New Brew Thursday: 'I See You' from Finback

Way back when, in mid-March, when I received my New York City Brewer’s Guild beer week case I was filled with happiness. Due to my hectic schedule I knew there would have been NO way for me to attend in person and when I first heard about the case (shout out to IPA.fan on Instagram) I new I had to have it. Now that I am down to my last beer I only have one thought. I cannot believe this case lasted so long and that I left this absolute beauty from Finback for the end.

‘I See You’ pours into the glass a hazy yellow with a thick white head. It has soft notes of melon that do not overpower the nose, just subtly whispering into the nostrils (that might be one of the most pretentious sentences I have ever written). The taste is phenomenal. The label promises cantaloupe and boy does it deliver on that promise. While I have never had an IPA with Belma or Blanc hops they definitely play a supporting role to both introduce and round out the Mosaic, as the beer has the juicy and thick mouthfeel of a classic hazy Double IPA. A slight bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue to punctuate each sip. Despite having an ABV of 8% it is not overly boozy and you will be three-quarters through the glass before you start to feel it.

In all, when it comes to this beer, this case, and the New York City Brewer’s Guild Beer Week I go with an old standby quote: Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

New Brew Thursday: ‘It Was His Birthday And They Didn’t Even Care’ from Evil Twin Brewing

The birthday theme continues with tonight’s #NewBrewThursday. When I got my case from the New York City Brewers Guild this beer definitely caught my attention. Evil Twin is always good for not only great beer but some of the best names in the community and ‘It Was His Birthday And They Didn’t Even Care’ is an all time name. While my birthday was this past weekend and many people did care I did think to save this one for a #NewBrewThursday review and it lived up to my expectations.

‘It Was His Birthday And They Didn’t Even Care’ pours into the glass a cloudy greenish-blue with a small light blue head that disappears almost instantaneously. It has strong sugary-sweet notes of blue raspberry similar to a blue raspberry jolly rancher. However, it does have a slight hint of chocolate at the very end. It tastes great. With a light mouthfeel, the sugary-sweet blue raspberry taste dominates the pallet with a slight tartness that then gives way to a slight chocolate flavor before disappearing back into the sweetness of the blue raspberry. While characterized as a Sour IPA I was unable to detect any hop so if IPAs are not your thing, you’ll be sure to like it. Coming in with a dangerous ABV at 7% you’ll be nearly finished before you start to feel it. This beer is akin to sour alcoholic, blue raspberry cotton candy. Definitely making for a great birthday.

New Brew Thursday: 'Nitro Rover' from Big Alice Brewing

Happy *belated* St. Patrick’s Day everyone! While I have been trying to cut back on the beer so that I can get back into some old clothes, #EarnYourBeer I decided to open one beer to celebrate both New Brew Thursday and St. Patrick’s Day. Luckily, my purchase of the last case from the New York City Brewers Guild arrived over the weekend and had the perfect answer for me. While I had never heard of Big Alice Brewing I was pumped when I saw that they contributed an oatmeal stout and A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y thrilled when I saw it was a nitro stout.

‘Nitro Rover’ is best enjoyed by a hard pour that allows for the activation of the nitrogen and allows for the bubbles to run up the glass. Once the bubbles give way, you are left with a dark and rich black color with a thick, bright white head. It has notes of oats and roasted malt with just a subtle hint of dark chocolate. The taste is fantastic. With big flavors of roasted malt and oats with an almost shockingly light mouthfeel, it is perfectly creamy due to both the oats and nitrogen. With a deceptively clean finish that then gives way to a lingering back-of-tongue bitterness that begs for another sip you’ll be halfway done with the pint before you even know it. Much like its contemporaries, the head clings to the side of the glass with each sip and clocking in at 5% ABV you won’t feel it at the end of the glass. Definitely a great St. Patrick’s Day Stout for next year and a reason to try more offerings from Big Alice Brewing.