Win flew to New York on the Friday of President's day weekend. I rode the Fung Wah bus down Friday afternoon and met up with him and David in the East Village. Our first stop was Jimmy's No. 43, which David characterized as a "gastropub", for dinner.
Jimmy's No. 43 is a basement level bar with low lighting and low, arched, brick ceilings. The walls were adorned with various antlers and barrels. The food was tasty. I had a nice duck cassoulet, David had pulled pork with Brussels sprouts, and Win had a sampler plate with Kielbasa, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, rare beef, and cornichons. The beer selection was moderate in size, but consistently high quality. David and I had two rounds each, but switched half-way through, because of his stubborn desire to push my beer count higher. That's the general theme with drinking with David, pushing my beer count higher.
Mason's Black and Otis.
938. Mason's Black Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Dark Wheat Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
You don't see Sixpoint frequently enough in Boston, but it's - not surprisingly - everywhere in New York. I started with Sixpoint's Mason's Black Wheat, which in many ways seemed similar to a Schwarzbier.
Pours a dark, clear black with garnet hints at the edges. The brown head thins to a film. The roasted malt aromas are very reminiscent of a Schwarzbier. There are also notes of chocolate, ripe fruit and raisins.
Roasted malts are dominant upfront, moving into a chocolate-tinged fruitiness in the center, before the roast backbone reemerges in the finish with an accompanying bitterness. Highly carbonated, light-bodied, crisp.
Flavorful and easy-drinking. Roasty with a sweet center.
939. Otis
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.10%
Serving: Nitro-Tap
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy brown. Topped by a thick, brown head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer, and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is strong and sharp initially, an unexpected nosefull of resiny hops. Underneath a roasty, chocolate character appears.
Roasty upfront. Fruity in the center: chocolate, dates, and other dark fruit. The coffee notes in the finish build to a strong hop bitterness. Thick with the nitro-tap smoothness, which honestly, I'm not a fan of. I think it makes beers feel thin no matter how full-bodied they may be.
A good oatmeal stout with an unexpected dose of hops.
940. The Immortal IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a fluffy, creamy, beige head that leaves clinging sheets of lace. The aroma is fairly light overall. Notes of citric hop, and some resin, but hard to place.
Bready and toasty malts set the stage for a wave of strong hop-bitterness that's dominated by resiny and citric hops. Oily and medium bodied on the palate with high carbonation.
Hop-focused with good hop flavors.
941. Chelsea Hop Angel IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours a dark, clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades, but leaves patchy lace. The hop aroma is subdued with only a light resiny character evident. Malty aromas of caramel and apricot make up for the light hops.
Sweet upfront, with raw sugar, citrus and fruity hints. The finish is mosty hop bitterness with only a bit of resiny hop flavor. Smooth, low carbonation cask feel.
Smooth but a bit more hop flavor would have nicely complemented the hop bitterness.
Jimmy's No. 43 is a basement level bar with low lighting and low, arched, brick ceilings. The walls were adorned with various antlers and barrels. The food was tasty. I had a nice duck cassoulet, David had pulled pork with Brussels sprouts, and Win had a sampler plate with Kielbasa, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, rare beef, and cornichons. The beer selection was moderate in size, but consistently high quality. David and I had two rounds each, but switched half-way through, because of his stubborn desire to push my beer count higher. That's the general theme with drinking with David, pushing my beer count higher.
Mason's Black and Otis.
938. Mason's Black Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Dark Wheat Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
You don't see Sixpoint frequently enough in Boston, but it's - not surprisingly - everywhere in New York. I started with Sixpoint's Mason's Black Wheat, which in many ways seemed similar to a Schwarzbier.
Pours a dark, clear black with garnet hints at the edges. The brown head thins to a film. The roasted malt aromas are very reminiscent of a Schwarzbier. There are also notes of chocolate, ripe fruit and raisins.
Roasted malts are dominant upfront, moving into a chocolate-tinged fruitiness in the center, before the roast backbone reemerges in the finish with an accompanying bitterness. Highly carbonated, light-bodied, crisp.
Flavorful and easy-drinking. Roasty with a sweet center.
939. Otis
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.10%
Serving: Nitro-Tap
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy brown. Topped by a thick, brown head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer, and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is strong and sharp initially, an unexpected nosefull of resiny hops. Underneath a roasty, chocolate character appears.
Roasty upfront. Fruity in the center: chocolate, dates, and other dark fruit. The coffee notes in the finish build to a strong hop bitterness. Thick with the nitro-tap smoothness, which honestly, I'm not a fan of. I think it makes beers feel thin no matter how full-bodied they may be.
A good oatmeal stout with an unexpected dose of hops.
940. The Immortal IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a fluffy, creamy, beige head that leaves clinging sheets of lace. The aroma is fairly light overall. Notes of citric hop, and some resin, but hard to place.
Bready and toasty malts set the stage for a wave of strong hop-bitterness that's dominated by resiny and citric hops. Oily and medium bodied on the palate with high carbonation.
Hop-focused with good hop flavors.
941. Chelsea Hop Angel IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours a dark, clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades, but leaves patchy lace. The hop aroma is subdued with only a light resiny character evident. Malty aromas of caramel and apricot make up for the light hops.
Sweet upfront, with raw sugar, citrus and fruity hints. The finish is mosty hop bitterness with only a bit of resiny hop flavor. Smooth, low carbonation cask feel.
Smooth but a bit more hop flavor would have nicely complemented the hop bitterness.
Labels: American Dark Wheat Ale, American IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Sixpoint Craft Ales, Travel
