to Southern Tier. You can try a sample but they offer full pints of their brews, so you can sit as you would at a bar and make some memories. Speaking of memories…

They used to make a Raspberry Porter but they retired it, which broke my heart. With a 4.8% ABV it was a great session beer. It was crisp but dark, light but tasty. I drank that beer for one whole summer at the Peekskill Brewery, I swear. But if you go and visit, you should be able to get a half Raspberry Wheat and half Porter and experience what I did. 

Or buy a six pack each of the Raspberry Wheat and Porter and make it happen. You won’t regret it. 

Summary: If you see it, buy it. If you see any other Southern Tier beers, buy ‘em. I’ll review a bunch more as this goes on, but I think Farmer’s Tan is as good an introduction as any. 

Next Up: ‘T Gaverhopke Singing Blond Belgian Ale

Before 2011, I couldn’t be bothered with anything from Massachusetts. Red Sox Nation? No thank you. However, thanks to dating a native son of the state (who later tossed me to the curb), I was introduced to a number of fantastic brews from the…what is state is Massachusetts? Quick Google search tells me it’s the…BAY STATE? Kind of lame, MA. Then again, you’ve got Elizabeth Warren, so I can’t hate on you too much. 

Honestly, though, the beers coming out of Massachusetts are out of control. Great beer + Elizabeth Warren = I forget about my blinding hatred of the Red Sox for a brief moment.

Element Brewing Company’s Red Giant was the first beer I tried from these guys and holy hell I loved it. Maybe because it was bitter enough to satisfy my hop-loving ass, maybe because it had a pretty cloudy amber color that just looks great while I’m drinking, or maybe because it was wrapped like a Christmas present- the minute it hit my lips, I was in love.

(note: I shouldn’t have poured in that glass, I know, I know, but proper glasses never seem to last in my apartment, thanks to a cat knocking things over, a dog knocking things over, and a grown 27-year-old woman knocking things over. Therefore, only pint glasses seem to survive.)

Thanks to attending two brewfests in MA, I met the guys from Element and they couldn’t be nicer. Now that they’re distributing in NY (a recent development) I’ve been recommending their beers to anyone who will listen. Red Giant is a favorite, for sure, but all of their beers are delicious and worth buying. If you want a crowd pleaser, bring one of their beers to a party and get ready for the compliments. Or, if you’re like me, make a date with Doctor Who and settle in for a cozy night with a delightful beer. 

Also, if you ever see it available in a cask, go for it. I picked up a half-growler of the cask version on Super Bowl Sunday at the AWESOME (though slightly pricey) Brouwerij Lane and it was absolutely worth it. Obviously the carbonation was lacking since it was all up in a cask, but the smokey taste coupled with the sweet and smooth was a pleasant experience.

Summary: Great beer, crowd pleaser, worth buying if you see it. If the person you’re drinking with a sour fan, they should be happy with this choice- it really does make nearly every beer drinker happy. It’s magic like that. Unless you’re hanging out with someone who thinks Coors Light is great. 

Fact: I hate Coors Light. 

Next up: Now that I’m sipping on this beauty I wish the next one would be another MA beer- The People’s Pint Pied Piper IPA or DIPA, if I’m being picky. But alas they do not distribute to my lovely state yet. Perhaps a road trip is in order. Until then, I think I’ll hit up New York’s Southern Tier’s Farmer’s Tan Imperial Pale Lager next. 

The beauty of the Metro-North is that you can drink while you ride and they’re also dog friendly. When I can afford the luxury of a 20 minute train ride into or out of the city, I take it. Even better is when I’ve got Seamus with me so he can curl up and be like, “God dammit we’re on the train again?” 

After work today I walked over to “my” beer store, New Beer Distributors, and made my selection, including the Element Red Giant I’ll be reviewing a bit later on tonight. Of course I spent too much money, but I was consoled when I reminded myself this is all for this here blog.

NBD has a stellar selection and the staff are extremely helpful. It’s definitely an old school operation, which I appreciate because it takes the snobbery out of shopping for beers. A few blocks up, on Houston, sits the Whole Foods Beer Store, and while they have a great selection with awesome choices for growler fills, you sometimes feel like people are watching your every move and judging your picks. Not at NBD. 

Anyway, I decided to buy myself a train beer there as well, rather than at the Beer Table Pantry in Grand Central. The BTP is a great little spot to go if you’ve got time to kill before your train leaves, but the prices are pretty jacked up. However, the staff is great (they’re always happy to see the wee puppy Seamus when I’ve got him with me) and their growler choices are usually very, very good (bring a growler with you if you’ve got it- they’ll charge you five bucks for a new one). They don’t offer tastings, so either you go with what you know or you chance it. 

So the train beer, apologies for the tangent. Since I live in Marble Hill, I’m usually a 13-20 minute train ride out, so if I’m on a local I can usually get a train beer going, especially if I get to GCT early and allow myself a good 30 minutes to finish a 12 oz. NBD doesn’t have too many selections in their fridge, but you can find something to hold you over. Today I went with the super cheap Heavy Seas Pale Ale and once I took a taste I understood why it was only $1.55 for the 12 oz. bottle. 

The best way I can describe this ale is that it’s the fancier version of PBR. The first taste isn’t all that bad, but the aftertaste is fairly skunky. I think they were trying to push old batches out the door, which is understandable, but this definitely seems like the type of beer that would be better from the brewery source in Maryland.

Summary: If you see a six pack of this beer at  your store and you’re wondering if you should get it, I would pass and go with something you’re more familiar with. Though, if you’re a huge fan of pale ales and want to give it a shot, you might have a better experience than I.

Next up: That Red Giant I promised earlier today.  

Here it is, folks. The concept of this blog is pretty simple- I’m going to talk about beers that I like. I’m going to tell you why I like them, why you might like them, but I’m not going to use any of that pain in the ass “it tastes like a hint of pine tree mixed with elderberries for three seconds and then switches to a chocolate air” language. Mainly because I don’t know how people have mouths that can figure that kind of nonsense out. Are your taste buds that smart? What do elderberries even taste like? I know your father smelt of them, but what do they taste like? I have no idea. 

I also refuse to believe that enjoying nice craft brews means that you’re better than everyone else. I mean, maybe we’re a little better than people who PREFER Coors Light in their fridge rather than (at least!) some Yuengling, but for the most part I think drinking beer is great, and enjoying it with your friends is even better. So how can you hope to spread the good cheer of great beer if you’re talking like a pompous windbag? Am I right? 

First up: Element Brewing Company’s Red Giant. Stay tuned.