Long Island Brew Review

This blog is centered around the food and craft beer scene of Long Island, New York.

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Westbrook Brewing Company: Gose, Mount Pleasant, SC 4% ABV

The Gose (pronounced “Gose-uh”)  is unlike any other beer style I have ever had, a traditional German-style sour that is brewed with coriander and sea salt. It is entirely unique from the pour to the last sip. I went into this review with high expectations, as Westbrooks interpretation of this beer style has the reputation of being the best. The beer pours a cloudy orange with a yellow hue, with a chalk white head around 1.5 fingers thick. It fizzles away almost immediately after the pour and leaves no lacing as it recedes. The nose of the beer is a fantastic combination of citrus fruit rind (maybe a lemon or lime), sea salt, coriander seed, and fresh wheat. The taste is beautifully balanced, with the predominant flavors being citrus, sea salt, brine, lactic sourness, and a very subtle coriander seed note on the back end. The hopping of this beer is very mild, and does add a subtle touch of floral character to the taste. The body is very light, with a tartness and dry roughness that leave the palate refreshed after every sip and keeps the drinker coming back for more. Overall, this beer is incredibly drinkable and a unique style that captivates your senses from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this Gose and it is one of the best I have had in the style.

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Evil Twin Brewing: Molotov Lite, Brooklyn, NY 8.5% ABV

This beer is the younger brother to the more rambunctious Molotov Cocktail, that weighs in at a heavy 13% ABV. Although I have yet to try its older brother, Molotov Lite is definitely an attack on the senses, but in a good way. This Imperial India Pale Ale pours a gorgeous orange/lemon color with a half finger, chalk white head that has no retention. The nose is very bright and offers notes of orange, tropical fruit such as pineapple and mango, and pine. It is aggressive to say the least but is very inviting. The taste mirrors the nose, sweet orange juice, pineapple, and mango dominate at first. This is quickly replaced by a bitter citrus, borderline grapefruit. It finishes with an undertone of pine and a slight hop bitterness, however every flavor melds together to create a beautiful symphony that dances across your palate. For being 8.5% ABV, this beer is medium bodied, and with the powerful citrus/pine bitterness, it makes this beer extremely drinkable. If you call yourself a hop-head, it would behoove you to go out and get a 16 OZ. of this incredible Imperial India Pale Ale. I really enjoyed this DIPA, fantastic flavors and aromas without having any noticeable alcohol presence. Glad I had this gifted to me and I will definitely get it again.

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Blue Point Brewing Company: Winter Ale, Bluepoint, NY 7.0% ABV

I enjoyed this beer on tap at one of my favorite local eateries while out to lunch with some friends. This American Amber Ale  pours a light copper with a two finger, thick, off-white head. The head has a very high level of retention, which slowly disappears as you drink, leaving a decent level of lace hugging the sides of the glass. The nose of the beer is heavy with caramel, and strong roasted malt smell. Mixed in with these aromas are strong notes of alcohol and toasted nuts. The taste of the beer follows suit, with strong flavors of caramel and roasted malt notes on front end. As you continue drinking you get more nuanced notes of toffee, as well as very light bitter hop notes that are grassy in nature. At the end you are left with a warming, somewhat spicy bitterness that remain on the tongue. This paired great with the barbecue I was enjoying, and I will definitely be drinking it again soon.

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Long Ireland Beer Company: Celtic Ale, Riverhead, NY 5.5% ABV

This Irish Red Ale is the flagship beer for the Long Ireland Beer Company. The beer pours an opaque orange, with heavy carbonation. The head is very thick at first, but bubbles down to around a finger thick, as you drink the lacing is very minimal around the glass. The nose is what you’d expect in an Irish Red. Very malty, undertones of caramel and toffee, somewhat floral. The taste is malty and full bodied, and it does so without overpowering you with strong alcohol on the palate. It then moves on to undertones of caramel and toffee, with an earthy hop bitterness that leaves a slight spice on the palate at the finish of every sip. All in all this beer was very enjoyable, it’s good to see a modern craft brewery keeping such a traditional style alive and well.

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Cheerday Brewery: Lucky Buddha Beer, Hangzhou, China 4.8% ABV

This American Light Lager is a beautiful straw-yellow with about an inch of chalk-white head with good retention. The nose was somewhat bland, with light grass, corn, and rice notes. Their was also a slight skunkiness to the beer overall, but I will attribute that to the green bottle. The body was somewhat thin and watery, borderline medium. However the beer had a very high carbonation, bordering on seltzer water, which was very refreshing. The flavor, although lacking something, was rather clean. Very slight grass flavor, rice, and a minimal hop bitterness amplified by the high carbonation really add to it. This beer had virtually no aftertaste, maybe a slight citrusy bitterness on back end of the palate. I bought this beer strictly for the gimmick of the beautiful bottle that it comes in. The beer itself however was a bit of a dud. Would I drink it again? Perhaps, but not on my own dime.

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Southern Tier Brewing Company: 2XMAS, Lakewood, NY 8.0% ABV

Feeling a little bit festive this holiday season? This beer is the one for you, Christmas in a bottle. This Double Spiced Winter Warmer is a copper-amber color with a light brown head which bubbles off shortly after pouring. The aromatics of this beer are incredible. Massive cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and mulled wine scents offer a true feeling of the holidays. The taste follows suit with caramel, toffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and orange peel on the palate. The mouth feel is medium body, with a slightly higher carbonation and a tangy, somewhat spicy finish. At 8.0% this beer is bound to keep you warm not only during the holidays, but for the long winter to come.

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Crooked Ladder Brewing Company: Gypsy Red, Riverhead, NY 5.1% ABV

This American Red Ale is the flagship beer for Crooked Ladder, which is one of the newest micro breweries to call Long Island its home. The brew is dark amber and ruby in color, with a thin head that bubbles off shortly after the pour. Before diving in you get earthy malt aromas with hints of herbal hops, brown sugar, and chocolate. Upon tasting you get earthy malt and herbal hop notes on the palate, followed by sweet caramel and brown sugar. It finishes with a slightly chocolate undertone after every sip. All in all a very drinkable Red Ale and I am eager to try other brews by Crooked Ladder in the near future!

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Sitting here thinking about what I should write for my first blog post, and my thoughts continue wandering back to one of my favorite spots to go for local and craft beers alike.

Patchogue has become a “Shangri-la” of sorts for beer geeks such as myself with the majority of the bars dotting Main Street boasting an impressive selection of craft beers, both foreign and domestic. However, none of these bars do it quite like Hoptron Brewtique.

When first entering from the bustling streets of downtown Patchogue, you are greeted by a contemporary tasting room, accented by soft wood floors, walls, and ceiling. With plenty of natural light coming from the large glass windows, it creates an atmosphere unmatched by any other bar on Main Street. The centerpiece of the brewtique is a wall mural that displays Long Island in its entirety, and the emblems and locations of the craft breweries that call Long Island their home.

There is plenty of seating offered by long picnic style tables in the rear of the brewtique, as well as comfortable couches and seats at the front. This offers plenty of room for you and your friends to sit down and enjoy the many board games they have for you to choose from, or listen to the live music they offer on most Fridays and Saturdays.

The beer selection they have at Hoptron is absolutely incredible. You have a choice of 16 beers on tap, 22 oz. Bombers and bottles, and upwards of 100 different varieties of 12 oz. craft brews in cans and bottles. The tap beer is showcased on two large flat screen televisions, which include all of the information you would want to know for the beer you are about to enjoy!

This includes:

1. The origin of the beer 2. The style 3. ABV/IBU 4. The color of the beer 5. How much is left in the current keg

They offer the majority of their beers in pints. However for certain, more aromatic brews, they will pour a snifter for you to enjoy the full experience of the beer. My suggestion would be to order a flight and pick up to 4 different beers you are interested in. When you find something you enjoy stick with that, or order another round of 4! You can also take the beer on tap to go in their growlers that are filled fresh to order, or you can “Mix-A-Six” where you pick and choose from the massive selection of their canned and bottled beers to take home and enjoy.

With the high caliber of beers that Hoptron pours daily, you would expect an equally high caliber menu to compliment the craft beer, and Hoptron definitely delivers on that front. Their menu consists of only 8 items, but what they lack in quantity they make up for in the quality of the ingredients used. Their menu ranges from gourmet popcorn with infused olive oils to their delicious beer-braised brewtiquewurst. I highly suggest you try Hoptron’s Pretzels, that come in two delicious varieties.

If you haven’t been to Hoptron Brewtique, it would behoove you to check it out! Whether you are uninitiated in the world of craft beer or a connoisseur looking to expand your repertoire, this place has something for everyone. With the unbelievably knowledgeable staff, incredible beer, and great pub food, this brewtique will have you coming back for more!

If you are interested in checking out Hoptron Brewtique and the current beers on tap, check out their website at:

http://hoptronbrewtique.com/Home.aspx

Cheers!