Tag Archives: review

A beer back through time in lower Manhattan

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The Dead RabbitWe recently visited The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog, a historical-revivalist taproom and parlour on Water Street in Lower Manhattan.  While TDR is just a short walk from Battery Park and other tourist attractions, it is a destination worth traveling to in its own right.

The whole joint is thoroughly infused with the Gangs of New York – era, 1850’s Irish gangland NYC theme.  The ground-level taproom is an honest recreation of a period Irish pub, complete with sawdust on the floor.  The bar servers a good selection of craft beer, with a focus on local selections (Sixpoint, Bronx, Ommegang) and Belgian styles (Ayinger, DuPont, Ommegang).  Most notable is their house ale,

brewed by Sixpoint, a cask-conditioned Mild with tons of brown malt (which fits the period theme nicely). Tasty. Continue reading →

Key West Beer Spots

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Key WestLike Miami, Key West has a bad reputation when it comes to beer.  However, we found it to be quite good in variety, selection, pricing, and overall enthusiasm.

It must first be said that there is no shortage of interesting, fun bars in Key West, but they do vary widely in terms of their beer esteem.  Traditaional on-Duval spots like Fat Tuesday and Cheeseburger in Paradise don’t offer much at all in the way of beer, but are  nonetheless worth checking out (it is Key West, after all).  Continue reading →

Miami Beer Spots

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Abbey Brewing CoWe recently went on vacation to Miami and Key West.  Miami especially has a reputation for not being a great beer town, but we found a few winning spots that deserve to be mentioned.

The Abbey Brewing Company was a nice little brewpub in South Beach.  It’s a little bit off the beaten path (a.k.a. it’s more than a block from the beach) but well worth the trip. (have dinner at Yardbird on the same block and you’ve got yourself a pretty fantastic evening.  Make a reservation).   They Abbey has about a dozen house beers, made at a production brewery Continue reading →

Stir Starter

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I recently bought a stir plate to aid with my yeast starters.  Using a stir plate can increase your yeast cell count considerably, resulting in quicker fermentation starts and less chance of off-flavors (specifically those that come from unwanted organisms beating the yeast to the yummy sugary nourishment of the wort).

The combined use of a yeast starter and stir plate can also make each batch of beer consierably cheaper, since you won’t need to pitch two (or even three) tubes of yeast to Continue reading →

Flemish Primitive Wild Ale

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Flemish PrimiitveI finally feel healthy enough (after 2+ months of limited smell and taste ability) to open a Christmas gift from my wife Olivia: a bottle of De Proef’s Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Surly Bird).  As the name implies, it is a light Belgian-style ale (close to a Dubbel, perhaps), fermented with wild yeast and other critters.

Wow.

It pours with a nice, pillowy head.  The first sense is aroma, of a strong smelly cheese.  Like a Bleu, Stilton maybe, but smoother.  More like a very soft, runny cheese, but way more pungent than Continue reading →

Left Hand – Fade to Black

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I had a pint of this (Volume 1: Foreign Stout) on my recent visit to Rattle N Hum.  I am completely in love with this beer.  I literally had a dream about it the other night.  Thick head, big malty front end, thick but not syrupy, and a long, boozy, peppery finish.  And peppery.  Did I mention peppery?  One of the nicest beers I have ever had.  Kudos to the folks at Left Hand.