On September 20th, 2014 John and I (along with our good friend-in-beer Julia) made our return to the Big Brew craft beer festival at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. We went the first time back in February, but aside from a few Untapped check-ins, I didn’t take too many notes on my favorite brews (and there were many delicious ones–I just couldn’t remember them the next day!) This time I came prepared: A belly full of fried food and a handy dandy notebook. I was “checking in” old school style. Here are my notes on some of my favorite brews. So, without further a-brew, here we go!
I should note that I probably didn’t write down every beer I tried. At a certain point it just became too much of a hassle, and I didn’t bother noting some of the beers I didn’t enjoy, but this is a good idea of some of the samplings I imbibed.
The first beer I tried was one of the last ones I tried at the previous Big Brew: Evil Twin’s Imperial Biscotti Break stout brewed especially for DeCicco’s. I was glad to experience it first this time, since it has such wonderfully complex taste notes that a fresh palate was ideal for it. It’s chocolatey, smooth and manages to capture the flavor of dipping a piece of biscotti into coffee. I imagine it would be an excellent dessert beer–but serving as a starter worked fine as well. It also didn’t ruin my palate for following beers, so it was really great all around.
Next was Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Nearly every pumpkin beer I’ve tried so far this season has been spot-on. It seems as though brewers are really capitalizing on the pumpkin-trend, and finding new ways to be innovative while hitting all the right seasonal flavor notes and having really drinkable brews. Punkin Ale is always top-notch, and this year is no exception.
Speaking of the season, Blue Point‘s pumpkin offering was also quite nice. Their Pumpkin Ale was tasty, and the hints of cinnamon and nutmeg create a nice balance without being overwhelming.
Brooklyn Blast! is both one of my favorite Brooklyn beers and easily one of my top IPAs. Sure, I’ve had this one plenty of times before, but if it’s ever offered anywhere I can’t resist it. It’s so wonderfully hoppy and piney, without the too-harsh bitter hoppiness that can turn me off from other IPAs. Always wonderful off tap.
Two Roads Road to Ruin Double IPA was nice and inoffensive–perhaps almost too inoffensive for a double IPA. I know I mentioned enjoy a lesser bitty-hoppiness in my IPAs, but straddling the safe line where it’s more like a pale ale can be a bit of a turn off too. Not a bad beer by any means, but hardly memorable.
Founders Rubaeus Raspberry Ale tastes almost like a liquified raspberry jam. I’m not the biggest jam fan, but this was absolutely delicious. It’s light and refreshing, but still manages to pack in a hearty, robust flavor. (Side-note: Given my affinity for this beer as well as my previously-documented love for DuClaw’s Naked Fish, you can imagine how excited I am for Founders upcoming Big Lushious chocolate stout.)
Radiant Pig reeled me in with the name of their Gangster Duck beer alone, but I actually instead opted for their Junior IPA, which I found to be quite nice. Not super hoppy, not super malty, it was a nice in-between. Very sessionable.
New Holland El Mole Ocho. FINALLY–something that steps outside the box. Something risky. Just as the name says, this is a Mexican spiced beer that features chili and coffee. It’s not that surprising to find beers with both of those ingredients, but this one definitely stood out on the spicy scale. Despite the kick in flavor, it was still rather tasty and refreshing–which is also pretty impressive considering it’s a whopping 10% ABV!
St. Bernardus Abt 12 Abbey Ale/Quadrupel deserves the high praise it gets from many beer critics and review sites. It’s dark brown in color, but has tremendously hoppy and fruity flavors, with a pleasant bitter finish. I enjoyed it much more than their Duchesse De Bourgogne.
Lastly, Great South Bay’s Blood Orange Pale Ale. I’m always immediately intrigued by anything blood orange flavored, and I’ve been pining for this beer since I first heard mention of it a few months ago. I tried Elysian’s Superfuzz Blood Orange, but found it rather blah. This was definitely not the case with Great South Bay. It had the perfect blood orange flavor I was looking for, and the citrus notes made it almost taste more like an IPA, while still being very sessionable and refreshing. I was not disappointed!
Overall thoughts: Big Brew was a hit–but my one qualm would be in the variety of beers presented this time around. The first Big Brew offered many brewing companies I had never heard of, as well as bold beers and interesting styles. While the first Big Brew felt like a craft beer festival for craft beer enthusiasts, this one felt more like a craft beer festival for novices, almost serving as an introduction to craft beer. But that’s not a complaint–there were still plenty of delicious beers to try for the first time as well as favorite old standbys to enjoy with good company. My top favorites were: Evil Twin’s Imperial Biscotti Break, Dogfish Punkin, Blue Point Pumpkin Ale, New Holland El Mole Ocho (this was also because it was one of the few “bold” flavors offered–but still definitely delicious!), Great South Bay’s Blood Orange Ale, Founders Rubaeus, and St. Bernardus Abt 12.
John would contribute to this blog, but due to a change in the layout of the Untapped app, none of his “check-ins” actually, well, checked in (I know, pretty devastating).
I’d also like to give a shout out to Auntie Liana’s Baked With Love cake balls (that’s right, balls, not pops). The carrot cake balls were my personal favorite. The Jerky Hut, whose jerky was tasty, though their dangerously spicy Whiskey Scorpion jerky brought me to tears, and to Bobbysue’s Nuts, which were just all-around delicious.
– Jamie
Coming Soon: The Great Pumpkin post, Oktoberfest mania, beer cocktails: an op-ed, and the almighty Belgian beers. You won’t want to miss any of these!
The Unrefined Beer Review 