Win came to New York for the June 9th-11th Mets-Phillies series at the new Mets stadium. I took off early on Tuesday the 9th and caught the noon Fung-Wah bus to New York. Win's flight was delayed so I headed to The Blind Tiger to wait for David to get off work.
1023. He'Brew Rejewvenator 2009 (Year of the Date)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Cask
Style: American Strong Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
Perhaps this wasn't the wisest beer to start the evening with, but I didn't realize that it was such a strong beer. This beer was served on cask, barley chilled in a thick, glass mug.
Year of the Date pours a mildly hazy, ruby-tinted brown. Its off-white head quickly fades to nothing, though the low head retention could have been the result of being served on cask. This beer has the dark, malty aroma of a Belgian Dubbel or Strong Dark Ale, mostly due to the addition of dates, which are the predominant aroma. Additionally, there are notes of brown sugar, toffee, a sharp note, and a mild peppery spice.
Upfront there are sweet notes of caramel and brown sugar, before moving into a dark fruitiness in the center that's dominated by date flavors, which are accented by a sharp character. The finish is peppery and spicy with an underlying, mild, roasty bitterness. The beer was thick, rich and smooth with low carbonation.
I enjoyed this beer. I'm not sure what the style they were going for was, but the use of dates gave it a distinctly Belgian feel.
1024. River Horse Special Ale ESB
Beer Stats:
Brewery: River Horse Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
This was another beer served on cask. Again, it was served lightly chilled in a mug. River Horse ESP pours a very cloudy, copper color. The aroma is mild overall, but what's there is pleasant: toasty malts, and citric and fruity hops. The aromas could stand to grab you a little bit more.
Toasty malts first hit the tongue followed by a light, bready sweetness. The flavors quickly move into a citric and herbal hop finish. The flavors are pleasant, but seem a bit muddled, with nothing really standing out. This ESB is light-bodied with low carbonation and a husky texture in the finish.
This is a decent session beer, though I think it could be a bit bolder without sacrificing drinkability. My score seems to be a bit above the Beer Advocate average, perhaps this beer benefits from being served on cask.
1025. St. Boisterous
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This was our final beer at The Blind Tiger before Win called and we headed off to meet him at Penn Station. It was served chilled in a tulip glass. St. Boisterous pours a crystal clear golden. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a film leaving clinging lace. The aroma has a crisp graininess to it, as well as some nice apple esters, and bit of leafy, grassy hops.
This maibock starts off with a crisp, neutral graininess that moves into a mild, apple fruitiness in the center. The finish has a nice citric bite and an herbal hop bitterness. This beer is light-bodied, highly carbonated and very crisp.
This is a nice summer beer. It's flavorful, crisp and refreshing.
We met Win at Penn Station, and then took the 7 to TARP field. We arrived at the end of the 4th inning because Win's flight was delayed. I was pretty impressed with the new field. The open concourses were nice, as were the improved amenities.
We hadn't had dinner yet, so we went to the food section on the right field side. We got BBQ from Blue Smoke, beef ribs, wings, and a pulled pork sandwich, as well as fries from Box Frites. It was definitely the best stadium food I've had, though my experience is pretty limited. The craft beer selection was decent. They had some good options at Big Apple Brews, and both Blue Smoke and Box Frites had Brooklyn on tap. I ended up having a Brooklyn Blue Smoke with dinner, as well as a Blanche de Queens, which I assume is a rebranded Blanche de Brooklyn.
1026. Brooklyn Blue Smoke Blend
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Blue Smoke pours a hazed copper, and is topped by a sticky, off-white head. The aroma is light, but there are notes of caramel, toasty malts and fruity hops. It's toasty upfront with and underlying bready sweetness. There are good hop flavors in the finish, but only a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. I though this beer was a good sessioner, but it could have been a bit hoppier.
1023. He'Brew Rejewvenator 2009 (Year of the Date)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Cask
Style: American Strong Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
Perhaps this wasn't the wisest beer to start the evening with, but I didn't realize that it was such a strong beer. This beer was served on cask, barley chilled in a thick, glass mug.
Year of the Date pours a mildly hazy, ruby-tinted brown. Its off-white head quickly fades to nothing, though the low head retention could have been the result of being served on cask. This beer has the dark, malty aroma of a Belgian Dubbel or Strong Dark Ale, mostly due to the addition of dates, which are the predominant aroma. Additionally, there are notes of brown sugar, toffee, a sharp note, and a mild peppery spice.
Upfront there are sweet notes of caramel and brown sugar, before moving into a dark fruitiness in the center that's dominated by date flavors, which are accented by a sharp character. The finish is peppery and spicy with an underlying, mild, roasty bitterness. The beer was thick, rich and smooth with low carbonation.
I enjoyed this beer. I'm not sure what the style they were going for was, but the use of dates gave it a distinctly Belgian feel.
1024. River Horse Special Ale ESB
Beer Stats:
Brewery: River Horse Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
This was another beer served on cask. Again, it was served lightly chilled in a mug. River Horse ESP pours a very cloudy, copper color. The aroma is mild overall, but what's there is pleasant: toasty malts, and citric and fruity hops. The aromas could stand to grab you a little bit more.
Toasty malts first hit the tongue followed by a light, bready sweetness. The flavors quickly move into a citric and herbal hop finish. The flavors are pleasant, but seem a bit muddled, with nothing really standing out. This ESB is light-bodied with low carbonation and a husky texture in the finish.
This is a decent session beer, though I think it could be a bit bolder without sacrificing drinkability. My score seems to be a bit above the Beer Advocate average, perhaps this beer benefits from being served on cask.
1025. St. Boisterous
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This was our final beer at The Blind Tiger before Win called and we headed off to meet him at Penn Station. It was served chilled in a tulip glass. St. Boisterous pours a crystal clear golden. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a film leaving clinging lace. The aroma has a crisp graininess to it, as well as some nice apple esters, and bit of leafy, grassy hops.
This maibock starts off with a crisp, neutral graininess that moves into a mild, apple fruitiness in the center. The finish has a nice citric bite and an herbal hop bitterness. This beer is light-bodied, highly carbonated and very crisp.
This is a nice summer beer. It's flavorful, crisp and refreshing.
We met Win at Penn Station, and then took the 7 to TARP field. We arrived at the end of the 4th inning because Win's flight was delayed. I was pretty impressed with the new field. The open concourses were nice, as were the improved amenities.
We hadn't had dinner yet, so we went to the food section on the right field side. We got BBQ from Blue Smoke, beef ribs, wings, and a pulled pork sandwich, as well as fries from Box Frites. It was definitely the best stadium food I've had, though my experience is pretty limited. The craft beer selection was decent. They had some good options at Big Apple Brews, and both Blue Smoke and Box Frites had Brooklyn on tap. I ended up having a Brooklyn Blue Smoke with dinner, as well as a Blanche de Queens, which I assume is a rebranded Blanche de Brooklyn.
1026. Brooklyn Blue Smoke Blend
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Blue Smoke pours a hazed copper, and is topped by a sticky, off-white head. The aroma is light, but there are notes of caramel, toasty malts and fruity hops. It's toasty upfront with and underlying bready sweetness. There are good hop flavors in the finish, but only a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. I though this beer was a good sessioner, but it could have been a bit hoppier.
Labels: American Strong Ale, Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), Travel
