hops

Industry Meet and Greet at Mikkeller NYC, or, Bulgogi Empanadas Are Life, Fam.

A few weeks ago, I got a Facebook Message from Matt Rowsell, a gentleman I’ve been Facebook Friends with for a while, also an Insurance Agent at James F. Sutton Insurance Agency, asking if I wanted to come to an Industry Meet and Greet at Mikkeller NYC (Y’all know my love for this brewery already, so there’s no need for me to gush again…) followed by a Mets game at Citifield (you know, that place that’s attached to Mikkeller NYC?). He said he had ONE TICKET free.

The Taproom at Mikkeller NYC

I messaged him back, saying I didn’t want to leave Holly Kay behind, but thanks anyway for the offer. He wrote back “I’ll let you know if another ticket shakes free.” Not thinking about it, I walked away from my momentary excitement and went back to work. About 30 minutes later, he messages again “Another ticket shook free!” Whoever was shaking all these Mets tickets free, thank you, Magical Ticket Shaker, for shaking your magical tickets upon my sweet Holly Kay and I.

I texted Holly, as we hadn’t yet made plans for the evening, and she of course said YES, she’d love to join me! The fun thing about impromptu date nights is it can break the monotony of the work week. Especially on Monday, arguably the worst day of the week.

How can we get rid of Mondays? Aside from a shrink-ray that will diminish Mondays until we can just step over them directly into Tuesday, the only other thing I can think of is to get offered tickets to a Mets game and an evening at Mikkeller NYC EVERY MONDAY. It’s foolproof.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the game got rained out. My Mets-loving coworker Justin sent me a tweet from the Mets, stating the game had been postponed to another day. “Manic Monday” by The Bangles slowly crept into my head, which, by the way, is literally a song about having a dream about making out with a hot Italian dude and then having to go about your regular Monday business. “Have to catch an early train / Got to be to work by nine.” That sounds more like a REGULAR MONDAY. There’s nothing manic about this! Come on, Angela Bangle, if that is your real name (it isn’t).

The line for the restroom at Mikkeller NYC

I messaged Matt again, who said that the Mikkeller Meet and Greet was still on! Hooray hoorah! Beer and Food! New friends! Food! Beer! Regular Monday faded out of my head, and some other song took its place (probably It’s a Small World or Tiki Room because I’ve got a Disney trip coming up).

Matt is awesome, by the way. If you’re a brewery, you should use him as your Insurance Agent. He explained that he grew up with Matt and Lauri Spitz, co-owners of Moustache Brewing Co. (who, as you already know, I collaborated with on You Lucky People, You, a Dole Whip inspired Double IPA, did I mention I have a Disney trio coming up?). And It’s a Small World crept into my head again. Shut up, head, I’m trying to talk!

We got to mingle with some of the co-sponsors of the event, Dave Oksenhorn and John Ahern, of @nybeercpas, who were all lovely, and about an hour in, Richie, Head Brewer at Mikkeller NYC, offered to give us a tour of their massive brewhouse.

It’s kind of like a beer nerd’s dream in there. As a non-brewer, it was cool to see the complex system of tanks and pipes to pump the beer from vessel to vessel. A ton of science goes into the beer that’s in that glass in front of you, Insert Your Name Here.

The brew house is absolutely gorgeous, the stainless steel shines like the top of the Chrysler Building (oh, a reference to the musical theater masterpiece Annie? Cool!)

Miss Hannigan. Cruel or just misunderstood?

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying some fantastic Mikkeller Brews with the crew from Big aLICe Brewing, Allie Breitfeller from Pratt Industries, who provide all the cardboard boxes for Mikkeller NYC, and other NYC Breweries. The menu at Mikkeller NYC is extensive, featuring local restaurants like our neighborhood favorite Unidentified Flying Chickens. The beef bulgogi empanadas are a must. You like buttery, flaky crust surrounding salty meat with Korean spices? Welp, this is right up your alley, and you should probably eat it NOW.

All in all, it was an evening of community, friendship, and beer! I love being a part of the NYC Craft Beer community! Come hang out with us BECAUSE WE’RE FUN!

See? We’re fun!

Make sure you follow me over on Instagram for more silliness!

Until next time!

Cheers!

What’s in Your Fridge? Or, How to Squeeze Your Groceries, Tetris-Like, Around Your Beer

Hello, Fair Readers!

I’ve been told recently by Jordan, a friend of the blog, “You know what you should do? You should do a ‘What’s in my fridge?’ post.” And considering that I’ve had a few awesome hauls over the past couple of weeks, my fridge was literally bursting at the seams with beer.

But like, seriously.

I’m not kidding…

Did you think I was kidding? I wasn’t kidding.

Also, one FAT bottle of VEUVE, baby. Because you know We classy, and we gotta let ‘em know.

So what an appropriate time to do a post about what happens to be in my fridge, because what happens to be in my fridge is a metric ton of beer.

So let’s take a look, shall we?

Jordan, you’re welcome!

I’ve been jiving on this Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series, and this Blueberry Gose is a tart, easy drinking sour beer, whose addition of blueberries balances it with a lovely bit of sweetness that will please anyone.

Holly Kay and I had dinner last night at Astoria Bier and Cheese, where I picked up this newest Grimm Artisanal Ales IIPA, Striking. I haven’t had this, as it’s brand new, but it’s brewed with Motueka, Azacca, and Ekuanot cryo. I did not know what Cryo Hops were, but check it out here. Some insane(ly brilliant) person decided to use science to separate all the different parts of the hop. SCIENCE!

Holly Kay being cheeky at Astoria Bier and Cheese

Bolero Snort Moountie, an Smoked Imperial Brown Ale with Coffee and (!!!) Maple Syrup (!!!). This right here, folks, is a Holly Kay Beer. HK loves Brown Ales, and Coffee, and who doesn’t like maple syrup? I will report back on this, but I’ve liked the three other Beers I had from Bolero Snort!

You all know this one! A classic Northeast Style IPA, and another Holly Kay favorite!

Singlecut Beersmiths DDH (double dry-Hopped, and I would still love an explanation from ANYONE about what this means, because it could mean any number of things…) Is This The Real Life? Pineapple like whoa, juicy, tropical citrus, balanced by that very uniquely Singlecut malty sweetness, and their own house yeast shines through as well.

Amongst the eggplants, garlic, and chicken stock, LIC Beer Project Cannons. Picked this up at their can release two weekends ago. Citrus, ripe melon, with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. So dang good, this beer is!

Brad and I visited Other Half Brewing on Saturday evening, and discovered that their expansion means… More beer! Pictured above are their collaboration with Amager Bryghus from Denmark, Heavy Mentals IIPA, and their collaboration with Stigbergets Bryggeri from Sweden, Chimera Imperial Oat Cream IPA. They both sound incredible, and I’ve heard great things about both.

Dogfish Head Oak Aged Vanilla World Wide Stout. 18%. Vanilla. Oak. That’s all you need to know.

This one I’m super excited about. River Horse Brewing Craic! You could take anything, age it in Jameson barrels, and feed it to me, and I’d be alright with it.

Speaking of Irish Whiskey barrels, I’ve still got a bottle of Galway Bay Brewery’s Two Hundred Fathoms, aged In Teelings Whiskey Barrels. This is velvety smooth, with chocolate, coffee, caramel, and oak. Sweetness isn’t overpowering, but compliments the bitter chocolate and coffee. It’s unreal.

And a bonus! One of Holly’s coworkers brought a jar of his homebrew, Ice Ice Baby, a 7% vanilla stout! Don’t worry, we made room for this one… ?

So… What’s in YOUR fridge? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

Hey Y’all, Check Out These Pictures, Or, Please Don’t Try to Drink This Blog Post…

It’s picture time! I realize I haven’t put up a picture-heavy blog post in a bit, so here’s one coming at’cha!

ALSO: I wrote an article for TigerLyfe Times about Sand City Brewing’s recent Oops! I _____ed My Pants! triple can release! Check that article out over HERE! Thanks for reading!

Radical One from the aforementioned Sand City Brewing. The hop hits keep coming and coming with these guys outta Northport!

#LGM! LIC Beer Project Dutch Kills Kölsch at Citifield! This is my kind of baseball beer! Crisp, malty, fruity and super refreshing!

From Salt House Bar in Galway Ireland! Brouwerij Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait, all the way from Belgium! This beer brought the house down. Tart, funky, dry, and delicious. Absolutely nothing wrong here!

Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co. Particle Pilsner. One of the more hoppy pils’ I’ve had. Bright, crisp citrus is balanced by sweet, cracker like malt. Love it!

A “candid” photograph at Samson’s Birthday party at Greenpoint! Cheers!

Greenpoint Beer & Ale Tremendous. Paired with an, *ahem*, appropriate movie (on VHS, no less!)

My favorite beer of summer, 2017. Carton Brewing Beach, a session Ale with (I believe) Citra hops and orange zest. Bright, beautiful grapefruit and bitter orange, a bit of dankness, but still clean and dry enough and low enough ABV to keep on drinkin’. So, keep on drinkin’!

Also, I’m getting a foot massage whilst I took this photo. So, your opinion is invalid.

Finback x Jacks Abby Spill The Tea IPL. The green tea is a cool addition to the citrus hops and citrus peel, adding a clean, grassy note that’s intriguing. And no need to boil water and risk burning your precious, precious skin. ?

Singlecut Beersmiths strikes again! Some Cat From Japan Session IPA, and Charlie’s Good Tonight IPA. Both phenomenal beers, and I’m hoping they’ll release them again in the future.

I know, I know, this isn’t beer. But when Holly Kay and I found the Dingle Whiskey Bar tucked away inside Fraunces Tavern down in the Financial District of NYC, we had to stop in and have some Irish Whiskey (at triple the price we paid for it on the Emerald Isle, of course). And it was worth every penny.

Bradco brought this beer back from Michigan. Old Nation Brewing Co. M-43 New England Style IPA. These cats from Williamston, MI have nailed this style, which surprised me. Watch out, New England, Michigan’s coming for you. HARD.

Enjoyed this collaboration by Other Half Brewing and Cloudwater Brewing, Tremendous Ideas. The simple can design also lends this can to take beautiful pictures even when an amateur photographer (me) is behind the camera (iPhone). Also my bed looks super comfy and as I’m writing this, I’m minutes away from hopping into it and drifting into a blissful slumber so, that’s also cool.

This was at Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint. The Hellboy pizza with soppressata picante and Mike’s Hot Honey (yo, MIKE’S HOT HONEY. Who’s this Mike guy? I want to raid his house and take all of his hot honey for my own.). This hot-ass pizza was paired with a Greenpoint Beer & Ale Milk & Honey, a sweet, creamy ale that paired perfectly with the spicy ‘zza, bro.

Threes Brewing SFY (the artist formerly known as SuperF*ckingYawn) IPA, as we prepared for the magical wonder that is the Binky Griptite Orchestra at Threes Greenpoint Location. Binky plays guitar with the Dap Kings, and brought his musician friends to play some amazing 1940s Jazz and R&B and it was absolutely incredible. It was the opposite of SuperF*ckingYawn, but so was this beer, so…

Sometimes, it’s nice to go back to basics. Allagash White, my first Belgian white beer I fell in love with. Simple, refreshing, with notes of orange peel, clove, banana. Sometimes simple is beautiful.

Again, let the hate flow through you. I will combat that hate with Polar Seltzer’s Unicorn Kisses Seltzer. Is it Strawberry Kiwi? We’ll never know. Polar’s been keeping these flavors as mysterious as the mythical beasts on the cans. Damn you, Polar.

Fan favorites Moustache Brewing Co. made this delightful Saison brewed with Lavender, Honey, and Lemon Verbena. They knocked it out of the park, with floral, sweet, banana, and citrus dancing mischievously around the palate, this beer is simply a delight. Love you, Moustache Gang!

Thanks to my dear friend Will Russell, for asking me to be a part of his wedding party. As part of our Groomsmen’s gift, he got us these HEAVY DUTY USS Enterprise Bottle Openers. This is insanely dope and I will use it always. Make it so.

Treehouse Brewing Company, if you don’t know, now you know. Christopher Benedict, if you don’t know, now you know. Get with the times, y’all.

Interboro Spirits & Ales x Pipeworks Brewing Mad Fat! Unicorn. Thanks Bradco for sharing!! Mad Fat! Fluid plus Ninja Vs. Unicorn equals an amazing liquid combo. New York x Chicago, taking over the world.

If you’re not salivating by now, you need to let me know, and I’ll take you out and buy you a beer. So, if you’ve made it this far, and it’s had no effect on you, let me know. The next one’s on me.

Until next time!

Cheers!

KCBC Tiger Thunder, or, Benedict Beer Blog’s Beer of the Week #2!

“Such a blunder sometimes, it makes me wonder why I even bring the Thunder (Why he even brings the Thunder)…”

Daveed Diggs, as Thomas Jefferson, paying homage to Grandmaster Flash, in the hit Broadway smash musical Hamilton, invokes the essence of this beer…

Pow! Bam! Zap! Zing! Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC) Tiger Thunder IIPA!

Thanks to Rick (check out his amazing food blog, Rickommended, right HERE!), for picking this up for me from Carmine Street Beers!

The smell is super dank, earthy, herbal with some citrus notes hiding behind. The first sip lowers the electric BOOM! A blast of pineapple ? (ooh Mama!) , lemon ? (hey now!), juicy melon ? (watch out!), with bursts of strawberry ? (hello!), bready ? malt sweetness (sweet!) and sticky, oily resinous character (sticky!). This beer is all about balance. It clocks in at 8% ABV, so it’s a nice sipping beer while relaxing on our beautiful, comfy couch.

It pours a beautiful amber, with a pillowy, off-white foam. It’s gorgeous to look at in between sips.

The can art is dope. The bright, almost neon yellows, greens, blues, and reds in the folk-art inspired tiger mask are a nice compliment to the crisp, citrus hops in the beer. It seems like a lot of care and consideration went into not only the beer itself, but also the art. It’s amazing.

Beautifully balanced from start to finish, this beer’s great and you should definitely pick it up if you find it (aka those who live in the tri-state area).

Also, I can’t wait to open the other KCBC can that Rick picked up for me, Look Ma, No Hands, a gose with pineapple and lemon zest, to share with the lovely Holly Kay! Look on our Instagram soon for that beautiful can art as well!

Thanks for checking us out! You like beer? Share this with all those you love!

Until next time!

Cheers!

Date Night! Or, “Is It Weird That This Beer Smells Like Sushi Rice?”

Holly Kay and I have been married for 5 years (!!!) now. We’ve got a trip to Ireland planned for the first week in November (!!!) which we’re super excited for, but we’re always looking for ways to celebrate our love.

This past Friday, we were both done early from work, so I met Holly down in Soho so we could find a nice Happy Hour (who doesn’t love a good Happy Hour?). As I waited for her to get out of work, I had a hankering to visit one of our favorite special places here in NYC. It’s got great food, great beer, and great… Arcade games?

Yeah. You got that right, Jack (who is Jack anyways and how did he get that right?), I’m talking about Barcade.

Barcade!

The first Barcade opened in 2004 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, then in Jersey City and Philadelphia in 2011, two Manhattan locations in 2014, and New Haven in 2015.

Our very special Barcade is located in Chelsea, on 24th street, equidistant from the E and the F trains, which both run express to our neighborhood of Jackson Heights, so, bonus. We haven’t had a chance to visit the other locations, but we’ve spent numerous occasions here, including our 4th Wedding Anniversary (sandwiched between a massage and a Punch Brothers show at The Beacon Theater).

We all love nostalgia, and Barcade touches all the right, nostalgic-like parts of your brain cavity. With arcade games such as Tapper, Rampage, and Donkey Kong, you’re transported back to your childhood, except it’s cooler because you’re an adult now and you can do what you want and what you want is an extensive craft beer selection and a menu that features Tetris-shaped tater tots.

In this picture: Grilled chicken sandwich with fried onions, Tetris Tots, and a short rib grilled cheese (!!!!) with spicy mayo, beer, water.

We took two stools at the bar when we arrived (it was just before 5pm), and began perusing the beer list. We were greeted by Brian, (who we later learned was the beer manager for that location), who was amazingly friendly and helpful, and more than willing to answer any questions we had, or let us sample a few beers before deciding (a sign of a great beer bar).

Holly ordered a Kent Falls Lade Øl Saison. This is a “toasted hay grisette”. Saison? Grisette? They’re nearly the same thing. While a saison was a low ABV beer brewed for farmers to enjoy after (or during) a long day in the fields, a grisette was brewed for miners (Because nothing prevents black lung like a farmhouse ale!).

Lade Øl is Danish for “barn beer”. The addition of toasted hay adds notes of grass, vanilla and spice to the funk and citrus of a traditional Farmhouse Ale.

I started with an Evil Twin Erase and Rewind #2 IPA. Clocking in at 7% ABV, this is a punchy, citrusy IPA bursting with pineapple and orange, pine, and some malty sweetness. Another hit from Jeppe and crew at Evil Twin.

Evil Twin Erase and Rewind #2 IPA. Also, a gorgeous array of taps.
Let’s talk food. We decided to share a sandwich and some Tetris Tots. We glanced up at the specials on the chalkboard, and I immediately drooled all over myself. Why? Check this monster out…

Spicy chicken sandwich with shredded lettuce, chipotle aioli, and a pretzel bun. Also, check out them crispy totz. We were full.

Holly Kay’s next beer was from the always phenomenal Carton Brewing from Atlantic Highlands, NJ. It’s called Sakura, and it’s a Gose brewed with sushi rice (!!!???) and cherry blossom. Weird? Yup! But with Augie Carton, you always know he’s going to do you right.

(Check out This Article about Augie’s philosophy, and you’ll see why I trust this dude with any beer he makes.)

As soon as Holly and I took a sniff of this beer, we glanced sideways at each other. “Is it weird that this beer smells like sushi rice?” I asked Holly. “Yes.” She responded. “It’s brewed with sushi rice!” I said. She took another sniff… “That definitely smells like sushi rice.” The aroma was salty and sweet just like sushi rice, with lemon and floral notes. Taste was tart lemon peel citrus, floral, and salty. I’m hoping they have cans of this left when we visit the brewery next week, because this was out of this world.

My next pick was the Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout. This is a collaboration beer with everyone’s favorite need Wil Wheaton, and Drew Curtis (who runs the website fark.com). This year’s iteration was brewed with rye, flaked wheat, and pecans (yummmm) and aged in bourbon barrels. For a beer brewed by a bunch of nerds, this brew is a bully. At 13%, it’s dangerous, because the smoothness of vanilla and caramel from the bourbon barrel plus the sweetness of the pecans make for a real easy drinker that’ll shove your head in a toilet and take your lunch money. I want these dudes to continue making this every year.

Also, can we please all just look at this Star Wars-inspired label? It’s unfair how cool this beer is.

W00tstout. My sweet lord.

It was time for video games. First was Holly Kay’s favorite…

Discs of Tron!
My wife is amazing. (Have I mentioned my wife is amazing?). She always comes on top 10 on this game. This time, she hit #7. I thought I had a picture of it, but it turns out, when you get on the top 10, your initials blink on and off on the screen. Of course, I took the picture when the initials weren’t on the screen. So, you’ll just have to believe me, or come with us next time we’re at Barcade.

We then hit up Tapper, everyone’s favorite anxiety nightmare Bartending game. We rock this one out all the damn time, although that probably has something to do with that we downloaded a free version (or was it 99¢?) of Root Beer Tapper for iPhone (the version inside Barcade is completely branded by Budweiser…) and we are now seasoned Tapper veterans. I think we’re just naturally talented with our hand-eye coordination.

In summary, you all should head to Barcade. You’ll have an amazing time regardless, but if you have the pleasure of being served by Brian, prepare to have an elevated Craft Beer experience. Thanks, Brian!

Until next time!

Cheers!

Beer Plus Music Vol. II, or How Singlecut Saved Us From Our Ceiling Collapsing on Our Heads…

“Hey you! Out there in the cold, getting lonely, getting old, can you feel me?

Hey you! Standing in the aisles, with itchy feet and fading smiles, can you feel me?”

If you can’t feel Pink Floyd, you can’t feel feelings.

So last week, I put together some beer and music pairings. A few days ago, I thought to myself, “How did I make a beer and music post and not mention one of my favorite (and literally the closest to my apartment) breweries, that is as obsessed with music as they are with beer?”

Singlecut Beersmiths. 37th Avenue, Astoria, Queens. This is a place you should go, definitely.

This is their entrance!

As far as beer and music collaborations are concerned, these guys are the (ZZ) tops!

They’ve taken a warehouse and made it home.

When you walk through the door of the giant warehouse, you’re welcomed in with large wooden tables, a gorgeous bar, complete with a record player and some unbelievable vinyl, beautiful, dark wood paneling, and gorgeous guitars hanging from the wall. Lining the walls are framed bags of malt, tying in their passion for beer with their passion for music.

The tap handles? All designed to look like guitar heads. The beers? Mostly named after the brewers’ favorite musicians, or song lyrics.

A video of me mouthing the line that Robert Plant shouted in the middle of “Stairway to Heaven” during a live recording for the 1976 concert movie The Song Remains the Same, which, apparently, still makes him cringe and inspired Singlecut’s IIPA of the same name.

Does Anybody Remember Laughter? IPA clocks in at 7.2% ABV, with aromas and flavors of dank, piney resin and citrus, tropical fruit (mango, pineapple) and pine. The forests truly do echo with laughter.

If you’ll excuse me… My hedgegrow is bustled, and frankly, I’m a little alarmed. I’ll be right back…

…

Ok, much better. Back to the beer.

Mo’Shuggie Soulbender IPA, found at Little Tibet, an unassuming, fun restaurant in our neighborhood of Jackson Heights, features Singlecut and other Queens breweries like Transmitter Brewing.

Mo’Shuggie weighs in at 7.4% ABV, and is brewed with both New Zealand and Australian hop varietals, and has aromas of tropical mango, pineapple, and orange citrus. The taste follows, with flavors of grapefruit zest, and white peach, leaving it with a dry finish. Simply, a world class IPA. Bright, fruity, aromatic, picks you up and drops you on the beach, the ocean lapping at your toes. Juice, juice, juice.

Singlecut helped Holly and I kick off our 2016. We were undecided on where we wanted to go to celebrate New Years Eve, but we discussed it with some friends, and decided to spend our evening there (not before a quick stop at the Ditmars location of Astoria Bier and Cheese)!

HK Benny looking super cute and wintery…

Holly started out with an Eric More Cowbell! Milk Stout. This is a creamy, smooth stout at 6% ABV with bitter bakers cocoa and coffee notes with some sugary sweetness. Great way to kick off the evening.

I had the Bon TNT Pale Ale, which is a hazy, unfiltered Pale Ale (see glass of orange juice in the picture above), a 5% ABV, juicy, citrus refresher and another great beer to kick off our evening.

Singlecut also has the Bon Bon 2XTNT IIPA, which, in my opinion, is as good as and easier to find than all the “New England Style” IPAs that are sought after and waited in line for. It’s another juicy, citrus bomb that drinks super easy for its 8.2% ABV. It’s packed with amazing New Zealand and Australian hops (which is appropriate, as Bon is a reference to the late Bon Scott, frontman for AC/DC). OI! OI! OI! OI! OI! OI! He’s dynamite, and he will win the fight.

Boom!

We continued the evening as our friends trickled in, Ryan (manager of Il Bambino, see my love letter to Il Bambino from a few months ago) and Erica, Rafa, and Alex and Shelbie all came by to spend a relatively quiet New Years Eve chatting and celebrating. The staff at Singlecut are always so welcoming and friendly, and they threw New Years confetti all over the tables, while we all listened to whatever records were spinning that night (I can’t remember exactly, but I think Rolling Stones and T-Rex were both a part of the night). It was an awesome evening ( aside from getting home at 1am to find our ceiling collapsed in our kitchen, but you’ve probably already read that post. If you haven’t, check it out here.)

Beer Plus Music Equals Love

Ryan and Erica. So happy to have these two in our lives!

Alex and Shelbie having a blast!

A grainy picture of Holly, Rafa and I. It’s grainy because of all the fun we were having. Also, you know, artsy. Beer is art. Grainy selfies are art, too.

Holly and I decided we were going to start the new year with our favorite beer from Singlecut, a MONSTER Imperial Stout called Heavy Boots of Lead.

Is he live or dead? Has he thoughts within his head?

Named after a lyric from Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”, this is a heavy hitter, at 11.2% ABV. It tastes like liquid dark chocolate, with hints of vanilla and coffee. One of my favorite non-barrel aged Imperial Stouts, whenever I see this around, I have to get it. I could drink this in the middle of summer.

The moral of the story here is, you should absolutely make the trek up to Northern Astoria (don’t go too far, or you’ll end up on Riker’s Island). They have amazing sour lagers (ahem, lagrrrs), also, try all of their Billy series IPAs, they range from about 5% ABV to 10%, and are all juicy and delicious. Their newest juice bomb IPA that I love is…

Breathe… Breathe in the air…

These guys are making absolute world class beers, and have only been around a few years, so I look forward to seeing what these mad scientists will put out next. Right on the bottle, it says “Mastery knows no shortcut”. And they’re not taking any. You know Holly and I will be there, and you should be too. Although, their traffic might explode after getting the Benedict Beer Blog Bump! 😉

Thanks for reading. Don’t sleep on Singlecut!

Cheers!